865 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(02/13/15 2:48am)
Boo to Superintendent of Public Instruction Diane Douglas for some frankly baffling behavior. On Wednesday, Douglas announced that she was firing two administrators on the Board of Education. When Gov. Doug Ducey responded Thursday that she didn't have the authority to do that, she sent a press release with the subject: "Arizona Superintendent of Public Schools Diane Douglas Did Not See Doug Ducey's Name on the Ballot for State Superintendent." It's too early for in-fighting in our almost entirely Republican-run state government, guys.
(02/12/15 2:34am)
Founded in 1906, The State Press boasts a history as rich as the illustrious institution on which we spend long days and even longer nights reporting. Although we’ve gone through several name changes and transitioned from a daily newspaper and then to a weekly before bidding adieu to print and becoming all digital, one thing has always stayed the same: our mission to cover ASU and its surrounding areas in the most ethical, responsible and original way.
(02/10/15 1:12am)
Being a political trigger word, “transparency” is thrown around by politicians of all levels. Beginning with those at the federal trickling down to local levels and even invading our own Tempe Undergraduate Student Government, we’ve heard it time and time again. Still, we are left wondering when things will actually become transparent, rather than a confusing government charade more focused on saving face than informing the people ruled by law? With a new bill focused on eliminating public discussion, it doesn’t seem like it will be happening any time soon. For Arizonans, open-door meetings may soon be a concept of the past. Sen. Sylvia Allen, R-Snowflake, recently introduced legislation intended to allow politicians to have important conversations behind closed doors. Allen stands steadfast in support of the bill, claiming that the bill would “improve government because elected officials could talk to each other privately before public meetings begin,” according to the Arizona Republic.Interestingly, Diane Douglas, Arizona’s superintendent of of public instruction, made her own claims against decisions being made behind closed doors. After the state Board of Education selected the AzMERIT test to replace Arizona's Instrument to Measure Standards, Douglas expressed that she did not agree with this decision and other Common Core standards because she believed they were decided behind closed doors.Unfortunately for Douglas, these decisions were made during public forums, as indicated by meeting minutes. It appears that the government does not understand what public decisions and private decisions really are, leaving them to believe that it is OK to eliminate the public from the policy decisions that will impact their lives.The basis of all political policy can be found rooted in those that it has a direct effect upon. This means that the fundamentals of political policy fall upon the masses rather than those who are elected to represent them. It’s Democracy 101, really. No policy should be created without some form of input from a group of private citizens. Because the people that most initiatives affect are not politicians, it is important that the public understands how policies work, what they would change and how they could help or harm them.fffFor a democracy to truly function as a government of the people, by the people and for the people, the private citizen must be able to speak without fear of being silenced and informed of all things that happen behind government doors. There is a purpose for political discourse taking place in public. Without open conversations, political policies become tangled in red tape and misrepresent the public that they will be thrust upon. In the words of the classical thinker Alexis de Tocqueville, “Town-meetings are to liberty what primary schools are to science.”Want to join the conversation? Send an email to opiniondesk.statepress@gmail.com. Keep letters under 300 words and be sure to include your university affiliation. Anonymity will not be granted.Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
(02/06/15 1:35am)
Bravo to Vice President Joe Biden and a rumored three dozen other Democrats, who have yet to commit to attending Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's congressional address that was planned by Speaker of the House John Boehner. Netanyahu has also been denied a meeting with the White House and won't be meeting with Secretary of State John Kerry when he's in town. Boo to silly Super-Bowl related tattoos. One diehard Seahawks fan will live his life with an embarrassing "Seattle Back-To-Back Champions" tattoo. (Note: They lost the game.) Also, as much as the public loves Left Shark from Katy Perry's halftime performance, we may never love Left Shark as much as the man who now permanently has him on his body. Bravo to Sports Illustrated for featuring a plus-size model in their new ad campaign. The size 12-14 model has been encouraging others to show off their curves in Sports Illustrated's campaign, #CurvesinBikinis.Boo to Fox News. The terrors of ISIS has set the Internet ablaze once again with a video allegedly showing a Jordanian pilot being burnt alive. While Fox News never showed the previous videos of beheadings released by the the Islamic extremist group, it decided to broadcast this arguably more graphic video on air for all viewers to see, giving ISIS the publicity they wanted in the first place. Bravo to ASU junior Jon Rahm for finishing in a tie for fifth in the Phoenix Open. He is back in action for ASU and is tied for first after one round in the Amer Ari Invitational. Boo to the New York crash between a commuter train and a car Tuesday evening. The accident killed six and injured more than a dozen people. Our hearts go out to the friends and families of those affected.Bravo to the University of Vermont for officially recognizing a third gender identity. The recognition of another gender — simply "neutral" — provides people who identify as non-binary the comfort of identifying with the true version of themselves rather than with the gender they were assigned at birth. Identity freedom for members of the LGBT community is always something worth celebrating.Boo to Brian Williams for "misremembering" being in a plane that was shot at. You misremember what you had for breakfast, not being shot at, Brian.Bravo to the Sun Devil Marching Band for performing in the Super Bowl XLIX alongside Katy Perry. While they didn't play any instruments, they definitely rocked the palm tree look.Boo to a bunch of Arizona students for not getting vaccinated. The Arizona Republic reported this week that up to one-third of unvaccinated students don't have the necessary exemptions to be unvaccinated.Want to join the conversation? Send an email to opiniondesk.statepress@gmail.com. Keep letters under 300 words and be sure to include your university affiliation. Anonymity will not be granted.Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
(02/05/15 1:11am)
Anti-vaxxers are finally getting the press coverage they’ve been (literally) dying to have. This year, the result of their blatant refusal to do the whole “responsible parent” thing has come back as a wrath unlike any other: a measles outbreak that ironically began at the most magical place on earth.
