Learning on the job
As my first year at the University heads into its final weeks, I have started to look back at the opportunities I did or did not take advantage of. Some of the year is a blur — late nights with friends and early mornings for Navy ROTC. But there is a number of experiences which [...]
Read moreA friendly reminder
Since last Wednesday, students at the University and other institutions across the nation have been mourning the death of 19-year-old Zachary Brunt. A graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and an engineering student at Yale, Zach was a scientist and musician whose long, curly hair and eccentric dance moves were just [...]
Read moreAffordable change
In recent months, President Obama and administration officials have dashed across the nation trumpeting the two-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare — a title the administration has embraced as of late. In his rhetoric, the president has revisited the most prominent theme of his 2008 campaign for the presidency: [...]
Read morePreaching to the choir
Gonzaga University faces another test after finals and before its class graduates. The school, a private university affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, has drawn criticism from students, faculty, alumni and others for having invited Desmond Tutu to speak at its commencement. Tutu is a Nobel Peace Prize winner best known for his activism against [...]
Read moreMade in Germany
For anyone looking for challenging, worthwhile courses to take next year, I invite you to consider the German department. Why learn German? Here are just a few reasons. German thinkers, writers and artists are influential to any subject you might wish to study — consider Einstein, Freud, Nietzsche, Kafka and Klee, to name a few. [...]
Read moreA final writing exercise
I am not a fan of endings. And, here, there’s no disguising it: Final Exercises, or, in layman’s terms, graduation is right around the corner and, for me, an end to seven years of higher education. I find myself at a loss, not least because I can’t completely explain my trepidation. Unlike some of my [...]
Read moreFor what it’s worth
Gussied up prom-goers and their camera-toting parents swarmed the Hotel Roanoke Saturday, directing, adjusting and posing as they documented the beginning of a night of a high school version of glitz. Below a balcony where some of the young stars stood for their paparazzi, a decidedly less glamorous crowd gathered for the Virginia Press Association’s [...]
Read moreBy the numbers
13: The number of bills Gov. Bob McDonnell signed this week concerning energy policy 1: The number of state budgets McDonnell has yet to sign 85 billion: The approximate amount, in dollars, of the state budget for the next two fiscal years 77-19: The margin by which the House of Delegates passed the state budget [...]
Read moreParty planning
Student Council discussed plans Tuesday to host a summit this summer between students and legislators to address fiscal issues in higher education. Legislative Affairs Committee Chair Jonathan Klaren outlined this event, which is meant to address growing concerns about state appropriations and rising tuition. This summit is certainly a noble project, and we have some [...]
Read moreNo surprizes
“The Pulitzer is for the birds — for the pullets. It’s just a dummy newspaper publicity award given by crooks and illiterates.” So wrote Saul Bellow, in his novel “Humboldt’s Gift,” which went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. That was in 1976 — then, in 1977, no winner was awarded in fiction; [...]
Read more