A new trade agreement between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan negotiated last summer would further integrate the two countries' economies, allowing for greater direct investment in services. Not yet ratified, the agreement has spawned a large protest movement in Taipei numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Students have occupied the legislature for the past two and a...

Each year registration, like room draw, is inevitably stressful for students. While much of this stress can be attributed to a desire to get the perfect schedule, popular classes or to have certain professors, and thus cannot be helped, registration could be simplified with an online PIN access system and a way for students to gauge the popularity of courses...

Tufts University recently announced the program, "Tufts 1+4," that will help mitigate the costs of taking a gap year for admitted students before beginning school, sparking a national conversation about the accessibility of unconventional routes to college. The gap or bridge year — a year students spend before entering college studying or volunteering either abroad or domestically — is an...

When Programming Board announced that they would be bringing in Talib Kweli as the headline artist for SpringFest on April 12, my initial reaction was to throw up a Tiger Woods-style fist pump in the middle of the Marketplace and excitedly text my mom and younger brother about the good news. Talib Kweli has long been one of my favorite...

Late at night, curled in bed and delaying sleep or avoiding work, many Occidental students scroll through the shocking and frequently humorous "Oxy Confessions," available via Facebook for evening entertainment. "Oxy Confessions" became part of the Occidental College experience in late October, publishing "confessions" that anyone can submit anonymously through a Google Form. This page may be a tool for...

It is a Friday night, and I go to bed relatively late. Expecting to sleep until the late morning, I am surprised to be woken up before 9 a.m. to music neither my roommates nor typically I listen to. Confused at first, I slowly realize the pop music is coming from the baseball team's pre-game warmup for its 11 a.m....

Recently I showed up to a non-Weekly work meeting smelling like beer and cigarettes. The co-worker sitting next to me leaned in and whispered in my ear, “The York?” Whether this is a testament to the amount of time he spends at The York or the obviousness of my condition is irrelevant. What is important is that before this year,...

This month, Latinos will become the largest ethnic group in California. Making up 39 percent of the population, they will overtake the non-Latino whites, who comprise 38.8 percent, according to the Pew Research Center. The fact that Latinos are projected to become the largest single ethnic group in California will require the state's government to evaluate current legal policies and...

Protests in Ukraine and Venezuela have turned deadly. In Ukraine, demonstrations were triggered by brokering economic deals with Russia and pulling away from deals with the European Union. In Venezuela, citizens are raising their voices against the state of crime and human rights violations. Governments and media are dancing around the big issue attributing the cause of these protests to...

The benefits of reading extend far beyond the academic sphere. Unfortunately, students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) lack access to these benefits due to the closure of about half of the public elementary and middle school libraries. The positive externalities of reading are especially strong for children, who can find solace in a relatable character or glean...