In May of 2021, Nikole Hannah-Jones was hired as the Knight Chair in Race and Investigative Journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill, a position which up until her appointment has included tenure. But what was it that disqualified Hannah-Jones from receiving the honor of tenure? Was it the fact that she had a doctoral degree where previous tenured Knight Chairs...

On June 29, nationally acclaimed journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones was granted tenure by the UNC-Chapel Hill board of trustees after a month-long conflict on a decision that should have been easy to make in the first place. Hannah-Jones released a statement saying she needed time to evaluate her next steps. After consideration, she decided to take a position at Howard University instead of UNC-Chapel...

Elon Musk and his company SpaceX recently announced their first all-civilian-crewed space flight. This will be the first mission to space where the passengers won’t be NASA-trained astronauts. The crew for the Inspiration4 mission will be trained on site to be prepared to go to space. SpaceX has launched two crewed flights to the International Space Station comprising U.S. and international astronauts....

When the pandemic began, online learning became the new normal for students across the globe. Instructors have been loading on extra work for their students, trying to fit the entire curriculum into the new online format. Some teachers don’t realize that a lot of students are struggling to keep up with the pace, affecting their understanding of the material. Depression, anxiety and stress have...

Standardized testing is one of the most well-known instances of institutional power in the United States. Every year, millions of students take college entrance exams such as the SAT and ACT. In 2019, 2.2 million students took the SAT, and 1.78 million took the ACT. However, a growing number of accredited 4-year universities are test-optional, considering students on metrics such as GPA, essays, recommendations...

The pressure of diet culture and “clean eating” play a significant part in American culture. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the obesity rate is 42.4% nationally and 34% in North Carolina. Diet is the first line of defense against obesity and the health issues that come with it, like heart disease and stroke. According to doctors, a balanced diet with lots of fruits...

Did anyone have any of 2020 on their 2020 bingo card? A pandemic? Killer hornets? Nightly fireworks to no end? No? Me neither. But this is where we are — a pandemic, presidential election year, societal unrest — all while moving to Appalachian and starting classes. We are living in a time that, literally, is unparalleled. How do we navigate this, you may ask? Together. We are all in this together...

The November election will undoubtedly determine the fate of our nation and, subsequently, the fates of future generations. While all of us may never fully agree on what this path should be, what we can agree on is fundamental change is desperately needed. Unfortunately, I must take responsibility for my part in contributing to the tumultuous and dangerous political climate originating from Washington....