Bravo to Body Pride Week, a flurry of campus-wide activities put on by the Student Organization Resource Center. The event, dedicated to raising awareness about body-image issues and providing students with support and information, is much needed and often under-appreciated. In 2005, the National Eating Disorders Association estimated that as many as 10 million females and 1 million males are fighting an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia. Millions more are fighting binge-eating disorders. On a campus full of self-conscious young adults, Body Pride Week is doubly valuable, especially in terms of cutting those numbers down in the future.
Boo to emergency week. While “emergency week” hasn’t exactly been named an official week of University activities along the line of “Homecoming week,” it likely won’t be far behind if next year’s mid-February matches this year’s. On Monday night, about 40 responders converged on ASU’s Tempe campus to handle a chemical explosion. Then, the next day, the neighborhood just east of the campus saw another breaking-news scene unfold, as a light-rail train collided with a Tempe Orbit bus at the intersection of Lemon Street and Terrace Road. Thankfully, neither incident produced any severe injuries, but still, we would be plenty happy to not hear another siren anytime soon.
Bravo to the sirens that will consume the Tempe campus over spring break. Sure, we just said that we would be plenty happy to not hear another siren anytime soon, but that was before we heard that the Arizona Department of Emergency Management would be simulating a large-scale domestic terrorist attack at ASU in March. With the end of the world seemingly on its way faster and faster each day (or did you not notice the Dow going down again yesterday?), it comes as a nice comfort that we’ll at least be well-protected by a fully-prepared emergency system — Jack Bauer included, we presume — for whatever ills that might befall us. And yes, in case you’re wondering, we are including zombie attack and alien invasion among the possibilities.
Boo to ASU’s rough week. The University, — forced by our favorite nemesis this semester, the highly unreasonable state legislature — continued its reductions this week by capping enrollment, scaling back operations on the West and Polytechnic campuses and disestablishing or condensing dozens of academic programs. Sadly, the University, already having lost much of its progress from the past few decades, is likely to face bigger problems in the coming months.
Bravo to Valentine’s Day — elementary school style. After a week that offered little in the way of good news outside of ASU producing an impressive amount of Peace Corps volunteers and regional unity walk, it is reassuring to know that at this week’s end, we will be lucky enough to find a nice, relaxing, hyper-corporatized time to say “I love you” to our sweethearts — Undergraduate Student Government, we’re looking at you, dear. However, it is even more reassuring to know that the kid in us dies hard, as you had better believe we’ll be spreading the love by giving sugar (literally), cartoon-laden valentines and heart-packed bags. Long live St. Hallmark … er, Valentine.
