opinion

OPINION

COMMENTARY: Solution to poverty is in individual acts

By Michael Vespa | March 5, 2019

In the era of Bernie Sanders and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, there is a growing commitment for more government intervention to help the less fortunate. Programs such as food stamps, housing vouchers and a multitude of others exist solely to help the less fortunate, but there have been unsatisfactory results. The consensus in Washington is clear. More and more government programs centered on helping the less fortunate are needed.

OPINION

SINGH: We must take steps to fight false anti-vaccination information

By Harleen Singh | March 5, 2019

Ethan Lindenberger was 18 when he denied his parents’ wishes and got himself vaccinated. He lives in Ohio, which is 1 of 17 states that allow for parents and guardians to opt out of vaccination medications for philosophical purposes. Lindenberger’s parents refused any sort of vaccination for him and his four younger siblings because they believed in vaccination conspiracies, which put the whole family at risk for contracting easily preventable illnesses. 

OPINION

HOLEY: We need willpower to overcome problems

By Michael Holey | March 4, 2019

Years ago, I went through a period of depression that, in its worst moments, took over nearly an entire year of my life. At some point back then, I decided that I had to go see a psychologist for help. I thought that someone else would be able to give me a solution to my problems. It did not work. The therapists I went to offered opportunities for me to vent my frustrations, which was not at all what I wanted. I wanted my problems to be fixed. 

OPINION

EDITORIAL: Paid leave bill makes needed expansion

By The Daily Targum | March 2, 2019

While hard-fought progress has been made for gender equality in America, institutionalized practices continue to hinder women in the workforce. The ordained ability to give birth has received patriarchal condemnation for the burden it places on companies. We have turned our backs on those who provide our future. We have stolen opportunity from those who give us the next generation. In the name of efficiency and profits, women face scrutiny in hiring for their potential to have maternity leave in the future, and if hired, they are neglected by society and government in the event that they require a leave of absence. 

OPINION

GUVERCIN: School psychologists are vital for education

By Dilara Guvercin | March 2, 2019

The pivotal role of mental health professionals is becoming more and more evident within our current social environment and is being recognized as not a suggested, but mandatory, element within any operation involving people. Schools in particular have demonstrated a need for mental health professionals as they are the primary environment within a child’s social, academic and internal life. There are a variety of issues regarding the behavior and performance of students that warrant professional guidance and intervention that teachers, administrators and sometimes even parents, cannot fulfill in the most effective way. That is why school psychologists have become a necessity within school systems and institutions and continue to impact the course of a child’s academic and personal life. 

OPINION

JAWED: Constant fear of war defines Pakistani, Indian relationship

By Malaika Jawed | March 1, 2019

wo nuclear powers. One Jammu and Kashmir. With a long history of armed conflict, Pakistan and India once again find themselves at the brink of war. Since the violent partition in 1947, tensions between the two nations have hardly dwindled down. With overt military clashes in 1947, 1965, 1971 and 1999, both countries have a history of uneasy coexistence, to say the least. The recent events following an attack on Kashmir have instilled yet again the fears that hostilities could escalate between the two countries.

OPINION

NUNDA: Women of color accredited, prove to be more than a trend

By Stacey Nunda | February 28, 2019

Society is feeding off of the natural, God-given characteristics some women of color have held since birth and refusing to give credit where it is due.  Rewind approximately 10 years into the past and we can see the prevailing trend that echoed in our everyday media: Thin was in. Everywhere we looked, magazines, TV commercials and billboard ads were all screaming out to its audience, reminding them that being skinny with a defined nose and pressed-together lips was the best look ... of the time, that is. 

OPINION

O'BRIEN: Culture war breeds divisive animosity

By Connor O'Brien | February 28, 2019

Politics has always been a rather chaotic, ugly and intensely personal game for those involved. This should be no surprise, as after all, the stakes are pretty high. People’s incomes, health and mobility often depend on the outcomes of political debates. But few would deny that over the course of our young lives, the tone of our national political environment has sharply turned more negative. I am not referring to any one particular candidate, party or group, but a creeping perception that politics now feels like all-out war. 

