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(04/29/10 5:32am)
In response to the unfortunate incident of racial bias last week, when a group of students shouted racial slurs at another group of students, University students may be tempted to respond by calling for changes to our honor code or University Judiciary Committee by-laws, effectively giving these groups the authority to punish students who engage in certain speech and behavior. Responding to these sort of incidents by granting judicial bodies more authority is not the path the University should take. Rather, there are more effective - and Constitutionally appropriate - ways for the University community to respond to this type of incident in a positive manner and show support for those personally affected.
(04/21/10 6:01am)
The Foxfield Races is certainly one of the University's most popular traditions. Who doesn't love a sea of pastel, Lilly Pulitzer dresses, floppy hats, food, drinks and, oh yeah, horses. It is one last hurrah before students get saddled down with final papers and exams and begin hibernation in Clemons Library. Although it is definitely a fun tradition that many alumni of the University cherish, both students and the University should take measures to ensure everyone's safety at this year's events.
(04/14/10 5:08am)
While many fourth-year students are still stressed out about post graduation plans, first-, second-, and third-years are trying to line up prestigious summer jobs and internships. Some of them are debating whether to take the job that makes parents everywhere cringe: the unpaid internship. There has been a lot of buzz recently about this issue, with the United States Department of Labor beginning to crack down on companies that hire unpaid interns. The Department of Labor believes that some of these companies may be violating certain minimum wage laws. This is a tricky issue for many reasons, but should we really be trying to eliminate this practice?
(04/07/10 5:58am)
Last week, Students for Individual Liberty hosted Adam Kissel from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) who spoke to a group of students about speech codes on college campuses. The University continues to receive FIRE's lowest designation of red light for the University's policies on freedom of expression. According to FIRE, "a red light university has at least one policy that both clearly and substantially restricts freedom of speech." Although there are dozens of issues that President-Elect Teresa Sullivan will have to address next year, she should certainly make the University's stance on freedom of speech a priority.
(03/31/10 5:33am)
The living wage campaign seems to be making a comeback. Currently, the University imposes its own minimum wage of $10.14 per hour for employees directly employed by the University, although Workers and Students United claim that some workers who should be making this amount, such as individuals working for subcontractors, are in fact paid less. The organization wants the University to pay its workers a "living wage" - about $11.44 per hour, by most calculations. Yet, is this truly the best solution for the University and its employees?
(03/25/10 5:30am)
If you are 15 years old in this country, you can't drive, vote or get married, but you can be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Sound strange? Eighteen is the age where our society deems you a legal adult. It is the age when you can first vote, buy cigarettes and sign legal documents. It is the age when our society deems a person responsible enough to make his or her own decisions. Yet, in certain places around the country, we are trying teenagers - and sometimes even children - as adults for crimes they committed when they were minors. This leads to harsher sentences, including life in prison without parole, which is far too extreme for childhood offenders.
(03/17/10 5:10am)
It is clear that many University students break the honor code. You could probably find this out by conducting a University-wide survey or using some equation, but all you really need to do is to take a look around when you are taking your next exam in a huge lecture hall. Now I am not saying that everyone at the University cheats, but I think most people would agree with me that the vast majority of cheating that does occur goes unreported. This scenario is only likely to continue. In a 2008 Honor Committee survey, only 44 percent of respondents said that they would report an honor case if they witnessed a clear violation. So why is this the case? There are probably many reasons.
(03/03/10 6:52am)
Under 21? Want a credit card? It just got a whole lot tougher for you to get one. The Credit CARD (Card, Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure) Act of 2009 went into effect Feb. 22. Although there are many complex provisions in this law that aim to protect consumers, there are a few in particular to which college students should pay especially close attention. One aspect of this law is intended to prevent young people from accruing large amounts of debt that they will be unable to repay, but by accomplishing this, the law will also make it much more difficult for responsible young people to obtain a credit card to build credit or to finance emergency expenses.
(02/25/10 7:31am)
MTV'S new reality show "16 and Pregnant" just launched its second season, which promises to be even more dramatic than the first one. For those of you who haven't had the chance to see the show, "16 and Pregnant" chronicles the story of a pregnant 16-year-old each week, beginning with the end of her pregnancy and continuing for about two months after the baby is born. While an initial worry of the show was that it might idealize teen pregnancy, this hasn't been the case. Rather, MTV has done an exceptional job of documenting the both the emotional and financial challenges facing teen parents and their families.
(02/17/10 8:08am)
I used to be strongly opposed to all kinds of guns. I wanted them banned everywhere - public places, schools and homes. Then one of my friends presented me with the following scenario: You are sitting in a large lecture hall where you don't get any cell phone reception (ie. the Chemistry Building), when someone walks through the door and starts shooting at you and more than 400 of your classmates. Then he asked me, "Would you rather have a gun or would you rather not have a gun? At the very least, would you be praying that one of your classmates or your professor had violated the University's ban on guns that day?" Initially, allowing guns on college campuses might seem counter-intuitive, but if the unthinkable ever happened and my friends and I were ever in such a situation, I would want us to have the ability to at least attempt to defend ourselves rather than simply have to hope and pray we get lucky.
(02/10/10 8:29am)
The Lawn is clearly a special place. Not only is it the centerpiece of Thomas Jefferson's vision for what a university should be, but it is also where we begin and end our experience at the University, through Convocation and Graduation. The Lawn is arguably the toughest place to live on Grounds. Each year hundreds of hopeful third-years submit applications with the goal of earning the elite status of Lawn resident. On Friday, this year's applicants will find out whether or not they have been granted a Lawn Room, and because of the competitiveness of the selection process, not everyone will be satisfied with the outcome. Though each year seems to give rise to more and more criticism of the Lawn selection process, it is way past time for some serious discussion about who gets to choose each year's Lawn residents.
