Governor Andrew Cuomo has created a new program called the “Excelsior Scholarship” for New York state colleges beginning in the Fall of 2017. This scholarship is in hope of creating free college and more opportunities according to the state government. The scholarship itself will cover 2 and 4 year programs for middle class families and individuals that make up to $125,000 per year.
Emily Davis, a marketing and communications manager for the College of Arts and Sciences at American University, said free college “would be great, if it was possible.” Davis told that free college definitely would have helped her, and after graduating was when she really realized the importance of financial help when dealing with loans.
The Excelsior Scholarship will cover tuition fees, but not other expenses such as room and board, food, books, etc. This means students will still have to pay for certain things, making the scholarship not completely free. The program has received criticism from networks like CNN and The New York Times, due to that factor of all the expenses not being included or covered.
Despite any disagreements or future issues with the program, most agree that progress is progress. Earlier this year, advocate Bernie Sanders tweeted, “If New York makes public colleges and universities tuition-free, mark my words, state after state will follow.”
The California debate over free college may have grown closer to its final resolution, thanks to a bill proposed by lawmakers in March of this year. The scholarship proposal, titled “Degrees Not Debt”, could bring relief to 390,000 public university students with an income of $150,000 or less, according to the California assembly’s March budget meeting. However, the bill’s price tag and source of funding have many reeling.
According to the California Committee on Education Finance, the average full cost to attend a CSU is $20,600, and for a UC the number is closer to $32,800. Degrees Not Debt promises to pay attention to the entire cost of college, not just tuition and fees, which goes beyond what other programs offer. It also addresses the federal expected family contribution, which, especially for a state like California with high housing prices, is unreasonable. Rather than enforcing the expected contribution, the Degrees Not Debt program would ask families to contribute one-third of the amount.
This kind of aid would have been more than welcome for mothers like Janet Raven and Marit Skelton, whose children recently finished graduate school. Skelton’s daughter attended Pepperdine University in California, and she “wouldn’t have been able to go without a scholarship,” Skelton said. As a single parent, Skelton was struggling with how to finance her daughter’s education, and her daughter ended up needing multiple grants and a scholarship to attend university. At Pepperdine, the total cost of attendance is $66,152 without financial aid.
Raven agreed that some financial aid is needed for all college students. Her son, who recently graduated without a scholarship, has student loans. “We’ll be paying until we die,” Raven said. She advised families to stay away from student loans as much as they possibly can, unless they want to be “in debt forever.” Skelton echoed this sentiment, urging students to be “creative” in the ways that they approach financial aid. Both women agreed that something new needed to happen in order for the student loan process to become easier on families.
Although neither Skelton’s children nor Raven’s attended community college, community students are also aided by the Degrees Not Debt program. However, the Community College League of California writes in their May government relations update that they have “concern” about the policy.
The proposed funding to assist in tuition costs for community college comes from the 1988 bill Proposition 98, which requires a minimum of 40% of the state budget to go to K-14 education. (Currently, over 50% of the general fund is allocated to education.) In order to fund the tuition relief, Degrees Not Debt would be siphoning budget from Prop 98, and thus from education for pre-college students.
This sets a lot of teeth on edge. “It is bad policy,” writes Rocky Chavez of the San Diego Tribune. “You need success in the former to even reach the latter.” The Community College League agrees, admitting that there will be “significant tradeoffs” if the bill is passed. Additionally, increased Cal Grants still will not be enough to assist low-income students. The Institute for College Access and Success reports that although most students in California attend community colleges, only 7% of Cal Grant dollars actually go to community college students. And the 90% of eligible applicants who did not receive Cal Grants? More than 140,000 of those people lived below the poverty line, and over 28,000 were single parents. The Institute argues that the grants just aren’t doing enough to finance students’ education – and an increase in the number of them won’t be enough.Courtesy of the Institute for College Access and Success
The price of the Degrees Not Debt program is also controversial. The bill would cost around $1.6 billion, a number assemblyman Kevin McCarty asserts can be achieved without tax increases. For a program that some say does not accurately address student needs, it doesn’t seem worth it. Debbie Cochrane, of the Institute for College Access and Success, writes that the program attempts unsuccessfully to account for lower-income students, while still giving higher-income students disproportionate opportunities.
