Staff Editorials
Demonstration policies should be clear and consistent
We often crave clarity on University policy, and this clarity is especially necessary when dealing with questions of students’ rights to expression. This became apparent last week when the Young Americans for Liberty constructed and, responding to a request from the University, dismantled a mock Soviet gulag set up as part of a demonstration commemorating the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Homelessness Awareness Week, Thanksgiving should lead to reflection
By now you will have seen that this week is Homelessness Awareness Week, operated by the Student Alliance Against Poverty. It is an opportunity, as we approach Thanksgiving, to reflect. Wash. U. students began sponsoring Homelessness Awareness Week in 2004, and the week holds special relevance in this year’s economic climate.
Homelessness Awareness Week, Thanksgiving should lead to reflection
By now you will have seen that this week is Homelessness Awareness Week, operated by the Student Alliance Against Poverty.
A balanced forum would help students understand energy challenges
Recently, conversations about America’s energy future have consumed Wash. U. From Green Action’s flash mob protest two weeks ago to Student Union’s resolution in opposition to the University’s use of the marketing term “clean coal”; from the appointment of the CEOs of Peabody, Arch Coal and Ameren to the University’s board of trustees to the incipient broadcast of a campus-wide “plan for sustainability,” energy and the environment are on the minds of many on this campus.
WU financial aid may be on the “Honor Roll,” but need-blind admissions should be a priority
The Princeton Review recently ranked Washington University fourth in the nation for financial aid, making it one of 13 universities in the nation that belong to the “financial aid honor roll.” We feel that this ranking, for what it’s worth, is appropriate—Washington University has demonstrated a real commitment to ensuring that students from modest backgrounds are able to attend the University and has gone above and beyond its peer institutions by taking changes in family circumstances into account upon students’ requests and offering several merit scholarships of its own design.
The importance of SU listening to its constituents
As we expressed in a recent editorial, we have been concerned that, in placing too much weight on internal procedures, Student Union seems to have lost sight of how best to achieve its fundamental purpose—representing Washington University undergraduates.
Juniors: It’s time to start thinking about Commencement speakers
You may be absorbed in the midst of recovering from your junior midterms, struggling through your writing intensive, and enjoying or preparing for your semester abroad, but—as difficult as it is to believe—hotel rooms for May 2011 are already filling up because of overzealous parents’ reservations. Believe it or not, it’s time for you to start thinking about Commencement speakers too.
University should consider renewable energy sources
This Monday, members of our student body engaged in a flash mob protest to demonstrate opposition to the framing of Washington University’s “Energy Future” conference. The conference promoted a vision of future energy sources that left out renewable energy such as wind and solar and directed its emphasis to nuclear power, clean coal and genetically engineered biofuels.
Large-scale programming embraces diversity in practice
Our University has a diverse student body, but a criticism oft-levied at the makeup of this campus is that its different factions are prone to self-segregation. Though no amount of programming can fully solve this problem, structured collaboration between student groups is a good place to start.
University should make filling sexual assault post a priority
As detailed in an Oct. 30 article in Student Life, the hiring process for a coordinator of the University’s sexual assault prevention services—an official who would take our campus’s programming around rape prevention to the next level and ensure that there is a comprehensive dialogue—has been stalled yet again.
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