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(09/01/10 5:19am)
At this age, an artisan apprentice would leave the master's studio to live and craft works in solitude. The techniques and styles have changed, but a similar coming-of-age portrait is composed today; with a blurry perspective, we now approach our own blank canvasses. Yet still, like all novices before us, we are given only two paints to draw from: the past and present. For reasons to be illustrated, the present has become our generation's primary color. Now we only dabble in history.
(04/28/10 5:32am)
"The more precise the measurement of position, the more imprecise the measurement of momentum, and vice versa" stated the physicist Werner Heisenberg, in what would become to be known as his Uncertainty Principle. Finally, quantum physics had confirmed what the philosophers always knew: Uncertainty is everywhere. Every individual encounters uncertainty; what separates us is how we choose to respond. Current and soon-graduating students can definitely relate. After the initial University thrill, you begin to feel the nausea of uncertainty during our collegiate hangover. We are told to make judgments in this ambivalence, taking precise aim in the darkness for a target we do not see, shooting for a reason we do not know.
(04/21/10 6:02am)
Humor is no laughing matter. Yes, there are the obvious benefits of humor - laughing releases helpful endorphins and a good joke allows us to "lighten up" and relieve stress. But there are much darker things masked behind the smiling face of comedy. We must confront the clowns of our nightmares and bravely ask, "Why do you frighten us?"
(04/14/10 5:06am)
In these weeks of course registrations and major declarations, of commencement celebrations and graduating frustrations, our future slowly unravels. The typical cast is set, with advisers and parents all playing their roles. Excitement rises as the show begins. Our immediate choices play out on the center stage, but beyond the curtain lies an unforeseeable future. This is that coming of age tale, the timeless story about growing up. But here is a youthful protagonist; his inexperience causes stage fright, and he does not know where to begin. Maybe the actor will halt production, pausing to gain advice from someone who has played the part before. At this University, both students and professors need to revitalize the idea of mentorship.
(04/07/10 6:04am)
There is no cure for the third leading cause of death among people our age. Nor is there a clear understanding of why it is especially prevalent among college students. Many teenagers, staring despairingly into the future, choose to take their own lives and leave us questioning ours. Suicide is not a rare occurrence - an Ivy League student plummeted off the Empire State Building last week and a nine-year-old hung himself in January. Suicide is an emotionally delicate subject and a very sensitive issue. If we want to pursue happiness, we must first understand our Great Depression.\nSuicide, and its precursors of depression or philosophical despair, has long been a subject of inquiry. Common explanations include psychological disorders or mental conditions. Others point to circumstantial evidence: a traumatic experience, impoverished conditions or a difficult chain of events. For the elderly, it could be dissatisfaction with aging. For adolescents, there might be hatred emerging from prolonged bullying. Some scorn self-murder as an act of weakness or selfishness, while others romanticize suicide as the ultimate exercise of free will. These ideas are all important, but limited; they cannot explain many of the suicides among the youth. All of these notions imply causation - something has triggered this to happen. But I think we mask the horrific simplicity of the matter.
(03/31/10 5:34am)
"It's not fair," I tearily protested, "It's just a stupid popularity contest." I was embarrassingly defeated in the 6th grade student council election. A shocking result - my campaign was solid and even the snack-time polls were optimistic. And just before recess, I had discovered politics.
(03/24/10 6:18am)
The proposal coming from Washington last week reflects months of recent speculation. The resulting legislation could resolve the dilemma that our nation has faced for years. I am, of course, referring to college basketball reform.
(03/17/10 5:11am)
We are going to war - a war on terror, a war against nature, a war on sickness, poverty and all of human suffering. Besides these ongoing challenges, the aging of the baby boomers presents even more difficulties. It goes without saying that these tremendous responsibilities soon will be bestowed upon our generation. But before rushing the beaches of futurity, we must deal with a pressing, and depressing, issue: Apathy.
(03/03/10 6:51am)
"Man is the rational animal,"spoke Aristolte, a figure whose achievements are the embodiment of human potential. We are akin to other animals in many ways yet separated by a vast chasm of higher thought. An essential part of our mental development is education. Thus, it is unfortunate that our education system, once the pinnacle of our virtuous elevation, has been degraded to an animal-like undertaking. Modern education is a Darwinian system of competition. Bound by artificial selection and limited by resources, the benefits of learning have been replaced by a struggle for academic survival. Amidst the soils of our upbringing, competition not only hinders our growth - it is in fact the root of our ignorance. The American education system, a machine of which I am a product, needs to minimize competition and refocus on individual learning.
(02/25/10 7:27am)
Before turning the page, I require you to read this article. Such a mandate is not too pleasant, is it? Neither is the University's foreign language requirement, the obligatory two year hurdle in the College of Arts & Sciences. A tedious requisite of this stature significantly impacts the daily studies and academic careers of University students. I think this requirement is enforced unevenly and either should be implemented equally or be optional for all students.
(02/17/10 8:07am)
Eight-hundred and thirty-five Hours. That is how much coverage NBC is dedicating to this year's Winter Olympics, more hours than the past two Olympic Games combined. Besides grasping the staggering financial and logistical arrangements put forth by the network, the question must be asked: What audience is NBC appealing to? Who would watch all of this, more than a semester's worth of class time in front of the screen? I might. Post-Super Bowl and Pre-March Madness, sports have pulled me in yet again. What compels us to return for countless seasons as spectators to this extravagant buffet? I can't explain sports from the athlete's perspective for I never possessed the natural talent or perseverance to even vaguely pursue any kind of athletic achievement. As a lifelong sports connoisseur, however, I can speak with authority about being a fan. In a University community with a broad variety of sports and outstanding student-athletes, we need to increasingly focus on cultivating passionate student-fans.
(02/10/10 8:26am)
In his State of the University Address, President John T. Casteen, III reflected on the past year while also highlighting his storied career. Speaking to a crowd of mostly adults, Casteen called his 20 years as president both a pleasure and an inspiration. Looking ahead, however, he remarked that it would be difficult to "provide a more general consensus about the future." The speech yesterday marked the beginning of a farewell tour which will culminate in the presidential changing of the guard in August. Like so many events at the University, the presidential switch is cast under the shadow of Thomas Jefferson, whose presidential victory in 1800 was a benchmark for the peaceful transition of power. As the sirens of change sound, it is only fitting that we too reexamine our past before reorienting ourselves for a new direction. It will be the role of the students to address the future course of the University, most notably regarding Jeffersonian traditions and the legacy of student self-governance.
(11/19/09 7:03am)
During my first few months at the University, during the extensive meeting and forgetting of people, there is one human trait that I have encountered more than any other: Pride. Pride of one's physical appearance, pride of one's achievements, pride of one's culture; a pride that permeates through the Grounds, a monotonous pride that is subtle during the week but altogether deafening amidst the repetitive post-party stories.