The Columbia Chronicle

Opinion: Why filmmaking in the midst of a pandemic matters

September 10, 2020

I started to pursue my dream of filmmaking in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. My dad told me if I wanted to make movies, there was no better time than now because if I only ever talked about...

By the people, for the people: Patriotism as a means to serve your neighbors

September 2, 2020

In a country fragmented by a two-party system, what does it mean to be patriotic? From debates on defunding the police to dissents over wearing masks, how can we support the nation as a whole, while ou...

Opinion: People cannot pretend the coronavirus pandemic is over

August 4, 2020

Imagine being a healthcare worker who has worked on the front lines since the very beginning of the pandemic. You are dressed head to toe in personal protective equipment and it is the middle of spring, but s...

Opinion: Pritzker’s release of inmates during pandemic is headline bait

May 14, 2020

When an uncontrollable factor—such as a global pandemic—is released into prisons that already experience overcrowding nationwide and house hundreds of humans deemed criminal by the state, wide...

Column: During Mental Health Awareness Month and beyond, check in on quarantined loved ones

May 12, 2020

Alissa Swatkowski’s pet geese are fighting, and that’s stressing her out. But that’s not her biggest stressor during the spring semester. Because of growing coronavirus concerns and stay-at-home orders,...

Opinion: TikTok’s photography feed lacks originality, opportunity for aspiring artists

April 12, 2020

Artists from any medium often turn to apps such as Instagram and Pinterest for inspiration. More recently, the hottest social media app TikTok—a site where users can create and share short mobile ...

Opinion: Health care workers need more than applause right now

April 10, 2020

Every night at 8 p.m., balconies and windows across Chicago light up. People hang their heads out windows, clapping and cheering; some sing and some play instruments. It has been dubbed “Solidarit...

Opinion: We are not ‘in this together’ with the wealthy during the coronavirus pandemic

April 5, 2020

As public officials across the globe shutter businesses and public spaces and humans isolate themselves in their homes, videos from every corner of Hollywood surface with one similar sentiment: “We ...

Denise Arnold (right) assists Vincent Smith to early vote in the Illinois primary.

Opinion: Former inmates deserve to have their voting rights respected, not canceled

March 16, 2020

Rehabilitation is supposedly the point of incarceration, but this process is often lost as inmates are stripped of their personhood and become subjects of the state. After they have served their sen...

Opinion: Having a twin is a life-long journey

March 15, 2020

"BFF" is an acronym used to describe our forever best friends. For me, it’s a term I have never used for anyone in my life because my standard for a best friend was set very high by someone that surp...

Opinion: Police sanctioned violence on CTA

By Margaret Smith, Opinions Editor

March 7, 2020

Gun violence in Chicago doesn’t only exist in a few sectioned-off neighborhoods, it doesn’t just happen in dark, tucked-away alleys or between citizens whose names will soon become part of the endless,...

Opinion: Mask on, mask off: the duality of being black

February 29, 2020

The first time I attended college, I went to Oglethorpe University, a small private school in Atlanta, Georgia. Similar to Columbia, it was a “PWI,” or predominantly white institution, and because ...