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(11/18/16 10:44am)
Two weeks ago, Viewpoint writer Brendan Novak wrote a piece in which he argued that universities should aim to increase faculty diversity in terms of political ideology. Novak states, “when our beliefs and opinions aren’t challenged, society as a whole suffers.” On this, I agree. Engaging with ideas contrary to one’s own is a vital step in coming to an opinion held with conviction and increases respect for and understanding of those with differing opinions — something that often seems to be lacking today. However, purposefully hiring more conservative professors would hardly achieve this and is problematic in its own ways.
(09/28/16 12:40pm)
A couple of weeks ago, the editorial board wrote a piece arguing the University should cancel classes on Nov. 8 in order to promote civic engagement. The piece argued that by freeing up commitment-heavy schedules for students, voter turnouts would increase among University students. Reducing inconveniences around voting is certainly an important step in increasing voter turnout and ensuring even people who are informed and want to vote are able to do so. However, canceling classes for Election Day will not make a big enough difference in young voter turnout to warrant doing so.
(08/24/16 4:37am)
Over the course of the Olympics, there were multiple allegations of sexism with respect to the coverage of female athletes. Some critics may have a point, but often their claims are blown out of proportion and used to initiate a witch hunt. With a focus on vilifying and labeling those accused as sexist, critics are too often searching for sexism that may not exist rather than highlighting it effectively.
(04/20/16 4:24am)
Signing up for classes can be a stressful time for many students. One reason for this is students’ lack of ability to sign up for the variety of courses they would like to take. Fellow columnist Ben Yahnian recently argued the Student Information System should allow students to sign up for the 17 credit hours they are allowed. While Yahnian makes many great points, I think the University should go a step further. The College should consider increasing the maximum credit load for its students from 17 to 18 credits.
(04/13/16 4:46am)
Last week, Opinion columnist Sawan Patel wrote a piece arguing students should have more freedom in determining test dates. Patel contended that having multiple tests and essays with overlapping deadlines can be a cause of stress that “doesn’t prepare students for the real world.” This, paired with his view that instituting such flexibility could be done with “relative ease,” led to his conclusion that it only makes sense to get rid of our current system of test scheduling. While this idea is sympathetic to the emotional needs and welfare of the student body, it fails to recognize the long-term benefits of having multiple deadlines overlap with one another and the logistical challenges that implementing such a testing schedule would present. Patel’s idea of more flexible testing dates should not be instituted.
(04/06/16 5:34am)
A couple of months ago, Charlottesville Tomorrow reported that Brailsford & Dunlavey, a national real estate firm, advised the University to consider building a 300-bedroom apartment complex for upper-class students close to Central Grounds. No plans are currently set in stone, as a proposal will be made to the next full Board of Visitors meeting in June. Given the growing size of the University, affordability of on-Grounds housing in comparison to off-Grounds housing and proximity to Grounds of the proposed location, I hope the University follows this advice and builds the new residence hall.
(03/30/16 5:21am)
A few weeks ago, Viewpoint writer Lucy Siegel wrote a piece against the death penalty. More specifically, she described how the use of the death penalty after a murder perpetuates the cycle of violence for the victim’s family, as “it does not seem logical that families and friends can receive total closure by witnessing the execution of another human being.” Siegel later contended that, as a result, the death penalty should not be imposed in order to bring “justice and peace” to those left to grieve their loved one. On the first point, I am certainly unable to disagree, especially given that, on average, death penalty cases take 25 years or so to reach ultimate resolution. If two wrongs don’t make a right, then ending someone’s life as a punishment for ending another’s hardly registers as logical. However, I also think there is another important party to consider on this issue: that of potential future victims and their families.
(03/16/16 12:47pm)
Signing up for courses often makes students, especially those just about to enter the University, consider how heavy their course load will be and whether or not they will be able to handle it. Some are able to explore more subjects at the University thanks to their many AP credits from high school. Others, however, find themselves overwhelmed upon enrolling in too hard a course. One way to address this issue is to implement a placement system based on performance on a University-administered test rather than AP scores.
(02/24/16 7:13am)
Under the College’s competency requirements, students are expected to complete a Second Writing Requirement, which is meant to help students refine and develop their skills in written communication. The fact that we have this requirement shows the University understands and recognizes the importance of having the ability to effectively communicate to one’s personal development. However, another skill currently overlooked by the College in the requirements it imposes on students is public speaking. In order to help students develop personally and better equip them to succeed professionally, the University should consider implementing an oral communication requirement into the College’s requirements.
(02/17/16 6:45am)
With the exception of Echols scholars and students who come in with academic credit, all undergraduate students in the College must complete a variety of area requirements. These requirements are meant to ensure that students receive a more holistic and well-rounded education by exposing themselves to multiple areas of study. The foreign language requirement, however, generally fails to equip students with sufficient practical knowledge, and so it should either be restructured to allow for more flexibility or to become more rigorous in material.
