On Jan. 31, 12 strangers and I met in Paris to catch a connecting flight to Rabat, Morocco. Tired and afraid of what may be ahead, we made cordial introductions as we waited to board the plane. We were all from different American universities and came together to participate in the School for International…
The other night my roommate told me he wasn’t rooting for the Golden State Warriors to break the record for the best record ever in an NBA season. I knew he was wrong for rooting against them, but at the time, I couldn’t come up with a decent argument. But, now I have. I’m writing…
This is the last installment of a semester-long series that documents my exploration of faith on the University of Rhode Island campus. The goal is to sit down with every religious community on campus and learn about their religion and community. I started this series in the beginning of the semester for one reason: I…
March 31 was transgender visibility day, and in light of that I want people to get a look inside what it’s like be transgender. My friend, Reilly, is a transgender male, meaning he is transitioning from female to male. I interviewed him on what it was like growing up being transgender and what struggles he…
When it comes to the topic of race, there are two chief perspectives: one is from the eyes of someone who is a minority, and the view from someone who isn’t.  Yourself, friends, colleagues, could be of any race or could be from anywhere in the world and, unfortunately, it affects how we can…
The answer is knowledge. The answer to the question that has haunted many of us: how do we help? Â Many of us are angry. Many of us are confused. Many of us are frustrated. We feel this way because of the recent events that, I for one, never thought I would see in…
The only thing being an Asian American really means is that one is of Asian descent. That’s it. But speaking as an Asian American who lives many Asian American stereotypes, this is hardly the case for me and many others. It’s weird to live surrounded by the American mentality that one can do anything…
Racism, as an institution and as a social issue, can often seem intractable. Looking to the past for a solution is futile; no society in human history has been able to overcome it. In the present, we have made progress, but we have by no means become “post-racial.†So, the solution, if there is…
When people meet me, there is often an underlying tinge of curiosity in their gaze that is hard not to notice. Growing up surrounded by these inquisitive glances both conditioned me to recognize the question at hand and numbed me to the dehumanizing disposition of it. Â In a way, I like being unidentifiable; there…
At this point, many people within the University of Rhode Island community who are members of a Student Senate-stipended organization know how egregious and ridiculous the Student Organization Advisory and Review Committee (SOARC) stipend reviews are. The Cigar featured an article and an opinion editorial last week on how Student Senate investigates its own…