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(10/05/17 3:37am)
As a generally active and engaged student of the University, I’m usually aware of important happenings surrounding the University and I try to be engaged with the surrounding community. Witnessing the tragic events of Aug. 11 and 12 broke my heart, and I, like so many others, was thankful for the outpouring of support from the rest of the nation. The awful actions of Aug. 11 and 12 pushed the conversation of the University’s unsatisfactory history of race relations to the forefront. In many cases, students took the lead in responding to these terrible events, ultimately driving the rhetoric. Students possess another incredible opportunity to shape the narrative surrounding the University’s history — this time driven by the calendar, and not by a few bad actors. The University’s Bicentennial Celebration is kicking off on Oct. 5, and will continue for the next two years. Students should get involved with the celebration to better understand the University’s history and shape its future.
(09/21/17 3:43am)
It was only three weeks into my first year when someone asked me where I planned on living next year. I responded with an incredulous, “I’m only just remembering how to get from my dorm to Gibson, and I barely know anyone here” — but I couldn’t seem to shake the question. Students are supposed to be figuring out where they want to live next year, while this year is only just beginning. This can be tricky for upperclass students, but for first-years it is a high-stakes game of guessing who you’ll be friends with next year. In many cases, the wiser option is to avoid the stress of immediately finding a place to live and wait to sign a lease with people you know you want to live with.
(09/15/17 3:26am)
There are multiple area requirements students need to complete before graduating from the University. These requirements are designed to improve the breadth and quality of education, making the student well-rounded and prepared for graduation. While the drawbacks of this system have been debated, one key piece is missing: real-world experience. If the University is committed to area requirements as a vital part of making students well-rounded and ready for the real world, there should be a requirement that students obtain some kind of volunteer, work or internship experience while enrolled at the University. While school and grades are very important, they are not more important than work experience. In fact, there is a convincing case to be made that work experience is more important than time in the classroom — and this ought to be reflected by the University’s requirements.
(09/12/17 3:28am)
At a University chock-full of libraries, group study rooms and silent reading enclaves, my favorite study spot isn’t in a building at all. I try to study outside as much as possible, and I am not alone in this regard. On warm days, the tables outside of Newcomb and the steps of the Rotunda are packed with students talking, laughing and studying. The demand for outdoor study spaces can be so great that it can be difficult to find an available space. Research also suggests that studying outdoors has many positive impacts, both for students and the environment — expanding outdoor study spaces would benefit the University community.
(09/04/17 3:12am)
The beginning of a new school year represents a fresh start — a time to make new goals and seek different experiences. It is a time to envision what you want your year to look like. The question is, are you seeking new challenges or are you hoping for a low-key, comfortable year? The University provides incredible and often challenging opportunities to tackle, and now is the time to take advantage of them. Avoiding the easy path is the best way to have a fulfilling time at the University, and the beginning of the school year is the time to start on that path.
(05/01/17 4:23am)
Thomas Jefferson once referred to the University as “the future bulwark of the human mind in this hemisphere” in his private correspondence. If this lofty goal is to be achieved, the University must be led by people who share Jefferson’s enthusiasm for intellectual engagement and the lived experience of scholarship. As the University enters a search for its ninth president, it has grand visions for its place in the world for the coming century and must choose its leader carefully. Fortunately, the Presidential Search Committee is prioritizing community engagement, global leadership and student experience — areas which, if pursued, will lead to the selection of a worthy new president.
(04/20/17 5:17am)
On April 12, the annual fundraising extravaganza known as GivingToHoosDay began. It is a broad and well-publicized pledge drive which seeks to raise money for schools, programs and projects across Grounds, and allows supporters to choose which school or program to support. This year over $2.8 million was raised on April 12 alone, with over $3 million being given overall. While the University deserves support, this exorbitant fundraiser falls outside of the purpose of charity, and ultimately directs money away from worthy causes around Grounds and the world.
(04/13/17 5:27am)
Easter is drawing near, which signals the end of lent. Lent is a 40-day period in the Christian calendar where people can take time to reflect and assume certain disciplines to prepare for Easter. This is a helpful time for many to get their spiritual and temporal lives in order. As the author, priest and monk Thomas Keating observed, lent is a “time to renew wherever we are in that process that I call the divine therapy. It's a time to look at both our instinctual needs as well as the dynamics of our unconscious are.” This seemingly antiquated idea is actually incredibly beneficial for all — regardless of belief — and deserves to be supported by the University.
(04/07/17 3:19am)
In a letter to Lafayette, Thomas Jefferson wrote regarding freedom of the press: “The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed. The agitation it produces must be submitted to. It is necessary to keep the waters pure." There has been a recent debate regarding the comment section of websites of news sources and whether they have become obsolete or ineffective. Some prominent news sources, like Reuters and Popular Science, have phased out comment sections entirely. However, the inclusion of a comment section is imperative to fulfill the goal of a newspaper: facilitating discussion.
(03/30/17 5:35am)
Students at the University are expected to be leaders in the community, behave honorably, have the authority to expel other students from the school and do it all while maintaining a respectable GPA. However, asking students to pick their own classes? Clearly too difficult. A recent opinion article argued the Echols Scholars Program’s lack of area requirements undermines the goal of a liberal arts education. A response defending the Echols Program was recently published, but it does not go far enough. In fact, area requirements ought to be abolished for the entire College of Arts and Sciences. Area requirements, while well-intentioned, contradict Thomas Jefferson’s vision for student self-governance, privilege students from larger, wealthier schools and hold intellectually inquisitive students back.
(03/23/17 5:27am)
We are now deep in March Madness, a time when friend and foe alike can bond over busted brackets and amazing buzzer-beaters. My favorite sporting event of the year, it is a huge tournament that has become incredibly popular. It includes storied traditions like improbable upsets, crazy fans and the deep confusion that a billion dollar tournament pays its players exactly zero dollars.
(03/16/17 4:02am)
The University’s honor code makes the school unique. It enhances the reputation and character of the institution, encourages student self-governance by being completely student run and protects the community of trust. As students, we have heard these phrases many times, and it is hard to disagree with the ideals espoused therein. However, the single-sanction policy of expulsion if one is found guilty of an honor offense can, in some ways, harm the community of trust. The honor system and the community of trust could be strengthened if the Honor Committee were to implement a multi-sanction system.