OPINION

AHMED: All-nighters define U. experience for many

By Laila Ahmed | February 28, 2019

The all-nighter: I am sure this phrase already brings back some memories for some of you. Maybe it was that one time back in high school when you had procrastinated to the very last minute to get that project done and, of course, had to pull an all-nighter to get it done on time. Or maybe you never had to pull an all-nighter until you came to college and realized how crammed you were and had to get your assignment done before the next morning.

OPINION

EDITORIAL: Green Amendment protects future of NJ

By The Daily Targum | February 27, 2019

The era of indifference, of procrastination, of dense denial and soothing silence is coming to a close. We now find ourselves at the border of consequences, entering the era in which we reach the point of no return. The State Senate has proposed to amend our constitution to “recognize and protect an individual’s rights to clean air and water, and a healthy environment as inalienable human rights deserving of the highest constitutional and legal protection.”

OPINION

OLAYEMI: Stifling of diversity in U. life, clubs must end

By Yvonne Olayemi | February 27, 2019

In the spirit of Black History Month, I want to touch on what I feel is a need for greater leadership in the Black community at Rutgers. Being that our school is so large, it can be difficult to develop relationships with faculty, staff and administrators that help motivate us to maximize our opportunities and better our overall college experience at Rutgers. It is because of this discontinuity that we students rely on the peer support and mentorship provided through the organizations and departments on campus. 

OPINION

BEZAWADA: Opportunity paves path for continued hope, discovery

By Sruti Bezawada | February 27, 2019

"My battery is low, and it is getting dark." After the 15-year-old rover Opportunity drew its final breath on the lonely Red Planet, the news of its last message took the internet by storm. Photo edits, GIF sets and posters flooded social media in heart-wrenching artistic renderings of the haunting words. The end of humanity’s favorite robot, originally intended to travel less than half a mile for 90 days, but against all odds lasted approximately 15 years and 28 miles, could not have been on a more fitting occasion: The day before Valentine’s Day on Perseverance Valley.

OPINION

OMANA: Consumerism, celebrity idolization pushes unethical fashion

By Breana Omana | February 27, 2019

From movies to magazines to social media, it feels like the pressure to look perfect and dress like a fashionista is only rising. While celebrities have always had tremendous impact on consumerism, their impact is even more so today as more and more people fall in debt or become a slave to cosmetic surgeries and procedures, trying to keep up with this perfect, glamorous, "Insta" look.

OPINION

BOZTEPE: To progress, we must question our nature

By Kaan Jon Boztepe | February 27, 2019

Modern humans, Homo sapiens, have only been around for approximately 200,000 years to our knowledge. Within that small smidge of time, humans have evolved into technologically advanced, emotional, social and creative creatures who have self-awareness and reasoning capacity. 

OPINION

MEHTA: Democratic socialism saved capitalism in past

By Rishi Mehta | February 25, 2019

On Feb. 19, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) threw his hat in the ring for a second bid at the U.S. presidency. Progressive campaign veterans feared, while establishment pundits prayed, that the momentum Sanders held in 2016 would be lost: It was not. Within 24 hours of announcing, the Sanders campaign raised $6 million from grassroots donors, quadrupling Sen. Kamala Harris’s (D-Calif.) 24-hour total of $1.5 million. Sanders is a self-proclaimed Democratic socialist, which is a term that scares the ignorant. In the same light, it is these same people who abhor the idea of being taxed on their profits above $10 million to pay for a child’s cancer treatment, and who forget that the last Democratic socialist president to grace the United States saved the capitalism they love so much. 

OPINION

EDITORIAL: All must bear witness to hate in history

By The Daily Targum | February 25, 2019

Between the stars and stripes, swastikas hung heavily in front of thousands of saluting Americans. We want to remember ourselves as always being on the side of good in the fight against the evils of fascism that pulled the world into war, but this nation too witnessed the rise of Nazism in the 1930s. 

OPINION

SURIANO: We must not allow America to feel ‘Bern’ of socialism

By Robert Suriano | February 25, 2019

Everyone’s favorite 77-year-old senator from Vermont is running for president again. I am referring, of course, to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Last time around, even though he put the fear of God into Hillary Clinton, he did not ever really stand a chance. So, he never had people really look into his background fully. But, now that he seems to have a real shot at the Democratic nominee for president I think people ought to point out that Sanders is not a good man and his ideas are dangerous. On top of that, he is a hypocrite who does not live by the ideology that he would put the rest of us under.

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