After the Democratic National Convention selected President Barrack Obama as the Democratic candidate for the 2008 presidential elections, his competitor Hillary Clinton conceded to her supporters that, “Although we weren’t able to shatter that highest, hardest glass ceiling this time, thanks to you, it’s got about 18 million cracks in it.” Clinton’s concession was an…
California’s reluctance to save water is problematic
Last week, California Governor Jerry Brown officially declared California in a state of Emergency Drought. A dry spell in precipitation and record-low snowpack levels have devastated California’s aquifers, causing harm to the agricultural industry and increased water costs for urban Californians. In response, Brown mandated that civic water consumption be cut by 25 percent. This…
The role of race in Chicago police’s abuse of power
A Chicago Police Department (CPD) detainment facility located at Homan Square has recently raised questions about the way the department handles detainees. A key issue is that many suspects are taken to the facility and detained there for excessive periods of time without being able to contact lawyers, family or friends. Essentially, suspects brought to…
Bibi is not my buddy: How many American Jews view Israel
The majority of American Jews are Democrats. According to the Pew Religious Landscape Survey, 47 percent of American Jews voted for the Democratic Party in the 2012 presidential elections while only 17 percent voted Republican. Another fact: American Jews don’t care about Israel as much as you might think they do. In an additional survey…
LUCC’s proposed housing policy changes are wrong for our community
The Lawrence University Community Council [LUCC] will soon vote on a new policy that will bring the theme house application process and the formal group housing application under one system, titled “Lawrence Group Housing.” As our system currently stands, student groups applying for theme houses are awarded a one-year contract and are not required to…
Two perspectives on the anti-vaccination movement: What is the government’s role?
The anti-vaccine movement, which started as a relatively limited movement several years ago, has mushroomed into a controversy that is unnecessarily endangering the health and safety of many Americans. There are a host of reasons why parents are opting out of vaccinations. Some opt out of vaccines for religious regions, and some opt out due…
Political correctness curbs discriminatory language
Free speech is our most lauded and controversial constitutional right. Every generation has seen the notion of free speech challenged and defended in the political arena. If one thing is clear about free speech, it’s that it isn’t entirely clear what its limits are. Do we have an obligation to bend an honest ear to…
Will sorority parties prevent assaults?
Last week, New York Times opinion writer Juliet Lapidos made a case for having sorority parties as an alternative to fraternity parties. She defended a policy that allows sorority houses to hold parties in their own home. By providing a “home field advantage” to sororities, women can exercise greater vigilance at parties involving heavy drinking.…
Duke’s questionable return to religious roots
No symbol of recently inflamed Islamophobia was more poignant than the Duke University administration’s decision not to hold a Muslim prayer call from the Duke Chapel. The decision, which was likely a political one determined by the complex web of relationships between school administrators and trustees, hardly has any real justification beyond its hidden, bigoted…
Responses to Ferguson in a two-party system
As we know, the last few months have been particularly ugly for Americans after the non-indictment results for the cases surrounding the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown. Consequently, the discourse within mainstream media regarding the issues has been especially ugly. The most notable aspect of the debates about police brutality is how sharply…