"I chose to write a novel — a legal thriller, in terms of genre — rather than an academic book about human trafficking because I strongly believe that fiction can often educate in a more compelling fashion than nonfiction. “To Kill a Mockingbird” is the classic example of how fiction can teach."
"In a 2022 poll from the National Endowment for the Arts, for the first time, fewer than 50% of adults had read a book in the past year. The trend is clear: The average United States citizen no longer reads for pleasure."
"Various polls conducted in January calculate Trump’s overall net approval rating to be between -8 and -28 points, with an average of 41% of Americans approving of the president’s performance, according to The New York Times."
"The national reaction to school shootings has become calcified into a disturbed ritual. After a school shooting, candles are lit, “thoughts and prayers” are given, flags are lowered and then by the weekend, everyone moves on until tragedy strikes again."
"As a member of a sorority myself, I’ve heard all the stereotypes firsthand, particularly when I went through recruitment. It’s weird what people are willing to say to your face, especially from those who have chosen not to participate in Greek life."
"The choice between a fresh-cut tree and a synthetic one is a choice between two ideas of Christmas. One is living, innately imperfect and genuine. The other is precise and mass-produced, but empty of the warmth and story that made our cultural habit so meaningful in the first place."
“It is the discipline of verification,” Bill Kovach once wrote, “that separates journalism from entertainment, propaganda, fiction, or art.”
"To many of us, however, Kirk is not a martyr. He was just one of many conservative figures who spent their lives spewing a divisive and hateful message. As tragic as his death was, it does not make his actions or ideologies immune from criticism."
Study abroad is everywhere at Miami University, but Anastasija Mladenovska argues we’re treating the world like a product and missing the point of global education.
"Our semester already starts a week later compared to other universities. A simple way to make Thanksgiving Break more valuable for everyone on campus is to get rid of Fall Break, as it’s only one day and makes travel difficult, and give us the full week of Thanksgiving off."
"The internet in the U.S. is still very much the wild west of free market capitalism; the tech companies continue to use U.S. citizens as a testing population while the rest of the world stands up for its citizens."
"Miami Regionals is full of active scholars and artists whose research and creative scholarship benefit our students in the classroom, laboratory, studio and beyond. The liberal arts and humanities must be the beating heart of Miami Polytechnic."
"As DOGE terminates research on diseases that disproportionately affect women — such as Alzheimer’s, autoimmune disorders and mental health challenges like anxiety and depression — decades of progress and innovations vanish."
"A realist in the modern era would most likely have a more optimistic bent. Currently, of course, with the postmodern reigning supreme, realism is equated with pessimism. However, neither of these are true realism."
"For me, the Makerspace (and art in general) allows me to make mistakes — to be absolutely terrible at something — in a consequence-free environment."
"Teaching children from an early age about the concept of same-sex attraction is important for two reasons: students who later identify as LGBTQ+ will understand their identity and feel less alone, and students who are not LGBTQ+ will be able to empathize with their peers who are."
“If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” – George Washington, 1783
"With no other option, I was stuck in a history class covering the Crusades, HST 360V. By no means am I saying that the Crusades aren’t interesting or worth studying, because they most definitely are — I just don’t want to be the one studying them."
"What makes an individual stand out in the application process is what experiences and perspectives they bring from outside their specific field. To stand out in a shrinking job market, students don’t just need a professional major; they need the liberal arts programs that make them unique."
"There is a clear political and social shift occurring in our country right now, and it's affecting how we educate our children and what they grow up to believe."