The failings of public education is the responsibility of all Americans, not just those most affected by them, says Carolyn Witte '12

Carolyn Witte '12 critiques last week's Malcolm Gladwell essay on activism in the 21st century.

Carolyn Witte '12 tries to place the Palinites along the current political spectrum

Carolyn Witte '12 says the outrage of the so-called Ground Zero Mosque represents a challenge to our nation's core principles.

Carolyn Witte '12 returns to consider the legality of unpaid internships.

No matter your stance on the issue, any discussion about abstinence-only sex education should be grounded in fact, not political fiction.

Gossip is nothing new. And using gossip to ruin reputations, sabotage friendships, break up couples and destroy careers isn’t new either. Yet the degree to which gossip has come to dominate our lives, subsuming the role legitimate news used to play, is cause for concern.

Reform, in theory anyway, has dominated the political sphere for the past year — financial reform, health care reform, energy reform, the list goes on. Yet for all the talk on Capitol Hill, there’s been little action thus far. In spite of these shortcomings, another reform bill is up for debate in the Senate: student loan reform. Given the state of our broken political system and ideologically divided country, we as students must ensure that expanded access to higher education transcends party lines, corporate interest, bank executives and tea party politics. With tuition hikes taking place nationwide — coupled with the recession and credit shortages — Americans cannot afford not to reform student aid. An educated populous is central to American prosperity and ultimately the most sustainable solution to our economic troubles. To achieve such reform, however, will require much more than feel-good rhetoric and top-down initiatives. It is ultimately up to the beneficiaries of this bill — American students — to ensure that substantial change is realized.