Last week, campus officials tried to stem the outcry about the difficulty many undergraduates had in getting into required classes. “This is insane,” said one student, a senior, “I just need to take Diff. Eq. to graduate, that’s all. But I can’t get in because no one else has taken it either, and I lost the last-name lottery this year.”
Dear Editor,
I read an article in the Oredigger recently called, “Underclassmen are Whiners? No Kidding!” written by an “Anonymous PO’ed Mines Student,” (his words not mine,) and he brought up an interesting point that I felt was worth a response.
In the article, he said that he understands where upperclassmen are coming from when we criticize underclassmen for whining, but at the same time feels that upperclassmen should do more to encourage underclassmen who are not yet familiar with the demands of CSM.
Dilemma
I recently started my own business. In my field, my salary is derived in two ways: 1) an hourly charge, and 2) a mark-up on materials that I personally purchase for the construction projects. Since I am a business owner, I am able to buy supplies at wholesale rates; it is customary in my field not to tell clients the profit made on these purchases.
I think I should be honest with my clients, though. Since I am already making money by the hour, it seems excessive to also make a profit on purchases. However, I worry that if I tell my clients about the customary mark-ups I am revealing a secret of my industry, which will create complications for my colleagues in this field.
Should I follow my own ethical code and be honest with my clients? Or be loyal to my industry and follow its customs?
–Unnatural Capitalist
Thanksgiving for most people consists of gathering around a large table with family to enjoy a great feast including turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and most importantly, pumpkin pie. The meal is usually followed by some afternoon football and for some a long nap. However, some families like to “mix it up” and celebrate the holiday in unusual ways. So the Oredigger asked several students, “What unique Thanksgiving traditions does your family have?”
While the Men’s Soccer and varsity football teams have been receiving their deserved attention in the last few weeks, the Colorado School of Mines Cross Country Teams have been flying under the radar. As winter sports approach, the cross country teams
remain the sole fall sport still continuing their season, as they competed in the NCAA division II central region championship Saturday in Wayne, Nebraska.
The Men’s Soccer team’s season ended eight days ago at the hands of Midwestern State University, and now the team looks ahead to the off-season to prepare for another crack at success in the fall of 2011. However, for two particular members, the story is a little different. Senior captains Jacob Juett and Trevor Braun have completed their career and look to their post-soccer future. However, to merely pass over these two players and move onto next year would be a huge mistake. It was these two captains who helped to lead and guide the Orediggers to one of the best seasons in program history. During the 2010 campaign, the team posted its best record ever, its first NCAA tournament victory and the first CSM squad to be ranked number one in the nation. And while the team was composed of 23 players besides Juett and Braun, the seniors created a winning atmosphere that was respected by coaches and players alike. “Trevor and Jacob did a great job of being captains,” coach Frank Kohlenstein complimented, “and they have mirrored our philosophy on and off the field.”
This week’s GOTW, or more accurately, “Greek of the Week,” is a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, an Air Force ROTC participant, and a major geek. Kevin Norbert Tornes is beginning his sophomore year and his third semester at the Colorado School of Mines. He is an avid board game aficionado and genuine lady’s man. The following interview between “The Oredigger” and Mr. Tornes was eventful one to say the least.
Colorado School of Mines faculty have always been involved in research on our campus. December, 1874, was no different, as the Colorado Transcript published a letter from the then Territorial School of Mines Prof. E. J. Mallet to William N. Byers. The letter discussed Mallet’s opinions on descriptions of coal as he proposed, “To give up entirely the term lignite as a special class name.” Feeling that the confusion caused by referring to Colorado mineral fuel as a class was unnecessary, he requested replacing the general use of the term lignite with specific use of lignite, caking bituminous, non-caking bituminous, and anthracite. Mallet explained that “the above classification draws sharply a line of demarcation between coals and, as it depends on physical as well as chemical properties, it clearly expresses their relative characteristics.”
Over the upcoming break, if you find yourself looking up at the sky, ever so often if you are very observant, you will see small glimmers of light track across the sky. While some of these will invariably be meteors streaking to their demise, a handful of them chart an even path, growing lighter as they go overhead, then dying out as the go into the shadow of the Earth.
