Opinion

When African Americans tried to mix with Whites during the Civil Rights years, the police and citizens enforced segregation by all means necessary. This fact is crucial to understanding an important time in our American history. But when merely communicated through the spoken word, can students truly grasp the hate and agony experienced in this time? For very few, maybe so. But for most, no.

The crackle of the wrapper sounds deafening in the hush of the early morning. School is beginning and the nauseating, repulsive smell of fake strawberries is just too much. Are Pop-Tarts really necessary at such an early hour? All you want is tea — an idea is born. Why not have a fund-raiser for your club and sell tea on Friday mornings?

Recently a show was performed after school to raise money for international charity. Although the International Club’s efforts should be applauded and supported, the effectiveness of foreign aid on a world scale has yet to be determined. Charity is one of the most celebrated acts of humanity, but many have accused foreign aid recipients and producers of corruption. In addition, many believe that charity organizations fail to support the deprived public in various disadvantaged areas.

The opinions presented in this article reflect those of the individual reporter, not of the Rank & File collectively.

For years, Alabama resident Laura Mallory campaigned against the wildly successful Harry Potter books, claiming them to be "dangerous and deceptive" and blaming them for "mainstreaming witchcraft [for children]".

Mallory challenged the books’ placement in school libraries and appealed multiple times in effort to have the Potter series banned from her local schools. However, Mallory no longer had any children in public schools by the time she was making her most recent appeals.

With the publication of this final issue, volume 48 of Rank & File is officially complete, marking a day I never thought, or hoped, would come. Over the course of this year, our staff has diligently worked to fulfill the promise I made in September to provide this community with a worthy record of its achievements and particularities. This year has provided us with ample material for the stories that filled our pages and inspired our work.

It’s 12 a.m. and the towering pile of math homework you’re working on is taking longer than it should. Occasionally, your eyes start to flicker, then close; drool begins escaping the corner of your mouth as your tilted head slowly drops before... THUMP, you’re back awake until you do it again. Just as soon as you finish the homework, you begin watching your favorite show as you simultaneously instant message your best friend. But the next morning, you wake up dead tired.

When you hear the words bullying or cyber bullying, certain negative thoughts come to mind. There is the immediate desire to roll your eyes, or tune out. When you hear that there is going to be an hour-long discussion on the dangers of bullying in class, you prepare yourself for an hour-long nap. This predilection to ignoring talks on bullying is completely understandable, because in the end we have been receiving the same message for years. Yes, we get it; bullying is a problem. No one is arguing against that fact, we just don’t want to hear another lecture on it.

1. Tapeworm diet: People consume tapeworms so that the parasite will consume nutrients from all of the food they eat, leaving them literally starving... but skinny!

2. Foot binding: The Chinese custom of wrapping feet tightly from birth to make them small, but deformed, in older age.

3. Neck stretching: South African tradition of wearing rings around the neck to stretch it out over many years.

 4. Eyebrow threading: Flossing your eyebrows, especially in the middle of the mall, is not cool, people.

According to Peter’s Principle, a theory originally established by education specialist Laurence J. Peter in 1969, a person rises up the ranks until they reach a point of incompetence.

This truth also applies to a political parties. The Republican and Democratic parties have both historically implemented change that has- pushed the country forward. Unfortunately, both parties have grown to a point where their own priorities hold them back. As a result, the time has come to dissolve these bitter rivals and make way for a more evenly represented multi-party system.