Opinion
Sara Schonfeld | Misanthropy 101
For some reason, though, it feels taboo to strike up a friendly conversation before a lecture starts. At best, the conversation fizzles out after questions about other classes and dorms, and you end up nodding to yourself, muttering, “Cool, that’s cool. Very nice. Cool.”
Jonathan Iwry | Social Media and the New Modernity
The geezers are right about one thing: It’s a brave new world. And mass media is starting to taste like soma.Letter to the Editor by Rabbi Joshua Bolton | The gifts we give ourselves
Our life, the beating of the heart, the joy of friendship, the peace of well-being — these are the most precious gifts. Nothing is more important than them. No exam, no recruitment, no rush, no anything is more important.Guest Column by Hillary Barlowe | A communal fight
These students won’t have the opportunity to become what they should have become, and it isn’t their fault — it’s ours. We haven’t taken responsibility for the well-being of our friends.Guest Column by Alexandra McCabe | Reaching for help
The constant feeling like you’re alone inside your head and helpless is a very scary thing to deal with, but it’s important to know that you are certainly not alone and — with time and help — it will get better. Madison didn’t have the benefit of time. Please make sure that you do.
Collin Boots | Papal Bull
I care because Pope Francis has made no effort to correct the lie that condom use increases AIDS transmission — a falsehood propagated in Africa by the previous pontiff.
Diane Bayeux | Dream in 45 seconds
We are not able to want, desire, take pleasure in accidental beauties passing in front of our bodies each day.
John Byon | Table Talk: Greekin' Out
One of the greatest aspects of joining a fraternity or sorority is the sense of camaraderie between people who accept and trust each other.
Frida Garza | Table Talk: Greekin' Out
By joining a sorority, I’ve found women who support me in my feminism, not who diminish it.
Roderick Cook | Table Talk: Greekin' Out
We should continue to make fraternities and sororities safer for queer and trans people, but ultimately, these places are built around a binary that alienates an entire segment of the Penn population.
Sara Schonfeld | Table Talk: Greekin' Out
I’ve learned what kind of friendships I need and how it feels to find a group of girls that will share even your lowest moments — and sometimes even laugh at your worst jokes.
Jonathan Iwry | Table Talk: Greekin' Out
Issues associated with frats and sororities run deeper than letters on a jacket.
Abel McDaniels | Honoring a legend
Dr. King undeniably was an extraordinary man who accomplished many great things over the course of his life. But rather than celebrate this, we have transformed him into a larger-than-life figure and given him the magical ability to serve as justification for virtually any policy position imaginable and act as a sort of litmus test to gauge contemporary race-relations.Guest Column by Scott Reikofski | Commending our chapters
We are pleased that so many of Penn’s Greek chapters are known for cultivating open-minded, supportive environments where diversity is welcomed and celebrated.Guest Column by Emily Cutler and Catalina Mullis | Forgetting feminism
One requirement that significantly bothered us was that all sisters straighten their hair. This not only reinforces ethnocentric beauty standards, but also promotes conformity by mandating that all sisters wear the same hairstyle. In general, we were disappointed that we were told to promote the sorority with our appearances more than with our individuality.Guest column by Chase Harrow | A crash course on course selection
If you’re careful about it, you can take a six-class semester of ordinary or even moderately difficult courses and walk away with an easier semester.Guest Column by Melanie Wolff | Dealing with grief
People have asked me, “Does it get better?” In a way, it does. You heal. Memories that once hurt become sad, then cherished. But it definitely doesn’t happen overnight. The hurt becomes healing. But even then, some days it’ll just hit you like it was yesterday.
Roderick Cook | Out of the margins
Many — I’m inclined to say most — Penn students know little to nothing about queer and trans identities and the struggles we face. For those who do, the stories that are told are mostly representative of the G and the L in LGBTQIA, while little is known about bisexual, trans, intersex and asexual individuals.Arielle Pardes | The fromage fetish
Anything that veers too far from “normal” suddenly raises eyebrows. Having a thing for thigh-highs screams sexy, but having a thing for cheese signals perversion.
