Opinion Archives - The Commonwealth Times

Opinion

Rapists are protected before women; The Cornell seven case is proof

October 7, 2026

The politics of being famous: When should celebrities speak up?

October 7, 2026

Molly Christianson, Staff Writer A concert is supposed to be simple — people buy tickets, listen to music and spend a few hours enjoying themselves. Politics are not necessarily a part of the experience. However, for some of the biggest names in entertainment, separating a career from politics is becoming increasingly difficult. Ed Sheeran’s Loop Tour became an example of that. During a Sept. 4 performance at MetLife Stadium, Macklemore spoke on his views and told the audience “Free Palestine.” He also performed his song “Hind’s Hall,” which was written in support of Palestinians. Following the performance, some venue owners objected to Macklemore’s participation in the remaining shows and Sheeran’s promoter eventually announced that he would no longer be part of the U.S. leg of the tour. Sheeran and Macklemore are part of a much larger conversation happening in the entertainment industry. Celebrities are constantly faced with the question of whether they should use their platforms to speak about political and social issues. Taylor Swift has also used her platform in a political manner but in a much different way. During the 2024 presidential election, Swift publicly announced that she planned to vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, while

If you are an upperclassman at VCU experiencing loneliness, you are not alone

October 7, 2026

Kylie Grunsfeld, Opinions & Humor Editor As of this August, I am officially an upperclassman at VCU, which comes with a lot of perks — I can make my way around campus with my eyes closed and I no longer have to hurry down several flights of stairs at midnight because the student housing fire alarms have gone off once again. When I started college, I was immensely comforted by the fact that there was so much guidance available for the transition. Everybody and their mother had words of wisdom to offer about leaving home for the first time. I cried many nights my first semester, certain I would never be able to top the memories made with friends that were now scattered around the country, but I knew that was natural. I was told it would happen. No one could blame me for feeling unmoored. Freshman year is an extremely well-documented period in the lives of college students. When you see yourself so frequently reflected in media, it is much easier to believe people when they tell you that you are doing nothing wrong. However, I have found that there are far fewer resources available to guide you once

Richmond, stop giving me parking tickets

October 7, 2026

Nick Echard, Contributing Writer Do you ever feel like you cannot find a place to park? Like you circle the block over and over again just to find a spot you will have to leave in an hour? Richmond has a parking problem, and to understand this issue we need to look at the multitude of layers causing it, such as VCU, the SP Plus Corporation and the increasingly strict enforcement of parking violations. Richmond has seen a 280% increase in parking citations this year, with stop sign parking citations jumping from 358 to 1,300 over the last year, according to the Richmonder. This comes as a result of a 2025 rule to increase the distance one can park behind a stop sign to 30 feet. One can also assume that this increase in parking citations has played a hand in the approximately $460,000 Richmonders pay in parking tickets each month. As a Carver resident, I am no stranger to SP Plus. Their red and yellow logo and flashing yellow lights have become a beacon of dread for my friends and me. SP Plus is a private company hired by the city of Richmond for a $28 million contract. SP

Rapists are protected before women; The Cornell seven case is proof

October 7, 2026

Shiny Chandravel, Assistant Opinions & Humor Editor When I was 10, I knocked on my neighbor’s front door to play outside. Her brother opened the door and pulled up my shirt to look at my chest. When I was 13, I downloaded Snapchat for the first time. A boy from school sent explicit images to my phone. When I was 15, a man groped teenage girls in my high school parking lot. When I was 18, a student at VCU slapped my behind. When I turned to face him, he was grinning. Growing up, I was taught that girls biologically mature faster than boys — but I do not think we are given a choice. Now I am 20, the same age that a former Cornell University student states she was allegedly drugged and gang-raped by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity in Oct. 2024, according to BBC News. The alleged assault was reported to campus police in Nov. 2024. Now, almost two years later, the nation is solemnly observing how one of our country’s most respected institutions, an Ivy League university, reacted to reported sexual violence. Tragically, that reaction was far from appropriate. Two expulsions. This was the most severe action taken by Cornell’s administration and interim president, Michael Kotlikoff, on only two of the seven students accused of participating in the assault. According to a CNN report, the woman’s attorney stated the rest of the accused students received smaller punishments, including temporary suspensions, workshops or written essays to mitigate their conduct. They say false allegations can ruin lives. It appears even legitimate ones rarely do. Universities are not meant to replace a judicial system, but that does not absolve them from the responsibility to, in Cornell’s own words, “preserve a higher education community and residential campus where ‘any person’ in the community can pursue their education in a secure and nourishing environment.” If the woman in this case had not filed a lawsuit against the university on Sept. 14 as reported by CBS News, if Cornell’s student journalism staff had not followed her story or if the allegations did not catch social media’s attention, the identities of Matthew Ingalls, Jonathan Newell, Winston Lee, Gillio Lopes, Diego Sarabia, Scott Norris and Scott Kretzschmar would have successfully been concealed. For almost two years, they were. That is not something that happens by chance but by design. According to the

The politics of being famous: When should celebrities speak up?

