Horizons Issue 2 F!3

8/13/2019 Horizons Issue 2 F!3

1/12

College doesnt have to be just a dream

Father-Daughter Relationship

Film Presentation

Student Debt Crisis

http://hccperspective.blogspot.com November Edition 2013


2/12

2

arts & entertainment

cont ntse

H S

Editor-in-ChiefDavid Weidenfeller

Advisor

Prof. Steve Mark

Managing EditorSherly Montes

Editor-at-LargeKatelyn Avery

News EditorEmma ecun

Opinions EditorsNeil Knox

Online and Social Media EditorJoshua Hamel

Staff WritersLindsey Baldassare, Jocelyn Battle,Zachery Champagne, Mary Clark,

Victor Dawson, Shannon Duff, Sekinah Erskine,yler Heche, Juan Hernandez, Jenna Iacurci,

Franklin Jusino, Ryan Lahiff, Nicole Lazariuk,Raphael Leite,Brenna McIntyre, Ashley Seeto, S

tacy Shippee, Matt Wood

Senior Staff WritersKathryn Hanrahan, iffany Harvey, Justin Quinn

Art and Design DirectorsMinerva abor, Carolina rinidad, Vanessa Morales

Art and Design StaffGuy Charles, Carl Dorvil, David Enriquez,

Angel Gonzalez,Brandon Hatcher, Craig Leachman,Kurton Lewis, Isadora Lopez, Anthony Marsilio,

Orlando Martinez, Dawitt Pearcy, Mathew Pham,Leigh Tomas, Jhon Vergara, Shawn Walsh

Design AdvisorProf. Andy Pinto

Cover DesignCraig Leachman

Back CoverShawn Walsh

Molly ....................................................................................................................... 3BYNEILKNOX

OPINIONSEDITOR

Where Are the Housatonic Hawks?....................................................................3BYLINDSEYBALDASSARE

STAFFWRITER

Developmental Classes Being Cut......................................................................4BYEMMATECUN

NEWSEDITOR

Adventure and Friendship Await.................................................................4BYNICOLELAZARIUK

STAFFWRITER

Gloves Up: Community College vs. University................................................5BYJENNAIACURCI

STAFFWRITER

New Pill May be Medical Breakthroug of the Decade....................................5BYTYLERHECHE

STAFFWRITER

is the Season o Give Back ...............................................................................6BYSEKINAHERSKINE

STAFFWRITER

Need Money for College? Scholarships Can Help...........................................6BYSTACYSHIPPEE

STAFFWRITER

Te Ins and Outs of Credit...................................................................................7BYSHANNONDUFF

STAFFWRITER

All-Male Poetry Showcase at HCC Museum of Art........................................7BYLYDIAVISCARDI

MEDIACOORDINATOR, HOUSATONICMUSEUMOFART

Student Senate Gets Down to Business ......................................................7BYJENNAIACURCI

STAFFWRITER

Give Our Furry Friends A Chance......................................................................8BYDAVEWEIDENFELLER

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

College Doesnt have to Be Just a Dream...........................................................8BYNICOLELAZARIUK

STAFFWRITER

How I Became A Smartphone Zombie..............................................................9BYNEILKNOX

OPINIONSEDITOR

Cant Read My Monopoly Face............................................................................9BYCAROLINATRINIDAD

STUDENT

Te Student Debt Crisis: Unusual Suspects.....................................................10BYNEILKNOX

OPINIONSEDITOR

Te Largest Hand In Your Pocket......................................................................10BYNEILKNOX

OPINIONSEDITOR

Father-Daughter Relationship............................................................................10BYASHLEYSEETOO

STAFFWRITER

Music and Drugs: .................................................................................................11BYASHLEYSEETOO

STAFFWRITER

HCC Museum of Art Peer Docent Program Has Some Big Changes.........11BYBRENNAMCINTYRE

STAFFWRITER

ALAS Hosts a Dia De Los Muertos Celebration.............................................12BYBRENNAMCINTYRE

STAFFWRITER


3/12

3


newse

HORIZONS News

BYNEILKNOX

OPINIONSEDITOR

The current new or at least in

vogue designer drug laying

waste on the Club Scene ap-

pears to be a variation on an old drug E

or X, Ecstasy. It is used primarily by the

new generation of Club enthusiasts as

a way to enhance their experience on the

dance oor.

Also called Mand,y the drug is a

pure powder form of MDMA. In a recent

survey conducted at Syracuse University,

20% of the participants responded that they

had tried Molly. One third of those studentsstated that they did not know the ingredi-

ents of the drugs they had ingested.

As Michael Johnson, former director of

Outpatient Services at a local Bridgeport

Drug program, explained, As its been

explained to me, people use it as a way

to heighten the visual and vibratory sen-

sations while listening to music at these

clubs. Its a visceral thing to these kids,

they feel the music.

The pure form of the drug induces an

almost hypnotic state and stimulates the

part of the brain that controls emotional re-

sponse. It can come in a crystal form, but is

more frequently taken in a pill form.

Manufactured under less than labora-

tory like conditions and imported fromvarious countries around the world as well

as here in the U.S.the. quality and content

contained in these pills and crystals can

be any combination of substances and in

many cases may contain no MDMA at all.In a recent report from the FDA tests con-

ducted on several batches of conscated

pills found that some of the pills contained

plant fertilizer.

These pills are manufactured in make-

shift labs by people who really dont care

what goes into it as long as they look like

theyre supposed to look, with those little

icons on them, kids going out on the week-

end arent really concerned with that they

are buying, its all about the good time they

look forward to, escape is the main goal formany of them. as it is with most drugs,

Johnson added.

Of course these kids have no idea

of the quality or the contents of the pill

they are ingesting, he continued. Thedevastating effect it has on the nerve cen-

ters in the brain, its the whole ecstasy

thing all over again, we are seeing more

and more kids come in here with their

frightened parents seeking help.

Asked about the sudden resurgence in

the use of this drug, Johnson, who has been

in this eld for over 20 years and worked

at various treatment centers throughout the

Bridgeport-New Haven area, thought for a

second and chuckled.

This isnt a resurgence in the true senseof the word, he said. Its only because of

the attention being given to it by the media

because of the use of the word in popular

music recently, never underestimate the

power of the music industry in a kids life.The inuence of pop culture has been

recently blamed for encouraging the use

of Molly. In a concert last year Madonna

was caught on tape asking the crowd how

many of you have seen Molly? She later

denied she was referring to the drug itself

claiming she was referring to a friends

song. Kanye West and most recently Mi-

ley Cyrus have also mentioned the drug

in songs of their own. Many of the Rap

industrys notables have also been quick

to jump on the bandwagon. Nicki Minaj,

Chris Webby and Chainz are just a few of

the names trying to sell songs by mention-

ing this devastating drug.

The peer pressure thing plays into thisas well, Johnson said. The idea that these

club drugs are just being used recreation-

ally is another myth. Im old enough to re-

member the days when LSD exploded on

the scene, and there are still people walk-

ing around today dealing with ramica-

tions, ashbacks, blackouts, and their brain

just doesnt re on all pistons if you know

what I mean.

The parents suffer just as much as

these kids do. The uptick in cases we are

experiencing from just the Molly craze is

scary, he added.

Recent events in the news regarding

the fact that overdoses and the unrestricted

sale of drugs like Molly at concert venues

throughout the tri-state area hopefully willraise awareness to the dangers of this new

take on an old drug. Unfortunately once the

clamor dies down who will assume respon-

sibility for its use and accessibility.

MollyOld Drug with A New Name

Photo courtesy of DDAA (some rights reserved from Flickr creative commons limited attribution)

PLEASERECYCLETHISNEWSPAPER

Most of the classrooms at HCC have both a garbage bin and a blue recycling bin.There are only two things that you should put in those bins:

- Printer Paper/Notebook Paper- Newspaper

These items CANNOT go in the recycling bins:- Food

- Plastic of any kind, including bottles- Other packaging

Any non-paper items that you throw out while in class must go in the regular trash. The cleaners will not separate our waste for us.Any time you dispose of regular garbage in the recycling bins, the entire contents of that bin goes to the landll.

