Government Shut Down

The Government Shut Down

In our nation of America, the land of the free and home of the brave, millions of people travel around the world to live in America, countries ask for our financial and political help and our presidential leaders throughout the century has helped maintain the middle east. With all the help our country has done for other nations, why haven’t we helped ourselves. In early March, new stations and reporters have been covering the issue of the government shutting down. With major issues like this, many citizens wo

uld not be too worried about such an issue because, either they are not a public figure of the government or a political leader. Before diving deeper into this pressing issue of the government shutdown, here is a brief sequential history of the events that have lead up to this pending shut down.

Even though many people might feel that this event will not affect them is giving them another view, “You’ll never know how much you miss something until its gone” or at least in this case, how

important it is. In 1994/1995 during the Clinton Administration (D), the republicans where in the majority of the congress and the same issue had arisen with not compromising on a

bill to pass. This resulted in a standoff and neither political side would give in and the government had shut down for around two to three weeks.

In order for the government to operate it needs to be funded. Congress votes on the national budget for the federal government in order to operate effectively and efficiently. This year the house of representatives, attached to the bill that would include a budget that would cut many programs costing around $61 billion in education programs, job training programs etc.

The proposed bill that was formed by the House of Representatives ( R ) was sent to the Senate (D), but they would not pass the bill because of the amount of money and programs that were proposed to be cut. Therefore, this had left the government unfunded and if they do not come up with a solution by this Friday March 4, the government will have to shut down due to lack of funds

As of, March 2nd the Senate and House of Representatives came to a compromise and had just passed a continuing resolution. This resolution states that there will be a cut of $4 billion, which will keep the government running for two more weeks. With this buffer that was put into play to but the two branches some time they now have two weeks to come up with a compromised bill that the House and Senate will agree upon or they will face the same issue of the gove

rnment shutting down again.

While there is much talk about this in Washington D.C. and New York City, what about the small town of Reading, PA? While Reading is about an hour from Philadelphia and two and a half hours away from our nations capital how does it really affect students at Albright College? When going to DC and speaking with Robert L. Stoll Commissioner for Patents for the United States he shows his concern about the shut down. “Im very concerned about the government shutting down (obviously because I work for the government) because we already have so many issues going on internationally, like the tsunami in Japan, Libya and the increasing gas prices, I have no idea how we will manage as a nation if it shuts down. Our nation is going to be a person thats trapped in a dark room with no light

switch. We won’t be able to do much until the government, quits bickering and can compromise on a budget, the government is a huge structure that forms our nation, if its gone it really can’t be for long”.

While DC might have it’s crisis, even Albright Graduates are concerned and extremely worried. Frank Harper, an Albright Graduate Class of 2010, enlisted into the Army right after Graduation. Stationed in Columbus, Georgia Harper is concerned about the government shutdown, one of the many other worries a solider. “With the threat of the shutdown we have been threatened that we will not be paid if the government shuts down, and since we signed a contact we still have to work whether or not we get paid.”

With many Albright students applying for jobs seniors who are interested in government related jobs are worried about if they will even be able to get jobs. Majoring in environmental science, senior Karisha Bristow explains her wor

ries about getting a job. “I have applied for a job at NIH (National Institute of Health) but since its a government building and business and the pending fear of the government closing, I have not herd back from them and am afraid that my worst fear will com true-being that senior that doesn’t have a job.”

With graduates of 2009 and 2011the trend seems to be less than ecstatic, with how our nation is in complete turmoil, well educated Albright graduates are having a very hard time finding jobs, if there are any left. For our nation there is always the light at the end of any bad situation or tunnel, we just don’t know when we will reach the light. Hopefully sooner than later.

COLLEGE STUDENTS AND REVOLUTION

For many college students, the revolutions that have occurred in the Middle East may be put on the back burner because some may feel the revolutions have no impact, but there are students that have an opinion about the various demonstrations.

In January of this year, there was much political opposition to Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak resulting in various protests, marches, and acts of civil disobedience because of his policies with the economy and other civil rights’ issues citizens felt were violated. According to a CNN report, citizens revolted against the governing body due to “complaints [of] police corruption and abuses”. They were also uneasy about Mubarak’s 30-year rule, the nonexistent free elections in their republic, and against the high prices for food, low waged, and high unemployment rate.

Egypt was not the only country experiencing revolution; according to a CNN report, there were over 15 countries in the Middle East and North Africa that were experiencing revolution and going against their governmental leaders. Protests were happening because citizens were fed up with their government and joined together to combat an unjust society. Most of the revolutionaries of this younger generation and represented those who were afraid to stand up. Sophomore Justin Francis says, “I've been genuinely excited and interested about the current status of the middle east. With the world shrinking due to increases of technology those people in the middle are able to see what life is like outside of their country. The younger generations of these countries have been calling for revolution for some time now and I think that eventually most of these extremely conservative religious countries will become more "westernized.” Francis also expressed a hope for more administrations in the Middle East to be more tolerant and accepting of non-Islamic religions because it will help to unite the countries.

Libya is another country experiencing political discourse surrounding issues of freedom and civil disobedience from its citizens and has also led to involvement from the United States government. According to a CNN report, protests have been fueled by “Gadhafi's government, which has ruled since a 1969 coup [and] detained relatives of those killed in an alleged 1996 massacre at the Abu Salim prison, [and] high unemployment and [unanswered] demands for freedom.” Rion Robinson, junior, believes the more people who are educated about the revolutions and the regions; the more they will understand the citizens’ plight. He says, “The region is experiencing change in [a] political landscape that no one really predicted it to happen. The revolutions in the region also show the true colors of the leaders in those countries as well. What is happening now will lead to the future of the region for good or bad.”

These students have been educated and are fully aware of the good and not-so good that could come from these revolutions and are waiting for each government’s next move.

Two for the Price of None: Commencement and Political Rally

In 24 days I will be walking across the stage in Shirk Stadium to receive my long awaited college diploma, but will I have to cross the picket line first?

