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Show Editorial People-watching and why I love the new Facebook we can all stroll down and interact on. Sometimes it's a mere peripheral glance, I love people-watching; sometimes it's a double it is truly an an. I've learned take, sometimes we pause that so much of this art is our busy day, put down our bags, and have a conversabased in context. The new Facebook was tion. That's what I like about made for people-watchers. the new Facebook: We have To dispel a common mis- more control over how we conception, Facebook is will stroll the virtual Main not for stalkers, though Street. The new Facebook also there is a fine line between makes it much harder to hide people-watching and stalkwhat we really are. People ing. MySpace is for stalkers, have traditionally been all and Facebook is for peopleabout making their online watchers. personas seem like a really Facebook statuses are to distorted reflection of themwordsmiths what avatars are to everyone else; They're selves, like an image from the new Main Street that a carnival funhouse mirror. Chance Clift Opinions writer From Photoshopped pictures to bios filled with such buzz-adjectives as "chill, random, spontaneous, and drama-free," online personal profiles are as narcissistic as they are dishonest. The new Facebook shows who we are in a much more honest light. We see each other not as our doctored, scripted photos, but as the candid shots we were tagged in, showing up on the news feed. We can say what we want on our bio, but what we will see first is what others say about us. That may sound shallow, but let's be honest; it's a reflection of the real world. 1 like the fact that the new Facebook gives us less liberty to litter our pages with applications. To return to the Main Street analogy, we all look pretty much the same as we stroll along and pass each other by. We are all wearing one outfit of clothes, maybe carrying a bag or two. We are not carrying every single piece of flair that we own to advertise our salient features. I have seen people protest the new Facebook by the herds. Such protest is the new go-to Facebook status du jour. These people just don't understand the art and science of people-watching. Limitless potentia Academic excellence at our doorstep Nicholas Edward Rossi Opinions writer Utah Valley University has infinite potential. The aims of any fine university should surpass that of spatial distribution, student organizations and faculty politics. Inherent in the desire of a community-based institution such as UVU is the motivation to reach out into the community in order to positively influence its citizens. The necessity for community-based activism has arrived, and it's ours to conquer. Peace and social justice cannot come about without the correlation of the university community. In order for this university to have a global impact, we must start locally. The problems in Utah County are not necessarily the problems of the rest of the world, but in order for us to have a voice on the global stage, we need to show that we can change the community around us. The problems that face humanity henceforth can and must be dealt with, and UVU has stepped onto the global stage. At this juncture, we have potentially become a vehicle to assist with global amelioration. Local issues are appropriately prioritized. Sociologist and UVU professor Ron Hammond, PhD auspiciously highlighted some of the opportunities associated with our fresh start and new duties as members of a university community. 'The strategies adopted by the administration allow us to build a bridge into the community so that we can have a positive impact," he said. "An important issue is working with the minority community. We also need to worry about poverty, and the disadvantaged." Hammond has his eye out for the disadvantaged- and he's not the only one. The other portion of the disadvantaged are not necessarily affected by poverty, but by the attraction of other prospective, more distinguished uni- "There is a level of student here that is comparable to students at great universities like Harvard and Stanford." Alex Caldiero, Artist-in-residence versities. Renowned humanities professor and Artist-in-Residence Alex Caldiero said in an interview, "There is a level of student here that is comparable to students at great universities like Harvard and Stanford." He's right. And in order to keep those overqualified students here at UVU, "we've got to fulfill the function of a university." Clubs can be started and sports can be played, but that won't be what makes us a great university. Senior Courtney Welch of Rochester, New York said, "UVU has the potential to become globally engaged. There is so much excitement here. Less people are wearing BYU apparel, less people are transferring, and more people are getting involved." Welch, who ideally would like to work in higher education administration, also noted, "As the quality of students UVU educates improves, so will the economy around our community." We've seen the blueprints for the future buildings, and we're proud of that; but the future of the university depends not upon the infrastructure, but upon the people who occupy those buildings. The change must begin now. As students, we need