The Pioneer Log, January 28, 2011

Opinion 7

Facebooks unintended consequences Change

BY ADRIAN GUERRERO
Staff Writer

Letter to Bookstore rental the Editor prices need to be

Revise school holiday policy We recently enjoyed an extra day of winter break thanks to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 17. Unfortunately, we did not have Veterans Day off during Fall term, and we will not have Presidents Day off in February. I am not sure who in the Lewis & Clark administration is responsible for this choice, but I know that I am not comfortable with the implications of their choice. Federal Holidays are intended to honor the lives of significant figures or landmark days in our nations history. Is our school really prepared to say that the contributions and sacrifices of MLK are more significant than the contributions of Washington and Lincoln, or of every Veteran that has served in every American conflict since Independence Day? If schedule conflicts resulted in the choice of MLK Day over others, then that sort of thoughtlessness does a disservice not only to the memories of Lincoln, Washington, and our Veterans, but also to MLK himself. If our school administrators consider MLKs contributions to America to be more significant or culturally relevant than those of Washington, Lincoln, or our Veterans, they are woefully mistaken. Between the two of them, Washington and Lincoln won the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, oversaw the first peaceful national exchange of power in the history of the world, and ended slavery. Our veterans gave up the comforts of home to fight and die to guarantee the rights we all enjoy, including the right to be reading this letter out of a student-run paper at the college of your choice. I am not advocating for more or less time off from school. I am arguing that our schools holiday policy should be revised to place equal or greater value on Veterans Day OR Presidents Day as opposed to MLK Day. This could mean replacing one day off with another, taking all three off or taking none off. Any of these would be an acceptable solution. I ask the administrators of Lewis & Clark College to thoughtfully reconsider our holiday schedule in the coming school year. On a personal note, I like holidays, so I would prefer we not do away with them all. Charlie Sponsel CAS Student Class of 2012 BY TYLER RIZZO
Staff Writer

It feels as if everyones mother and aunt are now coming onto Facebook, and its more or less true. In 2010, 1 in 13 people on earth (500,000,000 total) had a Facebook account, and the 35 and older crowd made up over 30 percent. The college demographic also continued to increase without signs of stopping, with a 74 percent growth last year alone. In light gray and cornflower blue boxes, each profile organizes what individuals want to portray about themselves: their resum to the world. Facebook makes event organization easier, it makes emotional and friendship responsibilities more convenient (birthday wishes), and it gives high school students what theyve always wanted: empirical data to judge popularity (number of friends and photos). Users can build their lives around Facebook interactions, and many people already do. According to digitialbuzzblog.com, 57 percent of people talk more online than they do in real life. Facebook is the perfect symbol of the postmodern relationship. It separates active life from the physical body, and people end up spending more time alone in a computer chair than sharing the real touch, sight, smell and sound of human interaction. If biologists are correct in asserting that a significant amount of our communication is non-verbal, then maybe that means that the human

race is at a bizarre point in cultural evolution: we make more stuff and get more done than ever before, but are we having fewer conversations than any time in the past? Facebook fills in what its users lack from their lives. Most users come from the developed world, where individuals are more likely to have their most basic needs met:

trolled and simple identity. Facebook gives categorized control to the overwhelming postmodern life. This could be a dangerous addiction for the evolution of human liberty. Human reality falls on continuumsthat is, sliding scales between sexuality, race, social identities and existenceand yet, Facebook does not allow for the necessary ambiguities of life. Rather, it reinforces monogamous heteronormativity; theres no other choice but man or woman, and users can only choose different variations of being monogamous. A consequence is that non-monogamous relationships and non-heteronormativity are delegitimized. Facebook also enforces class-consciousness. So much of todays culture relies on visual cues, and with Facebook, a persons wealth and social status is almost immediately perceived and makes up the only interaction. For this same reason, Facebook further isolates people into homogenous groups based on visual cues such as race. Instead of meeting people directly, users are able to ILLUSTRATION BY KATE OWENS construct an idea of each other food, shelter, and security. However, many based solely on immediate image and their people in the first world, trapped in the iso- own narrow experiences. lating and alienating structures of suburbia, It is undoubtedly true that Facebook are missing the larger family and community has become necessary to run our lives in connections that catalyze self-actualization. their current state, but perhaps we need to Facebook does a great job of filling in these find different social systems to exist in; ones other human needs: it provides the illusion where we wouldnt need Facebook to funcof friendship and belonging, and allows the tion. user to portray self-esteem through a con-

