Category: Opinion

  • Why People of Color Could Be Hurt Most By The College Admissions Scandal

    Why People of Color Could Be Hurt Most By The College Admissions Scandal

    Written by Pilar Padilla. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. Pilar Padilla is currently a junior at Westwood High School in Austin, Texas. – Over the past few weeks, Austinites were hit with the shocking news of the University of Texas at Austin’s ties to the academic cheating scandal that swept prestigious colleges across the nation. The…

  • I Should’ve Worshipped Her Sooner: How Hozier has Connected with the Lesbian Community

    I Should’ve Worshipped Her Sooner: How Hozier has Connected with the Lesbian Community

    Written by Frida Silva.Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – There’s an ongoing joke in the lesbian community that Hozier is actually possessed by an ancient lesbian spirit, and that’s why his songs sound the way that they do. I, for one, strongly agree. I’m not saying a straight man isn’t capable of expressing such a profound,…

  • A Defense of Fanfiction

    A Defense of Fanfiction

    Written by Quynhanh Tran. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – In seventh grade, I discovered the young adult series Maximum Ride. I spent a week devouring each novel, some of them twice through,  and I still couldn’t get enough. After realizing there wasn’t any more to the series, I went on the internet and discovered Maximum…

  • Does Social Media Hinder or Help One’s Understanding of Politics? You Decide.

    Does Social Media Hinder or Help One’s Understanding of Politics? You Decide.

    Written by Yulissa Chavez. Graphic by Peyton Cabaniss. – Politics may appear problematic but being ill-informed on policies or platforms before voting is even more problematic. Social media provides users with a mass of information, opinions, and ideas in a matter of seconds; however, this accessibility can also be counterintuitive for those who may not…

  • Opportunity and Proximity

    Opportunity and Proximity

    Written by Hayley Wood. It’s 3:30 on a Wednesday afternoon. The Texas sun illuminates the east side of campus as students trek towards the stadium for their commute home. For those heading southbound on E 23rd Street, life at UT is strikingly different from their peers headed home to West Campus. The 680 bus becomes…

  • Please Hear Us

    Please Hear Us

    Written by Brooke Quach. #Metoo. Aziz Ansari. Cat Person. #Timesup. Performative allyship. Consent. Sex Ed. These are only some of phrases, names, and ideas that have been thrown around social media in the midst of the movement against sexual harassment and assault. These terms embody the nuances of the movement and bring to light the…

  • The South Asian Dilemma

    The South Asian Dilemma

    Written by Hira Vayani. Many South Asian children’s earliest memories include their family and a stethoscope. It’s the child’s 4th birthday, and they have received a doctor’s kit as a present. This is just the beginning of the continuous career conditioning, as most people in the South Asian community have a narrow definition of success,…

  • Fully Booked: College Students Don’t Have Time to Read for Pleasure

    Fully Booked: College Students Don’t Have Time to Read for Pleasure

    Written by Grace Schrobilgen During my first year at UT, I stopped reading for pleasure. I was so overwhelmed by assigned readings for classes that I began to forget how much I relish leafing through the pages of a book and allowing myself to become attached to a character, concept, or storyline. Reading stimulates the…

  • On Cultural Appropriation

    On Cultural Appropriation

    Written by Bhabika Joshi. In the commotion that surrounds events like Halloween or Austin City Limits – where it’s easy to get distracted by Young The Giant, Flume, and a chicken burrito from Freebird’s—certain things go unnoticed. There are boys with bindis on their foreheads and girls with Indian feathers adorning their bodies. There are…

  • The Poet is a Man, The Woman is a Mob

    The Poet is a Man, The Woman is a Mob

    Written by Samantha Bolf. America is now wholly given over to a damned mob of scribbling women, and I should have no chance of success while the public is occupied with their trash.” – Nathaniel Hawthorne In 1983, Joanna Russ published a book through the University of Texas press titled “How to Suppress Women’s Writing.”…