The Collegian (Hurst, Tex.), Vol. 18, No. 13, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 25, 2006 Page: 2 of 12
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Tarrant County College Collegian and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Tarrant County College NE, Heritage Room.
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Opinion
page 2 • January 25, 2006
Collegian Ofzcvtcan
Viewpoints
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Roth better suited
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to stage than radio
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40
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Good grades begin at home
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Scandals mar faith
in U.S. government *
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Letter Policy
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The Collegian
Caffeine-aholics gain brain use
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• All-American •
• Pacemaker •
Staff
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The writer’s block
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The Collegian staff welcomes letters to
the editor concerning articles that have run in
the paper or on other subjects that may be of
interest to the general public.
All letters should be signed by the
The Collegian is a weekly student publica-
tion serving the Tarrant County College District.
Editorial statements and advertisements do not
necessarily reflect the opinion of the TCC admin-
istration.
Letters to the paper should be 150 words or
less, free from libel and poor taste and include the
writer’s name and social security number. Letters
may be brought to The Collegian office (NCAB
1124A, NE Campus), or mailed to: The Collegian
writer, who should include his or her social
security and telephone number (the numbers
will not be published).
Letters should be typed and not longer
than 150 words. They will be edited for gram-
Lindsey Bever
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
United States. I’m not concerned that
caffeine might stunt my growth as long
as it will relieve pain, cure headaches,
treat the common cold, keep me wired
and improve my memory. Besides, I’m
content with my height.
Dr. Dwayne Jackson said caffeine
prevents mental and physical fatigue by
blocking receptors that notify the brain
of low energy levels. Sounds like a
quick fix when pulling an all-nighter.
Austrian researchers studied 15
coffee-craving subjects and found that
just two cups of java increased frontal
lobe activity, which encompasses work-
ing memory and the anterior cingulum
that powers attention. Researchers also
found that caffeine improved reaction
time of short-term memory during test-
ing. However, the stimulant is useless
for comprehensive testing tapping long-
term memory.
Some researchers disagree, saying
Elizabeth Weeks
NW NEWS EDITOR
while caffeine enhances short-term
memory, it does so only when the infor-
mation is related to one’s current train
of thought.
Nevertheless, those who participat-
ed in the study found it easier to memo-
rize a series of letters after putting down
100 milligrams of caffeine than after 12
hours without caffeine or four hours
without nicotine—keep that in mind
when finals roll around. Well, nix the
nicotine ... I like my lungs.
Dr. Florian Koppelstatter, Austrian
researcher with the Medical University
Innsbruck, said, “We are able to see that
caffeine exerts increases in neuronal ac-
tivity in distinct parts of the brain going
along with changes in behavior.”
In other words, ingesting your fa-
vorite Tazo tea, Dr Pepper, Red Bull,
Hershey’s bar or Starbucks could make
you smarter, at least until it wears off.
That’s a diet I’m willing to try.
Lindsey Bever, editor-in-chief • Susan Tailant, managing editor
Charity Monteith, se news editor • Elizabeth Weeks, nw news editor
Robert Barowski, ne news editor • Bitty Reilly, south news editor
Randalynne Dorsey, entertainment editor • Ryan Mercer, sports editor
Stone Kim, photo editor • Daniel Worthington, illustrator
Mary Barrera, Esther Cho, Daniel Sayers, Isaiah Smith, reporters
Drew Donaldson, Elaine Nguyen, computer assistants
Chiquita Oliver, advertising director
Stacy Luecker, business manager
Eddye Gallagher, Diane Turner, advisers
• 828 Harwood Road • Hurst, TX 76054
Office: 817-515-6391 Editor: 817-515-6392
Advertising: 817-515-6619 Fax: 817-515-6767
e-mail: tcceditor@lycos.com
Check out The Collegian online at
www.tccd.edu/collegian.
TCC is an equal opportunity institution that provides educational and
employment opportunities on the basis of merit and without discrimi-
nation because of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, vet-
eran status or disability.
I
College students are dropping the academic ball be-
cause of a lack of motivation and effort.
The National Survey of Student Engagement recently
surveyed students and faculty from more than 970 univer-
sities across America. Out of the 850,000 students, 92
percent said they expect to make at least a B in their col-
lege courses.
Over-achieving students are few and far between. Al-
though most college students welcome the idea of getting
an A, few are willing to earn it.
George Kuh, director of the Center for Postsecondary
Research at Indiana University-Bloomington, labels
America’s college students as the “entitlement” genera-
tion, telling the Star-Telegram many students believe they
have a right to good grades.
Thus, the majority of America’s college students seem
more concerned with earning a college degree than mas-
tering the material, not realizing that a degree is essential-
ly worthless without the knowledge to back it up.
In fact, most community college students claim they
enrolled to complete degree requirements more quickly.
They do not want to stray from their degree plan, even if
the additional classes would provide valuable knowledge.
Although some may disagree, students should jump at
the opportunity to experiment their freshman and sopho-
more years, taking a'couple of classes in their desired ca-
reer field to discover if their major is worth pursuing.
To get the most of a college class, faculty say the aver-
age student should study six hours a week per class,
.W
mar, style and space and will run as space is
available and at the discretion of the editor.
Letters should be addressed to The Col-
legian office in NCAB 1124A on NE Cam-
pus or by e-mail at tcceditor@lycos.com.
The biggest buzz in
broadcasting involves two big
names in pop culture, one leav-
ing for the skies and a former
front man changing careers.
Howard Stern finally
made the jump to Sirius satel-
lite radio, no longer governed
by the Federal Communica-
tions Commission.
Stern loves his newfound
freedom. Early on in his five-
hour morning slot, Stern announced he
had married long-time girlfriend Beth
Ostrosky, then spent the next few hours
denying it.
