To the Editor:

State Sen. Breechen wrote a defense of his SB 554 (the “teaching evolution controversy” bill) in which he defended the bill as constitutional.

Let us, for the moment, stipulate that the intent of the bill really is to give a voice to those criticisms of evolution that are both under-represented and scientific.

As an example, he offers “the fossil record lacking phylum-level transitional forms”. This is an old creationist argument that has been refuted for years.

It is false.

Social networking is a common aspect of our academic, personal and professional lives.

Facebook is a very helpful tool for keeping in touch with friends, family, colleagues and more.

Facebook can be a valuable tool for reaching out and meeting new students, as well as for arranging study groups or exchanging information about class assignments.

Most Americans see a cell phone as a lifeline; we don’t go anywhere without it and some of us feel lost if we don’t have a cell phone within arm’s reach.

Having a concealed firearm on campus is like a phone to some of us.

I don’t go anywhere without at least one gun on my person, sometimes even two, depending on what side of town I am going to and what time of day it is.

Students! Are you interested in an Information Technology/Computer Science career field?

If so, you need to attend one of the upcoming recruitment opportunities.

Learn about their corporate mission; career avenues; job application processes; promotional possibilities and many other details for this field of professional employment.

Just a days ago, U.S Rep. Jim Moran, a Democrat from Virginia, introduced legislation that would prevent members of Congress and the President of the U.S. from receiving pay in the event of the federal government shutting down.

To the Editor:

Legislators have a responsibility to ensure state supported classroom instruction is factual so, concerning evolution, with the fossil record lacking phylum-level transitional forms, and understanding how this relates to Darwin’s theory, we must fully educate using all confirmed scientific discoveries.

To the Editor:

There is a movement to allow concealed carry weapons in campuses. The reasoning behind it is well intentioned.

It really stems from the recent spate of school shootings; and the idea behind it can be typified as a ‘sheepdog’ or ‘antibody’ defense.

With no one knowing who is armed and not, when a shooter does go onto campus, there might be someone armed to stop him before the time [of] the organized police response.

To the Editor:

So, there I was sitting in class, trying to get an education, when the girl who had been sitting in front of me asks if she can use my notes to study for a test.

Why, you say, did she not have notes of her own? Was she not in the same class as I? Did she not hear the same lecture? The answer is…NO!!!

While I was busily attempting to inhale every bit of knowledge in order to learn something and to get a decent grade, she was reading her Face book and answering e-mail.

The Office of Academic Advising has been busy this semester with more than 4,000 student visits within the first few weeks prior to and after the semester started.

Now that the spring 2011 semester is in full swing, it is a good time to come in and visit with an Academic Advisor.

According to the National Eating Disorders Association website, nearly 10 million females and 1 million males struggle with eating disorders every day

Over the past week, OCCC has observed National Eating Disorder Awareness Week with free screenings, an informative panel and a brown bag lunch.

Although these events, and others like them around the nation, raise awareness of various eating disorders, there is not enough attention paid to the underlying cause.