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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

Noah Zaldivar

Noah Zaldivar, Opinion Editor

Noah Zaldivar is a junior studying psychology at the College of Arts & Science. He enjoys pina coladas, yelling at his friends about government corruption and Rango (2011). When he’s not busy missing deadlines from management, he’s listening to Rob Zombie or Motorhead and reading comic books in class. Send albums and comic suggestions to be silently judged at [email protected] or @noah_zaldivar on Instagram.

All content by Noah Zaldivar
First lady Jill Biden, wearing a red dress and black boots, holds a cellphone as President Joe Biden, wearing a black suit with a blue tie, and his son Hunter Biden, wearing a black shirt, walk behind her.

Off Topic: Hunter Biden’s pardon highlights Democrats’ hypocrisy

After an election predicated on preserving democracy, this was a really bad time to prove just how rife with corruption the system can be.
Noah Zaldivar, Opinion Editor December 4, 2024

Watergate was a political scandal of unprecedented scale, which revealed the seedy underbelly of political espionage rampant in the halls of government. While the whole ordeal...

An illustration of an armed man with a redacted face in front of a collage of U.S. conspiracy imagery.

Review: ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’ is annoyingly fun

The multiplayer is enraging, the campaign is disappointing, but the gameplay is so enjoyable that I can’t help but suffer.
Noah Zaldivar, Opinion Editor November 27, 2024

“Call of Duty: Black Ops 6” is the 24th game in the “Call of Duty” franchise, which is a ridiculous statement in and of itself. I've been playing these games since 2010...

An illustration of seven people standing at purple podiums. One of the podiums has a spotlight on it, with a person raising their hand under the light. There is another spotlight that highlights the words “UP FOR DEBATE”.

Up for Debate: Should NYU adopt institutional restraint?

Following a recent trend of universities adopting institutional neutrality, NYU has expressed commitment to practicing “institutional restraint” in order to give “respect to the diverse experience and backgrounds at NYU.”
Mehr Kotval, Noah Zaldivar, Omar Drissi and Naisha Roy November 26, 2024

Naisha Roy, Editor-at-Large: The concept of institutional neutrality is inextricably linked to freedom of speech. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which gave...

An illustration of the words “STAFF RECS” written in white on a blue background with white stars. In the bottom right corner, a white cloud says “MEN’S EDITION.” Surrounding the text are illustrations of a razor, a cotton swab, cologne and lotion.

Staff recs: Men’s beauty products

From Q-tips to home remedies, WSN has you covered with men’s beauty essentials.

Some think beauty products are reserved for women, but that is far from the truth. For the good of humanity, we must acknowledge that taking care of yourself is not inherently...

An illustration of a woman screaming and text that reads “STAFF RANTS.”

Staff Rants: Post-election feelings

WSN staff shares their feelings in light of the 2024 presidential election results.

The Democrats have severely underestimated the power of the insecure white man.  — Yezen Saadah, Editor-in-Chief To the women from our grandmothers’ generation and to the...

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris on the left and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump pictured on the right on a black background.

Opinion: The case for voter disenchantment

Noah Zaldivar, Opinion Editor October 28, 2024

Hands typing at a computer with the words “FORECLOSE” on the screen. There is another computer in the background that reads “FAKE NEWS”.

Off Topic: You should be worried about the future of journalism

Misinformation is almost as rampant as mistrust of the news is, and it’s furthering the interests of those in authority. Modern journalism isn’t speaking truth to power — it’s feigning the truth on behalf of those in power.
Noah Zaldivar, Opinion Editor October 25, 2024

Media being used to mislead the public in the interest of policy makers and government is nothing new. The explosion of the U.S. battleship Maine on Feb. 15, 1898 — and its subsequent...

An illustration on a blue background of popcorn and a laptop with the Netflix logo on the screen.

Off-Topic: Streaming services are the death of good entertainment

The creation of a comprehensive streaming world has been a step forward in convenience, and a monumental step backward in quality.
Noah Zaldivar, Opinion Editor September 16, 2024

Enshittification, the American Dialect Society’s word of the year for 2023, refers to “a gradual worsening in the quality of service on digital platforms.” It’s perhaps...