This question is the question burning in the minds of the Albright College senior class as they are being bombarded with the possibility that their graduation will be the stage of a political protest directed at commencement speaker, Governor Tom Corbett.
On March 8, Gov. Corbett set forth his proposed budget for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. This budget by law had to be balanced (expenses must equal income), and had to also address the current deficit that the state of Pennsylvania finds itself in.

Because of these needs, many state programs and departments will experience funding cut. Jobs are being lost along with services because with hard times come drastic measures. But one area that is of particular concern to Pennsylvania residents is education.

Kindergartens and colleges are all seeing a decrease, as funding for state sponsored education is proposed to be cut by close to 1.5 billion dollars. More specifically, the fourteen state-owned and four state-affiliated colleges and universities will see a cut of $625 million dollars, which translates more than a 50% decrease from last year’s funding.

Now, you may have noticed that private colleges were not highlighted in the above stated cuts. So with that, you may be wondering why Albright College seniors are so concerned. Well the answer for the most part is two-fold.

The first reason closely correlates with education. After all, Albright College is an institution of higher learning. It is an institution that many students would have never been able to attend if it had not been for the foundation provided to them by their hometown’s public school system.

Now, that foundation is at risk. With funding to K-12 public education being cut, seniors are worried that students similar to them will never get the opportunity they had to attend a small, liberal arts college like Albright. Because even if the funding is there, future students will lack the necessary skills and aptitudes required for admittance.

On that same note, one of the biggest majors, and selling points, of Albright College is its education program. Offering students the option to earn their bachelors in four years, or stay an additional year to earn their masters, this program offers future students the classroom theory, as well as the hands-on experience needed to succeed as educators.

But will their degrees matter? Because of the proposed cuts to K-12 education, senior education majors feel that probability that they will get a job, in an already rocky economy, has drastically diminished. After all, experience teachers being fired due to monetary constraints, these new graduates will enter into the job search and compete against more experienced professional for jobs that may not even exist.

The second reasons seniors are so upset with the governor’s presence at their graduation is all the baggage the Corbett brings with him.

Multiple articles, websites, and Facebook groups have confirmed the seniors’ worst nightmare. There will be protesters at Albright on the day of their graduation. And although their protests have every right to freedom of speech and have stated that they will strictly be against Corbett and his policies, they will certainly be taking the spotlight away from the students who have worked so hard and accomplished so much in their time at Albright.

Even though protesters are confirmed, students still worry about the unknown factors related to having Corbett as there commencement speaker. They are concerned that protesters will get in the stadium, will make noise or disrupt the ceremony, or even worse, create and unsafe environment for their families and friends who have traveled to see them receive their diplomas.

On top of the external protesters, seniors also are faced with the reality that members of their class, as well as the members of the Albright faculty, may make their opinions known to governor. Rumors continue to circulate Albright that those faculty members and students who are morally and ethically opposed to the governor may not show up to graduation, may leave during his speech, or may even turn their chairs around during his address.

So why have someone speak at a commencement that a good portion of the class does not want to hear?

The answer is very simple. The governor was chosen by the President’s office to speak prior to his proposed budget. At the time, the President’s office thought the governor was a very exciting candidate for speaker because of his new office and the fact that he was within the college’s budget for a speaker. Free.

However, now, nearly two months after the budget’s proposal, excitement had turned into defense. In an attempt to address of the senior class’ concern, President Lex O. McMillan, held on open forum on April 26.

McMillan open the forum simply noting that regardless of the controversy and dismay of the senior class, the he would not uninvited the governor.

McMillan went on to explain the complications of the budget, and the harsh economic climate, and the need for students to understand the power of the governor and the positive impact a relationship with Corbett could have for Albright in the future.

These remarks were not what seniors present for the event wanted to hear, as for two hours following McMillan’s opening statement seniors expressed their frustration and anger with his decision to uninvited. They were greatly disheartened by the president’s resolution to keep the governor, despite their comments and concerns.

The following are reactions of several senior students who did attend the open forum on April 26. Although their concerns vary, it is clear through their remarks that a number of seniors are not pleased with their current graduation speaker.


Jeff Plummer, senior, secondary education and math major at Albright College.


Nick Goodling, senior, marketing and finance major at Albright College.


Amber Foster, senior, communications major at Albright College.



Becky Smith, senior, art and art history major at Albright College.


So what now? What can the senior class do when the college has already made their mind up? What can they do when there is no help is in sight?

For the senior class only one answer seems acceptable. They can unite and they fight. They can work for the next 24 days to ensure that their voices are heard and that their graduation is truly about them and their accomplishments.

After all, they do have an Albright education in their arsenal. Which I am sure will lead them to a different way of thinking about how to save their graduation from politically assured destruction.

Is Giving Aid Always Necessary?

After Moammar Gadhafi stepped down on February 11th the United States military stepped in to give aid to the country. Is this a good move for the United States to help other countries all the time? Is this necessary? Dr. Smith, a business professor, shed some light on this subject.

Smith feels that the reason the military entered Lybia is “to somewhat level the playing field between the forces of the current regime, Gadhafi regime and what they perceive to be a need to the rebels I guess out there.” Regarding the question of whether entering Lybia was necessary; Smith may not be sure but has some idea. “I guess it’s necessary from the standpoint that if we want to promote the ideology of democracy being a good thing and if we see an opportunity, that’s a positive thing. […] I’m not sure why it’s necessary, can I justify why we’re there, probably.”

The idea of the military leaving Lybia is a long shot, but may be possible: “I believe in Lybia, not having men and women on the ground [troops having to go in to fight] at least is easier to exit out of it. I guess theoretically we could leave tomorrow. […] I’m not sure you’re going to get out there anytime soon as anybody else is going to get out of there.” Smith said.

