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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

Politics

(Alex Woodworth for WSN)

Off Topic: DOGE is both misleading and inefficient

From numerical errors to study mischaracterizations, the Department of Government Efficiency has been anything but efficient in its conquest over the federal government.
Sam Kats, Contributing Writer April 4, 2025

On Nov. 12, 2024, President Donald Trump announced a new federal department: The Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Led by the “Great Elon Musk” and “American...

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...

(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...

(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...

Protesters holding hands amidst a crowd waving a Palestinian flag and holding signs that say “CEASEFIRE NOW LET GAZA LIVE!"

Guest Essay: NYU AAUP condemns detention of Mahmoud Khalil

The American Association of University Professors is a national organization of professors and academics with over 500 chapters at college campuses.

NYU’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors condemns the unlawful abduction and detention of U.S. permanent resident Mahmoud Khalil. Khalil is a recent...

(Kiara Mujica for WSN)

Opinion: Cancel culture blurs accountability and annihilation

Cancel culture has permeated our social media and culture, and we must properly wield this power to make or break an individual’s public image.
Shanay Tolat, Deputy Opinion Editor March 12, 2025

We are all familiar with what it means to get “canceled” — it all starts with an off-color comment resurfacing from a YouTube video back in 2010, and quickly ignites a social...