It’s a strange time to be a Kanye West fan right now.

The hip-hop pantheon is in the middle of releasing new projects under his label G.O.O.D. Music, including his own studio album, ye, which released last Friday. In the past, this has only been good news. But recently, Kanye has been in news headlines for all the wrong reasons. His Twitter rants, support of Donald Trump and comments on slavery have his core fans wondering if the 21-time Grammy winner is in touch with today’s social and political climates like some of his colleagues are.

It begs the question: Should his core fans — most of whom do not align with West’s political beliefs — tolerate his ignorant views? Can you still consume his media if you disagree with his rhetoric? Or in other words, is Kanye cancelled?

“Book in real time”

In order to understand the dilemma we have to go back to last April when Kanye was active on Twitter, or his “book in real time,” as he described it. It was an exciting time for not just Kanye fans, but for all Twitter users who got a kick out of his wacky and meme-able tweets. It was one of his first public appearances since he left the stage in the middle of his concert in 2016 for health concerns. His fans were happy to see him well.

Kanye originally came back tweeting about what made him deservedly famous in the first place: his music and his clothing line. For many of us who put Kanye on a pedestal for his cultural impact, it felt like we were getting a behind-the-scenes look into our idol’s life and work. It felt good to be on Twitter.

But it’s all fun and games until someone starts supporting Donald Trump. Sadly, that’s exactly what West expressed. He claimed in a tweet that he and Trump both have “dragon energy.”

You don't have to agree with trump but the mob can't make me not love him. We are both dragon energy. He is my brother. I love everyone. I don't agree with everything anyone does. That's what makes us individuals. And we have the right to independent thought.

— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) April 25, 2018

His tweet was immediately hit with backlash by his core fans and the general Twitter community, but one notable person praised him for praising the president: President Trump himself.

Thank you Kanye, very cool! https://t.co/vRIC87M21X

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 25, 2018

What the hell Kanye? You didn’t say writing your “book in real time” meant you were going to openly support white supremacy. His tweets on Donald Trump go beyond support; it’s borderline fandom. He dons a signed MAGA hat for the world to see. As someone who has opposed Trump’s rhetoric for years, this was infuriating to see.

But the grossest incident came when he expressed his views on slavery when he appeared on TMZ. In a discussion, West claimed that 400 years of slavery “sounds like a choice,” as if Black Americans choose to be systemically imprisoned. Thankfully, a Black employee at TMZ stood up to West after his comments, saying how disappointing it is hear how out-of-touch West is with the rest of society.

Should politics affect our support for someone?

It should be noted that the tweets weren’t the first incident of Kanye’s support of Trump. His support goes back to when Kanye took a visit to Trump Tower only a month after the election to discuss “multicultural views,” specifically on the topic of West’s hometown of Chicago. The meeting was over a year and half ago, and no progress on the issues has been made.

But should somebody’s political views affect whether or not we support them? A lot of people would find it closed-minded and childish to discredit someone with different political beliefs. This is true to an extent. We should be open to what people have to say, unless they support hate. That being said, in today’s political climate, you are either for Donald Trump or you are against Donald Trump.

Since the the first day of his campaign trail, Donald Trump has expressed, among many things, xenophobic, racist and misogynistic views. His views are divisive, and it is evident that he does not support minorities and marginalized communities. Donald Trump is obviously on a side, and most of Kanye’s fans are not on that side.

West’s lyrics and actions throughout his career have exemplified support of marginalized communities, especially the Black community. He was outspoken of President Bush’s handling of Hurricane Katrina and has been vocal on mass incarceration, which makes his recent views on slavery even more mind boggling.

But even Kanye has expressed that he does not support all of Trump’s views. This leads us to ask, what does Kanye believe? If he supports Trump, but not 100 percent, then which of Trump’s views does he support? Just the misogynistic views? Just the racist ones? It’s ridiculously confusing. Kanye refuses to “pick a side,” considering himself to be a “free thinker,” but most of his fans have chosen one. And that’s why we are outraged.

Should we separate the art from the artist?

In this day and age, it’s culturally accepted to not separate the art from the artist. The #MeToo movement wouldn’t work if we kept watching Kevin Spacey films or episodes of Louie. When an artist has done or is doing something problematic, it’s common to boycott that artist.

So will we boycott Kanye West in the height of his label dropping new music? Even though we should, we most likely will not. And that’s evident with his newest album reaching number one on iTunes in the United States. The general public seems to always give Kanye a pass on his crazy public antics, as long as he keeps releasing musical masterpieces.

When you think of Kanye solely as an artist — even though it’s not possible to make this separation — Kanye truly is a musical innovator. He changed the course of hip-hop back in 2004 with his album, College Dropout, by rapping about faith, love and family in a time where gangster rap was mainstream. His 2013 album, Yeezus, influenced an entire generation of hip-hop musicians to mainstream trap drums and autotune. Kanye West has had an enormous impact on the music industry. This is why it’s so hard to write off Kanye as a nobody when he is and always has been an important influencer of culture.

But we can’t just forget everything either. No one should consider themselves a bad person or a bad ally for listening to West’s music or making Kanye West references. But when somebody brings up the fact that Kanye supports someone whose views are xenophobic, racist and misogynistic, there’s really no way to defend him.

Yes, Kanye is out of touch, and he doesn’t deserve much sympathy for it, but you’re going to like what you’re going to like regardless. If you’ve liked Kanye’s music for more than half your life like I have, then you’re going to listen to his music.

It helps me sleep at night knowing that West is not in a position to directly affect the rights and well-being of regular people like Trump is. But someone who is in a position of privilege and is regularly discussing that people need help should be active in helping their communities. Chance The Rapper is donating $1 million to Chicago Public Schools; Pusha-T is increasing voter turnouts in Virginia. Maybe Kanye should follow in the footsteps of his mentees. And maybe there’s still time to give him that chance.

