Opinion

---

Can’t spell bracket without racket: NCAA’s non-profit problem

With NCAA March Madness at a lull until Sweet 16 play begins Thursday, now is as good a time as ever to discuss the state of NCAA athletics.  Setting aside the human factor of student-athletes and coaches engaging in acts of misconduct, we can look toward the root of the problem lying in the broken structure of collegiate athletics today. The problem runs the entire gamut of college athletics, whether it is from the bottom in the arbitrary rules and regulations that student-athletes are subject to, all the way up to how the NCAA works as a cartel, but I see most of the controversy bubbling to the surface in student-athletes.

Utilitarian approach can be damning for the minority

Is the abuse of a few justified in the name of saving lives in the majority? My take can be described as utilitarian, which dictates the moral action is one that maximizes utility in terms of pleasure, economic well-being and the lack of suffering. It is natural that people tend to choose the path that offers them a better quality of life, and society as a whole often leans in the same direction. Because individuals tend to pursue what is best for themselves, society often follows since such pursuit generally turns out to be the most idealistic approach. It sounds like a good idea, right?

Digital detox: Step away from the phone

I am a super human. No really, I am. I did the unthinkable—the impossible—and here I am to tell the tale. I leapt off the grid into the great abyss of the pop culture irrelevant world; a world with no screenshots, no bad captions and no poking.

Wisconsin's gun laws require re-evaluation

Last week, a Wisconsin Senate committee passed a bill that would eliminate the 48-hour waiting period that is currently required to purchase a handgun. This bill will now be presented to the rest of the Wisconsin Senate and will most likely be passed again as the majority of senators are Republican and support the new measure.

Community protests serve as a necessary democratic outlet

The UW-Madison is not unfamiliar with student protests. Such protests are meant to bring attention to relevant political and social issues. I am profoundly proud of this characteristic.

Nationalism threatens global peace

Since the Charlie Hebdo shooting earlier this year, many have become more attentive to the rising nationalism among Muslims. It is thought that this nationalism is the mechanism behind the perceived uptick in international terrorism. There are bad and good versions of nationalism, but I would argue that too much of it is not wise. Voltaire once said, “So it is the human condition that to wish for the greatness of one’s fatherland is to wish evil to one’s neighbours.” Nationalism is not absolutely evil, but to its extreme it is a risky concept.

Cardinal View: Seeing through Madison's progressive haze

Madison—whose unofficial label is “77 square miles surrounded by reality”—is hailed as a progressive haven.

Students should not be blamed for low exam averages

Is it just me or do midterms seem to be endless? It’s like the first three weeks of a semester is the grace period: the time when college is the rowdy, sparkling adventure we always thought it would be. After that, fun’s over, and exams pointlessly given the prefix “mid” seem to consume every minute of our lives until the end of the semester. Some exams are less dreadful than others, of course, but for my friends and I nothing is more daunting and horrifying than calculus.

Police killings are indeed racial issue

I’m sick to my stomach writing this. I’m sickened by the callousness with which people I grew up with are talking about the death of a human being, and sickened by the fact that Madison is now on the map for the killing of an unarmed black teenager at the hands of a white police officer. I’m in disbelief that my fellow citizens would be so ignorant as to look at the pervasive, disproportionate use of lethal force against blacks and not see that what we are dealing with is an explicitly racial issue with an entrenched historical precedent. 

Letter to the Editor: Stick to the pen and pad for fewer distractions in lecture

I have some feedback in response to Maddie Murphy’s article: Note taking should be brought into the 21st Century...

Letter to the Editor: Respect Robinson, respect the police

Last Friday night, 19-year-old Tony Robinson was fatally shot by Officer Matt Kenny of the Madison Police Department, under uncertain circumstances. Robinson was unarmed. He was also African-American, while Kenny is white. The incident led immediately to protests and discussion, which are ongoing.

Women’s push for equality must begin locally on campus

Sunday, March 8 was Daylight Savings Time, which meant the day consisted of only 23 hours instead of the usual 24. This also meant that many women only had 23 hours to celebrate International Women’s Day. But the celebration occurred all over the globe.

Tony Robinson: Don't forget his name

New law puts transparency to the test

State Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, pulled into a gas station Friday night and saw firsthand why a bipartisan law she co-authored during the last Assembly session is so important.

It is time to solve our obesity crisis

It is a well-known fact that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. and much of the developed world. Our bodies have not yet evolved to accommodate our new sugar, salt and cholesterol-rich diets, seeing as these things were all but delicacies in the Paleolithic Age. Now, rates of obesity-related illness are through the roof in both adults and children. It seems no matter how much Americans are told by the government they should go and live healthier lives, obesity won’t go away.

During tough times, lean on those who care about you

Do you ever have one of those days where it feels as though all of your mistakes have caught up to you? You know those mornings when you wake up wishing you could take back that stupid thing you did last weekend, or thinking you should call your mom more often or contemplating an attempt to finish that calculus assignment that was due last week? Those mornings where it feels as though you wake up to a mountain of thoughts all disorderly jumbled inside your head? About two weeks ago, I had one of those mornings.

Reselling your Badger tickets? Keep prices reasonable

I love my WisCard. It makes me feel like I live in a monopoly land. “That will be $3.27,” says the cashier at the dining hall as I whimsically hand them my magical card that somehow holds the key to the imaginary land full of money and sugar and access to the SERF. My WisCard doesn’t care what my GPA is, and my WisCard is always there when I need a workout or an omelet.

Greek life needs to be more inclusive

When I registered for Panhellenic sorority recruitment last summer I did not know the process would lead me to meet 50 girls who would forever change my college experience. You are likely thinking, “Great… another sappy, over-peppy sorority girl article,” but I can assure you this is not the case. Instead, I would like to bring your attention to something that goes unnoticed within UW-Madison’s Greek recruitment process: the lack of representation from the neighboring Madison Area Technical College community.

Defeating Boko Haram requires admitting previous failures

Our world is ravaged by multiple terrorist groups, and we desperately need to find some solutions to terminate these threats. I think to solve these tremendous problems, a careful approach with an equally tremendous effort is required. It is important to remember, however, to learn from failed efforts to stop terrorist groups. One such failure is the Nigerian government’s efforts to eliminate the troubles of the terrorist group Boko Haram.

Letter to the editor: Right-to-work will drive down wages

Last week, Gov. Walker officially made the decision to sign so-called “Right to Work” if it landed on his desk.  This announcement by the presumed 2016 presidential candidate has caused an uproar throughout the state.  When Republicans opened a forum this week to address the issue, thousands of union workers and supporters from across Wisconsin flocked to the steps of the capital to give testimony on how this bill will affect not only their lives, but the lives of their co-workers, family, and friends. Union brothers and sisters were standing in freezing temperatures together singing songs of how “the union makes us strong,” and the Wisconsin AFL-CIO had a whole lineup of speakers to rally the troops, make noise, and show the legislators that they have upset many working Wisconsinites.