Asking first matters
Chance for hope
Domestic violence display
Empty bowls
Help for eating disorders
It’s what you leave behind…
Legislative Learning
Nasty Plastic
No place to go
Paying to pee
Support LGBT rights
Homepage
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Asking first matters
Asking first makes a difference
by Martha Harris
It’s been an enjoyable date, great music, good food and even better company. As the dessert is being served and coffee cups are refilled, a man nervously looks at his partner. Should he look for a serious glance or a touch before making a move, or should he let his partner know he is nervous and ask, ”Can I kiss you?”
This is the opening scenario of Can I Kiss You?, a program dealing with dating etiquette, respect and sexual assault. Mike Domitrz,
an author and speaker who travels throughout the country, gave an interactive performance sponsored by the Women’s Resource Center Sept. 10 at Bloomsburg University.
Domitrz started this program in 1991 after hearing another speaker and because his sister Cheri was raped in 1989.
”After my mom called me and told me what happened, I wanted to hurt the guy myself, even though he was eventually caught,” Domitrz said. ”Then, I realized that I would go to jail and hurt Cheri in the process, so I began touring the country originally with a lecture format. Now, it is completely interactive and fun, even though there is serious subject matter, such as letting three of your closest friends or family know that you will always be there for them if they are or have been sexually asalted.”
This program demonstrates
how both men and women view dating. While women thought it was cute and a good idea to ask, at first, men thought it was a joke and were reluctant to think about it.
”It is important for both men and women to ask their partners if they are comfortable, so it doesn’t create a double standard,” Domitrz said. ”Men are taught to just keep going and going, while women are taught to say no only when their partner has gone too far. Women should be able to say no without apology and shouldn’t be made to feel bad if they refuse since it is usually the other partner that started it.”
According to Domitrz, all people, especially young people and college students, should have dating etiquette.
”There are only four things to remember for dating,” Domitrz said. ”Respect yourself; respect your partner. Always ask, and don’t be hurt if your partner says no.”
”Students can learn how to talk to and treat each other respectfully and
build better relationships,” Women’s Resource Center director Deborah Barnes said. ”They can learn that body language is not the only indicator of how a person is feeling, and it cannot always be the gauge they use for deciding what another person wants. They can learn how to be a friend, how to open a door and how to ASK for what they want as well as what they are willing to give in relationships, and they can learn this through laughter and having
fun. I hope that the students who attended not only enjoyed it but really grew as people because of it.”
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by Martha Harris
It’s been an enjoyable date, great music, good food and even better company. As the dessert is being served and coffee cups are refilled, a man nervously looks at his partner. Should he look for a serious glance or a touch before making a move, or should he let his partner know he is nervous and ask, ”Can I kiss you?”
This is the opening scenario of Can I Kiss You?, a program dealing with dating etiquette, respect and sexual assault. Mike Domitrz,
an author and speaker who travels throughout the country, gave an interactive performance sponsored by the Women’s Resource Center Sept. 10 at Bloomsburg University.
Domitrz started this program in 1991 after hearing another speaker and because his sister Cheri was raped in 1989.
”After my mom called me and told me what happened, I wanted to hurt the guy myself, even though he was eventually caught,” Domitrz said. ”Then, I realized that I would go to jail and hurt Cheri in the process, so I began touring the country originally with a lecture format. Now, it is completely interactive and fun, even though there is serious subject matter, such as letting three of your closest friends or family know that you will always be there for them if they are or have been sexually asalted.”
This program demonstrates
how both men and women view dating. While women thought it was cute and a good idea to ask, at first, men thought it was a joke and were reluctant to think about it.
”It is important for both men and women to ask their partners if they are comfortable, so it doesn’t create a double standard,” Domitrz said. ”Men are taught to just keep going and going, while women are taught to say no only when their partner has gone too far. Women should be able to say no without apology and shouldn’t be made to feel bad if they refuse since it is usually the other partner that started it.”
According to Domitrz, all people, especially young people and college students, should have dating etiquette.
”There are only four things to remember for dating,” Domitrz said. ”Respect yourself; respect your partner. Always ask, and don’t be hurt if your partner says no.”
