Last week, we all heard surprising news: President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian committee in charge of selecting the winner said it picked Obama because of his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

Here at Henderson State University, we are in the second weekend of a popular theatre production of “Death Trap,” in which blanks are fired during the performance, and actors are murdered onstage by a variety of methods.

As the hustle and bustle of the semester begins, we’ve noticed that there is a much welcomed change on campus. The most visible aspect of this change is the new signs posted throughout campus that say “breathe easy: tobacco free campus.” The other thing we’ve noticed is that clouds of smoke have diminished and people are no longer seen lighting up.
Tech implemented the no-tobacco policy on Aug. 1, a year ahead of the Arkansas law that recently passed. Starting this policy a year early helps to set an ongoing trend across the nation of a ban on tobacco products in schools.

We would like to pose a question for you to think about as you read: Why are professional athletes paid so much? When you Google the “highest paying jobs in the United States,” you are given several results. However, at the top of every list are physicians. Neurosurgeons are known for being at the top of the payscale in that field and are paid anywhere from $220,500 to $462,500 per year, sometimes more depending on their level of experience. They save lives. Not nearly as high on the overall payscale are educators. The highest paid among educators are college professors, whose average salary in the United States is about $99,000. They dedicate their lives to sharing knowledge and teaching people what they need to know to succeed in their career field and life.