April 2020 archive
A final problem facing US colleges for this blog, but most certainly not the final issue facing the system. And yet, we soldier on into this final blog post.
Yes, you guessed it. The college admissions scandal. This made national news for weeks because of how far and wide the scandal spread. But this wasn’t just an issue when these celebrities’ children were caught. Bending admissions rules for children from wealthy families or school districts has always been a pattern.
Wealthy families with connections to admissions departments or the ability to make large donations have always had an easier time getting their children into college. That is just a fact.
However, it’s not only familial connections or wealth to spare. It’s background. It’s been proven that students from less than ideal backgrounds and poverty stricken neighborhoods have a harder time getting admitted to certain universities. I can speak from experience, considering no more than, and rarely even, 5 kids each year get accepted to Penn State main campus, a prestigious acceptance where I’m from, even with stellar grades, each year. However, many of my friends from wealthier areas and parts of the country view Penn State, the main campus, as a safety net; a backup school. If Penn State was considered my back up school, senior year would’ve been a lot less nerve wracking.
What I’m saying is that the news of the college admissions scandal rocked the nation and had everyone wondering how many more celebrities had done this that we weren’t aware of. They failed to recognize that this happens inadvertently EVERY SINGLE YEAR.
Kids are judged by background, or by the APs they didn’t take (because none were offered), or by their peers’ applications. But not by their own merits. Why is that?
Others have no problem or concern about getting into a prestigious school like Penn State’s main campus. They don’t realize that Penn State had 90,000 first year applicants for the class of 2023 and accepted 7,500 of those to main campus.
It’s a blessing that they have those opportunities, and it’s only right. But we need to make sure the opportunities are equal and fair for everyone. We need to make sure that they aren’t judged by wealth or district.
It’s simply not right. And we need a change in the wake of the admissions scandal. But not just for celebrities. For everyone.
So here’s the final post. It’s weird that this semester is over so soon. Our first year of college is rounding to a close. And, honestly, despite everything, it’s been a pretty solid year for me. I know we’ve all been stuck inside for a month and I know that this isn’t the ideal end to our year. But, pat yourselves on the back! Despite everything, we’ve survived. I’m not going to pretend this semester hasn’t had it’s ups and downs for me and certainly for some of you. But, it was great.
I made my best friends yet. I never felt like I fit in before this year; now I do. And it’s a great feeling. I miss my friends like crazy. It’s true. And this is turning out to be a lot longer separation from them than I had anticipated. Nevertheless, I talk to them. I know they’ll be there for me when we return. I know I have a life that’s waiting for me when I get back. So, I wanna take this time to thank the people who made my first year in college so fantastic.
Thank you, Sadbh. You were my first friend in college and I have no doubts you’ll forever be my friend. You’re a busy lady but we always pick up where we left off and I am completely and totally myself with you.
Thank you, Cindy. You are my fellow crackhead and it is insane how fast we clicked. Neither of us ever thought we’d would take a second glance at the other as a close friend. And yet, here we are. I text you every day and I can always count on you for a laugh AND to school me if I’m being stupid or making mistakes.
Thank you, Brice. One of my other first friends in college. You made my birthday great. You make stupid and mean comments sometimes and yet you’re on of the best friends I have. You’re always there for me and will still give me a hug when I’m crying even if I was a jerk three days before.
Thank you, Chris. You most definitely keep me in line. You keep my ego checked at all times and you’re one of the only friends I’ve ever had who knows what a reasonable amount of mean comments is and where the line is. I can always count on you to talk some smack or educate me.
Thank you, Patrick. You stayed friends with me when Jen didn’t, and for that I’m grateful. And I’m sorry that things weren’t different this year. If you were reading this, you’d know what I mean. Maybe the cards will be in our favor one day. But for now, you’re one of my best friends.
Thank you, Lewis. You help me in class and we’re the last two who talk out of the summer group. We’ve made it and even though I haven’t always been the best friend, I’m glad we’re friends.
Thank you, Tiana. You push me to be a smarter person every day when you school me with your ever smart thoughts. I’m glad we’re friends.
Thank you, Prof. Sternlieb. You made me love reading again. You gave me my distinct appreciation for literature back and introduced me to one of my favorite novels. Thank you for restoring my love in my major and always making me laugh.
Thank you, Marisa. You recommended me for DPHIE and I’m so grateful. I gained so many sisters and friends so fast and I couldn’t be more grateful for all that you did for me.
Thank you, Grammy. You have been there for me despite everything this year and I’m so thankful for that. You always lift me up and make me feel better.
