4 OPINIONS
T h e D ai l y Eastern News W W W. DA I LY E A S T E R N N E W S . C O M
Wednesday, 4.15.15
Wordplay of the day
Kevin Hall
Graduation: the commencement of life As May 9 slowly approaches, with each day that passes I can’t help but feel a slight twist in my gut every day. The day that many consider to be a day manifested from hard work, dedication and ambition—I can’t help but look at as a day of change, transition and a hint of pessimism. I mean, I can’t say that I’m not totally excited to be graduating, but I can definitely say that certain perspectives cause me to be a tad bit apprehensive about this momentous occasion. Never in my life has “so what’s next?” been such an offensive question. I don’t think I become offended because I am feeling attacked but merely because no matter how many times I’ve heard the question in the last several months, I’ve yet to come up with a concrete answer. Sure, I have an idea as to what I want to do after I graduate, but who’s to say the universe will reciprocate that energy? For the last 18 years of my life, school has provided me with a foundation in which not only I could lay my educational foundation, but it has also provided me with the social skills essential to life. Outside of family of course, school was my first encounter with social interaction, and I feel it has been essential to my growth and development. From primary school until now, I have managed to keep the exact same perception of school. To me it has always been an institution to educate and progress society, but it is up to the society as a whole how they decide to incorporate education and school systems. With my undergraduate schooling coming to an end, I can’t help but wonder if I’ve taken as much as possible away from school at this point. Come May 9, I won’t just be walking across a stage to signify the completion of my undergraduate year, but it will be me graduating into my own life. No longer will school serve as the purpose of my productivity, and I don’t know whether to be relieved or concerned about this fact. Granted, I could always go ahead and enroll right back in school and go to graduate school, but for some reason that idea makes me feel as though I lose. After participating in three graduations in my life thus far, I can’t help but feel as though this is the one. The one that will define me for years to come and I can’t help but question how I even got here. Five years ago I would have never saw myself anticipating this day so anxiously. But now, add a few more credit hours and a tad bit grayer hair on my head, and I’m cap and gown ready. I guess more than anything, I am a bit starstruck by the future transitions that will soon take place in life, but more than anything I am ready to elevate myself as well as those around me. Kevin Hall is a senior journalism major and he can be reached at denopinions@gmail.com.
DION MCNEAL | THE DAILY EASTERN NE WS
STAFF EDITORIAL
City Council miscommunicates union proposal The Charleston City Council passed a resolution April 7 that incorporated some proposals by Gov. Bruce Rauner regarding the creation of “empowerment zones.” The Illinois Prevailing Wage Act stipulates that workers who are paid with public money must be paid no less than the general prevailing hourly rate in the area. This resolution means the city would not have to follow state law. Charleston is not the only local government to pass such a resolution—the website Capitol Fax reports that the village of Oswego and the city of Clinton among others have enacted similar resolutions. All of these cities have passed resolutions, despite Illinois law stating the actions suggestions in the resolution can only be implemented by the state. The manner in which this resolution was
discussed and came to pass should be scrutinized. The Journal Gazette & Times-Courier reported that the language of the resolution was discussed via email among Mayor Larry Rennels and the other council members. The resolution was part of the consent agenda, with members of the public not being able to voice their opinion. The resolution was also not placed on file for public inspection. The language of the resolution also does not spell out why exactly the city needs this to be enacted. What are written are words from the governor’s office. In Tuesday’s issue of The Daily Eastern News, Rennels said that the resolution was passed to show support for Rauner’s prevailing wage proposal—nothing was mentioned about actually enacting it. Should the city decide to enforce the resolu-
tion, they would be going up against state law. According to Progress Illinois, Attorney General Lisa Madigan issued a legal opinion where she states that governments that do or do not have home rule status do not, “have the authority to opt out of compliance of the (Prevailing Wage Act) when seeking bids and awarding contracts for the construction or demolition of public works.” It is important for governmental bodies to not violate the Illinois Open Meetings Act and to hold discussion on important matters with the public. Even though this resolution is essentially “non-binding” (cannot be enacted because of state law), it should have been discussed with the citizens. The daily editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial board of The Daily Eastern News.
Marvel’s new show starts off on a good note Growing up in a time where classic comic book characters are getting movies and television shows, it’s the best time to be a comic book fan. I mean, who doesn’t want to see heroes like the Avengers, Batman and Superman get their time in the limelight. However, what has really been getting people’s attention is the number of television shows centered on comic book heroes. No, I don’t mean ‘Teen Titans Go!” I mean shows like “Arrow,” “Gotham,” and “The Flash.” These are the shows that really reel people in. There is only one slight issue here: Where are the Marvel shows? Each one of the shows I previously mentioned all belong to DC comics—one of the top two reigning comic book kings. Sure there’s Marvel’s Agents of “S.H.I.E.L.D” and “Agent Carter,” but I couldn’t get myself into those shows. I grew up loving Marvel—from Spiderman all the way to the Avengers, and I do have some DC favorites like Batman and The Flash. But are there any Marvel shows that I could get hooked on while I wait for the next Marvel film? Then came the announcement that Marvel was planning on creating four new shows, focusing on other heroes in the Marvel Universe.
Luis Martinez The first of these new shows is “Daredevil,” and I have to say, it is quickly becoming one of my new favorite shows. It is gritty, dark and the characters are just plain awesome. The season focuses on Matt Murdoch, a blind lawyer who moonlights as the mask-wearing vigilante as he fights to free Hell’s Kitchen from the likes of Wilson Fisk—also known as The Kingpin. The show combines Daredevil’s original story with the protagonist’s path to becoming Daredevil. The season is 13 episodes, and I still haven’t finished all of them yet, but so far, the show is intense. Now, the show is only available on Netflix, and while I don’t particularly like this, there are a lot of
positives that could come out of it. One: all the episodes from the season were made available the day the show was released. Two: Marvel is planning to release three other shows focusing on three other Marvel superheroes, before releasing a mini-series focusing on the Marvel team, the Defenders. All of these shows take place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which also included Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, The Avengers, and Spiderman, which means the characters on the show may have bigger parts to play in future Marvel films. The best part about the Netflix series is how many Easter eggs (hidden clues, secrets) the writers put in the show. For those of you who still haven’t seen “Daredevil,” I don’t plan on spoiling the show for you, so don’t worry. Now, if and when you have the time, I would definitely recommend watching it. The next show to come out on Netflix is Marvel’s “A.K.A Jessica Jones,” which is set to come out sometime this year. Luis Martinez is a junior journalism major and he can be reached at denopinions@gmail.com.
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