Page 3 – The Waltonian

If you are familiar with feminist slogans such as “Nevertheless, she persisted”, “Femme ain’t frail” or even “Pizza rolls not gender roles”, you may be familiar with the brand Feminist Apparel that was originally based in Philadelphia, PA. However, the brand is facing a public campaign for customers to retract their business from the company after a Facebook post from CEO, Javier Martofel, emerged where he admitted to various instances of sexual abuse. In 2013, Martofel said creating the company was his way of a “humble” attempt to help fix rape culture in our society. However, several staffers and reporters were misled–this is not the origin story they heard. After he was confronted by his own staff, he stepped down as CEO, but still remained in the company. Ten days later, he fired his whole staff.

As someone who has bought merchandise from Feminist Apparel, I was shocked to discover this had happened over the summer. How can I, as a feminist, continue to support a company that claims to support women but simultaneously takes advantage of them? This unfortunately follows the trend that men who are in positions of power chose to exploit women for their own personal gain.

Martofel then has the audacity to ask: “Is feminism an inclusive movement or not? If it is, it can’t simply be inclusive of those with spotless histories,” he said. “If it isn’t, then that’s not the feminism I signed up for.”

It is one thing to be called out for past behavior, grow from it and use your privilege as a man to help the cause in the future. It is a totally different situation if you are called out on that behavior, and instead of owning up to it and apologizing for that behavior, you instead fire all your staff (that are mostly women) and then claim they do not really know what feminism is. This type of thinking is exactly why I will no longer support or buy from Feminist Apparel until it is led by people who actually know and support what feminism really is.

Source: Philadelphia Inquirer

On Friday, April 13, the United States, along with Britain and France bombed Syria via air strikes. This decision came shortly after Syrian President Bashar Al Assad reportedly used chemical warfare on his own citizens outside Damascus. This action killed at least 42 adults and children. After this attack took place, Donald Trump vowed that this would cost a ‘big price’ to Al Assad.

The US and its allies planned a response to the chemical warfare over the following week. On the Friday night, the countries hit all three targets. One of the targets was just outside of Damascus. All of the targets, however, were related to Syria’s chemical weapons programs. These locations included a research center, a storage facility, and command post.

According to Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Gen. Kenneth Mckenzie, the attacks hit at the “very heart” of Syria’s chemical weapon production and program. However, McKenzie also noted Syria could reconstitute its program and the strikes did not wipe out all of Syria’s chemical weapons facilities.

Donald Trump, soon after the attack said he is “prepared to sustain this response until the Syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical agents.”

Russia has warned that there may be consequences after the attacks, that could negatively impact international relations. Vladimir Putin has labeled the attacks as an “act of aggression.” Russia and Syria both claim that a large majority of the missiles that were fired were shot down, however, the Pentagon denies that claim.

Despite these recent events, there are still concerns. The US strikes may not stop Assad from using chemical weapons, or influence the on-going civil war. Also, it is very possible Assad’s allies, Russia and Iran, may retaliate against the 2,000 US troops in Syria. It is also unclear whether or not the U.S. will bomb Syria again if they resort to chemical warfare once again.

Source: VOX

Everyone has a way to channel their energy, whether it be music, art, dance, theatre, or even sports. Everyone has something that is an outlet for their passion and drive. For some people, it’s writing creatively. More specifically, sometimes it’s the wonderful art of poetry. Poetry is a medium that has moved me ever since I first encountered it and discovered my love for it. I have always loved reading different types of literature. However it was not until after high school that I really took the initiative to explore the world of poetry. I started getting into Slam Poetry and Spoken Word. I discovered amazing slam poets such as Olivia Gatwood, Sabrina Benaim, Melissa Lozada-Oliva, and Rachel Wiley, who not only write amazing resonating work, but bring it to life in person, on stage, in front of hundreds of people. It is because of Slam Poetry that poetry is becoming more of a performing art. This reminds me that poetry is an art that is always changing and reinventing itself throughout time. This personally inspires me to continue working at the craft, and it also reminds me to be unique to myself.

I have always loved writing. It is not just a pastime— it is a way of sharing my story with the world. It is a way of making sure my voice is heard. It is because of this that poetry holds so much power. I’m sure that I am not the only poet who feels this way. In fact, poetry has been going strong since around the 18th century, around the time where the Epic of Gilgamesh was written. Poetry has lived through the ages; it has told unbelievable stories about anything from love to death, and it continues to do so today.

