Why Should You Read the Opinion Page?

We all answered the question over spring break: Why should students read the opinion page?

Here is my answer.

Vigilantes Glamorized?

Hey all- 

Thanks for voting and reading the posts! The underage drinking column is underway and I am starting the topic for following column. After having watched all of the Saw movies this week (not exactly by choice!) and thinking of Boondock Saints and the recent releases the Watchmen and Grand Torino, I feel that American society is starting to glamorize vigilantes. Do you feel the same way? Technically, all super heroes are considered vigilantes. 

This raises a few questions:

Do Americans love stories about people taking justice into their own hands?

Are we starting to feel that this is necessary in our legal systems today?

Where do we draw a limit?

Think about it and I'll put up a poll soon. 

Later, Sita

Updates

The rodeo club will have their Cowboy Ball and with the regulations, should be able to have alcohol as well, which is some good news. I have posted a poll to the right so you can vote on whether you believe the Iowa legal drinking age should be changed, as well as links to Iowa underage drinking related articles. I have also posted a link to the Iowa State Daily site so you can check it out easily. Video blogs will be coming up later this week.

Hope you're all having a great spring break. Let me know if you have any blog suggestions (physical or topical). Thanks!

- Sita

Underage drinking column

For my next column after spring break I'll be discussing underage drinking on campus, how it is starting to affect club events on campus. The ISU Rodeo Club's annual Cowboy Ball, which is planned by the club but is mostly for returning alumni, is needing to have strict regulations in order to allow alcohol at the event. Risk Management feels that there is a big problem in the past few years about students drinking underage, seeing as only about one-fourth of the campus is of legal age to drink.

While I feel that there definitely is a lot of underage drinking, I also feel that this problem stems from America's over all view of drinking. I propose the following:

1. We need to start education our teenagers younger on the ramifications of drinking, how to drink smart (drink to enjoy, not get drunk) when they come of age and mostly that it is possible to have fun without alochol.

2. Lower the drinking age to 19 years of age. Most teenagers at this age are out of high school, which lessens the risk of the individual willing to buy alcohol for minors. Here comes the age old fight: If we are able to smoke- which creates a lot of physical risks- vote and enlist in the army, then why are we not allowed some simple pleasures of going out to the bars with our friends? 

3. Obviously No. 2 would mess up national budgets. Most states are allowed to change the drinking age- this is a state issue, not national- but Iowa would not receive money to fix our roads or help with meal payments for our public schools, which would definitely cause a dilemma. 

Let me know what you think! Do you think there is definitely an increasing problem with underage drinking on campuses that needs to be resolved? Is fixing our drinking age the answer?

Peace Out, Sita

The wide world of blogging

Hey there! 

So I was sitting in my journalism class today, learning how to write for the big wide Web and the importance of learning how to use internet mediums, when it hit me- I've never blogged. In fact, I've never even been to a blogging site unless it was to look up a tip for a research paper or column. Twitter seems pretty pointless and Facebook is so much easier, but I do need to learn to expand! 

This kind of feels like talking to myself... I feel that if I actually had a reason to blog then maybe people would actually read it. 

I am an opinion columnist for our campus paper, the Iowa State Daily, which last year was actually considered the No. 1 university paper by the Society of Professional Journalists. This year, while we're definitely not up to that standard, I decided I should put up conversation topics for you guys to read the columns and give feedback. We can also do video chats for debates, as that sounds pretty awesome and I would like to try that.

Later, Sita