Opinion Archive

September 2008

Final Scenes from St. Paul

Allie Harrison | September 5, 2008
Montana Kaimin

Editor’s note: Allie Harrison is a former president of the UM College Republicans and former ASUM senator. She is volunteering at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., working as an aide for CNN. This week, she will offer daily behind-the-scenes glimpses of the convention.

Montana Kaimin | September 5, 2008

BU&Bh is just starting to get over the first week jitters, including lack of sleep, too much coffee, and way too much $5 Little Ceasars Hot N’ Readys. Our only saving grace is that, like most of you, we are not alone. And yet we are … so, so alone…

Big Ups to the Liberal Arts building and the Urey Lecture Hall for being a good place to hit on freshmen. Never mind that you’re well into your third year of college. “Wanna come home with me and play ultimate frisbee?”

Allie Harrison, Sept. 4, 2008

Editor’s note: Allie Harrison is a former president of the UM College Republicans and a former ASUM senator. She is volunteering at the Republican National Covention in St. Paul, Minn., working as an aide for CNN. This week, she will offer daily behind-the-scenes glimpses of the convention.

A screen on the outside of the convention center depicts images of conventions past. Ronald Reagan flashes a grin at the camera and waves into a crowd of thousands. You can almost hear the deafening roar of applause watching that image. But as you first step foot on the Xcel Center premises the magnitude of the 2008 Republican National Convention never really sets in. That is until you get on the convention floor.

Alex Tenenbaum, Sept. 4, 2008

Whatever it is you think I’m unaware of, you’re right. I desperately need awareness, and I need you to raise it for me. In fact, I am unaware of anything more important than your raising my awareness. Right now, campus is crawling with thousands of “unawares” just like me. You have to reach them. It’s your duty. Now, go little monkey! Go!
For those of you still reading, maybe you’ll appreciate this.

Virginia Cleaveland, Sept. 4, 2008

Did you know that bikers are only supposed to go (at maximum) twice the speed of people walking on campus? I didn’t either, until today. And I’ve biked to class regularly since I came to the University of Montana in 2005.
The issue of bikes on campus resurfaces every fall when students come back to school and everyone wants to ride their bikes. It’s a small percentage of cyclists who make life miserable for everyone else, but when those few go too fast in pathways shared with pedestrians, crashes ensue, and tempers flare.
But bicyclist self-restraint alone isn’t the solution.

Allie Harrison - September 3, 2008

Every minute of the Republican National Convention is scripted, right down to the time it takes someone to walk across the stage.

By Alex Tenenbaum, Aug. 28, 2008

For the past two weeks, I’ve been scouring the streets in search of a job. When this goes to print, I will have handed applications and résumés to 26 different businesses.
At a low point last week, I signed up with one of those mystery shopper scams where they “pay” you to report your shopping experiences. Not only did they double charge my debit card for the initiation fee, but I then had to fight with their phone robot for an hour to keep them from billing me 20 bucks a month for their continued “services.”
This isn’t some fancy media stunt. This is desperation, and I’m not alone.
There are 13,000 other students currently streaming into this town, looking for work. This is Missoula, and a river of cheap labor runs through it.

By Trevon Milliard, Aug. 28, 2008

Many students at the University of Montana will take summer internships at one point to gain real world experience.
And all interns – no matter how far away from Missoula they work – will have to pay a few hundred dollars to UM in return for credit. However, the hefty price tag also covers fees for luxuries off-campus interns won’t use.

Editor's note

The Montana Kaimin apologizes for the quality of many advertisements and the crossword puzzle in yesterday’s paper. We suffered technical difficulties throughout the night and that, coupled with the craziness of publishing the first edition, led to the poor quality on the paper’s pages.

—Bill Oram, editor, and Joe Licitra, business manager

Virginia J. Cleaveland

By now, you’ve probably seen the people walking around campus with clipboards asking if you’re registered to vote.

Don’t just blow them off. Stop and take a minute to fill out the registration form or update your address if you’ve moved since last year, so you know which polling place to head to on Nov. 4.

