On Unexpected and Ever-Changing Weather
By Hanna Khosravi, Opinion Editor
Beginning of the semester woes — ok, well, Polar Vortex. That happened. I could concoct many rants about it, namely in reference to how, last week, while attempting to buy some tea to warm my frigid and cracked fingers mid-40-minute walk, I dropped my credit card three times because I literally could not feel my hands. However, I would like to turn this rant on its head, and perhaps turn it into a bit of a simultaneous “staff rave.” Because Monday and Tuesday, our last two warm-ish days after the rant-worthy cold, were lovely. Going for a stroll uninhibited by a puffer coat, people eating outside on benches and wearing a T-shirt under my thin jacket — although who am I kidding, a T-shirt was a wee audacious. It’s still February, and I’m just vulnerable to getting too excited). But yesterday, I passed the outdoor Shake Shack stand in Madison Square Park, and it appeared as if the sad, cold, beanie-clad population of New York hibernators had poured en masse into the tree-lined park to bask in the golden light. It was quite magical. So hurray for Vitamin D, and for woes turning into wonders thanks to a little sun.
On a Change in the Season
By Akshay Prabhushankar, Deputy Managing Editor
Every semester brings its own set of challenges. The beginning of spring, however, is particularly harsh. Warm fall days with friends under the park’s red trees are replaced by frostbite while running to class. The city’s Christmas decorations are taken down to make room for Valentine’s Day props that remind us how lonely we are. And while we powered through essays and exams in November with our eyes on the upcoming five-week break, the three-month vacation this time around is actually dreaded by those of us without a summer internship lined up.
On Three Hour Classes
By Melanie Pineda, Opinion Editor
The journalism program at NYU has a lot of positives. Most of the classes are small, which means you can get more one-on-one time with your professor, and you don’t have to sit uncomfortably close to a stranger in a lecture hall clearly not meant for more than 50 people. But if there’s one hill that NYU Journalism is willing to die on, it’s their determination to make students enroll in three-hour classes. Not one, but two of my required classes this semester are more than three hours long. I don’t know how we did it for almost eight hours in high school, but humans are not meant to sit for longer than, like, an hour. And it’s not that my professors are bad or anything — quite the opposite — but I can see the energy drain from their eyes after the second hour passes. No one should be forced to go through this torture. Oh, and my only other option when choosing my courses on Albert was an 8 a.m. To state my feelings in both Spanish and English, I leave you with a simple, “No.”
On Having the Sniffles in 25 W 4th St.
By Sarah John, Deputy Opinion Editor
Having a cold at NYU is a dangerous game — one with only losers. I know from personal experience that if you find yourself needing to blow your nose during any class at 25 W 4th St., you’re stuck. No trash cans in any classrooms! No tissues to be found! Your only option is to shame-walk to the nearest bathroom for your nose-blowing session, alone and dejected. Of course, this happens to me all the time. I’m tired of constantly running out of class for two minutes at a time, so can we please do something about this? Preferably soon, before my philosophy professor assumes I have some sort of ongoing UTI.
On Expensive Vegetarian Salads
By Mansee Khurana, Deputy News Editor
I tried Sweetgreen for the first time ever yesterday. On an unrelated note, I stopped eating meat two weeks ago. Anyways, even though there was no protein in this salad, I still had to pay $13 for a meal that was basically rice and lettuce. I don’t know why I expected more out of this overhyped, weirdly cold plant-based salad. I just thought after a class that ended at 9 p.m., I could enjoy a pleasant, vegetarian salad at a reasonable price. I guess that was too much to ask for.
On Unnecessary Pop Quizzes
By Meghna Maharishi, News Editor
The beginning of the semester normally feels quite calm. Professors go over syllabi and assign some homework, but it takes a while for assessments to pile up. I don’t understand — why do professors feel a sudden need to give pop-quizzes on homework assignments? Do they assume the whole class didn’t do them? I did the assignment, so why do I have to stress out and suffer so early in the semester over an assessment?
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