OPINION


opinion 10/16/2020, 4:00pm

If There's A Will, There's A Way

College students my age are usually thinking about parties, hanging out with friends or planning their future dream life — I am the complete opposite. I’d rather stay in at night with my husband and dog and drink a warm mug of tea. My life has been full of ups and downs, but one thing remains constant: my desire to be happy. Marrying young filled that desire. 


10/9/2020, 4:00pm

Abstraction: The town hall in my brain

I’m standing at the podium. The bright light shining down on my face to illuminate the stage feels comparable to a criminal interrogation. I can’t see the town hall members, but I can feel their eyes judging me. They sit in their seats, waiting impatiently for the opportunity to blaze me with their concerns, fears and judgements about who I am and the life ahead of me. I am vulnerable — like the feeling in your gut when you answer a question wrong in class or when a person in your friend group gives you that look of judgment after you say something personal. I am standing up at that podium like I am naked, have forgotten to shave all of my body hair and am the only one without clothes on. That kind of vulnerability.


opinion 9/25/2020, 10:47am

Unspoken: Losing a legend

How much does the fate of a country weigh?  The only person who could tell you was a frail yet omnivalent 5-foot-1-inch woman named Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and she died Sept. 18.


opinion 9/18/2020, 3:00pm

Open-minded: Falling for the season

September is flying by and taking with it pool days and watermelon harvests — finally welcoming fall back. It may not look like fall, or feel like fall or technically be fall yet, but it’s fall. OK, I celebrate early — but I have good reason to. 


opinion 9/11/2020, 3:24pm

Indiana Scones: Look up before it's too late.

My phone addiction is real, and I’m not the only one who has this problem. Right now, technology seems like the easiest way to pass time without putting yourself at risk. However, scrolling isn’t the only thing we can do while staying safe. While we are socially distancing, we can make the most of our time instead of wasting it on social media.  


opinion 9/5/2020, 5:00pm

This is the Shwe: Screw the Charmin Ultra Strong Bears, use a bidet

The Charmin Ultra Strong Bears are trending. Toilet-paper-obsessed Americans have been brawling it out for that incredibly soft, 2-ply toilet paper in Walmart aisles amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Toilet paper has become more of a valuable commodity than gold with people having meltdowns over the very prospect of not having a lifelong supply of toilet paper stocked up in their households.


opinion 8/28/2020, 3:00pm

In Between the Lines: Partying needs to change

The beginning of the school year brings a whirlwind of activity, including “Welcome Week.” This blanket term is a series of events organized by Ball State every fall to help students begin acclimating to campus and making new connections. With these new connections made, students off campus often throw parties the first week of school to kick off the beginning of the year. The scent of alcohol in the air, crowds of people and pounding music are just a few things I have experienced at college parties, but there is a hidden side of college partying many don’t consider. 


Opinion 6/17/2020, 3:00pm

Williams: Black lives matter. Will we listen? Will we learn? Will our hearts change?

George Floyd was a 46-year-old black man. He was murdered in plain sight over the course of nine minutes by men clothed by the state of Minnesota with the immense responsibility for enforcing the law. I am a 54-year-old white man who has spent all of my adult life working as a practicing lawyer and trial court judge. I read Richard Wright’s memoir, “Black Boy” when I was 20, and I didn’t find the above quote to be credible. At 54, after too many tragedies, I now sadly believe it to be truer than not.


News 6/15/2020, 3:42pm

OPINION: Enjoying Nature on National Nature Photography Day

Today on National Nature Photography Day, I find myself looking through old pictures I took on my camping trip to the Minnesota/Canada Boundary Waters. For me this was more than just a camping trip, it was a life-changing experience that taught me a lesson that I still reflect on to this day.   


News 5/21/2020, 12:00pm

Sincerely, Liz: Adiós España

I wasn’t ready to go. I stood looking at a fiery sunset as it descended behind the Spanish Sierra Nevada mountains. In front of the mountains, hundreds of colorful panderías, apartments and plazas dotted Granada. My heart felt heavy as I took in the view. That night, I said my final goodbye to this Spanish scene.


opinion 4/22/2020, 12:00pm

Artful Ruckus: Planting wellness

Gardening is in my roots — pun intended. My mom started gardening because her parents raised her with it. Now, I’ve grown up racing my brother to our garden to see who could pick the most peppers, and who could collect the most flowers for my mom. My mom’s garden helped us learn the payoff of hard work, and how to make healthy choices with our food. 


opinion 4/20/2020, 12:00pm

Indiana Scones: A cup of comfort

I wake up missing home, my family and my old life. Life is hard right now and the pit in my stomach is always there, and I am sure there are millions out there in the world experiencing that same ache. 


opinion 4/8/2020, 1:12pm

Black Curtain: The new normal

Going into your freshman year of college, there’s this huge feeling of uncertainty. Will this be the moment you realize you relied too much on your parents? What if your dream of being a news anchor turns out not to be what you wanted? Or will rooming with a complete stranger be a bad idea?


opinion 3/25/2020, 12:00pm

Bold Type: Not a quirk

When my mom dropped me off at preschool in the morning, I would take off my coat, hang my backpack up on my hook and immediately begin to cry.