The Academy of American Poets established National Poetry Month in 1996. According to Poets.org, “National Poetry Month is the largest literary celebration in the world, with tens of millions of readers, students, K-12 teachers, librarians, booksellers, literary events curators, publishers, bloggers, and, of course, poets marking poetry’s important place in our culture and our lives every April.”

April is a time to not just celebrate Easter or April fools, but to celebrate one of the wonderful creations made by humanity. To celebrate a form of creativity, because after all we were made by a creative and inspiring God. Even if you never had a particularly good experience with poetry, I invite you to give this wonderful form of creativity a chance because it allows a multitude of people to express themselves. And who knows, maybe you will discover a new found love.

If you would like to check out some poetry events, I encourage you look at the accompanying infographic and explore a whole new world of creativity. If you already love poetry, welcome back; we missed you.

I am all too familiar with the struggle that teachers face. Many people fail to realize that these individuals are nurturing the future generations. These individuals not only see students everyday and teach, but they become mentors. They not only teach students, but they manage most of the events and extracurriculars in the school. They shape students to become better human beings, and trust me, I know this from personal experience. I would not be where I am today without my high school teachers. Unfortunately, these individuals who care so much about the future of students are underappreciated for all the work they do.

I know this first hand. In my hometown of Galloway, New Jersey, my former teachers had started several school years in the Greater Egg Harbor Regional School District without contracts. Last time I heard, there was a stalemate between the union and the school board over the multiple issues such as salaries and benefits. The union states that the board’s offer would also result in pay cuts. I am no stranger to seeing good teachers getting mistreated, and taken advantage of for all of the amazing things that they do for their students.

That’s why we must celebrate the victories when teachers finally get what they deserve. In West Virginia, after nine days of classrooms getting shutdown due to a teacher strike, a deal was finally made.

According to NPR, “The state’s governor and teachers union announced…they had reached a deal to implement a 5 percent raise for state employees across the board. And a little later in the day, lawmakers passed the measure with a unanimous vote.”

NPR also stated “Both Justice and the West Virginia Education Association celebrated the agreement even before members of the state’s House and Senate convened a conference committee to discuss it.”

Do not get me wrong, this is something to celebrate, however it is upsetting to know that it takes this much to make not only lawmakers, but people realize that teachers are valuable individuals within this society. Personally, I find it quite disturbing that it takes this much protesting and speaking up for teachers to receive what they deserve. Is it really that hard to give the people who help shape students decent pay? Is it really that hard to give a human being a salary that they can make a living on? Is it really that hard to give these individuals decent compensation for quite literally raising the next generation of Americans? I do not find it reassuring that the education of 277,000 students had to be impacted before people started to realize that these teachers are essential and vital to not only society, but the communities they thrive in.

I believe this reveals on going issues within the educational system. This is just one of the many problems with America’s public education system. Let’s take a look at the reality of public education: Little to no parent involvement, schools closing due to lack of funding, overcrowding, lack of diversity in gifted education, stagnant school spending, the school to prison pipeline and so much more. Not all public schools are like this, however, there are a large amount of them that are. Americans need to start paying attention to where they send their children for eight hours of the day, and lastly, they need to start caring by getting educated about these issues.

Source: NPR.

As a woman, and as a woman growing up in the Catholic Church, I have always struggled with my faith. Even as I got older and I finished some of the sacraments such as communion and confirmation, I always looked up to the women in my life more than than the men, even though the Catholic Church puts more of an emphasis on the importance of male leadership. It is not because I had bad experiences, or because I’m a dirty feminist. It is actually quite simple: I attached myself to people who I could relate the most to, and logically, that would have to be other women who relate to my own life experiences as a woman.

I remember my struggle growing up. I did not understand why I never saw a female priest. I did not understand why it was so damning to get a divorce. I did not understand why I could not be an altar server.I did not understand why women had to take more submissive roles. However, in my state of confusion, I found myself gravitating toward the little female leadership I did see. One of my Sunday School teachers was a woman, and I found myself pushing to go to each class because I enjoyed her presence so much. I admired her passion for her faith despite it all.

