Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down
April 13, 2017Thumbs Up: Unpacking racial microagressions; Thumbs Down: Sean Spicer. More ...
Opinion
Pushback on pathway symptomatic of larger issues
April 6, 2017At the Student Assembly meeting prior to the spring 2017 recess, someone made a request for a pathway by the Days-Massolo Center. Immediately, the administrator present and the ranking members of the Student Assembly dismissed the problem as unfeasible due to safety and liability issues. I pushed the Assembly to consider the larger issue at hand which is the lack of resources for students of color of campus. However, members of the assembly continued to reject the request without seeking to engage with the problem. More ...
Pathway unfeasible for safety reasons
April 6, 2017I would like to start by voicing my appreciation for being able to utilize this forum to talk about an important discussion which has been taking place in Student Assembly meetings and in smaller settings throughout campus. I am thrilled to work with my classmate, Yassine Dahlek, to inform and expand the campus dialogue, and I hope that this forum will continue as an avenue for thoughtful discussion. A quick aside: I serve as one of the student representatives for the Class of 2019 delegation to the Student Assembly. The views in this piece are entirely my own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Assembly or of its members. More ...
Student Assembly’s forum just a first: With dialogue established, time for action
April 6, 2017By now, I think it is likely that the majority of the Hamilton community has read, or at least been made aware of, the minutes from this week’s Student Assembly meeting and the issues that were raised within them. During a public comment period, voices from the community—both Student Assembly members and nonmembers—spoke on issues of representation, receptiveness and reconciliation in student government at the College. It was a complex and occasionally confrontational conversation, one that no doubt left many feeling unsatisfied or frustrated as a result. More ...
Relentless incrementalism: a sustainable practice in uncertain environmental times
March 30, 2017On Tuesday, President Trump signed his 19th executive order titled “Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth,” which stands to expand coal mining on federal land and potentially scrap the Clean Power Plan, the key climate change initiative of the Obama Administration. Trump’s order, in his own words, will attempt to end “the war on coal” while ushering in “a new energy revolution.” It’s an alarming, but unsurprising, action that falls in line with the Trump Administration’s general apathy towards climate concerns. More ...
Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down
March 30, 2017Thumbs Up Microsoft Workshops with Nicole Richie. I learned so much about the most important requirements for being successful in business, which are obviously developing your personal brand and not over plucking your eyebrows More ...
Spending more on foreign aid means spending less on ammunition
March 30, 2017With the new administration nearing its first 100 days and President Trump’s contentious policy decisions, it is easy to get wrapped up in domestic issues (see his most recent executive order that nullifies a key part of President Obama’s climate change efforts). National security is one such issue, and it is Trump’s ceaseless boasting about his plan to increase military spending by $54 billion that inspired me to write this article. I would like to breach the realm of domestic policy and look towards combating the world’s most crucial international issue—the global poverty crisis—as an alternate solution to enhancing the United States’ national security. The U.S. is not doing nearly enough to counteract global poverty, and allocating more funding to our foreign affairs budget would have spillover benefits for the United States that even President Trump could get behind. More ...
I’m Ill; Not Sick: Young People Need to Start Paying Attention to Healthcare
March 18, 2017In the midst of wiretapping accusations, hysteria over ratings for “The Apprentice” and a revised immigration ban, you might have missed the House Ways and Means Committee’s quiet approval of a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the early hours of March 9th. After 17 hours of debate, the Committee formally began the process that has been the subject of Republican fever dreams for the past seven years. “Obamacare,” the controversial, sweeping legislation that had the nerve to dream up universal healthcare for all Americans, is now on the chopping block. Coinciding with this development was the public release of the American Health Care Act (AHCA,) the GOP’s replacement plan that I might call “Trumpcare” if only our president had had more of a role in crafting the bill beyond professing its complexity. More ...
Back our blue, if you’re lucky: Lottery system treats loyal fans unfairly
March 2, 2017As anyone who talks to me for longer than three minutes knows, I love hockey. Like, to the same degree that I love pumpkin spice and defying gender roles. That is to say—a whole lot. And knowing that men’s hockey—or “man hockey” as the Commons posters proudly proclaim—here at Hamilton did well enough not only to secure the number one spot in the ’CAC, but also to host the rest of these games leading up to the championship game is something of a novelty. The thrill of being able to see these games unfold is probably the only thing that I’m looking forward to in this sluggish hell that is these two weeks before spring break. I viewed this upcoming weekend as a time for cathartic stress relief and a time to be proud of the athletic achievements of the College. More ...
Attitudes toward “Townies” expose classism of Hamilton students
March 2, 2017Every weekend night, Hamilton students flood the bars in downtown Clinton. Dressed to the nines with (fake) IDs, Hill Cards and money in their pockets, students expect to be welcomed with open arms to the town’s bars and food spots. Students also expect that the Clinton townspeople, conveniently dubbed “townies,” will remain out of sight and out of mind. If classism isn’t blatant enough on Hamilton’s campus, one needs only to sit at the Village Tavern bar for 10 minutes on a Saturday night to experience its true depth. More ...