Summer '22 - Intro to American Government & Politics

  Covid has had an irreversible effect on American students for the past two years. Kids have been deprived of in-person learning for long periods of time, many for the majority of their schooling since 2020.  They have been deprived of a stable learning environment due to outbreaks in schools that have gotten millions of kids and their families sick. Since the Covid vaccine was first made available, there have been heated debates throughout the country about whether or not schools should require covid vaccines. Laws regarding vaccine mandates currently vary by state. Currently, the state of Alabama prohibits vaccine mandates in schools, as well as requiring a covid vaccine as a condition of employment. This was signed into law by Governor Ivy on November 5^th, 2021. 

  Those who support vaccine mandates in schools believe that this is the best way to keep students, teachers, and their families safe and to ensure that students have a stable and effective learning environment. A significant number of parents pulled have pulled their kids out of in person schools and begun homeschooling their children due to safety concerns during the pandemic. President Biden has spoken out in support of vaccine mandates in schools, stating “Vaccination requirements are nothing new. They work. They’re overwhelmingly supported by educators and their unions. 

   Many people object to vaccine mandates in schools, arguing that the government should not be able to tell them what to do with their body. They see it as unjust government control. There is also a lot of fear regarding Covid vaccines. Many argue that since the vaccines are new, they feel unsafe due to possible side effects and that the long-lasting effects are unknown. Former President Donald Trump has spoken out against vaccine mandates in schools, stating “Now, there’s talk by the Biden Administration again about closing schools and even vaccine mandates for school children. This is an outrage, and MAGA nation should rise up and oppose this egregious federal government outreach.” Many who object to vaccine mandates also argue that vaccinations will not stop kids from getting covid. 

    I believe that there should be vaccine mandates in schools. According to the CDC, while the vaccines are not 100% effective at preventing infection, “COVID-19 vaccines are effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalization, and death.” In regards to whether the vaccines are safe, the CDC has approved them and stated that “COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.” In regards to arguments about government control, there are several other vaccines that are currently required in American schools, including the Polio vaccine, the Hepatitis B vaccine, the tetanus vaccine, and the MMR vaccine.

   I believe that the only way that this issue can be resolved is if more people are educated about the safety of the vaccines and if misinformation about the vaccine is called out. There need to be national strategies to combat COVID-19 misinformation. There has been a plethora of misinformation about the vaccine and its side effects, including false reports of fertility issues caused by the COVID vaccine. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “There is currently no evidence that any vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, cause fertility problems (problems trying to get pregnant) in women or men.” I think that it would be effective if more politicians encouraged people to get the vaccine as well as addressing vaccine misinformation. If we do not require COVID vaccinations in schools, kids will continue to get sick and they will risk exposing the illness to at-risk people such as infants, the elderly and people will health issues. Kids who are high-risk due to serious health issues will continue to risk their lives by going to school. Schools will continue to temporarily shut down during each new wave of COVID, and in-person students will continue to be deprived of a proper education. 

18 states across the U.S. have put into legislation bans on transgender youth, more specifically girls and women, in sports competitions. Louisiana has become the 18th state to follow suit in these bans with state bill 44. State bill 44 directly prohibits transgender youth from competing in sports that are consistent with their gender identity. Many are shocked that Louisiana Governor, John Bell Edwards, didn’t veto this bill as he did a similar bill one year prior, stating that the bill was discriminatory.  

This bill is yet another direct attack on the transgender community and the numbers prove it. A recent study conducted by The Trevor Project found that 42% of transgender youth heavily contemplated taking their own lives and an astounding 94% said that recent politics have greatly affected their mental health. The bills that are popping up all across the country have a serious impact on the well-being of the youth in this country, and not many people are using their power to protect these kids. The group of people who are cut-throat pro-life advocates is the same people who are antagonizing, harassing, and violating transgender kids to the brink of suicide simply because they don’t look on the pitied how they feel on the inside. 

The senior counsel for the human rights campaign, Cathryn Oakley, says that trying to push the anti-transgender agenda solves no problem that we have in this country and does nothing but harm people. I completely agree with this statement because what does a transgender woman competing in the same game as a bunch of other women have to do with someone who is not competing and would not compete regardless of whether the transgender woman is there or not. This is a huge invasion of privacy and one of the largest acts of nationwide, federal-level discrimination this country has seen since the civil rights movement of 1964.

