Whether or not we choose to acknowledge it, climate change is real.

When we surf the internet, the last things we think about are how safe we are and whether or not we are putting ourselves at risk.

To say Stony Brook University’s campus is diverse is somewhat of an understatement. Our students come from all walks of life; they come from different races, religions, nationalities, sexual orientations and not to mention have extremely varied personalities. Knowing this, wouldn’t it be neat if someone classified all these people? Maybe by giving each quad a distinct, defining characteristic? Or even better, an actual character? How about some of the most famous characters of all: the Greek Gods.

As much as college is a mission to obtain a degree, it is an opportunity for us to find ourselves. Nonetheless, what we often fail to take note of is that although in college we try to find ourselves, if we are lucky--or unlucky, depending upon how you see it--along the way may find someone else.

You often hear of people obtaining high school, undergraduate or even graduate degrees through online courses offered by a school or university. They obtain the same qualifications as someone who physically attended classes, paid full tuition and thoroughly took part in high school or university life. They go through the same course work, the same exams and the same stresses as their “not as advanced” peers. Recently, Stony Brook University announced that its online graduate program has moved up in the “U.S. News and World Report” rankings; it was at No. 25 in 2013 and recently jumped three spots to No. 22.

The list of possible guest speakers to come to Stony Brook University is out and the names are, to say the least, quite impressive. Among them are Dennis Rodman, NBA legend and “Diplomat to North Korea”; Michio Kaku, world-renowned theoretical physicist; Lil B, famous rapper; and Spike Lee, film director and producer. Each of these men will undoubtedly will share indispensable insight on topics ranging from politics to music to science, but nonetheless, to me, there are two that stand out for distinct reasons.

When you were a kid, Halloween was a time of trick-or-treating, dressing up as your favorite superhero or monster and just spending some quality time with the family. In college, however, it takes on whole new meaning for most students: party! Whether you are a promiscuous bunny or an eerie zombie, the bottom line is, because it is Halloween, you want to go out and have some fun. Here at Stony Brook, sadly, it is easier to say you are going to have fun than to actually do it. Having fun at Stony Brook is a chore.

No matter how we boil it down, it is extremely obvious that Stony Brook University is primarily a science school. Despite the University’s most sincere efforts to promote other academic concentrations, which are also among the most prestigious programs in the nation, the path that an overwhelming portion of the student body chooses is a physical or biological science. Out of the five most popular majors at our University, there are four science majors that consist of thousands of people. The numbers are somewhat staggering. The number of science majors presents obvious problems: extreme competition and running the risk of making the school seem one dimensional. So how does the school handle this overcrowding? It makes introductory level classes that are geared to make young minds want to quit and choose another career or major altogether.

On Monday, Sept. 16, 2013, thousands of Stony Brook University students picked up The Statesman and found an article titled, “Mac Miller concert: a reflection on our generation?” It’s curious that the article’s author, Tejen Shah, should propose his title as a question because he doesn't leave room for any conversation.

The Stony Brook University campus is so vast and multidimensional that it is impossible for any force, no matter how powerful and resourceful, to monitor it in its entire at any given time. This realization brings me to the controversial question: are we safe on campus?