Is It Ever Ok to Cheat? By: Dixie Robinson

Cheating is something that we have all learned about since 3rd grade, if not earlier. We have always been told not to cheat, so why people do befuddles me. The first reason I think cheating is wrong is because people don't think about the fact that it affects the person you're cheating off of. Cheating off someone else can affect the other person to the point of them getting wrongfully penalized for having the same work as the cheater. This hurts me because I always fear someone will cheat off of my work, and once the teacher finds that we have the same work, I will be accused of cheating when I didn't do anything. Another reason I think cheating is wrong is because if the cheater doesn't get caught (which they normally do), then they will be falsely rewarded, and could possibly be put into a situation they aren't prepared for. For example, if someone cheats all throughout vet school and one day becomes a vet, do you think they will be able to operate on animals? An even better question; would you want someone like that to operate on your animal? Me neither. Cheating is always wrong. It shows a lack of character and integrity, which is why it's punishable if caught. Cheating may help you during the race, but you'll never truly win so you might as well do it right the first time.

The Oscars: A Night of Awareness

A couple of weeks ago, the Grammys made it apparent that certain things needed to be brought to attention that are going on in our society. They talked about things such as artistic freedom and domestic violence. It seemed as though the Grammys were changing from the controversial event that they normally are, to a more serious and positive channel to bring information to light for viewers everywhere. Fast forward to Sunday, February 22, 2015 at the most prestigious event of the year: The Oscars. It is not abnormal for the Oscars to be serious and elite, however it seemed as though they also had many issues brought to the forefront but in a different way. The Grammys took out specific slots within the show to talk about domestic violence and artistic freedom. The Oscars didn't have anything organized in the same way. Instead, many people took time out from their acceptance speeches to get the word out about issues that they find important that are also relevant to society today.

A few of the acceptance speeches that stood out included Graham Moore, J.K Simmons, Common and John Legend, and Patricia Arquette just to name a few. Graham Moore dedicated his speech to teenagers at home struggling with thoughts about suicide because he himself struggled with suicide. J.K Simmons made the point that everyone should take time out of their days to call their parents. Common and John Legend talked about acceptance of all people and continuing Martin Luther King Jr.'s mission. Lastly, Patricia Arquette who is one of the most talked about speech givers talked about the importance of wage equality and gender equality. All of these powerful celebrities found it important to talk about issues in our society that they feel we need to take recognition and action for.

Graham Moore

Courtesy of: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

 

J.K Simmons

Courtesy of: Jonathon Dornbush/Entertainment Weekly

 

Common and John Legend

Courtesy of: NBC News

 

This brought to question peoples' reactions to all of these announcements being brought to their attention. Plenty of online websites are talking about the positive reviews. Even in the middle of the Oscars while Patricia Arquette was giving her speech, Maryl Streep and Jennifer Lopez went crazy with excitement and support in the audience. I took to Avila University's students to get their reactions.

Patricia Arquette

Courtesy of: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images



The first interview was with Brittany Gooden, an Advertising and Public Relations major. When asked what her opinion was about celebrities taking time out of their acceptance speeches to talk about societal issues, she had this to say: "I think it's a good opportunity to talk about something because you have peoples' attention. You know, if you want to make a speech about something then that's a good time to do that and just speak about something you care about."

The next interview was with Karis Pruitt, a Psychology major. She had this to say: "I think it's a good influence because America is very heavily influenced by people who are in the media, people who are on TV, people who promote music, and people who put out hits and things like...it's cool that they get up there and they talk about things that actually affect our country and people who are in it then more people will listen to it..."

It seems as though people are pleased and excited about this trend of people using their acceptance speeches as an outlet for important issues rather than just thanking people. These are important celebrities that have the power to influence others to either believe certain things or take action. Some celebrities only get the chance to do that once, so it makes sense that they would want to make it count.

My Thoughts about the Oscars



What I'd Buy with a $50 Itunes Gift Card

1. Rumours-Fleetwood Mac: $7.99
2. The Very Best of Sheryl Crow-Sheryl Crow: $11.99
3. The Essential Aerosmith-Aerosmith: $14.99
4. Rhiannon-Fleetwood Mac: $1.29
5. Take Care (Deluxe Version): $7.99
6. Smells Like Teen Spirit- Nirvana: $1.29
7. Come As You Are- Nirvana: $.69
8. Lithium-Nirvana: $1.29
9. Blurry-Puddle of Mudd: $.69
10. Tuesdays Gone-Lynard Skynard: $1.29

Grand Total: $49.50

My Top 5 Presidents By: Dixie Robinson

1. Barack Obama: He is my favorite president for many different reasons, the first being that he is a democrat. I am one of those voters who will vote for someone just based on the fact that they're a democrat. He didn't just stop there though. He is very personable and has a great sense of humor. He also cares about universal healthcare and the big picture meaning that something has to be done to help the impoverished people. He has set forth many acts to help bring people out of this long-term recession, and overall I think he's just the perfect president.

2. John F. Kennedy: Not only does JFK's assassination interest me, but I think he was another strong democrat to serve as president even though his presidency was short lived. He believed in peace not only within our country but between all countries. He also believed in equal rights which is the main reason I picked him as my second favorite.

