Learn patience, earn president
Public will accept whoever becomes president after the dust clears

It seems rather fitting that, in our capitalistic and litigious-minded society, even our nation’s presidency is now being decided through lawsuits in the courthouse. We have always demanded perfection in our government, but we have cynically decided that we have no hope of ever achieving such a utopian dream. For these reasons, we may never be fully satisfied with the way our nation is run and no one is demanding that we do so.

This mandate for good government represents the core of our Constitution. Our founding fathers started this nation with the idea that the public would have the right to overthrow the government if they were left discontent with the way things were being directed. I’m pretty sure no such suggestion has ever been made in modern times.

American democracy isn’t the prettiest thing to observe in action. Personally, I could never see myself in politics because of all the roadblocks and corruption that go along with getting things accomplished. However, believe it or not, the way things stand now allow for the most efficient and sustaining method of government ever to be successfully put into practice in our civilization’s history.

I’m as frustrated as anyone else that we still don’t know who our next president is going to be more than a week after the election was held. But the beautiful thing is that whoever eventually wins doesn’t even become president until next year. If absolutely necessary, we still have more than a month to work through the apparent chaos and come to a final decision.

There will be no military coup, which would come close to happening in most other nations, or any anarchic effect because of our nation’s indecision, as several powerful Republican Party members have hinted at. For once, the American public has to resist the need for immediate gratification that the infinite choices of satellite television, the Internet and, most recently, respected TV-news anchors have forced into our public mindset. All we have to do is slowly sift through the little mess we have created for ourselves and discover who actually won the election in the now infamous state of Florida.

If Gov. George W. Bush had actually been deemed the president-elect, then our nation would truly be in trouble. The public would split in two, with no peaceful end in sight, because we would never have any recounts or potential re-vote to determine who had truly won Florida. Bush’s entire administration would be bogged down by controversy and both public and media critics would attack his every move, claiming he never earned or really even truly won the presidency.

Now, if it is announced in a couple of weeks that Bush is the winner, then the public will accept such a decision, whether they voted for him or not.

It may not be easy to get things accomplished through our democracy, but at least we can feel secure on a daily basis that nothing will seriously go wrong in our country. Things may be decided much quicker and easier in a totalitarian form of government, but I’m pretty positive those don’t have much of a track record for success.

Humans are an imperfect species and many of the things we do will inevitably be wrong, which is why we have checks and balances to keep the mistakes of a few from affecting many.

If we are able to force ourselves to learn patience, we can be confident that we will eventually decide who deservedly won the election — whoever it may be.

Jordan Blum is a sophomore broadcast journalism major from New Orleans, La.
He can be reached at (j.d.blum@student.tcu.edu).

Of the 124 credit hours needed for a bachelor’s degree at TCU, 47 hours must be of specific subjects within the University Core Curriculum.

The enrollment process is broken down even further by the necessity of classes specific to gaining a major from any given department, and usually 18 separate hours must be in the correct classes for a chosen minor to be completed.

Confused?

There are numerous options when scheduling classes with the intent to graduate from TCU, but the advice by faculty about enrollment decisions has been overlooked during the last year.

Australia Tarver, director of undergraduate studies in the English department, said she used to advise about 20 student a semester, but now only four or five meet with her before enrolling.

She, along with many faculty members, is worried about whether or not students are selecting the correct classes.

The anxiety around enrollment and the lack of advising has risen since the beginning of online registration.
Before online registration was launched in May 1999, an adviser’s signature was needed before a student was allowed to register for classes. Now that the enrollment process takes place online, seeing an adviser is optional.

Some people have called for advising to again be made mandatory.

But Patrick Miller, registrar and director of enrollment management, suggests that individual departments should make advising mandatory.

Advising is pertinent, whether that means the entire university returning to mandatory advising or individual departments beginning the process themselves.

Without the use of faculty advising in the future, it will be interesting to see how many students have compiled 124 total hours, but can’t graduate because they have selected the wrong classes.

Take Hunger Week to spread love, help those who are less fortunate

As we join together as a campus to commemorate Hunger Week, I am compelled to address the issue of hunger. People in all corners of the world, and even here in Fort Worth, are hungry. Although we are setting aside this week to address the lack of access to food, I am writing to address the greater need from which too many people are starving in this world; the need for love.

It is often said what the world needs most is love. As cliché as it sounds let me assure you that this is what is most needed.

By giving of yourself, you address more than just a financial need or a need for food. You form a human bond and give hope to the hopeless.

Improving diversity, reconciling the races and eliminating world hunger and poverty can’t be achieved by sitting in our classrooms or offices or by giving a can of food once a year. There is much work to be done in the “trenches.” Yes, it may mean touching someone who is sick or someone who has not bathed for a few days. However, when you give, you just don’t touch a hand or a mouth, you touch a mind and a heart, and in turn your own mind and heart is touched.

Let us use this week to galvanize our own personal commitments to helping those less fortunate and spreading love wherever and whenever possible, and not for the purpose of building our résumés.

— Samuel Rose,
junior social work major