Having been able to afford three meals a day, I never imagined myself to be food insecure. However, not starving is not equivalent to being food secure. When I am happily eating instant noodles, I am subconsciously subjecting myself to malnutrition, which is also a culprit of food insecurity. Food insecurity may affect a larger […]
Category Archives: Opinion Columns
Chloe Lew: LA City Council must follow through on promise to repair sidewalks
Our city’s sidewalks are crumbling, and with them, my faith in the Los Angeles City Council. More than 40 years after it said it would repair our buckled, tree-damaged sidewalks, and almost two months after it agreed in an Americans with Disabilities Act case to spend $1.4 billion to fix them, the city is now […]
Arthur Wang: TED talks must encourage discussion to avoid uncritical thinking
Everybody seems to love TED. The conference and its talks – in which topics such as innovation, creativity and learning are frequently discussed – have become well-regarded fountains of popular intellect. Yet not even the feel-good, do-good style of TED talks is above criticism. Criticism of TED, in fact, is nothing new. It’s been called […]
Benjamin Genta: UC should divest from fossil fuels, invest in green energy
If the University of Hawaii has its way, fossil fuels could go the way of the dinosaurs. Last week, the University of Hawaii System voted to divest from coal, oil and gas companies. While the University of California is taking a step in the right direction, it could take note from the effort. Fossil fuels […]
Chloe Lew: Campus safe spaces need expansion into classrooms
In the big, bad real world, there are no “safe spaces” – at least, that’s what the media has been warning college students lately. From The New York Times to Time, columnists have been condescendingly slamming college safe spaces for “coddling” and “infantilizing” our hypersensitive generation by letting students avoid uncomfortable truths. But here’s a […]
Shani Shahmoon: Westwood should take steps to address issues affecting the homeless
Westwood, by most accounts, is an affluent part of Los Angeles, but walking through its streets, students are familiar with its homeless population. What they likely aren’t aware of is the countless laws criminalizing this group’s right to live without harassment. Last week, the Westwood Neighborhood Council met and voted to send a letter expressing […]
Zoey Freedman: Raising minimum wage not enough to meet high LA housing costs
Although some L.A. residents’ paychecks may be growing in size over the next five years, it may not end up making the kind of difference they need. On May 19, the Los Angeles City Council voted in favor of raising the minimum wage from the current $9 an hour to $15 an hour by 2020, […]