Horizonsremains committed to assisting in efforts that will result in a cleaner campus and community.

BYLINDSEYBALDASSARE

STAFFWRITER

It`s sad that we dont have sportteams here, said Claudia Mal-

donado, Student Senate Presi-

dent here at HCC.

Maldonado explained that when high

school students come up to college, they

want to play sports. It is a great experience

to have new students bond with older stu-

dents and to meet new friends.

Here at Housatonic, we did have base-

ball and basketball teams, but they were

mainly for guys. Woman really didnt play

on the sport teams. Going to a sports events

help bring the school together. Some stu-

dents from the school play with another

school on their football team.

On the Housatonic Facebook, there was

a status about how you feel about having

sports teams at HCC. A lot of students be-

lieve that it is an excellent idea and wouldlove for sports teams to come back. There

were people suggesting what sport teams

we should have like soccer.

One of the main reasons we dont have

sport teams is the funding.We do not have

athletic programs at Housatonic Commu-

nity College due to the cost of starting and

maintaining the teams. These funds would

need to be drawn from other critical pro-

grams and services that HCC offers. ex-

plained Anita Gliniecki, College President.

We would have to pay for coach, a place

to play, and a referee. We would also need

monery for uniforms and transportation. It

is also a lot of work to get everything to-

gether. HCC would need to hire full time

staff to run sport teams. They would have

to gure out what teams to play and when

and where they would practice. The hard-est thing would be trying to get students

to make time to play or even have enough

students that would be able to play. Most

students dont have time to play sports be-

cause they are working, have a family that

they must take care of, or they need to fo-

cus on their studies

According to Michael Stein, Professor

of Art, Sport teams would be great in my

point of view, it shows school spirit. He

was here when we had sport teams at HCC.

Sport teams at HCC havent been around

since the early 1970 s. Professor Stein

also explained that another professor here

tried to form a table tennis team here that

only ran for about to a year. It was so much

work that he couldnt keep up with it.

In the meantime, we have an intercol-

legiate team for football. This allows allthe community colleges to have one foot-

ball team together and people that are in

between colleges to play. To play on the

team there is a $200 fee. This fee includes

transportation, hotel stay, and meals. Ac-

cording to an article that Bernie Armstrong

sent me, only about 70 percent can afford

so they ask for donations for the other play-

ers that cant afford it.

Hopefully, in the future we can get

more funding so that we can bring back

sport teams. It will be a great bonding ex-

perience not only for students but for fac-

ulty too.

Where Are the Housatonic Hawks?


4/12

4 HORIZONS News

BYEMMATECUN

NEWSEDITOR

Due to the number of failing sta-

tistics, the Connecticuts Board

of Regents has been pushed to

create a different structure that they hope

will create more success among studentstaking remedial courses. The Hufngton

Post reports, Only 28 percent of two-year

college students who took at least one de-

velopmental course earned a degree or cer-

ticate within 8.5 years, compared to 43

percent of non-remedial students, accord-

ing to one study.

The state has taken huge strides in trying

to eliminate the awkward transition from

high school into developmental courses.

As a department we have the students

success at the center of the work weve

been doing, said Rebecca Samberg, a Pro-

fessor of Developmental English and Chair

of the Developmental Studies department

at HCC.In reality students should be getting

getting the tools they need in high school

to be sent off to college and succeed. The

preparedness truly is made up of a balance

of maturity to work ethic and other varying

aspects, but Connecticut schools are trying

to pull their college students up by their

bootstraps.

A recent bill has passed which has cre-

ated a huge reform in remedial classes. The

developmental courses are being cut due to

lack of graduation statistics.

The Connecticut Post explains, The

goal is to eliminate the remedial, non-cred-

it courses academically struggling students

pay to take without credit before being eli-

gible for courses toward their degree.I wish this bill had passed a long time

ago, said Melissa Arbelo, a 21-year-old

part time student.

Arbelo is one of the many students who

had no choice, but to take remedial courses

after taking the accuplacer upon entering

HCC.

About 60 to 70 percent of Connecticut

community college students enroll in atleast one developmental course, as recent-

ly reported in The Hufngton Post accord-

ing to the Community College Research

Center at Columbia Universitys Teachers

College.

Arbelo had to take developmental class-

es and pay out of pocket for the classes

which she did not receive college credit for

to get her to the college level courses she is

currently taking. I would have been able

to use my nancial aid for classes which

would have given me actual college cred-

its, instead of being placed into classes

which I really did not want to take,nsaid

Arbelo.

The goal of cutting the remedial class-

es is not to discourage students from col-lege level classes, but to increase the work

ethic. Connecticut schools are nding that

not only are students underprepared for the

college classes they are expected to under-

take, but there is not enough help for the

students who are underdeveloped in their

learning abilities.

We are stressing to the students the se-

riousness of students being present in class,there are no more chances, said Samberg.

The new act, which will be in effect in

Fall 2014, is aimed to cut all developmen-

tal classes and implement a more simple

transitional course. The coming spring

semester will be a trial run for the transi-

tional courses which HCC will be provid-

ing to students who need help to get their

skill levels up to college level. This course

will offer students more help and attention

to support them with the longer hours they

will spend in class.

The way the legislature is being imple-

mented will be benecial, said Samberg.

The new bill is looking to create a clear-

er path for students to be successful. Stu-

dents will no longer have to jump throughhoops while using their nancial aid dol-

lars.

Complete College America is a

non-prot organization based in Washing-

ton, which is working to increase the num-

ber of college graduates. CCA brings to the

surface the issue of the increasing numbers

of student-loan debt which has skyrock-

eted. These remedial courses usually cost

about the same as regular college credit

classes and run about $3 billion annually

(reported by CCA).

Most students, faculty, and staff would

agree that they do not want to pay for

schooling without getting the credit for

these classes.If these developmental classes were to

create a successful outcome for the reme-

dial students, this issue would be entirely

different. Even though this recently passed

bill is creating a lot of controversy among

students and their path to graduation, Sam-

berg rmly believes, Students need to be

their own advocates.

Adventure and Friendship Await

Only 28 percent of two-year college students

who took at least one developmental course earned

a degree or certicate

Developmental Classes Being Cut

V HCC O

Curious about the services, courses, and programs at HCC? Go to http://www.hcc.commnet.edu, the colleges home page. From there you can

navigate the various departments, search for courses, or follow links to other useful sites, such as MyCommnet and the HCC Foundation.

BYNICOLELAZARIUK

STAFFWRITER

As club members describe it, The

League of Adventurers has be-

come like a family because of

their Sunday hikes and travels.

We learn to trust each other...Every-

one is pulling their own weight, and that

is something you dont take for granted,

Andrew Watkins the clubs Vice-President

said.

David Koch, Associate Professor of

History at HCC, and the clubs advisor

thought the club would be a good way to

get students who enjoy history and the out-

doors together.

The League is devoted to the idea thatwe can all enjoy the outdoors and our his-

torical and cultural heritage, no matter how

young, old, rich, or poor. Come out with

us!, the clubs mission statement on their

Facebook page implores.

The club has done a lot since it was

formed in October of 2012. Last summer

the LOA went white water rafting on the

Hudson River. They anticipated that the

waves would be a class 3, reasonably

tame, but because of heavy rains they were

greeted with class 5 waves, which means

obstructions and large frequent unexpected

waves.

I fell off the boat! Jose Rivera, the

clubs secretary, said, laughing. Yeah,

they said all they saw was my legs go inthe air, and the next thing they couldnt see

me anymore.

Rivera didnt seem daunted, though.

