And Justice for All?
Room 630 T at John Jay College is filled with students and facility members to the point where there are no more chairs left. A professional camera is pointed toward the front of the room, and everyone lends in from excitement and curiosity for the event that can shape the future.
On Dec 4. 2008, The Center of Race, Crime, and Justice presented the seminar called And Justice For All? The lecture’s main speaker was Marc Mauer, an Executive Director of the Sentencing Project. The Sentencing Project is a national organization working for a fair criminal justice system by promoting reforms in sentencing law and alternatives to incarceration.
As the people started to spilled out on the hallway, security is called to alert them that they cannot stand out of here and the guards are welcomed to sound of very disgruntle guests.
“How am I suppose to focus on the speaker if I am standing up, look at that women over there, she is actually sitting on the floor,” said student Demarky Stermberd .
The Center’s director, Delares Jones Brown, apologizes for the lack of room and announced Mr. Marc Mauer who is welcomed by a casual applause by the crowd.
Mr. Marc is one of the country’s leading experts on sentencing policy, race, and the criminal justice system. He is the author of some of the most widely cited reports and publications in the field, for example, Young Black Men and the Criminal Justice System and Americans Behind Bars. His 1995 report on racial disparity and the criminal justice system was described by the New York Times as “should set off alarm bells from the White House to city halls – and help reverse the notion that we can incarcerate our way out of fundamental social problems.”.
“How many black men are currently incarcerated, the figure has gone from 1 in 4 to 1 in 3 from the last 10 years,” said Brown.
Delores Brown set up the plan to bring Mr. Muar to John Jay for a seminar since February 2005 in the hopes he will be able to open eyes on the disproportion number of minority races in the criminal justice system and their over representation when it comes to the court system.
The 45 minute lecture dove into the topic of the prison issues that have infected are country and the reforms that are occurring to change them. Mr. Maur opened up with a well received joke about wanting to discuss his latest book for promotion then entered the history of prison system’s problems that has stemmed from the Nixon era. He offered facts on why America is the leading country in prison population, for example, there has been an addition of 1 million Americans to the prison system over the past couple of years, which has brought the total to two million. Sixty percent of the prison population is minorities and there are currently 3,000 people on death row.
Mr. Maur does not blame the increase in the prison population in an increase in crime but a change in policy. He says the policy called the “get tough” movement where more people are being sent to prison for a longer sentence is the reason for the growth. The movement includes other policies like the war on drugs or the three strikes policy that many states obtained in the 1990.
One in every eleven prison inmates are serving a life sentences which adds up to 130,000 people in prison for life, there is a man serving 25 years for stealing golf clubs and another inmate serving 50 years for stealing a video recorder,” said Mauer.
The war on drugs is the main factor that has raised the prison population. According to Mauer, there was 40,000 people convicted for a drug charge in the 1980’s and now it has grown to 500,000 to this day, an almost 1000 percent increase. However due to the country’s financial problems and the realization of the lack of help given to urban neighborhood, there has been a new movement that has call for a change to reform the justice system.
After all of the facts were stated and the follow up questions had been asked, many people were caught up in a personal conversation with the other people around them. The seminar especially surprised third year John Jay student Sabrina Pugh.
“I think that what he said made a lot of sense and the change really must start with the people who run this country. I think the most shocking thing is that there are other methods beside capital punishment to discipline an inmate and they still choose to do it. So there are so many people on death row and I know at least one of them are innocent,” said Pugh
Base on the audience reactions, it seem that the center accomplish their goal to build up awareness on this particular topic. Nicole Hanson, Doctoral fellow for the center, could not hide her excitement off of her face when the seminar was over.
“We just wanted to start a discussion among student about their own problems with the system and talk about it in their classes and hopefully be in a position to do something about it later,” said Hanson.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Obamamania
On Nov. 6, 2008, a middle age black male dressed in ashy worn out clothing entered a packed B6 bus in Brooklyn and yelled “I got those Obama t-shirts for you and the red ones are coming on Tuesday,” said the local salesman.
The energy that the salesman was expressing is a feeling that has been felt all over the city since the 2008 Presidential election that occurred on Nov. 4. Newly elected President Barack Obama has been the most talked about American since Michael Phelps and not only has his fame reached the U.S. but all over the world as well.
People have not shied away from admitting who they voted for when asked. The excitement can clearly be seen on Chase bank employee Karen Simon’s smiling face as she answered the question in a sarcastic tone.
“I voted for McCain (laughs) of course I voted for Obama, I had to be apart of history,” said Simon.
Miss Simon’s made a pledge that she would try to get every newspaper that was going to have his (Obama) face on the front cover after she found out Obama was elected and her excitement has not left her side since then. The reason for Miss. Simon’s excitement goes far beyond Barack’s race and dives into a deeper feeling of hope for the future. This year, the country’s economic problems hit Miss Simon personally when she almost lost her job when her former company Washington Mutual was brought by Chase bank.
“People are losing their jobs, and going homeless, we didn’t have time to deal with McCain’s old ass as President,” said Miss Simon.
One other thing that people have not shied from is showing their support for their President through flashy merchandise.
It is pretty hard to miss Obama’s face these days since it can be seen on a collection of items that includes calendars in grocery stores, his pictures on people’s Facebook profiles, posters, buttons, t-shirts, numerous newspapers, news reports, YouTube parodies, hats, Halloween masks, stickers, and anything you could get his face on.
Outside most super malls and subway stations in New York City, the site is oddly the same because it shows numerous women and men of all races trying to sell as much Obama merchandise as possible. It seems to be working judging from the fact that you can not leave an office or board a train without seeing an Obama supporter wearing a button or a t-shirt on them.
It has gotten so overly done that it has got some people complaining that this sort of support for Obama may be a little fake.
“All I see is people joking on how dumb Sarah Palin is, how Obama is going to save everyone, and buttons everywhere. I know that they are only doing it because their friends are doing the same thing,” said John McCain supporter Adrianna Beach. Beach, an African American college student, still has not accepted the fact Obama has won the election and watching people parade around in joy has not helped either.
