Category: Opinion

By Molly Brown

Writer

With the school year winding down, I hear many conversations from students about their plans for the summer. The common consensus of giddy delight that students will have no work is short-lived for those pursuing internships or intensive jobs, but most students are chomping at the bit to leave Lewisburg for their homes or vacation destinations. I was asked if I would ever spend a summer in Lewisburg the other day, and my affirmative response brought shock from my peers. I would definitely spend one of my summers in Lewisburg. Here’s why.

Firstly, Lewisburg is adorable. I would love to see the downtown neighborhood with all of the shops, the park, the cafes and the local music scene in the summer. I imagine there are festivals in the park, and concerts, and I could really see the town from a sort of non-student perspective. During the school year, everywhere is inundated with students and we’ve acquired a sort of reputation among the townies. I’d want to see what it was like, a day in the life of a summer in Lewisburg. I’d wake up early, go for a walk, eat some breakfast somewhere and probably do some writing for the morning and early afternoon. Lewisburg is quiet, yes, but that doesn’t need to be a hindrance. Lewisburg’s the sort of town that you can write a book in Cherry Alley and no one will bother you, no matter how long you stay. Then I’d take a nap. Afterwards, I know I would deplete most of savings going to the Campus Theatre. Finally, I’d befriend a townie so they’d grant me access to their porch, because, in my book, no summer is complete without a porch.

I might even consider taking a course or two to get ahead, but that wouldn’t alter my vision from above too drastically. I know many students pursue summer courses here at the University for a variety of reasons, and I do think it would be interesting to try out some time. Mostly, people wonder if I would grow bored. I honestly don’t think I would. I love small towns. I’d probably seek ways to recreate a “Dandelion Wine”–esque summer for myself, and I would definitely read the book again (you should, too). I’m really interested in getting to know the people of Lewisburg, the ones who’ve lived here for a long time. I love learning about people: their stories, what they do, what they like to read, what they don’t like to read, stories about their children, anything. I would continue going to Scrabble on Tuesday nights … in fact, I’m going to be really upset when I cannot for the whole summer. I would try and do whatever I could to go beyond a typical student’s perception of Lewisburg to attempt to understand it beyond its appearance of a sleepy little place with nothing to do. I think it’d be the makings of some great stories to tell my friends when they return in the fall.

By Sarah Blair Matthews

Assistant News Editor

Every girl I know can quote scenes from “Mean Girls.” by heart. Even though “Mean Girls” is a widely influential movie in U.S. culture, it is important to realize that it satirizes an issue that is still very much a problem in girl culture today. When girls quote this movie, do they really know what they are saying? Probably not. “Mean Girls” does a good job of presenting the issues of girl friendships in an accessible way, but I think it’s important that we also take the time to analyze why these actions occur in the first place.

In my own life, I remember one instance where the phrase “mean girl” has been directly relevant. I guess you could say I was a victim of girl bullying in this situation. A group of girls in my third grade class sat at a lunch table every day, and they decided to make a chart of who could sit with them on certain days. I was in their friend group, and I think they assigned me to sit with them on Wednesdays. This would probably bother most girls, but I just thought it was how things worked. I think there were around eight of us, and everyone else had to follow the rules, so I didn’t see any reason to get upset about it. One day, our teachers found out, sat us all down and told us this was a “mean girl” thing to do. Now, when I look back on it, I find it hilarious, but some of the other girls might not have felt that way.

Why did these girls feel the need to act this way? To be honest, I’m not sure. I think you would find that a lot of girls don’t know the answer to this question. Maybe it’s society or maybe it’s encoded in our DNA at birth. I’d love to know. Clearly, girl culture is dominated by the concept of exclusion. For the ones doing it, they think it makes their group appear more selective and elite in the eyes of others. For the victims, being excluded is one of the worst feelings in the world, especially when girls are young and vulnerable. Girls keep participating in this system of continuous rejection because of the feeling we get that one time we are included. It only takes one instance of being included to make a girl want to erase the other bad experiences from mind. But when things go back to normal, the cycle continues and we are worse off than when we started.

I think the best way to deal with mean girls is to not take them too seriously, although this is easier said than done. Mean girls will always be there in our lives. Whether it’s in the sorority we join, the apartment we live in or one of our coworkers, most of us will have to put up with them at some point in our lives. Although this issue isn’t going to be solved overnight, I think it’s important to raise awareness. Maybe our culture will change when we expose the mean girls, one Regina George at a time.

