Conspiracies hold back real progress Twitter and other social media sites are erupting due to a new feud between rapper B.o.B and the entire science community. The subject of the feud? The hip hop artist is promoting a theory that has been disproven for centuries — the idea that the earth is flat. It all…
For most of my life I’ve had a problem with Barbie. When I was very young, Barbie’s straight, blonde hair was a representation of the characteristic I would never have. I spent most of my childhood trying desperately to get my dark, curly hair to do what Barbie’s did. When I hit my preteen years…
When considering sustainable development, it is necessary to think about environmental conditions and their effects. Quality environmental conditions serve as a base to sustainable development. Without environmental conditions that allow people to meet their basic needs — that is, biological and physiological needs and security — it will be difficult, if not impossible, to focus…
An open letter concerning recent programmatic changes, Last Friday the campus community received an email effectively announcing that there are ten majors that are now closed to new students. Along with this announcement came the news that a number of professors, many of whom have tenure, will lose their jobs at Concordia. After thinking about…
The practice is outdated When applying for college scholarships, there are inherent disadvantages to being inherently advantaged — and many who are inherently advantaged cry injustice. Minorities in need of financial assistance have access to funds that are otherwise inaccessible to non-minorities, and many non-minorities find it unfair. While something like race-based scholarships might have…
Jan. 11 marked the birthday of one of my environmental heroes, Aldo Leopold. I’d be lying if I didn’t mention that one reason I’m obsessed with him is because he was born in Iowa and I’m from Iowa, but there’s also much more to him. Beyond being from a great state, he is known best…
I spent last week at a theatre festival in Minneapolis and something I heard a lot of was praise for plays that are outdated, discriminatory and supremacist. “It’s a product of its time” was the most common defense used in discussions of whether or not colleges and playhouses should continue to mount productions of plays…
Nothing (or very little) makes sense about sustainable development except in light of social community and conservation psychology. The International Institute for Sustainable Development defines sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Most definitions of sustainable development view the…
My mom had my little sister, Tess, when I was nine years old and that’s when I started hearing the debate about whether or not women should be allowed to breastfeed publicly. Public breastfeeding was brought to my attention once again, a decade later, when the topic swept across social media outlets, starting fights and…
We should strive to represent all holidays After months of anticipation then only two short weeks of vacation, the holiday season is over at last. Snow continues to fall — as does the temperature — and classes resume as usual. We have successfully survived another round of capitalism via religious holiday, and we have a…