Prop 47 More Than a Financial Boost
Advocates for this bill have focused on the financial savings, but reducing petty crimes to misdemeanors would also give two basic rights back to a historically disenfranchised population: the right to vote and the opportunity to apply for a job without being judged for having...
Supreme Court Upholds Barriers to Polls
The driving force behind a democracy is the voice of the people. In Texas, that voice will be silenced an estimated 600,000 times by the Supreme Court’s upholding of State Bill 41 (SB 41) — a law requiring individuals to provide one of seven forms...
Inflation of Theory, Deflation of Individual
Many economists will claim no one saw the 2008 recession coming. The housing bubble grew and grew right before their eyes and few expected it to pop when it did. Maybe it was because their noses were too deep in their books on theory and...
‘Yes Means Yes’ Changes Conversation About Sex
Gov. Jerry Brown signed the law on Sept. 28, making “yes” an important phrase at all colleges in the state. To receive state funding, colleges must implement policies that require sexual partners to seek explicit consent from each other — defined by the college as...
An Injustice to Fix an ‘Injustice’
“I’ll keep being the best advocate I can for the UC,” UC President Janet Napolitano promised in her most recent newsletter on Sept. 24 — published just five days after the UC Regents awarded 20 percent pay increases for the three lowest-paid chancellors. UC Regent...
Ethnic Exclusivity of Television
One day in kindergarten, I asked my mom, “Why do you only buy me the black doll? All of my friends have the regular one.” I’ll never forget the way she looked at me and said, “What do you mean, the regular one?”
Still Separate, Still Unequal
Michelle Obama’s speech encouraging students to think critically about racism and challenge prejudice is a step in the right direction.
Affording an Unpaid Internship
With summer just around the quarter, students are in a mad rush for some sort of work experience. Unfortunately, some can’t afford it. Entry-level positions are being replaced by internships in almost every field from film production to accounting. This is more than just not...
Not There Yet, Napolitano
UC President Janet Napolitano recently visited Mexico, but not for reasons you might expect. She spent a couple of days meeting with important figureheads from both Mexican universities as well as scientific and cultural organizations as a “testament to the strength of our relationship with...
Lethal Injections Lawsuit Demands Transparency
On the day Clayton Lockett was sentenced to be executed in Oklahoma, something went wrong. He should have died immediately, but instead he suffered for 43 minutes, writhing and convulsing in pain. Eventually, one of his veins ruptured, causing him to have a heart attack...