Is Kanye cancelled?

So is Kanye West cancelled? Probably not. His influence is huge and his core fans will follow him to any extent. It would be right of us to cancel Kanye, but again, the general public seems to be giving him a pass, something we don’t allow to many others. His views are wrong. His ideology is wrong. To say that Trump has done more for black people than Obama is just plain wrong. In a time where kids are being stripped from their families, dreamers are worried about being deported and white supremacists are openly killing people, it is absolutely not okay to support Donald Trump.

Hopefully Kanye realizes this one day. If he doesn’t, he is bound to lose much of his audience. You can’t say you support love when you support somebody who drives hate into people.

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Ducks Together won the 2018 ASUO elections by a landslide last week. Students have learned about each campaign’s ambitions and goals throughout the election process, but now that we know who will be taking over, what should we expect?

Ducks Together’s slate focused its campaign on “taking back student power” by protecting student voices and funding student aid services, such as mental health counseling and a food pantry. As students, you can expect that the 2018-2019 ASUO administration will prioritize marginalized student communities, push back against administration and get an early start on their agenda.

Supporting marginalized students

Diverse students and minority groups can look forward to support from ASUO. The Ducks Together slate includes many minorities, including people who are working class, queer, trans, immigrants, disabled and people of color. These minorities can expect to have their voices heard with representation in ASUO. Beyond that, president-elect Maria Alejandra Gallegos-Chacon wants to make supporting marginalized communities a priority.

“This position comes with an enormous amount of power and privilege, and I just want to make sure that all of that goes back to benefitting the marginalized communities on campus and hopefully for the [larger] community, because this was a largely community-led campaign,” Gallegos said.

One way Gallegos plans to support marginalized students is by re-working the stipend model given to ASUO-funded groups on campus, which became a hot issue during the ASUO town hall debate prior to the election. Gallegos believes that changing the stipend model will benefit large student groups who bear a tough workload with little pay.

“The stipend model really hurts some groups. Some of the larger groups don’t get a very beefy stipend. … Only certain staff members get stipends, but if you have more [members] then it kind of punishes groups for hiring more students,” Gallegos said. “I think that’s a good thing the senate will be able to work on over the summer.”

Challenging Administration

Another thing students can be sure of: Gallegos isn’t afraid to challenge the current UO administration.

“I think it is important to have [us] work against administration sometimes,” Gallegos said. During the 2016-2017 school year, she witnessed ASUO president Quinn Haaga advocate for last year’s 10.6 percent tuition increase “because [President Schill] basically told her to.”

“It does a disservice [to students] because we’ve seen that [working with administration] doesn’t work. We’ve seen that president Schill will discount [students] for being friendly,” Gallegos said. “I kinda know where president Schill stands. … I’m not here to get a recommendation letter.”

Getting an early start

Gallegos has already started conversations about what to do better next year with current ASUO president Amy Schenk. Schenk’s main suggestion, one which Gallegos took into account before the elections, was to start early — Gallegos made plans to stay over the summer “just in case” she won. She anticipates that having the opportunity to stay in Eugene with other ASUO members will give next year’s slate a head start on their agenda.

“Since [this year’s ASUO administration] didn’t have the summer to work as much, I think that kinda delayed them setting forth their agenda until fall term,” Gallegos said. She hopes to be able to start work on fixing the stipend model, funding the food pantry and begin meeting and working with student groups over the summer. It’s also important for her to be present for student conduct code meetings and as a check on UO administration.

“The administration takes advantage of students being gone over summer break, over winter break. … historically some things will pass when no students are there to know about [it].” But Gallegos and her “core team” will be there.

Only 1,846 students voted in this year’s elections, but the decisions that ASUO administration makes affects every student at some level. Having a say in these decisions goes beyond voting — it is our responsibility as students to hold ASUO administration accountable for what they do and how it affects the university. Ducks Together emphasized taking back student power, and students are the only ones who can ensure that happens.

The 2018-2019 ASUO elected slate will take office on May 25.

The post What to expect from ASUO 2018-2019 appeared first on Emerald Media.

Aziz Binhazzaa was anxious about his recent arrival to the United States; his only exposure to the English language was through movies and pop culture. So when he came to study abroad in Eugene, he looked for help. Aziz signed up for the American English Institute’s Tutoring and Conversation Partner Program: a one-on-one session held twice a week for international students to practice their oral English skills with domestic students at the University of Oregon.

During his first week on campus, Aziz, an international student from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, walked around UO’s EMU looking for Elizabeth Welte, a sophomore from Las Vegas, Nevada. When he found his conversation partner seated at a table, he sat across from Welte, in a hurry to introduce himself. Feeling nervous, but excited about his stay in the United States, Aziz jumped straight into the conversation. “Um, what is the Bill of Rights?”

Full of unanswered questions, international students like Aziz can feel overwhelmed when they arrive at UO. From adapting to the environment to navigating everyday life, international students need help adjusting.

AEI conversation partners are there to make the transition easier.

Although conversation partners are technically paid tutors, the exchange between participants often leads to a greater cross-cultural understanding — for the student and the tutor. But more than that, conversation partners are the first casual American social experience for international students and even sometimes their first real American friend.

Aziz & Lizzie

Aziz Binhazzaa speaks with his conversation partner Elizabeth Welte. (Natalie Waitt-Gibson)

In the conversation partner selection process, international students provide information about their major and interests so domestic students can choose a partner who is a good match. Since Aziz was interested in business, Welte, a business major, selected Aziz based on his similar interests. But that doesn’t mean their conversations are just about business.