The presidential election coming up is crucial – as they are always said to be – but this year in particular, Montana may play a bigger role in the election outcome.

Bill Oram | August 26, 2008

The funny thing about being journalists is that no matter how well we do our jobs, a newspaper is still only as good as its ability to listen to its readership.
The Montana Kaimin has no advisory council and no shareholders. The School of Journalism is always welcome to make suggestions, but that’s the extent of its authority over the paper.

Bill Oram | April 29, 2008

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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?

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?

Karen Plant | April 10, 2008

President Bush opposes stem cell research.

Wrong.

President Bush opposes federally funded stem cell research.

Shane McMillan | April 9, 2008

The other day, I sat in a class full of students who were tearing a professor apart for the wording of some questions on a midterm. I agreed with them: The test wasn’t perfect, but I was shocked. It wasn’t what they were saying, but how they were saying it: There was a tone of total dismissal in the air.

The whole situation showed me again one of the greatest weaknesses of our generation: our lack of respect. I see it a lot here, students disrespecting professors.

Cedric Jacobson | April 5, 2008

Politically speaking, it’s been a great week for Montana. We’ve had the privilege of hosting a former president and two presidential hopefuls in several different cities and venues.

There’s a stark contrast in style and method between the two campaigns. These differences can tell us what has worked, and what hasn’t.

Emma Schmautz | April 8, 2008

Brains – not brawn – will be the key to creating stability in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Last week retired Army Col. Daniel Zupan spoke at the University of Montana about morality and war ethics. Instead of a stanch conservative who defended the government and all of America’s foreign policies, Zupan held many refreshingly liberal viewpoints and quoted numerously from Kant rather then using lingo and catchphrases borrowed from the Bush administration.

Bill Oram | April 4, 2008

Welcome back to Big Ups and Backhands, where we think snow on Tuesday was a cruel, cruel April Fools’ Day joke.

Big Ups to the Adams Center for stepping aside and letting Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign handle ticketing for the presidential candidate’s free rally on Saturday. Tickets went quickly, but those who attempted to get tickets early on were successful. The wristband system must not have been used.

Mark Page | April 3, 2008

Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen has come up with a seemingly silly but practical solution to the Democratic Party’s brawl over the presidential nomination. He said the Party should hold a superdelegate primary in June to settle the nomination before a long summer fight takes its toll on the party’s chances in November.

A viable solution needs to be found as each Democrat hurts rather than helps the other’s chances of winning in the general election.

Sean Breslin | April 3, 2008

This week, ASUM President Dustin Leftridge approached the University of Montana administration with a proposal to incorporate a Rock the Vote widget, an application to register for voting, into Cyberbear. This brilliant idea resulted from brainstorming between ASUM and Forward Montana CEO Matt Singer.

Despite online networking and grassroots organizations, college-aged voters — the future leaders of American business, society and government — remain outside the political landscape. Only 25 percent of eligible voters under 30 cast ballots in last month’s Ohio primary.

Jessica Mayrer | April 2, 2008

Poised to ramp up their marketing efforts at the University of Montana, Coca-Cola is taking full advantage of UM’s cash crunch to spread misleading advertising on campus.

As part of Coke’s proposed $8 million contract with UM, they get a new platform to voice faux sustainability claims, and they also gets exclusive rights to beverage sales.

Bill Oram | March 21, 2008

Welcome to Big Ups and Backhands, where we recognize that if spring break had come any earlier, it would have been in winter.

Yesterday marked the first day of spring, which deserves all kinds of Big Ups, since everyone’s biggest complaint about Missoula is its gelid winters. However, we’ll miss winter, if for no reason other than it keeps the hippies indoors and under wraps.

Mark Page | March 20, 2008

In Philadelphia on Tuesday, Barack Obama graduated from rhetorical spinster to a social critic with the ability to bridge deep-seeded tensions with his eloquent elocution.

His “A More Perfect Union” speech accomplished this not only with its content, but also because of the basic fact that he gave it.

