Living Within Our Means: Obama Addresses Students at NOVA

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch,” President Barack Obama began in a speech addressed to students at Northern Virginia Community College on Tuesday.  In a town hall format in the school’s gymnasium, the President spoke about what’s been on everyone’s minds: the current state of the economy and the resulting budget cuts. 

Relating the budget cuts to the financial problems of college students, Obama asked how many students in the room were also on a tight budget, saying that, just like students, they are “looking for change under couch cushions” in order to cut spending without having to cut social programs that are important to us, like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.  As these programs are being targeted by Republicans in office, Obama and other Democrats are fighting to maintain and strengthen them, while finding other ways to reduce the deficit.   It was evident that those in the audience were worried about these very social programs, as well as what would be cut instead. 

Although he did not attempt to address anything remotely related to Title X funding cuts or the slashing of abortion funding in the District of Columbia, he did contend that he wanted to hold the wealthy accountable and end the Bush-era tax cuts for the richest in our country when the two-year extension he placed on it last year came to an end.  He also reasoned that we could find savings in the defense budget, that there was room to cut there as well, though did not articulate what specifically within the defense budget and how he would go about it.

“The question isn’t if we should cut; it’s how,” he said, noting that the things he refused to cut spending on are infrastructure, technology research, and education. He argued that education funding for things like Pell grants should go up rather than be cut, and that we should invest in education and the environment, but attempt to use that money more efficiently.  “We must live within our means, while investing in the future,” he said. The applause for comments regarding education and clean energy spanned the room, generating a lot of positive energy in the crowded gym. 

He kept coming back to the budget being a “shared responsibility,” a challenge that we all have to work toward tackling together. “I need your help,” he said. “Hold us accountable. They want to reduce the deficit on your backs, unless you make your voices heard.”  As we have been, we plan to do so in the immediate future and beyond that.  Students have been speaking out about the programs that they want protected. The question is not whether we will voice our opinions, but rather, whether they will listen.  

Girl Power In Action!

The Girl Effect Organization is making a large difference in the lives of women in developing nations one girl at a time. Check out this organization’s fascinating take on the importance of changing the lives of women in developing nations. The videos are short, eye-opening, and leave a lasting impact. The Girl Effect also has a web presence on its Facebook page that updates regularly with new success stories of girls in developing nations whose lives have been changed for the better. Spread the love. I mean, girl power!

Lots of Coverage, Very Little Plan for Action

The online news media has been in a frenzy this week after the fifth gay youth in three weeks took his own life. Everyone from the Huffington Post, the Advocate, to Washington Post bloggers have buzzed about Raymond Chase, the latest student to have committed suicide, often quoting the email that administrators sent to the Johnson & Wales University student body after Chase died.

In his email, JWU Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Ronald Martel mourned Chase's passing and offered condolences to the family. Unfortunately, his message stopped there. No mention of how to prevent such a thing from happening again, no mention of possible problems that needed to be tackled, no mention of anything.

But the school's vice president is not the only one - many major news sources have continued this trend, giving the issue lots of coverage with very little plan of action on how to help alleviate the environments causing these teens to turn to suicide. Even the statement issued by US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called for an end to harassment and a need to speak out against such forms of intolerance. But no actual solutions towards enacting the VERY change they all call for was ever mentioned.

This spree of suicides is proof that the current system is failing. It is time to ask the hard questions to get the core of these problems in order to implement real change and prevent even more loss of life. Students on Facebook formed a group encouraging activists across the country to wear purple on October 20th in light of the recent deaths. For more information, check out the group Wear Purple on October 20th, 2010. For a country that calls itself the land of the free, freedom from harassment and bullying is still not in the cards for everyone.

So....Step up and help! Contact your local campus officials and demand them to make school a safe and friendly place to be, ask them what resources are available and if there are none inform the larger public! Everyone has a right to a bully and harassment free life.

Contact and join your LGBT group on campus. No LGBT friendly group or groups on campus? Create one! Not enough people or members? Ally with like minded groups on campus and rally for change. October 20th could be a really great day to gain attention on individual campuses and spread the word. Need help with your plans of action? Campus Pride, a nonprofit organization aimed at making colleges more LGBT friendly, offers more information on helping making campuses more open and friendly.

Remember, bullying and harassment affects everyone. While your college campus is a great place to start please do not forget about your local community. Bullying and harassment can start at a young age, use your new found club or your group of friends to reach out to near by schools and volunteer for their antibullying or antiharassment programs. Make a positive change with a plan of action.

