Opinion | Columns - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Universities should be able to consider race during admissions process

By Lewis Kirvan | Oct. 2, 2011

Since the ‘90s, it's been a common right-wing practice to have a bake sale intended to demonstrate the inherent unfairness of using race as a factor in college admissions. White men get charged $2 for the brownies or muffins the Republicans baked to prove their point, while other races get charged a sliding scale based on the Republican protesters' perception of the severity of racial bias against different groups.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Cyberbullying should be treated as a crime

By Akansha Mishra | Sep. 29, 2011

It has been nearly a year since Tyler Clementi, former Rutgers student, committed suicide after his roommate streamed an intimate video of Clementi and another man. I remember when I first read about the tragedy in the news. I didn't understand - how did this happen? What caused Clementi so much pain that he had to end his life?

OPINION | COLUMNS

Companies 'greenwash' consumers

By Stephen Harris | Sep. 29, 2011

A recent phenomenon in the marketplace has become a big deal in the past couple of years. The trend I am referring to is the flood of "green" products on store shelves.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Bachmann should be taken with grain of salt

By Alex Guilmartin | Sep. 28, 2011

She's radical. She's outspoken. She's amusing. She's insane. She's even moderately attractive. She is, quite simply, absolutely entertaining.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Gardeners should use compost in place of chemical fertilizers

By Kimberly Johnston | Sep. 28, 2011

Ever since I was a little kid, I have been told that plants needed Miracle-Gro to grow big and strong.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Women play an influential role in politics

By Nicholas Butler | Sep. 27, 2011

I have a humble rebuttal to last Tuesday's column "Politics Needs Better Female Role Models" by Sami Main. I reject the premise that today's young women do not have anyone to look up to.

OPINION | COLUMNS

The ladies can make us laugh too

By Sami Main | Sep. 26, 2011

"New Girl."

OPINION | COLUMNS

Americans are increasingly narrow-minded

By Akansha Mishra | Sep. 22, 2011

A couple of days ago my friend and I found a humorous screen shot of a conversation between two friends. The first friend exclaimed, "Osama is dead!" and the second friend mistakenly took "Osama" for "Obama" and replied that she could not believe that the president was dead.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Death penalty not the answer; killing innocents is unjust

By William Tew | Sep. 22, 2011

The state of Georgia killed Troy Davis Wednesday at 11:08 pm.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Netflix separation neglects customer needs

By Alex Guilmartin | Sep. 21, 2011

On Monday morning, I received an email from Netflix.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Journey of life makes for bumpy ride

By Nicholas Butler | Sep. 20, 2011

Fender-benders eventually happen to all of us. One of my closest friends just had her first car accident.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Politics needs better female role models

By Sami Main | Sep. 19, 2011

I'd like to issue an apology on behalf of all women. Sorry, ladies, but I think a good percentage of you will agree with me anyway.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Labor unions do not always help workers

By Travis Hornsby | Sep. 18, 2011

In an era where real wages aren't really increasing much and the rich are getting richer, it seems economically just for unions to protect workers from laws that would open jobs to labor force competition and market wages.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Keeping cats indoors good for ecosystem

By Sarah Lane | Sep. 15, 2011

Do you let your cat roam free outside?

OPINION | COLUMNS

Importance of education lost in the mix

By Akansha Mishra | Sep. 15, 2011

From the start of the modern education reform movement, presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama have addressed education in different ways. However the primary issue remains the same. Education was, and still is, in need of dramatic reform.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Good deeds important to gain perspective

By Ford Dwyer | Sep. 14, 2011

Many organizations around campus invited students to participate in events commemorating the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Releasing balloons dangerous to birds, marine animals

By Eddie Roqueta | Sep. 14, 2011

Ever since we were little kids, we have been innocently releasing balloons into what we thought would be an infinite sky, floating on to Neverland.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Judging sorority women is hypocritical

By Alex Guilmartin | Sep. 14, 2011

I'm a psychology major at UF. I'm also a male. That makes me what some would call a rarity.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Rick Perry tries to extend executive power

By Nicholas Butler | Sep. 13, 2011

Weeks after Texas Gov. Rick Perry announced his candidacy for president, it appears that the top-tier jocks in the endurance marathon, which has been underway for sometime, have finally been identified.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Financial worries should not deter students from studying abroad

By Matt Caesar | Sep. 12, 2011

If paying for tuition, fees, rent, textbooks, food and personal expenses wasn't enough, I'd like to add another task to the typical college student's challenges: studying abroad.