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OPINIONS
Appleton, Wisconsin February 2017 Volume XXII
Issue IV Page 3
Having the end of the term
two weeks after winter break
obviates the utility of an ad-
ministratively scheduled
break; a bit like how drinking
a can of soda thirty minutes
after you brush your teeth is
counterproductive to dental
health.
Most of the discussion
around the timing of finals
relative to winter break usu-
ally centers around its impact
on test-taking. Everyone has
his or her own philosophy; for
every student who prefers to
relax on break without a week
of testing looming on the ho-
rizon, to “get it over with” so
to speak, there is another who
sees winter break as an oppor-
tunity to prepare for his or her
tests. In this respect, the entire
discussion is moot because it
collapses into a clash of per-
sonal tastes.
However, it would be naive
and reductionist to analyze
this issue through the narrow
framework of grade optimiza-
tion. Winter break is a cultur-
al institution more so than it is
an academic one.
The weeks leading up to and
including the start of the new
calendar year are recognized
and celebrated by almost all
cultures across the globe, al-
beit each in their own differ-
ent ways.
Celebration of the new year
dates back to the Babylonians
around 4000 BCE, and thou-
sands of years of tradition
exist around the celebration
of the winter solstice, as can
be seen through the dates of
such holidays as Christmas,
Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.
Winter break exists so that
we can take time to observe
this most integral and historic
part of our humanity: our cul-
ture.
Final tests have no such
tradition. To say that winter
break is a good time to review
for finals is literally an insult,
however microscopic, to the
human experience as it is un-
derstood everywhere.
Cynics may dissent, how-
ever. They will say that edu-
cation and learning are acul-
tural, and to draw upon the
power of culture in the dis-
cussion of academic terms is
thus antithetical to education
and learning.
However, this cynicism
inevitably collapses on it-
self, because the production
of knowledge is only useful
insofar as it improves the hu-
man experience. If final tests
are allowed to invade the cel-
ebration of the New Year (or
other associated holidays),
they become a barrier to our
ability to fundamentally en-
joy our lives during a time
when we should enjoy them
the most. This would be an
unfortunate oversight in our
learning experience.
I do not know who decides
when the term dates are, but
whoever you are, I entreat you
to let students and educators
maximize their enjoyment of
winter break by ending the
term before it starts, however
possible. I cannot imagine a
scenario where those two ex-
tra weeks make so much of a
difference.
First semester finals should be scheduled before winter break
Noctiluca
Editorial
Social media has become
increasingly integrated into so-
ciety, which is simultaneously
a bane and a blessing. Objec-
tively speaking, there has not
been a time when communica-
tion on a scale this grand could
be as efficiently accomplished;
the potential to perpetually
learn has never been as ac-
cessible. It is through online
communication that most in-
dividuals receive their daily
dosage of news; how else can
you obtain viable information
regarding, say, Syrian refugee
health or ethnic crises in South
Sudan?
State, national and global
news highlight the condition of
society and illuminate the areas
for progressive reform. (Simi-
larly, how can a patient address
her illness if she is uninformed
about its strengths and weak-
nesses?) So misleading propa-
ganda must be avoided at all
costs. As a society founded on
progressive values, we must
be conscientious of fake news
and alternative facts and sift
through proclaimed “facts” to
discover the concrete and justi-
fiable realities of our world “in
order to form a more perfect
union.”
Fake news has been procured
with diverse intentions which
primarily include: illuminating
the malleability of opinions,
gaining monetary benefits or
fueling partisan divides. An
interview conducted by NPR
provided the inside story of
Justin Coler, a fake news pro-
ducer, which explained his
rationale behind promoting
fake news. His objective was
to portray how quickly false
news could spread. In ten
days, one of his pseudo-news
pieces obtained over 1.6 mil-
lion views. He commented to
NPR, “The people wanted to
hear this. So all it took was to
write that story,” exemplify-
ing the current polarization of
American politics. Through
ad views on his pages, Coler
made anywhere from $10,000
to $30,000 a month, which
highlights the concern for the
influence of economic prof-
its on the production of fake
news. Likewise, Coler, who
claims the monetary benefits
do not influence his participa-
tion in this industry, believes
the economic incentive would
encourage money-seekers to
produce fake news.
Unfortunately, fake news is
not the only misleading infor-
mation propagated; alternative
facts are frequently spewed
from the mouths of current
government officials. With
President Trump’s rampant
claims that objective news
sources have become biased
falsehoods, legitimate news re-
porting is now being demeaned
and disregarded. Instead of
looking to well-established
and independent news (which
fights to inform and empower
every man and woman), Presi-
dent Trump demands that the
American people have ears
only for his words. There is no
call more dangerous. And the
justification for officials’ alter-
native facts is unprecedented;
projecting objectively false
information to the American
people as a sort of truth enables
the government to continue to
procure misinformation while
officials carry out different ac-
tions. We cannot simply trust
the word of one man. We must
perpetually search for truth in
news and support independent
journalism.
This predicament surround-
ing the promotion of mis-
leading propaganda must be
eradicated. Recent political de-
cisions, discussions, opinions
and actions have been heav-
ily influenced by this misin-
formation, particularly during
the presidential election and
President Trump’s inaugura-
tion. In order to develop well-
informed opinions and gain re-
alistic comprehensions of the
state of American society, we
must learn to sift through the
pseudo facts and identify val-
id sources. This is easier said
than done. How can you pin-
point who is providing the hard
facts, who is incorporating bias
into their reporting or who is
simply procuring false infor-
mation and presenting it as re-
liable news coverage? At first
glance, it is difficult to come
to a solidified conclusion, but
if you take the time and read
articles published from both
political perspectives, objec-
tive facts can be obtained. Of
course, it is never exactly en-
joyable when perusing through
the opposing viewpoint. But
is that not one of society’s is-
sues, as well? Polarization
has become rampant within
America and has increased the
vulnerability of people with
rigid political categorizations.
We need to be more tolerant of
diverse thought because (if we
value theAmerican institutions
of our rights to the freedom of
speech) everyone is entitled to
their own opinion and it chal-
lenges us personally to be more
conscientious of our individual
rationales.
Moreover, our beliefs must
monitored as we read news; we
must be conscientious of our
inherent biases. Material that
aligns with our opinions may
not be correct, but we could
easily be manipulated into be-
lieving misinformation simply
because it supports an idea we
support. Think about this: it is
significantly easier to believe
your cat broke your lamp if
you are a dog person and have
developed a closer connection
with your dog. We must re-
main conscientious of our per-
sonal and implicit biases as we
strive for a progressive society.
We must eradicate fake news,
discourage alternative facts
and seek objective information
in an effort to establish rights
for all.
By Mac Bagwell
Social media communication mediums, such as Twitter, are
propagating fake news.
Photo illustration by Maeve Salm
Misleading news propaganda must be eliminated
Communion must
be the focus of
intermissions
Zoe Throop and Lexi Tierney study for their AP Physics and AP
Psychology finals. It would be more advantageous to schedule
finals prior to break than after as it would allow students to enjoy
needed relaxation.
Photo illustration by Maeve Salm
People must
avoid fake news
and alternative
facts