Chicago Tribune: Abel Uribe

Dear Editorial Board,

On the morning of Nov. 9, I watched as Donald J. Trump was elected the president of the United States. To say the least, I went through a series of emotions: shock. Denial. More Shock. Deeper denial. Anger. Fear. And finally, deep sadness.

As your editorial noted, this has been quite a divisive election. No one has felt it more than people of color, women and Muslims. However, for most of us, we still had hope that America would rise to the occasion and choose love of one over fear of the other.

That didn’t happen, so on that Wednesday morning, many people, myself included, felt as if half the nation had disowned them.

That night, when I began to read about protests breaking out, when I saw images of hundreds of students out in the streets, when I looked through my social media and saw people I’d never have expected to see marching in the streets protesting, for the first time since I saw the election results, I had hope.

These protests (I speak specifically of the protests, not the riots) aren’t meant to undermine the democracy you claim to be sacred. (Although, let’s be honest, your so-called sacred democracy is screwed up in other ways, including but not limited to forces such as the Electoral College.)

These protests are a way for people to show that they do not accept the vile rhetoric of Donald Trump. It is a way for those Trump has made feel unsafe to stand in solidarity and say that they will not take his hatred lying down. That not all of America is willing to bargain the lives and value of its minorities for “policy.” It is a necessary catharsis for those who need to shout. Who need to cry. Who need to be with other people who care enough to march through the streets on cold November days as a reminder that love can trump hate. For some of us, these protests show more unity than if people had simply accepted the results and stayed at home.

I am a woman. I am black. I am an immigrant. I am a liberal. I cannot sit here and write with conviction that I don’t believe that racism and sexism didn’t play a role in this election. At the same time, I do not think that all or even most of Trump’s supporters are racists or misogynists or intentionally bigoted, but the truth is, some of them are.

Those that are not, supported a man that has said racist, sexist and xenophobic things over and over again during the course of the past two years. That says something to the people of color, to the Muslim population, to the women of the nation who his rhetoric has made fearful. I and the other people of color and Muslim friends I have grieved with cannot overlook their support, especially not days after suffering such a blow.

I agree, there needs to come a time when we sit and listen to one another, but the reality of the matter is that half of the nation is grieving. Grief goes through stages and right now a lot of people seem to be in the anger stage.

Eventually, people will have to accept that Trump is president. I agree that they will need to have dialogues with his supporters to understand why they felt Trump was the best option. His supporters will also need to listen to the fear and anxiety of the minority population.

These dialogues will dictate how the nation moves forward.

You say that Trump’s election is not the end of the world, you are correct. You say that it isn’t some sort of legitimate reason to further widen the gap between fellow Americans, I envy that you have such privilege to believe that, because for some of us, only time will tell.

With love,

Eunice Maya Kamami

College is known for being a time for self-discovery. For most people, this means having control over parts of their life. The means of finding that control is simple: The Law of Attraction. The clearest way to understand this concept is that like attracts like. The most convenient part of this theory is its results depend entirely on your process of thinking. Once you become fully aware of your thoughts, you can drastically increase your level of happiness.

Metacognition is being aware of your thought process. Amidst the negativity and conflict present in our world, you are still in charge of the attitude you have towards yourself and the outside world. Most of the time when we dwell on negative thoughts, we don’t do it consciously. Once you create a meaningful connection with your own thoughts, the power you have over your future intensifies.

Essentially, The Law of Attraction allows you to re-center your priorities and make way for positivity. Drexel University’s 10-week terms leave no room for mistakes or self-reflection. However, I’m sure each student at Drexel can sacrifice 15 minutes of their day to think positive thoughts. Soon, you’ll realize that it’s healthier and more effective to keep a constant positive mindset.

I understand that you have to catch up on your Netflix shows and take naps in between classes, but I promise that spending time with your own mind is worth the sacrifice. You will soon realize that when you take on a positive perspective, you will attract even more positive thoughts and events. You will begin seeing things as you hope them to be and watch life slowly unfold in your favor.

Midterms are slowing creeping up on us and the anticipation can be worse than the actual exam. We all want to do well, and we all can. Imagine your ideal outcome — not oversleeping, being prepared and getting a perfect score on each exam. Start visualizing it now and your goal will begin to feel within reach. Although this may be considered a self-fulfilling prophecy, being in touch with yourself and maintaining healthy optimism cannot do you any harm.

