As the first Election Day since the tumultuous 2020 Presidential election, tensions were riding high and the results would be indicative not only of the respective candidates, but also of how the nation felt about the Biden Administration. The results of the election could have been predicted and was not particularly unusual given the events of the past year. Nonetheless, this past election cycle and its results are concerning signs for Democrats as to what will come in future elections.
Read moreThe Case for Compassion: A Commentary on Students’ Reactions to SGBM
The more we stick to love and compassion, the stronger we are. If the Skidmore administration shows us that they will continue to be apathetic and “objective,” we will be the space for empathy and support. History has shown that the people are more powerful than authoritative institutions. The people have the power to create and destroy, to mold and reshape. We can’t do that without love, kindness, and respect.
Read moreIt Didn’t Have To Be Like This: The Skidmore Administration’s Role in the COVID-19 Outbreak
When the Fall 2021 semester began, we all had high hopes for being able to put the pandemic behind us and have a relatively normal college year. Understandably so: after the heartbreak, loss, and frustration of a year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic, we finally had 98 percent of students and staff vaccinated, and the end seemed in sight.
Read moreThe Met Gala Was “Wack This Year," & Not Just For Its Fashion!
This year’s theme was “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” which was more broad than others have been in the past. Although the invitees and panel of hosts (Naomi Osaka, Timothée Chalame, Billie Eilish, and Amanda Gorman) seemed to promote diversity, the way in which the protest outside of the event was handled itself showcased how America typically chooses to operate when it comes to the treatment of Black and Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC). As a person who adores and appreciates fashion, the Met Gala is usually an event that I am excited about; but as a Black person, the situation that occurred outside of the event this year is something that is difficult for me to ignore.
Read moreSatire: Fourth Best College Food in New York
Our new normal is basically back to pre-COVID normal, but with masks, and I'm sure everyone’s sick of asking covid safety questions, I am to a degree, but entering D-hall with 100-plus students is still overwhelming when we've been so conditioned to socially distance. Hopefully more of us can be vigilant in wearing masks indoors (like in the library) and the future of our campus won't become a COVID hotspot.
Read moreHow the FYE Summer Reading Can Help the Skidmore Community
Already this year, students on campus are applying the summer reading’s concepts to our own community. Without inclusive and accessible spaces, Skidmore is incapable of either calling itself or working towards being an antiracist institution. Skidmore students have cultivated serious and plausible ideas for how to do this. This semester, as we get settled into new classes and a fresh routine, it is imperative that we take Kendi’s lessons and use them to improve our community for all.
Read more“Stop Asian Hate” On Anti-Asian Crimes: Patterns of Racism Between the Past and Present
The rates of Anti-Asian crimes have increased drastically, by 150% in 2020 in New York City and Los Angeles. But I keep thinking: those numbers are the crimes that are actually reported.
Op-Ed: What Does it Mean to be Latinx?
As members of the Skidmore community, we need to see and call out white people and whiteness. Doing so forces faculty and staff to be a part of the conversation on racial inequality, rather than allowing them to deflect, take a raincheck, and never address it. Doing the work also entails taking strides to figure out and specifically define your race. Ending racism is a community effort; thus, in addition to professors and staff, students must also reflect and address the questions above. Change cannot occur within our community if we (Skidmore staff, faculty, and students) continue to refuse to racialize white people. Thus, the time for change is now.
Read moreOp-Ed: It's Time Universities Implement American Sign Language into their World Languages Curriculums
If the WLL Department took into account the full panoply of deaf culture and its historical progression within this country, they would find ASL to be an appropriate addition to the curriculum. It has the ability to foster effective communication useful in many situations, provides insight into the deaf experience, connects back to fields such as disability studies and social work, and sheds light on the marginalization of deaf individuals within a particular society.
Read moreA Tale of Two Campuses: Pandemic, Privilege, and Platform
We are always going to be around people with more resources, who will be held to lower standards with less accountability. Student-athletes have to recognize their unofficial positions of power on campus and the level of influence these positions have. As we move forward, it is important that we as a community work towards holding our own peers accountable instead of relying on an absent administration to do the work for us. Only then will we be able to move past social hierarchies and reconcile relations between student-athletes and non-student-athletes.
