Introduction to American Government and Politics

Josh Childers

Dr. Clinton Jenkins

Intro to American Government

10 March 2022

Blog Post #1 – Vaccine Mandate for NBA Players

            In March 2020, the coronavirus first arrived in the United States. It resulted in employees going home, schools closing, and sports cancelling their seasons. Among these sports that could not finish their seasons due to covid was the NBA. Since then, things have gradually begun to get closer to being normal again. One factor that helped speed up the return to normalcy was the development of a vaccine. However, the vaccine did lead to controversy over whether or not it is fair to have vaccine mandates. Vaccine mandates are laws that require employees to show proof of vaccination in order to be able to work in person. People began to debate whether it is ethical to require someone to either get the vaccine or lose their job.

One organization that ultimately did not end up requiring its employees to receive the coronavirus vaccine was the National Basketball Association. Well… kind of. The NBA required all its employees except for the players to receive the vaccine. It would have been very difficult for the NBA to require vaccination from its players because the majority of its players are irreplaceable. If players were to refuse to get the vaccine, and therefore not play in the league, the NBA’s product would suffer as fans would be unhappy about not seeing some of their favorite players on the court. I support the NBA’s decision because I believe it should be the individual’s right to choose what is best for themselves.

Despite the NBA’s decision, it is still being impacted by vaccine mandates. A few cities and states are requiring that people who work in-person must provide proof of vaccination to work at their workplace. This includes NBA players who play for teams in those areas. One popular example of this is Kyrie Irving. Kyrie Irving is one of the best players in the NBA and plays for the Brooklyn Nets in New York. He is also unvaccinated. According to NYC Health, “Workers in New York City who perform in-person work or interact with the public in the course of business must show proof that they have received a COVID-19 vaccine.” This means that Irving cannot play in home games. What makes this situation even more interesting is that away teams who come to play in these cities or states are not required to show proof of vaccination, so unvaccinated players can play. While this issue only affects a small number of NBA players, it is still bad for the NBA to have notable players, like Irving, sitting out of games. Also, if players like Irving have refused to get the vaccine despite not being able to play in home games, then it is unlikely that they would give in if the league were to put a vaccine mandate into effect.

I believe that the players should be able to choose whether or not they receive the vaccine. It should be the individual’s right to evaluate what is best for themselves. However, I understand why some would believe that a mandate is the better choice. If the vaccine can slow the spread of the virus, then it could help to end this pandemic sooner. It could also help to prevent games from being cancelled. In 2020, the NBA lost 1.5 billion dollars in revenue when they had to cancel the rest of its season. The next season, the NBA made the decision to have games without allowing fans to attend. Not only did the NBA lose money during these seasons, but the owners also took huge losses. Therefore, if we look at the situation from a financial point of view it makes sense to do whatever it takes to have the games and to have fans at the games, even if it means requiring players to get vaccinated. The only problem with this is that only eleven games have been postponed this year. Considering that an NBA season has 1230 games in each season, this is a very small number. In fact, they might lose even more money from not having several players play than they would from having a few games postponed. These players would also lose out on a lot of money, so it would be detrimental for both sides.

There are really just two options for the NBA in this situation: require players to receive the vaccine or do not. If they require the vaccine, the virus might spread slower and fewer games would have to be postponed; however, this could also result in several players choosing not to play in the NBA. If they do not require the vaccine, a few games might have to be postponed, but their product would still be optimal. The best option is to not require the vaccine from its players because it is no longer having to postpone many games and all of its players would continue to play.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30211678/nba-revenue-2019-20-season-dropped-10-83-billion-sources-say

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-vaccine-workplace-requirement.page

Brandon McNeal

Professor Jenkins

Intro to American Government & Politics

10 March 2021

Blog Post 1: Lack of Funds in Sports

There are many types of schools an incoming student can choose from. There are state, liberal arts, community, junior, and even schools you can earn your degree from home. State colleges are the most common colleges, therefore, leading to more students attending them. These colleges are so popular, because they tend to be cheaper than your Liberal Arts colleges, the standards are lower for academics, and usually have much nicer campuses than a community or junior college. When there is a higher population of students at a institution, more money will be brought in through students paying tuition. It’s a snowball effect that could lead to great things for big colleges, such as quality dorms, nice athletic facilities, and overall top-notch lifestyle for the on-campus students to enjoy. Lifestyle would be best described as living conditions, cafeteria food, stores on campus, and overall convenience. With that, some schools simply do not have the funds to have high-class living conditions like some do.

Now, it is still college; the institution must have enough money to pay well-respected professors, give the athletic teams what they need to survive and continue to play, and keep the school running smoothly. College is not meant for a luxurious lifestyle. However, popular state schools tend to have much more on campus than the smaller schools and that is what attracts more students, along with the price. There a total three divisions in the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association): Division I, Division II, Division III; junior colleges, community colleges, and NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate) schools are not considered a part of the NCAA. The NAIA schools do not have to abide by the very constricting NCAA rules that are very aggravating at time, but NCAA has much more funding due its many schools in its association. At the Division I level, you can give out limited athletic scholarships to help certain athletes pay for their tuition; some are fully paid, and some are partial. At the Division II level, you can give out almost full, athletic scholarships, but they cannot give entirely full-ride scholarships. Finally, at the division III level, there are no athletic scholarships, but students can receive academic money towards their tuition. This is where the dilemma comes up. Division III schools cannot keep up with the funding, because less college students can afford $40,000 a year. Though, it’s a give-and-take relationship. There are less students that go to these high-class intuitions at such a high price.

These students are still able to attend these colleges, because they have things like financial aid, grants, and academic money to be given. Although sometimes that does not change the problem at hand. The problem is the lack of funding, so what is the best way to fix that? One way to fix that is offer more people academic money and lower the academic standards. The classes don’t have to be harder, but you could be more lenient with funds and offer more academic scholarships, so you can get more students to attend your institution. You could also lower tuition if you have enough money to do so. This is somewhat risky, because you could go back in funds and overall lose the college in total. Although, if you think you can pull it off, the rewards are great. Birmingham-Southern College did this my sophomore year in high school. They cut their tuition in half, so more students could attend. Another solution would be dropping the academic requirements entirely, which some have done. Many of the major high-respected universities, such as Stanford University, Harvard University, and even a common state school like the University of Wisconsin has eliminated common tests like the ACT and the SAT in order to get in. I think this is not that risky for what its worth and will allow the more students to come in, who aren’t student-athletes. Finally, I think the best solution is to offer graduate degrees opposed to undergraduate classes and degrees. I think this is so important, because if a student wants to get their master’s, doctorate, and or professional degrees after they graduate, there is no place for them at a college. In order to get post-graduate degree, you must go to a university, in which they have the money and the courses you can take in order to receive that degree.

In conclusion, all schools are great, but I feel that Division III schools have it much harder than the high-level state universities do and that they are almost left on their own. The best step is to offer post-graduate opportunities, government funding, and lowering the restrictions on the acceptance requirements. Also, lowering the costs of admission will help a lot more students be able to afford it. All in all, all of these suggestions will help bring in money that will eventually help the institution in the long run.

https://learn.org/articles/What_are_the_Different_College_Degree_Types.html

https://ktla.com/news/nationworld/harvard-drops-sat-and-act-test-requirements-through-2026/

Cade Robinson

PS101

Dr. Jenkins

3/9/2022

Blog Post 1

One issue facing student athletes today is unhealthy diets. Student athletes have many reasons that  they eat unhealthy. One big reason is time and money. Between class, practice, homework, and sleep there is not much time in the day to make/get food. This time crunch means that athletes are more likely to end up eating fast food, unhealthy snacks, or not eating at all. As student athletes our bodys need proper nutrients to stay at peak performance and to help our body recover from practice/games. 

From personal experience I know that getting food as an athlete can be very difficult. One example is when the lacrosse team practiced when the cafeteria was open. The team practiced the whole time the cafeteria was open so it was impossible to get dinner at the cafeteria. This led to the lacrosse team eating fast food, unhealthy microwave meals, and in some cases just not eating. The times the cafeteria is open are not very conducive to athletes due to the fact most teams practice during the time it is open. This led to financial conflicts with do you eat out or do you eat the stale chips in your room. Some athletes don’t have the money to eat out every day after practice. Some people might say “Cook dinner it’s cheaper.”, but don’t understand that they might not have the time or facilities. Athletes need a good diet to stay healthy. We burn thousands of calories a day and need to at the least replenish those calories to stay strong and healthy. The food problem can lead to you losing weight in season, or gaining weight in season depending on your body type that could negatively affect your performance. Being hungry can also make your attention span lessen, which may negatively impact athletes in the classroom and on the field. If all you can focus on is how hungry you are while at practice, you can’t perfect your craft as efficiently. The same goes in the classroom. If all you think about is food you’re not actively learning while in class which can negatively affect your grades which could potentially make you ineligible. A bad diet can also make you tired faster. It can make your physical and mental endurance decrease which is bad for you on the field and in the classroom. 

