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Jake Olson


​OLSON: Making meetings meaningful

In a research project done by the Harvard Business Review, the team found that for one large corporation, over 300,000 person hours were spent on a single weekly excom meeting over the course of the entire year (this figure doesn’t include time spent preparing for the meetings). Parkinson’s law explains another way meetings waste time.

​OLSON: In favor of the Franklin Project

Despite the difficulty of implementing such a program, I believe the Franklin Project makes a strong case for the benefits of expanding national service. The core issue the Franklin Project brings to attention is the uncomfortable thought that perhaps the expectations for service on the average American citizen are far too low. Perhaps it is right to remind us that the obligations and duties of citizenship extend beyond just paying your taxes.

​OLSON: A low bar for democracy in Israel

Even with these shortcomings, the most reprehensible one in Sachs’ piece is her choice to deflect accusations made against Israel by pointing to the injustices and human rights violations committed by ISIS and Arab/Muslim governments in the region. By doing this, Sachs sets the bar pathetically low for the “beacon of democracy” she believes in. One moral failure by no means excuses another.

​OLSON: A return to basic classroom etiquette

Whatever the cause may be, it is important that we reject this type of behavior as a social or educational norm. The University offers one of the most envied educations in the country and treating it with any less than the utmost respect certainly doesn’t send a positive message about how students value their time at the University. Fortunately, students have the most influence to ensure that this culture is not representative of the student body at the University.

OLSON: Don’t watch Daesh’s videos

Any decision to view the murder of al-Kasasbeh that is rooted in this is simply consuming terrorist propaganda for cheap thrills while helping Daesh garner the attention they crave from their depravity. Others choose to watch the video to personally experience the atrocities Daesh commits and confirm they are a twisted, evil and morally corrupt organization. However, it shouldn’t take the graphic death of al-Kasasbeh to convince us Daesh is a group of deplorable murderers.

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