(02/03/15 1:41am)
(02/03/15 1:30am)
This weekend, Jimmy Fallon let a lot of ASU students down when he teased a photo of himself on the steps of the MU but left before meeting any students. We've made a breakup playlist to help everyone get over the heartbreak he's caused at ASU. Cry your eyes out, lip sync along and enjoy.
(01/30/15 1:04am)
Bravo to the onslaught of puppies during Super Bowl Week. Earlier this week, Budweiser released the latest of their heartwarming #BestBuds videos, and we can't stop watching it. Later in the week we have the most important sporting event of the year — Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl. #Blessed.
(01/29/15 1:38am)
Over the past year, the term “title IX violations” has been thrown around quite a bit. Public institutions across the U.S. have been deservingly accused of violating Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972 by refusing to acknowledge sexual assault, eliminating the opportunity for inappropriate student-professor relationships or properly educating students on consent and respect practices. As the number of instances reported at each university continues to grow — along with student and public outrage — universities have been responding to bad press that has befallen their respective institutions by strategically implementing policies that should have been pre-emptively decided years ago. ASU is one of those institutions. Last year, The State Press headed an investigative report examining student-professor relationships in Barrett, the Honors College while seeking to expose the truth about rape culture at ASU. An alarming number of students have continued to come forward with sexual misconduct allegations relating to professors at ASU. However, last year was not the beginning of sexual misconduct at ASU. Sexual assault claims made by students have been disregarded by administrators since 2012 — or before — when there were “nine cases of sexual assault (forcible sex offenses) reported to Student Rights Responsibilities ... while ASU Police had 19 forcible sex offenses reported,” according to an email from former University spokeswoman Julie Newberg.This week, ASU's faculty senate voted to update an outdated University position on student-faculty relationships. While the ban previously only prohibited faculty from relationships with students who were “currently enrolled in a course being taught by the faculty member or graduate assistant or whose performance is currently being supervised or evaluated by the faculty member or graduate student,” it now eliminates nearly all possibilities for a relationship between a faculty member and students who they would teach, oversee or advise. Student-faculty relationships create a power dynamic that is not conducive to the atmosphere of an institution designed for educational purposes. While ASU is beginning to address the prevalent rape culture ingrained in the University, it’s a shame that programs and policies — such as the Title IX task force, Consent and Respect course and newly updated student-faculty relationship position — were put in place only after federal investigation of Title IX violations began.As the New American University, ASU seeks to be known as a trailblazer for institutions around the nation. While our University may be excelling in science, health and education rankings, it continues to remain far behind in sexual assault awareness and protection. ASU needs to become more proactive and foresee the dangers of failing to implement precautionary policies when dealing with a subject as controversial as sexual conduct. It’s the least we could ask as students.Want to join the conversation? Send an email to opiniondesk.statepress@gmail.com. Keep letters under 300 words and be sure to include your university affiliation. Anonymity will not be granted.Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
(01/27/15 1:21am)
Here at The State Press, the Editorial Board maintains the belief that courses should not come with a trigger warning. In fact, we’ve previously elaborated on our stance toward course trigger warnings, saying, “There are plenty of ways for college students to stay in their bubbles and plenty of places in which they can, but a college classroom shouldn’t be one of them. Instead, we come to school to learn, to challenge our beliefs and grow as people.”
