OPINIONS

10 June 2, 2022 OPINIONS

Editor: Darlene Dukelow-Burton viewpoints.opinions@gmail.com

opinion series

PHOTO COURTESY OF KETUT SUBIYANTO | PEXELS

America no longer a safe country

Immigrants lose faith in U.S. safety after recent attacks

JENNIPHER VASQUEZ NEWS EDITOR

We talk about the supposed American dream in ways that glamorize life in the United States. We have “the best schools, more opportunity to make money” and the so-called “safer neighborhoods” people migrate here for.

People come to the States with the goal of leaving behind a life that wasn’t safe to hopefully break long reigning barriers of poverty.

I hear about both successes and failures.

What happens when the dream becomes a nightmare? When the safe neighborhood where the life you’ve cultivated a home for your family is home to the school where your child has been slain? Is that really the American dream?

Like many, I can’t shake the images of the parents of students who died at the hands of yet another teenager with a gun in Texas last month. I hear the voice of a man who pleaded with people to keep an eye out for his son, Rojelio, who he later found out did not make it.

As a child of immigrants who came in pursuit of the American dream, it was heartbreaking to hear his pleas and later fnd out his child was one of the victims. To see someone who resembled my parents crying and holding his phone with a photo of his son was devastating.

When I was attending Bullard high school, we received bomb and shooting threats twice in 2014, which caused administration to cut the day short and send everyone home. The hours leading up to our dismissal were no different than the reports I’ve seen on school shootings from the mainstream media. There were many signs that the bomb threat was coming our way, but nothing was done until it reached a breaking point. Luckily, the aggressor was apprehended but that’s not always the case. The disaster is hardly ever avoided in a country that is supposed to be a safe haven and refuge to many.

When we were released from lockdown, many of us were met at the gates of the school by our parents who had all been there for hours, frantically trying to get us out. This includes my mom, who left work as soon as she heard of the threat to pick me up — just like Rojelio’s dad did.

The first tweet I saw about the shooter was from someone questioning if he crossed the border to commit the act, based on his last name.

No. An immigrant did not cross the border to kill kids. Immigrants came to the United States and their child was killed by an American.

My parents didn’t come here and invest in a home in one of the safest neighborhoods in my hometown to later be worried that their children weren’t safe at school.

This is not the American dream any of my family, every person locked in an ICE detention center or parents of school shooting victims envisioned.

The convoluted phrase, land of the free, needs to stop being used so loosely in reference to America and its principles.

The only version of freedom I have seen is the Uvalde shooter freely entering the campus while the students’ parents were the ones being detained outside for trying to save their children.

I am not open to the argument that you need your guns to be safe, or that it is your right. Those children had every right to live their life to their full capacity more than you need your guns.

Many children of immigrants, like myself, are working daily to take full advantage of our parents’ sacrifces and make their journey to America worth every struggle. I shouldn’t have to fear going to school. I shouldn’t have to be relieved that one of my little brothers is homeschooled yet worried about the older of the two every time he goes to his college campus.

I shouldn’t have to worry that my parent’s will be left without a child or that their life’s work towards the American dream will amount to nothing within a matter of seconds because of how easily, unknown and frequent these shootings have come to be.

Additional course material costs not included

College programs must extend fnancial aid coverage for technology costs

JOHN MICHAEL GUERRERO SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

Programs at Riverside City College, like the Promise Program, appear like great alternatives for assistance with college expenses.

In reality, programs like this don’t go far enough in many cases. They can only help students with expenses directly connected to the college and do not cover third-party costs for coursework.

Financial aid is designed to aid students in college costs, but it is highly misleading. This design is due to too many courses usually associated with Computer Informations Systems courses relying on third-party websites to supply students with course materials, virtual labs and assignments.

Having experienced this issue firsthand, I found it frustrating when I was told the Promise Program would be unable to cover the financial costs of my course materials from Cengage. As a college student who does not receive much from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), personal spending on basic needs and coursework is stressful.

Knowing I am not the only student who struggles with these hidden costs for higher education is frustrating.

