OCR Text |
Show Thursday, Feb. 28, 2013 Page 10 Views&OpilliO Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.utahstatesman.com =Free Speech Zone Opinions on this page (columns, letters unless otherwise identified are not from Utah Statesman staff, but from a wide variety of members of the campus community who have strong opinions, just like you do! This is an open forum. Want to write something? Contact: statesman@aggiemaiLusu.edu Social media isn't a campaign shortcut Facebook is not the basis of good government. Yet many of the candidates in this year's election have offered social media as a solution to the disconnect between students and student government. It's come up in debates and in the candidates' written platforms. ASUSU already has Facebook pages. There are Utah State University Student An Editorial Opinion Involvement and Leadership, Utah State ASUSU and the USU Student Voice Think Tank, to name a few. Whether these pages are effective or not, creating additional pages probably won't reach more students. Social media sites can be powerful tools to share information and bring people together, but they're not replacements for hard work. Yes, a few posts go viral for no apparent reason. Unless ASUSU electees are willing to embed their message in images of robot pirate ninja zombies or videos of cats burping the alphabet, however, promoting a forum for student discussion on Facebook will take a lot of elbow grease. We're not saying that a site dedicated to student concerns and grievances is a bad idea, we're saying that it will take a lot of planning, communication and promotion. For many grievances — perhaps the most important grievances — Facebook or a similarly open site is a bad forum for discussion. Information about criminal or otherwise inappropriate behavior should be considered from several different angles before publication in any media. Will the information harm the victim? Are the allegations accurate? If not, someone may be culpable for libel. With the recent "Utah State University Confessions" Facebook page incident, we've seen what some students are willing to post online — pretty much anything. Some of the posts are harmless humor, some have started constructive conversations and some are downright creepy. But we've also seen what kind of heat information like that can bring from USU administration and police. An ASUSU officer connected with information like that would create a scandal. While a Facebook page could be a great way to put issues on ASUSU's radar, it can't guarantee a representative picture of the student body's concerns. There are so many factors that can skew the tone and type of comments on a Facebook page — other comments on the page, the way the student was introduced to the site, whether the site is viewed on a desktop or a mobile device. You may find out what your friends think, or what Internet trolls think, but finding out what a larger section of the student body thinks is harder. For that, officers should turn to well-designed, statistically sound surveys. Seeking input from a constituency is the mark of a good leader — but if your best plan is a Facebook page, it's time for a reality check. Abo ut US Editor in Chief Steve Kent Copy Editor Eric Jungblui News Editor Tavin Stucki News Senior Writer Tmera Bradley Our View ForumLetters Help solve our inversion woes To the editor: In response to a lack of action on our air pollution problem by county and state officials, a group of faculty launched the "C. Arden Pope Clear the Air" contest for USU students. There are cash prizes for the best most creative ideas for reducing air pollution plus a poster contest. Deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, March 8. To learn more check out: http://pinterest. com/susannejanecke/ group-air-pollution-innorthern-utah-data-and- idea/. Submit entries to the Northern Utah Clear the Air Facebook page: facebook. com/NorthernUtah ClearTheAir. Be part of the solution! To donate to the prize fund (money goes straight to the student winners like a scholarship): Send checks to Utah State University (write in memo line: Clear the Air Contest) to USU VP for Business and Finance, UMC 1445. Donate by credit card at www.usu.edu/giving and choose "Other" and specify "Clear the Air." Jean Lown Features Editor Allee Wilkinson Features Senior Writer Cale Patterson Debating the ultimate question Sports Editor Curtis Lundstrom some other philosophers were agnostic, but the fact remains that many of the greatest historical impacts upon philosophy have come through people trying to discover and prove the existence of God. Of course, there is no question we could also look to many of the founders of this country, most of whom believed devoutly in a creator who had a divine role in the founding of our nation. We may believe in evolution as a scientific plausibility to explain certain phenomena. Darwin found finches change over time due to natural selection as per their environment. I don't dispute that. But where does a finch come from? Where does this planet come from and where do we come from? Certain scientists say it is all the product of impalpable chance, a sort of Big Bang. Evolutionists often argue we are only slightly more advanced than the lesser animal kingdom. This idea is much less ennobling than the idea that we are "created in God's image." Imagine the pain and human misery that could be avoided if we all understood we have more in common with God than