For my last blog, I thought it would be fitting to recap my first year experience here as a student at Penn State. As I had discussed in early blog posts, Penn State was not my first option as I had my sights set on moving across the country to California to attend UC Santa Barbara. However, as I received my cost of attendance and saw the whopping total for out of state tuition at a UC school, my dreams were quickly crushed. However, I’m extremely grateful (and so is future me that I won’t be $250k in debt) that due to the fact my mom works as a nurse at Penn State Hershey, I receive a significant tuition discount and only have to pay a fraction of the cost to attend here.

Up until my move-in date I was stubborn and swore to my parents that I’d hate it here and transfer by my second year. But after a few weeks, I found myself enjoying State College and all the new friends I had made. In my short career as a college student, I’ve noticed my adoption of a new perspective in the realm of various political areas. First of all, I began to follow policies related to student debt much more closely as it was finally something I am affected by. Increasing my financial literacy and understanding of financial topics was an important task considering I was the one responsible for my finances now, not my parents. Being a college student has taught me to budget more responsibly and not blow through my eRefund in the first semester… Don’t tell FAFSA it ended up at Urban Outfitters on College Ave. However, in the last semester I’ve begun to pay closer attention to rising prices and make more conscious purchases.

Aside from personal finances, I’ve also become more independent in regards to taking initiative for myself when it comes to career planning and academic pursuits. At a huge school like Penn State, it is much different than at my high school where teachers and counselors often held your hand as you searched for potential internships and scholarship programs. That being said however, I sometimes miss the tightness of being a part of a smaller community, but I’m also grateful to be at a University with a large network that provides so many opportunities for students. 

On the topic of Penn State being a large school I’ve noticed that in the last year I’ve had to put myself out there more than before. In high school, I was fairly quiet and never went out of my way to introduce myself to new people, which resulted in me feeling a bit left out at times and stuck in my school work. However, at PSU I realized that I needed to branch out even if it was out of my comfort zone. With practice, it became much easier over the course of the school year, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to meet so many new people.

Overall, as the school year comes to an end I’m on the fence between wanting to go home for the Summer and see my hometown friends, or wishing there is more than a few weeks left of my first year. That being said, after my experience as a freshman, I am more than happy with my decision to attend Penn State, and I can’t wait for my second-year!

Following the Covid-19 Pandemic and a subsequent lift on bans of mass gatherings as well as relaxed travel restrictions. Economists projected the American travel and tourism sector would experience a rebound, exceeding a pre-pandemic market value of $2.2 trillion in 2019. After experiencing a revenue decrease of roughly 50% in 2020, the value of the travel & tourism sector gradually surpassed the 2019 market value. Furthermore, totaling a market size of $2.29 trillion in 2023. 

However, numerous factors can potentially harm the continuous growth of the American travel sector, and discourage individuals from participating in economic behaviors that would contribute to not only the travel and tourism sector, but the overall economy of the United States. In conjunction with the trend of higher than average inflation rates, America’s rising hidden fees are dwindling the purchasing power of millions across the nation. More specifically, these fees have reduced $14 billion in spending power for households across the United States annually. 

So, where are these hidden fees “hiding” in regards to our purchases as American consumers? Hidden fees (also referred to as “junk fees”) are applied across a plethora of various markets. Below includes a list of goods and services where consumers are commonly subject to hidden fees.

1. Hotels
2. Car Rentals
3. Credit Card Fees
4. Phone Services
5. Home Rental
6. Cable and Streaming Services
7. Student Loans
8. Food and Grocery Delivery
9. Concert/Sporting Event Tickets
10. Banking (ATM Transactions and Overdraft Fees)

Due to the fact hidden fees are present in an extensive range of various economic sectors frequented by consumer spending, it is imperative that private and public firms utilizing hidden fees either remove such fees completely, or disclose their full price to consumers up front and provide full transparency about the cost breakdown of added fees.

Sources (will cite later in final draft):

https://www.casey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/greedflation_junk_fees3.pdf

https://www.communityfocusfcu.org/exposing-hidden-fees-they-are-everywhere

https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/podcast/knowledge-at-wharton-podcast/hidden-costs-hurting-middle-class/

https://www.whitehouse.gov/cea/written-materials/2024/03/05/the-price-isnt-right-how-junk-fees-cost-consumers-and-undermine-competition/#:~:text=%5B1%5D%20Consumers%20are%20lured%20in,linchpin%20of%20our%20economic%20system.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1220218/tourism-industry-market-size-global/

March 13th 2020, isn’t a date I thought that would hold such significance to me in the future. It was like any other normal school day, I got on the bus, had my usual classes, and talked with my friends in the cafeteria. At the time, I remember there was a buzz amongst students and teachers alike surrounding the rapidly spreading Coronavirus. In my 9th grade American Cultures class some students were discussing a potential shutdown and the possibility we wouldn’t be in school in the upcoming weeks. I can vividly recall my teacher, Mr. Showalter, telling them “Relax, it’s not that bad yet. You guys will still be in school next week.”

