Five takeaways from freshman year


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Independence isn’t everything. Despite everything your parents, high school teachers, guidance counselors, and friends already in college have said, college isn’t just about being independent. Sure, it’s a big part of learning to live on your own, but during your first year away, there is a lot of support available for you. Chat up your […]

Issues with the idea of open marriage exist on multiple levels


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By now, our generation is fairly acquainted with the concept of an “open relationship.” There might be many of us who have personally tried it out, or heard about it second-hand. For fairly liberal college students, most of us can see the logic behind it, though not all of us may agree with it. In […]

The power of opting out


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When it comes to purchasing tuition refund, USC has an opt-out option. Or if you phrase it in a different way, USC doesn’t let you exercise your right to opt in; instead, it forces you to opt out. Have you ever thought about why that is? Let’s compare our current situation of tuition refund to […]

Soundboard: Fountain Run


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In this week’s Soundboard, students express their opinions on the cancellation of the Fountain Run, as well as their pitches for a new Senior Run. Watch to find out more. For more information about the cancellation of the Fountain Run, read here.  

Musing on the impossibilities of game theory


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Sometimes relentless optimism is frustrating, especially when surrounded by a bitterly pragmatic world in which change only comes glacially, if at all. And perhaps it’s even more exasperating to understand why political, social and economic problems aren’t resolved the way we’d like them to. In fact, even though individuals act in their own self-interest, straightforward […]

The underrated beauty of Yik Yak


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Much of this year’s campus controversy has stemmed from the unfiltered social media app, YikYak, where people can anonymously post threads and comments, using an ‘up-vote down-vote’ system as a marker of popularity. The danger of giving college students unlimited access to an anonymous forum is evident: insensitive jokes, racial slurs and personal attacks are […]

Empire found success by capturing the journey of hip-hop


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It’s been a minute since Empire first launched its pilot. Now, 12 titillating episodes later, this Fox drama has hooked 23 million viewers, with our First Lady Michelle Obama among the first to confess unbridled passion for the show. The show has got all the makings of a melodrama — a gay son with a […]

John Hancock wins for next big idea in life insurance


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John Hancock is the first life insurance company to offer something this radical to American consumers — let the company monitor your health on a Fitbit tracker you wear and pay less on your life insurance premiums. At first glance, the proposal seems far-fetched, but there’s promise for positive change in between the lines. In most […]

Emojis open door to more encompassing forms of expression


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Yesterday, I had a conversation with my best friend using emojis alone. And before you ask, yes, I was disgusted with myself. On one hand, I do feel like I should justify my actions. We know each other, so we know that the pizza emoji doesn’t just mean pizza — it means I want pizza […]

The problem with personhood


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Officially defining who gets to be called a person under the law has always been a controversial issue. Arguments over the beginning of personhood have defined the abortion debate. The Citizens United ruling has brought corporate citizenship to the forefront of debate. And now Indiana’s new Religious Freedom Restoration Act has brought up the question […]