Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, Aug. 28, 1963, at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, which, even 50 years later, we regard as one of the most poignant and powerful moments in civil rights history.

He had a dream, he said, that was deeply rooted in the American dream — one of equality for men and women of all colors.

On January 16 we will celebrate MLK Day, as we have every year since 1983. But this year’s holiday, at least for some, might be met with a little more reflection than in years prior.

Those who lived through 2016 saw one of the most divisive elections in American history; one that brought out an exceptionally ugly side of our two-party, Democratic system. President-elect  Trump ran on a campaign slogan that at its very core seemed to question the progress our country has made over the last 100 years.

“Make America Great Again.”

Many citizens who opposed Trump’s campaign took issue with these four words because they implied, at least partly, that America, a place where great leaps in civil liberties have only begun to take effect in the last half century, might have been better off if equality had not been extended to everyone.

And when Trump expressed his sentiments about those of different races, he often did so in a blatantly racist manner.

“Our great African American President hasn’t exactly had a positive impact on the thugs who are so happily and openly destroying Baltimore! [SIC],” he tweeted in April 2015 in reference to the civil rights protests taking place over Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American who died resulting from injuries sustained in the back of a police transport vehicle.

In May 2016, Trump told CNN that he objected to the federal judge, Gonzalo Curiel, named to preside over a Trump University class-action suit, saying that Curiel, who has Mexican heritage, wouldn’t be able to fairly hear the case.

“He’s a Mexican,” Trump said. “We’re building a wall between here and Mexico. The answer is, he is giving us very unfair rulings — rulings that people can’t even believe.”

And as recently as July 2016, Trump insulted the parents of a Muslim U.S. Army officer, Captain Humayun Khan, who died serving in the Iraq War after they spoke out about his hateful rhetoric, asking them if they’d ever “even read the U.S. Constitution”.

What would King think about Trump’s statements? What would he say in response?

On January 20, four days after MLK Day, we will welcome Trump into the White House, as  President Barack Obama, the first African American to serve in the Oval Office, exits.

The symbolism of the situation is lost on few.

We can’t tell you how to spend your holiday, but we know you’ll at least have a little time considering Drexel gave us the day off. Perhaps, then, it is our civic duty as members of the predominantly blue Philadelphia; one of Trump’s major swing states, Pennsylvania; and the greatly divided United States to reflect on where the country really is in terms of civil liberties, and where we, as its citizens, would like it to go.

Pixabay: Wokandapix

Much like co-op interview requests and taxes, we don’t like to acknowledge finals week until we absolutely have to. Regardless, whether you like it or not, finals season kicks off Monday. So, should we panic now, or wait until Sunday night?

Trick question — don’t panic at all.

Did you scoff at that? We know, easier said than done. But let’s break it down.

For the freshmen out there, this is your first ever finals week as a college student. Sure, that’s daunting — new things always are. And maybe the idea of getting a bad score is giving you night sweats.

You have to keep in mind that this is the first of many opportunities to earn a high grade — even if you make a mistake this time, you will have plenty of chances to revive your GPA. Chances are, you’ll even learn something about what study habits work for you (or don’t).

If you’re a finals-week veteran, the opposite principle applies. You’ve been through this grind dozens of times. You know what works for you and what doesn’t.

If you start to get hand tremors and/or eye twitches at the thought of your final exams, remind yourself that you made it this far. You had the intelligence and the stamina to push through every time; this week will be no different.

It’s easy to lose sight of your faith in yourself, especially if your blood at this point is 50 percent coffee and you haven’t really slept since Thanksgiving.

So if you’re starting to feel like Charlie Brown after he missed that football for the thousandth time, remember all the things you’ve accomplished. Your achievements aren’t luck — they’re determination and skill. You can do this.

If this pep talk isn’t quite doing it for you, there are plenty of other ways to de-stress. Go visit one of the Drexel therapy dogs Chai or Espresso. Take a nap. Make yourself a cup of hot cocoa, and don’t skimp on the marshmallows.