(02/10/16 7:31am)
Allegations of sexual abuse have plagued Bill Cosby for many years now, but it was not until just over a month ago that he was charged for the first time. Despite Cosby having not yet been found guilty of those charges, or of assaulting anyone, it seems many have already presumed him as such. This eagerness with which our society appears to label someone as guilty causes me to wonder whether we truly desire justice, or just a need to close cases in order to feel better about wrongs that have taken place.
(02/03/16 5:54am)
With the start of the spring semester, the fraternity recruitment process is underway. For members of sororities, this event comes with a change from previous years, as they are not allowed to attend or participate in fraternity recruitment events. While this rule has been in effect since 2011, this is the first year that the National Panhellenic Conference, or NPC — the umbrella organization that governs the University’s fifteen sororities — has enforced the rule at the University. This enforcement certainly seems a well-intentioned attempt to protect members during what some see as a high-risk period. Still, I am skeptical as to whether this enforcement, as well as the rule itself, is an effective means of protecting sorority members and ensuring a safe community.
(01/21/16 5:05am)
With Donald Trump recently bringing to light Sen. Ted Cruz’s potential ineligibility to run for president, there has been much debate over exactly how a natural-born citizen is and should be defined. It is my hope that if this issue ever does reach the Supreme Court, a natural-born citizen will be specified as someone who is born to a U.S. citizen, regardless of his place of birth. This would better reflect allegiance to this country, while other qualifications may also be set in place to do so.
(12/02/15 5:00am)
A couple of weeks ago, Mark Zuckerberg announced he will take two months of paternity leave upon his daughter’s birth. Similarly, Rep. Paul Ryan recently accepted the position of Speaker of the House on the condition that he would still be able to spend time with his family. My fellow Opinion columnist Matt Winesett has written a piece concerning the media’s reaction to Ryan’s move, explaining that conservative thought can position one in opposition of a federal mandate even for a practice he may support. Mandated or not, paternity leave could have beneficial implications for how we view the roles of men and women in society, in turn narrowing the wage gap. Businesses should also feel incentivized to adopt it due to the positive impacts it could have in performance.
(11/18/15 5:00am)
This semester, two of my fellow Opinion columnists have written pieces concerning the presence of consulting on Grounds and its effects on the University’s community. More specifically, Jesse Berman focused on how the overrepresentation of consulting firms at job and internship fairs can result in apathy towards the events amongst students uninterested in the field. Meanwhile, Will Evans sought to illuminate the dishonorable aspects of entering the financial services sector in an attempt gain a higher status, encouraging students to look to other, “nobler” next steps in life. While both pieces were well thought out and contained understandable concerns, I take issue with the narrow scope of consulting they rely on and the stigma they place on those choosing careers in search of wealth.
(11/04/15 5:00am)
Last month, Opinion columnist Carlos Lopez wrote an article claiming the University’s failure to create a more collaborative atmosphere prevents a truly safe, healthy and educational environment. Lopez raised some legitimate concerns pertaining to the negative effects competition can have on both the University as a whole and its individual students. However, despite mentioning that competition “will always be part of every educational environment,” his article does not recognize it as an inherent aspect of life itself. Furthermore, Lopez fails to acknowledge not only some important positive aspects of competition, but the dangers that could result from a loss of it as well.
(10/21/15 4:05am)
Hoos for Life, a pro-life student group at the University, hosted an all-day event called “The Planned Parenthood Project” in the amphitheater a couple of weeks ago. Such student involvement should be encouraged, as all members of the community should feel welcome to voice their beliefs, wherever those beliefs may lie on the political spectrum. But the nature of the event, which campaigned to defund Planned Parenthood, points to a problem with the pro-life movement’s narrative that renders it ineffective. This problem does not simply lie in its focus, but, more importantly, in its tone and modes of protest, which often estrange people from the conversation the movement aims to facilitate.
(10/14/15 4:10am)
With the next presidential election taking place just over a year from now and primaries around the corner, the media is constantly buzzing with talk of the horserace and whatever trivial topics relate to it, such as Donald Trump’s hair. But there is a much more imminent race that seems to be lacking deserved attention among both the media and the American public: the Canadian federal election.
(10/07/15 4:10am)
Out of the few thousand four-year higher education institutions in the United States, over 800 do not require SAT or ACT scores from applicants. Over 125 of these schools place in the “top-tier” of their respective academic categories, including Middlebury College and Bowdoin College.
(09/30/15 4:05am)
Now that we are at the end of September, public schools are in full swing. Children all over the United States are attending classes to learn lessons that will hopefully prepare them to eventually enter universities and the workforce, and to become responsible and well-informed citizens. Unfortunately, one of these lessons seems to be that girls’ bodies are tempting by nature, and that, as a result, objectifying and harassing them is predictable, and possibly unavoidable. This perspective comes as a result of dress codes and the ways in which they are enforced.