Its so awesome, though. Its so worth

it, he added.

The club has also been to Washington

D. C., The Rhinebeck Aerodrome, The

Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library

and Museum, and last year they donatedtheir time to collecting school supplies for

children in Haiti. But the Sunday hikes,

which take place in parks all over Con-

necticut, seem to be the heart of the club

and bring everyone closer together.

Imelda Fernandez, the clubs former

treasurer, says they hiked as a group even

before they became an ofcial club.

Koch was like, Every weekend, who-

ever wants to hike will just go, every Sun-

day, she added.

Koch, having worked as a seasonal

interpretive/backcountry ranger for the

Rocky Mountain National Park and the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Ke-

nai National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska,patrolling trails from 8,700 to 12,000 feet

above sea level, has experience hiking.

Fernandez would probably not go into

the woods without the LOA: Im not

a hiker. Im scared to hike, because Im

scared to get lost. ButI told Koch, I will

hike with you anytime.

Participants in the club agreed that the

hikes relieve stress, and Kochs vast histor-

ical knowledge is always fascinating.

When we went to Indian Well, I asked

him, Why is this place called Indian

Well?...It [was] awesome. He told me the

entire legend behind that well, Armand

Dabiran, the clubs treasurer, said. Every-

one laughed at this story and Fernandez

enthusiastically added, Exactly.Fernandez says she was intimidated at

rst to join a club with younger students,

but she has felt extremely welcomed.

When she saw how expensive it was for

the students to pay for hotel rooms on trips,

she was inspired to donate her timeshare in

Williamsburg Va.

The LOA really enjoyed visiting histor-

ical Williamsburg Va., and living together

for the two-day outing really brought them

together, We went grocery shopping and

doing the cooking together we got to know

everyone...it was fun, the clubs former

co-secretary Helen Nguien-Phen said.

We have become really just like a fam-

ily in the club. Rivera added.

Watkins, being an out-of-state student

from California, says the club gives him a

chance to really see the area and make new

friends, which is inspiring him to continuelife in Connecticut. Dabiran said he joined

the club for the hiking and adventure but

also to meet new people, seeing as though

nobody really talks in classes.

The club is planning a lot of new ad-

ventures for the future, a trip to Colorado,

horseback riding, visiting the wax muse-

um, Zip lining and camping in upstate New

York. The LOA might even go overseas to

Europe.

Anything is possible in this club,

Nguien-Phen said.

I think Koch, our advisor, is out to

inspire us...to look beyond our normal

lives Watkins added.

If you are interested in joining, the

meetings where they plan their adventures

are every Monday at 2:30 (BH 317), and

the club hikes every Sunday.As the LOA Facebook page puts it, ...

Hope you guys can come family, friends,

kids, and partners welcome at all times.

Rides are available as always. Tell your

friends, and hope to see you on top of the

mountain!

Photo courtesy of Imelda Fernandez


5/12

5

New Pill May be Medical Breakthrough

of the DecadeBYTYLERHECHE

STAFFWRITER

Anew pill form of insulin may be

a breakthrough in medicine that

millions have been waiting for.

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when

the body is not meeting its need for insu-

lin, and thus creates too much glucose.

Insulin is a hormone that is produced

by the pancreas that causes cells to take up

glucose from blood and convert it to gly-

cogen, to store in the liver, said Dr. Div-

ina Garay, a general physician with Nor-

walk Hospital, and a former live-in nurse.

In the later stages of diabetes, people

use injections to get the insulin they need

into their body. This method has been used

for almost a century now, and two pharma-ceutical companies are nally on the verge

of changing that.

In an article called, Pharmas Da-

vid and Goliath in Race to Produce Insu-

lin Pill, Bill Burkrot of Reuters, writes,

Pharma and Oramed Pharmaceuticals are

both close to creating a pill that will deliv-

er insulin directly to the liver, rather than

all throughout the bloodstream, as it does

when injected. Many people may see this

and say so what, but this pill holds more

value then you may think.

Insulin in a successful pill form would

go directly to the liver which would quick-

en absorption, and would also be an easier

treatment for a lot of users.

A pill form of insulin would hold

a large benet for children and patients

who have serious problems with injecting.There are about 370 million people diag-

nosed with the disease, and a signicant

portion is made up of children, elders, and

phobic patients, said Garay.

Joe Tetu, an HCC student, has type 2 di-

abetes and has been living with the disease

for close to three years now. Tetu said the

injection he uses is, Really inconvenient

at times. The insulin takes a while to circu-

late through the bloodstream so it affectsmy eating habits. It is also a pain to carry

around, but its absolutely necessary.

I have a problem with needles, and

even though its pretty much painless, I

would much rather just take a pill, and be

done with it, he added.

There are also signicant benets of

using a pill for both type 1 and type 2 pa-

tients. People with type 2 diabetes, which

is the less severe disease, arent having the

demands for insulin in their body met by

their pancreas, so they take medication.

However, additional insulin from injec-

tions is eventually necessary.

About 90 percent of people with

diabetes are suffering from type 2,

said Garay.

Ashlee Pastor, a student at HCC, does

not have diabetes herself, but her youngerbrother at age 11 has recently begun tak-

ing insulin for his type 2 diabetes. As he

is still too young to fully take care of his

own treatment responsibly, Ashlee is the

primary person in the household to help

him. People who have seen the injection

pens or other mediums for injecting do not

see just how much precaution is necessary.

Granted, it becomes routine after a while,

but there are always tiny details that haveto be paid attention too, said Pastor. Ap-

parently, there is a lot more to the process

then just the injection, but it is the steps

and techniques that are also important, es-

pecially when it comes to children.

My brother isnt old enough to make

sure everything is perfect before injec-

tions. Not only is there the time and meals

that are factors, but the most important

thing I remember to do is rotate his shot

locations, said Pastor.

If an insulin injection is used too fre-

quently in the same spot, then short-term

issues such as lumps in the skin may occur,

and long term issues such as scarring can

develop.

Dont get me wrong, the shot is still

a good way to get insulin, but a pill form

would just take so much stress out of theprocess. It would be a lot easier to get my

brother to not tense up if he is taking a pill,

rather than getting a shot, said Pastor.

Type 1 diabetes is much more danger-

ous, as the body gets minimal insulin or

none at all from the pancreas, and they

need external insulin.

Type 2 diabetics may benet the most

from a pill because people may be more

inclined to add additional insulin earlier

than when it is absolutely needed. People

do not like the idea of needles when it isnt

necessary, and a pill would be easier to ad-

just to. Earlier insulin for type 2 patients

would allow their natural insulin to stay in

the body, said Garay.

Apparently, sustaining the little naturalinsulin these patients have is a huge ben-

et.

With more of their natural insulin in

their body, the risk of diabetic problems

such as heart complications goes down,

said Garay.

Clearly this pill would be helpful to the

astoundingly large population of diabetics

in the world. The earliest estimate for the

pills to become available is by the end of

the decade, said Burkrot.

Tetu is looking forward to that time. I

think the pill would make such a tough dis-

ease just a little easier, and with diabetes, a

little win sometimes is more than enough,

he said.

BYJENNAIACURCI

STAFFWRITER

Benjamin Franklin once said, An

investment in knowledge pays

the best interest. Well, no of-

fense to Mr. Franklin, but he wasnt paying

student loans with this much interest. In thecurrent dismal economic state, and with tu-

ition costs rising every year, students, and

parents, are debating whether an education

at a university is really worth the stress of

calculating every nickel and dime it takes

to afford it.

College tuition isnt getting any cheap-

er. Community colleges have gained pop-

ularity over recent years in terms of get-

ting the best bang for your buck. They

provide a quality education, but unlike a

prestigious university, are much more af-

fordable. The reputation of well-known in-

stitutions versus the nancial advantage of

community colleges fuels the debate.

Housatonic Community College stu-dent Sekinah Erskine chose the communi-

ty college route to jumpstart her education.

