Opinion | Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

General education distracts from major

By Laura Ellermeyer | Mar. 21, 2011

It sometimes seems that high school curricula and “When am I ever gonna use this crap?” go hand in hand. Elective requirements in high school may seem like funny time wasters (I carried a fake baby around for a week and loved every second of it), but as we neared graduation, we looked forward to the end of electives and fixed our gazes on more serious coursework that was actually relevant to a topic and career we chose.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Gator Nation stands together for Japan

By Ben Meyers | Mar. 20, 2011

There are moments in time when I am immensely proud to be a Florida Gator. Thursday was one of them. No, it wasn’t due to many students’ impressive performances on St. Patty’s Day. It wasn’t even due to our dominance in basketball. It was due to the sight I witnessed at the candlelight vigil in commemoration of the disaster in Japan. Hundreds of students sat huddled in the Reitz Union Amphitheatre. There were students from all communities and cliques. Unity prevailed as all the students joined in praying for those affected by the tragedy and committing to doing all they can to help. We heard emotional tales of those here who know individuals who lost their homes and even their lives. Though the words were in Japanese, the emotion transcended language and generated compassion from all in attendance.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Critical analysis of evolution needed

By Zack Smith | Mar. 20, 2011

Nearly everyone agrees that critical thinking is a skill essential for children to develop as early as possible.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Smaller issues not federal concerns

By Bob Minchin | Mar. 17, 2011

The economy is in the tank. Unemployment is stagnant. The budget crisis has brought us to the brink of a government shutdown. Libya is burning, and Egypt is still in turmoil.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Republicans suppress voters, voices

By Chad Mohammed | Mar. 16, 2011

The saying “If you don’t use it, you lose it” does not only apply to exercise and health.

OPINION | COLUMNS

People too obsessed with idea of time

By Wesley Campbell | Mar. 15, 2011

Time is a pretty interesting thing. Daylight saving time? More like nightlife-losing time. Correct me if I’m wrong, but we can all thank Ben Franklin for its invention.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Major selection: security over dreams

By Laura Ellermeyer | Mar. 14, 2011

My mother recently forwarded me an article that listed some popular college degrees, spotlighting ones the author considered “winners” and “losers.” His rankings are not the focus, but rather the article’s topic.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Freedom, fairness support traditional marriage

By Zack Smith | Mar. 13, 2011

Freedom and fairness are two of the bedrock principles upon which our nation was founded. As such, they provide potent pressure against any who appear to disfavor them.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Government redundancies inexcusable

By Bob Minchin | Mar. 3, 2011

Picture this scenario: It’s lunchtime. You’re hungry, so you go to Orange and Brew for a panini. You place your order, and because you have an unlimited meal plan, you hand the cashier your meal card. When you get your sandwich, the cashier demands that you pay for it again using your debit card. When your tuition bill comes due, you see that the price of the sandwich was added to your statement, forcing you to pay for it a third time.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Gerrymandering a lingering problem

By Chad Mohammed | Mar. 2, 2011

It’s a weird day in political La-La Land when the Tea Party members and Democrats agree on an issue.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Study abroad vibe available at home

By Wesley Campbell | Mar. 1, 2011

Everyone wants to study abroad. You rarely come across anyone who looks back on their experience negatively. They have their stories, and when they recount one, there are smiles on their faces and a twinkles in their eyes that tell you how much they value those memories.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Chain looks to fix what isn’t broken

By Laura Ellermeyer | Feb. 28, 2011

Starting in March, Starbucks customers will experience a slight alteration to their experience in the form of an updated logo. Starbucks recently unveiled the design, which while not very different omits the text from the famous emblem.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Planned Parenthood’s funds need trim

By Zack Smith | Feb. 27, 2011

That name inevitably evokes a knee-jerk reaction from all who hear it. For some, it is an organization providing needed health services to men and women, while to others it is a force perpetuating one of the greatest moral crises of our time.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Do you really know what’s going on?

By Bob Minchin | Feb. 24, 2011

We have been bombarded lately with media reports about a wide range of spectacular events. Middle East unrest, budget crises, government shutdown warnings, pirate slayings and government officials on the run in the Midwest have captured the attention of all who keep even cursory tabs on the news.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Gator athletes deserve compensation for game likenesses

By Brett Wager | Feb. 23, 2011

Over the past few decades, the market for video games in the United States has grown exponentially and has become a wildly successful and lucrative business within the entertainment industry. Sport video games have become a particularly flourishing genre of the industry and comprise approximately 15.3 percent of total game sales.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Collective bargaining under pressure

By Chad Mohammed | Feb. 23, 2011

The year 2011 certainly has been the year of the protestor, from Cairo to Yemen to — Wisconsin? In the past three weeks, Madison, Wis. has been the epicenter of a larger political schism in the works since November. As newly elected governors reveal their budgets, many Wisconsin Democrats and workers feel that the governors’ budgets focus more on excising the ability of unions to collectively bargain, a right that ironically originated in their own state.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Feeling emotion from statistics is difficult

By Wesley Campbell | Feb. 22, 2011

We have a strange way of looking at tragedy and what’s important. It is our nature to be unconcerned about issues that do not directly affect us. I don’t know which is worse – the people who display complete ignorance of how their actions today will change the future, clinging to antiquated views through a misguided notion that to “stick to your guns” is a virtue despite new evidence, or whiny, liberal types who only care about issues as long as the problem doesn’t reach their doorsteps.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Social network gains staying power

By Laura Ellermeyer | Feb. 21, 2011

In high school, our designated picture taker was Katie. Pictures were a must, and somebody had to take on the burden of snapping all the photos we’d instantly upload to Facebook and comment on for weeks. Katie never complained; in fact, she enjoyed it to a point it could get annoying.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Quiet de-funding presidential elections

By Zack Smith | Feb. 20, 2011

With Big Bird facing extinction, the federal government on the verge of a shutdown and protests rocking the Middle East as well as our own state capitols, a hallmark of our electoral system for the past quarter of a century was quietly slated for the death chamber.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Comparison shows ineffective spending

By Bob Minchin | Feb. 17, 2011

“Do it my way, or the government will be shut down!”