”Students can learn how to talk to and treat each other respectfully and
build better relationships,” Women’s Resource Center director Deborah Barnes said. ”They can learn that body language is not the only indicator of how a person is feeling, and it cannot always be the gauge they use for deciding what another person wants. They can learn how to be a friend, how to open a door and how to ASK for what they want as well as what they are willing to give in relationships, and they can learn this through laughter and having
fun. I hope that the students who attended not only enjoyed it but really grew as people because of it.”
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A chance for hope
Guatemalan trade school offers a chance for hope
by Martha Harris
It's 10 p.m., and a crowded bus bounces along the cobblestone streets of Guatemala. No one speaks because they are possibly thinking of how to make items from scrap plastic and metal they found in the dump or how much food, and maybe meat, they can buy for their family since they made less than $5 today.
No one notices the cardboard and tin-roofed shacks, the families who sleep under tables full of beaded, woven crafts, the food covered with flies, and the orphaned children are between 7 and 11 years old, and who shine shoes and pick 150 pounds of coffee per day for $10. Most Guatemalans are content and used to this way of life, but not 16-year-old Diego. He travels seven hours each way to attend El Centro de Formación Professional Don Bosco, a vocational school, where he does Torno, metalwork.
"I go home to check on my brother who's still in the gang," says Diego, a Don Bosco student. "We used to hide in the bushes and kill people, but I heard about this school from people who got out, so I left the gang a year ago to try something else," he says.
Don Bosco is an occupational school run by Salesian Priests for 14 to 22-year-old men who come from abusive or economically depressed families. They attend Don Bosco for one to two years, since they haven't finished secondary schooling, to learn a technical trade, such as welding, carpentry, metalwork, computers, and electrical work. If they can afford it, they pay 25 quetzales (about $3) a year to help with the costs of the school.
"Even though we are Catholic, we take boys of all religions and orientations because they come here to try to survive," says Hermano Raúl, director of Don Bosco. "Some have no homes, and others have no food or have been kicked out of other schools with no where else to go. They need jobs, but more than anything, they need help with self-esteem and role models," he says.
To help with the self-esteem, Cross Cultural Solutions, an organization that helps with the local community's needs, decided to have The Alexander Hamilton Friends Association (AHFA) as the first volunteers at this school.
"We thought this would be a good opportunity to practice community service and leadership skills that remove us from our everyday lives," says George Cox, AHFA president. "These boys are at high risk for becoming runaways or getting into drugs," says Virginia Burmester, director of the CCS Guatemala staff. "They are at this school to make a new life for themselves and need a lot of positive reinforcement, since it is not likely they receive this from their families."
CCS volunteers say they were surprised at the similarities and differences.
"Working with the kids at Don Bosco made me realize that they are like us," says Zhen-ying Jeany Zhang, a volunteer from Michigan. "Even though they live in poor circumstances, they have hopes and dreams just like we do," she says.
Although they live from day to day, the students think about their futures.
"I do computers, and when school finishes, I want to be a pediatrician," says Mino Alvarez, a Don Bosco student. "I want to go to university and fix computers on the side," he says.
In addition to talking with the students, volunteers also painted the sidewalk and the clinic where students stay when they are ill.
"I spent most of my time painting the clinic, and if making their area look nicer will help them, then I was glad to do it," says Kelly Harington, a volunteer.
According to the volunteers, even though they don’t have much material wealth, they have other characteristics that allow them to survive.
“I had seen poverty in other areas of the world, but this poverty was different," says Cox. "I saw young girls dressed in neat pleated skirts and white knee socks, laughing as they walked into the shanty town where they live, where there was scant electricity, no running water, nor sanitation. They may be economically very poor, but I sensed pride and a sense of self that was spiritually intact," he says.
"The part of being at the school that will forever remain with me is how determined those teenagers were," says Danika Young, a volunteer from Nebraska. "It would be easy to look down and belittle the Guatemalans we met on our trip, but people in third-world countries seem to always be so joyful with so little. I think the American mentality that the more we own, the better, is completely backwards because it's relationships, memories that will last forever. Yes we are surrounded by a plethora of material things, but I think we overlook all the amazing blessings that encompass us every day,” she says.
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by Martha Harris
It's 10 p.m., and a crowded bus bounces along the cobblestone streets of Guatemala. No one speaks because they are possibly thinking of how to make items from scrap plastic and metal they found in the dump or how much food, and maybe meat, they can buy for their family since they made less than $5 today.