The lack of food for student athletes affects more than just them. It can affect their coaches, teachers, and schools too. For instance coaches if not doing well can be told they have to win a certain amount of games or they are fired. Well the negative effects of the bad diets athletes have can affect their play on the field. This might make you miss your goal and end up getting you fired. Teachers also fall into this category with coaches, if their students aren’t performing up to a standard they can get fired. A teacher can be a great teacher, but have a bunch of athletes in their class that struggle due to being hungry or tired due to bad diets which makes them pay less attention in class. Public schools can get money depending on how well their students do on generalized tests. A bad diet could cause students to have less focus on those tests which leads to less money for the school. Schools also get money from sporting events which if the athletes start under performing might cause less attendance at those events and cost the school money.

There are many solutions for these problems. Some schools have food that athletes can access any time of day. Some of these schools even have special cafeterias where they serve better and more healthy food for their athletes and provide costume protein shakes. You see this a lot in D1 sports where there is millions of dollars riding on these athletes to perform, but you rarely see this in D3 or high school sports. One solution the BSC Lacrosse team found was that we could swipe our cafeteria cards at lunch and they would box up a dinner that a team manager could pick up and give us after practice. There are many easy ways to fix the food problem athletes face that don’t require much money or effort at all. This can help fix some of the other problems that a bad diet can cause with focus, fatigue, and being in good physical shape. If schools just talk to their athletes and coaches they can come up with some easy solutions like the BSC Lacrosse team did.

Hailee Bryan

3/9/2022

Professor Jenkins

American Government and Politics

Blog Post #1

The gradual privatization of beaches is a growing issue especially on the coast of Florida. Being from Northwest Florida, this issue directly affects my family, friends, and my community. The beaches of the Emerald Coast are enjoyed by locals and visitors to the areas during all seasons of the year. The area is known for its stunning, white-sand beaches and emerald green waters. It is no wonder why locals and tourists love the area the same. However, recently the area is in a bit of a dispute, where does the public line end and private begin? Private landowners on the beach believe the water is the fine line, while others believe that any area of white sand is fair game. So, the question still remains… where do we draw the line?

From the private owner’s perspective, they bought the land, the house, and pay taxes on the property. One private landowner says that the umbrella’s and tourists are an “eyesore” while another adds on the trash left behind by beachgoers is “unreal” and a “hassle to clean up”. These are very realistic issues; however, I feel as though the trash problem could be solved. More trashcans around the area could fix this issue.

I relate more to the public side of this disagreement. Being from northern Walton County, approximately 40 miles from the beach, public beach access is the only option for my family. If private owners continue to push property lines closer and closer to the water, public beach accessibility would continue to dwindle as well as tourism into the area. Tourism is a major source of funding for the state and local businesses and without public beach access one can only expect tourism to drop.

Weighing out both issues at hand, I feel as though all beaches should remain open for public access. The beach is a place for families to go and enjoy themselves and the beauty on the coast and being packed on small “public beach access” spots will not make for the most memorable experiences.

https://www.nwfdailynews.com/story/news/2018/08/04/why-destins-beaches-are-almost-entirely-private-and-whether-its-supposed-to-be-that-way/6539451007/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0962629815000384

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/001088049403500222

https://www.nwfdailynews.com/story/news/local/gulf-coast/2022/03/09/walton-county-florida-tourism-committee-wants-more-input-strategic-plan/9409229002/

Cam McNearney
Dr. Jenkins
PS 101
March 9, 2022
Blog Post 1
In Kennesaw Georgia, there is a sub-city called Lost Mountain. Lost Mountain is the main sub-city that feeds into Harrison High School. Harrison High School is a 7A public high school that is in Cobb County. It is the only high school in Cobb County that does not have an apartment complex or townhomes that feed into it. This has made it to where only people who can afford housing in that area are able to attend public high schools. This has forced Harrison High School to be comprised of predominately white students. This lack of diversity in both racial and income status has led to Harrison High School becoming a sheltered school where students do not get a fully rounded view of the real world.
I have fallen victim to this education. Being a former student at Harrison High School and watching my little siblings grow up in that high school, I have noticed the difference between us and students who didn’t go to Harrison. The biggest eye-opener about this issue for me was when I first got to Birmingham-Southern College’s campus. Being now in a higher form of education, I am forced to learn more about what goes on outside of certain schools and communities. My mind is shown more of what goes on out in the real world. At Harrison High School, I never had to worry about politics or social issues that would occur outside of my comfort zone. I was always focused on other things such as baseball, finding colleges to play baseball at, and making the grades I needed to get college scout's attention. Even when in search of a college, I never took into consideration what the college’s community and aspect may be. I focused on what the coaches were like, what positions they had open on the team, and how good or bad they were. Birmingham-Southern College happened to be the best fit for me in the fact that I enjoyed every person on the team and the coaching staff and liked that we were a successful team every year. Birmingham-Southern College raised the bar for my education. This class specifically had forced me to think outside of my comfort zone and social issues to think about. Being a person who went through Harrison High School and seeing my siblings currently go through it, I see why it can be an issue for the future. Going to a public high school like that has caused us to be enclosed in a social bubble.
Looking back on my time back at Harrison High School, I remember all the support and staff, and resources I had to get to where I am today. Harrison High School is well known for producing athletes to the next level. A good reason for that is because of the money that schools can bring in because of the demographic that feeds into the school. Harrison has top-notch high school facilities for all sports teams with two weight rooms. The baseball team has a Junior Varsity and Varsity locker room with nice Adidas uniforms. The field is kept in great condition year-round for the players to get the best experience. Harrison High School can have an indoor facility for the players to use when the weather is bad outside. These resources put the players at Harrison High School at an advantage over other schools’ players. I was fortunate enough to have teachers and coaches in my life throughout high school to help me get to playing college baseball. I had coaches reaching out to recruiters for me, giving me extra help in the off-season, and making sure I was using my time wisely. At surrounding schools and inner-city schools, this kind of thing just doesn’t seem to happen the same. I can remember playing schools where the team had on old torn uniforms. Players were sharing equipment with each other that was handed down to them. The coaching staff clearly didn’t put any effort into their players because they simply didn’t have the desire or resources to. There were plenty of players that I witnessed to have the talent I had but didn’t have the resources and facilities and community around them like me to get them to what they desired to be at.
Harrison High School is a black sheep among the other surrounding high schools where resources and funding are pumped into the system to give students a chance, a better future. These social inequalities cause an imbalance in overall society and put students at different advantages based on their family’s income and where they are able to live.

Cole Forbes 

PS 101

Dr. Jenkins

3/10/22

The recent onset of the Russian-Ukrainian war has seen the international community scrambled to help Ukraine in any way possible without causing a third world war. So far the two most prominent way the united states and the international community has attempted to help Ukraine has been through supplying weapons and through economic sanctions on the Russian Federation; both of these actions have crippling repercussions for the Russians and hopefully assisting Ukraine. For many years the EU and United States have refrained from supplying weapons to the Ukrainian military, out of fear of escalating tensions with the Kremlin. This changed soon after the recent large-scale invasion of the country with almost all NATO nations supplying new and advanced weapons to the Ukrainian defense forces which have crippled the Russian advance into the country.

While the influx of arms directly assists the Ukrainian people's desperate fight against Russia, the most effective aid has come in the form of the unprecedented economic sanctions unleashed by most of the Western world upon the Russian federation. These sanctions early saw Russia removed from most of its financial institutions abroad, most notably with the Swiss breaking centuries-long neutrality and removing them from their famed banking system (SWIFT). This move was unexpected by the Russians and everybody else but was soon followed by the united states and EU in a suit. While the large financial institutions of Russia are being attacked the personal wealth of the Russian oligarchy is now being targeted with the foreign holdings of Russian billionaires being seized by the United States, Canada, the Eu, and Australia. Additionally, Russian ships can no longer go to port anywhere in Europe, Canada, or the United States this goes in tandem with the sanctions on Russian oil imports which previously was the biggest contributor to the Russian economy. All of these sanctions culminate to delete the Russian economy to a level no one could have predicted, for example as of March 10th the value of a singular Russian ruble is 0.007 USD now compare that to the estimated value of a V-Buck an in-game currency from the popular children's game Fortnite valued at 0.0125 USD, just shows how far the Russian economy has buckled as a result of these sanctions with a make-believe currency from a child's video game being a more stable currency than that of the Russian states.

While all of these actions have been appreciated by the Ukrainian government it maintains that currently what it needs most from the US and NATO and its allies is assistance from Russian bombing by establishing no-fly zones over Ukrainian airspace and in establishing negotiating humanitarian corridors with the Russian military so civilians can be evacuated out of warzones. But establishing a no-flight zone over Ukraine would put the united states in a difficult position with Russia because this would be seen as a direct escalation of the conflict and could potentially widen the conflict on a global scale. However, establishing a no-fly zone over Ukraine would directly assist in preventing the deaths of civilians from increasingly indiscriminate bombing by the Russian air force. The Russian military has become increasingly bogged down in what they predicted would be a blitz lasting multiple days has turned into a grueling grind with no foreseeable end in sight and seeing bombing civilian targets as an easy way to break the fighting resolve of the Ukrainian people. Most recently this has been seen in the bombing of the occupied maternity hospital in the besieged city of Mariupol which happened just the other day and yet to produce a causality count but regardless is a war crime, additionally, the Ukrainians argue for a no-fly zone over Ukraine because Russia has been using a plethora of "dumb" bombs which are conventionally un-guided munition but also have been reportedly using cluster bombs which are banned under the Geneva convention due to the unnecessary damage it causes to civilians. Despite all of this however is unlikely that NATO/ The United States will act on these requests despite the benefits to the citizens of Ukraine but then again if they did do it, it would be seen as a confrontation and escalation to the Russian government and could cause a nuclear holocaust killing millions which the Russians promise would be the reality if the Western world continued to interfere in Ukraine.