It’s no news to all of us that Drexel is a hard school. You’re here because you deserve to be. So take a deep breath, smooth the wrinkles out of your forehead and remember that no matter what happens, you’ve already proven yourself.

Roy Caratozzolo III/TNS

It’s important to take some time out of our lives at least once a year to remember everything we have to be grateful for in this messed-up world. So, in light of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, we at The Triangle wanted to dedicate this editorial to all we have to appreciate.

To start, we’re grateful for a lot of things on Drexel’s campus. We’re ecstatic about the recent openings of Chipotle, Old Nelson and Blaze Pizza. We love that we’re sandwiched within walking distance of two well-stocked grocery stores.

While we’re at it, we’re thankful for all of the delicious food trucks that swarm our campus, which ultimately ensure our survival. Speaking of survival, all of us are extremely grateful for coffee and the abundance of coffee providers within spitting distance on campus.

We’re grateful to live in such a large and beautiful city where we can explore on foot and find entertainment for free in a variety of different areas, and we’re glad to have a campus that although urban still feels safe and cozy.

We’re proud that our school makes such an effort to support and ensure diversity and a culture of inclusion. As much as we complain about it, we love the co-op system and the experience and money it provides us with. Not to mention the opportunity to make connections that may help score us jobs straight after graduation.

We’re thankful for our incredible alumni, who evidently have been donating boatloads to our university this year, and all they have accomplished.

We’re grateful for the depth of knowledge, experience and patience our professors and advisors give us at all times. We’re thankful for the professors we’ve disliked or disagreed with for one reason or another because they’ve taught us how to work with people we don’t get along with… and given us a reason to call home and complain to our parents.

What’s more, we’re incredibly thankful for curved grades, pushed deadlines and the sympathetic professors that canceled classes the Tuesday before Thanksgiving break.

We’d like to take this time to thank our all-student staff for volunteering their time and effort to make this paper a reality week after week on top of their already full academic schedules. We know it’s not always easy.

Finally, thank you to our readers for supporting our efforts in student journalism.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. We hope it’s a good one.

Abaca Press: Olivier Douliery

The most divisive election in recent history concluded Nov. 9 with a result that few people expected, leaving many students in shock, anger and unnerving uncertainty about what the future holds.

Across the country, in major cities and on college campuses, protests and near-riots have broken out. Threats have been made by both sides and the divide between parties is larger than we’ve seen in a long time. A lot of people are asking how we can possibly move on as a country.

It’s possible for liberals to condemn Donald Trump’s victory as the result of a racist, sexist, bigoted population’s vote. It’s easy to get angry and attempt to make your voice louder than the opposition’s. It’s easy to protest the outcome and exclaim that Trump will never be your president.  

But these protests undermine the very democracy we claim to hold sacred and neglect to address our nation’s social divide.

You can say whatever you want about the results of this election, but Trump will still be the President of the United States come Jan. 20. How we choose to move forward with that reality will dictate the direction of the nation over the next four years, and beyond. Will we be divided and angry, or will we come together?

Turning this election outcome into an “us vs. them” situation will never allow for the country to achieve unity.

Calling your friends and neighbors who voted for Trump a “basket of deplorables” certainly isn’t going to help anything either. The most important thing right now, regardless of who you voted for, is to listen to and consider differing opinions without immediately shutting them down or silencing them like many on both sides have done during this entire election.

Of course, it’s easy to say we should listen to others, but how can you get your voice to be heard in a constructive manner?

Get involved in and donate to organizations that stand by the causes you support. Don’t allow yourself to be discouraged just because the party you belong to doesn’t currently hold the majority in the federal government. Don’t get swept up in the thought that the federal government is the end-all be-all; a huge amount of decision-making power lies at the state level and it’s important to get involved with decisions there. And vote! Vote in the midterm elections to make your voice heard in government as often as possible.

A house divided against itself cannot stand — and neither can a country. With the enormous amount of uncertainty going on right now, it’s important to remember that Trump’s election is not the end of the world, and that this is not some sort of legitimate reason to further widen the gap between your fellow Americans. Either we will move forward together and work to build a country that’s united, or we will continue to increase the divide until our nation is irreparable.