Still, controversial or not, the Degrees Not Debt scholarship program is a new way to view the issue of college financial aid. Currently, it is on track to be phased in through the 2018-19 school year, and, for parents and students, it could be a saving grace.
On Wednesday, Jessi Hollis McCarthy held a workshop at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. where she educated young students and aspiring journalists how to detect, process, and understand fake news.
McCarthy said fake news is often used as a “political tool,” and it’s also published for entertainment and advertising purposes. But many times news dubbed as “fake” is actually flawed or biased.
“Biased news is not fake news,” McCarthy said. “Flawed news is not fake news.”
Although fake news is a topic that has become significantly more transparent as Donald Trump has taken office, the spread of false information through news platforms is a problem that has existed long before Trump’s administration.
“Donald Trump is not the first president to have an interesting relationship with the press,” McCarthy said.
She mentioned Theodore Roosevelt’s Muckraker Speech in 1906, where he cautioned the public against media that spreads lies about politicians and public figures.
Jessi Hollis McCarthy lecturing students on fake news. By Gabe Ferris.
According to McCarthy, fake news has been around long before the 2016 Presidential election because the First Amendment “protects” fake news, which makes it difficult to regulate.
The Constitution states, “Congress shall make no law… prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom… of the press…”
“The First Amendment is constantly interpreted to have breathing room,” McCarthy said. The press has the freedom to publish anything, despite fabrication.
The only thing the public can do is learn how to properly identify fake, flawed, or biased news by fact checking evidence, researching sources, and taking the time to “dive a little deeper.”
To fact check news articles, use the websites below:
Washington, D.C. college students and residents reflected on personal experiences of discrimination, with many saying it is still prevalent today.
Elizabeth George, a 52-year-old black woman visiting American University’s campus in June, looked down when asked about the discrimination she faced in the 1960s and since then.
Jackson, Mississippi, 1964. Two men on opposing sides of racial rights- one fighting for equality, and one not. Photo provided by An Urban Archive, Queens College, CUNY
“I was always seen as a second-class citizen,” said George, who grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. “I was never given the opportunities my white counterparts were. Though some interviewed shared similar experiences growing up facing racial discrimination, many people interviewed described different labels for what “discrimination” is.
Jordan Hayley, 19, shared her experience growing up as a white female in Houston, Texas.
“Many people assume that because I’m white, I am guaranteed privilege and that is not the case,” Hayley said.
“Quite frankly, I think that is racist.”
But this issue goes beyond the concrete walls of AU, and into the streets of D.C. and the rest of the nation.
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2015, the Pew Research Center surveyed black and white Americans asking their perceptions of race relations, law enforcement and fairness. Seventy nine percent of blacks surveyed said “a lot” needs to be done to achieve racial equality while just 44 percent of whites did.
Another Pew poll from 2016 revealed that 71 percent of black people have experienced discrimination based on their race/ethnicity.
“I’ve had instances where I was going shopping and I’ve had people follow me because they thought that I would steal something,” said April Spence, 34, of Woodbridge, Virginia, who is black.
Nina Hendricks, 66, talked about her experiences as a teacher in New Jersey.
Six decades after the start of the Civil Rights Movement, people of all generations wondered what the current state of discrimination means as they reflected on the work of civil rights leaders and regular citizens that came before.
George shook her head as she said, “Though we’ve made strides since the civil rights era, sometimes I wonder if electing a smart, black presidentset us on the course for a pivot backwards.”
Stephan Adebajo, 20, who is black, sat reading a book last week at the Tenley-Friendship Library. He reflected on a recent experience of discrimination.
“I go to an all boys school and it’s predominantly white,” Adebajo said. “We have a rowing team, and I couldn’t make the boat I wanted to be on even though I proved myself more capable than everyone else on the team.
WASHINGTON, D.C.–Widespread political division has many Washington, D.C. area residents and college students questioning the meaning of Independence Day this year and how protests should be handled.
American University students and employees interviewed Wednesday disagreed about the holiday’s meaning, saying it carries its own traditions no matter the year.
“Nostalgia,” said Stephanie Blenko, 19, speaking about Independence Day this year. “I’m away from home for the first time and the fireworks remind me of home.”
An American flag hangs at a retail shop in Tenleytown. By Gabriel Ferris.