King Henderson

PS 101

Dr. Jenkins

March 10, 2022

The Problem of Ransomware

                Ransomware made its debut in 1989, infecting AIDS researcher’s hardware with a “Trojan Horse” like approach. Since then, Ransomware activity has only increased, and become more advanced. In recent years, this problem has become so direly serious that it has been declared a worldwide healthcare emergency. In 2017, nearly 5 years ago, Ransomware created by the hermit kingdom of North Korea hit hospitals in 150 nations, infecting not only databases but also servers, and even PC’s including confidential medical records. In the United Kingdom alone, 81 out of their 263 National Hospitals were shut down as a result. In turn, this ended up causing more than 19,000 appointment cancellations and thousands more patient transfers. But this example is only one of many.

                The United States alone accounts for almost 50% of all worldwide Ransomware attacks. In 2021, there were 2,845 Ransomware attacks across the world and 1,352 in the U.S. amounting to countless amounts of funds being stolen, across multiple business platforms. This is the largest amount of Ransomware attacks in a year to date, and there is no sign of it slowing down. Ransomwares most notable escalation occurred in 2020.  It is reported that during this year, over 20 billion dollars was extorted from healthcare institutions around the U.S., this should resonate as an absurdly large number to anyone. This poses a huge issue for not only the U.S. but the world, it embarrassingly points out the inefficiency of resistance; simply because in most cases, it is futile.

                Over the last decade, Hackers and Hobbyists alike have been preying on healthcare systems seemingly without end. Posing a constant threat to multiple, if not potentially all the Health Care systems around the globe. So then, the question is asked, what can be done to put an end to it? At first thought, to some, it may seem like an easy fix. Just pinpoint the source and work from there. But that’s exactly the problem. Most of the Hackers controlling or coordinating these cyber-attacks can’t be touched, not allowing you to move past step one. This is because the countries these so-called Hackers live in, are shielded by their own governments. This means that these foreign governments are essentially encouraging terrorism abroad, simply because it’s in the “nation's best interests”. So, this creates a political conundrum, so to speak.

                These crime syndicates mainly operate out of Russia and North Korea, which is bad for us because these countries openly harbor criminals, refusing to extradite them. If the U.S. decided to take action into their own hands, this would no doubt raise alarm. Therefore, causing escalation beyond a comfortable point, putting the U.S. gov. in a very awkward position. This makes going on the offensive extremely challenging, exacerbating an already unstable situation. Maybe, the correct mindset isn’t an offensive one but instead defensive. Ransomware defensive software is a relatively new kind of software, still in its early stages. This makes sense because there really wasn’t a big need for it up until the last decade. But, because this new software’s well, new it hasn’t quite reached the height of its counterpart’s capabilities. In other words, Ransomware capabilities are still in front of the new developing Ransomware cyber security measures.

                The most dangerous and frightening thing about Ransomware is that it is far more sophisticated than it was in the past. Because of this, many unsuspecting companies/victims’ databases and servers were grossly unprepared for what was to come. It is stated that there has been a 67% increase in security breaches over the last 5 years, the majority being in healthcare. But even though the currently acting cyber defensive measures are inadequate, this shouldn’t continue to be the case in the future. This large rise in breaches also raises alarm among the general populace, encouraging people/businesses to install defense measures to combat attacks and hopefully avoid them altogether. Still the current threat remains, it will most likely take years to engineer and employ a system that combats Ransomware. That’s just currently the hard truth because it is vastly more sophisticated and superior. Ideally, in the next few years technology will become more openly available to combat Ransomware, posing it as less of a threat. In conclusion, the current situation is dire, but patience is a virtue. In due time, the playing field will be leveled.

Works Cited

·         Riggi, John. “Ransomware Attacks on Hospitals Have Changed: Cybersecurity: Center: AHA.” American Hospital Association, https://www.aha.org/center/cybersecurity-and-risk-advisory-services/ransomware-attacks-hospitals-have-changed#:~:text=Executive%20Summary.%20Ransomware%20attacks%20on%20hospitals%20are%20not,as%20an%20opportunity%20to%20exploit%2C%20victimize%20and%20profit.

·         Touro College. “The 10 Biggest Ransomware Attacks of 2021.” Touro College Illinois, Touro College, 12 Nov. 2021, https://illinois.touro.edu/news/the-10-biggest-ransomware-attacks-of-2021.php. 

Austin Johnson

03/10/2022

Blog Post #1 

Student-Athletes are some of the hardest working people in school. Being a student-athlete is a daily struggle of trying to balance and set goals for yourself and your academic responsibilities. One of the keys to success is reminding yourself that you're not just an athlete, but also a student who is trying to graduate on time with a diploma. Student-athletes often fall into a trap of forgetting the student aspects and neglecting the study hours causing them to perform poorly in the classroom. It is an everyday battle with completing assignments and making sure your athletic skills are up to par. Athletics should be the top priority for students but sports are also important to them as well. Many student-athletes start to play sports at a young age, so continuing to play in college is the last chance to continue what they love. 

To balance a schedule with both athletics and academics causes student-athletes to become overwhelmed with stress that can result in them falling behind in school. Of course, it is easy to say, “I am going to a schedule to manage my time between school, practice, games, tests, homework, and studying” but harder to implement these choices in a daily lifestyle. An example of when this mentality can become challenging is when you just finished an hour-long film session, then had a two-hour practice, and need to complete an hour’s worth of homework after. With these challenges also come rewards. Development from sports goes beyond learning new physical skills. Sport helps children develop better ways to cope with the highs and lows of life. When they’re playing sports, children learn to lose, being a good loser takes maturity and practice. Losing teaches children to bounce back from disappointment, cope with unpleasant experiences, and is an important part of becoming resilient. Playing sport helps individuals control their emotions and positively channel negative feelings. It also helps children to develop patience and understand that it can take a lot of practice to improve both their physical skills and what they do in school. Skills such as confidence, commitment, and patience are transferable into the classroom. 

The decision to participate in sports can be looked at from many different ways like the perspective of the student-athlete, the coach, the teacher, or even the student who doesn’t play any sports. Yes you can expect that everyone want you to do well in school and athletics. However, teachers have deadlines they to meet which most of the time means students won’t be able to get positively channel negative feeling extension tests, homework, or classwork. Most teachers understand if you talk to them, but a lot of times you are overwhelmed with school and practices. Coaches want to win and the players want to too, but from the coaches’ perspective, they want you to be able to perform on the field or the court to the best of your ability so they will be leaned on you with the school.  At least from my perspective, I have to focus on communication with my teachers for extension and making up tests. Additionally, I like having a calendar with my entire class schedule and all things I have to do on it. I have come to develop a life structured around athletics. Waking up, going to school, going to practice, eating dinner, then doing homework was my daily routine always. Then on the weekends, I would sleep in and then spend the afternoon outside playing a game or hanging out with my teammates. Even after my career as a student-athlete is over, continuing physical activity is going to be held at the same level of importance as it is now. Research shows physical activity contributes to improving the health of individuals who participate in sports activities. Sports help to improve cardiovascular fitness, hence vital in the management of body weight.  The life skills learned through the hard work of athletics are transferable into the classroom. This has become exceptionally handy during test time. Participating in sports has given me useful problem-solving skills as well as giving me the confidence that I know could never be reinforced by academics. There is time I don't feel like getting up and going to early morning practices and weights or taking that extra mile when I feel like I can’t go another step. Sports have shown me the importance of making the right choices. 

One of my first solutions for the problem of balancing a busy schedule between academic and athletic responsibilities is that teachers need to be willing to have flexible deadlines for assignments and offer make-up times for tests. A second solution for this problem is from the coaches’ perspective, coaches need to mandate all student-athletes to attend study groups a few times a week or assign tutors for athletes. A third solution to the problem of keeping a balanced schedule for the student-athlete is starting with the student-athletes and their accountability to communicate properly with their teachers and coaches. Communicating what times class and practices are at, and in the case that both academic and athlete obligations are scheduled for the same time of day, all parties are flexibles so the student-athletes schedule can be worked out properly. 

The community I have chosen to research and blog about are the Kurdish people, also known as the Kurds. They are the largest, stateless ethnic group in the world. It is likely that you have not heard of them. This is an ethnic group that though largely Sunni Muslim, existed before the time of Muhammad and the rise of Islam in the seventh century. The Kurds have their own language and culture, taking pride in having an ancient history. Although they reside in the Middle East, it is important not to mistake them as Arabs; the Kurds are of Indo-European descent and therefore have more in common with Persia (modern Iran,) than Arabia as geographic regions. They live in a geographic region that is part of four modern nations: Turkey, Syria, Iran, and Iraq. This geographic zone crosses the already prickly borders of those four nations and is not recognized as an independent state. And that is what most of the Kurds wish to change, to have their own recognized homeland, their own Kurdish nation. Known as “Kurdistan,” and shown on the first map below, this geographic region is where the Kurds have lived for decades and decades. To understand the modern issues facing the Kurdish people is impossible without having a good understanding of how they got their and how circumstances became what they are. To do this we must go back to the first World War, an event which arguably defined the twentieth century. Therefore, the issue focused on in this blog post is World War I’s results and how they affected the Kurds.