(01/23/15 1:00am)
Bravo to President Obama's burn during his State of the Union address. He stated, "I have no more campaigns to run. I know because I won both of them." Boo to the NCAA for making the ASU women’s basketball team compete on the road to start the NCAA tournament, telling azcentral sports in a statement that the University can’t host games at an off-campus site. ASU has a conflict at Wells Fargo Arena with the gymnastics team hosting the Pac-12 meet on March 21. Boo to hiking and vandalism damaging petroglyphs on Hayden Butte, otherwise known as "A" Mountain. The butte's home to more than 500 petroglyphs made between 750 and 1450 AD.Bravo to the art exchange that is being coordinated with the Bronx Museum of the Arts and Cuba's National Museum of Fine Arts. This is a solid first move to jumpstart the healing process between the U.S. and Cuba. Boo-ravo to ASU's hiring of a Title IX coordinator to oversee investigations of sexual assault and sexual misconduct. It's a good move, but it should have come earlier.Bravo to Larry Wilmore. After cutting his teeth as a correspondent on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," Wilmore is now the only African-American host on television with "The Nightly Show" on Comedy Central. Replacing Stephen Colbert is a daunting task, but this is a step in the right direction for late night entertainment diversity.Boo to the businesses and creative art spaces along Roosevelt Row that face demolition after local real estate company, Barton Properties, earned a permit to create high-rise luxury apartments in the area. Residents, students and arts advocates have voiced concerns about the action and plan to peacefully protest the demolition. Bravo to GOP Congressional leaders for canceling the debate and vote on House Resolution 36, which, if enacted, would have banned abortions past 20 weeks.Boo to Frito-Lay for introducing a new "cinnamon, sugar puff" snack. They are calling it Sweetos, and we think they could do better.Bravo to Netflix for picking up "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," written by Tina Fey and starring Ellie Kemper, for two seasons.Boo to the New England Patriots for (allegedly) deflating the Indianapolis Colts' chances of making the Super Bowl. While quarterback Tom Brady may have said that he would "never do anything to cheat," evidence shows that the footballs used by New England were under-inflated. Now, a league that is stumbling to get back on its feet just got another black eye.Want to join the conversation? Send an email to opiniondesk.statepress@gmail.com. Keep letters under 300 words and be sure to include your university affiliation. Anonymity will not be granted.Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
(01/22/15 12:12am)
Throughout our sprawling cityscape, there’s nowhere that encapsulates charm the way Roosevelt Row — or RoRo, as it’s affectionately called — does. Late night crêpes from Jobot, picking up a chai tea latte from Songbird, digging through records at Revolver and attending story-tellings at Lawn Gnome all hold a special place in the hearts of Downtown residents, ASU students and Phoenicians alike.
(01/21/15 1:06am)
Gov. Doug Ducey’s budget is out, and the jury is in — slashing education funding will not help secure a promising future for Arizona’s higher education system. For a governor who spent a large portion of his short term preaching the importance of education for Arizonans, his budget doesn’t mirror his so-called intentions. With $75 million in cuts being ripped from the already struggling coffers of Arizona’s public universities, the future isn’t looking so bright for our state’s education system.
(01/16/15 1:05am)
Bravo to former Oregon Duck quarterback Marcus Mariota. He didn't end his college football career the way he may have liked, but there's no doubt that the Hawaii native was the best player in the country this year. The Heisman Trophy winner announced that he would declare for the NFL Draft on Wednesday, where he will likely be the No. 1 overall pick.Boo to Nik Stauskas's auctioning off his girlfriend on Twitter, becoming the latest person to follow the recent Twitter trend of offering prom dates in exchange for retweets. Now, instead of finding their own dates to prom, high schoolers spend their time mining Twitter for the next date to "claim."Bravo to Belgium for a successful anti-terrorism operation Thursday. Europe as a whole is on edge following the Charlie Hebdo attacks in France, but Belgium succeeded in neutralizing two jihadistsBoo to the collapse of plans for USA Place, the facility where USA Basketball was slated to be housed. We'll always have the empty husk of a Chili's and the fond memories of fajitas past to carry on the memory. Bravo to the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication's 2014 fall depth reporting class for its "Hooked" documentary debut Tuesday night, simulcast by all Arizona TV stations. The commercial-free documentary was viewed by 380,000 households, according to early rating numbers and highlighted pressing addiction issues for many Arizona communities.Boo to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosting what is believed to be their last Golden Globes ceremony. We will miss their quips and their on-screen romance. God bless.Bravo to ASU junior Jon Rahm for receiving a sponsor exemption to compete in the 2015 Phoenix Open. Rahm leads ASU with a 69.08 stroke average in 2014-15 and won the 2014 Thunderbird Invitational and 2014 Bill Cullum Invitational.Boo to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences remaining on the wrong side of history by failing to nominate Ava DuVernay for Best Director and David Oyelowo for Best Actor. Not only was "Selma" a moving and award-deserving biopic, DuVernay would have made history being the first female African American nominee. Bravo to state Rep. Phil Lovas for withdrawing his bill to place Arizona on Daylight Saving Time. Lovas initially said it would be good for business in Arizona, but the negative feedback caused him to kill the bill.Want to join the conversation? Send an email to opiniondesk.statepress@gmail.com. Keep letters under 300 words and be sure to include your university affiliation. Anonymity will not be granted.Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
(01/15/15 1:54am)
There’s no denying that the scope of medical services covered by Medicaid is severely lacking. Life-altering operations such as breast reconstruction following mastectomies, dental repair and embryo implantation remain absent from the repertoire of services covered by the insurance service.