Most millennials aren’t overly excited about the Nov. 8 election this year, and it’s easy to understand why.

Many are disillusioned by both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump’s presidential platforms and feel as if choosing one means choosing to buy into a democratic system that perpetuates the election of the lesser of two evils. Consequently, rather than voting for a third party candidate, none of whom are on the ballot in all fifty states, some millennials may be considering opting out of election day altogether.

But they really shouldn’t be.

Although college-age students often have the lowest turnouts of all voter demographics, as the youngest eligible voters, we’re the ones who will have to put up with the consequences of these elections the longest.

Whoever is elected president will appoint four new Justices to the Supreme Court — Justices who will decide the verdict of major legal cases within our lifetimes.

The makeup of the Supreme Court has historically dictated the political and social climate of our country with landmark cases. Take Roe v. Wade, which made abortions legal and more accessible for women across the country. Look at Brown v. Board of Education, which deemed segregation in schools unconstitutional. Supreme Court cases often provide verdicts that impact our country’s climate and attitude towards change is completely altered during landmark cases.

Clinton and Trump are the two most discussed candidates in this election, but the presidential race isn’t the only one being decided. Down-ballot races for the Senate and the House of Representatives will be crucial this year, the former of which stands a high chance of flipping to a democratic majority. In Pennsylvania, Senate candidates Katie McGinty and Pat Toomey are polling neck and neck. A win for either could help decide party control.

Party control of both the Senate and the House impacts what decisions will be made during the next two years. If the majority party is the same as the president’s, this often aids in getting that president’s initiatives passed. By the same token, if they’re of the opposite party, they often block these initiatives.

So take time to get familiar with the local legislators running for office in your region since one of them will ultimately represent you in debates about issues you care about.

Also on the ballot this year is a question about whether or not supreme court judges should be allowed to serve until age 75. (That this would extend their lifetime term by five years from the age of 70 is mentioned not in the question, so make note.) The outcome of this policy will largely be decided by nationwide public opinion.

What’s more, in Pennsylvania, we’ve got close races for Attorney General, Auditor General and State Treasurer — all of whom will serve pivotal roles in government decisions within the commonwealth.

This election season, we encourage you, the students at Drexel University, not to underestimate the importance and power of your own voice. This is your chance to make an informed decision about the representatives who will vote on policies that will affect us for years to come. The millennial vote matters, so make your voice heard.

This week, The Triangle will run the third front page of fall term that features Hillary Clinton or individuals campaigning on her behalf. We have yet to run a news story on Donald Trump. This fact has sparked some criticism along with claims that The Triangle is a partisan newspaper biased towards Democrats.

Let’s get one thing straight — we aren’t doing this intentionally.

The Triangle has an obligation to keep the Drexel community informed when politicians speak at venues on or near campus. We’d love to cover Trump, but the closest he’s come to campus was a rally at Independence Hall. We did not receive a press invite although our news department has reached out to the Trump campaign several times.

The fact of the matter is that Philadelphia polls democratic by an overwhelming majority in every general election. Throughout the election, it has also become clear that Trump’s target demographic skews older and less liberal.

In an area like University City, the majority of people are educated young students; the exact type of people that have been in the minority of Trump’s supporters.

Admittedly, it’s a waste of Donald Trump’s time to campaign here and he knows it. This is evidenced by the fact that he hasn’t even visited the University of Pennsylvania, his alma mater.

So, yes our coverage does skew liberal because there’s not much we can do to influence where politicians speak.

What we can do is offer everyone within our community a public forum to express their views.

So rather than finding misguided fault in the newspaper for covering events within our purview, make your voice heard. Email opinion@thetriangle.org.

As of Sept. 20, Drexel University cancelled its contract with food service provider SodexoMagic, to conclude a 21-year partnership this December. Exactly three weeks later on Oct. 11, Temple University announced that they would not be renewing their contract with SodexoMagic, who they had partnered with for 28 years. Temple’s new 15-year contract with Aramark is slated to go into effect July 1, 2017.

