Opinion-Columns
Jack Lakis | Take down the barricades
Columnist Jack Lakis compels the University to remove all fencing from College Green.
Alyma Karbownik | Breaking the ‘escape at all costs’ mentality
Columnist Alyma Karbownik explains how an excessive ambition to leave home can be just as damaging as staying in our bubble.
Gina Grace Huh | Let’s protect ourselves
Guest Columnist Gina Grace Huh advocates for Penn to implement a ‘Mental Health Monday’ during the fall semester.
Solemei Scamaroni | Shaming voters is a losing strategy. Period
Columnist Solemei Scamaroni argues that labeling Trump voters as racist oversimplifies their political choices, stifles productive dialogue, and undermines efforts to foster meaningful change in a democracy.
Arshiya Pant | The Holmesburg Prison experiment survivors deserve better from Penn
Columnist Arshiya Pant argues that Penn should meet the reparative demands made by victims of university-facilitated prison experiments.
Mia Vesely | America isn’t ready to be great
Columnist Mia Vesely analyzes the influence of race in the recent presidential election.
Alyma Karbownik | Dreams of college connections, realities of classroom cliques
Columnist Alyma Karbownik compares her college expectations of lively classroom discussions to similar social patterns that re-emerged from her high school years.
Stephen Morse | Pennsylvania politics 101
Guest Columnist Stephen Morse shares his experience as an alumnus during the 2006 midterm election and offers a democracy lesson for current students.
Solemei Scamaroni | Penn is a battleground
Columnist Solemei Scamaroni warns the politicization of universities, like Penn, will intensify under the next Trump administration, urging universities and students to be aware of the national impact of their actions.
Beatriz Báez | A floating island treated like garbage
Columnist Beatriz Báez discusses Puerto Rico’s status and examines the relationship between the political influence of Puerto Ricans in the U.S. versus their role within the island itself.
Ingrid Holmquist | Let’s keep Philadelphia unions strong
Columnist Ingrid Holmquist highlights the importance of labor unions in the context of the ongoing struggle of SEPTA workers.
Mariana Martinez | MAGA: Roaring twenties 2.0?
Columnist Mariana Martinez deconstructs what it means to “Make America Great Again” and potential challenges Donald Trump could face in his enterprise.
Isabel Sweeney | The red gets redder: The burning need for change in America
Guest Columnist Isabel Sweeney reflects on the post-election reconciliation with what a decisive Trump victory tells us about America’s struggles.
Halima Osman | Black Penn faces an uncertain future
Columnist Halima Osman explores the implications of declining diversity and representation within Black Penn following the overturning of affirmative action.
Tiyya Geiger | We should all read more — just not our textbooks
Columnist Tiyya Geiger compels Penn students to revitalize free reading as a core tenant of the college experience.
Namrata Pradeep | You can’t compete with the crane or the chatbot
Columnist Namrata Pradeep explores employability in the face of smarter technology.
Ingrid Holmquist | Our goals don’t change under Trump
Columnist Ingrid Holmquist highlights the impending Trump presidency as a chance to restructure the left to better support us.
Elo Esalomi | A Brit’s guide to American democracy
Columnist Elo Esalomi compares U.K. and U.S. political cultures in the wake of experiencing her first U.S. presidential election.
Marie Dillard | Trump voters aren't racist, but they excuse it
Columnist Marie Dillard explores the rise of far-right populism fueled by fear of cultural displacement, where identity and power are framed as zero-sum battles.