Well, this is my final opinion column for The Cavalier Daily, and as I?ve likely written far too often about politics and also because I will shortly leave this place, I should probably finish with a piece about the University.
In the spirit of the revolutionary character of this country?s foundation, Thomas Jefferson once told a friend that ?the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.? Whether Jefferson would have actually wanted revolutionary upheaval is doubtful considering the fact the man was often a detached idealist.
With the June 9 primary to decide its nominee not too far away, the Democratic Party of Virginia has an extremely close fight on its hands for the party?s gubernatorial candidacy.
While many are rightly upset over the choice of Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson for commencement speaker due to his controversial comments and arguments about American detention policies following September 11, 2001, and racial diversity, the saddest thing is that prior to the announcement of Wilkinson as the commencement speaker, I had never heard of him.
In Monday's Cavalier Daily a story highlighted recent research by a retired Duke professor Stuart Rojstaczer on the widespread grade inflation on college campuses around the country (?Research cites grade inflation as cause for national increase in GPA,? 3/16/2009). Recently, the Department of Spanish, Italian and Portuguese here at the University shifted its grading policy to remove the A+ from its grading scale and making it more difficult to get an A in its language courses.
Let's say you?re watching a movie on televsion and a character says "baloney? instead of another supposedly more offensive b-word that censors dubbed over, either sounding stupid or ruining a funny or serious moment in the movie.
Considering the relative indifference of students towards the spring elections, one would think that Monday?s results would please those of us who long for more student involvement in choosing the people who run Student Council, the Honor Committee, and the University Judiciary Committee.
REPUBLICANS in Congress are generally upset with the new stimulus package.
Election season may be over nationally but in Virginia it is just starting to heat up again as the 2009 statewide elections are nine months away.
