Opinion – Island Waves

Concealed carry keeps students safe on campus

February 21, 2020

Feb. 1 through the 8 was National Gun Violence Awareness Week. Many people are left wondering what we can do to prevent further incidents from occurrin...

Photo courtesy of the Rodney Reed: Innocent on Texas Death Row Facebook page

A protestor holds a sign depicting Rodney Reed during a march demanding his exoneration. Reed is scheduled to be executed on Nov. 20 for the 1996 rape and murder of Stacey Stites in Bastrop, a crime he maintains he didn’t do. As more and more evidence has emerged over the years that put the initial ruling into question, calls for his exoneration have grown.

The execution of Rodney Reed must be halted

November 15, 2019

Update: The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals granted Rodney Reed an indefinite stay of execution on Nov. 15. While this is definitely a huge relief, and...

Meme culture keeping Jeffrey Epstein story alive

November 13, 2019

You have most likely seen the “Epstein didn't kill himself” posts and memes pop up on your social media feed, and just as it seems they might be dying...

10.14 Letter from the Editor

Caleigh Sowder, Editor-in-Chief

October 15, 2019

As this week begins, I want you to know that we are still working hard to obtain an update about the aggravated robbery that occurred late last Monday, Oct. 7, on the hike and bike trail that runs behind campus. We have filed an open records request, have reached out to UPD several times for a statement, and are in the process with speaking to other campus officials. I...

Illustration by Sierra Lutz/ISLAND WAVES

Caught in the crossfire: Recent mass shootings lead to in-party fighting for Republicans

September 25, 2019

“Take the guns first, go through due process 2nd,” said President Donald Trump back in 2018 during a meeting with bipartisan lawmakers. This was in...

Photography courtesy of BBC News, The remnants of damage shown inside Notre Dame

People raise eyebrows at billionaires donating to Notre Dame

April 22, 2019

On April 15, 2019, an accidental fire by reconstructionists burned across the Notre Dame Cathedral. Millions of people all over the world reached out ...

Photo courtesy of Matthew Tamez-Infograph on Student Loans over the years

Student debt raises some concerns

March 7, 2019

Here we are in the spring semester of 2019, and some of us have to take out student loans just to attend our classes. According to Student Loan Hero, “Among ...

Courtesy of Arianna Aloia/ Island Waves. Izzy celebrated his 15th birthday this year. Even though there was no official announcement about his change of skin color, recent Izzy is noticeably whiter than earlier editions.

Izzy: a mascot appropriating cultures since 2004

February 25, 2019

The first time I saw Izzy the Islander in his infamous glory was during a basketball game. He skipped around the basketball court, high-fiving people and...

Matthew Tamez: Current Netflix prices and plans

Netflix price increase receives mixed reception

February 15, 2019

Netflix prices increased by upwards of eighteen percent in the month of January. The standard plan that offers HD video and streaming from two devices ...

Photo Courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment

Consumer rights and the stagnating price of video games

February 15, 2019

Gamers are disgruntled over the state of the video game industry and the games that have been appearing on the market, issues including microtransac...

Image taken by Arianna Aloia. IRS building of Corpus Christi.

Tax dollars are being wasted

February 1, 2019

With the Internal Revenue Service recently being closed due to the government shutdown, government spending is being called to the spotlight. For the f...

Gillette ad tackles toxic masculinity while making a profit

January 26, 2019

Gillette released an online-only ad that urges men to “do better” in society. The ad tries to tackle the hard conversation surrounding toxic masculinity a...