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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2014
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
POLITICS
Take a humanitarian perspective on immigration issues
Approximately 63,000 unaccompanied children have crossed the United States' southern border since October of last year, according to the New York Times. The number of children immigrating illegally has nearly doubled over the past year. The responses to this crisis have been varied and, at times, extreme. Anti-immigration groups have blocked buses trying to cross the border, and Texas governor Rick Perry stated that he plans on deploying 1,000 National Guard troops to guard the border.
The conservative response to this issue lacks empathy and depth of understanding. Children from Central America are fleeing violence and poverty by seeking
asylum in the US. This perspective needs to shift. The problem does not stem from a lack of border security but rather from a humanitarian crisis occurring in Central America.
The children coming to the United States are primarily fleeing from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, according to The Guardian. All of these countries have high rates of poverty and violence, and families often face financial extortion from gangs. A United Nations report states that Honduras has the highest number of murders per capita in the world, while El Salvador and Guatemala are fourth and fifth, respectively. Children and families from these countries face threats and
daily stresses unimaginable to residents of the United States. In addition, those who choose to flee to the US face incredible hardships, both financial and emotional.
Children who cross the border illegally from Central America cannot be immediately deported, thanks to a Bush-era law. When immigrants are released from custody they are given a trial date, often years away. Most are unable to obtain representation in the court
system due to the lack of immigration lawyers and high costs. Central American children are forced, if they make their court date, to face the American legal system without knowledge of the law. National Public Radio reported that 90 percent of children who lack representation fail to show up for their second trial. This statistic reverses itself, though, when they do have representation. Advocates have called for providing lawyers for all of the immigrants going to trial. However, even when these immigrants have lawyers, their case for seeking asylum is often weak and unlikely to succeed.
The conservative reaction to the crisis has been strong.
Erroneous and ridiculous statements have surfaced; claims have been made that immigrants may bring Ebola into the United States or weaken the nation's economy. In truth, the children crossing the border pose no threat to the American population. They are simply seeking safety and opportunity, and those who are deported often end up worse off than when they left.
Solving the problems in Central America would slow the influx of illegal immigrants and help millions of people in need. The U.S. has a responsibility to do this; it is largely due to U.S. involvement in the region during the later half of the 20th century that the region is so volatile, according to the
Huffington Post. In addition to fixing problems in Central America, policy in the United States must change, easing the path to citizenship. Deporting all of these children is not a solution. Those who advocate sending children back to areas fraught with danger and lacking opportunity need to think about the individual humans they are condemning.
Ike Uri is a junior from Concordia studying sociology.
CAMPUS
Textbooks should have more alternative forms
As school is right around the corner, one cannot help but think of the huge burden textbooks can put on college students. It is unfortunate to spend all summer working just to spend hundreds of dollars on books. In fact, professors rarely assign the whole book to be read anyways.
This concept of textbooks is quite puzzling to me. Yes, textbooks have their purposes; after all, what kind of class would not have some sort of reading assignment? There has to be some type of medium that students and professors can use for information. It is important for students to be on the same page as professors (pun intended). This is why finding an alternative to buying overpriced textbooks is a smart idea.
Textbooks come at a hefty price, so to fix this problem the question becomes: What is a more convenient alternative to standard textbooks? The obvious solution would be using online books. However, one of the negative aspects of online books is sometimes they can be equally as
expensive as the hardcopy.
Besides the fact that one can
sell back a textbook when the
semester is over, what is the
point of an online textbook if
the prices are the exact same?
If it were up to me, I would come up with a system that made online textbooks significantly cheaper than regular textbooks, with an option to purchase by chapter. This system would allow for students to read online at any time they choose and pay for only the assigned reading. This could help fix a problem students have when textbooks are a requirement, only to discover just a few chapters of the book needed to be read.
When tablets first came out people had a hard time adjusting to a swipe of screen versus no real page turning being involved. Yet today, many people prefer reading
on their electronic devices. The convenience of having all your books in one space is hard to beat, but sometimes e-books aren't for everyone. Many students like the ease of highlighting and annotating readings professors assign. Some even mark pages by placing sticky notes or folding the page. While there are apps that allow you to do these things, it can take away the feeling of the actual textbook experience.
It seems clear to me that students should be the ones to decide whether they prefer the old fashioned textbook or the ever-popular electronic book. Some professors, if given the option, allow students to choose whether they want to use a hardcopy textbook, or an e-book. This is the way it should be with all classes. Since students are the ones reading the books, they should ultimately get to decide which option they prefer.
Robeba Luttinger is a sophomore from Dallas studying journalism.
ACADEMICS
RateMyProfessor site is useful in picking classes
It's the first day of class. You walk into Budig 120, searching for a good seat. You're nervous and surrounded by hundreds of your peers, scanning the room for a familiar face. You spot the professor at the front of the room and think to yourself, "I wonder what he or she is going to be like" or "How difficult is this class going to be?" But you don't have to wait two weeks into the semester to figure it out.
Students have been contributing their reviews and ratings of almost every professor on RateMyProfessors.com for years. The website is dedicated to posting student-written reviews of universities' professors for the public. The website is set up so every post is anonymous,therefore allowing honest reviews to be written.According to the site, it has more than 14 million professor ratings, thus making it the highest trafficked site for professor ratings.
By Madeline Umali
@madelineumali
My advice to all students during these first few days before the semester is to look up some of your Fall 2014 professors. Check to see his or her difficulty, helpfulness and clarity ratings. View the comments made by students who have already taken the course. These reviews are posted for your benefit because your peers want you to be able to go into class on the first day knowing what to expect from each professor.
That being said, I am not advising all students taking a course with a difficult professor to drop. I am saying students should be aware of what his or her professor expects out of their students. It is obvious that high-level courses are going to be taught by more demanding professors, so do not let that intimidate you. Regardless of ratings, the professors here are trained to be helpful and available to all of their students.
Websites
Websites like RateMyProfessors. com are designed to be a guide for students. They provide point of views on the honest expectations of professors, which can be excluded from the syllabus given the first day. It is a great aid for students who are choosing classes based on professors. The site gives the information students want to know about their professors.
If you have a professor you avidly admire, post a review on the RateMyProfessors page. If you have had a professor who didn't respect your comments or flatout wasn't a great teacher, write on their page. This site will continue to get better the more students write their feedback. So before you walk into your first class Monday, check out RateMyProfessors to see what other students have to say.
Madeline Umiali is a sophomore from St. Louis studying journalism.
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