No one notices the cardboard and tin-roofed shacks, the families who sleep under tables full of beaded, woven crafts, the food covered with flies, and the orphaned children are between 7 and 11 years old, and who shine shoes and pick 150 pounds of coffee per day for $10. Most Guatemalans are content and used to this way of life, but not 16-year-old Diego. He travels seven hours each way to attend El Centro de Formación Professional Don Bosco, a vocational school, where he does Torno, metalwork.
"I go home to check on my brother who's still in the gang," says Diego, a Don Bosco student. "We used to hide in the bushes and kill people, but I heard about this school from people who got out, so I left the gang a year ago to try something else," he says.
Don Bosco is an occupational school run by Salesian Priests for 14 to 22-year-old men who come from abusive or economically depressed families. They attend Don Bosco for one to two years, since they haven't finished secondary schooling, to learn a technical trade, such as welding, carpentry, metalwork, computers, and electrical work. If they can afford it, they pay 25 quetzales (about $3) a year to help with the costs of the school.
"Even though we are Catholic, we take boys of all religions and orientations because they come here to try to survive," says Hermano Raúl, director of Don Bosco. "Some have no homes, and others have no food or have been kicked out of other schools with no where else to go. They need jobs, but more than anything, they need help with self-esteem and role models," he says.
To help with the self-esteem, Cross Cultural Solutions, an organization that helps with the local community's needs, decided to have The Alexander Hamilton Friends Association (AHFA) as the first volunteers at this school.
"We thought this would be a good opportunity to practice community service and leadership skills that remove us from our everyday lives," says George Cox, AHFA president. "These boys are at high risk for becoming runaways or getting into drugs," says Virginia Burmester, director of the CCS Guatemala staff. "They are at this school to make a new life for themselves and need a lot of positive reinforcement, since it is not likely they receive this from their families."
CCS volunteers say they were surprised at the similarities and differences.
"Working with the kids at Don Bosco made me realize that they are like us," says Zhen-ying Jeany Zhang, a volunteer from Michigan. "Even though they live in poor circumstances, they have hopes and dreams just like we do," she says.
Although they live from day to day, the students think about their futures.
"I do computers, and when school finishes, I want to be a pediatrician," says Mino Alvarez, a Don Bosco student. "I want to go to university and fix computers on the side," he says.
In addition to talking with the students, volunteers also painted the sidewalk and the clinic where students stay when they are ill.
"I spent most of my time painting the clinic, and if making their area look nicer will help them, then I was glad to do it," says Kelly Harington, a volunteer.
According to the volunteers, even though they don’t have much material wealth, they have other characteristics that allow them to survive.
“I had seen poverty in other areas of the world, but this poverty was different," says Cox. "I saw young girls dressed in neat pleated skirts and white knee socks, laughing as they walked into the shanty town where they live, where there was scant electricity, no running water, nor sanitation. They may be economically very poor, but I sensed pride and a sense of self that was spiritually intact," he says.
"The part of being at the school that will forever remain with me is how determined those teenagers were," says Danika Young, a volunteer from Nebraska. "It would be easy to look down and belittle the Guatemalans we met on our trip, but people in third-world countries seem to always be so joyful with so little. I think the American mentality that the more we own, the better, is completely backwards because it's relationships, memories that will last forever. Yes we are surrounded by a plethora of material things, but I think we overlook all the amazing blessings that encompass us every day,” she says.
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Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Nasty plastic
Easy to get, not so easy to manage
by Martha Harris
One of the easiest things to do while in college is spend money. At first, it is only a few items, food, drinks and maybe a phone or car insurance bill. Then, there are video games, clothes or an unplanned weekend trip. Students are happy because they are getting everything they want and need. However, at the end of the month, they have no cash, and the only papers that are flowing are the statements and bills from the credit card company’s printer.
Credit Card Debt, one event of the women’s wit and wisdom program, was presented by PSECU’s Marleen Latzman to educate students about budgeting and signs that a student is in debt.
