Op-ed – Page 2 – The LUMS Post

Here Lies Hair: Three Accounts of Trichotillomania

18Oct

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Op-ed

Here Lies Hair: Three Accounts of Trichotillomania

A View into Life with a Hair Pulling DisorderBy Syeda Aiman Zehra TW: Trichotillomania, Dermatillomania I haven’t been to the parlor for a haircut since 2018. In 2017, I stopped braiding my hair—and I love braids. My mother gave up trying to convince me to let her oil my hair about a year and a half ago. When I entered LUMS, I ended my relationship with performance arts that spanned years of acting or dancing lead roles. Now, with every passing day, I have started saying more no’s than yes’s to opportunities to leave my house and I have come to equally dread the one thing I desire most: coming back to campus.All of these choices have been solely dictated by an avoidance of overt exposure or movement of my hair. This obsessive behavior started around grade...

3Sep

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Editorial, Op-ed

Mental Health

By Aiman Zehra and Mohammad Basit KhanUniversity is a jumping-off point for many: a sudden, sometimes unwelcome, crossover to an age where protective veils are lifted and responsibilities are attached. The campus, hence, boasts a counselling system put in place for struggling students. But, is it a relief in this stress-induced environment or an added factor?Student grievances right now revolve around the lack of quick availability of counsellors. We realise the difficulty in entertaining requests from large batches of students, larger still during exam season, but it is important to remember that taking the decision to involve a stranger in one’s personal life is taxing in itself. From there on, the road should be an easier one. We therefore urge the counselling office to make greater ava...

Choices and Obligations: To undertake a sense of responsibility

1Sep

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Op-ed, Opinion

Choices and Obligations: To undertake a sense of responsibility

By: Mohammad Basit Khan“We have a moral obligation. We have an ethical obligation. We have a legal obligation. We have a ... human obligation to be caretakers and gatekeepers of your welfare and your wellbeing, and we take that very seriously and we want you to be with us in this enterprise,” said Vice Chancellor LUMS Dr. Arshad Ahmad, during his address at the Town Hall Meeting held on Friday, August 21.When Dr. Arshad first addressed the burning question of campus reopening and declared the ethical standpoint the university had assumed during the 3- hour Zoom call, students were optimistic about having their demands heard at the Town Hall. After all, in the age of COVID, there is no doubt that the need of the hour is for compassion to be our guiding principle and to walk together to over...

31Dec

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Op-ed, Opinion

Digitising the Library

By: Mohammad Basit Khan and Wasay AliAre physical books really a thing of the past? In an era dominated by technology, e-books are all the rage, especially in academic institutions. Fears of obsolescence exist, yet libraries continue to be an integral part of university campuses. Instead, the inevitable has surfaced, in the way of collaboration, as a growing number of reputable universities all across the globe move towards digitization of libraries. At LUMS, the Gad & Birgit Rausing Library continues to thrive as printed books remain at the core of its services. A digitization project has been spotted at the horizon. However, budget constraints, infrastructural limitations, and user preferences on campus appear to be some major hurdles.The merits of digitizing the library make the cas...