Top 10 College Survival Tips

1. Organize - This could include acquiring a calendar or using a hand held computing device. Write down important dates (exams, assignments, due dates to name a few)

2. Familiarize - Make yourself familiar with the campus. Be sure you can locate the dinning facilities, classrooms, library, security, gym and campus stores. The campus is not all that big, and does not have many buildings; you should be able to find your way around by the end of the first week.

3. Preparation - Prepare for your classes. If they require books, make sure to get the books. If you are assigned reading, make sure you do the reading. Finish all assignments before they are due, and show up to every class on time if not five minutes early.

4. Socialize - Find a group of people to hang out with. College buddies can become life long friends. They are people who you can count on to be there for you and provide a good social "safety net."

5. Get Involved - Join a club; make a new one if none of the current club interest you. What better way to find like minded people, and people who share in your passions then in a club devoted to it.

6. Study - Don't wait until the last minute and try to pull an all night cramming session. Professors rarely mind students visiting them during their office hours to ask for clarification. That is why they have office hours in the first place. Visiting them will allow you to get acquainted with them, but more importantly your professors will get acquainted with you.

7. Staff - Get to know the RA's and RD's. These are the people most likely to answer all your questions and help you with problems not related to the academic sphere. Most have been around for a while, and it is unlikely your problem is unique only to you. Chances are good that others who came before you had similar problems that the RA's and RD's have them with. That puts the RA's and RD's in a good position to help you.

8. Health - With no "parentals" looking over your shoulder, you may be tempted to do some things you know you shouldn't. Eat healthy, exercise regularly, and just take good general care of yourself.

9. Help - Seek out help when you need it. No matter what problem you are dealing with, no matter how difficult it may seem to you, there are people here willing and able to help you. They won't know you need help unless you go and ask them for it. Don't feel ashamed, feel empowered that you are actively taking steps to help alleviate the problem.

10. Enjoy - No matter what anyone tells you, you should have fun in college. That is not a license to disregard all your work and responsibilities, but it is important you enjoy yourself. Make sure to set aside time not just for work and study, but for relaxations and enjoyment as well.

Right World View Article Link:
http://www.rightworldview.com/mvilleissuearchive

Roommate Contract

Print Name
Participant A ____________________
Participant B____________________
A) Personal Property
1) What can be shared

2) What is Participant A's exclusive property

3) What is Participant B's exclusive property

4) Consequence for violating personal property

5) How should the room space be divided


B) Cleaning Schedule
1) What is considered messy & what is considered clean

2) Who is responsible for cleaning (schedule and/or area)

3) How should the cost of cleaning supplies be split


C) Guest Policy
1) When are guests allowed, both dates (weekdays, weekends, and or specific) and time

2) How much prior notice it required for a guest

3) Are there different rules for male or female guests

4) How guest conflicts will be resolved (what happens if you both want a guest)

5) Is exclusive time with the guest allowed / how much exclusive time is entitled


D) General Room Rules
1) Quiet / lights out time for both weekends and weekdays

2) Sleeping schedules & what are you allowed to do, or must refrain from doing, while the other is asleep

3) Study schedules & what are you allowed to do, or must refrain from doing, while the other is studying


E) Contract Provisions
1) What is the penalty for breaking the contract

2) How can the contract be modified

3) What to do if there is a disagreement not covered in the contract


F) Additional Rules and Provisions (space to add more rules if needed)


By signing this document I herby acknowledged and consent to the aforementioned rules and agree to abide by them. Failure to do so will result in the penalty laid out in section E-1.

Sign Name
Participant A ____________________
Participant B____________________



Right World View Article Link:
http://www.rightworldview.com/mvilleissuearchive

How to Deal . . . . . . With Your Parents

The College experience is not one you experience in a vacuum. Your parents are likely effect in some way as well. You, their precious child, is moving out. No longer will you come home every night where your parents can keep a close watch on you ensuring your safety. You are out in the real world now, and your parents might have some trouble dealing with that. This become especially true if you are the first child to go to college or the last, but middle children don't get off to easily, so don't feel unfairly picked on if you are the oldest or youngest.

