Month: September 2012

Meghan Byrd
Contributing Writer

In the face of Lance Armstrong’s doping accusation, one might wonder what the professional sports community has come to represent. It seems that every few months, a new charge is brought forward against an athlete for using illegal performance-enhancing substances. Doping negatively affects athletes, professional athletics and the larger sports community. It is a form of cheating, and users should face hefty consequences in order to deter athletes from utilizing banned substances and hopefully reduce the number of those who choose to do so.

Over the past few years, doping has garnered much controversy in the athletic community. For example, San Francisco Giant and All-Star Most Valuable Player Melky Cabrera was recently suspended for 50 games following a positive test for testosterone and admission to using banned substances. Doping charges seem to occur frequently in baseball, as many well-known players such as Barry Bonds and Manny Ramirez have also been accused of using performance enhancing substances.

However, it is the Armstrong doping case that has been dominating headlines recently. Armstrong is arguably one of the most renowned cyclists in the world, yet his reputation is now cast in a dark light. Although one cannot assume he is guilty of doping, the fact that he is choosing not to defend himself is reason to seriously doubt his claim that he is clean.

In order to enforce fair standards, it is important that national and international organizations send a clear message to athletes: using any performance-enhancing drug is not acceptable and will be met with heavy consequences. In some cases, testing positive for doping can even end some athletes’ careers by banning them from the sport, and such could be the case for Armstrong.

The best course of action for administering consequences to athletes who test positive for banned substance use is to have a two-strike system. The first time an athlete is caught doping, he or she should be issued a warning and suspended for a certain amount of time or number of games that would be left up to the sport association’s discretion. The second time they are found using, they are banned from the sport for life. This method would prove to athletes that doping is a serious offense, and will not be tolerated by their teams, sports, fan base or community.

Many of these athletes are role models for children aspiring to compete at a high level of athletics. If organizations such as the United States Anti-Doping Agency are tough on athletes they believe might be using banned substances, it sets an example for future generations and current professional athletes alike that under no circumstances is doping ever acceptable.

Justin Marinelli
Contributing Writer

As corny as it sounds, some students here love the University so much that they’d stay here all the time. Every year, a fair number of students stick around over the summer. While this does present an amazing number of opportunities, one should take care to find plenty to do.

It’s not uncommon for students to stay over the summer doing research, working on campus or taking class (and sometimes a combination of those options). While this may just sound like the normal school year, there are a few key differences.

The first is you end up having a lot more free time. During the normal semester, it’s easy to get caught up in the flow of classes, activities, catching up with friends you missed over the summer and the barrage of everything else that seems to befall us once the school year kicks in. Over the summer, you don’t get that amount of stimulation unless you actively make sure you have a lot to do (like packing a bunch of books or something).

Additionally, it can get lonely over the summer. While the campus can be a pretty cozy place–and you’re essentially guaranteed to see someone you know on the way to class–it isn’t quite like that over the summer. The place is almost a ghost town in the summer months, and it can certainly feel empty to someone who’s used to seeing the quad covered in people.

Figuring out the issue of food can also be tricky. Meal plans don’t apply over the summer, so one is either forced to rely on dining dollars or frequent the (admittedly many) places in town where food is available.

Now, none of this is to say that you shouldn’t spend summer on campus. Like I said earlier, summer presents some amazing opportunities in terms of research, class and work. It’s also pretty cool to be able to go to the library and not have to search for an open computer, or to go to the gym and not have to wait for machines, weights, the good water fountain, etc. While it may be a bit harder to find social events or things to do at times, by no means is it impossible. You just have to work at it a bit more.

At the end of the day, if you want to stick around over the summer, go for it. Just bring some books you’ve been meaning to read, some snacks and make an effort get to know some of the people on campus.

Jessica Isgro
Writer

What does my major say about me? Absolutely nothing. Now, don’t get me wrong. Majors are a large part of who we are or who we want to become, yet it does not define every aspect of our lives. The reality of the situation is that we would not be at this University if we were not intellectually driven; the focus of our studies should not place a label on our intellectual abilities.

A major highlights our goals, showing the vaguest outline of how we wish to run our lives. It offers suggestions to eventual career paths, opportunities to meet similar people and exposure to professionals in interesting fields.

What a major does not do is restrict you. When I stepped on campus my first year, already declared as a music education major, I was absolutely terrified. For a split second, I thought my friends were decided, my activities selected and my schedule outlined, without my complete consent to each of these details. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

By that same token, I do not perceive majors as stereotyping an individual’s personality or intellect. There are difficult facets to all fields of study: while some may find difficulty in painting a life-like portrait, others may become perplexed when solving quadratic equations. It is all a matter of perception.

People need to stop thinking of majors as restricting their options and rather as expanding their options. By this I mean that being a music education major allows me to meet teachers I can relate to, get to know people with similar interests and study subjects I find fascinating. It does not inhibit me from meeting other people, restrict me from studying different subjects or separate me from professors in other fields. While it does keep me busy, I still have the opportunity to put myself out there and meet peers and teachers in other disciplines.

Though I have never walked a day in the shoes of an engineer or a management major, I suspect this principle runs the gamut of all majors available on campus. While a course load of major requirements may seem like an overload of specified education and unchanging classmates, the reality of the situation is that there are always opportunities to reach out and meet new people.

When we start to choose majors and classes based upon what seems intellectual or what has the best stereotype is when majors stop increasing our options and start labeling us. My major says that I love music and that I want to help others love music. Most importantly, my major does not tell others who I am. I tell others who I am.

Elaine Lac
Contributing Writer

America’s definition of beauty leans towards an artificial image and tanning is used to realize this image. In recent years, tanning has become increasingly popular and people will often go to unhealthy extremes to achieve the perfect bronzed look. Extreme tanning promotes an unnatural and unsafe practice which can lead to skin cancer. People are obsessed with changing their looks to copy celebrities, and it’s not worth the repercussions. Instead, natural beauty should be celebrated.

Celebrities perpetuate a standard that skin should glow with a healthy bronze. Numerous stars, like Lindsay Lohan, have been caught with telltale orange fingers from artificial bronzers. Probably one of the most infamous tanners is “Jersey Shore” reality star Snooki. She has been known to visit tanning salons regularly and turned to self-tanner after, as she put it, Obama raised taxes on tanning.

Not even economic downturns can deter people obsessed with their appearances. Society views these stars as beautiful, so many people try to copy them to attain their sense of popularity and attractiveness. If people see the dedication to appearances stars like Snooki have, it only teaches us to obsess more over our own appearances.

In recent news, a tanning obsessed mom was charged with endangering her five-year-old daughter who had gotten a sunburn from “tanning”. While the mother claims that the burn was natural, there has been reasonable doubt in this claim. Tanning at such a young age only further increases the risk for melanoma.

I am guilty of tanning too, because I swim every year, but I am very careful to always use sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30. Natural tans can be beautiful and safely done with care. In fact, absorbing sunlight increases our amount of Vitamin D which can promote resistance to diseases, but going to an extreme like the tanning mom is out of the question.

In general, the pursuit of the ideal image has discouraged the acceptance of natural beauty. People never seem to be happy with what they have. People with light skin want tanned skin. People with dark hair want blonde hair. People want bigger eyes, larger eyelashes, skinnier bodies and smoother skin. We should appreciate ourselves and feel comfortable in our skin. If not, the high expectations of beauty easily influence younger people, making them insecure and leading to extremes to pursue beauty.