Prayer, fasting, almsgiving—the phrase Christians repeat over and over during the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter. In the Christian tradition, across denominations, Lent is a time of “solemnity and self-reflection,” as described by the United Kingdom’s Christian Enquiry Agency. Christians use this time to repent for their wrongdoings and turn towards a more […]
The role of universities in shaping public discourse has been widely contested, especially in recent months. In the wake of rampant debate on issues such as the Israel–Hamas war and President Claudine Gay’s resignation from her post, universities have been criticized for both partisan and neutral responses. Some institutions have released formal statements on these […]
Picture this: It’s the end of July, 5 p.m., and you just received your dorm assignment. After the typical 30-minute stalk that leads you to your new roommate’s 5th-grade chorus concert video, you parcel through dorm facts to find out what kind of room and bathroom set-up you will have. A communal bathroom, though shared […]
I vividly remember my first time enrolling in college courses. It was the week before classes started—the week before my first semester of college—and I had no idea what I wanted to concentrate in. Dreams of Psychology, English, History, and Government all danced around in my head as I excitedly clicked through course reports and […]
In the hallowed halls of academia, there exists an impossible dichotomy. On the one hand, universities are being told not to speak out against pressing political issues, and if they do, their comments are heavily critiqued. On the other hand, if they do nothing, then their ability to retain a diverse student body and maintain […]
Chicago dyes its river green; New London, Wisconsin, changes all its signage to New Dublin for the day; Portland, Maine, takes a Paddy’s Day Plunge into the freezing cold Atlantic Ocean; even a Commander at the International Space Station sings “Danny Boy.” No city, however, celebrates St. Patrick’s (Paddy’s) Day quite like Boston, Massachusetts—at least […]
Beyoncé’s “Run the World (Girls)” bellowed throughout Trocadéro Square in Paris, France on Monday, March 4th, as hundreds of Parisians celebrated France becoming the first country to explicitly inscribe access to abortion in its Constitution. France’s historic enshrinement stands as a rebuke to the U.S.’s rollback of reproductive rights and a beacon of hope for […]
My mother’s dream was to be a writer. Yet, in an immigrant household, her acceptance to NYU for English was eclipsed by the glaring pressure to pursue the medical field. She went to the University of Akron for a seven-year medical program instead. I imagine that my mother always wondered what her life could have […]
There’s this idea that it is “‘beneath the dignity of an Ivy League school to train teachers,’” points out Walter Isaacson ’74, former CEO of CNN and graduate of Harvard College, quoted in an article by The Atlantic. It’s pretty normal to ask someone what their plans are after college. Most commonly, when I eavesdrop […]
Deep in the bowels of political social media, there is an ongoing debate about humor’s role in our society. Some believe that satire and ridicule are a necessary component to ensure our society has a healthy relationship with politics. If we take everything seriously and lose the ability to laugh, we are just pushing our […]