3. Bill Clinton: Although Bill Clinton was impeached for his personal issues, I still think he was a good, democratic president. Economic numbers were some of the best during his presidency, and his first lady helped make educational gains. He also believed in equal rights and made affirmative action.

4. Franklin D. Roosevelt: FDR became president at a really difficult time in American history: The Great Depression. He made many strides to help get America out of the Great Depression in a series of ideas known as The New Deal. Just the fact that he was willing to try to help this great catastrophe and did a trial an error system is honorable.

5. Abraham Lincoln: I'm sure many people put Abraham Lincoln higher on their list because he freed the slaves and all, and I get that. That's why he's on my list. My only problem, and why he's last on my list is because he only freed the slaves out of desperation to keep the north and south together. It seems a little less genuine than I would like to believe. However, I'm not taking away the fact that he did free the slaves, and that's all that really matters.

Recording Police Brutality: What are your Rights?

When many people think of cops, they think of noble people fighting for justice in our streets: The good guys. In recent years however, words such as verbal abuse, excessive force, and even death have been associated with these people who have previously been looked to as heroes. Cases such as Trayvon Martin and more recently, Michael Brown of Ferguson, Missouri are just two of the many that have hit the news stands highlighting police brutality. One of the  major issues with the two cases mentioned before was the issue of hearsay evidence. Hearsay evidence is when there is no indisputable proof of a situation, so the only thing left is to go off of what people say happened. Many are saying, "If only someone would have been recording."

With all of the technology that Americans have access to today, it seems impossible that there would ever be a situation that one needed to record, and didn't. Sometimes people do record incidents that happen, but don't turn it in to authorities because they aren't aware that they are afforded the right to record police at all times. Cable News Network's (CNN), Will Ripley made a video addressing this very issue in today's society. He shows many different instances where police were caught on camera using excessive and sometimes deadly force on victims. He also showed footage of cops telling people to put their recording devices away so their actions won't be caught on camera. Lastly, Mr. Ripley makes the point that it is the right of all citizens to be able to record police in action as long as they're not interfering in any way.

Whether or not it is right to record police doing their job is debatable. What's not debatable is that all people are afforded the right to record police officers if they feel inclined to do so. This is important for college students to know because they are at an age where they not only need to know all of their rights, but they are more likely to have run-ins with police because of issues such as drinking and speeding. If all college students knew they have a legal right to record police when they have an issue, then maybe they won't end up in situations like Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and countless others. In the case that they do then they have indisputable proof of what happened in order to get justice for themselves.

NBA All-Snore Game By: Dixie Robinson

Shot of the Final Score of the NBA All-Star Game

Every year it happens: The NBA All-Star game. The best basketball players from every team gather together for one game to settle the score. This is not uncommon in sports because football and baseball both have a similar game annually as well. This year, the two teams were divided by their geographic location: East and West, with only a few exceptions. One would think that this would be the all time dream for fans everywhere; seeing all their favorite basketball players having a good time playing basketball in the same place. Who wouldn't want that? 

I'll tell you who: College Students. I took a poll of a classroom of students at Avila University to see how many actually watched the All-Star game. The classroom consisted of 12 people, the majority being communication majors including Sports Communication and Sports Promotion. I figured that if anyone had watched the game, it would have been them. To my surprise, 0 out of the 12 had watched the game. I then asked them, "How many of you even care about the NBA All-Star game?" The response was once again unanimous with 0 out of 12 people. 

The Class of Students Polled

For events such as the Superbowl, you hear talk for weeks about who people are cheering for and their extra plans that go along with it. Why is the NBA All-Star game not the same way? Obviously many people watch it because of the many advertisers who pay big bucks to get their advertisements into one or more slots, but why not college students? I'm sure some of it has to do with the fact that college students want something that's going to be interesting to watch, and let's be honest, it's hard to watch a basketball game when you don't have a stake in the race. One could also speculate that as college students, it's more interesting to watch college basketball than professional. When you're a college student, you feel as though the college athletes are your friends because you're on the same level. One may not be able to find the real reason, however, but as far as Avila students are concerned, the All-Star game was a bust.

 

As for me, the All-Star game put me to sleep.

 



Does Activism and the Grammys Go Together?

Every year the greatest musicians form around the world gather for one night in the hopes to be honored for their talent: The Grammys. Along with the elite awards including Best New Artist, Album of the Year, and Song of the Year the Grammys are known for having controversial acts that get all of America talking. This year seemed to be much different. In the eyes of an average viewer, the award show was more formal, professional, and only slightly controversial. Even more noticeable was the use of political activism brought forth throughout the show. This lead people to talk about the points presented, and the effectiveness of announcing these issues at such a big award show.

 

                If there’s anything we know about America, it’s when the President talks, everyone listens. This is exactly what happened during the Grammys. President Obama made a video appearance at the award show talking about a big issue happening in America today: Domestic Violence. We see it everywhere, especially in professional athletes. With movements like the “No More” campaign, domestic violence has come to face all people, and the Grammys put the cherry on top. President Obama announced to everyone the problem and rise of domestic violence in our society. He also spoke of ways that all of us can prevent it from happening, and help when it does.

