Page 3 – The Waltonian

“Alright, put your phones away. Time for class.” The phrase echoes in the mind of anyone who has step foot in an American classroom in their lifetime. Understandably, educators at every level from primary and secondary education to college professors shouldn’t have to compete with the distractions of social media. A mundane idea: Should students be allowed to employ the latest technology to aid in the learning experience? I think is deeper than we imagine it to be.

So what is the role of technology in the classroom? I know from my interactions with a myriad of educators that the primary issue is always attention. How can students be expected to focus with all that going on in their lap? Worse yet, those distractions could lead to students thinking they can get away with cheating on assignments.

However, many students, myself included, make use of technology for (what I would like to believe are) more noble purposes. With the internet at our fingertips, information is readily available and can inform discussion and settle debates. Some students have also argued that taking notes digitally is more organized and helps them focus. In my own personal journey with attention deficit disorder (ADD) I used to need to take pictures of powerpoint slides and copy them later so I could actually focus in class and participate in discussion.

Further still, I think a more radical argument could be made that even the use of smart phones to text and email during class has its merits. Anyone who has ever worked in an office knows you need to develop multitasking skills to stay on top of your responsibilities and meet deadlines. If the student thinks they can handle it, and are not distracting their peers, the case could be made that they should be allowed to cultivate their multitasking and communication skills.

Back on the other side of the argument, studies have shown a correlation between traditional note taking methods and test scores. Additionally, a there is some credence to the criticism that it causes uneven footing for students without regular access to technology. It is certainly convenient for a professor to run online classes on days where the class is unable to meet, but some students might not have a working internet connection at home or even access to a computer at all. While it might seem trite, there might be more method to the perceived madness of the “old-fashioned-way” than we realize.

While there are challenges, I usually err on the side of progress. Technological advances should never scare us, because it is never the tools themselves that are at fault, but our lack of care to use them responsibly.

Dr.Eloise Meneses is a professor of Anthropology here at Eastern University. She has come a long way (literally) to be part of this community. Dr. Meneses was actually born to missionaries who were working in India, and spent much of her childhood there homeschooled by her parents. It wasn’t until Dr. Meneses was nine years old that she moved to the United States. Her parents had moved back for personal reasons, and this would prove a huge shift in the trajectory of her life.

Moving to America, Dr. Meneses said she had to completely “relearn her place in society.” Entering into the public education system in the fourth grade would prove challenging, but as she will tell you, her whole life has been a “process of learning.” She would go on to do her graduate level work at the University of California in San Diego, where she received a PhD in the field of Anthropology. Her upbringing has informed her work, and her unique perspective influences the impact of her teaching here at Eastern University.

Dr. Meneses explained how immediately after getting her doctorate, she would teach as an adjunct professor for a time, but she considered being a mom as her“full-time job.” Raising two kids with her husband, who was a minister at the time, is just one more thing Dr. Meneses can look back on in her long journey that brought her to Eastern.

She began her career studying economies in her work Love and Revolutions: Market Women and Social Change in India. However, when she put letters out looking for a full-time teaching job, her interaction with Eastern University refocused her life in a new direction. In her own words: “The Lord lead me to Eastern. Not only could I integrate my faith into my teaching, but I had to.” Coming to Eastern allowed Dr. Meneses to fully explore what she believes to be the two most important aspects of her life, “faith and learning.” She pointed out how even though we believe different things about the gospels, Eastern is an “energetic Christian place,” where we can have those conversations.

Anyone who has taken a course with Dr. Meneses has felt the impact of her life in the classroom. She is someone who is defined by both her accomplishments as an academic professor, but also the life she has lead, and she is an excellent example of how varied and deep each person’s walk with Christ can be.

Attending university can be one of the most daunting experiences for young people living in the United States. From either the societal pressure to make something of yourself or the great financial burden of education, a young adult venturing out on their own might find themselves overwhelmed by the experience. For a neurotypical person, these challenges are difficult, but most of our lives up to this point have prepared us for such things. Whether weighed down by issues of poverty, sexism, or racial tension, many people outside the “norm” find that the path set forth seems unfair. Furthermore, just as not every building has an elevator or an access ramp for people unable to walk, those institutions do not always have the facilities necessary to accommodate the needs of those whose disabilities are not visible or readily understood.

