University plan neglects local businesses


The Village at USC project might have cleared its final major hurdle last Wednesday when it was officially approved by a Los Angeles City Council committee. The University Village redevelopment project, however, still represents the bare minimum effort put forward by the university to accommodate community interests. At a public hearing last August, the City […]

Manufacturing decline has benefits


President Barack Obama’s performance in his first debate against Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney was far from spirited, making the passion Obama expressed for American manufacturing stand out. In his proposed revamp of America’s corporate tax rate to improve the economy, Obama promised a big tax cut for American manufacturers, “taking it down to 25 […]

Race-based admissions must end


The future of race-based college admissions once again lies in the hands of U.S. Supreme Court justices, who are currently considering a case challenging the University of Texas at Austin for its inclusion of race as a factor in the admissions process.

Should the presidential candidates focus on military policy?


Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney gave a foreign policy speech Monday at the Virginia Military Institute — an appropriate setting for a speech focused on war. Romney touched on many foreign policy issues, including the Syrian conflict, Iran’s potential acquisition of nuclear weapons, relations with Israel and the United States’ overall role in the Middle […]

Local newspapers should go hyperlocal


The field of journalism is changing rapidly, with social media and the Internet revolutionizing the very nature of the industry. Amid these changes, local and regional newspapers have had to significantly restructure their models to succeed in an increasingly digital world — whether that means going online completely, covering more cities than they’re capable of […]

USC should engage in city’s bike culture


Los Angeles might have a notorious reputation as a driving city, but the city closed some of its roads Sunday in order to make room for vehicles that don’t guzzle gas. The occasion was CicLAvia, a semi-annual public festival designed to transform the congested, polluted streets of Los Angeles into a safe place to walk, […]

Talking points mislead students


In this year’s presidential campaign, President Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney have embraced familiar scapegoats for America’s stagnated economic growth — Obama singled out big oil subsidies in last week’s debate and in August, Romney promised to eliminate all government funding of Amtrak. Both are examples of popular partisan talking points that […]

Reparative therapy cannot be justified


Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law last week banning California parents from subjecting children with homosexual feelings to reparative therapy — or, as it is more colloquially known, “praying away the gay.” In response, critics have taken up arms against the ban, calling it an infringement on religious liberties. Despite the fundamental importance of religious […]