CU student Dylan Roberts: “The location of the ‘campus’ voting center this year is so misleading, remote and obscure that it is effectively suppressing the vote of CU students.”

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Zack Rosenfeld, an associate producer of CU Sports Mag, is optimistic about the state of Buffs football.

The post Opinion: Colorado football still climbing, despite recent struggles appeared first on CU Independent.

Chris Schaefbauer on why you should vote Unite for student government.

The post Letter to the Editor: Vote Unite for CUSG appeared first on CU Independent.

Alexis Scobie on why you should vote Inspire for student government.

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Wayne Lela: The controversy surrounding CU professor Steven Hayward reflects a larger issue of conservative intolerance on college campuses.

The post Letter to the Editor: Push for intellectual diversity, hire conservative teachers appeared first on CU Independent.

A living-art project is underway in Boulder for more than 200 people getting tattoos of a poem in honor of the town.
By Guest Writer Lauren Maslen

The post How the Boulder Tattoo Project inked and linked a community appeared first on CU Independent.

Photo by Víctor Santa María on Flickr.com

From cell phones to Facebook to personal gaming consoles, college students today have grown up accustomed to interactive experiences and increasingly advanced technologies. While there have been many studies that have speculated about the potential negative consequences of these devices, it’s worth exploring how and why new technologies are positively impacting the learning experience of college students. The college learning experience is rapidly evolving, and we are in the midst of a transformation in education; today’s students are truly learning actively and interactively.

Look no further than the iPad® for evidence of the learning shift underway at colleges. The appeal of the iPad is easy to understand, given its widespread use for personal, professional, and educational purposes. College students have embraced the iPad as an integral part of their education; in fact, a study at Oklahoma State University concluded that 75% of students feel that iPad enhances the learning experience. Students like the device because it is easily transportable, and it puts thousands of educational apps at their fingertips (to date, approximately 1 billion apps have been downloaded in Apple’s education app store). Apps are helping complex subject matters come alive, and helping students fully comprehend course content. These apps help make learning more interactive for students. For students who have grown up experiencing real-life graphics on video games and the ability to Skype in real-time with friends across the globe, the benefit of interactively experiencing, processing, and comprehending information cannot be overstated.

Professors are embracing the iPad in the classroom because it allows for instantaneous information sharing, which means professors can more easily engage students to participate in class discussions and track how students understand the material. Gone are the days of professors lecturing from a podium and relying on textbook information for the course syllabus. Today’s educators are able to build rich, engaging course material based on personal experiences, textbooks, other reference material – and apps that make abstract concepts more concrete and understandable for students.

While the technology is evolving on campus, the requirements for graduation remain the same. Most college students are required to fulfill a science requirement in order to graduate, and some students will choose to study chemistry. Chemistry is a complex subject matter, and it can be challenging for some students to grasp concepts presented in both introductory and advanced level courses. You may think chemistry students are condemned to memorization of the periodic table and endless in-class experiments to fully embrace the subject matter. Exciting news – students entering the chemistry classroom this semester now have a new app available to them to enhance their learning experience and help them break free from that despised rote memorization paradigm.

The new app is ChemDraw® for iPad®. ChemDraw allows students (and professional chemists too) to draw, share, and save chemical molecules and reactions on the iPad. ChemDraw is based on desktop software that has been used by the scientific community since the 1980s (read more about the history of ChemDraw and how it was transformed from desktop software to a mobile application). The app allows students to attempt in-class chemistry problems, which quickly help professors assess how well the class understands the course concepts. Chemistry professors agree that it’s difficult to determine how well students comprehend the course material until exam day. The use of ChemDraw in the classroom can help combat this common problem. Using the app, students are able to submit their chemical drawings directly to the professor, and students are more able to actively participate during in-class problem sets.

ChemDraw is also a useful collaboration tool for students working together in-person or remotely in study groups, as the app features unique Flick-to-Share™ technology, which allows students to easily transfer chemical structures to each other (and to their professors and teachers) across mobile devices, with the simple flick of the finger. For students cramming for exams and trying to get a better understanding of chemical reactions, there’s no question this feature will be helpful!

“As a chemistry professor, I am amazed by how quickly and profoundly mobile learning is transforming the classroom. In my role as an educator, I am always looking for ways to help my students interact with and fully process the course material,” said Dr. Layne A. Morsch, Assistant Professor at The University of Illinois-Springfield. “I’m excited about the opportunity to integrate ChemDraw and other mobile applications into my lesson plans to see how I can further engage my students.”

