Opinions

Ask Estrada: Hookups, relationships, and (men)struation

I want to be there for my girlfriend when she has her period every month, which I know is a tough time, but I don’t feel like I fully understand the biological process. Is there some way as a male that I can experience a period? It’s great that you’re so understanding and empathetic and […]

Don’t Polarize Valentines Day

Valentine’s Day is here again, and the world (or at least the confined population of UR to which students are exposed) is divided. One side consists of those who feel the love in the air and gaze with compassion and admiration at their significant others. These lovers look at the giant Teddy bears, boxes of […]

Treat All Majors With Respect

As human beings, we have an insatiable urge to one-up each other. At a school where being ever better is our theme, we take it farther than intended to include being ever better than one another. This is most predominately seen in the division or inherent rankings between majors. This is not to bash or […]

End the Freshman Stigma

When it comes to upperclassman insults, nothing stings quite as much as the phrase “you’re acting like a freshman.” Alternatively, no compliment is quite so rewarding to first year students as the glorious remark “I thought you were a sophomore.” Our society, for reasons unknown, has come to the conclusion that class year, along with […]

What’s the fracking problem?

In 2008, New York banned hydrofracking in order to study its effects on the environment and public health. Current governor Andrew Cuomo has upheld this moratorium since taking office in 2011, allegedly waiting for Health Commissioner Dr. Nirav Shah’s review of the issue, which has no deadline to be completed. Recently, Environmental Conservation Department Commissioner […]

Sustainability Does Make Sense

While walking through the halls the other day, I noticed something bewildering, but not surprising:  Some people speak different languages.  Having grown up in a place where there is little language diversity, I find it a bit uncomfortable, yet intriguing, to hear people speak a different language. It intimidates me with its difference and intricacy, […]

Income Inequality: Let It Be

Income inequality. It surely doesn’t sound like a good thing. I’d imagine that no one particularly enjoys being financially ‘worse off’ than anyone else, and that’s exactly what President Obama appealed to during this year’s State of the Union Address. While he did an excellent job giving his speech (as per usual), he failed to […]

The Scientific Christian

In light of several recent debates about faith and science, I have decided to input another, rarely acknowledged, perspective: that of the faithful Christian who also believes in evolution. Too often in the media, these viewpoints are seen as inherently conflicting: either you are a ‘true’ Christian or you believe in the scientific theories of […]

Ask Estrada: Hookups, relationships, and sexual disconnects

My last girlfriend broke up with me because I couldn’t get hard when having sex with her, and one night, I even screamed “Oh, Steve!” during sex (Steve is my roommate). Am I gay? There are many possible reasons why you couldn’t maintain an erection with your girlfriend that have nothing to do with your […]

Building Climate Solutions

It was in the summer of 1988, in the midst of epic heat and drought, that James Hansen, of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, brought awareness of human-made climate change to a national audience with his widely reported congressional testimony.  “Climate disruption is real, we’re causing it, and it’s happening now,” he said.  […]