The University recently announced that 21 campus buildings have tested positive for lead contamination in their water supplies. Despite acknowledging the situation, the University has not disclosed the names of these buildings outside of indicating they are most likely townhouses. Although lead contamination does not pose a life-threatening risk for college-aged students, the University should, in the interest of full transparency, disclose those buildings immediately.
The University announced recently that it is looking to install a Starbucks cafe in the first floor of Gelman Library. The new facility would convert one part of the 24-hour reading room into the facility while retaining the rest of the space for studying. While the cafe could help advance the well-known University goal of fostering a sense of community, the decision to spend a significant amount on the facility is ill-timed given the current budget constraints.
by
Jason Zimmerman
The word "anti-Semitism" has been tossed around more frequently in the past few months - mainly because of the recent release of the movie "The Passion of the Christ." Rather than allow people who spout anti-Semitic rhetoric to go around unchecked, I decided that, as a Jew, I had a duty to be an opposing voice. However, I wasn't confident enough about some of the details of my religion, nor was I fluent enough in my religious history, to actively engage in a debate. So I turned to the Internet, and with the help of the No. 1 search engine, Google, I hoped to better understand what it actually means to be a Jew. I sat down, turned on my monitor, went to Google's homepage, and typed "Jew" in the search box. One of the first links that came up was a site that was created and maintained to promote anti-Semitic opinions and ideals.
by
Will Alexander
I grew up in D.C. and attended predominately black schools throughout my youth. Within that limited cultural enclave I heard and used the word "nigga" a lot. There, the connotative or colloquial usage is very dynamic, in that a slight change in context can change from one of extreme endearment to that of disdain. "My man Goose from high school, that's my nigga." Or as Chris Rock most notably expressed in a standup routine, "I like black people, but I hate niggas."