With a nation that is politically divided, millennials said July Fourth means time with friends rather than time celebrating patriotism or the holiday’s deep symbolic meaning. Younger residents showed more resistance to the traditional patriotic interpretation, but some still said it’s a time to heal political divides.
“In the 1700’s, we came together and I think we can also come together now,” said Laurel Gupton, 19, of Essex Fells, New Jersey. “We are all still American.”
Still, Gupton and many others interviewed this week said planned protests or political dissent on the holiday were a reminder of America’s freedoms.
Mindy Ford, 45, said she is unhappy with the current administration, but vowed to celebrate July 4 and how the far the nation has come.
Still, some said protesting on the Fourth of July remains in stark contrast to what the Founding Fathers stood for.
“Protesting on the Fourth seems to be anti-patriotism; that’s my observation,” said Barry Jones, a 57-year-old independent voter.
Celebrating a holiday that commemorates America is a hard pill to swallow for some, especially those who still feel institutional racism is a problem.
A 2016 report published by the Pew Research Center said that 88 percent of blacks believe America still has steps to take to ensure equality for their race.
Carl Amritt, 22, of West Palm Beach, Florida, spoke about how political discord is affecting July Fourth this year. By Gabriel Ferris.
That will manifest itself in how people like 23-year-old Dekyan Dennis, who is black, will celebrate the Fourth of July.
“I will not be celebrating,” said Dennis, who said her boyfriend serves in the U.S. Army. “The flag represents equality and justice but our nation doesn’t embody these ideals.”
Although fireworks and large American flags are at the forefront of most July Fourth celebrations, what they symbolize is anything but concrete.
Supporter of the alt-right at a protest condemning same-sex marriage https://www.pexels.com/photo/alt-right-367032/
Members of the diverse community in northwest D.C. experience the effects of the president Trump’s rhetoric. They noticed an increase in tension regarding current politics after the 2016 election cycle.
Over the last two years, Donald Trump and alt-right movement have brought white nationalism to the mainstream American audience, research shows.
New Nationalism is the name being used for white nationalist groups, mostly from the far right. In recent years, the messages these groups spread have had a large influence in American politics, but the impact on the people is often not discussed.
“There’s a lot of hate now,” Eddie Malihi, 48, said about the emotions after the 2016 election.
Many share Malihi’s observations about the increase in hate. Hate incidents have been increasingly common in the time after Nov. 6, 2016.
The Southern Poverty Law Center documented 867 bias-related incidents in the first ten days after Trump’s election. This included anti-Immigrant, anti-Muslim, homophobic and racist actions by supporters of Trump’s messages during the campaign cycle.
“We’re becoming more accepting of the racism and hate in our country,” Hannah Christie, 17, said about the direction the U.S. seems to be heading.
Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric was a prominent factor in the 2016 campaign cycle and a deciding factor for many voters. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center’s annual report, the anger over Muslim citizens resulted in a 190 percent increase in the number of anti-Muslim hate groups since 2015. This is a result of the Donald Trump campaign and election.
In response to the rise of hateful actions and speech, citizens have taken to the streets to show their discontent. There has been an influx of protests, marches and demonstrations to illustrate these feelings. On January 21, five million people across all seven continents, came together to march for human rights and representation. Earth Day, April 22, also saw the March for Science. Over one million people marched in order to display the importance of science in everyday life.
Even though there has been a increase in white nationalism and hate groups, many are hopeful of the future after the Trump administration.
“Once we have the right person in office we can start to rebuild and grow,” Malihi said.
American college students are engaging in severely dangerous Greek Life rituals and traditions that are threatening the well-being of members, leaving students and adults alike questioning the practices of these social organizations and unsure of the future.
Many students and alumni interviewed this week about their understanding or experience in Greek Life said that the culture often gets a bad reputation, especially in the wake of high-profile deaths like that of Timothy Piazza at Pennsylvania State University in February.
When asked if he would consider taking part in Greek Life if he were to go to college in the future, 16-year-old Alex Sanchez from Guatemala said, “No, I wouldn’t. The traditions put my life at risk.”
According toa study conducted by Harvard University, Greek house residents are twice as likely to engage in reckless or irresponsible behavior such as driving under the influence, neglecting schoolwork, becoming involved in fights, or having unprotected sex. Additionally, The Addiction Center has reported that there have been approximately 24 Greek-related deaths in freshmen pledge classes nationwide since 2005, and at least 15 of these deaths were a direct result of hazing rituals or initiation traditions.