Read moreSaratoga Springs Constitutional Crisis: What the Final City Council Meeting on Police Reform Revealed
Saratoga Springs finds itself in political turmoil as the city council held another open dialogue on police reform on March 31 on zoom. This meeting was the last open dialogue held before the city council voted to adopt the 50-point plan on police reform created by the Saratoga Springs Police Reform Task Force (SSPRTF). The SSPRTF created the 50-point plan to address Saratoga’s reform of the Saratoga Springs Police Department (SSPD). The proposal has been met with reluctance by the Saratoga city council and open hostility from the SSPD. However, the third draft proposed by the city council was passed with only one member in opposition.
Read moreHow the Liberty League Unanimously Chose to Promote the Spread of COVID-19
Does Skidmore only care about how outsiders perceive us or about what goes on? Do donations related to current or former athletes matter more than student safety? What drove Skidmore, as well as the other schools, to unanimously accept these objectively unsafe protocols? Although we will likely never find the real answer, these are questions that are important to ask. If you are also concerned about campus athletics, or if you believe that they should continue, feel free to contribute to this conversation.
Read moreWhy We Must Settle For The Two-Party System
Proportional representation would undoubtedly make other parties more competitive and gain more representation in Congress. But, altering our electoral method would be nearly impossible to implement into our current system of government. Additionally, it would generate extremist parties that would gain representation in government, as seen in eastern Europe. A two-party system may be inconvenient for distinguishing politicians in the same party, but it keeps extremists in check. There may be intra-party disagreement on issues, but that just means that voters need to understand that every politician is more nuanced than their party label.
Read moreInvestigating Identity: Kwame Anthony Appiah Speaks At Skidmore
Appiah’s lecture enlightened me to the intensity of identity and the duty each person has to themself and others to explore their social stance. What does my presentation communicate to others? More importantly, what do I want it to communicate? How do I incorporate intersecting identities? By approaching social groups as tribes, I have gained a renewed sensation of belonging and community. Identity is a shapeshifting force that will likely be in flux for a while, if not permanently. Still, Appiah’s guidance granted me unexpected insight into the empowerment that is intertwined with identity.
Read moreBreak Day: A Reminder to Prioritize Self-Care
I realized that break days shouldn’t just be a school-scheduled once-a-semester occurrence. A break day can be your own creation. Think of something you’ve been putting off because you “haven’t had time” or something you love to do that school has eclipsed in importance. Take out the box of paints in the back of your closet, the journal on your nightstand with the wrapping still on it, the book you are “going to find time to read” but never did. Turn off your phone, shut down your computer, and do it! Take a day off, an hour off, or even just twenty minutes off, and do yourself a favor.
Read moreNext Year in Person: Reflections on This Year’s Passover
This Passover, I feel more in-tune with my Jewish identity than ever: I’ve never thought about my philosophical Jewish beliefs as much as I have lately, in this season of Pesach and the retelling of the Exodus. It’s special to celebrate joy and freedom, whether it’s yours or that of your ancestors. It makes us have hope and believe that we, too, will experience that in our lifetimes. We just have to work for it, and we do that by being a good person, and filling the world with love, respect, and kindness.
Read moreIt's Not Cancel Culture, It's Liberty
YAL is not any of the things it claims to be. It is riddled with hypocrisy and paradoxes, only wanting to further its own agenda by using dubious language and antagonizing those who are brave enough to call YAL what it really is: a platform for right-wing extremists and a license for hate speech. The rejection of YAL’s petition was not a violation of individual liberty, but rather an example of how individual liberty can be virtuously harnessed for the good of the greater community.
Read moreWhy We Don't Need Any More "Political" Clubs on Campus
I think the goal should be to create different areas for expression outside of the political spectrum. Many students are overwhelmed with the number of political events occurring daily, and as we become adults, we must stay on top of current events. This can be very exhausting. Clubs should be outlets for students to express their interests and find new passions and that we should shift our focus from trying to create political safe-spaces to just creating safe spaces.
Read moreStudent Opinions on Biden’s First 100 Days
During his campaign, Biden made a bevy of promises not limited to a quick vaccine rollout, better healthcare options, an overhaul of the immigration system, new policies to combat climate change, and official administrative projects to promote racial equity. Is he successfully fulfilling his promises? And if not, what could he be doing better? Skidmore students answered these questions and shared their thoughts on the matter.
Read moreA Twelve Month-Long Decade
This year brought a decade’s worth of lessons; for that, I am wiser. I was forced to detach from the conscience I created from pieces of other people; for that, I am self-aware. I learned it was possible for my whole world to change in one day; for that, I am grateful for today.
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