            Before World War I, the Kurdish people were part of the Ottoman Empire, an empire which had existed and impacted the world for centuries. It was Muslim, but Jews and Christians could practice their faith at the expense of paying a tax under the millet system. Ottoman culture was tolerant of diversity so long as efficiency, and loyalty to the Sultan (sovereign,) were maintained. The Kurds were one ethnic group there along with the Turks and the Arabs. When World War I erupted in in the 1910s, the Ottoman Empire joined an alliance with the Central Powers of Germany and Austria-Hungary against the “Triple Entente” powers of Great Britain, France, and the Czarist Russia. The United States joined later on in 1917 against the Central Powers. The war went on and the Central Powers were ultimately defeated. The Ottoman Empire, which had existed since the thirteenth century, collapsed. The different Ottoman peoples were all worried what would happen next now that they were part of a fallen empire seemingly at the mercy of European powers they had been fighting. It was in the aftermath of World War I that dozens and dozens of world leaders met at the Paris Peace Conference to try to bargain for their interests and get the best deal they could. Calls for “self-determination” were in the air, but it was the “Big Four” powers of Britain, France, Italy, and the United States who dominated the conference and negotiations. It looked more and more like the doctrine of “self-determination” was to be applied only to the European nations. Europe, England and France really, in the attitude of “to the victor goes the spoils,” carved up the Ottoman territory among themselves with no regard for ethnicity, language, religion, etc. An Ottoman in one region of the former empire was now a “Syrian” controlled by France, and a relative of his in another part was suddenly an “Iraqi” controlled by Great Britain. Kurds realized that under Anglo-French influence they were now, whether they liked it or not, part of either Turkey, Syria, Iraq, or Iran. Their sense of belonging and comfort in the Ottoman Empire and its laws was gone.

            Two treaties are pivotal to the history of the Kurds right after World War I. The first was the 1920 Treaty of Sevres. This treaty focused on the region of Turkey and had in its terms a provision for a “Kurdistan” region for the Kurds to live in as their own. This seemed like the promise of a Kurdish homeland to some. But the problem was that although laid out, the Treaty of Sevres was never ratified, it was replaced by another treaty in 1923. The Treaty of Lausanne usurped Sevres and established the modern Republic of Turkey, which was independent of European influence. And the provision, even the idea of a “Kurdistan” region or nation did not appear in the treaty. Some say Lausanne established the precedent of moving populations against their will. These Kurds in Turkey were now seen as Turks by the world. Many of them felt let down if not spat on in that the former provision to give them a homeland was abolished in 1923. This again is the issue for the Kurds in this blog post, the state they were left in in the aftermath of World War I, an unprotected minority living across four new nations with new identities. The affects that this had on the Kurds were extreme. The Kurdish people of the former Ottoman Empire got no “self-determination” following World War I. They had no seat at the international table from which to release their voice. Though they had seen themselves as a single ethnic group living in a vast and diverse empire, they were now against their will Turkish Kurds, Syrian Kurds, Iraqi Kurds, or Iranian Kurds. What would you do in this situation? Imagine you are a member of an ethnic group with its own language and yet your people have been overlooked and cast aside into minority status across four nations, stripped of an international voice and not yet sure if you will have a voice in your new nation.         

            With the exception of Turkey, after 1923 each of the four nations Kurds lived in were under some form of French or British influence and/or control. Were these nations predominantly Sunni or Shiite Muslim, and were they hostile to whichever was the minority? What minority rights, if any, existed in these new mandated nations? What were the Kurdish relations with the Arab and Turk ethnic groups like now? Did it vary per nation? These are all questions which sprung into the minds of many as the 1920s went on. I believe that the best solution which could have been implemented then would have been for the provision for a Kurdish homeland in the 1920 Treaty of Sevres to have been implemented or ratified in another treaty, despite how controversial it may have been. Even during the existence of the Ottoman Empire, the Kurdish people lived in that “Kurdistan” region and it would not have done much harm to at least have nationally given them the section of it in modern Turkey. Thousands of different people were left disappointed at the end of the First World War. But the Arabs could look to the Arab peninsula and the nation which would later become Saudi Arabia. The Turks were enjoying their own Republic of Turkey, fully independent and free of European influence. The Kurds…. nothing.  

Thomas Caleb Pruett

Prof. Jenkins (PS 101)

3/9/2022

Blog Post #1

Pay-to-play Youth Soccer System in America

World renown famous soccer player Zlatan Ibrahimovic once said, “It has to be said the sport is expensive, very expensive. For example, in order for my children to play in a good football team, I have to pay $3,500 per child. It is not for the figure, but for the whole concept, I dislike it very much because not everyone has the money needed and the sport should be something for everyone, because it unites people of whatever origin.”. Around the world soccer or as most call it ‘football’ is a sport for everyone. Outside of the United States soccer starts and is learned in the streets, backyards, front yards, playgrounds, and so on. However, here in the U.S., this is not the case. Perhaps the reason for this is cultural but even beyond cultural reasons, many other issues play a role in why soccer in America has become a suburban sport instead of an urban one.

           The pay-to-play system in the United States can be summed up simply. To play at a good level such as a club team or academy system in youth soccer you have to pay a large sum of money. Whereas in other countries a lot of these clubs and academies are free to get trials and once you make it onto the team’s roster, they will not charge you anything or at the least very little. If someone like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who made 7.2 million last season in playing wages alone is complaining about how much he has to pay for his children to play then there is a major problem. The main issue with this system is that you get a lot of talented kids who fall through the cracks and ultimately do not get picked to play at these high-level clubs and organizations simply because their parents or guardians cannot afford the steep prices. This directly affects the level that the U.S. national team and the MLS (major league soccer) here in the U.S. are at in comparison to the rest of the world.

Now, soccer is not the most popular sport in the U.S., and it is not even the second most popular, soccer is probably closer to the fourth behind American football, baseball, and basketball. From the global perspective, the U.S. is miles beyond any other country in these sports in terms of talent level. Why is that? This is because when you think about all of the kids who are being recruited to play for the top colleges are being recruited from high school which is the majority of times free to play for. On the other hand, to be recruited for college or professional academies in United States soccer a kid has to play outside of high school for expensive clubs just to be seen. This is the root of why the U.S. professional league and national teams struggle in comparison to the other countries around the world. One would think that with the massive size of our country surely there would be a large enough talent pool to make a top five competing national team, but this is not the case at all. In fact, at the time of writing this the U.S. men’s national team is sitting at 13th in the world while football, basketball, and baseball are widely considered to be completely United States dominated.

How does this get fixed? The answer is not so simple in actuality. It is not like the whole system can just be erased and the U.S. just mimics what other countries use for their youth systems. It is because soccer is not the most popular sport here that this problem arose in the first place. If you think of all the costs that come with simply running a soccer organization, they include things like paying the coaches, paying for a field to use, travel expenses, referees, and equipment. The United States is a capitalist economy but also a capitalist culture. If there is no money to be made through soccer, then nobody is willing to play. The good news shining through all of these issues is that the United States is a melting pot of so many different cultures. In time with the rate at which our country is diversifying eventually the United States will reach the level at which other countries are already performing. Evidence of this is that our national team is slowly, year by year, moving up in the national rankings, and more and more homegrown talent is finding their way into major leagues in Europe and abroad.

Chloe Hendrick

PS 101

Dr. Jenkins

10 March 2022

Poverty in Native American Reservations

The Native American communities are highly affected by poverty and unemployment. The U.S. Census Bureau conducted a study and twenty-seven percent of self-identified Native Americans and Alaska Natives live in poverty. Native American reservations account for three out of the five poorest counties in the United States. In 1830, the Indian Removal Act forced the Native American people west. Tribes were sent out West to land that was isolated and had poor natural resources. These conditions collapsed the welfare of the people almost immediately. The issue of poverty and bad conditions on the reservations has a direct connection to my family. My great-grandmother is full Comanche Native American. She grew up on a reservation but ran away when she was a teenager. She was eventually adopted by a white family. Her name was changed to Victoria and most of her Native American heritage was erased. Life on the reservations was so difficult that she would never talk to my mom about her upbringing before adoption. The issue of poverty on the reservations has directly affected my family and the problem needs to be addressed nationally.

The Indigenous Americans have lived in the United States for around fifteen thousand years. Native Americans still do not legally own their land. The United States government owns the land where the reservations reside. The houses on the reservations on not owned by the people either. The people cannot mortgage their wealth. The inability to have a mortgage also prevents people from starting their businesses. If one was to consider developing an economic project, the government controls all economic expansion on the reservations. This means that any plans for an economic opportunity have to be authorized by the government. The process to gain approval is a very long, strenuous process that is not convenient to the interested companies. Companies have to go through a minimum of “four federal agencies and 49 steps to acquire a permit for energy development.” Jobs are already very limited on the reservations, but there is not an easy way to create a business. If areas are struck with poverty, creating jobs is essential. It should not be an exhausting process to get an economic opportunity off the ground. 

