horizons issue 2 f!3
TRANSCRIPT
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8/13/2019 Horizons Issue 2 F!3
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College doesnt have to be just a dream
Father-Daughter Relationship
Film Presentation
Student Debt Crisis
http://hccperspective.blogspot.com November Edition 2013
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8/13/2019 Horizons Issue 2 F!3
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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
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8/13/2019 Horizons Issue 2 F!3
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arts & entertainment
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?
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8/13/2019 Horizons Issue 2 F!3
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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
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8/13/2019 Horizons Issue 2 F!3
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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
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8/13/2019 Horizons Issue 2 F!3
6/12
6
arts & entertainment
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.
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8/13/2019 Horizons Issue 2 F!3
7/12
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8/13/2019 Horizons Issue 2 F!3
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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8/13/2019 Horizons Issue 2 F!3
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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8/13/2019 Horizons Issue 2 F!3
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.
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8/13/2019 Horizons Issue 2 F!3
11/12
11
arts & entertainment
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
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8/13/2019 Horizons Issue 2 F!3
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