Tell it like is

When President Robert Shelton spoke yesterday at UAdiscusses…Inclusion, it was hard not to be impressed by his candor, regardless of whether or not you agreed with what he said. In a time when we’re used to university officials coddling their audiences and spinning stories to make us feel like we’re hearing what want to, it’s nice to know that Shelton doesn’t mince his words. He stated his opposition to Proposition 107 unequivocally and took time to explain his rationale and goals in making the UA a designated Hispanic-serving institution, each somewhat controversial positions. For telling it like it is, we give Shelton a pass.

PASS

Apathy travesty

Voter apathy is not what the drafters of the Constitution intended when they prescribed the government processes. A representational democracy only works when the represented have a voice. Despite major effort, the Associated Students of the University of Arizona has only reached 35 percent of its goal to register 4,000 students before the Nov. 7 election. Hopefully, tonight’s UA Votes concert on University Boulevard featuring The Format will inspire more students to register. But as of right now, it seems voter apathy has taken hold of students and strangled the democracy out of them. Though they probably can’t be bothered to care, students’ voter apathy has earned them a very large, very bolded fail.

FAIL

Parlez-vous funding?

A $1.23 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education has made the UA one of 15 National Foreign Language Resource Centers. The grant will be used on 15 different projects aimed at helping students learn foreign languages, as well as increasing interest in less-commonly studied languages. Not only will this grant allow the UA to levy its already-enviable foreign language programs into a national powerhouse with these tools, but UA students will get the greatest benefits of all: real fluency in second languages. For setting a new standard of excellence for languages on campus, the grant gets a pass.

PASS

Gen Y slides by

The paradox of college is that its cost is making it unaffordable for many Americans, but it is increasingly difficult to lead even a middle-class life without a degree. And things aren’t getting better, especially in Arizona. America is the only country in the world where 40- to 50-year-olds are better educated than 20- to 30-year-olds, and rocketing population rates combined with scarce resources won’t resolve the situation any time soon. So while Generation Y is busy getting “”F””s for leaving our generation out in the cold, the educational system gets a fail.

FAIL

Opinions are determined by the Wildcat opinions board and written by one of its members.
They are Nina Conrad, Lori Foley, Ryan Johnson, Ari Lerner, Nicole Santa Cruz and Matt Stone.