Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Issue 1 Fall
Issue 1 Fall
Toward Recycling
2. Thoughts on multiple bins for trash and
By Curtis Kline recycling.
By Amalia Tempel
On November 8th around 5:01am eastern
time the republican candidate Donald Trump was
announced the winner of the presidential election
with 290 electoral votes over Hillary's 232 votes.
The Media’s In researching how a situation like this could
Infuence be possible, the first amendment says that,
“Congress shall make no law… abridging the
By Maggie Feldman freedom of speech or of the press…” This made me
wonder --- if someone makes a factual statement
proven wrong by evidence-based research, should
their statement be protected under the first
amendment? Or if someone completely misquotes
another candidate to a crowd of thousands (therefore
lying to them), should that be protected as well? I am
sure our founding fathers did not intend this
amendment for powerful officials to intentionally lie
to millions of American people. In thinking about
this, a documentary I recently watched came to
This year’s presidential election has undergone mind. It was called, “Why the poorest county in
a transition unlike any other presidential race in West Virginia has faith in Trump.” The people living
political history, that being the influence of media. in this county have barely any food, very little
While past elections have raised the question of money, and little to no education at all. They come
whether or not to use the media as a campaign from families of coal miners and that is how they
strategy, the popularity of platforms such Twitter and make what little money they have. The documentary
Facebook can surely be considered a major shows a pro-Trump ad that was aired in the county
determining factor in this year’s presidential race. with Clinton saying, “I’m going to put a lot of coal
According to a survey of 3,760 U.S. adults by the Pew mines and the coal miners out of business.” What the
Research Center, within one week, 91% of people ad failed to include was Clinton also saying that she
found their news from at least 1 of the 11 different had a plan to replace those jobs with those of clean
sources asked about; the top few being cable TV, energy sources, taking her words completely out of
social media, local TV, and news websites. This context. Watching this was not as angering as it was
survey is just one of many justifications of how sad, because all these people heard was that Clinton
influential these media sources are for everyday was going to take away their jobs and that Trump
citizens and voters. was going to make America great again, so of course
they voted for Trump. The people of this county and
Today, the question is not whether to use media many others around the country were misinformed
at all, but rather who can use it most strategically. on topics beyond just this. All Americans have the
Though this may sound like a great way for millions of right to know all of the facts before making their
Americans to get politically involved and to have opinions of who they think is best fit for the job of
direct access to information within seconds, the President of the United States.
process is unfortunately not as simple as it may appear.
Because anyone can post on social media, extremely The question now is not how can we reverse
unreliable information is constantly circulating what has already been done, but rather how we can
throughout the web, providing people with completely move forward in an educated way? I believe that
false information. What is most unsettling about this knowing how to determine a reliable source from an
situation is it that the false facts have been unreliable source is extremely important in
intentionally publicized by the candidates themselves educating yourself reliably. Reliable sources are
in efforts to win. If a candidate’s campaign is based off often unbiased and include a lot of evidence like
of purposefully misinforming the American people, statistics and data. With media only becoming more
can this be considered a true democracy? If millions of and more present in our society, it’s up to us, the
people voted based on false facts, can that be rising generation, to educate ourselves reliably and
considered an accurate representation of America’s to exercise our right to the freedom of speech and
beliefs? I say not, and this is the reason why the press in the way that it was intended.
presence of media has betrayed the American people
and this election.
Cities”) Overview). The Maisto districts aimed to
School Funding obtain a court order which stated that they the state
was violating their constitutionally mandated right to a
Frozen! basic education, under article XI, section 1 of the New
York State constitution, they also hoped that state
By Zoë Tremitiere would provide funding based on the Foundation Aid
formula of 2007, without the budget cuts implemented
in 2009-2010. The Maisto districts had 21 witnesses
who presented evidence of budget cuts resulting in
inadequate student performance, the state only had 14.