October 7, 2026

If you are an upperclassman at VCU experiencing loneliness, you are not alone

October 7, 2026

Richmond, stop giving me parking tickets

October 7, 2026

The government wants to strip your college funding and they are not hiding it

September 30, 2026

Marcus Beavers, Contributing Writer On Sept. 3, the House of Representatives passed the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026 (H.R. 4795) by a vote of 237–169. Introduced by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., the bill would prohibit higher education institutions that participate in federal student-aid programs from engaging in commercial boycotts of Israel that are not based on a legitimate business or economic reason. Additionally, any higher education institutions receiving federal funding for foreign language or international education programs must annually certify that students and faculty may participate in programs located in Israel, according to the Congress Legislature. Simply put, the bill could put VCU’s eligibility for federal education funding at risk if the university were to participate in an institutional boycott of Israel. Phillip L. Swagel, the Director of the Congressional Budget Office, said that institutions who violate program agreements may lose the ability to be involved in federal student aid programs, which include Pell grants and student loans. The bill was approved by the House but still requires Senate and presidential approval before it can become law. VCU has already experienced major controversy surrounding pro-Palestinian protests, making this bill especially relevant to Richmond — and possibly to

Sydney Sweeney’s Novig ad perfectly exemplifies the insidiousness of choice feminism

September 30, 2026

Kylie Grunsfeld, Opinions & Humor Editor From a marketing standpoint, it is undoubtedly genius. How do you set your product apart from hundreds of others selling the exact same thing? Strip an already controversial celebrity down to her skin, have her speak provocatively to the camera and earn your otherwise irrelevant sports trading app hordes of new users. Predictably, everyone is pissed. Both Novig, a sports-betting and prediction market app, and Sydney Sweeney knew this would be the response, and really, nobody loses — Sweeney gets to walk away with a fat check and Novig gets publicity. Well actually, somebody does lose: women. By posing sexually in an ad despite competing calls for women to behave modestly from one side and to not objectify themselves from the other, Sydney Sweeney is exemplifying choice feminism. Choice feminism dictates that a woman’s choice is inherently feminist solely because she made it. By the logic of choice feminism, Sweeney’s decision to tongue-in-cheekly sexualize herself to convince men to gamble their savings away is a feminist act. Except, I do not find it a feminist act at all. Even though America is a society that promotes hyper-individualism, there is no such thing as a

We will never be assimilated enough

September 30, 2026

Zachary Roman, Contributing Writer What does America look like to you? What should it look like? As our country becomes more divided by the day, as we barrel toward midterms that will soon feel like life or death, as the polarization of our politics continues to strain our democracy, these questions become more crucial to ask. If we as a country do not agree on the answers, how can we ever be united again? Last week, the University of Texas beat Ohio State in what was one of the most electrifying football games of the season thus far. UT’s social media page posted a photo of students celebrating the win in the stands and some of the most shocking, vile and infuriating discourse I have ever seen came out of it. Bo French, a Republican candidate for Texas Railroad Commissioner, retweeted the photo with the caption “I heard UT’s graduation looked like this last year. I didn’t believe it. The problem is now far worse than any of us could’ve possibly imagined.” The “problem” he is referring to is brown people. The photo from UT’s social media page featured mostly Indian-American students. They were wearing UT merch, celebrating the comeback

AI and education do not mix

September 30, 2026

Sydney Overton, Contributing Writer “Ask Anything.” You may see this phrase when you enter a prompt into ChatGPT or Google Gemini. What most people forget is that the time it takes to type a prompt is the same amount it takes to find the answer on your own. Everyone is looking for shortcuts instead of making an effort and doing the appropriate work. In recent years, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic, people have become more comfortable with technology. However, one specific issue has gotten out of hand: generative AI. Most people’s introduction to artificial intelligence programs was condensed and juvenile, with GPS services, video games or even simple services defaulted onto smartphones. The difference between then and now is that we did not have the unlimited access to it that we have today, nor did we use it to complete mundane tasks. That is the problem. Recently, there has been a surge in AI programs such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Meta. These programs are implemented everywhere, whether it be on social media, making an appointment over the phone, searching Google, doing assignments or even searching VCU’s website. Then, there is AI use and encouragement in classes. Students are already

Culture is not a seasonal product: When does celebrating a culture become selling a culture?

September 23, 2026

Catherine Colombo, Contributing Writer Hispanic Heritage Month is supposed to be a celebration of culture, history and identity. However, when September rolls around, that celebration becomes increasingly difficult to separate from commercialization. Brands release limited-edition products and create themed advertisements. Companies often turn cultural identity into something that can be packaged, marketed and sold. There is a fine line between celebrating a culture and using it as a marketing tool. Culture should not become something people consume for a month. Every September, the shift is noticeable. Social media feeds, advertisements and grocery shelves begin reflecting Hispanic Heritage Month. Suddenly, products are decorated with Spanish phrases, brands highlight Hispanic-inspired collections and companies launch campaigns centered around Hispanic consumers. Although these efforts can seem positive, the question becomes whether these campaigns are actually celebrating Hispanic culture or simply finding another way to sell to Hispanic consumers. If these companies truly want to celebrate Hispanic culture, that celebration should extend beyond the checkout counter. Big brands and corporations could dedicate a portion of those sales to Hispanic-owned businesses, organizations and nonprofits. This would turn Hispanic Heritage Month from a marketing opportunity into an opportunity to invest in the communities being celebrated. But commercialization