Opinion Art | Joanne Tong

By Joanne Tong · Oct. 4, 2007

Joanne Tong is a Wharton senior from Manila, Philippines. Her e-mail address is tong@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Rina Thomas | Paper? Plastic? Simplify and just BYOB

By Rina Thomas · Oct. 4, 2007

BYOB. Europe does it. America used to do it before the Second World War. African nations may soon join in. So will you if the Philadelphia City Council succeeds in banning plastic bags. It's not that hard. Just bring your own bag when you go shopping. If eco-conscious council members have their way, Philly will soon join the ranks of green cities like San Francisco and Paris.

Opinion Art | Amira Fawcett

By Amira Fawcett · Oct. 3, 2007

Amira Fawcett is an Engineering junior from Houston. Her e-mail address is fawcett@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Elizabeth Song | Ending a vicious cycle

By Elizabeth Song · Oct. 3, 2007

Hell hath no fury like a cyclist doored. Last week, that cyclist was me. And that door was attached to the body of a black Chevy pick-up, which collided with my right knee. For campus cyclists, the sound of a car door popping open is a lot like the sound of a cocked gun.

Meredith Aska McBride | Underestimating the value of transparency

By Meredith Aska McBride · Oct. 3, 2007

It costs almost $50,000 a year to attend Penn, but tuition revenue doesn't come close to supplying the amount of money it takes to run this university. Penn relies on endowment profit to pay for financial aid, new facilities, academic programming and much of the rest of the operating budget.

Opinion Board | Mind your own business

By Opinion Board · Oct. 3, 2007

Last Thursday, the Senate Finance Committee heard testimony from a panel of experts who recommended forcing universities to spend at least 5 percent of their endowments, with the intention of making college more affordable. At first glance, it seems like a fantastic idea.

Michaela Tolpin | Work hard, play ... nah

By Michaela Tolpin · Oct. 2, 2007

There's something quintessentially awful about studying at Penn. It goes beyond the fact that you're actually expected to do well in an Ivy League school, and it also goes beyond the fact that the amount of work can, at times, be inordinate. Instead, it's about the cutthroat intensity students adopt to be "competitive," an intensity that is beginning to pollute our social environment.

Opinion Board | Making TAs better

By Opinion Board · Oct. 2, 2007

When it comes to getting a good teaching assistant at Penn, it's a crap-shoot. Some TAs will use creative ways to help a student solve a math problem or become a better writer, while others can't even speak basic English. This astonishing variety reflects the lack of uniformity in TA preparation at Penn.

Opinion Art | Alicia Puglionesi

By Alicia Puglionesi · Oct. 2, 2007

Alicia Puglionesi is a College junior from Haverton, Pa. Her e-mail address is puglionesi@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Jim Saksa | All the difference

By Jim Saksa · Oct. 2, 2007

Recently, the Senate Finance Committee heard a proposal that would force universities to spend five percent of their endowments on financial-aid and other student-related programs. Penn already spends four percent, so what's one percent going to do to my $110,000? $110,000 is about how much I expect to be in debt when I (hopefully) graduate this May (full disclosure: two years of the debt is from Villanova).

Opinion Art | Daniel Schwartz

By Daniel Schwartz · Oct. 1, 2007

Daniel Schwartz is a College sophomore from Decatur, Ga. His e-mail address is schwartz@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Cassandra Tognoni | Rethinking your career options

By Cassandra Tognoni · Oct. 1, 2007

Now that it's On Campus Recruiting season, I think it is safe to say that most of the senior class is freaking out. Because one bad interview, one bombed brainteaser, and you know you've blown your chance at future happiness. But don't fret, dear senior, you haven't.

Opinion Board | Let Mitman Back

By Opinion Board · Oct. 1, 2007

Does the name Kurt Mitman ring a bell? He's the former Econ grad student who was exposed last January for leading the kind of double life - ambitious Ivy Leaguer by day, jailed sex offender by night - that seemed more suited for HBO than for Penn's campus.

Guest Columnist | The revolution will not be televised

By Simeon McMillan · Oct. 1, 2007

The saying goes, "If a tree falls down in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" A timelier question would be, "If an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 rally in Jena, Louisiana, in protest of a case of unequal justice ignored by the mainstream media, does it matter?" I'm no philosophy major, but the answer is a resounding yes.

Opinion Art | Avery Lawrence

By Avery Lawrence · Sept. 28, 2007

Avery Lawrence is a College senior from Charlottesville, Va. His e-mail address is lawrence@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Jenny Zhan | West Philadelphia schools need more than a blank check

By Jenny Zhan · Sept. 28, 2007

With the '08 Election fast approaching, presidential hopefuls are busy rolling out their grand plans for our country. John Edwards recently turned his attention to American public schools and the educational disparities that still exist today. "No longer legally separated by race, our children are sorted by economics, often with a racial or ethnic dimension," Edwards said.

Responsible reporting To the Editor: In response to the article published about the "Ask a Skeptic" panel ("Student group panel affirms atheist beliefs" 9/20/2007), we would like to clarify important points, the first of which being that Ellen Johnson does not represent our organization.