The Phoenix

Val Smith Sits Down for Spring Interview with The Phoenix

April 30, 2026

President Val Smith reflects on her presidency, her goals for the rest of her time on campus, and changes at Swarthmore and across higher education.

Spring ’26 Student Body Poll Results

Rafi KarpowitzandDaniel Perrin

April 30, 2026

The Phoenix releases the results of its third semesterly survey of the

Spring ’26 Faculty Poll Results

Daniel PerrinandRafi Karpowitz

April 30, 2026

The Phoenix releases the results of its second semesterly poll of the

The Phoenix in Conversation with Robert Putnam ’63

by Zephyr Weinreich

April 30, 2026

Robert Putnam '63 charts his evolution from aspiring engineer to political scientist

Swarthmore Needs a CCTV Committee

by The Editorial Board

April 30, 2026

The Phoenix's Editorial Board advocates for the creation of a CCTV committee.

Latest Stories

Ask The Phoenix: What’s The Status of Current Campus Construction Projects?

by Xinto Xu

April 30, 2026

College Data Reveals Seven-Fold Increase in Disability Accommodations Since 2011

by Daniel Perrin

April 30, 2026

The College Needs a Reset: A Letter From Faculty

by Undersigned Faculty

April 30, 2026

Generative AI Pervades Higher Education: Here’s How Three Institutions Responded

Zephyr WeinreichandThe Collegiate Journalism Network (TCJN)

April 30, 2026

Zephyr Weinreich joins journalists from Emporia State University and Oberlin College to report on AI usage and policy across institutions.

Campus Discussions: How Swarthmore is Thinking About AI

by Nina Sablan

April 30, 2026

Nina Sablan conveys wide-ranging campus opinions on AI usage.

A Look Inside Swarthmore’s 350+ Camera Surveillance Network

Ella WalkerandDaniel Perrin

April 23, 2026

A map of the 350+ accessible CCTV cameras on campus and an investigation into who decides to install them, how they're used, and how

Swarthmore Borough Passes Sanctuary and Welcoming Resolution

by Xinto Xu

April 23, 2026

Swarthmore Borough adopted a welcoming resolution the week after college student groups organized "No ICE Week" events.

SEPTA and Swarthmore Borough Begin Discussing Commuter Lot Development

by Lucy Tobier

April 23, 2026

SEPTA, the borough, and the college discuss urban development plan in Swarthmore Town.

Opinions

Seniors Reflect: ‘There Can and Must Be a Better Swarthmore College’

by Anonymous Students

April 30, 2026

A group of anonymous seniors reflect on the failings they've witnessed and been affected by during their time at Swarthmore and provide a vision and imperative for a better future.

An Open Letter in Defense of Jeannine Osayande and African Diasporic Dance at Swarthmore

by Undersigned Students

April 30, 2026

Students voice their concerns regarding the future of African Diasporic dance at Swarthmore.

Everything is Embarrassing

by Nasrin Ahmed

April 30, 2026

Opinions Editor Nasrin Ahmed '28 chronicles the embarrassing moments that have happened to her during her two years at Swarthmore.

Arts

‘Wilderness Generation’ Review: A Family Reunion That Doesn’t Quite Hit Home

by Alissa Lopes

April 30, 2026

A review of James Ijames' new play "Wilderness Generation," including commentary from the playwright.

Where Does Acting End And Begin? — A Review of ‘Circle Mirror Transformation’

by Joanna Hong

April 30, 2026

A review of Kana Nagata '26's Senior Honors Directing Thesis, "Circle Mirror Transformation"

Recommendations From the Editorial Board Vol 5.

Daniel PerrinandElla WalkerandMaya LevineandSarah Cymrot

April 30, 2026

Read about Copy and Upper Editors' recommendations!

Sports

Athlete of the Week: Lola Diaz ’26

by Katherine Kerman

April 30, 2026

Lola Diaz ’26, hailing from Portland, OR, and Marbella, Spain, has been an integral part of the Swarthmore women’s tennis team for the past four years. She has been awarded All-Centennial First Team Singles (2024) and All-Centennial First-Team Doubles (2024) and has

Some Thoughts I Had While Running the Wilmington, DE, Half-Marathon

by Katherine Kerman

April 30, 2026

As I turned the corner and entered the underpass around mile three of the Wilmington Marathon, the road became dark and wet, and a runner behind me shouted, trying to be witty, “beware of the needles.” But as you can imagine, this

Athlete of the Week: Lydia Morris-Kliment ’27

by Aimee Lee

April 23, 2026

Aimee Ross, co-editor of the Sports Section, in conversation with Lydia Morris-Kliment '27, the outstanding thrower from the Swarthmore Track and Field team.

Features

In Defense of Hobbs

by Kush Kaur

April 30, 2026

Kush Kaur '29 reflects on experience at Hobbs Cafe.

Reflections from a Graduating Senior

by Maya Levine

April 30, 2026

Maya Levine '26 reflects on her years at Swarthmore.

The Moonlit Path

by Megumi Jindo

April 23, 2026

Megumi Jindo '28 reflects on her experience at Swarthmore so far and the passing of the baton in her Kizuna, Japanese club.

As Conferences Come to a Close, Garnet Just Need to Keep Winning

by Sam Alofsin

April 28, 2016

Coming off a narrow overtime loss to Franklin & Marshall two weekends ago, Swarthmore men’s lacrosse was anxious to face Dickinson in last Saturday’s matchup. The Garnet came to play, winning 7-5 in what was truly a hard-fought team effort. Matt Johnson

Statistics department introduces new courses

by Joe Mariani

April 28, 2016

This year the Department of Mathematics and Statistics rolled out a new statistics curriculum which created two new applied statistics courses and incorporated teaching the R programming language into Stat 11. Student reactions to this new curriculum have been mixed, with some

Staff Profile: Jamie Layton

by Bobby Zipp

April 28, 2016

I woke up late on the morning I was supposed to meet Jamie Layton, one of the college dining services staff members, for an interview in Sharples. When I walked in the front door, I saw on the big red clock that

Michelle Johnson ’16 directs Chekhov’s “The Seagull”

by Vanessa Meng

April 28, 2016

Last weekend, the play “The Seagull,” written by Anton Chekhov, translated by Paul Schmidt, and directed by Michelle Johnson ’16, was performed in the Frear Theater in LPAC. Upon entering the dark performance space, the audience was greeted with Russian folk music

Conversation around sexual assault continues

by Morgin Goldberg

April 28, 2016

April marks Sexual Assault Awareness Month at Swarthmore and around the country, during which students and staff alike try to promote better understanding of the problem for all and support for survivors. Yet, even as programming around the topic has ramped up

Dining options limited for religious students

by The Phoenix

April 28, 2016

This week at Sharples, many students who were keeping kosher for the holiday had trouble finding enough food. There are a variety different ways to observe passover, from not prescribing to any dietary restrictions, to not coming in contact with any hametz,

Dining Services implements changes to meal plan

by Lauren Knudson

April 28, 2016

Dining services will make several big changes starting next fall. Current pilot-programs will be made permanent and changes will be made to the meal plan. Grab-n-go in the Science Center and Sharples to-go will become permanent. In addition to changes that have

The Endless Job Hunt: Inside the World of Visiting Professors

by Isabel Knight

April 28, 2016

Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG. In spring