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Indiana Statesman
Monday, April 24, 2017
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Volume 124, Issue 77
Monopoly unites students, teaches life lessons Ian Bonner-Swedish Reporter
Traditionally, Monopoly has been known as the game that ruins friendships. But that wasn’t the case when the Multicultural Service and Programs hosted a Monopoly night with a twist. This night there were a new set of rules. Creshawn Cole, the organizer of the event, gave details on why he felt he should bring such an event to MSP. “Actually, Dr. Annie Morgan came one day over the summer and was asking and just pitched the idea he had pitched this programs for social justice, and I just ran with it,” Cole said. According to Cole, the event is to shed light on class stratification. “Practical experience with class stratification. A lot of the theory is that everyone has equal opportunity to achieve the American Dream. It’s not necessarily the case. Everyone starts from a different background whether you’re born into wealth or born
into poverty. Not everything is as equal as it seems. It’s just a practical experience with social stratification to raise awareness, and give those who may be from one class to experience another class,” Cole said. Cole feels that to become a better-rounded person, such an event is necessary. “It’s like important to tackle all aspects of multiculturalism and understand all aspects and what they face in life. That’s how we become one as a society is knowing the struggles people go through…as a society it’s important to change our thinking,” Cole said. People were able to see the meaning behind it. Terrance Smith, one of the players of the game as a lower class member, gave insight on how the rules felt to him. “I think it was a good game; it gives you a different look on like coming from a lower class perspective and an upper class perspective. Coming from a lower class perspective, I was only able to buy certain properties and that’s like real life…I will say if you connect with people you can work
your way up. I was actually able to buy a property from the upper class people. It cost me a lot but I was able to work my way up,” Smith said. His journey to affluence was not an easy stroll. “Because I come from a lower class, it was a challenge; it was challenge because you can only buy a certain property. Even if someone pays rent on your property it wasn’t much…it was definitely a challenge to try to get on the same status as everyone else,” Smith said. For Smith, his biggest threats were the upper class. “Because they were able to buy all the properties, it put them in an advantage. At one point some of the upper class and lower class actually bought the lower class properties, so I actually had to negotiate to buy one of the properties,” he said. Even then he was not quite able to climb out of his class. “I think in the end I actually had more money than one the lower class. But it wasn’t
but much. I think at one point I had more than two of them, but since I had to pay one of the upper class people that dropped me down. There’s a way to work your way out of the lower class but it is a challenge,” Smith said. For Smith, he was able to take away the lessons he learned and apply them to reality. “In real life it is a challenge for lower class people. They have to work with what they get and what money they have, and it’s limited. Coming from a person who is upper-class, they can do whatever they want to. It might not be the best circumstances, but I guess you have to just deal with what comes to you,” he said. The event left smiles on people’s faces but it also allowed them to dive into the real world issues that affect people every day. It was all too certain that the Multicultural Service and Programs left a lasting impression of understanding of the backgrounds, status’ and ways of life that is not only present in a board game but in the homes of everyone they’ll ever meet.
College libraries ditch books Teresa Watanabe
Los Angeles Times (TNS)
The remodeled undergraduate library at the University of California, Berkeley, is modern and sleek. Its top two floors have lowslung couches, a nap pod, and meeting spaces with glass walls made to be written on and colorful furniture meant to be moved. The library has even dropped its rules against food and drinks on those floors. That’s because they no longer contain any books, which could be damaged or stained. California’s oldest university has removed 135,000 books from Moffitt Library to create more space for students to study, recharge and collaborate on group projects. Libraries are 4,000 years old, but the digital revolution is changing their use on college campuses. From coast to coast, college libraries are removing rows of steel shelving, stashing the books they held in other campus locations and discarding duplicates to make way for open study spaces. Their budgets are shifting away from print to digital materials. The changes have met resistance. But they suit many students just fine. Ted Xiao, a graduate student in electrical engineering and computer science, loves the changes at Moffitt. He and five classmates recently used a meeting room to work on a PowerPoint presentation. As they brainstormed, they snacked on snickerdoodles and milk tea. Moffitt used to be so “old and musty,” Xiao said, that he visited
SEE LIBRARY, PAGE 3
Paige Carter | Indiana Statesman
The community gathered at the fountain for the March for Science on Saturday. Participants were able to make signs and posters for the march.