“The first thing he wanted to do was learn about the Constitution. And I thought, ‘Oh boy, here we go,’” said Welte, who chuckled alongside Aziz as they reminisced about their first session as conversation partners.

“I’m not even interested in history,” Aziz said. “I thought, ‘if I’m going to live in the United States for some time, a part of me needs to learn U.S. history, so I can understand the country a bit more.’”

Aziz and Welte have met twice a week every week for the past two terms, finally moving on from U.S. history to casual conversations — ones that you might have with your best friends. When Welte was considering leaving UO to return to her home and attend the University of Nevada, Las Vegas next year, Aziz was there to help.

“It felt like I was taking a step back, but we talked about it and it’s not a step back,” Welte said. “He is my best friend and was part of my decision to go home. I came to him; as someone who tried something new, and being a business person, I just asked, ‘what is your advice?’”

Since 1980, the AEI tutoring program has helped international students improve their English. Of the 3,200 international students at UO, AEI is a program for those who aren’t proficient in English. Tutors aid teachers in classrooms and provide peer-to-peer support in the conversation partner program. Their goal is to enhance international students’ experience in the U.S. education system, provide knowledge of university resources and help students adjust to the Pacific Northwest culture.

“I didn’t know what to do. Is it difficult to get around? Is it easy? I wasn’t sure, but Lizzie helped me a lot to settle in,” Aziz said.

“One of the first things he asked me was ‘where can I get a haircut?’ Yes you could’ve just looked it up, but I knew where a good one was and I knew if he went to a salon instead of a barbershop, he wouldn’t have had his beard trimmed,” she said; Aziz laughed and stroked his beard.

“It’s the little things about living here that international students can mix up, but I’m here as a resource for him,” said Welte. “That’s what conversation partners do.”

Tomoka & Ellie

Originally from Chiba, Japan, Tomoka Uechi was eager to study abroad in Oregon. Her conversation partner, Ellie Yeo, was just as excited to begin her language teaching career. Yeo didn’t know quite yet, but she’d signed up to do a lot more that just teach.

During Uechi’s first term at UO, she felt as though her living situation was not ideal. It was set up for her by AEI and she was living too far from campus, which meant being far from her friends, classes and conversation partner. Uechi wanted a change, but wasn’t sure where to begin.

“Tomoka wanted to get an apartment last fall, so instead of sitting down and tutoring, we went apartment hunting together,” Yeo said.

“Oh yeah, Ellie helped me a lot!” Uechi replied.

“We did the application process together, and now she lives closer to campus and closer to her friends,” Yeo said.

Sometimes, international students are more concerned about their lifestyle while studying abroad than their school work. Both are important, and that’s why Uechi believes that simple conversations are just as valuable as a classroom lesson.

“For learning English, there are huge gaps between what I learn in class and what I learn with a conversation partner. In a class, the teacher teaches me grammar all term, but I rarely practice it. With a conversation partner, it’s just easy conversation. I don’t need to worry about grammar, but I can practice it,” Uechi said. “Ellie knows my background, and I trust her. I also like to ask her about slang; something they don’t teach us in class but is part of the English language.”

Zhikai & Natasha

Conversation partners Natasha Willow and Zhikai Wu. (Adam Eberhart/Daily Emerald)

International students often experience culture shock upon arriving in the U.S., even about little things like using Facebook as a form of socializing or something as traditional as following a religion. For Zhikai Wu, Christmas was the most shocking cultural event that occurred during his time as an AEI student.

“On Christmas, apparently everyone needs to give each other presents? That’s a new festival for me. I’ve never celebrated Christmas. In China we just celebrate New Year,” Wu said.

“Oh! I remember you told me something about Chinese New Year that shocked me too,” said Natasha Willow, Wu’s conversation partner and native Oregonian.

Willow, a Chinese major studying to be a language teacher, claims to learn just as much as she teaches. “In Chinese New Year, people give out dumplings for people to eat, but some of them have coins, and if you eat one with a coin in it, it’s good luck! I have always known about Chinese New Year, but never about that.”

“I like sharing our different cultures. And Natasha is a good partner for that,” Wu said. Wu is planning to graduate from the AEI to attend UO’s Lundquist School of Business. To do that, he must first pass the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

For international students to move on from practicing grammar, reading and writing, they must test their English proficiency and comprehension skills, including conversational English. Wu feels that his conversation partner experience will give him an advantage come test time.

The AEI program

Behind the front desk at Agate Hall. (Adam Eberhardt/Daily Emerald)

Although the conversation partner program is an important aspect of AEI, international students are not forced to take on the one-on-one sessions. They can instead participate in the myriad of other activities provided by AEI, such as the homework help desk, course electives based on American culture and the weekly coffee hour, an event where anyone can mingle and have a cup of coffee.

But not surprisingly, international students value the importance of practicing one-on-one English with native speakers. Of the 160 international students enrolled in AEI this term, approximately 70 to 75 percent have requested a conversation partner. In past terms, AEI had about 50 percent of its students request a partner. This increase could be attributed to AEI tutor coordinator Karen Ulloa, who made the process of requesting a partner more accessible.

“The conversation partner program is incredibly useful to both parties,” Ulloa said.  “For the international students, it’s peer to peer. In classrooms they have teachers who vary in ages, and their living situations –– most of the time –– are with people who speak their own language. So this gives them the opportunity to speak to someone who is around the same age, has the same interests that is also a college student.”

Ulloa believes that the conversation partner program is not a one-way tutoring session for international students, but a chance for domestic students to learn about the world and make cross-cultural connections. “It’s opening hearts and opening minds,” Ulloa said.

