OPINION

2/13/2024, 12:00pm

Addressing accessibility in response to Slate Speaks

By Allyson Ritchey / Multimedia Director

If you were one of the individuals who could not attend this year’s MLK March for Humanity and felt upset with the university’s lack of prioritization, I want you to imagine for a moment if this is how you feel every day. Every day there are events you cannot attend or classes you are late to. Maybe you physically cannot go to things because they are being held in inaccessible areas like many events are. Perhaps you cannot go to things because you have more pressing things to address like doctors’ appointments. I bet the FOMO would be so real for you.

2/13/2024, 12:00pm

Don’t Get the Apple Vision Pro, Yet

By Nicholas Behr

The Apple Vision Pro is the most recent device released by the tech industry giant Apple Inc. The device has already gone viral with videos with hundreds of thousands of views. The videos depict users of the Apple Vision Pro driving, working and walking around cities while using the product. 

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2/6/2024, 12:00pm

The Slate Speaks: The accessibility of events on campus

By Slate Staff

Campus events play a crucial role in fostering inclusivity. Large-scale events should consider weekend scheduling to enhance accessibility, acknowledging that valuable experiences gained contribute to students’' future careers. The prevailing emphasis on academic responsibilities sometimes undermines the significance of hands-on experiences provided by events.

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2/6/2024, 12:00pm

Is our population desensitized to crime?

By Reagan Gardenhour

News broke that a man named Justin Mohn beheaded his father and posted a video of it on YouTube on Wednesday. Is there a deeper meaning behind the fact that this story got so much coverage, or is it simply because newsworthy stories include values like unusualness? 

Capcom has responded to an incident involving a "Street Fighter 6" tournament and an accidental mod.

2/6/2024, 12:00pm

Modding Is Not Equivalent to Cheating

By Alexander Haag

   About a month ago, every Capcom game on Steam would have overwhelming positive reviews. Since then, those reviews have shifted quite negatively. The reason: Capcom is punishing their consumers by updating their old catalog of games with digital rights management (DRM)

TikTok is available in over 160 countries, has over 1.1 billion users, and has been downloaded over 220 million times in the United States.

2/6/2024, 12:00pm

Brainrot: TikTok’s harmful effect on adolescent minds

By Mara Eberle

By now, the internet is well aware of the young girls on TikTok participating in anti-aging rituals or boys beginning to worry about the shape of their jawlines before they hit puberty. While it would be stating the obvious to say that short-form content is destroying all of our minds, I believe it is crucial to acknowledge those who are most susceptible to it — adolescents. 

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1/30/2024, 12:00pm

Hot girl overconsumption

By Madi Shively / Ship Life Editor

Are you an “it girl”, or are you a “clean girl” complete with a slicked-back bun, an Alo matching set and gold hoops? Are you a pink Pilates princess lacing pink ribbons in your hair, showcasing a lululemon Define jacket, platform UGGs and an Equinox membership? The categorization of the female identity can be fun when looking for a way to rebrand for the new year, but I often wonder: how much of the female identity has become rooted in consumption?

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1/30/2024, 12:00pm

What was I made for?

By Reagan Gardenhour

What was I made for? This is a question that has haunted humanity for thousands of years, and was recently brought to global attention through the highly rated and successful 2023 film Barbie by Greta Gerwig. Throughout the emotional and humorous movie, a storyline of natural imperfection was perceived by Margot Robbie (Barbie) and Ryan Gosling (Ken). 

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1/30/2024, 12:00pm

The Slate Speaks: The importance of student media in college

By The Slate

Student media is more valuable than many other organizations that exist across campus. We are not just a club. We are a service to the campus community, and whether or not students choose to be informed should not result in SGA acting as if we do not deserve money more than other groups do. It is incredibly alarming if our student government continues to cut funding for student media to the point where we could soon have to drastically change how we operate.

12/5/2023, 12:00pm

The Slate Speaks: The harm of performative activism

By Slate Staff

As social movements truly began to take to the streets in the 2010s, it aligned almost perfectly with the social media boom. Suddenly, millions of people all over the world were able to post their support of any ideology or hot-button issue they wanted. Social media also made it easier for celebrities to communicate to their fan bases as well. However, as these two elements correspond, it gave rise to a new wave of performative activism. 

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12/5/2023, 12:00pm

Do we belong here? A disabled student's perspective

By Lillian Sellers / SGA President-Elect

 Nothing about us without us — perhaps if you have had an introductory dive into learning about disability justice, you have heard this phrase. This forgotten mantra is the bare minimum disabled people ask for when it comes to disability policies. 

12/5/2023, 12:00pm

Ridley Scott and bad history

By Ian Thompson / News Editor

 The year is 1815. Napoleon Bonaparte, returned from exile on the island of Elba, once again declares dominion over Europe. Four months later, blinded with overconfidence and faith in his own success, Napoleon was soundly defeated at Waterloo.

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12/5/2023, 12:00pm

Media censorship in the wake of war

By Yusra Aden / Guest Contributor

A couple weeks ago, Elon Musk expressed that he would suspend accounts that use the phrase “from the river to the sea” on the platform X, most commonly known as Twitter. This is quite ironic considering that his aim with purchasing Twitter was supposedly to be a “platform for free speech around the globe” as he claimed in a TED interview. 

12/5/2023, 12:00pm

Red heart or red flag: Abuse romanticized in media

By Madi Shively / Ship Life Editor

“That’s what we do! We fight!” he yells at her. He kicks over a table, swears at her and even threatens to hate her if she leaves. Afterward, as Ally walks to her car to escape the argument, Noah suddenly becomes soft and kind, begging her to stay, and when she resists, he becomes angry again and says he is not afraid to hurt her feelings before invalidating her decision yet again.

11/24/2023, 11:04am

The Slate Speaks: Childhood media shaping us today

By Slate Staff

So much of the media we consume in our youth shapes us into the people we are today. Think of that one piece of media. It could be the one show you used to watch every weekend when staying at your grandma’s house. It shapes our dreams, our passions, our fears and even drives us to the careers in which we hope to find ourselves. What we consume as very young children does not tend to stick with us, but we all find media as we grow up that we attach ourselves to.

11/24/2023, 10:59am

The Grass is Always Greener: Our Fascination with the Wealthy

By Megan Sawka / Asst. Ship Life Editor

Humans have a natural curiosity for lives outside of their own. The poor are intrigued by the rich, curious about the way that their lives differ from their own. Television in the 2000s featured many shows that glorified the wealthy and famous. Tabloids were splashed with the scandals and drama that occurred in Hollywood. 

11/14/2023, 12:00pm

The Slate Speaks: Do we overspecialize?

By Slate Staff

Growing up everyone was told to ‘get a hobby’. However, as we grow older, we begin to notice that our hobbies seem to become one or two things. Either we hyperfixate and push those hobbies into becoming our jobs, or we let them go to make room for our “‘real”’ work.

11/14/2023, 12:00pm

Clout has affected content creation for the worse

By Alexander Haag

When I was younger, the internet was such an amazing concept to me, even though the only thing I knew to do on it was play flash games. Around 6th grade, was when I was “introduced” to YouTube and started browsing and following creators that fit my interests.