The Arizona Daily Wildcat puts the issues to the test. Do they make the grade?
iPhone 5 unveiled, iPhone 4 officially declared antique
The highly anticipated iPhone 5 debuted Wednesday to a mixed reaction. The phone is faster, thinner, lighter and less prone to glare.
Many of the new features were leaked prior to the pre-launch event, so few people were surprised by the bigger screen or better camera. Critics called the unveiling a disappointment.
Given all of the hype, we’re pretty let down too. For all the buildup to a pretty not-big deal, the iPhone 5 unveiling gets a fail.
However, it doesn’t make your perfectly good one-year-old iPhone 4S any less of an obsolete and archaic piece of crap. How embarrassing for you.
FAMU passes the buck, fails to address hazing problem
Last fall 26-year-old Robert Champion, a student at Florida A&M University, was killed in a hazing incident. Champion’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit after Champion submitted to a brutal ritualistic beating at the hands of fellow musicians in FAMU’s marching band.
FAMU’s attorneys responded by filing a 23-page motion to dismiss the suit, saying Champion knew the dangers of hazing and had signed an anti-hazing pledge months before his death.
Essentially they said it wasn’t the university’s fault Champion died, it was his.
Blaming victims of hazing for what happens to them only enables the culture of hazing. For failing to take responsibility and offer Champion’s family a chance at justice, FAMU gets a fail.
Alabama professor pleads guilty to capital murder
A long ordeal for the University of Alabama at Huntsville is finally drawing near its end. Former faculty colleagues of Amy Bishop can move on a bit more easily, now that Bishop has pleaded guilty to capital murder.
Bishop was a professor of biology two and a half years ago when she was accused of opening fire during a departmental meeting, killing three colleagues and wounding three more. She originally pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, and prosecutors sought the death penalty.
But on Tuesday, Bishop entered guilty pleas to one count of capital murder involving two or more people and three counts of attempted murder. She is expected to receive a life sentence without parole.
This new development in the case gets a solid pass, as it will hopefully offer Bishop’s victims some comfort and allow Alabama faculty to move forward.
‘Test-flexible’ policy means greater diversity in thinking
Undergraduate applicants to the University of Rochester will be able to relax a bit.
Rochester has announced it would no longer require all undergraduate applicants to submit SAT or ACT scores, though they will still have to submit some kind of test. These might mean SAT subject exams, Advanced Placement tests or International Baccalaureate tests.
“Many prospective students ‘test well’ on general standardized exams, and bring that ability to campus, while some are best at mastering specific material in subjects that interest them most,” said Jonathan Burdick, dean of admissions and financial aid, in a statement.
Finally. For seeing the weaknesses in standardized tests, the University of Rochester gets a pass. It’s important to recognize that diversity in ways of thinking is crucial to a learning environment, and standardized testing isn’t always capable of illustrating that.
— Editorials are determined by the Arizona Daily Wildcat editorial board and written by one of its members. They are Bethany Barnes, Kristina Bui, Jason Krell and Alex Williams. They can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu or on Twitter via @WildcatOpinions.