Ultimately, I also found myself gravitating toward women in the Bible. More particularly, the Mother of God, Mary. I found myself saying Hail Marys more often than Our Fathers. Mary is the prime example of listening and accepting God’s call. When I tell people about the concept of Hail Marys, a lot of people think that I am putting an idol before God or worshiping her like a deity. However, Catholics pray to Mary not because we are worshiping her, but rather because we are honoring her and asking for her intercession. I look at it as praying “with” Mary. Personally, I view it as as a way of honoring the woman who played an essential part in our salvation. By paying tribute to Mary, I hope that I will be able to answer God’s call like she did.

I have so much respect for notable women, especially in the Bible. That’s why for so long, I battled with Paul’s statements about women in the Bible. If I told myself that Paul’s statements are invalid, doesn’t that mean that the whole Bible has to be as well? For so long, I was confused why such a prominent figure in the Bible would discuss women in such a demeaning manner. It was not until college that I realized that Paul was actually an advocate for women. I had the pleasure of reading What Paul Really Said About Women by John Temple Bristow.

By reading this book, I realize the true impact that culture can have on a text. Over the decades of the Bible being written over and over again, the author argues that over the centuries, Paul’s words were twisted to reflect the culture and philosophy present at the time. As imperfect humans, it is so easy for us to push our biases into Scripture, and it is like a puzzle piece was finally found in my spiritual journey. It makes so much sense that this could have happened in Paul’s day and later. In fact, the author makes a point that when the Bible was translated over and over, some of the words that had double meanings were misconstrued to fit the ideal of the culture of that day. In reality, it is possible that Paul was an advocate for women.

The only woman who won a televised Grammy award was Alessia Cara for Best New Artist, and even then, only ten more women won awards out of the 86 given, Which sparked an online conversation about the under representation of women within the famous music awards show. When the Grammys were blasted with criticism in regards to this, the Recording Academy President, Neil Portnow, felt the need to speak up.

Portnow said in a statement “It has to begin with… women who have the creativity in their hearts and souls, who want to be musicians, who want to be engineers, producers, and want to be part of the industry on the executive level… [They need] to step up because I think they would be welcome. I don’t have personal experience of those kinds of brick walls that you face but I think it’s upon us — us as an industry — to make the welcome mat very obvious, breeding opportunities for all people who want to be creative and paying it forward and creating that next generation of artists.”

Soon after Portnow made this statement, he was called out by multiple female artists on social media such as P!NK, Sheryl Crow, Halsey and many others, and was even called to resign by other record executives. After this backlash, he issued a semi-apology, as well as a promise for a new task force that will seek to correct bias against women. He also claimed that his words were taken out of context.

This right here, is a prime example of privilege within the realms of the music industry. In this instance, we see a man who exemplifies the epitome of privilege. Not only is this man privileged in the sense that he is wealthy, but he is privileged because he is a white man. Some people may be familiar with the term white privilege. It is not just being privileged in a monetary way, but it is the idea that by being a white person, you’re automatically apart of a dominant group. This group tends to be respected, assumed as “best,” and given the benefit of the doubt all the time. This is not the case for other races, no matter how educated, rich, or hardworking they may be.

In this statement, Portnow actually acknowledged the disadvantage of women within the music industry by pretty much stating that he does not have personal experience with those “brick walls” that women face in the industry. But yet, he continues with the “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” logic that this is something that women can easily overcome if they just put their minds to it. Women cannot just overcome years of oppression, as well as being told consistently that they are not good enough, worthy of being heard, or not deserving of respect within the same context of a man. Let’s not forget that it is even harder for women of color.

There are multiple examples of amazing women who have put the “creativity in their hearts and souls” to amazing and powerful use, but are consistently brushed aside. Women like Kesha, while during her publicized trial she confessed that her long time producer, Dr.Luke, had been consistently sexually assaulting and mentally abusing her. Yet all she requested from the trial was to not work with him any longer. However, her label stood against her to protect him. Kesha after losing her trial, was forced to stay and continue making albums for the very company who helped oppress her. A little bit after the trial, she released new music in the first time in four years, a comeback ballad called “Praying” that told the narrative of forgiving those who hurt you, and finding the strength to pray for them even after all that they have done.

