The Current - Winter Issue

ARE WE ?

OKAY ?

221 W. Saginaw St., Lansing, MI 48933 Phone: 517.203.0123 Fax: 517.203.3334 Publisher Tiffany Dowling Account Managers Megan Fleming Liz Reno-Hayes Melissa DeMott John Tripolsky Senior Editors Kate Birdsall Mary Gajda Art Director Mark Warner Graphic Designer Grace Houdek Web Manager Jaclyn Krizanic Writers Emma Kolakowski, Shelby Smith, Megan Elias, Jaclyn Krizanic, Patiense McKenzie, Kate Snider Editors Carolanne Stockton, Lacie Kunselman, Reneé Prvulov, Sierra Jezuit, Jarett Greenstein, Aleaha Reneé Social Media Jaclyn Krizanic, Aleaha Reneé, Patiense McKenzie

A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

By Jarett Greenstein

This magazine, while it was produced by students in a publishing class, means so much more to us than a grade. We made this issue of The Current amidst multiple national crises and just before one of the most pivotal elections in the history of the United States. We didn’t know what the world would look like by the time this issue was finished, and yet we did it in a manner that we can be proud of.

In times of need, students can’t just be students, and words can’t just be words. We all sensed this, and while it lay silently in our limbic systems, this issue is a testament to the responsibility for human decency that we have for each other.

It is this sense of responsibility that guided our eyes away from the sway of everyday life and toward the systems that shape it. We planted the seeds of our questioning in that earth, and within these pages is the harvest.

While the future may be unimaginable to you, as it is to all of us, the tools to get you there are not. We hope that by the time you put this magazine down, you are filled with the same passion for new perspectives, connections and solutions that led to this issue’s creation in the first place.

Wishing you the best, Jarett Greenstein

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ADVERTISING INFORMATION Call 517.203.0123 Interested in hosting a distribution location?

Jarett Greenstein is a junior double majoring in professional and public writing as well as English with a concentration in creative writing. He is currently the Assistant Managing Editor at the Red Cedar Review and you can find him on Twitter @JarettWrites.

CON TEN TS

Blue Light: What’s the Risk

What makes some blue light bad and how to avoid it

Dear reader,

Layout Grace Houdek, Shelby Smith, Megan Elias, Lacie Kunselman Marketing Kate Snider, Reneé Prvulov, Sierra Jezuit, Emma Kolakowski, Jarett Greenstein, Carolanne Stockton

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Give us a call at 517.203.0123 or email at kelly@m3group.biz The Current is published seasonally by M3 Group, Lansing, MI. All rights reserved. © 2020 M3 Group No part of this magazine may be reproduced whole or in part without the expressed consent of the publisher.

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Passing Trauma Down to Kids: A Personal Essay

Imagining a world where all parents went to therapy

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Where to give birth when trying to survive a pandemic

An unexpected silver lining of Covid-19

America’s Secret Workforce

Home vs. Hospital

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Renewable energy options aren’t as squeaky clean as they appear

Tracking Covid-19 with technology

How America’s teachers became even more overworked

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The hard truth about the U.S. prison system

Clean Energy: The Hard Truths

Covid-19 Makes a Home into a House of Horror

The Update that could Change Everything

Armchair Activism: Why passive activism may be doing more harm than good

Increase in Accessibility

The Reality of Teaching in a Pandemic

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Normalizing Freelance

How the pandemic creates more work-from-home options

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BLUE LIGHT What’s the risk?

By Jaclyn Krizanic Look into anyone’s window and there will be a gleam of light—specifically, blue light. With life completely moving online, being exposed to more blue light than ever before is inevitable.

But what is blue light? According to BLUTECH, “blue light is a color in the … spectrum that can be seen by human eyes. Blue light is a short

wavelength, which means it produces higher amounts of energy.”

Studies have shown that because of the high energy, exposure to blue light can cause eye strain, fatigue, headaches and sleeplessness.

This does not mean all kinds of blue light are

terrible—blue light is almost everywhere. From outside in the sky to inside homes, this light surrounds everyone. The problem is artificial blue light, which comes from a number of sources, such as computers, phones and TV screens. Due to the pandemic, the concern of overexposure has risen from the increased use of these devices for work and school.

Regardless if it’s for school or work, a screen is in front of people for the entire week. But how harmful is this for the health of eyes?

The exposure to artificial blue light can damage the retina and potentially cause deterioration.

Prevent Blindness—an organization located in numerous states that helps with research and support for the blind communities and how to protect themselves from furthering any deterioration or damage to their eye— warns about how “this [blue light] can cause vision problems, like age-related macular degeneration.”

However, many people do not realize blue light affects more than the eye. According to Harvard Health, this type of light exposure actually can affect sleep patterns by messing with the brain’s production of melatonin, the

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“Many people do not realize blue light affects more than the eye.” the hormone which helps control the body’s sleep cycle.

Harvard Medical School conducted an experiment using two different types of light, green light and blue light, in six and a half hour periods to see its effects on sleep. The exposure to blue light “suppressed melatonin for about twice as long as the green light and shifted circadian rhythms by twice as much (three hours versus one and a half hours).”

Another study, done by researchers at the University of Toronto, compared the levels of melatonin in people who wore blue-lightblocking goggles when exposed to natural light from windows and those exposed to dim artificial lighting. The levels of the hormone were about the same, demonstrating the benefits of blocking blue light during high light exposure.

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Now, buying blue-light-blocking glasses is the latest trend. Glasses can be purchased from Amazon or even from eye care services offering prescription glasses with additional blue light protection. With prescription glasses, this usually costs an additional fee between $30 and $80. Even purchasing a pair of non-prescriptionblue light glasses can be a flat cost of up to $60. This is seen from department stores and even optometrist’s offices. Amazon, on the other hand, has some great deals and selections by selling two or three pairs of blue-light-blocking glasses for only $10 to $20.

Cost can vary between purchasing platforms, but how well do they actually work? Research by WebMD suggests it could be a placebo. There is little research on the use of the glasses with a computer or cellular device. However, Lisa Ostrin, a professor at the University of Houston’s College of Optometry, argues wearing the glasses actually shows about “a 58 percent increase in their nighttime melatonin levels. By using blue blocking glasses, we … can improve sleep and still continue to use our devices.”

More or less, because there is a setting that turns a device to night mode and reduces blue light, spending money on glasses may not be worth it. However, wearing glasses while on night mode would improve the effect, increasing total melatonin levels and allowing more use of a device.

Using devices all day for work or school is not the only screen time for the average person.

There’s social media scrolling and TV watching too. If the average person works eight hours a day and uses their phone in addition to that, this

can turn into over twelve hours of screen time without even realizing.

So how much time is too much time? There is no perfect answer, but there is a rule that should be practiced while using any type of device. The 20-20-20 rule is not only easy to remember but also to employ. For every 20 minutes of digital screen time, look away from the screen at an object that is at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This is helpful when looking at artificial blue light and working up close on your computer.

By taking these extended screen breaks and implementing dark mode features, this matches any benefits experienced with anti-blue light glasses for free. If eye strain is still a problem after these additional practices, consider how and where the screen is being used.

According to All About Vision eye research, there are 10 steps to use to reduce continued eye strain. While considering the use of blue light glasses is on the list, other important tips include getting an eye exam each year and making sure the room where the computer is set up has proper lighting.

Eye strain usually is caused by excessive bright light, either from outdoor sunlight through a window or from interior lighting. To deal with that, All About Vision recommends, “when you use a computer, your ambient lighting should be about half as bright as that typically found in most offices.” Eliminate unnecessary exterior

computers so windows are to the side rather than in front or behind the device. Avoiding unnecessary exposure goes a long way in decreasing eye strain.

The following are tips to lessen eye strain; not only can these tips help limit the amount of exposure to blue light, but also the type of exposure. If working inside, avoid overhead fluorescent lights. The harsh fluorescents can cause damage, so turn those off and use floor lamps that provide soft white indirect LED lighting instead. Minimize as much glare as possible. The glare from light reflecting off of walls and surfaces, as well as the computer screen, can also cause eye strain. The article suggests working against darker toned walls under a lamp or light because the light cannot bounce off as directly as it would against a white wall, for example.

The ability to refrain from using technology and looking at screens is inevitable. However, taking precautions and understanding the importance of protecting the eye from exposure to artificial blue light will exponentially help from deteriorating damage to the eye.

Jaclyn Krizanic is a senior studying professional writing and minoring in graphic design. Jaclyn plans to apply her knowledge and skill sets she has gained from her major into her current, future and professional work. Jaclyn loves to write poetry and aspires to publish a book of poems and short stories upon her graduation.

light by closing drapes or blinds or working in a room with fewer windows. This helps the eye adjust and lessens the quantity of light the eye is exposed to. Try positioning

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PASSING TRAUMA DOWN TO KIDS A personal essay

By Kate Snider “What if all dads went to therapy?”

This question has generated a tidal wave of internet memes, of the utopian variety, all imagining a world where dads go to therapy. Humorous and oddly relatable tweets and memes make it evident that someone’s childhood trauma can influence their parenting styles, ultimately affecting their own children. For example, many dads are strict, unaffectionate or distant from their children because of experiences they had with their own fathers. This leaves many to wonder if attending therapy could change that.