ISU participates in March for Science Anthony Goelz Reporter
Wabash Valley March for Science was held on Indiana State University campus Saturday. March for Science was a nation wide event that took place in multiple locations. ISU was one of the many universities that took part in the celebration for science. The march was “part of the worldwide March for Science on Earth Day, the first step of a global movement to defend the vital role science plays in our health, safety, economies, and governments,” according to the ISU website. It was a day for students, faculty and staff on campus along with the community of Terre Haute to celebrate the importance of science. Speakers addressed the crowd before the march began. The speakers included ISU President Dan Bradley, who mentioned multiple issues the scientific community is facing or is trying to fix. Joy O’Keefe, assistant professor
Paige Carter | Indiana Statesman
A participant of the march poses with their handmade DNA structure to carry for the march.
of biology at ISU, mentioned the topics including science on ISU, the value of basic science, climate change and its effects on crops, the importance of testing for lead and the health implications of lead toxicity, sustainability, biodiversity in Indiana State forests and scientific funding.
Funding was a common theme amongst the speakers. A topic that was mentioned included President Donald Trump’s plans to cut funding from agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institute of Health. “Science will always lead us to
the best economic decisions, so if we follow science we’re actually going down the path that is going to lead us to the most frugal actions,” O’Keefe said. O’Keefe continued to speak on how some people think that the government is just “throwing money away” to fund science, but even funding basic science can have a massive impact on people’s lives. After the speakers, the 172 person strong march left Dede Plaza. Making their way to Seventh Street and Wabash and back to the fountain, the crowd brandished signs and car horns sounded in support. “I would say the most important thing is to make people aware of the value of science and that scientists are working on their behalf, and on the behalf of everyone in society to try to produce a better society and a more sustainable society that we can live long term on this planet. It’s important for people to know that, and that’s why
SEE SCIENCE, PAGE 3
San Francisco considers banning sale of tobacco products Elaine Korry
Kaiser Health News (TNS)
A San Francisco official has proposed an anti-tobacco law that would ban the retail sale of menthol cigarettes and other flavored tobacco or tobacco-related products that are often the first choice of minority group members and teenagers who smoke. Supervisor Malia Cohen, sponsor of the proposed ordinance, joined last week with public health experts and community advocates to announce the measure, which she said goes beyond laws on flavored tobacco in cities such as Chicago, Berkeley and New York. “The legislation I’ve authored is a full restriction on the sale of all flavored tobacco products, and that does include menthol. There are no exemptions,” Cohen said. That includes cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, and also electronic cigarettes.
The proposed ordinance is designed to address two major groups, youth and minorities, who have been targeted in successful, well-financed advertising campaigns that promote menthol cigarettes and flavored non-cigarette tobacco products. The products often attract blacks, Asians and Latinos, and teenagers. San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee endorsed the proposal. “We know from research and studies that tobacco-related diseases continue to be the No. 1 cause of preventable deaths, especially among low-income and minority communities,” he said. Oakland, Calif., is considering a similar law. Cohen, who represents the predominantly African-American Bayview-Hunters Point district of San Francisco, said the ordinance grew out of her experience with family members who smoked menthol cigarettes and died of cancer. “This is an evidence-based
tobacco prevention strategy that will save lives and cut costs for taxpayers who are collectively shouldering the health care costs of tobacco-related illnesses,” she said. Nearly 9 in 10 African-Americans who smoke prefer menthol cigarettes, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Menthol is believed to make the harmful chemicals in cigarettes more easily absorbed by the body, and some research shows that menthol cigarettes are more addictive than regular ones, according to the CDC. “African-Americans don’t have a genetic disposition that makes them smoke menthol cigarettes,” said Dr. Valerie Yerger, an associate professor of health policy at the University of California-San Francisco. “It’s the result of a very conscious advertising campaign by the tobacco industry.” Menthol cigarettes are also preferred by a majority of Latinos and Asian-Americans who smoke,
said Randy Uang, director of tobacco prevention and control services at Breathe California. Public health experts say restricting menthol and other flavored tobacco would improve the health not only for minority populations, but also for teenagers. “Because flavors play such a key role in youth starting to smoke, restricting access to these products means that fewer youth will start smoking,” Uang said. Flavors are popular with inexperienced smokers, he said, because they mask the taste of tobacco and decrease the irritating effects of nicotine. The San Francisco ordinance, if approved, would fill a gap in federal legislation that authorized the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco. In 2009, the FDA banned “characterizing flavors,” such as candy, fruit and chocolate, in cigarettes. But, lobbied by the tobacco industry, it stopped short of prohibiting men-
Kirk McKoy | Los Angeles Times | TNS
A new University of California, San Francisco study showed tobacco accompanied by alcohol gives cigarette smokers a greater perceived reward than when they smoke cigarettes while using marijuana.
thol in cigarettes or flavorings in other tobacco products like little cigars and smokeless tobacco.
SEE SMOKING, PAGE 3