Don't cut yourself off from your family. They have been there all along and are people you can count on to continue to be there. That said, boundaries must be set. That is right, you get to set the boundaries for your parents.

Let them know when and how they can and should contact you. If you want them to call you at night, tell them. If you prefer an e-mail instead, that's fine too. As long as your parents have the technical capacity to do what you request of them, few will complain. Instead they will be happy to see you are setting aside some time for them.

Some parents, for purely altruistic intentions, will call you or email you seemingly every five minutes. Know they are doing it because they care. Know also that unless you want that type of monitoring to continue throughout your adult life, you have to tell your parent in a nice way that they need to give you some space.

Tell your parents what you want. Do you want advice, a friendly ear, support, news updates from home? Give your family a framework to deal with. It becomes much easier when everyone is on the same page and knows what everyone else wants and expects.

Don't leave your parents hanging. Cliff hangers are good in movie and novel scripts, they are not good in real life with your family. If you are having some problems and decide to talk to your parents about them, be sure to let them know how things went. Don't just call them about negatives things. Let them share in your happiness when something good happens. If you only tell them one side of the story, that is the only side they will know. Make sure your family doesn't have a skewed view about your college experience and they won't worry as much. Show your family the appreciation they are entitled to. They have likely supported you your entire life, and may still be supporting you. Don't get so caught up in this new world of college that you forget about your parents back home. It doesn't take much to give them a call or drop them an e-mail, but it can do wonders to brighten there day.


Right World View Article Link:
http://www.rightworldview.com/mvilleissuearchive

How to Deal . . . . . . With Your Roommate

Perhaps the biggest gamble when starting college is your roommate. You have some semblance of control over your classes, your extra curricular activities, and who you chose to "hang out" with. Your roommate on the other hand, is usually someone chosen at random.

Best case scenario, you and your roommate mesh perfectly and you become instant best friends for life. Does it happen; sure, but so does the worst case scenario. That is you and your roommate are complete opposites that can't stand to be in each other's presence.

More likely, your situation will be somewhere in the middle. You are going to be spending a lot of time with your roommate (after all, you do live together), so it is important you can at least get along civilly.

Often the most overlooked step is the most important; talk to your roommate. If something bothers you, let them know. You can't blame them for repeating an annoying habit if you never bothered to tell them it is annoying. Prevention is usually the best policy when dealing with roommate issues, so try whenever possible to prevent problems before they rear their ugly head. This is easier to accomplish than many imagine.

The biggest mistake people make is playing things by ear. Don't assume everything will fall perfectly into place. Act proactively to prevent problems by drawing up a roommate contract. If that sounds to legal and fancy, call it a roommate agreement form. What should be included in this form; a sample contract / agreement is on the adjacent page which you can feel free to cut out and use or use it as a guide line to make your own.

A few important guidelines when dealing with roommates in general; be courteous, respectful, and willing to compromise. Being courteous tends to have a contagious effect. Be polite and your roommate will likely follow suite. If you yell and scream at them, how do you think they will respond; not favorably. Offer to help them when you can, and wish them luck when you can't. It doesn't take much, but helps a lot; and the offer is usually reciprocated.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T. This one goes both ways too. Mutual respect goes a long way. Couple it with compromise, and you can generally institute civil "quick fixes" for most of your problems. If you can both see things from each other's perspective, develop a mutual understanding, and learn to compromise, you should be in for some fairly smooth sailing. You don't have to be best friends with your roommate, but you do have to be able to get along.

Right World View Article Link:
http://www.rightworldview.com/mvilleissuearchive

Letter From the Editor (Right World View - Vol. I, No. 1)

Introducing a brand new campus publication, the Right World View. You can take our title literally or figuratively; it is pretty much the same to us. Read our mission statement if you want to know what we are all about. It will be printed in every issue we produce.

Instead of complaining about liberal media bias, we decided to do something about it. So, we became the media. We will not repress any legitimate view points, but we will not shy away from voicing out own.

What can you expect from us? We will report on issues that effect you. We will explain why they affect you, and what you can do about them. We hope to educate and provoke meaningful debate and discussion. If at the same time, we can add a little humor, you should expect that too.

