Opinion
Cheers and Jeers | Spring 2012
The Daily Pennsylvanian decided the best and worst of Penn this semester
Sara Brenes-Akerman | Four good years
I am four years older than the kid that cried at the airport, four years more certain of who I am and four years more confident. But I’m not quite sure of all that much, except that the past four years have been good.
Brian Goldman | Gradually warming to graduation
Graduation is the nudge that gets us out of college and into the real world.Darina Shtrakhman | An end to my Penn 'practical education'
I’ve been impressed, engaged and inspired by the Penn community. Now it’s time for a new crop of wide-eyed freshmen to have that same chance.Unnati Dass | A room of one's own
Cleaning my room hasn’t been much of a priority during college. Because to be messy, to blur the lines, is the privilege that Penn — and my parents — have given me. (Love you, Mom and Dad!)
Prameet Kumar | A walking tour of your time at Penn
People are surprised when you tell them you’re in Wharton. You don’t seem the type. There’s definitely a type.
Charles Gray | How I see the color gray
Words in a column, book or a speech, for that matter, mean nothing without action to supplement them.
Samantha Sharf | Stories a nutgraf can't tell
At 15 years old, I already harbored fantasies of bylines containing my name. If that were the whole story it would, of course, be a very boring one. My path up till now must look nauseatingly straightforward from the outside. But like most students, my years at Penn have been anything but simple and very different from what I expected.
Zachary Bell | Will Occupy Spring create another world or another left?
I began May Day eager to see a space that embodied the movement’s values. However, after 12 hours of activism, this other world that Occupy was trying to create seemed messy and racked by many of the contradictions that haunted the New Left in the 1960s.
Jessica Goodman | Moving on is hard, staying put is harder
Lists are cliché. Lists are tropes — especially those that are supposed to sum up an entire college experience.
Jared McDonald | Stumped for senior column ideas
As much as I would love to spell out the metaphor I’ve come up with that explains life’s deepest mysteries (hint: it’s awesome), it’s as a long-time editor and reporter at this place that I take up the weighty responsibility of giving everybody a few ideas for senior columns to come.
Melanie Lei | Not all who wander are lost
My BlackBerry without a data plan, which takes after its owner, has faked being smart for the last four years.
Sally Engelhart | The fastest and best four years
We all know from experience that the perception of time passing is not constant. Just think about how quickly the hour of an exam can fly by or how slowly an hour lecture can.
Lauren Plotnick | A series of fortunate events
I never envisioned joining The Daily Pennsylvanian, let alone spending the majority of my college time there.
Rachel del Valle | Picking up London's call
I’ll be leaving on a jet plane. Soon — I mean, relatively soon. I’m studying abroad in London next semester. Now that classes are over, that statement actually feels like it means something.Your Voice | Talk of the Campus
Taking note of the number of student activists taking part in demonstrations this year, the IAA sought this particular year, 2012, as a time to reflect on what it is Penn students do here to further their causes.Your Voice | Positive experiences with the Unification Church
I’m pretty sure that if your reporter had looked seriously, he would have found Penn’s Unificationists (past and present) to be a group of hard-working, sincere and conscientious individuals.Your Voice | Lovin’ Life Pastor responds
Where is the evidence that Lovin’ Life Ministries uses ‘high-pressure tactics’? I would like to make it very clear that we do not use any such tactics.
Zachary Bell | Grateful to graduate
Ironically, the knowledge I have gained from my liberal arts education is exactly what has made the reward for its completion confounding.
