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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

An exploration of the impact a global pandemic can have on one's body and self-image. (Illustration by Natalie Olaya/natalieolaya.com)

Flaca o gorda: My struggle with pandemic weight gain

My journey dealing with the effects of weight gain due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lorraine Olaya, Copy Chief August 30, 2021

Content warning: This piece discusses weight gain and body image issues. I stand in front of the mirror, my hands on the jeans bunched up around my thighs. They refuse to be...

NYU announced its plans to return to an in-person semester for the fall of 2021 however, there has been no broad action on addressing class attendance policies. With strict attendance policies along with the increasingly contagious new COVID variants like the delta variant, students worry that they will once again have to prioritize class attendance over their physical health. (Staff Illustration by Manasa Gudavalli)

Opinion: Mandatory attendance policies are irrational and ableist

Before the pandemic, some NYU professors and schools were notorious for strict attendance policies. As the pandemic continues with rising cases and dangerous new variants, though, do mandatory attendance policies make sense for NYU’s first in-person semester since the start of the pandemic?
Srishti Bungle, Deputy Opinion Editor August 25, 2021

In spring 2021, NYU announced its plans to return to an in-person semester in the fall. Along with the announcement, the university released a number of requirements to keep students...

Most study away programs at NYU will resume this fall. But students in the NYU Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi programs face difficulties due to new immigration policies and COVID-19 restrictions. (Photos by Julia McNeill and Sam Klein, Staff Illustration by Manasa Gudavalli)

New immigration policies and COVID-19 safety measures complicate study away at NYU Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi

With study away resuming at most of NYU’s global network this fall, many students are facing complex immigration and arrival guidelines amid amorphous — and shifting — pandemic travel restrictions.
Andrew Califf and Kayla Hardersen August 25, 2021

TEL AVIV, Israel — NYU students across the globe are seeking a return to normalcy as they head back to campus this fall. Students studying away, however, are encountering additional...

A screenshot from the US State Department’s Visa Appointment Wait Times page reveals the difficulty of obtaining visas of all kinds for individuals from Russia. Russian international students have to go through unusually extreme measures to study in the United States this year. (Staff Illustration by Manasa Gudavalli)

How COVID-19 affected my visa status

Family members catching COVID, apprehension by Swiss cops and a last-minute trip to Warsaw: my journey around Europe to obtain a U.S. visa during the pandemic.
Polina Tyurikova, Contributing Writer August 25, 2021

International students at NYU are familiar with the hardships of the visa process, but most don’t have to worry about renewing their visas until they’re already out of college....

During the pandemic, the Moses Center provided students with disabilities with helpful accommodations. Students with disabilities appreciated the option of remote learning, but are disappointed that this policy is being phased out as the school returns to in-person instruction. (Photo by Alessia Garcia)

As NYU returns to in-person learning, students with disabilities urge the university to continue offering remote classes

The pandemic demonstrated that NYU is capable of providing academic accommodations. Students with disabilities wonder why these accommodations are no longer available
Rachel Fadem, Deputy News Editor August 25, 2021

CAS fourth-year Lucia Brinzan took three semesters of medical leave after being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in February 2020. Now, she wants to return to NYU so that she can...

The New York Pfizer office located in midtown. As international students prepare to come back to the city, concerns arise about potential mixing and matching of COVID-19 vaccinations. (Staff Photo by Roshni Raj)

International students may be required to ‘mix’ COVID-19 vaccines, despite NYU assurances

Some international students remain hesitant to be re-vaccinated, while others see it as their only path to an in-person education and a post-pandemic college experience.
Roshni Raj, Abroad News Editor August 5, 2021

Liberal Studies sophomore Etel Simkina — an international student from Russia — received her first dose of the Sputnik V vaccine in April, before NYU released its vaccine directive....

The Soapbox is a weekly news column rounding up stories worth reading for a global university. (Staff Illustration by Susan Behrends Valenzuela)

The Soapbox: Delta Variant, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Olympics

The Soapbox is a new weekly column by WSN’s news desk, examining the major developments in world news and rounding up the stories we think are worth the read this week. Global consciousness for a global university.
Suhail Gharaibeh, Deputy News Editor August 4, 2021

In the U.S., worrying developments in the fight against COVID-19 New guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that even fully vaccinated people...

A Pfizer vaccine information label details its contents. International students face difficulties in regions without NYU-approved vaccines. (Staff Photo by Roshni Raj)

Facing conflicting guidance, international students struggle with NYU COVID-19 vaccine requirements

For some international students, the only vaccine available is not NYU-approved, while others live in regions with limited access to any COVID-19 vaccine.
Roshni Raj, Abroad News Editor July 19, 2021

All NYU community members — in New York or at any of the university’s 15 global sites — are required to be fully vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine authorized by the World...

All adults in the US are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, and in some states, all residents 16 and older are eligible for the vaccine. However, even as vaccination rates continue to increase, some students feel unsure about the safety of returning to pre-pandemic activities. (Staff Photo by Roshni Raj)

Even after vaccination, some students’ concerns about COVID-19 remain

As vaccination rates throughout the state continue to increase, some students feel unsure about the safety of the city and resuming their pre-pandemic activities.
Natalie Melendez, Staff Writer May 4, 2021

Over a year after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, the end to the nightmare seems near. April 19 marked the day adults 18 and older in the United States...

A seemingly idyllic sidewalk in Middletown, Connecticut. (Photo by Eugene Hu)

The Foreigner

Tensions arise for Eugene Hu when he stays at his old college roommate’s house in Connecticut during the pandemic.
Eugene Hu, Contributing Writer May 3, 2021

                      “I’m boycotting your Chinese bricks!” Tim said to me. It...

For the 2020-2021 school year, NYU reopened its Washington Square campus with a combination of hybrid, in-person, and fully remote classes. This nontraditional experience has given NYU first-year students some unique college memories. (Staff Photo by Manasa Gudavalli)

NYU’s Class of 2024 reflects on their first year

After an unusual start to their college career, NYU first-years recall some of their standout memories while holding out hope for a normal college experience this fall.
Natalie Melendez, Staff Writer May 3, 2021

When the Class of 2024 imagined their first year of college, they envisioned spending their days strolling through the city streets and their nights laughing with friends during...

A community leader speaks out against Asian hate crimes during a protest. The U.S. Senate has passed a bill that attempts to address the rising tide of these hate crimes. (Photo by Suhail Gharaibeh)

Opinion: The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act aids and abets a racist policing system

This bill does not effectively address the recent rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans. It will simply increase harmful policing that most negatively impacts Black and other communities of color.
Srishti Bungle, Staff Writer May 3, 2021

On Thursday, April 22, the U.S. Senate passed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. The Act passed 94-1, sweeping the narrowly divided Senate floor in a near-unanimous decision. The Act,...