For Equality!

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month - Take Action on YOUR Campus!

The month of October is overflowing with activities that student groups across the country are taking action on. For many of us, October signifies the beginning of Domestic Violence Awareness month and gearing up to put on events that really highlight the impact it has in our communities. The first step in fighting this vicious violence is being informed and getting educated on the issue. According to YWCA, "one in three women has been the victim of domestic violence." Not only is this statistic saddening but also learning that "twenty-five percent of college women have been raped" is an issue we cannot blindly stand by!

Domestic violence can happen to anyone of any race, age, sexual orientation, religion or gender. It can happen to couples who are married, living together or who are dating. Domestic violence affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels. It is everyone’s problem and has consequences for more than just the people involved.


To take action for Domestic Violence Awareness month, many activists partner with local organizations and shelters that support survivors through fundraisers, host clothing and cell phone drives, hold workshops about consent and the Violence Against Women Act, chalk the campus with statistics about domestic violence, and volunteer endless hours. It can also be as simple as holding a screening that talks about the issue with a thought-provoking discussion afterward because as cliche as it sounds, knowledge really is power. Wherever you are, speak up against violence in your community by becoming a hotline volunteer, attend a local rally, or inform yourself and the rest of your school about your campus sexual assault policy.

Use this month to make a difference in your campus community because it takes just one person to send the message that violence is not acceptable. It’s time to take back our community and end this cycle of violence once and for all.

For more information about domestic violence and available resources, please visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline (www.thehotline.org) and YWCA.

photo courtesy of flickr.com/zappowbang


This blog post is part of the October eZine. To receive our monthly eZine, click here.

Can we really erase the past?

A grave injustice is in the works that must be brought to national attention. As of September 20th 2009, the Texas State Board of Education is in the process of changing their Social Studies curriculum. The revision they are planning to make will include the removal of some of our greatest revolutionary leaders from the African American, Chicano and Feminist communities.

Thurgood Marshall, late supreme court justice and one of the most influential judicators on the Brown v. Topeka case as well as the Roe v. Wade case... BLACKLISTED!!!!!

Ceasar Chavez, late union organizer, co-founder of the United Farm Workers (U.F.W.) and one of the leaders of the Chicano liberation movement in the U.S... BLACKLISTED!!!!!!!

Anne Hutchins, one of the original Puritan settlers in Massachusetts who was exiled for disagreeing with some of the scriptures and having spiritual meetings in her home that brought women together... BLACKLISTED!!!!!

These revolutionary figures have been deemed by the right-wingers as "not acceptable role models" for various reasons. Since Texas is one of the largest purchasers of textbook in the U.S., and are allowing these changes to be made in their curriculum, the major publishers may remove these influential leaders from the textbooks for all classrooms across the nation! Once again showing that Christian Fundamentalism trying to throw its weight around, we must not let the "fat cats" take away our history. If they are allowed to remove these leaders from the history books, who will be next? Take a stand and get informed on this topics, click these links for more info here, here, and here.

photos provided by flickr via Grandlepuck, cbonney's, and uncle buddha

Sugar Mamas

Quick listen: Are men marrying women just for their money?

UCLA Bruin Feminists Join Hundreds to Protest UC Fee Hikes

Guest Post by Cindy Le, Executive Board Member of the FMF-affiliate group, the UCLA Bruin Feminists for Equality:

Last week, UCLA experienced a flurry of activity in the form of student protests. The events included two days of marching and chanting, the occupation of Campbell Hall, festivities of Crisis Fest and a tent city welcoming students from UCs all over the state, as well as a takeover of one of Los Angeles’ busiest intersections – Wilshire and Westwood. These events – some planned, and some unplanned – were in the combined effort of getting students informed about the University of California Regents meeting in which a 32% fee increase would be decided on, and how that would affect UC students.

Hundreds of students came together on Wednesday morning to join in the peaceful protest that took place in Covel Commons. Among those students were members of the Bruin Feminists for Equality, an FMF-affiliate group. We joined in with the group by holding protest signs, marching around the Commons, and chanting phrases such as “No Hikes! No Fees! Education should be Free!” Check out the video - Bruin Feminists on CNN!



Many people wonder what the effect of this fee increase will be on the student population. In general, there is expected to be a drop in attendance, because fewer students will be able to financially cope with the fee increases.