The court acknowledges that academic standards are
not being met in the Maisto districts, but rejects their
funding claim on account of Foundation Aid not being
the constitutional minimum, and so the state is not
required by the constitution to follow it. The court has
not proposed a solution to the problem––which they
conceded to–– of student performance in Maisto
districts being inadequate, yet rejects the solution
presented by the plaintiffs.
In 2006, New york state’s Court of Appeals Maisto district parents filed a notice of appeal
decided that the state was violating Act XI of the New on October 5 this year and continue to push for the
York State constitution by failing to provide public funding they need, but until the state complies,
schools with sufficient funding, the legislature was improvements to schools can’t be made, and students’
ordered to make funding reforms, which included a $5 educations continue to be put at risk. It’s upsetting that
billion increase in operating aid to New York City the state doesn’t care enough about its students to offer
schools and an additional $4 billion to state schools. them more than the bare minimum––which they aren’t
The additional funding was meant to be phased in over actually providing some schools with,––especially to
four years, beginning in 2007. In addition to funding students in schools districts that have been failing for
reforms, the foundation aid formula was created, to decades, where families can’t afford to provide their
distribute funding fairly with regards to the needs of children with outside instruction. It’s also not only the
individual students, and to prioritize low-income, high eight Maisto districts that have been struggling since
needs school districts. budget cuts and freezes were enacted, schools across
During the first two years of the proposed four the state have been struggling to provide basic tools for
year phase in period, funding was increased their students, a basic education (as ruled by the ny
significantly. During the last two years however, state court of appeals) requires that schools have
funding was frozen, and the completion date for the adequate number of teachers, up to date curricula,
phase-in of funding was pushed back three years. extra services for struggling students, adequate
Between 2010 and 2011, funding was not only delayed resources for English language learners and students
again, but also cut by approximately $740 million. with disabilities, appropriate class sizes, up to date
State schools are now still owed $3.9 billion in supplies, a safe environment, and adequate and
foundation aid, which accounts for 70% of money accessible facilities.
given to schools by the state most years, and despite The 2014 NYS Council for School
the foundation aid formula having been designed to Superintendents’ survey shows that 61% of schools
provide funding based on need, “funding owed per have experienced increases in class sizes between the
pupil is 2.3 times greater in high need districts than in years 2011-2014, 31% of school districts have
wealthy districts.”(Billions Behind, 1) experienced reduction in extra help provided to
In response to the funding gap, the small cities struggling students in the regular school year between
case (Maisto v. State of New York) was brought to 2011 and 2014, 40% of schools have had to postpone
court by parents of children in eight small city school or reduce purchase of instructional technology at least
districts, all of which “have low property wealth, once between 2011 and 2014, 21% have had to reduce
higher than average local tax rates, significant family or postpone the purchase of textbooks at least once
poverty and high student need” (Maisto (“Small between 2011 and 2014, and 23% have had to reduce
or postpone purchase of library materials at least once City attend majority low-income schools. And those
between 2011 and 2014. Even Laguardia, which offers low-income schools haven’t been receiving the
much its students more than the majority of New York funding they need to provide students with the same
State public schools, is owed nearly $6 million. quality of education that students in wealthier school
The market crash in 2008 did force funding districts have been receiving. Funding cuts and freezes
freezes and cuts, and it was in 2009 that the funding have been hurting school districts with low-income tax
for the financial aid formula was frozen, and cuts to the most, but even Laguardia, which seems to be be
school budgets were made, however according to neil functioning fine, is owed nearly $6 million. The state’s
Demause and Elizabeth Green of the village voice, unwillingness to provide enough money to public
funding wasn’t being used the way it was intended to schools affects every public school student––even if
be used, funding “trickled out through various only slightly, however so very few know about the
loopholes—$60 million for charter schools, $38 lengths that have been taken in order to get public
million for "experimental" programs—and into other schools––and public school students the money they’re
pots of money the school system was free to spend owed. The marches, and rallies and lawsuits have gone
however it wanted.” (The Village Voice), of the unnoticed by too many public school students and
additional $700 million promised, schools used $228 families. Either because somehow these efforts haven’t
million to pay for improvements in teacher quality, the been in the media enough or because the funding
length of school days, smaller class sizes, restructured freezes just haven’t been affecting individual students
middle and high schools, full day pre-k and at larger schools such as Laguardia for parents and
kindergarten, and programs for non-native english students to feel the need to know about the measures
speaking students. Governor Eliot Spitzer, who was being taken to get schools the funding they were
governor from 2006 to 2008, had made it a mandate promised in 2007.
