Response to Brady's Blog

Before I respond Im just gonna say my point of view is much different, due to the fact that I have pledged and am currently a brother of a fraternity. The argument that you pay for friends is ridiculous. You pay to be able to do things with your friends and to meet new people who maybe you would never of met. We pay dues so we can go to a beach for a weekend with our friends. Especially at firman due to our rules if you want to have a party you have to have it at a off campus house. Someone  has to pay for that house so we do. It sucks but at Furman, this is the atmosphere we live in. So yes we have to pay money to be in a fraternity but it is not paying for friends, it is paying to do things with friends.

Secondly you mention the pledging process, the pledging process is hard I will admit but it is for the sake of brotherhood. I can genuinely say I know 70 other guys extremely well. It is so time consuming because we only have 8 weeks to learn about all the members in the fraternity. Think of it like teammates. You spend tons of time with your team and get know them. It is the same thing with pledging, its so you get know the members of the fraternity and your pledge brothers.

Overall you just need to think as a fraternity as a team. Just like your teammates our brothers are there to support us through everything. Help us when we are down and have fun with each other. Most kids in college never get a chance to be part of a team and a fraternity is a adequate substitute for that. Yes pledging sucks but once you get through it everyone will say that it is worth it.

In regards to the University of Oklahoma SAE issue my stance is the same I have with any issue like this. It was dumb for them to do it, it is shameful if they actually think that way but at the end of the day they have the right to say it. It might be a hard pill to swallow but if an american wants to be racist he or she has that right. In regards to the SAE insistent the nationals of the fraternity had every right to disband the charter but the university did not have the right to expel the students. It is a public institution and that means it is a part of the government. The government does not have the right to tell people what they can and can not say. People need to be protected and be able to say whatever they want. There is also a double standard in america. How can one group of people say they have ownership of a word? Just because someone is white does not  mean that he or she  can't use that word. Honestly if there was a word only white people could say people and the media would have an issue with that.  America is a the greatest country on earth because we are protected to say and think whatever we want. People need to remember that the rights allowing you to call people racist also protects them, and allows them to say whatever they want.

Response to Daniel's Blog

Daniel you bring up a good point in regards to the point that men are equal to women in terms of that child. Men are just as responsible as women if a women is in fact inpregnated. This is why if the men an women are not together the man is required by law to pay child support if he does not wish to raise the child. Even if he does want to he still must help support the mother. This being said this goes against one of the all time staples of the pro choice argument. That a women has a choice to do what she wants with her body. If she believe she is totally in charge does that mean that she should be the only one to take care of the child? This where there is a double standard. The baby in many peoples eyes is just the mothers until he or she's birth and then the man becomes responsible. If women want the support of the father, as they should, they must say that the living being inside of them is equally his at as it is hers. This is where I believe your argument resides, not that the father can tell the mother what to do or vice versa. But both parents are equals and should have equal say in deciding the fate of the unborn child.

Response to Isaac's Blog

I see the point Isaac is trying to bring up that children need to have more of a input on their own education. I personally believe that our educational system needs to remained very structured. First off you critic the focus on reading, writing and math. I feel that this is ridiculous because those subjects are the foundation of all others. You can't love science or history if you do not have proficient basic skills. Also if we allow children to choose to learn only what they want we would live  in a world of artists and gym teachers. Kids do not know what is good for them. Also what happens if you change your mind when you get older? Without a well rounded education people would have nothing to fall back on. If we want our education system to improve we need better teachers.  Teachers need to be able to make all subjects interesting and be able to keep all kids engaged. I personally believe if a student is smart enough to move on no system should hold him back.  Yes this could bring a divide between students but this will keep all students engaged. This is how we can improve our educational system. Not by letting students choose but by having teachers who can engage a wide variety of students effectively.

Hana the main I disagree with is where you say that you can't keep playing Girls Lacrosse after graduation. I also play a sport in college, it being rugby, and my athletic career is only beginning. After college I plan on playing rugby at a local club wherever I am living. When I start getting older I will move from competitive mens level and play old boys. My father played rugby until he was 52  and the only reason he had to quit is because he had a plate put in his neck. Even still he has continued to referee and coach the game he loves. I hope to play for even longer then him. It is shame that sports like football pretty much need after a school or a pro team isn't paying for it anymore. Most sports however do continue after college. Its just get busy with things like work and having a family. So playing a sport after school will be hard but It can be done. So be more positive your girls lacrosse career will continue for a long time if you want it to.

I completely agree with Kat's stance on studying abroad.  For many people this is the on opportunity in their life where they can live over seas so why not take advantage of it. I personally want to study away my junior year but unfortunately there are many things that can get in the way from letting a student go. For example I plan on trying to get 2 degrees at my time at furman. This means there are very few programs if any that I can fit in my schedule. I also play on the rugby team here which has its main season in the fall. Most of the study away programs at furman are in the fall so\ the programs that would be best for me academically. So as amazing as studying abroad would be It will be very hard for me to work it into my schedule. Hopefully I will be able to make it happen.

Presentation

Here are some facts that will make help you understand my topic better.

In the NBA: 78 percent of players are african american,17 percent are caucasian, 4 percent latino and 1 percent asian

In the NFL: 66 percent of players are African american, 31 percent caucasian and 3 percent everyone else.

Yet in the United States: America is 61 percent white, 17 percent latino, 13 percent african american, 4 percent asian and the rest is other.

So why do people say minorities are miss represented in coaching and the management of sports when people are saying the majority is not represented enough as players?


If you were to google the swiss professional soccer players the first names that come are
Xherdan Shaqiri
Granit Xhaka
Ricardo Rodriguez
Valon Behrami
Gokan Inler
Haris Seferovic
Blerim Dzemaili
Admir Mehdmi
Joseph Drimic
Stephan Lichtsteiner

The first 9 players all have names that aren't ethnically swiss. The swiss national team is not very swiss at all.

Many countries in Europe have problems with immigration and this is causing what the definition of being Swiss or Belgian to change. Especially on the field,