Students should know their account balance, and keep in mind that the bank can sometimes be wrong or not up to date. For example, if the bank says the balance is $500, a student thinks he or she has money to spend; however, a $200 check hasn’t cleared yet. Later, when it does, the student might have little or no money left, which causes them to start the cycle of debt.
”If you don’t keep a budget, balance your checkbook and no how much your credit limit is if you have a card, you are already heading for trouble ,” Latzman said. ”If you don’t know how much money you have and how much you already spent, that is a bad sign.”
It is simple for students to be approved for a card. According to the Department of Education, 50% of all college students receive credit card applications on a daily or weekly basis. They apply for many of them because they want the rewards, the offer sounds good or sometimes, they need to pay for something, and a card is the only way. According to City Bank, their card has ”no annual fee, no minimum income or no cosigner required.” The Discover® Student Card application states, ”0% interest on purchases for six months; •5% to 20% Cashback Bonus and more at top retailers such as iTunes.com, Target.com and Barnes & Noble.com; •5% Cashback Bonus® in popular categories that change four times a year like travel, apparel, gas, restaurants, movies and more and •Unlimited cash rewards that never expire as long as you use your card.”
”I received 12 credit card applications during my first two weeks,” sophomore Autumn Umburger said. ”but I only applied for one because I needed to finish paying for classes and fix my car.”
Another possible problem, in addition to spending money on something a student wants, is identity theft. This can happen when a student is distracted at the ATM, and he or she leaves the card sitting on the machine or leaves it in the slot. Someone’s identity can be stolen if the card is taken at the ATM or somewhere
else, especially if the person wrote his or her PIN (personal Identification Number) on the card. Finally, it happens with unwanted credit card applications.
Many”” students simply throw these away without destroying them, so a good thing to buy is a paper shredder,” Latzman said. ”Anyone walking by a can or dumpster can go through the trash and grab your offer, fill it out and receive a
card in your name, and you would never know it until you started receiving statements saying you owe thousands of dollars.”
Finally, according to Latzman, if students have a card, they should be able to make the payments on time and only use one card.
”If you can only make the minimum payment, pay the bill late, don’t know your balance, the balance keeps going up because of a large bill with acquired interest or you have to transfer the balance to another card, those are all signs of debt,” Latzman said. ”When you go out, put your card in a safe place, and take out a certain amount of money from the ATM. If you carry the card, set a limit, and if something you want is too expensive, wait till you have the cash or know you can pay it off soon. If you keep track of your balance, spend more on your true needs than wants and make a little more than the minimum payments every month, you will be able to avoid debt and paying bills for many years.”
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by Martha Harris
One of the easiest things to do while in college is spend money. At first, it is only a few items, food, drinks and maybe a phone or car insurance bill. Then, there are video games, clothes or an unplanned weekend trip. Students are happy because they are getting everything they want and need. However, at the end of the month, they have no cash, and the only papers that are flowing are the statements and bills from the credit card company’s printer.
Credit Card Debt, one event of the women’s wit and wisdom program, was presented by PSECU’s Marleen Latzman to educate students about budgeting and signs that a student is in debt.
Students should know their account balance, and keep in mind that the bank can sometimes be wrong or not up to date. For example, if the bank says the balance is $500, a student thinks he or she has money to spend; however, a $200 check hasn’t cleared yet. Later, when it does, the student might have little or no money left, which causes them to start the cycle of debt.
”If you don’t keep a budget, balance your checkbook and no how much your credit limit is if you have a card, you are already heading for trouble ,” Latzman said. ”If you don’t know how much money you have and how much you already spent, that is a bad sign.”
It is simple for students to be approved for a card. According to the Department of Education, 50% of all college students receive credit card applications on a daily or weekly basis. They apply for many of them because they want the rewards, the offer sounds good or sometimes, they need to pay for something, and a card is the only way. According to City Bank, their card has ”no annual fee, no minimum income or no cosigner required.” The Discover® Student Card application states, ”0% interest on purchases for six months; •5% to 20% Cashback Bonus and more at top retailers such as iTunes.com, Target.com and Barnes & Noble.com; •5% Cashback Bonus® in popular categories that change four times a year like travel, apparel, gas, restaurants, movies and more and •Unlimited cash rewards that never expire as long as you use your card.”
”I received 12 credit card applications during my first two weeks,” sophomore Autumn Umburger said. ”but I only applied for one because I needed to finish paying for classes and fix my car.”