My Experience While growing up, we believe our parents are invincible. Parents show us the difference between right and wrong and slowly their parental knowledge begins to become our own. Everything they do is a model to replicate. Contrarily, as a 21-year-old, my thoughts have switched to a more realistic perspective of my parents.

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My dad’s birth was a surprise to my grandma and grandpa. It was 1966, they were unmarried and young; this made the pregnancy a taboo. A few years after my dad was born, my grandparents split. My grandpa then moved to a town a few miles away, married another woman and started another family.

Unfortunately, as my dad grew older, he didn’t have much of a connection with his father and participated in “big brother” programs designed for boys with similar backgrounds.

During high school, a county newspaper arrived on his doorstep. The newspaper read “Father of the Year,” donning a photo of none other than his own father—the one he never got to have. I never met my grandpa, but still grew up in a home with loving parents I believed to be perfect. The scars from my dad’s childhood, however, manifested in different aspects of my upbringing.

During my childhood, my dad was not accustomed to affection and had trouble

showing it. The words “I love you” were rarely said but more frequently shown with small actions. He took on a role that was the epitome of tough. I never have seen my dad cry or show grief. Even his mother’s death in 2009 seemed not to phase him.

While growing up, I looked up to my dad immensely and tried to exhibit traits he possessed. For instance, I felt a need to be just as rigid as him. My frustration always manifested as anger and no matter how badly I wanted to, I never cried. I resented female stereotypes and made sure I was the first to be picked for teams every time my classmates played games like kickball.

Today, I still sometimes struggle with affection and expressing my feelings because as a child, I grew to acknowledge vulnerability as a bad thing.

Others’ Experiences My story, among many others, seems to demonstrate that parents can, intentionally or unintentionally, pass their own childhood THECURRENTMSU.COM 09

“The normalization of therapy could prove beneficial in ending the negative ripple effects that plague future generations.”

trauma to their children. While this ripple effect can extend generations, it is completely possible for it to begin with your immediate family.

Maddie Leaver, a sophomore at Michigan State University, shared her experience. Since beginning college, Leaver has reflected on her own personality traits and gained a new perspective on what life experiences molded them. Like countless others, she grew up in a home where her parents were unhappy with their relationship. Their constant arguments conditioned Leaver to hate and actively avoid any form of conflict. “With all the regular bickering, I was walking on eggshells in my own home,” she said.

Consequently, Leaver often finds herself unable to say “no” when asked for favors and constantly finds herself doing whatever she can to please people. Her parents later divorced, but Leaver’s need to avoid conflict remains a consequence of her parents’ relationship.

Ending the Trauma Cycle Communication is one of the best ways to acknowledge one’s issues. Therapy is a process that helps people navigate their emotions and facilitate better behaviors through communication. According to Forbes, the reality is that therapy really works. Scientific studies consistently demonstrate that behavioral and emotional intervention work as well, if not better than, prescriptions when it comes to anxiety, depression and mental health issues.

Therapists help set goals and track progress so patients are able to build an emotional resilience on their own.

It’s no secret that mental health has historically been a taboo topic. Sadly, therapy also carries the negative stigma of being reserved for 10 WINTER 2020

serious mental illnesses or a hobby of the rich.

Personally, I’ve seen TV shows and movies portray therapists as people who sit and listen to problems but do nothing to actually help solve them. These portrayals lack authenticity.

In reality, therapy is a great path for those suffering from a mental illness or those who are simply dealing with challenges in their lives.

“Mental health problems are under-identified by health-care professionals and older people themselves, and the stigma surrounding these conditions makes people reluctant to seek help,” an article reads from The World Health Organization. Yes, that’s right—older generations are not excluded from mental health issues; they just simply are unwilling to accept guidance.

Millennials have been instrumental in destroying this stigma of mental health by advocating through social movements. In particular, the practice of sharing experiences online has helped many struggling with mental health feel as though they are not alone, sometimes even

helping them identify issues once unknown to themselves. Mental health services offered by universities are being utilized more than ever before. According to ABC News, the demand for these services is surging and universities are struggling to keep up.

Go to Therapy I believe that if my dad had taken the opportunity to attend therapy, his interactions with me as a father would have been more affectionate.

Ultimately, I feel it would alter who I am today. The normalization of therapy could prove beneficial in ending the negative ripple effects that plague future generations. With the world progressing and erasing outdated and misinformed stigmas, we can be hopeful for the future.

Kate Snider is a senior majoring in advertising with a concentration in copywriting. Outside of class, Kate works at the Creative Center, a new organization started within Comm Arts to assist other creatives with their portfolios. She is continuously inspired by encounters with new people and places.

Post-graduation, Kate plans on looking for work in Portland, Oregon to expand her hobbies of hiking and photography.

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AMERICA’S SECRET WORKFORCE

By Emma Kolakowski Prison—one of the places that one would least expect to harbor profitable jobs.

Behind the solid walls of America’s many prisons (there are nearly 2,000, according to the Prison Policy Initiative) lie the ideal for-profit industry. The workforce is constantly replenishing and can be paid the barest fraction of the minimum wage. It’s a businessman’s dream, if the moral obligations are set aside. Sure, prison labor may be the modern-day equivalent of indentured labor in America, but it’s cheap, and for many corporations and local governments, it’s easy enough to overlook the moral issues in favor of the low prices.

According to the Prison Policy Initiative, only about 1% of inmates are employees of private companies, and only about 6% of inmates are employees of the state.

However, many figures on incarceration are disputed, making it hard to tell how many working prisoners there really are.

The Bureau of Justice puts the number of inmates in the U.S. at somewhere well over one million as of 2018, though more recent reports say the number is closer to 2.3 million. Figures about the number of inmates who work are just as hotly contested, with an anonymous source telling Newsweek that, by the source’s estimation, about half of prisoners work.

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The Bureau of Prisons, an offshoot of the Department of Justice, is responsible for the incarcerated population. It also operates Federal Prison Industries (FPI), a corporation owned by the United States government, and the employer of many incarcerated workers.

FPI is limited in who it can sell to—since FPI’s use of prison labor means it doesn’t have to pay the standard minimum wage, it would be capable of undercutting any company in the private sector. The vast majority of FPI products can be sold only to the federal government. Since FPI is governmentowned, prisoners spend their days creating uniforms, road signs, mattresses, helmets, armor and more for the government that they are prisoners of. This is billed as a positive by proponents of the system: inmates are giving back to the nation as a way to atone for their crimes and give back to society.

as for a punishment for crime.” Thus, the same amendment that freed so many slaves was used to reconsign them to a supposedly just form of slavery, under the name of convict labor.

However, the inauspicious roots of prison labor hint at its less palatable purpose.

The 13th Amendment was passed in 1865, shortly after the Civil War ended. By stating that “neither slavery or servitude[…] shall exist within the United States.” It emancipated tens of thousands of slaves.

Especially in the Southern United States, this created a sudden absence of workers and a need for a new source of cheap labor. The amendment had an answer for this: “…except

The 155-year-old wording of the 13th Amendment had provided a legal loophole that has enabled prisons to make an estimated $500 million in profit a year off the backs of their inmates, according to NPR. The NAACP estimates that America contains 25% of the world’s incarcerated population, though America constitutes less than 5% of the global population. America has a large source of workers with little choice in their own employment, and for more than a century and

In the years after the amendment, Black men—and, to a lesser degree, women and children—were convicted on petty and often trumped-up offenses such as being unemployed that forced them back into laboring without a fair wage. Today, disproportionate jailing of racial minorities and vulnerable populations continues.

Research published by the Council of Criminal Justice in 2016 showed that African Americans often serve more time than a white American convicted of the same charge.

The American prison system, and the labor it forces on inmates, remains influenced by racial bias.

a half, those willing to turn a blind eye to moral questions have been making a fortune through this system.

Prisoners have no ability to disagree with their employment—it’s not as though they can seek employment elsewhere. If inmates want to work, they have to work in the conditions, and for the wages, that are offered. Prison labor takes advantage of the convict’s inability to unionize or seek higher pay.

Those who work outside of prison walls have bargaining power because they can seek other employment if terms are unsatisfactory.

Prisoners are not afforded this freedom.

Because inmates can’t seek a better job, they can be exploited far more easily than the non-incarcerated population.

Typically, inmates perform tasks essential to the day-to-day running of their prison, such as laundry and maintenance duties. They also produce goods for outside use, like clothes, furniture and farm goods. The work is often far from stimulating. The majority of working inmates perform manual or socalled unskilled labor assignments to supply various branches of government, since their employer, FPI, is restricted in whom it can sell to. While most inmates are consigned to internal manual labor, some have the misfortune of working under downright dangerous conditions.

Prison labor sprung into national consciousness during California’s 2018 wildfire season, where convicts were brought in to help fight

fires for $2 a day. NPR reports the use of inmate labor saved the state $100 million a year. (For reference, Zip Recruiter estimates that a non-convict firefighter makes nearly $100 a day, due to the danger and rigors of the job). In New Jersey, where the minimum wage is $10 an hour, prisoners working in maintenance can earn, at most, $2 an hour.

