Opinion

When it comes to college sports, two sports generally get the bulk of attention: football and basketball. Each sport has their arguments as to why they should be considered the king of college athletics, but is there really much of a competition?

I am not an avid reader of the Outlook. In fact, I had no idea how frequently, or on which day, the paper was printed until this week. My perusal of its pages has been part of a recent attempt to develop some semblance of a connection to the University and my classmates – outside of my own personal academic life – before I graduate in May.

While skimming The New York Times, I came across a very interesting subject: should children of illegal immigrants be entitled to public education? Taking into consideration that elections just took place, I found it to be perfect timing to discuss something a bit more serious. This topic offended me. Having been illegal for more than half the time I have lived in the United States, it hurt me to read that citizens like me are questioning whether my past self should be allowed to have an education.

How often do you find yourself sitting in a classroom and thinking, “Wow this is what I woke up for?” Lectures are not always fun, or easy to remain awake through. We’ve all had those classes, mainly electives or graduation requirements, which feel like nothing more than a waste of time, credits, money, and most importantly, sleep. I understand the University has certain requirements a student must fulfill so that he/she is considered well-rounded enough when entering the real world- or at least that’s their excuse for stocking us with unnecessary courses.

Ah, the holidays. Famous singer Andy Williams described them in his legendary song, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” The “holidays” usually refer to a period in the United States of America that ranges from around Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, that is filled with food, shopping, and gatherings of families across the country.

This is not an article that is going to slam Monmouth or any other college or university for having high tuition costs. This is not an article that is going to complain about where my tuition money goes or what I believe it is spent on. This is, instead, an article expressing my beliefs on the fact that something needs to be done about the rising tuition costs in America.

Generation Y: the “Millennials”, “Generation Me”, and the “Instant Gratification Generation.” Yup, that’s us. In a world with social media obsessions, high speed technological development, and much of what we desire readily available right at our fingertips, I hate to break it to you but we sort of live up to it.