This first issue is a special case. It is set up as more of an advice column filled with things you need to know. Also present are a few welcome / advice columns from people you should get to know. Subsequent issues will be more campus news based.

Like us, don't like us; let us know. Letters to the editor are always welcome. While we make no promises to print them all, we will try to print as many as we can fit. Try to keep them relatively short (less then 400 words), refrain from using expletives and intentional slander, and chances are good your letter will be printed.

If you believe in the mission statement, come join with us. We are always looking for "fresh blood" to infuse into the publication. If you only agree with some of it, that is ok too. Even if you don't, you can still join us to help cover campus events, just know that the publication's official position will remain regardless.

Who knows, you may find yourself siding with us more and more every issue. Don't be afraid to come over to the "dark side," it is "brighter" (again, take it figuratively or literally) than you may think.

Hope to see you around
Sincerely,

Editor-in-Chief
Andrew Berman


Right World View Article Link:
http://www.rightworldview.com/mvilleissuearchive

Mission Statement (Right World View)

Manhattanville's Right World View exists for a purpose: to promote the ideals that make the United States of America the greatest country in the world. Those principles tend to be Conservative in nature. As such, the Right World View is a fiercely non-partisan Conservative publication. Included among the ideals are a strong and free economy, security both domestic and abroad, and the reestablishment of values in our degrading society. These concepts and others are laid out below.

A strong and free economy is the bedrock of our country. The success of our economy is rooted in our free market capitalist system. Overregulation and government intervention diminish our advantages. Taxes must be kept low to allow domestic industries and businesses to compete in the global market. Barriers to entry must be repealed, and free trade worldwide must be established.

Government spending must be restrained. Excessive government spending will drive us into debt and is unsustainable in the long term. Such spending today will cripple our economy down the road.

The Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights are as valid today as ever. If threatened, they must be fought for. They are not to be compromised; they are nonnegotiable.

The promotion of self-reliance is necessary for a free state. The dangers of becoming too reliant on the government are as obvious as they are tragic. The government should not be an agent that enslaves its own citizens.

Security, both domestic and abroad, is of the utmost importance. Without security, all else is meaningless. We must always be able to defend ourselves and our interests. If that means going to war, so be it. While peace is always desirable, peace at the cost of freedom and security is too high a price to pay. In an age of terrorism, homeland security is increasingly important. Effective border security is a must.

Our nation is a nation of immigrants; legal immigrants. Closing ourselves off from the world would be a foolish notion, unrealistic, and ultimately counter-productive. One of our greatest strengths is how we effectively take the best aspects of every society and blend them into our own. We must not allow ourselves to fracture. We must welcome new legal immigrants with open arms, and effectively ensure their assimilation. We must ensure the motto "E pluribus unum" remains true.

We must show respect for our own culture and heritage. Forget not those who came before you. In the same way they created the world in which you live, you will do the same for those that follow you. The "torch" of freedom, passed from generation to generation, must be guarded with all due vigilance. Our main responsibility is to insure that we provide the next generation with the same if not greater privileges and opportunities which we were provided with.

The reestablishment of values in our degrading society is necessary and noble goal. Moral relativism to the extreme only serves to weaken our country and our resolve. People have stood up and died to protect our values; people won't stand up and die to protect moral relativism.

We will expose hypocrisy and corruption wherever we may find it, while praising the unsung heroes that too often go overlooked. We can not, should not, must not, and will not back down. We owe it to our ideology to win. Ideas alone do not have consequences. Actions have consequences, and we will put our ideals into action. Come join the movement to make our country an even better place. Everything starts locally, but when done right can have a national, even global, effect.


Right World View Article Link:
http://www.rightworldview.com/mvilleissuearchive

Welcome to the War of Ideas

Welcome to the War of Ideas
What Side Will You Fight On?


Welcome to the battlefield. What is this war about; ideas. Debate rages on all over the country and indeed the world. This campus is no exception. You, like it or not, have just enlisted to fight. Even apathy is a side, but few people are truly and completely apathetic. Who you fight for is completely up to you. People will try to sway you, convince you their side is the only logical one. You must be prepared.