Students heading back to the classroom to conquer a new school year should evaluate their course work and determine where they can incorporate mobile applications. Not only will the mobile applications enrich the learning experience in the classroom, but as the world continually becomes more digital and mobile, an understanding of these new technologies will only help in future career endeavors. And, knowing that students are likely more in-tune with new iPad apps, it can never hurt for a student to introduce a professor to a great learning app – it may in fact score you some extra credit!

Interested in learning more about ChemDraw? Follow the new app on Twitter at @ChemDraw!

Zoe Ingerson ’13. Photo by Skye Vander Laan.

This column was contributed by senior Zoe Ingerson ’13.

Like every single one of the millions of college grads that have come before me, I find myself thinking more and more the quintessential question of “Where did the time go?” When did this whole senior graduation thing happen, and how is it that we’re standing here, 31 days from graduation? (Although, personally, I like to think of it as 2.7 million seconds—it makes it sound at least a little bit longer.)

Here at Whitman, and especially as seniors, we love to measure our time in terms of “productivity”: how many pages of our thesis we wrote, how many hours we spent in the library or how many days it’s been since we last showered. Don’t get me wrong, these numbers are useful; but, being here, we become time management fiends, calculating how many credits we can take while at the same time making time to volunteer 8.2 hours a week, apply for those 22 internships, be president of the club we founded and still be able to “be productive” when we know we’ve spread ourselves far too thin. Part of the reason we’re so good at this is that we’ve been trained exceptionally well—it’s become a game, calculating our odds of success at “using our time responsibly” in order to reach our peak efficiency.

But I also think that we like it simply because it’s just easier to think in terms of something tangible. When you start thinking about all the other stuff, the memories, the friends, our own quality of life, not to mention our favorite “what are you doing after graduation?” question, the waters get murkier, and things get scarier. We can’t express it in terms of facts and figures and productivity, so we shy away from talking about the possibilities, about that which we cannot comprehend. Even those who do know what their next, cautious steps are can’t help but feel somewhat terrified of what lies beyond. So we end up talking about what we do know, the easily measurable facts: where we are going, for how long, or how much it will pay (if we’re lucky). However, these facts simply cannot do justice to the excitement and magic that these entail.

Our times at Whitman have been marked by incredible opportunities: to take challenging, often bizarre classes; to study abroad in otherworldly places; to direct our own learning; to meet people who are passionate about literally anything and everything. Yes, we know how to write a paper in the span of one evening, but let’s not allow ourselves to only come away with this sense of “productivity.” Though capitalism may tell us otherwise, we are more than just “productive members of society.”

If Whitman has taught us anything, it’s that there is an infinite number of opportunities out there, and that it’s okay to say that we don’t know, to acknowledge and embrace the unknown. Measuring all this in terms of time isn’t going to cut it. Let’s measure in terms of opportunity, in terms of happiness—What’s that? You can’t come up with a definite parameter? That’s okay. That’s the point. Maybe sometimes there is no measurement.

To quote one of my favorite teachers of all time, Ms. Frizzle, now is the perfect time to “take chances, make mistakes and get messy.” Clichéd? Perhaps. Accurate? You bet. The truth is that life is messy, and if we spend most of the little time we have worrying about the fact that we have little time, we risk losing the beauty of the intangible, the spontaneous and the unknown.

So, for our last few weeks, let’s please not talk about what we’re getting done, for a change. Let’s talk about getting started. The possibilities are endless.

Marcial Diaz ’13. Photo by Skye Vander Laan.

This column was contributed by Marcial Díaz Mejía ’13.

My first year, I had a pro-Palestine picture on my wall. Someone in my section saw it and asked me why I had it up. I explained my position. Later, that same person told that I should probably remove it from my wall, as another section-mate could get offended. I refused, explaining that this was one of the reasons why I put it up, to start a conversation about the issue.

Except for him, no one else made a comment about it, even after visibly being surprised. This was my welcoming to politics at Whitman. Soon I would discover that a majority of Whitties are scared of offending others, or that we believe that everyone has an opinion similar to ours. Thus, we fail to question them. Often this translates into apathy and a lack of engagement in political affairs.

I feel privileged for being able to attend this institution. Whitman has pushed my boundaries, encouraging me to ask “why?” During my four years here, I’ve met smart and engaging people who have questioned my beliefs and pushed me to another intellectual level. There’s a reduced group of students who organize and participate in activism, political organizing, educational outreach and student politics.

However, on a large scale our campus lacks any major political discussion outside of the classroom. Although Whitman is and should be a place for intellectual curiosity, in my experience, most Whitman students are afraid of conflict, afraid of disrupting peace, afraid of questioning their own beliefs.

