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

University of Rhode Island

It took the Spanish people a very short period of time to realize that the direction they were headed in was one of arguable futility. In the United States, we debate the decision to go to war on a daily basis and it is one year later. When we discuss what has come out of the way, the reason that we were given by our government is lost in the sensationalism of capturing a fallen leader and hidden under a veil of aggressive patriotism akin to the same impulses that drove the Sedition Act.

The support of foreign leaders is most important if the U.S. goal of a democratic Iraq is to be achieved. Without the support of the world community, we come across as bullies, too ignorant to at least consider the opinion of our international peers and too stubborn to admit that we might have been wrong, in any way.

÷ "Iraq, one year later," from University of Rhode Island's The Good Five Cent Cigar

Northern Illinois University

If car manufacturers are going to continue adding televisions and DVD players to their vehicles, new regulations need to be made so the driver and anyone outside the vehicle cannot see the televisions.

Slightly tinted windows need to be legal, and TV sets in the front portion of vehicles need to be illegal.

When driving, distractions mean danger. Drivers are at least 16 years old and can ignore the car in front of them with "The Lion King" playing, but when porn is flashing, drivers tend to be a little more captivated. Not to mention that the excitement the driver may feel from the porn also can cause him or her to become distracted, which could result in an accident.

Children also are affected. It is bad enough that children are exposed to sex on television, but now parents have to worry about what their children are seeing from the back seat while on the way to soccer practice.

÷ "Keep porn off the roads," from Northern Illinois University's Northern Star

University of South Florida

When something happens to a child, it is easy to point fingers and blame the parents. It is easy to assume that a parent of a problematic child ÷ or more recently an obese one ÷ is in denial. However, according to Reuters, obese children have become such a norm that parents literally have nothing else to compare their own offspring to, so they assume their children are "normal." It would appear that adult society is so caught up in its own weight loss that it has overlooked the very people on whom the future depends. It is regrettable that overweight persons ÷ children at that ÷ have become such a normal occurrence that society can turn its head. It should be apparent that it is vital for the health of our children ÷ as well as our society ÷ that parents intervene and encourage good nutrition and exercise to countermand the trend.

÷ "Parents need to realize Înormal' may be overweight," from University of South Florida's The Oracle

Columbia College

Let's face it; Bush did what any other leader would've and should've done during the aftermath, and he did it well enough. But should he really be patting himself on the back? A good leader, an individual of character, resolve and vision, would simply accept the accomplishment, carrying himself with the squared shoulders and high chin of confidence and humility. Not Bush. Bush is intent on running about, making sure everybody knows what a great job he's done, rather than trusting the American people to make the "right" choice, because he doesn't trust the American people, regardless of what he says.

He's suspicious and fearful, and you can see it in his beady little eyes and the furtive, little animal jerks of the head as he parades in front of reporters and campaign supporters.

÷ "Bush's bid for re-election a classless campaign," from Columbia College's The Columbia Chronicle

Ohio State University

To critically analyze evolution, teachers will not have to invoke religion. They will simply ask students whether there is any evidence ÷ completely devoid of religion ÷ to show that some parts of living organisms may not have had an ancient predecessor. If the flagella of microorganisms show no evidence of evolution, why should we dismiss it on the premise that it somehow promotes religion?

Today's education system acts as a place where students should learn critical thinking skills in order to better understand the world around them.

Under old systems, students were only presented with one scientific theory to explain life as we know it; it's about time the other side is presented as well.

÷ "Teaching science," from Ohio State University's The Lantern

University of California,Los Angeles

The No Child Left Behind Act was passed in the hope it would introduce accountability to America's schools. To that end, it required strict qualifications for teachers ÷ forcing even established veterans to prove themselves. The regulations focus too much on the formal education of

teachers as opposed to their actual ability to teach.

If the No Child Left Behind Act is going to help schools, it needs further adjustment. Schools that perform poorly should not be punished by having their funding cut, teachers should not be encouraged to "teach to the test," and veteran teachers should not have to prove themselves to the federal government.

If the government wants education to improve, it should give schools money needed to attract the best teachers and to improve learning conditions.

÷ "No Child Left Behind Act needs further revision," from University of California, Los Angeles' Daily Bruin

University of Central Florida

This year students will get a very real chance to change their own lives by voting. Jobs will play a big role in this election, and every college student should care about the job market. It hasn't grown nearly as quickly as the Bush administration has predicted it would, meaning fewer Americans entering the work force have a place to go.

Whether the president wins again or Kerry wins, the economy will matter, because the candidates will be talking about it.

Whoever gets to be president will have to address the matter if they want the support of the people and of Congress, another branch of government that answers to the people.

Regardless of whether you care about the person in office, you should care about the issues, because everyone wants a decent job and a decent chance at a happy life. Don't let that chance slip by in November.

÷ "Lame elections no excuse for apathy," from University of Central Florida's Central Florida Future

University of Alabama

Information is the lifeblood of the media. Without it, the proud rag you're reading now would have no reason to exist; we thrive on the open and honest flow of information and ideas from one source to another. Information, straightforward and unfiltered, is what makes honest journalists get up in the morning, as we strive for scoops and breaking stories.

Alabama's sunshine laws, the codes that dictate the openness of board meetings, are vital to that unfiltered exchange of ideas. Without these laws, the public would be left to the whims and fancies of every two-bit politician from Muscle Shoals to Dothan. Sunshine laws are to Alabama as checks and balances are to Washington, D.C.

Without them, local governments are free to develop corruption and malfeasance to unstoppable heights.

÷ "Let the sunshine in," from University of Alabama's The Crimson White

÷ Compiled from U-Wire