Category: Opinions
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Worcester Politics
Jordan Robbins ’26 Guest Writer For this past academic year, I have had the privilege of interning in the office of the Mayor of Worcester, Joseph Petty. During the fall semester, I spent the majority of my time working on Mayor Petty’s re-election campaign, accompanying him to various events, from…
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In Defense of Strawberry Desserts
Marie Meisner ‘26 Guest Writer This past weekend, I had the privilege of watching my dear friend Gavin Klein, the class of 2026 organ scholar, play in his senior recital (an event which would require a second, and much more extensive, Spire article). Following the recital, there was a reception…
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Why We Need to Remain Hopeful
Tucker Scott ‘26 Opinions Editor For one of the countless job interviews that I am sure many of us have been going through now that the spring semester is coming to an end, I was asked a question: What is the biggest problem facing America? The honest answer is that…
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For A January Term
Colette Potter ‘26 Chief Features Editor As I reflect on my four years at Holy Cross, I actually wish I could have taken more classes. Some of the coursework that has challenged me the most has been outside of my majors. I view this as the true asset of the…
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A Discussion on Gerrymandering
Lars Belvin-Larsson ‘26 Opinions Editor A commonality across party lines is the desire to win as many House and Senate seats as possible, but strategies to achieve this end have varied. The upcoming midterm elections have left many Republicans vulnerable to losing their seats in the House of Representatives and,…
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Change Ain’t So Bad
Sean Rego ‘26 Chief Opinions Editor Like many students at the end of their fourth year at Holy Cross, I am both exhausted and excited. I am exhausted from the applications and the waiting; from the years spent on this hill in Worcester attending classes and climbing those daunting steps…
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Margaret Atwood Talk: An Overcrowded Success
Kimberly Von Randow ‘28 Opinions Editor When Margaret Atwood came to speak at Holy Cross, it proved to be a defining moment for the student body. As one of the most influential literary voices of our time, her presence alone was enough to generate excitement across campus. And to be…
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Progressivism is the American Dream
Ian Sykes ‘28 Opinions Editor When our nation’s founders wrote America’s founding documents, they envisioned a free country—free from repression, government overreach, lawlessness, unaccountable representation, and most importantly, injustice. Today, our country is far from free from these diseases, and there is no doubt in my mind that the Founders…
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The Unity of all Christianity
Sean Rego ’26 Opinions Chief Since coming to Holy Cross, I have come to greatly appreciate the Catholic Church, despite my own preference of different sects. Baptized in the Latin Rite as an infant, I’ve never officially left Catholicism, but growing up I always felt more at home with the…
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Trump Isn’t a Conservative – He’s a Democrat, Actually
Ian Sykes ‘28 Opinions Editor Despite the fact that most people label Trump a conservative, I think that the word “conservative” is useless to describe him. To identify as a conservative has meant differing things over time; normally it has meant a preference for limited government, individual rights, and constitutional…
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Money Can’t Buy Legitimacy: Why LIV Golf’s Struggles Matter
Kimberly Von Randow ‘28 Opinions Editor LIV Golf’s possible downfall shows that no amount of money can sanitize the ethical cost of partnering with a government widely criticized for human rights violations, and that financial power alone is not enough to secure legitimacy in global sports. What once seemed like…
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The Entitlement of Holy Cross Students
Ashwin Prabaharan ’26 Co-Editor-in-Chief For 2 years now, I have served as a Resident Assistant (RA) to freshman students here at Holy Cross. From the first day of RA orientation, Holy Cross extols the idea that we are an extended family to help us cultivate a sense of service and…
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Do I Sound Funny to You?
Fiona Greaney ‘29 Opinions Editor It might surprise you, but more often than not I sound a bit like a sixty five-year old Manhattanite. I hail from the Big Apple, which is known for its regional dialect. Members of my family can be picked out as New Yorkers by voice…
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Where Do We Stand Now?
Claire Hunter ’26 Guest Writer In 1843, Benedict Joseph Fenwick S.J., wanted to establish a Catholic college in New England. He hoped to build it in Boston, but anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic sentiment, especially toward Irish immigrants, made that impossible. Instead, he turned to Worcester, where the College of the Holy…
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We Need to Use More Campus Spaces!
Colette Potter ‘26 Opinions Editor While the Hoval is once again lively, it reminds me that the campus should actively use more of the spaces on campus. While many of the spaces on campus are wonderful, others could be used more effectively. The changed campus feeling from the warm weather…
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Why Is Everything Bad For Us?
