Top Opinion

Hundreds of University students can see the light at the end of the tunnel, as graduation day swiftly approaches.

Some are arriving at their educational destinations – bachelor’s degrees – and then must choose which fork in the road will take them farther down their career paths.

Others may choose to wander the streets of academia a bit longer, as they seek master’s or doctorate degrees.

I send congratulations to all graduates, nearly 800 of you, for a job well done. You should be extremely proud of yourselves.

Everyone has some kind of phobia, yet no one has fears as irrational and unyielding as mine.

The problem is, I seem to be retaining the fears I thought I would grow out of. Fears of clowns, thunderstorms, the dark, and diving off the diving board were supposed to subside and be replaced with adult fears of lack of money, being alone, and general failure in life.

Unfortunately my childhood fears still exist and my adult fears have set in earlier than expected.

It started when I wanted to label my class binders at the beginning of the semester. During a routine trip to Wal-Mart, I tossed a single Sharpie into my cart. As I looked over the latest tabloids during my turn at the checkout line, my thoughts were interrupted by an unexpected interjection from the cashier.
“May I see your I.D., please?”

University officials showed unprofessionalism in releasing former women’s basketball coach Terri Deike, a decision that likely has ended a stellar career.
Deike, who sat at the helm of the women’s Patriots basketball team for its first six years, was axed in a June meeting with Athletic Director James Vilade and Dr. Howard Patterson, the vice president of student affairs.

The announcement blind sided Deike, with no warming, no discussing or plausible reason. Deike said Patterson told her “poor leadership” was a factor, but her evaluation say otherwise.

Journalism is often viewed as a negative, insensitive way to receive current news; however, journalism was meant for truth.

Understanding the truth is hard for people to do because today seems like a fib world. One little fib leads to another until the domino effect unfolds and truth is forgotten. The opportunity to have breakfast recently with LA Times columnist Steve Lopez, the award-winning author of “The Soloist,” brought light to the word “truth.”