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Columns

A photo of a gothic building in springtime on an overcast day. The building has a dozen windows, and trees with pink flowers surround the building. 

A call for the drastic refurbishment of student housing

It is problematic that many students feel like their dorms are so uncomfortable that they are forced to spend most of their day away from their room, which is supposed to serve as a private space for students to unwind. The fact that a large chunk of upperclassman housing is called the “slums” is indicative of the dissatisfaction and discomfort that exists among students regarding their housing.

OPINION | 09/30/2019

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Friendships: the good, the bad, and the ugly

As we enter the school year, it might be a good idea to reexamine our friendships and evaluate the purpose of each one. Are we friends with a particular person because of the joy they bring us or because they help our grades stay up? If it’s the latter, ask yourself how you would feel if that’s why someone maintained a friendship with you. Then imagine how your friend would feel if they knew that’s why you maintain a friendship with them. 

OPINION | 09/29/2019

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Gender-neutral bathrooms should be the norm, not the exception

Often, the push for gender-neutral bathrooms remains labeled as an issue solely for the LGBTQ+ community and their allies — particularly those who are genderqueer, non-binary, trans, or otherwise gender-nonconforming — which places the entire burden of their struggle to safely enter bathrooms that match their identities on actors who have already been systematically, societally disempowered and pushed aside. In reality, however, though gender binary bathrooms directly and aggressively harm members of the LGBTQ+ community, gender binary bathrooms often present a serious nuisance to cis-gendered people as well. 

OPINION | 09/29/2019

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America shrugged

On Monday, Sept. 23, a day before the official commencement of the 74th U.N. General Assembly in New York, the U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres publicly announced the formation of a Syrian constitutional committee to bring together the government of the Syrian Arab Republic and the Syrian Negotiations Commission.

OPINION | 09/26/2019

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Members of Real Food co-op eating asian-style vegan black bean burgers on Feb. 14.

On Independent life

My point in writing this has little to do with telling you about all the different options available to you. I have only been an independent for about three weeks and there is so much more out there for me to discover. I simply want to suggest that being an independent is not only possible, it can be deeply enriching.

OPINION | 09/23/2019

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The hard stuff

Existential crises know no boundaries. So many of us are in pain, I can sense it. So many of us are struggling. So many of us need a hug, a shoulder to cry on, someone to talk to, or just someone to hear them.

OPINION | 09/18/2019

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The role of corrosive patriotism in the Kashmir lockdown

Ideally, patriotism is a beautiful notion — a love for one’s homeland and heritage paired with a burning desire to protect those roots. In the real world, however, the idea of “patriotism” devolves into just another weapon used to propel conflicts between nationalist governments. Even more egregiously, it is oftentimes merely a disingenuous rebranding of chauvinism.

OPINION | 09/17/2019

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Speakers who comfort

It's all well and good to have a healthy respect for life experience. But which people we choose to listen to most reveals features of the ideological and cultural structures to which we pledge allegiance in our actions, more so than in our words.  

OPINION | 09/12/2019