Unopposed tickets: why vote? Out of the entire student population, at least 10 percent needs to vote in order to elect a candidate, whether there is opposition for the ticket or not. By voting, you are expressing your voice about who will best advocate for our campus community.

More than just trees   When someone asks me about the work I do for Friends of Trees they are usually pretty shocked when I tell them that it is first and foremost a community engagement organization. So where do the trees fit in? If you have ever participated in a service project, you know the impact you're making goes much deeper than the physical aspect of the work.

Write for the Writers Magazine

If you've never had the opportunity to hold your own creativity, watching it spill over your hands, glistening in glossy ink on the pages of a book or magazine … this is an opportunity you won't want to miss: The University of Portland is publishing its annual student-run Writers Magazine and wants sketches, poems, one act plays, pictures, stories and one-panel comics from you! Ever since my freshman year I've had the pleasure of being published in the Writers Magazine.

When elementary school teacher Cheryl Perich returned from medical leave for narcolepsy, her employer, Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School, asked her to resign. Perich threatened to sue the school and was, in turn, fired, "for violating religious doctrine by pursuing litigation rather than trying to resolve her dispute within the church," the New York Times reported.

Many Catholic institutions are disagreeing with the Obama administration's decision to require faith-based employers to include birth control in their health care plans by Aug. 1, 2013. Catholic institutions are deriding the new rule with disdain because it blatantly goes against the First Amendment's freedom of religion.

The New York Times not only tarnished the reputation of a student at Yale University, but also its own in an article written by The Times last month. Last fall, Patrick Witt, the quarterback of the Yale football team, earned a Rhodes scholarship finalist interview for his acclaimed combination of athletic abilities and academic achievements.

Over the weekend a Beacon photographer asked fellow students their expectations for the ASUP Executive Board next year. The 10 students she asked had no idea what ASUP is or what it does. However, there was one student who knew what ASUP was and the difference she could make by applying to be a senator.

A week ago, two female congressional Democrats walked out of a House hearing on the contraceptive coverage rule. Both women accused the Republican chairman of manipulating committee rules to prevent female witnesses from testifying. The five witnesses on the panel were male religious leaders and professors, including a Catholic bishop.

We asked: What is the best Valentine's Day gift? "No one can turn down flowers." Caitlin Allawatt, sophomore, chemistry "Concert tickets." Emily Bliven, freshman, mechanical engineering "A perfect day." Nathan Smith, sophomore, mechanical engineering "A trip to the ocean.

We asked: What is your favorite place in Portland and why?   "Villa. No explanation needed." Stan Thompson, sophomore, business   "Multnomah Falls because it's pretty, adventurous and fun to hike." Cynthia Oceguera, junior, education   "Southeast Grind Coffee.

We asked: What are you giving up for Lent? "Studying." Matt Brown, sophomore, mechanical engineering "Bed." Jake DePledge, freshman, mathematics "Facebook." Caleb Hilger, freshman, business "Exercise." Kasie Tanabe, junior, accounting "Homework." Rac

As a senior who has been involved with various leadership positions for the past four years, I would like to share a less than peaceful response to the editorials write-up from the previous week. So what has ASUP really done for their student body? Well, for starters, they have passed a bill to change the CIF to MPF; in other words, ASUP renamed something so they could put money elsewhere.