The main reason why The Law of Attraction is important is your self-awareness. If you think negatively, do not expect positive outcomes. Be aware that your thoughts directly affect your experiences.

Try it for a week. Block out negative reactions and emotions from your thought process. Identify what triggers your negative emotions and thoughts. See things as you would hope them to be and guide your mind in that direction. Apply your positive thinking to your actions. Whether we can prove it or not, the world is interconnected. If you pull a positive string in your brain, the positivity will come back to you.

Although this method of thinking may not work for everyone, it’s an effective exercise to get to know your mind and attempt to achieve a general sense of well-being. Don’t get me wrong, solely relying on your positive thoughts to bring you success is not enough. But positivity is the building block of every success story.

The Triangle: Alex Nagy

The second I was admitted into Drexel, I was eager to leave the claustrophobic New Jersey suburbs and move to Philadelphia. I had wanted to live here for a long time and had gathered lots of expectations, most of which have become a reality.

I definitely made the right choice to attend a school in Philadelphia. I was hesitant to make a decision between a city and suburban school, but Drexel and my love for Philadelphia made that decision easier to make.

All colleges try to offer great opportunities to students, but Drexel exceeds where others struggle. The school’s location in the heart of Philadelphia has given me many chances to make connections within the city. Therefore, not only can I be involved on campus, but I can also contribute to the community around me. If I was to attend a school surrounded by just a campus and some trees, I feel as if I would not have been given the same experience that Drexel has given to me so far.

Philadelphia is already feeling like home to me. Beyond Drexel, I feel very comfortable in the environment and I am often inspired by what I experience throughout the city.

While merely walking around and minding my own business, I am always kindly greeted by neighborly people in the street. In New Jersey, it is not customary to say “hi” to someone walking down the street; however, it is common to shout obscenities at people. This simple gesture has made me feel very welcome in Philadelphia and it’s delighting to know that genuinely friendly people still exist.

Philadelphia feels like more of a community than my hometown did. Sports like football, soccer and cheerleading were central to the “community” in my hometown. I never did any of those sports so I felt like I was living in a separate world.

In the city, everyone’s unique interests create a sense of community. This city is more like a celebration of differences rather than a praise of what makes everyone the same. I have realized that art is an essential part of the city’s individuality. No matter where I go, I come across at least one mural painted high on the side of a building, representing a message for the whole city to see.

Philadelphia sports fans also make the city prominent. I am proud to say that I am a Flyers fan. We tend to be very passionate and dedicated to our teams, which often gets us into trouble. Sportsbreak.com rated Philadelphia fans the worst fan base in sports; only because they are jealous of our dedication. I am proud of the energy that Philadelphia fans put into their teams. It speaks volumes about the pride that we have for this city.

Overall, I love the experience of living in Philadelphia. There’s so much energy around me that I am motivated to get out, explore and learn rather than sit in my room all day. All I ever did at home was sit around and dream of stepping out my front door into a world of anything that I could imagine. Going to Drexel has given me the opportunity to have the city life that I always wanted.

As children, we are all taught that the world is a big place filled with adventure, where the hardest-working people rise to the top and are celebrated. We are taught that philosophy from when we are born. Unfortunately, I feel it is now time to modify this philosophy. We are living in a world where even the easiest of activities are glorified by the masses as something remarkable through reality television.

If you can make a now-infamous sex tape, be the daughter of one half of the most famous legal teams in history and get married to one of the most controversial and (some would say) worst singers in history, you are now regarded as influential and, therefore, a goddess by the masses. If you talk about your private parts all the time, do nothing but party and put people down in order to get paid, you are therefore qualified to be a star and will be adored by the public. If you make a lot of money, but are more famous for your wives, not paying the government and horrible put downs of beauty pageant contestants, you are automatically qualified to be the Republican presidential nominee in this year’s election.

I don’t see anything wrong with this picture, do you?

The rise of reality television isn’t a recent development. In fact, according to Nielsen ratings, measurements of audience viewing that show how many people watch a show within a given year or season, reality television may have started its slow, but noticeable ascension at the beginning of the 21st century. At the time, only one show (“Survivor”) was in the Top 30, and as well-known as it was, not many people even watched or enjoyed it. It wasn’t even the subject of ridicule. It was just television you watched when you got bored, the equivalent of turning on “National Geographic” at midnight just after coming back from a frat party.