There are roughly forty-five thousand people living on reservations in North Dakota and Wyoming. Eight out of ten of the people living on the reservations are employed. The Native American Heritage Association is a charity that provides the basic necessities to the reservations in North Dakota and Wyoming. NAHA interviewed a few of the people that live on the reservations in these states. One woman mentioned that on her reservation they have “...a Family Dollar, a grocery store, a couple of gas stations, and a couple of hardware stores.” She mentions that the places listed are the only places of employment on her reservation. Another woman mentions that the jobs on the reservations are slim, but people cannot drive to get to employment off the reservations. Some of the residents do not have accessible transportation and if one does, the gas is not affordable. One woman mentions that “...up to twenty people are living in one small home.” Her daughter sleeps on the floor because she cannot afford a bed. Luckily, charities such as NAHA and other organizations help with necessities, but there needs to be a permanent change. The people need land with natural resources and accessibility to work/ fair wages. 

Many people who grow up in stable households and populated areas, do not understand the privilege they have. People will say “if you are poor or homeless, just get a job”. The people who say such things most likely have never faced the same conditions that the Native people face. To earn an income, one has to have many accessible resources that the people on the reservations do not have. The United States government needs to step up and provide to the people that were here first. Solutions exist like closing the wage gap. Native American women in the United States are paid forty percent less than white men. The Paycheck Fairness Act needs to be passed. This act, introduced by Representative Rosa DeLauro, would “equal pay protections and enforcement tools to challenge discriminatory pay practices.” The government also needs to ensure paid family and medical leave, affordable child care, education, health care, etc. A big solution is to put money into these communities and allow for businesses to grow/ create accessible jobs. No one should rely on a truck that comes once a month for food. No child should be without school supplies, clothing, a bed, etc. The Native people have been ignored by the US government for too long. The government needs to create equal opportunity and provide for the true originators of our country. 

Sources

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/government-can-end-poverty-native-american-women/

https://www.borgenmagazine.com/native-american-reservations/

https://www.naha-inc.org/

http://www.nativepartnership.org/site/PageServer?pagename=naa_livingconditions

West Neill

PS 101

Dr. Jenkins

March 10, 2022

Blog Post 1

            Over the past few months, Major League Baseball has been facing some major conflicts causing a delay and a possible halt to the season.  Canceling the 2022 MLB season seems outrageous right? Well, the problem is the collective bargaining agreement signed in 2017 expired at the end of the 2021 season. This agreement covered the financial structure of the league as well as the conditions of employment for the MLB players. Before this agreement expired, conflicts between the franchise owners and the MLB Players Association arose when negotiating terms about the new collective bargaining agreement. With no progress being made between the two parties before the deadline the MLB has decided to cancel opening day as well as the first two series of the season and plan to further delay games until an agreement is reached. This issue is commonly referred to as a lockout. A lockout is when MLB owners shut down all baseball facilities and activities, to pressure the Players Association to lower their standards for negotiations. The last time the Major League has seen an issue like this was during the 1990s the players went on strike due to similar reasons. This resulted in the removal of the 1994 World Series. This has infuriated the entire baseball community, as they fear the 2022 season could end up like the 1994 World Series. 

           The MLB Players Association is a board of forty current and former players, at least one representing each MLB team. This Association is very similar to a labor union, their job is to protect the players' labor, and economic conditions as well as ensure fair wages. Well, the Players Association realized shortly after signing the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) that the team owners were progressively reducing player salaries while capitalizing on revenue sharing. For example, the Baltimore Orioles are only paying their entire roster $42 million. Seems like a lot of money, right? Well almost half of the teams in the MLB pay their roster $100 million more than the Orioles. Their strategy is to profit immensely off the revenue sharing, which is an agreement between all teams in the MLB to combine 48% of all revenue generated throughout the season and split evenly amongst all thirty MLB teams. Last season each team received an estimate of roughly $110 million. Considering this is half of the revenue the Orioles generated, the math is nowhere close to the agreement in the 2017 CBA which proclaimed franchise and players revenue will be split 50/50.

           From the players' perspective, there is a lot of work to be done to the foundation of the financial system in the MLB.  Early this year Max Scherzer, a current pitcher for the New York Mets, took to social media and new networks to expose the contract manipulation and young players' stagnated salaries that MLB owners had been abusing for the last four seasons. The players' side of the baseball community is stuck in a serious dilemma. If they were to continue to demand their standards, they would continue to face lockouts and cancelation of regular-season games. Their other choice is to give in to the team owner's demands of continuing the previous agreements from 2017 as well as extending the 2022 season.  I think a possible solution for the Player Association is to get the baseball fan community more familiar with the manipulation that is happening. If they were to expose more facts about this issue on sports networks and social media, the fan base will help force a lot of pressure on the team owners and hopefully place more provisions to protect salaries and contracts for the players.

           The fans of the MLB are not only enraged at this issue, but they are also becoming discouraged about baseball in general. Referencing a comment made on social media by a fan about the lockout, “I’m uncertain how or why players and owners would expect their dwindling fanbase to continue to care about a sport that is so dysfunctional and cares so little for the people who pay to watch it.” - Zach Royster. Obviously, this situation does not benefit anybody from any side of the baseball community, but I think the fan base is going to be affected the most. Thousands of fans counting down the days until they can watch their favorite team play, might not even get the chance to this year because of greedy franchise owners that have no remorse for their players. A possible solution for the fans to prevent this from happening is to help support the players. The fans of the baseball community are the ones who provide the revenue for the MLB. If they create protests and threaten reduced revenue towards the league, they will create an incentive for the team owners to submit to the MLBPA’s demands. Baseball needs its fans now more than ever to help fight for this sport we all know and love. 

Alex Sprague 

Dr. Jenkins

PS-101

10 March 2022

Blog Post #1

An issue affecting the Deaf community in the United States is society’s lack of knowledge about the Deaf community and the use of American Sign Language. This issue has created many challenges in the daily life of a Deaf individual, most importantly, education and employment. There are about ten million Deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals in the United States. Approximately two hundred and fifty thousand to five hundred thousand people are fluent in American Sign Language in the United States (Mitchell 1). Not only does this information show that Deaf people choose not to learn their native language, but many hearing individuals choose not to educate themselves either. This decision for Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals not to learn American Sign Language stems from the deficit of Deaf schools and the lack of support mainstream schools have for these individuals. 

Lack of knowledge about the Deaf community and understanding of American Sign Language has led many Deaf individuals not to seek higher education or even graduate high school. Many mainstream schools do not provide interpreters for Deaf individuals because they can be very costly, so teachers rely on lipreading for the students. The disadvantage to this is that only thirty percent of what is spoken is understood by the Deaf individual, meaning seventy percent of the information is missed. Many Deaf individuals do not succeed in school because they are not receiving all the information they need to excel. Also, many mainstream schools do not have American Sign Language as a foreign language class. This correlates as to why many hearing people do not understand the language and why deaf individuals choose speech therapy. Nobody is being allowed to learn more about the community and how they can contribute to it. Many Deaf people feel as though  From the employment aspect, even with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), many Deaf and hard of hearing individuals are not hired because of the accommodations needed to perform their responsibilities. For example, providing an interpreter for the interview process or installing a video relay service so they will be able to communicate face to face through technology can be very expensive, which causes employers to turn down Deaf employees. 

There are many views that Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals have when it comes to education. The most common belief is that there should be more support for the Deaf community in the United States school system and establish more Deaf schools around the country to be more accessible. On the other hand, some Deaf individuals do not want to deal with the hassle that comes with the opposition mainstream schools have with funding a program for the Deaf. The sad truth is that the Deaf community feels as though they are not connected with the hearing community because of the language barrier and feel they are living in a separate world. This goes back to the college graduation rates of Deaf individuals only being fifty-one percent. It would be much higher; however, they are not provided with the tools to advance academically. When it comes to employment, there are differing views between the individuals in the Deaf community. “In 2014, only 48% of deaf people were employed, compared to 72% of hearing people” (NDC 2). One main reason for this large gap is because Deaf or hard of hearing people find it very difficult to choose a job that will make accommodations for them. Others do not have the education required to follow their preferred career path. However, the average salary between a Deaf person and a hearing person is about the same. The difference in salary is between Deaf individuals and other Deaf people with additional disabilities. The average salary for someone who is Deaf with no other disability is $55,186, while someone who is Deaf with a cognitive disability makes an average of $40,075 (NDC 4). This is for more common careers for hearing individuals, and this difference causes many Deaf individuals to become interpreters or stay within the Deaf community. The lack of knowledge about the community has led these individuals not to feel included, so they stay in a bubble of comfort. No human should feel like they are not part of a community just because they have a disability. 