She said, I chose to go to HCC because

of the journalism program HCC was the

only affordable school and community col-

lege not far from me.

Virginia Gasparakis graduated from the

University of Connecticut and took supple-

mental classes at HCC after her graduation.

Even after attending a well-known four

year university, she still sees the attraction

of community colleges. I loved the small

classes and I really feel as if the profes-

sors really knew how to communicate the

material to their students, she said. The

professors at HCC were honestly much

better teachers than any of my professors

at UConn.

Applying to college is a competition

for students: who can get into the better

school. Lately students have been taking a

closer look at the schools they were once

hasty to snide at. When comparing tui-

tion costs, the choice seems easy. For the

Fall 2013 semester, Yale University will

charge students $42,300, which is aboutfour times the University of Connecticuts

tuition of $9,256, and 13 times Housatonic

Community Colleges tuition of $3,360 for

a full time student.

According to the TIMEs article The

Class of 2025, the average four-year cost

for the 50 most expensive colleges in the

U.S. is $186K, $140K for private-college

tuition, and $72K for public college tui-

tion. These already sky-high numbers are

projected to increase in 2025 to $237K,

$160K and $97K.

With these costs in mind, students are

opting for schools like HCC, whose Fall

2013 enrollment was 5,813 students com-

pared to 4,678 students in Fall 2003. With-in the past ten years enrollment was at an

all-time high in 2012, with 6,097 students

enrolled, 20% of them being newly admit-

ted and 64% continuing their studies.

The Great Recession of 2008 hit Amer-

icans wallets hard, and there was much

concern about the well-being of their fu-

ture generations. The young students be-

came concerned about inheriting the econ-

omys problems, and how it would affect

their education.

As Gasparakis describes it, I feel like

times have denitely changed I know a

lot of kids in high school now that are not

even thinking about applying to private

universities

Among this age demographic the

unemployment rate as of October 2012, ac-

cording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,

is 13.7%. But, with a Bachelors Degree,

the unemployment rate drops signicantly

to 8% and 6.2% . In order to be competi-

tive in this job market where having a job

is considered a luxury, a Bachelors Degree

is necessary to be successful.

Erskine agrees, When I graduatedhigh school in 1992, there were plenty of

good jobs you could get without a college

degree. In the last ten years times have

changed drastically and you have to have a

degree just to answer the phones.

Even with all of these statistics, Ani-

ta Gliniecki, President of HCC, does not

choose sides. She says, Each type of in-

stitution meets the differing needs of stu-

dents. But, from her frequent talks with

students and parents, she can see that HCC

is a college of choice due to its affordabili-

ty and quality education.

Choosing a college is possibly the most

stressful time in a students life. Regard-

less of what school you land on, youre leftwith what is supposed to be an amazing

education, plus thousands in student loans.

For more students, community college

seems to be the more logical path to lighten

this heavy nancial load, but the reputation

of the four year university still holds some

weight.

Gloves Up: Community College vs. University

CC Popularity photo courtesy of CommonWealth One Federal Credit Union in partnership with brass(cofcuknows.com)

A pill form of insulin would hold a large

benet for children and patients who have serious

problems with injecting.

HORIZONS News


6/12

6


news you can useo

HORIZONS News You Can Use

BYSEKINAHERSKINE

STAFFWRITER

With the holidays just around

the corner, now is the perfect

time for HCC students and

staff to help out and give back to the com-

munity. More than ever, many people are

in need of clothes and food.

A lot of people are looking for places to

volunteer and donate, but just dont know

where to go.

Ive never volunteered, but I would

love to, said Anna Garcia, HCC student.I

would like to know what the best agencies

and charities are that actually help peoplein need.

Natasha Koonce, a member of Commu-

nity Baptist Church in New Haven, said

her church takes donations and distributes

them to the community.

We currently accept food, clothing,

money and toiletry donations, to our Hope

Corner drop off center located in New Ha-

ven, said Koonce.

Community Closet, a donation center

run by Karen Seferi in Bridgeport, is al-

ways looking for donations and volunteers.

Students and staff at HCC can get in-

volved and help by making students and

their families aware of our service, hold

a drive for collections of items of need:

linens, PJs, socks, personal care items,

disposable diapers, uniforms, etc. Seferi

said.

The Community Closet also has a dia-

per bank and they takes donations of gen-

tly used clothes and small household items

weekdays, Monday to Friday, from 9:00a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

The children are especially endearing

when they nd a toy or book they can en-

joy, said Seferi.

Christine Matthews Paine, Develop-

ment Director at the Caroline House in

Bridgeport, says they need volunteers too.

Caroline House, which is operated by

the School Sisters of Notre Dame, helps

teach English language and life skill class-

es to immigrant women from countries like

Peru, Haiti, and Syria.

Caroline House also offers fun classes

like knitting, art and yoga and operates a

free pre-school for the women enrolled in

their program.

These women are so motivated, Paine

said. Its the best place to work.

Tutoring is available for children, and

free citizenship classes are offered on

Thursday nights for women and men.

Some of the women have an education,

while others may not have learned how toread or write, Paine said. We dont put a

time limit on their learning.

With donation and volunteer centers set

up in the community, people have places to

help them.

It helps empower members of the com-

munity and will help improve the overall

conditions of that community, Koonce

said. This will lead to less crime, less pov-

erty and less broken homes.

The mission of the Community Closet

is to serve the disadvantaged and disen-

franchised members of the community.

Each year over 3,000 families (11,000

members) visit the Community Closet.

One of the goals at the Caroline House

is to break down barriers of social and

physical isolation which keep low-income

immigrant women from building better

lives; so they can improve their lives and

their childrens lives.

Caroline House does not operate on

government funding. We take money

from individuals, corporations and founda-

tions, Paine said.

Volunteers come from all over and give

their time at the Caroline House. If youre

a Journalism student at HCC, there are also

opportunities to write for their newsletter.

In addition to clothing and household

items, the Community Closet offers infor-

mation about other free services, includingaccess to food, shelters, free medical care,

legal services, and immigration services.

The most rewarding aspect of this job

is seeing the joy on someones face when

they nd something they really need and

they can have it free of charge, Seferi said.

I think its important to donate espe-

cially because people are always in need

and I also think its essential to volunteer

time, when disasters strike, Garcia said.

My belief is that holidays shouldnt mat-

ter. People should donate year around.

I like being able to make a difference

in saving peoples lives, she added.

Tis the Season To Give Back

BYSTACYSHIPPEE

STAFFWRITER

Acollege education can be hard to

pay for, and sometimes a little

help can mean the difference

between quitting and graduating. It seems

like a daunting task to nd scholarships

when you look on the web and see all the

information out there.The search can be

difcult and most students dont know

where to begin.

As Vanessa, a student at HCC, said I

dont even know where to look for a schol-

arship.

With rising costs and a sluggish econ-

omy, many students are nding it hard to

continue to pay for their college classes.

Some do not qualify for nancial aid and

others need more money to pay for other

costs like books, supplies and even living

expenses. This is when scholarships are

needed.

Just type the word scholarship into

Google and a list of agencies and websiteswill pop up, each one claiming to help di-

rect you.This is not the most productive

way to look for scholarships that are rele-

vant to you. The reference librarian at the

Ferguson Library said that there are books

of just scholarships that massage the data

in many different ways. This leaves us

needing to follow a few simple steps that

will help narrow the eld to the scholar-

ships you qualify for.

The rst step is to ll out a FAFSA ap-

plication online. This is necessary even if

a student doesnt believe they will qualify

for a government grant. Some scholarships

require that you have completed this.

Cindy Cominsky, the Scholarship

Administrator for HCC, said, Every stu-

dent should ll out a FAFSA application.This is becausethe scholarships at HCC

are for students who do not qualify for

nancial aid. There are several scholar-

ships available if all the criteria is met.The

easiest way for an organization to deter-

mine this is a lack of award from FAFSA.

