Bring it on, Girls!

I'm sure many of you had watched this video clip on YouTube before.That's not the point i want to make, however. I find a sense of pride and a feeling of satisfaction whenever I watch this clip over and over.



This is a tough game. its a basketball tournament played on away grounds. But its also more. It's a sports story of hard work, of determination, of a fight to rise over the stereotypes of women inability and most of all, its an inspirational story of accomplishment and of paving new paths for millions of young Somali girls, at home and abroad.

LIMITING FREE FLOW OF INFORMATION

I should tell you that I loved reading the New York Times (NYT) online and read it for quite a while from the comfort of my home or work. However, when I visited that site last night, I received a warning that I only had five more copies left to read for May.  “What in the world!” I said to myself. I knew that plans were underway to restrict free online readership but had no knowledge that such restriction has already taken effect.

As it stands, I can only access 20 free copies a month and anything beyond that means that I have to pay for it. Well, it makes a lot of sense that those journalists who make such reservoir of information available deserve an equitable return on their time and effort. But the public also have a right to know what happens at home and around the world in order to make informed choices as pertains to politics, business and anything else in between.

Where the right of one ends and the obligation of another begins has been a murky intersection in the press business especially since the internet has made to our living rooms, and we learned to live with it. Of course, everyone understands that you cannot walk into a neighborhood grocery store, pick up stuff and walk scot free without checking out properly. Nonetheless, online media in general and NYT in this case, has, in the past, made that a real possibility. As of now that possibility seems like a revolving door finally shutting in our face slowly but tightly. Restricted news readership limits access to and free flow of information.

But another contrarian perspective exists. NYT needs my presence on its website as much as I do.  After all, I must confess that the internet has changed my reading habits from reading books page by page to what I can describe as skimming. Skimming, in the sense that, I read only portions of an online article and move on to the next newsy, juicy piece on some other website say Washington Post, Aljazeera English or, most of all, Hiiraan Online.  The point is that the more traffic a website receives and the more hits readers make on online ads on the site, the more bucks NYT makes. So a website that receives 4 million visitors a month is likely to generate more revenue stream than my startup blog that receives only 1000 or less hits a month. So, a mutual symbiosis exists and of course that’s the reason I receive 20 free articles a month to read on NYT online. Call it a bait, if you may!

However, how many of the rival news sites will follow NYT’s example and whether this new restriction will be sustainable is another question. Today technology changes so fast and so constant. Just like newspapers have become almost redundant, so may online controlled websites be in a matter of months or few years to come. But what cannot be controlled is human ingenuity. If 50 facebook friends can each read 20 articles for free and they share it on facebook, they can still beat NYT restrictions. Whether what do they do is ethical or legal remains open for discussion. However, NYT realized that restrictions on sharing articles on facebook cannot, probably, be enforced-of course they will need to hire thousands of costly cyberpolice-, so it allowed it to happen!

Ending the Use of Cluster Munitions

How Much Blessed Do You Feel?

How much blessed are you? You are healthy, access quality education, drive to work, and most of all you have food on the table, every day. These are things that for some in your state, in your city and definitely in the building you live do not enjoy regularly. So how do you reflect on your station in life and does it make you think about the welfare of others, and of your own in a more insightful way. Does that make you consider what you can do to change it, to improve the condition of life for others, whether it’s volunteering your time at a local school or doing something more profound? You never know whether the person who cannot put bread on the table now is going to be the chief executive officer of the company you work for after you earn a graduate degree or after you face mid-career crisis and switch jobs. God forbid but in a rapidly changing world that remains a possibility.

Five weeks ago, I was at a suburban Marriot hotel for a two-day conference and I wanted to ask a female housekeeper for information. However, she couldn't talk to me because she didn't speak English. She, nonetheless, tried to direct me through hand gestures. Hand gestures I very much appreciated.

Today a man, looking for a job, came over to my desk, and just like the housekeeper, he spoke no English. Certainly, these two persons spoke other languages and fluently so.

If you live in North America, you understand how much important it’s to speak English. In the most simplistic example, it, more or less, determines if you would be able to access a job opportunity and as a result put food on the table. You can disagree with me if you will. On a more profound way, it limits your career progression if you already have higher or other professional degrees.

