Opinion

Opinion

PATEL: The case for mandatory vaccination

By Sawan Patel | February 10, 2015

Anti-vaccination advocates claim there is no reason for Big Brother to tell them what to do with their children. This is not, however, a private concern. Public health requires coordination by all members of society to cooperate for communal health. The violation of that trust for reasons that border on irrational is not a demonstration of individual liberty but it is rather individual selfishness.

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Opinion

CARSON AND LEWIS: An odious debt

By Greg Lewis and Kelly Carson | February 10, 2015

The national student debt clock now stands at more than $1.2 trillion. In Virginia, almost 60 percent of students graduate with debt. The price tag of public higher education has long been a shock for poor students — the net cost of Virginia’s system is the fifth highest in the nation. These numbers are inexcusable.

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Opinion

​No concealed carry at schools

By Managing Board | February 9, 2015

There is no obvious reason civilians need to carry firearms at schools — certainly not concealed ones. At least at our University, with an undergraduate population numbering above 14,000, the potential for a mistake — a student failing to turn on “safety” on his gun; a student mistakenly suspecting someone of being dangerous and responding by use of his firearm — could have grave consequences.

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Opinion

​BROOM: The virtue of proactive coverage

By Christopher Broom | February 9, 2015

Though I pointed out some issues with sources and sourcing last week, the reporters of The Cavalier Daily generally do a good job of telling us what happened. But, as with much news reporting, it is after the fact and in many cases informs us all about an event or issue, but too late to do anything about it should one wish.

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Opinion

YODER: The moral failures of the honor referenda

By Richard Yoder | February 9, 2015

But it will be impossible to have that discussion if the advocates for a multi-sanction system maintain that the Committee is not concerned with morality as such. To argue or imply, as the authors of Referendum Item One do, that the “fundamental purpose” of honor is student self-governance is to err grievously. It is also historically inaccurate.

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Opinion

MENNINGER: Give student athletes a proper orientation

By Nate Menninger | February 8, 2015

I argue that since student athletes live a different life, the University should implement an orientation program or class for incoming first-year student athletes in order to ease and accelerate their transition to a comfortable and safe collegiate athletic experience.

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Opinion

Take steps toward privatizing ABC

By Managing Board | February 6, 2015

Currently, ABC stores' success is limited by bureaucracy: the department runs like a government agency and not like a business. Because of this, running ABC stores can be very difficult. According to Albo, it can take up to six months for ABC stores to procure products — a turnover time private businesses do not face.

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Opinion

HARRINGTON: The case for read receipts

By Elaine Harrington | February 6, 2015

The utility of read receipts demonstrates the truth is often useful. When a 10 p.m. text is left unread, the sender can concede you are asleep and will not be going out tonight. If you’ve read a roommate’s “lost my key, leave the door unlocked” text, she knows you’re aware of the situation.

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Opinion

KHAN: Reevaluating drinking culture at Dartmouth and beyond

By Hasan Khan | February 6, 2015

If anything, flat out banning all hard liquor is not the answer. Prohibition is a tactic that has failed in the past, and nothing will stop it from failing again. Nor should the extreme measure of ending Greek life be taken; such a decision would only further alienate the student body from the administration.

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Opinion

What does Teresa Sullivan have to do with Bob McDonnell’s sentencing?

By Managing Board | February 5, 2015

Perhaps the worst element of this intervention is that Sullivan intervened on the wrong side of an ethical issue. We should expect and demand more from the person who represents our school.

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Opinion

CONNOLLY: Politics with the Pope

By John Connolly | February 5, 2015

The first problem is obvious: Pope Francis is not — nor is any pope — a tool to be utilized for the electoral whims of an American political party. When commentators such as Amy Davidson view Pope Francis merely as a political roadblock for Republicans, due to his public ministry, they forget that Pope Francis stands, first and foremost, as the leader of the Catholic Church.

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Opinion

RUSSO: Go big on sanctioning reform

By Mary Russo | February 5, 2015

Delaying the vote shows the Honor Committee is perhaps not fully prepared to place the future of the honor system in the community’s hands by confronting the possibility that the single sanction is antithetical to the revitalization of the community of trust.

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Opinion

Why colleges should support a lower drinking age

By Managing Board | February 4, 2015

By bringing alcohol into an open social sphere, students may be more inclined to drink limited quantities, since they won’t confine their drinking to rushed, secretive pre-games intended to keep them inebriated for an entire night, but may instead space out their drinking.

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Opinion

SPINKS: Engaging in politics in greater Charlottesville

By Ashley Spinks | February 4, 2015

While the specific duties and responsibilities of this new position are still in flux, its conception signals a critical shift in the agenda of the Student Council and a noteworthy step towards further interaction with Charlottesville residents and officials.

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Opinion

EVANS: The peril and promise of fusion

By Will Evans | February 4, 2015

Like the fossil fuel industry, fusion power is a highly centralized method of energy supply. Unlike wind, solar and geothermal — which have the potential to transform U.S. cities and towns into self-supporting energy generators through local, collaborative projects — fusion would likely become another energy firehose, much like oil or coal albeit a bit cleaner.

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Opinion

​HORNE: Emphasize entrepreneurship

By Lauren Horne | February 4, 2015

Not every student has the ability or aspires to pursue graduate studies, and knowing this, the University should work toward creating an undergraduate experience that encourages and heavily promotes the concept of creation and innovation.

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Opinion

More independence for college students

By Managing Board | February 2, 2015

As the dangers of binge drinking, hazing and sexual assault become more apparent, it appears colleges are opting to take on the in loco parentis role they held in the past. But restricting students’ independence rarely results in tangible benefits for schools or students.

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Opinion

BERGER: The democratizing power of MOOCs

By Meredith Berger | February 2, 2015

The importance of MOOCs has been discussed before, but what makes this MOOC unique is that it is the Batten School’s first. Truly embodying its title, the Batten School is quite literally leading the way for Public Policy MOOCs.

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Opinion

JOHNSON: One in five or one in 5000?

By William C. Johnson | February 2, 2015

Despite extensive discussion on the prevalence of sexual assault on American campuses, I’ve seen neither estimates of the number of possible sexual assaults on Grounds nor estimates on the number of male and female survivors of sexual violence among our students, staff and faculty.

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Opinion

PATEL: Rehabilitating our honor

By Sawan Patel | February 2, 2015

This general movement towards reforming punishment standards instead of focusing on the changing character of individual students is wrong and wasteful. Instead, we should focus on improving the integrity of students and trying to make them understand the importance of honor with a lower case “h.”