Sochi’s opening ceremony: gorgeous or gaudy?

Eric Klump: A constant flow of bad press showing piss-colored water, unfinished rooms and jammed doors has not made these games look good. After all that, a big, shiny ceremony should make everyone forget these road bumps … but what the hell happened to the rings?

Shelby Thomas: I thought the opening ceremony was really exciting. I admit, though, that all the talk about the “Nightmare Bear” seemed melodramatic until I watched the highlights and realized how much the creepy critter lives up to its nickname … I feel like I need to go buy a night light.

Mackenzie Brown: For the amount of homophobia and anti-gay sentiment in Russia, I’d say its opening ceremony was pretty darn flamboyant. It seemed like a bad LSD trip.

Should “Singles Awareness Day” be a thing?

EK: If Singles Awareness Day becomes a real holiday, I fully expect it to become just as commercialized as Valentine’s Day. So here’s to buying liquor, lotion and Ben and Jerry’s on clearance at Walgreens in the week following!

ST: If we are being honest, Singles Awareness Day is already a thing. In fact, the seven days leading up to Valentine’s Day should be called “Singles Awareness Week.” Just look for me and all of the other single ladies blasting Beyoncé and you will become very aware.

MB: Every day is Singles Awareness Day. Trust me, if you’re single, you’re totally aware of it, and when you’re not obsessing about it privately, you’re rehashing the same old “why am I single” debate with your best friend. So no, singles day should absolutely not be a thing: Unfortunately, it already is.

Which class that you’ve taken at the UA had the most impact on you?

EK: JOUR 439. The lectures taught me a lot about moving oneself around a situation, to see it from multiple angles, some of which made me uncomfortable.

ST: ENGL 109H. The class itself wasn’t anything too unique, but my teacher assigned very demanding and time-consuming coursework that forced me to look at art and literature in a way I never had before. This class whipped me into shape and made me love and despise writing at the same time.

MB: I took HNRS 208H with Patrick Baliani, and it may have been the greatest class of my life. Professor Baliani challenged me to write and think on a much higher level than was ever expected of me before, and it was a challenge I thoroughly enjoyed.

Is it permissible to change the race/gender/sexuality of a character for film adaptations?

EK: No, not at all. Changing characters can potentially change the meaning of a piece, unless of course the only change made is to make the characters talking animals or robots. You can’t tell me that “The Lord of the Rings” wouldn’t have been improved if the hobbits were gerbils, the men were played by puppies and the orcs were played by hairless cats.

ST: Why not? I think that the more creative film makers are, the more audiences are challenged as consumers. I love to see new and fresh takes on “classic” or “timeless” characters. It keeps the whole experience fresh and interesting.

MB: I believe that the director should stay true to the author’s original intent. Changing the race, gender, or sexuality of a movie character detracts from the original nature of the plot and can spark a lot of backlash from hardcore fans. Why mess around with something that was already good to begin with?