An example of this is Asal, an Iranian immigrant to the United States, who I met four years ago. Asal had a master’s degree in Psychology and a bachelor’s in education. Nonetheless, she worked at a retail, chain store as a logistics support staff with a per hour gross pay that was less than $8. So sad! Huh. The reason was that she didn’t speak English.

In retrospect, I feel so much blessed that at least I don't need an interpreter around me to access basic services and I volunteer every week in my community to improve the lives of people who deserve a lot better! But how much I would have reflected on this is something I wouldn’t have imagined much without meeting those two adorable people I have mentioned above! Now I know a little reflection goes a long way.

Moments to remember, to share and to reflect

Some moments in life are more remarkable, more satisfying. Getting married, birth of a new baby, family reunion, vacationing are all milestone to treasure, to look forward to.

I had some little but memorable moments the last few days. Moments that represent small victories in a world where  there's always plenty of equally nagging moments. In short, they were profound and extraordinary in every sense of those words.

On April 7-8, I participated in the 36th annual spring conference of Illinois Community Colleges Journalism Association, a two-day event that brought together 17 schools and more than 140 attendees.

Many student journalists have won individual awards on that occasion but most of all, The Uptown Exchange, the newspaper I then served as a staff writer, garnered third place in Overall Excellence in the Layout section.

Then the Community Service Awards came, where my colleagues, The Uptown Exchange staff and I were awarded individual certificates in recognition for civic engagement and service learning, at a dinner party, on April 28, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

A day later, I was awarded two diplomas at a Scholar’s Luncheon, an event organized to recognize high achieving students, and held at Marcello’s Restaurant, a cozy restaurant near downtown Chicago from 1 p.m. to 3p.m. One diploma was to honor my contribution, participation and completion of Trio Student Support Services’ socio-cultural and leadership seminars, and the other for maintaining an exceptionally high GPA.

But the most significant moment of all came on Wednesday May 11, at a Graduation Pavilion when I was asked severally to rise for achieving the highest honors, for being a lifetime member of an honor roll society and to receive a college degree thereof with the rights, honors and privileges that come with it.

To be recognized four times in a span of about thirty days is in the least humbling. As for me, I feel truly appreciated in the community I’m a member of and in the duties I rise to perform every day. It’s also a new challenge to keep up the efforts that led to those moments, to maintain the momentum and to inspire others to follow, much more to lead.

Last but not the least, it’s a moment to thank those who, by design or default, contributed to those honorable moments whether teachers, friends, workmates or family. In the end, I feel these are moments to remember, to share and to reflect.

Same Journey…Different Endings

I was riding the Red Line on my way to school today at around 8 o’clock. A standing passenger who wanted to talk to me drew my attention. He was a twenty something man with curly hair and brown eyes.

I responded to him with hi.

“Do you know me?” he asked

“I guess I do” came my answer. I didn’t quite remember him then; however, I ran through my mind to get clues of who he was and where I met him.

 As we interacted, he reminded me that we took a class together a while ago. Of course that was my first class at the college during my freshman year.

Fekadu has failed the class and has since dropped out of school.

He asked about me and what I did after that class and I explained to him that I kept moving on despite the challenging workload and that today was my graduation.

He was intrigued how fast time has passed that I was now finishing college. We both smiled.

Nonetheless, I explained to him that failing a class should not be an end in itself. Rather, it should be an opportunity to reevaluate oneself and to decide on what changes should be undertaken. That he can always access free tutoring services on campus. Additionally, what’s more important is that he can sign up for other classes, which he can certainly perform exceptionally better and that would encourage him to move on.

 Looking back, Fekadu and I embarked on the same journey, the same time but we arrived at different destinations. Neither of us had an easy ride. We both were immigrant youth navigating through a culture and society was new to us. We both were limited English language skills.

I firmly believe that Fekadu had burning ambitions. It’s those ambitions which brought him to school to enroll for a math class and to pay for it out of his pocket. Yet again, he needed support and as it appears he did not receive immediate help either because he didn’t know where to find it or he was simply distracted by other more challenging aspects of life.