“I actually saw someone rob a store and scream out “Obama is my President !” like just because he won does not mean you can do whatever you want, half of these people don’t even know what he stands for, they just voted for him because he is black,” said Beach.
Not only have McCain supporters had enough of the over zealot attitude that people are showing but it can be felt from Barack’s supporters as well.
“I see people spray painting Obama’s face on their sneakers and putting his family portrait on t-shirts, I voted for Obama too but that is going too far,” said Cathleen Delva, an Obama supporter.
The people of New York City are in a daze right now over heir man. However where there are people who go with what is hot this year, there are also people who have not lost their composure and have kept their eyes on the issues.
"I am hoping that the global warming issues will be taken more seriously. I am hoping that we refocus and find Osama Bin Laden. And I hope that the top 1% of this country that controls 90% of the wealth gets taxed so hard they don’t know what hit them (even though my step-dad says this makes me a communist.),” said by Lisa Cary, a graduate student at John Jay college of Criminal Justice.
There is no doubt that Obama entering office is a ground breaking event in history but people may want to hold off on buying their Obama statues and toaster ovens and see what will happen in two and half months when his term begins.
The energy that the salesman was expressing is a feeling that has been felt all over the city since the 2008 Presidential election that occurred on Nov. 4. Newly elected President Barack Obama has been the most talked about American since Michael Phelps and not only has his fame reached the U.S. but all over the world as well.
People have not shied away from admitting who they voted for when asked. The excitement can clearly be seen on Chase bank employee Karen Simon’s smiling face as she answered the question in a sarcastic tone.
“I voted for McCain (laughs) of course I voted for Obama, I had to be apart of history,” said Simon.
Miss Simon’s made a pledge that she would try to get every newspaper that was going to have his (Obama) face on the front cover after she found out Obama was elected and her excitement has not left her side since then. The reason for Miss. Simon’s excitement goes far beyond Barack’s race and dives into a deeper feeling of hope for the future. This year, the country’s economic problems hit Miss Simon personally when she almost lost her job when her former company Washington Mutual was brought by Chase bank.
“People are losing their jobs, and going homeless, we didn’t have time to deal with McCain’s old ass as President,” said Miss Simon.
One other thing that people have not shied from is showing their support for their President through flashy merchandise.
It is pretty hard to miss Obama’s face these days since it can be seen on a collection of items that includes calendars in grocery stores, his pictures on people’s Facebook profiles, posters, buttons, t-shirts, numerous newspapers, news reports, YouTube parodies, hats, Halloween masks, stickers, and anything you could get his face on.
Outside most super malls and subway stations in New York City, the site is oddly the same because it shows numerous women and men of all races trying to sell as much Obama merchandise as possible. It seems to be working judging from the fact that you can not leave an office or board a train without seeing an Obama supporter wearing a button or a t-shirt on them.
It has gotten so overly done that it has got some people complaining that this sort of support for Obama may be a little fake.
“All I see is people joking on how dumb Sarah Palin is, how Obama is going to save everyone, and buttons everywhere. I know that they are only doing it because their friends are doing the same thing,” said John McCain supporter Adrianna Beach. Beach, an African American college student, still has not accepted the fact Obama has won the election and watching people parade around in joy has not helped either.
“I actually saw someone rob a store and scream out “Obama is my President !” like just because he won does not mean you can do whatever you want, half of these people don’t even know what he stands for, they just voted for him because he is black,” said Beach.
Not only have McCain supporters had enough of the over zealot attitude that people are showing but it can be felt from Barack’s supporters as well.
“I see people spray painting Obama’s face on their sneakers and putting his family portrait on t-shirts, I voted for Obama too but that is going too far,” said Cathleen Delva, an Obama supporter.
The people of New York City are in a daze right now over heir man. However where there are people who go with what is hot this year, there are also people who have not lost their composure and have kept their eyes on the issues.
"I am hoping that the global warming issues will be taken more seriously. I am hoping that we refocus and find Osama Bin Laden. And I hope that the top 1% of this country that controls 90% of the wealth gets taxed so hard they don’t know what hit them (even though my step-dad says this makes me a communist.),” said by Lisa Cary, a graduate student at John Jay college of Criminal Justice.
There is no doubt that Obama entering office is a ground breaking event in history but people may want to hold off on buying their Obama statues and toaster ovens and see what will happen in two and half months when his term begins.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
ElectionsQuotes
1) "I am hoping that global warming issues will be taken more seriously. I am hoping that we refocus and find Osama Bin Laden. And I hope that the top 1% of this country that controls 90% of the wealth get taxed so hard they don’t know what hit them (even though my step-dad says this makes me a communist.) said by Lisa Cary, graduate student," said Lisa Carey
2)"Go Obama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (laugh)," said Joey Sullivan
3)"Don't get me wrong, I think it is a good thing that Obama won but people are making such big deal about it. Yea he is black, but after all of these years race still matters. The way the country is any candidate would asked for a change not just him," said Carlos Pegan
4)I originally wanted Hilary because I don't think Obama will a make a big enough impact since he is a conservative but I honestly felt that McCain was going to be worst than Bush, said Joya Joseph
5)"The entire neighborhood was going crazy, there were like 30 people on the street just screaming out Obama's name and hugging each other like we all knew each other," said Derato Perez
2)"Go Obama!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (laugh)," said Joey Sullivan
3)"Don't get me wrong, I think it is a good thing that Obama won but people are making such big deal about it. Yea he is black, but after all of these years race still matters. The way the country is any candidate would asked for a change not just him," said Carlos Pegan
4)I originally wanted Hilary because I don't think Obama will a make a big enough impact since he is a conservative but I honestly felt that McCain was going to be worst than Bush, said Joya Joseph
5)"The entire neighborhood was going crazy, there were like 30 people on the street just screaming out Obama's name and hugging each other like we all knew each other," said Derato Perez
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Many Holes in Disclosure of Nominees’ Health
Pros
The lead explained the purpose for the article and what you were going to learn by reading it. The lead does not try to grab your attention with a clever line because the topic is so urgent that it will get people read.