for school districts to use the extra funding to improve
one of those six categories. Green and Demause also
wrote that there had been reports of the $228 million
Body Image Today
left to be spent on one of the six previously mentioned By Anja Tempel
categories being used inappropriately, and there being
“insufficient oversight over how the money was
actually being spent”. Apparently principals were
required only to report how they intended to spend the
additional money, and not how it was actually being
spent. This may be why Chancellor Farina, elected in
January of 2014, intends to give more power to
superintendents and less to school principals.
While it’s good that the Chancellor is making
plans to improve the way schools are run,
organizational changes and new distributions of power In today's society many people see a certain
and authority can’t provide schools with adequate standard of beauty for women. Which includes hair,
resources and facilities. Schools are owed billions of makeup, fashion...etc, however the biggest picture of
dollars, and the government officials who should be beauty is body image. Today so many women feel
supporting students and advocating for their pressured to fit into this "ideal body shape". So how
educations are disregarding them instead. Governor did this image come about? What has happened as a
Cuomo declined to meet with The Alliance for Quality result? How can we break this image?
Education when they walked 150 miles from NYC to Over the years with the increase in technology
Albany, and schools are being denied the extra funding and the popularity of celebrities, people today are
they need to function by the state because it’s not the exposed to the trends, fashions, and actions of these
minimum required by the constitution. What the celebrities, which influence our day to day lives.
constitution does require under Article I is for there not Since we value celebrities so much we aspire to look
to be discrimination in civil rights, yet according to a like them and act like them, causing an uproar in
2015 article in The Atlantic, 96 percent of black society. We see social media promoting all these
students and 95 percent of latino students in New York different things on how to lose weight or get the
Health
"Kylie look" for example. This make us feel like we have trial could be the start of a new form of lung cancer
to be this way, when we truly don't. People think that if treatment for many candidates in the United States.
you don't look a certain way, you're not good enough or Cuba, Havana has been working on a drug
beautiful enough. However we shouldn't let the pressures called Cimavax at the Cuba center of Molecular
of modern society affect us. Technology is meant to Immunology for 25 years. It is a cancer vaccine that
make our lives easier, it's not meant to tear us down. helps to prevent the growth of non-small-cell lung
It has been reported that by the age 6 girls start to carcinoma, which is currently in its third trial of the
express concerns about their own weight, and 4o%-6o% drug. Cuba’s interest in the production of the drug
of elementary school girls are worried that they will stems from its rising numbers in lung cancer. It is
become "fat". Think about it one of those girls could be now the second leading cause of disease in Cuba.
you sister, cousin, or niece, and imagine a little girl Over the past years, many cancer patients
worried about her body, instead of playing outside, or have been traveling to Cuba to buy the drug which
eating ice cream. Also the concerns of body image can is currently illegal to import in other countries. This
result to eating disorders, depression, and suicide. Would drug has not been tested anywhere besides Cuba
you want to be one of these people in that state? preventing doctors in the United States from
It’s very significant in the present day world that allowing it as a method of treatment. Most cancer
people need to be educated on beauty, so they learn patients are deciding to try Cimavax as their last
everyone is beautiful just the way they are. Without option.
everyone's differences we wouldn't be the world we are Zuby Malik, a 78-year-old mother of four
today. You don't need to change yourself based on what was diagnosed with stage non-small-cell lung
other people think is "right". If we as people recognize carcinoma. She was told by doctors that her
this we can improve the way our society thinks, because treatment options were running out. This is when
what makes you different makes you beautiful. she decided to try the new vaccine in Cuba.