Across the nation, prisoners earn between 86 cents and $3.45, not per hour, but per day, according to a study by the Prison Policy Initiative. Depending on the state, some prisoners receive no compensation at all. Many prisoners must use their money to spend on things like shampoo, razors, stationary, and phone calls. Female inmates in particular are at a disadvantage since many have to purchase essential menstrual supplies. The wages paid to prison laborers directly affect the inmates’ quality of life.

Proponents of the prison labor system argue that prisoners deserve the lack of choice. They violated societal rules and, as a result, have lost the right to make choices for themselves.

However, this logic relies on two premises, neither of which are argumentatively sound.

The first assumption is that every person in prison is guilty. This is supposedly why it’s fair for prisoners to have no say in their labor and be deprived of the wage offered to those who have followed the laws of society.

As a certain amount of bias, conscious or otherwise, is present in everyone, bias is surely present in the justice system. A study conducted by Ohio State University THECURRENTMSU.COM 13

“Prison labor relies on the idea that work somehow has less value if it is performed by a convicted criminal.” convicts see themselves as a productive part of society. Undervaluing their contributions by paying them a pittance does the opposite. of convictions are wrongful. This seems like a small figure, but on the large scale of American incarceration, it becomes unfair to subject all prisoners to the lack of freedom of prison labor.

Reports on the incarcerated population conflict, but it is estimated to be near 2.3 million people, meaning that as many as 11,500 Americans may be innocent but incarcerated. Even if violation of the social contract justifies subjecting people to a lack of free will over their employment, there are innocents in the prison system, who have not violated laws, and it is of convictions are wrongful. This seems like a small figure, but on the large scale of American incarceration, it becomes unfair to subject all prisoners to the lack of freedom of prison labor. Reports on the incarcerated population conflict, but it is estimated to be near 2.3 million people, meaning that as many as 11,500 Americans may be innocent but incarcerated.

Even if violation of the social contract justifies subjecting people to a lack of free will over 14 WINTER 2020

their employment, there are innocents in the prison system, who have not violated laws, and it is therefore unjust that they also lose these rights.

The second premise is that everyone in prison is equally guilty—e.g., someone who possessed marijuana and someone who comitted murder deserve equal punishment. If both of these prisoners are working in the prison labor system, then both are being equally deprived of free will, despite having committed disparate crimes.

If prison labor is to be a valuable tool that allows convicts to do meaningful work and “contribute to society,” then the labor they perform has to be shown a modicum of respect. Prisoners understand that they, and their labor, are being undervalued because of their circumstances. This lowers morale and self-worth, worsening the quality of life for those who are likely already at a low point.

Proponents of prison labor claim it helps

Prison labor relies on the idea that work somehow has less value if it is performed by a convicted criminal. Outside of prison walls, pay rates are far higher for identical work, and employees have far more choice about what they focus their labor on. Inmate labor is the dirty secret that keeps prisons running and people profiting at the expense of those who are already more vulnerable due to being separated from the rest of the world.

The 13th Amendment quietly allows the U.S. to consider prisoners as resources to be capitalized on, rather than people working towards rehabilitation.

Emma Kolakowski is a junior double-major in theater and professional and public writing, whose love for the written word is matched only by her love of ramen. Emma hopes to pursue a career in publishing after graduation. When not buried in a book, she can be found building sets for the theater, fencing, or geeking out over art history.

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HOME VS. HOSPITAL Where to give birth when trying to survive a pandemic

By Patiense Mckenzie “I can do it myself; hospitals were never necessary in the history of childbirth. My life would be at risk either way.” -My sister, Shaney Lawson, talking about her second at home childbirth experience The realities of a visit to the doctor or the hospital are not what they were prior to the coronavirus pandemic. Once routine visits are now high-stakes operations. With all the focus on COVID-19, expectant mothers are left to worry if they will get proper treatment.

Pregnant women are worrying if they are putting themselves at risk by giving birth at a hospital, and pregnant Black women have to live with the worry of surviving in the hospital at all. According to The Journal of Perinatal Education, “In the United States, Black women are 2 to 6 times more likely to die from complications of pregnancy than white women.” Increasingly, home birth seems 16 WINTER 2020

to these women like a safer alternative, especially during a global pandemic. As home births become more commonplace, there is potential for the practice’s normalcy to extend beyond the coronavirus, something that might benefit Black women, in particular.

COVID-19 has made mothers scared of the consequences of giving birth in a hospital.

According to Dr. Michael Nimaroff, an obstetrician-gynecologist and senior vice president at Northwell Health, “Some hospitals have been so overwhelmed that gynecologists and obstetricians have been diverted to treat coronavirus patients.” Not receiving medical attention right away could lead to complications during a woman’s pregnancy or birth, and birthing a child at home could relieve someone of the stress of having to give birth in the midst of a pandemic.

Many pregnant women are worried about

testing positive for the coronavirus after giving birth in the hospital. Hospitals could potentially put families, midwives and doulas, who are employed to provide guidance and support to a pregnant woman during labor but who typically do not have formal obstetric training, at risk if they want to be a part of their loved one’s childbirth experience.

COVID-19 has become a major concern.

If the mother shows any symptoms of the coronavirus, her baby must be isolated from her, which could potentially damage the mother’s bond with her child. Skin to skin contact is necessary to a baby’s development. According to Breastmilkcounts. com, “This contact relieves the child’s stress, stabilizes the baby’s temperature, breathing rate, heart rate, and blood sugar [and] releases a hormone that lowers mom’s stress and promotes healing.” Giving birth at a THECURRENTMSU.COM 17

hospital could be a safer option for many, but it also poses the risk of potentially getting the disease and losing the opportunity to create an immediate bond between mother and child.

last year, “I don’t think there’s any such thing as a low-risk pregnancy, because any pregnancy can turn into a high-risk pregnancy in a matter of minutes.”

Many people, including Dr. Nimaroff, argue that a hospital “is still a safe space to have a baby.” The “immediate care” of medical professionals and the provided equipment also makes it a more comfortable option for many. In some cases, people need to go to the hospital anyway when giving birth. Any birth brings the potential for complications, and for those who chose to do it at home, distance from emergency care could be detrimental to the health of mother and baby alike.

Studies show that home birth increases the chances of a stillbirth. According to Dr. Askel, “If problems happen, a hospital setting can give you and your baby the best care in a hurry. And studies have shown that babies born at home are more than twice as likely to die around the time of birth than those born in hospitals.” Pregnant women should keep this in mind when trying to decide what birthing option is best for them.

There are no guarantees that a home birth is safer in terms of the pandemic. Midwives who perform home births do not necessarily get tested for COVID-19 nor require that their patients do so.

Home birth can also lead to many complications.

Home births can lead to “free birthing” or giving birth without the assistance of a skilled birth attendant, like a midwife or a physician.

This practice is not recommended by medical professionals and is something that pregnant women should keep in mind when considering home birth, as things do not always go according to plan.

There are many factors that should dissuade women from considering home birth, including if the pregnancy is deemed high-risk, if the mother has previously had a C-section, or if it’s a multiple pregnancy. A New York OB/GYN, Dr. Sarp Aksel, told “Good Morning America” 18 WINTER 2020

However, the risks associated with pregnancy and birth are not one-size-fits-all. Many Black women worry about unanticipated complications but may think they have a greater chance of surviving at home than at a hospital.

Black women are three times more likely to die in childbirth in the United States than white women, even with hospital care, including women like Sha-Asia Washington, who “Good Morning America” describes as dying in late September during an emergency C-section at NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull, a cityrun hospital in Brooklyn, New York. Sha-Asia’s family believes that her death could have been prevented, and the hospital recognizes the disportionate deaths of Black women during their pregnancies and deliveries.

Shaney Lawson, 33, has two kids, and neither were born in a hospital. In her explanation of why she feels safer giving birth at home, she said that while she is fearful of COVID, her main

concern has to do with the color of her skin. “As a Black woman, I cannot trust hospitals. I don’t want to have a C-section, and I don’t want a doctor trying to convince me the safest way to have a child is to cut me open. I want to have it naturally. I like that I didn’t have to drive. I had all my food, clothes and diapers here.”

All of this reveals one of the real issues of the medical system: Black women are undervalued.

White women are often considered and carefully examined. Black women have been historically dismissed at the hands of medical professionals, because they have always been seen as strong enough to manage their own suffering.

Many Black women simply do not feel safe giving birth in hospitals; they regard hospitals as doing to Black women what police do to Black men. Of course, for high-risk pregnancies, there is little choice but to go to a hospital.

“The dirty little secret is that these people are dying in our hospitals, which should be our safest places,” said Dr. Monica McLemore, a University of California, San Francisco researcher looking at the intersection of maternity care and race.

However, safer options are also limited to Black women. For example, a Black woman looking for the comfort of a Black midwife or doula to deliver her baby has few options from which to choose, as, according to Pew Charitable Trusts, midwives across the country say they are stretched to accommodate additional deliveries because of the pandemic

“Black women are regularly dismissed by the same people who are trying to heal them.” while taking precautions to protect themselves and their clients.