One thing that I did like was the way they wrote out the information about the all of the candidates’ past illness. There were a lot of numbers and dates thrown at the reader but the reporter was able to bring it all together by describing how the illness could affect the candidates in the future and how it should affects our vote. The pack number system showed that even though Obama is healthy now that there is always a chance that he will fall victim to the many smoke related disease that are out there. The countless surgeries that McCain has had showed that his melanoma can return at any moment.
The reporter did what he could with the information he gathered about Sarah Palin and still wrote some very interesting set of words. I especially liked how he wrote the story about her water breaking at a conference in Dallas and how she had to fly over to Alaska at race against time to get her baby delivered.
The Ronald Reagan quote “resign” shows that the only option that some of these candidates have is to quit if their illness returns or they get infested with a new one.
Cons
When the writer said that McCain’s 1,200 page medical information was released in a restricted way that it still does not answer questions; I wanted to know what he meant by that.
I would place accounts from the summary in the article a little earlier. For example, the story about Mr. Tsongas withdrawing from the race could have gone nicely with the McCain’s story. The lack of information about Sarah Palin could have been buffed up by using the information about Mr. Eagleton being a running mate and because he did not released information about his illness then it cost him at the end. We don’t know a lot about Palin and there is chance that she might be hiding something to.
The article was seen from eyes as a tool that would hurt McCain’s chance to win the election. The line “Mr. McCain’s difficulty raising his arms and his sometimes awkward gait are remnants of severe, untreated injuries he suffered in Vietnam.” really painted the picture of a beat up old man as well as someone who is pass their prime. I know the reporter it just writing out the facts but he shows a little favoritism towards Obama by portraying him as a strong individual who was able to fight against smoking even though he bummed a smoke during his campaign.
The lead explained the purpose for the article and what you were going to learn by reading it. The lead does not try to grab your attention with a clever line because the topic is so urgent that it will get people read.
One thing that I did like was the way they wrote out the information about the all of the candidates’ past illness. There were a lot of numbers and dates thrown at the reader but the reporter was able to bring it all together by describing how the illness could affect the candidates in the future and how it should affects our vote. The pack number system showed that even though Obama is healthy now that there is always a chance that he will fall victim to the many smoke related disease that are out there. The countless surgeries that McCain has had showed that his melanoma can return at any moment.
The reporter did what he could with the information he gathered about Sarah Palin and still wrote some very interesting set of words. I especially liked how he wrote the story about her water breaking at a conference in Dallas and how she had to fly over to Alaska at race against time to get her baby delivered.
The Ronald Reagan quote “resign” shows that the only option that some of these candidates have is to quit if their illness returns or they get infested with a new one.
Cons
When the writer said that McCain’s 1,200 page medical information was released in a restricted way that it still does not answer questions; I wanted to know what he meant by that.
I would place accounts from the summary in the article a little earlier. For example, the story about Mr. Tsongas withdrawing from the race could have gone nicely with the McCain’s story. The lack of information about Sarah Palin could have been buffed up by using the information about Mr. Eagleton being a running mate and because he did not released information about his illness then it cost him at the end. We don’t know a lot about Palin and there is chance that she might be hiding something to.
The article was seen from eyes as a tool that would hurt McCain’s chance to win the election. The line “Mr. McCain’s difficulty raising his arms and his sometimes awkward gait are remnants of severe, untreated injuries he suffered in Vietnam.” really painted the picture of a beat up old man as well as someone who is pass their prime. I know the reporter it just writing out the facts but he shows a little favoritism towards Obama by portraying him as a strong individual who was able to fight against smoking even though he bummed a smoke during his campaign.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
2ndstory
It is around 11 p.m; Hollan George is getting ready for work by making sure his blue security shirt is acceptable, sits down at his post shoeless, and gets ready for a long night.
It is just another day at the office for Mr. George as a John Jay college security guard. It can plainly be seen on his tired but focus face that he has just finished a four hour day of classes. George lets a long sigh as he says “The worse thing about the job is staying awake during the night shift, so you’ll do anything to stay up, like playing a “retard” version of stick ball with the other guards around you or eat food with sugar in it,” said George.
The life of a John Jay Security guard goes beyond any other departmental job. It may be the only job at the college where students are ordered to work a job shift of eight hours at any time of the day including at night, in order, to un hold the school’s safety. It is a job that requires them to deal with everything from validating parking to handling students drinking alcohol on campus.
Security guard Paul Treyman has been on the job for a year and so far he has seen his fair share of things that would scare people and have you bust out laughing. Treyman says with a smile on his face “Just today I had to carry a woman to the hospital because she was having a panic attack and later that day I was told by a student that she saw a girl in a bathroom stall with four men, I mean what the hell was she thinking, so I had to go handle it by kicking them out of the building. I didn’t even need to ask what she was doing, (laughs) feel me,” said Treyman.
The most ironic thing about it is that most of the people the guards watch over at the college may not get a chance to see what the guards do, which can cause a misconception of them.
Dixon Victory is a freshman who has already built his own image of the guards.
“The security around here is very loose; the system of signing students in if they do not have their cards is very bad because they can just write anything,” said Victory.
The guards are able to sense the lack of respect some of the student shave for them and it is also obvious from the similar answers that the student gave when asked about their colleagues’ protection.
“I know that they are students just like us so sometimes they will do their job and other times they will let their friends in without checking their cards,” said Krystal Jackson, a junior at the college
Kathy Bernard knows that the guards did show some favoritism towards certain students because she is one of them.
“The John Jay security guards are on a power trip, they need to go back to training but they still won’t serve a purpose” said Miss Bernard.
Miss Bernard is a graduate student who works for the Women Rights Center and is fed up with the guards’ hypocritical tendencies.
“They love raising their voices to tell me what to do and tell me not to double swipe when they do the same thing, and then try to act nice when they find out that I am apart of the staff which is not fair to the other students here,” said Bernard
The guards also have their own answer for the hostility they receive.
“All people think we do is sit on our ass all day, I must admit the job is easy for me but there is still the possibility of something going down” said George.
Security guard Jasmine Butler had the same misconstrued view of the guards before she started working four mouths ago and has already changed her mind.
