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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

(Alisia Houghtaling for WSN)

Guest Essay: Club reimbursements render officers penniless and employees overworked

Sebastián A. Prats-Fernández is the co-president of the Puerto Rican Student Association.
Sebastián Prats-Fernández, Guest Contributor September 20, 2024

Guest essays reflect opinions from writers beyond WSN. If you’d like to submit a guest essay for consideration, please email [email protected]. For many students, clubs...

An illustration of two sheets of exam paper stacked on top of each other against a blue background with text “final exam” written on it. There is a red circle with a diagonal line through it drawn on top of the two papers.

Opinion: Traditional final exams are impractical

With increasingly negative stigma surrounding the final exam period, it’s time to bid farewell to traditional final exams.
Molly Koch, Staff Writer December 7, 2022

As I said goodbye to my mother at the train station, heading back to New York City after a cozy Thanksgiving break, I remembered the intense stress that shows up right around finals...

An illustration of New York University’s Bobcat mascot against a purple background, with a red line striking it out. The Bobcat is wearing a dark purple athletic vest with the letters “N.Y.U.” printed on it.

Opinion: The NYU mascot is meaningless. We need a new one.

Do you feel represented as a Bobcat? I don’t.
Matthew Franco, Staff Writer October 19, 2022

I looked into NYU’s mascot, and it turns out we aren’t the cute NYU Violets I thought we were. No, we’ve been the NYU Bobcats for almost 40 years. According to NYU’s website,...

A student holds up their phone displaying a purple Violet Go pass to enter an NYU building.

Opinion: Violet Go is completely pointless

NYU’s one-and-done Daily Screener revamp is unnecessary. We should simply have all our information on our NYU IDs.
Jules Roscoe, Opinion Editor September 7, 2022

NYU unveiled its brand-new Daily Screener update in late August in anticipation of the new semester. The revamp, called the Violet Go pass, aims to make students’ lives “just...

A light purple background with illustrations of boba tea, coffee, white shoes, a sandwich in a container, Google Calendar, a spreadsheet and two clocks.

A senior’s guide to starting the new semester

Whether you’ve never been in the Big Apple or you’ve perfected your campus routine, here’s how to shake off those first week frazzles.
Mayee Yeh, Deputy Managing Editor September 2, 2022

With yesterday being my last first day of college, I think I’ve collected enough knowledge to hone in on my pre-semester preparations. I remember being an all-too-excited first-year...

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

Staff Rants: First day of classes

Welcome, or welcome back! WSN staff shares our thoughts and feelings about the start of the semester.

On Thursday: NYU feels very comfortable disrupting the traditional week by starting classes on a Thursday — and not only a regular Thursday, but a Thursday before a long weekend....

Icons of (left to right) Microsoft Word, Google Docs and Apple Pages against a light purple background. The small crown and a number one badge are attached to the Google Docs icon.

Off-Third: We live in a Google Docs world — it’s time to start acting like it

Google Docs is superior. It’s time to abandon the other options.
Alexandra Cohen, Deputy Opinion Editor April 27, 2022

It drives me absolutely insane when people don’t choose the best option. It’s even more insane when the best option is the easiest and the cheapest. I understand — and understand...

Students with special needs must be prioritized

Students with special needs must be prioritized

The current plan for in-person instruction issued by the New York City Department of Education leaves out students with special education needs: a vulnerable population of students whose academic performance is threatened by school closings.
Batoul Saleh, Contributing Writer March 31, 2021

Parents, students and teachers rallied at the Department of Education headquarters on March 13. They demanded that schools be reopened after over a year of virtual learning due...

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

Staff Rants: Back To School

From the big workload to Zoom complaints, our staff has a lot of feelings about the first week of classes.

On the Lack of Anonymity  Alexandria Johnson, Deputy Managing Editor  Maybe it's just me, but why do I need to put my camera on for every class? I'm in my senior year juggling...

NYC Public Schools Are Failing English Language Learners

NYC Public Schools Are Failing English Language Learners

As the New York City public school system has transitioned completely to remote learning, they have abandoned struggling English language learning students and immigrant families who lack digital literacy.
Asha Ramachandran, Deputy Opinion Editor April 23, 2020

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, New York City public schools have transitioned to remote learning for the duration of the school year. For many students who are immigrants...

Over the years, the NCAA’s relationship with players has changed. (Via Wikimedia)

How the NCAA Did Wrong by James Wiseman (And Every Other Student-Athlete)

The NCAA makes billions of dollars every year off its student-athletes, while players like James Wiseman are financially punished for breaking rules despite not being paid in the first place.
Arvind Sriram, Staff Writer December 2, 2019

Last month, the NCAA announced that University of Memphis first-year basketball player James Wiseman will be suspended for 12 games. The No. 1 ranked prospect in the class of 2019...

Runners race through Queens as part of the 2019 New York City Marathon. (Photo by Tomer Keysar)

NYU Students Conquer New York City Marathon

Over 50,000 people run the New York City Marathon every year. These are the stories of four NYU students who took part on Sunday.
Bela Kirpalani, Sports Editor November 4, 2019

Franklin Reitzas was supposed to run the New York City marathon in his first year at NYU, but he forgot to sign up for the race before the deadline. This time, the SPS junior...