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Opinion

Opinion

Sifting through social media

By Katie Toussaint | October 26, 2011

Ever since my roommate burned a copy of a Dispatch CD for me, roadtrips have turned into private, alternative rock concerts that rattle my rearview mirror in its frame. The other day, I was trying in vain to tune my voice to the lyrics: "Say what you want, say what you mean, question yourself -- are you really what you seem?" I latched onto the existential sense that, at the college age, we are meant to learn to be more transparent and to be comfortable enough to project to others exactly the kinds of people we are. This movement toward transparency conditions us for comfort.

Opinion

Strike a balance

By admin | October 26, 2011

The infamous "work hard, play harder" lifestyle here at Richmond is not an easy one to keep up with.

Opinion

Turning that Saturday frown upside down

By Gyra Chan | October 20, 2011

So last Saturday I was kind of in one of those moods where you just wanna be a sloth all day, lie in bed, not respond to your texts and listen to sad music about how men will break your heart over and over and over again. However, my roommates have long dealt with my Saturday blues and they know from experience that the one thing that will get me out of bed and into pants with a non-elastic waistband is food, so we decided to go out for a roommate dinner. There is nothing lovelier than sitting around with your roommates and discussing boys, food, friends, clothes, politics and the latest Supreme Court cases over a pail of Sticky Rice tater tots.

Opinion

Pakistan's generals: Turn off the tap

By admin | October 20, 2011

The slow-motion suicide of Pakistan in the decade since 9/11 is a story that has seemed to lay at a low boil for most Americans, only to periodically rocket (if you'll pardon the expression) into our headlines with spectacular Today Show-friendly events: The video-taped beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in 2002, the return and murder of Benazir Bhutto in 2007 and finally, the Navy SEALs' dispatch of Osama bin Laden in the Pakistani military cantonment of Abbottabad earlier this year. The past three weeks have added fresh milestones on the road to an alarmingly possible (and alarmingly nuclear) Armageddon. First, Adm.

Opinion

Virginia Powershift inspires more environmental activism

By admin | October 20, 2011

I have found myself becoming increasingly sucked into the environmentalist movement since coming to the University of Richmond. Despite the exponentially growing amount of time and effort being consumed, I cannot stop throwing myself only further into activism. As a Washington state native, my sustainable energy, endless forests and community's general environmental awareness has long been taken for granted. But upon coming to Virginia, I have realized that most of our country is still unaware of where its energy comes from, the destruction that this process is causing and how very relevant it is to their own lives. This past weekend I found myself at Virginia Powershift; an entirely student-run, state-wide conference that educates and builds leaders in the Virginian environmentalist movement. The conference was composed of various educational sessions, ranging from media relations workshops and wind energy educational courses to outright philosophy discussions.

Opinion

A future not far off

By Katie Toussaint | October 20, 2011

I have this vision of myself this time next year. I am bumming around in the darkness of my parents' basement wallowing in my inability to latch onto some noble, writerly pursuit. Meanwhile, I imagine my sibling floating through medical school on a cloud that will one day shower him with public admiration, respect and financial stability. I have panicked about my post-college potential to a friend more than once.

Opinion

Lodges' time-honored tradition trumped

By Gyra Chan | October 5, 2011

So, I know that I recently wrote an article about how I am no longer the lodge star that I once was, but even I, retired lodger, would like the chance to revisit my old sophomore/junior roots every once in a while just to make sure that nothing has changed. Though it's not necessarily my scene anymore, I can fall asleep in peace on Friday and Saturday knowing that people are still making out recklessly in embarrassingly tight clothing covered in sweat with eye liner and mascara running down their drunken faces. However, it seems like my peaceful weekend sleeps may be interrupted by this whole "let's try to make the lodges classier movement." Even if I wanted to go to the lodges, just for kicks, (literally, like if I wanted to get kicked in the shins all night), I probably couldn't make it past the new "let's not have any more fun" police, who for some reason feel like three people per brother is an appropriate way to stop people from getting too crazy. I mean the way I look at it, at least if everyone's drunk at lodges they're all together in one collective location.

Opinion

Bottle up your unnecessary spending

By Amelia Vogler | October 5, 2011

"Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink." One of the most famous lines in poetry, from English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," is eerily applicable and ironic to the world's struggle to find clean water. I read Katie Toussaint's column, "The Truth about Tap Water" from last week, and I agree with and applaud her.

Opinion

Strike a balance

By admin | October 5, 2011

The food we eat is one of the most important factors in living a balanced lifestyle. Food gives our bodies the fuel they need to get us through our demanding days. We all have a general sense of what constitutes healthy eating choices, but despite our best efforts, sometimes eating correctly is just hard, especially while at college. Between classes, homework and extracurriculars, eating often becomes an afterthought and we resort to wolfing down our food on the go, or worse, skipping meals altogether. Eating regular nutritious meals is an integral part of being healthy and has implications beyond affecting weight.

Opinion

Response to: "A Letter to Men"

By admin | September 28, 2011

At first, when I read Jon Henry's "Letter to Men," I thought nothing of the apparent transition of themes from that letter to Rhatican's letter.

Opinion

Dollars down the drain for food, fun and frolic

By Gyra Chan | September 28, 2011

It is literally terrifying how easy it is to spend money without really buying anything at all. Say it's a beautiful Saturday morning, you have no plans to start your homework until Sunday night, and you feel so free with the whole day ahead of you that you want to take an adventure with your roommates. Naturally, you decide you need to start off the day with the grande non-fat pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks because the taste of fall in a cup is only available for a limited time.

Opinion

The American Jobs Act?

By admin | September 22, 2011

If you sat through President Obama's speech last Friday and did not get at least a hint of chills and some extra hope to put in your pocket for later, you might want to consider calling nurse Dial-A-Nurse. Who doesn't want to "out build, out educate and out innovate" the competition?

Opinion

Cultural contrast abroad

By admin | September 22, 2011

During my study abroad excursion in China (Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong) this past summer, I noticed many things that distinguished the people and society of Beijing. I spent six weeks in this overpopulated, bustling city, where I attempted to live the way an average Beijing citizen does, and discover as much about the culture and its people as I could. There is a very different standard of living in Mainland China than there is in U.S.

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