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.
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.
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.
THIS WEEK, students who care about the community of trust can strengthen the foundations of our honor system by voting for the consensus clause.
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.
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.
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.
EVEN WITH annual tuitions and fees approaching $40,000 at many institutions, colleges and universities are not losing any persistence at passing the hat.
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.
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.
BLOGS AND the Internet, they say, are going to kill newspapers.Newspaper editors tend to think otherwise.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
EARLIER this month the Board of Visitors questioned and addressed the changes made to diversity programs within the University.
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.
NEEDLESS violence occurs on a regular basis, but rarely has it been to this scale -- in response to a cartoon.
CONSERVATIVES contend that institutions of higher learning remain one of the last strongholds of the left, and the influence of professors on impressionable students cannot be underestimated.
