Opinion

Growing up in the United States is characterized by immersion in patriotic droll. But are we really so free? Is our bicameral Electoral College system really the best of all possible worlds? And, the main question I want to ask: is monarchy really so evil?

At first glance, The Ides of March looks like another one of those plays-turned-films that will come to the Academy Awards, pick up an Oscar or two, be nominated for a few more, and then be swept into film trivia history. In spite of its already questionable legacy, there’s a great deal to be learned from the film.

I greatly value travel. It allows us to experience new things, broaden our horizons, and begin to understand people unlike ourselves. It teaches us that the world is not all about us and that, in fact, we are far from being at the center of the universe.

The following piece appeared in the October 5, 1962 issue of The Paladin, and was written by Marshall Frady, ’63. The article references riots occurring at the University of Mississippi on October 1, 1962, in response to the enrollment of that university’s first black student, James Meredith.

Homecoming, if we’re not careful, might slide out of reality.

If you’ve been hearing wet, squelchy sounds lately, it’s probably been my motivation retreating down the drain. Yes, graduation is still seven months away, and yes, senioritis has already struck.

As we move into the Homecoming season, I feel that it fits the spirit of this time of year to pay tribute to the tradition and heritage of the university.

Last Thursday marked the annual Local & Organic Day for the dining hall, and in my opinion, it was a great success. The DH strives to offer many local and organic foods throughout the year, and they usually are accompanied by an identifying label. Last Thursday, I got to try many dishes that were new to me, all the while knowing that I was doing the environment a favor.

Because I’m a ministry nerd, I’ve been reading a lot about religious pluralism. One pamphlet I’ve gathered from Clergy Beyond Borders contains a very pertinent quote from Rev. Dr. Diana Eck of Harvard University. In the pamphlet, she writes that in the world today, “our ignorance of one another will be increasingly costly.”

This news has re-heated an already hot sports debate on the idea of creating four super conferences in the NCAA. Everyone from sports analysts to coaches to television representatives and marketing agents have been discussing the possibility of creating four gigantic sixteen-team conferences as a means to push towards a legitimate collegiate football playoff system in an effort to generate even more money from a rabid fan base. To some of us these changes are more important than Greece’s floundering economy, war in the Middle East, and Obamacare.

We’re told that the university appreciates things like “diversity,” “freedom of inquiry,” and the “freedom to look for truth wherever it is to be found.” But we’re also a university that “has sought to remain faithful to its Judeo-Christian heritage,” looked to hire professors evincing a “life of faith” and “sympathetic awareness of Furman’s traditions and purposes.” The statement that “Furman is a learning community where faith is cherished but not coerced” says it all.

Life sucks, and then you die. If you disagree with this statement (I tend to also), then you are disagreeing with most of the works that professors and critics deem worthy of the name literature.

Looking for more ways to meet people? Are you interested in going to a fraternity house party? If so, you may be out of luck… unless you know a fraternity brother.

One of the greatest manipulators of public opinion in American history proved his uncanny skill to do so with a single speech in late 1969. President Richard Nixon was not the first person to use the phrase “silent majority,” but his usage of it in that speech brought national attention to its implications.

One of the most common complaints I hear about Furman is its general lack of diversity. It’s a pretty legitimate complaint. Furman is overwhelmingly white, conservative, Christian, straight, the list goes on. And so for anyone who doesn’t fall into one of those categories, Furman is kind of terrifying.

I don’t know about you, but reading the Classifieds in FirstClass is one of the countless ways I procrastinate. Several days ago I was doing just that when I came across the following request from the Furman Football team: “The Furman Football Staff is looking for 6 female student-volunteers to assist with their pre-game recruiting visits for all 5 home games.”

It’s chicken finger Tuesday in our dear old dining hall. You gleefully swipe your Palacard, set down your things, and grab a plate. All smiles and laughter, you take a bite of breaded crispy goodness: breast of chicken fried in its mother’s placenta.

One of the most unfortunate components of our generation’s zeitgeist is that most of us have been raised with high expectations but absolutely no guidance, resulting in a fierce drive to “succeed” with only the vaguest idea of what defines success.

What makes Furman’s Theatre and Music Departments so great that even the top schools in the nation revere their work? Well, to answer such a thought provoking question, we must first dance upon their foundation; what are the basic requirements of a theatre and music major?

Politicians find a “crisis,” using weasel words and legislative power to exert control over schools, despite the fact that the politicians have never been educators (all the while pressuring the educators to be led by the blind). The press follows the government’s lead slavishly. This should be ringing some bells.

Welcome to college, where “transitional homelessness” is a new way of life! When I use the phrase “transitional homelessness,” I’m talking about the helter skelter lifestyle of college. You see, we’re at that perfect age of being independent enough to dive into the process of finding a home within our own skin.

I would like to propose a new restriction on Student Government Association elections here at Furman: each student must be required to show their birth certificate in order to vote. Never mind the fact that many students at Furman are busy with their studies, extracurriculars, and may hail from far-away states and countries, I think it is important that every student must prove who they are before they can cast a vote.

This summer, South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone moved their talents to Broadway with their Tony Award-winning musical The Book of Mormon. The musical tells the story of Elder Price, a self-assured nineteen-year old Mormon prodigy who is determined to be the next great prophet of Mormonism.

Class of 2015, take it from someone who survived- you can come through your freshman year at Furman with a GPA still equivalent to the nation’s gas prices. And on top of that, some of the best memories you make during your college career will be during the O-Week activities that have been planned for your enjoyment.

O-Week (UP) New Bookstore (STATIC) Furman Football (STATIC) Remediation VLAN (DOWN) Doing Laundry (UP) Black Swans (DOWN) Marching Band (UP)