Hiatus

I am currently taking a 5 week summer course, so I will not have time to blog until the beginning of July. I don't intent this hiatus to be as long as my last, and this one is very intentional. Upon my return you can expect 2-3 posts/week. Thanks for reading! Can't wait to get back to it.

Higher Education vs Housing Market

Back in June (Yes, almost a year ago...I know...) I listened to this piece on NPR Morning Edition about how the crash of the housing market has impacted the higher education decisions of students across the nation. I began to overlay this thought process on the Montana University System (MUS), where I have real experience.

In case you didn’t listen to the NPR story here’s a very basic synopsis: Students who are the children of parents who own homes in which the price decreased in the housing market collapse are applying to community colleges rather than flagship schools. One psychologist believes this shift is because students are internalizing the fact that their parents feel “poor” and because it is more difficult for parents to borrow against the value of their home to send their child(ren) to school.

While I recognize this is ONE psychologist’s opinion based on ONE study, it got me thinking about how the MUS fails to consider the systemic reasons for student success or lack thereof. I recognize that the Board of Regents only has power over the MUS, but each Regent has a certain level of influence in various areas, departments, and industries around the state, and most are active in the Legislature. However, in my experience the Regents view the issue like this: Many students are not successful in a 4-year setting, so we should encourage them to begin their higher education tenure in a 2-year setting because the students and university system see more success at that level. Many of these students do not continue their education immediately upon completing a 2-year or certificate program, so they enter the workforce sooner.

It is absurd that no one looks at, or perhaps simply fails to mention, the systemic reasons for lack of student success. Here’s an example: In 2005 in Columbia Falls Elementary School District #6 v. State the Montana Supreme Court declared that the State Legislature was violating the state’s constitutional requirement to fund and establish free schooling to provide students with a “quality” education. Has so much changed since then in terms of funding in Montana?

What about young children in School District #2 (Billings) with class sizes of 40+? How can a teacher in that environment supervise and develop a relationship with each student? How can a teacher recognize the possibility of a learning concern, family abuse, bullying, at-risk behaviors, or the many other things that may interfere with learning? It’s not like we’re talking about high school seniors who should, hopefully, be preparing to enter college courses. Speaking from a developmental standpoint preschool through 3rd or 4th grade is VITAL to the success of students. Without the development of strong relationships with caregivers, including teachers, at this age it is difficult if not impossible for learning to occur. If relationships aren’t developed with teachers throughout grade school, will they ever be?

I understand these aren’t the only issue influencing student success, but I urge us all to consider addressing systemic causes for the numerous problems we see every day. Band-Aids are only temporary fixes to long-term problems; without systemic change we will forever be buying more Band-Aids. I have much more to say on the topic and hope to return to it soon. In the meantime I’d love to see some discussion on solutions.

Call to Action from In the President’s Own Words

An anonymous reader recommended I share a petition to encourage Congress to support the Due Process Guarantee Act, which would strip away some of the scary parts of NDAA. I found a couple of petitions via Google. One of them was relatively outdated, and the other had to vague a request, so I'm choosing not share either. If you find something, please share!

A more solid step may be to contact Senator Tester, Senator Baucus, and Representative Daines asking them to support the Due Process Guarantee Act of 2011 (which never left the Senate Committee on the Judiciary) or some other similar piece of legislation.

In the President's Own Words

It has been said that a society should be judged by how it treats its weakest members, and prisoners certainly fall in to that category. Before I go much further let me make it clear that I’m not advocating that those who are guilty beyond a reasonable doubt (whatever that is) get to play in meadows with unicorns and rainbows, but I also believe we should treat every human being with dignity and follow the rule of law in all cases. 

Prisoners in Guantánamo are so fed up with their situations that 100 of them are on a hunger strike! According to this document on Guantanamo:

• 86 detainees have been cleared for release since 2009. However, the US government refuses to allow them to return to their homes or otherwise release them. The most common theory on why that is: these detainees have been treated so badly they’ll certainly join the opposition, al-Qaeda, or somehow set out to harm us. Shouldn’t that be a lesson in itself on how we treat people?

