Editorial: The year in review
Issue date: 4/28/09 Section: Opinion
We at the Independent live issue by issue. We manage our time in two-week chunks of time. Sometimes this means that we often do not see the forest for the trees. We focus our time and efforts on one issue without stepping back and noticing the year altogether. This is our time to step back.
Certain issues and stories stand out to us here at the Independent. Some were fun to write about while others had to be carefully researched and deliberately worded. These are just some of the stories that have kept us busy this year.
Alpha Phi Lambda suspended for hazing
Drastic measures were taken when two reports of hazing were investigated and found to be accurate. The Greek Chapter was then suspended for this semester and all current members are inactive. Next semester only five members will be allowed to reactivate the Chapter. This decision was met with a lot of mixed feelings and opinions.
First Amendment protected by students
The first amendment of the constitution protects against any laws that restricts, among other things, a person's right to peaceably assemble and their freedom of speech. This year we had both of those things reach a fevered pitch. During the summer the administration proposed their "Policy Concerning Demonstrations on Campus, Distribution and Display of Visual Communications and Solicitation of Signatures on Campus." Basically, this policy meant that any kind of demonstration, or any flyers that were going to be passed out, would have to be approved by the university. This issue quickly exploded both in real life, and on the Internet, as protesters rallied in Village Square and bloggers (both associated with the university and not) wrote lengthy posts on what this policy was trying to do and what it meant for the university and students in general. This is a topic that might have mellowed a bit, but is still being discussed and argued about.
Computer error creates "Bomb"
The bomb threat at the Ronald Williams Library earned a front-page story but that's not the reason we at the Independent remember it. A layout error where the picture erased the rest of the title left the headline a bit bare except for "Bomb." While this explained what the story was about, it was not what we were striving for. It did, however, create a positive outcome. That issue was the most widely read issue of the semester. We will remember few headlines from our time at the Independent, but we will always remember "Bomb."
Certain issues and stories stand out to us here at the Independent. Some were fun to write about while others had to be carefully researched and deliberately worded. These are just some of the stories that have kept us busy this year.
Alpha Phi Lambda suspended for hazing
Drastic measures were taken when two reports of hazing were investigated and found to be accurate. The Greek Chapter was then suspended for this semester and all current members are inactive. Next semester only five members will be allowed to reactivate the Chapter. This decision was met with a lot of mixed feelings and opinions.
First Amendment protected by students
The first amendment of the constitution protects against any laws that restricts, among other things, a person's right to peaceably assemble and their freedom of speech. This year we had both of those things reach a fevered pitch. During the summer the administration proposed their "Policy Concerning Demonstrations on Campus, Distribution and Display of Visual Communications and Solicitation of Signatures on Campus." Basically, this policy meant that any kind of demonstration, or any flyers that were going to be passed out, would have to be approved by the university. This issue quickly exploded both in real life, and on the Internet, as protesters rallied in Village Square and bloggers (both associated with the university and not) wrote lengthy posts on what this policy was trying to do and what it meant for the university and students in general. This is a topic that might have mellowed a bit, but is still being discussed and argued about.
Computer error creates "Bomb"
The bomb threat at the Ronald Williams Library earned a front-page story but that's not the reason we at the Independent remember it. A layout error where the picture erased the rest of the title left the headline a bit bare except for "Bomb." While this explained what the story was about, it was not what we were striving for. It did, however, create a positive outcome. That issue was the most widely read issue of the semester. We will remember few headlines from our time at the Independent, but we will always remember "Bomb."
Be the first to comment on this story