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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Each year the University requires all incoming freshmen to participate in a day of service during their first full weekend on campus after orientation. This day of service – dubbed Building Community: Serving to Learn – not only helps to unify the freshman class, but also enforces the University's core values: teaching faith and service.
You would think the University of Portland would have learned from years past that the increasing retention rate and high number of returning students living on campus would force many freshmen into extended doubles. This year, nearly 180 students moved into their dorm rooms with more roommates than expected.
Portland weather has a cruel way of finishing up the school year. Just when we're almost freed from from the shackles of academia, Portland becomes one of the most beautiful places to go to school in the whole of the United States. The cherry blossoms are blooming, the birds are chirping, the bunnies are much easier to spot.
Sexual assault awareness is a serious matter that should never fade from our attention. Every weekend, UP students going out on the town or to parties with their friends may encounter situations with potential for sexual assault. This is no reason to be paranoid, but there is a good reason to be prepared.
We applaud the administration for bringing women's crew to the University of Portland. This sport has strong support at the university given the presence of a successful club team students have managed to maintain despite funding challenges. It is also commendable that UP is now in compliance with the requirements of federal statute of Title IX, which attempts to maintain equality of opportunity among men's and women's sports.
Every year ASUP spends part of our student government fees, amounting to almost $20,000, on capital improvements for the university. This week a list of nine projects was whittled down to five, as ASUP senators voiced student preferences. In considering the final five projects, it is important to think about which projects will improve the lives of the most students.
Don your costumes, buy your candy and pick the parties you will attend. This is Halloween weekend. It's a good excuse to stop worrying about your midterm grades (at least for an evening or two) and perhaps take on an alter ego for a night. However, let's get original, people! Down with the old standbys: Playboy bunnies, Superman or cats.
Last year, the Homecoming dance was short of selling out by only three tickets. Last year, students could still buy tickets at the door the night of the Homecoming dance. And last year, you could give or sell your ticket to someone else and still get into the dance.
ASUP represents the student body on campus. It is our voice and our liaison to the university administration. Their most substantial power is the ability to spend Student Government fees ($70 per student per semester) on Capital Improvements projects and provide funding for student clubs.
UP is a small campus with, as one would expect, small amounts of crime. Our community on The Bluff, also has the advantages of being isolated on a cliff in a residential neighborhood. Breathe easy on campus. There is, most of the time, no reason to look over your shoulder, waiting to be stalked by a troupe of shifty characters hiding in the bushes by the library or a friend's dorm.
Parties are an inherent part of off-campus college life, especially during the first few weeks of school when students aren't wading through assignments yet. But students should be smart even when they're out to have a good time. The neighborhood of North Portland is not an extension of the UP campus.
The new health center clinic providing HVP vaccines at discounted cost for female students is a great step in promoting disease prevention at the University of Portland. Many students still reside in the invincible state of mind, being young and optimistic.
We've all been there. The moment one of our fellow classmates whips out her USB drive and starts to load up a PowerPoint presentation, we go into shutdown mode. Someone murmurs, "You should turn out the lights," and suddenly a college classroom is reminiscent of naptime in preschool.
The first time The Beacon and I met, I knew it was fate. I was a timid little pre-frosh going on a tour of the campus with my older brother. He was mere weeks away from graduation, and in the wake of his looming departure, he was excited about passing on his home to his little sister.
Many students at this university have probably tried to find information about a professor from RateMyProfessors.com. However, relying on anonymous ratings from people online is about as reliable as an online gossip column. It's important to take the ratings and comments with a grain of salt.
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