In the end, everyone deserves an opportunity to earn an education that works. Challenges on the way to accessing quality education are many and are more pressing on those on the periphery of society whether these are the poor, the new immigrants, the disabled, minority groups, women among others. It would be good idea if institutions targeted those groups of society that need the real support without taking away much from those who have the drive  and the capacity to achieve their dreams.

FAITH AND HOPE

 I met two middle aged men sitting before an old high rise building while I was out to shoot environmental photos for a class assignment, on Wednesday, Apr. 4, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. I started a conversation with them in which each responded differently. One seemed uninterested while the other whom I will refer to as Bill continued to chat with me. I asked Bill for an opportunity to pose for my photo shoot and he agreed.

As I took one picture after another, he began to ask me questions on why I was taking the photos and what I would do with them afterward. Questions I answered honestly.

Interestingly, he opened up to me and even shared that he was a student in the same school whose project I was working on some 30 years ago, at a time when I was not even born. Then he wanted to study for a degree in Registered Nursing but failed to secure admission due to stiff competition for limited seats. Nonetheless, he still nurses the idea of coming back to school to finish his education and he even encouraged me to work hard at mine.

I advised Bill to listen to his inner call and find his direction in life even if that means going back to school he quit three decades ago. Unfortunately, Bill also acknowledged that he fell through the cracks and was now past his prime age. So going back to school would not be an easy task.

Bad things happen to good people. Life’s experiences are however sweet lessons for reflection. Two things one needs in those circumstances are faith and hope. Confidence in your own skin and trusting yourself are the first steps to build a strong faith, not only to start but also to accomplish any project. Once you have a sense of faith, hope that, despite the difficult challenges of life, you can get through is essential. Hope thus helps you endure hardships until you finally earn the fruits of your endeavors.

            For a related story of hope, please check out: http://www.guideposts.org/personal-growth/advice-finding-hope-after-catastrophic-loss

NEWS ABOUT THE WORLD

Anything that has a beginning must surely have an end. When I first started blogging, it was a cold Saturday afternoon in the third week of January, just a week after spring semester started in full swing. I began publishing, mostly, news articles on my blog, then an experiment in an unfamiliar territory known informally as blogosphere and I had to do it as part of a web production project for an advanced journalism class I was registered for. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a passion I wanted to pursue.

Five months later, I made about 27 posts on the blog I then named Truman, Uptown and Beyond (T.U.B). Over the course of that period, my blogging was limited to events that happened on campus or on the immediate vicinity of the school. Nonetheless, weekly blogging has helped me cover hyper-local news and I have certainly mastered the art of blogging, (Do I have the right to brag?) to say the least. Now it’s a warm, bright May Day outside my office and the semester has come to a sudden, unexpected end. More interestingly, I’m shy of two days before I’m awarded a college degree in journalism at what would be a colorful graduation ceremony coinciding the centennial anniversary of the school, and with the presence of luminaries from the public and business sectors. Call it another milestone!

And now the hard part comes: breaking those old, school habits (of course, I’m no longer a student) whether that was following professor’s instruction or seeking instructor’s support when necessary. Moving on to establish myself and to do something constructive with my training, before even finding a job in my field of specialization is my new drive. To achieve this goal, I need to take several steps as pertains to this blog:

First, effective today, my blog will be renamed, even though it will remain a news blog, News about the World and the URL address changed to IIBAASHAAL. Future change of name may be indispensible to respond to the demands of time and circumstance.  

And last but not the least, T.U.B ceases to be a school project. Rather, it will be a professional journalist’s platform and will thus cover news, commentary and analysis about the world in a very engaging and relevant way.

A Trip to the Aquarium: Exploring Life Beyond the Land

Truman Physical Sciences Professor, Dr. Rahm Almarzah, has taken the Oceanography 101 class for a trip to the Shed Aquarium, located south of downtown Chicago, on Sunday, Apr. 24, a day before the end of the spring recess.

The students gathered at the main building’s northeast gate, off Wilson Street, at 9 a.m. and the team, numbering about 20, departed by 9:30 a.m., boarded the Red Line and headed south.

