DISCOURSE
- Changes on horizon for new school year Editorial
- Wikipedia's reliability shaky amid deliberate sabotage Editorial
- Lack of parking near Student Life building unacceptable Matt Coleman
- A few things every new student should know Jenna Strom
- U.S. not an island: It pays to pay attention to international affairs Donald Postway
Changes on horizon for new school year
Editorial
New school shoes and lunch boxes have lost their novelty for most college students, but lucky administrators at the University of North Florida have given its students plenty to look forward to this school year.
One of the biggest complaints from students is about the unavailability of parking spaces near classes. For the first time in school history, a shuttle system is up and running to transport people to and from remote areas of campus. North and south shuttles will make nine and seven stops, respectively, throughout campus. This means during peak hours, Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., students shouldn't have to wait longer than six minutes to get a ride. It operates until 3 a.m. on the weekdays, so students living on campus will have the added comfort of transportation, even though they might have to wait longer than six minutes.
Another big demand among students and faculty is that the university offer more meal choices. The UNF Boathouse Grille opened Aug. 21 to offer new menu choices, and some of the old menu items Wackadoo's Grub and Brew originally served. Wackadoo's closed this summer due to Chartwells' failure to renew their contract. An improvement from the old Boathouse restaurant, the new Boathouse Grille will have a hostess to seat customers, which the company thinks will move along the dining process more quickly, and yes - it will still serve beer.
The university has also purchased the AOL Building on Kernan Boulevard - an addition that will pave the way for 1,200 more parking spaces and more offices and classrooms. It plans to include a gym with weight machines and locker rooms and full protection for the University Police Department upon renovation.
There are also additional amenities that are scheduled to start this year - but construction takes years, so they will note be ready in time for most of us to enjoy. A $37 million new building will house Student Government, student clubs and organizations, lounge areas, a food court, a restaurant and a bookstore, among other things.
The university is climbing up the food chain and becoming more appealing to prospective students who would normally only consider larger state schools. In the last four years, administration has built a new library, substantially upgrading research and study services. Now students can study at Starbucks and attend class in the new Social Sciences building, when before Outtakes was the only source of coffee for sleepy students.
The year has great potential. Welcome back.
Wikipedia's reliability shaky amid deliberate sabotage
Editorial
The easiest choice is not always the best option: fast food versus a five-course meal, a one night stand versus a long-term relationship, even living at home versus paying for your own space.
The same holds true when it comes to research. Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia, is popular among students at the University of North Florida, but not a friend to many professors. The reason is although it's a quick boost to students' research, the facts are not always reliable.
In fact, Wikipedia's unique appeal is the ability for anyone to edit the information it provides to its users. That means a fifth-grader has the opportunity to feed information into research papers that could or could not be accurate. And while pop-culture has found that many are not "smarter than a fifth-grader," professors at UNF might quickly disagree.
But children are not the only source of fraud on Wikipedia.
A recent development made by Wikipedia Scanner, a new Web site that traces the source of changes to Wikipedia, reported that corporate offices are editing their company entries to benefit their image.
The most recent - and the cause for the creation of Wikipedia Scanner - was the edit made by a computer at Anheuser-Bush, the owner of SeaWorld, which changed every reference of "orcas" to "killer whales." It also deleted an entire paragraph that criticized the parks.
Though this might seem like a small detail, it is only the tip of a very large corporate iceberg.
Wikipedia Scanner discovered changes from many company-owned computers including PepsiCo, Wal-Mart and Exxon. PepsiCo deleted several paragraphs from the Pepsi entry that discussed its detrimental health effects. Wal-Mart edited a section that focused on employee compensation. Exxon edited history.
The Wikipedia entry for Exxon Mobil describes the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. In 2004, someone from an Exxon-owned computer edited the entry, minimizing information about the spill's impact on the area's wildlife. The changes also created a positive light on the compensation payments made by the company to
the victims.
Significant edits like these invoke serious concern about the reliability of the popular Web site. Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia, voiced his defense in an article published Aug. 19 in the New York Times. He said "the site discourages such conflict of interest editing, and though it is not an absolute rule, it's definitely
a guideline."
Unfortunately for Wales, guidelines are not always followed.
If it where only a guideline to obey the speed limit - and not a rule with consequences - imagine the havoc that would arise on the road. If it were a mere suggestion not to murder someone, or if robbery was simply discouraged, society would spin out of control.
But if we're going to stick to guidelines, be careful when using online research for assignments or personal use. Web sites that are easily accessed like Wikipedia might be quick and easy, but so are greasy fast food hamburgers, and they only lead to clogged arteries after excessive use.
Lack of parking near Student Life building unacceptable
Staff Opinion
The parking situation at the Student Life Center just got a little more difficult. What was once a fairly accessible parking area for members of student organizations has been co-opted for university
staff members.
The vast majority of the parking lot behind Building 14 was reassigned last week for decal-carrying university employees. Despite the large amount of student staffers that populate the Student Life Center (Osprey TV, game room, Student Government and the Spinnaker employees, just
to name a few), there are barely more than a dozen spots to go between them.
For a location that prides itself on providing for the welfare of students, taking spots away from the largest subsection of the campus community isn't much of a service. Other than a last-man-standing "Lord of the Flies"-type scenario involving potentially deadly games of chicken for the paltry amount of remaining parking spaces, students will be forced to take their premium, residential and discount passes elsewhere.
That leaves few viable options for these students when the fall semester begins. Finding one of the few remaining surface spots is as likely as simultaneously getting struck by lightning and bitten by a shark. The Arena and Building 45 garages will be slammed with students looking to park somewhere within close proximity to their classrooms. Spots in Lot 18 are always open, but that doesn't make students any more likely to
take them.