“At first, I was a little nervous,” said Ms.
The Fight Against Malik, sitting in her Northern California living
room flanked by an oxygen tank and a table of
Lung Cancer medicines. “But American treatments were not
helping me, and I decided I should go to Cuba.
By Sonali Govind What other choice did I have?”
The Cimavax vaccine purpose is to produce
antibodies against the epidermal growth factor,
which causes cancer to spread. In many cases, the
vaccine will not prevent cancer or even cure it but
may stop it from spreading. Patients will only need
one shot per month on the shoulder.
According to Roswell Park Cancer institute,
the drug is not designed for younger children but
has a significant impact on adults over the age of
60. Survivors who had taken Cimavax had lived
almost 10 months longer than those who had not.
Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York City, The drug is now being tested in many
recently announced the Cuban-developed lung cancer trial countries including Japan and Europe, which will
at Buffalo Roswell Cancer Institute. This revolutionary test about 5000 patients. The trials are long and
Our Voice
expensive but the actual cost of Cimavax will be point I was feeling pretty high and mighty, thinking
inexpensive. that if I took a ten session course I could easily nail a
"If you use it in prevention, you can impact three and a half hour test, but this was so far from the
hundreds of thousands if not millions of people in North case.
America and hundreds of millions worldwide," said Dr. In the first session we took a diagnostic exam,
Kelvin Lee of Roswell Park Cancer Institute. and as I was introduced to this brand new curriculum, I
"So I think if we can show that it can reduce your risk of experienced a total mental shut down. I simply detested
getting lung cancer, which would have an enormous the constant questions meant test your aptness for trick
public health benefit." questions and strategical thinking rather than actual
knowledge of the subject. I would look at these
questions, involving material I knew quite well, and
Words From A Master became so confused by the wording that I would panic
and guess. “This was just a diagnostic”, I told myself,
of ACT Procrasination “I will learn all the tricks and get an amazing score!”,
but as the course continued, I wasn’t experiencing the
By David Lepelstat kind of improvement I expected. I did all of the
homework, learned all the new concepts, yet I still
couldn’t get used to the speed and style of these ACT
questions. I finished the course with a score I was not
proud of. This takes us to now, my mental state of
constant worrying and neglecting to study for my test
on December 10th.
I should have taken one of the ACT/SAT
combination exams that are offered for free to truly
determine whether you are an ACT or SAT student,
rather than one of those scammy online surveys. I also
should have done research on the exam before I walked
into the course I signed up for. The advice I would give
As I entered Junior year I carried a when it comes to college acceptance standardized
multitudinous amount of fears with me, hearing testing is start early but don’t rush. This means give
horrible tales about the stresses that this time in high yourself a lot of time, but don’t rush the process. Take
school can bring. Among the highest of my fears were the time to research and find which test you can tackle
the ACT/SAT exams that are used for college with confidence and efficiency. It is still early for me
acceptance. Now I knew standardized testing had in this process but I feel as though I need to completely
never been my cup of herbal tea, so I decided I would start over before I have even taken the test. As soon as
get a head start with the studying. During the summer, I pick up my ACT book, I feel my fears of not getting
I took this quick little survey online to determine into a college of my liking take over my body, forcing
which test matched a “student like me” (it was as me to slam my book shut. I wish to get out of this
bootleg as they come) and I was steered toward the downward spiral of procrastination and begin to self
ACT. Immediately I went online to find the cheapest motivate. I have to keep reminding myself that this is
course I could take and found one that was perfectly in simply a test and I can conquer it when I fully put my
my price range starting right as school began. At this mind to it.
How I Handle Major
Assignments
By Jordan Meiland Reviews
Trollhunters
By Kaitlyn Quach
Sincerely,
Alec Spector, Malach Campbell, and Kaitlyn Quach.