Opinion

Here’s something that should surprise no one: Time and time again underclassmen go off campus, either by walking or driving, during lunch or free periods. Whether it’s for a Starbucks run or a quick stop at home, sophomores and freshmen frequently leave campus and rarely get caught—yet the rules are still, on occasion, enforced with harsh punishments. If these efforts to restrict students are futile, then why be so strict on such a trivial issue?

Akash Maharaj enrolled at Yale University in 2007. One year and a $32,000 scholarship later, the college found his application to be entirely false; Maharaj had not only lied about his previous educational background, but he had also forged his grade point average and transcripts. Although not all the information was published, Maharaj had gotten into trouble with the school, and while checking through his transcripts they discovered that most of these transcripts were forged.

According to the New York Times, Maharaj is currently being threatened with expulsion from Yale University and will be on trial for larceny and forgery. Although his circumstance may be an extreme example of the results of extensive academic pressure, the trend of exaggerating upon college applications is a growing problem among students. Applicants often feel the need to exaggerate accomplishments because they believe their real achievements do not hold enough merit.

I have a love-hate relationship with anime. I binge-watch anime, Japanese animation, to the point where I can consume a 30 episode series in a week - that's about 20 hours of TV - and then spend the next three days in withdrawal, moping.

It’s hard for some people to understand this addiction. People eye me strangely when I rant about the amazing time I had at Fanime, a huge anime convention 10 months ago, and just muttering the word “cosplay” causes many to shudder in fright at the thought of massive groups of people dressed as the same character from a favorite show. And it's because of these kinds of reactions that so many people, like myself, stay closet anime fans.

It was that time of year again; Extra sleep, almost no homework, and no regular classes. No, not summertime, but STAR Testing. STAR, also known as Standardized Testing and Reporting, is a statewide test given to all students between the second grade and their junior year in high school. Students in elementary and middle school test on English, Language Arts and Mathematics, while high school students cover English and math along with a section related to their current science course, sophomores and juniors take a history star test as well.

To most students, STAR meant taking an easy test and going home early to enjoy a few days without any homework. What most students do not know, however, is that STAR testing can affect their future, perhaps to nearly the same degree as other standardized tests administered during their high school career.

Hundreds of years ago, the average person had no way to receive the latest news. Everything traveled by voice, as few people could read and write. Eventually, the printed newspaper was developed as a way to spread news and propaganda among the people. However, young adults and teenagers have begun to rely on the Internet for almost all their news. Rather than forgetting the newspaper, students should continue to read and learn from it.

Seven years ago, when the Olympic Committee chose Beijing as the location for the games, the Free Tibet campaign didn't do anything substantial to prevent China becoming the host for the Olympics.

Free Tibet, a campaign that protests the abuse of Tibetans by the Chinese government, has decided to take action by boycotting the Olympic games. This act is unreasonable and only shows how desperate the Free Tibet campaign has become, relying on such an important event to make their cause come to light.

It’s that time of the year again. The weather warms up and everyone heads to the beach to lie in sun, returning a nice shade of tan. Oh, except me.

When I go to lie in the sun, I bring my Costco industrial-sized jug of 50 spf sunscreen and prepare to blend in with the white sand beaches, destined to return the same shade of fluorescent white I was when I left.

Sivakami Sambasivam: salutatorian of the class of ‘07, Speech and Debate captain, member of the PTSA Liaison, School Site Council representative, current MIT freshman ... Uma Sambasivam: co- MVP JV basketball player, co-president of science club, and reporter for the school Newspaper… I think you get the point.

A Saratoga driver sits in his car on his way to work in the morning in front of a stop sign, waiting for a line of cars to end. After a while, traffic has not lessened. The number of cars going down Saratoga Ave. is nearly endless. The driver finally attempts to rush through the traffic, barely avoiding another driver in a large SUV going 60 mph honking the horn angrily. Surviving the incident, the driver then makes his way towards his office.