We would like to congratulate Herman Cain on the most recent reveal of his commitment to the opposite sex. On Tuesday, a woman came forth claiming that she and Cain had a 13-year affair until he began running for president. He would pay for her plane tickets out to conferences, where the two would carry on all sorts of intimate activities.

As Thanksgivig approaches, the Student Life editorial board lists what they are thankful for this holiday season.

Yesterday, Congress held hearings on the Protect IP Act and the Stop Online Privacy Act (SOPA), two pieces of legislation introduced in the House and the Senate, respectively, that would drastically change the Internet—and not for the better.

In the aftermath of the Penn State sexual abuse scandal, the school’s student body had the opportunity to react in a constructive manner. Unfortunately, what began as a show of support for Coach Joe Paterno devolved into a riot protesting the legendary coach’s firing.

In late October, health officials in St. Louis notified the general public of an E. coli outbreak in the region. Speculation pointed toward lettuce at five Schnucks supermarkets as the source of the deadly bacteria (which is now not proven), and officials from both the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control were summoned to St. Louis for investigation and treatment.

This weekend, 35 Washington University students went to Washington, D.C. to join with other protestors in forming a ring around the White House. They were protesting the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, a project that would connect the Canadian tar sands to oil refineries in Okla. and Texas.

Student Life reported today on the state of the National Merit Scholarship Program (NMSP) at Washington University. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation sponsors a $2,500 scholarship for select finalists—Wash. U. participates in the NMSP by extending this scholarship, awarding these scholars $2,500 each year from their sophomore to senior years, and by sponsoring a $2,000 annual scholarship for every other NMSP finalist attending Wash. U.

This week, students will have the opportunity to vote on a variety of constitutional amendments for Student Union. These amendments need a two-thirds majority to pass. The issues are important, and it is important for students to be aware of the potential campus-wide consequences of the votes.

Last month’s increase in crime in neighborhoods where a significant number of Washington University students live has attracted plenty of attention. In response, off-campus neighborhood patrols have been visibly increased, to the relief of students and parents alike.

Washington University, while consistently attaining very high positions in national rankings, does not fare quite as well overseas. According to the recently published Times World University Rankings 2011-2012, Wash. U. comes in at No. 38 behind No. 23 University of Washington and No. 29 University of California, Santa Barbara.