Before departure, Dr. Almarzah explained the itinerary and advised students to observe safety regulations both on their way down and at the aquarium, too. He further joked with students that our “ride on the CTA Red Line is not insured by the school” and that everyone should exercise extra caution as a personal responsibility.  

Variety of Fish from the Great Lakes

At the aquarium, students had the opportunity to observe the variety of life whether based on fresh water lakes, rivers or the salty massive oceans.

According to Sheddaquarium.org, the official Website, the Aquarium, which is a part of the museum campus, hosts more than 32000 animals ranging from whales to snails.The Oceanography class explored all these animals free of cost thanks to the professor who organized the tour. 

In addition, while the rest of the regular visitors had to form long lines extending more than one city block and go through a registration process, Dr. Almarzah’s class were accorded special access through a back door and enjoyed watching the aquatic life without a hassle. 

Dr. Almarzah's Class Pose for a Group Photo after the Tour

Most students described the trip as a great experience and others said that “we have been treated like VIPs (very important persons).”

“It was so cool,” said Alex Sonov one of the students who went to the aquarium and that he “loved it.” Sonov’s love was demonstrated when he actually remained behind for another three hours while the rest of the students left after the two-hour recommended class visit.

School Resumes after Recess

Truman was, on Monday, back to business after the week of spring break. Offices and classrooms opened early to serve students who reported for morning classes and the normal school operations picked up pace slowly ahead of the last three weeks of the spring 2011 semester.

Nonetheless, it’s important to point out that this semester’s break was uncharacteristic in nature. First, unlike the City Colleges of Chicago’s recent past traditions, this break came between April 18 and 24, just a week before the final exams start.  Second, most schools, around the nation and particularly those in the Midwest, released students for spring recess on the end of March or on early April.

And finally, the break fell on the week of Easter and has thus given students, staff, and faculty an opportunity to observe the holiday with their families, and loved ones. This was welcome for many who have a strong family tradition to celebrate the occasion.

For a link to calendar events happening this week, including withdrawing from a class or registering for summer classes, please check out: http://trumancollege.edu/calendar/

Transfer Expo: Truman Students Explore Career Options

Truman was  a beehive of activities, on Wednesday, between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.. 20 schools from Chicago area and beyond set up tables at the Tech Center to serve students exploring career options beyond Truman.

The Student Success and Leadership Institute and Trio Student Support Services co-organized the transfer expo. visitors were asked to register at the entrance and offered free passes that enabled them access to free food and refreshments.

Loyola, University of Illinois at Chicago and Illinois Institute of Technology were some of the  Chicago Schools.

Representatives of the participating schools took questions and provided students information packages about financial aid, scholarship opportunities and  upcoming open house events.

For upcoming similar events, please checkout http://www.trumancollege.cc/studentservices/ssli/trexpo.php

Minding Your Health? Then know Your Farmer

According to a World Health Organization study, an entry of which appears on Encyclopedia Britannica, in the United States, “roughly 15 percent of adults age 20 to 74 were obese in the early 1980s and 34 percent were obese in 2007,”” while the Center for Disease Control describes American society as “obesogenic” who live in environments that “promote increased food intake,” and unhealthful eating.

Uptown CSA's Rae Mindock makes her presentation 

Obesity has become such an epidemic that is costing lives in America and causes for concerns grow every day. However, it seems all is not lost.  Four women, who spoke at Truman today, agreed that the answers to obesity prevalence may just lie in the foods we eat and that changing what we eat can improve our health, and save lives.

As part of the “One Book, One Truman” spring events series, Ray Cosgrove library hosted these four speakers engaged in promoting urban agriculture and in reconnecting famers with consumers on Wednesday, Apr. 13 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. The four women who represented Windy City Harvests, Uptown Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), Growing Home and Angelic Organics Learning Center made presentations to more than 30 students, staff and faculty.

They explained their work in promoting healthy eating by building local organic food systems such as vegetable gardening, seasonal fruit baskets and beekeeping. In addition, they offer workshops and establish working groups such as schools, youth groups, and communities.

