Basketball revenues needed to keep athletics

In Friday's Wildcat, there were two simultaneous complaints about rising tuition and the scarcity of basketball tickets for students. You can't have it both ways - if you want your education to remain as "nearly free" as possible, departments like athletics must remain financially self-sufficient. In order to accomplish this, the athletics department must run itself as any other freestanding business in a free market economy. The athletics department's most sought-after product must be sold at high enough prices to cover the losses incurred by less popular products. Sorry folks, but that means what discounted student tickets we're lucky to have will remain rare and difficult to obtain. [Read article]

Plaid, guilt and other things Catholic

What with Ash Wednesday coming up and all, I'm nostalgic for my days in Catholic school.

Being in Catholic school shaped me - whether for the good or bad remains to be seen - as I can attribute most of my strengths and neuroses to that time in my life. Though no doubt the Catholic school's environment was better than that in the public schools in my area, there were some obvious drawbacks, most notably the use of a ruler in things other than just measuring. Sometimes I still have flashbacks of a frail nun with a name like Sister Mary Francis and a top speed of 2.3 mph who could wield 12 inches of cheap cardboard like the spirit of Zorro himself. Even today, walking into an Office Depot is enough to send me into panic attacks. [Read article]

Last week, our student leaders were driving down the field to score a much-needed touchdown in the form of a student activity fee, but right as they reached the goal line, they fumbled.

For months we've been hearing rumors that this secretive group, the Collaboration Board, if you will, was determining whether a student activity fee is the right way for the UA to go. Our student leaders had apparently thrown in the towel on trying to find money in more creative places and went right for what is commonly considered the last resort, a student fee. If that weren't enough, as soon as they decided that they were going to look into a fee, they went right for the prize, asking for a $25 fee, a venture that would in total exceed the $1 million mark. [Read article]

The best in last week's editorials from college campuses across the nation

North Carolina State University

Part of the requirements for FDA approval is to make sure normal, reasonable consumers can regulate their use of the drug. Limit the doses of the pill sold to a person and regulation is under control. Ultimately, the pill is for emergencies and not for normal birth control uses, because it does introduce a high dose of estrogen into the female body. If a woman needs it over the weekend, when Student Health Services is closed, it should be available because the next alternative a woman has is abortion. Which begs the question: Which is more convenient: a condom, a pill or a doctor's visit? [Read article]