Opinion Columns
Sophia DuRose | Dear Diary, thanks for everything
If you’re dealing with something extreme in the sense of anxiety or depression, keeping a diary can help catalogue your feelings and emotions in a more coherent way.
Second Opinion from Dennis Morris | Your friendly neighborhood barista
I want to use my column to show everyone that their problems are valid and that it’s okay to laugh, cry, and scream.
Michael A. Keshmiri | All Penn employees deserve a living wage
It would be disgraceful for an Ivy League university with a multi-billion-dollar operating budget not to take the moral reins and pay all Penn employees a minimum wage between $20-$25 an hour.
Isabella Simonetti | Stanford is withholding its admissions rate. The Ivy League shouldn’t do the same.
It’s hard to get into an Ivy League school. And statistically speaking, it’s harder to get into Stanford. Students who are applying to these schools know that. So why hide the truth from them?
Sophia DuRose | Penning in sophomores is not a show of support
New on-campus housing built with the intention of fostering a better sophomore community sounds like a great idea — if said sophomores are offered a choice about participation.
Lucy Hu | If money matters more than votes, is the United States a democracy?
Public opinion evolves with current events, but Washington legislators’ motives do not.
Sophia DuRose | Seniority doesn’t mean priority when it comes to coffee shops
Am I being dramatic? Possibly. Does this discount the necessary conversation about the construct of seniority not being a valid argument in public spaces? Not at all.
Jay Shah | The new Houston Hall is fancy, but it’s not a student union
There is no central place on campus where all students, regardless of residence, can come together.
Isabella Simonetti | Risky business: the case for legalizing prostitution
Police need to crack down on the real issue: violent sex traffickers destroying the lives of women and children throughout the country, and rapists who abuse sex workers.
Rebecca Alifimoff | I can explore Paris, and still update my Instagram feed
The urge to document and perform our lives has existed before social media, and will probably exist in whatever wasteland remains after social media.
Jessica Li | Limiting courseloads won’t solve Penn’s wellness problems — but it’s a start
I realized that classes are about quality over quantity, and if I wanted to take advantage of my education, I needed to truly focus on prioritized classes and plan out my next few years.
Spencer Swanson | Banning hard liquor at frat parties is 2018 Prohibition
Students who've grown up abroad and have been around alcohol since their teenage years are responsible drinkers, especially compared to students who had their first beer during New Student Orientation.
Sophia DuRose | Until every dorm has AC, stop adding sandwich stations to Houston Hall
Considering all freshman pay the same amount for their dorm rooms, those left out in the heat are sure to question why their comfort is seemingly less important.
Isabella Simonetti | DeVos’ sexual assault guidelines should scare every college student
In a world that constantly blames the victim, why is DeVos lending more rights to the accused?
Carlos Arias Vivas | The languages you speak do not define your background
Your connection to your identity and family’s heritage isn’t defined by whether or not you know how to speak the language.
Sophia DuRose | Don’t be afraid to ‘friend zone’
A person should be valued because they are a person, and not because you think they could be your person.
Isabella Simonetti | No one is impressed by your coke habit
Highly addictive painkillers are making their way into drugs that Penn students frequently use. Drugs at Penn are far more unsafe than they were before.
Jessica Li | I don’t support the Harvard affirmative action lawsuit
Rejection from a school you think you deserve to be accepted to stings, but that does not mean affirmative action is the reason you were not accepted.
Jay Shah | Closing Huntsman early is not a ridiculous idea
So then does it make sense to resort to removing exams or reducing problem sets as a solution to campus stress? Doing this would undermine the very rigor of Penn that has made it what it is.