Today's Opinions: The mysterious history of the letter X

Plus: Plus: Ending legacy admissions. Pausing rate hikes. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

PUBLISHED BY READ ONLINE | SIGN UP Get the news — and make sense of it, too.   By Drew Goins Assistant editor In today's edition: Harvard should put its money where its mouth is and end legacy admissions The Fed's rate hikes were wise, but now it ought to hold off This op-ed is brought to you by the letter X A scholarship off the old block Students walk through a gate at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., last month. (Michael Casey/AP) Quick: Cover the ears of the elite high school fencers in your lives. All good? Okay: It's time to end the admissions practices at top private colleges that disproportionately benefit wealthy White students. ADVERTISEMENT   Columnist Jennifer Rubin today took on Harvard University specifically and its long-standing leg up for legacy applicants — the children of alumni. Fully 70 percent of applicants pulling a legacy or donor card are White, her column observes, and nearly half of eventual White admits are athletes, legacies or some other special qualification. But that's the way it's always been at Dear Old [Elite School]! Jen argues that that's all the more reason to reconsider. She writes: "If ever there were an example of the pernicious effect of systemic racism, it is the assumption that 'the way things are' is neutral and acceptable." In 2021, Amherst College took a hard look at its legacy program and did away with it. The Editorial Board applauded the decision to "abandon the discredited policies of another time" and encouraged other schools to join in. Now, with affirmative action eviscerated, the necessity is even clearer, Jen writes. And Amherst, though admirable, doesn't have the same influence as that school outside Boston. Harvard has a chance to "prove its devotion to equal opportunity for all," Jen writes, and "set a standard for the rest of elite higher education." ADVERTISEMENT   Chaser: Contributing columnist Larry Summers earlier this month laid out a road map to equitable admissions. Nixing legacy boosts is just the start. From columnist Henry Olsen's piece advising the Fed to cool it with the economy-cooling. Henry was long in favor of aggressive Fed rate hikes to counter the consequences of pandemic-era stimulus programs; Americans had squirreled away money during covid and were spending it like crazy. But now, Henry writes, Americans are almost at the end of that money, and "no one yet knows what will happen when the flood of consumer spending subsides." The most prudent thing the Fed can do now is watch and wait — especially to see how its already enacted rate hikes kick in. Otherwise, Henry writes, "continuing to raise rates after this week's meeting risks a significant overcorrection." Less politics  (Ann Telnaes/The Washington Post) If Elon Musk's reasoning for renaming Twitter as "X" still seems incomprehensible, just know that air of mystery is appropriate. X has been a symbol of the unknown at least since algebra made its way to Europe in the 16th century. Professor Johanna Drucker, author of a book on the origins of the alphabet, has a very fun op-ed explaining the allure of X, from its roots in the Semitic sign "samekh" to its role in modern commerce that so appeals to the "self-promotional Musk." X has moved around in the alphabet, something other letters rarely do, and along the way picked up all sorts of contradictory meanings. As Drucker writes, "X marks loss, something absent, but also stands for kisses in the final line of a message." Who knows? Perhaps, against all odds, it can morph once more for Musk to mean success. Smartest, fastest Last year, Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, urged Ukraine to seek peace over total victory. Now columnist Jason Willick is wondering: Was he right? Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson's campaign for the GOP nomination isn't going much of anywhere, but the Editorial Board writes that he and his ideas deserve to be taken seriously. It's a goodbye. It's a haiku. It's The Bye-Ku. Not just legacy! We also pluck from top sports, Like social climbing *** Have your own newsy haiku? Email it to me, along with any questions/comments/ambiguities. See you tomorrow!     Manage my email newsletters and alerts Unsubscribe from Today's Opinions | Privacy Policy | Help You received this email because you signed up for Today's Opinions or because it is included in your subscription. ©2023 The Washington Post 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071