I have a letter to the editor of the Daily Northwestern today. If I seem kind of angry, that’s because I am. Dear Editor, Today I learned that Alyssa Weaver, the Weinberg junior who passed away last week, took her own life. I didn’t know Alyssa. I could’ve, though, because she was going to move into …
Tag Archive: northwestern
Nov 19 2012
Why Northwestern Needs an Orientation Program on Mental Health
A little over three years ago, I arrived at Northwestern as a freshman completely unprepared for what was about to happen.
I don’t mean the difficult academics, the new social structure, or the challenges of living away from my parents, although those certainly had a learning curve.
What I mean is the intense stress I suddenly had to deal with, the complete lack of a support system, and the shame and stigma of admitting “weakness” or “failure.”
Oct 19 2012
Affirmative Action Rant
A few days ago, the Daily Northwestern published a column called “Affirmative Action Dangerously Shortsighted.” It was predictably awful and spawned 269 (mostly dissenting) comments as of now. Some excerpts: I oppose the use of affirmative action in college admissions, the workplace and essentially any other setting. I am pleased that Fisher had the courage to revive …
Oct 04 2012
What We Talk About When We Talk About College
It’s been rather quiet around here lately. I’ve just started my senior year, and with that came a lot of reflection–what I want this last year to mean, how I can improve on the years that came before it, and, perhaps most importantly, why it is that my time at Northwestern has been so fucking …
Aug 12 2012
Is Casual Sex Intrinsically Demeaning?
Many well-intentioned people decry casual sex (or hooking up, or what have you) and argue that there’s something inherently demeaning about it–that you’re just letting the other person use your body and then toss it aside, that you’re letting them disrespect you. It’s worth noting that, to these people, it’s only the woman in the …
Jul 20 2012
[Guest Post] What is Sensible Drug Policy?
It’s another guest post! In this one, my friend and fellow activist Frances discusses the parallels between good sex education and sensible drug policy, and why we need more of both. Ever since you’re young, you’re taught that sex and drugs are just plain “bad.” Many high school health classes teach you that if you …
Jun 27 2012
How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the B's
A few weeks ago, our final grades for spring quarter were posted online. This usually happens on the Monday evening after the end of the quarter, and you see people posting Facebook statuses about their grades all night. I used to be one of the people who’d sit there refreshing Caesar or at least checking …
Jun 22 2012
"There are no hot girls at Northwestern."
The other day at a certain user-submitted news website, a new Northwestern student was asking for advice about “the party scene” at our school. He also inquires about the attractiveness of the “females” at our school (I think he means “women”), and several dudebros inform him not to get his hopes up. One writes, “No …
Jun 13 2012
Guest Post: Doing Greek Right
Hello and apologies for the unintentional blogging hiatus. A good friend has sent me this guest post about her experience with Northwestern’s Greek system. My own opinions on the Greek system are probably familiar to everyone who reads this, but I enjoy discovering other perspectives and sharing them, too. Enjoy! During my stint at Northwestern …
Apr 27 2012
Setting the Record Straight
Note: On April 24, the Daily Northwestern published an opinion column that included a backhanded and (in my opinion) unfair reference to me and my blog–namely, to my Markwell post. I wrote the following letter to the editor in response. To the editor: In his Tuesday column, Peter Larson discussed the response to Cru’s Markwell campaign …







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