What happens when reasons run out?

Every person reading this is likely invested in this institution one way or another, and regardless of what category they fall under — alumni, students or faculty — they have the right to know how things are stacking up.

This semester marks the lowest enrollment count SIUC has seen in nearly 40 years, but some university administrators believe this should not be discussed.

When a Daily Egyptian reporter requested to see…

With the death of Jobs, we should take stock of our mortality

Steve Jobs is dead. But his memory and legacy are on the desktops and in the pockets of millions around the world; a feat perhaps rivaled only by the best-selling book in the world: the Bible.

As the news broke, it was morbidly beautiful to see Apple users post updates of Jobs’ death by iPhone, iMac and MacBook shortly after it happened. It was a touching tribute that won’t soon…

Solidarity should outweigh personal security for unions

Although I used to be president of Graduate Assistance United, I’m no longer covered by the collective bargaining agreement since I’m no longer a graduate assistant. As such, maybe I’m sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong, however, SIU remains close to my heart. As a student who is working on a dissertation, the prospect of striking faculty could set me back a little in my timeline, but it’s…

Low history scores point to larger problem in America

An old saying reminds us that history helps put current events into context.

Without history, or a working knowledge of social studies, people are prey to spin doctors’ manipulation. Without a history base, citizens can unknowingly make poor choices or opt out of voting. Lawmakers also may be more prone to making bad decisions.

Yet a history-knowledge void is occurring, according to a nationwide test of grades four, eight and 12….

American politics interfering with Mideast

The following editorial appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer on Friday:

It’s not unusual to see domestic politics play an oversized role in international relations, but that doesn’t make it any easier to stomach.

It has been sickening to watch both Republicans and Democrats put their personal election ambitions above everything else as they play a game of “Who Loves You More?” with Israel.

Too often, you can’t get a Democrat and Republican…

U.S. politics join Mideast fray

“Peace is hard,” said President Obama, at the United Nations, in what seemed like a cri de coeur. “Remember, peace is hard,” he repeated again.

That phrase was an epitaph for his failure to renew negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, or to prevent the latter from seeking a U.N. vote on independence.

The speech Wednesday was also a sad comedown for a president who pledged two years ago in Cairo to…

Building an education nation in America

Think of American education as a house of many rooms, each with a distinct function but taken as a whole, it is shelter against the winds of change buffeting the world and threatening our future.

Any objective analysis of that shelter comes to the same conclusion: We have work to do to be sure we’re secure and able to hold our own against whatever this new global climate sends our…

A U.N. vote on Palestinian state may offer a way forward

This week the Palestinians will take their bid for statehood to the United Nations.

Israeli officials are warning of “grave consequences” and U.S. diplomats are fruitlessly scrambling to prevent the vote from happening. Members of Congress are threatening to ax all aid to the Palestinians, amid dire predictions that such a vote will undermine Israel.

On the contrary. A U.N. vote on Palestinian statehood may be the only way to save…

The Daily Egyptian Editorial Board: Our Word

Those who set off firecrackers in a…

Giving back to the land is a priority, too

Teddy Roosevelt, in a frequently cited address, once noted that, “We have fallen heirs to the most glorious heritage a people ever received, and each one must do his part if we wish to show that the nation is worthy of its good fortune.”

On Sept. 24, we will celebrate both National Public Lands and National Hunting and Fishing Day. This occasion provides an excellent opportunity for Americans to get…

Academic Freedom and Tenure: What Does the Constitution Protect?

This topic is highly relevant to the university community right now because the long-established notion of tenure at SIUC is apparently being eroded by the university administration.

The faculty at SIUC have been working without a contract since June 30, 2010, when the old contract expired, and there still does not seem to be much progress towards an agreement. In the meantime, instead of merely continuing to operate under the…

Get out with Ord

Editor’s note: Get out with Ord will be a weekly installment exploring the outdoor beauty southern Illinois has to offer.

Carbondale is a sticky…

Don’t blame science for climate change

Texas Gov. Rick Perry stirred up controversy on the campaign trail recently when he dismissed the problem of climate change and accused scientists of basically making up the problem.

As a born-and-bred Texan, it’s especially disturbing to hear this now, when our state is getting absolutely hammered by heat and drought. I’ve got to wonder how any resident of Texas, and particularly the governor who not so long ago was…

Colleges: Don’t bury rape allegations

The following editorial appeared in the Chicago Tribune on Wednesday, Aug. 24:

One Sunday morning last February, a 19-year-old Marquette University student tearfully reported to campus security officers that she had been raped.

The officers were legally bound to report that allegation to Milwaukee police. They didn’t. They told the student they didn’t know whether a crime had been committed because the alleged encounter began as consensual.

Result: No charges were filed.

In…

Cheng and upper administration still don’t “get it”

Dear Editor,

In a recent story about student move-in day at the university, Chancellor Rita Cheng was quoted as follows: “I think there’s a renewed spirit on campus. … I think that everyone is starting to get it, that it’s about the student being successful.” There are several things wrong with this statement.

First, it’s hard to credit her observation of “a renewed spirit” in the context of pervasive unrest on…

Who’s the manager of the tightwad department?

Yes, I’m somewhat frugal. Actually, that may be an understatement. One of my former co-workers told me, “Gary, you’re so cheap, you wouldn’t pay a nickel to see a pissant eat a bale of hay,” and he was absolutely correct!

My frugality was influenced by my childhood. I grew up in a lower-class neighborhood in the south side of Chicago. My father didn’t make a lot of money, my mother…

Fighting birth control policy makes no sense

The following editorial appeared in the San Jose Mercury News on Friday, Aug. 5:

The Obama administration decision requiring insurance companies to cover birth control with no co-pay costs easily ranks as the best medical development of the year.

But when it comes to women’s health issues, America still has a lot of work to do. It speaks volumes that Viagra — the drug to improve men’s sexual performance — was…

Looking to the middle ground

Dick Polman McClatchy-tribune

Liberals are angry with President Obama — hey, what else is new? — and there is even sporadic talk about challenging him from the left in the 2012 Democratic primaries. It’s hard to envision that actually happening, given that no human challenger appears to exist, but such talk seems symptomatic of Obama’s political vulnerabilities on the eve of his last presidential campaign.

On the other hand, maybe the “Democrats…

Anti-tax governors are just getting started

Matthew Gardner McClatchy Tribune

Twelve new governors who ran on anti-tax platforms have now signed their first fiscal year budgets. All of them will tell you they were elected with a mandate to get their state’s fiscal house in order, rein in government spending and cut taxes. Some of them will even tell you they view Chris Christie as their model — a “primo example” according to Wisconsin’s Scott Walker —…

Congress should stop flirting with disaster

With as little as a week remaining until the federal government runs out of money to cover all its bills, it’s time for Republicans and Democrats to scale down their partisan ambitions and get a deal done to raise the debt ceiling. But the House GOP, which picked this fight, doesn’t seem willing to end it. Instead, Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, wants Congress to manufacture another potential crisis…