Bravo to Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen for coming to speak at the Downtown campus on Thursday. Mullen came to ASU to hear the concerns of veterans and how he can ease their transition back into society. Attendees heard the admiral speak and answer questions from veterans, students and faculty. Mullen spoke about the importance of supporting our veterans and the value of remembering what these selfless men and women give up to serve our country. Next time you see someone on campus wearing a uniform, make sure to thank them for their service.
Boo to estimates indicating that more than 80 percent of public schools could be labeled as failing under standards set by the No Child Left Behind Act. According to The New York Times, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said the estimates are evidence that NCLB, the main federal law addressing education, needs to be overhauled. High standardized testing targets would require all schools to bring students to 100 percent proficiency by 2014, a mandate Duncan said was “utopian” and would leave many of the nation’s best schools with failing grades. The law, introduced by former President George W. Bush in 2001, has long been the target of criticism, and plans to rewrite it have bipartisan support. We hope the developments to follow will keep the success of students at the forefront, instead of punishing schools for not reaching unattainable goals.
Bravo to the continued progress of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. The Tucson Democrat has been making a speedy recovery ever since she was shot in the head in January. Though nothing has been officially announced, word is that she will be able to attend her husband's space shuttle launch. This would mark an important milestone in her recovery, as she would have to travel from Texas to Florida for the launch. We hope her recovery will continue at this pace, getting her back into public life soon.
Boo to the beginning of the end for the Space Shuttle program. Space Shuttle Discovery came back to Earth Wednesday for the last time, making it the first spacecraft to retire as the nearly four-decade-old program comes to a close. The Endeavour is already preparing for its final voyage, which is scheduled to begin April 19, and then Atlantis will follow in June. It wouldn’t be so sad to see the shuttle program go away if we knew something would replace it, but it looks like we’ll just have to hold on to the memory of spectacular rocket launches after this summer.
Bravo to spring break. It seems as though just about everyone checked out for this week, even with the tsunami of exams and papers that always comes this time of the semester. Luckily we have a week of refuge, and the weather in the Valley couldn’t be better for it. The time is here to forget about school for a while and do just about anything else — finally.
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