Recently, Eastern University was named the 21st best college for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by College Choice, an organization that ranks colleges by a variety of metrics. Many students at Eastern University may be unaware, but the university offers an extensive college success program (CSP) for students on the spectrum, and employs both peer mentors and graduate mentors to assist in the daily life of those students. Additionally, those students’ privacy is of the utmost importance to the university.

As an RA who regularly interacts with students in the program, I was able to sit down with a few of those students to get a firsthand perspective on how the program has impacted them, and what exactly CSP looks like.

A senior student, and former member of the program helped shed some light on the subject. He explained, “The CSP is a tool that helps people who need to adjust to campus life. If they need social help with focusing on studying, and if they feel isolated they are in a program with people like them.” Thinking back to the early program his freshman year, the senior remembered how the CSP was “a great way for people who don’t think in a neurotypical fashion to better adjust.” When asked about how the program specifically helps its members, he revealed how “projects aren’t made different, but accommodations have been made for deadlines. The expectations are not lowered, the people in CSP are given the tools they need to fulfill the expectations of their classes.”

A freshman, new to the program told the paper “the main takeaway is that I’ve had a really positive experience. They have a skills group once a week that helps me with social skills and a study session every week which is very useful. Additionally, I meet with Dr. Thompson who helps me stay on track with assignments and deadlines.” The freshman talked at length about how the program has made it “easy to make friends,” and that overall it makes him “feel happy and at ease.” “I am more comfortable at college because of it.”

The senior, in his closing remarks concluded, “When I was a part of the program freshman year, the social aspect of college was so hard, which made it difficult to do well in school. The program made sure I could get some extensions and was required to meet with a counselor once a week. If nothing else, that was very centering and grounding. The atmosphere of the program is very welcoming. For anyone who is considering Eastern University in the future and is thinking about the CSP, they should have no fear, because they won’t be thought of as less and will be given the best chance to do the best they can at Eastern University.”

The college success program represents the best of what Eastern University can be. We don’t try to be like everybody else, but instead we offer a unique experience that affirms the dignity and value of all people, no matter their circumstance.

When I came to Eastern as a freshman I needed a job. I didn’t have my car with me, so an off-campus job was out of the question. I was limited to what was offered on campus, even more so by the fact that I had no idea what was even available. With my unlimited meal plan, I made frequent use of the dining commons. It was there that I picked up a written application to be a student worker with Sodexo. For three years, aside from the odd menu item, very little about the job changed. The hours stayed the same. The food mostly stayed the same. Even most of the people who work there, like Bill the cashier, or Tony Jenkins, a supervisor in the dining commons, have been familiar faces every year.

This year was something new. This year, the hours have been extended in some locations, while other locations close in between meals. To-go meals are completely different. Where we used to offer pre-made sandwiches and packaged snacks, now students are handed a plastic container to fill with anything in the dining commons. The menus at the Jammin Java and Breezeway have been simplified and organized in a way that each place is unique, as they were harder to distinguish in previous years. The biggest change by far has been the meal swipes. In the past, meal swipes could only be used in the dining commons or during lunch at Breezeway. Now, any student can use a meal swipe for up to $6.50 at any of the retail locations.

These substantial changes have not happened without fanfare. Many students and staff shared their thoughts on the specific ways in which the changes have affected them. Sandy Miller, who supervises the Jammin Java, likes the changes to the meal swipes. “It’s convenient,” she starts, “It gives more freshman the opportunity to enjoy options other than the dining commons.” Billy Faulkner, an Eastern University graduate who works with Sandy notes “when I was a student it was different. Now it’s so easy.” Referring to the changes to meal swipes, “it brings more students downstairs.” Billy also pointed out how “people are divided on the changes to the menu.” “Being back is really surreal. I ate here. I sat there. And now it’s so different.”

