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

On April 26, the Supreme Court announced that it would review a New York law that restricted the ability to carry a gun outside the home. This is the first time the Supreme Court has taken up this issue in over a decade. (Staff Photo by Taylor Knight)

Opinion: Conservative win in Second Amendment case could spur liberal court reform

Last Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to review a lower court decision regarding the Second Amendment, making this the first time the court has taken up this issue in over a decade. While gun rights activists are almost surely going to win, liberals may be able to turn it around and push for further court reform.
Emily Dai, Opinion Editor May 3, 2021

On April 26, the U.S. Supreme Court announced that it would review a longstanding New York law that restricted the ability to carry a gun outside the home. New York State Rifle...

NYU YDSA to announce tuition strike Friday. The strike comes on the heels of the graduate student union strike. (Staff Photo by Alexandra Chan, Illustration by Graciela Blandon)

Opinion: NYU Student Tuition Strike: Stronger Together

An open letter to the NYU community from Jake Colosa, NYU Young Democratic Socialists of America co-chair, on behalf of NYU YDSA.
Jake Colosa, Contributing Writer April 30, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has lasted more than a year, and it hasn’t been easy. After being sent home suddenly, many of us spent a year alone, struggling to keep up with our coursework...

Police officers ride by Bobst. Mayoral candidate Andrew Yang's policies do nothing to curb the issue of police power in New York City. (Staff Photo by Alexandra Chan)

Opinion: Andrew Yang’s police reform plan is insufficient

New York City needs a mayor that will tackle police brutality with bold and radical reform. Andrew Yang’s current proposal imitates the timid nature of past proposals while simultaneously avoiding the true source of the problem.
Lucy Yama, Contributing Writer April 30, 2021

In the wake of Derek Chauvin’s conviction, the former officer who murdered George Floyd, New York City mayoral candidates, have renewed calls for police reform. There is a vigorous...

On March 12, nine NYU Shanghai students were detained in two separate drug sweeps by police officers. NYU students are just the latest victims in international tensions. (Photo by Casey Kwon)

Opinion: NYU Shanghai students’ detainment was absolutely political

NYU’s complacency and inability to protect its students from being used as political tokens is a disturbing and troubling precedent.
Jack Li, Staff Writer April 29, 2021

On March 12, nine NYU Shanghai students were detained in two separate drug sweeps by police officers. WSN reported that two students were approached at a bar, while seven others...

An illustration of a megaphone with a red handle. Written in orange on the megaphone are the words “Staff Rants.”

Staff Rants: The Oscars

This week, we're here to voice our opinion on this year's Oscars.

On Viewership Who the f-ck saw live-action Pinocchio? -Alexandra Chan, Multimedia Editor   On Important Progress The Oscars format this year was bizarre. The Best...

NYU’s admissions statistics show that New York University is no exception when it comes to an elite university admitting disproportionately wealthy students each year, despite boasting itself on its record-setting levels of diversity. Netflix’s documentary about the 2019 college admissions scandal, “Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal,” portrays the scandal as a one-off incident in an otherwise just system rather than a symptom of a national issue. (Staff Photo by Ryan Walker)

Opinion: The story that Netflix’s ‘Operation Varsity Blues’ documentary doesn’t tell

Netflix’s recent documentary “Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal” isn’t the riveting expose it intended to create. The film misses the mark when it comes to making a thought-provoking documentary.
Batoul Saleh, Staff Writer April 27, 2021

Last March, a new documentary centering around the 2019 college admissions scandal came to Netflix. While the docudrama's lackluster quality and melodramatic reenactments leave...

The National Grid is constructing a fracked gas-line that runs through many marginalized communities in Brooklyn. This unsustainable energy method presents a real danger to the communities in which this main runs through. (Staff Photo by Alexandra Chan)

Opinion: Brooklyn’s fracked gas pipeline endangers vulnerable communities

Despite the associated health and environmental risks, the National Grid plans to build a fracked gas pipeline that runs through Brooklyn, which will hit marginalized communities the hardest. It is about time that we halt this pipeline and transition towards green energy.
Asha Ramachandran, Deputy Opinion Editor April 26, 2021

A 7-mile natural gas pipeline is under construction in northern Brooklyn. The multinational utility company National Grid wants to build the pipeline to pump natural gas from Pennsylvania...

NYU Senior Leadership has announced mandatory vaccinations for all students returning in-person for the Fall 2021 semester. This is expected to most negatively impact international students, who may come from countries with low vaccine availability. (Staff Illustration by Manasa Gudavalli)

Opinion: Mandatory vaccine policy for Fall 2021 overlooks international students

NYU administration has announced that all students must be vaccinated — with the exception of those unable to due to health and religious reasons — before returning to campus in the fall. How will this impact NYU’s international student body in the Global South?
Srishti Bungle, Staff Writer April 26, 2021

On April 19, senior NYU administrators sent out an email notifying the student body that NYU students returning to the city must be vaccinated for the fall semester. NYU leadership...

Mayoral candidate Andrew Yang’s vow to crackdown on unlicensed food vendors in NYC was widely met with pushback across the board. (Photo by Suhail Gharaibeh)

Editorial: Protect New York’s street vendors

Andrew Yang presented a dangerous and misleading narrative that unlicensed street vendors pose a threat to New York City. The opposite is true: City Council has failed the vulnerable, struggling vendors who make the city what it is.
WSN Editorial Board April 26, 2021

A recent tweet from mayoral candidate Andrew Yang recently made headlines, declaring “You know what I hear over and over again - that NYC is not enforcing rules against unlicensed...

New York is the 16th state to legalize marijuana. The bill is a promising step in racial and social equity. (Photo by Alina Patrick)

Opinion: New York State’s marijuana legalization bill sets a promising precedent

As the 16th state to fully legalize adult use of marijuana, New York has instituted both corrective and preventative efforts to ensure racial and social equity in the legal cannabis market.
Lucy Yama, Contributing Writer April 23, 2021

This year’s annual celebration of 4/20 in New York City took on renewed meaning in light of the state’s most recent marijuana-related legislation. On March 31, Governor Cuomo...

DOXA was founded by Higher School of Economics students in 2017 as a independent, student-led magazine covering current events, politics and HSE-related issues. Last week four DOXA editors were arrested when their Moscow office and apartments were raided by police. (Photo by Finley Muratova)

Letter of Solidarity: Washington Square News stands in solidarity with Russian journal DOXA

A week ago the Moscow office of Russian student magazine DOXA was raided by police, and several of the editors were arrested. Washington Square News would like to express its support for DOXA, from one student newspaper to another.
Finley Muratova, Editor-at-Large April 22, 2021

The Russian government’s rights violations, censorship and police violence stopped being news a long time ago. The international community has adjusted to hearing about yet another...

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the institutions accessible to NYU students through the recently suspended Museum Gateway program. This forced inaccessibility gives us a unique opportunity to re-evaluate our relationships with museums and their legacy. (Photo by Celia Tewey)

Opinion: The Museum Gateway Program suspension is an opportunity to scrutinize our relationship with museums

While we cannot reverse the suspension of NYU’s Museum Gateway program, we can use this time to re-evaluate our relationships with museums and which ones we, as students, receive free admission to.
Michelle Han, Contributing Writer April 22, 2021

NYU’s Museum Gateway program, which offers free museum admission for students, has remained suspended since last fall due to administration’s COVID-related concerns. The student...