Opinion

Opinion

Consensus nonsensus

By AJ Kornblith | February 22, 2006

ABOUT A year ago, I wrote a column about how student government here at the University had survived spring elections by the skin of its teeth, fending off an aberration dubbed "the consensus clause" by supporters by only half a percent of the vote. Now, a year later, a minimally moderated version of that same proposal that would just as effectively set the status quo in stone has made the climb to the ballot box.

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Opinion

Triviality: not trivial

By Alexander Hawkins | February 22, 2006

SHAKESPEARE said, "That which we call a rose by any other word would smell as sweet." The Bard has a point here.

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Opinion

Digging ourselves deeper

By Stephen Parsley | February 22, 2006

JUST A MONTH ago, American policy in the Middle East seemed to be proceeding fairly smoothly. President Bush's plan to promote democracy in the region, while encountering obstacles, at least showed clear progress in Afghanistan and Iraq.

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Opinion

Thinning the smoke

By Rajesh Jain | February 22, 2006

I SMOKED a cigarette once in my life and haven't made the same mistake since. Smoking over a long period of time poses about as many health risks as frequenting a toxic waste dump.

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Opinion

Not a sight for sore eyes

By Matthew Warring | February 21, 2006

THE SHORTCOMINGS of the new Observatory Hill Dining Hall have become common knowledge. The facility's architecture, layout and expense are frequently cited as the greatest failings of the O-Hill project.

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Opinion

Reaching a consensus

By James W. Head and Thomas B. W. Hall | February 21, 2006

THIS WEEK, students who care about the community of trust can strengthen the foundations of our honor system by voting for the consensus clause.

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Opinion

The right to clean air

By Daniel Bagley | February 21, 2006

I AM NOT a smoker. In fact, I have never smoked a cigarette in my life. That being said, I am appalled at the latest attempt by the Virginia Senate to act in loco parentis by banning smoking in most privately owned restaurants and bars.

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Opinion

Accountability in higher ed

By Allan Cruickshanks | February 21, 2006

IT SEEMS the accountability push in education has finally reached the uppermost levels, and as the old saying goes, it has been promoted just beyond its highest level of competency.

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Opinion

Consensus clause trickery

By Cari Lynn Hennessey | February 21, 2006

WHILE the Honor Committee is brainstorming new ways to influence the outcome of jury trials, a separate group, Students for the Preservation of Honor, has proposed yet another "consensus clause," a ballot measure that would severely limit the ability of the student body to change the honor system during elections.

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Opinion

Donors beware

By Eric Wang | February 20, 2006

EVEN WITH annual tuitions and fees approaching $40,000 at many institutions, colleges and universities are not losing any persistence at passing the hat.

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Opinion

A referendum on honor

By Anand Kanoria | February 20, 2006

THIS UPCOMING election, one of the referenda on the ballot will be the consensus clause. The consensus clause states that to change the single sanction system in the honor code, 33 percent of students will have to vote for the change.

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Opinion

Rewarding merit

By Noah Peters | February 20, 2006

ONE OF the great strenghts oftheAmerican university system is its competitive character. The University community worries constantly about its status as one of the nation's top public universities, and rightly so: Our position is precarious and can change at any moment in this cutthroat world of competitive admissions.

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Opinion

Expanding coverage of university events

By Lisa Fleisher | February 20, 2006

BLOGS AND the Internet, they say, are going to kill newspapers.Newspaper editors tend to think otherwise.

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Opinion

Searching for a president

By Zack Fields | February 20, 2006

ALL THREE candidates for Student Council president support the three most important current student initiatives: the living wage, on-Grounds production of green energy, and purchase of renewable energy credits.

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Opinion

Rethinking hate incidents

By Daniel Colbert | February 17, 2006

ON THURSDAY, the University Judiciary Committee voted on a proposal to submit a referendum to the student body creating harsher sanctions for violations of the Standards of Conduct "motivated by the age, color, disability, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation or veteran status of the victim." This proposal, though well-intentioned, is more dangerous than it is useful because it poses a threat to individual liberties and has little chance for success in decreasing such incidents. The most obvious difficulty with the idea is that it is difficult to ascertain the true motives behind a hate incident.

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Opinion

Shooting for gun control

By Marta Cook | February 17, 2006

A PPARENTLYquailhuntersposeas much a threat to national security as terrorists. Last weekend, Vice President Cheney and his friend Henry Whittington, a 78-year-old attorney, were hunting quail in Texas, and the vice president sprayed his companion with birdshot.

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Opinion

Comic beliefs

By Prashanth Parameswaran | February 17, 2006

THE FALLOUT from the recent Danish cartoon saga has torched buildings, shattered business contracts and sent waves across the debate of how to deal with the Muslim world without encroaching our ever-so-valuable democratic rights.

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Opinion

The dilemma for conservative women

By Josh Levy | February 17, 2006

A NERVOUS student stands amid a sea of expectant faces in Washington D.C. "How can women be active in conservative politics, yet still be loving wives and mothers?" Anne Coulter asks.

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Opinion

Steps toward diversity

By Adam Silverberg | February 16, 2006

EARLIER this month the Board of Visitors questioned and addressed the changes made to diversity programs within the University.

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Opinion

V is for victory

By Erika Pearson | February 16, 2006

A COLLEAGUE heard I'd be acting in this year's production of "The VaginaMonologues" and high-fived me for having the courage to "dance on stage dressed as a giant vagina.