Another possible problem, in addition to spending money on something a student wants, is identity theft. This can happen when a student is distracted at the ATM, and he or she leaves the card sitting on the machine or leaves it in the slot. Someone’s identity can be stolen if the card is taken at the ATM or somewhere
else, especially if the person wrote his or her PIN (personal Identification Number) on the card. Finally, it happens with unwanted credit card applications.
Many”” students simply throw these away without destroying them, so a good thing to buy is a paper shredder,” Latzman said. ”Anyone walking by a can or dumpster can go through the trash and grab your offer, fill it out and receive a
card in your name, and you would never know it until you started receiving statements saying you owe thousands of dollars.”
Finally, according to Latzman, if students have a card, they should be able to make the payments on time and only use one card.
”If you can only make the minimum payment, pay the bill late, don’t know your balance, the balance keeps going up because of a large bill with acquired interest or you have to transfer the balance to another card, those are all signs of debt,” Latzman said. ”When you go out, put your card in a safe place, and take out a certain amount of money from the ATM. If you carry the card, set a limit, and if something you want is too expensive, wait till you have the cash or know you can pay it off soon. If you keep track of your balance, spend more on your true needs than wants and make a little more than the minimum payments every month, you will be able to avoid debt and paying bills for many years.”
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Help for eating disorders
Eating disorders support group formed
By Martha Harris
A seven-week eating disorders support group will meet Fridays from 3 to 4:30 PM in the Women's Resource Center from March 2 through April 27.
This group is for anyone who struggles with anorexia and bulimia. Fran Kendris from The Center for counseling is one of the leaders for this group. If interested in joining, students need to contact Kendris at 389-4255 by March 2 for a screening appointment.
“Last semester BU hosted a program called "Drop Dead Gorgeous," and the panel discussion group talked about eating disorders among actresses, models and college students,” Kendris said. “We hosted the panel because we wanted to raise awareness on campus about eating disorders, so that’s what this group will do as well.”
Marika Handakas of the department of sociology, social work and criminal justice is the other leader.
“I became involved with this group as a way of providing a needed service within the university community,” Handakas said. “Dr. Kendris, Dr. O'Neill and I decided to form the group because we are aware of the compelling need for it.”
According to the leaders, this group is important to help students with important life issues.
“We intend to discuss a different topic each week including body image, romantic relationships and other topics relevant to college students who are struggling with an eating disorder,” Kendris said. “The group should be of benefit because it will provide a therapeutic, safe and supportive
environment to address issues related to eating disorders, and it will ideally help students to connect with other students who are also struggling with
similar issues.”
“We are open to discussing all issues students bring to the group, but the focus will be on supporting healthy eating habits and promoting adaptive coping skills,” Handakas said. “Eating disorders are potentially fatal, so getting help is crucial. Those who struggle with eating disorders often feel isolated and alone; a
support group will help them know that their peers and the facilitators of the group are there for them.”
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By Martha Harris
A seven-week eating disorders support group will meet Fridays from 3 to 4:30 PM in the Women's Resource Center from March 2 through April 27.
This group is for anyone who struggles with anorexia and bulimia. Fran Kendris from The Center for counseling is one of the leaders for this group. If interested in joining, students need to contact Kendris at 389-4255 by March 2 for a screening appointment.
“Last semester BU hosted a program called "Drop Dead Gorgeous," and the panel discussion group talked about eating disorders among actresses, models and college students,” Kendris said. “We hosted the panel because we wanted to raise awareness on campus about eating disorders, so that’s what this group will do as well.”
Marika Handakas of the department of sociology, social work and criminal justice is the other leader.
“I became involved with this group as a way of providing a needed service within the university community,” Handakas said. “Dr. Kendris, Dr. O'Neill and I decided to form the group because we are aware of the compelling need for it.”
According to the leaders, this group is important to help students with important life issues.
“We intend to discuss a different topic each week including body image, romantic relationships and other topics relevant to college students who are struggling with an eating disorder,” Kendris said. “The group should be of benefit because it will provide a therapeutic, safe and supportive
environment to address issues related to eating disorders, and it will ideally help students to connect with other students who are also struggling with
similar issues.”
