The Arizona Daily Wildcat puts the issues to the test. Which ones make the grade?
Dartmouth Social Cups: Dartmouth may have been the inspiration for the frat-tastic movie “Animal House,” but that doesn’t mean that students don’t still have trouble making friends. To combat the issue, Dartmouth senior Christopher McMillan found another use for red cups — if you’re eating alone and have a red cup on your table, it’s a sign you want company. While eating alone should hardly be frowned upon, this actually seems like a great way to meet new people and make friends. A 2005 study at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh found that elevated loneliness could lead to a weaker immune system.
It isn’t always easy to make friends in college, and any tool that promotes friendship is a good thing, so Dartmouth gets a pass.
New York Sting Tactics: Police in New York City have taken to leaving small amounts of cash, credit cards and electronics around to catch potential criminals. Cited as a way to deter thefts in public places and catch career criminals, police have placed undercover cops, and “unattended items” throughout the city. The problem? They’re catching innocent people.
In 2010, New York City native and accused thief Deirdre Myers was framed by police in a wad-of-cash sting operation. The judge ruled that upholding charges against her “would greatly damage the confidence and trust of the public in the fairness and effectiveness of the criminal justice system.”
Myers spent two years “fighting charges of petty larceny and possession of stolen property.” The whole tactic seems like an extreme way to combat petty crime and extremely unethical. Police are arresting innocent people and forcing them into the system, like in Myers’ case, taking the sting a step too far, so they get a fail.
Diabetes research: Researchers at the UA are trying to develop socks that can detect the formation of diabetic foot ulcers, which can help prevent limb amputation. Twenty-six to 30 million people have diabetes, and “every 20 seconds a limb is lost to diabetes,” according to Bijan Najafi, a UA associate professor of surgery and director of iCAMP in an interview with the Daily Wildcat.
The research ties in nicely with a diabetes awareness event hosted on the UA Mall Saturday, where the Native American Student Affairs office attempted to raise diabetes awareness in coordination with campus cultural centers.
The UA’s work in diabetes research and awareness goes the extra mile.
Rice coaching girls’ basketball: You know that coach, Mike Rice, who was fired by Rutgers University because he was emotionally and physically abusing his players? Yeah, well apparently he’s still coaching — a 12-year-old girls’ Amateur Athletic Union basketball team.
While Rice is coaching because his daughter is on the team, you would think that someone who got fired from an NCAA Division I coaching job wouldn’t be able to coach children. According to Deadspin reporter Brian Geltzeiler, Rice didn’t change his coaching style for the kids, and was seen yelling at players and referees.
This is a definite fail, even if the parents stand behind Rice. If the man was found to be abusive even once, he shouldn’t be coaching at all.
—Editorials are determined by the Arizona Daily Wildcat’s editorial board and written by one of its members. They are Kristina Bui, Dan Desrochers, K.C. Libman and Sarah Precup. They can be reached at letters@wildcat.arizona.edu or on Twitter via @WildcatOpinions.