When it comes to solutions for resolving this issue, some come to mind. The first solution would be to have mainstream schools start to incorporate American Sign Language classes or ones that center around those who are Deaf to inform people about their community. This will increase hearing individuals' knowledge of the Deaf community and understand the struggles they encounter in everyday life. Another solution would be to have the government establish more Deaf schools around the United States to be more accessible. Only having about one Deaf school per state makes it very difficult for those to attend because they must live in that specific area. Encouraging the government to fund a project for building Deaf schools or including classes about Deaf culture will help solve this issue. A solution that would help with the employment aspect is to create more jobs that are Deaf friendly or have establishments create a location that only has Deaf or hard-of-hearing workers. Starbucks did this in 2016 when they opened their first signing store in Washington DC. This created an inclusive environment for individuals with hearing loss. It also encouraged hearing individuals who may go to this specific coffee shop to learn basic signs to communicate with the employees. Suppose our companies could create places like this for the Deaf community to flourish. In that case, it will help eliminate the issue of people’s lack of knowledge about the community and understanding of American Sign Language.

Sources

1. https://www.nationaldeafcenter.org/sites/default/files/Deaf%20People%20and%20Educational%20Attainment%20in%20the%20United%20States_%202019.pdf

2. https://iglesiamartell.com/understanding-the-injustices-faced-by-the-deaf-community/

3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16177267/

4. https://www.nationaldeafcenter.org/sites/default/files/Deaf%20Employment%20Report_final.pdf

Markie Nelson

3/3/2022

Professor Jenkins

American Government and Politics

Blog Post #1

Climate change is a major problem all around the world that affects everyone, but specifically the homeless community. Climate change and global warming go hand in hand. According to NASA, “Climate change is a long-term change in the average weather patterns that have come to define Earth’s local, regional and global climates” (climate.nasa.org). Climate change is caused by human actions and is usually irreversible. Fossil fuel burning is a major contender to the climate change crisis. People do not realize how big a small action can have on the environment around us, whether good or bad. Many large cities must find alternative ways to limit their contribution to climate change. Some cities like Houston use a heat-mapping project to gain volunteers to create heat maps. It has only been recently people have realized how serious the climate change crisis is today. Scientists have explained that climate change will only get worse, with temperatures fluctuating, over the next few decades. Climate change effects include, “glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier, plant and animal ranges have shifted and trees are flowering sooner” (climate.nasa.org). A solution is still questionable, but scientists are still striving to find methods to steer this problem in the right direction. Climate change will always be a problem because it will take forever to get people on the same page moving forward, because everyone has their own opinions about the matter, but hopefully for the common good everyone can come together.

Homeless people do not get the luxury of going to their homes to warm up or cool off. With climate change the weather is going through Jurassic changes more often than usual. The Climate Reality Project stated, “Extreme heat can be deadly for anyone, but people living on the streets without access to air conditioning or cool drinking water are particularly susceptible to heat stress and even heat stroke” (climaterealityproject.org). With climate change increasing this also decreases the air quality making it harder for homeless people. These people are, “the most exposed to weather conditions and the social and economic problems caused by extreme weather and climate change…” (link.springer). With harsher temperatures homeless people develop health problems and tend to die more frequently than others in the economy. Homeless people cannot provide for themselves when they face these temperature changes, so they usually go to jurassic measures to aide for themselves, which gives them the bad reputation that was attained from higher economic status people.

Many people of a higher social economic status tend to see homeless people as worthless and think they put themselves, and sometimes families, in that particular situation. Others from a lower social economic status connect from a similar level with homeless people, even if they are not as poor as homeless people. Usually, these lower-class people are more willingly to help homeless people. A child named Rene said, “The shelters were so cold, and their blankets were very thin, but it was way better than the nights outside” (Stopchildhomelessness.org). It is very easy to stereotype homeless people as dead beats, who got themselves in trouble by doing the wrong things with their lives. Alternatively, that is not true, and many are victims of domestic violence or children who cannot provide for themselves yet. People of general higher status than homeless people also are inclined to label homeless people as mentally disturbed or a liability. While some cases could be true, but a generality is homeless people endure a lot more hardships than other people. So, with the climate changing people do not realize the amount of pain and suffering they go through just to survive. Sadly too, climate change is a situation that they did not bring upon themselves. So, they are having to go through other peoples’ consequences for a lifestyle they, of course, do not want.

Finding a solution for homelessness and climate change is not easy and will not take a day to fix. Solutions today are in the works, NASA explained, “…we use proactive measures to reduce MASA’s environmental, institutional, programmatic, and operational risks” (climate.nasa.org). Changes must be made now to allow for changes to happen in the future. Many companies are going eco-friendly in order to reduce a carbon footprint. Climate change impacts everyone, but people do not realize the significant impact it has on the people without homes. These people do not have the necessary means to provide for themselves, or families, in a healthy way. Many shelters have recently become available for homeless people. Even though this is not a permanent fix, this at least gives them a break from the harsh conditions they endure every day.

Sources:

1. https://stopchildhomelessness.org/the-facts/?gclid=CjwKCAiAvaGRBhBlEiwAiY-yMNQQ33LGiSlcu-17iMb29qbTp7UHDmvqJ11ocu9c03ehooMPUFM6fhoCdlUQAvD_BwE

2. https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/homelessness-and-climate-crisis

3. https://climate.nasa.gov/solutions/resources/

4. https://climate.nasa.gov/resources/global-warming-vs-climate-change/

5. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11524-020-00483-1

Gentry Scott

Professor Jenkins

PS 101

March 10, 2022

In the state of Alabama, many residents face the constant battle of their political beliefs versus their neighbors, coworkers, friends, or even families. In the past several years, politics has drawn a wedge between people because they allow their minds to speak rather than just holding in their thoughts. One issue that continues to be monitored by the residents of Alabama is how legislators will handle the abortion debate. The “Human Life Protection Act was signed into law in 2019 but has not been enacted since a federal judge blocked it. This law banned all abortions. Legislators have now introduced the ‘Alabama Heartbeat Act’. This new bill is being backed by Republicans and would ban most abortions in the state. The bill states that once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is usually around six weeks, an abortion would not only be prohibited but illegal. The bill affects the citizens of Alabama in that most expectant mothers would be beyond the designated time frame for having an abortion before they even know they are pregnant. Also, there is no clear majority as to what the citizens want. Those who are pro-life, and those who are pro-choice, think their viewpoint on the topic is correct. Furthermore, there continues to be a debate on when life begins. The proposed bill does not take extenuating circumstances such as rape or incest into consideration. The fetus’s sustainability of life should also be a contributing factor. The law does allow abortions in cases when the mother’s life is at risk, which could create further debate to determine what meets the criteria of being at risk and whether mental health should be considered. There is no current debate over ‘the morning after pill, which is routinely used as a precaution after unprotected sex and is often referred to as the abortion pill. Additionally, in the abortion debate, it is primarily male legislators who are making the decisions regarding the termination of pregnancy when the biological fathers themselves have no say in the abortion process.

The passing of the ‘Alabama Heartbeat Act’ would change the timeframe for legal abortions from 22 weeks to around 6 weeks of gestation. This change, however, does not necessarily prevent a pregnant mother from having an abortion when she is adamant about aborting the fetus; it only makes it more difficult. One may consider traveling to a neighboring state for the procedure. It is also feasible that more children will be neglected, placed into foster care, put up for adoption, or raised by other family members in cases where the biological mother does not want the child. Additionally, for teenage mothers, many insurance policies do not provide coverage for dependent obstetric care, which would place a burden on the Medicaid system to cover the costs of the births as well as the baby once it is born. For those Alabamians who are pro-life, this bill does not do away with abortions completely, but moves the timeline in the right direction and would theoretically reduce the possibility of an abortion in many cases. Also, many religious leaders and Christians who believe life begins at conception support the legislation. Fathers who previously would not have had to pay child support for an aborted fetus may now have an added financial responsibility.

            If the law does not pass, it is not likely that the amount of abortions will increase. Actually, the number of facilities providing abortions has decreased in the last 10 years, the number of abortions in the state have been steadily decreasing, and abortions in the state represent less than one percent of the abortions in the United States. Abortions have been performed legally and safely for nearly fifty years. The limitation of not performing abortions at or after 22 weeks and the mandatory 48 hour waiting period and mandated counseling prior to obtaining an abortion would remain in place. This latest abortion bill has brought attention to organizations such as the Yellowhammer fund which funds abortions and supports individual reproduction decisions without state interference. Studies have shown that the majority of women who have had an abortion do not regret the decision, but further research needs to be conducted to determine how the fathers are affected. Democrats who do not support the bill focus on healthcare and reproductive education. Republicans who do support the bill most likely will continue to push an abortion bill.

