At Lawrence, there are two main judicial systems governing student life: Honor Council, which deals with violations of the university’s academic Honor Code; and Judicial Board, (J-Board) handling breaches of the Social Code. Both honor council and J-Board are required to maintain a degree of secrecy to protect students’ privacy; however, a degree of transparency…
Staff Editorial: Dr. Paul Farmer’s Convocation
Dr. Paul Farmer inspired the future doctors and activists among us while informing others on the current state of global health equity in his convocation, “In the Company of the Poor.” The ideals and strategies in the convocation were applauded by all in attendance. However, not all found his casual and personal method of speaking…
Staff Editorial: American Sign Language at Lawrence
While Lawrence University offers a healthy variety of languages, we currently lack any curricular opportunities to learn American Sign Language (ASL). While ASL is not technically a foreign language, it remains unfamiliar to many Americans. Our society lacks the ability to communicate with the deaf community, which studies estimate includes over one million Americans. As…
Letter from the editor
This final production represents the farewell issue of the dedicated staff members of The Lawrentian 2013-14 Editorial Board. These last 12 pages are the ultimate product of lessons learned over the course of countless Wednesday nights filled with frantic editors, faulty printers and late-night pizza orders to cure it all. When we first began three…
Staff Editorial: Consider the standardized test
Lawrence University recently participated in “Defining Promise: Optional Standardized Testing Policies in American College and University Admissions,” a nation-wide study which attempted to analyze the difference between the success rates of students who submitted standardized test scores and those who did not. The study found only “trivial” differences between the two. Though score-submitters performed slightly…
Staff Editorial: An unfortunate truth about networking
By now many Lawrentians, but especially seniors, are beginning to consider the prospect of ditching old jeans for slacks and sharing a cubicle with a disenchanted fifty-something worker in the ‘real world.’ It can be a sobering thought. Adding to this frustration is the often-necessary process of networking. Presented as a casual chance to simply…
Staff Editorial: Reading Period should be a Break
Sometimes the stars align with class syllabi so that some students are stuck with three exams or presentations just before or after reading period. This needs to change. As an institutional practice, reading period provides a four-day weekend at the end of sixth week. For the preceding six weeks, Lawrentians have put in extensive hours…
Staff Editorial: Considering the tuition increase
On the final day of January, Lawrentians checking their inboxes were treated to an email from President Mark Burstein announcing that “The full-time tuition for the 2014–15 academic year has been set at $42,357 […] this brings the total comprehensive fee to $51,465,” meaning a “3.5 percent increase in tuition and a 3.51 percent increase…
Staff Editorial: Athletics and Academics Cohesion
Congratulations are in order for newly elected LUCC President Jack Canfield and Vice President Devin Ditto. We look forward to seeing them lead LUCC over the next year. The policies they decide to implement can have a significant effect on student life here at Lawrence, and because of this, it is important to discuss one…
Staff Editorial: A noteworthy LUCC vote
Though most students on campus may be abuzz about Trivia, another Lawrence tradition took place this week: the 46th annual LUCC Executive Elections. Two candidates ran for president, while the vice president position went uncontested, a slightly sparse election compared to last year, when three candidates ran for vice president. This is not unexpected. Student…