According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, these issues could be improved “if hospitals and healthcare systems implement standardized protocols in quality improvement initiatives, especially among facilities that serve disproportionately affected communities and identify and address implicit bias in healthcare that would likely improve patient-provider interactions, health communication, and health outcomes.”

are more likely to have pre-existing conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes and asthma, illnesses that increase the risk of death from the coronavirus and may go undiagnosed prior to pregnancy. Black immune systems Black women are regularly dismissed by the are not as strong as white professionals same people who are attempting to heal them. would like them to think. This misconception is They are seen as stronger than the average what leads to the preventable death of Black human by white society, but this is medically women during pregnancy. incorrect. According to the National Center for Health Statistics and the U.S. Department Where to give birth is a difficult and deeply of Health and Human Services, Black women personal decision and is only complicated by

factors of race and COVID-19. The choice is for each individual to make, hopefully with a great deal of research under their belt.

Patiense Mckenzie is a senior studying English with a focus in creative writing and a minor in Spanish. Her passion is creative writing and poetry. Her career goal is to publish a book one day and to create a space for Detroit-local creatives to get paid for their art.

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An Unexpected Silver Lining of COVID-19

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As the coronavirus pandemic continues to take center stage in the U.S. and around the world, the desperate search for normalcy tredges on as well. The solution for how to keep the world turning means a shift to online and remote work and learning for many.

Perhaps inadvertently, this shift has led to a revamping of accessibility, and with it, more professional and academic opportunities for people with disabilities.

Prior to the pandemic, individuals in the disability community often had to tirelessly advocate for themselves for accessibility and understanding to acquire equal footing with their abled peers. It simply isn’t the status quo.

This begs the question of why such online resources haven’t been widely available to those in need of them before now. At Michigan State University, these steps towards accessibility aren’t new.

MSU and the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities have worked for decades to make a Spartan education truly accessible for

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all. Caleb Sandoval is one such advocate at the RCPD who works specifically with students with chronic health disabilities.

Since the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, institutions of higher learning and workplaces must uphold the outlined standards and policies to prevent disability discrimination. According to the act itself, the purpose of the ADA is “to provide a clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities.” Of course, implementation and enforcement become a separate issue, and MSU works to bridge this gap for students and faculty.

“Michigan State has already been a pioneer for accessibility. We have positions and departments already created to address accessibility compliance and offer our students and staff the most options possible, even before the pandemic,” said Sandoval.

Not everyone, even within the MSU community, with a disability takes part in this legal safeguard

of their rights. For some, the steps to equity feel insurmountable. This feeling may result from a lack of awareness about accommodations or even a sense of hopelessness for individuals who have a history of struggling to have their needs met.

MSU senior, Daniel, whose name has been changed for confidentiality, struggles with chronic depression and anxiety but hasn’t yet registered with the RCPD to receive a Verified Individualized Services and Accommodations document.

“Being this deep in it, I’ve had a hard time even mustering the energy to go deal with the process of getting formal accommodations. I didn’t know about the RCPD when I first became a student. I tried to get my accommodations last year, but didn’t follow the process all the way through,” said Daniel. “My entire college career, I’ve struggled with anxiety over missed classes and deadlines as a result of my depression and have had problems getting professors to be understanding in the past.”

THECURRENTMSU.COM 21

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and their report on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, “symptoms of anxiety disorder and depressive disorder increased considerably in the United States during April–June of 2020, compared with the same period in 2019.” As the pandemic dredges on indefinitely, these symptoms are likely to affect even more people. As more people continue to develop and struggle with mental health issues, there is a pivotal increase in empathy and understanding about such struggles.

Daniel has found this to already be the case in his experience. He said, “Even without yet having a VISA, my professors have been more accommodating this year than ever before when I share with them that I’m having a hard time. I reached out to a professor after I missed a deadline and was vulnerable about the fact that I’ve been having panic attacks and struggling to do my work. She responded in a way I’m not used to from professors and had no problem giving me an extension on my work and even asking if there was anything she could do to help.”

Why must one prove their struggle for it to be validated and accommodated by others? In a perfect world, requests for extensions and calls for help from students would always be working toward that goal.

way the pandemic has been a struggle for every single person.”

“I think there’s a nationwide enlightenment happening in thinking about the people you work and learn with being as human.

“Some people who may have been able to sort of dodge the bullet of having your body or mind affect you in ways you can’t control have some experience in this now. Everyone has been significantly impacted in ways they couldn’t have even seen coming by this pandemic.”

Adjusting to a world where what was once normal may now be dangerous has created a new outlook on how to make the world around us fit the needs of all individuals.

For those in the disability community, it can be frustrating that it took a global pandemic to get here, but many are celebrating the increase in accessibility.

Remote work has certainly contributed to this,” Sandoval said. “I think people who might have been less open to hearing messages about the importance of empathy will be less inclined to be that way going forward because of the

With the seemingly endless trials and tribulations that come with the coronavirus pandemic comes a spike in mental health struggles, even for those who have never experienced depression or anxiety before.

“Some of my students at the RCPD have actually reported things being easier now with remote classes than they were before.

They had so much trepidation about going to classes at all because of how likely they are

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“Creating educational experiences that are more universally accessible to all students right out the gate should have been the goal in the first place, and I’m glad to see that’s where people are now.”

Caleb Sandoval to get sick in that less controlled environment,” said Sandoval. “For some students, who have a stable home life, it’s been calming to be able to work from home when there is an adequate learning experience being offered to them.”

Even Daniel is experiencing this new hope.

“I felt like I had begun to get a better grasp on dealing with my anxiety and depression and its impact on my life. Of course, with the pandemic it’s gotten much harder, but I’ve reached back out to the RCPD and am currently trying to set up a needs assessment to get a VISA,” he said.

Though the country and the world collectively long for the day they can put the coronavirus pandemic behind them, some of its effects are worth maintaining. Receiving support, accommodation, and consideration in higher education and beyond should always be a priority, even when the pandemic isn’t at the forefront of motivations.

“Creating educational experiences that are more universally accessible to all students right out the gate should have been the goal in the first place, and I’m glad to see that’s where people are now,” said Sandoval.

The world will never quite be the same after the pandemic, but with any luck, these positive changes are here to stay.

Shelby Smith is a senior double majoring in English and professional and public writing with a concentration in creative writing. Outside her time spent on The Current and with the MSU Writing Center, Shelby likes to read, attempt to author her own works, and watch something she’s already seen on Netflix.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 23

CLEAN ENERGY: THE HARD TRUTHS

non-renewables like oil. Nuclear energy, for instance, like wind and solar, has low rates of carbon emission, which is one of the major issues with oil and gas use.

By Emma Kolakowski

Non-renewable, non “clean” energy sources like oil and coal power the modern world but have two major drawbacks. First, as non-renewable sources of energy, there will eventually be a point at which these sources will no longer be available on Earth. While that hasn’t taken place yet, people have already begun to see the consequences of the second drawback: these energy sources emit copious amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Consequently, these carbon emissions heat the atmosphere, which in turn melts ice caps, skews storm patterns, and makes oceans more acidic.

The growing awareness of both drawbacks has resulted in a push to discover renewable energy sources (those that do not exist in finite amounts, unlike coal and oil) and clean energy sources (those that do not produce high carbon emissions, unlike coal and oil). Nevertheless, as climate change worsens and the push for renewable energy continues, proponents of this cause have a duty to also acknowledge the cons of renewable energy sources in order to facilitate research and improvement.

Solar and wind energy have been touted for years as viable options in response to our climate crisis and fossil fuel dependency, and they are relatively easy to install and use, compared to other clean energy sources. However, though renewable, wind and solar energy sources are not perfect, and while many climatologists

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fear losing public confidence by discussing the detractions of wind and solar energy, it’s still important to anticipate the potential issues with any new energy source.

According to the Solar Engineering Group, solar panels are easily corrupted with tiny cracks, loose wiring or moisture, which render a panel inoperable. If solar panels are properly made, they will have low maintenance costs, but the upfront price of installation can still be prohibitive. Another major concern for environmentalists is the system required to store solar energy, lithium batteries. Lithium is essential to many green-focused technologies, including the eco-friendly electric car industry, but this enabler of renewable energy is actually non-renewable itself. In fact, lithium shortages are already troubling electric car manufacturers like Tesla.

This shortage prompted US-based companies, along with a dearth of international corporations, to look to Bolivia, since this South American country is estimated to have around a quarter of the world’s lithium. Earlier this year, Reuters reported that Bolivia’s state-owned lithium company plans to limit foreign mining. Bolivia has a large indigenous population with cultural ties to the land. This has long made relations tense between citizens and mining corporations eager to capitalize on this resource-rich country.

Bolivia’s last election was disputed, and Evo Morales, the nation’s first indigenous president, was forced to flee the country. This caused some political pundits to theorize that international and corporate interests had both worked to remove the well-liked president, who commonly stood in the way of foreign resource extraction.

Generally, wind-based renewable energy is less politically fraught than its solar counterpart, but is still plagued by a number of complications.

For example, like any source of energy, it has the potential to negatively impact the surrounding ecosystem; even if it is better as a whole for the environment than fossil fuels are.

While complaints about “visual pollution”—i.e., some people don’t like looking at the source of their energy—don’t constitute an actual issue with wind energy, there are still some legitimate disadvantages. Turbines, and the noise they create, pose a threat to natural habitats when they are erected, forcing animals to leave the area and find somewhere their way of life is not disrupted.

