2009 was America's year of change. When President Obama was sworn into office, America and most of the free world applauded our forward thinking. People in far away lands were spotted wearing Obama t-shirts and waving American flags, and African Americans watched in jubilation as the glass ceiling imposed by slave owners over 145 years ago, finally disappeared! Why, then, can't we finally admit that we're all on a level playing field?!

I am often asked by students if, when they walk into class every morning, they leave their First Amendment rights at the door. Back in high school, the answer was "it depends", and in college, the line of what is and is not acceptable is even more obscure. Free press is a fundamental prerequisite of any functional democracy, and though there may be nothing democratic about the student–faculty relationship in our higher education system, the presence and importance of independent – often student-run – media outlets on college campuses cannot be denied. What, then, can be done if school administrators want these rogue reporters gone from campus?

Let's face it – we can't all be blessed with millionaire parents. With the constant rise of college tuition, students are always being nickeled and dimed with everything from parking passes, outlandishly-priced books, and facility fees for buildings they've never heard of – the bottom line is that without the help of student loans, college is out of financial reach for millions of Americans.

In the days leading up to his landmark speech in Cairo, US President Barack Obama said it was time for "honesty" between the United States and Israel. Now he has spoken, and we should respond in kind. For Obama is right -- it is time, at long last, for honesty.