Office of Student Affairs 2007-2-01 A Modest Proposal, vol. 4, no. 4 Jonathan Coker, et al. © 2008 A Modest Proposal Find more information about this article here. This document has been made available for free and open access by the Eugene McDermott Library. Contact [email protected] for further information. T H E ----. ALTERNAT I VE UTD STUDENT Romney: Give the Mormon a Chance page 16 . Huckabee: Why Hes a Vote for Theocracy page 17 w Oo Girls, Girlst Girls Writers Strike Back Rt'Si lbt1TIS ol.V7 Vl ­ _J Vl Everyone loves a joke about women, don't they? The aims and consequences of the Writers' Guild strike The fruits of one of the strongest years in memory <:Z page 7 page 14 page 12 F EBRUARY 2008 • V OLUME 4 ISSUE 4 • AMP . UTDALLAS.EDU 2 CoNTENTS fEBRUARY 2008 • VoLUME 4 • IssuE 4 AR TS & L EISURE In 1his Issue. • • II The Return 0f Rock Band Music game promises to lower GPAs CAMPUS LIFE BY LAURA MILLER Avoid the Ticket 12 The Top Ten Albums o£2007 3 How to run a student government Th.is was one of the strongest years in memory. campaign while avoiding party politics BY JORDAN YOUNGBLOOD BY BEN DOWER Writers Strike Back Putting the Green in 4 Orange and Green Writer's Guild act has serious aims and consequences BY ALEX GARCIA TOPETE How you can help make campus greener BY SAMIA HOSSAIN Things That'll Be Great in 2008 Seats ofAuthority Or, at least, have the potentiaL 5 BY DAVID O'NEILL speak up at sometimes To UTD, AND JENNIFER BUDD you just need to sit down BY CHARLIE CLIFF GLOBAL P OLITICS SOCIAL C OMMENTARY Give the Mormon a Chance Experience, not religion, should be the driving factor 6 Death Sentences BY BENEDICT VOlT When decent. English is Greek to everyone, things are bad 17 I Don't Heart Huckabee BY HANNAH FRANK Why a vote for Huckabee is a vote for theocracy Girls, Girls, Girls! BY RICHARD BADGETT 7 Everyone loves a joke about women ... don't they? SHAMELESS FR IVOLITY BY STEPHANIE SHASTEEN 'Taurs-R-Us 8 A Shock to the System Who would win in a fight-centaur or minotaur? WhyTASERs are more of a threat We asked the experts. than we'd like to think BY MAC HIRD BY JONATHAN COKER AND KEVIN TYDLACKA The Harmless Homeless Black & White 9 Innovative artist raises questions The internet is discussed. about societal structure BY LUKE MCKENZIE BY KIMBERLY ALLEN P UZZLES & GAM ES IO The 87 Days of Christmas Celebrating Jesus' birthday 20 Puzzles Page takes almost an eternity now BY ALEX PALMER 22 The Uranus C A M P U S ~_.__·l......L.I -1--E ......__E _ ____ 3 Avoiding the Ticket For the Student Government election, decline the party invitation job and/or will attract numerous voters. With that in mind, the following is a but you also need them to help you flier, New candidates who have taken the suggested how-to guide for anyone who tell their classmates to vote for you, and initiative to join Student Government are is considering running. Hopefully this campaign for you actively during voting often divided between parties based on will help empower and encourage people time. If there's genuine connection there, who hears about and contacts them first. to break the nasty party tradition and go you make the job much easier. by ben dower Most discouraging, party divides are stag this election season. 3. Appeal to your constituents. [email protected] virtually meaningless after the election 1. Pick your issues. Find problems Whether it's people in the same club as is over. Everyone forgets party loyalties that people card about. Whether it's you, the same beliefs, or just people with I have high hopes this year for the because the strongest bind holding advising for a certain major, increasing the same major, target specific groups and Student Government elections. We parties together is the convenience of the Student Union hours, or making sure tailor your message to their interests. If have had a great year of achievements in your. major has particularly bad advising 2007, from the release of the DART pass for example, figure out a way to improve and UTD Shuttle Bus to the first annual i i -For all their uses, party politics have always that system and make it a key point of Know Your Rights Day. Hopefully, your campaign. these accomplishments will attract more been the scourge of a fair and f~iendly election 4. Advertise in advance. IdentifY what student interest to the role SG plays on makes you qualified and then turn it into campus and encourage active involvement at UT Dallas. .'' a slogan. Try to find something