Kesha is a prime example of a woman who has stepped up in the music industry, and while she was nominated, she was unfortunately snubbed. There is also Lorde, who released a new album titled “Melodrama” that was one of the most critically acclaimed alternative albums of the year. There was also SZA, who was the most nominated artist at the awards, who left with nothing. Cardi B, despite having her single “Bodak Yellow” become the longest running number 1 by a female solo rapper ever, left empty handed as well. Not to mention the only woman nominated for a rock category was Kristine Flaherty. Paramore, Beth Ditto, St.Vincent, Diet Cig, Girl Pool and Sheer Mag were all snubbed, leaving the Rock category predominantly male. There was also Katy Perry and Taylor Swift, neither of them received a nomination despite releasing work before the deadline to be considered.

It’s not that women have not been stepping up in the music industry, it’s just that nobody is taking the time to notice, or to acknowledge it.

Source: Variety, Washington Post, Vulture

Eastern has been ranked among the 25 best colleges for students with Autism. Placing at 21, the ranking comes from College Choice, which is a provider of college and university rankings and resources. College Choice noted Eastern’s effort to effectively bring education to all of their students.

“The cornerstone of Eastern’s disability services, the College Success Program (CSP), was solely designed with the needs of students with ASD in mind. Partnered closely with the Cushing Center for Counseling and Academic Support, the CSP ensures its programs address the academic well being of its students, but also their social, mental and physical health as well.”

CSP Director Dr.Thompson, as well as CCAS Director Dr. Hemlick , celebrated over the accomplishment and shared their happiness, “We are pleased to be named one of the top 25 colleges for students with autism. We are very proud of the work of the CSP and of the progress and successes of the students who participate in the program. Since the inception of the program six years ago, Eastern has been recognized for best practices in the field, and we look forward to continuing to build the program which resonates so well with the mission of the university.”

Source: Eastern.edu

The famous Golden Globes were hosted Sunday, Jan. 7, and although there were a lot of films to talk about, they were almost overshadowed by the fact that powerful women in Hollywood used this award show as a platform to their advantage. America Ferrera, Reese Witherspoon, and more than 300 other women launched “Time’s Up Now,” a plan that aims to eliminate gender inequality and sexual harassment in the workplace across all industries. Currently, the organization has raised more than 15 million dollars for a legal defense fund, which will be used to help anyone fighting inequality in the workplace. This is pretty phenomenal considering that the organization only started in the beginning of January.

As the show began, many actresses attended the event wearing all black– a symbol of solidarity for Time’s Up. According to E!, even staffers at the event and those viewing at home wore black. As the night progressed, there was an overwhelming amount of support for the cause. Many actresses used this time to advocate for other women, and share their aspirations for the movement.

One actress that used her platform on the red carpet was Debra Messing, who utilized an interview with E! to call them out for not giving Catt Sandler equal pay. On the red carpet while being interviewed by Giuliana Rancic, Messing stated “I was so shocked to hear that E! doesn’t believe in paying their female cohosts the same as their male cohosts.”

Her interview quickly went viral, and Eva Longoria did the same, stating, “We stand with Catt” during an interview with Ryan Seacrest.

It is important to note that the night did not just have strong actresses standing up for what they believed in, but supportive men as well. Seth Meyers delivered a powerful opening monologue that referenced Harvey Weinstein, Donald Trump, and others accused of sexual assault allegations. While Meyers starting the event off humorously with jokes, he ended on a serious note saying, “Everyone in this room worked really hard to get here, but it’s clear the women worked even harder. ”

As it came time to actually award the Golden Globes, many winners used the opportunity to give an acceptance speech to spread more awareness. Nicole Kidman used the opportunity to talk about “Time’s Up” and how her mother was an advocate for the women’s movement and if it was not for her mother, she would not be where she is today.

She also referenced her role in “Big Little Lies,” for which she won best actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture for TV.

“This character I play represents the center of our conversation right now: abuse. I do believe we can elicit change…Let’s keep the conversation alive,” she said.

Elisabeth Moss followed suit in her acceptance speech for her role in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” winning Best Actress in Drama, reading a Margaret Atwood excerpt. So did Laura Dern in her speech for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Limited Series, or TV movie. However, the most riveting and powerful speech came from Oprah Winfrey during her acceptance of the Cecil B. DeMille Award which received two standing ovations. She became the first African-American woman to receive the award.

