DISCOURSE
- Schools and loan industry leave students in hole Editorial
- Flagler triumph a victory for all student press Editorial
- Network 'news' coverage no more than glitzy drivel Fatima Hussein
- Candy Cane Lake more sour than sweet Courtney Lambert
- Venezuelan censorships a step toward dictatorship Jamie Williams
Schools and loan industry leave students in hole
Editorial
In response to the increasing demand for higher education, more students are forced to take out loans to afford tuition - which has risen to almost double what their parents might have paid. In the midst of the application process, students don't have much time or energy to research student loan companies and are quick to rely on their universities to do the legwork for them.
Unfortunately, many universities are more concerned with making money at the student's expense rather than helping them finish college with minimal debt. After extensive research in the college loan industry, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo discovered some universities go as far as partnering with companies that agree to award them revenue - acquired from interest - in return for the university's recommendations. This means universities are forgoing students' best interests in favor of making money in the long run.
Cuomo made it his responsibility to expose the unethical relationships between the companies and schools, and certain administrations don't have much to say in their defense, according to National Public Radio. In fact, some university financial aid directors have responded by leaving their positions.
University of North Florida Associate General Counsel Richard Buck said the university is not participating in such unethical acts. He said even though the school works with six preferred loan companies, it is not profiting from any of them. The incentive to recommend certain companies stems from the companies' ability to get students money quickly and maintain a good working relationship with the university.
But to assure unethical behaviors aren't contagious, Cuomo is fighting for the U.S. Congress to nationally adopt the plan outlined in the 2007 Student Lending Accountability, Transparency and Enforcement (SLATE) Act, which will ban universities from working with specific lenders. If this is passed, universities will no longer be able to carry a bias for student loan companies, and all companies will appear equal in the eyes of students.
Prospective signers will then be required to research which loans are best for them without recommendations from their university's financial aid departments, and will most likely have to spend a lot more time researching their decisions.
If adapted, Cuomo's plan will provide students with valuable practice in researching their own financial decisions, and not blindly accepting advice from a second party for which they have no way of assessing accountability. It's much better to foresee a potential discrepancy than to wish details were better researched after contracts are signed and students are potentially scammed out of thousands
of dollars.
Universities are outlets for students to learn and thrive, and for the most part they're student-friendly. But they're businesses like any other - and businesses are always fishing to make money. So stay informed, do your own legwork and make the intelligent decisions they try to teach you to. For more information on safely choosing student loan companies, check out Cuomo's Web site at www.oag.state.ny.us.
Flagler triumph a victory for all student press
Editorial
The motivating force behind every good journalist should be his or her own sense
of integrity.
At a time when the majority of mass media entities are focused on the status of a certain overprivileged trust fund baby, this concept becomes a tad bit murky. That's why it's so refreshing to hear about a group of college students standing up for their right to practice journalism and rally against censorship and prior review.
The Flagler College Gargoyle has been fighting an uphill battle for the past year concerning its right to exist as a student-led newspaper. Issues were pulled from newsstands, administrators seized the editorial board and the staff was told that the Gargoyle's role on campus was solely to enhance the image of the university.
Instead of bowing to the pressure, Gargoyle staffers and supporters rose to the occasion. Students slapped tape over their mouths in a symbolic act of rebellion and staged a protest in front of the school's entrance. The co-editors of the Gargoyle made the difficult decision to resign their posts when the administration made clear that the paper was to operate as a public
relations tool.
As the newspaper of a private university, it would seem like the Gargoyle has little recourse from censorship outside of becoming an independent entity. However, school officials should consider the far-reaching implications of taking the reins of their student-run papers. How does this positively reflect on the institution when the primary means of journalistic hands-on experience for students is reduced to a pandering university mouthpiece?
No self-respecting student of
journalism would be interested in attending a university where their stories would be edited into oblivion by the same people responsible for supposedly furthering their education. This is a disservice to the entire student population of Flagler College. Access to information about one's campus community should be readily accessible and not filtered through channels of thinly-veiled public
relations.
