Opinions

Letter to the Editor: Rob Jordan on Borough Taxes 

December 4, 2025
Swarthmore Borough is facing another large tax increase in 2026 and every borough expenditure must be analyzed for its return on investment. Implementing a new food scraps program in 2026 for $150,000 is neither a valid nor logical new large ongoing expense to incur for the borough. A mouse could not survive on my own food scraps and many residents will not utilize this curb pickup program — so the high cost will benefit only a few. If food scraps are that large of a problem in the borough, we can explore ways to merge it into the yard waste

The Duality of the U.S. Foreign Policy — Jolani in the White House

December 4, 2025
The politics of Islamophobia in the U.S. is inextricably linked with the “war on terror,” and yet, in the last few weeks, the world saw a rather strange constellation of events that may bewilder the uninformed observer. An immigrant-born Muslim who is a self-described Democratic Socialist was not supposed to win a mayoral election in New York under a Trump presidency. Neither is the emir of what was once considered the largest offshoot of Al Qaeda supposed to visit the White House under the same administration. Yet here we are, in 2025. Both of these previously inconceivable things have happened

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Grider talks hot wax, flotsam, and Assyrian reliefs

November 3, 2016
Assistant Professor of Studio Art Logan Grider spent much of his sabbatical on an Irish beach at low tide, digging up plastic. He and his two young sons would carry bags of refuse — broken bottles, torn children’s Wellingtons, fragments of fishing

SAAB Advises Admissions Officers

November 3, 2016
This year, as part of a broader effort to promote diversity and inclusion work across campus, the Office of Admissions created the Student Access Advisory Board. The board consists of 14 students from a wide range of backgrounds and was created to

The Generation Game

November 3, 2016
The term “generation gap” was introduced in the 1960s to account for the differences between the baby boomers and their parents. What were people to make of their kids, who were so different, so unrelatable? In a sense, this conflict centered around

Swarthmore students must vote in coming election

November 3, 2016
This will be a historic election. It will indubitably go down in history as one of the most unexpected and tumultuous cycles in electoral history, irrespective of whether or not we elect our first female president. This election will be memorable for

Bartlet (and therefore Clinton) for America

November 3, 2016
There is an episode of the television show “The West Wing” in which viewers are treated to flashbacks showing how the fictional President Josiah Bartlet’s campaign got started. In one such flashback, then-New Hampshire Governor Bartlet is visited by his old friend

On eating alone

November 3, 2016
Once or twice a week, I walk into Sharples for dinner with a weird feeling in my stomach. I walk down the stairs, look around, and my suspicions are confirmed: I’m eating alone tonight. I swear under my breath, wonder how I’ve

Friends Library archives long history

November 3, 2016
Located immediately to the left of McCabe’s entrance, the Friends Historical Library Reading Room boasts artwork and rows of desks, looking like what one might expect in an almost 150-year-old academic library. The collection holds more than first meets the eye; amidst

SBC Updates Reimbursement Policies to Increase Efficiency

November 3, 2016
In order to allow for greater efficiency and confidence in the school’s budgetary processes for clubs, the Student Budget Committee has recently updated their funding system, which includes providing reimbursements through direct deposits. While these changes were intended to make the funding
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