Opinion
Administration abusing power with suspensions
Bill Oram | April 29, 2008
Montana Kaimin
Web update 4/29
Any notion that the University of Montana administration respected student protesters was unceremoniously quashed Tuesday.
One by one, eight members of Students for Economic and Social Justice entered the office of the Dean of Students, and individually they came out, slapped with three-day suspensions from the University, and were required to write letters of apology to President George Dennison and his office staff.
The eight students were part of a sit-in of Dennison’s office April 16, when he was visiting China. The group’s aim was to persuade UM officials to sign on with the Designated Suppliers Program, which would regulate which companies could sell clothing to universities.
Big Ups and Backhands
Bill Oram | April 25, 2008
Welcome to Big Ups and Backhands, where summer comes sooner for us than it does for the rest of the University of Montana.
That’s right, the Montana Kaimin is officially finished publishing for the semester, and we’re sailing into the sunset. Feel free to stay in touch with us over the summer. You might consider using the new Facebook Chat, a creepy addition to an already creepy Web site. In fact, we’re going to go ahead and give Backhands to Facebook Chat. If people want to chat with you, they’ve probably already added you on Google Chat or Skype. Or maybe they could call you. Human interaction is cool.
Clinton’s Pa. win prolongs primary
Mark Page | April 24, 2008
It’s going to be a long summer.
Hillary Clinton won the Democratic Pennsylvania primary by the frustrating margin of 10 percent on Tuesday, giving her the backing she needed to argue she has reason to go on. But the size of the margin wasn’t large enough to actually change the dynamic of the race, so the primary really changed nothing.
Her win by only 10 points certainly does not mean “the tide is turning,” as she proclaimed last night. She only took one extra delegate according to the latest count from The New York Times. Barack Obama still leads by 150 pledged delegates according to the Associated Press.
UM-China campus needs clarification
Emma Schmautz | April 24, 2008
A Great Wall still surrounds President George Dennison’s recent trip to China.
While we know that Dennison spent the last few weeks in Asia, why he went, what he accomplished, where exactly he traveled and how much university money he spent remains a mystery.
Despite repeated attempts since last Friday to schedule a meeting with the president, the Kaimin has yet to be granted an interview.
SESJ’s bold efforts
Bill Oram | April 23, 2008
It’s easy to criticize the wackos, the zealots, the anti-establishmentarians.
In short, it’s easy to criticize Students for Economic and Social Justice.
Credit crunch trickles down to students
Cedric Jacobson | April 22, 2008
Imagine you’re a student who needs financial aid to afford a college education. That shouldn’t be hard; most of us do. Now imagine that beyond getting the basic financial aid package, you need a loan to pay for school. Again, that’s the case for many of us. Next, imagine getting that loan check in the mail, dropping by the bank to make a deposit and then writing checks to cover your tuition and books, only to find out that your loan check had bounced.
Bring change by voting in ASUM elections
Sean Breslin | April 22, 2008
By now, students at the University of Montana have been bombarded with requests to register to vote, and to vote Democrat, Republican or Libertarian. We’ve had presidential candidates swing through Missoula, and come fall semester Gov. Brian Schweitzer and Sen. Max Baucus are sure to be schmoozing with college students in an effort to capture the elusive “young voters.”
Big Ups & Backhands
Bill Oram | April 18, 2008
Welcome to Big Ups and Backhands, the oasis of humor in your desert of classes.
Backhands to Montana weather. Eighty degrees one day and snow flurries the next? It’s like we all took a non-stop flight from Miami to Moscow without ever leaving the confines of Missoula.
Obama takes shots at debate
Mark Page | April 17, 2008
Barack Obama lost the debate on Wednesday, badly. There was a ton of negative discussion about him and his associates, but almost no punches landed on Hillary Clinton.
It may seem to some as though the debate was lopsided toward Clinton, and Obama was simply getting the harder questions, but this is simply untrue. After the gaffe Obama made in San Francisco over the weekend, it was unavoidable for him to get negative attention.
His problem was that he just couldn’t explain this stuff away at the debate, something he has been wholly unable to do for almost a week. This may be because he won’t disavow the comments.
Look beyond the hypocrisy in politics
Emma Schmautz | April 17, 2008
During this spring season of local political rallies, primary debates and campaign commercials, keep the blue and red glitter out of your eyes.
Candidates make grandiose promises of sweeping change – from claims they can create a government that cares for the needs of every American to pledges that they can drastically limit the scope of our government.
None of these promises can be accomplished in four or even eight years.
Political scars for Obama
Sean Breslin | April 16, 2008
The recent flap over Barack Obama’s comments regarding rural voters being “bitter” about issues such as immigration, race, guns and religion is finally turning the media’s microscope on this year’s presidential darling. After weeks of swooning, we now see that Obama is nothing more than an elitist who doesn’t understand working-class voters and reverts to lowest common denominator to win votes. Right?
Rental inspection proposal a step forward
Cedric Jacobson | April 15, 2008
Given the fact that more than 10,000 of UM’s students rent in Missoula, there is something going on that we should know about. Renters’ rights are always a big concern, and because of the hard work of a number of locals, we’re about to take a serious step forward.
There has been a push in recent years for an inspection program for local renters and landlords. Most folks agree that it’s very important renters have a safe place to live and are educated about their rights. According to the 2000 census, roughly half of Missoula residents rent, compared with just over 30 percent statewide. This is a serious jump – more than is to be expected from a college town – and is likely due to the high cost of living and buying a home.
Speak out about tuition hikes
Jessica Mayrer | April 15, 2008
With ASUM elections taking place next week and the Montana Legislature convening next January, University of Montana students have a slew of opportunities to shout about the sad state of higher education funding.
Each legislative year ASUM candidates promise they’ll lobby our representatives to fund higher education. But even with the predictable campaign shtick, the state’s share of funding continually shrinks.
Big Ups & Backhands
Bill Oram | April 11, 2008
Welcome to Big Ups and Backhands, where, even if we hadn’t let that grounder go between our legs at shortstop Wednesday, Team Kaimin likely still would have lost its intramural softball game (season record: 0-2).
ASUM business manager candidate José Diaz has to get Backhands this week. A grizzled veteran of student government, Diaz tried to bill campaign expenditures to his fraternity. Shouldn’t someone running for business manager be a little better at business?
Dem’s stance on NAFTA unclear
Mark Page | April 10, 2008
With the recent resignation of Hillary Clinton’s chief strategist Mark Penn due to his involvement with a free trade deal between the United States and Columbia, it may be interesting now to note where the candidates actually stand on free trade.
Both Democrats harp on each other, saying their stances on the North American Free Trade Agreement are not backed up by their actions. But is this true?
Don’t lump all stem cell research together
Karen Plant | April 10, 2008
President Bush opposes stem cell research.
Wrong.
President Bush opposes federally funded stem cell research.
