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Opinion Articles

Taking the high road on racism

Our president’s name elicits an emotional response on both ends of the political spectrum to the point of painful stagnation in the debate process. Sadly, this provokes further argument, and, as a result, we tie up brain cells fighting rather than seeking solutions and compromise.

LeBron James and the Super Friends

With LeBron James headlining the “meet and greet” with other basketball stars, the NBA is about to see their own version of the Super Friends. Dwayne Wade has already claimed The Flash. Chris Bosh could be Aquaman since he has been stuck in an abyss his entire career.

Letter to the Editor: Eastern should take a page out of “Avatar”

As an Eastern Eagle who cares deeply about this planet, I was shocked and disgusted to read last week that EWU is throwing away what we students make the effort to deposit in the recycle bins. Mother Earth is tired from sustaining a too-large population that pollutes, extorts, plunders and despoils her for personal gain and pleasure.

Letter to the Editor: Smoking ban is insulting

Common sense, where have you gone?  Grade school knowledge?  Arguably productive?  How insulting to the “minority” population you describe.  How about designated smoking areas?  Does this seem reasonable?  Choose to use and users?  Are we still talking about tobacco?  Your language choices seemingly do not reflect the open door you describe.

Concerts need better schedules

For the month of May, Eagle Entertainment provides students with live music from a variety of genres every Tuesday and Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. If weather permits, these concerts are performed in the campus mall at a time when most students mill around, conversing with friends, having a good time and enjoying the sweet tunes.

Stop disruptions in class, turn off your cell phone

There are a few things that thoroughly bother me about college classrooms: chatty neighbors, ringing cell phones and taking attendance. All are similar wastes of time that interfere with the quality education that I am paying good money for and expect to pursue with no exceptions.

Irrational decision making

Despite the article’s title, “Preventing Diseases, not Taking Away Student Rights,” little of its content addressed how, in fact, a ban on tobacco would promote health. Instead, there are overblown generalizations, fallacies and insulting contradictions.

Ultimate culprit for the Gulf Spill

With reports estimating that up to 70,000 barrels of oil a day are being released into the Gulf of Mexico due to the British Petroleum (BP) oil rig explosion, intensive media coverage has been given to the search for the culprit. This stands to follow the usual American thirst to find a sole perpetrator to whom blame can be assigned.

Basic human rights for all, not some

The word “complacency” is defined as “a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like; self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation, condition, etc.,” according to dictionary.

Letter to the Editor: Ignorance breeds oppression

In the past two weeks, we have been learning about issues that face our culture on a day-to-day basis. One issue in particular [is] the preconceptions and generalizations about members of a social group that tend to help people provide meaning and organize perceptions, inferences and judgments about [a] person’s identification as to where they fit in the social category.

Propaganda and brainwashing at EWU

Does anyone remember the good old days when people kept out of other people’s business and only made decisions that would affect their own lives? Today, it seems like we’re living in some sort of butterfly effect, where the decisions that I make will somehow cause a hurricane 6,000 miles away.

Election turnout disappointing

This spring, like many before, has proven how apathetic EWU students are when it comes to their campus and their voice. It has been made clear in the participation, or more accurately, the non-participation of students in the Associated Students of EWU (ASEWU) elections.

'Eag chicks' want respect

Regarding Dylan Coil’s “Zags pick up Eags Chicks” — seriously? I’m surprised The Easterner would publish such drivel. Coil paints all Eastern women as gold-digging and superficial, and then he complains that they look elsewhere for men to date? If I were a woman at Eastern and Coil was the pick of the crop for potential dates, I would surely look elsewhere, too.

Bloomsday is not just for men

The Easterner, on a front page May 5 article, prominently mentioned the men’s EWU-Red Team, overall winner of Bloomsday corporate team entries. Congratulations to this group of EWU employees for their continuing success, and may good fortune and good knees attend them through many more Bloomsday races.

Crying babies ruin movie-going experiences while wasting millions of dollars

I believe there are things that are worth every penny, and then there are things that are not worth a cent. For me, having my favorite jeans tailored is worth my money; however, buying shoes that I am only going to wear once is not. Going out is worth my money, only if the place is worth my time.