In 2021 alone, there was a total of 320 anti-LGBTQ+ bills in legislation, and 147 of those bills across 34 states directly target transgender people. Approximately 75 of that 147 anti-transgender bills specifically target transgender youth. As of 2022, there have been 25 anti-transgender bills with state bill 44 in Louisiana being the 25th bill. These bills, especially state bill 44 in Louisiana, will affect children as young as kindergarten and trail all the way to the collegiate level. This includes but is not limited to genetic testing, genital exams, and birth certificate verification. Some colleges such as Louisiana State University have put out statements against these anti-transgender bans, and the governor himself has condemned them, even though he did not veto state bill 44.

One may ask why some conservatives in this country say “to each their own” when it comes to gun control, but when asked about gay marriage, transgender men and women, or women’s reproductive rights, they say that those specific individuals should not be able to have a say in what happens whether that is abortion, sports participation, or matrimony. 

The pink tax is not just how marketing is used to increase prices for women's products compared to men's products, but the issue that arises when women are forced to pay outrageous prices by monopolized companies for items such as tampons and pads. These are things that women need to continue with their everyday duties but they are forced to pay the price that society deems as acceptable by large name corporations. They explain that marketing for women costs more, so they put that price back on women to pay at the store. Women are not given the choice in how much more money they put in for a corporation's marketing nor their packaging for it is considered to be a business' expense to promote their products for an increase in sales of their items. 

One of the biggest issues is seen in the feminine hygiene department, for the arey expensive, but also are not tax exemptable even though they are basic necessities for women. Louisiana just passed a bill that allows for feminine hygiene products as well as diapers tax exemptable. This is an example that states have the option to help alleviate the price gap between men and women in this capitalistic society, but they do not care to do so. 

There are many examples of this within our society, but one of the most popular in media was when Bic made "pens for her". These gel pens average about $1.30 per pen, but the "women's pen" is averaged $2.35 per pen. 

We can also see the issue in other basic necessities for hygiene as well such as deodorant, razors, etc. When you compare the same razors, such as the cheap Bic razors from the drug store, the blue ones are for men and the pink ones are for women. At Walmart, Bic razors for men are $0.25 per razor, but for the ones geared towards women is $0.28 per razor. I understand that this is only a few more cents per razor so it isn't a big deal, but that is for everything that women must buy adds up over the year. 

Overall, while yes, women could just buy men's products and save money but it is for the women who do not realize there is a difference in price between their everyday necessities and will continue to pay more for the exact same product just because it is geared towards them. This is just another way for women to be discriminated against in society, especially with the wage gap between men and women. The issue is women continue to be discriminated against every chance society gets whether it be our rights, our pay, or the prices we have to endure at the stores. 

A solution to this would be either allowing for women to have a tax exemption on basic necessities, much like Lousiana did for their citizens or we can force large corporations to price match the same items for men and women allowing for women to pay the same price for either product.

Ever since the beginning of college athletics, gender inequality has been evident. While progress was made when Title IX became law in 1972, inequalities in funding and facilities are still very present. Title IX is a federal civil rights law that made it illegal to discriminate funds given to any education program based on gender, but it is especially driven to be upheld in sports. Today, many colleges and universities still do not comply with Title IX and treat men’s athletics with much higher regard than women’s. During the 2021 NCAA Division 1 Women’s Basketball tournament, many videos went viral showing the difference between the men and women’s practice and training facilities, food, and merchandise. This shined a light on how the NCAA’s funding is spread, revealing that, on average, the NCAA spends $1,700 less for female athletes than male. This varies school to school, and it has also been found that schools with a well-funded athletics program is much more likely to be equitable. Every college athlete should get the same treatment and opportunities regardless of gender, but unfortunately, women’s athletics are often less prioritized.

