Opinion

This weekend I told my parents I was“camping“ and got in a car then got on a boat then got on an island that essentially beat the crap out of me.It was awesome.There was much (okay,maybe just some) concern raised last week over the issue of whether or not ASUCD should use school funds to fund Safeboats,something ultimately designed to act as a raging First Aid kit for the little drunk college coeds on Lake Shasta.I kind of doubt that anyone was actually against the idea,they just didn‘t want to support a weekend of extreme drunkenness and dangerous activity.

Everyone agrees that creativity is an important quality to have in order to succeed in any profession.Not only that,creative individuals positively affect the whole world,as did Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison.There is no doubt that creativity indirectly benefits mankind,but is this intuitive notion correct? How could writing poetry or doodling cartoons assist Albert Einstein with his role in the creation of the atom bomb? Clearly,it wouldn’t help him in any significant way.There is a certain creative process that needs to be exercised in order to translate meaningless ideas into useful ones; I call this type of creativity: “constructive creativity.“ Here are5tips to being more creative in a meaningful way.

I‘ll usually write my articles about intense outside world-related things (swine-flu racists,the new chancellor not making sacrifices,racist republicans,LGBT rights,racists in general).And I‘m sure the majority of you don‘t really care– unfortunately. The end is near,this is my second to last column for the year and I want to try to spin this article to something more college related.With spring fever and summer love almost indistinguishable in this Davis heat,a lot of us get confused about what‘sreal and what isn‘t in college relationships.

In case you guys haven’t figured it out yet,classes are over in eight days.For those of you who aren’t graduating,you still have at least one more wonderful year to experience the greatness that is Davis and absorb everything college has to offer.For those of you who are graduating,thank goodness we’re almost out of here.I mean,Davis was great and all,but I’m so tired of school right now,I can barely make myself sit through the rest of my classes. In any case,I learned a lot here.I’m not just talking about what I got out of my classes.Although,if we’re being honest,a lot of what I spent the last four years learning and writing papers about really isn’t useful in real world situations.At least I have some interesting cocktail conversation.

Every day we are bombarded with ambition-probing questions forcing us to think about our future lives in the “real” world.These questions are usually intended to be facilitators of harmless conversation,but they often cause us to develop misconceived notions of success. Well,these questions can come in a variety of forms.

Learning to be accountable for your own actions is one of life’s greatest lessons.From a very young age we’re taught that when a problem arises as a result of our previous actions,it’s up to us to fix it. While such an idealized view of personal responsibility looks great in children’s books or in an elementary school classroom,it’s honestly becoming harder and harder to find real world examples to support such a preposterous belief.

This year marked the second consecutive year in which Safeboats have had a presence at Lake Shasta during Memorial Day weekend. Droves of college students make the holiday weekend an annual boozefest out on the lake,rentinghouseboatsto do so.In an effort to minimize the effects of binge drinking,unprotected sex,dehydration and other obstacles drunk college students manage to create for themselves,the Safeboat is on hand to lend aid.

If you’ve ever wondered how much any UC Davis employee makes, it’s your right to know. The California Public Records Act mandates it. To view compensation information, one must go to Shields Library and go to the reserves desk. The data is available in three bound books as well as on CD. Books for each campus are available in one library on that campus.

When you apply to be a columnist atTheAggie,I believe there are two assumptions that you make about yourself: (1) that you know something that others don’t and (2) that whatever you know,you think it’s interesting enough to tell other people.In fact,when you submit your application,you have to explain these exact assumptions.When I applied sophomore year,I wrote: “Things happen to me,usually lame things,and I learn from them… I just have stories and I like to tell them.That’s all” (my eloquence at the time just blows me away).

Attending college is a gamble,and here in the UC system all of us are going for broke.The economy has slipped into a nuclear winter and the job markets we have to look forward to are chilly at best.A degree now means a lot less than it did in1970.For many people,it seems a safer bet to drop out and learn to fix Cadillacs.

Thefifth-yearsenior and cross country team captain stands ready at the podium,speech in hand.Thirty teammates,their parents and coaches fill the tiny room at his final end-of-season banquet.Standing5feet7inches tall with a28-inch waist,he is hardly an imposing figure.Yet the weight of his words and his deeds far surpass his physical presence,a fact not lost on those who have watched him over time.

Dear Super Senior, I’ve been seeing a girl for a few months now,and just recently things have been starting to pick up.She’s a ton of fun to be around and fits perfectly into my life.Problem is,I’m leaving on a jet plane to Sumatra at the end of the quarter for a six month study abroad trip.I’m a committed guy,and I don’t want to give up on what’s turning out to be an awesome relationship,but I’ll be spending six months off the continent! What sage wisdom could you offer to a man in my predicament? – Lucky in Love