That both universities will not have a contract with SodexoMagic this time next year is about where the similarities end.

While Temple announced that they were not continuing their relationship with SodexoMagic, The Triangle had no clue of Drexel’s contract cancellation until we received an anonymous tip from a teamster. Additionally, Temple included the identity of SodexoMagic’s replacement, Aramark, in the announcement. Drexel has still yet to announce SodexoMagic’s successor, though it has been rumored to be Aramark.

Perhaps the most profound difference between the way Drexel and Temple handled this similar issue is the fact that Temple guaranteed their current employees a chance to keep their jobs.

“Current dining employees will have the opportunity to continue their employment. There’s just a basic screening process that we always do,” Aramark’s vice president of corporate communications Karen Cutler told The Temple News.

Meanwhile, Drexel has not commented on whether or not the current SodexoMagic employees will have a chance to keep their jobs. In Drexel’s case, the contract ends right before the winter holidays, and current employees still don’t know if they’ll be starting the new year with gainful employment.

In addition to offering job security to loyal employees, Temple University employed another laudable strategy — asking for the input of their student body.

According to The Temple News, 26 individuals – consisting of students, staff, faculty and Temple Student Government members –  assisted the university in deciding on SodexoMagic’s replacement.

No one from Drexel has told us anything about how the replacement will be decided. If there are any students involved, we haven’t been made aware of it.

Temple handled their situation with grace, keeping the student body informed and active in the decision and assuring employees that they wouldn’t be left in the lurch.

Being the staunch advocates of experiential learning that they are, perhaps Drexel officials could stand to learn something from our northern neighbors.

On Oct. 7, the Washington Post released a video of Donald Trump talking to Billy Bush, then the host of Access Hollywood, about grabbing women by their genitals and kissing them without their consent. He could do this, he claimed, because he held the status of a celebrity.

“And when you’re a star, they let you do it. They let you do anything,” we hear Trump brag to Bush in the 2005 recording.

We’re going to go ahead and assume you’ve heard the rest of the tape by now, and you know Trump’s language only got more vulgar and concerning.

But let’s make one thing clear — the issue in this situation isn’t language. It isn’t the fact that a presidential candidate said the word “p—y” in the context of female genitalia while wearing a microphone and being taped, although that in and of itself is cause for alarm. The problem is that Trump proudly admitted that he used his wealth and notoriety as a tool to sexually assault women.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, sexual assault is “any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient” — a definition Trump’s words match up with perfectly.

At the second presidential debate Oct. 9, Trump was asked to defend his lewd remarks. Rather than owning up to his actions, he wrote off his words as “locker room talk.”

“Locker room talk.”

For a second, let’s put aside the identity of the speaker. A man claimed to be able to grab women by their private parts because he had some intangible, special status, and then wrote it off as a lighthearted remark that might be thrown around between amicable teammates changing out of their uniforms. At best, this is a ludicrous excuse. At worst, it’s abhorrent.

Now, recall that this is a candidate for the highest office in the United States.

Trump says plenty of ridiculous things, and usually there’s no harm in laughing. In this instance, though, it isn’t a joke. A man of wealth, power and influence is sending the message that it’s okay to brag about assaulting women. Though it is assuring to believe that no one takes his remarks seriously, there are people who will. And the message those people will hear is that if assault is okay to joke about, it’s okay to partake in.

College students make many jokes around campus, but sexual assault should never be the punchline. “Locker room talk” is nothing more than the objectification of women, and this objectification is blatantly disrespectful. Words are more powerful than actions when they shape the social culture we live in. Use yours to start a conversation.