            This inequality effects more than just female college athletes. All women feel the societal implications of sports inequity. And this often starts at a young age when girls want to join a local sports team. Children learn valuable skills like teamwork, cooperation, strategy, and healthy habits when they play sports, so many parents push their kids onto a team. However, many times girls’ teams receive less attention, funding, or support than boys’ teams. Also, sexist stereotypes that depict girls as weak, dramatic, and squeamish make it hard for girls to be taken seriously by both their peers and adults as a recognized athlete. Girls are also ridiculed for playing a “girl” sport, because the sport is often seen as an easier alternative to a male-dominated sport or illegitimate and not qualifying as a sport, like softball compared to baseball or cheering compared to football. But girls are also ridiculed for playing a “boy” sport because they are seen as an inferior competitor and unable to play the game well enough, like basketball or golf. Gendered stereotypes harm everyone, since they promote an outdates view of society and further separate men and women.

            Some people would argue that Title IX has nearly fixed inequality based on gender in sports. Title IX has undoubtedly helped level the playing field for women, and it has helped legitimize female sports. In recent years, women’s sports have seen an increase in recognition and market appeal, which has helped grow women’s sports fandom and support. Another argument is that the only reason why women’s college athletics differ from men’s is because men’s athletics bring more money to the school. It is true that many schools in the SEC’s football programs bring in millions of dollars for the school, and there is no comparable sport for women. However, college athletics are not pro sports. Most college athletes are in school for careers that have nothing to do with their sport, and therefore, should not be held responsible for the fiscal fate of their education program. Overall, sports inequity does exist but is a fixable problem.

            The best ways to create an equal athletic environment would be to destigmatize primarily female sports, support female athletes in male-dominated sports, hold the NCAA accountable for their spending, and uphold and improve Title IX. We should destigmatize and further legitimize female-dominated sports and ensure they get equal funding regardless of viewership. This can be done by more promotion for collegiate and pro games with sponsorships and advertisements to increase funding. The more funding these programs get, the better equipped the players will be, which often leads to more wins and more funding. It is a cyclical problem and one way to break the cycle is to initially fund these teams better. This would also work for better funding towards women’s leagues and teams in male-dominated sports. By promoting women’s programs, you are ultimately just supporting women. Also, holding NCAA accountable for their unjust distribution of money and support by punishing the organization until things are made right would send a message that breaking Title IX is a serious offense and no one is above this law. It would also help give women’s sports the boost they need to work to become equal with men. Lastly, by continuing to amend when necessary and diligently uphold Title IX we will continue on our current path towards total equality in athletics.

Working in at a cosmetic counter this summer has taught me some of the beauty behind the cosmetic industry, but also the ugly. The images we see on magazines, movie posters, and advertisements for the most unexpected brands are not real, not at all. They are manufactured with photoshop, digital editing, and a whole crew of professional photographers to present a flawless product. But who does this serve? Who benefits from the unrealistic expectations?

The beauty industry does. They are here to help you, more like here to help you spend your money. With magazine headlines “Look a decade younger”, “Your weight, minus eight”, this is what the average magazine stand looks like. Women spend more money on beauty than education. This is not to mention fashion. Together, beauty and fashion are a 1.3 trillion-dollar industry who have made a business on setting unrealistic standards, and then profiting. They profit off exploiting the insecurities that they have helped create. Growing up, young girls easily see they don’t “fit the mold” when flipping through magazines, the lack of fuzzy curly hair or even freckles. 

When women don’t feel beautiful, it can lead to major social issues. Doug Research shows that only 4% of women find themselves beautiful. Why is that? Eight out of ten women opt out of important societal events when they don’t feel beautiful. Not feeling beautiful, means not feeling powerful. Eight out of ten young girls self-select themselves out of sports, activities, or evening raising their hand in class because they don’t want to draw attention to themselves.

The beauty gap refers to the gap of unrealistic standards set by unrealistic one-dimensional photographs being presented to us and where our true beauty resides. A recent example was on the news about 70-year-old woman posing on the front of the magazine. When the photos came back to the editor, she shook her head “No, these won’t do. Her legs look too… old.” Well, duh, she’s in her seventies. The editor called for a leg model to be photoshopped in place of the true model’s legs. The magazine cover shows the seventy-year-old woman, with the legs of twenty-something year old. The extra work done on the photo ended up getting exposed. However, this makes you wonder how much the beauty industry gets away with.

