Opinion | Opening bars will create even more problems
Hannah Pinski, Opinions Columnist
September 24, 2020
For the past few weeks, COVID-19 cases at the University of Iowa have improved. The 14-day rolling total of positive cases in Johnson County on Sept. 23 was 363, down from 708 a week ago on Sept. 16. The positivity rate dropped from 50 percent in mid-August to the single digits. That same day, 31 new cases were reported in a three-day period, a far cry from when new campus case counts topped...
Opinion | COVID-19 doesn’t doom all outdoor adventures
Signe Nettum, Opinions Columnist
September 24, 2020
Every year, once the leaves changed colors and it was cold enough to wear my favorite sweatshirt, my parents took me and my little sister to our local fall getaway, Schuster’s Farm, where we would get lost in the corn maze and pick out our favorite pumpkins to carve. Every year, we performed our r...
Opinion | Iowa’s Supreme Court is superior to the Federal Court
Adam Engelbrecht, Opinions Columnist
September 23, 2020
Last week, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died. Sadly, this event means more than simply the loss of a dedicated, trailblazing public servant. It also means that Congress is at war again. Supreme Court justices are important figures. They are essentially the interpreters of the constitutio...
Opinion | Don’t judge sources from their clips
Yujun Cai, Opinions Columnist
September 23, 2020
On Sept. 9, a tweet caught tons of attention from the public, published by @MaryMargOlohan. The tweet is a clip from the movie “Cuties,” depicting an underaged twerk crew, generating enough outrage to spark #CancelNetflix. While the scene itself is grotesque, that is a point the critics fail ...
Opinion | Court nomination has me scared for my life’s future
Peyton Downing, Opinions Columnist
September 23, 2020
I am afraid. I am afraid for myself. I am afraid for my friends. And most importantly, I am afraid for every last member of the queer community. On Friday, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, died. In her wake, she left a trail of decisions that has protected the rights of LGBTQ folk. It is no exaggeration to say that without the late Justice Ginsburg, America’s laws would not look th...
Opinion | Outdoor activities are essential during the pandemic
Ally Pronina, Opinions Columnist
September 21, 2020
Nature is the gravity constantly pulling my feet out the door. I have a pre-existing condition and continue going outside almost every single day. I also went out to dinner with a friend from high school. My sister had outside city band concerts every Thursday during July. I missed zero. I alr...
Opinion | We must speak out for the Uyghurs
Zeina Aboushaar, Opinions Columnist
September 21, 2020
There comes a time when our tears are not enough, and our sorrows are not enough. It is our silence that will echo throughout history. China has been under international scrutiny for sending Uyghurs — a predominantly Muslim group — to detention camps. Following World War II, this is the l...
Opinion | Iowa City School districts should get decide when to reopen
Hannah Pinski, Opinions Columnist
September 20, 2020
This past week, Iowa State Education Association and Iowa City Community School District's request for control of school reopenings was denied by Judge Mary Chichelle. Chichelle’s reasoning was that the risks of opening schools did not outweigh the risks if schools were to close. However, I...
Opinion | Change your perspective — literally
Signe Nettum, Opinions Columnist
September 17, 2020
During the summer, I tried to keep my spirits up about having a normal junior year by purchasing items for my new dorm room. Wall decals, posters, new lights to hang — I went all out. As the months went by and the numbers of positive COVID-19 cases in Iowa City rose, I knew that I would have ...
Opinion | Moratoriums aren’t enough. Cancel rent.
Adam Engelbrecht, Opinions Columnist
September 17, 2020
As of Sept. 4, a nationwide eviction moratorium has been established by federal authorities. This will prevent tenants who are behind on rent payments from getting evicted, provided they follow the right steps for the rest of the year. There are many problems with this solution, if you could cal...
Opinion | Sex education needs to be more inclusive
Yassie Buchanan, Opinions Columnist
September 16, 2020
Although many young kids and teenagers learn about sexual health through their friends, family, the internet, social media, and pop culture, sex education in school, for many, could be the only place they receive a formal education. This is why it is imperative LGBTQ youth are seeing sexual educa...
Opinion | Desegregate the schools
Zeina Aboushaar, Opinions Columnist
September 16, 2020
To many, education is freedom. It is the walls in our minds widening beyond our perception. However, many children are prevented from feeling free because of the inequality in the school system and those metaphorical walls remain locked in place. School zones were initially drawn by race and t...