                The other issue that was brought to attention was musician rights. Earlier this year, Taylor Swift turned down the opportunity to let Spotify put their music on their website because she wanted to make a stance against piracy of music. Since then, it seems as though all musicians are joining her in the attempt to save their music from being pirated and illegally downloaded. The Grammys allowed it to be known that it is crucial people make the step to stop downloading music illegally. They did this by having Neil Portnow, Recording Academy President and CEO talk about the alternatives if people don’t preserve the musicians’ talents.

 

With all of these issues being covered at such a big event, it makes one wonder what peoples’ reactions are to not only the problems, but also them being presented in such a way. Did it take away from the performances and awards, or was it smart for the person in charge to take time out of the line-up to talk about these important subjects? Nicholas Horne, a Theater major at Avila University had this to say when asked his opinion about the activism at the Grammys,“I feel like it was a really cool opportunity, I mean, you’re on national television. It’s a big night for a lot of people...Musicians are who we look up to, kind of, as a nation so being able to see musicians and the people that we revere as higher standards, speaking out for domestic abuse is a great thing.”

Nicholas Horne, Theater





 

Another Avila student, Aaron Arnzen who majors in Advertising and Public Relations had this to say when asked about his thoughts, “I feel like it was a good opportunity to do that [Political Activism], especially with the inclusion of a message from our President…I don’t think they were wrong in doing that [Using the Grammys as a platform for political issues]. I feel like the older we get and the more politically inclined, the more infused politics is becoming in everyday life whether it’s the Grammys or sports, etc. etc.”

 

Aaron Arnzen, Advertising and Public Relations



 

It seems as though the use of the Grammys as a political and societal awareness platform was taking positively for viewers. Although the Grammys is based from musical accomplishments, it makes sense as to why issues going on in our nation would be brought to everyone’s attention. There are only so many nights a year where the mass amounts of Americans are watching the same thing, and it would only make sense to try to draw attention to important problems to hopefully increase awareness for all people. Not only is it smart, but it could end up being crucial for our futures.

My face while watching the Grammys

 

 

 

 

Superbowl Shock!

 

 

My short recap to Pete Carroll's last play call.

What Was That, Pete Carroll? By: Dixie Robinson

This past Sunday, February 1st, millions in America gathered around their television with friends and family to watch the annual Superbowl. The battle began between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. It's no surprise that so many people were witnessing the game because the Patriots were trying for their fourth Superbowl win, all with Tom Brady as their quarterback, and the Seahawks were going for their second consecutive Superbowl win. Everyone knew the game was going to be a hard fight, but no one could have anticipated what happened in the last minute!

 

Me and my boyfriend, Marc watching the Superbowl! 

 

 

The entire game was pretty close. It finally got down to the last minute and the score was 28-24 with the Patriots winning. However, The Seahawks were making major strides to make a touchdown, and by the looks of it, they were going to score and win. The Seahawks made it to the four yard line and everyone assumed they were going to give the ball to Marshawn Lynch, their running back, to score the final touchdown for the win. This was this distinct second that all of the Seahawks fans felt their dreams die, because Pete Carrol, the Seahawks coach, decided to make a pass play. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, the pass ended in an interception by the Patriots, resulting in a final score of 28-24 with the Patriots winning.

 As one can guess, the masses of Seahawks fans were in shock! Why would Pete Carroll make such a risky play when they were that close to winning? Since this has become such a controversy, I set out to find what people at Avila University thought about the final few plays that lead to the Seahawk's loss. Casey Lee, a Sports Communication major had this to say when asked about Pete Carroll's decision to throw the ball, rather than run. "Here's the thing, no matter what would have happened, someone would have criticized it because if the throw had worked no one would have given it a second thought. They would have said, 'Oh what a great call, what a great play!' I think it's like that with any play that doesn't end up working. People don't realize that, you know everyone was like, 'Pass the ball to Marshawn Lynch.' Well throughout the season when they were on the one yard line, they gave it to him five times and he only got in once. So really there's a lot of ways to look at it and obviously it was the call that blew the game, but I think people are being over the top about how it's one of the worst calls ever."

 

Casey Lee, Sports Communication

Another Avila Student, Zach Mize who is also a Sports Communication major had this to say when asked about Pete Carroll’s play call. “I thought it was awesome. I just wanted a good game. I called the Pats by six, and that didn’t happen; but I did get the Pats by four.” I then asked him if he thought it was the wrong play call he stated, “No,” however he acknowledged that if he were their coach he would not have made that call because it only made since to give the ball to Lynch.

 

Zach Mize, Sports Communication

 

We will never know what would had happened if Pete Carroll would have made the decision to give the ball to Marshawn Lynch as their final play. As Casey mentioned, just because you give the ball to Lynch doesn’t mean he always will make a touchdown. The issue lies with the risk Pete Carroll was taking by calling a pass play. If he would have at least tried to run the ball before passing, the public’s reaction may have been different, and more importantly the score could have been different. These are the things that should have been considered before calling a play that potentially cost the Seahawks the Superbowl Win.