• The US doesn’t have sufficient evidence to prosecute 46 prisoners, but those 46 are apparently too dangerous to release. How can we be certain enough to detain someone indefinitely, though, if we don’t have sufficient evidence to prosecute?

• Remember when Obama campaigned on closing Gitmo? Well, it appears he wasn’t incredibly serious about that: 532 prisoners were released by the Bush administration. 72 by the Obama administration. I understand there other powers and factors at work in that numbers game too. If only the President had the power to release prisoners and challenge the flawed system that put them there…

• Only 5% of the prisoners were even captured by American troops.

I’ll stop paraphrasing, but I highly recommend you read the whole thing. It’s an easy read.

Below is a small piece from a first hand account:

I could have been home years ago — no one seriously thinks I am a threat — but still I am here. Years ago the military said I was a “guard” for Osama bin Laden, but this was nonsense, like something out of the American movies I used to watch. They don’t even seem to believe it anymore. But they don’t seem to care how long I sit here, either.

I just hope that because of the pain we are suffering, the eyes of the world will once again look to Guantánamo before it is too late.

Again, I recommend you take the time to read the entire Op Ed.

Out of sign, out of mind. According to President Obama this is one of the reasons closing the prison at Guantánamo is “a hard case to make.” So let’s change that. Let’s put pressure on those in power to move on this ever important issue. Let’s pressure the media to report on the hunger strike and the apparently innocent people imprisoned there. Let’s get people talking about it. Our friends, our families. It has to start somewhere. Let us not continue to ignore the atrocities happening in our name. 

If you’re not convinced this is important simply because what is happening here is morally and ethically wrong, think about this: The 2012 NDAA (signed by Obama) allows for indefinite detention of anyone captured anywhere in the world without charge or trial. That could be you detained indefinitely without sufficient evidence to prosecute. Think that couldn’t possibly happen to an American citizen? Google Anwar al-Awlaki and/or Abdulrahman al-Awlaki. Both American citizens. Both killed by the CIA in targeted drone strikes in Yemen. No trial. No due process.

Indian Country

While driving through Indian Country a few weekends ago my heart began to weep. With tears streaming down my face I wept for the countless atrocities committed against the indigenous peoples of this place. As I wept I wondered how different the course of history might be had my ancestors & European predecessors dealt with Natives honestly and justly.

Strangely, I was also filled with gratitude and joy for the perseverance and spirit of Native Americans. If not for the strength of these people we may still believe that Europeans “saved” Natives from “savagery;” we may still think it acceptable that our history books do not mention the raping, pillaging, and genocide that happened in what many people refer to as the greatest country in the world. Because of the strength Native Americans have demonstrated we are beginning to learn the truth and to understand the horrendous reality of the European conquering of this land.

My message to Natives may not be perfect and is certainly lacking, but it is this: I recognize your journey has been blemished in more ways than one can count. I try every day to empathize with the trauma that endures still today. I stand in solidarity with you as you fight for rights, land, money, recognition, and numerous other things that are rightly yours. I also know that as much as I would like to I cannot right the wrongs of the past, and I alone cannot solve the lengthly list of broken treaties, promises, and systems that perpetuate unimaginable poverty, abuse, and continued trauma. But I also hope you recognize that many of us stand with you, wanting nothing more than to stand in partnership with you to rectify the wretched reality that has existed for far too long.

To those of us who live each and every day with white privilege I challenge you to take some time to evaluate the countless opportunities you enjoy. I challenge you to open your heart to the realities and impact of racism in our communities and our world. I ask to search your own heart for the closed doors or bigoted feelings it may harbor. I ask you to do these things not because I want you to feel shame, but because I know how completely your life will be changed by fully opening your heart, by unconditionally accepting people into your life. 

Finally, I challenge you to create authentic relationships with all the people of color in your life. I ask you to listen to their stories and hear them with your whole heart. I hope that by listening with your heart you will be able to begin to empathize with the realities of system racism in our nation. Lastly, I hope that you will begin to act to create the change our world so desperately needs. We need more people on the right side of history, more people who are brave enough to stand up even when it isn’t necessarily popular.