RE: “Our tuition money is being wasted”
I will be the first to admit I’m one of several students who have openly criticized the university for spending their money in ways that I personally do not see fit. But, now a junior, I have seen multiple things on campus spring up that are beneficial to the students and definitely not a waste of money (University Village, new nursing school and communication buildings).
However, the fact does remain that UM is completely capable of putting together a team of environmentally-conscious students and/or faculty members. Just the same, Christopher Hall is free to leave the university whenever he feels like it.
I am not very happy with our reputation as a haven for rich kids and slap-happy football players, but still for some reason I continue to sign those loan papers for over $44,000 each and every year. If you don’t like it, leave. I guarantee you can find a university that is not only cheaper, but also has a comparable education and is full of envirothon hippies who eat, sleep and breathe protesting for the efficient spending of their precious dollars.
Ashley Davidson
Junior
Bob Barker; the end of an era
We hardly need reminding how often things change in the world we live in; we can always expect change. Sometimes we are glad for it, and other times we wish it weren’t so. I couldn’t help but feel the latter, in a seemingly silly yet humble way, when I read the news that Bob Barker will be retiring from television in June.
Pretty much everyone of our generation can recall times they watched “The Price Is Right”, hosted by Barker, during their childhood. I’ll even admit that some summers in the early 90s, I watched the show daily. Looking back on it now, I don’t think Barker’s show was exciting or entertaining enough to warrant a daily following, but at age ten, I faithfully tuned in every morning.
As I grew older, I stopped watching this show of games and “showcase showdowns.” Although I didn’t follow the show anymore, it was comforting to know that Barker was only a couple of buttons away, explaining some (usually) absurd game in order for the contestant to win a new car, dining room set, or some other prize shown off by the ‘Price’ models. I’d watch a couple seconds if I happened to come across it while channel surfing. And I was glad to see that nothing; the games, props, prizes, or Barker himself, had changed since the early 90s.
Barker’s retirement doesn’t mean the end for “The Price Is Right”. It does, however, mean that future generations won’t have these same memories and experiences. Change is inevitable, but sometimes it’s a little sad. Sure, future kids will grow up with “The Price Is Right”. But the thought of having anyone other than Bob Barker explaining the goofy games and rules of the ‘big wheel’ to them, just doesn’t seem right.
Brian Flanagan
First-year graduate student