More dangerous to wildlife is the threat posed by the blades of the turbines. The Audubon society reports that turbine blades are responsible for the deaths of between 140,000 and 328,000 birds a year. However, it’s worth giving some context to this number.

Realistically, several million more birds are

killed each year from striking power lines, according to TreeHugger, an environmental watch group.

Thankfully, turbine farms have been testing radar and other technologies to decrease bird (and bat) deaths. Currently, the gold standard in protecting birds from turbines involves temporarily turning off turbines when the farm’s radar spots a large flock of birds in the area.

Despite the tweaks that are still necessary, renewable energy sources remain imperative to maintaining a livable climate on Earth.

However, these two goals are not an easy or even ideal solution to fossil fuel dependency.

For example, there is one potential energy source that isn’t touted nearly as much as more

photogenic sources like solar and wind energy: nuclear energy. This long-demonized source of power could be the solution to the world’s growing energy and sustainability needs.

An important clarification—nuclear is technically not a “renewable” source of energy, though it’s classified as “clean” energy. Rather than rely on an infinite resource like the wind or the sun, nuclear energy is reliant upon uranium. Uranium exists on Earth in a finite amount, causing its classification as nonrenewable. However, solar energy relies on lithium (also a finite mineral) to store collected energy, and yet solar is still considered a renewable energy source. Given that the lines between those classifications are blurry, although nuclear energy may not be renewable, it is worlds away from other

Nuclear energy isn’t eschewed solely because of technicalities about renewability. The reason nuclear energy is taboo and environmental groups tout solar or wind energy instead is because of public fear. The disasters at Chernobyl in 1986 and Fukushima in 2011 further ingrained into public consciousness the fear present since the creation of the first nuclear bombs. Pop culture only amplifies the message that nuclear energy is something so surreal and sci-fi-esque that it borders on fantasy. From superhero origin stories to disaster movies, the idea of nuclear plants has been treated as a terrifying plot-point rather than being given due consideration as a solution to the fossil fuel and climate change crises.

Chernobyl and Fukushima are considered the two worst nuclear energy events that have occured, and both were on a magnitude incomparable to other nuclear plant issues.

Chernobyl has been reviewed countless times, including by a UN Committee, and findings show that the plant failed not because nuclear energy is fundamentally flawed as a concept, but because the plant was underfunded and the staff undertrained. Likewise, the Fukushima disaster was caused by the combination of an earthquake and a tsunami rather than any inherent issue with nuclear reactors.

These two power plants are the best known in the global consciousness to the point where THECURRENTMSU.COM 25

of weather or time of day. However, the upfront costs of nuclear energy are still a major detraction. Nuclear energy is far from a perfect solution to the climate crisis, but it deserves more consideration than it gets. The reason why solar and wind are the most commonly advertised sources of clean energy aren’t because they’re better in every category, but because they are less scary to the public.

functioning, unobtrusive nuclear power plants there are. In the US alone, while renewables produce 17% of the nation’s power, nearly one hundred nuclear reactors quietly produce nearly 20% of the country’s energy, according to the US Energy Information Association.

Germany uses nuclear power with great success, as well, getting 25% of the country’s power from its nuclear plants.

Though nuclear energy is safer than most would think, safety isn’t the only argument made against these kinds of plants. Detractors of nuclear energy argue that the plants produce too much radioactive waste, which in turn has to be safely contained. However, the Yale School of the Environment states that nuclear energy actually releases less radioactivity into the environment than any other energy source.

It’s also worth noting that typical power plants produce radioactive waste as well. In fact, coal 26 WINTER 2020

is the world’s largest source of radioactive material released into the environment.

Advancements in nuclear energy resources suggest that nuclear power may become a renewable source if thorium is used in place of uranium. Thorium is another radioactive element, weaker than uranium, and far safer.

Forbes reports that a thorium reaction can be stopped far quicker than a uranium one in case of emergency. Thorium creates less waste, and that waste is less radioactive and less long-lived. Of course, like any potential energy source, thorium has its drawbacks. One being due to lack of research, it’s not certain yet whether thorium, which takes longer to process, is economically feasible on a large scale.

Ultimately, nuclear energy is also more reliable than renewable sources like wind and solar since it can be produced constantly, regardless

In order to address the climate crisis and the impending fossil fuel shortage as quickly and thoroughly as possible, all options must be discussed. Climate activists can’t avoid talking about the possibilities of nuclear energy just to maintain public support, and proponents of renewable sources like wind and solar must first admit the drawbacks of the sources in order to solve them. The search for clean, if not renewable, energy is so important that many advocates fear discussing the cons of newer energy sources out of a desire to maintain positive public sentiment. It’s certainly understandable given the relative newness and strangeness of these non-fossil fuel energy sources, but glossing over hard truths due to the fear of losing public confidence in current solutions, will do more harm than good in the

Emma Kolakowski is a junior double-major in theater and professional and public writing, whose love for the written word is matched only by her love of ramen. Emma hopes to pursue a career in publishing after graduation.

When not buried in a book, she can be found building sets for the theater, fencing, or geeking out over art history.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 27

THE UPDATE THAT COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING

Lewis, a developer at Google, explains that beacon technology is “location technology” and how “almost every app you download cares about where the user is.” The beacon is seen as next level detection. He explains that it gives “a more precise detection” of data, but it’s more than that. In order for beacon technology to work for communication between devices, there needs to be a host—a place where all the data is stored.

By Jaclyn Krizanic The iPhone updates grow and expand on iOS developments. However, is there such a thing as too many updates? Apple released its new iOS 13.7 update which allows users to optin to COVID-19 contact tracing. In April, the app was supposed to be released in the near future, but now the near future is here. Along with this new iOS update, an app for contact tracing is available for download on Android.

These updates became a reality because of the partnership between Apple and Google with the Center of Disease Control and Prevention.

more concerning. Not only does it allow for a daily screening of symptoms, but it also has the ability to track other users that the user may have walked by or been around through Bluetooth.

The app then notifies users if they have been exposed to someone who tested positive for the virus. This is possible because users are supposed to update their status on the tracing app to “Positive” if they contract the virus. Then, the Bluetooth technology can send warnings to other devices that have come within a six-foot radius of them.

This update aims to limit the spread of COVID-19. The app allows the user to choose if they would like to opt in, and individuals have total control over their decision to be part of this new feature.

However, the new update creates major security and privacy concerns. On Apple’s “Newsroom,” they are describing this technology as strictly a Bluetooth development, which does not use your location. But is this the reality?

Apple described this Bluetooth technology as a “beacon.” A beacon, according to “Beaconstac,” is “Bluetooth Low Energy” beacon technology. This technology is a form of wireless communication that is designed for short-range data transfer, like a WiFi router. A wireless connection is used to connect devices to the internet, collect data and communicate with other devices. The same concept applies to this app. It is a one-way communication that transfers data to other beacons. The contact tracing app works due to the beacon technology, which is also explained on Apple’s “Newsroom” under the development section of the app.

But how does the program work? When a user opts in, the app opens and asks the user questions. Depending on how the questions are answered, the app will either suggest the user get tested, or it will say testing is not recommended at this time. Its other features, however, become

Apple states that “the COVID-19 app and website were built to keep all user data private and secure … and users’ individual responses will not be sent to Apple or any government organization.” However, looking at the history of Google and their web and software

The partnership between the two major technology brands Apple and Google is worrisome due to their power. Although Apple said there will be no shared data, that is not the case. In the YouTube video “All about Beacons: Coffee with A Googler meets Peter Lewis,”

28 WINTER 2020

developers, there is a side to this equation that is not being brought to the public’s eye.

The partnership between these companies seems to be misleading the public about underlying data collection. Beacon technology can be found in almost every app, not only on the App Store but also on the Google Play Market. The access to multiple grounds of media across different devices and brands will continue to grow in the future. There is nothing users can do right now in this moment to stop these sorts of new technological developments that add to data points collected into Google’s database. Almost The partnership between the two major every person who has used a smart device can technology brands Apple and Google is be tracked to previous data points and locations. worrisome due to their power. Although Apple said there will be no shared data, that is not the Moving forward, there should be more public case. In the YouTube video “All about Beacons: concern over the lack of privacy rights Coffee with A Googler meets Peter Lewis,” Lewis, a developer at Google, explains that beacon technology is “location technology” and how “almost every app you download cares about where the user is.” The beacon is seen as next level detection. He explains that it gives “a more precise detection” of data, but it’s more than that. In order for beacon technology to work for communication between devices, there needs to be a host—a place where all the data is stored.

for consumers of technology. From each engagement, scroll, search and movement, Google has created a profile for each individual. They use this data to highlight areas of interest that can be used to shape the psychology of humans, but there is no cyber law stating that this storage of data is wrong.

Jaclyn Krizanic is a senior majoring in professional writing and minoring in graphic design. Jaclyn plans to apply her knowledge and skill sets she has gained from her major into her current, future and professional work. Jaclyn loves to write poetry and aspires to publish a book of poems and short stories upon her graduation.

So, when looking at this partnership between Apple, Google and the Center for Disease Control, there is a misleading dialogue about user security and privacy. Even though Apple claims there is no sharing of data, according to the definition of beacon technology, that is far from the truth. As Google hosts the data shared amongst users who opt-in to tracing, they have access to pinpoint locations. If they were going to make a technology that was secure and had privacy at the forefront of its development, then why use a base technology that is described as a direct “pinpoint location” by one of Google’s developers?

