THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE
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OPINION HAWKEYE P.O.V.
To those who don’t know what to do Just so you know, there are a lot of different routes you can take in college. We always encourage students to do their best and strive for greatness, but sometimes the classes we choose for ourselves do not allow us to be great. Freshmen are encouraged not to drop classes for fear of receiving a ‘W,’ but it’s much better to drop a class than continue and possibly fail. A ‘W’ on your transcript looks a lot better than a ‘F’ or a ‘D’. When the workload seems too much, it’s okay to take a breath and step back. Although we all want to be the best in everything we do, sometimes it doesn’t work out that way. Something else to consider is changing majors. Very few people go through college without changing their major at least once. Your first year in college is all about discovering who you are and what you want to be. So are your second, third and fourth years. It’s okay if you start out in pharmacy but realize that business is more your passion or vice versa. You’re only here a few years. Use this time to find yourself. Don’t be afraid if you find yourself dropping a class or straying towards a different major. This is your future. The only person who has to deal with the consequences of it is you. If you feel like you are suffering through a class, now is the time to make appointments with your professor to see if you can improve. If that doesn’t work, you need to make an appointment with your advisor to see what alternative measures can be taken. Pace yourself and remember to focus on your goals!
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ULM Hawkeye @ulmhawkeye
September 19, 2016
YouTube shouldn’t censor personalities Alan Rawles YouTube recently changed its content guidelines for content creators. These dictate what is acceptable for YouTubers to publish while still being able to make moneY from advertising revenue. Basically, it’s YouTube’s way of making sure YouTubers publish content that advertisers deem appropriate for the ad’s intended audience. If the video does not fall within the advertiser friendly guidelines, the YouTuber will not make money for that video, but the video will still be available for viewing. Let’s look at the new guidelines for advertiser-friendly videos to see why it’s such a ridiculous proposal. The guidelines state that sexually suggestive content, violence, inappropriate language, promotion of drugs and regulated substances and controversial or sensitive subjects and events are the areas that YouTube has highlighted as inappropriate for advertising. There are descriptions that go into greater detail for each of these guidelines. I’m looking at these guidelines and seeing valid points. Certain companies may not want to be associated with vulgarity or sexually suggestive content, but there are a few of these points that I have a hard time believing advertisers and YouTube would want to discourage. The biggest topic on the non-advertiser friendly guideline sheet I see is the controversial or sensitive subject topic. Basically, if a content creator chooses to highlight news relating to, say, the upcoming presidential election, it could be flagged by YouTube’s content ID and demonetized. It seems YouTube is trying to curb topics that may offend certain people or advertisers, but this is YouTube we’re talking about. They have a statement in their community guidelines that says “our products are platforms for free expression,” and while that may rule out things that are clearly wrong for this type of website, such as inciting violence or nudity, political events and coverage of tragedies should be shared with the public. Some of the other guidelines YouTube is trying to curb for advertisers include violence and vulgar language. Now I don’t go around cussing like a sailor, but some content creators can be colorful with their language. While excessive language is bothersome, one bad word here or there shouldn’t prevent a person from making
money. The violence guideline is another area I have a problem with. The problem stems from the context of the violent content. If the violence is being portrayed in the form of a video game or movie clip, is it still too offensive? According to one content creator, even video game violence is still too much for some advertisers. While some people are bothered by video game violence, it needs to be understood that this is dramatized violence, and is in no way actually hurting anyone. YouTuber TheDevildogGamer explained in one of his videos that at least 10 of his violent video game videos have been demonetized. The weird part about his videos being demonetized is that ads still appear on some of his non-advertiser friendly videos. A good question TheDevildogGamer asked in his video was where is the money was going if ads still appeared on his flagged videos. Does YouTube gain the revenue from the flagged videos that still run ads? This is especially wrong because if the rightful creators of those videos make the content, then the content creators should still be compensated for their work. YouTube is stealing from the pockets of these people who make videos for a living. As I stated earlier, I do see some valid points with the guidelines. Topics that promote sexually suggestive content, including partial nudity and sexual humor, can be an issue for some groups who advertise. Sexually suggestive content wouldn’t be appropriate if a school or religious organization decided to promote themselves on YouTube. The same can be said for the drug promotion restriction guideline. Both sexually suggestive and drug promotion content can be too hot of topics advertised by any business, especially if that business has a strict stance against those topics. Maybe these issues that YouTube doesn’t want to subject advertisers to will create a special market for certain advertisers. Ryan Haywood, YouTube personality for Rooster Teeth and its subsidiary The Know, spoke about this on one of The Know’s videos. “This is just going to create a niche for advertisers who are basically content agnostic, and they will want to advertise on these videos that get all the views even if they’re ‘edgy,’” said Haywood. Hopefully YouTube will ease up on the content they allow YouTubers to create. It is important to know that any video demonetized can be appealed by the content creator. This should help delay full-scale demonetizing until YouTube and its content creators can work out a deal that works for everyone. YouTube is messing with people’s lives. This censorship has the potential to prevent people from making a living, and that is an unacceptable way to treat your employees. contact Alan Rawles at rawlesar@warhawks.ulm.edu