The United States is a state that may need to stretch their helping hand: “Could we do more? We probably could be there more; we could probably give more humanitarian service via military. I think what the military might tell you, if I’m putting on their hat for a minute, we’re not real good at humanitarian services, it’s not what we’re trained to do. I think like any nation we pick and choose what’s important to us as well.” Smith replied.

Our military has aided many different times with many different countries, like Japan, World War II, and Kuwait. Smith gives his opinion on why we currently help other places and how we feel that we have to help: “Maybe we step in more for humanitarian things than in the past. I think we realized as a nation we can’t be [as] near as isolated as we want to be. [In] World War II we tried to be more isolated and realized we really couldn’t stop the work occurring around us.”

Smith feels that some countries need to solve their own problems on their own. Smith also feels that these problems, like civil wars for example, should be dealt with only the people in that area: “To me personally, when I think of civil wars, I’m not sure another nation should be in a civil war, it is between the people of that nation.” For example, the war between the North and the South may have had outside involvement but needed to work through their issue to figure out who they are.
The United States may gain a bad rap if they do not help: “I suppose we would get a reputation that we don’t appreciate and we’re isolationists again, selfish isolationists.”

Some students gave their opinion on this issue.
Here's Leon's view:




Here's Jack's view:



The United States military’s participation in places like Lybia may not be fully necessary but shows that we care.

Rising Gas Prices Causes Concern

Rising gas prices have caused concerned for many US citizens. With gas climbing every day these prices have affected many American families, especially those who are dealing with money issues. The rising gas prices have affected many Albright students and faculty, and has raised some concerns. For many Albright students, gas prices is just one more issue to deal with, especially for those who are not as affluent as others. With the rising costs the question remains how long will this last before something is done to curb the prices.

Recently in the press, President Obama demanded an end to oil tax breaks. President Obama urged leaders to repeal tax breaks for oil and gas companies and use the money to reduce the country's dependence on foreign oil. You can read more about this on the NY Times website. http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/obama-again-demands-an-end-to-oil-tax-breaks/?scp=2&sq=oil&st=cse

The Washington Post also recently ran an article about oil prices. Fed chairman Ben Bernanke said the nation's economy will continue to recover. Gas prices gained 5.10 cents to settle at $3.2431 a gallon. You can read more about the newest oil prices on the Washington Post website. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/oil-settles-slightly-higher/2011/04/27/AFla6pzE_story.html

Professor Margaret Rakus feels that the recent rise in gas prices has affected things that she does with her family. "When we go on vacation we don't fly because we can't afford it, so we always drove, but with the increase in gas that means the less money to spend when we're on vacation." Professor Rakus finds these new prices discouraging, but she thinks it is more of an inconvenience than anything else. One issue Professor Rakus has with the rise in prices is that it is not often covered in the news. "I do think that it would be interesting if our news covered the issues dealing with the gas before they talked about sports, I really wish it was positioned as something that is newsworthy, because there are more strategies than acceptance."

Amanda Hunter is a senior at Albright and is very disgruntled with the current gas prices. With the rising gas prices Amanda is becoming more cautious with her driving and is not as eager to drive places anymore. Amanda also believes that President Obama can do a better job at curbing the prices. Amanda has also seen an increase as to how much she spends on gas, mentioning how it has reached almost $50.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_gAX86R7nA

Mandie Mulcahy is a junior at Albright and has felt the burden of rising gas prices due to her frequent trips to Maryland on weekends to visit her boyfriend. Mandie mentioned that the trip used to cost her around $30, and this recent weekend she spent over $50. Mandie also thinks that with the rise in gas prices it affects how often she does her shopping. Mandie mentions that instead of running to the store for one item, she waits until she has a full list of items before she makes the commute to the store. Mandie also mentions that with the rise in gas prices she changes the way that she drives, as to conserve more of her gas.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjBPhVr23vI

With gas prices expected to hit $4 by the summer hopefully something will be done soon to ease the cost of gas. With Albright's tuition going up by 3% next semester, students do not need to be hit with another burden in their wallets.

Let's Move - Across Pennsylvania

On Feb. 9, 2010, First Lady Michelle Obama launched her Let's Move campaign, a nation-wide initiative to reduce obesity and weight-related issues among children by encouraging active, healthy lifestyles.

More health-conscious lifestyles can improve students' health and potentially lower the risk of obesity and weight-related health issues.  Not sure if your child is a healthy weight?  It only takes a few seconds to calculate your child's body mass index and determine whether a child is underweight, overweight or obese according to age, height and weight standards.  Let's Move has helped communities and schools across the country educate others and further their own health-oriented programs, including Broughal Middle School in Bethlehem, Pa., and Kelly Elementary in Lewisburg, Pa.  The Center for Disease Control's survey on the obesity epidemic among Pennsylvania students shows how these two schools compare with others across the state.

Broughal Middle School opened its doors in the fall of 2009 and educates approximately 600 sixth, seventh and eighth graders.  Along with a new school building, students can look forward to new programs aimed at helping them live healthier lifestyles, fostered in part by grants from the community and Let's Move.
The school's greenhouse was made possible through a grant from the Bethlehem Health Bureau, and currently houses tomato and basil plants.  With an irrigation system in the works, the school hopes to expand its horticulture and eventually provide vegetables not only for the school cafeteria, but also for the South Side community.

"Our hope is that we're able to [grow] some vegetables ... and sell them at the local farmers' market," Principal Ed Docalovich said.

But Broughal Middle School does not plan to give back to the community with just produce.  A family center provides outreach to the surrounding area.

"We were able to make a connection with St. Luke's [Hospital] and Temple [University] ... to have their own school here at Lehigh Valley," Docalovich said.

The family center delivers free wellness clinics, including blood pressure and diabetes screenings earlier this month and physicals scheduled for next month.

The Lewisburg Area School District, of Lewisburg, Pa., also works with the community to encourage healthier and more active lifestyles.

