The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 29

April 6, 2021 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 10 There are over four billion people using the internet, three billion of which are using social media apps. That is insane. To think that nearly half of this planet is using social media makes me feel more connected than ever to people. However, as many people have noticed, there has been a large divide because of how comfortable people feel sharing their opinions on these platforms. Although I find this to be positive, I find issue in the idea that the reason many people are getting so passionate is because they are finding most of their information from these platforms. This shouldn’t be an issue. There is little regulation on the information that is put onto these platforms, and because of that, there are so many outlets that commonly fabricate news and share stories that may be partly or fully lies. Because many people solely get their news from these outlets, this is a problem. There needs to be more regulation on what is being shared, in terms of news. Although I am not one for policing information, if there is something that is coming out as a fact, it needs to be a fact. I believe there are many spaces on the internet that allow for opinions and debating, but we need to be more careful about the information that is put out to actually inform us. Water Your Thoughts? Be careful what you read Opinions Neha Simon Contributing Writer Shark Speak How do you feel NSU has handled the vaccine rollout? “[I] wish they were offering Pfizer. Johnson & Johnson is only 66% effective and Pfizer is 94%,” said Mar, junior psychology major. “I don’t really know. I got the Moderna at Publix due to my health risks,” said Jason Bossert, senior public health major. “I’m glad they were able to give it to everyone so quickly,” said Kaylee Hilyer, freshman sociology major. Housing options aren’t feasible for students Rick Esner News Editor Residential students are well versed in all the changes and rules that NSU’s Office of Residential Life and Housing implemented this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but how much are we supposed to take? The housing options and rates for next year have been released, with a majority of returning residential students selecting their choice of housing sometime this week. However, I cannot be the only one upset with some of the decisions made for residential students next year. Let’s begin with the new distribution plan for residential students. Next year, all students with more than four terms at NSU, in other words, juniors and seniors, have only three options for “on-campus” housing. These students get the wonderful choices of Mako Hall, Rolling Hills A and University Pointe. Two of these options are not even on NSU’s main campus. I understand the assumption that juniors and seniors are more likely to have a car, meaning that they can drive to campus, but with a large sum of residential students being out-of- state, this just simply is not true. This means that freshmen and sophomores have the choice of every other dorm on campus. It seems a little unfair to me that buildings like CLC and FFV are being reserved for underclassmen without considering how limiting the options for juniors and seniors are. Maybe instead of focusing on increasing the incoming student population, NSU could focus on making legitimate residential options for all students. Now, you might say, “That’s what University Pointe is for,” but anyone who has read the options there understands how cruel that choice is. With a price point comparable to Mako Hall, it would be a viable option, but it is not even on NSU’’s campus. Not to mention that some of the studio options do not even have a stove. Rolling Hills A is not as bad, but again, it cannot be compared to actual on-campus housing. In addition, room rates have increased dramatically for some of the actual on-campus dorms. CLC, which previously cost $4,490 per semester, has been increased to $6,300 for the same accomodation. It is the same exact building. I understand supply and demand, but this is a university. Its first goal should not be trying to squeeze more money out of students for the same old conditions without any relevant renovation. So, while we have half the undergraduate residential students fighting for a chance to actually live on campus, we have the other half being drained of money that could go to other things like books or school supplies while living in the same old buildings. After such a difficult year and plenty of rules, you would think that the Office of Residential Life and Housing and NSU would give students a break, but clearly, that is not the case.