Hurricane Fiona Hits Puerto Rico

26 I myself have performed an experiment based on this concept. Several years ago, I decided that doing homework was serving no purpose other than maintaining grades I viewed as worthless. I performed the calculations and realized that in order to maintain an A- in geometry, I only had to do one out of every three homework assignments for the rest of the year. However, I also had to get 100% on every remaining test. This balance between effort and measurable comprehension should not have been necessary.

I am not arguing that homework should be done away with in its entirety. I simply believe that grades should not be directly affected by homework. Instead, your grades should correspond to whatever you receive on your tests and quizzes —an adequate argument can be made for class participation as well—and homework’s only impact would be as a studying tool. Students that struggled to learn the material in class could rely on the homework to reinforce understanding, instead of being required to devote valuable hours of their day to repetitive, mindless tasks. They’ll do enough of that once they grow up and get a job.

By Kali Salazar-Perez ’24

In the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona, Puerto Rico has been left in shambles. Not only the towns, and homes of innocent people, but also their trust in their very own government. With history as a witness, Hurricane Irma, Katrina, and Maria are prime examples of natural disasters in which the United States government ran to protect its people and valued communities. So what is different about Puerto Rico?

For starters, Puerto Rico is unlike any state in the United States. Puerto Rico is in fact an unincorporated territory, meaning that it is US territory with no voting power in congress nor presidential elections. This is a major factor in the discontent coming from Puerto Rico; they don't get the choice to vote for who is supposed to help them. After the Category 1 storm hit Puerto Rico, it was after twelve days that President Biden came to visit the victims of the storm. His visit left Puerto Ricans skeptical and concerned for the future of their homes. According to NBC News, Biden only visited a small part of the Island with no official plan of action. Just the hopeful remarks that the people of Puerto Rico “deserve every bit of help your country can give you,” “That’s what I’m determined to do.” Keep in mind that the financial help for the last major storm, Hurricane Maria, is only now beginning to reach Puerto Rican communities.

With all of this up in the air, the roads and homes of Puerto Rico are submerged in the aftermath of Fiona, with civilians spending up to $50 a day just to maintain their generators running. If this brief example of how natural disasters and politics go hand in hand brings you anything, it should not just be an iota of knowledge, but the ability to open your eyes beyond just what the media and presidential speeches are presenting.