Recent developments have shown that the Gargoyle will soon be liberated from its shackles, thanks to the work of its staff and media advisor. A proposal was made to establish a set of bylaws and a mission statement. An editorial advisory board will also be instituted as a means of shielding the Gargoyle from institutional review.
The university's president has also gone on record stating the Gargoyle would be best served as a newspaper - not a marketing tool. They've even been selected as online finalists for the National Pacemaker Awards, one of the highest honors in student journalism.
The staff of the Spinnaker thanks the Gargoyle for having the courage and integrity to stand up for their rights as students and as practitioners of journalism. Balancing classes, jobs and social lives is a difficult feat to accomplish when newspaper production is thrown into the mix - as we can all attest to. But the true character and integrity of a journalist shows when faced with such overwhelming odds.
In the eloquent words of Thomas Jefferson, "Where the press is free and every man able to read, all is safe."
We hope all remains safe for the staff of the Flagler College Gargoyle.
Network 'news' coverage no more than glitzy drivel
Student Opinion
After watching three consecutive hours of CNN, I went to bed assured I'd been properly informed of the world's current events. Later that night I awoke to what I considered a night terror. Aside from my usual nightmares of carjacking penguins, a giggling Paris Hilton appeared in my dreams. She discussed her jail sentence with me and talked about her future nightly endeavors.
After checking my sheets for what can only be described as severe night sweat, I sat up and came to a devastating realization. The news channels once considered reputable by many Americans have become sensational entertainment companies that convey celebrity gossip and other societal drivel as hard-line news.
There is something inherently wrong with broadcasting Britney Spears' pantiless nights at the club and Hilton's drunken stupor when there are more meaningful national affairs to report. The replacement of hard news with gossip is endemic of the pitiful type of society we have succumbed to. Have we become so unhappy with our own lives it's necessary to obsess over the obviously imperfect lives of people we consider holier than thou? Or is it an even bigger issue? Do Americans simply not care about the real news? Is information regarding the entertainment industry what the public is most concerned with?
If so, it should be no surprise as to why the United States has quickly become the world's laughingstock. For every piece of important news regarding the war, there are 20 headlines about some D-list celebrity's clamored nonsense about other D-list celebrities. These are the moments we treasure and shall remember for the time to come, while issues of real importance that could shape our future are barely mentioned in-between shots of a bald Britney Spears.
I, for one, am deeply afraid for my generation and how we will be seen in the eyes of history. As apathetic as we are to every other social issue, we will now have to explain to our children how we don't even remember our war, or how many people died in battle -that is, if we even remember it existed.
It is truly a shame when things that should be haunting us at night, like the ever-growing Iraqi death count and genocide in Darfur, are replaced with mindless waste passed as imperative news. Regardless of how many people have an urge to view every detail of the never-ending saga that is Lindsay Lohan's life, there are a thousand more pressing tribulations in this world. It's those problems that require the same passionate desire of information I should have received watching three hours of CNN.
Contact Fatima Hussein at uspinnak@unf.edu -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Candy Cane Lake more sour than sweet
Student Opinion
While making the long trek to class each day you may pass a familiar spot by the cafeteria where a sudden, undesirable odor blankets the air and fills your nostrils.
No, the squeamish feeling in your stomach is not from the quick cafeteria breakfast you grabbed this morning and those pungent smells are not floating down from the nearest dormitories. Instead, the sweet aroma of the Candy Cane Lake at the University of North Florida surrounds you, which isn't sweet at all.
With its tall, billowy trees, swinging benches, majestic sprinkling fountain, and chipper forest creatures, Candy Cane Lake sports the whimsical, woodsy setting we all enjoy. Unfortunately, because of its location near the heart of campus, pollution plays a primary role in the destruction of its beauty.
It isn't uncommon to see cookies from the neighboring cafeteria floating like lily pads across the marshy water, or to spy students tossing food to the turtles and fish. Not only is feeding the animals prohibited, but it can also make them sick, and it can turn dangerous if it involves alligators. Discarded papers, food cartons, and other bits of trash dot the murky surface as well, soiling the pristine nature surrounding campus with an unkempt finish and wretched stench.
