Many college campuses around the nation allow students of the opposite sex to live together. The University of Oregon, the University of California-Berkeley, the University of California, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California-Davis are examples of universities that allow coed housing.

At colleges that allow coed housing, people of the opposite sex are only paired with one another upon request.

The closest that Linfield has to coed housing is coed dorm halls, with each floor being separated by gender. Even in the on-campus apartments, members of the opposite gender can’t live together.

Linfield should reconsider its rules on coed living, at least for the apartments. In the real world, apartments don’t have rules about who can live with one another. Why should the on-campus apartments at Linfield be any different?

By the time Linfield students are allowed to live in the on-campus apartments, they are of at least junior status, which means that the majority of students living in these apartments are between the ages of 20-22. These students are adults and are old enough to decide who to live with. If that means someone of the opposite gender, then they should have that freedom.

One reason why coed housing isn’t always encouraged is that two people may be in a relationship and break up, resulting in them being stuck together.

While this can be an issue for some, this doesn’t seem like a valid reason to not let members of the opposite gender live together.

If a couple wants to live together, they should be allowed the option. Of course, there is always the chance that they may break up, but if they are willing to take that risk and live with each other anyway, than they should.

Moving in with a boyfriend or girlfriend is a part of growing up for many, and one can learn a lot about being in a relationship by moving in with someone.

In regard to couples living
together, homosexual couples technically already have the option to live with one another, even in the dorm rooms.

A homosexual couple living together is no different from a heterosexual couple living together. The same issues can come up, regardless of sexual orientation.

Homosexual students may feel uncomfortable living with other students of the same gender in the same way that heterosexual students may feel uncomfortable living with students of the opposite gender.

In this case, homosexual students may feel more comfortable living with a friend or friends of the opposite sex.

Besides couples living together, anyone can have a problem with a roommate. Best friends who become roommates can stop being friends.

The bottom line is that anyone can have issues with a roommate, regardless of gender. Learning how to live with another person is part of growing up.

If people of the opposite gender want to live with each other by the time they are allowed to live in the apartments, they should have that option.

-The Review Editorial Board

The Review Editorial Board

linfieldreviewopinion@gmail.com

Most students remembers taking standardized tests in high school. While we may not enjoy taking these tests, they provide a way to measure the quality of education that students in each school district receives.

Colleges, however, do not have these tests, making it more difficult to measure how well college students are performing across the country.

While there are many college ranking systems, most of these are determined by a school’s reputation and admissions-selectivity, not student improvement.

There are plans to develop some type of assessment for colleges to administer to determine how well students improve skills such as critical thinking and problem solving throughout their college years.

Although standardized tests are not a perfect measurement of how students are performing, they can provide a general idea of how well a school is doing to improve students’ critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.

With college tuition rates steadily rising, it can be helpful to know how a school’s education compares to other schools across the nation. Going to college is a huge investment, and it would be beneficial to have a standardized way to compare the value of different schools.

According to a recent article published in The New York Times, there are three tests in use by more than 300 state colleges that are in a group called the Voluntary System of Accountability.

There is the Educational Testing Service (ETS) Proficiency Profile, the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency and the Collegiate Learning Assessment.

These assessments, similar to ones given in high school, test critical thinking, reading, writing and mathematics.

Not only can these assessments help to compare schools, but it can be a tool to show which area an institution needs to improve upon.

However, there can certainly be flaws in administering standardized tests to college students. Once students enter college, learning becomes more specialized as students declare areas of study.

As a result, some students end up taking more science and math courses, while others take more English and humanities courses.

At the same time, showing which areas students test stronger in at each school shows what types of students attend that school. Someone who wants to major in biology could look for a school that tested higher in critical thinking and mathematics.

Another potential problem is that it may be difficult for every four-year college in the country to administer these tests to their students on top of all the other exams they have to take.

While no assessment is perfect, it seems that some sort of standardized test could be helpful for students choosing a college and for educators to improve educational systems.

-The Review Editorial Board

linfieldreviewopinion@gmail.com

Events happen every day, good and bad, that people would like to know about, and should be aware of.

As journalists, it is our job to report these events so the public knows what is happening around the world.

“The role of a journalist is someone who remains objective, meaning that they report the news in an unbiased way, whether that news is unfortunate or not, or whether it is about one of our own,” said Jessica Prokop, editor-in-chief of The Linfield Review.

As a result, some people aren’t portrayed in a positive manner. However, this isn’t the intention of journalists; they simply dig for the facts, putting together the pieces of a story to discover what happened.

Events that put people in a negative spotlight, such as arrests, are written about daily in newspapers. The journalist isn’t placing judgment on the arrested person, but rather informing the public about what is happening in its community. Journalists aren’t out to get anyone, they are trying to tell people the facts.

There is always the occasional journalist who gets the facts wrong or who twists a story with bias. This is called libel, and a victim of libel can sue the journalist for it.

Last week’s issue of The Linfield Review featured a story about a student who was arrested for multiple charges of sexual abuse. The intent of the story wasn’t to place blame on him. The article simply told the facts of what has happened, and it therefore, was not libel.

When something happens in the Linfield community, it is our job to report it. The Linfield Review is a real newspaper, and just like any other paper, it attempts to publish any newsworthy event in our community.

Plus, The Linfield Review is  meant to be a training tool. If we can’t learn to write about serious situations now, how will we grow to be professional journalists in a world full of difficult events?

“The example I would like to point out is that The Oregonian just wrote about one of its staff who died of a heart attack,” Prokop said.

The Oregonian published a story about its own Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, 63-year-old Bob Caldwell, who died of a heart attack after having sex with a 23-year-old woman who was paid money for books and school supplies in exchange for sexual favors.

While some people may get upset about what is published, journalists can’t ignore newsworthy events because some people may get offended by what is published. It would be unethical to ignore a story simply because it may upset some people.

If one disagrees with an article that is published in the newspaper, take action by writing a Letter-to-the-editor. The Linfield Review will gladly publish all submitted letters to the editor.

Instead of complaining about an article, one should be proactive and voice his or her opinion on the matter. That is how a newspaper is supposed to work. All sides of a story are meant to be voiced.

-The Review Editorial Board

linfieldreviewopinion@gmail.com

Would you like to be called a “slut” or a ‘prostitute’ on national radio by a talk-show host simply for standing up for your beliefs?

Conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh recently stirred up controversy when he called out Georgetown University student Sandra Fluke on-air for advocating for contraceptives to be covered by health insurance in front of a House committee.

Limbaugh attacked the 30-year-old law student on his radio show with comments such as, “She wants you and me and the taxpayers to pay her to have sex.”

The next day on his show, Limbaugh went as far as to say, “If we are going to pay for your contraceptives, thus pay for you to have sex…we want you to post the videos online, so we can all watch.”

“He is always trying to push the envelope, but he went way too far this time,” said Haydn Nason, general manager for Linfield’s radio station, 90.3 KSLC. “I would never want anyone on my staff to say that.”

His comments outraged many people and even caused him to lose advertisers.

“He wasn’t thinking about externalities,” Nason said. “He’s lost more than 26 advertisements.”

As a result, Limbaugh issued an apology, but those angry at him weren’t buying it.

“I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices,” Limbaugh said.

However, Limbaugh couldn’t stick to a simple apology, defending himself by saying, “Rappers can say anything they want about women. It’s called art. And they win awards.”

Limbaugh’s comments can certainly be seen as demeaning to women. While some believe that people shouldn’t have sex before marriage, the fact of the matter is that many people do.

Don’t responsible women in relationships outside of wedlock deserve to be protected from pregnancy and STDs without being referred to as a “slut” or a “prostitute”?

By attacking Fluke, Limbaugh essentially attacked every college-age woman who wants to have safe sex.

These women are simply being realistic. They realize that if sex is a possibility, they want to be prepared.

If more women had access to birth control, abortion wouldn’t be as big of an issue, because unwanted pregnancy could be more easily prevented in the first place.

Birth control pills, for some women, aren’t just about preventing an unwanted pregnancy. Women with irregular menstrual cycles might go on a birth control pill in order to regulate it.

At the same time, Limbaugh may have a point under his poor choice of words. If contraceptives are covered in Obama’s health care plan, even Americans who don’t believe in the use of contraceptives will have to pay for them with their tax money.

While it would be beneficial for many women to have contraceptives covered by health insurance, it’s not fair to make the people who don’t believe in the use of contraceptives  to pay for it.

This is simply another issue that Americans will have to take into consideration when voting in the presidential elections this year.

-The Review Editorial Board

linfieldreviewopinion@gmail.com

From muggings to kidnappings, student safety has become an important issue this year.

The Associated Students of Linfield College recently had a breakthrough in student safety this semester, offering students an affordable taxi service.

Students traveling anywhere in McMinnville during the evening can now call a taxi to drive them safely back to campus. A ride to and from 3rd Street costs $10, and ASLC pays for half of the bill.

If students have their ID cards, the charge of the ride will go on their account.

Also, the taxi will take up to six people without an extra charge.

However, a word of advice: remember to tip the driver. It’s common courtesy to tip taxi drivers, and while college students aren’t exactly wealthy, the cost of the ride is so cheap that a tip won’t cost much more.

“A part of it is students learning how to tip,” said senior Rachel Coffey, ASLC president. “Most students haven’t taken a taxi before in their lives.”

ASLC has made tipping simple and accessible to students. All one has to do is fill out the tip portion on the receipt, which will also be charged to one’s account.

While the service has only been around for a couple of weeks, it seems to be successful so far.

According to Coffey, students have spent more than $200  during the past two weekends. It is a good sign that students are taking advantage of the taxi service rather than walking back to campus late at night.

“I got an email from a parent who was happy with the service,” Coffey said.

There is now no reason for any student to be walking back to campus alone from anywhere in McMinnville.

Students should store the number for D.C. Taxi in their phones and call for a ride rather than endangering themselves by walking home alone.

With such a cheap service that one doesn’t even need cash for, there is no reason not to take advantage of such a readily accessible service.

D.C. Taxi was willing to give Linfield students a great deal, so the least a student can do is remember to tip his or her driver.

“Tipping is appreciated, but it’s not required,” said Marvin Black Jr., taxi driver for D.C. Taxi.

However, if students do forget to tip, the driver will still receive a tip from ASLC.

“If we don’t see that they [students] tip, we’ll add a $2 tip,” Coffey said.

However, try not to take advantage of the fact that ASLC will pick up the tip.

Learning to tip is important because there are many instances in which one will be expected to leave a tip.

There are many places in which service workers expect people to tip. Some occupations even have a lower paycheck because employers are expecting their workers to be tipped.

Out of common courtesy, please remember to tip the taxi driver. Keeping D.C. Taxi happy will keep them in business with us for longer.

-The Review Editorial Board

linfieldreviewopinion@gmail.com

Recently, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation has found itself in the middle of a political battle between pro-life activists and pro-choice activists for its relationship with Planned Parenthood.

In December, Komen decided to cut off most of its funding of Planned Parenthood after receiving pressure from pro-life activists.

Komen’s funding of Planned Parenthood goes toward breast cancer screening and education for low-income women. However, pro-life activists are against the organization because it provides abortion services.

After the news went public Jan. 31, angered citizens expressed their feelings via social media sites, forcing Komen to rethink its decision.

“As a women’s health organization, we found it unfortunate that they [Susan G. Komen for the Cure] would succumb to right-wing bullying,” said Jimmy Radosta, spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Columbia-Willamette.

On Feb. 10, Komen’s founder, Nancy G. Brinker, announced that Komen had reversed its decision, choosing to maintain its relationship with Planned Parenthood.

However, now that its relationship with Planned Parenthood is restored, many pro-life activists are once again angered at Komen.

What these activists fail to realize is that Komen is not funding abortions; it is funding breast cancer screenings for women who cannot afford them otherwise. Komen is trying to save lives and educate people about sex.

“We serve a very vulnerable population who need access to breast cancer screenings,” Radosta said.

Komen is dedicated to finding a cure for breast cancer; therefore, giving money to an organization that provides screening to women who wouldn’t otherwise get screened is an organization worth funding. All women deserve to be screened for breast cancer.

We at the Review believe that Komen shouldn’t have to be stuck in the middle of a political battle for simply trying to promote women’s health.

“We hope they follow through on their [Susan G. Komen for the Cure] word to put women’s health first,” Radosta said.

Planned Parenthood, which some who oppose refer to as “Planned Murder,” provides more than abortions. The organization offers a wide range of services, including STD testing and treatment, HPV and Hepatitis vaccines, health services, patient education, emergency contraception and pregnancy testing.

“Our organization provides life saving cancer screenings, Radosta said. “It’s unfortunate that people put aside a health care provider.”

Komen’s relationship with Planned Parenthood is a positive one, helping to lower the number of women who die from breast cancer. Access to such a crucial service should not be jeopardized by a polarizing political debate that is only tangentially related.

-The Review Editorial Board

The Review Editorial Board

linfieldreviewopinion@gmail.com

The Linfield Activities Board (LAB) is working to keep students thoroughly entertained this year by planning many events for students, such as comedians, movies, off-campus events and Pro Cat Cabs.

“I think LAB has been constantly improving,” said Nicole Bond, vice president of programming for LAB. “We have a great staff this year, and we have been working hard to bring the student body a diverse array of fun events.”

All of LAB’s off-campus event sign-ups have been full this year, which is a sign of LAB’s success in providing students with fun off-campus events for only a few dollars.

“The LAB events are seeing a greater diversity of attendees,” said Nic Miles, ASLC club director.

With events such as Portland Fashion Week, the “Taste of..” series and hikes, there are a variety of fun events for all types of students.

On-campus events have also been successful. LAB has hosted some well-received comedians and provided recently released movies, such as Transformers 3, for students to watch.

This year’s Cat Cabs have hosted various musicians for different students’ tastes in music.

“All of the Cat Cab performers this year have been very talented and entertaining, and they have been from all different genres,” Bond said.

With LAB doing such a great job at providing a wide array of events, students should be sure to take advantage of what LAB has to offer.

“LAB has a budget of $150,000 this year, which comes from the student body fees we all pay each semester,” Bond said.

By not attending any LAB sponsored events, one is essentially wasting his or her own money. If an event sounds interesting, there is no harm in checking it out. Plus, off-campus events can provide an escape from the Linfield bubble for those who don’t have cars.

From Nov. 3 to Nov. 6, LAB was at the National Association for Campus Activities West Regional Conference. While there, it viewed various musicians, comedians and other performers, working with boards from other schools in the area to hire acts for the upcoming semester.

“We are always open to suggestions from students for bands we should bring, or any other event or activity,” Bond said.

LAB is working hard to bring us entertainment that we will all enjoy. We can all try to attend an event from time to time to support LAB, if nothing else. A musician or comedian who you are unfamiliar with may become your new favorite.

If there haven’t been any appealing events for some students, they should make suggestions to LAB about what events or performances would be fun to attend. LAB appreciates feedback from the students, because the students are LAB’s audience.

-The Review Editorial Board

The Review Editorial Board

linfieldreviewopinion@gmail.com

With the recent assaults on Linfield students, walking around at night has become a huge safety concern.

How is College Public Safety dealing with this growing problem?

Many students could use a ride home at night, but they might be afraid to call CPS for a ride. However, students shouldn’t be nervous about doing this.

“The safety of Linfield students is our first priority, so yes, students can call for courtesy rides 24/7 within our campus boundaries even if they are intoxicated,” said Robert Cepeda,  chief of CPS.

This is an important service for students to use if they are stuck in a situation—sober or intoxicated—where they need a ride home.

While it is great that CPS is willing to give students rides home, what do the students who are off-campus and need a ride home do?

“CPS’s courtesy ride boundaries are Booth Bend Road and 99W, S.E. Baker and S.E. Cowls Street, and S.E. Davis and College Avenue,” Cepeda said. “However, if the officer discerns that driving a short distance past the boundaries can be facilitated without compromising the safety of the campus, they have the discretion to do so.”

Students walking home who are off campus are the ones who need rides home the most. The Associated Students of Linfield College (ASLC) has a great solution to this problem.

Instead of students calling a friend (who may or may not be home) or CPS, ASLC wants to form an affordable taxi service available to Linfield students off-campus around the McMinnville area.

This gives Linfield students a reliable way to get home safely. Students wouldn’t have to walk home alone with the possibility of being assaulted, and CPS wouldn’t have to meet students somewhere to pick them up.

In the meantime, what should Linfield students and administrators do to ensure the safety of students walking home at night?

CPS should pick up students off-campus as long as they are in or near the  designated boundaries. The safety of students is CPS’ responsibility, so it should be willing to pick up students who are stranded without any other safe way home.

The recent assaults of Linfield students should also serve as a reminder to not walk home alone at night. The best thing for students to do is to have a friend to walk home with at the end of the night, as rides home can often be unreliable.

If one gets separated from his or her friend, try to figure out where he or she is before leaving. It is important for friends to look out for each other.

A taxi system would be nice for Linfield students to have available to them, but for now, students have to deal with what they have. Have a friend to walk home with at the end of the night or call CPS for a ride home.

-The Review Editorial Board

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The Review Editorial Board

linfieldreviewopinion@gmail.com