Things have certainly gone afoul in the world in the past month.

Violence escalated dramatically in the Gaza strip between Israel and Hamas. The loss of 2.6 million U.S. jobs in just one year launched unemployment to 7.2 percent by 2008's end. The bickering of Minnesota state officials is prolonging an already dragging senate race after Al Franken's marginal victory of just 225 votes.

And of course, Illinois Gov. Milrod (I've been calling him "Nimrod", along with a few more descriptive names) R. Blagojevich has continued my home state's time-honored tradition of corrupting state politics, causing Illinoisans to hang their heads in shame as the nation watches with disgust.

Racine's mayor was arrested yesterday and charged with child enticement, possession of child pornography and attempted second-degree assault of a child.

How relieved I was to finally be back at Marquette, where Catholic, Jesuit values guide the university's every action toward justice and compassion for the whole person (unless you're a student with hefty textbook expenses — how about some ISBNs or at least reasonable prices for a change!). But it was nary two days into the semester before I read about some shady goings-on around here.

Let me be the first to admit that I think PETA is far beyond overzealous in its practices that often seem to deify animals above human beings. This time, though, they might be on to something. A complaint the group filed against Marquette alleged that a physiology class mistreated animals that were anesthetized and killed by blows to the head, electric shocks and drug exposure for research purposes.

I know that historic scientific advances which we rely on for modern medicine and science were sometimes reached by acts of cruelty. But is vivisecting animals really necessary in an undergraduate classroom? Give the critters a break — invest in a software substitute.

Marquette announced in its Monday e-mail news brief that campus icon Nicholas Onassis, owner of Ziggie's, had retired. Further probing by the Tribune, however, revealed that the university had made him a financial offer to leave to make way for renovations on the new dorm that will take the restaurant's place. Ziggie's gyro paninis will be sorely missed.

I love Marquette, and I'm proud that it is prospering and receiving more applications than ever each year. I understand the reality that in a densely occupied urban setting, the only way to grow is to push others out of the way. And if an omelet requires a few broken eggs, maybe an exceptional health sciences program requires the same of a few turtle skulls. So when all is said and done, maybe the university doesn't club animals to death just for sport and isn't a real estate-hungry behemoth that feeds on small businesses and low-income apartment tenants.

So why do I still feel so uneasy?