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Articles by Liam Rue
Guest Column: How Greenport parking lots could become housing on the North Fork
The North Fork’s housing crisis is deeply personal to me. In my family’s 16 years as renters here, we have lived variously in Southold, Greenport and Orient. We put up with a lot before lucking out with our current landlord, who keeps our rent remarkably low. Unfortunately, countless friends, coworkers and classmates who were either priced out years ago or are working long hours to get by have not been so lucky.
Opinion: Endowment Taxes Are A Good Idea, The Republicans’ Version Is Terrible
“Such a tax on the wealth of America’s richest universities could create huge benefits for our society (at least if the revenue is spent properly)” The latest proposal by Trump and Republicans to tax ultra-rich colleges’ endowments is overall a terrible idea. While it does get some things right, Congress should resoundingly reject this in favor of a much better endowment tax with all of the good and none of the bad. But what does the Republican endowment tax do right?
Op-Ed: To solve community colleges' overpopulation, make state colleges free, too
The convergence of tuition-free community college, a UMass system that is tuition-free for low-income students, and state colleges' desperate need for more students has created the perfect opportunity to also make state colleges free. According to one Cape Cod Community College professor, her campus and others across the commonwealth are buckling under the pressure of over-enrollment.
Op-Ed: To solve community colleges’ overpopulation, make state colleges free, too Original
The convergence of tuition-free community college, a UMass system that is tuition-free for low-income students, and state colleges’ desperate need for more students has created the perfect opportunity to also make state colleges free. According to one Cape Cod Community College professor, her campus and others across the commonwealth are buckling under the pressure of over-enrollment.
The biggest cause of Amherst's housing crisis? Disrespect towards students and their needs
While Amherst has made some progress, the town is still in the throes of a housing crisis. The University of Massachusetts Amherst deserves its share of the blame for today's mess, but the Town of Amherst and its residents are equally responsible - if not more. Though regulations and zoning restrictions have been the key cause of today's housing crisis, some locals' unique hostility to students and their needs is another factor that needs to be considered.
Rue: Why the Fair Share Amendment gives us hope Original
What if I told you that free school lunch at all public schools, free community college, and massive improvements to public transportation across Massachusetts were all made possible by just one tax? That Tax has a name, and it’s called the Fair Share Amendment (a.k.a. the Millionaire’s Tax). With so many improvements originating from this amendment, it begs the question: what does this bill teach us about how to win real political changes that improve millions of lives?
Want truly affordable college? Make it free
College is a public good and should be equally available to all. This is why Massachusetts needs to pass the Debt-Free Future Act (DFF) instead of a weaker bill known as the CHERISH Act. The DFF would guarantee tuition-free college for all in-state students while providing help with additional costs, such as housing and food for those in need. On the other hand, the CHERISH Act would only add to the tangled web of bureaucracy we have for financial aid.
We have to rein in the student loan industry
While highly controversial, President Biden's 2023 plan to relieve student debt of up to $20,000 was poised tohelp millions of Americans. The latest relief plan, currently in the works, would help millions more. But these plans are little more than Band-Aids - the student debt crisis has only worsened because Biden has taken no action to change the policies behind the crisis itself.
UMass must cap enrollment to stop chronic overcrowding
If there is one thing all University of Massachusetts students can agree on, it's that this school has admitted way too many students year after year. How do we fix a problem that is more persistent than our football team's losing streak? The most effective answer is the most obvious one: cap UMass' enrollment. Fortunately, a recently introduced Student Government Association bill recommending an enrollment cap is making that possible.
All campus bathrooms should be gender neutral
We should make all bathrooms on the University of Massachusetts campus gender neutral. Because why should bathrooms be separated by gender in the first place? Common arguments in favor of separate bathrooms begin with the idea that each gender has different needs, and therefore, gender-specific bathrooms are practical — though this does not hold much water when considering that men and women use the same toilets and showers.
Want to stop gentrification? Protect renters and legalize denser housing everywhere
Due to America’s crippling , home prices have skyrocketed, leading to cities and towns across the country with too few homes for everyone that wants them. This exacerbates the problem of gentrification and while the wealthiest among us can still pay extra for what homes are left, the working and middle class families who grew up in those neighborhoods are being priced out and forced to leave their entire lives behind.
To fight car-dependency, Americans must stop believing we live on the frontier
In today’s America, cars are inseparable from our national identity. It speaks to the values of independence and freedom that defines the American dream. The act of setting out on the open road and charting your own path is a call back to our heritage as pioneers, explorers and cowboys. Are cars really all that, though? In truth, our society’s love of cars is based more on illusions of freedom and convenience than actual improvements to our lives.
