Eastern students made up most of the public who attended the Mertz pre-trial conference Aug. 29 in order to observe criminal justice proceedings surrounding the man accused of murdering Shannon McNamara. I attended along with many of my criminology students. With the exception of a Times-Courier journalist and Father Chris of the Newman Center, everyone unaffiliated with the criminal justice system stood with legs apart in order to be scrutinized by a hand-held metal detector. Each time the detector's alarm went off, proof of innocence had to be supplied to the sheriff's department regarding the offending item. Sunglasses with metal frames, eyeglasses, belt buckles, etc. had to be revealed.

I had a friend in high school named Jaime - one of the smartest kids in class, funny, a little dorky, but genuine. I sort of lost touch with him after we graduated. There were a couple phone calls over the years, but not much else.

With the vast majority of students descending on Charleston from many other parts of the country, it is natural that many of them will find some things different here than back home.

I've attended a lot of Student Senate meetings in my four years at Eastern and I must say I've never seen a senate fight so hard for something they believe in as they did Wednesday night.

Limiting writing portfolio submission to email is one of the biggest mistakes the university could make regarding the new program.

Interim University President, Lou Hencken, has spent his entire career in the area of Student Affairs. He has been working for years to give the students of EIU a better home, better access to services, and a better overall college experience.

The recent appointment of Jill Nilsen to the office of vice president for external relations has sparked debate among faculty members, and perhaps with good reason.

In America, people on trial for a crime have the guaranteed right to a fair and speedy trial. It's sad to think that the accused has this guaranteed right while oftentimes the victim or the victim's family must struggle through all the prolonged legal maneuvering that delays a trial.

Everyone's done it. It's as American as a hot apple pies in bar form that fit snugly into cardboard sheaths with little air holes.

O.K. it's official. The final sign of the "60s revolution" has been sold and along with it the obvious reality of the baby boomer's values has come to light.

Saturday, Sept. 8 we are sponsoring a "Rally at the Rails" for rail safety awareness in the State of Illinois. This rally will be at the village park in McLean, located one block north of U.S. 136 from 2 to 4 p.m.

Students of Eastern maintain, as a long-standing truth, that they are not welcome in the Charleston community. Despite ever-increasing evidence to the contrary, such as the formation of an External Relations Committee and city leaders who insist the town likes its temporary residents, most students believe they are disliked by Charleston simply because they are students.