DAILY HELMSMAN Tuesday 02.19.13
The
Want to know how to dress to impress your future employers? See page 6
Vol. 80 No. 073
Independent Student Newspaper of the University of Memphis
www.dailyhelmsman.com
DACA might spice up the mix By Hassan Allawi
news@dailyhelmsman.com Statistics show Hispanic students are underrepresented at the University of Memphis; the percentage of Hispanics in the city is 6.5 percent, while they constitute less than three percent of the student body, according to the Office of Institutional Research’s 2013 statistics. Their representation lags 30 percent behind African-American students, and 74 percent behind Caucasians. “Their immigration status is the main problem,” Abigal Diaz, the vice president of the Hispanic student association said. Indeed, many of the Hispanic students who graduated from Memphis and Shelby County high schools had no legal foundations to be in the U.S., and were subject to forcible removal (deportation) before President Barack Obama issued Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. Last June, Obama issued a memorandum that directed the Department of Homeland Security, which is responsible for immigration procedures, to pause (or defer) immigration prosecution of individuals under 31 years of age, who came to the country before the age of 16 and had graduated from school or are currently enrolled in a learning institution. The memorandum also applies to honorably discharged veterans. The memorandum legalized qualified immigrants, who have to apply and pay a fee of $465, but it did not make them eligible for federal financial aid for higher education. Hispanic students, who constitute the majority of DACA beneficiaries,
have a 38 percent graduation rate at the U of M, compared to 25 percent for African-Americans, and 44 percent for Caucasians, according to the latest statistics from Forbes. But despite their high graduation rates, the state of Tennessee does not offer them the help they need to attain higher education. “Immigrants do not get any financial aid. In fact, they must pay out of state tuition … I don’t see any type of changes that will make it more affordable for the aliens to go to school,” immigration attorney Mona Mansour said. The memorandum, however, might encourage benefiting students to strive harder for education, since it enables them to work in the US legally and thus benefit from a college degree. Lack of federal financial aid, state aid and out of state tuition fees, however, all form a defacto barrier to the higher education of those who committed the crime of crossing the border or overstaying their visa when they were infants or children. In 1975, Texas legislature authorized local school districts to deny undocumented students enrollment in their public schools. A class action lawsuit was filed against the superintendant of Tyler school district in 1977, and the case (Plyer vs. Doe) reached the ears of the Supreme Court in 1982. The Court held that denying such an education would punish children for the acts of their parents and would perpetuate the formation of an underclass of citizens. This decision, however, did
see DACA on page 5
news@dailyhelmsman.com Students have different fears and excuses for not participating in or applying for internships. Common reasons for not participating in an internship are not applying due to lack of experience, not wanting to work for “free,” not being able to balance work and school successfully and not wanting to intern locally. Wednesday, Career Services is hosting a Career and Internship Expo
in the University Center Ballroom from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., which will be an opportunity for students to take the necessary steps to get into a professional career. The expo will allow students to present themselves in a familiar environment to people who are capable and willing to hire. The campus is full of students who have already participated in these programs and gained valuable experience from each opportunity they have taken. Positions are available in
The Daily Helmsman is a “designated public forum.” Students have authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval. The Daily Helmsman is pleased to make a maximum of 10 copies of each issue available to a reader for free. Additional copies are $1. Partial printing and distribution costs are provided by an allocation from the Student Activity Fee.
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Career resources
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Billiards tournament
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Students network to aid job search By Samantha Esgro
news@dailyhelmsman.com
photo courtesy of BraNdoN dill | commercial appeal
Youth for Youth founder Patricio Gonzalez backs the DreAM Act, which could help young illegal immigrants gain residency in the United States.
Busting myths about internships By Jennifer Rorie
Résumé building
Memphis, in the Memphis region and across the country. Each opportunity is different. Senior public relations major Taylor Oaks has participated in two internships and will be adding one more to his list this spring. He encourages students to take advantage of the opportunities that are available. “I have had nothing but pros,” Oaks said. “Any cons I have had are not really cons, but learning experiences.” Oaks interned with the Miles Mason Family Law Group and is cur-
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rently interning with New Memphis Institute. His internship with New Memphis will be ending in March, but he has yet another experience lined up with the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities, the fundraising organization of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Although he has participated in different opportunities, Oaks said a main concern in applying has been that most companies ask about experience.
see iNTerNS on page 5 Tiger Babble Campus Life
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In the business world, “it’s not only what you know, it’s who you know,” according to Gregory Boller, associate professor of the department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management. That being said, businesses look for five primary things: communication skills, oral and written skills, problem-solving skills, the ability to be a team player, critical thinking skills and honesty and integrity. The two Boller emphasizes are creativity and communication skills. “Those skills tend to not be taught. They’re assumed you’ve learned them along the way, but I do teach them to my students because I know how much those are desired by employers and, unfortunately, you can’t find those in academic curriculum,” Boller said. It is important that students get as much of a head start while they are in college as possible. One way to do that is through internships. “Internships, internships, internships,” Boller said. “The University of Memphis has outstanding internship programs, it is one of the things that distinguishes our university from others.” As the career fair approaches, students are reminded of the responsibilities they have to prepare themselves for the “real world.” One of those responsibilities is networking, and, while the task may seem minor and unnecessary, folks in the business world say otherwise. Courtney Cook, the assistant director of employer relations and internships, said networking is necessary for more reasons than merely introducing oneself to the “head honchos” of a particular business. “Networking is really impor-
see NeTWorK on page 6 9