            Looking at photos used on the cover of magazines and advertisements makes us define beauty as just that. The power of media should be used to emancipate and empower women worldwide and change the image currently sold as “perfection” around the globe. Obviously, no one is perfect. A solution that would uncover these fake images would be to limit photoshopping. I am not saying that we should do away with facetune, only the complete alterations done on photos. Even listing what the changes were in the back of the magazine might help limit changes. This summer, I work at the Clinique cosmetic counter in a department store. Before I started working there, I was not a makeup “guru” and I also lacked a skincare regimen. Customers, or as I call them my clients, are brainwashed into thinking a $40 cream will rid them of a decade of wrinkles. That sounds crazy, but why do these women believe it? But in reality, sunscreen and washing your face with drugstore products will do just the same.

With COVID (sort of) behind us, the effects brought by the pandemic are still very evident. In recent months, we have witnessed two nationwide shortages that are going to drastically affect women. Baby formula and tampon shortages are both going on right now. The formula shortage was caused by Covid-19 and problems within the supply chain and it has continued to worsen through 2022. The tampon shortage has been caused by an interruption in the supply chain for materials like cotton and plastic. These materials have increased in price also causing tampons to rise in price. This is because they have used these materials a lot during the pandemic for Personal Protective Equipment required by medical personnel.  Also, factories have been short staffed and there have been reported delays in transportation. These shortages have led to women panicking. Thus, many have stocked up so they will not be affected as much. However, for those women that did not over shop, formula and tampons are almost impossible to find.

Women that advocate for breastfeeding and see it as the best way to feed an infant are not as concerned as other women that are affected by this shortage. They believe that breastmilk is better for retaining nutrients and vitamins, bonding, digestion, and reducing an infant’s risk of developing certain diseases.  However, there are some women who are not able to breastfeed or choose against breastfeeding. These are the women that this shortage has affected and will continue to affect the most. Women often choose formula because it allows for a more flexible schedule, one that does not include pumping multiple times a day. Also, babies do not have to eat as frequently with formula, and mothers are able to eat and drink whatever you want without fear of accidentally passing it onto your baby. There are also women who use both breastmilk and formula to feed their babies. These women will also be affected greatly as they may use both due to problems with latching, the infant being underweight, or the body not producing the right amount of breastmilk necessary for child development.

The women that will be impacted by the tampon shortage are those that regularly use tampons. Some women many not find this shortage to be a problem because they use other feminine products during menstruation. This could be because of personal preference, religion, or even medical problems. Some women choose to “free bleed” meaning they choose not to wear any feminine products to conceal their menstruation. Their goal is to help the environment and to also normalize women bleeding during their periods. Regardless, some women just do not use tampons. However, its summer and for those that do wear tampons, and like to swim, this might be conflicting with their summer plans. Also, with less production of cotton and plastic, pads and some types of menstrual cups could be in danger next. Therefore, this could potentially affect almost all women with menstrual cycles. 

Solutions to these shortages are not as easy to pull off as other problems affecting women. With the COVID-19 pandemic, understaffed factories, newly rising prices, and shortages of important products have been very prominent in the past two years. That being said, a short-term solution for these shortages would be to import these products from other countries. For the time being, this could make it easier to find those products on the shelves. We cannot rely on imports forever though. Eventually, we must increase domestic production and get our companies back to manufacturing and selling effectively on their own. Fixing staffing issues is a lot more complicated than it seems. The easy answer is to just increase wages. But, this would cause an increase in the price of the products and this could lead to inflation which is sort of what we are experiencing now. The prices of these products have already been raised to compensate for the lack of supply. We would need the government to encourage people to work with incentives. We would also need people to not buy in bulk, only buy what you need for right now. Buying too much in advance will only cause the shortage to advance faster. Also, the government could implement purchase regulations on products in a shortage to further prevent panic buying from occurring. This means the government will put limits on products and how much you are able to buy so they will not be exhausted too quickly. Hopefully, we will be able to solve both of these shortages quickly and efficiently.