Luckily, preparation is easy. Especially in today’s world with information literally at your fingertips, there is no excuse for not staying informed. You don’t have to listen to hours of news broadcasts. You don’t have to scroll through every news website. That said, you should watch a quick news recap, or read through a select few websites. The most important thing to remember is to use multiple news sources. A little time goes a long way.

If you want to be a “heavy hitter” for your side, reading prominent political philosophy is a must. That is the best way you can be sure to be well armed. Don’t be afraid to voice your own opinion, or raise a counterpoint to someone else’s. With a little practice and a lot of persistence you may start to sway the masses. If you agree with the ideals of the mission statement of this publication, send me an e-mail. This publication is always looking for new staff, and a better platform on campus you are not likely to find.


Right World View Article Link:
http://www.rightworldview.com/mvilleissuearchive

The Next Generation of Weapons

The next generation of weapons
by James Jay Carafano and Andrew Berman

War, ever destructive, also spurs creativity. The high stakes involved spark technical as well as tactical innovation.

Technology advances change the face of war. The siege wars of the ancients, the trench warfare of the early 20th century are wholly outmoded due to advanced technology that allows today’s battles to be fought at great distances.

That’s an advantage for Hezbollah terrorists. They can fire their rockets into Israel, then quickly disperse, making it difficult if not impossible for Israel to effectively return fire. The accuracy of the attack is not an issue, as terrorists don’t care what—or who—they hit.

How can the Israeli Defense Force defend against such attacks? Human creativity has an answer: Directed Energy Weapons.

DEWs represent a watershed change in military assets. They could play a vital role on battlefields in the Middle East and elsewhere in the next year or so -- but only if Congress takes the program off the shelf. Some types of DEWs are limited only by the amount of energy they can tap. An energy weapon hooked up to a power plant, for example, could deliver shot, after powerful shot, for as long as the plant keeps generating power. DEWs enjoy another major advantage over conventional ordinance: accuracy. Soldiers firing conventional weapons must take into account factors such as gravity, wind resistance, drag and time delay when targeting. Not so with lasers and other DEW. They aren’t affected by gravity. Because they travel at or near the speed of light, a soldier can just “point and shoot.”

Of course, that advantage is also a drawback. Directed energy weapons are direct line-of-sight weapons. To overcome this limitation, the military is trying to develop a series of reflective mirrors to bounce DEW shots to targets outside a direct line-of-sight. This program would benefit from battlefield testing.

The United States has had the technology to produce directed energy weapons for quite some time. In fact, these systems have already passed critical tests. At the White Sands Missile Range, for example, the Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) system successfully intercepted 46 Katyusha rockets—the very weapon Hezbollah fires daily into Israel. The system also worked against artillery and mortar projectiles in single, multiple and surprise engagements.

Unfortunately, DEWs need huge amounts of power, so they aren’t very mobile. That’s a key reason the U.S. pulled the plug on THEL, which had been a joint U.S.-Israeli project.

This is the moment where need and opportunity intersect. Israel needs weapons that can defend its civilians from terrorist shells and rockets, and DEWs can do that. At the same time, the United States needs to test new weapons systems under real-world conditions. Putting a system in the field now will help Israel and provide invaluable operational experience on how to use and further improve these systems.

For the U.S. to retain battlefield dominance, we must develop and deploy the next generation of weapons -- before our enemies can.

Congress should swiftly provide emergency supplemental funding to rush THEL into production, and the administration should direct the Army to accelerate the program as rapidly as possible. It should prove a great leap forward for defensive fighting -- and human creativity.


James Carafano is senior fellow at The Heritage Foundation and co-author of “Winning the Long War: Lessons from the Cold War for Defeating Terrorism and Preserving Freedom.” Andrew Berman is working as an H.N. and Frances C. Berger Foundation Intern at Heritage this summer.

First appeared in FoxNews.com


The Heritage Foundation Article Link:
http://www.heritage.org/Press/Commentary/ed080506a.cfm

Fox News Article Link:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,207151,00.html