Opinion Columns
Sara Brenes-Akerman | Confessions of a cheater
I’ve been immensely happy during our time together. This American Life is always there for me, offering reliably stunning narratives as a symbol of its love.
Sally Engelhart | Is brown fat the secret to weight loss?
People trying to lose weight often think that body fat is the enemy. But get this: there’s one type of fat — brown fat — that might hold the key to being thin.
Robert Hsu | Why it's the 99.9%, not the 99%
Humans come in different shapes, sizes and colors, but any two share 99.9% of their DNA. Somehow, we still tend to see ourselves as separate living entities from other people.
Samantha Sharf | 'LOVE' beyond the statue
With Valentine’s Day less than a week away, campus is littered with references to the L-word. Just as confused about the expression as I was a decade ago, I decided to take a closer look at the way the word love figures into typical Penn life.
Kyle Henson | Letting the college houses grow up
While Penn claims on its housing website that college houses “stand at the center of the Penn undergraduate experience … to form shared communities,” the system fundamentally fails to achieve this mission due to a lack of political and financial commitment from the administration.
Hayley Brooks & Ali Kokot | Pondering the pajama drama
While most mothers forbade us from leaving our homes in pajamas during our tweenage years, in college there is no fashion police.
Rachel del Valle | Giving in to the game
The Super Bowl is the cultural equivalent to a movie like Avatar — it’s not about the quality of the content — it’s about the spectacle, the event.
Alice Lee | Got a passion? Pursue it. Relentlessly.
If you know you won’t be passionate about a job in finance or consulting but plan on joining the 52 percent of Penn graduates who go into these fields anyway, this column is also for you.
Ernest Owens | An inconvenient proposal
When you elected us, you had faith that we would represent you. That conviction is now a little hazy.Arielle Pardes | Keeping up with your sexaminations
The consequences of sex-gone-wrong have become an epidemic among college students in the United States.Ruben Gur | BDS is 'hateful', 'discriminatory'
I read with amazement the Guest Column by Penn BDS Conference organizers, BDS Explained. I could barely believe my eyes.
Samantha Sharf | Reality within a frame
Art can and should be political.
Charles Gray | Laptops and light bulbs
When the government or another authority continually steps in as a virtuous purveyor of wisdom, it creates a culture that prevents personal responsibility.
Zachary Bell | Digging into the crisis of OCR
Just a few months ago, I was complicit in On-Campus Recruiting. As suits traipse into interview rooms this week, I think it’s time to examine this tradition of competition through its history and recent critiques.
Hayley Brooks & Ali Kokot | Learn the lingo, jack the job
In an increasingly competitive landscape, students should arm themselves with as many languages as possible.
Rachel del Valle | Behind the grungy glam of Lana Del Rey
It’s no secret that flaunting sex appeal is a prerequisite for being a pop star. But there’s a fine line between owning your attractiveness and being eclipsed by it.
Brian Goldman | Flashback to a flashmob
Luckily, my encounter on Saturday left me with minimal injury, but I learned one thing — that the Bystander Effect is very much alive.
Aya Saed | Tackling the deathly issue
Penn students are eager to integrate themselves into the community and ensure that things change for the better. But it’s time to also gather momentum in combating an issue of life and death.
Ernest Owens | The 20-Year-Old-Virgin
Although I do not ever intend to be the national spokesperson for Abstinence America, I do not see anything wrong with the campus promoting this ideal as much as they do contraceptives at the Penn Women’s Center or the LGBT Center.