“I have not seen some real action on the job but I did have a very bad view of guards before I became one, you have a better appreciate for the position when you are actually one of them,” said Butler
According to the Security Department manual, the position calls for students to complete a collection of training exercises that comes up to 24 state mandate hours. One of those exercises includes the students completing sixteen hours of lectures on the rules of the school, the security department, and what is expected of them as guards. As well as another six hours of probation on the job and the rest is made up on safety tips.
“We expect are guards to be mindful of people’s feeling, be aware of their environment, and protect the students of John Jay and their properties,” said Rabiyyah Williams, a Security Department’s offices employee who was also an ex-security guard herself.
The job also calls for the applicants to have the general of requirements of being an full time undergraduate with a GPA of at least 2.5. Their status must be above freshman level.
The guards are trained in CPR, crowd control, and the himelic maneuver for the students’ safety. There are also put on alert for any specific individuals that are planning to enter the school to harm a student; this service is especially good for the female student body that may have uncontrollable ex- boyfriends. There is a fair amount of homeless people in the area and it is their job to make sure that they do not come around the building to bother the students, which guard Franny Jerkins, say that may be the most difficult thing about the job for her.
“I demand people take me serious because if something happens then it is my fault,” said Jerkins
Regardless of the negative criticism the guards get, there are still some people who defend the guards no matter what. Allison Karvey, a history professor of four years at the college, was attacked by one her students a year ago who was found to be mentally unstable.
“I teach around 9 pm at the college so you really notice them and feel safe when they are around, they actual walk me to the train stations on some account to make sure I got there safely,” said Karvey
It is just another day at the office for Mr. George as a John Jay college security guard. It can plainly be seen on his tired but focus face that he has just finished a four hour day of classes. George lets a long sigh as he says “The worse thing about the job is staying awake during the night shift, so you’ll do anything to stay up, like playing a “retard” version of stick ball with the other guards around you or eat food with sugar in it,” said George.
The life of a John Jay Security guard goes beyond any other departmental job. It may be the only job at the college where students are ordered to work a job shift of eight hours at any time of the day including at night, in order, to un hold the school’s safety. It is a job that requires them to deal with everything from validating parking to handling students drinking alcohol on campus.
Security guard Paul Treyman has been on the job for a year and so far he has seen his fair share of things that would scare people and have you bust out laughing. Treyman says with a smile on his face “Just today I had to carry a woman to the hospital because she was having a panic attack and later that day I was told by a student that she saw a girl in a bathroom stall with four men, I mean what the hell was she thinking, so I had to go handle it by kicking them out of the building. I didn’t even need to ask what she was doing, (laughs) feel me,” said Treyman.
The most ironic thing about it is that most of the people the guards watch over at the college may not get a chance to see what the guards do, which can cause a misconception of them.
Dixon Victory is a freshman who has already built his own image of the guards.
“The security around here is very loose; the system of signing students in if they do not have their cards is very bad because they can just write anything,” said Victory.
The guards are able to sense the lack of respect some of the student shave for them and it is also obvious from the similar answers that the student gave when asked about their colleagues’ protection.
“I know that they are students just like us so sometimes they will do their job and other times they will let their friends in without checking their cards,” said Krystal Jackson, a junior at the college
Kathy Bernard knows that the guards did show some favoritism towards certain students because she is one of them.
“The John Jay security guards are on a power trip, they need to go back to training but they still won’t serve a purpose” said Miss Bernard.
Miss Bernard is a graduate student who works for the Women Rights Center and is fed up with the guards’ hypocritical tendencies.
“They love raising their voices to tell me what to do and tell me not to double swipe when they do the same thing, and then try to act nice when they find out that I am apart of the staff which is not fair to the other students here,” said Bernard
The guards also have their own answer for the hostility they receive.
“All people think we do is sit on our ass all day, I must admit the job is easy for me but there is still the possibility of something going down” said George.
Security guard Jasmine Butler had the same misconstrued view of the guards before she started working four mouths ago and has already changed her mind.
“I have not seen some real action on the job but I did have a very bad view of guards before I became one, you have a better appreciate for the position when you are actually one of them,” said Butler
According to the Security Department manual, the position calls for students to complete a collection of training exercises that comes up to 24 state mandate hours. One of those exercises includes the students completing sixteen hours of lectures on the rules of the school, the security department, and what is expected of them as guards. As well as another six hours of probation on the job and the rest is made up on safety tips.
“We expect are guards to be mindful of people’s feeling, be aware of their environment, and protect the students of John Jay and their properties,” said Rabiyyah Williams, a Security Department’s offices employee who was also an ex-security guard herself.
The job also calls for the applicants to have the general of requirements of being an full time undergraduate with a GPA of at least 2.5. Their status must be above freshman level.
The guards are trained in CPR, crowd control, and the himelic maneuver for the students’ safety. There are also put on alert for any specific individuals that are planning to enter the school to harm a student; this service is especially good for the female student body that may have uncontrollable ex- boyfriends. There is a fair amount of homeless people in the area and it is their job to make sure that they do not come around the building to bother the students, which guard Franny Jerkins, say that may be the most difficult thing about the job for her.
“I demand people take me serious because if something happens then it is my fault,” said Jerkins
Regardless of the negative criticism the guards get, there are still some people who defend the guards no matter what. Allison Karvey, a history professor of four years at the college, was attacked by one her students a year ago who was found to be mentally unstable.
“I teach around 9 pm at the college so you really notice them and feel safe when they are around, they actual walk me to the train stations on some account to make sure I got there safely,” said Karvey
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
थ्री स्टोरी Topics
Students who are about to graduate or are close to it are always complaining that after they receive their degrees, the options on what are available are very limited. Some students have no idea what they will be doing. The college has an internship office that offers students opportunities that may set them up with their next career or a large stipend of money to get their lives started. The career office at the college helps students as early as sophomore year with figuring out what they would like to do with their lives. Is the student’s uncertain attitude about their future really the college’s limited amount of available tools or the lack of effort put forth by the students?
Sources: Tinesha Ross is a senior who will be graduating next semester and will be accepting an internship at Albany but she did receive the information of the internship from the school.