“We are open to discussing all issues students bring to the group, but the focus will be on supporting healthy eating habits and promoting adaptive coping skills,” Handakas said. “Eating disorders are potentially fatal, so getting help is crucial. Those who struggle with eating disorders often feel isolated and alone; a
support group will help them know that their peers and the facilitators of the group are there for them.”
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Legislative learning
Student travels to D.C. for legislative experience
By Martha Harris
As students, we have many opportunities to become involved in politics. Students can vote, but we can be even more directly involved by lobbying for issues which we think are important.
As the president of the Pennsylvania Association of Blind Students and a member of The National Federation of the Blind (NFB,) I had a chance to become a part of this process. Starting in 1940 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa, the NFb is the oldest blindness organization in the country. It is one devoted to advocacy where blind people speak for themselves; in the past, NFB has helped blind people vote and during last year’s Washington seminar, we lobbied for the Louis Braille coin act, which will give $4,000,000 to a Braille literacy campaign.
This year’s Washington seminar was from January 29 to February 1. there were two important issues. The first one was the Higher Education Textbook Access Act. As college students, you probably don’t think about getting books; you go to the bookstore or buy from places such as ebay and amazon.com. I do this as well, but it is just the first step in a process. If the books aren’t available in audio or electronic Braille formats, which most aren’t, I have to scan them, which takes a long time. For example, if I have to read four chapters of a book by Wednesday and it is Monday, I will spend at least 5 hours scanning and editing the pages before I can actually read the text for comprehension. Therefore, as blind students, we wanted to require higher education textbook publishers to produce electronic editions in an accessible standard format.
According to NFB representatives, “Sporadic help to meet the need for accessible texts is provided by on-campus disabled student service offices, by libraries for the blind in some states and by service organizations. Publishers, however, currently do little or nothing to support production of accessible texts. The Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), which represents over 1,500 postsecondary institutions, acknowledges the legal duty of institutions to meet access needs of blind students. Without greater support from textbook publishers, however, they cannot meet this obligation.”
When other blind students and I talked to a legislative aid for Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski, who is the representative for this area, he seemed interested in this issue. According to the legislative aid, “It makes sense to me. If I had to wait hours or even weeks to make my textbooks accessible, I don’t think I would have the job I do now.”
Our other issue was being able to vote. You might think that it’s not a big deal; you make the choice to vote and go do it. However, for thousands of blind people like me, it is not that simple. Finally, in 2006, blind people using electronic machines with text-to-speech software were able to vote-for the first time in history-by themselves in secret without having to take someone with them to press the correct lever or punch the right hole in the ballot.
Now, however, according to the NFB, “Questions have arisen about the reliability and security of electronic voting systems. As a result, jurisdictions have implemented a wide array of measures to address these concerns, most of which rely on some kind of paper record of ballots cast. In the rush to implement these so called voter-verified paper trails, little consideration has been given to the effect upon nonvisual access. The result, however unintended, is that blind people use equipment considered unfit for sighted voters and have their ballots segregated from the others.”
Congressman Rush Holt from New Jersey proposed to sponsor The Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act in the House and have his colleagues cosponsor and support this legislation.
All in all, Washington seminar is a positive experience. It allows students to become directly involved in the political process by talking to representatives, senators and legislative aids about issues that are important to us. The team of six people I was in talked to seven representatives, and because of those small groups, every person in the national legislature heard about issues affecting blind people all over the country. Hopefully, Congress will help us by passing laws giving us access to textbooks on time and ensuring our right to vote independently with security. Washington seminar is an annual tradition, and because of the continuing work of the NFB, it will be one which helps blind people to achieve equality and opportunities in all areas of life.
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By Martha Harris
As students, we have many opportunities to become involved in politics. Students can vote, but we can be even more directly involved by lobbying for issues which we think are important.
As the president of the Pennsylvania Association of Blind Students and a member of The National Federation of the Blind (NFB,) I had a chance to become a part of this process. Starting in 1940 in Wilkes-Barre, Pa, the NFb is the oldest blindness organization in the country. It is one devoted to advocacy where blind people speak for themselves; in the past, NFB has helped blind people vote and during last year’s Washington seminar, we lobbied for the Louis Braille coin act, which will give $4,000,000 to a Braille literacy campaign.