Running Start misunderstood at EWU

The average Eastern student, from what I’ve experienced, thinks Running Start students hate high school. As a Running Start student myself, I have been on Eastern’s campus for two years. During these years, I have talked with many students, and almost all of them have said that only kids who hate high school join Running Start.

Preventing diseases, not taking away student rights

We are not trying to take away rights from individuals, but at what cost do the harmful habits of the minority outweigh the health of the non-smoking majority on campus? When is it acceptable for someone with a chronic lung disease (asthma, bronchitis, etc.

Idaho stereotypes can be very starchy

I have to admit, I love playing my Idaho card. For anything from not knowing an answer to bending the law in my favor, it has always come in handy to play into the typical Idaho stereotypes. But there is a definite line, which is less than amusing when crossed.

Letter to the Editor: Promoting laziness and cheating

Group projects: I haven’t found many who like them. Instructors say there is some notion group projects are the best way to teach students how to work better with others out in the real world. After completing three such projects, I have to wonder if the exercise is meeting the objective. 1 comment

Student representative imposes on freedom

Kris Byrum continues to contradict himself, and not just by insulting those who use tobacco by calling them lawbreakers or people who “just follow the crowd” (paraphrased). He states he wants to get both sides of the issue thoroughly researched, yet disregards the severe lack of evidence (one study, to be exact, as I reported last week) on the actual risks to outdoor secondhand smoke.

Zags pick up Eags chicks

Wealth attracts women. It has always been that way. American girls want a guy who will take them out to fancy dinners and buy them expensive clothes, and the girls at Eastern are not any different. Unfortunately, for many guys attending Eastern, myself included, this is a sad reality to face. 1 comment

Letter to the Editor: Unprofessionalism old news for EWU

In the letter “Student voice should matter,” the well-meaning students expressed shock that a student was belittled and discriminated against by a college professor. I was not shocked. It is fair to say I was mildly surprised that a professor would go after a student.

Respect the rights of all students

Don’t you hate it when you hang out at a smoker’s house and your clothes reek like a gambling den when you get home? Isn’t it even worse when you date someone and every kiss has the full bodied flavor of tobacco and arsenic?  I think so; it sucks.

Letter to the Editor: PhD’s pay trumped by sports

As a student of EWU, I find it disturbing that Eastern spends so much money on athletics as opposed to putting it toward education. One of the highest paid positions at Eastern is the head football coach, who makes over $100,000 a year, while instructors with a Ph.

Letter to the Editor: STA changes are inconsiderate

As students here at EWU who use the public transportation system, we are writing to express our deep concern for the [proposed] changes to the Cheney 66 and 65 bus routes. We feel that it eliminates convenience for many students. The needs of the students are becoming a second-rate priority.

Letter to the Editor: Need actions against injustice

In regard to the April 14 article, “Hold the temper in classrooms during heated debates,” the teacher needs to be reminded that we live in a democracy, not a dictatorship. Ideas and diverse opinions from students add to classroom discourse and are beneficial in the learning process. 1 comment

Tea Partiers unfair in criticism

A recent poll conducted by the New York Times indicates that 25 percent of Tea Party supporters believe that President Obama favors blacks over whites. This figure is 15 percent higher than the national average. Along with that figure, an overwhelming majority of Tea Partiers believe that Obama does not share the values that most Americans live by.

Students gather for 4/20, pushing for a cause

This past week offered students many things besides great weather and the chance to enjoy favorite outdoor activities. Tuesday was not only the day of the ASEWU primary elections, but also one of the most popular  annual celebrations of our generation.

Letter to the Editor: Student voice should matter

After reading the article “Hold the temper in classrooms during heated debates,” which appeared in last week’s issue of The Easterner, our mouths dropped. We found it unbelievable that a student who pays for their education was belittled and discriminated against by a college professor.

Letter to the Editor: EWU needs to find its spirit

Upon coming to EWU, we thought we were coming to a school full of school pride and passion. We were hoping to see the stadium packed with radical football fans on Saturdays and tailgating parties that requires you to set up a day in advance. Perhaps our hopes were a little too high, but we felt that after our freshman year, it would surely get better.