As time went on, however, more reality television shows, more specifically, reality competitions, began to dominate the airwaves. Shows like “The Bachelor, “Fear Factor,” even “The Apprentice” showed us what ‘life’, more specifically, ‘scripted life’ was like. Luckily, the majority of people who were watching were only enjoying its concept, and wouldn’t want to live in that type of world. It’s like giving a sugar freak a box of chocolate chip cookies. Sure, he enjoys them, but would he want to live in a land made from chocolate chip cookies? Of course not.

As time went on, however, things began to change. And it started with a family called the Kardashians. Sure, we already had celebrity families on reality television, such as the late model Anna Nicole Smith and rock legend Ozzy Osbourne, but we had never had a family that had only gotten famous (for the most part) due to a sex tape. The world was attracted to the Kardashians like flies to a dead pig, as their numerous exploits took shape. This, of course, introduced the world to social media platforms such as Facebook, where posts could be placed online in a matter of seconds. The Kardashians, as well as the television network, took advantage, moving their exploits online, for 24/7 coverage of their lives. The Kardashian family had officially become a circus with popular comedians and comedy shows, “Saturday Night Live,” in particular, was constantly making jokes about them.

It was now officially a real-life “Truman Show,” but television networks didn’t stop there. Seeing the success of the Kardashians now pushed other networks to create shows based off of “interesting premises”, such as Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie saying “I’m so hot” for 30 minutes straight whilst showing how much of a spoiled brat they each were, a teenage girl who had gotten pregnant, hell, even a child beauty pageant contestant and her Southern family. It was interesting (not really) with wacky shenanigans being broadcasted like it was major news across all social media.

This became so successful that now, celebrities have decided to make the jump to social media. Now, we can see Justin Bieber on Instagram showing half-naked pictures of himself, or Donald Trump’s next homophobic, racist, xenophobic or sexist remark on Twitter, or even hear about the latest marriages and divorces from celebrities. Sure, this had happened before, but not on this large of a scale. Reality was everywhere, but contained. We could escape from time to time. And then, Donald Trump announced his candidacy for president.

It sounded like a joke. A reality star running for president? Yeah, right. He wouldn’t last the first round of primaries. Surely, Americans would be too smart to elect him. But he tapped into the two weaknesses of modern America: social media and emotion. Suddenly, we could hear his propaganda everywhere, anywhere. When we turned on our television, when we read our newspapers, when we talked to our friends. Reality television had now officially taken over the world.

It’s going to get worse. That, I can guarantee. At this rate, Kanye West will be a nominee, hell, he could be the president of the U.S. in 2020 or 2024. Who knows? I don’t. What I do know, however, is that we have allowed this to happen. We need to do something now or else we are going to drown in a deep mess. It isn’t fake. It’s reality.

In each of the last two quarters, I’ve had a professor who doesn’t allow technology in class.

In the summer quarter, anyone using a phone would be reprimanded, and anyone using a laptop was forced to have it inspected at the end of class to ensure they’d been using it to take notes rather than to mess around on social media. This term, the stakes have been raised. My new professor deducts 5 percent off a student’s final grade if they catch them using any kind of technology during class.

I definitely think that professors have good intentions when making this decision. Usually, they want students to pay attention in their lecture, rather than playing games, talking to their friends or browsing social media. They think that taking away these “modern distractions” creates a class environment where students are more likely to actively participate and learn. It’s worth noting that all the professors I’ve encountered who enforce this are older, and went to college in a time where technology was not available in the classroom.

However, I personally think that a no technology policy is a strong detriment to learning.

Computers, tablets and phones are so much more than a new way for students to take notes. Access to the Internet — which is available in all Drexel classrooms for a reason, people — means that if someone misses a fact or needs extra clarification on something, they can look it up quickly and easily. Just this morning, I had a friend message me on Facebook during class to ask me to explain something to him, since it was related to my major. The whole class didn’t have to be disrupted to go over the topic; he understood something he would have been confused about if he didn’t have access to technology, and helping him meant the information was more firmly embedded in my memory, too. Everyone benefited.

