The American collegiate paradox

09 Sep 2009, Posted by Braden Hendricks in Backpages, Braden Hendricks, 0 Comments

I’ve always heard people say with either anger, apathy or resignation that the American education system is ineffective, weak and underfunded. Parents, teachers, political pundits, whoever all throw in their two cents in badmouthing the good ol’ US of A by saying that American education is simply not keeping up and maintaining competitiveness with other countries (read: China).

Well, okay, if so many people are say something is wrong, then there’s probably something wrong. But what?  According to these guys, the problem is too many bullies. According to these guys, it’s bureaucrats. This guy seems to think everything’s the problem and that society will end up a “desolate wasteland.”

If we are headed to desolation, this is why: RPG's.

It’s true: Kids these days play more video games than ever, and if we can’t find away to pull them way from the consoles long enough for them to learn how to make a grilled cheese sandwich, we’re doomed. But that’s in the future right? Today’s American college students are still okay, right? Wrong. At least according to this New York Times article.

Basically, the article states that although America’s top universities lead the world (along with a couple of British ones) in rank, through and through American higher education is failing to put out adequate graduation numbers.  Now, one question I have is whether or not Duke is still a top university–but that can wait. What I’m wondering here is how that’s even possible. How is it that in the same system there are colleges that are first rate by even international standards, and colleges that have a 30 to 40 percent graduation rate? That’s like having Kwame Brown and Kobe Bryant on the same team–it just shouldn’t happen. But it does. So what does this mean for America?

See how Kobe values Kwame's input?

The Lakers eventually got their act together and won the big one. I think America is pretty awesome, but I don’t think a simple trade is going to be enough to solve this problem….

When politicians behave badly

07 Sep 2009, Posted by Bud Baker in Backpages, Bud Baker, 4 Comments

So far 2009 has been quite the year. We inaugurated our first African-American president, we battled a recession and we said farewell to some of the greatest people of our time. One of those people was Sen. Ted Kennedy, who lost his battle to brain cancer last week.

Kennedy devoted his entire life to public service and was arguably the greatest senator of all time. Yes, Kennedy was a great man with tremendous accomplishments. He was also responsible for the death of a 28 year-old woman. I will not focus too much on this incident or the rest of Kennedy’s life. Countless hours were spent by the media detailing those events last week.

But Kennedy’s public and private life made me wonder: Why do politicians behave so badly?  Why do we allow this behavior to continue?

Granted, since the beginning of this nation, politicians have never been saints. Politicians have come up with some genius schemes that have ruined the lives of millions of people and have gotten this country involved in some incredible conundrums. But the behavior I’m talking doesn’t include scandals such as Watergate or diplomatic failures or economic disasters. Behavior prior to holding office gets a minimal pass too. People sometimes make silly decisions while in college or as a young adult. What I’m talking about is pure stupidity while in office. The type of behavior that makes you wonder why this person was elected in the first place.

I’m talking about behavior like running off to Argentina for six days on a love frolic, having affairs with staff members, possessing crack cocaine, seducing interns in the Oval Office–the list goes on. It is absolutely incredible the amount of ridiculous scenarios these people get themselves into. It’s almost like each politician is trying to outdo the next in a battle to see who can philander their way to victory.

The only logical reason why this behavior continues is because politicians know that they can get away with it and that they will be forgiven for it. Yes, we are all human, we all make mistakes, but not all of us are rich, powerful and control the nation. We need to stop being shocked every time a politician behaves badly. We need to hold them to a higher standard.

I am…

07 Sep 2009, Posted by Gloria Ahn in Backpages, 0 Comments

I am clay.

I am butterfly.

I am cream cheese full of honey and raisins.

I can be whatever metaphor I choose to affiliate myself with.

But truth be told, the physical and metaphysical fail to describe who we are.

A couple years ago, I had my first mock-interview where people whom I wanted to like me would ask me questions about myself and in the process decide whether they liked me enough to let me work for them. So the age-old question: who are you? Followed by a couple more almost as old questions: what makes you who you are? What do you live for? What would the people closest to you and those who are tangent to you (infinitely close but not quite there people) say about you?

