Florence Babb, an endowed professor at the University of Florida, is getting hit hard by the $69 million that was slashed from the university’s budget last year. Ignoring her contractual agreement issued when she was appointed in 2004, the university asked Babb to up her commitment to the school, teaching three courses per year as opposed to the two to which she had initially agreed, according to InsideHigherEd.com.

A statewide union now stands behind Babb in her fight against the university, which alleges that a collective bargaining agreement with the faculty union permits adjusting course loads despite prior appointment arrangements. Under the contract, UF can determine the “mix” of a faculty member’s responsibilities, which encompass teaching research and service.

Yesterday, at 5 a.m., a group of concerned architecture students gathered to place signs both on and inside Sibley. The banners, which read “No More Incest,” “New Search” and “Mass Retire, Mass Rehire” indicated the students’ concerns over recent hiring (and lack thereof) within the college.

The main goal of the students involved was to promote dialogue regarding their concerns with hiring and to increase communication between administration and students about the issues.

In response, the architecture administration ordered that the signs be taken down around 8:30 a.m., about the time that they arrive to work and that students begin to arrive on campus.

Now that campaigning for Student Assembly positions has officially begun, the candidates are doing all they can to publicize themselves and their platforms. Amongst many diverse ideas, one thing many of the candidates have in common is their failure to explain how they plan to accomplish these goals.

Last week in Washington Square Park, New York University learned that its students were no longer content with forming Facebook groups and holding discussions to enumerate their complaints with the university. NYU students took hold of Kimmel Student Center, engaging the campus in a protest that included, at times, roughly 70 demonstrators, to promote the idea of socially responsible investment.

According to endowmentethics.org, “Socially responsible investing (SRI) empowers shareholders to use their assets for positive change. SRI encourages investors to consider the social and environmental consequences of a given investment, as a factor equally important to, and reflective of, the investment’s financial performance.”

The University announced on Friday that it would terminate its business relationship with Russell Athletics due to concerns over labor violations and anti-union practices. While we applaud the decision of the University, the decision is largely due to the efforts of student groups and recent activism. The University should have the responsible foresight to sever ties with violating companies before students rise up in protest.

The war being fought in the Middle East is a two-sided conflict that has cost over 1,300 people their lives. Over the past two weeks, we fear that the battle taking shape here at Cornell is mirroring that conflict all too well, pitting people against each other as groups go head to head in debate. The war in Gaza must stay in Gaza and Cornell must recognize it is not a battleground for partisan action but is rather an academic environment where multifaceted thought should prosper.

This week we’ve found ourselves in some seriously sticky situations — and, no, we’re not just talking about all the peanut butter that has gone bad. We’re talking about water and Wikipedia both making headlines as students across the spectrum were outspoken about a number of issues, from sustainability to Gaza, making claims both HEROICALLY awesome and VILLAINOUSLY shoddy in substance.

Last week, the Ithaca Board of Education discussed a plan to phase out the middle school component of the Lehman Alternative Community School. This plan will remove a vibrant and integral part of a progressive school, and the Board of Education should keep this valuable component of the Ithaca public school system.

The Sun recently reported that Cornell’s LGBTQ community has gone without a director or manager since the summer and gone without an assistant dean for a year and a half. These positions have been vacant since before the economic climate worsened, so there is no reason they should remain unfilled. However, even in the current recession, the University should seek to fill these positions, as well as maintain its support for other diversity offices.

Washington University in St. Louis recently announced its decision to stop selling bottled water on campus. Cornell has no intention to follow in its footsteps by discontinuing the sales of bottled water. While we support Cornell’s decision as being prudent, more steps can be taken to encourage sustainable practices, specifically in regard to water consumption on campus.