Sonikka Loganathan

Digital Writes

Articles written for digital media platforms

The Eagle •

Burwell’s “Generation Stress” essay demonstrates an out-of-touch, idealistic view of a campus-wide epidemic

The November/December 2018 issue of Foreign Affairs features University President Sylvia Burwell’s “Generation Stress,” an essay discussing factors that contribute to rising stress-induced depression and anxiety among college students. While the essay covers a range of issues from school shootings to the economy, it seems to lack an understanding of the average college student’s day and how Burwell’s idealistic suggestions to help students could backfire. To find solutions to these issues, universities must look past the surface and actually put proposals into action.
The Eagle •

Shutting down affordable access to dining options during spring break is absurd

For many students, spring break is a week of relaxation, vacations to tropical sites or spending time with family. We all look forward to the post-midterms, mid-semester break. Spring break can also be a time to explore D.C., catch up on a semester’s worth of readings or enjoy an empty dorm room. It is also an opportunity for people to work a few extra shifts at work. Some students might not be able to go home because flights are expensive or they live too far away. Other students are required to stay here because they have work or extracurricular obligations. Regardless of the reason, shutting down food services because a large chunk of the AU population leaves campus is a negligent assumption and denies students of a basic need.
The Eagle •

PD-Ayy or PD-Nay? Public displays of affection differ along cultural lines

It isn’t just the arrival of Valentine’s Day that has couples around campus holding hands and stealing kisses between classes. You see public displays of affection year-round but gestures like make-out sessions on the quad and sensual shoulder rubs on the couches in the Davenport continue to surprise me. Out of all the ways that I anticipated culture shock as an international student, public displays of affection (PDA) was not one that I thought I would struggle with.
The Eagle •

Growing up with xenophobia and racism in the U.S. and at American University

Last Monday marked yet another unfortunate day for the University when anti-immigration posters were found around several buildings on campus. However, it isn’t the act itself that makes it tragic anymore, but rather the fact these hate crimes have become so repetitive at AU that the shock factor they are meant to have is slowly fading. I don’t need a poster from a white supremacist group to tell me that foreigners and immigrants are not treated equally or welcomed in this country.
The Eagle •

Confederate flags hung at AU hurt international students, too

In late September, American University fell victim to yet another hate crime when someone hung Confederate flag fliers and cotton stalks in four buildings on campus. Despite the hatred radiated by those flags, black students are still Americans, and this soil is their home. No one can take that away from them, even if they are mistreated in the U.S. But, I am an international student and this soil is not my home.
The Eagle •

Column: Not here to take your jobs, just here to get experience

I wanted to be able to get a job so I could support myself since my parents were already paying for tuition. I wanted to get an internship at all of the news stations based out of D.C. It made sense—I had traveled all the way to America, was paying tuition without any financial aid and wanted to make the most out of my time here. The United States has always called itself the land of opportunities and promises: you can do whatever you want to do. What America doesn’t advertise is how many restrictions I would face and how limiting my student visa would be.
The Eagle •

Explore your options, but know the cost

One of the many assets that universities in the U.S have to offer is the ability to pick and choose exactly what you want to study. The curriculum is designed, or rather marketed, in a way that promises students that they don’t have to know what they are doing and have the luxury of changing their major even as late as sophomore year. Unfortunately, however, these naive explorations do not always end with a pot of gold, but rather, as in my case, a grade point average that is much below what I thought I would have and a misrepresentation of my academic abilities and reputation as a student.