Opinion Columns

Ton Nguyen | Stand up for your beliefs without canceling others

These are some important questions Penn students can ask themselves before they become too blinded by their own biases. 

Sophia DuRose | Selective wokeness isn’t helping anybody

Basically, if you’re going to truly be woke, you can’t pick and choose which issues to care about based on which issues affect you, and you can’t just do it because everyone else is. 

Ilyse Reisman | There needs to be more consistency in TA grading

There needs to be greater consistency in TA grading across different recitation sections for the same course.

Hadriana Lowenkron | Self-checkout "micro markets" aren't improvements

Penn’s decision to prioritize the reduction of labor costs over fostering positive student-staff relations not only contradicts its commitment to being a good neighbor by mistreating its workers from surrounding communities, but affirms societal concerns that higher education is a business in which academic institutions care more about their own financial well-being than about educating students or serving their respective communities.

Julia Mitchell | ‘Thriving at Penn’ is more meme than reality

Thriving @ Penn makes no significant impact towards any of its targets. 

Guest Column by Sarah Gadsden | “You don’t know this yet, but life isn’t supposed to be like this”

An avid "Grey’s Anatomy" fan, I’m reminded of something Dr. Meredith Grey told a young patient: “You don’t know this yet, but life isn’t supposed to be like this. It’s not supposed to be this hard.”

Ana West | Honor Gregory Eells by helping others

Seek out the help that is there for you.

James Morrison | Stop joking about mental illness

By joking about dying or depression on a regular basis, it can make it much more difficult for a friend to know if you’re just kidding around and being dramatic or are genuinely giving them a cry for help.

Sophia DuRose | Know your capacity for helping others

We should understand how much of ourselves we can give to each other at different times.

Urooba Abid | Getting sick at Penn opened my eyes to a broken health care system

Ultimately, growing up in America makes it impossible to ignore the inequities in the health care system for long.

Sophia DuRose | Not going into finance? Take advantage of opportunities outside of OCR.

Seeing our friends shake hands with employers that sign hefty checks can be discouraging in the small and competitive bubble that is Penn. But there is an entire world out there that celebrates creativity and divergence. 

Ana West | Penn needs to increase RA and GA compensation

The list of responsibilities that RAs are expected to take on is long and demanding, especially given the fact that they — like the residents they serve — are students. 

Julia Mitchell | Penn’s pre-college programs won’t get you accepted

With the astronomical price tag, it’s worth wondering what students and their parents expect to gain from these programs – and whether they actually get it. 

James Morrison | Penn needs a financial literacy requirement

The importance of Penn having its students take a Physical World course pales in comparison to preparing its students to successfully navigate the make-or-break financial decisions that await them after college. 

Hadriana Lowenkron | Penn’s recent construction ignores the community’s needs

As more and more students are prevented from attending this school due to it being unaffordable, Penn must ask itself: who is this construction really benefiting?

Sophia DuRose | Pole dancing can improve both health and confidence

 I think Pottruck can be great when you want to fit a quick workout in between classes, but there’s a reason some people dread going. Luckily, it isn’t the only place in the city you can visit to get an effective workout in. 

Ana West | Penn must require sexual assault prevention workshops

During our time at Penn, just about all of us will experience assault personally or have it happen to someone that we care about. In light of that, far too few of us will be equipped to respond to it.

Sophia DuRose | Being vegan is a privilege

A lot of people on Penn’s campus don’t need to think twice about an extra 60 cent charge, but that’s a privilege, not a given. 

Christy Qiu | Quakers, don't skip class

College is an investment in yourself — one that should be managed carefully in order to see prosperous returns.

Sophia DuRose | Your parents’ politics don’t have to be yours

I am grateful to the city of Philadelphia for providing such a bustling and rich social environment from which I've learned more about my own politics as well as the politics of those I’ve always opposed.