“We don’t feel that if we got married
it would enhance the experience any
more,” he said. “We don’t want to f— it
up.
While Stern is thriving in his new
digs, the company he left has gone mad.
CBS Radio had a huge hole to fill
when Stem left the air.
Rumors swirled for months. In Dal-
las, listeners wanted Russ Martin to fill
the morning slot. Martin currently occu-
pies the afternoon slot on Free FM, Live
105.3.
That was not going to happen. So,
whom did CBS get? One personality
was not going to get the job done, so
CBS got two people.
Former Van Halen front man David
Lee Roth was tabbed to be on in the East
Coast and central part of the country, and
L 1
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and the powers, it gives the
government. This question-
ing has led to more govern-
ment investigations and a
more informed democracy.
The American people
should become aware of
what is going on in govem-
■ ment, and those involved in
scandals should be investi-
gated and punished if neces-
sary. United States citizens
deserve an honest, upfront government.
Leaders are elected to create order
and help people meet their goals. By
using the government to further them-
selves, some officials have not only bro-
ken the law, but also have disrespected
and harmed their constituents.
The American people cannot blindly
trust their government. Such faith is
against the nature of democracy. People
must be involved beyond the election
process.
The Bush administration needs to
find a way to unify the public. The ad-
ministration has done admirable things,
such as re-organizing the FBI, passing
the Patriot Act and creating the Terrorist
Threat Integration Center. But unless the
administration can clear up these scan-
dals and create an honest trust with the
American people, it cannot remain pro-
ductive.
/ *
Last year, Texas state Sen.
Tom Delay was arrested after
being accused of conspiracy
and money laundering.
Jack Abramoff, Republi-
can lobbyist, pled guilty Jan. 3,
to felony charges of fraud, tax
evasion and conspiracy to
bribe public officials as part of
a plea bargain, which requires
him to provide evidence about
members of Congress.
Now Americans are hearing that the
Patriot Act could be used to spy on them.
With scandals at every level of the
government, the public can no longer
trust their government. While this dis-
trust has created problems, it also has led
citizens to become more informed and
question government issues and actions.
According to the Gallup Poll, Bush’s
approval rating in January 2005 was 51
percent, but in November his rating fell
to 37 percent. Currently, his approval rat-
ing stands at 43 percent. These polls not
only indicate a lack of trust in the Bush
administration, but also show American
people want things done differently.
Scandals have perpetuated the weak
faith in government. Americans are ques-
tioning the motives for the war in Iraq
and pressuring the government to with-
draw troops. Americans are inquiring
about the validity of the Patriot Act bill
Good news
for coffee
drinkers and
other caffeine
addicts—the
world’s most
consumed stim-
ulant can fuel
the brain’s
short-term
memory and
boost attention.
According to the Radiological So-
ciety of North America, the United
States alone consumes 238 milligrams
of caffeine a day, which in my opinion,
is equivalent to four and a half Caramel
Macchiatos from Starbucks. Sadly, the
international total tops out at 76 mil-
ligrams of daily caffeine.
Apparently, the health nuts that
have vowed to abstain from caffeine are
few and far between, especially in the
Adam Corolla was picked to
fill the gap on the West
Coast.
Are you kidding me? No,
really, are you kidding me?
I have an issue with David
Lee Roth. How is it that a
guy with minimal broadcast-
ing experience lands a na-
tional syndication deal with
a major network that puts
him on the air in some of the
biggest radio markets in the country?
His show is awful. I am not kidding
in the least; it is a plain awful show. I
cannot sit through more than five minutes
of it before I want to shove a Q-Tip so far
down my ear canal it ruptures my
eardrum.
He is not a compelling talk show
host since he has limited experience.
Roth has to rely on background
music in order to make it seem as though
the show is moving along.
Background music is an old radio
trick to help those who are inexperienced
sound good.
His sidekicks are nothing but pro-
grammed laugh tracks. They contribute
nothing to the general product and laugh
at anything DLR has to say.
CBS brought in the wrong guy to re-
place Stem. As Martin said on his show,
“David Lee Roth is a great guest, but to
keep it going for four hours a day, leave
that to the pros.”
Robert Barowski
NE NEWS EDITOR
though the survey found that most students barely open a
book for half of the advised time.
Time is often the greatest obstacle. Balancing family,
job, classes and social life is difficult. But according to
Wayne State University, the key to time management is re-
fusing to over commit, keeping priorities on school.
Making the dean’s list is not grueling, but it does re-
quire effort. The TCC faculty advises students time and
time again to study two hours for every hour in class.
Taking adequate notes is also crucial. Some are even
advised to record a lecture too detailed to follow.
Although a lack of effort is a major cause of poor
grades, college preparation is another factor to consider.
Janet Marling, director of new student and mentoring
programs at UNT, told the Star-Telegram that many stu-
dents feel overwhelmed by college work because they take
so few classes their senior year of high school.
“Typically, students will goof off in high school and
say, ‘Well, when I get to college I’m going to get to
work,”’ Clayton Brown, TCU history professor, told the
Star-Telegram. “Well, guess what? Your mind doesn’t
grow overnight.”
In the same story, Cheryl Cardell, a UT-Arlington as-
sistant vice president, said the current statistics may turn
around as more Texas high school students enroll in more
challenging courses and more universities offer academic
aid to boost graduation rates. However, until the remain-
ing 78 percent of college students take advantage of acad-
emic assistance, students have no validation for self-pity.
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The Collegian (Hurst, Tex.), Vol. 18, No. 13, Ed. 1 Wednesday, January 25, 2006, newspaper, January 25, 2006; Hurst, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1354454/m1/2/?q=%22%22~1: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Tarrant County College NE, Heritage Room.