As Duke students, we are always trying to create, recreate, define, redefine and polish who we are and want to be. We want to be trailblazers in this time of change and revolution.  We want to ignite passion and concern into the hearts of thousands around the world and inspire a greater movement for causes x, y and z.  We want to make a difference in the people around us with the words we speak, the actions we take and the choices we decide.  Or if not on that level, we want to show that we’re different.  We want to distinguish ourselves mostly by our accomplishments.  ”I made the Dean’s list”; “I am the executive vice-something or other in three different organizations”; “I am overloading with five classes and playing club tennis”; “I shotgunned four beers and it was awesome.”

Who are we? As Duke students are we content with the nametags that society and the people around us give us? Yes, we are a pretty smart school. Yes, we are the Cameron Crazies.  And yes, we do have the greatest basketball coach ever. But is that you? I’m not trying to say that there is something wrong with how we, as Duke Students, define ourselves.  However, I do feel that there is more to us than meets the eye.  There must be more to us than “Dean’s list”, “executive” and “beer”.  We are multi-dimensional (key-word here) humans capable of more than just titles and epithets.

It might just be that our closest don’t know the layerings and heartbeats of our lives and background because no one has asked.  Our resumes ask of our our accomplishments, not of our pitfalls and family stories.  However, those colorful edges are exactly what makes us who we are. We could not have reached our peak without having climbed the thousand steps leading up to it.

So, in our lifelong journey to not only discover ourselves and the world around us, but to also come into ourselves, let us take some time to salute in solemn reverence the hardships and excellent times that have made us who we are.

So cheers.  My name is Gloria Ahn, and I survived two awesomely, lonely and challenging months in middle-of-nowhere-bush Nkokonjeru, Uganda this summer.  I haven’t told many of my friends that these two months have stretched me the most as a person in all the two month periods of my life, but I figured it was high time I did.

We may be awesome Duke students who overachieve and reach for more than the stars, but we’re also humans too.

Finals FLIP: Chong Procrastinates Here

28 Apr 2009, Posted by Jane Chong in Backpages, 2 Comments

So I’ve never been in quite this much trouble before, and for someone perpetually on the precipice of procrastination-prompted failure, this is really saying something.

And yeah. In case you’re wondering, the essay I am currently (supposed to be) writing for my philosophy class is as long-winded and fulla-nothing as the first sentence of this blog post.

I’m suffering a devastatingly inconvenient case of Senioritis. Though if the NYTimes and my most recent piece of Duke mail are any indication, it could be Swine Flu (cue Dean’s Excuse). I’ve deactivated my Facebook account four times. I’ve finished my second Jimmy John’s and am awaiting reinforcements. I’ve read every single FML post and the refresh button hasn’t yielded anything new for the last half hour. This brings me to the Chronicle. This is a cry for help.

Like most of the non-graduating population, and the fourth of the graduating class for whom GPA still matters (i.e. the unemployed and those yet to apply to law school), I am on a caffeine and phenylalanine trip -liquid, pill and gelatinous form (those tiny 5-hour energy drinks are adorable, but for the love of Godzilla, heed the instructions and discard any remainder after 72 hours).

I am writing because I want to vent about things that don’t matter. There is no better kind of distraction. Here we go: you would expect seniors to have more patience for the sentimental absurdity that gets flung around this time of year. But instead we get unjustifiably frustrated about our anticlimactic end and respond to all of the gushiness people upload onto Facebook with 1) creepy-crawly feelings, 2) tears, 3) relief about imminent escape, 4) fervent desire to confess something Profound About Our Duke Careers.

Speaking of which: I have recently decided to renege on the terms of my senior column. For anyone who read the thing, I am committing this major breach of columnist ethics not (merely) because I am a coward, but because I realize that the crush to whom I am supposed to be ‘fessing up my feelings is not really the object of my affections.

The crush is a stand-in. The crush is a cop-out. The crush-thing truly amounts to me wanting closure and instantiating it in the form of Some Guy. Some guy whose physique and carefully molded hair closely resemble the natural gifts of a certain Greek hero. Fans of Troy will know to whom I am referring.

