Blog Post# 8

Last week Julian started class off with a presentation about getting involved on campus. He gave us a list of clubs that might interest us. He also talked about other ways we can get involved on campus like joining a sport team or take advantage of the Recreation Center. I was happy to hear that CSUCI offers free kayaking classes for students at the Channel Islands Boating Center. I will definitely have to check that out next semester. Our first discussion in class was about the banning of Chick-fil-A fundraiser at Ventura High School football game. It is a shame that the principal got blamed for not allowing the restaurant to sell at the Ventura High School football game. Obviously the decision was not made by her only and there was more to the story that the article did not cover. It is not surprising that a story like this can escalate to something else especially at a high school. I believe the principal did the right thing to ban Chick-fil-A from selling at the game because they do have a well-known political stance on gay marriage and it would be discourteous for those students that are part of the LGBT community. Mainly, because students in high school are still discovering themselves and are more sensitive to this matter. Next, we had a discussion about women in higher education. We specifically talked about why there are less women in STEM fields even though there are more women in college. I think there are less women in STEM fields because of how society constructed the role of women in this society. I do believe women can be just as good as men in STEM field or any other field for that matter but society classifies job fields as feminine or masculine just the same as they classify roles.  

            I found the article From homeless to college grad: Story of B-CU student inspires, sad and inspiring. Joshua Williams was homeless for his first three years of college and was able to keep it a secret, only his closest friends new about his situation. I was sad to read that he had to go through homelessness struggles just to continue with his education at Bethune-Cookman University. He would rather be homeless than return to Miami. No person should ever go through such thing. Although he had too much pride to ask for help, I believe there should have been an outreach program that he would feel comfortable going to.  Despite his struggles he accomplished so much and soon he reached out to those who are dealing with homelessness by providing them with scholarships for books. Williams is an inspiration and a good example of how far determination and motivation can take you despite the obstacles you have to overcome.

The article Homeless: How Residential Instability Complicates Students’ Lives, by Ronald Hallet, had some interesting facts about homelessness in the United States. He mentions that “the term homeless to describe programs and services on college campus may discourage students and their guardians from seeking support.” I agree with Hallet because there are a lot of students like William, for example, that have too much pride to get help and such name to the services will discourage them. Students should be able to get assistance without feeling ashamed.

The article Where Are the Poor Students? A Conversation about Social Class and College Attendance, By Adam Howard, pointed an interesting notion about why less poor students are attending college. He stated, “Colleges are raising tuition and reducing financial aid relative to the tuition raises, and poor kids aren’t going college at the rates they used to, particularly poor males.” Although poor students qualify for financial aid, it is not enough to cover all expenses. I know a couple of people who dropped out of college because financial aid was not enough and although their parents would love to assist them financially, they cannot because they are too poor to help. It is an ongoing vicious cycle that keeps the poor from getting an education and keeps them from breaking the poverty cycle. Unless colleges can provide more aid, poor adolescents will be less likely to attend college.