My main point of contention with the change is that it's unlikely the approximately 100 designated spaces behind the Student Life Center will be filled on a consistent basis. I expect to see many exasperated students circling the lot with disillusioned stares as they pass row upon empty row of these new and improved orange-bordered designated spaces.
University employees deserve to have designated parking spots - that's a fact. The issue at hand is that parking at the Student Life Center is no longer accessible to its large staff of student employees.
I can't speak for other student organizations housed in Building 14, but the Spinnaker spends far too many hours in the office working on our weekly issues. The work often takes us into the late hours of Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Trudging to our vehicles in Lot 18 at 2 a.m. is not an exciting proposition for the staff.
All I'm asking for is a simple evaluation of the allotment of designated spots. If they are consistently in disuse throughout the year, they should be given back to students. If university employees frequently use them, I'll gladly eat my words.
Contact Matt Coleman at discourse@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
A few things every new student should know
Staff Opinion
When I started at the University of North Florida as a freshman and oldest of five siblings, I didn't have anyone to tell me the ins and outs of being successful. I blindly let my adviser chose my courses and professors and I flippantly chose my major, thinking it was my first step to greatness.
It was a baby step forward - a step that preceded many steps backward each of the five times I changed my major. It seemed as though the vast world I was embarking into would allow me to learn, grow, thrive and go all the great places Dr. Seuss suggests for us. UNF provides a nurturing environment for that growth, but interspersed among the four years of indecisiveness you'll see there are roadblocks that come with the university's deadlines and stipulations.
Deadlines go beyond British literature papers. There's a deadline three months before each new semester to change a major, there's a deadline to apply for graduation three months before you know you're going to pass, and there's rigorous paperwork that require signatures from administrators who may or may not keep office hours to address additional registration issues. Reading the student handbooks might rank about the same on the fun scale as a cavity fill, but if you don't know what kinds of regulations to be aware of, you might find yourself in college an extra year.
When it comes to actually registering for college, most new students don't realize they don't have to take the teachers or the classes their advisers enrolled them in. As someone who probably landed the most difficult introductory algebra teacher on the planet, I encourage you to research the professors you've been signed up with. Web sites like RateMyProfessor.com and GradeTheGrader.com contain ratings on categories like quality, helpfulness and easiness. They also include a hotness category, which is probably not helpful for making an A, but if you're a visual learner, it is definitely worth researching. You're already practicing your research skills and you haven't even started - your parents would be so proud. If the most popular teachers are taken, you can either tough it out with the ones that give a quiz every day, or take an easier required course and register for the original class earlier next semester.
And last but not least, if there's something you don't like about your UNF community, it is within your rights to voice your opinion. The Discourse section of the Spinnaker is devoted to student opinion, and it's the best way for you to publicly express your thoughts. We're very open at the Spinnaker, and as long as you keep your discourse tasteful and within our guidelines, we'll do our best to see it gets read.
Contact Jenna Strom at discourse@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE
U.S. not an island: It pays to pay attention to international affairs
Staff Opinion
The United States is a great a nation in many ways. Not only are we a very large and populous nation, we are also leaders in technological development, economic growth and education. But all of this greatness has an unfortunate consequence: With so much happening in our own country, many Americans don't pay enough attention to what is happening internationally.
At first thought, this may not seem like a big problem. After all, most of us don't know what - if anything - is going on in Oregon, so why should we care about the price of tea in China?
Just looking at a few of the major news stories in the United States shows us why we need to be aware of what's happening abroad. The events in other countries have major effects on our economy, our national security and our technological development.
The most obvious examples of how much international affairs matter are the economy and national defense. Over the past few years it has become painfully clear that the United States has a stake in the politics of other countries. As the United States continues to fight the War on Terror, our need to form trustworthy alliances and to turn the hearts and minds of people toward peaceful democracy requires that we are at least tacitly knowledgeable about what is happening to people in other countries and what kind of lives they live.
The international economy is of equal importance. The world's markets have become increasingly global in nature, and that has many repercussions for Americans. Although we are able to enjoy lower prices for some goods, there are concerns about the loss of jobs to outsourcing or company relocations. As the recent recall of millions of Chinese toys illustrates, we need to pay attention to the production standards of countries besides our own.
Technology is another area we should take note of when learning about what's happening outside of our nation's borders. All around the world, scientists and researchers are engaged in amazing work that has incredible implications for the lives
of Americans.
A recent example can be seen in the story of the Iraq War veteran who was one of the first recipients of the new "iLimb," a bionic hand with flexible fingers. The prosthetic device, which connects to old nerve endings and is controlled by the brain, was created by Touch Bionics, a company based in Scotland. Another European firm is continuing work on the Cyberhand, which will also be able to feel. Not only is this technology useful in the present, but it takes little imagination to see how great of an impact it will have in the future. Your doctor may soon be suggesting you put your brain in a robot body.
All of these examples just underline the point that it pays to keep up with what's happening around the world. This is especially true for us as college students. The effects of current trends and decisions around the globe will be felt in America around the time we will be graduating and beginning our careers. Our educational experience should provide us with the tools we need to create the connections between politics, economy and technology that makes knowledge beneficial to the possessor.
This message is not meant to distract from the fine work going on in our own country, or to suggest that Americans should be less concerned about what happens in our country. But next time you flip through the paper, take a look at the international section. If you're reading the news online, read articles from
the periodicals of other countries or check out what's on BBC or
ABC (that's the Australian Broadcasting Corporation).
The world will always be a changing place, and as globalization continues, Americans will feel the effects in just about every aspect of our lives. So even though you may have to go out of your way to learn about what's happening in the world, remember a little information about what's going on can go a long way.
Contact Donald Postway at discourse@unfspinnaker.com -- PERMALINK -- TOP OF PAGE