Just kidding. About the Greek hero thing, I mean. All of this is my way of trying to entertain you and myself as I enter the dark 24-hour abyss that is my personal Hades. Here on the backpages of the Chron, I am at least Producing Something (read: junk), and if I squeeze my eyes and click my heels three times, I can almost mistake this for Being Productive. Feel free to leave derisive comments. If I get a readership here, I will know I am procrastinating in style, i.e. with a sympathetic audience of friends similarly in danger of Epic Finals Failure, and I may take that as a signal to post a follow-up.

Signing off,

Jane

Most everything “Junior” (especially “year”) stinks

16 Apr 2009, Posted by Jacob Wolff in Backpages, Jacob Wolff, 6 Comments

Well folks, this is my last blog entry for the year.  As all four of you who have been reading my posts this semester would almost assuredly agree, chances are the powers that be won’t be renewing my contract for next year.  I like to attribute it more to that fact that I’m too edgy and controversial, rather than acknowledging I’m probably just too dang weird to be writing for the newspaper.  So for what may be my ’series finale’ if you will, I decided to reflect upon what has, for all intents and purposes, been a pretty difficult year.

Recently, during a fit of homework-induced stress, I realized just how much junior year of college really does suck.   Now I don’t want to seem like a Debbie Downer; junior year has had its fun moments, but it really has been a tough year.  After complaining about junior year of college, it dawned upon me that junior year of high school was just as bad.   After that realization, I though about Junior Bacon Cheeseburgers.  After that, I had an epiphany: I could live without pretty much everything “Junior” related:

Junior year of college:  My current nemesis.  Junior year, or more specifically, second semester junior year, is terrible.    Combine a normal course-load (or even an over-load if you actually believed your advisor when he/she said: “Don’t worry, you can experiment with different classes your first few semesters, it won’t set you back”) with the craziness that is the internship hunt, add in the search for housing next year, tack on a few extracurriculars and you’ve got yourself a fun ol’ semester!  Oh yeah, and did I mention studying for the MCATs, LSATs or whatever random four lettered test that will determine your future?  The worst part, they’re all really important.  You need good grades, good LSAT scores, a good internship, a place to live and a nice bowl of tomato soup (one needs sustenance to survive) if you hope to graduate with a job!  You really can’t put anything on the back burner either.   Though, if you must put one there, I would probably suggest the soup, as it will keep it warm.

Junior year of high school: I don’t mean to dredge up bad memories, but I think everyone sees the parallel to the Junior year of college experience.  AP classes, applying to colleges, SATs, worrying about cooties; it’s the Junior version of our junior year at Duke.

Junior Bacon Cheeseburgers: I’m a vegetarian, and even I know Junior Bacon Cheeseburgers are lame.   Sure, they’re cheap, but hardly filling (I wasn’t a veg until college, so lay off, Wendy’s was tasty).  If you’re going to go omnivore, go for the full sized burger.  You know what they say about people who order junior sized cheeseburgers? They use fewer condiments like ketchup.  And if you don’t overuse condiments like ever other American (myself included), then that must mean you hate the USA.  If you hate the USA, then you must hate freedom…  DO YOU WANT TO HATE FREEDOM!?!

Freddie Prinze Jr.: Do I really need to say anything about this one?

Cuba Gooding Jr.: Jerry Maguire= Good.  Daddy Day Care= Even better!!  Kidding, it was terrible.

The Movie “Junior”: Few have heard of this film, and it’s better that way.  Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger star as gynecologists who have come up with a way of impregnating males.  Laughs (are supposed to) ensue when Arnold becomes the test subject and carries a baby (not in his arms, his tummy of course!).  If you (a) want to further question humanity’s intelligence (in that a state actually elected this man governor), (b) think Danny DeVito, in some odd way, is kind of adorable or (c) still giggle at the word “gynecologist,” watch this flick.

Clearly, not all juniors are bad.  Martin Luther King Jr. of course.  I think I remember liking a song by Junior Senior at one point.  Junior-sized Halloween costumes worn by college kids at tailgate are always sure to elicit a chuckle or two.  Junior Mints are tasty too.   So the word “Junior” is by no means a lost cause.   But until junior year passes, it’s a cuss word in my book.