Letter to the Editor: Ban on tobacco unnecessary

A recent article in The Easterner addressed the proposal to ban all forms of tobacco use on campus. It was said that “our university policy must change to reflect a healthier environment that will leave a lasting positive memory in our alumni and create a lasting first impression with future Eastern Eagles.

Letter to the Editor: Knowledge fends off frosh 15

A major problem that EWU students are familiar with is the dreaded “freshman fifteen” that often comes with being a college student. Some try to avoid temptation, while others simply take to the rec center to burn off a few calories from last night’s pizza binge.

Pope needs to head to the confessional

The pope is out of touch with reality. In direct response to offenses committed by a Milwaukee priest, senior Vatican officials, including Pope Benedict XVI, refused to put Rev. Lawrence Murphy to church trial for sexually assaulting as many as 200 deaf boys between 1950 and 1975.

Tiger and Nike hit a bogey with new commercial

Last week, the world heard Earl Woods scold his son Tiger for his recent indiscretions in a commercial for Nike. One of the statements Earl made as Tiger stared stoically into the camera was, “I want to find out what your thinking was.” I don’t know in what context the recording of the elder Woods’ voice was made, but seeing that he passed away in 2006, it wasn’t made with his son’s recent scandal in mind.

Time for a Double Down heart attack

KFC doesn’t even care anymore. After responding to the last six years of backlash against fast-food by offering grilled chicken, they have released a sandwich that teeters on the fringe of what Webster’s Dictionary defines as food —the Double Down.

Hold the temper in classrooms during heated debates

How often does a disagreement with a professor become heated? Most professors maintain a level of professionalism that prevents them from shouting at students or even removing them from class just for disagreeing with them. College classrooms should be a forum for open discussion and general acceptance of all opinions and points of view, so long as no one is personally targeted.

Letter to the Editor: Elections need students

I read last week’s article on ASEWU Elections, and I wanted to say a few words. My name is Aaron Christian, and I am running for a position of Academic Affairs on the council, and I would like to stress the importance of students voting. The 7.1 percent of students voting is disappointing to say the least.

Letter to the Editor: EWU should be more 'green'

Medical offices are converting records into digital documents. Books and newspapers are offered on Kindle and online. Shouldn’t we, as students, lead the way toward preserving natural resources? In one of my classes, I will print out six copies of one writing assignment every week this quarter.

Letter to the editor: Smoking ban won't work

The first sentence of [last week’s tobacco use] article begins by pointing out “the ongoing battle against tobacco use.” Why are we continually demonizing those who choose to use it? Why have we based such actions on zero scientific evidence?     Stanford University’s first and only study on the effects of outdoor second-hand smoke revealed, in the words of lead researcher Neil Klepeis, “common sense would suggest that if you’re within 6 feet downwind of a smoker, you might be exposed.

Letter to the Editor: Red Turf too much for Eastern

Am I the only one doing the math on this ridiculous proposal to install red, artificial turf on the EWU football field? A quick Google search tells me that artificial turf has a life expectancy of 10 to 12 years, EWU claims that they will save $12,000 a year in maintenance costs by removing the grass and installing artificial turf.

Health care reform unconstitutional

New plan passes, 219-212, bringing more costs and trouble for US citizens

Recently, health care narrowly passed in the House of Representatives by a 219-212 vote. Some call it a historic moment; I’d like to call it a constitutional disaster. First off, let me challenge the justification against this bill. Nowhere in the Constitution does it say health care is a federal-given right. 2 comments

No need for high school rules

With spring break over and a new quarter in full swing, more and more professors and state universities are becoming concerned with student attendance. Apparently, parental distress and complaints about their offspring flunking out of classes has the colleges and universities of Washington considering implementing a high school-like approach to attendance: taking attendance and allowing a limited number of absences, after which the student fails the quarter.

