For the longest time, the gay and lesbian community was openly criticized and persecuted by the public. The hatred for the lesser-known preferences went beyond common sense and led to a countless number of tragedies, such as the Tyler Clementi case at Rutgers University. However, these days, as laws allowing […]
Viewpoints
Suicide Awareness Day Sheds Light on Internal Struggles, Inspires Hope and Support
Photo Courtesy of Kate Elizabeth, Flickr Creative Commons I am writing this on September 10, 2015. To some, this is just another regular day on the calendar, but to others, it is known as Suicide Awareness Day. The word suicide holds a lot of heaviness and is a subject most […]
Animal Shelters Give Pets a New Chance at Life
Photo courtesy of Myri_bonnie, Flickr At the bottom of a dead-end street, 15 minutes away from Ramapo College’s campus, there is a place where second chances exist; that place is Ramapo- Bergen Animal Refuge (RBAR). In attempts to explore the stereotypes and connotation that attach themselves to animal shelters, a friend […]
Studying News and Discussing Politics, Pivotal to Global Consciousness
Photo courtesy of Kenneth Lu, Flickr The importance of being informed is often tied to following the news, but the truth hidden in local and national news is too often lost by the belief that it does not affect us directly. When talking about freedom and being a citizen capable of […]
Plus-size Modeling Leads Body Positive Campaign
Photo courtesy of Mount1313, Wikimedia The recent spark ignited by criticism of plus-sized-model-turned-chef Robyn Lawley, who graced the cover of the Sports Illustrated’s “Plus Size” issue, has created a domino effect in the plus-sized community, since speculators claimed that the size 12 model was not “big” enough to be considered plus […]
Student: ‘Clinton Is No Champion of Feminism or the LGBT Community’
Photo courtesy of Bureau of IIP, Flickr Hillary Clinton officially announced her candidacy for the 2016 presidential election on April 12. While this has been expected for a long time now, it was greeted with much applause by liberals and, more specifically, advocates for LGBT rights and feminists. It is no […]
Clinton Shifts Stance on Same-sex Marriage
Photo courtesy of US Department of State, Wikipedia Hillary Clinton launched a second presidential bid for the White House on Sunday in a video released online. Unlike eight years ago, she made no mention of her colorful resumé in Washington, or about being the nation’s first female president. In fact, Clinton […]
Student Challenges Graduates to Exercise Passions
Photo by Nicole Williams Last December, I read "The Opposite of Loneliness" by Marina Keegan. As a college senior, the book was monumental. It found me at the perfect time. "The Opposite of Loneliness" is named after Keegan’s Yale commencement speech, given three years ago. In her speech, Keegan describes […]
Student: ‘Killing Tsarnaev Will Not Bring Back the People Lost’
Photo by Steve Fallon Since the April 15, 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, the most deadly terrorist attack on United States soil since 9/11, which killed three and wounded 264, much anger and rage has been directed toward the surviving perpetrator of the crime, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev — and justifiably so. Tamerlan […]
Race, Class and Food: Checking Your Privilege at the Checkout Line
Photo Courtesy of Robert Couse, Flickr Creative Commons A growing food movement exists that urges people in developed countries to support sustainable eating by foregoing greasy cheeseburgers and eating fresh produce at local family farms instead, but how often do we look at the intersection of food, race and class […]
