Opinions

Bring back Midnight Breakfast!

It was one of our most anticipated and popular, indeed, one of our only, traditions that we have at our school: Midnight Breakfast. Until this year, on the last day of classes every semester, ASUPS would give out free breakfast food to students late at night while bands played, games were offered, and students celebrated the end of classes. As fun as it was, Midnight Breakfast was not without its issues, so this year the event has been canceled as ASUPS considers alternatives and improvements to Midnight Breakfast. The problem...
Opinions

It’s still too early to predict the presidential race

Looking at the news, it would appear that we are in the midst of a presidential election. But in reality, the next election is one and a half years away, which is an eternity in election politics. We’re barely halfway through Obama’s second term and he’s already being pushed out the door. This endless election cycle lessens the excitement of electing a president. It also leads to politics that are hyper-partisan, news that is sensational and an electorate that is misinformed. There is no reason to pay attention to the...
HighlightsOpinions

University’s research on rats inhumane: usage of rat testing in psychology labs is unethical, cruel

Many readers may be surprised to learn that there is a class in the Psychology Department at the University that conducts animal research. The course—the so-called “rat lab”—partners students with rats in order to understand how learning occurs and behaviors form. Students condition the rats to perform tricks, such as jumping through a hoop or shooting a ball into a goal, by withholding water from the animals until the student is satisfied with the result or the rat’s effort. Students typically devote the entire semester to teaching the rat to...
Opinions

Students share responsibility for campus safety

Security Services is often viewed negatively by students for enforcing the rules on campus, going unnoticed and unthanked for their more important role of keeping us safe. Although many students are unaware of it, Security on our campus is actually very professional. Security Services seeks to ensure that our campus is secure, but if students are not supportive or cooperative with this mission, then there is only a limited extent to which we can be safe. For this reason, Security wants all of us to more actively help keep campus...
Opinions

Veganism explained

Veganism is often mocked when it comes up in conversation. By now, many people have heard the joke, “How do you know if someone is vegan? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you.” Well, the same could be said about all types of diets, including those that adhere to religious or health concerns, such as when someone is kosher or diabetic. Even omnivores will tell you what they can or cannot eat because we all have individual tastes and reasons for why we eat what we eat. But the way we think...
Opinions

Diner encouraged to decrease paper waste: a school that promotes sustainability wastes huge amounts each day

Think of all the waste that could be eliminated if there were no more “to go” containers in the S.U.B. Everyday at the Diner in the S.U.B., hundreds, if not thousands, of paper plates and cups, plastic utensils, and wrappers are thrown away. Instead of opting for reusable dishes, many students choose disposable tableware that creates an enormous amount of preventable waste. A “take out” culture, in which even students who eat their food in the Diner often use disposable dishes, thrives on our campus. According to workers in the...