First and foremost, let us extend a warm welcome to any parents reading this editorial! This weekend marks Spring Family Weekend and those of us at the Trinitonian are sure you’ll enjoy your stay here in San Antonio and your time at Trinity. This weekend also marks SPB’s Spotlight, the start of the newest theater show, “Mousetrap” and the third Trinity Farmer’s Market. Things are picking up for the end of the year. So with all of this in mind, we are going to focus on a few topics this week, giving a quick recap and our stances on the issues. Let’s begin the lightning round.

Milo Yiannopoulos

In case you had missed it, parents and any students who are apparently trapped in their room without Wi-Fi, Milo Yiannopoulos, British journalist and professional antagonizer, will be in Laurie Auditorium on Sunday to lecture and answer questions, sponsored by our very own Tiger’s for Liberty. Milo’s stop at Trinity, part of his “Dangerous Faggot Tour,” was advertised primarily on the Facebook page Overheard at Trinity and caused a bit of a stir. Milo, coming off recent news about planning to wear a Native American costume to Yale, is no stranger to controversy and offense. Not to say he is a genuinely offensive individual “” he is, however, a bold, loud and uncontrollable force who seems to take joy out of, or at least makes money, from causing controversy. The event is apparently costing Tigers for Liberty around $1600 dollars, an amount they raised quickly through outside donations. This amount required for requesting the event in Laurie Auditorium, which requires security detail, was another topic of debate “” was the university attempting to stop the event from happening? Were they threatened by the prospect of Milo stirring up controversy on our quaint little campus?

Likely not. I’m sure the administration was sweating the talk a bit. After all, they are the ones who have to deal with parent, alumni and student dissatisfaction and the public image of the university. But are they going to prevent him from presenting? Certainly not. At least we hope not. Milo’s views and opinions are not shared by all on our campus. Far from it. But any time speech or ideas you may disagree with emerge, the answer is simple: more speech. Not censorship. Even if you don’t agree with Milo, hear him out. Go to the event. Engage in a meaningful dialogue with those you may disagree with. Worst case scenario? You may change your own opinions or ideas. Well, actual worst case scenario? Riots and fist fights erupt. Ignore that possibility Trinity. I’m sure it will all be fine.

Active Shooter Drills

That obscenely loud noise emanating from every speaker and phone across campus? That’d be an alert about an active shooter. We know, it likely interrupted your important gaming session, steamy sex or that class you love, but pay attention “” it’s important. The fact is, school shootings happen. And they happen more often than you may think. There are claims that school shootings have occurred once every week in the United States since Sandy Hook. This is a frightening statistic, but also a false one, as it fails to define precisely what a school shooting is. Still, as much as we don’t want this to be our reality, it is. And we had better get used to it. We are not trying to make everyone go into a full panic here, but we are trying to make you aware of the necessity of such drills. At the very least they make you think about the situation. They only take a few minutes of your very precious time and they could make all the difference in the world.

When the factor at stake is your life you would think that participating in these drills, even as unlikely as a real shooting is to happen, would be met with open arms. If only we were not a gun free campus “” then we would not even need these silly drills. (sarcasm? If so, make it more obvious. If not, you need more description, b/c that’s a super controversial opinion that would need a paragraph to defend it)

Marijuana

It’s no secret that marijuana is a favorite recreational drug amongst college campuses, including our own. Sorry to break it to you parents and administration. With such wide use across the United States, the drug remains a Class 1 narcotic, as is heroin, LSD and cocaine. Class 1 drugs are fully federally criminalized and without any medical or beneficial purpose. Marijuana, however, may be in for a change “” the DEA has recently announced its plans to discuss the drug and the potential of changing its status. Potheads across the country, rejoice! But not too fast “” a simple “de-ranking” from Class 1 to 2 would not decriminalize the drug, a move which should be the goal before legalization. Marijuana, unlike heroin and cocaine, has wide-reaching uses, notably in the medical field for patients with chronic and severe pains. Not to mention, when was the last time you saw a YouTube video of a man who smoked too many joints and ran down a hall naked, bloody and yelling? Exactly. Now search for that same video of someone on LSD and there you have it. Over a million views even.

Marijuana is not the devil’s drug we once thought it was. It’s mostly harmless, and while it can be habit forming and addictive, its lasting impacts are nowhere as bad as alcohol or cigarettes. At least these are both illegal. Oh wait, they aren’t. We are not advocating children start smoking blunts and ripping out of their plastic, spillproof bongs. We are advocating that marijuana stop being labeled and treated as such a terrible substance. The worst thing you might do while high is eat all the snacks in your pantry. That’s about it. Let’s get this done already. Legalize it, tax it, stop sentencing minor drug offenders to years in jail and let everyone be a responsible adult about what they choose to enjoy (the same goes for nicotine, Trinity: if people want to smoke, let them). Hopefully we are greeted by good news soon and celebrations will be in order “” celebrations, of course, that will consist of sitting on your couch and partaking in a “Cheech and Chong” marathon.