THECURRENTMSU.COM 29

THE REALITY OF TEACHING IN A PANDEMIC

By Megan Elias “No matter what I do, I am letting people down.”

“Quote.”

First Last

This sentiment has been running through the thoughts of teachers all over the country as they help their students adjust to online learning while trying to understand it themselves. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States last March, online schooling quickly became the norm. Schools and universities across the country closed, and students from kindergarten to higher education were sent home to learn via webcam. It was a huge shock for everyone, and families suddenly found themselves struggling to balance child care, homeschooling and work. All at once, everyone’s eyes were on educators to continue regularly scheduled instruction while still keeping themselves and their families safe.

Both Stacy, a middle school teacher entering her 11th year of teaching in a suburb of Detroit, and Britney, a middle school teacher in the Lansing/ Jackson area in her second year of teaching, have experienced an exponential increase in workloads with no increase in planning time.

Both their names have been changed for privacy, and interviews have been edited for clarity.

For Stacy, whose school district moved completely online, her workday has increased from a strenuous 10 hour average, to an exhausting

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grade science and rotates her students from one Zoom meeting to another for each class period.

Once the school day ends, she spends her time reworking existing assignments to fit the new online format.

“We have to recreate the wheel and change everything. It’s a combination of taking what we’ve been doing and completely modifying it so it fits online and coming up with new things to teach the curriculum. Online classes are completely different,” said Stacy.

Britney was expecting to teach math for multiple grade levels, but two weeks before the school year started, teachers at Britney’s school were given a curriculum shift. Students received the option of attending remote lessons or receiving face-to-face instruction, and teachers were asked to teach classes for both.

Therefore, after Britney teaches a full school day in person, she must then upload separate video lessons, recorded on her own time, for students who learn remotely. The district has not yet permitted live streaming of face-to-face classes, and her in-person lessons are difficult to hear through her face mask, so recording them has been unsuccessful.

“I am working two full-time jobs but in the same amount of time. I feel that so much is expected

out of the teachers, and we are starting to hit the wall,” Britney said.

With the shift to in-person instruction came the need to decrease the amount of contact between people in the buildings. For that reason, faculty who teach face-to-face are now required to teach all four core subjects, so students do not have to switch classrooms.

“The district decided that all grades through 7th grade would be self-contained, meaning the kids stay with one teacher all day instead of switching classes like they normally would. I am technically qualified to teach selfcontained classrooms through 8th grade, but this was not what I signed up for,” Britney said.

“Some teachers in my building have been teaching the same subject for decades, so how are they supposed to offer the best education for the students when they now have to teach all subjects?”

With uncertainties and inevitable curriculum changes looming on the horizon, the biggest frustration for teachers and students has been not having enough time to do everything asked of them. Britney normally has the entire school year’s curriculum ready but now only has the time to plan one week ahead. Stacy has found the only time to plan THECURRENTMSU.COM 31

“People don’t realize how dedicated we are and what we go through. We can’t do it as well as we would like, but we can’t not do a great job because we care about our kids. We become teachers to help kids.”

Stacy

ahead is late at night, after she’s finished grading assignments and answering her students’ questions over email.

“I won’t get to bed until after midnight most nights, and I wake up at five the next morning.

We work all these extra hours because we want the kids to learn, but we also have our own families to take care of,” said Stacy.

Teachers are not the only ones feeling the strain of remote learning. The abrupt switch to online instruction did not leave students with any time to process the extreme changes. Many of them came home from school one day in March expecting to be back in a few weeks. Six months later, they still don’t know when things will return to normal. This intense change has left a lasting mark on a lot of students. Socialization 32 WINTER 2020

is critical for kids and teens. Without school as a medium to make friends and talk to peers, students are lonely and face lasting setbacks to their emotional growth and mental health.

That lack of vital social stimulation and the inherent difficulties of adapting to a new learning environment have created a negative impact on students’ performance in school.

Students lose their focus easily without the classroom environment or a teacher walking around to keep students engaged and involved.

Furthermore, Stacy notes that “in case students are embarrassed of their situation, we don’t like to insist they keep their cameras on. But then we can’t help the kids stay on track or see who’s actually attentive.”

Britney notes similar situations in her classes, “There are some students who only get work

done when in school. Those students, who this year chose online, are turning in maybe an assignment or two a week, causing failing grades in every class.” Many of Britney’s students who typically earned A’s last year are now consistently scoring C’s and below, which ultimately affects their confidence levels and subsequently worsens their report cards.

Concurrently, the shift to online learning has also put many students’ and teachers’ health at risk. Stacy’s school district has the resources to provide internet hotspots and laptop computers to any households that don’t normally have internet access, but Britney’s district does not have the same amount of funding.

there were not enough for every student,” Stacy said. Even if her district did have one laptop per student, they could not provide internet hotspots, so face-to face instruction had to be implemented.

Since Britney’s district is still awaiting a delivery date for more computers ordered in March and

July, face-to-face instruction doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. The reality is that students whose families cannot afford internet access or devices that access the internet are forced to attend in-person schooling. This inherently jeopardizes their lives and those of anyone they encounter. As school districts seem to be unable to provide the necessities for

students to learn virtually, Britney suggests it is the government’s responsibility to take action and ensure the safety of its constituents.

“For example, providing personal devices like Chromebooks and internet hotspots to every household, so that those families have the option to stay 100% safe. If I had the option, I would be staying home,” Britney said.

Perhaps districts could have had more remote learning resources ready, but, as Stacy notes, “We didn’t start much additional training because we didn’t know what was going to happen [with COVID-19]. And once we did know, we didn’t have time.”

Ultimately, this is an emotional time for everyone with no clear end or correct answer in sight.

“If you don’t walk in someone’s shoes you don’t realize what they go through,” Stacy said, “People don’t realize how dedicated we are and what we go through. We can’t do it as well as we would like, but we can’t not do a great job because we care about our kids. We become teachers to help kids.”

For Stacy and Britney, it’s all about making the best of this experience for their students.

Megan Elias is a senior double majoring in professional writing and linguistics with a minor in graphic design. In addition to working at “The Current”, she is also the content editor at “Sherlockian.net” and the junior history editor at The Tempest magazine. When she’s not working, she can be found riding around campus on her longboard or playing Tetris 99.

“The district did offer Chromebooks on a first come, first served basis to online students, but THECURRENTMSU.COM 33

COVID-19 MAKES A HOME INTO A HOUSE OF HORROR

By Patiense Mckenzie COVID-19 stripped our daily routines away from us. It’s easy to feel lost. It’s easy to feel lazy. Staying at home has become difficult for many people as the idea of normalcy regularly shifts. Many individuals have adapted to the unexpected drift of our daily routines, but due to health protocols, some have been put in extremely dangerous situations. For instance, living in a toxic household can be hard enough without the presence of a pandemic, but being physically cut off from the world can make it even more unbearable. Self-isolation can lead to situational depression, worsened clinical depression and even suicidal thoughts.

Therefore, during this time of uncertainty, resources should be provided to people who can’t call their place of residence safe. These resources should allow them to practice recommended health protocols without putting themselves in a different kind of emotional, mental or physical danger.

The coronavirus pandemic has altered our daily routines. According to mlive.com, “Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered all K-12 schools 34 WINTER 2020

to remain closed throughout the academic year to prevent the further spread of the coronavirus.”

With many schools closed at the time of this writing, children are subjected to spending most of their time at home. Although this mandate was beneficial in terms of keeping the virus contained, what happened to the students in toxic households? School can function as an escape for parents and students, allowing them a daily eight hour break from one another.

Because of the pandemic, many K-12 students no longer go to school, and many parents are out of work—this so-called escape was eliminated and left families somewhat restless.

Janasia Watkins, 20, was living in a toxic environment during COVID-19 and was unable to move out of her environment. To preserve a healthy mental state, she created a routine for herself. “To make myself feel better I like to keep myself busy. Fresh air always makes me feel better. Being stuck in a toxic place can be hard. I don’t like limiting myself. If I go outside, the opportunities are endless. There is still a safe way to socially distance without trapping

myself in a negative household. I make sure to spend a few hours outside because it helps me breathe.” The government recommends selfisolating as much as possible, limiting travel and leaving the house because of the high transmission rate COVID-19 has. However, this can put many people in dangerous situations. Consider people who are unable to call home their safe space. Whether their internal or external relationships cause this, the bottom line is that ‘home’ is not really ‘home.’

Since school and work now infringe on our athome lives, many people remain stuck.

At times, mental health can be the root of a toxic living environment; and the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly influenced the mental health of individuals around the world. Obstacles involving unemployment, the postponement of various entertainment industries like cinema and sports as well as self-isolation have contributed to this. According to most major news outlets, the prevalence and severity of mental illness has risen amid the pandemic, accompanied by an overwhelming need for therapy.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 35

Unfortunately, during this time, many are left feeling limited when trying to improve their mental health. Taking care of oneself could be as simple as going outside.

