Opinion

Editorial | Better behavior

The recent altercation at McDonald's between Penn students and West Philadelphia employees wasn't the first, and it won't be the last. The neighborhood has a long history of similar incidents. Considering the many differences between the two groups, it's not surprising.

Julie Steinberg | Disconnected from others

Over the past week, pundits have dubbed Obama's victory the result of a "digital election," one that utilized text messaging, e-mails and MySpace to get support from our generation. And while the strategy worked astoundingly, the information revolution leaves me a tad uncomfortable when it's applied to other areas.

Meredith Aska McBride | Supporting the establishment

George Bush was inaugurated for the first time on my 11th birthday. I cried bitterly. A week ago tonight Barack Obama was elected president, to be inaugurated on my 19th birthday. I cried last week and I'm sure I'll cry again on Jan. 20, but this time with euphoria.

Opinion Art | Amira Fawcett

Amira Fawcett is an Engineering senior from Houston, Texas. Her e-mail address is fawcett@dailypennsylvanian.com.

David Lei | One helluva ride

Last Tuesday, as I watched the voter turnout numbers come in and then observed the march on City Hall by Obama supporters, I couldn't have been more proud of Penn. It was deeply gratifying to see the entire community so engaged in the democratic process. And for the staff of The Daily Pennsylvanian, it was a memorable end to a long year of elections coverage.

Opinion Art | Alicia Puglionesi

Alicia Puglionesi is a College senior from Havertown, Pa. Her e-mail address is puglionesi@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Jacob Schutz | Beards we can believe in

Dear Reader: It's time to come clean with you. The picture in the upper right corner of this column, supposedly representing my shining face to the world, is a scam. A photographer took the picture during the first week of the semester when I still had a full beard.

Ryan Benjamin | Proud to participate

Human beings across the globe rejoiced on Tuesday as the first black man was elected president of the United States. My friend Alba Martinez Muelas, a student at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, told me last week that for the first time in a while, Spaniards are beginning to trust and "love" America.

Opinion Art | Alex Jacobson

Alex Jacobson is a College junior from Los Angeles. His e-mail address is jacobson@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Dani Wexler | Boxing people in

You are who you associate with. We differentiate people by profession, social class, ethnicity, religion, IQ and many other standard groupings. And we use these natural divisions to continuously navigate life situations. Specifically in the recent election, there's been a concerted attempt to see shades of gray, to distinguish people from their chosen associations.

Your Voice | Letters

Out of touch with reality at Penn To the Editor: With my daughter being a junior at Penn and loving it, and while also knowing the general disposition of those attending an Ivy League school, it doesn't surprise me that 80 percent of students support a committed leftist ("Support for Obama stays high in DP poll" 11/3/08).

Emily Fox | Painful times to be in print

Send your condolences to loyal magazine readers. This October, publication corporations laid some of our favorite and most famous publications to rest and significantly cut back on the shelf lives of those magazines that have managed to survive. Magazine publishers have lifted their dark veils to lay off workers, cut the number of issues put out or close shop completely.

Stephen Krewson | Red and Blue fields of the mind

Eight days ago, on a chilly night in South Philly, Brad Lidge struck out Eric Hinske and the Phillies won the World Series. All but the soundest sleepers heard the city's exhalation of relief and triumph. It came in waves of lusty yells and incessant honking.

Lisa Zhu | A little more R-E-S-P-E-C-T

'I'm lovin' it!" Almost everyone associates this catchphrase with McDonald's, but few Penn students would agree that it applies to the franchise's branch on 40th and Walnut streets. With customer service complaints like the ones described in The Daily Pennsylvanian last week, it's no wonder many local residents have rejoiced at the firings of several staff members.

Opinion Art | Jennifer Lesser

Jennifer Lesser is a College junior from Minneapolis, Minn. Her e-mail address is lesser@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Editorial | A job pretty well done

Tuesday was a good day for Democrats, but it was an even better day for student activism. Nearly 4,000 voters showed up at on-campus voting locations, and over 90 percent of registered student voters showed up to cast their ballot. Penn Leads the Vote and student political groups deserve recognition for their impressive voter registration and turnout efforts.

David Kanter | Focusing on what really matters

If your major is in the social sciences or humanities, chances are your major has no practical value. Now before you get all upset, hear me out. I'm saying your major probably has little or no value for what you're going to end up doing in life, but your classes, whatever they are, have a lot.

Christina Domenico | Don't stop caring

I received a promotional e-mail from Starbucks on Monday that proposed a question: "What if we cared as much on November 5th as we care on November 4th?" Don't let the origin of this message diminish the question's merit. Today is Nov. 5 - how much do you care about the election now? Or better yet, how much will it matter tomorrow? After such a long election season, it's easy for us to let out a sigh of relief and settle back into our politically apathetic lives.

Opinion Art | Janice Dow

Janice Dow is a College sophomore from Los Angeles, Calif. Her e-mail address is dow@dailypennsylvanian.com.

Editorial | Collecting our views

Hindsight is 20/20. And that's exactly what Penn Course Review provides. By displaying student evaluations of classes from past semesters, the system allows current students to make more informed course registration decisions. Starting in spring 2009, the system will be completely electronic, meaning that students won't have to fill out paper evaluations anymore.