As Bruin Feminists, the ideals of our student organization are to fight for equality for all in every aspect. Though the term ‘feminism’ is associated with gender equality between men and women, feminism - and Bruin Feminism especially, is the struggle for equality on all levels – including gender, race, sexual orientation, class, socioeconomic status, and the right to education.

This is the first mid-year increase in fees that students of the University of California have faced, and rightly so, the students are angry. The source of our anger comes from the contradiction of these fee increases to the idea of a public university and education as a means of upward mobility.

The raise of UC fees is coupled with many losses to educational services. At UCLA, we have seen cuts in library hours, writing requirements, English composition tutors, faculty and staff furloughs, as well as rumored plans to decrease degree requirements, cut foreign languages and consolidate ethnic studies.

On a larger scale, these fee increases are privatizing the university. Only those who are financially able to afford college will be able to attend. Though the Regents deemed the fee increase necessary and presented it as the only alternative to the lowered financial support of the state budget to the UC, this 32% fee hike affects not only lower-income students whose families are struggling to make ends meet, but also concerns students who do not qualify for financial aid and students who are considered middle-class – well enough off on paper to afford college without financial aid, but realistically without the means to.

Ethnic minority students are straining to continue on as well. A great number of minority students are first-generation college students. Already facing a unique set of difficulties to succeed in college, the financial burden is sometimes the deciding factor in the continuation of one’s education. The majority of the members in Bruin Feminists for Equality are first-generation and/or minority students.

The participation of Bruin Feminists in the protests was to show our unity as students. Furthermore, our continued participation is in opposition to discrimination for any reason. Students should not be funneled out of the college system due to race, class, gender, sexual orientation, or lack of financial ability. It is important to voice our opposition to the fee increases - education is a right, not a privilege!

Expelled for her Mini-Dress

Late October, a Brazilian woman, Geisy Arruda, wore a short dress to her University. Coming from a University in Southern California, where some of us wear mini-skirts with Uggs in December, this doesn't seem all that weird a concept. (Since a lot of warmth escapes from the feet, wearing fuzzy boots somehow magically keeps the rest of the body from freezing. Of course, more people in San Diego prefer flip-flops, and somehow don't freeze to death. 60 F is cold, people!)

She was hounded by hundreds of students, who shouted things like "we want to rape her!" and "whore!" She finally escaped the mob borrowing a professor's long coat, according to the Associated Press.

The School's response? Expell her.

Bandeirante University published advertisements in the newspaper accusing Arruda of disrespecting "ethical principles, academic dignity and morality," that she wore "inadequate clothing," and that she had an "attitude" that was "incompatible with the university environment." The University claimed that it had warned her to change her attitude and dress style, but in an interview with Brazil's Globo TV, Arruda said that she was never incriminated by anybody, the AP news reported.

How about the hecklers? The people who nearly attacked her, verbally abused her and threatened rape? Some of them may be temporary suspended. (The university claimed it would be suspending people, but it didn't say how many or for how long.)

The most recent development is that the University has rescinded their expulsion decree, in response to student protests and a demand from Brazil's minister on women's affairs that they supply a good explanation for their decision. One of Arruda's lawyers said if she does go back to that school, she will need safety guarantees.

Arruda has been offered full-time scholarships from two other universities.

Photo Credit: hello jenny on flickr.com

What the...

You know, there are times when commentary is simply not necessary. File these two stories under that category.

• Spoiled and Rotten Kids Boutique and Spa (what a name) has opened in Washington, D.C., to cater to the 2 to 13 year-old crowd to "provide an opportunity to build confidence and learn how to keep up their appearance." And how do young six-year-olds build confidence, you ask? Why with pedicures, manicures, drinks, make-up and a chance to walk the runway, of course! A recent Washington Post article features the kiddie salon and its popularity among young girls and parents alike, including one mother who came to the salon to celebrate with her 13-year-old daughter to "suggest that her little girl was on the verge of becoming a young woman." Manis + pedis + garish make-up = perfect celebration for young womanhood? Riiiiight.

• Whenever I read about something truly asinine, I can't help but think, "Was there ever a voice inside your head that whispered, 'maybe we should reconsider.'" Just when you think we've all come to a nice little agreement that "separate but equal" really isn't so grand after all, this foolishness happens. I would like to imagine that during Pasadena High School Principal Derick Evans plans to "motivate the students" to achieve higher test scores there were a number of avenues to pursue. However, when his best option to inspire his students was to not only separate them by the color of their skin but their gender, as well, then perhaps he should have listened to those dissenting voices.
  

Photo credit: Richard A. Lipski, Washington Post