Bridging the cultural gap

Last September, when Saudi Arabia lifted the ban on women drivers, Aziz and Welte dug into a cross-cultural conversation about it. “We also spent a lot of time [talking] about women being able to drive. I had a lot of old-fashioned ideas about Saudi Arabia,” Welte said. “He came to me so happy when he found out, and now his sister wants to get a bunch of cars.”

Aziz believes that cultural understanding is one of the advantages of speaking to people from a different country or culture.

“When you read about Saudi Arabia, it’s not as easy as it is to talk to somebody from Saudi Arabia,” Aziz said. “It’s not like women were imprisoned before it was legal for them to drive. We had drivers, chauffeurs, transportation, and that isn’t included in a news article most of the time.”

He feels that cross-cultural conversations clear up misconceptions about a culture, like his talk with Welte.

“We also had so many discussions on freedom of speech whenever there were protests on campus, like the Genocide Awareness Project one,” Welte added. “We spent a lot of time talking about why they can do this and why it’s legal for them to do this.”   

“To me, in my culture, if something appears wrong, you cannot talk about it. However” — Aziz briefly paused to side-eye at Welte, who had taught him how to use the word “however”— “Here in America it is completely different. Here in America you have free speech and can talk about whatever you want as long as you’re not violent. To me this is very interesting. It’s not like this in Saudi Arabia.”

The conversation partner program is laying a foundation for cross-cultural understanding. For Aziz, this exchange doesn’t come from reading books, but rather by speaking to people of another culture, immersing oneself in that environment and having constant curiosity for a whole new world.

“I guess it’s a good thing I asked about the Bill of Rights the first day!”

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The Genocide Awareness Project (GAP), a radical anti-abortion organization, will be coming to the University of Oregon this week to display photographs and images of aborted fetuses juxtaposed next to pictures of victims of genocide.

GAP wishes to start a conversation on the value of human life by forcing students to examine poster-board sized pictures of dead fetuses, equating it to nations facing or have faced genocide. Originally created by the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform and part of the AbortionNO movement, GAP has been mobile on college campuses around the nation since 1997 and has previously displayed on UO’s campus several times.

Everything GAP does is not only repulsive and disturbing, it goes to the extent of being racist, sexist and offensive to anybody who opposes seeing images of dead fetuses on their way to class, which I believe is the majority of UO students. Placing the images next to photos of Holocaust and lynching victims is GAP’s absurd tactic of comparing abortion to genocide. Although GAP is exercising its free speech rights, it’s doing it in the most repugnant way possible.

What are students to do about this egregious display? For those who want to ignore the demonstration: pay no attention to it at all. Students who want to get from one class to another  should not give GAP the pleasure of their attention. GAP would rather see appalled students before indifferent students. This should be the strategy for anyone who isn’t interested in protesting.

But for those who want to protest: be loud. Have your voice heard and exercise your free speech rights to denounce GAP’s display. Students who want to protest can join the organized Facebook event created by the University of Oregon’s Student for Choice. The group will hold a peaceful counter-protest designed to criticize GAP’s rhetoric and direct distressed students to the UO Women’s Center in the EMU as a safe space.

This is a time for UO students who believe in choice to come together and fight against a movement that promotes hate, racism and sexism. Our campus voice is stronger together.

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Now that we’ve all settled in after the first week of school, it’s time to branch out of our classes and explore what Eugene and the University of Oregon has to offer. One of the best things about being a student here is that we get to live in a growing, prosperous and small city that has a plethora of things to do. One of the worst things we can do as students here is not take advantage of the city, here are a few tips on how to thrive in Eugene as a University of Oregon student.

Use Your School’s Resources

I get that Eugene isn’t just UO, but it’s undeniably a large part of it. Some of the best things we can participate in is right here on our very own campus, and if you pay tuition, you have access to all of it. This includes UO’s state of the art recreational center, a fitness hub that includes almost every athletic workout possible, from table-tennis to scuba diving. We also have access to free tutoring centers that are spread throughout campus, most being in the library. And we have the ability to join the abundance of clubs that UO offers. Joining a club is a good way to meet people that have the same interests as you do, no matter how strange they may seem. You like making movies? There’s a club for that. You like rock climbing? There’s a club for that. You like Argentine Tango? Oddly enough, there’s a club for that. As a student here, our resources seem unlimited, and we should be taking advantage of what we’re offered.

Sco Sports!

Although the football games are fun to go to, and we should be trying to go every Saturday, it hasn’t been as fun in recent years since the decline of Ducks football. Luckily, that’s not the only sport UO is good at. Our volleyball team is currently ranked 12th in the nation, and I can assure you that you will not have a dull time watching a UO volleyball game. I can also say this about our basketball team, who were so good last year that they cracked the Final Four in the 2017 NCAA tournament. And there’s a reason Eugene is nicknamed Tracktown USA. We have some of the best track and field athletes in the world who go on to Olympic trials and even the main event itself some years. The point is, we don’t need to be a good football team to enjoy UO sports — every other team was killing it last year and may kill it again this year.

Downtown, aka Chowtown

I’m a full Asian, and I can’t tell you how happy I was when I found the dozens of Asian restaurants in downtown Eugene. The food options are surprisingly quite diverse for being a small city, and eating at these local restaurants helps the local economy as well. So really, it’s a win-win. Along with Asian restaurants, we got a Portland-esque food cart scene spread out downtown as well as some casual brunch diners with the best egg benedicts. Some people will tell you the food scene is weak; I think it’s better than most college towns.