that when filing starts. Yet, before you begin will set you apart but not so complicated in earnest on your campaign efforts, I'd vote gathering. Once that desire is gone, that road construction is better advertised that it makes for a bad tagline. Putting like to offer a few words on the process parties dissolve, only to be resurrected in the future, try to pick something that's out ruers helps, but don't do it too much here at UTD. during the next election. within a reasonable scope. Don't make or you'll become equivalent to spam. Political parties are incredibly So, parties have a negative influence your promises too outlandish or people Additionally, get someone qualified to convenient, even when they exist on elections, but they're effective at won't take them seriously. help design your flier. Stake signs are completely independent of policy getting votes. Even though inost people 2. Fmd people that want to help you also an effective way to get your name differences. This is ·true for a candidate agree they are bad, they continue to be based on personal convictions, not the and face out there to the public. The for any position, but it is most true for the biggest force during election season. party label. You need your friends to vote, most important thing is to differentiate the Presidential and Vice-Presidential yourself and make sure people recognize nommees. your name when they're voting. For one thing, running with a party 5. Campaign heavily when the polls guarantees you votes that you would not are open. If you're not in class, you're out otherwise receive. Some people will vote in the SU mall talking to people. Now is straight ticket, and even if they are in the not the time to be shy; you need to talk minority, they will give you an instant to students and engage their interest. If boost beyond that of your immediate they're only willing to talk to you for 5 constituents. It may also allow you seconds, then just ask them to vote. If to connect yourself to a fraternity or they want to talk to you for 20 minutes, sorority, which is a great way to obtain then do that. If you can get your friends some support. to help you, even for short periods of Secondly, parties give you a chance time, then that's even better. An hour to pool your efforts when campaigning. under high-traffic conditions is better W hen your peers campaign for the party, than five when nobody's listening to your they are indirectly campaigning for you. message. This can be an increruble manpower Ifyou follow these five steps, you have boost. It gives you access to people that a strong chance of winning yourself a will help you flier, put up signs, and position within Student Government most importantly canvass for you during with, or without the help of a "political" voting times. party. And, of course, feel free to email H owever, for all their uses, party me if you want to discuss anything politics have always been the scourge Student Government related. I'd be of a fair and friendly election at UTD. happy to hear from you.• Unless there is a truly divisive issue, the formation of parties is often a last­ minute and random affair. The President Contrary to popular opinion, Ben's expertise on party and Vice-President go down the list of last year's SG presidential candidates at each others' throats, due in part to partisan escalations. fouls extends beyond public urination. current Senators that have done a good Jflustration by Ben Dower Discuss this article at amp.utdallas.edu! 4 CAMPUS LIFE f EBRUARY 2008 • VOLUM E 4 • ISSUE 4 Putting the____ ~, in Orange and Green ·' million pounds, the equivalent of taking William Elvey, assistant director of replaced in the main stacks area on the 280 cars off the road." Facilities Management, passed out ground floor. Occupancy sensors, which As for us? From the long line at the a simple two page packet entitled turn on the lights only when they detect bursar's office to WebCT, UTD can be "Building a Sustainable Campus." As human presence, have already been notably inefficient. With such a track we read on, our fool-proof tactics of installed in a number of classrooms,. by samia hossain record, how can we expect our beloved tackling the bureaucrats deflated ... Daylight sensors are also in the works, [email protected] institution"' to devise and execute a plan Could it be? Had UTD already come especially in window-laden buildings fonmergy efficiency? up with and employed many of the ideas like NSERL.