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Monday, Oct. 24, 2016
Northern Star
815-753-5606 | @NIUNorthernStar | NorthernStar.info/Opinion
Costumes could be offensive
Student should take advantage of early voting
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Editorial Board Editorials reflect the majority opinion of the Editorial Board. Columns Columns reflect the opinion of the author. Editor in Chief and Publisher: Leah Nicolini Editor@NorthernStar.info 815-753-0105 Managing Editor: Nick Bosshart Editor@NorthernStar.info News Editor: Madison Kacer Editor@NorthernStar.info 815-753-9643 Digital Editor: Kaylyn Zielinski Editor@NorthernStar.info Perspective Editor: Angela L. Pagan Editor@NorthernStar.info Sports Editor: Scott A. Nicol Editor@NorthernStar.info Scene Editor: Jay Ibarra Editor@NorthernStar.info Photo Editor: Andy Cozzi Editor@NorthernStar.info Other Circulation Manager: Conner Kauffman 815-753-0707
Hanna Markezich | Northern Star
Students need food security
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Students should be aware of the resources available to them if faced with food insecurity, which is a problem college students are experiencing nationwide. For many students, going off to college is their first experience living away from their parents. With all the stresses associated with the independence college life can bring, one stressor no college student should have to worry about is whether or not they will have access to food that day. Food insecurity is “the lack of reliable access to sufficient quantities of affordable, nutritious food,” according to a study published by The College and University Food Bank Alliance. The study found that 20 percent of students at four-year schools across the U.S. reported having very low food security.
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Perspective
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If I found myself without access to food while at NIU, I can’t say I [would] know the resources available to me to help me... .” Kyle Williams Freshman business major
I am disturbed this is an issue facing college students. Although I’m an independent student living off campus, I have seen friends of mine who venture on their own for the first time and struggle financially. While they relished their newfound independence, many were ill-prepared to deal with the financial burden associated with independent living. This is an area I think NIU, and all colleges, should focus on with incoming students to avoid food insecurity situations.
NIU’s Huskie Food Pantry is a valuable tool for students who struggle with access to food. The pantry is available to NIU students who are not on a meal plan, according to the Huskie Food Pantry’s website. The pantry is open from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. every Thursday in the Chick Evans Field House and requires a OneCard for access. The Huskie Food Pantry also offers emergency “To-Go” bags to aid students facing emergency food shortages, according to the pantry’s website. While the pantry is available to students, some are not aware NIU offers such services. “If I found myself without access to food while at NIU, I can’t say I [would] know the resources available to me to help me get food… this is actually my first time hearing about [the Huskie Food Pantry],” said freshman business major Kyle Williams. Being aware that such services exist on campus is crucial to helping students who may be facing food shortages. Although I have been an NIU student since January, I only recently discovered the Huskie Food Pantry. Sam Wrzesinski, senior family social services major, has been working as an intern at the Huskie Food Pantry since August. She says that food insecurity continues to be an issue because most people overlook that it is a major problem. “It is almost considered normal to be a starving college student, eating ramen for every meal,” Wrzesinski said. “But it becomes an issue when students are focusing more on where they are getting their next meal from than studying and their education.” Another option, for certain students, is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program offered by the Illinois Department of Human Services. SNAP assists low-income individuals and families with purchasing the food they need for good health, according to
SNAP requirements
• Must work at least 20 hours a week. • Gross monthly income must be less than a specific dollar amount depending on household size. • Income and expenses will be assessed by a case worker by phone or a home visit. For more information on SNAP and to determine eligibility, go to FNS.usda.gov/snap/. the department’s website. However, there are many restrictions on who qualifies for the program. For example, college students are not eligible for the program unless they are working at least 20 hours per week, according to the website. If a student qualifies for SNAP benefits, they are allotted a specific monthly allowance which is deposited onto an Illinois Link Card. The card may be used at grocery stores. The goal of the Huskie Food Pantry is to offer support to students facing food insecurity and provide information on the resources available to them, said Liz McKee, Huskie Food Pantry supervisor. “I would encourage them to come to the food pantry,” McKee said. “We have created a fun, market-style atmosphere there. Students are able to shop through our pantry much like they would at Aldi, and even check-out after they are done shopping. We try to make our students feel as welcome as possible.” Huskie Food Pantry is the most practical option for students in need. The long list of restrictions on who is eligible for SNAP benefits makes it less practical. However, I encourage students to review the department’s website to see if they qualify for SNAP benefits. Food and monetary donations can be made to the Huskie Food Pantry at the Campus Life Building, Room 150.
Students should understand their costume choices for Halloween could have an impact on a diverse community and culture. Certain costumes could potentially offend people of a specific culture if that outfit perpetuates a negative stereotype. “Halloween is a time where you dress as something you’re not and people start to dress up as certain ethnicities,” said Carlo Aseron, graduate assistant at the Asian American Center. “It’s like they’re pointing out the fact that you are not like them.” Chief Diversity Officer Vernese Edghill-Walden built the “Contentious Costume” campaign last year with the focus of helping students understand Halloween is a fun-filled time, and students should not lose sight that their costumes could be stereotypical or demeaning. Students should think through their costume choice before they pick something which may be culturally insensitive and mock someone’s identity. Edghill-Walden said the continuous issue of having a stereotypical costume occurs because of a lack of understanding for someone’s culture. She said it’s important that students think about the implications of using a costume that negatively portrays a group other than their own. “I think once you learn about someone else’s culture or someone else’s identity, then you’re less likely to then think that other person’s identity and culture is funny,” EdghillWalden said. Culturally sensitive and competent dialogue should be practiced with each other to better understand culture and what will work for a Halloween costume. There are resources on campus that guide and educate students to improve sensitive dialogue through the Office of Academic Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
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I think once you learn about someone else’s culture or someone else’s identity, then you’re less likely to then think that other person’s identity and culture is funny.” Vernese Edghill-Walden Chief Diversity Officer
Aseron said one of the only ways, other than protesting, is to have conversation explaining viewpoints helping those that don’t understand why they shouldn’t wear a costume Luis Santos-Rivas, director of Latino Resource Center, said costumes shouldn’t be offensive, but as long as people don’t make fun of a culture, everything is fine. Santos-Rivas said he doesn’t see it as an offense to dress like Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. Everyone should extend their options this Halloween to costumes that don’t appropriate or offend someone’s culture. Many costume options aren’t offensive. “It’s lack of knowledge and lack of the understanding and how they may impact someone else or the significant historical ramifications of what that costume meant to a particular community,” Edghill-Walden said.