Newspapers / Fayetteville State University Student … / Jan. 31, 2008, edition 1 / Page 4
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January, 31 2008 1 THE VOICE Voting for Sterotypes or the Issues: Hillary and Barack 1 Brittany A. Barnes Staff Writer Photo Credit Tahman Bradley (AP) With time winding down, the candidates for the 2008 Presidential Election are trying to persuade and tug voters to their side of the ballot. But what is unique about this election is that we have broken history's obstacles and broken the status quo. For the first time in the history of America, not only has a female entered the race, but an African American male os well. The two candidates. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL.) and former first lady. Senator Hill ary Clinton (D-NY), have brought attention of Americans from oil walks of life. According to Freshman Jennifer Moss, their has been a lot of attention centered around the two candidates, solely because of race and gender. Today, many college students around the nation, but specifically at Fayetteville State University, have be come more aware of the importance of voting, and the impact it can have on our nation. Sophomore Patrick Standifer believes that people may vote simply for either Clinton or Obama because of race or gender; that in order to change some stereotypes, voters may vote sim ply because Obama is African Ameri can, or because Clinton is female. Since the tactful Democrat from New York declared her candidacy, there have been many stereotypes that circulate daily pertaining to her qualifi cations as a women- possible not being strong enough to face challenges and obstacles that men have endured for the past two centuries, and cracking under pressure because she is a wom en. As with Clinton, some students feel there are stereotypes and rumors that do circulate about Barack Obama, such as, the some American people not accepting the contender, and the pos sibility of assassination because of his race. What's best is be to be objec tive as possible when searching for the right candidate to vote for. It is imprac tical to vote for a candidate simply be cause of gender or race. The best way to decide on the "right" candidate, is to uncover what key platforms and planks one has in common with candidates, then choose. Vote based on the issues, not on race or gender. Resources Lock, Students Pay Sarah A. Marks Senior Managing Editor With the rise of technology at and all time high, the necessity for up-to-date computer systems and technological advances at the Uni versity are essential for students. Fayetteville State University has fallen behind most other state wide systems in terms of meeting student needs and providing necessary re sources for enhancing student edu cation. At the expense of the stu dents, out of date software, unus able computers and "out-of-order" printers give students every excuse needed, not to complete assignments or print documents to reinforce learn ing in the classroom. Too many times students have gone to computer labs to print supplemental course docu ments only to find an "out-of-order" sign taped onto the printer. This sends the message; if the university does not have the ma terials to support learning, then no /earning will take place. Discour aged and frustrated students leave the computer lab and have discov ered a new reason to ignore profes sors' instructions to print materials or research for class enhancement. Professors add the com plaints to the list, by suggesting that the University has failed to meet standards that are necessary for stu dents to progress in the University system. Professors specifically re quest that certain documents are printed and brought to class for in- class reading and analysis, howev er, students show up empty-handed at the fault of the University. More disturbingly, students pay over one-hundred dollars a semester for technology fees. Those fees are in regard to supplies, computers, staff and management of the equipment for open-use at the University. The old, 1997-2003 Micro soft programs prove none of the "tech fees" have gone to the pur chase of new software. The constant signs over printers stating "out-of- order", "out of ink" or "out of pa per" illustrate the failure to acquire enough supplies and more reliable printers to meet the needs of every student paying for the computer labs' resources. In addition to neglecting to obtain enough supplies to meet stu dent demands, the computers at the labs are commonly flashing an "er ror" sign immediately following the login screen. This signifies the mal function of the University system to maintain computers that work on a daily basis. With the low number of computers available to the students, the opportunity to find an unused computer at a lab becomes very dif ficult. These problems reflect directly on the University and the overlooked necessity for students to have to new est resources at their fingertips. If the goal of the Fayetteville State Institute is to produce profes sionally educated students with a well-rounded base for the real world, then a number one priority must be to moke supplies accessible that encourage the best learning in the state. TD^CU-WERE™ THGBftCK... r ■ ■ i * ■ Y • Stimulating the Economy: Who Gets the Rebate? The Philedelphia Inquirer You don't need a degree in economics to know where Congress should send rebates to stave off a recession: to people who will spend the money faster than Paris Hilton in a shoe store. The economy is faltering on several fronts. Home sales, the credit industry, the