2008 Woodie Awards
One of the lesser-known purposes of academia is to provide moral leadership for society. This comes across through the high ethical standards that professors are held to - they may not lie or commit plagiarism without endangering their careers. Our moral leadership is also conveyed through honorary degrees.
When Andy Card first visited the University of Massachusetts campus on April 11 to give a speech at the inaugural "Talking Politics" lecture, he was greeted with a wide variety of protestors. From students with signs, to students imitating war wounds, the meaning was apparent: this man helped to mislead the country.
The crux of the matter is… Three weeks ago, less than a day after the shootings at Virginia Tech, Max Karson was in trouble. In a women's studies class discussion at Colorado University, he had offered his sympathies to the shooter, Seung-Hui Cho. He was "angry enough to kill," he said, and he understood what would drive someone to do so.
With the recent announcement that the Recording Industry Association of America has issued a new wave of letters to college campuses across the country, fear was stricken into the hearts of students everywhere. After all, it's been postulated by survey after survey that the majority of undergrads download, so one could assume that a lot of individuals have put themselves in harm's way.
I am 21 years old and I still live in the dorms. It's a long story about why, but nevertheless, I do. While I can't wait to move off campus, I must admit that there really is something to be said about dorm life. It's fun and somewhat comforting to have the ability to walk down the hall and "drop in" on one of your friends.
As the 2008 presidential primaries heat up, I am less than enthusiastic. There are essentially six major candidates, and I'm not thrilled with any of them. The three major contenders on the Democratic side are Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards.
In recent conversations, it has been brought to my attention that what this country needs right now is to reinstate the draft. Yes, you did read that correctly, and no, it's not supposed to be funny. It is becoming more and more apparent that the disapproval rating of the Bush administration's war with Iraq continues to increase, and that the dissent isn't just on liberal college campuses anymore; it's gone national.
There's a fairly common sentiment these days that America is in trouble. Our democracy is ossifying while the public tunes out. With the middle class disappearing, social inequality is on the rise. Individual and national debt are both through the roof.