Breanne Heath (right) and Kelly Larsen (left) pose for a picture after their presentation

For Windy City Harvest representative, Kelly Larsen, who graduated from Truman in 2000, today’s event was more than just about making a presentation. Rather, it was an opportunity to reengage her former school and share her experiences as an advocate for urban agriculture in Chicago and how current Truman community can start up small gardens, access markets and gain valuable skills.

“When you know your famer, you can ask questions about the produce and the conditions under which it was grown,” said Breanne Heath, Growing Home Inc. Field Training Specialist, while responding to a participant who expressed skepticism about the nature of groceries sold at retail stores like Jewel Osco. She also explained how hard it’s to access such information from store managers or sales associates on foods imported from distant places.

The end to America’s insatiable appetite for food is invisible. Nonetheless, to educate the public and raise awareness of alternatives to processed food or foods grown with fertilizers, the four presenters encouraged attendees both to grow their own food and know their farmer. Either way, weight problems and health risks resulting from complications in eating inorganic food can be reduced.

Please check out these links for details: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKbNgIAWce8    and

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/videos/the-fabulous-beekman-boys-meet-farmer-john.html

Uptown Exchange Staffers Win Awards at ICCJA Conference

Truman’s Uptown Exchange Staffers have won several awards at the Illinois Community College Journalism Association’s (ICCJA) 36th Annual Spring Conference held at Moraine Valley Community College (MVCC) at Palos Hills, Illinois on Thursday and Friday, from Apr. 7 to 8.

Uptown Exchange staffers arrive at MVCC

The awards presented on the last day of the Conference recognized students for excellence in various aspects of their school newspapers.

Oliver Hunt and Andrew Murray of The Uptown Exchange had won first place for Arts and Features in Division II category respectively while David Palm and Ben Heimer both got an honorable mention in the Editorials.

The Uptown Exchange Staffers pose for a group photograph

Melissa Brand received an honorable mention in the News category while the staff of The Uptown Exchange garnered third place in Overall Excellence in the Layout section.

 Current ICCJA President, Brenda Protz, speaks at the Awards ceremony

Journalism Professors from various participating Community Colleges, including ICCJA Executive Director John Ryan and the current President Brenda Protz, offered free workshops on Lead writing, Freelancing, Feature writing, and interviewing techniques.

The 36th ICCJA conference attracted, according to the organizers, 17 schools and more than 140 participants.

Is Out of Service Enough of an Explanation?

Front lobby TV set out of order

If you have an insatiable appetite for news of what happens at home and around the world, you must have realized that a black, flat screen television hangs up in the front lobby.

If you were laid off or your hours cut down due to the recession of the last few years, you might have disconnected your Comcast or AT & T Cable Service to save money. If that is true, then one of the places to catch up with your favorite, live newscast would be at the school.

A students accesses his laptop below the blank TV screen

However, if you really paid attention to the goings-on on campus the last two weeks, that flat screen in the front lobby was blank. The only explanation I received when I bothered to ask was that it’s out of order.

Interestingly, today is Saturday Apr. 9 and there are no repair guys working to fix the problem, not to mention tomorrow, a Sunday, when I don’t expect them to be there either. As it appears, it will take three weeks in the least or even longer to repair the problem.

If anything, students must have received a communication of some sort why this service is not available. That didn’t happen either. So what? Don’t you think at least we owe the school an explanation?

If the school had paid the bill in full, then either our Cable TV company is doing disservice to Truman community or whoever in charge of repairs has slept on the job.

Last but not the least, how many such TV sets does Truman has if I may ask? So far, I had only seen two, the one in the front lobby and another in the Student Lounge. For a school of Truman’s size, two TVs is just a drop in the ocean. 

On the Merit of the Issues

The 46th Ward Aldermanic election contest drew down two contestants, Molly Phelan and James Cappleman a week before the Election Day.

The two candidates faced off in a runoff debate held at Truman on Monday, Mar. 28, between 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Two moderators asked both candidates many tough questions from public education, to arts, new businesses and security in the streets and they both appeared to be holding to positions of strength from the way they answered the questions.

How to solve the security-related problems on Uptown streets was, however, a hot button issue. If this was the only deciding factor and I was residing in Uptown, I would have voted for Cappleman.