According to time.com, “Spending time outdoors, especially in green spaces, is one of the fastest ways to improve your health and happiness. It’s been shown to lower stress, blood pressure and heart rate, while encouraging physical activity and buoying mood and mental health.”

Watkins has decided to spend most of her days outside. She enjoys taking walks outside, takes care of herself, works to adapt to new pandemic norms and tries not to focus on circumstances she can’t control. She feels the most motivated when she sets herself up for success, and focuses on completing tasks she can control and sticking to a routine to help improve her mental health.

by having a set morning routine. Having a morning routine can increase your energy, productivity and positivity. It also generates momentum, building up to the brain’s peak time for cognitive work.” Taking a shower, brushing your teeth, eating at the beginning of the day seem very simple, but when your daily routine is removed, you start to feel like there is always enough time to get to these tasks to take care of yourself. This time quickly runs out. Keep this time for yourself, just as you would have time for yourself on your commute to school or work. Taking this time, building these routines, and keeping this structure will nourish your relationship with yourself.

While there are countless resources for “free” therapy, these services don’t advertise that they require health insurance to cover them.

Health insurance can cost over $1,000 a month in some cases, and with a major uptick in unemployment, more and more people are left unable to afford health care. The resources that are supposed to help people during this time have become increasingly unavailable due to the overwhelming number of people who need them. Many people are forced to take care of themselves.

“I make sure to spend a few hours outside because it helps me breathe.”

It is hard to control your emotions, especially when you’re angry. There are two reasons why people misdirect their anger according to Brad Bushman, PhD, a professor of communication at Ohio State University who studies anger and aggression. “One is that the target of their anger is not available... [The other reason] is that the target is available, but the angry person fears reprisal or retaliation. For example, yelling at a boss is likely to have negative professional repercussions. Yelling at a partner is safer.”

Misplacing anger is unfair and dangerous. It is necessary that one takes time to identify what triggers them. Knowing certain triggers puts a person in the position to create boundaries and establish healthy relationships. When a person knows exactly what triggers them, it is easier to communicate and react accordingly.

According to inc.com, when a person knows their exact triggers,they can then “acknowledge their anger and proceed to talk to someone to get a better perspective and understanding on the situation. They are also self-aware enough to consider the potential consequences of having lost control of their emotions.” Taking these precautions could make living in a toxic environment easier.

Janaisia Watkins

Many living situations have varying levels of danger. This could mean that the people in

Taking advantage of your morning could be an essential step in improving mental health throughout the day. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, “The key to an easier morning is to keep your first waking hour as consistent as possible throughout the weeks.

The more we struggle to make decisions, the more energy we deplete. When first starting the day, it’s important to avoid ‘decision fatigue’

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In addition to creating a safe space and learning to control their environment, individuals can also ask themselves if they are taking the necessary precautions to create boundaries amongst family members and the people living in their household. It is important to effectively express and communicate feelings when talking to a toxic person in your household.

Sometimes, people can enable unhealthy behavior by encouraging or even mirroring the toxicity of a household. Communicating and expressing how you feel productively could benefit many living situations and could potentially prevent tension in a household.

“Having a morning routine can increase your energy, productivity and positivity.” National Alliance on Mental Illness your household are irritable, disagreements are starting to increase, or physical harm could be inflicted on to a person. If you are in a situation where you need a place and do not have any family or friends you can stay with, contact the National Domestic Hotline for support. According to their website, “24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, the National Domestic Violence Hotline provides essential tools and support to help survivors of domestic violence so they can live their lives free of abuse.

People that are in toxic households should still get considered and addressed despite the pandemic. The people that cannot call home a safe space should attempt to create a haven for themselves. Poor mental health con lead to toxic behavior among family members. It can be difficult when negativity is regularly transferred in a household. But if people take care of themselves and focus on improving their mental health, they can transfer knowledge that can benefit their household. The pandemic

has stripped people of many things, but people remain in control of how they treat themselves and other people.

Patiense Mckenzie is a senior studying English with a focus in creative writing and Spanish as a minor. Her passion is creative writing and poetry. Her career goal is to publish a book one day and to create a space for Detroit local creatives to get paid for their art.

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ARMCHAIR ACTIVISM: WHY PASSIVE ACTIVISM MAY BE DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD

By Megan Elias Following any type of social justice issue or human rights violation, social media networks are flooded with petitions, infographics or links to donation pages. Everyone has something to say, or advice to give, about how to help the negatively impacted individuals. Social media has introduced a powerful way to share information about the injustices people face all over the world, and with social media, anyone can be a reporter. Due to the power of video, Twitter and other social media platforms, news about issues like police brutality are often accompanied with hard evidence and can go viral within minutes. But unfortunately, after everyone’s Twitter feed “goes back to normal,” the problem doesn’t disappear. This phenomenon begs the question: How can we, in an age of information, translate retweets into action?

Enter armchair activism: a phrase to explain the sharing and posting about protests happening across the world and how to help people facing injustices. Armchair activism is a person retweeting a petition without actually signing it or reminding people to donate to charities but neglecting to do so themselves.

No one can truly make educated decisions without first obtaining resources to inform themselves. Social media has proven itself to be

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good for doing just that, but if people choose not to act after receiving information, lasting change will come far slower than anticipated.

A study conducted by the Pew Research Center found nearly eight in ten Americans feel “social media make [sic.] people think they are making a difference when they really aren’t.” This is an issue many activists have difficulty navigating: maintaining the importance of sharing information via social media and its vitality to starting movements but also remembering action is necessary for keeping the movement alive. So how do we combat armchair activism?

The Nature of Social Media From the time children first access the internet, they are told to be careful of what they post online, mainly because it becomes permanent and can be accessed by anyone. Michigan State University senior Tony Possanza said, “Teachers would really emphasize two things with regards to internet safety: never give information about yourself out on the internet, and never send revealing/inappropriate pictures to anyone, even people you know.”

Although a noble notion, what started out as a warning about stranger danger has somehow warped into user hypercriticism of the way their appearance and lifestyle are being perceived by others. Since everyone can find

everything about us, it’s safest to make sure only the absolute best photos are posted.

This culture was not created overnight. As human beings, we have always felt the need to be accepted and desired. Now, with the help of Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, that desire is quantifiable through the “like” functions on posts. With these sites and apps specifically designed to be addictive, users unsurprisingly keep coming back for more of this immediate and highly accessible validation.

The content that garners likes shifts when a national or global event takes place. Many people make the effort to modify the content they usually post and shine a spotlight on the issue at hand. For example, during pride month, many social media users choose to bring awareness to the barriers to equality queer people face. Likewise, during the most recent Black Lives Matter protests, posts related to assisting families of the countless Black Americans whose lives have been taken by police and opinions about defunding the police were impossible to miss on all social platforms.

These calls to action never disappear entirely but do often fall out of the public eye after a few weeks. As proven by the most-liked Instagram post of all time, a photo of an egg, people enjoy

THECURRENTMSU.COM 39

seeing things that make them happy as opposed to being informed about the severe shortcomings of society. A recent study from the Pew Research Center found that “55% of adult social media users say they feel ‘worn out’ by how many political posts and discussions they see on social media.” At first, it can feel good to be informed about current events because it allows us to feel like we’re making a difference.

Unfortunately, though, after time passes and it seems as though nothing is changing, that triumphant feeling disappears.

The problem deepens as social media users find out just how difficult it is to enact change. One study on attention span, conducted by public relations specialist Carol A. Bodensteiner, suggests that once “the public begins to realize a solution would cost a lot,” there is “a decline in public interest.” Thus, with people’s attention spans only getting shorter, any single phenomenon can only remain in the spotlight for so long.

Ferguson, Missouri On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown’s death at the hands of police officer Darren Wilson sparked protests and riots across Ferguson, Missouri. In the days and weeks following the event, social media was ablaze with resources on how to protest safely, donation pages for Brown’s family and petitions to have former officer Wilson experience justice in a number of ways. People were so committed to ensuring that the general public was informed that, in the words of MSU student Max Martin, “it was mentally exhausting. I would talk to my family about everything and get mentally exhausted, then go online and get pressured into posting about the same thing and make myself exhausted again.”

After a few weeks, posts about the riots and police brutality at large slowed down considerably. A few weeks after that, the subject was completely absent from social media timelines everywhere. Unarmed Black people continued to be killed and incarcerated disproportionately as social media and news coverage shifted back to their regularly scheduled programming.

Pride Month Armchair activism is also present in large businesses. Every June, as LGBTQ+ Pride Month

commences, countless companies modify their logos to have a rainbow theme. Their goal is to make potential customers feel that the company cares about queer people in order to secure their dollar. Official social accounts of companies ranging from Gatorade to Victoria’s Secret rebrand their email newsletters, social media accounts and websites to include rainbow themed content.

Although at first glance this seems beneficial to the queer community, these corporate money grabs often end up doing more harm than good.

“If people want to buy something pridethemed, it’s easier to shop from a big store or on Amazon because they have the backing to advertise and to charge less because they can mass-produce,” Martin said. “Small businesses run by queer peple don’t have those abilities and often lose revenue because they have to charge more, and because June is marketed as the only time you can buy anything pride-related.”

Large companies have the upper-hand in getting products to consumers, which means they often win the competition for “the gay dollar.”

