This week we’ve offered our take on discrimination in immigration laws, the jurisdiction of rape on our campus and the hidden potential in a possible double-dip recession. Meanwhile, the rest of the Pac-12 has been pondering the importance of service learning to boost a resume and job readiness, what happens when we take free speech too literally and the credibility of those occupying Wall Street. Take a look at what the Pac-12 has to say:
The Daily Utah Chronicle
Utah
A bachelor’s degree is the new high school diploma. Upon graduation, students find themselves in a vast sea of peers with the same credentials. During school, concepts learned in classes often go through the cycle of being memorized, then cleared from the brain bank after exams. The true value of education seems a bit fuzzy. Lo and behold, students have an option to retain principles that are taught, build a stellar résumé, serve the surrounding community and build memories and relationships that come from outside dorm life and football games. This comes through two artfully combined words: service-learning …Through working with applicable organizations, service-learning courses give students a way to apply coursework, while learning the concepts directly and immediately. Unlike many modes of learning by which concepts are to be applied after graduation, service-learning courses provide instant gratification … Discover how to use your major to build community through service-learning.
— “Apply skills now with service-learning”
by Emma Zink
CU Independent
Colorado
Freedom of speech is the reason why there are numerous different news stations, the reason why opposing viewpoints are permitted in this country. But freedom of speech is also the reason why independent research is often necessary to understand current events, and the reason why you can’t trust every piece of information that gets posted on the internet … Last week, a satirical newspaper, the Onion, sparked a panic in Washington, leaving some to ponder that question. The article, in breaking news fashion, spoofed the American Congress, joking that Republican Party members had taken civilian children hostage at gunpoint to use as mules in political negotiations. Despite the fact that the Onion is widely known for satirizing current events, the article was taken literally, leading to a major fiasco on Capitol Hill … This controversy should not be focused on whether or not the Onion went past the limits of free speech. It should be focused on the responsibility of Americans to be informed and be wary of their news sources.
— “Debating the limits of free speech”
by Taryne Tosetti
The Daily Bruin
UCLA
On their editorial page, the Wall Street Journal refers to the Occupy Wall Street movement as a “collection of ne’er-do-wells raging against Wall Street, or something.” Since Sept. 17, a growing coalition of unemployed college graduates, out-of-luck youth and activists have occupied Manhattan’s financial district. Although criticized for a lack of a singularly coherent message, the refusal to do so is to refuse the very validation of the corrupt system they are opposing. … As students, our futures have been mortgaged away, and not by any means to the highest bidder, but to the bidder with the most “credit.” We did everything right, after all. We went to college, worked hard and yet after graduation we can merely stare gawk-eyed and helpless at our foreordained situation: an inexcusable mound of debt with no job or future to appease the pain. It is a mistake to write off the movement as insignificant so quickly before measuring its success. It could have the potential to represent and inspire people with similar frustrations.
— “The path to protest”
by Michael Dafter
