Guest column by Penn Dems | Starving for change

By Penn Democrats · Sept. 22, 2014

Fortunately, Republicans were not able to cut SNAP funding by $40 billion. Still, Republicans were somewhat successful in their quest to cut aid to the needy. Earlier this year, President Obama signed into law a compromise agreement that cut SNAP by almost $9 billion.As a result of those cuts, 175,000 Pennsylvania families will lose $65 in benefits each month. Many of these families undoubtedly live close to Penn, and perhaps some of the affected children are those whom Penn students tutor in local schools. For families that have already been struggling to make ends meet, these cuts will be devastating.

Dani Blum | Yes, you're a feminist

By Dani Blum · Sept. 22, 2014

I’ve identified myself as a feminist since middle school, but it’s difficult to apply that passion into real social settings. I note trends, but I don’t see the significance in them. I spend too much time trying to determine if a friend’s joke or a passing comment is anti-feminist that I end up letting it pass. I want to practice what I preach — or more accurately, what I share on Facebook — but I over-rationalize my way into inaction.Furthermore, it’s difficult to put the more idealistic points of feminism into place at college. I consider myself a feminist, but I compare myself to other women. Few of my conversations are about women’s issues, and I have no plans to take a gender studies class. Eighty percent of the music on my workout playlist is overtly misogynistic. I don’t freak out when “Blurred Lines” comes on at a party. I go to the gym not so I can release endorphins, but so I can fit into my skinny jeans.

Sophia Wushanley | Race, gender and grades

By Sophia Wushanley · Sept. 22, 2014

Everything you’ve ever put your name on has been tinged with your race and gender, be it a paper, an exam, a lab report or a resume. No matter how well you know your professors, and how earnestly they condemn prejudice in any form, a bulk of scientific literature suggests that who you are influences how they see the work you produce.

Hannah Rosenfeld | Torn

By hannah rosenfeld · Sept. 22, 2014

Hannah Rosenfeld is a College sophomore from Tokyo.

Guest column by College Republicans | An inconvenient truth: When rhetoric and action don't line up

By College Republicans Executive Board · Sept. 22, 2014

We want to reaffirm our support for a two-state solution, predicated not on concessions to terrorists, but on security and mutual trust.

Guest column by Jaime and Paul Shweitzer| In defense of the Maimonides program

By Jaime and Paul Shweitzer · Sept. 22, 2014

We have had over five years experience with MEOR on two college campuses, one of them being University of Pennsylvania.

Roderick Cook | Rethinking the 'true academic experience'

By Roderick Cook · Sept. 18, 2014

Still, some who recognize this fact think that prefacing something with a trigger warning somehow disrupts the intellectual experience of reading or viewing it. As the DP editorial put it, “It is sometimes deemed necessary for students to experience visceral reactions to the material with which they come into contact. The purpose of such material is to be taken by surprise, offended and even, at times, disturbed.”This statement shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the difference between being surprised or offended and being traumatized. Furthermore, it exposes the unsettling fact that many people out there genuinely care more about some assumed abstract “true academic experience” than the safety of students.

Katiera Sordjan | A mutual effort

By Katiera Sordjan · Sept. 18, 2014

A year sounds like a long time, but it took me most of that time to find a working medical treatment. Then, I had to address my classes or risk not being able to declare my major. In order to receive medical clearance, I had to mediate between my clinician and the Counseling and Psychological Services staff, who evaluated my current health status. I spent a lot of time making repeated calls, emails and campus visits to ensure the various conditions set by Penn for my return were met, and frequently worried about my ability to come back.

Shawn Kelley | In defense of the president

By Shawn Kelley · Sept. 18, 2014

What’s really telling is when you look at the compensation per $1 million in total expenditures for each institution. Gee was paid $1,332, Zimmer received $1,113 and Gutmann $376.

The Vision | A weight we all must carry

By Victoria Ford and The Vision · Sept. 16, 2014

We have the tendency to believe that sexual assault doesn’t affect us, that it happens to other people but certainly not to our friends, not at our parties, not by our people. This is a dirty lie. The longer we buy into it and coddle our ignorance, the longer we smother each other.

Jeremiah Keenan | ?Nap more, sleep less

By Jeremiah Keenan · Sept. 16, 2014

But for some reason most Penn students don’t take a regular nap. Why? Because much as we’d all love to nap, we just don’t have the time. Of course, we’d feel better if we slept more. We’d also feel better if we spent four hours a day in the gym! But you just can’t do that if you’re taking six credits and working weekends in a lab. Napping isn’t an Ivy League thing.

Guest column by the Government and Politics Association | Beyond partisan

By Government and Politics Association Executive Board · Sept. 16, 2014

The question here is not “Democrat or Non-Democrat.” The question here is not even “Democrat or Republican.” The real question is “liberal, conservative, independent, libertarian, socialist, progressive or none of the above.”

Sam Sherman | A presidential performance

By Sam Sherman · Sept. 16, 2014

Sam Sherman is a College junior from Marblehead, Mass. His email address is samsherman6@gmail.com. 

Guest column by Penn Democrats | A crisis on campus and beyond

By Penn Democrats · Sept. 15, 2014

We must realize that the institutional popularity of colleges and sports programs is nowhere near as important as the lives and livelihoods of the innocent women, and men, they so readily sweep under the rug. Until then, an insidious culture that protects the image of influential organizations at whatever cost will continue to prevail.

Sophia Wushanley | What’s so special about leadership?

By Sophia Wushanley · Sept. 15, 2014

Our fixation on leadership worries me because it implies that the be all end all of a successful life is to have the greatest possible influence over the greatest number of people. “Leadership” has become one of those words that our brains automatically categorize as a Good Thing,  and our conflation of the terms “leadership” and “good leadership” makes us believe that influence itself is the goal, rather than just a good first step to effecting positive change in the world.

Dani Blum | Give up the numbers game

By Dani Blum · Sept. 15, 2014

We remind ourselves we go to a fantastic school, but we put ourselves down for being one of “the lower Ivies,” as I overheard someone refer to Brown and Penn. We use Penn as an ego boost, but we’re not satisfied.

Jonathan Iwry | Save America from itself

By Jonathan Iwry · Sept. 14, 2014

To ignore such issues and debate how safe we are is like crossing the street without looking both ways while pondering the danger of shark attacks. It’s tempting to assess our condition solely in terms of radical threats — terror has a way of stealing our attention — but whoever does so is looking through a faulty lens. National security and national integrity must go hand in hand.