Opinions

Library fines, as many of us know, are some of the most annoying things on the planet. I haven’t met any librarians who have said they were all that important, yet libraries continue doling them out like it’s the new hottest thing to do. Library fines, ostensibly, have one or both of the following as their goal: to deter individuals from stealing books, or to punish those who do steal. In this article—half-seriously, half-satirically—I hope to demonstrate that neither of these goals is sufficient to justify the imposition of fines...

Over the past week, boxes were placed at various locations around campus for a project called “Ask a Minority.” Next to each box is a list of the different student diversity organizations who will be answering questins posed to them through these boxes via the Facebook page, “Voices of Marginality.” The description on the Facebook page reads, “Inspired to action by the University of Puget Sound Confessions page, Voices of Marginality represents an attempt to create a unified voice for the student diversity clubs on campus.” Although I do support...

Government-backed student loans have become an integral part of college tuition payments and, for many of us, these loans provide the only outlet of affordability as college prices continue to shoot through the roof. But the interest rate for Subsidized Stafford loans is set to jump up from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent on July 4. The new deadline marks yet another budget standoff in congress, something that has become almost routine since the last election. This increase, set to affect the new batch of students beginning college next year,...

April Fool’s Day 2013 was a productive time for the internet.  Netflix got us all with categories entitled “TV Shows Where Defiantly Crossed Arms Mean Business,”  Movies Starring Estelle Getty and Some Other Guy,”  and, (my personal favorite), “Movies Featuring an Epic Nicolas Cage Meltdown.”  I read a few satirical articles, looked at some pretty funny photoshop jobs, and was altogether pleased with the comic festivities until I came across one particular article, on a Maryland school board’s alleged vow to remove the letter ‘L’ from alphabet curriculum – because...

Last week brought us just about the best and the worst sides of our government. Judging by the amount of equal signs spreading like wildfire on Facebook, I am sure many of you were aware of the Supreme Court’s hearing regarding the appeal of Proposition 8 in California, which banned gay marriage in the state’s constitution back in 2008. The hearing has us relishing in a period of social awareness and progressive change, during which old prejudice and restrictive laws vacate our lives as the government begins to listen to...

Same-sex marriage legality has recently become a major question at the federal level, with the Supreme Court deciding to hear two cases, one regarding Proposition 8 and the other the Defense of Marriage Act, that have the potential to put an end to the debate. On an episode of the satirical television show, “The Colbert Report,” that aired on March 27, Stephen Colbert acted devastated that so many people, including Bill O’Reilly of the Fox News show, “The O’Reilly Factor,” are actually in favor of same-sex marriage. On March 26,...

Last week, there was a holdup in a 2nd grade classroom. Or at least that’s what Joshua Welch’s teacher assumed when she witnessed the boy playing with his food.   Joshua, a 7 year old at Park Elementary in Maryland, nibbled his pop-tart-like pastry into the shape of a gun. The moment he pointed it at another student he was reprimanded by the proper authorities and his parents received a rather unexpected phone call home. Instead of a stern talking to or perhaps a lesson on violence, school administrators felt...

There is a revolution happening on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus, and it’s one that deserves attention across the nation.  UNC sophomore Landen Gambill is facing enormous backlash over speaking out about her experiences with her ex-boyfriend – experiences that she claims ended in rape and verbal abuse. To create a timeline, Gambill and her ex-boyfriend were together during their freshman year at UNC.  During this time, Gambill claims she was the victim of repeated verbal abuse and unwanted sexual advances until such time that the...

On January 26 it officially became illegal for consumers to unlock cell phones purchased after this date in order to use them with a different carrier. The Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington, made this decision in October 2012. Unlocking cell phones was previously allowed as an exception to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998. The ban has not, to say the least, been well-received by the populous. It has, in fact, been so ill-received that a petition was submitted to the White House. The petition was created on...

Nobody seems to really know what it is or where it came from. It was never supposed to be like this. Both political parties say the other side started it, that they were dragged along helplessly as federal expenditures were held hostage. For a while it looked like both parties in the House were going to come to a deal, but ideological hard-liners blocked any chance at meaningful negotiation and, in the process, slashed spending on student work-study programs. Tens of thousands of students may lose the very thing that...

Get your last Big Gulp while you still can New Yorkers, for on Mar.12, New York City will take the term “nanny state” to a whole new level when it begins its ban on all sugary beverage containers that exceed 16 oz. Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s decree, enforced on all eating establishments that receive a health letter grade, is another attempt to make his city a healthier place to live. The City health department began sending brochures to affected businesses last week, informing them of the new regulations and fines that...

In November 2008, California passed Proposition 8, an amendment that officially banned same-sex marriage in the state. Prop. 8 has been viewed by many as unfair and discriminatory, and on Feb. 28, the White House issued a brief to the Supreme Court urging them to overturn the controversial law. The brief presents the question of “whether Proposition 8 violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.” President Obama’s stance on same-sex marriage has recently become more pronounced, even more so now that the administration has decided to play an...