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History of the St. Thomas Standard
The St. Thomas Standard was founded in the fall of 2003 by a group of like-minded students who shared the common goal of providing a source of free and rational debate at the St. Thomas campus. See the About Us section for more details. The paper was published quarterly and received much attention from students, professors and staff at St. Thomas.
St. Thomas reverses decision and allows Star Parker to speak on campus
I am writing on behalf of the St. Thomas Standard and the student writers. I am writing with regard to St. Thomas' actions with regard to bringing our speaker, Star Parker to speak on campus on April 21, 2008. My concerns are threefold as elaborated here: (1) the decision to bar Star Parker from campus as funded in part by the Young America's Foundation (YAF); (2) the manner in which this decision was made; (3) the reasons for which this decision was made. Furthermore, we are concerned about the manner in which St. Thomas co-opted our speaker.
Current tax system is broken
April 15th, it is not just another spring day; it is "Tax Day"! Feel proud to be an American on this day, to send your hard-earned dollars to our cumbersome and misguided government to waste on inefficient programs. The tax itself is not the problem. Taxes are necessary to operate our country. However, today's tax policy disregards the American Dream.
Prevent the genocide of ideas:
Having at least a year of collegiate studies under your belt, have you ever felt that your individual freedoms have been at risk here at St. Thomas? Have you ever felt ashamed after speaking up in class? Has a professor ever pressed an issue that did not fit into your values? Perhaps the current university system is not living up to its theoretical identity.
Note from the Editor
As usual, the topics covered within this issue are rolling around in my head; they remind me of the Billy Joel's song, "We Didn't Start the Fire".... Taxes, intellectual diversity, feminism, 2008 Olympics, education, change, student rights, the Star Parker controversy-these are a few of the things you will find covered within the St. Thomas Standard's April/May 2008 issue.
Where feminism went wrong
For all the ladies out there, I'd like to share some things I learned from a German woman, while recently studying in Rome. Sorry guys, I don't mean to exclude you, but some things just need to be said to certain people. Don't worry; this is in total defense of you. I'm not one who would normally be caught discussing women's issues; I usually find the topic to be uninteresting and the result of ideas that are slanted and unfair to men.
Student teacher offers conservative perspective on education:
With Election 2008 on the minds of most people one issue that everyone seems to agree on is that education is one of the most important, if not the most important key to success in life. Education is not really talked about in debates. When I tell people that I am a teacher, most assume that I am a democrat. The stereotypes that follow teachers are that we are pro-union and detest No Child Left Behind (NCLB). People are surprised when I tell them that I am a conservative and a teacher.
Look to the Fair Tax for solution!
Are you ready to graduate? Are you working part-time to get through school? Are you borrowing funds to get through school?
Now you can join the real world...let me introduce you to the IRS. 60,000 plus pages of codes and over 18,000 addendums all designed to get the greatest possible amount of your earnings for the federal government. Over a million words designed in such a manner that if you had your taxes figured by 25 IRS agents, chances are you would get 25 different totals for the amount due.
Protests against China launch before Olympics
Making themselves heard from the start of the Olympic torch saga, from Athens to Beijing, opponents of Chinese violence and repression in Tibet have repeatedly protested the 2008 Olympics that are to be held in China this summer. Since the start of the torch relay in Athens, demonstrators have appeared consistently at the relay points around the globe.
It's time for a change
* This speech was given on April 16, 2008 at a national event to "Remember the Victims" of the fatal shootings at Virginia Tech one year ago. The event was held at college campuses across the country. Algenon was invited to be the keynote speaker of the event being held at Winston-Salem State University, which is the only historically black college in the United States to celebrate this national event.