Eventually, we will all leave this place. Outside of the bubble, the world showcases an array of perspectives and opinions, and we will have to make decisions on what we stand for and justify our way of thinking. Even if we delay, the time will come.

Whitman is a safer environment to experiment with who you are and what you think and to just be different. To those staying, I urge you to take advantage of the bright people around you, the most valuable resource we are offered here. Ask questions. Engage in meaningful conversations. We might not find the answers, but it can take us down other paths that might. Rest assured that conflict is all right, as it is part of our daily lives. Inform yourself. Read. Challenge your own beliefs, the reasoning behind your thinking.

Most importantly, be ready to feel uncomfortable. You don’t have to agree with everyone. At times you can be on completely different sides of an issue … and still be friends. Encourage public discussions amongst your friends, even outside of a frat on a Saturday night.

To those graduating, don’t forget what you have learned here as we disperse around the world. Continue to ask the tough questions. Engage with your community. Be ready to feel uncomfortable.

I leave Whitman knowing that it transformed me. Almost four years later, I had a conversation with my (now) friend on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the TKE kitchen. Soon after, more people joined in, and our topic morphed into consent and sexual relations. Many had honest questions, while others answered passionately, speaking from personal experiences and their academic expertise.

It was not only a moment of exchange, curiosity and education. It was one of my favorite moments of my time at Whitman, which I will treasure. I just hope that many more create this kind of memories. The kind that makes you who you are outside of the bubble.

This column was distributed by Heather Domonoske ’13.

Heather Domonoske ’13. Photo by Skye Vander Laan.

I arrived at Whitman looking for a fresh start and the ability to find myself. I pictured smiles, new friends, excursions, dynamic classes, falling in love with four seasons and more. Instead, I was bombarded with a multitude of moments where I struggled to find the light at the end of the tunnel—where were the promised 300 days of sunshine?

As my time at Whitman passed, I learned where to find the sunshine. I got my first A on an Encounters paper. I was accepted to live in Tamarac. Thirty-one boys sang to me in the Jewett Dining Hall on Valentine’s Day. I stood with 12 others and held up my grand-slammer scramble swag. I passed my oral defense and many, many more. Those are all YOLO moments I could add to my Facebook album called “Whitman.” But, at the end of the day when I look back at my Whitman experience, the moments I will remember the most are often attached to those hard, unexpected challenges I faced.

Hard and unexpected experiences are the building blocks for the good times. They are the reason why going out on Friday night feels so good, or why late-night conversations freshman year on your way to brush your teeth lead to lifelong friendships. When we are pushed to our limits, when we have spent hours upon hours on our thesis and just want to scream, we open up the doors to moments we never imagined. Grades are important, but learning … learning is what will get us where we want to go, or maybe where we don’t. And that’s okay too.

Today we are faced with the terrifyingly awesome experience of moving away from Whitman. In some ways we are more prepared for the hard moments to come thanks to our Whitman experience. However, by leaving Whitman we are leaving behind the support group we have created to get us through challenges. What we have to remember is that the Whitman community is going nowhere and we created friendships upon a foundation that is hard to break.

We have lived with each other for four years. We have seen each other at our best and at our worst and we are finishing together. I am constantly amazed by the power of relationships formed at Whitman. Let those relationships and the lessons we learned at Whitman be the foundation of our future. Do not cast shadows on them because they are the past, but also be aware not to paint them too green. The YOLO days in the photos, they had their hard parts; the difference is that now we can see the beauty in those moments. We have learned from them.

But even knowing the Whitman community is not gone, there will still be the moments we feel totally alone, lost and confused, just like so many of us have felt at one point or another during these last four years. In these moments, know that they provide a learning opportunity the brighter moments do not. Know that by pushing through, we will end up with stories we never imagined and before we know it, we will be back in Walla Walla for our 10-year reunion, and those hard moments may be the most influential on our journey after Whitman.

Whitman has been an exceptional experience. We have paid the price and received a plethora of rewards, many intangible and some of which we will not reap for many years to come. We are moving on, which is scary as hell but also exhilarating. The rush of adrenaline that comes with the next chapter can be at times too much to handle, but we have to remember that just because we are leaving Whitman campus, that does not mean we are not taking a lot of Whitman with us and that the learning stops.

We are entering a phase in which we may be more aware of the challenges to come, but we must remember to embrace them, to learn from them and to know that in one way or another, they too will lead to moments of joy and fulfillment. And remember, don’t stop learning and pick more daisies.