This year’s Washington seminar was from January 29 to February 1. there were two important issues. The first one was the Higher Education Textbook Access Act. As college students, you probably don’t think about getting books; you go to the bookstore or buy from places such as ebay and amazon.com. I do this as well, but it is just the first step in a process. If the books aren’t available in audio or electronic Braille formats, which most aren’t, I have to scan them, which takes a long time. For example, if I have to read four chapters of a book by Wednesday and it is Monday, I will spend at least 5 hours scanning and editing the pages before I can actually read the text for comprehension. Therefore, as blind students, we wanted to require higher education textbook publishers to produce electronic editions in an accessible standard format.
According to NFB representatives, “Sporadic help to meet the need for accessible texts is provided by on-campus disabled student service offices, by libraries for the blind in some states and by service organizations. Publishers, however, currently do little or nothing to support production of accessible texts. The Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), which represents over 1,500 postsecondary institutions, acknowledges the legal duty of institutions to meet access needs of blind students. Without greater support from textbook publishers, however, they cannot meet this obligation.”
When other blind students and I talked to a legislative aid for Congressman Paul E. Kanjorski, who is the representative for this area, he seemed interested in this issue. According to the legislative aid, “It makes sense to me. If I had to wait hours or even weeks to make my textbooks accessible, I don’t think I would have the job I do now.”
Our other issue was being able to vote. You might think that it’s not a big deal; you make the choice to vote and go do it. However, for thousands of blind people like me, it is not that simple. Finally, in 2006, blind people using electronic machines with text-to-speech software were able to vote-for the first time in history-by themselves in secret without having to take someone with them to press the correct lever or punch the right hole in the ballot.
Now, however, according to the NFB, “Questions have arisen about the reliability and security of electronic voting systems. As a result, jurisdictions have implemented a wide array of measures to address these concerns, most of which rely on some kind of paper record of ballots cast. In the rush to implement these so called voter-verified paper trails, little consideration has been given to the effect upon nonvisual access. The result, however unintended, is that blind people use equipment considered unfit for sighted voters and have their ballots segregated from the others.”
Congressman Rush Holt from New Jersey proposed to sponsor The Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act in the House and have his colleagues cosponsor and support this legislation.
All in all, Washington seminar is a positive experience. It allows students to become directly involved in the political process by talking to representatives, senators and legislative aids about issues that are important to us. The team of six people I was in talked to seven representatives, and because of those small groups, every person in the national legislature heard about issues affecting blind people all over the country. Hopefully, Congress will help us by passing laws giving us access to textbooks on time and ensuring our right to vote independently with security. Washington seminar is an annual tradition, and because of the continuing work of the NFB, it will be one which helps blind people to achieve equality and opportunities in all areas of life.
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It's what you leave behind you...
You Can’t Take it with You
By Martha Harris
You Can’t Take It With You, written by Moss Hart and directed by BU professor Michael Collins, is a joint production between the Bloomsburg Players and The Bloomsburg Theater Ensemble, BTE. It runs from Oct. 11 through Nov. 4, and admission is free with BU ID.
You Can’t Take It With You is a comedy set in 1936 in Grandpa Vanderhof’s living room, where his grand daughter, Alice Sycamore, and her rich boyfriend Tony Kirby, with his family come to dinner unexpectedly.
”Tony, is the son of the vice president on Wall St, and even though he is a part of upper crust society, he is still excentric, a free spirit,” Matt Bayer said.
”My character, Ed Carmichael, is the most excentric family member because he likes to play the xylophone a lot, making masks, use the printing press for the fun of it and deliver his wife’s candies,” Dan Acor said.
”Wilber C. Henderson is an IRS agent, and he follows normal society rules, which the Sycamores don’t abide because all they want to do is live life and be happy,” Phil Haberek said.
While Bloomsburg Players and BTE members have worked on together in the summer, this is the first joint production during the academic year because of the new lease of the Alvina Crause theater. BU students will be able to use it for three productions per year. According to faculty, there are benefits to this arrangement, mainly because it is good for the actors, and they now have enough space.