Cell phone law hangs up on drivers

There are countless distractions that can cause morbid events to unfold for those on the road. Whether it’s screaming children in the backseat, a vehicle making an unexpected stop, a Ferris wheel in South Dakota or an out-of-place tree on the highway, distractions are a part of driving.

eaglelife

Fourth Amendment’s forgotten rights

Most people know that the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures from police and government agencies. What many do not know is how the Fourth Amendment is enacted in a college environment.

eaglelife

Too soft for truth

It seems that there is something inherently wrong with our society today: nobody is willing to tell it like it is.

eaglelife

Letter to the Editor: 3/10/10

Letter to the editor regarding unjustified quarter fees.

eaglelife

Letter from the Editor

In what I hope to be an occasional column for the paper, I’d like to take some time to address some of the recent issues facing The Easterner. It’s my hope that this improves the transparency of the newspaper, as well as give some insight into why we make editorial decisions.

eaglelife

Help! I'm trapped and I can't get down

An opinion article that contemplates a lack of escape routes in the PUB for students with special accomodations.

opinion

Media corruption not news

This danger is clear and present. News reports have largely become a conduit for influencing public ideology, wherein pre-sorted opinions and biases are presented as “fair and balanced.”

opinion

Sexual assault: a danger on US college campuses

Who else got steamed about the front page of last week’s newspaper? The article was informative; but the part that made me cry was the fact that sexual assault is an all too common theme on college campuses. I want to share some relevant and prevalent statistics; however, these truths are not used to make men the enemy.

opinion

Sorry for jinxing the US hockey team

It was three minutes into the first overtime period of the U.S. vs. Canada gold medal hockey game when the sweat on my brow began to finally dry. I, like the other 27.6 million people watching (cq), just witnessed one of the greatest last second shots to send a sporting event into sudden-death. I was anticipating what would happen next.

opinion

Accessibility priorities are all mixed up

It used to anger me: the lack of accessibility for wheelchair users on Eastern’s campus, in Cheney and all over Washington state. I’m sad to say that I’m used to it.

opinion

A modern Republican Civil War

Weeks ago, Republicans finally experienced a surge of hope after Scott Brown’s victory in Massachusetts. He drew in Republican, conservative, and independent support from across the nation as he, along with outraged voters, intended to halt Obama and the Congressional Democratic agenda.

opinion

Wake up, Barack; we’re begging you to

With polls heralding a significant lack of faith in our current political institution, one has to seriously wonder whether something has gone terribly wrong in our government.

America’s dirty billion-dollar secret

I want to talk about a topic as pervasive and routine as the common cold. It degrades women, ruins marriages, families, and relationships, and is much more lethal to the soul than the common cold is to the body. That which I speak of is the evils of pornography.

Letter to the Editor: Freedom of speech protects Web site

Letter to the editor regarding the campus gossip Web site

Church and state should not negotiate

For quite some time the U.S. has been dealing with the issue of separation of church and state. Last week, a Kentucky State Senate committee has approved a measure that allows the bible to be taught as a literary subject in public schools. The bill will likely sail smoothly through the state’s Legislature as it has in both Tennessee and Texas.

The importance of heavy metal

Opinion article on heavy metal's role in music.

Staff editorial: Online maturity needed

An editorial on what you say online.

US conservatism in bloom

In response to an article published by the Easterner called “Swinging both ways: a bipartisan nation,” allow me to offer a rebuttal.

Letter to the Editor: Good article on Zinn

Letter to the editor in response to Jason Keedy's Howard Zinn article.

Hateful Web site rejected by EWU students

On Feb.10, concerned students met with the EWU administration to discuss the racist, homophobic and sexist comments from an online gossip site. The discussion did not revolve around whether or not the comments on the Web site were offensive.

2 comments

Swinging both ways: a bipartisan nation

Last week, The Easterner ran an opinion piece titled “Obama Nation swings right.” Being part of the Obama Nation myself, I am here to represent the other side of the equation, the left side.

Howard Zinn’s message not forgotten

The recent passing of historian Howard Zinn comes at a time when the results of past empiricist policies of the West are coming to fruition all around the world. From Haiti to Kenya, the shadows of exploitive tendencies that served to fuel Western European industrialization and expansion still loom large amid the death and destruction experienced by native populations.

Letter to the Editor: Emergency call shouldn't be a recording

Letter to the Editor about the EWU Code Blue Emergency Response System