Recent events in the national news have reaffirmed my disdainful attitude towards this nation's politics and media. Congressional deadlock, groundless ridicule of the president, the obnoxious political circus around firearm regulation, and recent scandals coming from the executive office have all served to reinvigorated my frustration with American politics.

It's a familiar scene to Uni students. Filing into Uni Gym, sitting in orderly rows, and staying still for hours as the administration recognizes and honors those who have achieved more than any of their peers. But is it the best system?

Staff Reporter Cole A. Petruzzi offers his thoughts on student reactions to academic and athletic achievements.

As the end of the school year approaches, everybody’s bogged down with what seems to be a hearty entree of test dates and assignment deadlines, served with a hefty dessert of various extracurricular end-of-year activities on the side. That’s why it’s important to step back a little bit from all the carnage.

With the end of the school year fast approaching we look back on all the great things from the last quarter--and jeer the things we won't miss. We're excited about some of the changes and events Uni has put on, but what happened to climate change?

For this installment of the Roving Reporter we asked students for their thoughts on the revised student elections policy. This spring, candidates were required to give speeches, and students had to attend the speeches in order to vote.

Yesterday, I decided to attend the Oxfam Hunger Banquet, which was hosted by the Social Justice class during lunch and Uni period. Going into the event, I was a little worried. I had only discovered the variety in food quantity that morning, and thus had not brought a back-up lunch.

Starting next week, many older Uni students that will begin to take Advanced Placement (AP) tests at other high schools--something that is necessary because we don't offer AP classes or even AP tests at Uni. I think it is a good thing that we don't offer AP classes at Uni, because we can get all the benefits of AP credit at Uni without sacrificing the quality of our classes.

Earlier this semester, the Online Gargoyle asked students to evaluate Uni’s climate and their own stress levels and we ended up with some startling results. In the last several months, much has been made of what, if anything, needs to change about Uni to make it a universally supportive environment. In the following weeks, the Gargoyle will delve into stress and climate at Uni and present our findings and opinions.

A few weeks ago, Suzy Lee Weiss, a high school senior who had been rejected from many of the nation’s top-ranked colleges, wrote an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal. The article was a satirical take on the pressure high school students often feel to be unique in the eyes of college admissions boards. Gargoyle reporter Alice Hu discusses her reactions to the article, especially why she thinks the way Weiss saw it trivializes achievement in high school.

We asked some students the following question: What is the single most important thing that prospective students should know about the school that you wish that you had known coming in? The answers lie below.

From subbies to seniors, Uni students are clearly a stressed out group. When and why this stress starts, though, are difficult questions to answer. It seems that students begin feeling stressed even before stepping foot into Uni. As part of our series on climate and stress at Uni, in this article we explore the beginnings of stress in Uni students.

Earlier this semester, the Online Gargoyle asked students to evaluate Uni’s climate and their own stress levels and we ended up with some startling results. In the last several months, much has been made of what, if anything, needs to change about Uni to make it a universally supportive environment. In the following weeks, the Gargoyle will delve into stress and climate at Uni and present our findings and opinions.

In order to understand how to deal with climate issues, we must first understand their causes. In the Gargoyle’s student survey about stress and climate issues, the top three climate issues that people witnessed were politics, sexual orientation, and race/ethnicity. These issues seem to be aggravated by insulting jokes and comments, subtle stereotypes, and a general lack of diversity.

After discussing where stress starts and the pressure that students feel when coming to Uni, it is important to explore what ongoing stressors pervade the student body as a whole. The data from our student survey revealed some possible causes of stress for Uni students, such as self-motivation and willingness to excel in academics and extracurricular activities.