Also this form will show nancial need if a

student does qualify.

The second step is to look at govern-

ment programs. The government has a

co-op program for students that combines

formal studies with off campus jobs related

to their majors at www.studentjobs.gov .

They also have the AmeriCorps program,

which pays a minimum wage plus an annu-

al award for each year a student works.This

program has a two year maximum and the

award is tied to the maximum Pell Grant

amount, currently $5550. Another notable

program offered by the government is the

Teach Grant that is for students who want

to be teachers. This program offers up to

$4,000 a year to students who choose to

become teachers in a needed eld. If none

of these government programs suit a stu-

dents needs, then the search for scholar-

ships begins.

The rst area to look at when searching

for scholarships is your major. Many orga-

nizations that pertain to certain careers of-

fer scholarships. For example, the National

Association of Accountants offers a schol-

arship to Accounting majors. Journalism

majors can look for The Journalists Road

to Success, where several million scholar-

ships are offered for their major.

The next step in the search for each stu-

dent becomes a little more individual. Each

person must begin a search within their

community in areas that are relevant to

them. The rst area to look at is your em-ployer. For example, McDonalds provides

scholarships as do other stores and compa-

nies. The next area is clubs that you belong

to. The Girl Scouts are one such organi-

zation, and the Boy Scouts, 4H club, and

other organizations like Phi Theta Kappa,

offer a transfer scholarship to a four year

university.

Your religious afliation may also offer

opportunities for scholarships. If you are

Catholi, the Knights of Columbus offer

scholarships.

The last section or category that each

student should look into is personal attri-

butes.

Ancestry, nationality, and other

personal categories have many organiza-

tions that also offer scholarships. If you are

Italian, UNICO offers scholarships for you

or if you are African-American the Jackie

Robinson Foundation is just one of many

that have scholarships you may qualify for.

Other organizations that offer these types

of scholarships are The West Indian Asso-

ciation, NAACP, the Congressional His-

panic Caucus Institute, Executive Women

International, and Little People of Ameri-

ca. Each of these organizations and many

others have scholarships for people who t

their specic criteria whether its age, sex,

race, nationality, and other traits.

Do you hunt, bowl, knit, speak Klingon,

or have a plan for a zombie invasion? Any

outside activity you participate in can lead

you to a scholarship.

The last category to search for schol-

arships is national companies. Companies

like Coca-cola and Walmart offer many

general scholarships. Other companies like

Talbots, who offer scholarships to older

women pursuing a degree, or the Dr Seussscholarship, which offers $10,000 to a stu-

dent studying art may be relevant to indi-

vidual students.

These and many others can be found in

books available at the local library. Schol-

arships, Fellowships and Loans and Dont

Miss Out The Ambitious Students Guide

To Financial Aid are just two of the books

that have scholarship information.

When researching you will discover

that a scholarship search is very personal

and has to be tailored to each individual.

The most important thing to remember

when searching is to not give up. There are

many scholarships out there you can quali-

fy for, but you must be persistent.

Need Money for College? Scholarships Can Help

Photo by: Carl Dorvil

I think its important to donate especially because

people are always in need and I also think its essential to

volunteer time, when disasters strike, Garcia said.

My belief is that holidays shouldnt matter. People should

donate year around.


7/12


8/12

8 HORIZONS Opinions

College Doesnt have to Be Just a DreamBYNICOLELAZARIUK

STAFFWRITER

At about fteen I started to real-

ize that while I liked school and

got good grades, I wasnt going

to compete with athletes and geniuses for

scholarships. I didnt think it was a goodidea to get a loan because I would even-

tually have to pay it off. My reasoning was

I dont have money now, Im not going to

have it later.

I started to believe it would be near im-

possible for me to go to college.

Watching the documentary, First Gen-

eration: The Movie, that was shown at

HCC, I realized that I wasnt alone in these

feelings and its a common sentiment if

youre the rst person in your family to go

to college.

Now I know I had options. I just wasnt

aware of them, and my parents didnt know

how to help. If only I would have known

about tutoring, SAT preparation, nan-

cial aid, grants, and scholarships that are

available. Yes, school is expensive, but its

worth it.

My father had the experience of college

not working out for him. I think for this

reason, although he saw the value in it, he

didnt want me to get my hopes up.

Students may have parents who have

struggled nancially and know the reality

of how hard the world can be. They may

get the message that you have to grow up,

be realistic, help your family, and support

yourself. The irony is going to college will

give you a better chance of doing all those

things.

Parents who havent gone to college

might not understand how overwhelming

classes can be, especially with having to

work.

They may think college is just not pos-

sible. It reminds me of a line from the song

Mediocre Bad Guys by Jack Johnson,

...Only know what they have/And they

have only what theyve seen.

Ive noticed that doctors often have

children who become doctors and I think

its because from a young age they see it is

a very possible reality. The same goes for

believing you can go to college.

What was seen in the documentary

was all four kids had what it took to go to

school, but Dontay was the only one that

didnt give up on his full dream of going

to a four year university with full nancial

aid. His mother genuinely wanted him to

go and he had a counselor that helped him

with the technical aspects of getting the

nancial aid. The other three kids lacked

support and the knowledge of what was

possible.

After the movie there was a discussion.

The faculty there wanted to know whatthey could do to keep students is school. I

was reminded of the movie A Tree Grows

in Brooklyn, based on the book by Betty

Smith.

The girl in the movie tells her father of

the inspiration and advice her teacher has

given her, She said Id have to work hard.

She said imagination wasnt any good if,

you were just a pipe dreamer about it

Its that combination of encouragement

and practical advice the teacher gives her

that is key. As teachers, you can pass on the

knowledge that school is worth the effort

and also inform them on how to get to it

and through it.

Give Our Furry Friends A ChanceBYDAVEWEIDENFELLER

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Thankfully I have never had to

personally deal with it, but I

know many who have, most re-

cently my friend Danny Acosta of Linen

Avenue in Bridgeport. The issue at hand

is careless drivers mowing down not just

people but peoples pets.

The last thing on our minds when

rushing to class or work is our furry

friends, who occasionally get away and

run into the street. With the rash of hit and

runs in Bridgeport, such as the 6-year-old

girl and her aunt who were almost killed

back in May (the second accident involv-

ing a child in the same month, it is no won-

der that I myself have personally counted48 dogs and cats lying dead on the side of

Bridgeport city streets since the beginning

of October.

Its really just about paying attention,

and if you do hit somebodys pet, have a

heart and stop, explained Acosta.

Diamond, Acostas dog, is one of

the lucky ones. She survived with

serious injuries to her leg and even lost two

teeth when, Acosta said, the car actually

when over her, she was under the car, my

friend was almost hit too. Diamond, pic-

tured here with her yellow cast, certainly

is lucky. What the driver was doing when

heading how Linen Avenue that day Acosta

and girlfriend Nichol Emmerich, who also

witnessed the incident, will never know.

People should be texting, drunk, or

doing anything to take their eyes of the

road, commented Emmerich. The high

cost of medical care doesnt stop with peo-

ple. Were having a lot of trouble paying

for her [Diamonds] medical costs, but she

is a part of our family so well make do.

I agree I feel that there is too much fo-

cus on rushing around, driving like every

day is a NASCAR event.

Its obvious that accidents will happen,

but to avoid unnecessary harm there are

simple steps people can take to minimize

the chance. There is no special manual

or course. All you need to know is what

was taught to you in driving school or the

manual given by the Connecticut Depart-

ment of Motor Vehicles. Do I sound conde-

scending, possibly, because to see any lifeharmed by carelessness is unacceptable?

Here are a few tips:

1. Leave yourself enough time to get to

where you need to go. Rushing can distract

you from paying attention to the road and

to the speed at which you are traveling.

