As spring semester 2020 began, Eckerd’s campus buzzed with anticipation about what this year would bring as we welcomed the roaring 20s back into the world. COVID-19 took that feeling away in March.

Eckerd announced it will continue the rest of spring semester remotely on March 24, and ever since then students have been wondering how the professor that can’t even respond to their email is going to deliver months worth of class content online. 

Campus officials closed our school on March 18 to halt the spread of COVID-19, which turned our beloved home into a 188-acre storage unit. But as the raccoons and ibis take over our campus, and our academic lives are in flux, one thing remains the same: our reliance on the internet. 

At Eckerd, there is an alarming number of students who claim to be poor in their everyday conversations. But when I look around, I see BMWs and Teslas in the student parking lots, Cartier rings and Gucci merchandise in class and new iPhones chirping all around campus. 

This week, professors and students discussed the possibility of an Eckerd shutdown after the administration told faculty to plan remote classes as a likely response to COVID-19, or the 2019 coronavirus. But scattering Eckerd students across the US for a “coronacation” may hurt containment ef…

In fall 2019, Eckerd’s film studies major changed its focus from theory to production. But many students in this major still feel as if they don’t get to spend enough time on production. This leaves students taking mandatory theory courses with little to experience 

On Jan. 26, Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others died in a tragic helicopter crash in Calabasas, Calif. Hours later I saw a viral TikTok video of three kids mimicking the crash.

As global crises like climate change and inequality grow, celebrities and billionaires compete to seem charitable. But these charities are often misrepresented by celebrities themselves, whose incomes make their donations look pitiful. In an ongoing battle for influence, celebrities should r…

The United States has historically welcomed refugees across its borders and into its communities. As students, and college faculty, we should continue that tradition by answering calls to action.

Student-faculty dynamics show the politics of college campuses. When one group makes a decision it can lead to tension from the other. These interactions fuel the learning environments we live in by creating small-scale examples of large-scale problems. Eckerd’s recent dealings with lawsuits…

Oct. 14 of this year was Columbus Day, and it saw dozens of social media posts, including several from Eckerd students, saying how unimportant, offensive and overall disrespectful the holiday is. But people treat Thanksgiving differently.

The likelihood of any Eckerd student being attacked or killed by a shark is lower than them being crushed by a vending machine. But it is our responsibility to prevent any such incident from occurring by being respectful of our role in the ecosystem just beyond Eckerd’s seawall. 

Eckerd opened its campus to pets in 1973 to manage animals kept here illegally. The school created new rules to ensure these pets got proper care, but students habitually break them. It’s time to end that pattern.

Dean of Students James Annarelli sent an email to our Editor-in-Chief Elaine Newbern Monday morning stating that President Donald Eastman requires we take down an article published in 2017.

Father Gregory Boyle came to speak to Eckerd students and the St. Petersburg community about his gang rehabilitation program, Homeboy Industries, on Oct. 30. Boyle was both inspirational and charming, but was also a prime example of people in this country who have yet to acknowledge their pr…

Entitlement is an ongoing problem among Eckerd students. And while the inherent privilege of attending a private institution is unavoidable, arrogance towards our staff and faculty is unacceptable.

Our bubble, tucked away on lush, waterfront property in South St. Petersburg, offers little incentive to go elsewhere. 

The consequence for smoking a joint on Kappa field is far less severe than if you were to smoke a joint in Maximo Park. Since law enforcement tolerates minor drug crimes at Eckerd, they should decriminalize them in all of St. Pete. 

It’s 10:30 p.m. on a Thursday evening. You are halfway through your psychology paper hoping to be able to finish it so you can get to bed before midnight. But all of a sudden the people in the room next to you start blasting music. It’s not like you can say anything; it’s not quiet hours yet…

In 1960, Kennedy beat Nixon in the first televised debate because he looked and sounded good, while Nixon appeared sweaty and disheveled. This debate ushered in a new era of politics by emphasizing appearance over content. 

Housing Office is getting creative to find everyone a place to live. Unfortunately, their solutions so far have been to offer students crowded triples and overpriced off-campus living.

For almost a decade, the Eckerd Health Promotion department has been implementing what they call the Eckerd Smoke-Free Initiative.

Social media is a large part of college students’ lives. While social media can be beneficial, often times it is overused and can weaken our social connections.

Starbucks is a treat to students before and after classes, but this popular coffee shop is host to plastic waste that students use and discard within minutes of purchase. Students can make easy changes to avoid falling prey to this plastic death trap and take a stand against single-use items.

College students often live a stressful and cluttered life. A minimalist lifestyle can take away unneeded stress and give more time to focus your energy on reaching your goals and helping your community.

Long-term benefits of long-term study abroad

Changes to the room draw process no longer allow for students to squat in rooms. With housing in high demand, the ban on squatting will bring more equal room opportunity for Eckerd’s growing student population.

Unless you have been hiding under a fairly large rock, you have seen the internet set ablaze by individuals fighting against the use of single-use plastics, particularly plastic straws. But, banning of the plastic straw will disproportionately affect the disabled community, which relies on t…

Eckerd is well-known for its pet-friendly policy. But, this privilege makes it easy for students to impulse-buy pets they are not ready to care for, endangering the animal in the process.

Throughout the years, Eckerd parties have changed and are no longer as fun as some alumni remember. The rules have gotten more strict and less students care about the themes. 

This year, 29 different Winter Term classes went abroad to countries like Cuba, England and Greece. Of those, eight fulfilled the environmental perspective. While these courses allow students to do research with Cuba’s Center for Marine Research (CIM) or learn about tropical plant taxonomy i…

Valentine’s Day is a day dedicated to spreading love, but a lot of people feel indifference toward Valentine’s Day, some going as far as hating it. They ask why a special day for love is needed when it’s a part of life that is already commonly celebrated.

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care, carefully lined up to be at the same height. A tree stands in the middle of the room, taking center stage as it struggles under the weight of a decade’s worth of ornaments and multicolored lights. The smell of freshly-baked chocolate chip cook…

While JUUL electronic brand cigarettes may seem appealing with their sleek design, small size and variety of flavors, the harsh reality is that JUULs are bad for both people and the environment.

I have observed that college students often spend more time focusing on pop-culture news surrounding celebrities and social media memes rather than real world news that matters. This is a problem because to be an active member of society and contribute to a democracy, students need to be inf…

Eckerd recently concluded a week-long series of CPS events dedicated to sexual identity and health, titled Great Sexpectations. The series responded to a need on campus for access to resources pertaining to sexual health. The events also discussed important sexual topics and helped educate s…