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Show 8 Wednesday, September 16, 2009 |B> T H E SIGNPOST Senate continued from front V / l V I C S continued from front people born roughly from 1980 to 2003. He explained that die Millennial Generation is different from other generations in that they get along with their parents, they're team oriented, but they're also more confident. One of the tilings he noted was that the Millennial Generation believed the government should be the ones to solve society's problems, but that the generation was cynical on how the government would go about doing that. "The real problem here is that there is still a lack of real knowledge about the constitution and about how our government works," Goggi said. "It's that lack of knowledge that turns itself into cynicism." MacKay said to combat this cynicism students need to learn critical thinking skills. She breaks up critical thinking into two categories. "One: confronting or working with ideas that are not just new but that contradict what you think you know," MacKay said. "Two: developing a culture that arguments are based on evidence; that opinions come out of valid, supported information." Goggi also focused on the problem that primary and secondary schools were not necessarily getting die education they needed. He explained that some schools are starting to focus on reading and math more than history and social studies. "Schools around the country are getting into the mindset that if we're not going to test it, like we do math and reading, then why bother teach it?" Goggi said. MacKay and Goggi both stressed the importance of being civically aware. They encouraged students to pick up a newspaper to read. Murray told how students often say how something is unconstitutional, but when the students are pressed, they often don't know why it is unconstitutional. "Learn why the constitution matters," Murray said. Most of the countries around the world are in a parliament setting. America is in a democratic setting, but it has the lowest voting rate in the world. "We're a real consumeroriented society," MacKay said. "We're going to wait in line for a sale, but we may not have die patience to wait in line to vote." MacKay said she thinks people don't vote because they think they can't make a difference. Goggi said he thinks students think the government has no affect on their lives. "Start to realize that everything, every waking moment, the government in some sense has affected you and you can do something about it," Goggi said. Meanwhile, members of WSU are trying to get students to be civically educated.They're holding forums, they are trying to develop an extensive campus conversation through deliberate democracy. MacKay said professors are trying to think about pedagogy, the way they actually present their lessons. They want to involve students in more class discussions; they want students to develop confidence and public speaking skills. "Public education is about evidence," MacKay said. "It's about reason; it's about thoughtfulness. We have got to be committed to developing that." Comment on this story at wsusignpost. com. Donating life PI 1OIOS RY BRYAN BUTTERFIELD cm -rr j . M CHRISTA BOYD \ nit sit Members of the Student Senate raise their hand while voting to move on to other issues during a senate meeting on Monday in the Shepherd Union Building. The number of could plan activities activities senators are throughout the year required to plan changed instead of focusing only on last year. Senators will one week. now be sponsoring Although the number emphasis activities •of activities senators must instead of focusing plan has changed, the on activities during budget for these activities emphasis week. has not changed. When the change was Nancy Collinwood, made from emphasis week director of Student to emphasis activities, the Involvement and senate decided that three Leadership, said that the activities per semester senate budget hasn't been would be best to keep increased for four to five senators and their students years. involved. "We have gone Last year it was to the student fee common for senators to r e c o m m e n d a t i o n plan their emphasis week committee with no and then there would be increase in our budget," a long period without any Collinwood said. activities. The required The Senate mentioned number of activities was the possibility of asking changed so that senators for an increase in their g-M, which wouldn't take efket until next year. "We try to be so fiscally responsible," Collinwood said. "I'm sure that we would be more than open to a conversation and good strategy if we go into that process." Senators discussed how budget changes could be made in the bylaws or applied to the senator contracts. However, no decisions were made regarding what action should be taken with senate finances or the required number of planned activities. Comment on this story at vvsusignpost.com. n IF Phlebotomist Lisa Viator, draws WSU senior, Lauren Ellis' blood during the American Red Cross Blood Drive, on Ellis' first d.\) on campus. Ellis choose the purple tourniquet saying " I guess I need to get use to being a Wildcat.'The blood drive was held Monday, SepL 14, in the Shepherd Union. Wildcat Football Weber State vs. Idaho State MEET A REAL L I F E Saturday, September 19 TREASURE HUNTER at 6:00 pm, Stewart Stadium Fireworks After The Game BARRY CLIFFORD) IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S BEST-KNOWN UNDERSEA EXPLORERS. AND HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPLORATION FOR VIRTUALLY HIS ENTIRE ADULT LIFE. j HE HAS BEEN FEATURED ON SUCH NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS AS DATELINE. NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO. WALTER CRONKITE AT LARGE. GOOD MORNING AMERICA, THE VOICE OF AMERICA. SIXTY MINUTES. SIXTY MINUTES CAUSTCAUA). DAVID LETTERMAN, A VARIETY OF BBC PROGRAMS . AND IS A FREQUENT GUEST ON THE TODAY SHOW. HIS DEEP LOVE OF THE OCEAN. AND HIS WORK TO RECOVER THE PAST THROUGH UNDERSEA EXPLORATION, SPARKS THE IMAGINATION OF SCHOOLCHILDREN THROUGHOUT THE U.S. AND REMINDS ADULTS OF THE ADVENTURES TO BE FOUND IN UNDERWATER DISCOVERY...HE BRINGS HISTORY TO LIFE EXTENDING EDUCATION WELL BEYOND THE CLASSROOM. .!V at 5EPTEMBER/aHTH NOON AT THE UNl'GN BUILDING WILDCAT THEATER Don't miss any of the action as the Wildcats defend their Big Sky Conference Championship Students Free with valid I.D. |