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(05/17/19 6:12pm)
While my Nonna and I were sitting around the dining-room table one cool, fall evening 12 years ago, I begged her to tell me stories of her Italian childhood. Nonna added a teaspoon of honey to her cup of tea, nodding with a half-smile, tender and warm, but broken with quivering lips. As I stared eagerly into her eyes, searching for another hint, however faint, at some wrinkled memory, she confessed, “I will tell you about my first day of school in America.” She lowered her eyes and glanced at the spoon in her teacup, catching a glimpse of herself in the handle, I suppose.
(04/22/19 12:32am)
The national debate over government-controlled health care has increasingly dominated the political scene. With the 2020 presidential election around the corner, candidates grapple with competing theories on both sides of the spectrum — Medicare for All has emerged as a policy test for the majority of Democrats, while Trump continues to vehemently express his desire to repeal Obamacare. While the political divide in the healthcare debate shakes the nation’s confidence in the government’s ability to fix our broken system, a new study offers a way to bridge this gap. In considering the economic effects of preventative care, specifically healthy food prescriptions, we have the potential to find common ground on the responsible provision of health care.
(04/01/19 3:17am)
It has been just over a month since Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam stepped into the scandalous Democratic political landscape. When a blackface photograph of Northam from his medical school yearbook page circulated, Democrats nationally raised their voices in protest, and questioned his ability to adequately represent the Democratic party and effectively serve as the governor of Virginia henceforth. The political storm raged on, as Northam’s own state party “abandoned him, its leaders furious that he had not resigned as they expected he would…Top Democratic presidential contenders issued calls for Mr. Northam to step down, as did House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.” However, a few short weeks later, the conversation has subsided and the scandal has largely blown over. While Northam’s behavior was utterly offensive and reprehensible, especially as a representative of our Commonwealth, his decision to remain in office supports the will of the black electorate as well as his responsibility to atone for his past actions of racial injustice.
(02/25/19 4:16am)
In March of last year, a self-driving Uber car in Arizona struck and killed a pedestrian, representing the first of several deadly accidents involving autonomous vehicles since their conception. Operating in coordination with three safety modules, self-driving cars are built to identify and perceive surrounding nearby objects when in motion, and respond accordingly. In this instance, the car’s perception module failed, rendering it unable to identify the woman crossing the road with her bike — Ms. Herzberg died at the expense of a “confused” perception system, a system that is known for its inability to “distinguish a plastic bag from a flying child.” While the fault of this incident was ultimately due to a system-design failure, the growing number of fatal accidents begs us to consider more deeply the ethical dilemma inherent in the construction and operation of self-driving cars. To that end, we should not release autonomous vehicles in full force until we have considered the ethical implications.
(02/12/19 5:45am)
In May 2018, former President Teresa Sullivan announced an amendment to the University’s standing policy on speech on Grounds. The new policy includes a provision regarding the use of the University’s facilities as a platform for expressive thought, ultimately requiring people unaffiliated with the University to “make reservations to engage in expressive activity in certain designated locations, on certain days and during certain hours.” The strengthening of this policy was largely in direct response to the events of white supremacy in August 2017, serving the purpose of protecting the students, faculty and staff who walk the Grounds — however, the revision is unnecessarily restrictive and violates our constitutional freedoms.
(01/30/19 3:10am)
When we talk about waste, the debate typically is centered on matters of trash on an individual level — how can we consume less within our households? How can we increase recycling participation? How can we minimize our use and disposal of plastics? These questions are crucial in sparking the conversation about waste and waste management. However, individual efforts to tackle this massive issue of environmentally destructive activities can only take us so far. We are using the wrong tactics as we wage this war on waste — individual action, though commendable and effective in the short-term, offers no sustainable hope for our future. Our “throw-away” society requires systemic change in order to upend the culture of waste that has been ingrained and perpetuated in our economic system.
(01/07/19 6:46pm)
The bugs of summer illuminate the darkening sky as the sun sets, emitting a yellow-flashing light just long enough to grab our attention before camouflaging once again against the black of night. We root our fondest childhood memories in chasing these little orbs of bright light around our backyards in the summer. But as the years go on, we see fewer throngs of dancing fireflies, leaving our Mason jars empty and our memories threatened.
