Acting for a cause

If you’ve been on the UA Mall at all this week, you’ve probably noticed the Network of Feminist Student Activists advertising upcoming performances of “”The Vagina Monologues.”” From their matching shirts to the confectionary genitalia they sell, they’re impossible to ignore. And it’s awesome: Their performance will not only raise awareness for important women’s issues; it will raise money as well. Ninety percent of proceeds will go to the OASIS Program for Sexual Assault and Relationship Violence, which responds to issues that affect all of us at UA. The remaining 10 percent will go to the Comfort Women’s fund, an organization devoted to breaking the silence on the Japanese military’s sexual enslavement of women during World War II. For their social awareness and willingness to take a stand on issues so frequently kept silent, the Network of Feminist Student Activists and their upcoming performance receives a pass.

Let’s hear it for Olympic spirit

Olympic fever has hit, and it’s hit hard: People are even humming the theme song and finding themselves disturbingly invested in obscure sports like curling and luge. The Olympics celebrate something worth celebrating – men and women who have made incredible sacrifices preparing to proudly compete and represent their countries. However, the contrived and clichǸd “”tragedies”” that media coverage so often spotlights could be eliminated. Watching U.S. 5000-meter speed skater Chad Hedrick win gold was inspiring enough without hearing the announcers opine on how he overcame the death of his grandmother five years earlier. While media’s manufactured tragedies get a fail, the winter games and the hard-working athletes definitely get a pass.

Pride (in the name of love)

In past years, the Associated Students of the University of Arizona’s Pride Alliance has presented Awareness Week as an event designed to garner attention for sexual minorities. This year, however, the group branched out and made Awareness Week all-inclusive, using it to celebrate the traditions and cultures of minorities of all types. The week’s events were sponsored by the Asian Pacific American Student Affairs and Chicano/Hispano Student Affairs along with Pride Alliance, and brought to campus film presentations, concerts, dance performances and, most importantly, a strong message of community. Pride Alliance, for championing diversity of all types, and the groups who participated in Awareness Week, for giving us all a chance to celebrate diversity here on campus, both receive a pass.

Staying home

In a paltry showing reminiscent of last semester’s debate on apathy, few students turned up for this election’s first ASUA Candidate Showcase, held Monday. Though the lack of a sound system rendered it difficult to hear the student candidates’ speeches, what they were saying could have been important. This year’s drama in ASUA should serve as a reminder to all students of the importance of voting judiciously – something difficult to do if students are uninformed. Perhaps the student body will rise to the not-so-huge challenge of informing itself before it’s time to go to the polls. Time will tell. Until it does, though, poor turnout for the ASUA Candidate Showcase gets a fail.

Opinions are determined by the Wildcat opinions board and written by one of its members. They are Lori Foley, Caitlin Hall, Michael Huston, Ryan Johnson, Aaron Mackey, and Tim Runestad.