the pendulum
PAGE 12 // WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16. 2009
Opinions
Highlighting education’s role
Partisanship spoils an essential message
Ashley Jobe
Columnist
President Barack Obama
made an address Sept. 8
telling students all across
the country to buckle
down, get organized and
believe in themselves and
their ability to achieve
their educational goals.
His comments have caused
controversy nationwide
for parents who insist
that his dialogue was
inappropriate.
If it's any indication
of the truthfulness of
his statements, Obama
achieved what this country
has never before thought possible, undoubtedly
because of the feats he realized during his
education and career.
During his speech, he spoke about his personal
history, the tools he used to make it through school
and his struggles to keep himself focused in the
face of adversity.
He came from an extremely unorthodox,
diverse background — one that has common ties
with many Americans. He was raised by a single
mother with limited resources, and he yearned for
a brighter future only he could provide by creating
his own opportunities in the American school
system.
The style of speechmaking that wooed
supporters throughout his campaign, in addition
to the remarkable knowledge he displayed about
countless issues that affected our diverse American
communities, was certainly learned throughout his
years of edification.
With all these credentials, it would seem logical
that nearly every piece of advice Obama had to
share with the nation’s youth would be received as
if each word were a gem, each containing a secret
that we’ve all been searching for.
Americans are known for wealth, innovative
ideas and encouraging public figures that preach
IN THEIR OWN
WORDS...
“The story of America isn't
about people who quit
when things got tough.
It's about people who kept
going, who tried harder,
who loved their country too
much to do anything less
than their best.
- PRESIDENT BARACK
OBAMA, DURING HIS
CLASSROOM ADDRESS
messages of
hope — yet the
foundation upon
which those
tremendous values
stand seems
to have been
overlooked.
Education
fuels the fire
that consumes
our hearts and
propels us into
action. It gives us
the tools to build
each of our unique
futures, and the
passion to want to use them.
So parents around the country are upset at
Obama, the candidate who, throughout his entire
campaign, stressed the importance of children
getting an equal opportunity for instruction by the
best teachers in the country in the best schools?
Wasn't everyone tap-dancing on the dining room
table when Obama suggested that our desire to
succeed in our endeavors played heavily into the
resulting outcomes? It seems preposterous.
Of course, it is an unfortunate fact that not
all children are afforded the same opportunities
to acquire all the knowledge they need. In recent
years, despite some strides toward progress in our
education system, schooling has become riddled
with red tape, disheartening test scores and
discouraged, unprepared students.
But that doesn't mean they shouldn’t try
to attain the highest goals they have set for
themselves in their respective communities and in
aspects of their lives they think will pay the biggest
dividends.
The retaliation of some of America’s guardians
is baffling. An idea so simplistic and necessary
is meant to be addressed by the most prominent
figure in the American political stratosphere,
period.
Evaluating the Elon welcome
Kara Frasca
Guest Columnist
From the moment they
received their acceptance
letters, the incoming
freshmen have been feeling
nerves and jitters about
going off to college. When
the freshmen class moved
in Aug. 28, Elon kicked off
its orientation weekend
to ensure their transition
from home to college went
smoothly.
Elon's jam-packed
orientation schedule allowed
students a few hours to
unpack their things and say
goodbye to their parents
before being rushed off to begin their activities.
The weekend proved to be a success. The events
were entertaining, the schedule kept students
busy and the orientation leaders were peppy and
informative. Daily orientation sessions with an
assigned group gave students a chance to develop
friendships with other freshmen.
Besides instilling a fear that the ironically named
.ALE has a personal mission to arrest everyone, the
orientation leaders covered all aspects of the college
life — the best dining hall (Colonnades), where one
can use the Phoenix Card (pretty much everywhere)
and Elon's academic and social policies (yawn).
But it was hypnotist Tom Deluca’s show that stood
out as one of the best orientation activities. It was
downright unbelievable. Students were roaring with
laughter as their friends on stage danced, ate, slept
and cried in their own little worlds.
Another favorite event was the Phoenix Pep Rally
and Extravaganza. This carnival-like event featured
free food, contest drawings, brochures from nearby
businesses and various student-run activities.