Constant Culture

I went to the Brockhampton concert at WOW hall last Friday, and before then there were only three people I knew that have listened to them. Hundreds of people showed up to the concert, and it reminded me that Eugene is constantly holding shows for performers big and small. Various Eugene venues host legends such as Elton John and Lil’ Wayne, while at the same time holding shows for up-and-comers like Brockhampton. Along with music, the film scene is also a hot topic in Eugene with theatres like The Bijou Art Cinemas, The David Minor theatre and some local film festivals screening all over the city. Eugene has music, film, comedy and much more.

The Freshest Air in the Nation

A quick hike to the top of Spencer’s Butte in south Eugene offers sweeping views of the Willamette Valley.

In Eugene, you have the ocean and the mountains within two hours of each other. Florence beach is a perfect weekend getaway for those looking to put their feet in the sand. If you’re looking to travel close, hiking areas such as Spencer’s Butte and Skinner’s Butte make for great Sunday morning exercise. The state’s geography is so diverse that you’re not going to run out of things to do ever. Just make sure to bring your allergy meds because the pollen gets nastier as the year goes by.

Whatever it is you want to do, you can probably do it in Eugene. If you ever need help finding out what to do, the UO has the Center for Student Involvement open in the EMU to students looking to get involved.

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I didn’t really get Black Lives Matter at first. I didn’t know what it was about. All I remember was that after the murder of Trayvon Martin, #BlackLivesMatter was trending. My initial reaction — which 16-year-old me regrets thinking now — is that all lives should matter, right? From then on, I didn’t pay attention to the Trayvon Martin case: to me, it was just another incident. Sure, George Zimmerman looks like an awful person, but what could I prove that the justice system couldn’t? Unfortunately, people still have this frame of mind today.

A couple of years later, I learned about Michael Brown. The Black Lives Matter hashtag was trending again, and I studied the case a little more than I did Martin’s. I thought, ‘Man, the cop who shot him is definitely going to jail.’ The case seemed clear: His hands were up, he was unarmed and he took multiple shots in the front of his body. From what I gathered, Michael Brown had been murdered in cold blood.

I couldn’t believe it. Darren Wilson, the policeman who killed Michael Brown, was acquitted of all charges. I can’t remember ever feeling more empty in my life. It hurt to know that the officer got away with murder. I thought that nobody was above the law, and that included law enforcement. I was hurt, and from the Ferguson riots, it was clear that the country was hurting even more. From then on, I had looming doubts in my mind if the justice system truly serves justice.

I am not a Black man. But I am a person of color. I thought that if I had felt this much sorrow, I couldn’t even imagine what Black citizens were feeling, and I don’t think it’s my right to put their feelings into words.

Philando Castile was in the car with his girlfriend and daughter when he was shot several times by a police officer. His girlfriend streamed it via Facebook Live capturing Castile and the officer. In the video, you can see Castile’s blood dripping down his white shirt, the cop panicking, screaming “oh my god” and the daughter crying as she watched the police murder her father.

Castile, a lawful gun owner, informed Jeronimo Yanez that he had a gun in his possession — which you are supposed to do according to the NRA — but the policeman allegedly believed he was reaching for the gun to shoot him. Philando Castile was murdered for rightfully following procedure.

I thought, ‘This is going to be the one that changes the system. This is going to be the trial that finally puts a policeman away for murder and proves that even law enforcement isn’t above the law. People are finally going to realize that this isn’t a partisan issue, this is a humanitarian issue. Black people deserve to live, and this trial is going to bring attention to the broken system. This is the turning point for Black Lives Matter.’

Oh how wrong I was, and how wrong this country is.

Jeronimo Yanez was not indicted for killing Philando Castile, just like George Zimmerman and just like Darren Wilson. He will not face any consequences for taking away the life of a man who served his community. No murder, no manslaughter, not even an endangering child charge.

our legal system is not constructed for the charging and conviction of police officers who kill people – no matter the circumstances

— Wesley Lowery (@WesleyLowery) June 16, 2017

there is pretty much nothing a cop can do to a black person—on tape or otherwise—and not get away with

— Vann R. Newkirk II (@fivefifths) June 16, 2017

Castille’s mother put it best: “He loved this city, and this city killed him.”

Why is justice only for white people? It seems that every day I read about law enforcement actively being used against Black people.

On June 29, three Chicago officers were charged with conspiracy, official misconduct and obstruction of justice in connection with the death of Laquan McDonald, a Black teenager fatally shot by a white police officer in 2014. The officers were accused of concealing the facts to protect Jason Van Dyke, the officer who shot McDonald 16 times.

There was a reason Chicago P.D. kept the dashcam video a secret until they were forced to release it nearly two years later: because the police misconstrued the facts and conspired to protect each other. It’s called a system. One that was made to get away with killing Black people.

First, there’s something we have to understand: the system isn’t broken, it was just never made for Black people.

We live in a country where a white man can murder nine Black people in a church and still live to see tomorrow, but a Black man can follow the law and be killed in front of his family. Or how Eric Garner can be choked to death by police after asking for help, or how Sandra Bland can be killed in police custody or how 12 year old Tamir Rice can be killed holding a fake pistol. It feels like it will never stop.

Many of us aren’t Black and haven’t had confrontations with the police, but we sympathize with the Black community and want the same actions to be taken. How do we, as people who don’t understand the Black American experience, help?

There isn’t a clear, short-term solution, but there are ways to help the cause if you are not Black:

1. We have to listen.
2. We have to realize that racism exists.
3. We can’t be silent.

To a lot of people, this isn’t anything new. But if we don’t keep reminding ourselves, it’s easy to get complacent. If we see injustice and corruption in our law enforcement, we have to be vocal. Black lives depend on it.

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Outside of the Eugene Islamic Center, a group of people from the Eugene community stand outside the mosque as people pray inside. When prayer is over, the worshippers speak with the group, offer them food and shake their hands. It’s a genuine and cordial encounter between different communities; it’s the kind of meeting that makes for a good society.