In retrospect, Showalter’s statement was a severe understatement considering the email and call families of students had received the following weekend, announcing a 2-week cancellation of all classes and extracurricular events. As I’m sure many of you had experienced similar events at your own schools, I was surprised, but also a bit excited I had a break from school. Eventually, the break turned into months, as my school was shut down for the remainder of the school year, and our learning was completely online through Schoology. As someone who enjoyed school, online learning frustrated me, and I could never grasp topics as well compared to when I attended school in person. Furthermore, it was difficult to fully immerse myself in the material I was learning when there were distractions throughout my house since my entire family (excluding my mom who’s a nurse) was home as well. 

Life during the peak of the pandemic was a strange experience, and I think it’s safe to say I had the worst cabin fever of my life. Normally, I’d spend my days after school going to soccer practice, or going around town with my friends. Then following the shut down, the closest thing I could get to “going out” was walking my dog around the block. That being said, with the copious amounts of free time I now had, I fulfilled my boredom by exploring new hobbies, listening to new music, dyeing my hair (learned I was definitely not going to be a hairdresser), and staying updated on political news and current events. 

A budding interest in politics and world news formed during my time at home at the height of the pandemic. Of course, there were roughly hundreds of articles and reports being published daily surrounding Covid-19 itself, but personally, I was interested in the policy and political response to the pandemic. Furthermore, reading upon how different states and countries responded to the pandemic deeply intrigued me, and I’d often have discussions about it with my dad at dinner. 

Moreover, reading about the policies that affected my day-to-day life was a new experience for me and something I hadn’t done prior to the pandemic. In addition, as someone who lives relatively close to Harrisburg, the capital of PA, our local news had always broadcasted the events taking place on the capitol stairs, as many individuals in the area were upset with the governor’s shutdown laws, and the mask mandates across the state. Overall, the Covid-19 pandemic serves as a strong reminder how political policies and mandates have immediate, and also long-lasting effects on our livelihood.

:I’m sure all of us have the shared experience of anxiously filling out the Common Application, and writing our personal statements along with supplemental essays during our senior year in hopes to receive a letter of acceptance from a specific college. The college admissions process is difficult for both the applicant and the academic institution, in 2023 alone over 7 million applications were filed through the Common Application. 

So, how do colleges and universities determine the acceptance status of potential students? Unsurprisingly, GPA, class rank, and SAT/ACT scores are some of the quantitative factors heavily considered during the process. In addition, a student’s demographic (including their race) was a considered factor amongst some institutions until a recent ruling by the Supreme Court in the Students for Fair Admissions, Inc v. Fellows of Harvard College case.

Overall, the SFFA sued Harvard College due to the fact they considered the race of applicants as a determining factor during the decision process. As a result, SFFA concluded that Asian applicants are at a disadvantage compared to applicants that are Black or Latino. Previously, Harvard admissions had stated that their decision process is in line with the decision of the landmark case, University of California v. Bakke. This case established “affirmative action” which allowed for universities and higher institutions to consider race as one of the factors in a student’s admissions. However, SFFA disagrees that affirmative action is constitutional, as they claim it violates TItle VI of the Civil Rights Act(1964). Title VI states, “no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” 

On June 29th, 2023 the court decided in favor of SFFA in a 6-2 ruling, that Harvard admissions violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act through their use of affirmative action. Furthermore, establishing a new precedent that higher institutions may not use race as a determining factor in admissions. The majority opinion wrote by Chief Justice Roberts states, “The  guarantee of equal protection cannot mean one thing when applied to one individual and something else when applied to a person of another color… [affirmative actions admissions] lack sufficiently focused and measurable objectives warranting the use of race, unavoidably employ race in a negative manner, involve racial stereotyping, and lack meaningful endpoints.”

Meanwhile, the dissenting opinion (written jointly by Justice Kagan, Sotomayor, and Jackson) claims, “Ignoring race will not equalize a society that is racially unequal. What was true in the 1860s, and again in 1954, is true today: Equality requires acknowledgment of inequality… interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment is not only contrary to precedent and the entire teachings of our history … but is also grounded in the illusion that racial inequality was a problem of a different generation.” Justice Jackson continues in her own dissenting opinion as she states, “With let-them-eat-cake obliviousness, today, the majority pulls the ripcord and announces ‘colorblindness for all’ by legal fiat. But deeming race irrelevant in law does not make it so in life.”

Conclusively, the decision in the Students for Fair Admissions v. Fellows of Harvard college received both widespread praise and criticism. Those against the use of affirmative action deem that affirmative action perpetuates discrimination and inequality and provides an unfair advantage to specific minorities. Whereas, supporters of affirmative action claim that it promotes “social mobility” by leveling the playing field and providing students of underrepresented communities an opportunity to attend institutions that historically have a student body of white, high-income individuals. In addition, a diverse campus benefits all students as integration can reduce racial biases… Whether you support affirmative action or not, the decision of this case is monumental and its effects in the long-run will definitely be something to keep a close eye on.

Sources:

https://www.oyez.org/cases/2022/20-1199

https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/600/20-1199/

https://www.conncoll.edu/employment/affirmative-action/support–opposition/