It is the end of the semester, and once again Lehigh Dining has begun the process of extorting money from the student body. Instead of turning Water into Wine, Dining Services has begun turning Meal Plan meals into dust.

Lehigh University's Truck Sale

Take the 225 block meal plan, a favorite of Freshmen. It costs $2,230 and comes with 225 meals and $50 dining dollars. This breaks down to $2180, or $9.68 per meal. However, when using meal plan meals as cash equivalencies, a student is only given $4.25 credit. While this is understandable because both dining halls and other establishments overlap and as a result are inefficient, the loss of $5 in equity per meal is enormous, and is essentially plundering the pockets of unknowing freshmen. The exchange rate only worsens when one examines smaller meal plans, such as the 75 meal plan, which costs $12.67 per meal. The irony here is a Dinner at the dining hall costs only $12.25, meaning buying a meal plan includes a convenience charge of 42 cents.

However, the real issue is how the University handles unused meals; extorting students more than they already do.

Prices at the Lehigh University "Bulk Sale"

Turning to a case-study of Lehigh’s Dining Dilemma, A case of Gatorade is $43.99. (24 bottles, 20 oz.) A quick Google search reveals a case at Staploes for $25, and Warehouse retailer Sam’s Club sells a case for $15. Even adding in the $35 for a membership to Sam’s Club, it is still cheaper than buying from Dining Services.

Aquafina Water is even more egregious than Gatorade; $30.99 off the truck, and $4.88 at Sam’s Club.

While the examples go on and on, it is simply ridiculous to extort students by cashing in on their leftover dining dollars. If anything, students should be given cash back equal to half of the value of unused meals.

In Lehigh’s Hawks Nest restaurant, there has been a noticeable shortage of utensils. Due to the proximity to the end of the semester, the Hawks Nest has not ordered more plastic-ware.

As Alice in Wonderland hits theaters, the Patriot would like everyone to reflect on our own Alice, and her adventures.

Trevor Drummond, ’10 wrote Alice in Blunderland in March of 2008. Many of the points raised still hold true today.

President Gast recently expressed her intentions of hiring a Chief Diversity Officer; a position which would improve the standing of Lehigh University when compared to other racist institutions. Additionally, it would create another figurehead leadership position, a role that Lehigh as an institution has far too few of.

Comparing Lehigh to its peer institutions in the Lehigh Valley and around the world, there is a clear sense of “keeping up with the Jones.’” Colleges including Moravian and RIT have created this position; therefore, Lehigh must spend more money to compensate. Lehigh has a clear need to “leverage and maximize investments in diversity initiatives”1 as one of the most homogeneously white campuses in the United States.

Under President Gast, Lehigh University has embarked in a new direction. The job description: sending the most powerfully staged e-mails, inspiring fear in the hearts of racists, and evacuating emotion from the “affected minorities.” This new role must be taxing! Clearly, Gast does not have the patience to respond to bias incidents, and would rather focus on her golf game.

Lehigh University has a proud and storied tradition of over-developed efforts of threat construction. Starting with 500 people attending a town hall meeting in response to idly wasted words and continuing with editorials flooding the Brown and White, Lehigh has historically acted decisively and swiftly after the occurrence of race-based conflicts to publicize and relentlessly promote the actions of racists and stigmatize the entire campus.

A Chief Diversity Officer will have other benefits to campus. He or she will create a purpose for the Council for Equity and Community, and give them tangible results for the past 22 months. Lehigh University wouldn’t want the efforts of the noble volunteers in the Council for Equity and Community to be wasted on crafting equality now, would they?

The Chief Diversity Officer fulfills a clear, unmet need on campus. His or her role will encompass new ground, uncovered by the Council for Equity and Community, The Movement, the Black Student Union, The Women’s Center, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, Africana Studies, Women Studies, The Rainbow Room, or The Multicultural Room. The position will be a boon for Lehigh’s race-centered population and engender a healthier campus community for all involved. Furthermore, he or she will be able to dole out the copious amounts of funding that are sure to accompany his or her modest salary.

With the addition of a CDO, Lehigh gains the ability to recruit one of the most desirable demographics: minorities. An increase in minorities betters the standing of the university in the eyes of the world, increasing our rankings that have been slipping over the past few years. Peer institutions, such as MIT outpace our racial commitments many times over, and minority representation is a hallmark of a quality educational institution.