Justin Marinelli

Contributing WRiter

Should sugar be regulated like alcohol?  That’s the thought that Dr. Robert Lustig, a professor of clinical pediatrics at the University of California, proposes. His argument is that the metabolic effect of sugar, especially fructose, is similar enough to that of ethanol to warrant similar restrictions. However, the good doctor, though well meaning, is utterly wrong.

(NOTE: For the purposes of this argument, I will assume that the government has a right to tell us how we should eat. Whether it actually does is a completely different article, one that will be covered in the fall. Stay tuned!)

Consider the restrictions on alcohol. What’s the result of that? Have we succeeded in keeping alcoholic beverages out of the hands of those who are “not mature enough to use them?” I’m not even going to answer that question. Age restrictions can be, have been and always will be circumvented by people with fake I.D.s or older friends. You don’t even have to be particularly clever.

Lustig proposes a similar restriction on sweetened products. To buy ice cream, soda, Oreos, whatever, you would need to show an I.D. proving that you were of appropriate age—he suggests at least 17. According to his argument, this would keep sugary junk food out of the hands of those who were underage. The intention is good, but let’s not pretend it would be effective.

That idea’s not even worth taking seriously. So, let’s look at some of his other ideas. Lustig also proposes zoning ordinances to keep fast food restaurants and convenience stores out of low-income neighborhoods and away from schools. This will incentivize grocery stores and farmer’s markets to move into those areas, and will in absolutely no way cause people to simply spend more money on gas to go to McDonald’s or Dunkin’ Donuts. Right?

Lustig’s third proposal is that the government imposes a tax on sugary beverages and cereal. I’ll admit this might have some merit, as it could possibly dissuade people from buying such things. But you want to know a better solution? Abolish the corn and sugarcane subsidies that the government hands out. That money isn’t going to small farmers growing crops on the same plot of land that their families have owned for generations; it’s being funneled to massive agribusinesses making sinful amounts of profit. They don’t need that money.

Yes, this would make the processed sugar on which the American diet is based more expensive. I don’t have a problem with this. People shouldn’t be eating that stuff anyway.   Americans eat, on average, 150 pounds of sugar a year (and I eat a lot less than that, so at least one person is scoffing about 290 pounds). Do I think sugar consumption should be regulated? No. But that doesn’t mean that I’m unaware that the consequences of it are far from sweet.

Molly Brown

Writer

We all know Greek life is a huge part of campus life here at the University, and many students make the choice to go through rush in the fall of sophomore year.  On other campuses, it is much more common to go through rush during the first or second semesters of your first year. While some students are frustrated by the wait to join a fraternity or a sorority, I feel the delay allows prospective members of the Greek system to explore other organizations and social groups here on campus.

Joining a fraternity or sorority automatically makes an individual part of a social group that incorporates both community service and social activities. There’s an entire selection of people for you to hang out with, study with, go get meals with, etc. This is a great thing, really, but by not rushing their first year, students get to make their own friendships and join clubs or organizations. They can branch out without a greater agenda of a sorority or a fraternity governing their choices. Because students have gone through an entire academic year before rushing, by the end of that year they have a host of diverse friends, some of whom may rush and some of whom who might not. Thus, once a student is involved with a Greek organization, he or she still has friends outside the organization, allowing him or her to maintain a varied social life. Also, because students have already discovered their personal interests in terms of activities, it means greater diversity within an individual sorority or fraternity chapter. There might be athletes, musicians, actors, artists, engineers, scientists, writers—the list is endless. By having members with such a diverse range of talents and interests, the sorority or fraternity chapter also branches out as members support one another in their endeavors.

Another benefit is the opportunity for first-years to get some solid footing during their first year on campus. Orientation and the transition from high school to college are already daunting enough. Can you imagine going through rush on top of the orientation schedule and your first week of college classes? If rush were during a student’s first year, many first-years might feel overwhelmed by everything, which might cause all their various commitments to suffer if they are spread too thin, both academically and socially.  This is not to suggest that academics are not crucial to Greek organizations—in fact, there is a minimum GPA requirement that must be met if an individual wishes to join and/or remain a part of the chapter—but rather an observation on the already-crazy whirlwind those first few weeks of University life and the fact that going through rush at that time might not be the most prudent.

All in all, I believe that the University’s “wait” to rush is beneficial to students because it forces them to develop lives outside of a sorority or fraternity, or even decide if rushing is right for them, before they worry about making a commitment to an organization. Patience is a virtue and students will enjoy being involved in Greek life more if they have had to wait and look forward to its opportunities.