"Our curriculum does focus a lot on the benefits of being physically active, and we work closely with the community recreation program to encourage kids to participate in out of school physical activity," said Tammie Cristini, a physical education teacher at Kelly Elementary in Lewisburg. "Our students at the elementary level are very involved in extra-curricular sports with the community. Many of the students are on various seasonal teams. Our team sports at the high school are flourishing."

But active kids require nutritious food to keep them going - both physically and mentally.  Fortunately, Broughal and Lewisburg have stepped up to meet that challenge by not only providing healthy food, but also by educating students, as well.  And education about nutrition is vital, according to Bethany Beaver, a junior nutrition major at West Chester University of Pennsylvania in West Chester, Pa.

"I believe researchers are now starting to truly understand the impact of nutrition on our health and I think research will continue to increase.  It can be difficult because the information is constantly changing with new research and technologies.  I believe the biggest problem, however, is the lack of nutrition education to the public.  It is being studied, but it is not being understood," Beaver said.

However, between programs and workshops, two Pennsylvania schools are working hard to keep students up-to-date on healthy habits.

"We had the kids creating healthy eating habits [and] healthy dishes," Docalovich said, of the school's healthy eating program, adding that the nutrition isn't a new facet. "We've pretty much always done the healthy eating."

Likewise, the Lewisburg district has also altered its fare to reflect a more health-conscious lifestyle.

"Our cafeteria has made many changes with the menu and offers workshops to classes to teach the children about healthy nutrition," Cristini commented.

Broughal Middle School fosters growth outside of the classroom, as well.  For the early risers - there are about 50 in the student body - there are morning exercise programs, too.  And after school, students can take advantage of the fitness trainer and the school's new fitness room, complete with elliptical machines, treadmills, free weights and other exercise equipment.

But, in spite of the variety of programs and equipment, Docalovich recognized a need to reach the school's female students - apparently, the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleaders who helped the students celebrate their progress were more of a hit with the boys than with the girls.  And what of students who are less partial to weight lifting?

"We need to target the female population," Docalovich said, adding that the school has acquired an Xbox Connect solely for that purpose.  "This way, we're focused on the dance part - we're trying to gear that up for the girls."

However, Docalovich also added that, while healthy, active lifestyles are important, they are not the school's primary mission.  Instead, physical activity and eating right contribute to the learning process.

"That's all tertiary to our main goal - learning," Docalovich said.  "If you have kids who are coming hungry, they aren't thinking of learning."

What's Happening in Your Backyard?

I was sitting in the lounge of Krause with a group of friends and I randomly asked, “Do you guys remember the BP oil spill that happened last summer?” and they said that they remembered hearing about it constantly on the news.

However, they did not know that as of March 1 the Obama Administrations approved Noble Energy to begin drilling again in the Gulf of Mexico. Most likely, this is because there has not been any news updates since the beginning of March.

Then I asked them if they knew what the Marcellus Shale is. Shockingly, they had no clue what it was.

So I explained to them that the Marcellus Shale is a rock formation in Pa., N.Y., Ohio, and W. Va. that is being drilled for gas. However, there are many environmental consequences from this drilling and these consequences could have the same dire effect as that oil spill.

Kaitlyn Morgan who was one of the students I asked this question to stated “It’s scary that none of us knew what the Marcellus Shale was but we should because this drilling is affecting people in our own backyard.”

Morgan then asked me if drilling at the Marcellus Shale is frequently in the news like how the BP oil spill was. I told her that it is hot topic but there is more coverage in local papers rather than constant media cover.

In addition, Morgan wished she realize that there was a Panel Discussion on Marcellus Shale with Senator Ted Erickson on April 20 at Albright because she would have went.

Associate Professor of Biology, Dr. Andrew Samuelsen, attended the beginning of the Panel Discussion and was able to share some of his thoughts:

Although some folks wanted to do away with the drilling altogether, I am not sure that will be a viable option in the face of pressure to become more energy independent. It would be great to just leave it alone, but in the absence of doing that we need to make it as safe as we possibly can with strict (and enforced!) regulations,newer technology and huge penalties for any accidents that occur. Taxing the companies must come at the front end of this process so that we have the money to police this industry and help with remediation efforts as needed – it shouldn’t fall on the state budget to do this.

Samuelsen was able to explain some of the risks of drilling at the Marcellus Shale. First off, he mentioned that trees have to be removed which negatively effects the habitat. Another risk is the water supply of the people near these drill sites is often contaminated and it is difficult to undo the damage.

“In terms of Pennsylvania,” explained Samuelsen, “we are an important watershed for other states and many of our waters feed into the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River Watersheds. Water flows across state lines, so what we do here has impacts beyond Pennsylvania.”

At the panel discussion, it was mentioned that are not any strict regulations about how much drilling is allowed. Samuelson stated “States such as New York and Maryland have slowed down but Pennsylvania seems to be rushing headlong into this without taking a breath.”

In comparison to Noble’s Energy’s offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico to the onshore drilling in the Northeast it seems like there are less regulations for drilling consequences that could harm our environment.

After the initial oil spill, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement enforced new regulations for ocean drillers. Nobel Energy has developed the technology (and the money) to follow the safety regulations.

According to the Fox Business, Noble Energy successfully showed that they can now drill safely and they can now contain a spill if it were to happen again. Chuck Davidison, CEO of Nobel Energy, stated that he thinks there will be more approvals for offshore once other companies fulfill these regulations.

On the other hand, drilling companies at the Marcellus Shale have had violations but these companies usually deny the harmful consequences. Therefore, these companies are not under stricter regulations like those companies that drill offshore.

Samuelsen commented on some recent reports of the drills leaking fracking fluid: “If they contain benzene and other carcinogens (as suspected), there could be great harm done decades from now because most cancers take years to develop in one’s body.”

“Necessity is the mother of invention,” said Samuelsen “and if it is mandated that more precautions need to be taken I’ll bet someone could figure out how to remove these fluids more effectively and perhaps even come up with safer fluids to start with.”

