College and University Blog
Resources, help, and insight for your college experience
Is Hemp the Answer To Our Energy Problems?
Industrial hemp has little in common with marijuana. While marijuana produces a high when smoked, hemp doesn’t. This is because the level of THC in hemp is below 1%. No THC, no high. As more people become educated of the benefits of hemp, there is more interest in examining its potential and legalizing it. Unfortunately, Federal anti-drug officials say that allowing such crops would create a slippery slope toward legalizing marijuana. Currently, the U.S. is the only developed nation that has not established hemp as a legal crop. Great Britain lifted its ban in 1993; Germany did so in 1996; and Canada followed two years later. The European Union has subsidized hemp production since the 1990s.
Hemp is good for the earth and the American farmer. The hemp plant anchors soil and protects it from run-off. It preserves topsoil and subsoil structure just like forests do. Hemp plants can be grown in most climates, requires little fertilizer and water, and NO pesticides nor herbicid…
The Politics and Science of Medical Marijuana
Medical marijuana has been around for centuries. It has been said that the Chinese Emperor Shen Nung discovered the medicinal properties of marijuana almost 5,000 years ago, using it for pain control. Dioscorides, a physician in ancient Greece, noted that cannabis could treat pain, rheumatism, and gout. Queen Victoria’s physician recommended it for insomnia, migraines, menstrual cramps, and muscle spasms. One neurologist estimates that today, as many as 50,000 Americans with multiple sclerosis illegally smoke marijuana to alleviate their symptoms.
Pure delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is available by prescription as dronabinol. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the drug Marinol, a pill that contains THC. People taking Marinol say that the way the body receives the drug can, in many cases, make it less effective. Keeping a pill down can be difficult or impossible for patients with severe nausea. It takes hours for Marinol to take effect. Smoked marijuana provide…
The Gap Year - Will It Make You A Better Student?
If you informed your parents that you were going to put off college to become a master at martial arts, what do you think they would say? As students make final decisions about college choices, some parents may find their children’s choices are not in line with their own. Some parents may end up disappointed, possibly embarrassed, and fearful for their child’s future.
Most parents have preached the need for a four-year degree to accomplish the “American dream”. This is not reality for everyone. According to the latest information available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, only two thirds of high school seniors will enroll in college next fall. It is estimated that only 30% of jobs today actually require a four-year degree.
This is not to say that parents shouldn’t be concerned. Potential earnings are greatly influenced by a college degree. Those with a college degree earned on average $54,689 in 2005. Those with a high school diploma earned only $29,448.This is a di…
Is Sexual Abstinence A Practical Option In College?
By the time individuals begin attending college, they should possess basic sexuality knowledge. Unfortunately, many students arrive on campus with little actual knowledge about sex due to abstinence only instruction in high school. There is nothing wrong with teaching kids to abstain, as long as it’s not the only sex education they receive. The “Just Say No” message has been around for many years and it has failed. Vows of abstinence are often broken, especially in today’s atmosphere of growing peer pressure and the sexual influence of the media. Millions of young people continue to make the choice to engage in sexual intercourse each year. Withholding information that can preserve their health and save their lives is unfair, counterproductive, and immoral.
While abstaining from intercourse is the most effective way to avoid pregnancy and disease, fewer than 50% of young people are abstinent. When abstinence is presented as the only choice, students who have already rejecte…
Historically Black Colleges - Pursuing Your Full Potential
There are more than 100 historically Black colleges and universities (HCBU) in the United States. These schools have evolved since their beginning in 1837 when they primarily existed to teach freed slaves to read and write. Today, historically Black colleges and universities offer African American students a place to earn a sense of identity, heritage and community.
Before the Civil War the majority of Blacks in the United States were enslaved. While a few free Blacks in the north attended primarily White colleges before the war, this was a rare and almost existent occurrence in the slave states of the South. Public policy in the South prohibited the education of blacks. In response to this, a few institutions of higher education for Blacks were created. The earliest was Cheyney University in Pennsylvania (1837). It was founded as the Institute for Colored Youth and for most of its early history was for elementary and high school level instruction.
While the years betwee…