September 19, 2016
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA MONROE
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OPINION
Listening better than banter Opinions are like fat, everyone has some. Some are hidden, and some are more open than others. The problem with having an opinion in today’s time is that if you do not have the same opinion as the opposing person’s, then you are wrong and vice versa. Lately, people have taken to social media to voice their views. Unfortunately, it is no longer about having an adult conversation. It’s like watching toddlers banter back and forth over who has
bigger morals, the better presidential candidate, who agrees with certain policies and laws or who’s religion is right. Nobody actually wants to talk about anything anymore. It’s all about smothering the other person’s opinion and brow beating them into submission. It is a “me” dominated world, and that’s where the only person who matters is yourself. Over the past couple of years, Facebook has gone from just being a social media page to a battle ground. Many people have started to go on pages and share or post status updates that they don’t even care about or believe in. All because they get to “troll” and argue. Politics are an incredibly huge deal this year, more so than it has ever seemed to be. I have seen countless individuals go to candidates’ sites they clearly do not support, just to say how much they hate them or call them derogatory names. Being hateful towards someone because they are not the person you want representing the country will not stop that person from shooting for their dreams. Instead of spewing hatred, why not formulate an intelligent response as to why you have chosen your candidate. If you do not like someone or something that they stand for, that’s your right, but they are still human beings. Respect is earned, not given, and it all starts with your actions
as well as your words. It seems like every news article or page on Facebook instigates a fight between individuals just by existing. When did having an opinion become a crime? The real question is, are we going to continue to shout at each other and call each other vulgar names just because we do not agree with someone, or are we going to actually start being civilized adults again? We have the right to choose everything, including our opinion. Just because your opinion is not the same as your peer’s, it does not mean we should shun anyone because you do not agree with them. At a young age, we were taught to open our ears, not our mouths, and that should still be something we practice as we grow up. The worst thing that can happen by listening is you becoming more understanding of their side. In the end that is all everyone wants. We want someone to understand exactly where we are coming from. “Tolerance” is a word spoken by every side of the spectrum, but how can you ask for that if you do not give it to others? Warhawks, the decision starts with you.
contact Kaitlynn Harris at hariskk@warhawks.ulm.edu
Don’t ruin music with hearing loss
What would we do without earphones? They’re a lot less bulky than headphones. They can easily fit in a backpack, purse or pocket and they allow us to listen to music and podcasts, watch videos, play games and communicate on a multitude of electronic devices without disturbing others. We can use them on the go, at work, at the gym, the park, the library, restaurants or when we just want to relax at home. Earphones are, without a doubt, a distinctive trademark of our generation as many teens and young adults in modern times can be seen using them almost everywhere. They are a superb tool for keeping us occupied as they can
be used just about anytime and anywhere we want to hear our favorite melodies, view entertaining videos and whatnot. However, many people don’t use them responsibly. Our parents, grandparents and teachers often complain about what a nuisance earphones are because people tend to tune out the world when they use them. Maybe it’s time we listen. We all know that person who turns the volume up so loud on his or her device that it’s bothersome to others. The function of earphones is to allow a person to discretely listen to auditory media. When someone using earphones turns up the volume loud enough to where others can hear, they have defeated the purpose of earphones. It is especially inconsiderate and unnecessary for an individual to have the amplitude turned up so high on their device that people nearby can understand the lyrics of the song being played or the movie being watched. Unfortunately, quite a few people do this. This is particularly obnoxious in public places, such as the library. Excessive volume doesn’t just provide a problem for bystanders, it can also be harmful to the earphone user. Listening through earphones at high volumes for prolonged periods of time can cause permanent hearing loss. Think of how many people listen to auditory media using earphones at an unreasonably high setting. Chances are, these
people have damaged their hearing, and sadly, the damage they have done is irreversible. If they keep it up, they may not be able to hear their favorite songs for too much longer. Is hearing a song on full blast really worth risking the lifelong harm it could do? A good deal of people should consider educating themselves on what a safe volume for listening with earphones is. Needless to say, a degree at which others can hear is not safe. Some people will say that their earphones need to be at a higher volume because they can’t hear the media properly. Those people should research other earbuds because they could be faulty . Several sources attest that it’s better to use headphones that go over the ear opening, rather than earphones that go inside the ear. Though it may be more convenient to carry around earphones instead of headphones, the hearing damage earphones could do if used irresponsibly is not worth it. If people aren’t willing to be considerate of others and break the habit of listening to auditory media loudly, they should at least be considerate of themselves and their own hearing. It is crucial to learn the consequences of loudly listening with earphones. Otherwise, scores of individuals within our generation will likely suffer intense hearing damage. contact Vivien Ballard at ballarvl@warhawks.ulm.edu