She finished up her speech with an amazing call to action declaring, “I want all the girls watching here, now, to know that a new day is on the horizon, and when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say ‘Me too’ again.”

Sources: E! And Glamour

Sunday Jan. 7, the SpaceX program began the new year by launching a rocket. During the webcast of the launch, it seemed as if every aspect had gone successfully. The second stage of the rocket seemed to head toward orbit, and in the process the booster safety returned to Cape Canaveral. However, just the next day, word had spread that the launch was not everything it seemed to be, and that something had gone wrong with the classified mission named “Zuma.”

Zuma is presumed to be a form of spy satellite. The Northrop Grumman Corporation headed the construction of the craft for the United States Government. However, there is not public record of which federal agency had hired its construction and launch. The launch was originally supposed to take place sometime in November, but was delayed due to additional analysis of the nose cone. The nose cone is an integral part of the satellite that protects the payload as it travels through the atmosphere. During the live webcast, it was mentioned that the nose cone was in proper order.

SpaceX as well as Northrop Grumman never confirmed a successful launch, which leads to the conclusion that the process went awry. Apparently, Zuma failed to seperate from the second stage, and plunged itself out of the atmosphere.

“This is a classified mission. We cannot comment on classified missions,” Northrop Grumman said according to The New York Times when asked about what had happened.

“I can’t conclude anything definitely. We’re going on rumors and conflicting statements” Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics said.

He does point out that Zuma did appear to make it to orbit, since an entry for it appears on Space-Track.org, a website that consists of a database for objects in orbit. However, about two hours later, there was a sighting of something over East Africa that seemed to drop out of orbit. It is suspected that the SpaceX and Zuma operators were aware that the second stage of the rocket was still attached to the satellite. Now, experts are wondering why they did not delay, deorbit, and try to fix the issues.

“Perhaps there was no way to override the pre programmed deorbit burn, or the rocket did not pass over enough radio dishes for a new command to be sent,” Dr. McDowell stated. According to Dr. McDowell, it could be up to a week before Zuma can be seen by amateur satellite observers.

Source: New York Times

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For as long as I can remember, I felt like I was born on this earth for one reason: to write. When I was little, one of my elementary school teachers handed out an activity where we had to draw a picture of ourselves, as well answer the accompanying questions. After drawing a sloppy version of myself, I went on to answer the questions. One of the questions was ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?’ With determination and a pink colored pencil, I wrote down what would eventually become my life goal, to become a writer. Since I enrolled at Eastern, I have seen my writing grow and bloom into something I never thought it could become, especially my poetry. However, the daunting question always looms over my head, “Will I ever be good enough to get published?”

Recently, Jeanne Marie Beaumont, an Eastern Alumna and now published poet, visited campus to give a craft lecture on gaining inspiration from old documents and artifacts for poetry writing. She also gave a poetry reading from her most recently published book, “Letters From Limbo.” I had the pleasure of attending both events. The first was a craft lecture held in the Baird Library for Professor Hayes’ Advanced Writing Poetry class, and although I am not in the class, anyone was welcome to sit in on the lecture. Sitting in on this lecture not only gave me the opportunity to learn more about the ins and outs of publishing, but gave me newfound inspiration and confidence going forward.

In this session, Beaumont opened the floor to anyone who had questions, and the most prominent revolved around publishing. She went on to give publishing advice, such as if you are interested in submitting work, that you should probably start with local journals, and then branch out to more well-known ones. She also said don’t be afraid to submit. If you believe in your writing, and you believe it’s good enough, it will show through. Since her newest collection revolves around the use of old documents, she also had an activity with some older documents for us to look at such as postcards, old menus, and photos. She told us to choose one and write down what we noticed about it, and to create a narrative based on the story you thought the item was telling you.

Later on, a poetry reading was held in the Baird Library, where she read poems from her collection. Not only that, but she gave context to her experiences while writing the collection. There was also an opportunity to buy her book, as well as get it signed, and have a little conversation. Meeting Beaumont gave me the opportunity to talk to someone who not only went to Eastern, but who went on to publish three poetry books, and become a winner in The National Poetry Series. Given the opportunity, I told her that it gave me hope to see an Eastern graduate go on to become published. She responded by saying, “I hope that one day you can do it too!”