2. Keep it off the road. City and sub-

urban roads are meant for transportation,

not impressing your friends with your car

mods and racing skills. The law calls it

reckless driving.

3. Obey the speed limit; again its the

law, but its also common sense,

4. Remember that should you hit an an-

imal, have a heart. It has just as much rightto live as the rest of us. If it is a pet, make

an effort to nd the owner or call the po-

lice. Life isnt all about you. Dont avoid it.

Take responsibility for yourself.

Remember for many a pet is another

member of the family who depends on us

to keep them safe. In my eight years of an-

imal advocacy, I have seen rst hand how

devastated people can be at the loss of a

pet to reckless or careless people, especial-

ly children. Next time you feed or walk

your dog, think about Acosta, or Nichol,

remember Diamond or this kitten I saw get

hit in my neighborhood who never got a

chance to do all the silly things that cats get

to do with their owners.

Photo 1 By David Weidenfeller

Maribell lays dead after being run over by a

careless motorist in the Black Rock section of

Bridgeport.

Photo 2 By Nicole Emmerich

Diamond patched up and healing from her hit and run on Linen Ave In bridgeport CT.

I realized that I wasnt alone in these feelings and its acommon sentiment if youre the rst person in your family

to go to college.

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9/12

9HORIZONS Opinions

BYNEILKNOX

OPINIONSEDITOR

Not buying into the all the hype

over the coming Zombie Apoc-

alypse? Well, for all you dis-believers out there, just take a quick look

around. Theyre already here, and there

may even be one in your own living room.

If theres a smartphone around, the odds

are pretty good that close by, staring at the

display screen, a family member of yours

may already have been turned into one of

them.

It happened in my home. Unbeknownst

to me, I was witnessing the transforma-

tion rsthand. I was becoming a two st-

ed Zombie no less, one smartphone just

wasnt enough. And heaven forbid if there

wasnt one close by within arms reach.

Yikes! The search was on. Panic set in,

butteries, followed by that empty hollowfeeling you get in your gut when you just

know youve misplaced a $50 dollar bill.

It had gone from a simple ip up phone

with a display screen so small I could bare-

ly read it to a two-phone habit overnight.

Suddenly I found myself signing up for

upgrades I didnt need, adding lines to my

contract I didnt need. I live alone! But the

worst was yet to come. No sooner would

I have my phone set to be so smart and so

extraordinarily up to date when suddenly

a newer gadget would hit the market and

off Id go to the nearest outlet to get mine.

Money didnt matter. I could live without

food for a week. Survivor Man had noth-

ing on me. And then I heard about Siri, well

that was it, the beginning of the end for me.A noticeable change set in, the journey to

the land of the undead had begun.

My family saw it before I did, of course.

Isnt that always the way? An intervention

soon followed.

Dad, at my wedding you hardly left the

table. You shortened the father daughter

dance with me because you said you were

expecting an important message from your

job, you lied to me. When I saw you go

back to the table and start scrolling through

your Facebook page I knew something had

to be done, I couldnt recognize my ownfather, and that silly grin on your face all

the time, you began to look like an emoti-

con. Thats why we are all here today dad,

you have to get help.

It required a strong, persistent effort on

my part to break the habit. It wasnt easy,

giving up a two phone habit overnight.

Cold sweats ensued, a sense of dread crept

over me, followed by the horric night-

mares,one of which had me cornered by

a group of closed sts with their thumbs

turned up yelling like me. That was the

nal straw, something had to be done.

I tried my best to kick the habit cold but

that never lasted more than a day or two.

How could I go on disconnected from therest of humanity? What would become of

me now, out of touch with all the inane

texts and posts that previously lled my

day? How would I ever manage to keep up

with the world around me and all its inani-

ty? Ill never make it! Doctor help! Some-

thing is wrong with me, it seems I cant

make it down the hallway without check-

ing my phone. I cant go on without it. Ill

never make it!

Theres no easy way to break this to

you sir but you have become what doctors

in my eld now refer to as a Smartphone

Zombie. Yes, I know it sounds extreme

but over the past ten years weve noticed

a sharp increase across the nation in cases

like yours. The symptoms appear sudden-ly. Walking with your head down, bumping

into walls and people, the sudden appear-

ance of lumps on your head, unexplained

time gaps, wondering why there are ex-

pletives coming from the persons mouth

youve just rammed into in the hallway.

You become oblivious to the reality going

on around you. Soon you are lost in the

world of the display screen and very few

people nd their way back out of it. Just

take a look around you. Its happening at

an unprecedented rate these days. We in

the medical profession are at our wits end

because of it. There is no medicine avail-

able, though. Its going to require a con-

certed effort on your part. You must come

back into the real world, slowly at rst, but

it can be accomplished. There is a twelve

step program for people like you though.

Heres the 800 number. Give them a call.

So off I went to my rst meeting of SA,

thats right SmartPhones Anonymous. I was

amazed at the amount of people crammed

into that little church basement. Apparent-

ly the doctor was right, I wasnt the only

one aficted. I listened to the harrowing

stories, one poor woman was caught byher family stashing phones throughout her

house in the most unimaginable places.

Her phone bill and data plan charges were

up to ve hundred dollars a month, her

family had had enough and threatened to

disown her if she didnt get help. I felt a bit

out of place in that little room at rst, but

soon I realized that this was my only hope

for salvation and a return to normalcy.

It took time. After all,, nothing good

happens overnight, but I eventually made

my way back to reality. I only keep one

phone with me now, and I take precautions

to make sure it isnt of the smart variety

Why tempt fate right?

So my life these days is basically much

more focused. No more walking into peo-

ple and walls, no more resentful looks from

people I inadvertently bumped into, but

more importantly I now have extra time on

my hands to keep up with the Kardashians.

So the next time you stroll across the

campus green, or are making your way

through the hallways, or on the staircases

on your way to your next class, and you

see someone looking down at that display

screen while tripping down the stairs, oryou get rammed into by a fellow student

with a faraway look in their eyes, just take

a moment to remember that its really not

their fault. They are just another helpless

Smartphone Zombie, and be glad it is not

you!

How I Became A Smartphone Zombie

Smartphone Apocalypse Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons @PaulLLester

BYCAROLINATRINIDAD

STUDENT

Lets face it; we haveall been there. Wejust roll the diceand pretend our arrival at the

more than desired Park Ave-

nue property doesnt fancy us,

when in fact; we are gleaming

inside and can barely hold in the

excitement. It is no secret, in

fact, we already know we want to

buy the darn thing, so why do we

portray it is otherwise a difcult

decision? Perhaps, so we seem

cool. Nonetheless, the secret to

holding our cool during a game is

to pretend we are investing in the

stock market. I personally have

no clue whatsoever regardingeconomics, however; I generally

aim for the larger digits and just

do it. No one needs to know my

lack of wall-street-knowledge,

therefore; I put on my monopoly

face and buy the property with no

regrets. Monopolers, on the other

hand I am sure I just made that

word up, but you get the point

are very meticulous about their

investments. They were taught to

save for rainy days, and refuse

to engage in any nancial activi-

ty whatsoever its only a game

peeps! If they could, I am sure

they would have the bank hold

their paper money in the attempt

to collect seeds of interest no

pun intended.The second secret for not

loosing your cool during a game

is to put on your monopoly face.

So what! if you picked up the

card that sends you straight to jail

without passing Go or collecting

$200. Just read the card and put

your game piece in jail. Do not

pay $50 to get out. If you dont

make a stink about it, chances are

they will forget you are in jail by

the time the game goes around.

Play it cool. This of course works

best with games with a larger

crowd. Go ahead! Give it a try

put on your Monopoly Face!

