Boston tragedy unites nation, world

For many of us, the week of April 15 felt the same as every other week. It signaled the beginning of another week of school, as well as another step closer to freedom and relaxation in the form of summer. It was also another dreaded step toward our final exams ...

Psy's 'Gentleman' goes viral

This past Saturday during an afternoon lounging in Hodges Library, I was given a link to the music video for Psy's new K-pop single, "Gentleman." I had known that Psy was making another song, but I didn't know it had already been released earlier in the day. Nevertheless ...

Alternatives exist to competitive learning

Many of us have goals we want to accomplish. These can span from the short-term to the long-term, and be of a trivial nature or significantly important. Getting into a good university, for example, is a long-term and very substantial objective. It requires copious amounts of dedication, work and pre-planning ...

Value contributions of your elders

For many of us, this week marks our preparation for point-blank exams and long nights and days in Hodges Library -- the place "where dreams are made." As with every other holiday or break, we despair and lament when they come to an end, for obvious reasons. No longer can we ...

Memes help people relate

At any point in time, there is something happening to some person somewhere on this planet. These events can vary in scope, magnitude and effect. Some may affect many people but with little disturbance in their lives. Other occurrences can affect a small population but with drastic positive or negative ...

Take time away from technology

Society has come a long way from the use of stone tools and wooden huts. Thanks to technology, we've been able to control our own fates, instead of finding ourselves at the whim of nature and its harsh nature. We've created global communication networks that can relay information ...

Live life ready for success

There are few things more difficult, stressful and depressing during the school semester as midterms. Usually more comprehensive in scope than normal exams, they are dreaded by students wherever they take place. For many of us, midterms are right around the corner, and the cycles of panicking, staying up late ...

Challenges present chance to grow

It’s easy to think that simply following the old phrase “hard work breeds success” means that you’ll be able to overcome every obstacle and become successful in whatever career you decide to be in. The fact of the matter is that such undertakings are usually easier said than ...

Learn from history to improve future

The word "history" brings up different connotations. One might find that it brings up memories of a younger time, when life was filled with more fun and games and less anxiety and work. Another person may remember times of sadness and depression, marked with isolation and hate. Still another might ...

Love for everyone, not just couples

As we find ourselves fully immersed (or not) in the curriculum of our classes, staring at books with strange symbols and drawings for hours on end and studying long after the midnight oil has run out, February has somehow come upon us. It's hard to believe that a month ...

Super Bowl delivers poignant message

For many of us here who attend UT, we live in a type of bubble. Although this may not apply as much to those who commute here, those who live in or close to campus understand this phenomenon. Living here at UT creates a type of microcosm, as most of ...

Moves toward equality welcome

It has been a busy week with regard to gender equality legislation, with the effects ranging both from local scopes to the entire country. I say this in response to two main pieces, with one already in effect, and the other potentially coming into play in the near future. First ...

Variety serves as life's vitamin

For many of us, this spring semester has now truly started. With the arrival of this third week of school, we've slowly managed to drag ourselves out of the lazy, carefree days of winter break and found our way back on the path of productivity, either willingly or forcibly ...

New website helps track resolutions

As we leave the warm, embracing, and joyous atmosphere of our homes and families and begrudgingly head back to school in cramped buses and cars, full of items to prepare us for the rest of the freezing winter and bipolar spring seasons, we reminisce on the holiday memories and the ...

Put friendship quality over quantity

Many things come to mind when we hear the word "friends."

Some of the first things that pop into a person's mind when they think about their friends include "loyal," "fun," and "close." Some of us might even still remember how they first met their friends, either through some ...