            Homelessness and inflation are two parts that can go hand in hand in some instances. Right now, America is facing dangerously high inflation and due to that, the cost of housing has increased. When housing and the cost of living increase, the risk of becoming homeless increases and so does the barrier between being homeless and not being homeless. In the United States, an individual experiences homelessness when they do not have a permanent home. They live on the streets, in a shelter, or in any other non-permanent or unstable situation. Many factors can contribute to an individual becoming homeless and not being able to escape. Some of the most common factors include the inability to secure housing, lack or decrease in income, racial disparities, and violence. When there is not housing that is affordable for low-income individuals or families, they face eviction, instability, and homelessness. Today it is noted that more than 8 million people pay at least, if not more, than half of their paycheck towards their rent or housing in general. Low-income families and households do not earn enough money to pay for necessities like food, clothing, and transportation. Those trying to escape domestic violence often experience homelessness. Not to mention that most minority groups in the United States experience homelessness at higher rates than whites. Inflation is an issue that most people are facing in the United States. In simple terms, inflation is the rate of a general increase in the prices of goods and services in an economy over time. This increase in general price levels causes each unit of currency to buy fewer goods and services. In return, inflation corresponds to a reduction in the purchasing power of money. To sum it up, inflation increases the cost of living which in turn can make or break a family in need.

            Since this is an issue that affects all of the United States it is hard to apply to just one community. However, homelessness was an issue before inflation increased. In 2019, 500 people were accounted for in Pensacola for being homeless and a few years before that there were around 1,000 individuals experiencing homelessness.

Kadeem Malishine, a father of five, talked with Channel 3, a local news station about the hardships that inflation has brought him when trying to provide for his family. He stated that working two jobs does not even help them stay afloat and that he basically needs two more.  This surging cost of food, gas, and housing is hurting people in many ways. When I was living in Pensacola, it was hard not to notice all the people you would see under I-10, sitting on the side of the road with a sign, or just mindlessly walking with no destination. Not to mention that every time my grandparents go to the store the price of eggs, milk, and so many other groceries has increased. Do not even get me started on gas. 

Pensacola City Council has proposed a 3-million-dollar budget to combat this issue. This money is a part of the American Rescue Plan Act. This money would essentially be turned over to the newly created Homelessness Reduction Task Force of Northwest Florida. In addition, $6.5 million in funding and a new task force is Pensacola's first large-scale effort to create a solution for its homeless population. Pensacola hopes to model the Kearney Center in Tallahassee, hoping to see a positive example of change. In addition, 1.5 million dollars in federal relief has already been put to use providing shelters with plenty of beds for the homeless. While all this is great, I still believe that another way we should approach homelessness is through providing services to maintain things such as social security cards and legal identification. In addition, I think we should provide mental health screenings and more halfway homes for those trying to get back up on their feet.

          In the last blog, I talked about the rising suicide rate in the Native American community and how this has impacted all indigenous people tremendously. One of the main reasons for the highest suicide rate among many minorities in the United States is that many Native Americans live in poverty, making them unable to provide for their families and maintain a healthy mental and physical state. Based on my research into the poverty rate of Native Americans, I found that from the 2018 U.S. census that Native Americans have the highest poverty rate among all minority groups at 25.4%. After many hours of in-depth research into the poverty rates of Native Americans, I thought to myself, what drives such a high poverty rate among this population of minority individuals and what can I do to solve the issue, or better yet, what can others do to help? Unfortunately, so many sociologists do not know the factors that drive Native Americans to live in poverty; they do not even know where it comes from. This makes it very frustrating to solve this issue within the community. With nearly 1 in 3 Native Americans living in poverty with a median income of $23,000 a year, this issue needs to be solved; it has a widespread effect on the community leading to higher suicide rates and more.   

        The two main ways I found after I researched into solving the poverty rate issue in the Native American community were a change in demographics and the creation of new jobs and policies. Overall, changes in the United States economy have severely impacted the community and led to job decline, and the jobs’ ability to get this community out of poverty has been made impossible. After plenty of research, I found that unemployment was the highest factor in the ongoing poverty in the Native American community. One way to solve unemployment is to increase the number of jobs available to the community. This would, in return, help this community more than the higher educational attainment that we once thought was the reason for achieving a lower rate of poverty. Generating new jobs within the community would diversify the opportunities for indigenous people and potentially reform the tribe along with the low poverty rate. There are other ways to end poverty in the Native American community; this may be by the government, which can help the community achieve equitable pay and other funded investments.   

