Column

Republicans have used gerrymandering to sway elections for the past decade While the most recent midterm elections yielded results that some would ecstatically call a “blue wave,” the lack of House seats picked up by Democrats in states like North Carolina and Wisconsin underscores the use of gerrymandering to sway elections — a benefit primarily […]

From India to the U.S., social media limits face-to-face interaction and human connection Growing up between the mid-1990s and early 2000s, the thought of a connected world where people could FaceTime and communicate with anyone across the globe through various platforms never crossed my mind. I spent most of my childhood in a rural town […]

Local governments must work with Native Americans to set up rehabilitation programs that honor tribal traditions and tackle the opioid crisis Lost in much of today’s rhetoric about America’s opioid epidemic is an important discussion on one demographic group that has been hit the hardest — Native Americans. While a great deal of attention has […]

With impeachment currently doomed to fail, Democrats need to look toward finding ways to compromise with Republicans While the results of the most recent midterm elections proved to be in accordance with election predictions — Democrats won the House and key swing state governorships, and Republicans expanded their Senate majority — the months and years […]

Fake friends, fake relationships that get portrayed as real in the virtual realm Social media has undoubtedly connected us in ways that we never really could have imagined, bringing our day-to-day activities to the forefront of our virtual community. We know where a friend of ours went on vacation this summer and which resort […]

Kanye West and his separation from stupidity Hopeful news from the Yeezus himself. Kanye West has gone through an agonizing breakup with our celebrity-in-chief, Donald J. Trump. Mr. West tweeted: “My eyes are now wide open and now realize I’ve been used to spread messages I don’t believe in. I am distancing myself from politics […]

Why we should be worried about the rise in American violence Violence seems to be everywhere in America. Last month, police identified the perpetrator behind a series of attempted mail bombings targeting key Democratic officials. Later that same week, a neo-Nazi gunman engaged in the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history, murdering eleven people at […]

State budgets should be reevaluated if Americans want affordable healthcare Despite efforts on behalf of Republicans to do away with the Affordable Care Act, 37 states have voted to expand Medicaid. These include Idaho, Nebraska and Utah, which voted in the midterm elections to adopt Medicaid expansion. While Medicaid expansion has afforded  benefits in multiple […]

How misinformation, personal bias threaten critical thought Fake news: it’s a phrase we hear more and more in today’s political climate in reference to sensationalist and oftentimes entirely fabricated journalism. Its effects are widespread and damaging; according to one analysis of Facebook trends during the 2016 election, the top 20 fake news stories had more […]

Our political environment is ripe with fear and laziness At a recent rally in Texas, Trump declared himself a “nationalist,” embracing the title while ridiculing globalism, much to the pleasure of his supporters. “You know what I am; I’m a nationalist. Use that word.” Being an American and being a nationalist are not the same […]

Instagram users often glorify their lives to attract more “likes,” attention In many ways Instagram has surpassed Facebook in terms of social engagement levels. And as far as Snapchat is concerned, it still doesn’t hold a candle to Instagram. There’s no question that Instagram has perks like community building, self-identity and self-expression, but, it has […]

Talking about male sexuality is a good way forward In the wake of the sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein that kickstarted the #MeToo movement, the New York Times published an opinion piece by author Stephen Marche arguing for more discussions about masculinity. “[We were] having a public conversation about male sexual misbehavior, while barely […]