Opinion Columns
Carlos Arias Vivas | Why Penn should offer accelerated intro classes
While I empathize with students who are just trying to get the highest grades possible, they should not do so at the expense of students who did not have access to these higher-level high school courses.
Mateen Tabatabaei | Penn is not to blame for your pessimistic perspective
As for Penn, it’s a safe bet that none of us students knew exactly what we were signing up for. Still, as with any new path, we signed up for possibility.
Jay Shah | What I learned from taking a break from social media
The smartphone has gone from being used as a communication device to more of a crutch. We use our phones to avoid making eye contact with people on Locust Walk, in line at the grocery store, and in the elevator.
Amy Chan | One final reinvention before graduation
Like editing an essay, reinventing doesn’t mean that we’re erasing everything we had before. We are tweaking it, refining it, uncovering the original spark hidden in the chaotic mind.
Spencer Swanson | Washington needs Penn students
It is a challenge to think about jumping into the swamp that so many are shouting about draining. But, members of the Penn community are precisely the sorts of individuals that America needs now.
Jessica Li | Why the 'C' you received over winter break isn't the end of the world
GPAs in college do not reflect how smart we are. They’re designed to reflect how much we are willing to work for each class.
Isabella Simonetti | Stop swiping and take a break from Tinder
An online world of people seeking sex with no strings attached, waiting to pass judgement on our appearances, can be toxic.
Amy Chan | There really is no such thing as lost time
If we insist on viewing time as ours, then we have to acknowledge that we’ve never misplaced a single second; only put it somewhere it’s a little more difficult to show off on a plaque.
Shilpa Saravanan | Why we need to let others change on their own
Letting what others do bother you, and critiquing them for it, is less productive than observing and understanding.
Carlos Arias Vivas | Penn students don't just want longer breaks. They need them.
Students should have adequate breaks that enable them to de-stress and process everything that has happened since the beginning of the year.
Group Think | What is the biggest issue facing Penn?
The fall semester is just about to end and a lot has happened that has left lasting impressions and changes on this campus.
Isabella Simonetti | We can fix Penn's toxic culture more than the administration ever could
Our neglect to take responsibility for our contribution to the toxic parts of Penn is what allows it to persist.
Alex Silberzweig | Big donations have little significance for Penn students
The drive to create some sort of legacy, though often expressed in unusual ways, stems from a common desire to remember and be remembered.
Jessica Li | Four years of college will never be enough
Especially at Penn, we’re trying our hardest to cram as much as we possibly can in the four years we’re here, or at least we’re trying to make something of ourselves.
James Lee | Believing in Penn as an ideal
You should not and do not need to believe that Penn is perfect. You should not love it unconditionally. You only need to love it enough to believe that it is worth saving.
Amy Chan | You can’t ghost everyone
You cannot always repress and ignore grievances you have with certain people. Nor can you avoid becoming close to those same people in the first place.
Lucy Hu | It‘s unconstitutional to prefer white over Asian students
Penn, it might be time to stop saying you love helping minorities, when you actually subdue them once they start to threaten your white domination.
Isabella Simonetti | Why we shouldn’t give up on Penn
Our objective should be to reach a space where we can acknowledge the pertinent issues on campus while also leading healthy, full lives.
Spencer Swanson | Why Penn graduate students are missing out in Trump’s 'great' tax cuts
If passed, these changes would undermine higher education and would have a negative multi-generational impact on the United States.
