Opinion

Shun Sakai | Vote

SHUN SAKAI is a College senior from Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Toe the Line: Penn Democrats | Elect Hillary Clinton and Katie McGinty

Voting in a swing state like Pennsylvania carries with it an obligation to the rest of the country to carefully consider our options in each race.

Guest column by Rhea Singh, Syra Ortiz-Blanes and Brianna Wronko | Yet another task force

Last Friday, President Amy Gutmann and Vice Provost Vincent Price emailed Penn faculty, students and staff to announce the creation of a new Task Force charged with combating sexual harassment and sexual violence. In the email sent out at 5:22 p.m. on Friday night, Gutmann and Price explained that the goal of the entity is to focus “collective attention and understanding on how best to promote a respectful and healthy campus environment and to ensure that students and their parents and guardians are aware of the high-risk behaviors – many of which violate University policy and would result in sanctions for a recognized student organization – engaged in by these groups.” While we commend university efforts, we believe that creating yet another task force, this time to target off-campus organizations, is not the sole answer.

GROUP THINK | Free speech at Penn

GROUP THINK is the DP’s round table section, where we throw a question at the columnists and see what answers stick.

Brad Hong | Healthy Tips

BRAD HONG is a College freshman from Morristown, N.J.

Harrison Glicklich | Sore losers

I remember playing poker with a friend who had a particularly heavy emotional investment in the game.

Ashley Stinnett | How to stop masturbating

The Monk class is deep into the month of silence now.

Guest column by Ian Jeong, Cody Smith and Sean Collins | When they try to "explain" away the gay

This week Jeremiah Keenan reminded the Penn community of the question on whether people are really born gay or not (he forgot to mention other identities often roped with gayness like the L-B-T-Q-I-A of the queer alphabet). It came to us as a surprise because this issue seemed settled with the release of Lady Gaga’s iconic 2011 single — "Born This Way.” He attacks the central theme of her song, which is that “It doesn't matter if you love him or capital H-I-M ... 'Cause you were born this way, baby."

Guest column by Ajjit Narayanan | Building community

Over the last two years, I’ve had the opportunity to volunteer with a few organizations in West and South Philly, including Penn for Youth Debate, Urban Tree Connection, and HIAS.

Claudia Li | Shout out to Math 170

CLAUDIA LI is a College junior from Santa Clara, California.

Jeremiah Keenan | Not born this way

“The idea that people are born gay — or lesbian or bisexual — is appealing for lots of reasons,” noted John D’Emilio, former Director of the Policy Institute at the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

Joe Tharakan | The conservative crisis

You don’t have to be a Republican to know that The Donald is not the best candidate Republicans have to offer.

Alec Ward | Knowing and reckless falsehoods

It’s got every element of the perfect 21st-century pop morality fable: a sympathetic band of marginalized heros; a sinister coalition of law enforcement and Big Oil colluding to oppress them; elements of racial and environmental activism topped off with a secret code that you — yes, you!

Amy Chan | It starts with the self

Last week, I caught the most unrelenting illness known to man: the common cold. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, sanitize your beds and cover your mouths, because the respiratory syncytial virus is back in town and he’s not sparing anyone. As I lay in bed cancelling meetings and asking for extensions in classes, I felt a heavy sense of guilt and fear.

Ben Claar | This is a Jewish cartoon

BEN CLAAR is a College sophomore from Scarsdale, N.Y.

Emily Hoeven | Lessons from the Bard

I got a C- on my last Shakespeare test. For the past week or so, I tried to think of ways to write this article without mentioning my grade.

Aaron Cooper | The lazy voting epidemic

Is it possible for a country to be bad at voting? In America, the popular election is practically deified.

Shun Sakai | Offended

SHUN SAKAI is a College senior from Chestnut Hill, Mass.

James Lee | The American Story

The Chicago Cubs are in the World Series. Do you know what the true power of a good story is?

Cameron Dichter | The other minority

In the words of Penn President Amy Gutmann and Provost Vincent Price, “... at Penn everyone belongs.” It’s a strong sentiment, an ideal we should strive to reach.