pennsylvania

SEPTA Funding and the Perils of Political Theatre

Rafi Karpowitz '27 argues that the drama this summer surrounding SEPTA's funding is representative of a more broad phenomenon, in which politics is defined fundamentally by theatrics and calculated posturing that is often detrimental to the people whom political actors should serve.
October 9, 2025

SEPTA Funding Saga Ends With Solutions Only for the Short-Term

On Sept. 8, Governor Josh Shapiro’s (D-PA) administration allowed the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) to use $394 million from a state trust fund designated for long-term public transportation maintenance. The money represents a one-time infusion that will enable the agency to
September 18, 2025

Swarthmore and the Urban Politics of SEPTA

On Nov. 22, at the Frankford Transportation Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced he was directing Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll to devote $153 million of federal highway funding to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). The decision comes after
December 5, 2024

General Election 2022: What are the Stakes?

Although the Pennsylvania general election does not take place until Nov. 8, committed Swarthmore students and on-campus organizations such as Swarthmore Democrats and the non-partisan voting group SwatVotes, have begun mobilizing their efforts towards voter registration and increasing voter turnout. According to
September 15, 2022

Swarthmore Community Pushes to Get Out the vote

Despite Swarthmore’s widely-held reputation as a college committed to democratic engagement, more than half of Swarthmore students did not exercise their civic right to vote in the 2016 and 2018 elections. Seeking to rectify this shortcoming and placing a high value on
October 30, 2020

Acting on Pennsylvania’s Clean Power Plan

We write this op-ed to express our frustration at the recent Supreme Court decision to block the Clean Power Plan, an important piece of climate change legislation that had the potential to drastically reduce U.S. carbon emissions. We strongly encourage Pennsylvania legislators
March 24, 2016

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