But the reason the group is there relates to fear: recently, hatred has struck the Muslim community in Eugene.

On May 10, a man armed with a knife stood in front of the Eugene Islamic Center and threatened to kill its members right after they had finished prayer. The man was later identified and charged with menacing, disorderly conduct and intimidation based on religion.

Although the man may be gone, his hateful intentions stay with the worshippers and hurt the spirit of the mosque.

“Recently, our people are stressed,” said Haytham Abo Adel, an Imam at the Eugene Islamic Center. “A lot of anti-Muslim hate is happening. It’s just been very stressful.”

A mosque is everything to the Muslim community. It’s a sanctuary, a place to feel close to God and find peace of mind. It’s also a place for friends old and new to meet and chat. It’s a second home to many Muslims — and a first home for others. Everyone deserves the right to feel safe in their home, but when the mosque becomes a target of hatred, that feeling of security immediately disappears.

Members of the Eugene Islamic Center have been cautious since the incident, even starting a GoFundMe campaign with a goal of $18,000 for security and maintenance improvements. But until the goal is reached, the mosque cannot upgrade to sufficient surveillance.

A group of people — members of Lane County Defense Network, UO and the Eugene community — recognized the mosque’s need for protection and coordinated a community watch group that defends the center from any outside threats.

“Injustice thrives when no one says anything. There is a silent majority, and it’s on the side of justice and equality,” said Alex Iskandar, the Eugene Islamic Center’s community watch organizer. “If that voice is heard loudly and consistently, then those voices of hate and bigotry can be silenced.”

During prayer times, the group will stand in front of the mosque and surveil the premises. At other times they will sit, relax and converse but still face the street for any oncoming visitors.

What the group is doing is representative of a good society: communities coming together to stand up for one another. It’s what we want when there is potential danger — other people to comfort us and fight hate in solidarity.

But as the year goes by, hate incidents are becoming scarier and more frequent, with a 57 percent increase in anti-Muslim incidents compared to last year and a 44 percent increase in anti-Muslim hate crimes. This is troubling for many reasons, but the idea that hatred is only getting worse in our society makes it frightening for a Muslim to feel comfortable in this country.

We ask ourselves: Can I pray on the sidewalk if I have to? Will I be safe wearing a hijab today? Do people want me dead solely for my faith?

Much of the media wants us to believe that the biggest threat to America comes from Muslim countries, but recently Americans have been the biggest threat to America. According to a report from Congress by the Government Accountability Office, far right-wing extremists were responsible for 73 percent of extreme fatal incidents since Sept. 12, 2001, while Islamic extremists were responsible for 27 percent of incidents. Violent, extreme incidents are happening — just not from who we think.

On the eve of Ramadan, Islam’s holiest month, two men were killed while defending one Muslim woman and one African-American woman from racial slurs and hate speech by a white extremist. A third victim was also stabbed but is expected to survive.

This hurts. Not only does it hurt the people affected, it hurts our communities and frankly the psyche of our country. America is supposed to be a country that accepts all religions, races and sexes, but the growing number of hate crimes against minorities makes it clear that fear and bigotry still plague the nation.

We are always taught to stand up for what is right. We were taught to take a stand against injustice because that’s what good people do.

But at what cost? The life of a father of four? The life of a son and a sister?

We want to help people, and we want to beat the bullies and show that hate is not welcome. But nobody expects to lose their lives. And it’s reasonable to believe that society will be more hesitant to stand up to injustice after the attacks last Friday.

Is it worth standing up to hate if it means risking your life?

“After what happened in Portland, [the community watch] is more committed than ever,” Iskandar said.  “We are committed to an inclusive and loving community, and if that means putting ourselves in a little bit of risk, then we’ll do it.”

The victims in Portland died because they believed in basic human rights. The attacks should be a reminder that hate can have horrifying consequences. In the face of injustice, communities must work to protect each other from discrimination. We have to commit to combatting bigotry and violence. Hatred only wins if we are silent.

“We fight hate with love, we fight hate with peace and we fight hate with awareness,” Abo Adel said.

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In the state of Tamil Nadu, India, lies a small village of less than a thousand people: Perumbai. Children from Perumbai participated in the 10th grade exams, a test taken by a state of nearly 100 million people. With the odds against them, the children of Perumbai managed to come in second place of the entire state, topping millions of other children in Tamil Nadu. What sets the children of Perumbai apart from the rest of the state? They don’t follow the western standard that the British have implemented in India and have instead learned through the ancient Indian Vedic style of education: a pedagogy based off of listening, questioning and memorizing.

Dating back to pre-western colonization, the ancient Indian style of education is absolutely unheard of in modern society. Instead of following the western K-12 system, children enter school at the age of 3 and are taught to learn Sanskrit, the ancient primary language of Hinduism.

By age 5, they are taught French because linguistic experts agree that learning one of the romance languages gives you access to learning all of the romance languages, such as Italian or Spanish.

Students in Perumbai, located in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, have shown that a connection to their traditions has helped propel them academically and allowed them access to their cultural roots. (Creative Commons)

By age 6, they are taught English and their mother tongue. With nearly two billion fluent English speakers in the world, the children of Perumbai are able to communicate to them before they are out of first grade.

By age 7, the children are able to read, write and speak four languages. Learning multiple languages is beneficial for your cognitive development and is proven to make you smarter than those who don’t.

This was the ancient Vedic way of education. It existed through India’s Golden Age in the fourth and sixth century, where they made large achievements in mathematics, astronomy and philosophy. But because of Western colonialism, this pedagogy was destroyed after lasting for thousands of years.