Most of us at Drexel, even if we haven’t been to the Hans in four years, even if we haven’t had a dining plan in as long, even if we’ve never been to the Urban Eatery, still complain about campus dining. It’s expensive, and a generally poor value when compared to similarly-sized institutions. And it’s mandatory. Those of us in the know blame (in addition to the University) Sodexo, a French company with a diverse portfolio including janitorial services at schools and other institutions, food service at universities, schools, prisons, and hospitals, provide facilities management for large public and private organizations and through their subsidiary, Sodexo Justice Services, they operate private prisons in the United Kingdom.

It may please us to find out that Sodexo will be out of the equation soon, then. Drexel is terminating their 21-year relationship with them effective December 10, 2016. It’s a nice holiday present for us students.

It is not such a nice holiday present for 250 or so Sodexo employees and the union which represents most of them them, Teamsters Local 115. They’ve received their 60 days notice mandated by the Worker Retraining and Notification Act (WARN) and will be laid off by Sodexo at the conclusion of the contract. The University has made no commitment to current employees’ job safety, saying that, since the workers are employees of Sodexo they have said they cannot comment on their future employment. A source within the University told us, however, that “Local No. 115 will be notified of the company as well as supplied with contact information for a senior member of the company’s labor relations team.” (Contact information! What a gesture!)

A big help that will be should the University decide to cut costs by picking a non-union food service company. Current employees can expect paycuts, if they are even re-hired by the new contractor. Local 115 can’t effectively negotiate with a company that has no organized labor amongst its employees — the power in a union comes from the ability to strike, or to slow production.

The truth is, of course, that the University is writing the contract, and has every ability to protect current employees. They can drop a clause in there mandating that all those Sodexo employees who wish to continue working at Drexel may continue to do so at their previous salary or wages, with their previous benefits. They can commit to only working with union-friendly companies. They’re the ones paying, they hold all the cards.

We may have complained about Sodexo in the past, but it’s important to know that real people work there, and many have been working there for decades at a steady union job which pays the bills. A new food service contract may provide better food for students, and at a lower price. It may increase quality of life on campus. It may result in better service, cleaner dining halls, fewer health code violations, and so on.

But does it have to come at the price of putting 250 breadwinners for as many families out of work, two weeks before the holidays?

Fall Undergraduate Student Government Association elections are coming up quickly, and there are no less than 17 open positions in the legislature, not counting freshman positions which are always vacant for this election.

You should be aware, of course, of the important powers delegated to our USGA, which are:

1. Advise the university.
2. Spend SAFAC money allocated to them.
3. Appoint a member to the SAFAC board.

Most organizations aren’t able to do item 3 directly, (but can through intermediary organizations like CAB or club sports) and most don’t focus on item one, though they technically can do so if they can access the right people. All organizations, with the exception of The Triangle, can spend SAFAC money allocated to them — we, instead, produce revenue strictly through advertising.

Which is to say this: if the full power and authority of the USGA were directed against a particular university policy, and the USGA legislature unanimously condemned such a policy and advised the university as much, and the university wished to continue that policy (say, raising tuition and reducing the number of tenured or tenure-track professors) — that would be the end of it.

They have the power of the purse — sort of. USGA can appoint a single member of the 14-member SAFAC, which controls Student Activity Fee dollars. (Presumably that member must recuse themselves from decisions concerning the funding of USGA.)

The root of it, though, is this: USGA has few powers any regular student organization doesn’t have. In the end, it is an advisory body which sometimes holds events on campus. They’re not going to make your tuition lower. They’re not going to decrease class sizes. They’re not going to fix the climate control in Randell 327, or the leak in your window in Myers Hall. They’re not going to do this, not because they don’t want to, but because they cannot. They don’t have power.

This year has brought an unprecedented amount of attention to the democratic process thanks to game show host and WWE Hall of Fame laureate Donald Trump. It’s dangerous to suggest that the democratic process doesn’t matter in 2016 — a supreme court position remains open, there’s a real chance that the Democrats may retake the House, and also a real chance that a hatemongering Cheeto may hold the highest office in this land come December. You need to go to the polls in November.

But as for voting for USGA? Did you even notice that 17 positions were open? It takes only seconds to vote online for USGA positions on Dragonlink — but really, what difference will it make?