Column

It’s self-defeating and disadvantageous — but we still count on it every time It’s midterms week and grade curving is at the forefront of many students’ minds. It’s common after a difficult exam to hear the sigh of a spent student and their silent (or maybe noisy) plea to the grade gods: “I hope there’s […]

In the era of #MeToo, the defense of the “artistic genius” no longer suffices It’s been over 20 years since Woody Allen was accused by Dylan Farrow, his then-seven-year-old adopted daughter, of sexual abuse. Although Allen was never charged and has vehemently rejected the notion that he molested her, Farrow, now 32, has penned several […]

Menstruation continues to be a taboo topic — yet it’s central to women’s lives We’ve all heard of “the little red friend,” “shark week,” “lady business” — but why do we shy away from properly addressing menstruation? After all, it occurs in approximately half of the world’s population. Despite our forward-thinking, incredibly liberal era, few […]

How Hollywood has repeatedly circulated the same stereotypes and clichés Movies are brilliant inventions, but because they tend to be depictions of reality, we as spectators also believe that they’re reflections of everyday life and people. For example, in the 1940s and ‘50s, when Hollywood directors first made films about Mexican people, they used stereotypes […]

It’s time to ban road salt and make better anti-icing alternatives Deer like salt. I found this out during my last trip to Yosemite after a deer ran across the road and forced the person driving to tap the brakes. We slowed at every bend in the road after that, and we were surprised to […]

IQ is no longer the judge of smartness and success One of the shortcomings of our education system is that we are never explicitly taught how to learn. Of course, we’re all told what skills the best students have, but that’s merely a matter of pattern recognition — anyone with an invested interest in their […]

Political hits a reality, not fiction in Russia One February night in Moscow, a Russian opposition leader and his lover were walking home from a dinner date. As the couple crossed the Bolshoy Moskvoretsky Bridge, a large vehicle pulled up beside them, blocking the only working camera within range. Several gunshots rang out. Moments later, […]

American history books fail to recount Pancho Villa’s 1916 attack on the United States Pancho Villa, a Mexican revolutionary from the early 1900s, is recognized as one of the most iconic figures in Mexico. He’s famous for being a great general and a bandit due to his tendencies to loot and pillage. However, he was […]

The sooner we move toward alternative energy solutions and away from crude oil, the better Whenever I see the words “oil tanker” in a headline, I imagine the worst. I remember grisly pictures of oil-covered birds from the 2010 Gulf oil spill. (Refrain from performing a Google image search and spare yourself the guilt of […]

The opportunity to show ourselves as human is a privilege not all students share Unlike the educational systems in many countries, the United States strongly believes in second chances. There’s not one defining exam a teenager must take. Students need not choose their career goals in high school. And in the instance that a student […]

Personal experience reveals passions and exasperation in Russian courses There aren’t a lot of folks who can say their educational lives changed after they visited a Wikipedia page. I can say without a doubt that mine has. The story goes like this: I was 17 years old, and one day I was bored. I hopped […]

Our deep-rooted perceptions of beauty can seriously damage women’s mental and physical wellbeing In a world inhabited by 7.6 billion people, who determines what qualities meet the standards of beauty? Beauty seems like such a simple, positive concept, but a lack of self-esteem and body positivity is linked to depression, anxiety and suicidal tendencies — […]