(Krish Dev for WSN)

Opinion: NYU’s flawed communication with students is perpetuating divisions on campus

The university and protesters have been backing diverging accounts of what is happening on campus. If NYU wants to ease divisions, it needs to take new steps toward transparency.
Noah Zaldivar, Deputy Opinion Editor May 1, 2024

Around the country, pro-Palestinian demonstrators have organized in protest against their universities — more specifically, against their ties to Israel’s ongoing siege in...

An S.A.T. a practice pamphlet sits alongside a book featuring the words "S.A.T. Test Preparation" on it, and other study items on a desk.

Opinion: NYU needs to bring back mandatory standardized testing

Reinstating standardized test scores is, perhaps surprisingly, the equitable admissions policy NYU needs.
Noah Zaldivar, Deputy Opinion Editor April 17, 2024

Recently, NYU announced that it will reevaluate whether it should make standardized tests mandatory for future admissions cycles. The announcement raised some concerns — after...

A crowd of students and three police officers stand outside Alumni Hall.

Opinion: NYU needs to refine its emergency communication

In the wake of Alumni Hall being evacuated due to a false bomb threat, the university needs to take steps to hasten communication with students during emergencies.
Noah Zaldivar, Staff Writer February 16, 2024

Last Thursday, residents at Alumni Hall were told to evacuate the building, anxiously waiting in the cold from 11 p.m. to around 1:45 a.m. while the New York City Police Department...

A group of people sitting in a room. Two speakers stand in front of the crowd, and one of them holds a microphone while pointing to the crowd.

Opinion: The CAS Student Council’s decision to oust a candidate was unfair

The student council president’s unprecedented overreach of executive power sets a dangerous example for future presidents.
Noah Zaldivar, Staff Writer April 28, 2023

This month has been tumultuous for the College of Arts & Science Student Council. Two weeks ago, amid elections for the council’s next president, one of the candidates, Adiba...

A laptop displaying the webpage of N.Y.U.’s Albert course registration system.

Noah Knows Best: Your course load needs to be perfect. Here’s how to make it happen.

Course registration can be a very complicated process, and many wind up unsatisfied with what they choose. Here's a guide on how to pick a schedule that works best for you.
Noah Zaldivar, Staff Writer April 20, 2023

One of the most stressful parts of college is selecting which classes you’re going to take each semester and when you’re going to take them. You log into one of NYU's many...

A photo of a classroom that is full of unoccupied chairs.

Opinion: Lectures are a thing of the past

Large lectures are an outdated style of education. Smaller, more personal class sizes are simply better.
Noah Zaldivar, Staff Writer February 17, 2023

Picture the scene: You signed up for a course titled something like "Interdisciplinary Perceptual Psychology of Architecture.” For some reason, you’ve always wanted to take...

An illustration of a white speech bubble that reads “This shit sucks” in black font. Next to it, another speech bubble that is blue and reads “Right?”. Both speech bubbles are against a gray grid background.

Opinion: A 3-step guide to complaining correctly

Life sucks sometimes. School is hard. It’s OK to complain about it.
Noah Zaldivar, Contributing Writer December 14, 2022

It’s finals season and we all know what that means: everybody is complaining. Just walk through Bobst Library, and you’ll hear the classic “Writing the Essay is killing me!”...

The facade of a brick building. A small plaque reads: “New York University Silver School of Social Work.” To the right, a gray-haired man wearing a jean jacket walks by.

Opinion: NYU’s Silver School of Social Work should be tuition-free

New York City has the highest demand for social workers of any city in the country. NYU should make tuition free to fill that demand.
Noah Zaldivar, Contributing Writer November 2, 2022

Although gratifying, the field of social work is stressful and emotionally taxing. In their interactions with clients and communities, social workers often encounter feelings of...

A group of four people wearing the same yellow sorority t-shirts all take a selfie with a smartphone. They stand on a rooftop with other sorority members in the background.

Opinion: Fraternities suck. Here’s why they’re still important.

The prominence of NYU’s Greek life is minimal. Maybe it’s time we brought it back.
Noah Zaldivar, Contributing Writer October 18, 2022

I’ve often heard it said that joining a fraternity at NYU is a social death sentence. Though frat propagandists might try to tell you otherwise, Greek life is barely a part of...