not xkcd: My Feelings about HFID
Olin’s Student Government
Hello there fellow Oliner! As one of your friendly neighborhood CORe representatives, I am here to tell you about what CORe is, does, and can be. The Council of Olin Representatives (CORe), meets every Sunday evening from 9 –10 pm in the Crescent room to discuss improving Olin and we would love for you to be part of the conversation. As you may have seen in our CORe digest, this semester we are already working on some projects including improving the GO bike fleet, replacing drumheads in the jam room, and filling student roles on committees. However, these projects are just a small part of what we currently do, and CORe has the potential to be so much more.
Frankly Speaking Website Banner Image Contest
Submit your photos of Olin to submit@franklyspeakingnews.com for a chance to be part of the newly revamped Frankly Speaking website, and be sure to check out the site at franklyspeakingnews.com. Submissions accepted and included on a rolling basis.
Advice on Olin, Life & Love
This past year, I put a lot of time and energy into finding the answers to the question “How can I get the most out of Olin, life, and love?” In last year’s SERV auction, two sophomores won an item donated by the entire class of 2013 in which the then-seniors promised to address any query to the best of their collective ability. This was the question posed, and it struck a chord with us all. Who hasn’t asked themselves at some point: “How can I be sure I’m getting things right?” Really, how can one tell? Dear reader, how do you?
I took it upon myself to track down my friends and peers in order to collect each of their responses. I can’t share what they said (it’s a trade secret, you see), but I can say what insights I gained from the process. It was an enlightening process – most SERV auction experiences are, and I suggest that any and all Oliners engage in it – and it highlighted to me the true worth of giving advice.
GO Bike Program Revamped
Olin is a unique community, and as such, it has unique opportunities and resources, including Olin’s GO bike program. Very few other colleges trust their students enough to have bikes that students can just take out and ride, and I immensely appreciate the easy access I have to GO bikes at Olin. My appreciation for the GO bikes led me to become involved in the program, and I’d like to share with you some of my thoughts. Recently, due to increasing concern about the use and treatment of the GO bikes, CORe has proposed some changes for the program.
Newspapers Require Writers
Many of you probably don’t know that Frankly Speaking was originally created three years ago as a means of fighting back against censorship by the Olin administration and promoting open dialog within the Olin community. As such a small school with a relatively small body of administrators as compared to the average college, it is not always easy for us, as students, to get our messages across to the right people. Often, I hear students expressing frustration about something without knowing any obvious path of remedying that frustration. Frankly Speaking hopes to bridge the divide between the students and the administration and to provide a forum for communication about issues facing our community.
The State of Politics in MA
Massachusetts held a special election this past June to fill the vacant Massachusetts senator position left by new Secretary of State John Kerry. Obama selected Kerry for the position after Hilary Clinton stepped down from her post at the end of January.
This marks the second time in the past four years that a long-held senate seat was up for election. Ted Kennedy and John Kerry served as Massachusetts senators for 47 years and 28 years, respectively.
Since Kennedy passed away in 2009, his senate seat has been well contested; he was followed briefly by interim senator Paul Kirk, then Scott Brown and finally Elizabeth Warren today.
Boston Mayoral Election
Boston is looking to elect a new mayor in November. The current mayor, Mayor Thomas Menino has been in office since 1993 for five consecutive terms, and has decided not to run for a sixth.
In late March, Menino revealed his decision: “I’m here with the people I love, to tell the city I love that I will leave the job that I love.”
Since this announcement, there has been a flurry of movement among potential mayoral candidates who would like to take Menino’s seat. What kind of mayor will succeed Menino? He is known for being an excellent mayor, who developed many neighborhoods, touted pro-equality politics, created highly successful programs like “Boston Bikes,” and turned “Beantown” into “Greentown.”
A Writer’s Rant on Gender
When writing, one thing is consistently difficult: choosing a character’s gender.
I mean, what are the factors to consider? We live in a world where diversity is demanded, and offending someone seems far too easy. Countless arguments persist in the media over how certain personas are portrayed as inaccurate or demeaning. And I, personally, am more than conscious of the push for equal gender balance, or “why are there no females?!” discussions.