As that old proverb says, all good things must come to an end. At long last, to the joy of some and the great disappointment of others, you’re reading my final column of the semester. While I won’t miss the hate mail, I’ll miss this great opportunity I had to speak to my peers. Here are some of my final thoughts before I go.
Confession time: After four semesters of reporting and editing, writing in first person is going to be a challenge. So, buckle in.
The stress of this job has killed our social, physical and spiritual well-beings. Still, we have learned more than two things that have made us the people we wanted to see in the mirror when we were 7 years old.
On Friday, there was a bomb threat at my old high school. The school went into lockdown, and people were scared out of their minds. It turned out the bomb was not real. However, as we have seen over the last few years, these stories of terror in everyday places like schools, churches and concert venues do not always have a happy ending. Innocent people have their lives snatched away from them for no reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump terminated Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an executive order by former President Barack Obama which gave undocumented people who came to the U.S. as children protection from deportation for two years. This order was also renewable.
Potential trigger warning: This column cites anti-LGBTQ+ quotes in an effort to demonstrate how we must vote against anti-LGBTQ+ politicians.
In a way, the process of how rapidly and expansively a new meme spreads is impressive. Someone takes an image that is only mildly funny and then does something to it that suddenly renders it into a new creative medium of expression. If the meme is hot, “memelords” from around the internet will start using the new template and begin the production of new content utilizing this meme. For a few days, it will be the only meme you see on the internet, until it dissolves into irrelevancy just as quickly as it entered it, the ultimate fate of every meme.
In about two weeks I'm going to graduate. It’s been an interesting four and a half years, filled with ups and downs, things I expected and others I never thought would. I didn’t think I’d end up at UF, but I sit here now and realize this was where I needed to be. I'm happy with how the last four and a half years transpired, and now I wait for the next.
Nicole (which is not her real name) was a freshman, a virgin and a long way from her Midwestern home. She indulged in the staples of first-semester college life like alcohol, fraternity parties and boys. Although she had heard stories of sexual assault on campus, she never thought its reach would extend to her.
Last week, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced that the FCC would terminate the Obama era regulations on net neutrality, which is the idea that all data on the internet is equal and that it should be treated as such. This decision was met with intense backlash from politicians, members of the media and tech companies across the country. Hashtags and social media campaigns have even emerged with the predictable hyperbole. Some users and news sites are warning that a repeal of net neutrality would cripple the First Amendment and would bring the end to a free internet. Newsflash: It’s never been free. So which side is in the right here?
For the next two weeks the majority of us will be bogged down by endless assignments, finals and lengthy papers. While it’s easy to lose your motivation and throw up your hands, I hope you have the strength to finish strong.
A guy friend of mine recently crashed a girls’ night out. It was a Thursday like any other: unnecessary wedges, ‘90s song requests and all we could drink. It even ended where all GNO’s should — at the Flaco’s Cuban Bakery window. Just one thing kept me from calling the night a success, however. That night, I learned one important thing. Nothing spoils an arepa more than these words from our token dude: “I didn’t know girls talk about guys so much.”
Throughout life we are encouraged to have a “Plan B.” Didn’t get into UF? Clown school it is. Leonardo’s By the Slice is closed? Italian Gator it is. We miss the pill, or the condom breaks? Then we seek out the Morning After Pill (MAP) as soon as possible.
A couple of days ago, a video of Malia Obama blowing smoke rings went viral. The internet flipped out. Everyone either sang her praises or was deeply offended. “Go, Malia! I’m glad you’re having fun in college and doing your own thing! Get it, girl!” Or, “How dare she! What a delinquent. As a daughter of a former president, she should not be behaving in this manner.” There was a third response, which was something along the lines of, “Who cares?” This whole incident brought to mind something I find very important. It is also something frequently underemphasized, particularly in this day and age. This, dear reader, is the art of minding your own business.
Roy Moore. Al Franken. John Conyers. Bill Clinton. Harvey Weinstein. Bill O’Reilly. The list goes on. The past year has brought an onslaught of sexual harassment and assault allegations from Hollywood and Washington, D.C. It’s sad and telling that this is at least the second time this semester I’ve written about this topic, but it’s not going away anytime soon.
In this political climate, it can be tempting to surround yourself with like-minded folks and call it a day — online and offline. On our social media, it would be easy (and, let’s face it, understandable) to unfollow every user who posted a status update or wrote a tweet decrying a politician you admire or denouncing a policy you believe would help people. You could even replace the lost profiles with more accounts of people who agree with and amplify your views. But is this the right thing to do?
As I’m sure you're aware, Thursday is Thanksgiving. As I’ve wished friends and classmates a happy holiday, I’ve gotten mixed reactions. Some wish me the same. Some gush about family traditions and Thanksgiving foods. Some talk about seeing their families for the first time in four months. Some talk about partying with high school friends. Some, however, scoff at the well wishes. They say they hate Thanksgiving because it celebrates colonialism and the abuse of Native Americans. They hate it because they can’t stand their families (or their families’ political beliefs). They hate it because they don’t like the food or are the only vegan or vegetarian at the table. Or, they hate it because they find it hard to give thanks in that environment.
“I’m low-key scared he’s going to sexually assault me.”
In 2004, after serving as a college dean for two years, I asked my director of human resources for input on my performance.
When I first read Tom Stoppard’s play, “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead,” I was in what I like to dub the first great existential crisis of my life. It was my senior year of high school and the only thing that gave me any sense of purpose in my life was focusing on college applications. Getting into college — my top choice, specifically — was the only goal I had. After that, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study or what I wanted to do. I was beginning to realize the be-all and end-all of my high school life was not the be-all and end-all of life.
Solutions by The State News