The Harvard study also compared the likelihood of alcohol-related dangers and problems of fraternity and sorority members. In every category, ranging from attending class with a hangover to damaging property, the numbers reported by sorority members were significantly lower than their male counterparts. The more severe issues seem to be rooted in fraternities.
Lamar Smith, a 20-year-old student at the University of Kentucky, discussed the differences between fraternity and sorority culture at his school.
Information for prospective students on Greek Life at an American University session in June. By Lauren Coppins.
He said that while sororities are often tight-knit communities that engage in philanthropic work, fraternities tend to be known for extreme parties and initiation rituals that “prey on the weaker minded individuals.” Smith told a story about a fraternity at UK that was banned from the campus because of harmful hazing practices.
Two sorority members interviewed this week from Virginia Tech and Penn State qualified Smith’s assertion that sororities build strong bonds of sisterhood and strive to benefit their surrounding communities.
Abigail Ryan, from Great Falls, Virginia, said that she’s extremely proud of her sorority for donating over $110,000 to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Ryan, 23, served as the philanthropy chairwoman for her Virginia Tech sorority.
Likewise, Cathryn Kessler, 19, from North Caldwell, New Jersey, said her sorority helped shape her.
“Being welcomed among a group of strong, young women helped shape my course to be the type of person that I’ve always strived to be,” Kessler said.
While both Kessler and Ryan hold their experiences in high regard, often fraternities face the public’s scrutiny and can cast a shadow on Greek life overall.
A controversy has emerged as to whether or not colleges should be able to harshly penalize students and ban fraternities or sororities as consequences for engaging in behavior that doesn’t exemplify school values or respect the law.
The North-American Interfraternity Conference says in its position statement that fraternities help students meet lifelong friends, develop leadership skills, gain exposure to career opportunities, and give back to the community. The NIC has also announced its support for strict anti-hazing legislation and vows to hold students accountable.
Jennifer Chapman, 51, from Washington, D.C., doesn’t think that harsher rules or eliminating Greek Life is sufficient for a long term solution.
“I think the need for people to be so aggressively exclusive and kind of doing these sort of rituals is probably the bigger problem,” Chapman said. “I don’t think eliminating is going to work because people are going to find ways to make exclusive groups.”
Others, like Smith, understand the importance of maintaining a positive image on campus and feel that it’s fair for schools to start cracking down on fraternities.
“I have people that go to my school from different countries, people from all different types of states, and you want to make the campus feel as safe and inclusive as possible,” Smith said.
“So with fraternities, especially at a big Division 1 campus like mine, that’s such a big deal. You can’t have that type of negative publicity or attention on the campus. It hurts.”
Protestors oppose president Trump’s travel ban. Photo by Masha George
Many Washington, D.C. residents and students interviewed in the days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that parts of Donald Trump’s travel ban can remain intact, believed it would create a negative impact on the United States.
According to the ACLU, the revised travel ban forbids the residents of six predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States unless they fit certain criteria.
Trump issued his original travel ban on Jan. 27, which, after much debate, was eventually blocked. While the original travel ban was in effect, thousands protested the ban nationwide, especially in airports.
Even after the revisions, which allows people in special circumstances to be exempt from the ban, many citizens of the United States have strong emotions concerning the travel ban.
“America is supposed to be the Land of Opportunity and I very disagree with the travel ban. I don’t think that all Muslims are bad people, I have friends who are Muslims, I work with people who are Muslims, they are not all terrorists,” said April Spence, 34, of Woodbridge, Virginia.
Other arguments for why the revised travel ban will negatively affect the United States also included that the United States is a nation of immigrants, and so the citizens of the United States cannot discriminate against and ban people solely based on their religion.
Furthermore, people argued that people of most religions are part of terrorist groups and many Muslims are not part of a terrorist group. In fact, the FBI found that 94 percent of terrorist attacks that occurred in the United States from 1980 to 2005 were not by Muslims.
Everyone interviewed June 29 and June 30 in the Tenleytown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. and the American University campus believed that this travel ban was discriminatory, but one person was also in favor of the revised travel ban for security.