Cant Read My Monopoly Face

Illustration by Carolina Trinidad

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10/12

10 HORIZONS Opinions

The Student Debt Crisis: Unusual Suspects

The Largest Hand In Your PocketBYNEILKNOX

OPINIONSEDITOR

Hiding behind a curtain of misin-

formation, erroneous statisticsand public relations campaigns

designed to mislead people lurks the real

source of the student debt crisis. The in-

stitutions we chose to enroll in, in an at-

tempt to compensate for a reduction in the

amount of aid they now receive on a state

and federal level, are loading the dice and

engaging in what amounts to price xing.

Students faced with the biggest decision

they have had to make up to this point in

their lives are caught in the middle.

Many past students who discovered too

late that they had signed on with various

predatory lending organizations,such as

Sallie Mae, willingly acknowledge their

part and accept responsibility for it, the im-

pact is being felt economically years after

graduation.

Prospective new students, many of

whom are at the tender ages of 18 or 19,

in search of sources to meet the enormous

tuition costs, are about to take a trip down

a trip down a twisting, turning road loaded

with trap doors and shifty used car sales-

men peddling some of the most prohibitive

and restrictive loan agreements.

The unfortunate part for most past stu-

dents is they would have needed a college

degree in economics or business law just

to understand the small print on the loan

agreements. In too many cases though the

actual bottom line, the who, and the why

college loans are so outrageously over-priced eludes them. For at the end of this

road of deception lays the real culprit, their

alma mater.

As Lyndsay Greene, a 24-year-old grad-

uate of the University of Alabama said in

a recent article in Rolling Stone magazine,

I was 19 years old, I didnt understand

what was going on but my mother was

there and she signed, and now it was my

turn, so I did.Six years later, she says, I

am nearly $45,000 in debt...If I had known

what I was doing, I would never have gone

to college.

Danielle Ivan-Pall, a graduate of Ford-

ham University recently told Horizons,

No one ever took the time to sit down with

me or my parents and explain exactly what

this all would end up looking like down the

road. My loan payments are still astronom-

ical and now there are two new mouths to

feed on top of it all. I second guess myself

constantly.

Colleges and universities that are build-

ing luxury hotel style dormitory facilities,

extravagant athletic complexe,s along with

any other type of amusement park features

designed to entice the impressionable re-

cent high school graduates, are all essen-

tially being subsidized by federal student

loan programs.

There was a time when parents alonewere responsible for footing the cost of a

college education. If a family could not af-

ford the cost or a student wasnt fortunate

enough to receive scholarship backing col-

lege was out of the question. The primary

source of income for most colleges back

then was coming from the donations of

private benefactors along with corporate

sponsorship and tuition. Those contribu-

tions continue, of course, but because of

easily accessible money from the newly

revamped loan programs now available

schools that were once viewed as inacces-

sible to low and middle income families

are rushing to open their doors to all com-

ers. Throw into that mix private lenders

with less than honorable resumes resulting

in a nancial toxic formula that has beencreated leaving too many students buried

in debt before they graduate.

Take into consideration the number

of available degree-granting institutions

in the U.S , which have grown by 33%

since 1980. The number of two-year and

four-year colleges has grown by at least

the same margin and, heres the big one;

non-degree-granting schools have gone

from virtual non-existence in 1990 to over

2,000 today. While many may consider

statistics boring, these numbers play a big

part in the student debt crisis in America.

The market has grown exponentially,

leaving prospective students, in most cas-

es, uninformed and at the mercy of a new

army of marketing sharks whose primary

purpose is to get their fair share of thatgolden gooses egg in D.C. A prospective

students well being is the furthest thing

on their minds.The advertisements are

everywhere and unavoidable. It seems as

if today you can earn a degree in almost

any profession. Weve all heard of them,

those late night TV commercials that im-

plore you to get off the couch and make

something out of yourself. Theres nothing

wrong with it, but it has created an entire

cottage industry of y by night schools,

or as viewed by many professional educa-

tors, diploma mills.

In order to take part in the feast of

available money, a school must become

an accredited institution. Most on this list

are viable, legitimate learning institutions,

but there are many that are in the very least

questionable. As a result of a lack of prop-

er oversight in determining exactly which

schools should be on the list almost all of

them qualify. Harvard, Yale and places

where you can get a Doctorate in Theol-

ogy by doing 10 online classes all qualify

to be a part of the governments lending

programs.

Those charged with overseeing which

schools qualify are nongovernmental

agencies who are heavily inuenced by the

education industry and unregulated lobby-

ists. One would think the Department of

Education would have a hand in this pro-

cess, but it does not. As a result, almostall so called schools qualify, creating a

feeding frenzy that is leaving tomorrows

generation with tremendous burden.

While competition drives any market-

place, its a basic premise of capitalism if

there is an endless supply of loan money

available for students it just doesnt matter

how many schools are out there, so there

is no incentive for institutions to lower tu-

ition costs.

These factors have all been responsible

for creating a Frankenstein monster that

allows universities, community colleges,

trade schools, along with other specialty

schools, to raise their tuition costs on to

the students without proper consideration

and virtually unabated. If you are not a top

notch athletic prospect or if you miss the

scholarship boat and come from a family

that cannot carry the strain of tuition costs,

there are options. Tread very carefully

through those options and do the required

research to avoid the mistakes too many

students have made before you.

Illustration by David Enriquez

Father-Daughter RelationshipBYASHLEYSEETOO

STAFFWRITER

First Generation: The Film was a

very relatable and inspiring story

that can send a message to a va-

riety of people,whether theyre in college,

high school, or even intermediate school.

However, there was one issue that stirred

up some feelings within me.

Jessica, one of the students in the lm,

had some nancial issues and struggled

with affording college. She worked at her

family diner with her mom and succeed-

ed in the high school she attended. Jessica

needed help with money, and tried to imply

that to her father. She didnt have enough

courage to ask her father straight out that

she needed nancial support, but she tried

to state it subtly, and hoped her father got

the hint. Of course, he didnt get it and end-

ed up not helping her with anything. Jessi-

cas father said that everyone on his side of

the family had to work for what they had

and basically told Jessica that she needed

to do the same.

I was outraged by what Jessicas father

did because she was only in high school at

the time, so she had a lot of stress on her

shoulders already. I believe that if youre

going to have children, you have to take

responsibility for them and understand that

they need support in almost every stage of

their life.

My father left when I was around three

or four, and I never had help from him. The

rst time I met him was when I was 16

years old in Florida at my uncles house.

My mother was the one who helped me

throughout the years, nancially and per-

sonally with my problems I faced. When

I nally met my father, I had a lot of

resentment towards him because he was

never there to help me with anything.

I know how Jessica feels in this sit-

uation, and it hurt me to feel that my fa-

ther didnt want to be there for me while

I grew up. To see another father not help

their daughter out on something so import-

ant to their life enrages me because I dont

want someone else to feel how I felt. Un-

fortunately, many kids and teens grow up

without family help and support, and its

a struggle for them to be on their own. My

advice to those included is to never give

up on your dreams no matter what nancial

issues you have because there is always

someway to reach your goals. You just

have to keep pushing and do your best at

whatever life hands you. When life hands

you lemons, make lemonade.

My advice to those included is to never give up on your

dreams no matter what nancial issues you have because

there is always someway to reach your goals.


11/12

11


arts & entertainmente

Music and Drugs:Is This Popularity Surge Causing Deaths?

BYASHLEYSEETOO

STAFFWRITER

Music and drugs have had

a long term relationships,

dating back to the days of

Led Zeppelin, Kurt Cobain, and many oth-

er older bands/musicians. Whether we like

it or not, drugs have played a major role

in the music scene and are still doing so

today. But do we really need drugs to en-

joy music? Its gotten the point where the

drug culture has overtaken the music envi-

ronment and people are dying much more

frequently now as a result.

In the 90s, Kurt Cobain, along with

his band Nirvana, were one of the biggestacts on the music scene; they had more

fans then they could count. His music was

known worldwide and hit home to a lot of

people. In 1994, Cobain supposedly died

of heroin overdose. What kind of example

was this to his fans? Many of whom were

impressionable young people and aspiring

musicians themselves. How did they take

such horrible news?

