College Clips

By James Patrick Schmidt

Published Feb. 2, 2007

Colorado university referendums encourage pro-marijuana campaigns

When pro-marijuana referendums passed at Colorado's two biggest campuses, Tazewell Jones took notice.

The freshman at the American University in Washington, D.C., said he was inspired by the examples set by students at the University of Colorado at Boulder and Colorado State University in 2005 when they approved a campus referendum stating the penalty for pot should be equal to the penalty for alcohol.

Now Jones is spearheading a similar campaign at his East Coast school.

Denver-based Safer Alternative for Enjoyable Recreation (SAFER), a tiny local group whose influence in the past two years has expanded far past Colorado's borders is helping in his endeavor.

"When SAFER worked in Denver on the ballot initiatives there, they gained a lot of national attention," Jones said. "That was my first introduction to them."

— Colorado Daily (University of Colorado)

Texas Tech professor speaks on effects of pornography

Last Friday in Texas Tech University's International Cultural Center, Robert Jensen, a professor from the University of Texas, gave a lecture titled "Confronting a Culture of Pornography."

One of the reasons pornography is a problem is its depiction of women, Jensen said.

He also said many men derive a sense of excitement from the feeling of making a woman submit to sexual acts that might not be healthy for her.

"It's a horrible fact, but to date, no one has been able to offer any other explanation," he said. "We live in a society that is highly misogynistic and racist. We are not the sophisticated culture we like to think we are."

Texas Tech professor Kenny Ketner said he felt like he had a lot to digest all at once.

"It was depressing as hell," he said. "I liked his main point, though, that looking at how porn affects our society can be a window into our other problems. I'm kind of shell-shocked thinking about it."

— Daily Toreador (Texas Tech University)

Free music Web site creates ruckus for college students

All U.S. college students can now enjoy free access to the Ruckus Network's online music-download service, the ad-supported music company announced Jan. 22.

Previously, only students at universities who had entered into a formal agreement with Ruckus could access the music database, but the network is now open to anyone with a valid university e-mail account.

One of Ruckus's biggest drawbacks is that the music will not play on an Apple iPod and is not compatible with Apple's iTunes software.

Ruckus President Michael Bebel thinks this will not deter students from using his site.

"Even iPod users on campus will use Ruckus because they can find music they like before they buy it from Apple or get it another way," he said.

A number of Stanford students disagree with this prediction.

"Who wants (a download service) that doesn't work on iTunes?" sophomore Sydney Chang said. "I mean, almost everyone has that."

— The Stanford Daily (Stanford University)