SUB provided the most popular activity of the
night — the wax hand booth. After all, who doesn't
want a wax model of their hand in their dorm room?
But orientation wasn't solely about fun and games.
It provided new students with important information
about campus safety, the honor code and Elon's
alcohol policies. Orientation leaders attempted to
make these topics exciting by playing games, but this
just made the situation childish and boring.
The constant repetitive drilling of alcohol
policies annoyed students. Though it is
understandable and suitable for Elon to cover these
topics, one simple and straightforward presentation
rather than days of lectures and speeches on the
topic would have been just fine.
“Let's Get It On," the student-created
presentation on social issues, was a great way for
freshmen to see the social aspects of college life.
Unlike the boring lectures from the orientation
leaders, this presentation was engaging because it
mocked the college social scene while still covering
important information.
If Elon presented all serious topics in this way
students would pay more attention while learning
the same material presented through typical
lecturing.
Once orientation weekend was over new
students were still engaged in events on campus
Between hall meetings, Sportsfest, the organization
fair and traditions like College Coffee, Elon has
made it c ear that it prides itself on its commitment
to keep students involved.
Despite the boredom caused by the more serious
material presented by Elon, the efforts to ease the
freshmen transition were still largely successfT
3
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Ryan Maass
Columnist
jfeina, Tjlexi I
Glenn Beck’s grand new plan.
Kanye West, in case there hasn’t
been enough said.
The public option:
Is It dead in the water?
Overthrowing
the czars just
one more time
To those who know of the
Imperialist Russia's czars,
the idea of transplanting
them to America should seem
contradictory — at least in
a perfect world. Czar is the
term used by politicians and
media critics alike to refer
to any one of the president's
special advisers — that is, an
executive official who answers
only to the authority of the
president.
Their job descriptions range
from drug czar to car czar to
energy czar, and seemingly
everything inbetween. For
those who stand for true democratic values as our
founding fathers saw fit, these czars are bad news.
There is a fine line between a czar and a secretary
of an executive department, such as Secretary of State
Hilary Clinton. The executive departments have existed
since the nation’s founding, and it is the respective
secretary's job to make the president’s duties easier by
focusing on a specific topic, such as Clinton’s activity
in foreign affairs as secretary of state.
The catch? The Senate is charged with confirming
nominations for any given department. With this, our
constitutional system of checks and balances serves
to limit excessive dominance by a single branch of
government. Czars are different. They require no such
confirmation.
Why is this bad? The reason is simple: Americans
hate the czars.
Last week. Van Jones resigned from his post as
the green job czar. Before his resignation, Jones was
supposed to be in charge of devising ways for the
federal government to create environmentally friendl)
jobs to boost both employment and environmental
sustainability.
Jones was also a member of Stand Together to
Organize a Revolutionary Movement, a communist
organization based in San Francisco. This fact didn't sit
well with those who took to the streets and protested
his role in the government.
It was because of these protests that Jones decided
he could not take the pressure any longer. There are
still plenty of czars working for the president, but this
was evidence enough that the populace is growing
suspicious of the lack of the transparency they thoug I
they had voted for.
Many Republicans celebrated this as a victory, but
they prove their ignorance by looking at this problem
from a political perspective. Just about every presiden
has appointed czars since Franklin Roosevelt's
administration.
These unconstitutional appointments undermine
the fabric of representative democracy, in that the
people's voice is completely taken out of the equation-
A government made up of unelected bureaucrats
serves its own interests first and the people secon . >
at all.
While the Obama administration currently gej*
the most heat for its sporadic use of czars to push i *
progressive agenda, it's important to keep in mind t
this is not an issue of Republican vs. Democrat or ns
vs. left in any sense.
Having these czars doing the dirty work of the
world’s highest office is fundamentally wrong. 0 3
is facing dwindling approval ratings for numerous
reasons, yet still maintains an impressive amount o
popularity.
He would be wise to bring the honesty he prom'*
to supporters and critics alike to Washington. But
stands now, the existence of the American czars is
helping the administration or the country.