with a gorilla. Now suppose we arrived on another planet and found something similar to an iPad. Surely, even the most morally confused would not assume it was created by chance, however infinitesimally small. We would immediately begin to search for the intelligent designer who created it. Why? Because its vast complexities and designs require a steady, intelligent hand to put it in such functional order. Now, take a moment to realize the very eyes that are reading this paper are infinitely more complicated and organized than an iPad. Your digestive system, pulmonary system, respiratory system and every other system are stunningly intricate and flawlessly organized. Not only are they each individually more complex and per- Sports Senior Writer Mark Hopkins. Often on a university campus, the most important debate of all arises: Is there a God? Likewise, is it logical to believe in one? Is it rational? Does it conflict with science? Does it even matter? Have we evolved and advanced past the point of these questions? These are all good questions that require good people with good answers. In my case, I have no intention of preaching, but rather of expressing a few thoughts in a calm, rational and logical manner. Despite my own inadequacy, I hope many of us will find value and possibly even ask ourselves some difficult questions. I'm even more hopeful that some of us will seek for the answers. In our quest, we may look to men such as John Locke, the writings of whom much of our country's history is founded upon, including influence on the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Aquinas, a powerfully influential philosopher from the 13th century. And of course, Rene Descartes, the man who dramatically and forever impacted our mathematical system with the Cartesian plane. There are many more, but what I find interesting is each of these very famous and highly influential men tried very hard to prove the existence of God through philosophy. Aquinas tried to prove the existence of God and the nature of the soul through sensory experience; Descartes through incredibly deep rationalization and reasoning. Locke in many ways accepts it as simple fact and uses empirical — verifiable — observation and experience to support the claim. It is true 9HENEMAN TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES QUIT POUTING. IT'S Illt2T A FEW BUDGET CUTS. YOU'LL EAT NEXT WEEK... fect than an iPad, but they all work together in incredible harmony. It is true that disease and bodily imperfections are present in this world, but the reasons why require a much deeper and more significant conversation, one far more involved than a single newspaper column can effectively provide. Now put yourself in the shoes of the astronomer who studies the orbit of the moon and stars. Everything is in perfect balance. If Earth were not held consistently in just the right place, then temperatures would fluctuate so much that life would be virtually unsustainable. What would we ever do without the moon? When we really truly and honestly ponder the vast complexities and perfect order of our universe, we find it to be a greater leap of faith to deny the existence of God than to believe He designs and directs it all. This is exactly what happened to Francis Collins, the man who was primarily in charge of mapping the human genome project. He started as a stark atheist and ended as a deeply committed Christian. He said, "To get our universe, with all of its potential for complexities or any kind of potential for any kind of life-form, everything has to be precisely defined on this knife edge of improbability ... You have to see the hands of a creator who set the parameters to be just so because the creator was interested in something a little more complicated than random particles." Philosophers, the founding fathers, geneticists, mathematicians and now a fellow student at Utah State University firmly declare God lives. He is real. All of existence testifies of Him and logic and reason defy any other thought. -Richard Winters is a senior majoring in Law and Constitution Studies and Communication Studies. Send comments to rajin82@ hotmaiLcom Photo Editor Delayne Locke Senior Photographer Curtis Ripplinger Web Editor Cale Patterson Editorial Staff: Steve Kent Allee Wilkinson Delayne Locke Tavin Stucki Eric Jungblut Curtis Lundstrom Cale Patterson About letters • Letters should be limited to 400 words. • All letters may be shortened, edited or rejected for reasons of good taste, redundancy or volume of similar letters. • Letters must be topic oriented. They may not be directed toward individuals. Any letter directed to a specific individual may be edited or not printed. • No anonymous letters will be published. Writers must sign all letters and include a phone number or e-mail address as well as a student identification number (none of which is published). Letters will not be printed without this verification. • Letters representing groups — or more than one individual — must have a singular representative clearly stated, with all necessary identification information. • Writers must wait 21 days before submitting successive letters — no exceptions. • Letters can be hand delivered or mailed to The Statesman in the TSC, Room 105, or can be e-mailed to statesman@aggiemail. usu.edu, or click on www.utahstatesman. corn for more info. ELCE,RLY PP77 _. PROGRAMS Polls, submission box, calendars, news archives and more: www.utahstatesman .com |