            When looking at abortion related statistics, I am not sure an abortion bill of this magnitude is needed in the state. There are already limited resources for abortions and southern morality places more emphasis on birth than abortion. Those who do not want an abortion would not pursue those avenues. Those who do want an abortion will find other means to terminate the pregnancy.

https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/state-facts-about-abortion-alabama

https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/fact-sheet/abortions-later-in-pregnancy/

https://time.com/5591166/state-abortion-laws-explained/

https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/abortion-rates-by-state

https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/state-facts-about-abortion-alabama

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2019/06/abortion-laws-in-the-us-10-things-you-need-to-know/

Maddi Stewart

PS 101

Blog Post #1

9 March 2022

Blog Post #1

            A little less than a year ago, back in June of 2021, the NCAA adopted a new policy, the name, image, and likeness policy (NIL). Even though not every state in the U.S. has passed this policy, there are 28 states who have passed it and a handful of other states have proposed the bill and are waiting for the new legislation to take effect. This new policy allows college athletes in NCAA D1, D2, and D3 to take advantage of their name, image, and likeness and be compensated for it. This bill still prohibits schools (colleges and universities) from directly paying their athletes, but athletes are now able to seek endorsement deals, social media sponsorships, as well as be involved in other ways that can make them money for their NIL. 

For many people, especially NCAA college athletes, this new policy sounds like an amazing thing, and many athletes have already begun finding deals and sponsorships that are compensating them for their name, image, and likeness. However, there a few people who have disagreed with this newly adopted policy, and I am one of them. Now, don’t get me wrong, I play a sport at a NCAA D3 school and if thought I could get compensated for my name, image, and likeness, I would certainly be intrigued and would consider finding out more. Who wouldn’t want to get paid for doing something they love? Yet, the longer that I think about it, the more problems, and pressures I believe will come as a result from this new bill.

Now, let’s dig into a couple of the reasons why I think this name, image, and likeness policy will end up creating more problems. With this new bill, athletes are going to want to get as much money as they possibly can, and I believe this will create another stressor in these kids’ lives. College, in itself, is already stressful for many student athletes. You need to go to class, go to practice, eat, find the time to do homework and study, go to any other clubs/extracurricular you are involved in, get enough sleep, have some time to socialize, as well as go to work if you have a job. For many student athletes, their days are busy from the moment they wake up till the time they go to sleep. When will these athletes have the time to market themselves and do all these deals and sponsorships without adding more stress into their already busy lives? The answer is they won’t. It may sound like a good idea up front, but, ultimately, I think this bill will increase the pressure these athletes feel. 

Another reason I disagree with this new policy is because it will put some disadvantages on colleges when it comes to recruiting. Bigger schools with incredible athletic programs, such as The University of Alabama’s football team, will now have a greater advantage when it comes to recruiting because they will be able to “place” NIL deals into potential player’s hands. These deals will persuade athletes to go to their schools, which will hurt the smaller, less popular schools. The ability to have deals already lined up for players even if they aren’t committed yet puts the smaller schools who don’t have that ability at a major disadvantage when it comes to recruiting athletes. As time goes on and bigger schools continue to have this unfair advantage, it could potentially diminish smaller schools’ chances at gaining top-ranked athletes, which could “kill” some of their programs.

Even though I disagree with this new policy, I can understand the reason as to why it sounds enticing to many student-athletes. The NCAA as well as the colleges and universities have profited off the names, images, and likeness of college athletes for many years, and the athletes got nothing for it. It doesn’t seem fair for the athletes to be the ones providing the talent and putting in all the work and not being the ones to receive the compensation, but the coaches, schools, programs, and the NCAA do get to receive it. However, these athletes are getting money, in sense, because many of them are receiving scholarships to play their sport. Therefore, they aren’t having to spend as much money paying for tuition, room and board, books, etc.

When it comes to resolving some of these issues or finding a solution to these problems, there really isn’t one, unless the NCAA decides to go back and try to get this policy changed or the states choose not to enforce this legislation. However, to help with some of these problems, I think we as people, could try and limit the amount of pressure we place on some of these athletes. No matter what kind of bets we place on certain college teams to win, at the end of the day, we have to remember that these athletes are still kids, and most of them are playing their sport because they want to be out there, not because they have to be.

Lucy Thompson

PS101 – Dr. Jenkins

2/9/22

Blog Post 1

            A specific social issue that plagues women is the pink tax. The pink tax is when products, goods, or services marketed specifically towards women cost more than those same products that are marketed towards men. So, the pink tax is not actually an additional tax but a discriminatory pricing system. Not only does this include products like women's clothes, shoes, hygiene products, but even toys marketed towards little girls. One issue with the pink tax is that it is not always easy to identify. There are of course some more obvious scenarios like when there is a pink shaving razor next to a navy one at the store, and the pink one costs more. And that women have to pay for sanitary products because they menstruate. But there are some higher-priced items that are harder to spot like a women’s version of a t-shirt versus the men’s version of the exact same t-shirt.

            There are several perspectives regarding the pink tax, and I think they stem from which socioeconomic class women are members of. The perspective of the companies making these marked-up female-intended products is that for decades women have been expected to pay more so why stop now. I think from a business perspective if they can make more profit by marking items up, then go ahead. But the business perspective focused on profit gain does not account for the discrimination it produces. Another perspective is of women or young girls that are members of the upper-middle and upper class are less likely to be affected by the pink tax or pay attention to it. Children especially are unaware because they have a primary caregiver that provides for them. Women of all ages that are members of the lower-middle and lower socioeconomic classes are more cognizant of the pink tax and it has a more profound impact on them. Instead of buying women’s shoes for their daughter, they might buy men’s shoes in an effort to save where they can. There is also this societal pressure in mainstream America for children and even adults to have certain material items and some can be gender-based. Like for a teenage girl to have the newest mini shirt, the prettiest new dress, etc. Because of this pressure, I think some people become blinded to how much of a difference there is between male and female pricing.

Women spend roughly $1,300 more than men due to the pink tax. The products that are marketed specifically towards women are often subject to a price markup, whereas men’s items are not subject to additional price markups. This leads me to wonder what the extra money women are spending on the pink tax could be used for instead. $1,300 may seem like an insignificant amount to some Americans, but to some families that is the difference between being able to eat or going hungry. Some families or women that are self-reliant struggle to afford the essential sanitary products they need because they cannot afford them. This leads to hygiene issues stemming from the inability to properly take care of themselves. This can be anything from not having clean underwear to not having access to proper disposal methods for soiled clothes, sanitary products, or makeshift sanitary products.

Some evidence-based solutions I would propose are local government intervention. I would say federal government intervention, but I feel as if that would take longer due to all of the steps that would have to be taken. I think community outreach programs through churches, schools, colleges, clubs, and Greek life could have a profound impact on many women’s lives if they focused their efforts on the pink tax. They could help provide clothes, toiletries, and sanitary products that are subject to price markups. This would help those women affected by poverty that are greatly affected by the pink tax by providing those items to them at little or no cost so that with the money they do have they can focus on putting that into providing food, water, shelter, etc. for themselves and their families. I think the evidence is profound that women spend more money than men per year through the discovery of the actual monetary amount of about $1,300 to even looking at the difference between the cost of a pink razor and a navy razor at the supermarket. Not to mention, women and those shopping for women buy sanitary products: something the male biology simply does not require. This to me proves that the proof surrounds us all in our daily lives, it is just a matter of really choosing to look for it or not. The Pink Tax Repeal Act has been introduced to congress; however, it has not been passed yet. The goal of the bill is, “To prohibit the pricing of consumer products and services that are substantially similar if such products or services are priced differently based on the gender of the individuals for whose use the products are intended or marketed or for whom the services are performed or offered” (Congress.gov). This is a glimmer of hope that our leaders in Washington are aware of the discrimination women face and I hope they choose to stand up to discriminatory pricing. I hope that one day there will be sanitary products readily available to women at little to no cost and we will not be plagued by the pink tax on items we buy. Just because we are women does not mean we should be subjected to this discrimination.

Sources:

https://www.bankrate.com/finance/credit-cards/pink-tax-how-women-pay-more/

https://www.yahoo.com/video/much-more-women-spend-haircuts-182253130.html#:~:text=The%20report%20estimated%20that%20women,tax%20extends%20to%20services%2C%20too.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/3853/text?r=1&s=1#:~:text=Introduced%20in%20House%20(06%2F11%2F2021)&text=To%20prohibit%20the%20pricing%20of,services%20are%20performed%20or%20offered.

Tyson Swope

American Politics

Dr. Jenkins

March 3, 2022

Blog Post 1

Clearly life as we knew it has completely changed around the world since the Covid-19 pandemic. As we have been living in a carefree world for the past couple of months since the latest spike, event planners have had no time to rest with March Madness just around the corner.  March Madness is a huge collegiate basketball tournament held annually.  There are sixty-seven games played in three weeks. In 2019, the National Collegiate Athlete Association (NCAA) brought in around one point five billion dollars from this event alone.  This is roughly ninety percent of their annual revenue.  With this being said, the NCAA could not afford to lose this type of revenue three straight years in a row.  In 2020 the tournament began and was cancelled after the first few games.  This past year the NCAA made it possible to get the real life feeling of being courtside from sitting on your couch.  This approach made it safer for the players, coaches, fans, and everyone else. However, there is one big question that lingers around this year’s tournament.  How will the NCAA keep the players, coaches, fans, and everyone else involved safe during these games, and what is the cost they are willing to give up doing so?