(11/08/18 8:09pm)
In his article in The New Yorker, Nathan Heller contextualizes the debate on universal basic income, framing it around the historical development of the idea of a guaranteed income for all. In examining the growing appeal associated with a disruption in the existing system because of shifting job opportunities, Heller acknowledges the danger of equating bipartisan support to similar factors of motivation on each side, as well as the economy’s role in providing disparate opportunity and choice. Heller ultimately supports the idea that UBI, though “not a magic spell,” may be a step in the right direction. While I agree with Heller’s overall positive review of UBI, he falls short in providing an adequate analysis of the value of work inherent in American culture within this framework. In order to garner more support for such a revolutionary social insurance policy, advocates of UBI need to offer a more comprehensive discussion on work incentives and how the policy may affect such in the context of innovation.
(11/06/18 1:32am)
When we talk about history, we often fixate our discussion to a location and time strictly in the past, discounting the fluidity of the historical narrative. Yet, the consequences of a historical incident permeate all the way down to the details of an individual’s life, an individual who may not even have witnessed this lived experience. In the case of the environment and the tangible advancement of climate change, this story reads true. These changes in our moment of history inherently write each of us into the storyline — the story began before we held the pen, but we have a say in how it ends. College campuses serve the purpose of responding to the greater context of incidental consequence, and in the context of the suffering environment, we have the capacity to initiate small, grass-root level change in the attempt to tackle an issue of such gravity.
(10/11/18 12:40am)
In early September of this year, U.Va. President Jim Ryan publicized the extension of paid parental leave to all eligible staff — salaried, full time academic employees — of the University and the University’s Health System. The new policy is designed to align with the executive order Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam delivered, which provides eight weeks of paid parental leave to state employees, expanding the benefits beyond just those who birthed the child.
(09/21/18 5:34am)
There is very little disagreement when it comes to the public’s perception of pharmaceutical companies. Assuming the pejorative nickname Big Pharma, the pharmaceutical industry has become a common punch line in comedy and recipient of the public eye’s intense scrutiny. Last week, renowned cancer researcher Dr. José Baselga stepped down from his position as chief medical officer of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center following a report of his failure to properly disclose his financial relationship with the drug and device companies related to his scientific research. In light of the recent news, the public has reason to be skeptical of the way pharmaceutical companies conduct business and physicians compromise their integrity. For that reason, we should focus on fostering the existing relationship between physicians and pharmaceutical companies instead of playing the blame game when drug safety and effectiveness is on the line. Drug companies need physicians, physicians need drug companies — neither can operate without the other. This reciprocal dependency inherently sparks a conflict of interest, but the issue is larger — our nation’s community of trust is in question.
(09/11/18 6:39pm)
As artificial intelligence embeds itself into the world of medicine, engineers begin to think like doctors, and doctors like engineers, ultimately coupling professional insights in an unparalleled capacity. Funded in mid-2017 with grants from the University, the new Center for Engineering in Medicine combines these formerly separate worlds into one on Grounds. A budding partnership between the medical and IT industries is inevitable within this context of rapid innovation and advancing technology and should be a cause for celebration. In order to keep the University in a position “as a paradigm shifter in healthcare” as well as in one to substantiate life-altering ideas, the University should dedicate a significant amount of funding towards this center.
(08/17/18 3:14pm)
Policy in South Africa roots itself in a history of struggle — as a society that suffered at the hands of a powerful, restrictive apartheid regime, South Africa had to reorient itself in the post-apartheid world beginning in 1994. A liberal constitution, framed upon rights to human dignity and freedom of expression that were previously ignored, promised an era of liberation and restoration. In this new context, policymakers and politicians find themselves grappling with their roles and responsibilities in the ethical fabric of South African democratic society. When it comes to public health policy, South Africa is a case study in itself on how policy, or lack thereof, can endanger the lives of thousands — and intensify the issue of mental illness.
(01/17/18 5:55am)
The 2017 calendar year was riddled with an explosion of problems hindering global progress. America trudged through an unconventional election year, a period in our nation’s history which has been dubbed the “Anger Election.” Supporters on both sides are increasingly dissatisfied with our current government and overall political climate. This frustration is well founded, and has subsequently translated into the global rise of populism, ultimately disrupting traditional politics. Populist movements channel active resistance to the status quo, provoking profound expressions of anger and disaffection. However, the sentiments of the anger election know no bounds — Americans have carried their insecurities with them, initially defining and only further escalating the age of outrage. Outrage may be a means to the end of necessary change, but we cannot consider it an end in itself. Our current societal operations have been severely disrupted by the election of President Donald Trump, and we cannot allow this frustration to manifest itself in public outrage.