Simon Okra is also a senior figuring out if he wants to go to law school and has complained about the lack of help he is getting in figuring out his future.
A next article could be about the life and times of a John Jay Security Guard. What does the job entail? Are there in really in any danger and what do they think about their job. What will happen if there was really a possibility of a treat at the college? Do the students feel safer when they have the guards? I plan to choose a few workers and record what a typical day is for them. I will try to find out who are their bosses? Are their any images that people may have of them and can the title do anything for them in the future.
A new sense of school pride can be seen in the classrooms and through out the hallways but in the form of John Jay apparel. The John Jay logo and name can be seen on hats, hoodies, sweaters, shorts, t-shirts, not to mention school supplies. They come in multiple colors from pick, baby blue, to green and it is one of the newest things this year for student to wear them. However, is there actually a sense of school pride going on or are these school apparels just a passing fashion statement. Most of the apparels don’t even come in the school’s colors which are blue and gold.
Source: Brad Demarco works at the John jay Barns and Nobles Bookstore which is the top seller for John Jay apparel.
I could interview students that have shopped at the bookstore and have used their actually money to pay for school apparel instead of using financial aid.
Sources: Tinesha Ross is a senior who will be graduating next semester and will be accepting an internship at Albany but she did receive the information of the internship from the school.
Simon Okra is also a senior figuring out if he wants to go to law school and has complained about the lack of help he is getting in figuring out his future.
A next article could be about the life and times of a John Jay Security Guard. What does the job entail? Are there in really in any danger and what do they think about their job. What will happen if there was really a possibility of a treat at the college? Do the students feel safer when they have the guards? I plan to choose a few workers and record what a typical day is for them. I will try to find out who are their bosses? Are their any images that people may have of them and can the title do anything for them in the future.
A new sense of school pride can be seen in the classrooms and through out the hallways but in the form of John Jay apparel. The John Jay logo and name can be seen on hats, hoodies, sweaters, shorts, t-shirts, not to mention school supplies. They come in multiple colors from pick, baby blue, to green and it is one of the newest things this year for student to wear them. However, is there actually a sense of school pride going on or are these school apparels just a passing fashion statement. Most of the apparels don’t even come in the school’s colors which are blue and gold.
Source: Brad Demarco works at the John jay Barns and Nobles Bookstore which is the top seller for John Jay apparel.
I could interview students that have shopped at the bookstore and have used their actually money to pay for school apparel instead of using financial aid.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
CUNY Budget Cuts
It is very hard to put a price on a person’s education but due to trouble times, Governor Paterson will do exactly that to college students in New York City.
On August 19, 2008, Governor David Paterson slashed 51 million dollars from the CUNY school system’s budget to reduce state spending.
According to www.qcknightnews.com, the plan was introduced on July 30 of this year to address state finances for an economy Paterson could only described as "deteriorating." The governor's planned budgets cuts are suppose save $1 billion in 2008-2009 and $1.6 billion in 2009-2010.
The budget cuts are now reaching John Jay College of Criminal Justice for their fall 2008 semester and frustrated facial expressions can be seen through out the facility.
It is stated on web.cuny.edu that John Jay College still has one of the lowest tuition cost in the CUNY system. They charge up to $510 every three credits but the added increase in tuition combine with the already high prices for textbooks that can go as high as $180 for one book and commute money to the school can later add up for students who are already struggling with the prices.
The most common problem that every student at the college is facing is a $25 raise in the technology fee for this semester. The small increase may not seem that bad on paper but students like Betzabel Felipe who has already taken out a small loan of $1400 to pay for her tuition has something to complain about.
“I am working two jobs and helping my father pay the electricity bills, what kind government doesn’t look out for the students who have enough to worry about,” said Felipe. Despite the added on bills, Miss. Felipe was able to get into the college’s work system program that provides jobs for low-income students but due to the budget cuts, the money that she would receive from the work study job might not be worth the trouble of making time for it.
However, some jobs around the school have not seen a huge change from the reduce budget, for example, the Security department. Although, not everyone can be as lucky as John Jay security guard Daniel Persaud who has been on the job for two and a half years.
“Man, I barely even notice the budget cuts because we don’t get paid through the school. Our state union, DC37, pays us. We are actually receiving a raise of 16 cent soon. The budgets cuts aren’t really affecting us. If the cuts are affecting our department, I don’t know anything about it” said Persaud.
The rest of the students who are getting paid by the school will see a payment change that they won’t like. The amount of money that students received from the school’s work study program has gone down. Workers at the Student Assistants office were force to work the same hours but take a pay cut depending on how long they worked there and how much they got paid before.
“They are hiring less and less people to a point where it is becoming damn near impossible to get all the work I’m suppose to get done that day and I rarely have time to do some homework. I have to consider if I will be able to keep this job” said Stanley Mulu, a Connection Peer Mentor for the school.
According to Mulu, the amount that a student would received two years ago for working at the school was anywhere from 12 to 15 dollars but now the average amount is from 8 to 10 dollars which some students depend on to help them stay in school.
Student Akiele Reason was forced to drop most of his classes due to cut backs on Financial Aid and scholarships funds. “They told me that I was making too much money working at Sears. I don’t get it. I was making the same amount that I did last semester. I’m not paying that entire tuition for five classes, I can only take two this semester,” said Reason. The cut in financial aid has affected many different forms of aid around the school.
Students who have received the New York Merit Scholarship in the past have lost more than half of it. The scholarship was made for students who were able to maintain a 3.2 GPA through out their college semester. The scholarship was originally set at $500 a semester but went down to $239 for some students like Guy Legagneur who has to pay for school for the first time since he entered John Jay.
“I can’t really do anything about this but just keep moving along and pray that I don’t lose more next semester, it was a nice ride while it lasted,” said Legagneur
Not only has the budget cuts added on pressure for students to pay their bills on time but it has also limited their extra curricular activities as well. According to the jjay.cuny.edu, there are currently 17 official clubs in John Jay and they all will be expecting a deduction in funds that helps support their events.
