2 / GRADUATION GUIDE / THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2011 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
Wide range of options available for new graduates
BY CLAIRE MCINERNY editor@kansan.com
As some seniors are preparing for jobs and planning their lives after school,some students are experiencing a different scenario the end of college panic.
er. One opportunity that enables students to make that happen is through Teach for America. Teach For America is a program that allows recent college graduates to teach in public schools in low-income communities. The assignment lasts for two years.
Wiechman spent his two years in Saint Lucia doing community development. He helped a farmers' cooperative develop a grant proposal to get funding for a composting project from the United Nations and also taught reading and music at a school.
a way to prolong having to find a job, but rather look at it as a way to find new opportunities and new ways for students to use their passions. She said a lot of politicians who now work in Congress were in the program and are now fighting for education rights.
Four year degree late
The Peace Corps was an attract-
ation for Wiedman because
CHINA
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PAGE 8
WEDNESDAY, JULY 6, 2011
WORLD
Students experience Moroccan politics
BY ISAAC E. GWIN editor@kansan.com
Issue E. Gwinn/CONH2016 Photo Brandon Holland is one of five students who is studying in Morocco during the election.
RABAT, MOROCCO — In the lead-up to historic elections her on Friday, five KU students studying abroad in Morocco had an opportunity to witness political change firsthand.
The protests and demonstrations on Feb. 20 in the capital city of Rabat received the attention of King Mohammed VI, who in response promised to consider their grievances
savvy enough to keep things from escalating. It's all incredibly interesting and I really hope things turn out well here. I really love this country."
the reforms in the new constitution and the push towards democracy have sparked political debate among many college-aged Moroccans who have begun to consider what role they will play in the future of their country and how they will ultimately continue its growth.
The result has been the some 80 clauses that will be voted on by the people to be added to the constitution.
tally started the wheels of change.
Issae E. Gwin/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
For Brandon Holland, a senior from Minneapolis studying Arabic this summer at Al Akhawayn University, Morocco has come to represent a home away from home, and one he is anxious to see what the future will hold.
tally started the vote and I am anxious to see how this election will go, how many people will actually go and vote, and see if these changes will actually be introduced or not," said Mehi Lazak, a senior at AI Akhawayn. "I really hope this election will get more people involved politically, because it seems that most Moroccans, including myself before this election, really don't want to have anything to do with politics. The face Morocco is changing and we all should help to make it what we want."
"The desire for political change is undeniable here, Holland said. "It's really interesting to see how the king has handled everything. It hasn't been a situation like we've seen in Egypt with Mubarak or in Libya with Gaddafi. He has kept it mostly peaceful. I have to commend King Mohammed VI for giving these reforms. He's politically
it remains to be seen what will come of Friday's election in Morocco, but one thing is certain, it has fundamen-
its growth.
"Morocca needs active people," Zineb Abbad El Andaloussi, a senior at Al Akhawayn, said. "The problem is that our social system is all over the place. Our middle class is almost nonexistent. Families are either super rich or super poor, and if you can't afford to take your kids to school then they will not receive the knowledge necessary to participate in the growth of our country. I ultimately want a transfer of power to the people, but we don't know who these people are yet and what they would do with this power. Education is what it is going to take to take people out of the dark so they can form and act on their own opinions and not just do what they are told."
As a student studying abroad in a foreign country, the opportunity to witness these kinds of fundamental changes is quite unique.
changes is quite unique.
"This can be seen as the beginning of a gradual move toward more democratization in the future, although, for some these immediate changes are simply not enough," said Driss Maghraoui, history professor at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco. "The major concentration of power will still lie with the king. He still has the role of commander of the faithful. He is still the supreme commander of the military. He will also maintain his ability to remove the prime minister. But still for others this is seen as an important step in the right direction."
The history of voting in Morocco has been one of floundering participation. With reportedly corrupt parties and rigged elections, most Moroccans have shied away from the voting process, or even political dialogue altogether.
logue altogether.
"Unfortunately, this is the voting situation in Morocco," Maghraoui said. "The level of corruption in the past has deterred many from wanting to vote because they know it will not
do any good. This was especially true prior to the rule of the current monarch. This regime has been slightly more transparent, though many of the political parties have been discredited. People also know that the King ultimately still has the power. This is something though that I think this regime would like to change. If people don't go out to vote it will not look good for them."
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