The Signal

Serving the College since 1885

Saturday October 3rd

Opinions


Before The Chase format, NASCAR used the Winston Cup Series points system. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

OPINION: NASCAR should reconsider the playoff format

The 2026 NASCAR season has been historic in just three races. Tyler Reddick became the first driver in NASCAR’s 78 years to win the first three races of the season being the Daytona 500, Autotrader 400 and Duramax Texas Grand Prix. While drivers like Matt Kenseth in 2009 and Jeff Gordon in 1997 came close to winning the first two opening races, Reddick’s performance has lifelong fans to first-timers questioning if early season success should carry more weight in deciding NASCAR’s champion.

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Sad movies, despite the hurt they may make you feel, are actually very healthy for our minds and hearts. (Photo courtesy of IMDb)

OPINION: Watching sad movies is healthy for the heart and the mind

Recently, I watched “Perks of Being a Wallflower” for the first time and I cried rivers all throughout and after the film. The story itself is about a freshman in high school, Charlie, who finds the most unlikely of friends and is forced to deal with the ghosts of his past. Even though the movie put me in a heartbroken state for a few hours, it truly felt so freeing to cry so hard at a movie so beautifully done.

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In a time of rapid media inundation, considering your media diet could be more important than previously thought. (Photo courtesy of Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash)

OPINION: Your media diet shapes more than you realize

What was the last piece of media you consumed? Was it a piece of music or maybe a film? Or it could be something entirely different: maybe a short-form video or a news article. Many of us don’t really think about the media we consume. We live in a consumer-first culture, one in which we continuously take in new content without reflecting on it.

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AI is developing too quickly. (Photo courtesy of Pexels)

OPINION: We should all be concerned about AI, and for far more than academic dishonesty

Over winter break, I read a highly engaging, yet worrying book about superhuman artificial intelligence, a technological advancement theoretically in reach within the next decade. “If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All” by Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares reviews the very real dangers of superhuman AI, and explains why it should be avoided at all costs. The book may be grimly titled, but its title serves a purpose.

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Stereotypes often make it difficult for men to get the mental health help they need. (photo courtesy of Pexels)

OPINION: Men’s mental health needs more attention

For the average college student, life can feel like a constant balancing act. Time passes quickly, and many of us become overwhelmed by the growing weight of responsibilities. For college men in particular, this pressure can build rapidly. Taking time to sit with our struggles can feel like a burden, so instead, we often avoid reflection and push through discomfort.

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While AI use becomes more ubiquitous, its environmental impact must be taken seriously. (Photo courtesy of Pexels) 

OPINION: We need to stop dismissing the environmental impact of AI

You have probably used artificial intelligence today without realizing it. Not Googling a question and reading the Gemini response, or even opening up ChatGPT, within the regular apps you open every morning. Spotify deciding what song plays next. Google Maps rerouting you around traffic. Instagram choosing which post you see first. None of that feels blatantly like artificial intelligence, but it is, and it is constantly running. Data centers around the world are burning through electricity and water at an unsustainable rate. 

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