Up in the dining commons, I sat down with Nate Tracy and Andrew Meneses to talk about how the changes have impacted the biggest dining location on campus. Nate, who serves as a supervisor in the commons likes how the changes give students “more flexibility.” “It really lightens traffic in the dining commons, and being closed between lunch and dinner really helps with keeping the space clean,” he adds. Andrew, who works grill, agrees that the changes have been good, and that it really “takes a little bit of the load off the dining commons around rushed times.” Nate pointed out how the longer hours benefit athletes and the new to-go system works well in concert with those hours.

A student athlete, Leslie Lutin, confirmed that the new hours are “a lot better for athletes because now I have the option to actually eat after practice as opposed to ordering out.” Leslie did mention that she wishes the Breezeway had some “healthier options,” however. Morgan Woodworth, a senior, told us “I really appreciate the changes to the meal plan! It’s much more convenient and makes flex dollars stretch further.” While most people have responded positively to the changes, not everyone has felt that way. Sophomore Jessica Allen expressed concern how the new to-go and menu changes have “impaired the diets of vegetarians on campus.” She spoke on how the old to-go meals had less variety, but they were more convenient for students on the go. The limited menus also leave much to be desired for vegetarians. “It so much work because BW and JJ don’t have much that we can eat, and what we can is fried,” was what Jessica had to say and I’m sure she speaks for more than just herself.

As for me, I worked in the dining commons for the past three years. I woke up early, helped set up breakfast, and then worked the dish room through until lunchtime. The change moved a lot of the traffic downstairs to retail, so for the first time since I was hired freshman year, I now work regular shifts at the Jammin Java as a cook. The experience has been refreshing, and it feels good to be the one learning again. Change is good. It allows us to grow and make mistakes. It is comforting to know that Eastern and Sodexo really listened to students’ concerns and made changes to help improve campus life.

You would think that with rising geopolitical tension and a supposed “trade war”on the horizon, the media attention would be covering those stories, but instead when we tune in, a large portion of our time is taken up with stories about a woman named Stormy Daniels. For those of us who don’t care for that sort of thing, Daniels is a fairly popular pornographic actress who is now in the media spotlight due to a report that she had an affair with the current United States President, Donald Trump. Not only was this already scandal-worthy, but it appears now that Donald Trump’s lawyer allegedly paid the actress “hush money” to not talk about the affair. Needless to say, media outlets, specifically liberal ones, have taken this as another opportunity to attack Trump’s character, which in the light of things is appropriate.

The President has a bad track record already with personal scandals (Billy Bush video anyone?), but he is in good company in Washington. Capitol hill is no stranger to scandals. In fact, it seems to be quite the staple. His son, Donald Jr. was recently divorced, which on its own isn’t exactly a story, but considering his father’s two divorces, the parallels were obvious. Several congressmen with both a (D)s and (R)s next to their name have had #metoo allegations levied against them and there is long history of indiscretions too numerous to count at the state and local levels. Indecency seems to have bipartisan support at the highest level of government. Sadly the white house also has a tainted history.

The Obama presidency spoiled us with its relative lack of any (personal) scandals, but the Democrats should take a moment to reflect as they chastise the sitting president for his failures in his private life. Just as it did during the last election, the Clinton legacy rears its ugly head. I don’t think there will be a time where Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky leaves our collective consciousness. It seems mild by comparison, but the abuse of power by former President Clinton still lingers over the Democrats. The Republicans have the luxury of casting Trump as a political outsider, and not part of the mainstream GOP (not something they’ve earned, I might add,)but the Democrats have put too much weight behind the Clintons to get rid of them for good.

So what do we, the electorate, do in this situation? Can we vote for leaders we agree with on policy, but who have morally questionable personal lives? I’ve written at length my disdain for the media’s obsession with trivial nonsense like what kind of steak Trump likes to eat, or how much Bernie Sander’s coat costs, but these situations are different. While I’m not sure what implications we can draw about a candidate from their choice of burger, there’s something damning about marital affairs and sexual abuse. It denotes a lack of character, and that can say a lot about a person’s judgment. The kinds of people who have affairs with interns are not good leaders, because the same moral fiber that requires good leadership is the same kind of thing that keeps people from cheating on their spouses. This is also not something that is just wrong with Clinton or Trump. Indecency is far too widespread and statistically more likely among the powerful for this to be an issue of individuals. No, I think that the reason we have allowed this to happen is because we are far too quick to defend people we agree with for otherwise objectively morally despicable actions. Supposed “feminists” who vote democrat come out to defend the Clintons way too readily, and the evangelical fervor over Trump’s argued moral quality makes me sick to my stomach.

