Opinion

Starting college is a stressful time in anyone’s life. Between a different environment, a heavier workload and trying to make new social ties, sometimes an academic schedule alone is enough to send someone into a panic.

But while the number one priority is succeeding in our various courses, it’s also important not to miss the amazing opportunities available. College is a time for experiencing new things, and there’s no better way to do so than in the community environment of one of PSU’s student-run groups.

Across the board, all PSU student groups have lower freshman and sophomore attendance this year. Becoming part of a group early and continuing on through your education can be extremely beneficial. Not only do you earn a deeper appreciation for your given organization, but you may even find yourself working your way onto the executive board for a whole new experience in leadership.

Jobs and internships usually require some amount of work experience, but to get the experience, one needs to first get a job or internship. It’s a Catch-22 that most students and new graduates entering the work force know all too well.

In Portland’s particularly tough economy, students need all of the help they can get. In order for students to support themselves today, they need to start thinking about their careers while they are still in school.

The Portland State Career Center assists people in finding work both as students here and after they graduate. In order to help as many students as possible, the Career Center hosts career fairs. The Career and Internship Fair, held on Oct. 24, and the Nonprofit Career Fair, held on Nov. 1, proved to be useful opportunities for students and graduates to network with companies and even find jobs and internships.

Depression is no laughing matter. Suicide rates are high, and it’s hard to tell when they’ll go back down.

In an ideal society, no one would even contemplate suicide. But as everyone knows, we don’t live in an ideal society. This is a very real issue that demands serious attention.

There is no shortage of that attention here at PSU. Students who need help have many avenues available to them both on campus and off. And for those who think a friend might be depressed or suicidal, you are not helpless. There are ways of recognizing signs that someone may be considering suicide. And there are ways that you can help.

When talking to my friends, I often hear them say things like, “if Sarah Palin is elected, I’m moving to Canada,” or “the people in Italy are so much friendlier.”

I myself am guilty of complaining about the quality of coffee in the United States compared to the quality of coffee in Germany. Complaints about the U.S. are a popular topic of conversation, whether those complaining are serious about leaving or not.

The decision to open a bank account is, essentially, the decision to lend a bank your money. They pay you a small interest rate—just as you pay an interest rate…

Like a proverbial carrot on a stick, certain incentives can make a person try something they have never thought of doing before. The reward from a contest can be one such carrot.

ASPSU is currently holding a contest called the Student Pantry Extravaganza Contest in which design submissions are accepted for a mural in the Student Pantry. The top designs will be voted on by students in late November.

The contest is open to all students, but print advertising was distributed throughout the art building before other parts of the school.

Now approaching almost a month of occupation, Portland’s protesters are holding strong in the Chapman and Lownsdale Squares. While their presence alone is a testament to the resilient nature of the human race, many citizens and businesses are finding them as resilient as a cold sore.

On the outside, it’s starting to look like a shantytown of yurts crawling with many unkempt people. Handwritten signs, now smeared by rain, are held in the fists of drenched occupiers. But what appears to be a pitiful sight from the streets opens into a surprisingly large community of people still just trying to be heard.

The Minetta Lane Theatre in New York City is the first place Standing on Ceremony—The Gay Marriage Plays will appear before it sweeps across the country simultaneously on Monday, Nov. 7. Twenty-five theatres in 19 states are putting on this event in tandem, as well as three theatres in Australia and France.

The goal is to raise awareness and funding to bring about marriage equality. Fortunately for Portland, the Artists Repertory Theatre has made itself one of the participants for this noble cause.

Nobody knows what will happen. Everyone hopes for the best, and everyone knows what “bad” looks like.

President Barack Obama announced on Oct. 21 that the remaining 50,000 American combat troops in Iraq will leave in December of this year, as outlined in the Status of Forces Agreement established in the last two months of the Bush administration.