Syrian Refugee Crisis: Where is the Humanity?
In the past week, I’ve watched in horror and bitter disappointment as governors from the two states I call home, New Jersey and Massachusetts, proclaimed that they will not accept Syrian refugees. Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey became a leading voice for the opposition to the federal government’s plan for Syrian refugee resettlement, even […]
Menstruation and Education: How Periods Affect Girls’ Education in the Developing World
Menstruation is one of the single most commonly shared experiences among women of all races, religions, and ethnicities. Most women menstruate for an average of 40 years. Throughout those 40 years, each woman will use more than 11,000 sanitary pads and tampons, spending approximately $5,600 on those hygiene products.[1] For a woman in a developed […]
The Grand Old Party v. The Supreme Court
The American presidency has ramifications far beyond the executive branch. It can lend the victor’s party a boost in Congress, influence statewide elections, and have deep repercussions in foreign countries. But what a lot of people often forget is that the presidency also affects the judiciary—perhaps most directly—as all federal judges are appointed by the […]
Pay It Back: A Mentality Adjustment Regarding Student Debt
The United States carries a unique debt burden relative to the rest of the developed world. Student debt has officially become the second-highest debt burden on the United States’ economy, eclipsing auto loans and credit card debt while remaining second only to mortgages.[1] This is thanks to a combination of skyrocketing tuition costs and private […]
An Important Step Forward: Examining the Impact of the Proposed Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act
In the politically polarized city that is present day Washington, D.C., compromises are hard to come by. The need for criminal justice reform, however, is something that maintains near universal acceptance. From John Oliver to Ted Cruz, people throughout the country have spoken publicly of the need to mend the broken criminal justice system. While […]
In Defense of NUPD
It’s been a week since Northeastern University Police Department (NUPD) announced it would deploy semi-automatic rifles in campus police vehicles during “high-level threats.” Condemnations of the decision have been strong, if expected. Trevor Noah compared Northeastern to prison, which, if you lived in IV freshman year, isn’t completely inaccurate. Northeastern’s ability to make blindly controversial […]
App-tivism For Syria
We are in the depths of one of history’s largest human rights crises. Syria is hemorrhaging refugees, and its citizens inside and out are being deprived of basic living, educational, and health resources. Humanitarian assistance organizations are overloaded with need, and strong Western governments need to step up to bridge the gap. Instead of focusing […]
Let Them Eat Hierarchy
To progressives and conservatives alike, the meteoric rise of Donald Trump in the wake of the Tea Party movement has been surprising, to say the least. This is a man who was once a registered Democrat, who supported universal healthcare and access to late-term abortions, opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and who today opposes […]
The Forgotten Flaw of Global Development
“In a slum outside the grand old city of Lahore, a woman named Saima Muhammad used to dissolve into tears every evening. Saima had barely a rupee, and her deadbeat husband was unemployed and frustrated and angry. He coped by beating Saima each afternoon. Their house was falling apart, and Saima had to send her […]
Reflection on the State of the World
[slideshow_deploy id=’3739′] I returned to Paris on the morning of November 16. I had been in Spain during the attacks, enjoying Armistice Day, a holiday in remembrance of those who died in WWI. My bus got in at around 8 A.M., and I entered the Metro alongside multitudes of people on their way […]