Obama gave the speech on race relations in modern America to face down the flak he’s gotten over his refusal to disown his former pastor and spiritual mentor Rev. Jeremiah Wright, after Wright’s racist and anti-American comments were broadcast across the stratosphere.

Shane McMillan | March 20, 2008

It occurred to me the other day that I don’t know much about Iraq.

It’s not that I don’t pay attention to the news, but for some reason I have let five years of articles and reports about the whole situation just streak through my head.

Sadly, I am not alone in this. Ask the average American what part of Iraq the key Anbar province lies in, or what the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite is and you will mostly just get blank stares.

Emma Schmautz | March 19, 2008

Exactly five years ago today two B-52 bombers took off from a London airstrip and, under a darkening sky, flew across the barren deserts of Syria and Iraq. They soared over Baghdad, and at precisely 9 p.m. fire blazed in the darkness as Saddam Hussein’s presidential complex exploded under the bombardment of cruise missiles.

“Shock and awe” was to be the grand opening to President Bush’s theater of war that promised to end Saddam’s reign, find weapons of mass destruction and bring democracy to the Middle East.

Cedric Jacobson | March 18, 2008

I recall when I joined Facebook. It was a cold winter’s day when most of you were still in high school; it was Nov.11, 2004, to be exact. I was the 13th member at UM.

When I signed up, it had only been around for a few months. Back in the day, you could spend 10 minutes and browse everyone in your network. I remember a time when it was still “thefacebook.com,” which is a claim that few can boast.

Facebook was simple and harmless enough at first. When it started, it just had the core platform necessary for a social-networking site. In the beginning there were no photos. Only the profile, the wall, messaging and the option to poke were in existence. The Facebook was clean and easy on the eyes, which set it apart from the gaudiness of MySpace.

Sean Breslin | March 18, 2008

Raising money for a worthwhile charity is certainly honorable. But with their “UM MarioKart 64 Madness” fundraiser, ASUM president Dustin Leftridge and vice president Tara Ness aren’t doing that. Rather, they’re acting as the Adams Center’s press agents, putting a fun face on what’s otherwise a pretty shameful experience for Adams Center director Mary Muse & Co. Although Leftridge and Ness were elected to represent and work for students, it’s seems more and more like the UM administration is pulling the strings.

Leftridge and Ness could be spending more time working with student groups or organizing sustainability efforts on campus, issues the executives ran on during last spring’s election. Instead, they’ve suddenly focused on raising money to “support AIDS education,” according to the flier for the fundraiser.

Bill Oram | March 14, 2008

Welcome to Big Ups and Backhands, where we definitely thought spring break was last week.

This week, the archbishop in charge of sins and penance for the Vatican released a list of modern-day sins. On it was pollution. Big Ups to the Vatican for realizing that, unlike Elton John concerts, we only have one earth, and once we screw it up, we won’t get a do-over.

Mark Page | March 13, 2008

Floridians and Michiganders lost their right to have a say in the political fortunes of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama this spring. Just because the race is now so close doesn’t mean they should get it back.

State governments decided to break the rules, not the Democratic National Committee. So there is no reason for the Democratic Party to pay for a re-vote, and no obligation binding them to hold one.

Both states’ delegates were stripped by the DNC after they held their primaries at an earlier date than DNC rules allowed.

Jessica Mayrer | March 13, 2008

Watch out for credit card companies using predatory lending practices to lure young people into lifetimes of high interest payments.

Shiny envelopes touting promises of low interest rates pop up in my mailbox daily. If I just need a little cash right now, they say, they’ll help. I deserve so much, and, with a little extra cash, I can have everything I want.

Almost half of the students who drop out of school say financial pressures are to blame. Credit card debt is cited as a primary contributor to financial problems among the college demographic.

Karen Plant | March 12, 2008

Morning walk-time. I grasp our spaniel’s leash in one hand, our golden retriever’s in the other. Before leaving the house, I fill my pocket with mutt mitt bags.

