Category: Columns

Tuition has risen 6 percent for this year, and at first, I was a little upset. I didn’t really understand the need behind the tuition increase. However, after doing some digging, I found some answers that I hadn’t necessarily expected to find. UTM’s tuition is among the lowest in the state and area. Compared to… Continue reading 6 percent tuition increase benefits UTM

The recent SGA election has left me with a great deal I don’t understand. This is the level on which an individual voter can make the most difference. The voter base is small. SGA has the authority to change the UTM campus for better or worse and has very few loopholes to jump through. This… Continue reading SGA election causes concern for students

I’d like to offer some advice to keep in mind before and during SGA elections this year. First and foremost, be informed. I can’t stress this point enough. Talk to the candidates; find out what they plan to do forUTM. Pick a candidate who best lines up with your own visions for UTM. When you vote for someone… Continue reading Be informed, use logic in making your election choices for SGA

 Recently a member of our faculty had a column run to help raise awareness for a group that has been traveling around feeding several cat colonies around Martin, but I am here to tell you that this band of bandito cat feeders are doing much more harm to the community than they are good. In… Continue reading A solution to Martin’s cat problems

I have a simple arrangement with the world. Lay down the rules upfront, and so long as the rules are reasonable, I’ll try to abide by them. When someone changes the rules without notice and then punishes others for not following the new ones, that isn’t a very nice thing to do. The gist of… Continue reading UTM parking becomes more problematic

With the National Rifle Association and President Obama at the toll of the first bell in what appears to be a 12-round slugfest, one has to wonder what exactly the right direction should this country should be taking in response to the recent school shootings. After the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, NRA Executive… Continue reading Americans overreact to Obama’s gun orders

I don’t know much about sports. I appreciate the physical discipline and teamwork, though, so it upsets me when sports fans get nasty. I attended a UTM basketball game recently, as part of my job here at The Pacer. This particular game happened to be not such a good one for our men’s team. That… Continue reading UTM basketball fans disappoint at recent game

Being one who covers the arts a lot in this publication, you can only guess what my world is wrapped around. So often, as one of the editors, I find myself calling shots on content from week to week and being the Type-A stickler that I am (much to the amusement and annoyance of others),… Continue reading Take time to appreciate arts on campus

As college students, we are submerged in a life of writing papers, reading books, completing assignments and balancing all of that with our social and home lives, all for our own reasons. We’re a conglomerate of young and old, and we’re all from different places. As I meet all different types of students, being a… Continue reading Education: Why it matters