Since the late 1990s, opioid pain relievers have been prescribed at increasing rates due to pharmaceutical companies reassuring doctors that patients would not be subjected to addiction following use of such. However in 2017 alone, nearly 47,000 Americans died due to opioid overdose, while an additional 1.5 million suffered from opioid related substance abuse. Purdue Pharma, one of the leading private pharmaceutical companies, is currently facing three federal charges for the part that it has played in the national opioid crisis. The company, which is a leading provider of opioid painkillers, has pleaded guilty to all three charges and will be paying more than 8 billion dollars in fines as…
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QC’s psychology department seeks to adjust major requirements
A newly uncovered curriculum proposal revealed that the psychology department has been considering dramatically changing its major requirements. According to an anonymous source at the Academic Senate, the proposal would adjust the performance requirements in several Gateway courses necessary to the completion of the major. Specifically, the minutes show a wording change in the description of the major, in which the “C” grade requirement is stricken and replaced with a “B-”. In addition, the requirement is narrowed from all courses taken for the major to core courses. Finally, the department’s proposal raised the minimum GPA required to remain a psychology major from 2.00 to 2.50. The Undergraduate Curriculum Committee requires…
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Amy Coney Barrett confirmed as 115th Supreme Court justice
Over the past several months, the people of this country have been riveted by both the presidential election and the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court in the wake of the death of liberal icon Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The nomination process was unusual in this case due to the determination of Senate Republicans to confirm a new justice before the election, contradicting the position they set in early 2016 following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Back then, the Senate, and notably Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), refused to hold a hearing for President Obama’s nominee for the court, Merrick Garland, citing the election that coming…
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The road to recovery: How NYC restaurants are facing the COVID-19 crisis
The remnants of the global pandemic have severely affected the restaurant industry in New York City, leading to a new protective measure that allows restaurants to gradually recuperate by adding a surcharge after an unprecedented statewide shutdown of non-essential businesses. The New York State Restaurant Association’s (NYSRA) reports revealed that as of April 16, 527,000 restaurant industry workers were dismissed without pay and furloughed as a result of Covid-19. With almost a million workers out of jobs, restaurant sales plummeted dramatically. According to CNN Travel, a surcharge has been on the table since April 2018. The frontrunner of the 2018 surcharge initiative in New York City was Republican Councilman Joseph…
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How are college presidents handling COVID-19?
When pressed about the potential pressure to begin filtering students back onto campus after several months away, Queens College President Frank H. Wu was blunt in his answer: “Please don’t come to campus.” This straightforward response may lack the sense of hope one might expect from an administration member, despite its roots in science over preference. The same applies to all of President Wu’s decisions since the pandemic forced students of QC into online schooling last March. Only a specific handful of science and art classes have continued in person, with wellness check protocols put in place to ensure maximum safety. Regardless of how much students or even President Wu,…