My dogs and I love our morning walks. I have no complaints about picking up after my dogs. But why do horse owners live by different rules?

Cedric Jacobsen | March 11, 2008

I’m grumpy. Perhaps it’s because I didn’t get enough sleep last night. Possibly it’s because I almost slept through my newly early 8 a.m. class (I’m sure I’m not alone). But maybe, just maybe, there is a legitimate problem with the clock resetting associated with daylight saving time.

Note: the proper phrasing is daylight saving time, sans the plural S on saving. However, it seems that daylight savings time is a colloquialism endemic in the states, especially in the Northwest.

Shane McMillan | March 11, 2008

You are probably sick of their smug faces, their stupid names and their empty promises, but I want to talk about the election. I know you all get a lot of this election stuff these days, but I’ve had something on my mind for a few weeks now: We Americans have no idea what we really need in a president.

But we do know what we want: We want everything for free, and we want our president to do it.

Bill Oram | March 7, 2008

Welcome to Big Ups and Backhands, the pit stop on your road trip to the crossword puzzle.

Last week we issued a challenge to the readers of BU&Bh: Come up with a friendly moniker for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, by combining their names. After last Friday’s Kaimin hit the racks, the entries starting pouring in.

Mark Page | March 6, 2008

It may seem like Hillary Clinton had a victorious night Tuesday, shaking off the vultures and getting back on her feet, but the real winner was John McCain.

He is an obvious winner in clinching his party’s nomination, but that deal was already sealed, really. What McCain benefits from most is Clinton’s comeback. He’s going to get way more out of this than she is.

Emma Schmautz | March 6, 2008

During last week’s installment of the President’s Lecture Series, leading American Indian activist and environmentalist Winona LaDuke urged her audience to take inspiration from native tribes to solve problems of energy sustainability in today’s society.

While certain knowledge about proper land use and environmental protection might be gained from some American Indian tribes, it is important not to hold an idealized view of history.

Sean Breslin | March 5, 2008

On Monday, the University of Montana released a Memorandum of Understanding between the Adams Center and Howard Rose, Elton John’s agent. The memo — little more than a handshake agreement on paper — outlined an agreement to give the Elton John AIDS Foundation $75,000 in return for the Rocket Man’s second Missoula concert. Though its end result is charitable, executing the memo’s provisions is potentially disastrous.

Currently, the memo is still unsigned. That’s a good thing, because there are a lot of questions Howard Rose should be asking before finalizing the deal. Who’s going to be in charge of raising the money? Where is it going to be collected? How is it going to be secure? What happens if UM can’t raise that amount? Basically, Rose should be wondering who specifically is responsible for holding up UM’s end of the deal.

Cedric Jacobson | March 4, 2008

All right, Montanans, it’s time to do our decennial duty to higher education. Last week, the big campaign for renewal of the six-mill levy kicked off in Helena. This levy provides for a property tax to help fund the 11 campuses statewide, and has continued to aid our budgets since it was first instituted in 1948.

Each year the six-mill levy raises about $12.5 million for the Montana University System. Although that number seems small compared to total state funding, it comprises about 15 percent of what we receive. It is still a fairly large sum of money, and our system has come to rely on it.

Jessica Mayrer | March 4, 2008

More guns will not bring less violence.

The group Students for Concealed Carry on Campus is pushing to legalize carrying guns on the University of Montana campus and other colleges. They maintain arming college students with Colt .45s and Berettas will protect us from shooting sprees like those seen at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University.

Having a weapon in the home increases the chance of homicide. A household with a weapon is three times more likely to have a family member killed than a home without a gun, according to the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.

Bill Oram | February 29, 2008

Welcome to Big Ups and Backhands, always a **** performance.

Maxim magazine earns Backhands this week for rating the new Black Crowes album “Warpaint,” without actually listening to it, and giving it 2 1/2 stars. Had Maxim heard the new album, we’re certain they would have given it no stars. And no, we haven’t heard the album either. We just despise the Black Crowes.