to continue to take initiative to be active members of the community by becoming locally minded and globally recognized for our efforts. Our graduates need to secure the best internships, be admitted to the most prestigious graduate schools, and become employed by the best companies. The faculty needs to initiate the creation of centers of research. They need to be published and make their voices heard. They need to recruit funding to attract students with aspirations of undergraduate research. UVU will inevitably act as a conduit through which many great things will come about for the improvement of the state, the country and the world. As we begin to think and study more like university students, let's prepare to leave an indelible mark on the world. Let's mandate innovation and expect dynamism: ensure that greatness is the norm and peace our intent. These values will provide the framework for the next generation of Wolverines, ensuring that they will have a stellar university, and in turn an improved world. Don't be too alarmed but according to the warning label, on any bag of charcoal, "harmful vapors may accumulate and cause death." Not to worry though. We are not completely defenseless. We have all been properly instructed by our highschool chemistry teachers on the actions, such as proper ventilation, that can be taken to prevent a heinous death by charcoal or any other type of vapor. Knowledge is power. Risk can be managed, so charcoal on. The label must be the result of some sort of a government mandate meant to protect the defenseless—those who are home schooled or otherwise uninitiated in the finer points of vapor ventilation. However, just to be safe, abstinence from using charcoal might be the best policy for those who do not know any better. This is familiar reasoning with regard to many issues in the local sphere, the most striking example being sex ed in Utah. In the heavily religiousinfluenced culture of Utah and more specifically Utah County, abstinence tends to be the prescribed order of the day, the week, the month, the year, the decade, the generation and so on, depending on who you ask. In fact, in Feb. 2000 the state legislature passed a law making not only abstinence the solitary legal sex education curriculum in the state, but it also mandated that adolescents in grades 8—12 be taught that sex outside of marriage is "criminal conduct." And speaking of criminal conduct, last May a Herriman middle school health teacher was suspended for diverging from the mandatory abstinence only curriculum by answering her seventh and eighth-grade students' questions about 'sexual topics. Staff do you use social-networking * 1 sites? It's anti-solipsism. I exist as figment of others' perception. It's a surrogate consciousness, a placeholder that occupies a sectioned-off corner of cyberspace projecting my consciousness and persona into the electronic world, reaffirming my belief that I do actually exist. -Jared Magill, Managing editor So I can show how hard-core I am. -Jennie Nicholls, Editor at large Because I want to get to know you without actually talking to you. -Packer Donat, Sports writer So I can feel comfortable with a properly constructed self-consciousness. Identity is wonderful when everyone else can comment on it. O -Matthew Jonassaint, Asst. Life di To socially network with hot people. We're looking for you to join our staff ;:".:r.e',» Writers, photographers, designers always wanted. The typical logic seems to state that if schools abstain from teaching comprehensive sex ed, contraception and so on, adolescents will abstain from engaging in sex. Statistically, that approach is not working out. As of Sept. the state Health Department has tracked 2,880 cases of chlamydia so far this year according to a Daily Herald report from Sept. 25. Similarly, according to Rebecca Walsh's Salt Lake Tribune Op-Ed column dated Oct. 2, 2008, Planned Parenthood Action Council Director Missy Bird claims "government could save $4 in other costs - welfare, food stamps, education - for every $1 spent in realistic sex education and family planning that acknowledges people have sex for reasons other than procreation." Rep. Carl Wimmer RHerriman, is now working with a Herriman parents' group to introduce a bill that would make diverging from the abstinence curriculum a prosecutable offense complete with its own special sex offender registry for school teachers who don't tow the line. In the same Op-Ed Walsh later quoted Wimmer at a pre-election abortion rally as having said, "We are here to defend the defenseless." Whatever personal decisions regarding sexual practices our readership elects to pursue, we at UVU Review wholeheartedly endorse the inclusion of a corresponding regimen of safe and sound health practices facilitated by the free flow of information. If our state legislators wish to defend the defenseless they should start by educating the ignorant. Ignorance is never the best policy. Whatever our choices should be, let's have them be informed ones. to see the smiles ; -Britnee Nguyen, News editor , o . • o ... :.. *. . ;\ Interested in writing a letter to the editor? Send a letter to uvu. review.opinions@gmail.com Letters must be turned in on Wednesday by noon in order to be printed in the next edition. |