The Student Council Department, who handles the clubs in John Jay, received a budget cut of $30,000 from the amount they had last year. Brunel Jaheum, Student Council Department assistant, stated that the main problem has stemmed from an increase in enrollment in John Jay which has lead to a growth in new clubs. “The council can not take care of everyone,” said Jaheum
Clubs’ presidents and founders are now facing the dilemma of how to keep their clubs from going under due to lack of funds. John Jay Debate Team’s Vice-president Ivan Wilson will have to deal with the problem of figuring out how many students can actually participate in tournaments this semester.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw how much we were given. We are trying to make sure these students can have something to look forward to when they do extra research for the team and some of them can’t even go to the debates to watch,” said Wilson
The amount that was asked by the club was $5000 and there were only given $2800 dollar which they need to pay the cost for the student’s travel to the debate, admission fee, and have someone judge the contestants.
“Debating is a skill that can help the students beyond their years here, and some won’t be able to get the full experience,” said Wilson
Not only are the present clubs having trouble but the clubs that are trying to get started are not doing any better. Rachel Ramirez and Sifat Azad started the Fiction Writing Association three semesters ago. The Association is a club made for student to express their artistic side through writing exercises and story development. The two still have not received funding for the publication to put out student’s stories.
The budgets cut has force both club executives to put their club dream on hold for now maybe indefinitely which has ruined other student’s plan for the future.
Sophomore Regina Wong has been looking forward to the club’s first meeting for some time. “I been hearing about it since my freshman year, I know that it take a while to get everything started but all I hear is that they don’t have enough funding.” said Wong.
Both Ramirez and Azad planned to leave the school after this semester to enter other institutions to look for opportunities that the college may not be able to offer, for example, a more solid English major, a more diverse course package, and they have added their club’s struggles to the list.
“The students are getting cheated out of their college years, plain and simple” said Ramirez
On August 19, 2008, Governor David Paterson slashed 51 million dollars from the CUNY school system’s budget to reduce state spending.
According to www.qcknightnews.com, the plan was introduced on July 30 of this year to address state finances for an economy Paterson could only described as "deteriorating." The governor's planned budgets cuts are suppose save $1 billion in 2008-2009 and $1.6 billion in 2009-2010.
The budget cuts are now reaching John Jay College of Criminal Justice for their fall 2008 semester and frustrated facial expressions can be seen through out the facility.
It is stated on web.cuny.edu that John Jay College still has one of the lowest tuition cost in the CUNY system. They charge up to $510 every three credits but the added increase in tuition combine with the already high prices for textbooks that can go as high as $180 for one book and commute money to the school can later add up for students who are already struggling with the prices.
The most common problem that every student at the college is facing is a $25 raise in the technology fee for this semester. The small increase may not seem that bad on paper but students like Betzabel Felipe who has already taken out a small loan of $1400 to pay for her tuition has something to complain about.
“I am working two jobs and helping my father pay the electricity bills, what kind government doesn’t look out for the students who have enough to worry about,” said Felipe. Despite the added on bills, Miss. Felipe was able to get into the college’s work system program that provides jobs for low-income students but due to the budget cuts, the money that she would receive from the work study job might not be worth the trouble of making time for it.
However, some jobs around the school have not seen a huge change from the reduce budget, for example, the Security department. Although, not everyone can be as lucky as John Jay security guard Daniel Persaud who has been on the job for two and a half years.
“Man, I barely even notice the budget cuts because we don’t get paid through the school. Our state union, DC37, pays us. We are actually receiving a raise of 16 cent soon. The budgets cuts aren’t really affecting us. If the cuts are affecting our department, I don’t know anything about it” said Persaud.
The rest of the students who are getting paid by the school will see a payment change that they won’t like. The amount of money that students received from the school’s work study program has gone down. Workers at the Student Assistants office were force to work the same hours but take a pay cut depending on how long they worked there and how much they got paid before.
“They are hiring less and less people to a point where it is becoming damn near impossible to get all the work I’m suppose to get done that day and I rarely have time to do some homework. I have to consider if I will be able to keep this job” said Stanley Mulu, a Connection Peer Mentor for the school.
According to Mulu, the amount that a student would received two years ago for working at the school was anywhere from 12 to 15 dollars but now the average amount is from 8 to 10 dollars which some students depend on to help them stay in school.
Student Akiele Reason was forced to drop most of his classes due to cut backs on Financial Aid and scholarships funds. “They told me that I was making too much money working at Sears. I don’t get it. I was making the same amount that I did last semester. I’m not paying that entire tuition for five classes, I can only take two this semester,” said Reason. The cut in financial aid has affected many different forms of aid around the school.
Students who have received the New York Merit Scholarship in the past have lost more than half of it. The scholarship was made for students who were able to maintain a 3.2 GPA through out their college semester. The scholarship was originally set at $500 a semester but went down to $239 for some students like Guy Legagneur who has to pay for school for the first time since he entered John Jay.
“I can’t really do anything about this but just keep moving along and pray that I don’t lose more next semester, it was a nice ride while it lasted,” said Legagneur
Not only has the budget cuts added on pressure for students to pay their bills on time but it has also limited their extra curricular activities as well. According to the jjay.cuny.edu, there are currently 17 official clubs in John Jay and they all will be expecting a deduction in funds that helps support their events.
The Student Council Department, who handles the clubs in John Jay, received a budget cut of $30,000 from the amount they had last year. Brunel Jaheum, Student Council Department assistant, stated that the main problem has stemmed from an increase in enrollment in John Jay which has lead to a growth in new clubs. “The council can not take care of everyone,” said Jaheum
Clubs’ presidents and founders are now facing the dilemma of how to keep their clubs from going under due to lack of funds. John Jay Debate Team’s Vice-president Ivan Wilson will have to deal with the problem of figuring out how many students can actually participate in tournaments this semester.
“I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw how much we were given. We are trying to make sure these students can have something to look forward to when they do extra research for the team and some of them can’t even go to the debates to watch,” said Wilson
The amount that was asked by the club was $5000 and there were only given $2800 dollar which they need to pay the cost for the student’s travel to the debate, admission fee, and have someone judge the contestants.