The use of technology in classrooms can also help people who, for any reason, have trouble with traditional note taking. My girlfriend has carpal tunnel and can’t handwrite for long periods of time without being in a lot of pain, but finds typing easier. People with dyslexia or dyspraxia also struggle to write quickly with a pen and using a computer can help them. When a professor combines a technology ban with a refusal to put lecture materials on Blackboard Learn, coming to class and taking notes is the only way to learn the material. People with ADHD can use their phone to play a mindless game that occupies their hands and allows their mind to concentrate on the lecture. It seems incredibly unfair that such people have less of a chance of doing well just because they have a professor who is stuck in the 1950s and has a vendetta against Facebook.

There is also an element of hypocrisy in some professors who go technology-free. I’m sure everyone’s had at least one professor who has said they ‘treat their students like adults’. My anti-technology professor this term has used this exact phrase. How are the students being treated like adults if they are not even being trusted to make their own decisions on how it’s best for them to take notes and learn the material?

Computers and phones are amazing. They’re constantly being improved and new models being released because they make our lives better, not worse. We are incredibly lucky to live in a time where so many resources to help with our classes are literally at our fingertips — and when walking into class on the first day of the term, students expect to be able to use these things to aid their learning, if they so choose. I think this expectation is fair. There are so many potential benefits to including technology in the classroom and if a student doesn’t want to pay attention in class? They’ll always find a way. After all, how many penises did you see scratched into the desks in your high school?

OK, spoiler alert: I am not very well-versed in politics. I never chose to be involved in politics until this year. I am finally old enough to vote, so I feel that it is my obligation to become more involved and informed in the affairs that will determine the future of the country I live in.

I must admit, I have formed my own prejudices on each candidate based on what I’ve seen and heard about them from the media and interviews that have been held with each of them.

However, I decided to watch the first presidential debate to further inform me on what each candidate stands for. The debate was very unbiased; during the entire broadcast, both Trump and Clinton were shown on a split-screen. I guess this happened so there was no manipulation of any dirty looks or inquisitive faces made during the debate. The candidates were asked the same questions and the only thing we could judge them on were their own words, which made the debate fair game.

What I chose to really focus on during this debate were Trump and Clinton’s communication skills. While actions hold more power than words, words are still crucial in communicating a candidate’s intentions and plans.

Donald Trump’s communication skills were nonexistent. He was very unprofessional and kept interrupting Clinton any time Lester Holt, the moderator, specifically directed a question toward her. Also, there was no eloquence in his vocabulary: the only words I heard him use were “beautiful,” “huge” and “China.”

I also noticed that Trump loved talking about himself. Throughout the debate, he promoted his hotels and “property” and gave himself credit for encouraging President Obama to produce a birth certificate, since Trump had questioned him being born in the U.S. for years. He always had to insert his opinion when it was not necessary — it was not necessary at all in a presidential debate.

On the other hand, Clinton’s communication skills were polished and she seemed prepared for this debate. While I was not entirely sure that either candidate spoke the truth, Clinton used more facts and figures than Trump did, adding more validity to her words. Any time Trump had a nasty comment about her, Clinton simply nodded or grinned and struck back. It was so satisfying to watch.

Long story short, I got absolutely nothing out of whatever Trump was blabbering on about the entire debate, but I did get something from Clinton. Her words were much more eloquent and well-spoken.

I feel as if those who support Trump prefer to be entertained rather than informed. Sure, Clinton has been questioned throughout her political career, but overall, she is more informed than Trump.

I would not necessarily call myself a Clinton supporter. I originally supported Bernie Sanders. However, I will support her over Trump. I can never imagine a man with such vitriol and a lack of self-control as the leader of the free world. Clinton made a valid argument in the debate: if a man is easily provoked by a tweet, he should not be in charge in making crucial decisions for America’s military.

So, who am I voting for? Not Trump, that is for sure. For some reason, I feel strange saying that I will vote for Clinton, but it seems that’s the only way to stop Trump from making it to the White House.