Sara Bogue, a senior and environmental studies major, expresses her opinion about drilling at the Marcellus Shale in the following clip.

Albright Students Stand with Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood is an agency that has been receiving controversy since 1916. They have fighting for everything from legalizing birth control to becoming one of America’s largest abortion providers. Criticism is something Planned Parenthood has always had to deal with. However, many people forget that Planned Parenthood does not only give abortions. It gives many services at a low cost. According to the Planned Parenthood website, the Reading Medical Center, offers not only abortion services, but birth control services, emergency contraception, HIV testing, HPV & Hepatitis Services, LGBT services, Men’s Health services, Pregnancy Testing, Options & Services, STD Testing & Services, Women’s Health Services, and Patient Education.

According to a description in patient education, it is a private and confidential one-on-one patient education that is provided by trained staff who is sensitive to your needs and concerns. The topics could range from anything from safe-sex education to cancer screening education.

Recently in the 2011 budget cuts Planned Parenthood has come under a lot of fire. The House Republican has voted to strip federal funding from Planned Parenthood. According to the Huffington Post, they did this“as an attempt to weaken the abortion provider.” However, this lack of federal funding does not mean less abortions, it also means less of the other services Planned Parenthood provides as well. In the last year Planned Parenthood has performed 330,000 abortions. On the other hand, they also did 1 million screenings for cervical cancer, 830,000 breast exams and some 4 million tests and treatments for sexually transmitted diseases. The abortions services only make up 3% of the total services that are provided by Planned Parenthood.

Chart of Service Usage offers by Planned Parenthood.

It should also be mentioned that the law bars Planned Parenthood from using any government money for giving abortions. Different states have different laws regarding abortions for women under the age of 18. The Pa. law states “Except for medical emergency, physician must give information to mother at least 24 hours before abortion; if mother under 18 years and not emancipated, both mother's and one parent/guardian's informed consent required.”

Many students at Albright are opposed to the budget cuts from Planned Parenthood. They feel that Planned Parenthood offers so much more than abortions.

“I come from Poconos,” said sophomore Raeanne Ayers. “My local Planned Parenthood does not even offer abortions services. It is more for the contraceptives and testing that people go for. I think that it is dumb that they would cut their budget when it offers so much more than it.”

Raeanne Ayers and her sign "It's my body, It's my choice."

There is also the ongoing debate between pro-life and pro-choice. Many people feel that Planned Parenthood encourages women to get an abortion.

“I am pro-life,” said Ayers, “But it does not matter with this debate because we are losing the testing and services that they offer.”

Many women feel that it is not the government’s choice to tell them what to do with their bodies. According to the Planned Parenthood website at least one in three women has an abortion.

“It’s my choice,” said student Julia Miller. “The government has no right in deciding what I want to do with my body.

Though the budget cuts have not been approved, there has been much response to the proposal, and their message is clear. Students all over the country have been responding with social media. They have been posting videos, and making various Facebook groups, all saying the same thing: they stand with Planned Parenthood.

Julia Miller and her sign "I stand with Panned Parenthood"

The Irony of Governor Corbett Speaking at Albright College Commencement

There is much tension on Albright’s campus about Governor Corbett speaking at the Commencement Ceremony on May 22. Many students and faculty are frustrated, angry and appalled that he would come speak about education at a private institution when he just made extreme budget cuts to Pa.’s public school K-12 education system, nearly $550 million and $650 million in higher public education costs. AOL news goes into more detail about PA budget cuts. http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/08/tom-corbett-budget-5-painful-cuts-in-pennsylvania/

Many Albright students feel as though this is a slap in the face because it affects them directly when they graduate, it affects the children in the public school system because due to the cuts, many won’t be able to have the best education.

So, to get a feel on how frustrated and angry people are on campus about the Governor coming to speak, I focused on interviewing education majors, being as though they want to be teachers one day and it affects them the most. It is a controversial situation because students have different views on whether he should come speak or not. Three people I interviewed who feel strongly towards the recent Pa. budget cuts and to the Governor speaking at the commencement ceremony are Dr. Bekken, professor of Communications, senior Political Science major Michelle Reinhart, senior Political Science and Communications major and Meaghan Washington, watch as they speak about their views.

Tiffany Wells, a junior majoring in Education and Spanish says, “I just feel like as a Commencement Speaker, someone who is taking so much away from education shouldn’t be the one to speak at graduation, especially since Albright is most known for their education program.”

Taylor Mitchell, a freshman majoring in Early Childhood Development says, “I think it’s a bad idea for him [Corbett] to come speak at the commencement because he’s making all these cuts and there’s a lot of education majors here, I don’t think it’s appropriate and especially since all the education majors who are graduating are trying to make a statement during commencement if he is here and I think it would just put a bad word on Albright and a bad word on what he’s doing. So I think they should find a different commencement speaker for graduation”

Anna Berzins, a junior majoring in French and education says that she doesn’t have a problem with him speaking at commencement, “I have nothing against him, I knew that whoever the future governor would have been it would have fallen into their laps, so it’s definitely not a personal thing.

Word around campus is that some education majors plan to protest at the commencement when Governor Corbett speaks, and I asked students how they felt about that.

Berzins states, “Governor Corbett should not be disrespected because he now has to deal with this situation and now obviously this country is not financially well-off right now, I mean we’re in economic crisis and while it’s not as bad as it has been in the past, we’re still in transition period and we’re still establishing getting finances, I don’t really have a problem with it because I feel like he still has best interest in mind and while I don’t think that the education cuts were allocated as they should have been, I think it’s very inconsiderate, I don’t think it’s very good at all because it shouldn’t be a personal attack, it’s just business.” I guess we will see how this turns out when the Governor comes out to speak on May 22, if the protests will happen or not and if someone is going to take a stand.

