OPINIONS
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mihsislander.org
Get rid of DACA and no one wins Repealing this essential act would cause significant humanitarian and economic consequences. Ethan Preston staff writer
Early last month, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the rescission of DACA, or the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows undocumented immigrants who entered the country as minors to apply for a renewable two-year period of deferred action and to be eligible for a work permit. Rescinding this program would be a mistake that would be disastrous for American society. Instead, DACA should be expanded to cover more undocumented immi-
school principal in Selah, Washington who frequently deals with undocumented students. “Although on the surface it appears to reward illegal entrance into the US,” continued Darling, “[DACA] provides this generation with an education, which I feel can trump any negative effects of their parents coming here illegally.” There are currently 788,000 DACA recipients in the US, which is only about a third of those who are eligible. According to a survey conducted by the Center for American Progress earlier this August, 90 percent of DACA
why their average hourly wage is $17.46/hr compared to the average wage of $10.29/hr before they became DACA recipients. The Center for American Progress estimates that the US would lose $460 billion in GDP if DACA was rescinded. In short, there is an overwhelming amount of evidence suggesting that DACA and undocumented immigrants have been extremely beneficial to the American economy, and that they do indeed contribute to society, rather than use up tax dollars through welfare as many anti-immigration activists claim. Most of these immigrants know
Cartoonist: Teddy Fischer
Statistics from the Center for American Progress
grants, which would bolster the economy and bring these people out of the shadows. “For these students, DACA represents hope. It means they become educated and meaningful to society,” said Rob Darling, a
beneficiaries are employed, while only 70 percent of undocumented immigrants have jobs. About 72 of the recipients of DACA are currently enrolled in higher education. This rate of education is likely the reason
no other home than the US and have been in the country since they were young children, or even toddlers. Many don’t even speak their parents’ native languages. If DACA were rescinded, it is likely that a large number of
them would be deported, despite the fact that they came with their parents into the country and have caused no harm. It would be inhumane to punish these innocent human beings. DACA is a necessity and a staple of the American economy, and if it were rescinded, it would result in severe consequences,
both economic and humanitarian. Most of the opposition of DACA is rooted in racism towards Hispanics rather than sound policy, and it would be unacceptable if we let this decision ruin the lives of hundreds of thousands. We need to stand up, speak out, and protest against the unjust repeal of this law.
This Halloween, fear’s on the menu The pros and cons of college visits ‘Unfounded Assumptions’
with humor editor Spencer Klein
Have you ever stared down the barrel of a gun? Have you ever mud-wrestled a 40-year-old man? Have you ever gotten called to the principal’s office because you threw rocks at a 4th-grade Patriots fan? Neither have I for two thirds of those things, but that brings me to today’s subject: Fear. I don’t want to start a frenzy or anything; all I’m doing is encouraging people to act irrationally based on fear. And I’m not usually a man who acts irrationally; normally I’m the man with a steady heart rate, standing over a dead body, holding a shard of glass, wondering why I can’t remember the last 30 seconds and wondering why the body is dressed like Mickey Mouse. I’m the man hiding from the police in Splash Mountain, using nothing but a long straw and some swim trunks from the children’s gift shop. But not now. Now is the time for fear. I’m not sure what you’re most afraid of , but I’m terrified that one day I
could eat a big spoonful of rice and then find out one of the rice things is a pill, put there by homeland security as punishment for a crime I didn’t commit. I’ll tell you what your biggest fear should be. You can feel it, can’t you? A tingle down your spine. A frantic pulse. The strangely exhilarating feeling of an aged muddy hand clutching your throat. There’s only one reason why: Halloween.
Photo courtesy Google Images The 4th-grade Patriots fan in question. He was asking for it.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Spencer, what’s so scary about Halloween? What are you, some kind of coward? I know that you’re a different person
than me, son, but my unfulfilled professional bowling dreams are being funneled into you, so you’re going to stand there while I sporadically throw bowling balls at you. Whether you catch them or not is your choice. Listen, hey Spencer, listen, I know I can seem harsh and unfair at times, but ever since your dog passed away things have been ALWAYS BE PREPARED IN BOWLING. What, now that I hit you in the solar plexus with one you’re gonna cry? God, so emotional. You deserve this.” Sure, it might seem a little weird to be afraid of Halloween, especially for me, a 16-year-old man. But between all of the Halloween costumes, Halloween pranks, Halloween parties, and Halloween rocks thrown at me from a moving truck by my now 40-year-old childhood bully, there’s no shortage of things to fear. Right now you might not believe me, but mark my words: when you’re running from a 2001 Ford F-150 wearing nothing but a spandex Catwoman costume, you will truly know fear.
Henry LeMaster staff writer
It’s that time of year again. Seniors are staying up late into the night to finish college essays, grinding through the lengthy Common Application, and spending long weekends at colleges across the country. Many MIHS students choose to go on such campus tours and attend info sessions where a school representative discusses the school’s academic prowess, information about certain majors, and numerical data regarding past applicants. Before the presentation, attendees are generally led on a campus walking tour that usually lasts thirty to forty-five minutes, on which you’ll hear things like “Our school has a Quidditch team!” and “If you and three other people have the same idea for a club, you can start one!” at every school you visit. After even just a day of two of these sessions, the words start to blur together. These visits offer nothing other than the chance to actually see the campus up close; there’s no real insider information to be gained. One of the main reasons so many students go on college visits is to demonstrate
Photo courtesy Henry LeMaster The author and a friend wasting their money at the University of Michigan.
their interest in the school, but a physical visit is only one of many ways to do so. MIHS does a great job of inviting college admissions representatives to come talk about their school. If you want to show interest in a school, you can attend one of the sessions in the main hall during lunch or after school. Fill out an information card and learn as much as you can; maybe even send one of the representatives an email. It’s their job to answer your questions and they may even remember your name when they read your application. I know that people also want to go on physical visits because they want to get a sense of how they would fit into the campus culture. This is the one big advantage of visiting a college, but it honestly is not worth the time and money. My
advice is to instead talk to someone you know who attends the school. They aren’t paid to sell the school to you, meaning they will be a lot more likely to give you an honest opinion and answer your questions from the perspective of a student -- not the school’s admissions department. Choosing a college is a very important decision and a lot of thought should be put into it, but I personally think one should wait to visit until they are accepted. Don’t just go on visits just because you hear other people are. All the information you will hear at the school can be found online, and any knowledge you gain on a visit will be worth less than the generic sweatshirts that the college will invariably try and sell to you at the gift shop.