Olivia Zimmerman ‘29 Opinions Editor If you really think about it, is there anything out there that is good for us? It seems like there is no escape from the murderous eyes of everyday products, slowly contaminating our bodies with microplastics and parabens. Even the air that we breathe is…
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The Success of a Quiet China
Sean Rego ’26 Chief Opinions Editor Last week, the chairwoman Cheng Li-wun of the Kuomintang (KMT) visited Beijing on an unprecedented “peace and reconciliation” tour with the Communist Party of China. By no means was this tour an endorsement of Xi Jinping’s China to take over the Republic of China…
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Spring, Hope, and the Meaning of Easter
Charlotte Purkiss ‘29 Staff Writer As of Friday, March 20th it is now spring! Although the weather this last week may not mirror traditional spring whether there is hope for the weeks ahead. This time of year comes with a wonderful range of emotions like happiness and hope. Thursday April…
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Holy Cross Screens Harmful Pro-Zionist, Anti-Palestinian Film Without Watching It First
Ian Sykes ‘28 Opinions Editor On March 19, 2026, Holy Cross screened Blind Spot in Rehm Library, a documentary that according to its MyHC page is about “campus antisemitism in the United States, prior to and following the October 7 attacks.” This documentary was produced by StandWithUs, a pro-Israel advocacy…
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The Pope, Politics, and a PR Nightmare
Colette Potter ‘26 Opinions Editor President Donald Trump recently posted, and promptly took down, a rendition of himself that looked remarkably like Jesus Christ. The recent remarks by Pope Leo XIV – as well as Secretary of War Pete Hegseth– call into question the relationship between politics and religion. Can…
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How the U.S. Should Approach What Remains of the Iran Conflict
Lars-Belvin Larsson ‘26 Opinions Editor Uncertainty is a function of life, and conflict makes this no easier to wrestle with. In the case of the war in Iran, the U.S. has found itself stymied from day one, and each passing day has made it no better. However, a grand strategy,…
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What We Lose When Cheap Books Disappear
Kimberly Von Randow ‘28 Opinions Editor The slow disappearance to near extinction of the mass market paperback is easy to overlook. After all, books are still everywhere — hardcovers stacked like status symbols on oak bookshelves, required readings that sit collecting dust on our desks, and e-books glowing from our…
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Where Did All The Trash Cans Go? The Case for “CrusaderBins”
Fiona Greaney ‘29 Opinions Editor As I made the trek from Brooks to Kimball, I passed lots of landmarks. The lampposts on Lower Easy, the peace sign on the roof of the Millard Art Center, the greenhouse, the white-stoned memorial, and Brooks Music Hall were all stops I made along…
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Is Brazil Settling for Less in This Election?
Kimberly Von Randow ‘28 Opinions Editor As Brazil approaches another presidential election this October, the country once again finds itself facing a difficult and frustrating decision, which is unfortunately nothing new in the country’s history. Elections are meant to give citizens the opportunity to choose leaders who represent their hopes,…
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Trump’s “America First” Makes Allies Shift to America Last
Lars-Belvin Larsson ’26 Opinions Editor At the behest of President Trump’s highly polarizing foreign policy approach, traditional U.S. allies are distancing themselves. Someone well-versed in the matter is the hawkish former National Security Advisor John Bolton, who served a brief tenure during President Trump’s first term. Bolton remains a strong…
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What a Satellite Cannot See
Fiona Greaney ‘29 Opinions Editor Four astronauts just flew around the Moon. In 2026. Was it worth it? We live in an era of self-driving cars, AI, and satellites that can identify what kind of car you drive from orbit. So why did NASA just spend tens of millions of…
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American Consumerism Is Humanity At Its Worst
Ian Sykes ‘28 Opinions Editor Will our own nature be our undoing? After witnessing the most recent explosions of hyperconsumerism in our capitalistic society, something tells me that it will be indeed. Underneath the Stanley cups, Labubus, Shein clothes, McDonalds ads, gambling apps, Meta glasses, AI home products, Apple items,…
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Noem is No More
Tucker Scott ’26 Opinions Editor During our Easter break, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was ignominiously fired and replaced with Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin. To that I just have one thing to say: it’s about time. Noem has been an utter disaster as DHS Secretary and…
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We Need Brilliance in the Oval Office!
Colette Potter ‘26 Opinions Editor I was recently watching The West Wing and was struck by how competent – perhaps even brilliant – the president character (President Bartlett) is supposed to be. And it also struck me that I don’t know if we have had a truly brilliant president for…
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The Comics Page Is No Joke
Kimberly Von Randow ‘28 Opinions Editor Newspaper comics are becoming increasingly more overlooked as the years pass. It’s now something you glance at for a quick laugh before moving on to the real headlines. But that mindset overlooks the enormous cultural impact comic strips have had for more than a…