The problem I think is deeper still. These positions of power, like the ones in Washington, D.C. and Hollywood, seem to encourage this behavior. The words “…and when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything…” followed by the more infamous line by our current president echoes in my head as I write this. We seem to give the powerful a pass, and more specifically, powerful men. How “toxic masculinity,” a colloquialism that describes harmful tendencies attached to our traditional understanding of masculinity, has influenced this phenomenon is not lost on me. “Locker room/golf course talk” and “boys will be boys” attitudes only further legitimize this kind of behavior.

So, while the media is covering these things for the wrong reasons, to attack opposing candidates and politicians, these issues do deserve closer inspection. We as an electorate, need to be more willing to point out the problems in our own camps as well as our opponents’. It is the only way things will ever change.

Studying in the upper floors of Warner library the other day, I found myself being kicked out by a student worker at what I thought to be an outrageously early time. “Four in the afternoon!? On a Friday!?” I thought to myself. This is a university! How could such a thing be? So, disgruntled I gathered my things and moved to a new study spot, the computers outside the dining commons. While studying in displacement, I struck up a conversation with a peer about my experience. We mused together about how several facilities on campus have highly restricted hours. For a minute I was concerned. If Eastern wants to be an academically rigorous institution, why would it not encourage the use of its facilities more frequently, especially on the weekends? Without enough thought, I was content to place the blame on the university for not cultivating a more academic culture.

That was my gut feeling, but I would do well to gather some more information before making a judgment, as we all should do. Too often we rely too much on intuition and too little on proof. What feels right is not always so. In this particular instance, I was surprised to find that in past years the library has had more extensive hours, but it was a lack of interest and use that lead to the times being cut back. My lack of knowledge in the actual hours of the library is testament to this, as I do not often use it. Instead I spend most of my time working from the comfort of my dorm.

What was a slightly comical frustration sparked a deeper thought related to my predicament. What we don’t invest our time in will be lost. With no demand, Warner does well to close early. There is no reason to stay open when no one is coming around anymore. All the resources are online, and it is much easier to do research with multiple tabs open than to flip through a stack of books. Maybe that is not such a bad thing, but something tells me there are plenty of people who would like to keep libraries open even in the age of information. What we show interest in, and where we devote our energy shapes what this school can do for us. I think we assume a lot about the culture at Eastern is static, when maybe it doesn’t have to be.

Source: Eastern.edu

As we come to the end of another semester, another end to another academic year, we find ourselves reflecting on the time we spent in and out of the classroom over the past few months. For some, this is the last time they will spend a semester here at Eastern University. Many people I personally have come to know and form strong friendships with will now be setting off into their proper adult lives. Some of them will be starting full time jobs soon, while others will continue their academic career into graduate school and beyond. Further still, some of them will be getting married, and in a few years, maybe having kids. Does this milestone hold any significance for us? I would assume it does for most, but I think we can understand our lives to have many more unmarked milestones if we look close enough. Even the passing of one year, one semester, or even one week can hold a special meaning for us. The world continues to turn at an even pace, and sometimes we forget the small moments.

Just as we do, we might devalue the little things, we might also do this with relationships. We often tout the success and longevity of life-long friendships and marriages. We talk about that professor who shaped our life’s course, but not so much the adjunct who invested their time in us. That is not to say that deep and meaningful, strong bonds mean nothing; quite the opposite. What I mean to say is that the temporary and fleeting can be just as beautiful as the old and familiar. Sociologist Mark Granovetter, in his essay “The Strength of Weak Ties” talks about how, while strong ties (close personal relationships) reaffirm and comfort us, it is actually weak ties (impersonal relationships such as classmates and coworkers) that provide the most opportunity. He writes how the strong meaningful connections we make are often with people who we already have much in common with, and that we form weak ties with people farther removed from us. These relationships expose us to new information and ideas. We collect the experiences of these people, and in turn find ourselves molded by that experience. Put simply, we do not understand now how every little connection we have made will affect our lives. Even so, that purpose for that meeting of two people might be nothing more than the smile they put on your face.