The store was crammed with customers; everyone looking for the shortest possible line and the quickest way out of the chaos. I was only purchasing one item, amidst a crowd of people struggling to keep all their items in order. As I patiently waited, I heard yelling come from a cashier near my line. He barked, “If you can’t speak English, get out of this country,” directing his words towards a middle-aged Indian woman who mistakenly went to the wrong line because she couldn’t read the signs. Instead of calmly guiding her, he took an approach filled with the utmost ignorance. As she stood there in fear, still unaware of what was happening, the man continued his speech, “Once Trump is president, you will all be gone anyway. He will make things right and cleanse this country.”

I’ve always told myself that if I was ever placed in a situation such as this one, I would speak up — I thought it would be a natural instinct. However,  I did quite the opposite. I left the line, threw my one item on a shelf near the exit and went back to my car. Defending the existence of my family, my culture and my heritage within America had become draining, especially within this election cycle. Seeing another individual embody Trump’s hateful rhetoric right in front of me amplified everything. The fear, the aversion, the discrimination — it was all intensified. The stares and occasional comments felt miniscule in that moment. Trump had reignited the fear that as a minority, we didn’t belong. Now, that started to feel like a reality.

It’s always interesting to hear people discuss their stance on Trump and then turn to me and ask, “So how do you feel about him?” for the sole reason that I am South Asian and a great deal of his dialogue pertains to Islam and Sikhism and the mocking of an entire region. From my perspective, what I can say with full certainty is that he and everything he stands for terrify me.

Trump’s campaign for the presidency has unearthed a racism throughout the country, and this has made me afraid to speak freely about anything pertaining to my heritage, culture or religion. It has brought many people just like me back into the shadows since you can never be completely sure who exactly his words have resonated with. It has become increasingly difficult to even partake in political conversations as recent developments have shown that almost all aspects of South Asian culture are now up for debate within a country that considers us to be outsiders.

Just like a vast number of other first-generation Americans, I can attest to all the financial and colloquial difficulties along with the social and cultural exclusion that my family has been challenged with since they came to this country. I’ve witnessed it first hand. My parents left behind comfort, safety and everything familiar to improve the lives of their children. They worked at assimilating and getting themselves accustomed to a new life here, while remaining true to their roots. Being granted citizenship came with a sense of pride and an opportunity to rightfully add “American” to their identity. As a community, we have seen ourselves progress greatly within this nation by blending the two cultures and rising above the status of being a minority. Yet, it seems we have fallen all the way back down within the past few months through the words of one hateful man. My family has been brought back to their first year in America where they felt targeted, ostracized and judged.

Despite being born and raised here, it feels as if I have been brought back to when my family immigrated to the United States. The same racism, prejudice and discrimination has now regrown but this time with one main figure perpetuating all of it.  Trump has reignited the same fear my family felt more than 30 years ago and now he is backed by almost half the nation. The progress we thought we made is slowly diminishing right in front of us with every word he says. Knowing that every bit of advancement we have made as a community within this country can be wiped away instantly if he becomes the next president is far worse than just unsettling. The anxiety of not being good enough that was felt by every immigrant is now being felt by their children as well.

Assimilation does not even seem to be a solution at this point. As much as we try to prove the “American” aspect of our identities, we are shut down instantly because of stereotypes which have been accentuated almost to a point of no recovery. We are no longer targeted because our parents weren’t born here. Now, it is because we embrace our own heritage instead of accommodating and this seems to be threatening. Our lack of adjustment and the intermingling of our culture and religion seems to stray from this “great society” that Trump has imagined. He has decided to use exactly that against us by highlighting every aspect of our identity in an incredibly negative light. Instead of moving forward, we have fallen far back.

So to anyone who asks me how I feel about Trump, this is my response.

Wikipedia: Gage Skidmore

Welcome Week has come and gone, and with it, the freshmen’s integration into the rigors of Drexel’s fast paced lifestyle, after coming from the lackadaisy of high school. For most, it was enjoyable enough. Who could forget the memorable performance by the illustrious Benjamin Franklin period actor, huzzahs and all? A figure of independence and national pride reduced to a sub tier memetic epithet? I can see no better means of ushering in the future leaders of industry.

Perhaps, for the dorming students, the transition has been smooth. Luggage has been deposited into plastic tubs and bunk storage suites. Friendships have been forged, either among dorm-mates or within the many major-specific learning communities.

