Suchita_Vadlamani's Blog

Wake Forest University has decided to drop SAT scores as a requirement for admission.  They say it's not an accurate way to gauge student success and puts too much weight on one aspect of academic performance.  I still remember how much anxiety SAT's caused me!  UGH! 

In your opinion, what role, if any, should standardized tests have in college applications?

Wow...when the going gets tough...

It's a shame Falcons Coach Bobby Petrino felt he had to throw in the towel, just three games before the end of the season!! His sudden resignation marks the latest in a series of disheartening developments for the team. From losing Michael Vick to losing ten games...and now, losing the head coach...Falcons fans have been put through a LOT this year. We need a coach who's got resilience, dedication and a real sense of loyalty to our Falcons---so, so long Bobby!

Sometimes, it's hard not to be deeply affected by some of the stories in our broadcast. This morning, we had one that really upset us. Here the gist:

A Saudi court sentenced a 19 year old woman...who had been GANG RAPED...to 6 months in jail and 200 LASHES!!!!
Her crime? Being in the car of a man who wasn't a relative!
Under Saudi Arabia's Islamic law, women are not allowed in public in the company of men other than their male relatives. She was initially sentenced to 90 lashes, but the court reportedly increased her punishment, citing an attempt to "aggravate and influence the judiciary through the media" Wait a minute...wasn't she the VICTIM? What about the men who viciously attacked her?? What was their punishment??

This type of "justice" is an ABSOLUTE outrage...and it happens more than we'd like to think. So many women around the world have no voice, no basic human rights. It makes me angry to think of the treatment they're subjected to...but it also makes me appreciate that we don't have to face those kinds of conditions here. Look, it may not be perfect, but it's a WHOLE lot better here than most everywhere else in the world!

This past weekend, Bobby Jindal, the son of Indian immigrants, was elected governor of Louisiana. At just 36, he will also be the nation's youngest governor and first Indian-American governor. The conservative Republican is an Ivy-League educated Rhodes scholar (Brown University and Oxford University) who has been involved in politics since his early 20's. This was his second bid for governor...he ran back in 2003 and was defeated by Kathleen Blanco. Jindal has pledged to stamp out corruption, cut taxes and improve schools--promises that other politicians have repeatedly made.  So, will he deliver?  The governor-elect certainly has his work cut out for him, and we'll all be watching closely....

As the new school year gets underway, some students (probably not a lot) will be heading to single sex schools. It seems like fewer and fewer people are choosing to send their kids to an all boy/girl school.

Well, from 7th through 12th grade, I attended an all girl school...6 very INTERESTING years! Let me just tell you, the "Mean Girl" quotient was exceptionally high, which made for some tough situations for the rest of us. :-) But in spite of having to navigate through all of that, I look back on middle and high school and feel it was a very valuable experience, especially from an academic perspective.

Obviously, single sex schools aren't for everyone...it all depends on the child, and each student learns differently. For me, it was definitely nice not to be preoccupied with "impressing" boys every day. Most of us(high school aged) didn't bother with makeup... and though we were allowed to have some sense of personal style, a strict dress code kept the "fashion parade" from getting out of hand (not that kids back then were into dressing up like today's teens...we were all pretty dorky and clueless. in fact, i'm amazed and sometimes concerned by how "mature" many highschoolers look now! ) Not having to worry about all of that helped many of us to focus, even excel in the classroom. It encouraged us to speak our minds, think independently, share our views and assume leadership positions...a real confidence booster. Apparently, studies have also shown that girls in that environment are more likely to take an interest in math and science.

Anyway, a few years after I graduated, my school merged with the boy's school next door and became co-ed. It has since expanded significantly and gotten even stronger in terms of resources, faculty, academics, etc. A sign that single sex schools may be a fading trend in education....

It's so unfortunate that this whole Michael Vick situation has happened...but what's even more disheartening is the way it's dividing Atlantans. There's a lot of anger and outrage out there...on all sides. Let's all please try to keep our tempers in check, and not turn on each other. Hopefully the truth will finally emerge and we will get some answers...but until then, let's all take a collective deep breath! We need it....

You've got to be kidding me!!....as if talking on the cell phone and putting makeup on isn't bad enough, people are now watching movies while they DRIVE???  I've never heard of a more ridiculous idea.  Atlanta traffic is scary as it is...the last thing we need  is for drivers to be getting caught up in TV.    The drunk driver who was going the WRONG way down I-20 last night while watching "Veggietales" in his car is a prime example....his irresponible actions and horrible choices resulted in someone dying.  Let's all remember that when we're behind the wheel, ALL of our attention belongs on the road.

Shock. Disbelief. Deep sadness. I sat at home yesterday, watching the continuous news coverage, stunned that we were in the middle of yet another horrifying campus shooting....the worst in our country's history. A tragedy of this magnitude is so hard to digest...so many emotions, so many questions. How could this have happened???? Why would someone do something so utterly senseless?? We may never really understand why. In the aftermath, as we struggle to find order, it helps to share our feelings, even if we don't understand them all.  Our prayers and thoughts are with the whole Virginia Tech community,.

Issues like campus security will certainly be on everyone's minds over the next few days and weeks, but the larger issue of WHY these types of incidents KEEP happening is what is most unnerving and disturbing. I don't think any of us know how to get to the bottom of that. With all of this weighing so heavily on our hearts this morning, it's been difficult to stay upbeat through our 4 hour broadcast. But we have to try...

Hey there! It's cool to be on the blogging bandwagon!  I'm excited to begin sharing my observations and random thoughts with you all  :-) Speaking of observations...you may have noticed something different at FOX 5.  We've got some major renovations going on in our studios in preparation of our brand new set!  It's going to be supercool and really cutting edge, so stayed tuned...we'll be unveling it in a few short weeks.  We're really psyched!!!    In the meantime, we're on a temporary news set...I actually really like it...I think it's cozy    :-)  Mark and Jeff have joked around, saying it feels like their old college news station sets.  Gotta tell you...the two of them constantly crack me up.  Like big brothers, they love to tease me and give me a hard time.  Funny stuff!!  Just this morning, Mark made me laugh so hard in the middle of a story,I could barely get through it!!  If it looks like we have fun on the show, you should see what it's like during commercial breaks!