Here is a link to Corbett speaking on the budget cuts. http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/budget_reform/030811-education-slammed-in-pa.-budget-cuts Here is a link to how the city of Reading, Pa. is being affected by the budget cuts. http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=303963 Here is a link to how Union workers, especially teachers are being affected by the budget cuts, losing jobs etc. in the city of Philadelphia. http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Philly-School-District-Plans-3820-Job-Cuts-120809839.html

Somali Pirate Attacks

Pirates in Somalia have had major advancements so far in 2011. Since 2008, pirates have been hijacking vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. They target wealthy families who are travelling by sea on yachts. The pirates threaten people with weapons and give the travelers no chance to negotiate before capturing them and ransoming them for up to millions of dollars before releasing them.

Pirate’s demands for ransom payments have increase drastically over past years. According to The Maritime Reporter, in 2009, $150,000 was demanded which is a small amount compared to 2010’s $5.4 million demand.

Video one: Deanna's Interview

Who are these pirates and where did they come from? According to a website about Somalia Pirate History, the average pirate is between 20-35 years old. They come from Puntland, which is in Northeast Somalia. There are at least five pirate gangs and over 1,000 individual pirates.

Businessman Mark Mulcahy is disappointed by the United States’ lack of control over the situation.

“I am absolutely appalled that a group of unsophisticated barbarians could get away with this in this day and age. It all stems from a country’s in ability to maintain control and order. The attacks affect us by serving as an example of what can go wrong when order is not maintained. It’s disturbing that with all the technology we have and the money spent globally on making the world a safer place, Pirate attacks can still happen,” Mulcahy said.

Now the US military is patrolling the seas and working to protect these travelling Americans. Fifteen neighboring countries have worked to patrol these pirates but none have been successful. Recently, a Pirate was tried and sentenced to thirty-three years in prison. In retaliation, pirates are letting Americans know that they will leave every hostage from here on out dead, unless we agree to free the Somali’s we imprisoned.

On Feb. 22, 2011, Somalia pirates killed four American hostages. The pirates fired a grenade at the yacht carrying two couples, one of which had been traveling around and handing out bibles since 2004. According to The Huffington Post, a pirate named Muse Abdi explained that from now on, all hostages will be killed and rescuers will only find dead bodies. Pirates currently hold 30 ships and 660 hostages. Pirates win millions of dollars in ransom money for releasing their hostages. They spend the money on alcohol, drugs and prostitutes. Two days later, on Feb. 24, 2011, pirates captured seven more people, three of whom are children. The U.S. military is currently monitoring the situation and doing everything in their power to prevent the hostages being taken to land.

Picture taken in Feb. 2009 by the U.S. Navy of suspected pirates.

Mulcahy has the funds to travel but when planning this year’s vacation, he will steer far away from these pirate infested waters.

“I would be intimidated to travel there. It seems like one is tempting fate and unless you are a thrill seeker, I would not put myself or family in harm’s way. The east coast of Africa is like the wild, Wild West, only it’s 2011. I am sure it’s a relatively small number of pirates compared to the masses in general (one bad apple scenario) but there is too much uncertainly, unrest and lack of due process that makes this area not desirable to travel to,” Mulcahy said.

Why do these attacks keep occurring? There’s no government in Somalia and basically nobody fully controlling that area of the world. Therefore, there has been nobody to govern the pirates and no way to bring them to justice. Furthermore, Somalia is also an extremely violent country.

In the beginning of April, 50 year old Mohammad Shibin was captured on land by the FBI. He was the first pirate to be caught on land. After capturing him, the FBI brought him to the United States where he was prosecuted.

Although small steps are being made in the right direction to stop pirates from destroying the lives of American travelers, the United States government and military are still far from putting a complete halt to the hijackings.

People on a yacht that was taken hostage by Somali pirates. Photo taken by U.S. Navy

In fact, some people even believe that these cases of hostages relates to other matters of terrorism.

“This is the same thing as terrorism. They’re small group of radicals that seemingly play by their own rules without consideration for human life. Just like terrorist, pirates have a safe haven that that does not condemn their actions but actually condones them. The only difference is that terrorists can strike anywhere, pirates can only strike on the coast of Africa,” said a pre-med major, Alvin Thomas.

Berks County women hope Planned Parenthood will persevere

Women’s health advocates rejoiced last week after the legislation to cut all federal funding to Planned Parenthood was rejected by Senators. The budget bill that would cut Planned Parenthood funding passed through the House, but it was rejected by the Senate.

The bill, backed by Republicans, was penned in an effort to curb abortion services. The trouble is, Planned Parenthood provides services that reach far beyond abortion, and Planned Parenthood doesn't use federal funds for abortions. In addition to abortion services, Planned Parenthood is used by men and women for services like STD/STI testing, prenatal and pregnancy care, pregnancy testing, sex counseling, contraceptives, menopausal management and even general health care in some locations.

The majority of the services provided by Planned Parenthood are contraception, cancer screenings, and STI/STD testing.

For Douglassville residents Caitlin Benne, 26, and John Stipe, 29, Planned Parenthood proved to be the best place to go when Benne suspected she was pregnant. Benne said that she did not have health insurance at the time, and Planned Parenthood was an affordable alternative to her regular doctor.

Caitlin Benne and John Stipe discuss their reasons for using Planned Parenthood's services.

Benne and Stipe’s reasons for going to Planned Parenthood are quite common as many men and women lack health insurance because of their limited income. Birdsboro resident Janine Glassmoyer, 25, goes to Planned Parenthood for birth control and routine gynecological exams, because she doesn’t have health insurance. As a somewhat recent college graduate, Glassmoyer has limited income due to her mountain of college loan debt. Planned Parenthood offers services to Glassmoyer at a discounted rate based on her income.

Janine Glassmoyer gives her opinion on the possibility that Planned Parenthood might someday lose federal funding.

The same stories can be heard from women across the country who simply can’t afford health insurance and can’t afford to pay full prices at the doctor’s office. Planned Parenthood is sometimes the only place where women can turn to for women’s health services. But do the congressmen who back Planned Parenthood cuts truly understand what their proposal would accomplish?

