Southampton students empowered by innovation of local legislators

Defiant Southampton students along with local legislators are battling the cuts at their campus with a multi-pronged strategy, as the August 31 official axe date looms.

Lawmakers had immediately requested an investigation into President Samuel Stanley’s early April decision to scrap much of the college. Now, other options are being explored: the town where the campus is nestled has offered to buy the rights to it, legislators are asking that the elusive state budget contain a measure to reverse the cuts, and the displaced students are planning a legal battle to keep their campus fully operational.

Immigration Argument in U.S. Needs a Dose of Fact

When Americans complain about immigration, the problems attributed to migrants, particularly illegal ones, tend to be stolen jobs, crime and the importation of foreign culture.

A common counterargument seems sensible enough: America is a country built by and comprised of the descendants of immigrants. Yet this fact fails to persuade those with anti-immigration views.

Student Activities Fee Vote

The votes are in, and the student activities fee is still mandatory for all undergraduate Stony Brook students. Well, at least for the next two years.

Since the 2004-2005 school year, all State University of New York, SUNY, schools have been required to vote every two years on whether their student activities fee will be mandatory or voluntary. This policy set under the SUNY Chancellor’s guidelines, calls for a vote by referendum on the election ballot for Undergraduate Student Government, USG, senators. This year students voted 1343 to 509 to keep the fee mandatory.

This means that until the vote comes up again in 2012, all undergraduate Stony Brook students will be required to pay a fee of $94.25 each semester for student activities. Each student’s fee is deposited into the USG budget, which is then distributed to various clubs and organizations on campus. The USG budget, totaling between $2.7 and $2.8 million a year, also funds the operation of USG, opening weekend activities, and large events on campus.

Netanyahu’s Stubborn Stance a Detriment to Israel

The announcement last week of a plan for hundreds of new housing units for Jews in East Jerusalem has set off a diplomatic spat between the White House and Israel that the world media has been watching closely. This development has positive and negative implications.

The negative is obvious, at least to the White House. The plans undermine the ever-so-delicate peace process, potentially offending and angering Palestinians and the rest of the Muslim world. The settlements are not just an affront to what the White House wants out of Israel; they are an affront to Israel’s supposed commitment to peace. The move clearly says, “We are trying to improve the situation here for all, but we will meanwhile continue to act in our own interest despite the consequences.”

Fareed Zakaria’s op-ed piece on Newsweek’s website this week gives a simple but sound argument against Netanyahu’s handling of all this. Zakaria writes that these plans, especially at this time, betray what the Israeli government has said are is its chief concern – Iran. He says they have prioritized “petty domestic considerations” over relations with their strongest ally, the U.S., and that this puts Israel’s security at risk.

Grandma’s Not Shovel-Ready

This past weekend I was down in the Nation’s capital for the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). While I was there, I was able to discover (with the help of my father) a small coffee table book entitled Grandma’s Not Shovel-Ready. If you like a good picture book and want to learn about the most recent grassroots movement, you’ll thoroughly enjoy this.

Grandma’s Not Shovel-Ready is a compilation book of the best signs at conservative rallies over the past year. I must say I was truly amused after flipping through the book. The book shows Americans exercising one of their Constitutional rights. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.