Following the recent Troy Davis execution controversy, the Washington University Pre-Law Society presented a panel of experts to discuss the practice of capital punishment and whether or not racism plays a role in implementation of the death penalty.

Last weekend, I logged onto Facebook to see what was going on. As I studied my newsfeed (which has changed 15 times in two years), some pretty striking statuses came to my attention. They spoke of ignorance and racism, specifically targeting some freshman girl, Claire Ferguson. I saw several different statuses as I scrolled down, and wondered what was going on.

Squaring off against some of their toughest competition of the year, the Washington University men’s and women’s cross country teams placed fourth and sixth, respectively, at the Univeristy of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Brooks Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 16.

As college students, we grapple with striking that balance between idealism and pragmatism when we articulate our views on the political and social issues of the day. We are criticized for failing to see the full picture and middle ground, yet our voices are a sound of hope that represent the full, dreamland potential of our nation.

Allow me to first clarify some things so that the content of my opinion piece will be received within context: I am black, I am a junior, and I am from Harlem, N.Y., originally born in the South Bronx, New York City. Both areas are predominantly made of people of black, Puerto Rican and/or Dominican descent.

One of my friends asked me to help him put an outfit together for a concert we went to last week (which made me feel special). As we were driving to the venue, he made the comment, albeit jokingly, that we were twins, except I’m white and he’s black, which threw us into a conversation about race perceptions today. I feel in the same way that even if we don’t realize it, here at Wash. U.

St. Louis happenings for the week of March 1, 2010.

I just got back from the Martin Luther King Jr. celebration in Graham Chapel and was deeply moved by professor Bob Hansman’s remarks about the true meaning of King’s life. For those who missed it, Professor Hansman reminded us that King was not a mere dreamer and proponent of conciliation, but a fierce and often critical advocate of true justice.

Several studies about roommate over the summer fount that interracial roommates can reduce students’ prejudices and broaden their friend circles.

Washington University students and members of the local community will take part in the Take Steps for Kids 5K Run/Walk around campus this Sunday.