“Debating is a skill that can help the students beyond their years here, and some won’t be able to get the full experience,” said Wilson
Not only are the present clubs having trouble but the clubs that are trying to get started are not doing any better. Rachel Ramirez and Sifat Azad started the Fiction Writing Association three semesters ago. The Association is a club made for student to express their artistic side through writing exercises and story development. The two still have not received funding for the publication to put out student’s stories.
The budgets cut has force both club executives to put their club dream on hold for now maybe indefinitely which has ruined other student’s plan for the future.
Sophomore Regina Wong has been looking forward to the club’s first meeting for some time. “I been hearing about it since my freshman year, I know that it take a while to get everything started but all I hear is that they don’t have enough funding.” said Wong.
Both Ramirez and Azad planned to leave the school after this semester to enter other institutions to look for opportunities that the college may not be able to offer, for example, a more solid English major, a more diverse course package, and they have added their club’s struggles to the list.
“The students are getting cheated out of their college years, plain and simple” said Ramirez
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
1st Story: CUNY Budget Cuts
“How are we suppose to accommodate the students if the school is not giving us the tools to help them, do you see the shit I have to go through,” said Whitney Brown. The image of Whitney’s frustrated and exhausted facial expression can be seen on many people’s faces all through out John Jay College of Criminal Justice for the fall 08 semester.
On August 19, 2008, Gov. David Paterson slashed $51 million dollars from the CUNY budget to cut state spending. The plan was introduced on July 30 of this year to address state finances for an economy Paterson could only described as "deteriorating."
The most common problem that every student at the college is facing is a 25 dollar raise in the technology fee for this semester. The small increase may not seem that bad on paper but students like Betzabel Felipe who has already taken out a small loan to pay for her tuition has something to complain about.
“I can’t stand how this damn tuition goes up every time I go to the Bursar’s Office, you can’t even go to school these days because the bill doesn’t even cover books,” said Felipe. Betzabel was lucky enough to receive a job at the college this semester but even the budget cuts are affecting her there, as well.
The payment that students receive from the school’s work study program has also gone down. The amount that a student would receive from working at the school was anywhere from 12 to 15 dollars two years ago but now the average amount is from 8 to 10 dollars which some students depend on to help them stay in school.
Other students like Akiele Reason have been force to drop most of his classes due to cut backs on Financial Aid and scholarships. “They told me that I was making too much money working at Sears, I’m not paying that entire tuition for five classes, I can only take two this semester,” said Reason.
Not only has the budget cut added on pressure for students to pay their bills on time but it has also limited their extra curricular activities as well. There are currently 17 official clubs in John Jay and they all will be expecting a deduction in funds that help support their events. The Student Council Department who handles the clubs in John Jay received a budget cut of 30,000 dollars from the amount they had a last year. The main problem has stemmed from an increase in enrollment in John Jay and the growth of new clubs. The Council can not take care of everyone.
Presidents and founders of the clubs are now facing the dilemma of how to keep their clubs from going under due to lack of funds. Founder of the John Jay Debate club Whitney Brown will have to manage without a promotion budget and a limited amount of traveling funds to help students get to debate tournaments. She claims that she has enough in the budget to send only half of the previous number of students to tournaments that she sent last semester.
Not only are the present clubs having trouble but the clubs that are trying to get started are not doing any better. Rachel Ramirez and Sif Az started the Fiction Writing Association three semesters ago. The Association is a club made for student to express their artistic side through writing exercise which is something that can help them in the future. The two have not received funding for the publication to put out student’s stories.
“The students are getting cheated out of their college years, plain and simple, just because we always have idiots in power,” said Ramirez
The budget cuts are expected to run through the entire 2008-09 and 2009-10 school years.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Response To 'India' Story
Mr. Timmons started her article by using colorful word like toothless and old to described the Indian natives not for a comical purpose but to show how cruel this type of fashion promotion really was. She doesn’t only give her own opinion but she lets her colleagues speak their voices as well to get her point across. The malice for the fashion magazine really can be seen when she wrote Mr. Gahlaut called the aid “downright distasteful.” However, she does let the fashion brands give their side of the story but it does really work out for them.
Heather Timmons made sure to show the lay back attitude that the fashion magazine had for their actions. It was very clear that Vogue India Editor Priya Tanna’s statement was a little careless when she said to “Lighten Up.” Heather Timmons added insult to injury when she explained
Women have always had a unspoken responsibility to keep up with the newest fashion trends at all cost. However, regardless if you put the product on a wealthy man from
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
edited copy spring story
There are many ways to get a person into the right mood for sex and not putting on a condom seems to be the way to do it. Condoms are so accessible these days that they can be found in your school’s nurse office or being handed out in the subway.
Even though they are easier to get now than before, condoms are being seen as the enemy of the bedroom.
In some situation, asking a person to put on a condom can imply that you think that he or she has one of the countless STDs that are out there or even HIV.
“I have never been a fan of condoms so in the heat of the moment right when you are about to have sex with a girl, condoms are the last thing I want that bitch to ask me, I have always been clean.” Alain Accco, a college student who has had unprotected sex.
This new trend that is growing and becoming a problem. Condoms are the only form birth control that protects against STDs and HIV.
According to aids.about.com, there are currently about 640,000 people who do not know that they are affected with HIV. By the time they find out, their condition has upgraded to AIDS. Nearly three-quarters of all people who have died with AIDS did not live to the age of 45.
The condom company Trojans states on the back their product that their condoms are 98% effective against pregnancy and sexual transmitted diseases when used the right way which is also the deal with others condoms like LifeStyles and Rough Riders.
“Call me old fashion but that whole excuse is the stupidest thing I heard so far. If I don’t know you then you better believe that you are putting a cover on that wee-wee.” said Lync Bether, a John jay college student.
Asking your partner to put on a condom can also imply that there has been some cheating going on from either the man or the woman. Tina Lewis is an 18 year college freshman who is unprotected most of time while having sex.
“Not using condoms with someone takes trust in a relationship. There are girls who have had over 5 abortions before the age of 17 and others are known for giving guys herpes for fun.” said Miss. Lewis.
