On April 2, 147 students at Garissa University College were massacred by members of Al-Shabaab, yet prime-time American news outlets were deafeningly silent on the matter.
As of late last night, the grand jury presiding over the shooting death of Michael Brown, Jr., reached the conclusion to not charge Darren Wilson with criminal charges for the shooting death of Brown.
In recent news, the Stony Brook College Democrats have come under fire from the College Republicans for a rally in support of Tim Bishop that they believed violated Federal voting laws.
“Do something you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”
How many of us have heard this line of rationale? I know that I have all throughout my life, and I am sure you have too.
In recent news, Ray Rice, a star running back for the Baltimore Ravens, was suspended due to a video being leaked of him knocking his wife, Janay Palmer, out cold.
This year, according to Newsday, around 200 incoming freshman will dorm at a Dowling College dormitory, due to the university accepting more students than it can find rooming for on campus.
Old, grey buildings blot the landscape, water marks running down their sides like weeping giants. The barren trees jut up like spires, piercing the grey sky above, while a soft drizzle slowly patters off of the concrete pathways between buildings. If you thought I was describing a bombed out city in a barren wasteland, you would be wrong. I was actually describing my walk from the Humanities building to the Union last Tuesday. Many students across campus have grumbled about the ugliness of the buildings on campus, and the problem does not look like it is going to be solved any time soon.
If you have been paying any attention at all to local, national, or international news networks over the past couple of weeks, you might have noticed the escalating situation over in the Ukraine. Or maybe you have not, because you have been living under a rock. I’m not going to judge. So, for those of us who may not know so much about the conflict, let me give you a very brief overview of what is going on.
Walking around campus, you may have seen advertisements for “Homocon.” Regardless of what one may initially think, Homocon was an event in which an openly-gay conservative, Jimmy LaSalvia, came to speak to Stony Brook students about how homosexuals, along with homosexuality in general, are becoming more accepted in the Republican Party. He also discussed the role they can play in bringing the Republican Party back to its roots: economic and social conservatism.
Last Wednesday, I attended the “Blood Donor Policy Panel” in the Charles B. Wang Center Theater presented by Stony Brook University’s Blood Donor Equality Movement. To be honest, my original purpose for going to the panel was to satisfy the “Hot Topic” event requirement for my undergraduate college. As soon as the panelists were introduced, my attention was fully devoted to the discussion on stage.
Walking around campus these past few weeks, you may have noticed a certain flyer hanging up on the advertisement boards with a smiley face on it. A group of students, with the help of others from outside organizations, are looking to cut Walmart out of the list of approved vendors from which clubs and organizations can purchase goods and supplies. This list of vendors includes other retailers such as Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Costco, and Target, among others.
So, imagine this: two groups of people are arguing about something. Neither side is willing to concede anything to the other side, let alone try to reach a compromise. They won’t even meet with the other group of people because they are so entrenched in their own opinions. Does this sound like what you might find on an elementary school playground? Yes, it does. It’s also what is currently happening in the government of one of the most powerful nations on the face of this Earth.