Sure, Planned Parenthood provides abortion services as the congressmen who back the funding cuts say. But congressmen like Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) may not have done their homework to find out what exactly they are trying to rid the world of. In an address to congress April 8, Jon Kyl said that 90% of what Planned Parenthood does is provide abortions. The number seems to have been pulled out of a hat or something, because Kyl provides no reference for the statistic. Planned Parenthood says that 3% of what they do is provide abortion services.

According to Planned Parenthood, 3% of services provided are abortions despite the much higher number given by Senator Jon Kyle (R-AZ).

And even if all funding to Planned Parenthood was cut, abortions would still happen. That’s the sentiment from Albright College senior Sarah Conrow Bear who worries that women would still find less sanitary ways to terminate unwanted pregnancies if Planned Parenthood shut its doors. Bear is an advocate for women’s rights, and she helped to coordinate the newly founded Albright Gender Resource Center.

Illegal Immigrants: Deserving of Education?

In recent years, it seems the issue of illegal immigration in the United States has reached a fervor. The state of Arizona has become notorious for cracking down on immigration, and an article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from May of last year talked about how Pennsylvania legislators are hoping to mirror Arizona's immigration bill. This would give police more power to arrest and deport foreigners who have entered the state illegally without proper paperwork.

What the article also mentioned is that State Representative Daryl Metcalfe believes that at any one time, there are about 140,000 illegal immigrants in PA. Thousands of these immigrants are children, and many are currently enrolled in the state's public schools.

How are they allowed in public schools? It is because under law, public schools are obligated to educate any student, without questioning their immigration status. This legal obligation has impacted Reading schools in particular as they educate a growing number of students who have no legal status in the U.S. Many students who enter elementary schools in Reading speak little to no English, and growing numbers of these immigrants are causing adjustments in the Reading school system.

"Reading, according to a public school teacher I know, faces huge demands on schools since many people of Caribbean origin now living in Reading return from their holiday breaks with other relatives and enroll them in school," said Albright political science professor Theresa Smith.

"Some of these kids speak no English or Spanish; some only speak Haitian Creole. We have very few speakers of Creole to teach them, and class sizes are becoming unmanageable."

Christopher Tadley, an Albright Education major who is a student teacher at 13th and Union Elementary School, can back up the claim proposed by Smith.

"Although there is no way to identify illegal immigration students, I hear some students talking about moving back and forth between Reading and countries like the Dominican Republic," said Tadley. "It's known that many students in Reading classrooms have no legal status."

He also admits that difficulty arises in teaching these individual students because they rarely speak in class. Dual-language students usually translate for in school, including translating their answers to the teacher. The presence of students from other countries also makes learning go at a slower pace for English-speaking students.

The Reading elementary schools have dealt with some communication problems by isolating dual-language speaking students with classmates who speak little English.

13th and Union Elementary (seen in two photos above) is one school being impacted by the enrollment of illegal immigrants.

"Teachers in Reading are doing the best they can with the limited resources," said Tadley. "They have to go about things in different ways, such as using the dual-language speakers as a bridge."

A full-time teacher at 13th and Union, Matthew Redcay believes the language barrier is just a new obstacle for the classroom. He also sees added benefits in these foreign-born children, regardless of whether or not they are illegal immigrants.

"Teachers are becoming more culturally aware and developing new teaching strategies," said Redcay. "And having these students interact socially with English-speaking students allows them to grow and relate to the content."

While illegal immigrants are legally allowed to enroll and welcomed by the Reading school system (as seen in door signs above), the PA state government is seeking easier ways to detain and deport these immigrants.

Despite the work of teachers to incorporate more and more illegal immigrants, at some point limited resources will begin to affect school systems like Reading. The Federation for American Migration Reform published a report in July of 2009 citing a major difficulty posed by PA's foreign-born population. The report stated "public school enrollment of students who require special instruction in English has also soared, rising by 187 percent from 1993 to 2006.

This will result in one of the following for school districts like Reading: they will have to add programs for these students, or teachers will be left with classrooms that are hard to run due to foreign-born students unable to speak English.

Existing laws say public schools must educate all students, illegal or not. However, American colleges (even public universities) are not bound by that same standard.

Kate Wilcox wrote a Reading Eagle story on Dec.29, 2010 that discussed an illegal immigrant who attended Reading High. "Carmen", as she is referred to in the article, was an outstanding high school student. However, she could not receive financial aid because of her illegal status in the country. Therefore, she could not attend colleges because they charged her international tuition. She pinned her hopes on the Dream Act, federal legislation that would provide a path to citizenship for students who completed two years of college. The bill was rejected by the Senate.

The story shows that our government allows illegal immigrants to work through our school system and receive a proper high school education. However, these same individuals have little chance of moving onto college without the backing of that same government.

The government needs to make up its mind and take one of two stances.

The first option would be to pour more funds into programs to educate foreign-born immigrants (including illegal ones) at the elementary, high school and college level. This would allow for a better learning environment for all students in school districts like Reading. In addition, legislation such as the Dream Act would need to be passed to allow individuals like "Carmen" to have a chance to get a college degree.

"It is the right of every child to receive an education," noted Redclay.

Or, the U.S. needs to change its law and allow only legal citizens to be educated in our public school system. PA legislators are working to make things easier to deport illegal immigrants. At the same time, however, PA must allow illegal immigrants to receive an education courtesy of the state.

Regardless of personal opinion, both the state and national government must stop contradicting themselves. They need to take a consistent side on illegal immigration. This will allow for a consistent school system from the elementary to college level that gives all students an equal opportunity.

Albright College Raises Tuition 3.9%

Students all over the nation are feeling the pressure of how they are going to pay for college. President Obama even notices the rising cost of college education is something that should be capped off. Students need more help to pay for college.

The letter about increased tuition, room and board students recieved in the mail last week.