(02/03/10 6:24am)
It's BLIZZARD Part Two, and once again the University and greater Charlottesville area are covered in a rather thick layer of wondrous snow. I must admit that I have started to become almost numb to reports about lots of snow, having been disappointed far too many times in the past by overly zealous weathermen, who might lead you to believe a blizzard is imminent, when in reality you wake up the next day to sunny skies. It was thus a pleasant surprise to actually wake up on Saturday to a thick blanket of snow covering the ground. Many students were probably hopeful that this amount of snow would amount to at least a cancelled class or two on Monday, but, as most of us know, it takes much more than eight inches of snow for the University to cancel classes. Nevertheless, the snow was a much welcomed break from the stresses of school and a great way for students to interact with the local Charlottesville community.
(01/27/10 6:12am)
What a difference a year makes! This time last year, President Barack Obama had just been inaugurated, coming off a beautifully executed campaign and resounding victory in the presidential election. He wasn't the only Democrat who had a huge victory that year either - a number of other Democratic politicians jumped on the Obama bandwagon and used the excitement he created to get elected. The 2008 election was clearly the result of a combination of the public's disgust with the direction the country was taking and the excitement of a candidate who would hopefully bring fresh ideas to Washington. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were becoming more and more unpopular, and the economy was beginning to go seriously downhill.
(12/02/09 5:38am)
As the end of the semester approaches students will be spending an increased amount of time in the library. Recently students have expressed concern regarding safety in University libraries. Most students have probably received at least one recent e-mail regarding alleged suspicious activity by individuals in or near Alderman Library. It is easy for rumors to get started and spread very quickly, especially with e-mail. And while the allegations that were circulating over e-mail may or may not have taken place, there are steps that both students and the University can do to ensure student safety, especially during finals.
(11/18/09 6:43am)
Would you give a kidney to your mom? Dad? How about a brother or sister? Friend? Absolutely. How about a complete stranger? Hmm. Have to think about that one. While the majority of us would gladly donate a kidney to someone we love, far fewer of us are willing to do the same for someone we have never even met. Currently the only way to receive a kidney in the United States is through altruistic donation - meaning that someone voluntarily gives you a kidney and receives nothing in return. This is due to the National Organ Transplantation Act, which prohibits donating an organ in exchange for "valuable consideration." In the past few decades, the need for kidneys has far outpaced their supply. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, there are nearly 105,000 people waiting for organs in the United States. The majority of these patients are in need of kidneys and around 4,400 people died waiting for a kidney in 2007 alone. If patients are fortunate enough to receive a transplant, it will usually come only after they spend years on the waiting list. We are in dire need of kidney donors and there are different views on how to solve this crisis. Since the current policy is obviously not working, something must change. Why not compensate donors for their time as well as their life-saving gift? This would cause more people to consider organ donation.
(11/11/09 5:53am)
For those younger than 21-years-old here at the University, the wait until your 21st birthday, when you are finally treated like an adult by society, can be seem like an eternity. 18-year-olds, whom we deem mature and responsible enough to vote, get married, and be drafted and die for our country, do not like being told that they are too young to drink a beer. That is why many underage students here at the University practice a little "civil disobedience" and drink anyway. Unfortunately, this can lead to dangerous binge drinking and is one reason that the legal drinking age should be 18, not 21.
(11/04/09 6:49am)
Health care reform, if passed, will affect every man, woman, and child in this country. Because of the voluminous legislation moving its way through Congress, it was great to see the Miller Center sponsor "Health Care Reform Panel: Policy, Economics and Ethics." The panel featured a number of prominent University professors with different areas of expertise, and overall the panel did a good job of outlining the proposed reforms. It was apparent, however, that the majority, if not all of the panelists, were in favor of the types of reforms currently being proposed in Congress. For example, the panel culminated with one audience member speaking to the audience, at the permission of the moderator, about how we need to call Senator Mark Warner and tell him to support the strong public option that "we want." She even gave us his phone number, which one panelist then wrote on the chalkboard, urging us to call. Perhaps next time, this type of panel can include experts with more diverse opinions.
(10/28/09 5:07am)
A few weeks ago, members of Queer and Allied Activism (QuAA), presented The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later, an epilogue to The Laramie Project, a play written in response to the tragic death of Matthew Shepherd.
(10/14/09 6:18am)
President Barack Obama has recently been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize amid a great deal of controversy. He received the award on his 262nd day in office, a truly astonishing feat considering the deadline for nominations was a mere 12 days after he had been inaugurated. The committee who selects the recipient praised their choice saying that "only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future."
(09/30/09 5:55am)
Like many of my fellow fourth-years, I have recently begun searching for that nasty little three letter word that makes all of us want to run away screaming in Godzilla-like fashion: a job. Friends don't dare mention it and we are constantly reminded of the fact that the economy is still in a recession. But you miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take, right? Initially feeling totally lost in my job search, I had considered taking drastic measures. Luckily before I did anything desperate like handing out my resume to the parents of the six year-old soccer players I coach at our first practice, I went to the Career Services Web site for some advice. There I found a plethora of information right at my fingertips, and I encourage all job seekers to take advantage of this resource.