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Show OPINIONS r www.uvureview.com ~ JUNE 7, 2010 VOL XLIX ISSUE 36 The art of ignoring people in the hall and its potential downsides By CELESTE THOLEN News Writer The halls at UVU do more than keep students warm in the winter and cool between summer classes. A string of buildings connected by halls provide numerous opportunities to practice the skill of avoiding possibly awkward encounters. You know what I'm talking about here, guys. We've all done it. Each of us has foregone the "do unto others" thing and ignored someone in the hall. When standing back for a moment and looking at this peculiarity, two types of methods can be identified: the preventative and the remedial. The preventative method requires one to consistently be on guard, although to :the casual observer it looks • passive. Earbuds in, holding -a phone or otherwise creat- ing a blockade between you and a potential encounter fall into this category. Now, some may not mind saying hello to familiar faces. But when a face isn't such a welcome one, remedial action may be taken. This takes the form of rummaging through a bag, pretending your mom is calling, or if worst comes to worst, a quick dodge into the bathroom. If not executed smoothly, however, these attempts are painfully obvious and draw attention when you want to be obscured. In these situations, a last ditch effort to avoid the person may be made, or a cover up head nod may be employed. With that in mind I ask, why are we so reluctant to spit out one syllable to another person? What will it hurt if we acknowledge a stranger, or even a person that we think we recognize? UVU emphasizes engagement in their curriculum and overall setup, but as students it would seem we are opposed to engaging in normal social exchanges with one another. Our willingness to regularly withdraw ourselves contradicts the very purpose of the education we are given. The ability to engage oneself is a valuable trait in any career. College provides a safe place to practice and improve. Now, I'm not saying that by uttering hello in the hall you're going to create a network of associates with helpful connections that will zoom you to the top. But it is safe to say that this small effort may help you build recognition, and recognition Courtesy ot Stock Exchange creates opportunities in both business and personal matters. In other words, one syllable and some eye contact can benefit you. So maybe it's awkward to make eye contact with a stranger, and more so to say hi, but it eliminates the chance of you being the dork running to the bathroom when you can't remember someone's name. Informed opinions are a Summer classes can keep necessity — now form one momentum going ; |~ By MATTHEW A. JONASSAINT By MICHAEL SANBORN News Writer News Writer During a recent conversation, I told mentioned •that the same patteHv^of reasoning used against homosexuality - the ruin jcjfcihe nuclear family, society and human civilization as we know it - was used by early Mormon leaders Brigham Young, John Taylor and Orson Pratt in order to argue the evils of monogamy. A friend challenged me, suggesting I had only Wikipedia to back my arguments. I was not only able to direct the friend to PDFs of the original documents in the BYU Archives, but I was also able to give historical context and argue my case on its own terms rather than simply use provocative statements. Now, I'm definitely not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree. But when exchanging opinions, it always seems to go better when both sides have informed arguments. It then becomes less of a stubborn debate and more of a challenging dialogue. An argument formed well is more than just persuasive rhetoric, something learned with vocal strength and tears from Beck and Limbaugh. Someone who can rqally form an informed opinion is someone who can contextualize and give you a source Computers have a fan- for. We even suffer through tastically awful little switch entire semesters that we re5t button. DeW on the spot. It seems easier ously simple, it quickly re-, -.over completely.: die of what could be an interesting and challenging conversation by saying, "Well, it's just an opinion." But an talking about opinions is not the same thing as having an opinion. An opinion is not just the opposite of what the other side thinks, butting against a brick wall of more "opinion" substance. An opinion is built on at least surface research and a sentence that sounds almost like a thesis. It may sound like more work than it's worth, but in the age of Google, it's actually really simple. The easiest way to get sources on a specific issue these days is to Wiki it and then scroll all the way down and look at the external sources and footnote links. Another building block is to do some historical research on the topic you're interested in. Folks have ( been talking about abortion and gun control long before you, and likely will continue to do so long after. It never hurts to do a bit of reading (maybe in that same Wiki article) on the history of the conversation, especially to have a sense of how both opinions have evolved and what social trends might be relevant to the current development of said issue. It may not seem important to have an informed opinion about some of the casual discussions you have with your friends along the lines of what's better, 30 Rock or It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. But having an informed opinion on what matters most to you is what's important. In a moment of conversation when you want to truly connect with the other person and share your big ideas and interests, having sources and context will be invaluable. SO LAST HI6HT I W A s \ WATCHING CHOSTBUSTEKS I WHEN! HA»AH EPirHANY.' I if you spent hours writing a paper and did not intend to push the button. But when your computer locks up and begins crashing, that same reset button is a lifesaver and gets you back to work in a few seconds. Life doesn't -come with that same (in)convenient feature. Rarely do we get to start things over with a clean slate like we sometimes wish, but there are minor reboots thrown our way every so often. The coming of spring is one such time. Just over a month ago, most of the previous senior class finished up their undergraduate work and began new lives. They have the chance to start over sans the baggage or issues they might have accrued in college. We will only get that chance every so often and for some people, their graduations will be the last truly fresh start they will have. Luckily, we do receive more soft resets than we might deserve, and we can be successful if we use them right. Ups and downs in school are normal. We have weeks where we're too busy to focus on all our classes and tests that we aren't prepared ( never more than a few weeks away from that wish. A class that goes poorly taken during one semester can be worked into the next. While we don't always want to retake a class, it is a chance to go back redo a mistake that month break. That untimely break can be just as bad as Ifrj&boqtihg compurtMfthat erases" .ah;, unsaved essay, .ather than breaking away entirely and having to start fresh in the fall, working a couple classes in around a summer job can keep things moving. We earn a few extra credits, take less time to graduate, and manage to keep all our work fresh. Courtesy of Google Images was made. A break in the summer may sound attractive but it's also a chance to hit the reset button for a clean start. Classes in the fall will be that much easier without a bad grade hanging over the head. The situation also works in reverse. The momentum from a great spring semester can be decimated by a four No matter how things went for us in spring, taking a summer class is a better idea than taking a break. A reset can wipe away some system errors but it can also wipe away necessary momentum. Heading into fall, everything will be running smoothly and earning our degrees will be that much easier, v: ^ CETTHK... I S U M £ f t IS ACTUALLY THE \JM0$T0F A CALIFORNIA f f I CAN'T RELIEVE IT TOOK ME A LIFETIME TO REALIZE THIS { |