EDITORIALS

The pledging process is purposefully brutal, but could be beneficial for Chapel Hill

On weekend nights, the presence of fraternities washes over UNC’s campus like midnight waves, and with the moon’s ominous pull, their existence reaches a high tide for the week. Their dark waters are ubiquitous in the form of lurid music, conspicuous solo cups and olfactory whiplash. Unfortunately the sinister side-effects of high tide on campus are hidden underwater. The water is murky and opaque, obfuscated by a University that cannot be held accountable in protecting its constituents and department of public safety that do not treat reported incidents with caution or respect.  

Protect your data: your information is a gold mine!

Are you sure your personal information (social security number, name, birthdate, etc.) is safe given the recent Equifax hack? Probably not.  Even if you’re certain that the hack hasn’t compromised your data, you should probably protect it. Your data is valuable, and a hack like this one is likely to happen again. 

Beyond pregnancy scares: birth control services many purposes, all of which are important

Nurx-an app with a purpose of dispensing affordable birth control to women with and without insurance-is a revolutionary idea.  This brand-new company could open doors for those who might not have easy access to birth control.

The Institute of Politics is more than just a "resume booster"

The newly-founded Institute of Politics on campus has faced criticism for apparently benefitting a small number of students who are already highly involved in student government and elsewhere.

Know how you know what you know

Epistemology, or how we know what we know, sounds like a very complicated, advanced philosophical concept. In some ways, it definitely can be. But in other ways, it is fundamental to every single learning enterprise on this campus. 

Remembering and reflecting

On this day of collective mourning and remembrance, this board took time to reflect on the tragedy's legacy and its place within a larger timeline of American-Muslim relations. 

Speak your mind, mindfully

Talking about race doesn’t make you racist. 

Viewpoint: Chapel Hill is a public forum for students

Perhaps the best argument that voting in Chapel Hill in important is that legislators have repeatedly attempted to strip students of this right to vote in their college towns.  This summer, Representative Bob Thorpe drafted a bill that would effectively prohibit out-of-state students from voting in local elections, contending that college students “unfairly influence” elections.  This is indicative of the power a student vote holds.

Viewpoints: Home is where the vote is

As students of UNC, we live in our own little bubble, with the University as the focus of our lives. But UNC is not Chapel Hill. It is only a part of the community, and the only part we really deal with on a regular basis. We don’t know the local issues. We don’t know the local politicians.

Speak up in recitations, save your TA some time

It would be torturous if every student in a 100-person lecture volunteered to speak up every class.

Get to class. Now.

 The conclusion of Spider-Man’s origin comic bears this quote: “With great power comes great responsibility.”  

Thank you, faculty

Pick two!

Now is the time to avoid new commitments like a politician dodges shoes. Studying in Chapel Hill as the academic year accelerates means being presented with far more opportunities than any one person can pursue well.