But these luxuries, sadly enough, are not afforded to Drexel commuters. We lack room advisors to divulge upon us crucial or important information. There’s no down time to mingle amongst peers once the day is done. Of course, we have brief gatherings where our nomadic bunch huddle in the conference rooms to meet for the scant minutes that exist between the hours of conflicting schedules. A group chat can only do so much as compared to the after-hours bonding that exists among campus residents.

Now, that’s not to say that the commuters were completely ignored. Commuter centric events were present, most definitely — dinners, ice breakers, the works. But after that, for the most part, they all vanished to their own cloisters of acquaintances. If you were lucky enough to make a connection in the 30 seconds in which you divulged everything short of a social security number, then you can rest easy. But if not, then your options become limited.

A commuter’s life is that of the transient vagabond, longing to cling to some group or coalition, a place they can feel welcome. Many of my friends, for example, are residents, whom I’ve met over the course of my classes. But how can I, with an hour and a half of hushed whispers in a lecture hall, ever hope to compare to the presence of a roommate? There are micro-societal ecosystems that thrive within residence halls. There’s nothing stopping people from reaching beyond the commuting borders into other Drexel communities, but at the end of the day, we’re stuck going back to our houses, while our peers get to return to their dorms.

The answer as to why this travesty has been allowed to pass is due to a single, simple fact: commuters are a minority here at Drexel.

Shocking, I know. Throughout history, the lesser in number are always pushed to the wayside of bigger and better things not meant for them. This complaint may come off as less of a call to action and more of the infantile gripes of a SEPTA rider, but let me pose this scenario: Say Drexel can’t accommodate us, in all of our scant numbers, for one Welcome Week event. Who cares? It’s just one day. But who knows what else might be lacking in the Drexel experience? Majors that fall outside of the STEM fields become more and more isolated, ostracized. Those beyond the bell curve are left in the dark, deaf to the welcomes meant for ears other than theirs.

Welcome Week may have been strong in welcoming the majority of the Drexel student body, but it felt lacking overall. So, in eager anticipation for the 126th class, it is my hope that the commuting inclined students are given better means of forging lasting relationships on a level equivalent to that of their residential peers. Or more simply put: if inclusivity is a Welcome Week priority, the festivities should be more suited for the minority.

Roommate horror stories make most freshmen tremble. Sharing your living space with a stranger is bound to cause anxiety — especially when living in a dorm room that’s about 200 square-feet. When our parents went to college, they certainly did not have the resources we do today.

Luckily, with the help of the internet, we are able to hand pick who we live with, usually based on their Facebook profile. To those that take the risk of having a random roommate, kudos to you. But most incoming students decide to pair up with roommates before even stepping foot on campus, partly as a safety measure.

Looking for a roommate felt like dating to me. You exchange interests, browse through their photos and posts and discuss habits in order to find your perfect match. It felt silly considering the fact that I hadn’t met any of these people and the only sure thing I knew about them was their Instagram username. But it turns out that uncomfortable process really worked!

Is it possible to form a friendship solely through social media? Sure!

Before arriving at Drexel, I made more friends over the internet than I made in person during high school. Attending a university with more than 14,000 undergraduate students provided a platform to find peers with shared interests and that one unique friend who would have to deal with my quirks for an entire school year.

In fact, using social media to branch out to peers before even meeting them is a step every incoming college student should take. Once you get to campus, there are millions of other things to worry about. Social media is open to everyone and we should use it to our advantage. Branching out to peers before getting to Drexel is ideal, but maintaining contact with your newly made friends is just as important.

After keeping in touch with my preferred roommate over the summer, I was hoping that we would still tolerate each other in person. After having dozens of conversations and adding over a hundred new Facebook friends, move-in day arrived. When I met my roommate I was relieved to find out she was a real person, not just an online profile. More importantly, we got along just as well as we expected.

Although it could certainly be interesting to live with a randomly assigned roommate, I’m glad I didn’t go that route. The internet gives us a convenient way to connect with students that share similar interests. Using it as a resource gives us one less thing to worry about in the transition to our new fast-paced environment. When given the opportunity to plan ahead, it should be our first instinct to utilize it.

Hopefully this school year will be filled with flourishing friendships between roommates and peers. If not, at least we can all stay Facebook friends.

Pexels: Ed Gregory