The biggest complaint I’ve comeacross is that the costs of supplemental course material are not covered by fnancial aid, let alone included in the net course fees. This leads to many students unexpectedly paying out of pocket. The same issue is extended to General Education classes.

For art courses, students are expected to cover costs for rudimentary art supplies like sketchbooks, canvases, art programs and so on. These invisible costs plague almost every class that greatly relies on course materials outside of the main class.

The Riverside Community College District can fx this ongoing issue by being more transparent with expenses that students should expect to encounter within each course.

This should especially be the case with CIS courses. Knowing how much money students should set aside for personal costs will help them plan out their college schedules to fit their spending costs better.

Another solution would be to fnd a way for the college to extend support to students who wish to further their education but cannot do this because of the various software paywalls. This would help encourage people to attend college and even lower students’ stress if they’re living paycheck to paycheck.

Although there should be a fne balance between supporting students and enforcing needed costs to run a college, students should not have to worry about unexpected costs when the district could do something to better prepare them for higher education.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SHARON MCCUTCHEON | PEXELS

Identity, sexuality highly politicized

Out, closeted LGBTQIA2+ students need more safe spaces

JOHN MICHAEL GUERRERO SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER

“Who are you?”

That question continues to plague various people’s minds, especially when discussing gender identity.

It is frustrating how diffcult it is to be open and proud of who I am for someone who continues to explore their identity.

On many occasions, I try to talk to others about gender identity, and it becomes highly politicized or even put into a religious context.

Everyone has the right to think, believe and say their own truth, but grouping the issues of the LGBTQIA2+ community into a religious or political lens is disgusting.

With Pride month right around the corner, I realized how the issues surrounding gender identity are made more complicated for closeted people.

Many have greatly stigmatized June for its association with the LGBTQIA2+ community.

As sad as it is, prejudice against queer people is still an ongoing issue, including hate crimes against transgender people, suicide among queer teens and young adults, discrimatory healthcare and lack of inclusive education.

People should interrogate themselves on why they continue to perpetuate cycles of discrimination.

Although Riverside City College finally has a space for LGBTQIA2+ students, it still feels as if there is not enough done to inform and raise awareness about intersectionality.

From personal experience, I continue to hide my own identity because of the fear of being persecuted, bullied and even physically harmed.

I tried to open up in high school and further discover who I was, but it only led to persecution and bullying.

There are various communities and cultures to explore at RCC. When it comes to queer identity, however, very few are knowledgeable on the topic outside of surface-level information.

College administration should do more to help create a welcoming and safe environment for staff and faculty within the LGBTQIA2+ community.

Many are misgendered and looked down on. A place that prides itself in the community should foster safer and more inclusive environments.

ALLY training should be mandatory for faculty and staff to help them better connect with and respect those part of the LGBTQIA2+ community.

It is equally as important for all students to feel safe and welcomed as it is to create an environment where anyone can grow and discover more about themselves.

I hope that people from the queer community of color, of Indigenous heritage, Asian and Pacifc Islander heritage, immigrant families and so on will fnally be treated as equals. As someone who has not come out yet, I hope as equals, it will be not only in an educational setting, but in every aspect of life as well.

Campus Conversations TOPIC:

How will the upcoming elections affect California’s future?

Interviews and photos by Alexandra Ugale Filarca

“When it comes down to voting, it really all depends on us whether we choose to vote or not. I feel like (voting) is getting more and more irrelevant (because) a lot of people don’t really care about what happens in our country.”

“Each state has different laws that are passed. Some California laws are passed that are not passed in Texas and Connecticut, so it depends on who gets voted (in). Those laws can get changed or not, so I guess that’s the main factor (and) impact of voting.”

“By voting, you can make a big change. A lot of people don’t vote, and when (they) see the results, (they) get mad at it but don’t make any changes (to it). Just by voting, you can make a huge change. Go out and vote.”

- Jessica Rodriguez

Major: English Time at RCC: second-year

-Alejandro Ordonez Ceballos

Major: Visual Arts Time at RCC: second-year

-Stacy Urias

Major: Spanish Time at RCC: fourth-year