        The Native Americans have been living in poverty for decades; the ways to solve issues I stated earlier may help create better job opportunities for the community and decrease the poverty rate. Nevertheless, what is the reason that the Native American community or reservations, to be specific, accustomed to such poverty? I believe they are so accustomed to it since they have had a lack of opportunity, whether through fewer full-time employed individuals within the community or it may be from intergenerational issues. Over time the Native American community has been treated unequally. Dating back from 1492 until the present time now, this community was mistreated and taken from their land. Now left the Native Americans with no options but to become unemployed and suicidal and make up the highest poverty rate for any minority in America. The other main issue that has been widely discussed in the community is the wage gap between Native American women and their White male counterparts. Native American women make sixty cents compared to every dollar their white male counterparts earned. This issue in the community has forced many families into poverty; even if the Native American women work full time and year-round, they still make up to forty percent less than white men working around the same hours. These disparities vary throughout tribes, but this proves yet another reason why Native Americans are at such a high poverty rate; with unequal pay for the women in the community, how could they provide for their families. The only way to solve this wage gap issue is through the government; this would also help tremendously with lowering the rate of poverty in the Native American community.   

        Overall, the issues throughout the Native American community are something we all need to focus on. However, with the higher rates of poverty among any other minority group and the highest suicidal rates amongst their community, these issues may become resolved over time. By creating new jobs and policies in the community or by solving the wage gap between Native American women vs. White male counterparts, the poverty rate would decrease, leading to a more stable and healthy life within the community. This would further lead to a lower suicide rate and lower social and political issues the community faces. 

Sexual harassment and sexual assault run rampant in Female Athletes of all ages, but incident rates in college athletics elude to a huge problem that is ignored by officials and the media. USA Today reported that 1 in 4 college athletes have experienced sexual harassment or assault by the hands of a college employee. Today there are over 110,000 female college athletes with means that over 27,500 athletes have been sexually assaulted or harassed. This number is an underestimate of the actual number of females affected because sometimes cases of assault or harassment will go unreported. Some athletes may not be aware that assault has actually taken place because they believe that the actions of the victimizer are normal. A large percentage of the cases involve medical professionals like physical therapists, team doctors, or trainers. An athlete may be unaware of assault that is occurring because the medical professional will ensure that what they are doing is necessary for their treatment. There is a lot of fear and shame surrounding assault, so the victim may not be too traumatized or ashamed to report the incident of abuse. In 2018, it was revealed that the Team USA Gymnastics team doctor, Larry Nassar, had been assaulting gymnasts for over 15 years. He would perform inappropriate exams that were not medically necessary and would threaten the gymnasts to keep quiet, bribe them with money, or convince the victims that the genital exams were necessary. These aspiring Olympic gymnasts did not come out about the abuse because they were afraid no one would take them seriously or it would jeopardize their lifelong dream of competing in the Olympics. Nassar assaulted 300 athletes in his career before he was stopped. Many coaches admit that they heard claims of assault from the athletes, but the coaches did not do anything to stop him because they either did not believe the claims to be true or did not want to risk losing their job by being involved in sexual assault claims. Although this specific incident occurred outside the NCAA, it is a good example because of the media coverage it drew. Similar cases are happening inside NCAA jurisdiction, but officials are trying very hard to silence the victim and sweep it under the rug. 

Sexual Assault is extremely detrimental to anyone, but especially athletes that are already so pressured by society. Assault will affect an athlete for the rest of their career and their life he physical consequences of sexual assault like reproductive harm will make the athlete suffer from chronic pain, or the inability to have children. The mental harm that assault causes can end athletes’ career and force the athlete to have lifelong mental illness. In my personal experience, no coach or program has ever worked to educate me on sexual assault or harassment. This is one of the issues that causes assault to still be so prevalent today. Female athletes are not being taught to look out for abusers, or what is and is not appropriate for a trainer to do in an exam. A lot of coaches and institutions try to pretend that sexual assault does not happen, and they are not prepared to deal with any situation regarding assault and harassment. Many athletes are unaware that sexual assault and harassment are even an issue that they will be faced with because there is little to no awareness or education being provided to young girls. Survivor bias is also an issue that affects the female college athletes. They believe that it will never happen to them or that since it hasn’t happened to them it is not a big issue in society. The aforementioned shame that is associated with being a victim of abuse will also prevent young girls from being educated. Society deems sexual assault as taboo so not very many institutions will provide athletes with education or resources. This is an uncomfortable topic to discuss so many female athletes will not want to hear about it or discuss it which just prevents victims from being validated and getting the help they need. 

