Polls open in the SGA Special Election Tuesday, March 31, at noon, and close at 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 1. Below are position descriptions, a list of candidates and their complete speeches, exclusively at bryantriangle.com
Click HERE to read the candidates’ speeches.
For many of us, music is the lubricant that allows our soul to smoothly navigate daily life. A specific beat, or that certain melody can harken us back to a place of solace or sorrow. In a world of seemingly limitless variety, the line between the music we listen to and who we are can become increasingly indistinguishable. If you don’t find that scary, keep reading.
Most people I’ve come in contact with are pretty proud of the ensemble of artists pulsating through their little white earbuds. Furthermore, you probably consider yourself as an intelligent person with pretty good taste in music. Well, think again, because unless you would put “Beethoven” down as your favorite artist, it is likely that your music is making you dumb. A potentially brilliant man named Virgil Griffith has developed an insightful and exceedingly amusing way to look at the way that we assess the music we listen too and the books we read.
Griffith has devised a way to take the music and books that users list on Facebook as their favorites and cross-apply those with the average SAT of the school that each user is associated with. This study of course, does not prove causation, just correlation. Take a look at the Music that Makes You Dumb
I am a recovering musical snob, and this type of study throws gas on my proverbial Better-Then-Thou-Fire. Looking at this chart seems to magically increase my SAT score by a couple hundred points. (Yes, I have already called my mother and told her the good news.) Although, I do not consider Beethoven as one of my favorite artists, Sufjan Stevens and three or four of the next top ranking artists are on my most played in iTunes. This scientifically proves that I am smarter than you…. Well, sort of.
Additionally check out the Books that Make you Dumb , and see where your beloved books fall on the list. To really start having fun, be sure to look up the school that you’re associated with and look to see what are the top books (i.e. Is anyone surprised that the #2 book at Bryan College is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin? Oh me, oh my. Another blog-post for another day…. )
There are, of course, a multitude of exceptions and Griffith’s studies are rooted, to some degree, in generalizations. However, these studies do beg all sorts of questions: Are my reading/musical preferences indicating that I have an IQ of a llama? Or are we destined to read and listen to certain artists because of how smart we are? How quickly can I remove Lil’ Wayne from my Facebook profile?
Needless to say, if you see me this week, you will likely find Beethoven’s 9th in my ears and a copy of Lolita under my arm.
By Matt Crutchfield, senior staff writer
The current status of the United States economy is a source of discouragement and confusion for many working Americans. Nearly every aspect of society has been influenced by the fluctuating market, and for some the consequences have been severe.
Adjusting thermostats is one way that Bryan College is attempting to cut costs in these tough economic times.
While Bryan College is not suffering greatly from the current economic trends, it is also not beyond the reach of the consequences of a struggling financial market. Read full story »
By Joseph Demme
"The Class" poster
Starting with teachers at a high school in Paris introducing themselves before the school year begins, director Laurent Cantet sets the mood and setting for the rest of the film. The Class rarely steps outside of the building, showing us what happens within the confines of the classroom.
The Class, based on François Bégaudeau’s semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, is about Bégaudeau (played by himself in the film) teaching French to a culturally diverse class in a Paris high school. It deals with important issues that pertain to teaching and interacting with people coming from different cultures and backgrounds. For example, in several scenes Bégaudeau has to explain what certain words and idioms that he uses mean because the students aren’t familiar with them.
Stylistically, The Class falls into the cinéma vérité camp, adopting a distinctive documentary feel. The majority of the film takes place within the classroom, and is intimately filmed. It’s as if the camera is hovering around the classroom capturing spontaneous moments as they happen. Aside from meetings with the student boards and parents, there isn’t much background for the students given; what you see is what you get. There are a lot of closeups in the film, reminding me of the style of director John Cassavetes.
Staying during the closing credits, I had a short conversation with an older couple that were seated a few rows in front of me about the film. The husband is a teacher, and they were wondering what my take on the film was, and more importantly, Bégaudeau’s teaching method. We talked about the cultural problems that he had to deal with and how he genuinely wanted his students to succeed.
That said, however, I appreciate how the filmmakers didn’t make Bégaudeau out to be the perfect teacher. For example, he’s been teaching there for four years and should have more control over his classroom; the students run the class more than they should. The moments when he does connect with the students, however, are beautiful. I think he would be more at home in an organic setting rather than the traditional one that he’s currently in.
In some ways The Class can be compared to Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. Both films deal with a culture clash that takes place in an environment where people are forced into contact with each other. The Class succeeds in showing us what can happen when various cultures come together under the same roof. It raises a lot of questions about education, culture and communication, leaving the viewer to struggle with the answers as the credits roll.
Her name is Emma Tome and she is lovely.
“ I’ve lost touch to do many things,” she said as her delicately wrinkled hands perfectly poured 10 cups of coffee for college students who, 30 minutes ago were strangers, but were now crowded around her dining table.
At 85 Emma may have lost touch for some things, but other things have only improved with time.
Emma is still an artist, a rather excellent artist at that. Seventeen paintings adorn her walls; all painted by her. The subjects of the paintings allow a glimpse into her character. Nature is the primary muse. Her love for nature extends to love for animals. Read full story »
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