As long as they choose not to use their profits to donate money to LGBTQ+ charities or people in need, the month meant to commemorate the Stonewall Riots of 1969 instead becomes an opportunity to increase revenue.

Leelah Alcorn Though alarmingly scarce, there are great examples of how social media and on-theground activism can work in tandem to create change. In December of 2014, the death of one transgender teenager became national news.

Leelah Alcorn, a resident of Lebanon, Ohio, scheduled her suicide note to post online. It circulated the internet and gathered national attention as she identified herself as a victim of conversion therapy and transphobia. In her letter, she called for change, saying, “My death needs to mean something.” After her note was posted, it reached trending status on Twitter, and vigils were held globally. It was undoubtedly a turn toward the mainstream for Trans activism.

Alcorn’s demand to “fix society” was heard, and after several petitions, the proposal for Leelah’s Law, a law to ban the usage of conversion

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therapy, was enacted in Cincinnati. President Obama, while not calling for a law at the federal level, declared he was supportive of any states that sought to enact similar legislation.

The struggle is not over, however. As reported by the American Academy of Pediatrics, transgender teens are far more likely to attmept suicide than their cisgender peers.

Although more work is required, future social media activism, vigils, petitions and protests will be instrumental in successfully laying the groundwork for further social progress.

George Floyd and Black Lives Matter Another example of social media and on-theground activism manifested this summer as the most recent instance of police brutality gained national coverage: the unprovoked murder of George Floyd. After the news broke and video footage from a bystander was released of Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes, the citizens of Minneapolis donned their face masks and took to the streets to protest the unnecessary violence.

During these protests, police officers used tear gas and other dangerous crowd control methods that have been banned by the Geneva Convention as chemical warfare.

This prompted the protests to spread further, allowing the movement to receive even greater support. It was due to this support that over the course of a few short weeks George Floyd became an international martyr.

Two months before this, on March 13th, Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by Louisville police during a raid targeting Taylor’s exboyfriend. These two events in such quick succession contributed to international protests against police brutality and other forms of

systemic racism in the United States and around the world.

Over the course of the next several months, protesters still showed no signs of letting up until positive change was enacted. Many individuals, celebrities and companies took part in the social movement as well. The protests and hashtags gained so much traction that June 2nd of 2020 was deemed Blackout Tuesday, a day for people and corporations to halt their normal content in order to give Black content creators and protest organizers a spotlight.

Local and national news stations even hosted protestors to discuss solutions such as defunding and reallocating police budgets, which span as much as $5.61 billion dollars in New York City.

After experiencing pressure from these social movements, lawmakers in Louisville unanimously passed “Breonna’s Law,” banning no-knock search warrants like the one that was used to enter Taylor’s home. Four months later, in October 2020, racial-justice protests are still taking place. Although present, coverage of more recent demonstrations is a rare sight in mainstream news programs and receives much less social media traffic.

“Now I see people post ‘daily reminders’ that these things are still going on and to keep talking about it,” Martin stated. The number of resources and posts about Black Lives Matter is not nearly as high as the peak shortly after Floyd’s death, but there is still information circulating that calls for the arrest of the officers on the raid that ended in Taylor’s death and videos that expose the corrupt tendencies of police forces.

The sheer magnitude of 2020’s Black Lives Matter rallies has made the movement impossible THECURRENTMSU.COM 41

to ignore. It is unlike any mass protest this country has seen thus far, surpassing even the Long Hot Summer of 1967. The uprising from special interest groups and the general public prompted statements of support and monetary donations from companies in droves. The promotion of Black-owned businesses and companies expressing how they will contribute to racial equality has quickly become the norm, demonstrating that this movement is still receiving support and coverage long after its start.

When Social Media is the Only Option Although proven to be highly effective, attending a protest and taking a direct action is not a viable option for everybody. For people who live in rural areas, organizing a large gathering can range from challenging to impossible.

Likewise, tear gas used by law enforcement to break up crowds has been proven to cause long-term lung and health issues, and for people with pre-existing respiratory conditions like asthma, physically attending a protest can become deadly very quickly.

school protesting the banning of the confederate flag on school property. For Candace, these signs all point toward her town being unwelcoming to social justice-based groups. For this reason, many people in similar situations are left with social media as the only viable option to spread information about movements like Black Lives Matter or LGBTQ+ activism.

before have taken action. Crowds of people in face masks and protective gear have turned out to protest the unjust killings of Black Americans. When those peaceful protests are met with government-sanctioned crowd control measures such as tear gas and rubber bullets, it creates a fury that only drives the protests to grow in number and intensity.

Activism is Still Active Despite the ebb and flow of social justicerelated posts on social media, not everyone has abandoned hope. As Bodensteiner predicts, “special interest groups are likely to continue to stay aware of and involved in the discussion.”

Members of established organizations like the NAACP and the Human Rights Campaign continue to create waves in the political sphere with events and demonstrations. Furthermore, movements like Black Lives Matter and Antifa, with the help of social media, now hold much more power than they once did, even outside of a protest environment.

The focus of the social media coverage following this movement has been about people educating themselves on societal privilege. White Americans can use their voices to amplify those of Black Americans and recognize that turning off their phone and ignoring the problem is not an option for most people. Now more than ever, people have used strength in numbers to create change.

“Any protests [like Black Lives Matter] would probably not be safe… the area is majority right-wing, and most don’t take too kindly to any left-wing views,” she said.

“Now I see some posts telling people not to get burnt out and to keep posting because change isn’t here yet,” Martin said. Others remind people that “taking a mental break doesn’t make you a bad person.” Social media users who choose to share posts but are unwilling or unable to go out and fight alongside onthe-ground activists can do their part to keep conversations going by making the effort to sign petitions and donating to the accounts they retweet. One of the biggest ways to enact change is by staying informed on issues and voting for local and federal politicians who will listen to the will of the people.

The town has had protests in the past, including an anti-abortion group gathering near a local elementary school and students at the local high

Conclusion With more people than ever before in a position to take action, more people than ever

Concurrently, risks don’t just come from statesanctioned violence. For people like Candace (name changed for privacy), who lives in a rural town in Western Michigan, next-door neighbors can become aggressors. Candace’s town held a Black Lives Matter protest outside the local police department, but she worried for the protestors’ safety.

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Megan Elias is a senior double majoring in professional writing and linguistics with a minor in graphic design. In addition to working at The Current, she is also the content editor at Sherlockian.net and the junior history editor at The Tempest magazine. When she’s not working, she can be found riding around campus on her longboard or playing Tetris 99.

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NORMALIZING FREELANCE

By Kate Snider Do you have a knack for time management and hate to leave your pet at home? If so, freelance work might be a career option for you. A freelancer is an individual who works for multiple companies rather than just one. A freelancer usually takes on projects assigned through business contracts. At times, a freelancer to find themself with more responsibilities than a traditional employee but also more freedom in making their schedule.

Historically, becoming a full-time freelancer after graduation has carried the stigma of being “too risky” and unstable. However, this ideology may shift due to coronavirus’ influence, which resulted in a huge increase in working from home. According to Statista, a business data platform, 86.5 million people will be freelancing in the United States by 2028. This makes up roughly 50.9 percent of the workforce residing in our country and shows how significant this shift is.

Currently, the most popular freelance jobs include web development, teaching, tutoring, writing, copywriting, creative design, sales, marketing, and search engine optimization. Likewise, in the wake of this pandemic, many other industries have switched to remote work, which has opened many doors for freelance workers.

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Many students start freelance work while taking on their college workload. One of these students is Caroline Semlar, a Michigan State University alumna and freelancer. Semlar, a 2020 graduate, worked as a graphic designer with MSU’s business college last October.

This was when she began her freelance journey. Since then, Semler has taken on many opportunities to expand her work beyond small businesses. She has always considered managing her time as a top priority with her fluctuating clients.

“Being a freelance designer varies greatly based on the clients,” Semlar said. “Sometimes they are super specific, knowing exactly what they want, making the project quick. Or, a project can go on much longer than expected.

I’ve had clients who I have finished a project for in a day and others have been ongoing for many months.”

During the pandemic, Semlar chose to work with one extra client but admits her “hands are full.” She also mentioned that the ramifications of COVID-19 barely impacted her work and clientele, yet another benefit of becoming a freelancer. Overall, Semlar advises students to network because making connections is extremely important as a freelancer.

Some industries utilize freelancers on a large scale for projects. For example, an advertising agency may hire a freelance producer with a specific style to execute a commercial for a client. These individuals don’t work solely for the firm they are assisting, but their contributions are just as vital.

Finally, being self-motivated is extremely important when considering the option of becoming a freelancer. With the number of self-employed people on the rise, sharpening professional skills like time management could prove to be beneficial.

As the graduating classes of 2020 and 2021 enter the workforce during these unprecedented times, remaining open-minded towards freelancing and other forms of virtual work can and will help them to be successful in whatever industry they may choose.

Kate Snider is a senior majoring in advertising with a concentration in copywriting. Outside of class, Kate works at the Creative Center—a new organization started within Comm Arts to assist other creatives with their portfolios. She is continuously inspired by encounters with new people and places.

Post-graduation, Kate plans on looking for work in Portland, Oregon to expand her hobbies of hiking and photography.

THECURRENTMSU.COM 45

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