stock mar ket and consumer confidence all are sagging. Inflation is rising, spurred by steep hikes in fuel and food prices. Unemployment, though relatively low, has in creased sharply. Some analysts believe the country is already in a recession. Congress and President Bush, who see eye-to-eye on al most nothing, agree that they need to jump start the economy. They're discussing a rescue pack age of about $ 150 billion, target ed mainly at consumers. But which consumers? On that point, the wizards in Wash ington differ philosophically. President Bush thinks the rebates, in amounts of perhaps $800 for individuals and $1,600 for couples, should go only to people who pay federal income tax. That would leave out, partially or completely, about 44 million households on the lower end of the income scale, includ ing many seniors. Congressional Democrats have a more sensible approach. They want to include rebates for working families who don't earn enough to pay federal income taxes. D e m o - crats point out that all workers pay some federal payroll taxes. And lower-income families living poycheck-to-poycheck are most likely to spend a rebate quickly. That's the whole purpose of an economic stimulus package - to get the money back into the economy rapidly. Injecting mon ey quickly into retail businesses helps those firms to avoid layoffs, and might generate a positive ripple effect with manufacturers. Federal Reserve Chair man Ben Bernanke testified to Congress last week that the great est economic effect of the stimulus "would come from people with lower incomes." Families of four with in come below $41,000 ore the ones who most need the money, in Bush's words, "to help meet their monthly utility bills, cover higher costs at the gas pump, or pay for other basic necessities." Not so a family with in come of $200,000, who might just save the rebate or use it to pay down a credit card. That's not to say that higher-income families shouldn't receive a rebate; but the immedi ate impact on the economy from their rebates isn't likely to be as great. For the same reason, a relief package should include a temporary increase in unemploy ment insurance benefits beyond the normal 26 weeks. This is not incentive for the unemployed to remain so; rather it will put money in the hands of people most likely to spend it right away. Increas ing the funding for food stamps would have much the same ef fect. Congress and the presi dent need to settle these ideologi cal differences quickly - yesterday wouldn't hove been too soon. If the relief is to do any good, it must come quickly. Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D., N.Y.), chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, has offered to deliver a package by March 1. That's a reasonable deadline. Bronco Pride: Is it here? Cherice A. Washington Opinion Editor School spirit is not something that we have in abundance here at FSU. At any given moment on campus you can walk past a group of students and hear them com plain about how stagnant our campus life is. What is the cause for all this lack of enthusiasm? Many students feel that it is the lack of programs on campus. Students also feel that these programs should cater to their interests. And they are abso lutely right. What is a college without an active campus life? The answer is simple; no cam pus life equals disappointed students. However, college is also what you make it. A wise man once said, "If it is to be, then it is up to me". In other words, if you think that FSU's campus life is boring, then make something happen. Don't know how to get start ed? The first step is to discover what some of your interests are. Once you have done that try to find a club and/or activity that involves some of your interests. You can find a complete list of our clubs and organizations on our schools website under the heading Clubs and Organizations, which can be found using the A-to-Z, search. FSU has over 40 clubs and organiza tions not including the honor societies and the Greek letter organizations. So what happens if you cannot find a club that you are interested in? Then make one! Draw up a pro posal that lays your entire plan down and present it to Regina Locust, Student Affairs Program Director. From there she will tell you the necessary steps to follow to make sure that your club is a complete success. There is quite a bit of work in either creating your own club or joining one. De spite the amount of work, the end result is always fulfilling. Danielle Ross, who is a Harris Hall RA says that "Getting involved does take a toll but it is also very fulfilling." Not only has being involved been fulfilling for Danielle but it has also enhanced her school spirit. Danielle explains, "Helping out and giving back to the community is a way to express Bronco Pride." Not only does being involved enhance your school spirit but it also enhances your network. It is important, as college students, to build your network. It is a competive world out there and it is often not what you know that gives you an edge but who you know. Nevertheless, it is important for students to take pride in their institution, not only because they are going to spend four years there but also because it is preparing you for your future. Students must realize that you can be successful after graduating from FSU and based on that fact alone we should be proud to be a Bronco.
Fayetteville State University Student Newspaper
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Jan. 31, 2008, edition 1
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