Category | Op Ed

The OWL Forum

Published on November 17, 2009 by The Sentinel

Re: Panel Promotes Acceptance of Being Gay at Work
This article was very enlightening. After attending Atlanta Pride, I was very saddened about the stories of inequality of homosexuals, and what they must face. I was happy to hear that Melissa Carter had never dealt with any hate mail, and why should she? How can an employer base his credentials for an employee based on their sexual preference? And for that matter, how is liking the same sex worse than the employees who spend most of their income at the strip club? Basically, what I am saying is that what we do behind closed doors (as long as it isn’t illegal) should be our business, and shouldn’t effect our ability to get the job we deserve.

Kimberly Terrell
Communication-Journalism
Senior

RE: Rare book gallery director retires, leaves behind legacy
Regretfully I have never had the pleasure of meeting Robert Williams; however I have had the pleasure of taking a tour in the rare book room he so marvelously created. There was something about putting on those white -gloves that made you think, OK this is serious stuff I’m about to touch! Indeed it was. I had the privilege to touch a thousand year old ‘original’ book written by Shakespeare, I held the original poster that said, “Wanted Cromwell’s Head.” Did you know that KSU has one of the rarest book collections in the U.S.? KSU is up there with, Emory, Harvard, Yale, and Cambridge. Now that is something to be proud of. I urge any and all students to take a tour of this rare book room and understand the generosity that Mr. Williams has bestowed upon KSU. Thank you for your irreplaceable collection and undeniable legacy. We thank you Mr. Williams.

Kelly Ginter
Communication
Senior

Re: The Alternative Side to Alternative Medicine
While alternative medicine is often hailed as “quackery” and practiced strictly by “witch doctors,” alternative medicine also seeks to address the very issues that make patients sick in the first place; poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, over-medication, and vitamin deficiencies. Simple changes that often involve no more than taking extra vitamins or eliminating certain items from the diet can often make the difference between life and death for a patient.

Let us also not forget the power of the mind. Whether a patient believes that chemotherapy will cure them, or whether they believe that a Harry Potter-esque potion will cure them, they are probably right. Let’s not discount those who would seek out new forms of healing, but celebrate them for their pioneering and the power with which they believe they can be healed.

Rachael Letourneau
Communication
Senior

Why aren’t there more online classes?
Let me paint a portrait. The year is 2009. The internet is a more reliable source for current events and knowledge than any other communications medium. Messages are able to be broadcast to more people at once than ever thought possible. Americans, meanwhile, are starving for knowledge, for a medium with which to once more become the most educated country on the planet.

Yet, as I go to register for classes today (four days late, to my eternal shame), I’m finding it hard to find a suitable schedule. As I try to apply for online classes, I can only ask: why are these classes full? Why are there caps to these classes? Why can I not join an online class full of 25 students when a classroom for the very same class can hold a hundred more?

Online classes allow non-traditional students, of which Kennesaw State University has an overabundance, to attend classes around their busy work schedules and families. It allows those who do not live on campus to save money on gas and on automobile maintenance. With an online class, I can study and learn at my leisure, anywhere in the world I wish to do so.

Why do online classes fill up? It takes a lot of self-discipline to take an online class from a student’s point of view; you’re not forced to learn. However, when one wants to learn, you would think they would then be more apt to actually absorb the knowledge. If you take an online class, it’s not an easy A just because you can have your book open. You have to apply yourself.

Teachers have a remarkable tool before them, yet they seem apprehensive to use it. They can reach an incalculable number of students. They can educate and grade and overall do their job easier than ever before thought possible. Some of my favorite teachers have come from my online classes, where you can hear their enthusiasm in the way they present the material. If pay is a worry, well, don’t I pay extra for online courses anyway?

Maybe I’m just lazy and don’t want to drive an hour to school six days a week just to get the classes I need. Maybe I don’t want to have to lose hours at a job where I only make 25 hours a week just so I can take a class that could easily be offered in the comfort of my own home. No amount of begging can get someone into a closed class, but why not? Decades ago, correspondence courses could make a man into a tradesman, yet now their evolution is not treated with the same respect. I just cannot understand why that is.

Matt Cruea
Undeclared