With a polluted atmosphere like this, the impact the lake has on campus is one that can be improved for the benefit of both students and wildlife. Who wants to study on the picnic benches by the sewage drain or strum their guitar by the trash-peppered shoreline? There are a lot of changes that can be made to clean up Candy CaneLake and the other ponds surrounding campus to bring back the pleasant Florida wilderness.
It's crucial the lakes and ponds stay preserved to keep up the peaceful, natural setting that UNF boasts about and to allow students to appreciate and respect the timeless beauty around them. By throwing trash in the proper recycling bins and stopping to collect the smallest candy wrapper off the ground, students can make a difference, no matter how small the task may be. It is also a good idea to let the wildlife gorge on the cuisine provided by their natural habitat instead of the Lucky Charms cereal from your bowl.
The answer to Candy Cane Lake's dirty state is easy: All it takes is a simple smile and toss toward the garbage can. Let's take the time to clear away the rubbish and fan away that poignant stink.
Contact Courtney Lambert at uspinnak@unf.edu -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
Venezuelan censorships a step toward dictatorship
Staff Opinion
Hugo Chavez, president of Venezuela, deprived the citizens of the country of their right to free speech May 28. Protests ensued in response to the decision, which came hours after Radio Caracas Television was shut down at midnight. RCTV, founded in 1953, was the nation's oldest private channel. Government-sponsored station TVES immediately replaced the channel, and began with musical artists singing pro-Chavez music and government advertisements proclaiming that Venezuela belonged to one and all. Does it really?
What happened here was a direct violation of Venezuelan citizens' right to free speech. What obstructed such freedom was a politically motivated decision by Chavez that led him not to renew the license of RCTV, thereby suppressing the citizens of his country and their right to express themselves.
Why did it happen? Chavez claims the network helped to provoke an overthrow in 2002, which ultimately failed, and he said it took part in seditious activities and was "poisoning" Venezuelans with programming that promoted capitalism. Chavez asserted by replacing RCTV with the state-funded TVES, he was helping to democratize the airwaves.
Obviously Venezuelan citizens didn't agree. They protested the change by blocking roads, saying they fear for the future of free speech. A group called Reporters Without Borders called for international denunciation of the RCTV withdrawal decision, saying it was a huge impediment toward pluralism and democracy. Leading politicians from Mexico, Chile, Peru, Brazil and the Organization of American States also made statements reaffirming the right of freedom of expression and criticizing Chavez's decision.
With Chavez replacing RCTV with TVES, he is depriving Venezuelans of a channel they wish to see, and replacing it with another with state-mandated programming, thereby censoring them and their human rights. Chavez's movement has restricted not only his country's citizen's freedom of speech, but the media's as well.
The results that ensued due to Chavez's decision lend proof to the fact that all human beings like to express themselves and look forward to the ability to do so. Human expression is natural; censorship is not.
This is why this is a vital issue of great importance. Most Americans take for granted their right to free speech, but should really count their blessings regarding the ability to do so, because there are others around the world with restrictions on their personal expression.
Sure, Venezuela and the United States are two totally different countries. But with the American history of paving the way toward freedom and leading by example toward liberty, Venezuela could learn a thing or two from us. Every country has its problems - the United States is far from perfect. But we don't restrict the citizens of their unalienable rights, among them their freedom of speech and expression.
Liberty and democracy will never prevail for the Venezuelan people as long as their government prefers to silence their opinions and spoon-feed them a sponsored, predetermined opinion. Trapped in a hopeless state of authoritarian dictatorship, Venezuelans are being muted.
Political change should be initiated by leaders chosen by the citizens, and motivated by these same citizens' needs and desires. Such an arrangement is necessary in order for democracy to effectively work and promote healthy, beneficial change.
If nothing is changed to allow for more freedom, yet another country in this world will fall prey to an unde
mocratic and unjust government -
and the world doesn't need that,
especially in today's tension-filled
global environment.
Contact Jamie Williams at uspinnak@unf.edu -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE