Opinion

May 22, 2012

Better Yourself: Five Steps to Becoming Exceptional

By Kevin Ferguson

A while back I wrote an article on the human tendency to think we’re above average. In it, I made the obvious point that we can’t all be above average — that doesn’t make sense. This is called the optimism bias. ...

May 21, 2012

Second Year Takes on the ‘Slut/Prude’ Binary: a Rebuttal to Last Week’s ‘Hump’

By Lexi Cary

As I was reading Wednesday’s “Humpin’ Letter to the Editor,” I found that I quickly became incensed. Not simply because the words “skank” and “prude” always get my blood boiling, but also because, as a na...

May 21, 2012

Why Religion May Be a Matter of Ideology, Not Theology

By Riley Schenck

Oftentimes you hear people lament religion and how it is the cause of so much conflict and violence throughout the world. “If only religion were to disappear,” they say, “then we would all live in peace.” As a se...

May 18, 2012

It’s Gettin’ Hot in Hurr’: Partygoers Nearly Suffocate in Hormone Cloud

By Matt Renner

UCSB’s Christ-centered fraternity threw a party this past Saturday. With no drugs or alcohol there, the party was completely fueled by the force of repressed sexual energy emanating from the male and female partygoers....

May 17, 2012

When Pride Fails Us: Sage Advice From Sergeant Signa

By Mark Signa

Pride can be an amazing thing. Many of us have pride in our country, pride in our children or parents, pride in the high score at Donkey Kong. Frankly, there are a lot of things to be proud of. I look back at my life and...

May 16, 2012

As Conservatives Try to Silence Young Voters, Students Fear A Growing Trend

By Opinion Editor

If you pass through the Arbor on your way to or from class, you may have seen the signs: “Please Don’t Take My Vote, Mr. Pappas.” In 2008, Steve Pappas lost the election for County Supervisor to Doreen Farr and, di...

May 16, 2012

Prude to Crude: How One Freshman Found Her Inner Freak

By Anonymous

Until college, I was the prude. The hot Asian prude, but nonetheless the prude. At my ironically slutty all-girls Catholic school, everyone tried to hide their obvious skankiness. And while my boyfriend and I had been do...

May 15, 2012

You’re Not ‘Bad With Names,’ You’re Just Not Using Your Memory Creatively

By Kevin Ferguson

This past weekend, I attended a function of the highest prestige: the launch party for The Campaign for UC Santa Barbara, an event that celebrated the new phase of funding to further UCSB’s impact in the academic and r...

May 14, 2012

Obama’s Gay Marriage Endorsement Raises Eyebrows and Campaign Funds

By Riley Schenck

Last week, Barack Obama came out and publicly endorsed gay marriage, a move that many saw as a huge political gamble. Many on the left have worried that the announcement will help fire up socially conservative voters who...

May 13, 2012

University Faculty Members Respond to Nexus’ ‘Least Useful Majors’ Report

By Emily Zinn, Ellen Anderson, Paul Berkowitz, Ann Bermingham, Laurie Monahan, Jane Mulfinger, Holly Unruh, Cristina Venegas, Kim Yasuda, Marko Peljhan

To the editors of the Daily Nexus: We would like to take a minute and respond to the May 9 article entitled “UCSB’s Least Useful Majors.” The title of this article, as well as its reliance on poorly researched data...

May 11, 2012

Keeping Isla Vista Safe Means Demanding a Shift in Police Priorities

By Jack Foster

If you take a walk down Del Playa on any given Friday or Saturday, you will without a doubt see numerous people being cited for alcohol related “crimes,” surrounded by 4-5 police officers. While this may be standard ...

May 11, 2012

Yang in a Wig to Replace Snoop Dogg at Extravaganza

By Matt Renner

Due to bad investments, the Associated Students Program Board has discovered it cannot afford to hire legendary rapper Snoop Dogg for next Sunday’s Extravaganza concert. Fortunately, our generous leader, Chancellor Hen...

May 11, 2012

You’re a Boat-Ride From Bliss (No Passport Required): Santa Cruz Island

By Harrison Gibson

A short 19 miles away lays a national park with rich biodiversity, incredible topography, stunning views and a hell of a history. It has its own endemic and distinctive species, and it boasts over 2,000 different kinds o...

May 10, 2012

‘Out of Many, One’: Should America See the Light and Return to Its Original Motto?

By Brian Gallagher

I was exploring the underworld beneath the cushions of my couch, looking for headphones, when I came upon a stray $1 bill, all wrinkled and crumpled up. Since I hate to see my currency in this shabby state, I took to fla...

May 9, 2012

Who’s on Top? How Society Dictates Your Position in Life and in the Bedroom

By Anonymous

Now, I know I have almost beaten gender roles in our society to death, but I’ve still got one last little bit to harp on. All of this theory is leading up to something — a part of my sex life an astonishingly large a...

May 8, 2012

California’s New “End the Death Penalty” Initiative Proves Inherently Unjust

By Jeffrey Robin

In the upcoming elections this year — the June primary and the November general — California citizens will have the chance to exercise their rather unique (and, in my opinion, rather silly) ability to exercise direct...