A Florida bill passed by a house committee and introduced to the state senate seeks to prevent teachers from discussing LGBTQ+ topics and history in the classroom, with parents able to sue the school in question if they feel their child has been exposed to topics pertaining to gender identity and the LGBTQ+ community that interfere with their parenting.

According to NMU’s Safe on Campus Dashboard, Winter 2022 COVID-19 cases are already going to pass the Fall 2021 total cases. We aren’t even two weeks in.

The generation which is currently coming of age in this period of time relates to holidays with a different attitude from previous generations. Many factors play into our view towards holidays, including how we view the origins of holidays, efforts to be more inclusive with multicultural holidays, political divides in family gatherings and even our experiences with COVID-19.

Currently, NMU pays a great deal of money to fossil fuel companies in order to keep the lights on around campus. This money comes from our tuition dollars and ends up supporting unsustainable energy. Yet there are other, more sustainable, energy companies the university could benefit from investing in, argues the Divest NMU club.

Around this time of the year, we notice evidence of cultural appropriation most often in the Halloween costumes around us, and in the mascots and logos of our sports teams.

Recent events on campus, such as the abrupt termination of former president Fritz Erickson, the ongoing contract dispute between faculty and administration and the vote of no confidence in NMU’s Board...

Although the issues we face are worldwide, there is much to be done locally. In Marquette we can labor to create a positive impact on the environment rather than contributing negatively.

When he asked me to give up my own ambitions to follow him overseas, I said no. I would have had to quit school and stay home being a housewife rather than having a career. I wouldn’t have a support system where he wanted to bring me. That just wasn’t a future I could say yes to. I was even a little bit angry that he expected me to make these sacrifices for him.

It’s fairly normal for there to be some burnout at this time of the year. Many students and professors expect it. And we have to keep in mind that COVID-19 is still around as an additional stressor, along with ongoing tensions having to do with administrative upheaval and the faculty contract situation.

It has now been over a week since the Board of Trustees unexpectedly terminated former President of the university Fritz Erickson on Sept. 24. For several days after the event, blindsided students watched and rewatched the meeting, analyzing each word spoken by BOT members, trying to fully understand the abrupt termination.

If there’s any hope of convincing a campus community that’s become tired of the constant reminders and pleas for caution, we would like to try. Please, make it a personal goal to continue to wear your mask correctly, even in the grocery store or in social gatherings. Don’t go to class if you feel ill. Again, COVID-19 is still here. We’ve talked about it enough, we know how to combat it. At this point, a year and a half later, it’s just a matter of discipline.

For many students coming to NMU as members of the LGBTQ+ community, finding comfortable housing is an ordeal. Now, as of Sept. 20 the Pride Rock proposal has been submitted to NMU administration, and it details plans for an LGBTQ+ priority house in the dorms which would significantly reduce housing-related stress for many queer students.