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The State Press

2012: A beginning - and end?

Somewhere between the stuffing on Christmas Day and the dreadful wailing of “Auld Lang Syne” at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, the realization that I have yet again been wasting my time and talents hits me like a ton of fruit cakes. If the pressure to buy the perfect gift for each one of my loved ones wasn’t hard enough this holiday season, knowing what’s best for me for the coming year isn’t that much easier to guess either, let alone accommodate. By nature rather than nurture, I have always been a procrastinator — though I have always taken great pride in my accomplishments, however late they may have come — I know that this year must be different. While not being lazy anymore seems like the ideal skeleton key to unlock my personal chest of potential, the inherit problem with being “lazy” is just that — I’m lazy. Resolutions have become nothing more than little promises (or white lies) that we tell ourselves in hope that we will stop doing the things we know we shouldn’t do, and instead do what we know we should be doing. Giving up cigarettes, eating better and exercising more are easy variables to use, but for the first time in my life, I think that I might finally have the motivation I need to get off the proverbial couch that my life has become. In a proactive attempt to better understand what the New Year might have in store for me, I watched Roland Emmerich’s 2009 film, aptly entitled “2012.” It’s arguably not the best resource, but fear of the unknown and ice cream have driven greater men to lesser acts. While the accuracy of Emmerich’s film in relation to the Mayan calendar and its relevance to us in the 2lst century might be a little far-fetched, the message that time is of the essence and that we must all work together to overcome great trials and tribulations, rang loud and clear. Making the right choices in life, regardless of a (possible) looming doomsday scenario in the coming year is a considerable burden in and of itself, having this year’s confetti fall around me — perhaps for the last time — the pressure and weight of it all seemed a little too bitter to chase with mere libation. Maybe this is just like the great micro-ship scare of 1999, or maybe this is the countdown to end all countdowns.

By Jonathan Fortner | January 4, 2012
The State Press

Getting rid of the SAT

The SATs have driven some students to the extreme. With nearly 20 people already arrested for cheating on the SAT and defrauding the College Board, there is a question to be asked. Do the SATs, and standardized test in general, even matter in the grand scheme of things in college?

By Raffy Ermac | December 1, 2011
The State Press

War on Poverty is Ultimately Futile

The U.S. Census Bureau released a study claiming the amount of Americans living in poverty is on the rise. While the degree of acceleration is subject to debate, the state of poverty is something that may always exist.

By Sean McCauley | December 1, 2011
The State Press

In uncertain terms

At the end of fall semester, it is crucial to analyze the status of higher education. What are our options and how do we decide?

By Daniel O'Connor | November 30, 2011
The State Press

To Mars or bust

NASA’s new space program, with its emphasis on Mars, is just the kind of strategy this country needs right now.

By John Gaylord | November 30, 2011
The State Press

To be a giver

People buy into both holiday philanthropy and consumerism for the same reason; they want to seem accomplished and make themselves feel better.

By Julianna Roberts | November 29, 2011
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