This incident might have added to the

uprising of drugs at music events and

generation after generation, the numbers

get higher and higher.

On August 31, 2013, two people died

from reported MDMA overdose. They at-

tended the three day music festival Elec-tric Zoo on Randalls Island in New York.

MDMA is listed as another form of ecstasy

by the NIDA, is now a days called Molly.

Due to the deaths, the last day of Electric

Zoo was cancelled, leaving thousands of

ticket holders outraged.

Tony Mancuso, a student here at HCC,

attended Electric Zoo and spoke out about

his feelings on the cancellation.

I think cancelling the last day of Ezoo

[Electric Zoo] wasnt fair to everyone who

was there and sober. Im sorry for the peo-

ple who died, but its not okay to do drugs

irresponsibly and make other people suffer

for it, Mancuso says.

Drug use at music events is so expect-

ed nowadays that promoters, owners of the

venues and security at concerts all seem to

turn a blind eye to it. This causes individu-

als to take advantage of their freedom.

Mike Casey, another student at HCC,

goes to many music events and shares this

disappointment. I once went to an event

where the security just patted my sides and

let me go through. I had so many pockets

on me that they didnt look at. I couldve

had a gun, drugs, literally anything in my

pockets and they wouldnt know. This is

why events get shut down because people

are able to bring in drugs and sell them in

the venues, Casey says.

Casey said hes upset about the amount

of drug use at these events.

Why is it now that a lot of the people

who go to music events only go for drugs?

I go to these events to listen, enjoy the en-

vironment and have fun. Its scary seeing

drugged up people hurting themselves and

others, he added.

Unfortunately, artists themselves seem

to be encouraging the use of drugs at

music events. Big time rap artists Tyga,

Wiz Khalifa and Mally Mal came out with

a song together called Molly. The lyrics

go something like this, Hi, Im looking

for Molly, Ive been searching everywhere

and I cant seem to nd Molly, Molly, Mol-

ly, Molly Some may say that Molly is

being looked at as a girl named Molly, but

some see it as the drug itself. The fans of

these artists are being inuenced by these

songs and are probably thinking its okay

to do drugs.

According Rolling Stone, Diplo, a DJ

that played a set at the Electric Zoo Festi-

val had some rm opinions on whats hap-

pening.

Were such a conservative culture thatwed rather not talk about the things kids

want to do, even though theyre going to

do them anyway. Wed rather ignore it to

solve the problem. In Florida, where Im

from, drugs have been a part of club cul-

ture since day one, he said.

Due to the deaths of those who attend-

ed Electric Zoo, TomorrowWorld (an up-

coming event in Atlanta) has collaborated

with DanceSafe, a non-prot drug educa-

tion group to help concertgoers avoid drug

overdoses and give information on drugs

and alcohol prevention.

Molly is getting more popular and is

easily altered with other drugs. As stated

before, drugs and music have been in asso-ciation with each other for decades. It could

possibly be that these music artists are

greatly inuencing their fans and sending

them the wrong messages. Dance-music

fans should be responsible when attending

these events and aware of their surround-

ings or else the consequences can be fatal.

Photo Credit: Jordan Loyd for ElectricZooFestival.com

BYBRENNAMCINTYRE

STAFFWRITER

The Housatonic Museum of

Art Peer Docent Program is a

14-year-old program that aims to

teach Bridgeport students about art and art

history and how to look at art in a critical

way. For the rst time ever, the program is

focusing only on architecture and the Glass

House, an art museum in New Canaan,

Connecticut, is involved.

Christa Carr from the Glass House says,...Over the past year, the Glass House has

increased outreach efforts with local and

regional organizations to more fully en-

gage with diverse audiences and expand

educational opportunities at the site. The

opportunity to partner with an established

and well respected program ts perfectly

within these initiatives.

One thing the students will be learning

about is John Taylor Arms: A Selection

of Prints from the Housatonic Collection.

This features etchings of Gothic architec-

ture in France, England, and Mexico by

John Taylor Arms. In addition, the students

will be studying Bridgeport architecture

including The Barnum Museum, McLevy

Hall, and The Arcade.

According to Lydia Viscardi, the Muse-

um Educator, in a press release, The Peer

Docent Program ...ultimately providesthem with an opportunity to develop visu-

al, analytical, and leadership skills that will

assist them across the academic disciplines

and throughout their lifetimes.

Janet Zamparo, the Curator of

Education for the program, says, ... In

addition to art enrichment, and the building

critical thinking, public speaking and lead-

ership skills, this years program adds the

element civic pride. The students will learn

about their own citys rich history and

beautiful architecture, things they might

not have known. Learning and knowing

could make them proud of where they live

and of where they come..

Doreth Hudson has been involved with

the peer docent program for over eight

years and says, This program is important

because it exposes many students to works

of art that they would not have been intro-duced to in the classroom. They also get to

learn about the large collection of art that

is available to the public at the Housatonic

Museum of Art. The program helps the stu-

dents to build condence and self esteem

and trains them to be responsible, effective

leaders. They also get the opportunity to

visit Museums and historical sites.

This years focus on architecture is a

signicant change that Hudson describes

asvery refreshing. It has taken us out of

the museum into the streets of downtown

Bridgeport where the students will get a

chance to study the architecture of their

own city.

Carr hopes that the students, come

away from the program empowered with

knowledge about the architecture of their

city, Bridgeport and of Connecticut in a

larger sense.Hudson is sure that, ...the students will

be able to learn a lot about the history and

architecture of Bridgeport and develop

a sense of pride in the city in which they

live.

Housatonic Museum of Art Peer Docent Program

Has Some Big Changes

H Visit the Housatonic Horizons facebook fan page to read the latest about whats going on at HCC as well as articles

you wont nd in the paper, and to send us links, comments, and suggestions.

HORIZONS Arts & Entertainment


12/12

12

ALAS Hosts a Dia De Los Muertos CelebrationBYBRENNAMCINTYRE

STAFFWRITER

For the rst time ever at Housa-

tonic, the Association of Latin

American Students, A.L.A.S,

hosted a Dia De Los Muertos Celebration

on Thursday, October, 31 in the student liferoom in Beacon Hall.

Jailene Cervas, secretary of A.L.A.S,

explains, Dia De Los Muertos is where

we celebrate their [a loved ones] life...we

are celebrating with them in a way.

Students were giving out masks depict-

ing traditional Sugar Skull designs to ev-

eryone as soon as they walked through the

door to get them in the spirit of the holiday.

The room was lled with festive dec-

orations, including brightly colored pa-

per and yellow and blue balloons, that

are traditionally at Dia De Los Muertos

celebrations. However, the most notable

decoration was the altar.

The altar was explained during an

informative Powerpoint presentation

during the event. People bring photos of a

deceased loved one that they want to hon-

or and bring offerings, Ofrendas, such as

fruits chocolate, liquor, and food that the

loved ones enjoyed.

The way in which the holiday is cele-

brated was also detailed in the presenta-tion. The rst day of the three day holiday

is October 31, and that is when all the sup-

plies are gathered and the altar is set up.

November 1 is the day in which everyone

celebrates the lives of deceased children

and November 2 is the last day of the hol-

iday where the focus is on deceased loved

ones who were adults.

After the presentation, A.L.A.S shared

some delicious Mexican pastries and des-

serts with everyone in attendance.

A.L.A.S president, Margarita Llinet,

says they hosted this event,...to explain

what Dia De Los Muertos is. Llinet con-

tinues that A.L.A.S has events like this to,

...let ourselves be known to everyone.Photo Credit: Isadora Lopez

HORIZONS Arts & Entertainment

Happy Tanksgiving

From the Horizons Staff

Horizons Issue 2 F!3

Documents

Transcript of Horizons Issue 2 F!3