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(04/19/22 2:50pm)
For gay Americans like myself who have largely grown up after the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges that legalized same-sex marriage, it was hard to imagine that we would ever have to live through the struggles that countless gay Americans once did. Since 2015, increasingly large majorities of Americans — and majorities of both Democrats and Republicans — have supported issues like same-sex marriage and LGBTQ nondiscrimination protections. In 2020, over three-quarters of all Americans supported equal rights for gay people in housing, work and public life. Yet despite all of this, the Republican Party is actively working to undermine gay rights over asinine fears that children are being “groomed” to become gay.
(02/11/22 8:11pm)
In these early days of 2022, we find ourselves staring down the beginning of a third world war. Russia, a sputtering power whose days of strength are fast-waning, is poised to invade Ukraine and either install a puppet government or outright annex the territory. While Ukrainians helplessly look on as Russian tanks and troops gather on their doorstep, it is up to the rest of the world to decide whether or not this conduct can stand. For the U.S., there is both a moral and security requirement that dictates the clear course of action — stand up to Russia.
(01/17/22 12:00am)
In a recent column, Opinion Columnist Noah Strike accused the University of supporting conservative “extremism” for highlighting pro-life groups on Grounds, claiming that such ideology is inherently violent. Such an argument is absolutely baseless — intrinsically flawed in that it relies upon establishing guilt by association — and betrays a sheltered worldview that seeks to demonize people who hold opposing views on controversial subjects. Moreover, claims that political opinions are inherently violent needlessly sow a culture of division — something which has the potential to actually provoke real violence and extremism.
(11/03/21 11:48pm)
Steven Donziger, an American attorney who waged a legal battle to fight Chevron’s pollution in Ecuador, was sentenced for contempt of court Oct. 1. The lawsuit against Donziger was riddled with flaws, its conditions were excessive and arbitrary — to such an extent that the UN Human Rights Council condemned it — and the process was mired in alleged corruption. But what the Donziger case most represents is that the U.S. Federal Court system is broken, corrupt and in desperate need of reform.
(10/18/21 4:05am)
Gain of function research is a technique in which diseases are artificially engineered to have enhanced biological effects — including increases in their deadliness and transmissibility. While proponents of this research argue it serves as an important tool to better understand diseases and combat future pandemics, many academics and experts have questioned its benefits, arguing that these potential benefits are outweighed by the risks. After all, humanity is only as safe from a genetically engineered virus as the lab that created it is secure from leaks.
(08/17/21 11:12pm)
Sex education is an awkward topic for a lot of Americans — its a subject that parents, schools, teachers and even most kids do not want to talk about at home or in the classroom. But sex education is more than just gym teachers sticking condoms on bananas — it’s also an opportunity for youth to learn about sexuality, gender identity, healthy relationships and consent. Importantly, it can provide LGBTQ+ youth with critical health information that they may struggle to get otherwise, and helps to dispel myths and prejudices from non-LGBTQ+ students who hear the content. Thus, Virginia ought to mandate that all public schools in the Commonwealth provide students with comprehensive sex education that is LGBTQ+ inclusive.
(04/28/21 1:52pm)
High-income students are disproportionately represented at the University, which creates affordability barriers for low-income students seeking to integrate with their peers. In particular, joining special status organizations, or SSOs, like Student Council or the University Guide Service is challenging for students who must juggle these unpaid, time-intensive opportunities with other responsibilities. In order to facilitate low-income student engagement in these important University institutions, those students ought to be paid for their work through the Federal Work-Study program.
(03/28/21 11:32pm)
If first-year me saw this column’s title, he would disagree. However, a year after completing my last general education requirements for the College of Arts and Sciences, those classes have proven useful in my personal and academic development. Thus, I now argue the merits of keeping these requirements, especially in regard to recent calls to abolish them by columnists Bryce Wyles and Max Bresticker.
(02/15/21 6:24am)
Recent debate about President Joe Biden’s policies has focused on whether or not he should unilaterally cancel up to $50,000 of student debt via executive order. Proponents of this idea, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), argue that it represents a needed economic stimulus and that it is something Biden can easily and quickly do by sidestepping Congress. The problem is that doing so would likely be unconstitutional, and would unwisely expand presidential powers further.
(10/30/20 11:10pm)
Back in June, Virginia’s 5th Congressional District Republicans held a nominating convention in Lynchburg where they voted out incumbent Representative Denver Riggleman. In his place, they nominated Bob Good, a former Campbell County Board of Supervisors member. Many party delegates voted for Good because they felt Riggleman was no longer in touch with their religious conservative principles, and instead chose a candidate who better reflected those beliefs. Those same beliefs are the reason why VA-05 is now considered a toss-up, and why Bob Good is unlikely to have a long career even if he pulls off a win this November.
(09/24/20 11:29pm)
As a pandemic ravages our country, and economic hardships plague millions of American families, President Donald Trump took to the steps of the National Archives Sept. 17 to deliver a speech on an issue very pressing to him — the 1619 Project. The 1619 Project is a collection of essays that “reframe American history by considering what it would mean to regard [the introduction of slavery] as our nation’s birth year.” In response, the president established the 1776 Commission, an educational curriculum premised on ignorance and jingoism straight out of the playbook of dictators like Mao Zedong and Kim Jong Un.
(09/04/20 7:07pm)
All across the country, racist monuments are being toppled and institutions are having conversations on how to treat memorials to controversial historical figures. Particularly at the University — a school marred by the legacies of slavery and white supremacy — the challenge of addressing these racist memorials is all the more pertinent, and many are calling for their removal. However, removal is often an easy way of escaping the complications that we need to carefully weigh as we rethink historical perspectives.
(04/15/20 7:40pm)
Li Wenliang — the Chinese doctor who first spread alarm about the coronavirus in December of 2019 — died of COVID-19 Feb. 7 this year. Rather than listen to him, Li was detained by the Chinese government for “spreading rumours.” Today, with over 2,000,000 coronavirus cases worldwide, one has to wonder if this would have happened had the Chinese government responded adequately when the virus was first brought to their attention. The facts identify the Chinese government’s faulty disease mitigation policy as partly responsible for the spread of the coronavirus, and their actions were not just inept, but negligent of the danger it posed.
(03/30/20 3:24am)
When we eventually emerge from our coronavirus quarantines, we will most likely face an economic recession far worse than that of 2008. As unemployment figures could reach 30 percent, it is unlikely that even the current government bailout package will allow the economy to bounce back once we stop social distancing. A recovery will challenge us to address a profoundly changed economy, and to do so we need solutions that will promote long-term growth over short-term bailouts — and the key to that will be free college tuition for all.
(02/20/20 8:14pm)
The University is bound by Virginia state law to maintain a two-thirds majority of Virginia residents over non-residents — the overall acceptance rates for the Class of 2023 were 36 percent for in-state and 19 percent for out-of-state students. Every year, more students from out-of-state apply to the University than Virginia residents, and each year, they face an increasingly competitive application pool that imposes a quota on their matriculation. Unfortunately, the University is missing out by not taking on more out-of-state students, and ought to increase the number of seats it offers them. In order to do this, the University ought to lobby the commonwealth of Virginia for the freedom to accept more out-of-state students.