            The first step in resolving the issue of sexual assault and harassment in female college athletics is awareness and education for athletes, coaches, trainers, and anyone involved with the athletes. Removing the shame from the survivor and empowering them to share their stories is an important step. The NCAA needs to mandate an educational course be taken by athletes, coaches, trainers, etc. about the signs of assault. Athletes also need access to resources and help in case they are assaulted. The University of Virginia at Wise has just adopted the Tracy Rule that requires background checks be performed on athletes and bans athletes from participating in athletics if they have been found guilty of sexual or violent offenses. This is a major victory for the community, but colleges everywhere need to adopt this rule, or the NCAA should make this a requirement of all schools. The NCAA/college administrators also need to do a better job interviewing the candidates for positions like trainers and adopt a zero-tolerance policy on sexual assault or harassment. Another solution to this issue would be ensuring an athlete and medical professional are not left alone and to allow the athlete the option of requesting a supervised exam either with a nurse, teammate, or family member present. 

This last blog post was dedicated to describing how rapidly cities and small towns have been growing. North Carolina and other states need to find a way to deal with the problem of a community growing rapidly and faster than they can keep up. Whenever a city or town experiences rapid growth, it becomes hard for the residents of that community to find an affordable place to live. Problem is that Wilmington, North Carolina, and many other places are having issues with affordable housing. 

A community like Wilmington, North Carolina, is experiencing rapid growth. With newly developed parts of the land being built on, newly built schools, redeveloping neighborhoods, and other industries it is nearly impossible to keep the prices down for people to move into that community. Wilmington is dealing with issues in the housing market, the global pandemic, and several hurricanes that are affecting housing prices. This crisis is growing each day and something needs to be done before it gets out of control. ​​Cape Fear Housing Coalition chair Katrina Knight states “This issue doesn’t just affect the very lowest economic residents, it increasingly affects more and more of our middle-class and in some ways, it affects all of us when people can no longer afford to live in the communities where they work, and that’s teachers, firefighters, our service sector employees.” The housing market is booming and other costs for housing have made it out of reach for some middle-class workers and challenging for people to live close to things they love and work 

There is another problem that occurs because of this issue, and that is a decrease in individuals that are self-sufficient and keep their heads above water. It is extremely difficult to pay rent or mortgage because people are not self-sufficient. People in larger households or situations with limited housing resources have a hard time providing for themselves and ensuring they have a roof over their heads. The housing component is the largest component of income for many people. For some people, housing is not what they want to be focused on if they have a family to feed and keep a happy and healthy lifestyle. 

There was a meeting held for the community of Wilmington to find some solutions to solve the affordable housing crisis. Some solutions and ways the companies are helping are keeping the gap of funding from private and non-profit companies to keep and open up new units to help keep the houses affordable in the community. “About $100 million, in terms of what our focus should be, in a commitment this year of how we are finally going to move beyond discussion, move beyond throwing our hands up over the seriousness of this issue and once and for all decide we have the political will, the stomach and the commitment to do something about it,” said Knight. The action plan is taking the crisis head on and wanting the issue to go away. A housing bond is being created to help the problem in a small way but, showing the community that steps are being taken by authorities to keep affordable housing in the picture. Another solution that has been brought to the table is more investment in housing in the community. Make sure that taxes are not going up to cause another crisis in the community. 

From a personal experience, It was hard for us to move here and keep our house affordable when building. Prices were going up each day and it was hard for us to find a neighborhood that would fit my family’s price range and be in a location that we were happy with. We moved here at the start of the crisis, so I can only imagine what the problems are now for new families wanting to come into the community. So from personal experience that my family went through, I feel and want the solutions to this crisis to be found. 

Overall, Communities need new changes that could be anywhere from new buildings, to new routes, to new neighborhoods to have the community thrive. The affordable housing crisis is a big problem in Wilmington, North Carolina, and in other communities that hinder the thriving of expanding the community. Make sure citizens of the community are at ease living every day so that they will be able to keep a roof over their heads or their family's heads. With the call to action meeting that authorities had, solutions are being implemented and trying to find all new ways to keep this flourishing community able to have new members join. 

Sources: 

https://www.wect.com/2022/02/18/big-problems-demand-big-solutions-local-leaders-advocates-discuss-needed-investment-affordable-housing/