(06/13/17 11:25pm)
It’s not headline news the rights of the religious and the secular have been at odds with one another on many occasions in the political realm. The highly contested Obama administration policy which mandated free contraceptive coverage has made its way back into the national conversation as President Donald Trump signals a bold change in direction. His intentions to excuse employers and insurers from adhering to the birth control mandate upon ethical and religious grounds will alienate 51 percent of the American population.
(11/18/16 10:46am)
In June of this year, California implemented the End of Life Option Act in an effort to permit “terminally ill adult patients with capacity to make medical decisions to be prescribed an aid-in-dying medication if certain conditions are met.” Within the past year, the aid in dying movement, otherwise known as physician-assisted suicide, has slowly but surely advanced — California was the fifth state, alongside Oregon, Vermont, Washington and Montana, to permit this policy, taking a step forward in the campaign to allow patients to have the power to end their lives on their own terms. As the times have changed, how we die has also changed, so we must follow suit and change the standards surrounding assisted death in states across the country. We should legalize physician-assisted dying so the patients may retain some amount of control over their death. The greatest contenders of this advancement are the doctors themselves; it is time that they jump on board with the assisted suicide movement in an effort to let the suffering more freely determine their fate.
(11/11/16 11:41am)
The story of “Hansel and Gretel” is a tale that most of us are familiar with, or at least we remember hearing about how the witch plans to eat the two children who unfortunately happened upon her doorstep. As one of the many Grimm fairy tales, “Hansel and Gretel” does not restrain its dark, brutal images from the eyes of the beholder. These tales revolve around children and families and their reactions to difficult conditions in their young lives, illustrating the haunting nature of reality through fantastical and imaginary means. Leo Braudy, author of a book exploring the natural and supernatural worlds, claims that “fear is the most contagious emotion,” an emotion that can consume us entirely if we do not combat it. An early exposure to more fairy tales can help children overpower fearful manifestations and better grapple with the consequences of reality.
(11/04/16 12:20pm)
In the early weeks of September, the Fancy Bears hacking group released data from the World Anti-Doping Agency, or WADA, database, showcasing their list of athletes who use banned substances legally. The revealing of the Therapeutic Use Exemptions list, or TUEs, shocked the world of sports. The hackers targeted top athletes, such as Simon Biles, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, in the attempt to expose some scandal that had been hiding behind the private doors of the WADA. While these athletes have all been granted approval of their drug use and have adhered to the anti-doping authorities, this exposure erupted serious ethical debate as to the use of banned drugs, regardless of their subsequent legality. The WADA needs to reevaluate and explicitly outline its doping laws so there is a mutual global understanding of the expectations of a world-class athlete, for there currently exists a gray area in the sports law — the Therapeutic Use Exemption.
(10/28/16 11:20am)
This past spring, the White House released the news that Malia Obama was delaying her college education to take a gap year. With increasing societal and academic pressures on students nowadays, it makes sense to have the desire to step back from it all. Harvard College, where Malia plans attending in 2017, actually encourages this course of action, affirming it gives students an option to catch their breath before delving into eight consecutive semesters of demanding work. So many students do choose to take time off each year, perhaps positively contributing to Harvard’s 98 percent graduation rate. If students have the opportunity and luxury to take a gap year, they should; they will not regret the decision to temporarily retire from the mundanity that is textbooks and tests in order to foster a more global understanding bigger than just them.
(10/21/16 10:15am)
In January of this year, Donald Trump paid a visit to Liberty University in an attempt to rally Republican evangelicals to his campaign. He started his speech by incorrectly reciting a verse from the Bible, saying “Two Corinthians” in an attempt to refer to “Second Corinthians.” The crowd responded with muddled laughter. The university’s president, Jerry Falwell Jr., gave a rather embellished introduction to the Republican nominee, praising him and all his endeavors as a businessman and donor. He even related Trump to his father. While he mentioned this praise should not be interpreted as an endorsement, it is hard to see it as anything else. Furthermore, Falwell has continued to show his support despite the leaked video of Trump’s alleged sexual assaults on women in the past years. Falwell should not use his national platform as a means to vocalize his support of candidate Trump, as he is misrepresenting Liberty University and miscommunicating the mission of the school.