 In her defense, Phelan argued for more police patrol on Uptown streets; while this may help arrest and incarcerate criminals, it does not go deep enough to address the roots causes of crime in Uptown.

On the other hand, to his credit, Cappleman promised to roll out resources that would provide meaningful engagements to young people including athletics and more funding for schools and afterschool programs. He stressed that prevention is better and would probably cost much less than fighting crime.   

For details, please check out http://www.uptownupdate.com/2011/03/reading-nook.html

Is it Stealing or Ignorance?

 It occurred to me last night, just before I went to bed, to write about theft of library resources such as books, Magazines or DVDs from Ray Cosgrove library for my next blog. I saw this happen before but it never crossed my mind to cover it for my blog.

 I saw several times in the past students who attempted to take books out of the library without checking them out properly. Just this semester alone, I saw this happen on three different occasions while I was studying at the library. I should tell you that I don’t even visit the library every day. Just three or four times a week, at most. So for me to witness three attempts of theft of resources belonging to all of us was odd enough and has thus generated interest in me.

So, I deliberately went to the library today and stayed there until I witnessed two such attempts.  In the first case, a student packed books in his backpack and strolled through the exit like they he was a king. The good thing is that Ray Cosgrove books have magnetic strips which activate the antitheft alarm system whenever students exit the library with books that are not scanned for check out.

The library staffs are ready and trained to investigate and recover such books. But the reaction of the students who do such uncivil behavior is mostly unexpected. Some just drop the materials and walk out quietly while others try to cover up their actions by not cooperating with the library staffs. It’s this later group that becomes a thorn in the flesh of the librarian at the counter because then the Security Officer on duty has to be called in.

Either case, today’s attempters were humble enough to drop the books without further complicating the situation. Students who attempt to steal books can still check out the same books if they have a valid library card.

Librarian Kehinde Akinnlolu-Ale told me that she witnesses such behavior, on average, five times a month.

 The interesting thing is what motivates students to steal library resources. Those who would want to attempt such indecency must first understand that library resources belong to all the faculty, staff and students who call Truman home and stealing books from shelves affects all of us who want to use those books.

Check out the link about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7GSIxd896E

Beyond News: Seeking Truth in Polarizing Media

Participants watch short video clips from Fox News and MSNBC

Did you ever turn on your tele and wonder how the talking heads on your screen make the world around you look to spin out of balance or that there’s so much mayhem going on that you lose focus of what you can do to change things?

I f you answered yes, Truman Sociology Professor Madeline Troche-Rodriguez and Social Sciences Professor Joshua Jones hosted a critique on the role of the Media on, Thursday, Mar. 24, at the front lobby from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. to address such oversimplified upshot.

Student Andrew Dahl asks a question during the presentation

The participants watched video clips from Fox News and MSNBC coverage of Wisconsin 2011 budget process to illustrate the context and extent of polarization in the American media. The show hosts and news commentators, shown in the clips, were selective in their reporting, omitting arguments that did not reflect their own ideological slant.

Even though I joined a little while after it had begun, the purpose of the presentation was, according to Jones, to promote the public to “engage in dialogue,” and also to widen the scope of that debate. He also stated that media messages have purposes and encouraged attendees to do citizen journalism, read multiple sources, and not just be isolated to liberal and conservative view of an issue.

Journalism Professor Ben Ortiz responds to questions by students

40 to 60 students and faculty participated in the event, where students asked questions and the faculty provided expert opinion on the issues at hand.

Organizers distributed flyers with the addresses of international English language news Websites to help students explore different views of issues happening around the world.

Pink Elephant Sale Raises Funds for Female Students

Walker attends to a student who ordered a blueberry muffin

If you passed by the Cafeteria entrance between the hours of 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Tuesday, March 22, you had an opportunity to see the incredible exhibit of lots of odds and ends displayed on tables. And if you stopped to ask, you would have known that the American Association of Women in Community Colleges’ (AAWCC) Pink Elephant (PE) sale was taking place.

The items on sale included beads, house wares, purses, dresses, belts, shoes, home wall arts, three-rings binders, and other bits and pieces. Food items such as cupcakes, cookies and blueberry muffin also were also on sale.

