College Clips

By Meg Walsh

Published March 6, 2007

Text message breakups don't follow norms

Kent State University students and professors have mixed feelings about ending relationships with text messaging. Sophomore Jessica Artl was lying in bed one night when her phone buzzed away to alert her of a new message from her boyfriend. The message read "i think i just wanna b single right now."

Artl said the message was very surprising.

"I was like 'Are you serious?'" Artl said. "It was definitely not as polite as I would have liked. It made me question the whole relationship."

Sophomore Max Upton said he has ended three relationships with text messages.

"You don't have to feel bad about it when you hear them crying over the phone or something," Upton said.

Michael Moore, assistant director of the KSU Psychology Clinic, said people who end relationships with text messages are looking for a way to avoid taking responsibility for their actions.

"It helps if you are looking to avoid helping the other person cope with the emotional fallout of the situation, but I don't know if that's a good thing," Moore said.

— The Daily Kent Stater (Kent State University)

Irish racism prominent on Illinois holiday

Drink 'til you're Irish.

This slogan is heard this time of year around the University of Illinois campus where a faux Irish holiday is celebrated every year. The holiday is centered on the idea of drinking as much as one possibly can. The stereotyping of the Irish is quite common, especially this time of year.

The Rev. Stuart Swetland, former director of St. John's Catholic Newman Center, believes Unofficial St. Patrick's Day is offensive to the Irish. He said it is also harmful to the university's students, campus and community.

"It perpetuates a terrible stereotype of the Irish, which is unfair," Swetland said.

Jon Doyle, junior and president of the Irish Illini, said stereotypes linking Irish people and alcohol do exist, but he does not believe this link is what Unofficial is about.

"It's a fun day to put on the green, and go out with your friends," Doyle said.

— The Daily Illini (University of Illinois)

Animal rights still a problem at Columbia

In 1986, the National Institutes of Health temporarily suspended Columbia University's license to perform animal research because of Animal Welfare Act violations. Then in 2003, a whistle-blower publicly named cases of insufficient veterinary care, particularly of primates, in the laboratories of researchers including professor Sander Connolly, an assistant professor of neurosurgery. In 2004, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals filed a complaint against Columbia University for its testing regulations.

In 2006, the university made PETA's Top Ten "Worst Offenders of the Abuse of Animals."

Yet after all this controversy, Columbia students and the general public still question whether anything has changed.

"I got the impression that nobody knew precisely the details of what was going on," said Alex Bomstein, a member of Columbia Students for Animal Protection, which advocates for a reduction in animal testing.

— The Columbia Daily Spectator (Columbia University)