Many of my friends will be gone from this place in a month. In some instances I will know some of them for many long years into the future, but in other instances people will fade out of my life forever. Was the time we spent together wasted? I don’t think it was. Social media allows us to view others’ lives who we no longer get to see in person, but even then it is only an image. Some seemingly separated individuals will find each other again. A friend of mine from high school meets me for coffee once or twice a year, and that’s ok. So even those people you thought you would never see again might find their way back into your life. The truth of the matter is this: There will be a last day you see everyone, and the difference between four years and forty is not so distinct in the grand cosmic scheme of things.

So cherish the time you spend with the passerby, the classmate, and the teammate. You don’t know yet what kind of impact they will have on you, which leaves us with something else to think about. We are sometimes that fleeting relationship for others, so be careful about how you interact with people, even when they mean very little to you. The memory you leave with them will be all they ever have of you.

Source: The Strength of Weak Ties (2011, August 24).

Since as early as 2014, Saudi Arabia has experienced a rapid period of social activism. Most recently, women were given the right to go to public soccer games. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been hailed as reformer, who has made some rather radical changes to public policy, specifically surrounding civil rights. Since 2015 women have been allowed to vote in the country, and also very recently they began receiving driver’s licenses and hit the road for the first time. Specifically, the right to vote has further influenced change in Saudi Arabia. Of all the changes a few stand out. Saudi women now go to college, but also attend in greater numbers than men. All kinds of new opportunities have been afforded to these women, with six Saudi Arabian women having already competed in the Olympics.

The international community has praised the changes, but detractors have pointed to the other aspects of Saudi society that do not reflect the supposedly progressive country in the middle-east. Saudi Arabian women may have more freedom legally than they did before, but there are still cultural laws that prevent them from exercising these freedoms without male approval. Many of the supposed liberating policies, including the right to vote have also been criticized for not actually being in effect in some place. While the women did vote in their previous municipal elections, most, if not all of them were accompanied by men. This has put into question the legitimacy of the country’s claimed reformation, with the highly controversial full-body coverings constantly being debated in the larger community.

However, many of these analyses forget the individuals. While they may not be afforded the same rights and privileges as women in the west, getting to watch their favorite sport in person and spending time with their families is what many of these women could only dream about, now a reality. Fitting, that soccer, an international pastime could do that for them.

Source: CNN

Having arrived at the end of his first of two five-year terms as Chinese president, Xi Jinping and the chinese government have moved to alter the constitution to allow him to stay in power. The change will not only abolish term limits for the office but it will also add Xi’s “socialism with chinese characteristics” to the preamble of the chinese constitution. Aside form the policy implications, this will further cement Xi Jinping’s legacy as this policy is colloquially referred to as “Xi Jinping thought.”

While uncharacteristic of what many assume to be a continuously liberalizing country, the chinese people seem to overwhelmly support the move and the president. Critics have argued that the actual amount of support has been inflated by the government, and say that organized protest would be almost impossible. Regardless, Xi Jinping has the full support of the party and is party general secretary and the country’s military chief. Dissenting voices have argued that this leaves no room for checks and balances, and that if Xi wanted to make more radical changes in the future, there would be little in his way.

Xi Jinping has accomplished all of this due to the widespread corruption in the chinese government and general dissatisfaction with policy in the decades following the cold war. Xi used this state of anxiety to arouse mass support from the general public and has promised to route out corruption at all levels of the government. For the most part, he has followed through on his promises, but it remains to be seen if China is not trading one problem for a much larger one. U.S. president Donald Trump recently praised the move stating, “maybe I’ll give that a try.” While this is unsettling, many point out Trump’s over-the-top nature and say that this was not meant seriously (a conversation we really shouldn’t have to have).