Thank you, Kellie. Your THON committee introduced me to great people and great experiences. I’m so glad we met and I don’t think I would’ve fit into any other committee better than I fit in yours.
Thank you, Ricky. You always gave good advice and you were a great pal. I’m gonna miss living on the same floor as you. I’m so happy for you and Carly.
Thank you, Amanda. You’re so fun and you’ve taught me more about differing opinions than I’ve ever learned in my life.
I’m sure there’s a million more people I could write some notes to but this is the main bulk of people who made my year great. Thank you to everyone. You’re all great.
For my advocacy project, I have decided on the topic of the tax on and cost of women’s sanitary products and why they should be free/non-taxable items.
Why is this important? Well, the female population of the world is, roughly, 3.8 billion women. This is 49.6% of the world population, for anyone unaware. So, contrary to popular belief, women do actually make up half of the world’s population.
And here’s the thing, I hate to break it to you, but all of them 13 and older get a period. Which means they bleed. Once a month. And sometimes, it’s, like, a lot. I don’t want to get graphic or freak the boys out but it’s the truth. I mean, it really shouldn’t freak you out ANYWAY because it’s a natural bodily function just like peeing, but that’s besides the point. The point is that this is a thing that happens to 3 billion women every. single. month. Without fail. That kinda sucks, right?
Well, what really sucks is that the products that women have to buy to keep you from really finding about the grossness they deal with every month are not only expensive, but they’re taxed!! Men can get viagra and condoms for free or through insurance MOST PLACES. It’s not even slightly unheard of. In fact, it’s common. Is that viagra or condom completely necessary to maintain your personal hygiene and daily life? I THINK NOT.
In my project, I am aiming to show both men and maybe, even some blissfully unaware women, why, at the very least, our sanitary products shouldn’t be taxed, but more importantly why they should be free.
Women deserve to go about their daily life without feeling ashamed or, in some cases, that they need to worry about being able to afford their personal hygiene products for the month to keep themselves feeling clean.
Women deserve to menstruate without feeling ashamed at all. But if they do, at least they can hide it without an exorbitant tax or spending a god awful amount to do so. Women deserve free and untaxed sanitary products.
Women deserve to be unapologetically women without being taxed for being one.
For this post, I’ve chosen to dissect the website and the foundation that is the Susan G. Komen foundation. This probably sounds pretty terrible. But, hear me out.
I very much support what the Susan G. Komen foundation claims to support, but my issue is that they don’t really support the cure for breast cancer.
The Susan G. Komen Foundation has fixed a lot of the problems that they originally came under fire for, but everyone can fix problems that they lose business over. Here’s the thing; there’s a LOT of problems with this organization.
Firstly, they ignored the wants and the feelings of women with metastatic breast cancer for YEARS. Metastatic breast cancer means that these women were diagnosed late stage and will almost definitely die from this disease. There is now a huge, bold-lettered tab on their website as soon as you click on it, just to drive the point home that they SUPPORT EVERYONE!!! This just isn’t the case. They went a long time without caring about these women. They get to walk into stores and see shelves upon shelves of items with pink ribbons on them, knowing that they can’t fight this because there’s nothing to fight. Their body is cancer and they know there’s no winning of a fight. They have to feel that pain and see the praising of women who “bravely beat their fight” and know that they will never be “the brave one.”
Next is a problem that I mentioned above, but for a different reason. The Susan G. Komen Foundation loves to plaster pink ribbons and paint every product pink as much as possible. A lot of people feel like this exploits breast cancer for profit because people want to “support” the cause by buying the product, but really only a couple cents goes towards actual breast cancer research or funding out of even the most expensive products. People call this action “pink washing,” and it causes a lot of animosity among both breast cancer survivors and people without breast cancer. The use of these ribbons on everything is inappropriate and a cash grab.
Finally, the biggest problem of all. The Susan G. Komen Foundation cut funding in 2012 through Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screenings and outreach programs. They quickly reversed this decision due to backlash, but this decision goes hand in hand with why many people refuse to donate to the fund. The CEO of the Susan G. Komen made $684,000 a year (in 2014). The executive members of the foundation make enough money and due to their donation records, 20% of their profits go to critical research and the rest goes to these members’ salaries. So, all of their pink washing profits that supposedly go to research, are simply lining pockets of a CEO who is most likely making upwards of a million dollars a year these days. It’s disgusting.
This organization takes advantage of their audience and lies to them every chance they get, while neglecting to be considerate of members of their target benefactors. It needs to end and it needs to be exposed.