Skip to Main Content
New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

Opinion

(Manasa Gudavalli for WSN)

Editorial: NYU must protect its international community’s right to free speech

Rather than continue to adopt its strategy of silence, the university should actively shield noncitizen students and faculty from federal retaliation.
WSN Editorial Board April 3, 2025

NYU prides itself as a global institution. It has the largest number of international students of any university in the United States, and time and time again, has remained unwaveringly...

President Donald Trump addresses the press outside of the courtroom during his New York civil fraud case in New York City on Oct. 17, 2023. (Jason Alpert-Wisnia for WSN)

Opinion: How to protect your mental health under a new Trump era

The Trump administration’s method of shock and awe has created lasting damage to the American psyche.
Leila Olukoga, Deputy Opinion Editor April 3, 2025

Three months into the second Trump administration, Americans are already experiencing crisis fatigue. With every news cycle exposing extreme situations, attacks on democratic norms...

(Sidney Snider for WSN)

Opinion: The importance of critically consuming social media

To combat the confirmation bias permeating our society, we must take steps toward being critical consumers of media and learn how to think — not what to think.
Shanay Tolat, Deputy Opinion Editor April 2, 2025

In a time when social media is simultaneously a source of information, entertainment and opinion, the dissemination of misinformation is something we must be wary of. Social media...

(Danny Arensberg for WSN)

Opinion: Trump’s mass deportations are immoral and illegal

The Trump administration’s mass deportations violate due process, promote profiling and set dangerous precedents for political dissent.
Noah Zaldivar, Opinion Editor April 1, 2025

President Donald Trump’s stance on immigration has long been defined by fearmongering and dehumanization — boldly claiming that legal immigrants take advantage of loopholes...

(Alisia Houghtaling for WSN)

Letter from the Editor: In the age of Trump, student journalism is more vital than ever.

As the Trump administration continues its crackdown on higher education, WSN’s student journalists have worked tirelessly to inform the NYU community.
Yezen Saadah, Editor-in-Chief March 31, 2025

Dear Washington Square News readers, We are living in the midst of an unprecedented federal crackdown on higher education. In just two months, President Donald Trump has ferociously...

(Akshay Prabhushankar for WSN)

Off Topic: We must protect our libraries’ federal funding

Libraries and museums provide knowledge, community and equity, yet recent federal funding cuts threaten to undermine these invaluable institutions.
Antonia Ang, Staff Writer March 21, 2025

On Friday, March 14, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that will remove funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, as well as half a dozen other...

(Emma Foley for WSN)

Opinion: Trump’s cuts to federal aid are leaving higher education in shambles

The federal cut to the U.S. Department of Education will have profound impacts on educational institutions, low-income students, students with disabilities and teacher shortages.
Steven Wang, Staff Writer March 20, 2025

The state of education in the United States is in shambles. Reading and math test scores have dropped to the lowest level in decades, our universities are the most unaffordable...

(Kevin Wu for WSN)

Opinion: Federal funding cuts will exacerbate NYC’s homelessness crisis

The Trump administration’s cuts to federal agencies and programs that combat homelessness will worsen the homelessness crisis and overburden local governments and nonprofits.
Serin Lee, Staff Writer March 19, 2025

Last Friday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order eliminating seven critical government agencies “to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” Among the...

(Alexandra Chan for WSN)

Off Topic: The disastrous new direction of the EPA

The Trump administration’s new direction of deregulation for the EPA will undoubtedly promote business interests at the expense of the environment.
Noah Zaldivar, Opinion Editor March 17, 2025

This past Wednesday, Lee Zeldin, the new administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, announced a startling change of direction for the government agency. Rather than...

(Alisia Houghtaling for WSN)

Up for Debate: Is college worth the debt?

With tuition costs and student loan debt at record highs, many are questioning whether a college degree is still a worthwhile investment. Is the cost of a college education justified by its benefits?

In 2024, The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found a strong positive relationship between level of education and income. The same chart showed a 1.7% difference in the unemployment...

(Simon Tan for WSN)

Opinion: NYU is complicit in Trump’s pro-Palestinian crackdown

As the new administration has already begun to attack and detain pro-Palestinian student protestors, NYU has remained silent.
Leila Olukoga and Mehr Kotval March 13, 2025

Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil was detained on Saturday by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for his previous leadership role in pro-Palestinian encampments....

Lower half of a person in front of a market holding a yellow Wegmans tote bag.

Opinion: Budget cuts on social programs will starve Americans

Republicans’ proposed budget cuts for social programs like Medicaid, SNAP and other food programs are going to have devastating effects on millions of Americans.
Steven Wang, Staff Writer March 13, 2025

Republicans on the House Budget Committee have passed a budget resolution which includes a minimum of $1.5 trillion in spending cuts, and are currently pushing to have it...