Miss. Lewis has had unprotected sex with four men including her current boyfriend and has gotten pregnant twice from it but she has no plans on changing her ways.
While some may see not using protection on purpose is the worst thing you can do others see as being a basic human behavior.
“I know that you are not to trust EVERYONE but it really gets ignoring when a guy constantly nags me about if I am good or clean, if you really cared about that then you would never do me without protection.” said Katherine Brown, a mother of one.
This new trend is sadly making its way to children and more of them are losing their virginity at a younger age than before.
“The average age for kids having sex is getting younger each year. Five years ago the age kids started having sex was 16 but now it is 13. Other times, kids can have sex as early as 9 or 10 years old without using protection.” said Malaine Clarke, Health Service Coordinator at John Jay College.
According to www.coolnurse.com Swedish teens, Canadian teens, or British teens are having more sex than United States teens, but their pregnancy and abortion rate is lower.
“The lack of time parents put into educating their kids is the cause for why these kids are getting curious about sex at a young age.” said Clarke.
It’s that lack of knowledge that children have that has made the United States the highest western country in teen pregnancy.
“Kids today see sex every where, it is not a big deal, it is becoming a childhood thing like learning to put on deodorant for the first time.” said Alex Jean Jakes, a thirteen year old who has already had sex.
Even though young adults may be educated on everything that can go wrong with having unprotected sex, the risk is still not great enough. Dirita Longing works at the Woman’s Right Center in John Jay and provides papers and products to promote safe sex and knows how badly people are not using condoms. “I just hand out as much as possibly and most of the time kids don’t use it, they just pick them up to make a quick joke with their friends or throw them out later. And these are college student who are suppose to know better.” said Longing
1. I wished I could have found more direct sources who actually regretted the decision of not using protection when they had sex.
2. I would focus more on the growing trend of condoms being seen as the enemy than bringing in the subject of condoms’ availability but I could not find enough information on my original topic.
3. The article showed a little more in favor of one side. The news article should have shown an equal amount of both sides of the story. It gets to a point when it becomes an article to save kids from unprotected sex.
4. I would change my opening line to something like a quote from a person who is for unprotected sex. I was not happy with the sentence I had after the opening line as well.
5. I felt that I did not really get enough of the guy’s perspective on the condoms issue. I was hoping to find more guys that actually thought that lack of protected sex in this country was a problem
Even though they are easier to get now than before, condoms are being seen as the enemy of the bedroom.
In some situation, asking a person to put on a condom can imply that you think that he or she has one of the countless STDs that are out there or even HIV.
“I have never been a fan of condoms so in the heat of the moment right when you are about to have sex with a girl, condoms are the last thing I want that bitch to ask me, I have always been clean.” Alain Accco, a college student who has had unprotected sex.
This new trend that is growing and becoming a problem. Condoms are the only form birth control that protects against STDs and HIV.
According to aids.about.com, there are currently about 640,000 people who do not know that they are affected with HIV. By the time they find out, their condition has upgraded to AIDS. Nearly three-quarters of all people who have died with AIDS did not live to the age of 45.
The condom company Trojans states on the back their product that their condoms are 98% effective against pregnancy and sexual transmitted diseases when used the right way which is also the deal with others condoms like LifeStyles and Rough Riders.
“Call me old fashion but that whole excuse is the stupidest thing I heard so far. If I don’t know you then you better believe that you are putting a cover on that wee-wee.” said Lync Bether, a John jay college student.
Asking your partner to put on a condom can also imply that there has been some cheating going on from either the man or the woman. Tina Lewis is an 18 year college freshman who is unprotected most of time while having sex.
“Not using condoms with someone takes trust in a relationship. There are girls who have had over 5 abortions before the age of 17 and others are known for giving guys herpes for fun.” said Miss. Lewis.
Miss. Lewis has had unprotected sex with four men including her current boyfriend and has gotten pregnant twice from it but she has no plans on changing her ways.
While some may see not using protection on purpose is the worst thing you can do others see as being a basic human behavior.
“I know that you are not to trust EVERYONE but it really gets ignoring when a guy constantly nags me about if I am good or clean, if you really cared about that then you would never do me without protection.” said Katherine Brown, a mother of one.
This new trend is sadly making its way to children and more of them are losing their virginity at a younger age than before.
“The average age for kids having sex is getting younger each year. Five years ago the age kids started having sex was 16 but now it is 13. Other times, kids can have sex as early as 9 or 10 years old without using protection.” said Malaine Clarke, Health Service Coordinator at John Jay College.
According to www.coolnurse.com Swedish teens, Canadian teens, or British teens are having more sex than United States teens, but their pregnancy and abortion rate is lower.
“The lack of time parents put into educating their kids is the cause for why these kids are getting curious about sex at a young age.” said Clarke.
It’s that lack of knowledge that children have that has made the United States the highest western country in teen pregnancy.
“Kids today see sex every where, it is not a big deal, it is becoming a childhood thing like learning to put on deodorant for the first time.” said Alex Jean Jakes, a thirteen year old who has already had sex.
Even though young adults may be educated on everything that can go wrong with having unprotected sex, the risk is still not great enough. Dirita Longing works at the Woman’s Right Center in John Jay and provides papers and products to promote safe sex and knows how badly people are not using condoms. “I just hand out as much as possibly and most of the time kids don’t use it, they just pick them up to make a quick joke with their friends or throw them out later. And these are college student who are suppose to know better.” said Longing
1. I wished I could have found more direct sources who actually regretted the decision of not using protection when they had sex.
2. I would focus more on the growing trend of condoms being seen as the enemy than bringing in the subject of condoms’ availability but I could not find enough information on my original topic.
3. The article showed a little more in favor of one side. The news article should have shown an equal amount of both sides of the story. It gets to a point when it becomes an article to save kids from unprotected sex.
4. I would change my opening line to something like a quote from a person who is for unprotected sex. I was not happy with the sentence I had after the opening line as well.
5. I felt that I did not really get enough of the guy’s perspective on the condoms issue. I was hoping to find more guys that actually thought that lack of protected sex in this country was a problem
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