When western colonialism thrived in the 18th century, nearly everything from eastern culture had either changed or was destroyed. That included the ancient Indian education system as well as systems from other eastern countries. White men came to destroy the cultures of Black and Brown people, forcing them to adapt. A concept that isn’t far off from our modern society.

Surendra Subramani, senior instructor and diversity coordinator at the College of Education, is an expert on colonialism and its impact on systems of education.

“If you don’t understand colonization, you don’t understand America,” Subramani said. “Every field of study is basically put forth by how the West looks at the world. If we study somebody else, we don’t study from their perspective, we study from how the west has viewed them.”

Not only did colonialism change the culture, it essentially erased the history of the old world. When we learn about discoveries, we learn that White men did them, regardless of whether they actually discovered it. When we learn about the founding fathers of subjects such as literature or philosophy, we learn about the White men who did them, but there is evidence that these discoveries existed before them — they were just erased through colonialism.

For example, we think of Galileo when we think about the discovery that the Earth revolves around the sun, and the moon revolves around the Earth. We don’t think about Aryabhata, a 6th century Indian astronomer who recorded this same discovery.

When we think of literature, we believe that Shakespeare was king of the subject and influenced all of literature. We don’t talk about the Tale of Genji, the first novel ever written in 11th century Japan, predating Sheakespeare by 500 years.

Of course, colonialism is also the reason why those students in Perumbai are learning English and French. While these Indian students are practicing and absorbing languages and acculturating themselves to the West, the West is actively closing off students to different languages and cultural contexts.

For example, French and Japanese were cut almost entirely from the curriculum. The University of Oregon is dealing with the same issue: Romance Languages are expected to get a huge cut next year. When schools face budget cuts, languages are among the lowest priority.

Not to say that I am ungrateful for the education I was given, but understanding that the world is bigger than the west is key to understanding the world at large. This is especially important to people of color or people who aren’t White Americans. When people of color feel their roots in their education, they are more likely to participate and succeed.

A study from Johns Hopkins University shows that low-income Black students are 29 percent more likely to graduate if they have at least one Black teacher in grade school. For very low-income Black students, the chances of dropping out fell 39 percent if they have one Black teacher in third-fifth grade.

In Oregon, 36.6 percent of K-12 students were culturally or linguistically diverse, but only 10.2 percent of teachers were culturally or linguistically diverse. There is an obvious gap here that could be detrimental to diverse students. In 2014, Oregon saw a 52 percent graduation rate of non-native English speakers and a 54 percent graduation rate of Native American students.

“The best defense for a country is a highly educated populace,” Subramani said. “But when that becomes out of reach for everybody, the American dream becomes the American nightmare.”

What Oregon needs to do is to invest in diverse students trying to become teachers. In the past 30 years, Oregon has increased its minority population from 6 percent to 22 percent and it’s only getting bigger. The state needs to offer opportunities to diverse students because the opportunities have always been limited. Offer scholarships, state funding and investment to people of color. It’s time to invest in diversity.

Follow Billy on Twitter @billymanggalol

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On April 20, self-proclaimed “white nationalists” came to visit the University of Oregon. They rode in on a truck with a swastika on the bed and parked in front of the EMU preaching white supremacy on Hitler’s birthday.

It’s 2017, and we still have to confront the party that murdered 6 million plus Jewish people over 70 years ago. But Neo-Nazis have always existed since then, so the idea of battling skinheads about what is morally right isn’t exactly new.

The problem is, why didn’t the University of Oregon administration do anything about it?

Nazis were on campus for over an hour, but they eventually left thanks to the powerful counter-protest of the UO student body. The demonstration could have been stopped if campus officials took action. Instead, campus police stood and monitored the situation.

Students attached another sign to the one held by a white nationalist. (Levi Gittleman/Emerald)

If the UO had taken action against the white supremacists, there might have been backlash not just from the Nazis, but others who are concerned with free speech rights. And knowing UO’s infamous track record with free speech rights, there might have been a good reason not to intervene.

But here’s the question: how free should free speech be?

Universities are public institutions where citizens can protest and rally about almost anything if they do it peacefully in certain areas. But if the University of Oregon claims itself a safe campus that promotes diversity and respects different cultures, then they shouldn’t tolerate white supremacy rallies on its campus.

The UO diversity mission statement describes the university community as a place of “acceptance of true diversity as an affirmation of an individual identity within a welcoming community,” but if somebody’s individual identity is based off a party of genocide, then do they still get the welcome treatment?

Fortunately, UO students didn’t think so. The two white supremacists were met with about 100 students who gleefully protested the ridiculousness of the demonstration. The Nazis also encountered Rabbi Jack Melul, who joyously sang The Jewish People Are Still Alive in Hebrew.

UO administration did not comment on the incident, neither condoning or denouncing the Nazis. To many minorities, this is deeply troubling. The UO administration has notified its students and faculty in the past when there have been concerns on campus, such as Nancy Shurtz and the blackface incident, which was held in a private residence. But a week has gone by and no outreach has been made yet.

The UO administration’s decision to stay silent on the incident seems like they didn’t believe that it was a big deal at all, but when your students are afraid to go on campus knowing that possible Nazis are in the area, then it should become a primary concern for the administration. Some sort of action should be made, whether it is an email or a statement, to assure students that UO does not believe in hate speech.

The city of Eugene made it clear that it was against these actions. Dozens of protesters arrived at the Nazis’ home in Springfield on Monday night. The two groups exchanged volatile words towards each other, but no arrests were made. Eugene Mayor Lucy Vinis commented on the situation to KATU news.

“This should be a community where everyone feels safe, where hate crimes are not acceptable,” said Mayor Vinis. The city’s support for minorities is much needed, but to UO students, we need the same affirmation from the administration.