”There is no effective theatre space on campus because all performance venues, especially K.S. Gross Auditorium, are used for classes, so it’s not possible to work on scenery, lights, etc., until after those classes conclude,” theater department member Bruce Candlish said. ”The auditorium is on the second floor of Carver Hall, and there’s no freight elevator, which means students must carry heavy pieces of scenery up those stairs late at night or on weekends. There is also the problem that audiences can’t adequately see the stage, so we have modified the floor for nearly every production, sloping it so people can see. Finally, there was the lack of power and the basic structural integrity of the building and its ability to support the physical demands of theatrical production.”
”This is a rich experience for the students especially since this may be the only university in Pa that is so close to a professional theater,” Collins said. ”we have a long history of working with the ensemble and having members supporting us. The students are learning a great deal from apprenticing under seasoned, experienced performers. It is a fine opportunity to have a Pulitzer-winning play with roles made specifically for young, as well as older actors.”
to all involved, this has been a fulfilling and enjoyable experience from which participants and audience members can learn.
”It’s been on my list of plays to direct, and it’s very funny with a good philosophy,” Collins said.
”It poses questions such as when you are 40 years old, will you be happy
with what you did when you were 22?”
”It deals with things students go through, especially the love story,” Haberek said. ”There is the nervousness of meeting your girlfriend’s or boyfriend’s parents, and it is something all of us have experienced or will experience in the future.”
”I like it because it talks about escaping from society’s conventions and learning what culture and the community demands from you,” Acor said. ”People learn what makes them happy, conversation, family and love, not money and power.”
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By Martha Harris
You Can’t Take It With You, written by Moss Hart and directed by BU professor Michael Collins, is a joint production between the Bloomsburg Players and The Bloomsburg Theater Ensemble, BTE. It runs from Oct. 11 through Nov. 4, and admission is free with BU ID.
You Can’t Take It With You is a comedy set in 1936 in Grandpa Vanderhof’s living room, where his grand daughter, Alice Sycamore, and her rich boyfriend Tony Kirby, with his family come to dinner unexpectedly.
”Tony, is the son of the vice president on Wall St, and even though he is a part of upper crust society, he is still excentric, a free spirit,” Matt Bayer said.
”My character, Ed Carmichael, is the most excentric family member because he likes to play the xylophone a lot, making masks, use the printing press for the fun of it and deliver his wife’s candies,” Dan Acor said.
”Wilber C. Henderson is an IRS agent, and he follows normal society rules, which the Sycamores don’t abide because all they want to do is live life and be happy,” Phil Haberek said.
While Bloomsburg Players and BTE members have worked on together in the summer, this is the first joint production during the academic year because of the new lease of the Alvina Crause theater. BU students will be able to use it for three productions per year. According to faculty, there are benefits to this arrangement, mainly because it is good for the actors, and they now have enough space.
”There is no effective theatre space on campus because all performance venues, especially K.S. Gross Auditorium, are used for classes, so it’s not possible to work on scenery, lights, etc., until after those classes conclude,” theater department member Bruce Candlish said. ”The auditorium is on the second floor of Carver Hall, and there’s no freight elevator, which means students must carry heavy pieces of scenery up those stairs late at night or on weekends. There is also the problem that audiences can’t adequately see the stage, so we have modified the floor for nearly every production, sloping it so people can see. Finally, there was the lack of power and the basic structural integrity of the building and its ability to support the physical demands of theatrical production.”
”This is a rich experience for the students especially since this may be the only university in Pa that is so close to a professional theater,” Collins said. ”we have a long history of working with the ensemble and having members supporting us. The students are learning a great deal from apprenticing under seasoned, experienced performers. It is a fine opportunity to have a Pulitzer-winning play with roles made specifically for young, as well as older actors.”
to all involved, this has been a fulfilling and enjoyable experience from which participants and audience members can learn.
”It’s been on my list of plays to direct, and it’s very funny with a good philosophy,” Collins said.
”It poses questions such as when you are 40 years old, will you be happy
with what you did when you were 22?”
”It deals with things students go through, especially the love story,” Haberek said. ”There is the nervousness of meeting your girlfriend’s or boyfriend’s parents, and it is something all of us have experienced or will experience in the future.”
”I like it because it talks about escaping from society’s conventions and learning what culture and the community demands from you,” Acor said. ”People learn what makes them happy, conversation, family and love, not money and power.”
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