Opinion

Proposition 209, passed by ballot in California in 1996, amended the state’s constitution to bar public institutions from considering race, sex or ethnicity in any publicly funded activity, including employment and education.

According to the American Forest and Paper Association, the average American uses about 748 pounds of paper per year. That amounts to over 900 million trees per year that need to be cut down to supply wood pulp for America’s paper industry alone. Each mature tree can absorb about 48 pounds of carbon dioxide and 60 pounds of other pollutants from the air annually.

“Al’ right class, you have 30 minutes. Time starts now!”

Here’s a typical conversation between two students while at school: “So did you read the English book for homework?” “Nope, I just Sparknoted it.”

The newly introduced PROTECT IP Act, or Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act, PIPA for short, has caused a storm of controversy in the Internet community. And while the Senate’s intentions are sound in creating this act, their methods infringe upon basic freedoms that Americans hold dear.

First offense: zero on the assignment, referral and parent contact. Second offense: loss of points or grade for assignment doubled, referral and parent contact, Saturday school. Third offense: dropped from the class with an “F” grade, five-day suspension, possibility of referral to an alternative educational placement.

At first glance, the penalties for cheating on a test or other “assessment activity” may seem like reasonable disciplines, but are they enough? The continuing struggle with cheating suggests that more precautions need to be taken to ensure academic integrity.

t’s a scary world when a minor can go to her local CVS pick up a box of Honey Nut Cheerios, a box of Kleenex and a pack of Plan B pills.

Thankfully, this situation was averted by the Obama administration’s decision to reject a request from the Food and Drug Administration to let anyone of any age buy the Plan B, or “morning-after pill,” directly from a drugstore.

This is the first time that the Department of Health and Human Services has refuted a decision made by the FDA on the basis that drug makers did not fully assure that the product would be safe for younger girls.

On Jan. 18, visitors to Wikipedia were greeted with a black screen saying, “Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge.” A black rectangle censored the Google logo and directed users to sign a petition against Internet censorship. Numerous other websites—Tumblr, Reddit, Craigslist, and more—all engaged in some sort of protest.

President Barack Obama made numerous suggestions in his State of the Union address in January regarding infrastructure spending, insider trading and tax reform, to name a few.
But his suggestion to mandate high school attendance until graduation, or age 18, struck close to home. While his proposal may have good intentions, its disadvantages heavily outweigh any significant advantages.

As he continues to campaign for re-election in 2012, it seems as though President Obama has ended 2011 on a negative note. In December, he signed a controversial and immoral defense bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act, also called the NDAA.