policy on AP and IB scores

BY LAURA NASH
Staff Writer

more competitive
Shotglasses, new sweatshirts, new art supplies... the bookstore has a plethora of new things to offer this semester. These are all great additions, but one of the more practical options that was introduced is the new textbook rental service. As a student who has been struggling to scrounge up the cash to pay for books this semester, it was great to see that textbooks are now available to rent, which is a cheaper alternative to buying new or used books. Its frustrating that companies have made a ridiculous amount of profit from a demographic that is already suffering from huge financial debts (student loans, anyone?). So the bookstores new option should be a good thing, right? Well, sort of. Its certainly convenient because its on campus, and you dont have to deal with those long lines by the mailroom waiting to pick up your Amazon purchases. But to rent from the bookstore is still significantly more expensive than renting online from sites such as Chegg.com and CampusBookRentals.com. Why rent Contextualizing Aesthetics for $50 from the bookstore when CampusBookRentals.com offers the same book for $30? As much as I hate waiting to pick up my books from the mailroom, thats an extra $20 in my pocketdefinitely worth standing in line for.

Why rent Contextualizing Aesthetics for $50 from the bookstore when CampusBookRentals.com offers the same book for $30?
It is understandable that the bookstore may not be able to offer such low prices after becoming independent from Barnes & Noble this year, but as long as the prices remain high, Im forced to take my business elsewhere. The bookstore is certainly moving in a positive direction by offering cheaper, more reasonable textbook options for its students. However, theyll need to bring in students by lowering their prices further if they want to compete with other rental services.

At Lewis & Clark College, passing scores on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams might waive prerequisites or be used as electives, but they cannot replace General Education Requirements. The explanation for this is inadequate. A liberal arts education is intended to be well rounded. No matter a students chosen major, they must also take classes in other fields of study: mathematics, science, international studies, creative arts, physical education. If a student were to replace one of these requirements with an AP or IB credit, would this mar LCs mission or philosophy? Would it be detrimental to the students education? On the contrary, college should not be considered a separate entity in and of itself, but a continuation of a students previous education and the gateway to education beyond. If, for example, a student scored a 4 or 5 on an AP Chemistry exam, it may be assumed that they are sufficiently knowledgeable and familiar with conducting related lab experiments. The knowledge does not disappear after starting college, nor does the validity of a decision not to continue studying science. To be required to take another lab science is a waste of time. For one, the only options for a nonmajor are perspectives coursescovering material that was probably covered in high school science classes. The time spent attending class, relearning previously learned material, completing homework and studying for tests would be more productively spent on a class the student wanted to take and thus tried harder at and learned more from. Refusing to accept AP and IB credits as Gen. Ed. credits is also a waste of students money. Each AP test costs approximately eighty dollars. Each IB test costs over two hundred dollars. High school students take these exams assuming that a pass will save money and time in college. In truth, the passes may have increased a students chance of being accepted to Lewis & Clark, but otherwise the money was wasted. If a student has AP or IB credits upon entrance to Lewis & Clark, they can be considered a semester or year higher in status, but only in some cases. A first semester sophomore with the credits of a junior must declare their major prematurely. However, when registering for classes, their registration time is still that of a sophomore: last in line. Second year students with junior status do not qualify to live off campus and still have to purchase a meal plan beyond 500-flex, yet they vote for junior class representatives in student government rather than sophomore class representatives. Everything is muddled. By accepting AP and IB credits as GER, LC would increase its competiveness in vying for students. Western Washington University, Pacific Lutheran University, Willamette University, the University of Portland, and many of LCs peer schools do allow AP and IB credits to fulfill General Education Requirements. Students hoping to save money and make college life simpler might choose another college, or even transfer, just for this reason. A change in policy would relieve pressure on students, and be a positive adjustment overall.