September Highlights
2022 Archives Headlines Nothing/Unsaid Op/Ed Multimedia Opinion Opinion Podcasts Podcasts Scrolling Headlines The premiere of Nothing/Unsaid, a new podcast by the Op/Ed section! By Catherine Hurley, Kelly McMahan, and Liam Rue This is nothing/unsaid, a new podcast from the Massachusetts Daily Collegian Op/Ed section. For our first episode, we’re highlighting three columns published in September.
By lowering the drinking age, we can address the real cause of alcohol’s ills
Some underage college students may wish they were born in a country where the minimum drinking age is 18. “Why am I allowed to join the Army and die for my country but not buy a beer?” the ages-old refrain goes in the United States, where the minimum drinking age is 21. It wasn’t always this way — at least very briefly. In the wake of massive anti-war protests in the 1960s and ‘70s, 29 states lowered the drinking age to 18.
In defense of public space
As the University of Massachusetts continued to admit more students than it has space for, common rooms became one of the latest casualties of UMass’ chronic overcrowding after being converted into living space. Instead of accepting less students, or even building new housing to accommodate the larger student population, the University decided that the dormitories’ common rooms are disposable. While disappointing, it is not surprising.
Satire: UMass hosts ‘Squid Game’ to solve housing shortage
Editor’s Note: The following column is satirical. It is meant for humorous purposes. All interviews and individuals are fictitious. Due to the worsened housing shortage forecast for the upcoming Fall 2022 semester – with allegedly more housing applications than available housing – the University of Massachusetts administration has decided to solve the housing crisis by giving away the last remaining spots to a lucky few contestants.
NATO is not to blame for Russia’s invasion, here’s why
Despite speculation, Russia’s rationale is much more personal Shilpa Sweth / Daily Collegian By Liam Rue, Collegian Columnist April 20, 2022 Is Russia attacking Ukraine as self-defense against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as Putin claims? Or is Moscow merely using the presence of NATO near its borders as an excuse to conquer Ukraine? These are the two dueling narratives at the heart of the debate about whether NATO caused Russia to invade Ukraine.
UMass doesn’t need to be this expensive
Decades of increasing tuition show that higher education can be affordable Ana Pietrewicz / Daily Collegian By Liam Rue, Collegian Contributor March 9, 2022 Since Bernie Sanders and other leftist politicians have brought back the push for more affordable, if not free, college, critics have dismissed it as unrealistic. However, when you look at how affordable colleges were 40–or even 20–years ago, and how exactly they have become so expensive over time, you realize we’ve been lied to.
UMass doesn’t have a parking problem, we’re just over-reliant on cars
The issue is our dependency on cars in the first place Maya Geer / Daily Collegian By Liam Rue, Collegian Columnist February 10, 2022 The University of Massachusetts has long had problems with parking space availability. All too often, students have to park across campus from where most of their classes are. Even worse is when they cannot even use their spot because of overcrowded lots.
Hollywood Seems Too Much - Massachusetts Daily Collegian
Relying so heavily on suites crowds out new ideas studios need Courtesy of the IMDB page No Time to Die By Liam Rue, collegiate collaborator December 9, 2021 I recently watched No Time to Die, the 25th film in the James Bond series, and left the cinema satisfied with the end of the film. Still, what really struck me about the movie was its underlying message about the endings.
Hollywood makes too many sequels
“Relying so much on sequels crowds out the fresh ideas that studios need” Courtesy of the No Time To Die IMDB page By Liam Rue, Collegian Contributor December 9, 2021 I recently watched “No Time to Die,” the 25th film in the James Bond series and left the theater satisfied with the movie’s ending. Yet, what really struck me about the movie was its underlying message about endings.
UMass has a housing crisis; here’s how we can solve it
Both Amherst and UMass are responsible Ana Pietrewicz / Daily Collegian By Liam Rue, Collegian Contributor November 29, 2021 The University of Massachusetts has a housing crisis. While we’re all clear on that, there is still debate on how to solve it. The reality is that any fix is easier said than done. Is it primarily on the university to make more housing? Or should the town of Amherst and other neighboring towns contribute more? Where will the money and space come from?
Public-sector strikes should be legal in Massachusetts
The real threat to public safety is the mistreatment of public workers Hannah Cohen / Daily Collegian By Liam Rue, Collegian Contributor November 3, 2021 This past October has seen an unprecedented surge in worker mobilization, so much so that it has been dubbed “Striketober.” At plants and warehouses across the country, working-class Americans have gone on strike to demand better pay and better treatment since the pandemic — on top of decades of exploitation and wage stagnation — has pushed...
To make in-person work bearable, America must rethink commuting culture
The COVID-19 pandemic forced millions of Americans to switch from in-person to remote work for the first time in their lives. Many decided to stay at home indefinitely, given the flexibility and comfort remote work provides compared to their former environments. As the virus begins to wane, many companies are trying to get their employees back into the office, but most remote employees are not having it. How could we blame them?
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