The prices of the varied items also  ranged from 25 cents to upward of six dollars, and the terms of payment were limited to cash only.

Sarah Yankey,  last year's AAWCC scholarship  recipient, stops by the PE Sale

Teresa Walker of the Human Resources Department, Felicity Murray from the Registrar’s Office and Joanne Kalnitz, an Associate Professor in the Communications Department, stood behind spectacular arrangements of six tables put end-to-end, to attend to the many students and staff who bought the stuff.

The aim of the PE sale was according to Murray “to raise money for scholarships,” for Truman female students and the scholarships will “help students to pay for tuition, to purchase books, food or (even) transportation,” said Walker.

It’s interesting for me to learn that all the things sold at the fundraiser event was donated by different groups who wanted to support AAWCC.

Even though the fundraiser was ongoing and the funds realized then was not made available to me at the time of my visit, the organizers, however, told me similar fund drives in the past raised not more than $ 400, and other college-based scholarships chipped in some cash to support the benefit. Six female students received AAWCC scholarship awards last year.

Although AAWCC is a 37-year old organization, Truman Chapter is, however, about 20 years old. 

Roman Era Political Corruption Endures in Our Times

 Prof. Skentzis Making a Presentation at the Library

Dennis Skentzis, Professor of History at Truman College, today gave a moving speech about the Roman writer Tacitus. The presentation, hosted by Ray Cosgrove library, was titled “Tacitus: Romans Behaving Badly. “

             “We had Skentzis last year and he made a well received presentation about the Greek civilization,” said, Leone McDermott, Assistant Professor and Library Chairperson, who presented Skentzis, “and we asked him, this year, to give equal time to the Romans.”

Interim President Lynn Walker Chats with Prof. Skentzis After the Speech

The presentation began at 2 p.m. and attracted over 60 attendees including staff, faculty and students. Professor Skentzis used slides and a documentary video to aid his speech. He described Tacitus, whose full name is not even known, as a Roman governor, senator, an orator and most of all, a historian, whose work has inspired many who came after him.

Students Self-serve Snacks and Refreshments After the Presentation

Tacitus, the Professor said, “Wrote about the history of bygone Roman Republic periods,” rather than the then ruling emperors to save his career from the wrath of imperial tyrants. He, however, noted it was also freer to write during imperial Rome than Republican times.

Skentzis highlighted similarities of Roman era decadence and culture of political corruption to our own times.

The presentation lasted a little over half an hour and refreshments, and snacks were served both before and after the speech.

Inside Truman: How Much Are Students Utilizing Resources on Campus?

Laura Maciel Talks to  UIC Admission Counselor Amanda Williams as Another Student Waits on.

It’s amazing how time moves so fast. If you feel the semester began just in the third week of January and that we didn’t get anywhere yet, you need to think again. The most interesting news for you is that half of the semester is right behind us already. As we count down towards the end of spring 2011, we also need to reflect on campus events and about people around us who we usually don’t pay much attention to.

Many times we take for granted how much effort Truman staff spends to organize or help bring outside institutions to our campus, to expose students to relevant information and  as a result, to more opportunities.

Worse even, it’s important to ask whether we are taking full advantage of services that these outside organizations offer including information about transfers, campus life, scholarships and job opportunities after graduation.

Student Laura Maciel Talks to  UIC Admission Counselor Amanda Williams

At 11 a.m. today, I stopped by at two stands at the cafeteria entrance where female admission representatives from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) and DeVry University answered questions about transfer and related opportunities at their respective schools.

Udamtsog Magsar stops at DeVry University Stand to Seek Transfer Information

Although the ladies were cheerful and prepared, both with answers, and with information brochures, very few passersby stopped by to ask them anything; I stayed there for half an hour, observing, and only three students stopped at either one of the two stands.

Is it because students are really busy to mind what happens on our campus or we have all the information we need to transfer to other schools, especially at a time when the District is studying why City Colleges of Chicago have such a low retention rate?

Next time you pass before the cafeteria, just observe how many students check out the fairs that are usually showcased there and think about how much gratitude we owe to those who made those resources available to us.