Opinion

Today we live in a world controlled by social media. People walk with their heads buried in their phones, and they care more about likes or the latest trends than they do for each other. Many are spending time trying to perfect the latest TikTok challenge rather than with their friends and family.

With the end of the spring semester quickly approaching, one cannot help but to think about the future. Whether you are awaiting the start of the next semester or entering the real world after graduation, the future can be scary.

When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit the United States last year, the travel industry came to a complete halt. Over the course of the summer, people began to venture out a little bit more, but mostly sticking to small road trips. With more and more people gaining access to COVID-19 vaccinations, the light is finally at the end of the tunnel. After over a year of isolation, it’s safe to say that we are itching to get out of our houses. Armed with the right precautions and equipment, travel is possible right now.

You know, it’s funny—people say chivalry is dead but really, it was just reinvented. According to the Oxford Dictionary, chivalry is, “the medieval knightly system with its religious, moral, and social code; Knights, noblemen, and horsemen collectively; the combination of qualities expected of an ideal knight, especially courage, honor, courtesy, justice, and a readiness to help the weak.” Many people believe that chivalry is actions taken to make women feel good or impress them. Today that might be true, but that was not always the case.

April showers bring May flowers, but May flowers bring distraction to school and homework. With the seasons quickly changing and school coming to an end, being stuck at a desk all day while the weather is beautiful might impact how and when we get our work done.

Life over the past year has been nothing short of crazy. One day we were sitting in on lectures, going to the gym, and attending parties with our friends. Come the next day, we were locked inside with no end to the pandemic in sight. It was a tragic and scary part of our lives in which we had no choice but to adapt. Now, most of us have adjusted to this new way of life. We moved the classroom into our bedrooms, the gym into our living rooms, and “parties’’ consist of hanging out with your parents and your dog.

This America is not the America I understood it to be when I was a little girl. Like most kids, I lived with the false reality that everything was perfect and everyone was equal. I never thought to treat someone who didn’t look like me differently, but as I got older I realized that to a lot of people, the color of your skin matters.

With marijuana now legal in New Jersey, it calls to question what right a location has to ban the substance. Many private properties such as colleges, stores, and hotels have made it clear that the smoking of the substance will not be permitted on a property’s respective premises. While this may seem unreasonable to people who have waited a very long time for marijuana to be legal in the state of New Jersey, private properties are entitled to make these decisions.

Caffeine is no stranger to students at Monmouth University. Dunkin coffee cups can easily be spotted in the hands of several of the University’s students all around campus as they rush to their 8:30 morning classes. From the on-campus coffee shops in Plangere Center to the Rebecca Stafford Student Center, there is no lack of options. Several of us have chugged cans of energy drinks, such as Monster and Red Bull, to stay awake and study during midterms and finals.