Delivering on the promise of a Swarthmore education

One of the greatest promises of a Swarthmore education is the chance to be a part of an exceptional community that extends well beyond the grounds of our campus. As many students have searched for opportunity in their lives after Swarthmore, this

To save Main Street, Paulson saved Wall Street

In preparation for the recent midterm elections, many news publications polled their readers for opinions on various current social and economic issues. One of the most interesting statistics that came to light this month was published by the Washington Post-ABC News poll.

If we’re giving Wall Street credit where it’s due…

For better or worse, over the past decade, Americans from all socioeconomic backgrounds have developed a conspicuous and growing wariness of the United States’ public and private financial institutions. This phenomenon, placed in the context of the unprecedented scandals that have come

Is divestment the only solution?

I wanted to begin this column with a brief characterization of the enormous harm the fossil industry has already had and, if left unchecked, will continue to have on our environment. But Swarthmore Mountain Justice does a better job than I can

Seize the decade, not just the day

Zac Arestad’s column last week plainly and jarringly posed a question that we, lucky enough to have a place in this gilded institution, have likely grappled with in one form or another: “Am I worth it?” Sure, we are some of the

Leveraging an education to produce meaningful change

For many Swarthmoreans, seasoned and fresh alike, the pursuit of innovation and entrepreneurship is fresh on the mind. But with the unprecedented economic rises of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, it’s easy to feel as if the robust innovation of

Olé, olé, the bulls are coming

The current bull market, which turned five years old this year, has already earned its place in the august company of the Roaring 20’s and the dot-com boom of 1990s. Ever since late July, when a one-day drop in the Dow wiped

Minimum wage reform

Senator Tom Harkin and Representative George Miller’s election-year propositions have pushed minimum wage to the forefront of economic debate in the past year. Their bill, if passed, would raise the minimum wage to $10.10 in three steps over two and a half

Understanding a generation’s growing distrust of finance

The Great Recession of 2009 has fostered a deserved and growing distrust of the United States’ financial sector over the past half-decade. In light of enormous scandals like Worldcom’s bankruptcy, Bernie Madoff’s ponzi scheme and Enron’s colossal audit failure, the aversion is

MOOConomics and the overhaul of higher education

The rising cost and deteriorating quality of American Education has demanded the media’s spotlight numerous times in the past two decades. Despite recent optimistic reports of rising degree attainment, the United States is consistently outpaced by its first-world counterparts. Last year, the