Gap years are usually filled with traveling, experiential learning, and work experience. However, COVID-19 has turned our world upside down. Despite the drastic changes we’ve experienced as a result of the pandemic, students opting for gap years is at a record high. According to Fitch Ratings, the annual enrollment is expected to plummet 5-20% nationwide. The question is: Should you take a gap year during these unprecedented times?

Scientists have become more visible to the public eye due to ongoing crises such as COVID-19 and climate change. Despite their expertise, the field is overlooked by the public and often ignored. Scientists dedicate their entire lives to their chosen field of study, enduring many years of difficult coursework, extensive research, and training. It is easy to forget the impact that science has on our daily routines, and the pandemic has helped re-emphasize the dangers we would face in a world lacking science.   

The rising demand for animal products has resulted in fast growing animal agriculture industry. This continual increase in animal agriculture has left a severe impact on the environment. This negative impact is felt in the atmosphere, on land, and in the sea.

The US is facing its worst health crisis in more than 100 years. The COVID-19 pandemic has inflicted unprecedented economic and social disruption this year, with no end in sight. Eight million Americans have fallen ill with the virus, and 220,000 of them did not make it. This means the US has the highest numbers of any nation. And yet cases are still soaring; in fact, they are on track to hit a third peak. Scientists are warning that this peak may be the largest of them all, especially as winter weather will force huge swaths of the country indoors and several holidays loom.

Through a rigorous primary season, a contentious general election season, a host of controversies, and a literal pandemic, one thought has lingered in the minds of those who have closely followed the presidential election no matter which candidate you support.

There are many economic benefits of cannabis legalization outside the justice system as well. The drug is easily taxable, allowing greater funding for public services. A report from 2019 estimates that if the federal prohibition on weed was lifted that year, the US would earn more than $100 billion in extra tax revenue by 2025.

The coronavirus pandemic has interrupted normal life for many months. The upcoming holidays will need to be adapted to meet our new normal. With Halloween approaching, many families are faced with a hard decision: Do they let their kids participate in traditional Halloween activities such as trick-or-treating? How can parents keep their children safe from the virus during this holiday?

Compared to the hysterics that we witnessed at the first presidential debate, the vice-presidential debate was much more professional, filled with passive-aggressive statements and non-answered questions. Senator Harris only had one option for behavior that would not sink the Biden campaign’s current poll numbers, and it is solely based on her sex. 

I'd encourage anyone who feels disheartened with the political process to look farther down the ballot. Find out who your local candidates are, and find out what they stand for. Understand what issues are affecting the people in your community, and understand what steps candidates are taking to fix them. While change happens at every level, local change is what you're most likely to feel the effects of. 

Of all the ways the confirmation process of Amy Coney Barrett would be potentially stalled in the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell likely wasn’t expecting a physical incapacitation on the part of his fellow lawmakers. In the span of a few days, three Republican senators, including North Carolina’s Thom Tillis (NC), Ron Johnson (WI), and Mike Lee (UT) all tested positive for COVID-19 and have subsequently stepped away for the time being.

“I think that the administrators put in thought for some online courses but not for others. I personally feel like they could have handled things much better by making a decision earlier on whether they were going all online or not,” says Madeline Miller, a UNCW sophomore. “If they made the decision earlier it could have given the teachers and students more time to prep for going online, which could have helped us have a more successful school year.”

The United States has endured a lot this year. Americans have witnessed natural disasters, police brutality, school shootings, and an ever-increasing partisan divide. While all of these events existed prior to 2020, this year we faced an additional challenge: a global pandemic. With more than 200,000 deaths in the United States alone, COVID-19 has made a permanent mark. The coronavirus pandemic has caused a rise in social unrest and economic disruption, leading to an even more tense nation.