Religious conversations with family will always be tricky. I struggle to decide whether to explain my lack of faith or brush their questions away to save us from an upsetting conversation. Either way, a part of me will remain hidden from them.

Yeah, I destroyed my health on my birthday weekend — not by killing my liver, but by eating junk food, staring at a laptop screen and not sleeping.

In many ways, Penn is the best it’s ever been. How many colleges can boast a no-loan financial aid policy for undergraduates, some of the most impressive (and newly renovated) dining halls or a president that can stand on her head? Not many.

I’ve blown my cover too many times to be considered a real American agent.

Pitchfork isn’t offensive. It’s hilarious.

If we corral the polluted air in one place, if we quarantine the smoke, there’s a big chance that it’ll be easier to breathe everywhere else.

The main reason I try not to surf the web in class is privacy. I don’t want people behind me to know that the only person who ever chats me online is Sara Silver (my mom).

I propose starting an organization called “Best of Penn” to offer informal coffee chats with the best professors who are willing to spare an hour.

I want to see sexual health on the NSO calendar. But, is that too extreme? Is that something we as a community are unwilling to face, since unlike alcohol, the threats to health from sex are often less conspicuous?

This August, along with reminding me to ignore the liberals and to enjoy Penn State, my family members and neighbors advised me to avoid the “bad parts of town.”

During the beginning of each school year, we are all involved in making sure freshmen know what’s what on campus. We want them to know about our club, our major, our leadership opportunities. Yet most of us don’t know half of what occurs at Penn.

While the media and politicians attempt to convince us that we live in a post-racial society, the truth is, self-segregation persists and is a natural instinct.

I have more in common with a moderate Christian than any Muslim radical who proposes violence.

Many people believe that the playing field is leveled once students get to college, but in reality, inequality persists.

Trying to get on top of your schoolwork? Take your books out. You don’t have to read them. Just open them up. Trying to catch up on email? Respond to one. See what happens.

Although the formalities of the old still echo the halls of the convention — there are voice votes, motions and even a gavel — it is no longer a place for a party to pick a nominee.

We rationalize away uncomfortable facts by thinking that if a lot of people think something is okay, then it must be okay.