Though our society seems to be nearly built around controversy, many stand out greater than the others. There are some more obvious ones such as abortion, capital punishment, and religion, but there are also many important yet not as recognized controversies that seem to effect certain groups of people differently. Some controversies that specifically influence those on campus include the newly arising issue surrounding the rules of vaping products, as well as the cost of tuition and distribution of aid provided by universities. An issue that has newly come to light is the rules regarding the possession of vaping devices. Though I am not familiar with the rules on other campuses, at Penn State, the rules regarding any form of vaping device is that a student is allowed to own one, just not use it. It is understandable that this may be seen as controversial, because the rule itself allows for students to have the devices is practically encouraging the idea of vaping. Many students find this rule useless in the fact that no action can be taken if an authoritative figure sees the device, unless a student is seen using it. A topic that nearly every college student as well as their family could agree with is the increase in college tuition, and its unnecessary price. The most controversial aspect of the prices, come with the discussion of financial aid provided by these schools. Many of them distribute their money unfairly or unequally to many families who may need the help. I think either of these choices could be used for our project because both of them are very relatable to us, as students on campus, and have an interesting history with both becoming more relevant in recent years and having a very new history to find information for.

In my TED talk, focusing on my paradigm shift of marriage and divorce around the country, I plan to emphasize the drastic change that has taken place in our nation over decades, and the cultural impact this has had on society. I plan to begin my talk with a personal anecdote that helps to emphasize and convey the theme of my speech, that the concept of marriage has shifted in its meaning and well as stigmas as time goes on. Though maybe not all at once, there have been countless changes around the concept of matrimony, many most people would not correlate with a changing society. Though there are many factors that could contribute to the case of the evolving perception of marriage, the points I plan to articulate most throughout my speech are: the changes that have occurred within marriages themselves, the values marriage seems to represent as well as the stigmas around it, and the change in divorce rates and what that may signify around the nation. I plan to relate this to the audience and make it more relevant through asking them to think about their own personal lives, and reflect on how many people in their immediate relatives these findings could relate to. How many couples they know who have wed, and those with failed marriages. This topic is also one relevant to my audience, because the topic is one that is constantly changing. Altering to coincide with contemporary culture, all of these trends will soon be applicable to their own lives, as well as the new ideas around married as times and societal views are changing. I intend to conclude my ted talk by explaining the potential change that the country may face in the future, and the predicted outcome of what many happen regarding the decades to come surrounding the idea of marriage as well as divorce and how they are viewed within our nation.