What is happening in China is not happening in isolation. Many political commentators have compared Xi Jinping to Russian president Vladimir Putin who was recently elected to his fourth term. Putin has been positioning Russia to compete as a world power for some time now, most notably with the annexation of the crimean peninsula and Russia’s intervention in Syria. Judging Xi Jinping’s “socialism with chinese characteristics for a new era” at a glance reveals a similar goal for China to step forward as a world power. Smaller regional bids for power have been made by more extreme cases such as Turkey’s Erdogan, and the Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte. Both cases exhibit extreme authoritarian regimes in formerly moderate nations. Turkey, which is a member of NATO and has long prided itself in being a secular democracy has seemingly devolved into a theocracy. Notbaly, Russia and China both former members of the communist east during the cold war, do not seem interested in the far-left internationalism of the past. Instead they have opted for a more nationalistic approach, with China incorporating market reforms and Russia embracing the Eastern Orthodox church since the collapse of the USSR. Both Putin and Jinping have ridden nationalism into their respective positions.

While not nearly as severe as the aforementioned states, in the west far-right populism and nationalism has given rise to several brands of authoritarian politics. Brexit saw the divorce of the United kingdom form the European Union and the French presidential elections saw a surge of support for the national front. In the United States there was popular support on both the left and the right in the 2016 election, with Donald Trump becoming our 45th president. While Trump does not have nearly the same political control as these other leaders he has expressed approval and has cozied up to both Vladimir Putin and now Xi Jinping.

When the Cold War ended, many saw it as the end of the modern era. With the U.S. assuming hegemonic control of the world, and the “war of ideas” seemingly over with, it appeared that we might be headed into a cosmopolitan new age of peace and prosperity. I’m still optimistic. There are numerous movements of social change across the world, and while the situation in the middle-east is dire, the frequency and scale of warfare has declined dramatically. I am not saying that the sky is falling, but quite the opposite. We are headed into a different kind of world, but nothing is set in stone. The rise of nationalistic leadership, these “strongmen” as it were, threatens the trend of global cooperation and incremental social progress that we have enjoyed for many years. My hope is that we will recognize these brutes for what they are and turn back the tide in the name of democracy and peace.

Sources: NYtimes, People’s Daily.

Over the past year, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has been planning to build a second headquarters in a domestic city in the U.S. This building will be dubbed HQ2 and comes at an interesting time. Large corporations are trying to take advantage of the lower taxes and regulations under the current administration, and Amazon is one of, if not the fastest growing American companies. E-commerce has exploded in the last decade, putting traditional malls and retailers on life support. Noticeably, the long standing toy company Toys R’ Us recently went out of business, and I would venture to guess that had something to do with online retailers. Now, e-commerce in general should not be shied away from, but there are some concerning developments with the company of Amazon, specifically this bidding process.

Many have hailed it as a great example of corporate-civic engagement, and while investments in infrastructure and jobs are always welcome, the circumstances surrounding the bid have left many like myself concerned that Amazon is overstepping its bounds. The way the process works is the executive branch (typically the mayor’s office) of a city’s municipal government makes an offer to Amazon that they will fulfill when Bezos officially agrees to construct HQ2 in that city. Almost every large city in the United States is participating, including Philadelphia. The bids some of the cities have put forth are to say the least, extraordinary. Newark, New Jersey put forth a bid for $7 billion in tax incentives over the next decade. New York City and Philadelphia offer huge construction plans. The Mayor of New York City made the claim that the building should be in NYC because the city is the center of world commerce. One of the most ambitious bids came from Dallas, Texas where in addition to a construction plan, the bid will include a $15 billion bullet train system with a station on the HQ2 site.

Now, my issue with these bids is that they are overblown for what the cities will be getting. While amazon touts that HQ2 will bring 50k new jobs to the city, this number probably includes a large number of temporary construction workers, and is most likely inflated. There are a lot of risks to winning this bid, and any potential fallout would have severe economic impact on the people living in that city, similar to what happens to cities that host the olympics. Additionally, while Amazon has prospered significantly, and Jeff Bezos is now the world’s first centibillionaire, there have been widespread reports of amazon workers not making enough money to live without government assistance and horror stories about warehouse conditions. I think we need to seriously reevaluate the support we give to Amazon as a country, and we need to hold companies like this accountable for their moral failures.

Sources: Forbes; TIME