Opinion Archives - Page 13 of 216

Bad Blood: Argentinian Swifties vs the Far Right

Wherever Taylor Swift lands, the ground shakes — quite literally. Her concert caused a 2.3 magnitude earthquake in Seattle. Swifties waited for years for the singer to set foot in South America. Finally, in early 2023, Swift announced her Eras Tour stops

November 16, 2023

Opinion

How Swarthmore’s New Strategic Plan Could Better Build Institutional Memory and Accountability

At the end of October, the office of President Val Smith released their current draft of Swarthmore’s next strategic plan entitled “Sustainable Swarthmore”. This plan outlines four broad goals for the college’s future: “build a rigorous and transformative liberal arts education for

November 16, 2023

Opinion

If You Care About Ukraine or Palestine, You Should Care About Sudan

Last week, I was shocked to find out that over 2,000 civilians had been massacred in a single day by the Russia-backed side in the ongoing civil war in Sudan. Most haven’t heard of this event: the Ardamata massacre, ethnically motivated, hasn’t

November 16, 2023

Opinion

We Are Not Your Excuse: Jews Say Swarthmore Must Start Acting in the Interest of Peace

Editor’s note: Under normal circumstances, The Phoenix does not allow groups to publish as a collective and requires individual members to submit on groups’ behalf. After careful consideration, The Phoenix has decided to make an exception to this policy due to credible

November 16, 2023

Opinion

Pub Safe vs Pub Nite: Reconsidering Party Policing at Swarthmore

A typical feature of a night out at Swarthmore is the fearful invocation of “Pub Safe,” the common name for the college’s Public Safety department. One would think this would be to ask for emergency help with an intoxicated friend or safety

November 9, 2023

Highlights·Opinion

Swarthmore College: It’s Now or Never on Listening to Your Community

This week is a potentially momentous one in the history of Swarthmore College. The petition to unionize, signed by an overwhelming majority of resident assistants (RAs) and filed on Monday with the federal government, guarantees a referendum on the topic, likely in

November 9, 2023

Highlights·Opinion

The Narples Scanning Machine and the Dining Center from Hell

The Narples scanning machine arrived unceremoniously into our lives about a week ago. Its impact, thus far, has been small. However, I can say without hyperbole that what it represents is a sort of philosophy of design that fills me with dread.

November 2, 2023

Opinion

A Response to Swarthmore’s Middle East and North Africa Faculty Statement

In last week’s Phoenix, eight Swarthmore faculty (henceforth “the authors”) criticized President Smith’s letter to the community of Oct. 10th entitled “Violence in the Middle East.” At first, I thought they objected to the fact that President Smith mentioned “the horrific attacks

November 2, 2023

Opinion

We Must Respect Our Public Spaces

It is almost a common occurrence to get an email from your resident assistant or area coordinator requesting residents to help maintain a healthy and clean living environment. It is so common that one would think the requests would stick. One would

November 2, 2023

Highlights·Opinion

The Argentine Strategy: What the US Should (and Won’t) Learn From It

A few months ago, Argentina held primary elections for presidential and congressional races. The presidential winners? A self-proclaimed anarcho-capitalist and an anti-crime conservative who led the race. The left-wing candidate of the incumbent party came in third. Come this week, however, with

October 26, 2023

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Opinion - Page 13