We are in the thick of it.

As of late, the stir created by John McCain’s nomination of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate has been overwhelming. This nomination was initially surprising because Palin was virtually unknown to the general public.

As we all settle into the rhythm of the school year, it is easy to turn a blind eye to global events. Either due to apathy, ignorance or simply a lack of time to stay up-to-date, many students do not grasp the repercussions these events will have.

It’s the start of the semester. We are getting primed for another four months of classes, studying and trying to kill the time in between. One good way to kill that time, as I have found, is to prepare for the upcoming election.

As another school year is about to begin, I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all the new students to the University of Nevada, Reno. Whether you are a freshman right out of high school, a transferring upperclassman or the creepy 40-year-old man who lives in the dorms for some reason, we welcome [...]

Ah, campaign season: A glorious time when old rich people prance around on television and tell us why they are exactly what this country needs.

If you take a stroll around campus, you’ll see a handful of rectangular towers with a blue light on the top.

The economy has now succeeded the War in Iraq as the No. 1 issue on Americans’ minds. That makes sense, of course, since the economy is a disaster and heading for recession and President Bush is the one to blame.

Well, it is finally over: the campaigning, the debates, the days spent handing out fliers to university undergraduate students. I am referring of course to last week’s Associated Students of the University of Nevada election campaigns.

As another week rolls by and students drag themselves to class, conversations often turn to the antics of the last weekend. And as the week continues, all eyes are turned toward the upcoming weekend.

Last week the nation saw another public shooting take innocent lives. About 60 miles west of Chicago at Northern Illinois University, a young man entered a lecture hall on the campus and opened fire on the students inside. Six were killed, including the shooter who took his own life.

Unfortunately the country is becoming used to hearing about events like Columbine, Virginia Tech and now NIU.

Coupled with recent mall shootings, NIU reopens the question: Why has there been such a surge of violence recently? Well, that one will have to be left to the social psychologists.