(01/13/15 2:22am)
When Doug Ducey was first elected governor, the State Press Editorial Board posed a question: Would Ducey truly be a “governor of all?” With two months, his inauguration and first State of the State address under his belt, the original question remains unanswered while new concerns have been brought to light. Following Ducey’s State of the State address, we’re sure of one thing — he’s a man with a plan. While we’re not sure what the plan is, we know that he must have some kind of idea of what he’d like to accomplish over the next four years. It’s the lack of specific details that has left us perplexed. Aside from power words like “fiscal responsibility,” and a heavy emphasis on education reform, there has been no clarification by Ducey on how he will achieve the goals he laid out as his “Arizona Roadmap” while on the campaign trail last fall.In fact, many pressing issues listed on the “roadmap” have not been publicly addressed by Ducey. He has failed to address or tiptoed around topics like immigration, LGBT rights and the DREAM Act, which were important issues he spoke on during campaign season. Based on the fact that Ducey’s views on these matters are largely opposed, we would argue that this is because it’s the beginning of Ducey’s first term and he’s still trying to keep Arizonans on his side.Read the full version of Gov. Ducey’s State of the State address here. Balancing the budget, fast-tracking a bill that would enact a civics test requirement for Arizona high school students and reforming education are the only plans that Ducey has attempted expanding on. He’ll be closing Arizona’s office in Washington, D.C. and eliminating the lobbyist position. He’s announced that state government jobs — leaving aside child safety and public safety — will be frozen and a newly created inspector general will be “mandated to find more areas of savings – and where corruption exists, shine a light on it.” While these announcements are a respectable start, it’s hard to imagine that investigating the budget, cutting one position and making small cuts throughout Arizona Legislature will account for the $1 billion gap between revenue and spending. While Ducey’s plans for education reform are noble, we cannot see them working out as planned. Most of his plan seems to come from money that does not exist or cutting spending where it is not useful. In order for the funds lacking in Arizona’s education system, there needs to be an increase in taxes — decreasing already lower than national average administrative funds will not provide sufficient money to boost education. This especially will not happen if the government will be settling the Education Lawsuit rather than paying back the money owed to the education system. We can only hope that when Gov. Ducey officially releases his budget on Friday that we’ll get real facts and figures with an in-depth description of his plans. Until then, Ducey continues to be a real vanilla man — unable to take risks, capitalize on tough issues or show any signs of breaking from Arizona’s current status quo. Want to join the conversation? Send an email to opiniondesk.statepress@gmail.com. Keep letters under 300 words and be sure to include your university affiliation. Anonymity will not be granted.Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
(12/05/14 5:30pm)
Bravo to Total Sorority Move, the website ranked ASU football the No. 1 team in the country based on hotness of players. Taylor Kelly was used as example of said hotness.
(12/05/14 1:23am)
Some people like to wait until finals week is over to reflect on their semesters. If you are among them, make an exception. Put down the study guide, close the Khan Academy video and reminisce with us on all that has happened from August to present.
(12/01/14 11:15pm)
Losing to UA is not a good feeling for any ASU fan and as Sun Devil Nation walks away from the regular season with a bitter taste thanks to a 42-35 Wildcat victory, many heads will hang low with disappointment.
(11/26/14 2:30am)
Every semester, The State Press editorial board meets with ASU President Michael Crow to ask questions about issues at the University and how it’s changing. We'll have more stories based on Crow's responses during the coming weeks, but for now, here are the top five takeaways from that meeting.