Mark Page | February 28, 2008

All three major presidential contenders need to stop their damn whining. Hillary Clinton has certainly been crabby lately, getting all fired up over Barack Obama’s campaign mailings. But Obama lamenting in Tuesday’s debate that he was not “whining” about Clinton’s tactics seems a little pissy itself.

Clinton’s complaining is reaching a shriek, though, and on Saturday she went on a tirade saying: “Shame on you Barack Obama – it is time you ran a campaign consistent with your messages and public.”

Karen Plant | February 28. 2008

Prim and proper, trashy, athletic, professional – all are ways to describe women’s fashion. But when women get caught up in judging and criticizing one another over clothing, nothing is accomplished.

Be it locals making assumptions about women who wear short shorts and low-necked T-shirts or a feminist writer from New York making remarks about girls who dress up to attend Purity Balls with their fathers; the jabs don’t stop.

Shane McMillan | February 27, 2008

Papa Bush Saving Mama Africa: I don’t think so ...

There are few things less pathetic than a lame-duck eighth-year president trying to toss bandages on deep wounds to save his reputation. George Bush’s trip to Africa last week did just that.

The president’s dabbling in the Middle East’s highly complex political scene has left him with no reputation to save. But there is a place he can try to save his last shreds of dignity: Africa.

Sean Breslin and Alex Sakariassen | February 26, 2008

University of Montana officials are bending over backwards to bring Elton John back to Missoula. Why haven’t we reported on this? Because UM is withholding public information.

Last Thursday, UM President George Dennison and Vice President for Administration and Finance Bob Duringer told the Kaimin UM had agreed to help raise some $75,000 from private donors to contribute to the Elton John AIDS Foundation, an added incentive to bring back the Rocket Man.

Cedric Jacobson | February 26, 2008

If you thought REAL ID was frightening, buckle up because we’re in for one heck of a ride. The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 passed the House of Representatives last fall with 404 votes and currently lies in a Senate committee, which means it’s time to start worrying about this legislation becoming a reality.

This mess all started under the often-used banner of national security: its reason for existence is to keep us safe, with a dash of “the Internet is scary” mixed in for good measure. I’m serious: Look at the text of the bill. Basically, the U.S. government is worried about terrorist acts by its citizenry, which is a fair concern considering the prevalence of homegrown terrorism in Europe.

Bill Oram | February 22, 2008

Welcome to Big Ups and Backhands, your weekly source of … well, nothing really.

Big Ups to a meteor passing over our sleeping heads Tuesday morning. Apparently, Missoula was a great theater from which to watch the meteor streak across the sky before it crashed into Eastern Washington – if it hit Earth at all. Hell, this is the greatest thing to happen to us, and it didn’t even happen to us.

Mark Page | February 22, 2008

Hillary Clinton is a liar. And she actually expects people to buy her crap with a straight face.

Either that, or she’s wholly ignorant of what her campaign aides are doing.

On Tuesday morning, Howard Wolfson, Clinton’s communications director, conducted a conference call with reporters. They came armed with YouTube videos showing how Barack Obama stole portions of a speech from Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. They accused him of plagiarism.

Emma Schmautz | February 21, 2008

Broadcast news stations this President’s Day showed just what the holiday’s name demanded – the continual soap opera of the presidential election.

But while bickering between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and continual updates on Mike Huckabee’s visit to the Cayman Islands dominated newscasts, the small Balkans region of Kosovo gained its independence.

Obsessively focusing on the election allows Americans to ignore an unpopular and often brutal reality: We are a country at war.

Sean Breslin | February 20, 2008

Last week, the University of Montana Faculty Senate passed a resolution calling for the removal of the $100 repeat fee, which is charged to students who want to remove an earlier class grade from their cumulative GPA. ASUM passed a similar resolution last year. With faculty and student representatives agreeing that the fee has long outlived its half-baked intended purpose, President George Dennison should ask the Montana Board of Regents to put the fee to rest at the regents’ upcoming meeting next month.