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Bad habits. They start pretty much as soon as we’re old enough to walk, whether it’s sucking on our thumbs or not sharing our toys. As we get a little older, the habits change, for example, my younger brother used to color himself with markers every time someone was in plain site. A habit he luckily grew out of. As we get even older, the habits can be little things we don’t even notice, like chewing with our mouths open, or worse habits, like smoking or drinking all the time. Even if you have a clean record, can anyone truthfully say that they do not have bad habits?

It is almost time for a much needed break from school and for some, a fun get away with friends. But with an abundance of snow days putting classes behind on work and nine more weeks after break to cram in work, there is still a long way to go.

Interning in Washington and working with the Chinese Ministry on Civil Affairs are accomplishments worth bragging about for any college student. But for Chris Miller, a political science major, such an experience was much more significant.

The Winter Olympics have brought upon us a generation of seemingly fearless athletes intent on advancing through extreme feats such as snowboarding and slopestyle and half-pipe skiing. The intensity with which these athletes train to ultimately endanger their lives for the sake of the sport truly makes us wonder, what is the inherent difference between these risk taking competitors and the rest of the masses content with simply watching them on TV? The answer may verily lie within our DNA.

Attending a new school can be a nerve wracking situation for many. It is a new surrounding with new people, new schedules and new experiences to adjust to. For transfer students at institutions all over, this is a commonly shared feeling of anxiety.

I’ve seen people doing it in class. I’ve seen people doing it at parties. I’ve seen people doing it while eating, working out at the gym, pretty much everywhere and anywhere. Celebrities do it. Even Olympic athletics are doing it. Selfies: the art of taking a picture of your own face.

Advancing the availability of alternative energy solutions reaps the benefits of protecting the environment, promising future generations a reliable energy supply, creating jobs to improve the economy, and most importantly, enabling energy independence to reduce the dependence on foreign sources.