Margaret Butler is a senior political science major and a prominent member of Oregon Hillel, UO’s community center for Jewish students. Butler believes that a sort of affirmation would have shown necessary support for the Jewish community, just how other identities receive support.

“We want to be affirmed that our identity is welcomed just like any other,” Butler said. “And giving that support would empower students to feel strong about their community.”

Butler was also concerned with how this would nationally affect the welcoming of Jewish students to UO.

“When that type of anti-semitism isn’t shut down, it makes it more difficult to bring in Jewish students because they don’t want to associate with this campus,” Butler said. “Free speech is a constitutional right, but feeling safe is a human right and we should prioritize that for students.”

The presence of Nazis on what is supposed to be a campus of diversity is sheer disrespect to everybody, but especially to anybody who is Jewish or a person of color. These people legitimately believe that I, as well as many others, am an inferior being solely based on the color of my skin. Nobody should be able to look at my skin and conclude that I am a lesser human. If the University of Oregon prides itself on its diversity and culture, then it shouldn’t tolerate a movement that aims to destroy this notion.

If a coalition recognized themselves as ISIS, and rallied on campus about how Islam is the right religion and if you don’t believe in it then you are wrong, then those people would be considered terrorists and the university would probably have a call to action. But if Aryan skinheads show up in a swastika painted truck exclaiming that whites are better, that’s suddenly okay?

According to ACLU, hate speech is technically protected under First Amendment rights. But, it is also a free speech right to do a counter-demonstration. So, although we didn’t infringe on anybody’s free speech rights, UO students and faculty did manage to drive the Nazis away, which is how hate rallies should be addressed.

But if UO truly wants to be a cohesive school that cares for the safety of its students, it would do something about the fact that the party of Hitler was on its supposed multi-cultural campus.

Follow Billy on Twitter @billymanggalol

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Of all the tacky slogans and phrases that Donald Trump developed on his campaign trail, “America First” was one that truly resonated with his voters.

Trump supporters mostly reside in rural areas that have been forgotten in terms of economic policy the past few decades. So, when Trump ran on a campaign to help bring jobs and prosperity to these working class areas, people sprinted to the voting booth with their “Make America Great Again” hats on.

But within the first 100 days of his presidency, he did the opposite of what said he was going to do and has shifted his focus to Syria.

Last Friday, the U.S. fired 59 missiles at a Syrian airbase after more than 80 people were killed, including children, in a chemical weapons attack in Northwest Syria.

The missile strikes came after Trump had seen videos of children affected by the gas attack. 

“It shouldn’t have happened. It shouldn’t be allowed to happen,” Trump said.

Many of Trump’s supporters responded in opposition to U.S. involvement in the Syrian Civil War, arguing that Trump was originally against involvement in Syria prior to his presidency.

We should stay the hell out of Syria, the "rebels" are just as bad as the current regime. WHAT WILL WE GET FOR OUR LIVES AND $ BILLIONS?ZERO

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 16, 2013

What Trump supporters are starting to figure out — something that non-Trump supporters already knew — is that the acting president has a blatant history of contradicting himself.

What will we get for bombing Syria besides more debt and a possible long term conflict? Obama needs Congressional approval.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 29, 2013

Trump supporters are frustrated with his unsuccessful attempts at domestic policy, such as the American Health Care Act and the Muslim immigration bans, and frankly, Trump is too. This could be a reason why he isn’t focused on American politics right now.

In Oregon, where Trump won 39.1 percent of the state, voters trusted him to improve the state economically, even speaking at a rally in Eugene about issues that conservative Oregonians worry about, such as employment in rural areas. Unfortunately, under Trump’s proposed $1.1 trillion budget plan, Oregon would lose big time.

Trump’s budget plan would make deep cuts in federal agencies. 29,000 Oregonians work in federal agencies and rely on programs fueled by federal funds. With Trump’s plan, Oregonians won’t see economic prosperity, they’ll see unemployment. Possibly to the people who voted for him as well.

But that’s the reality of it. As long as the U.S. has the world’s largest military, with Trump doubling the next nation’s defense budget, we are going to constantly have a hand in military action across the globe, which is the reason why governors of America can’t always put America first.

Now, Republican politicians and voters are publicly speaking against Trump’s decision to strike Syria, wishing they hadn’t supported him in the first place. And they have every right to be angry.

Missiles flying. Rubio's happy. McCain ecstatic. Hillary's on board. A complete policy change in 48 hrs.

— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) April 7, 2017

I guess Trump wasn't "Putin's puppet" after all, he was just another deep state/Neo-Con puppet.

I'm officially OFF the Trump train.

— Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) April 7, 2017

Trump betrayed his supporters, persuading them into voting for him in exchange for an unorthodox president that was going to concentrate on rebuilding America to its “former” greatness. Yet he is doing exactly what former President Barack Obama did three years ago: striking Syria.

Of course, there are the Republicans who still support Trump’s decisions. These are the same Republicans who condemned Obama for making a similar choice toward Syria. According to an ABC poll, 86 percent of Republicans support Trump’s strike in Syria while 22 percent of the GOP supported Obama’s strike.

But there are many Republicans who really believed that Donald Trump could be the champion of the people. They believed that he would restore jobs, control immigration and provide a better solution to healthcare than Obamacare. But so far, Trump has either made small strides with his original agenda or failed them completely.

So the question begs: is Donald Trump putting America first? With the media focusing on Trump’s possible collusion with Russia and his militaristic response to Syria, it doesn’t seem like he’s planning on making America great again anytime soon.

As long as we have the strongest military, we will be focused on our militarization over our domestic policies. Donald Trump lied again, and this time to the people who trusted him most.

Follow Billy on Twitter @billymanggalol

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