First and foremost, the limit on fans is the first things the NCAA must account for to keep people safe.  I would suggest limiting the number of people that can be in attendance per player.  This is going to be completely different from what these teams have been experiencing. Many teams around the country have been playing with sold out crowds cheering them on all the way throughout this whole season.  One cannot put into words what a sold-out crowd does for each team.  A crowd can help you maintain momentum when you are on fire, or when you are down the crowd may be the one spark of energy you need to keep your head up and fight to get back into the game and potentially win. The atmosphere of these collegiate basketball games is at stake.  Along with the atmosphere that will be lost by limiting the number of fans that can attend, the amount of revenue that is generated by fans is at stake.  The NCAA took a major financial loss last year by broadcasting all the games, housing the teams, feeding the teams, and testing everyone without the funds from the endless amounts of fans.  To put this into perspective, there are eight hundred sixty-seven point five million dollars from marketing and television broadcasting on the line for this year’s NCAA tournament. Not only did the NCAA take a huge financial loss, but the cities which hosted the games also took a loss.  Cities make a large portion of their money from tourists, and when a city is hosting this tournament they are expecting the money that tourists bring in.  Hotels, restaurants, and museums are all counting on these tourists to help bring in revenue to help them through these rough past couple years.  By limiting the number of fans that are allowed to be in attendance at the games you are also limiting the amount of people that are likely to come to the city and spend money to watch their children, family, or favorite team have a chance to compete for the national title in collegiate basketball.

Next, I would suggest trying to replicate the NBA and Olympics by creating a “bubble” to keep players and staff safe and free from Covid-19.  This have proven to be effective in the past.  The imaginary bubble could consist of a limited number of hotels to host all the teams and event staff, transportation that will only be used by participants, and regular covid testing. In order to be eligible to get inside the bubble, each team is required to show proof of negative covid tests for seven straight days.  Other protocols that I would suggest for this event include the following: 1) two-day isolation or quarantine before being allowed to practice or meet with the team, 2) covid testing every day, and 3) no socializing with family or friends who are coming to support them at the games.  I would make these recommendations to the NCAA to ensure the safety of everyone in attendance.  The NCAA, the city hosting the tournament, and surrounding cities would be taking a big hit financially in an effort to keep everyone safe.  But how is this effecting the players?  These athletes are still students who are having the stress of mid-terms, and now the stress to do everything perfectly in hopes of keeping their team from being disqualified.  The players are also not going to get to experience the full effect of the NCAA basketball tournament and their relentless hard work all year.  With the stakes extremely high considering the health of the players and others involved, the financial loss of limited attendance, the additional costs of creating a bubble, and the mental toll on the players, I believe this is the best way to maximize the ability of the teams while minimizing the risks of the players and everyone involved.   

Garrett Thrash

PS 101

Dr. Jenkins

3/8/2022

Blog Post 1

            In the small corner of rural Northeastern Alabama, a small community atop Sand Mountain by the name of Dekalb County rarely experiences many political disturbances. However, during the fall of 2021 a judge’s ruling on a criminal court case triggered an outcry from the public. An arrest of two twin brothers that were previous teachers and basketball coaches in the county for sexually assaulting their players. The twins’ actions were reported by one of the victim’s mothers leading to an arrest of the brothers, but they were bailed out within hours of arrest on the condition that they maintain their distance from all victims as well as the school. Parents were in the community were in distraught about the low bail set by district judge Andrew Hairston with many of the parents blaming it on the corruption in the judicial system that occurs in small communities with everyone knowing each other.  Once evidence was established against the twins, they were taken to court to be charged with multiple accounts of a myriad of sexual assault charges including sodomy and rape. Sadly, the district attorney and Judge Hairston agreed on a plea deal allowing for both twins to escape their actions with as little as six months in jail along with small stipulations such as probation, multiple restraining orders, and termination of their academic jobs as part of the deal. Of course, the God-fearing, “gun-lovin”, and majorly conservative parents of the area were in outrage over the ordeal with many threatening to take the corruption of the court into their own hands. While nothing has happened yet, many citizens have spoken of taking legal action against those believed to have been involved in the corruption. Others believe using the civic right of voting those in office believed to have connections to the trial is the only thing to do; however, they all agree that this corruption through-out the judicial system in the area posed a dangerous risk to all members of the surrounding communities.

            The main concern many younger citizens raised was the severity of the punishment compared to committing other crimes in the area. For example, many members of the community have family members sentenced to over 15 years for simple crimes legal in some parts of the country, such as possession of drug paraphernalia or marijuana possession. Much of this controversy stems from the older generations deep rooted strictly conservative values encumbered on today’s population. Even the sale of alcohol is prohibited in the county except for the larger towns who have passed legislature to turn “wet” for revenue reasons. The citizens believe the corruption in the areas judicial system allow based on who they know in power. Many parents fear for their children at school due to the light sentencing the twins met. Who knows that could happen to their children since known child molesters were allowed to walk free? Just a few weeks ago, a well-known wealthy man in the community got into an altercation with one of his employees shooting and killing him,but did not get arrested and was let go on the basis of self-defense.

Although there are not a wide variety of viewpoints regarding the attitude towards the judicial system of the area, many do disagree on the steps taken to ensure this catastrophe does not happen again. Many parents close to the victims of this crime want to take matters into their own hands and deal with the pedophiles themselves. Others want to prevent the same mistakes from happening by asking the judge and district attorney to step down to prevent further plea deals from forming. While I do agree with the emotions held by the parents who wished to deal with the pedophiles on their own, this rash decision would only get somebody with good intentions landed in jail for life. It is quintessential that a new judge as well, as a district attorney, to put an end to the current administration committing such atrocious acts. However, to solve the problem in the long-term the true character and moral of all future candidates for election need to legally be placed under a microscope to ensure that thoughts of similar plea deals never matriculate. Without a firm, moral background the office only contains a law-degree holder chasing high prosecution rates leading to a high paycheck, which in many humble opinions from the area does not deserve the title lawyers. An honest district attorney leads to safer environments for the kids in the communities, less severe punishment for non-violent crimes in the area, and a holistically safer community to live in.

Damian Nytko

American Politics

Professor Jenkins

March 10, 2022

Blog Post 1

There is a noticeable wage gap between men and women’s sports teams. A good example, and the one I will be mainly focusing on, is between the NBA and the WNBA. The average salary of an NBA player for the 2020-2021 season was $7.9 million, whereas the average salary for a WNBA player was only $120,650. The gap, although already large, is amplified when you look at each sports highest paid player's salary. The NBA’s highest paid player has a salary of $45 million and the WNBA’s highest player makes $228,100. This wage gap is larger than it is in other sports, which has obviously been causing controversy in the basketball community. As the men’s sports community continues to grow and bring in more money, it has become more obvious how the women’s team is treated as a lesser value than the men’s teams. 

​ The wage gap between men and women’s sports is often perceived as a misogynistic issue. Some people claim the men’s teams deserve to make more money because of their “physical abilities” compared to that of a woman, people saying they aren’t capable of as much, or it’s just an “inappropriate” field for a woman. This perspective, although it could be possible, is often put to sleep by the matter of money. If you look at the money each team brings in, it makes sense that the women’s team would be paid less, as they bring in less. Taking into account all sources of revenue, such as merchandise and ticket sales, endorsements, and the overall fan base, the men’s team is more profitable. The NBA produced $8.3 billion in the 2019-2020 season, whereas the WNBA only produced $60 million. These numbers show a drastic difference in profitability and are often brought up to justify the low wages and lesser quality facilities and equipment provided to the women’s teams. Going back to the misogynistic idea, women’s sports are often marketed less. They receive less air time, as well as fewer camera angles, which may not seem like a big deal, but it causes the women’s games to seem less exciting. This is believed to be a big factor in the low interest in women’s sports and why the WNBA is a less popular sporting event than the NBA. The men’s events are often perceived as more exciting and entertaining than the women’s. The men’s teams get overall better treatment, all the way down to the size of their facilities and the way their games are aired on TV. 

In order to make this issue subside, there are several steps the NBA could take. As the world grows, and feminism does too, the market for the WNBA could also increase. As this generation of girls grow up, they will continue to fight the decades old fight for women’s equality. The WNBA could rebrand, and push it’s popularity, marketing more overall, but having a heavy focus of marketing towards young girls. They could push the next generation of children to have a deeper interest in women’s sports. As these girls grow up, seeing other women on TV, playing a professional sport, they could become interested in watching, or even playing the sport, hoping one day to be on TV themselves. If they can rebrand and increase its popularity, the WNBA would have potential to increase their income. If the income from the organization increases, so could the players salaries. If the sports community does not fix this issue, I could see the world of women’s sports fading out completely. As I said before, as the world and feminism grows, less and less women are going to be willing to take this type of discrimination. If the industry was willing to invest more into the women’s teams, giving them sufficient marketing, quality of facilities and equipment, and just overall the same treatment as the men’s teams, it could be more profitable. 

In recent years, this issue has been brought to light in a large way. Women’s teams have been taking big steps to fight for equal pay. Throughout a wide variety of women’s teams, throughout the world, female athletes have begun protesting the industry, in some cases they won’t even play until their demands are met. There is a lot of movement in the industry, in hopes that one day there will be equal pay, regardless of gender. If the sports industry would be willing to invest the necessary time and money into women’s sports, the changes could be incredible. The teams could grow and become more profitable, allowing the wages to be more fair.