opinions » oped


"No Easy Day" gives everyone a hard time

By Aanchal Johri | Sept. 15, 2012, 1:29 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

Ask someone about the Navy SEAL Team 6 and they'll likely describe of their unwavering bravery, the death of Bin Laden and now their possible lawsuit against a controversial book.


Suppressing the vote

By Emma Yeager | Aug. 26, 2012, 11:29 a.m. | In Op/Ed »

In preparation for the presidential and congressional elections in November, a growing number of states have passed "voter identification" laws.


Romney bets wrong on Ryan

By Sam Lewando | Aug. 20, 2012, 5:58 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

Former governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney has finally emerged as the GOP nominee to take on Obama. To do this, he has chosen Congressman Paul Ryan for his running mate. This choice represents a decision to focus his campaign on economic issues and maintain his core voter base for the election. However, Romney has made an mistake in choosing Ryan, as Ryan's lack of short-term solutions and experience will hurt the GOP ticket.


Punishing "The Penn State Way"

By Michael Gerbasi | Aug. 6, 2012, 11:39 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

The harsh sanctions on Penn State University are necessary to heal wounds caused by the scandal.


Unwavering discrimination

By Temi Ibirogba | July 28, 2012, 4:24 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

After the Boys Scouts of America banned Jennifer Tyrell from her son's Cub Scout troop for her sexuality, we are reminded of how all to similar this is to racial discrimination.


Scientists, not spies

By Sarika Ramaswamy | July 27, 2012, 3:58 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

Enemy lists, computer surveillance and government cover-ups seem like the elements of any fictional spy-thriller blockbuster. However, these are all very real elements of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Its ploy to spy on whistleblowers within the agency has been recently uncovered. When scientists within the agency argued with FDA heads over the accuracy of reports, the FDA conducted surveillance of the scientists, secretly checking personal email accounts and documents. On July 16, congressional investigators revealed that surveillance of a group of FDA scientists had been approved by the FDA chief counsel's office.


Nuclear power and responsibility

By Urvi Banerjee | July 19, 2012, 9:31 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

A recent investigative report claims that the Japanese nuclear power disaster last year was "profoundly man-made," calling the pursuit of nuclear energy into question.


Fed forgets ed

By Aanchal Johri | June 29, 2012, 1:54 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

Last week, the College Board finally acknowledged what many educators fail to: many of the 1.2 million kids who drop out of school each year have no other choice.


Immoral, but not illegal

By Lily Gates | June 19, 2012, 12:25 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

The Department of Justice announced last Wednesday that John Edwards will not be retried on corruption charges.


40 years after Title IX, the fight lives on

By Jacob Buchholz | May 15, 2012, 12:23 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

Keeling Pilaro, 13, has been playing his favorite sport since he was five years old, but now finds that gender discrimination goes both ways.


Facebook frustration

By Hannah Lynn | May 13, 2012, 1:56 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

On May 2, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley signed legislation making Maryland the first state to ban employers from requiring employees to give them their Facebook passwords. The bill will protect personal privacy and ensure that an employee isn't forced to hand over access to his or her account. Other states should follow suit in protecting personal privacy and ensuring that social media and work remain separate.


Beauty bigotry

By Molly Nicholson | April 22, 2012, 7:26 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

Donald Trump and his "Miss Universe" organization are choosing to hide behind their rules rather than face the world's opinions on equality.


The standardized testing snafu

By Mimi Verdonk | April 19, 2012, 12:04 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

Standardized testers have finally found the way to end cheating. Next fall, SAT and ACT test scores will be sent directly to students' schools along with a picture of the test-taker.


A constitutionality checkup

By Brittany Cheng | April 14, 2012, 4:43 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

President Barack Obama made a bold move while the U.S. Supreme Court analyzed the constitutionality of one of his laws: he took another shot at the high court. Although the PPACA, including the insurance mandate, is far from perfect (it notably has stirred other controversies), it breaches neither the Commerce Clause of the Constitution nor infringes on our civil liberties.


Pro/Con: Government regulation of contraceptives

By Rachel Auerbach, Allison Daitch | April 6, 2012, 12:01 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

Beginning on Aug. 1, 2012, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will require all health insurance plans to cover women's contraceptives.


Out with the old

By Hannah Lynn | March 3, 2012, 8:37 a.m. | In Op/Ed »

Election years bring controversial issues to the forefront of national debate and this year gay marriage is fueling much of the discussion. However, there seems to be a pattern: as more people oppose gay rights, more people fight back.


Be careful what you search for

By Hannah Lynn | Feb. 29, 2012, 9:08 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

At what point does it become a violation of privacy for major search engines such as Google to track our Internet activities?


An unplanned nightmare

By Molly Nicholson | Feb. 10, 2012, 2:58 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

The recent controversy created by the Komen Foundation has undermined Planned Parenthood's efforts to help millions across America.


Pro/Con: Longevity of chain bookstores

By Melissa Haniff, Sarah Harper | Jan. 31, 2012, 2:01 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

But is online retailing really a better option as opposed to in-store shopping?


School bullying policy results in injustice

By Saaraa Farooq | Jan. 20, 2012, 8:52 a.m. | In Op/Ed »

The fact that Jacob Rogers had to take his own life to be heard and finally receive the attention he deserved, after years of bullying, is unacceptable.


MLK memorial redemption

By Jacob Buchholz | Jan. 20, 2012, 8:51 a.m. | In Op/Ed »

By dissecting and re-piecing together Martin Luther King Jr.'s words on the new national MLK Memorial, the architects completely lost the meaning behind the iconic speech.


Putting the "break" in winter break

By Rachel Auerbach | Dec. 28, 2011, 12:49 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

If only winter break could be restful, rather than a time to wrestle with the voice in the back of your head saying that you should be working.


War, what is it good for?

By Hannah Lynn | Dec. 21, 2011, 12:43 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

On Dec. 15, the U.S. officially withdrew its last troops from Iraq, but the war didn't have a grand conclusion that left the public cheering.


A price tag on lifelong lessons and school pride

By Janvi Raichura | Dec. 15, 2011, 2:32 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

It is hypocritical that student athletes do everything they can to succeed in their sport, but UMD administrators are not doing everything they can to honor this hard work. By cutting eight of its varsity sports, UMD is turning away a minimum of eight years worth of students who may have brought something special to the university, both athletically and intellectually.


Tracking pirates but losing the treasure

By Saaraa Farooq | Dec. 4, 2011, 1:01 p.m. | In Op/Ed »

People as young as teenagers go on the internet everyday and download free music. However, the teenagers aren't the whole problem, the problem goes back to pirates.

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