Last week students at Albright College received a notice saying that their tuition would increase 3.9% for the next school year. Also, the cost of room and board went up as well.

Furthermore, because of the budget cuts in higher education that the Governor of Pennsylvania,Tom Corbett, has implemented, Kutztown University students thought they might see a 32% increase in their tuition since they are a state school.

Albright Sohpomore Courtney Baals said, "I was surprised that Albright did not raise tuition even more. I was expecting a higher increase becaue of all the budget cuts."

Albright raises tution 3.9%.

But last week Kutztown students were informed that the increase would actually be 3.7% according to The Reading Eagle in their continuous coverage of school's tuition increase dilemma.

Junior Albright student, Rebecca Woskoff, said, "I'm glad that I am going to be graduating next year. I feel like the tuition is only going to keep going up every year."

This mentality is one that is felt by many Albright Students. Tuition in continuously on the rise and students are having a difficult time trying to afford a higher education.

Rebecca Woskoff reading the letter about increased tuition.

Albright students are not alone in wondering how they will pay for college, many students in Berks County are unsure how a college education will be affordable now that Governor Corbett has proposed cutting the budget for higher education by $644 million, according to The Huffington Post.

The national government has talked about implementing new loan programs and scholarship programs to help relieve students of the cost of education, but there are still no concrete laws being put into effect.

President Obama's proposed plan will help with lowering the cost for future college students since it is not supposed to go into effect until 2014. These solutions include raising Pell Grants, making more investments in community colleges, and supporting more minority serving institutions. The president also plans to reform the student loans programs.

It is crazy to think about what the cost of higher education will be when the high school freshmen begin applying for college. Although there are projected ideas for alleviating the cost for those future college student, current college students are stuck with the burden of costs of higher education.

Junior Brad Epstein said, " Albright raises tuition every year. Its not a question of will it happen. The question is: how much?"

Violence in Video Games: A Closer Look

A picture of the new Mortal Kombat being played on an Albright student's TV

Disclaimer: Some of the images used in this blog post are from video games rated "Mature" by the ESRB.

At this point, most of you have probably formulated your opinion on violence in video games. Should it be abolished? Controlled? Does it really not make that big of a difference? Regardless of what your views on the topic may be, there are actions being made by a few members of the government to put an absurd amount of securities in place to prevent minors from buying violent video games. A couple members have tried already to ban violent video games outright, but it has been declared unconstitutional.

The problem that many gamers, myself included, see with the recent Supreme Court hearings regarding how easily-accessible violent video games in stores are to minors (they aren't) is that many of those weighing in their opinions have very little experience in actually playing the games in which they are deciding the fate of.

Borderlands, an M-rated title, was voted as "Game of the Year" by many video game reviewers

One example of this is the incredibly overused screenshot of the 2003 PC first-person shooter Postal 2. The screenshot depicts a rather bloody scene with the player character holding a shotgun. Repeatedly, the screenshot is shown without context, and is used to lead people to believe that every video game outside of Sesame Street is essentially more of that. The truth is, Postal 2 was a game that nobody - even gamers - particularly enjoyed in any large number, and to this day has a small cult following and little else. The screenshot (pictured below) was taken from GameSpot's review in which it was given a 4.8 out of 10, and remains a 50% average among all review scores.

The often-overused screenshot from Postal 2. (Credit GameSpot.com)

Now, I'm not trying to say there aren't violent video games out there. There are plenty. Games like Gears of War that allow players to wield a chainsaw strapped to a machine gun or Mortal Kombat in which players fight to the bloody death involve an incredible level of violence, and are well deserving of the ESRB's "Mature" rating. However, the target audience for these games are people old enough to have valid driver's licenses, which is what stores like GameStop or WalMart require in order to purchase M-rated titles.

Now, you've heard my opinion. What about other students, both from Albright and other colleges? Stephen Agnic, a senior at Ramapo College, expresses his personal opinion: "I have never experienced any increased violent behaviors, nor do I feel has it ever made me more likely to commit crime or made me feel ready to battle in war," explains Agnic, who has been a gamer since he was little. "I have never known anyone that ever tried to replicate something out of a video game, with the intention of hurting others or committing crimes. It is my belief that if a person is willing to do such a thing, they would do so with the aide of any material they have available to them as enticement."

Siobhan O'Hara, a Freshman at Albright College, does not consider herself a gamer, but is familiar with the growing popularity (or infamy) of violence in video games. O'Hara describes the rise of violence in video games as "overwhelming," she goes on to explain that "I myself do not play as much as say, the average male college student, but anyone could see that these games have become more and more malicious over the years," now, does this mean they should be banned entirely? "I wouldn't go as far as to say that," explains O'Hara. "People know what they're getting themselves into when they play these games. People should be able to censor themselves rather than have someone do it for them. Don't get me wrong, I believe in the rating system of video games, especially for younger children, but adults can make decisions on their own."

I was also able to interview Matt Donino, a game designer who worked for Z-Axis Games and Stormfront Studios, as well as worked as a contractor for a few other studios. Donino's opinions were similar to that of Agnic's: "People that have more serious mental issues are always going to have those issues and there is no way that a game, or even the ever-present violence on TV and in the movies is going to change that. The problems are already there - ANYTHING could fan the flames, real or imaginary. You can't censor life to make it more palatable for people outside the norm, they need to be helped."

Donino offered to ask for the opinions of developers from companies like Valve or Id Software, however interestingly enough they declined, but as Donino explained to me "Not because they didn't want to, but because the legal departments at the big companies apparently don't allow, or at least sincerely frown upon, their employees commenting on violence in video games as individuals. That was actually kind of eye-opening to me."

In conclusion, the persecution of video games as a whole is really unfair in my own opinion and the opinions of others. Some attribute this to the fact that video games are the "newest thing" in terms of media, and will go through the same problems that rap music, television and even radio had before it. Personally, I just want to have fun playing video games.