Hungry for a change
I said I would never do it. I wouldn’t sink to that level. I promised myself I would stick to writing meaningful pieces about the quest for truth and human betterment. Or, I would use my journalistic...
View ArticleJobs’ legacy goes deeper than shiny new toys
How do you measure the worth of a person? Taking a step back to recognize the value of a life is difficult. Unfortunately, it often takes death for us to consider such matters. Last week, Steve Jobs...
View ArticleShalit swap stirs hearts
A nation cries out in gratitude and anxiety. In my own dorm room I shed tears in a way that I didn’t know I was capable of. We have prayed for this day for so long. On Tuesday, Oct. 18, Gilad Shalit, a...
View ArticleLearning to give the gift of education
There has been much discussion recently about whether higher education should be considered a right or a privilege. Does higher education mean an undergraduate college degree? What, then, is the point...
View ArticleLessons learned from lions
On a cold, rainy Binghamton night two weeks ago, I went to the movies to see “The Lion King” in 3D. The movie is the same as the original, just reformatted in a way so the zebras and giraffes seem...
View ArticleBartle, the whimsical
There are some nights when I leave this world. I board a vessel destined for a universe of knowledge and intellectualism. On these nights, I no longer participate in the time-space continuum of daily...
View ArticleShredding the “Freshman Fifteen”
Last June, I had to buy several pairs of new pants, and I’ll tell you why: during my freshman year, I gained 25 pounds. Ridiculous, I know. I saw the “Freshman 15” and raised it 10. Any positive health...
View ArticleThe World Wide Cobwebs
I don’t think I need to stress how much the Internet has become a part of our daily lives. As college students, we are probably among the highest in Internet usage among all demographics. Between...
View ArticleInterfaith enlightenment
While the entire world watches for war between Israel and Iran, I sat down last Friday night for an interfaith dialogue Shabbat dinner organized by Hillel and the Muslim Student Association. I didn’t...
View ArticleScratching heads over Iran
Here’s a tough question: What are we going to do about Iran? Iran’s status as a serious threat should be not up for debate any longer. The fact of the matter is that the Islamic Republic of Iran is...
View ArticleLandlord? Or a monkey’s uncle?
If I wanted to have a Ke$ha glow stick dance party at 3 a.m., I would have set my alarm. The privilege of living in the dorms is that you get to challenge conventional notions of “sleep” and “night.”...
View ArticleBinghamton’s scandalous reputation
Oscar Wilde claimed that the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about. Binghamton University has been talked about a lot lately. Maybe too much. Amidst the publicity...
View ArticleAhmajinedad’s message of hate has no place at the United Nations
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad should not be welcomed at the United Nations. The Iranian President is expected to speak at the U.N. General Assembly in New York this Wednesday. Ahmadinejad’s record, both in...
View ArticleWhether you do it for yourself or for your country, go vote
I can’t wait to vote. Do I know who will make a better president? Hardly. Has either party my allegiance? Not at all. Do I even know who I will vote for? Not yet. But I can’t wait to vote. Even though...
View ArticleChange is good, but for a cause
Hurray! The construction on the fountain outside the Glenn G. Bartle Library is complete! For a year we waited. We were inconvenienced. We forcibly traversed narrow walkways, surrounded by ugly metal...
View ArticleCoffee is more than just a stimulant, it’s a way of life
When I drink coffee I feel like Popeye eating spinach: alive, empowered, emboldened and ablaze. (Be my Olive Oyl, won’t you?) My morning ritual involves two cups on average. I wouldn’t conceive of...
View ArticleNo Equivalency in Conflict
There can be no moral equivalency drawn between Israel and Hamas. People on both sides of the border are in danger. On both sides there is pain and suffering. But there are fundamental differences...
View ArticleFinals often accomplish little academically
Finals period in its worst form is nothing short of academic bulimia. We consume as much as we feasibly can, desperately trying to cram a semester’s worth of studying and memorization, only to purge...
View ArticleOnline classes: is what they take away worth the convenience?
This past winter break I took my first online class. Taking the Internet-based class brought up questions about the values of personal discussions, evaluation methods and the future of Internet-based...
View ArticleInclement weather does not excuse your Pods behavior
After five semesters, there are still a couple of things about Binghamton that give me a hard time. I’ve learned to deal with the issues and take advantage of the challenges and opportunities they...
View ArticleRational reasons for NYSUNY 2020
In ongoing campus discussions about NYSUNY 2020, critics have claimed that the tuition plan is discriminatory and an expression of institutional racism. This charge is controversial, inflammatory and...
View ArticleSports salaries are too damn high!
Alex Rodriguez makes too much money. Any reasonable person, even a sports fan, ought to acknowledge that Rodriguez’s $275 million contract is excessive and morally difficult to justify. A-Rod’s salary,...
View ArticleEmbrace the personal pronoun, write from a place of “I”
As a tutor in the Writing Center, I see students struggle on a daily basis with preconceived notions about writing. Of the many inherited myths about college writing, the perceived prohibition against...
View ArticleFind yourself in college and you’ve found a treasure
Editor’s Note: The following column is from Pipe Dream’s Summer 2013 Orientation Issue. Alright kiddies, welcome to Binghamton. We’re thrilled to have you. Please, by all means, get comfortable. You’ll...
View ArticleMeditations on senior year
A wise teacher of mine once compared time to marbles. In the metaphor, you’re given a limited but unknown quantity of marbles. Along with the marbles, you have a collection of depositories that...
View ArticleA year in review from Opinion Editor Michael Snow
What a year it’s been. Since becoming the editor of the opinion section, I’ve been consistently impressed — at times overwhelmed — by the honesty and courage with which students have opened themselves...
View ArticleBarbie wants you to feel bad about yourself
Someone at Sports Illustrated (SI) has a doll fetish. Is there any other explanation? For the 50th anniversary of the swimsuit issue, SI is plastering a swimsuit-clad Barbie doll on its cover. What...
View ArticleResponse Column: Online classes are hardly an education
In Friday’s issue of Pipe Dream, two opinion columnists debated the success of massive open online courses (MOOCs). Both of the writers bring up good points. Still, in discussing online classes and the...
View ArticleGather ye rosebuds, not ye Netflix
It’s May 22. You’re home. Not even your home — your parents’ home. Which is now separate. Weird. It’s lonely. There are unpacked boxes of books around your high school bed. Your friends aren’t around...
View ArticleInvest in relationships, the people in our lives matter most
Making the most of your time here means investing in relationships. It’s not that classes and schoolwork aren’t important. They are. But what really matters? People. Friends. Relationships. I think the...
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