Pass: Radio free Arizona
Wannabe shock jocks and aspiring NPR personalities can take heart: KAMP Student Radio will live on. The Arizona Board of Regents unanimously voted to approve a $2 fee for the UA’s student station Aug. 15, ensuring its continued health for at least another year. It may have been a drawn-out process – the student populace voted for the fee in March, but the board mulled it over for a few months before giving its consent -ÿbut for ensuring that we all have a place to play old Iron Maiden b-sides or complain about Congress at 11 p.m. every Saturday, we’re dedicating this Pass to the board of regents.
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Fail: Olympic folly
The 2008 Olympics left many observers with a renewed awe for the talent of the legendary games talented participants. But allegations of fraud – some of the Chinese gymnasts were said to be too young to compete – cast a shadow over the event.ÿ Whether the allegations prove to be true or not, it was hard to ignore the callousness of China’s authoritarian government, which did not relent in its campaign against freedom, attacking and arresting demonstrators on the street and censoring foreign reporters’ access to the Internet. During the closing ceremony, the government deported ten foreigners – including 10 Americans – for protesting China’s treatment of Tibet. For putting a damper on the best sporting event in the world, the Chinese government gets a Fail.
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Fail: No student buyers win in eBay’s monopoly game
While eBay originally rocked the online auction world, lately it’s been stirring resentment among its sellers. On Aug. 20, the auction giant announced more shocking changes – a limit on shipping and handling, which prevents sellers from making up for eBay’s numerous fees, and a new pay protocol: now anyone who buys at the Web site must pay through eBay’s PayPal service, which takes a percentage of sellers’ money in every transaction. Altogether, eBay’s monopoly takes 20 percent of sellers’ income and has led to less deals online for the average college student looking to save a few bucks. eBay gets a fail.
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Pass: Invasion from Earth
When the Phoenix Mars Lander touched down on Martian soil May 25, the eyes of the world were focused on one of the UA’s most laudable accomplishments.ÿ Led by the UA’s own Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, the Lander confirmed the presence of water ice on the Red Planet, sparking yet more speculation that life might have flourished there in the past. The $420 million project is set to run for at least another month, and we’re all eager to hear what else the tiny probe will tell us about our sister planet. The UA’s participation in one of the brightest moments of the year was something every Wildcat could be proud of. For advancing our knowledge of the cosmos, the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory gets a Pass.
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Editorials are determined by the Wildcat opinions board and written by one of its members. They are Andi Berlin, Justyn Dillingham, Lauren LePage and Alisa Wilhelm.
