ISSUE DATE: 10/25/16 Issue #4 No. 13
BY THE STUDENTS FOR THE STUDENTS
Reaching OUT By Alex Serrano
S
ince the event largely catered to the schedules of students and educators, many woke up bright and early on Friday morning to travel by big yellow bus to Jewett Hall Auditorium. Why? For “Reaching OUT,” a conference for parents, teachers, students, and anybody interested in being educated on the issues facing LGBT+ youth in schools and around America. After a long mingle with coffee, introductions began with officials from the sponsoring organizations. Equality Maine, GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network), and GLAD (GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders) came together to give a trifecta of views on the problems facing the LGBT+ community. Three workshop sessions were held throughout the day with three options per session. With titles like “Interrupting Oppression,” “Trauma, Resilience and Prevention,” and “Creat[ing] Change through THEATER,” it’s a shame that no one person could possibly sit in on every single presentation. Even in a relatively progressive setting
such as SMCC, it is doubtful that anyone left that day without learning something. One conference that day was highly focussed on educating those not “up” on the “slick lingo” of their fellow young people. For example, we studied gender on a spectrum, in which male and female are on opposite sides of a line, and neutrality/trans/ queerness is in the middle. The graph is further split into three parts. The first is biological sex, or what’s between your legs, including chromosomes and hormonal factors. The second is gender identity, or how a person thinks of themselves on the spectrum between male and female. The third is gender expression, which charts the external communication of gender through
presentation (clothing, hair, makeup, etc.). Soon after the third workshop session, the conglomerate of students and faculty mingled back into Jewett Hall Auditorium. Here folks discussed various legal issues facing LGBT youth. These included gender-neutral bathroom availability, the changing of names to reflect gender, the flying of the LGBT Pride flag on school grounds, and more. The inconvenient truth is that even though many LGBT youth are abused by their parents verbally and bullied at school, they are still youth with very few rights as minors. Even at school, only thirty per-
cent of bullying reported is reported as effective. The fact of the matter is that our generation is reshaping the way we talk about people. They are creating respectful and non-discriminate spaces for discussion. Of all the highschoolers I met, and those who spoke up in front, it was revelatory to see such smart, socially conscious kids without the token naivete projected on them. With any luck, the world will not buckle at the sight of political correctness, but will flourish with the virtues of respect in the youth.
Election 2016 Education Platform By Brandi Abrams
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othing elicits a visceral response like a conversation about politics. This election season, more time is being spent covering who said what horrible thing, or who sent what type of email instead of focusing on the facts. This article is an attempt at a bipartisan explanation of the candidate’s higher education platforms. We at The Beacon are attempting to explain how each candidate would impact the student experience here at Southern Maine Community College without bias; visceral response notwithstanding. Both Secretary Clinton and Mr. Trump have dedicated websites that explain their respective platforms on any issue one can imagine, but in regard to education, one candidate has a well thought out plan, while the other does not. Much like Donald’s ever elusive tax returns, his education platform is basically missing, and like his tax returns, we’re expected to believe the facts are in order, and in our best interest. His education platform only addresses higher education two times. Donald states that he will “work with congress
on reforms to ensure universities are making a good faith effort to reduce the cost of college and student debt.” He goes on to say that post-secondary education “will be easier to access, pay for, and finish.” Donald Trump’s plan for higher education is a “good faith effort.” He does not address the astronomical interest rates students face when repaying student debt. He also does not address the plight of college students with children of their own, nor does he address the difficulty families who make under $125,000 a year have funding their children’s education. He has said that he will not back debt-free or tuition-free higher education. At a CNN town-hall event Donald said that “education was one of the three most important priorities of the federal government.” Still, he provides no educational plan for “making America great again.” Perhaps greatness is not impacted by educational opportunities. Hillary Clinton’s education platform would drastically change the lives and experiences of students here at SMCC. Ms. Clinton believes that everyone deserves a chance at higher education regard-
COVER ILLUSTRATIONS BY VANESSA POIRER
less of their socioeconomic status. Her plan would use state and federal funds to pay community college tuition completely. Tuition at SMCC would be free. Free. But wait, it gets better. In the beginning, students from families who make $85,000 or less each year would be able to go to an in-state public college, or university for free. Free. By 2021 families making $125,000 would also be eligible for free in-state college tuition. Free. In regard to student loans, Ms. Clinton’s educational plan states
that students will never be expected to pay back more than 10% of their income, and after 20 years, any remaining college debt will be forgiven. She also has a plan for delinquent borrowers to get out of default and get back on their feet, and she will “crack down on predatory schools, lenders, and bill collectors.” Secretary Clinton also has creative ideas for paying back education debt. She plans on using a payroll deduction system to simplify and reduce costs associated with loan repayment. Also, if elected, Ms. Clinton will take immediate execu-
tive action, and offer a three-month moratorium on student loan payments to take advantage of the new initiatives. Ms. Clinton also has a plan to increase funding for quality child care on campus for student parents, as well as offering student parents extra scholarships to help with the expenses associated with raising children. These are the facts. The choice is yours. Vote. If you would like to read more about each of the candidates platforms, information can be found at www.hillaryclinton.com and www.donaldjtrump.com