Finally, The Movement will be able to demonstrate clear outcomes from their dramatic rallies, protests, and marches on President Gast’s house. This would represent the second demand yielded to the Movement, and it would be the most indelible mark left on campus…next to the hole in President Gast’s door.2

The Patriot implores President Gast to spare no expense and hire a Chief Diversity Officer. We are amazed that this institution has survived for 155 years without an individual dedicated to ensuring equality for all on this campus. A Chief Diversity Officer will singlehandedly smite every racist and every racist thought from this campus and create a Lehigh Bubble of Equity and Community, the envy of the world.

Sources:
1. http://www.nadohe.org/
2. http://www.lehigh.edu/diversity/pdf/TownHallMtgs/11-11_town_hall_mtg_notes.pdf

Does the man who is handed a fish reap the same satisfaction of the man who caught his fish? In the general sense, do people who receive the end result appreciate it as much as those that work for it? Equality is not an issue simply between races and ethnicities; equality involves ensuring all people, regardless of origin or creed have the same opportunity to succeed in their own way.

In modern America, an amalgamation of tax credits, welfare, and social services create a culture of perpetual poverty and downward social movement amongst many Americans. Instead of relying on an antiquated patchwork of social services cobbled together over many years, I propose an overhaul of Federal Services to implement a safety net to protect all citizens.

Equality should not be limited to state of mind; it should extend to opportunities granted to all citizens. All people, regardless of origin or creed should have the ability to live with a roof over their head, adequate food and suitable living conditions to raise a family.

The first area of focus to change the face of the United States is in reforming the tax code. The United State’s tax code has become patch-worked and convoluted to the point that average Americans are at a loss in deciphering the intricacies of it. This gives a significant reward to people who can navigate the system of financial penalties. Tax credits attempt to encourage growth in facets of life the Government supports, but these largely benefit people well enough off to take advantage of them.

The other issue with the current US tax system is based in the progressive nature of it; by increasing one’s self worth, one will be taxed an additional amount. In extreme cases, this results in the government taking more money than your increased salary. The marginal tax rate1 harms the country by decreasing worker productivity and ensures people remain in poverty to the detriment of all.

If people are put into an economic state to succeed, safeguards should be created to allow citizens to experiment and fail without failing permanently. The two critical human necessities are food and housing, both of which would be the pillars of any system of safeguards. The federal government utilizes two programs to provide housing and food; housing projects and food stamps. Both of these programs have shortcomings because of the social stigmas and abuse associated with them; housing projects are considered to be bastions of poor and drug lords, while food stamps have been woefully underfunded to the point of being unable to adequately feed anyone. The answers to both of these issues are subsidized rental properties and increased value of food stamps by the government. Additionally, food stamps should have heavier restrictions and an emphasis on staple, rather than luxury food.

The last component to economic well-being is a means of advancing one’s social position. Quality education at both a primary and secondary level is vital at ensuring equality extends to all people, and not simply those privileged enough to be given it. Although reforming education is important, creating a strong technical education program at the post-secondary level is vital to national well being and social welfare. Traditional trades and crafts have fallen by the wayside in the wake of a rush to America’s colleges; professions have been marginalized by the concept of college elitism.

Free, public trade schools that offer quality education in a career path beyond “gas station attendant” gives everyone the chance to improve social standing. The other component to meaningful social well-being is basic employment; all people deserve to have an available job, regardless of circumstance. Beyond simply receiving money, public improvement projects give all people that choose to be employed employment. Jobs at or below minimum wage, coupled with housing and food assistance will create a gainful base-line of social well-being that all members of society can attain.

While this system sounds similar to welfare or government handouts, both of which are disconnected from equality, the opposite is true. In 21st Century America, Economic Freedom is invariably linked to social well-being; in the governmental sense, all people have achieved equality under the law. The difficulty comes in creating economic opportunities that all people can benefit from to break the cycle of poverty and despair.

February 22nd saw the passing of the 1000th American serviceman in Afghanistan since the United States began combat operations nine years ago.

How many of us have looked up from our daily lives and took note of the ongoing conflict? Despite your opinions on the war, most can agree that our troops should be supported.