Often, the people in favor of the travel ban argued that terrorism does exist in the countries that fall under the ban. So, by banning residents from those countries inherently, they say, security will improve.
“I am sure that there is good reason to put it into place, and I’m sure there will be, as a side effect of the whole thing, a certain amount of discrimination that takes place, and that is unfortunate,” said Beth Cash, 54, of Cleveland, Ohio.
“But if that’s what needs to happen to keep us safe, then I think some of us are just going to have to live with that,” said Cash. According to a recent POLITICO/Morning poll, Beth Cash is one of many supporters of this revised travel ban, as the poll found that 60% of Americans support it.
Many peopleinterviewed also believe that this travel ban will go beyond just damaging the United States domestically, but will also affect its international relations.
“I think it’s already had a very negative impact,” said David Sarokin, 65, of Washington, D.C. “The mere fact of even proposing a ban like that, based on religion and based on no good national security reason, has done a lot of damage to our reputation as a free and open country.”
Naval Officer and independent voter, Barry Jones, reflects on his political ideology.
Voters in the Washington D.C. area last week explained what it means to be an independent voter and how that affects their participation in a two-party system. The increase in independent voters in the U.S. has welcomed diversity in political beliefs and affiliation.
David Rusk, former Mayor of Albuquerque, N.M. said he’s seen a change within the two-party system, a pull to the left and a swing to the ultra right.
The current political system proves many aren’t happy with the two parties and what they have to offer.
“I just feel that over the past eight to ten years neither democratic or republican parties really address certain issues that are of concern,” said Kentha Stephens, 40, of Houston, Texas.
A Pew Research Center study shows that there has been an 11 percent increase in independent voters from the year 2000 to 2015.
A Gallup study shows that in the year of 2015 43 percent of U.S. voters identify as being Independent.
Some independent voters admit that their set of political beliefs come from each of the two majors parties.
“Basically I kinda choose the way you would at a cafeteria. Maybe a conservative viewpoint that might agree with me and a liberal viewpoint that might agree with me,” former Naval Officer Barry Jones said.
Jones, did not always consider himself an independent. He used to vote for republican candidates and then later for democratic ones.
This shift in party identification is common among independents. Stephen said his ideologies were a result of his parents beliefs but later changed to his own.
The increase in independent voters and the trend of changing beliefs, has been a result of the availability of information. The internet created a space for a wide spectrum of ideas eliminating the ability of the parties to control the political narrative.
“Until the internet came along and changed everything it was harder to find all that diversity of opinion and an opposition to an opinion.”Jones said.
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Residents of D.C. agree on the importance of bipartisanship, regardless of political association, in the wake of recent politcal climate.
High school students outside the White House on June 28. By Alexis Bamford.
Sam Michaels, 21, sees bipartisanship as an opportunity to work constructively with others to produce significant legislative results. Michaels wishes that legislators could put a solution in place to reduce climate change.
Healthcare is a primary concern for Kathryn Walters-Conte, American University College of Arts and Sciences’ Science Coordinator. She believes that it is unreasonable for one political party to create a new healthcare system without consulting others with different priorities. Walters-Conte said that she has discussed healthcare with people aligned with both parties, but she thinks that overeager partisanship obscures actual policy making.
While Walters-Conte is concerned about health care, others are focused on other pressing issues.
Former political science major and lawyer Dawn Langer, 62, is concerned about the Middle East and North Korea. The instability of the governments involved, she said, occasionally keep her up at night.
Many Americans make an effort to avoid heated political discussions, but those who are willing to converse with people who feel differently agree that both sides usually develop a more meaningful understandings of each other.
Julie Walton, student affairs assistant at American University, is a self-described conservative. She said that working on a liberal college campus affords her endless opportunities to discuss her viewpoint with people who do not agree with her.
“We’re both trying to make a cake, and you think you should do eggs, sugar, and then flour, and I think you should do flour, sugar, and then eggs,” Walton said. She went on to explain how she believes people lose sight of the big picture, the metaphorical cake.
It seems as though the general electorate has a thorough understanding of bipartisanship. One can hope that this will translate into Congress as they work to pass legislation.
“Even if I don’t agree, we ought to be able to find a place of sincerity,” Walton said.
Courtesy of the Institute for College Access and Success
