LETTER TO THE EDITOR
8
B
oone’s anking
If I have learned anything from the current recession and associated turmoil in the markets it is this: no asset is safe from price depreciation, whether it is real estate, equities or fixed income securities. It is certainly a humbling message being delivered to a generation which has hitherto thought that a house will always be worth what you paid for it CULLEN (at worst) and MURPHY that stocks will Contributor rise over any ten year period. I do not believe that anyone should wholly remove themselves from these risky assets, as smart investing in them—which includes being prepared for years like 07-08—will give you a better chance of retiring well. Today’s is a column of safety. The first group of securities outlined here are the safest vehicles for your money. These are: demand deposits (your bank account is insured up to $100,000 by the FDIC), money market mutual funds (highly liquid short term debt mutual funds, newly insured), and Treasury securities. Unless you believe that the American economy is about to collapse—not an unheard of opinion these days—these vehicles will most likely return your money with some small amount of interest. (If you do believe that the American economy is about to collapse, buy liquor and cigarettes, as these commodities often take the place of currency in times of collapse.) Of course, as college students, an aptly labeled risky bunch, you laugh at my suggestion of three percent and want to know how to invest in equities safer. There are many answers to this, and the most prominent is of course “diversify.” Buy many different types of stocks, from different industries—some of which will be less cyclical, e.g. cigarettes and utilities, but with today’s financial “advancement” it is possible to invest in what are called “long/short funds.” Without boring with all details, someone who has a short position will profit if the equity decreases in value, and long is a normal purchase. These funds therefore have the ability—or rather their managers have the ability—to profit in a market which is being indiscriminately sold off… a market like… 08 perhaps? Investing part of your portfolio in some safer assets, o r hedging your portfolio with some short positions, will serve to protect your money in hard times like these.
March 31, 2009
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Greek life around nation concerns student LESLIE GEHRING Contributor Freshman
I’m not Greek. I’ve never rushed, I’ve never been inside a fraternity or sorority house and I’ve never attended any of the big Greek events like Mustache Bash or Spagammi. I will admit, I came into college with an anti-Greek bias. I’ve always been a bit wary of that level of sisterhood, but it was Alexandra Robbins’ book Pledged that cemented my decision not to join a sorority. However, as a student at a school where 19 percent of students are a part of Greek life (according to DU’s Website), I definitely notice the presence of Greek life. Many of my friends are in fraternities or sororities, and they seem to enjoy it, most of the time. While I personally am not
interested in joining a sorority, I can appreciate the fact that, for some people, Greek life is a great part of the college experience. They enjoy the camaraderie, the pre-planned social events, the philanthropy. T h a t being said, there are some parts of Greek life I will never understand: Hazing. As much as schools work to eliminate it and Greek leadership tries to deny it, hazing is a part of Greek life at many schools across the country. Take, for example, the case of the University of Alabama student who suffered from severe burns and a collapsed lung as a result of a Sigma Phi Epsilon event at which pledges were asked to sit on
a heated metal chair. The fraternity, which was kicked off campus, insisted that no one was required or forced to sit on the chair. Guess what? Asking, instead of ordering, someone to cause himself bodily harm does not absolve one of responsibility. Hazing is hazing, required or not. “Greek Sing.” Joining about 30 other girls in singing sexually explicit songs detailing exactly what we (supposedly) would like to do with and/or to a group of boys, most of whom I’ve never met before? No, thank you. Being excessively loud and obnoxious. Traveling in groups of six or seven to pound on the doors
“ ” There are some parts of Greek life I will never understand.
Pioneer Voices
of pledges at 12:09 a.m. is not only clearly a violation of the quiet hours rule in the dorms, but it is also extremely inconsiderate. With every rush period, I can expect to be awakened several times during the night by the pounding on doors, shouting of names and excited squeals that signal acceptance by the Greeks. The message I get? We like you so much that we’ll deprive you of sleep! Also, we’ll deprive everyone else on your floor of sleep since we don’t care about the feelings of others! Now, I do realize that many Greek organizations do a lot of good work. I also recognize that my observations are not necessarily representative of Greek life as a whole, but they aren’t meant to be. They are what they are: my personal experiences with and observations of Greek life.
What do you think about the foundation course requirement changes?
MARGARET GERBER Freshman Maine
BRYAN BARRY Sophomore California
TYLER HUCKABY Junior Colorado
ADAM COLE Senior Utah
“I support the change. I wish it would affect me too. I like that it lets students take more classes that actually interest them and also help them move forward.”
“It’s a good idea but I don’t think it’s fair I had to go through it and others don’t. I think business majors shouldn’t have to go through a year of intensive science.“
“It’s a great idea because it allows students to effectively manage course load and utilize time.”
“They do need to take a few things out so you can have more electives, but I do think they need the forced variation. I think it’s good to have as much variation as you can here.”
Positive course changes KATIE MASTROIANNI Editorials editor
Although April Fool’s day was last week, this is no joke. This week, the Clarion has an article about proposed changes to the cirriculum. Foundations will be completely different. Currently, classes such as SOCS, AHUM and CREX are all a part of foundation courses. All the details can be found in the article, but the changes would create less requirements for students starting with the class of 2013. When I discussed the changes with other students, everyone sounded supportive but jealous. The changes would not, unfortuately, be retroactive. So, if you are currently a student at
DU, you will still need to fulfill the current foundation course requirements. For the money we pay to attend DU, it doesn’t make sense to take not just one, but in some cases several classes that neither interest nor supplement a student’s academic career. I fully support a diverse and well rounded student. The new changes appear to remain supportive of a well rounded student, yet allow the student to choose more classes that they find interesting or benificial. I hope that on April 24, full-time faculty who teach undergrads will vote in support of these changes. Next year, the incoming students will have an advatage with the possibility of being able to choose courses better suited for each individual.
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