While the politics of the war can be debated endlessly, the fact remains; hundreds of thousands of men and women our age have been sent overseas to fight and die for our ability to live free.

Remember the troops.

In the realm of legislation that fails to receive sensationalized media attention, Ron Paul’s HR 1207 has largely been ignored by the mainstream media.  However, the legislation has garnered the cosponsorship of over half of the representatives in the house, and a companion bill in the senate has enjoyed similar success.

So what is HR 1207?  HR1207 is a bill to audit the Federal Reserve; the quasi-governmental agency responsible for managing the money supply of the United States.  Despite the word “Federal” in the name, they are no more a part of the government than a Federal Bank.  The Federal Reserve’s website lists their goals as Influencing Monetary and Credit conditions, supervising and regulating banking institutions, maintaining the stability of the financial system, and providing financial services to depository institutions and the US Government.

Many people find fault with the Federal Reserve through the inflationary tactics it uses to accomplish its goals.  Inflation, the expansion of the monetary supply causes price increases and makes money worth less.   Since the Federal Reserve’s inception in 1913, the worth of an American dollar has fallen 97%; what one could buy for three cents in 1913, one now has to spend one hundred cents in 2009.

The rampant inflationary tactics have taken a new turn in the past decade, as the inflation creates boom and bust cycles within our economy, as evidenced most recently by the housing bubble that spawned our current recession.  Furthermore, the Federal Reserve has increased the monetary supply by buying assets of struggling companies, which results in a hidden tax on the average American consumer.

This issue becomes relevant to students as we progress through college and seek employment in the workforce.  A Federal Reserve that manipulates the financial markets has the ability to bring widespread panic and ruin to the population.

HR 1207: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-1207

“The Pentagon’s most recent inventory of bases lists a total of 716 overseas sites. These include facilities owned and leased all across the Middle East as well as a significant presence in Europe and Asia, especially Japan and South Korea…

The count also does not include any sites in Iraq where, as of August 2009, there were still nearly 300 American bases and outposts. Similarly, U.S. bases in Afghanistan — a significant percentage of the 400 foreign sites scattered across the country — are noticeably absent from the Pentagon inventory.”

In a continuation of cold-war era politics, The United States has increased her projection of power across the globe, deploying military personnel throughout the globe in ever-greater numbers, with mind-boggling arrays of equipment; 1.5 million pieces in Iraq alone.

What are your thoughts on the deployment of the U.S. military? Discuss them here.

Sodexo, the company responsible for feeding the bulk of the student population recently conducted a survey by e-mail and claimed that the survey taker would be rewarded at the end of the survey. (What follows is the actual e-mail recieved)

Dear student, faculty and staff,

Today we are requesting your participation in an important online
survey about your recent dining experiences on campus. You will
be rewarded at the end of the survey in return for your participation.

We are collecting this information on behalf of Sodexo. At no
point will pass your information on to any marketing
company. No personally identifiable information will be collected in the survey; we will only use
your responses in conjunction with those of other survey respondents.

This survey should only take approximately 7 minutes to complete.

I have no issue with Sodexo doing a survey; gathering information is a vital part of 21st century business. What I do have an issue with is the reward at the end of the survey. (Screen shot of actual survey end)

Sodexo Decides to Spend My Tuition Dollars

For your participation, Lehigh University will donate $1 to The WORLD FOOD PROGRAM – earmarked to providing needed food supplies to the people that have just survived the tragic earthquake in Haiti on your behalf.

Why is LEHIGH UNIVERSITY donating money on my behalf? I pay them for an education, not to provide philanthropy. Furthermore, the choice of charity offends me. As I have previously discussed, I disagree with the disproportionate aid for Haiti.

Looking into the charity benefiting from my “donation,” the Better Business Bureau reveals they are an outreach of the United Nations. Why is my money going to such a cause, besides to give Sodexo a very nice tax write-off?

(click for larger image)

Despite knowing much about the origins of Jersey Shore cast members, one Brown and White commenter has made the incorrect claim that the Mason-Dixon line crosses New Jersey.

Mason and Dixon used the stars to calculate this path through the wilderness and mark out the 233-mile-long boundary line between Pennsylvania and Maryland, and the 83 miles long north-south boundary between Maryland and Delaware; the effort took five years.

Information about the Mason-Dixon line, and two men trying to restore it