Month: November 2017

At Santa Clara University, first-year students often live in the Residential Learning Communities, ecstatic to start the new chapter of their life. They push the boundaries of their old lives and begin exploring the different world of college, but as they begin to interact with one another, a problem emerges when they get too comfortable.
Although some may say that it’s imperative to fully express oneself to genuinely display one’s character, it’s more essential to be cognizant of our own actions. This does not suggest that students should shadow their true personalities, but rather, for the sake of respecting both the intangible and physical attributes of comfortability, they must learn to identify the border that distinguishes what other individuals accept and reject.

On campus, the violation of one’s comfortability is most frequently seen between roommates. Here at Santa Clara University, one freshman [Person A], stated, “I never stay in my room because my roommate [Person B], never cleans any of his mess, which triggers nasty odors everywhere.” This is a prime example of 

violating another’s comfort, as Person B’s ignorance exiled his roommate. Some may argue that staying in the dorm room is very uninvolving, but as recent emigrants from our homes, the dorm room most resembles our previous place of rest. Being uncomfortable in one’s own room will inevitably lead to stress, causing negative side effects.

One of the most prevalent and inescapable circumstances caused by stress is the plummet of a student’s academic performance. In high school, I had friends that struggled due to their strict parents, which ultimately led to terrible test grades, motivational failure, and increased tensions at home. It’s critical to visualize how the horrors of stress are directly correlated to our incapability to identify one’s border. Thus, it is our responsibility to be mindful of the border that delineates the acceptable actions from the unacceptable ones.                                

 

Similar to the consequence that ensues after an individual’s abstract privacy is compromised, violation of physical comfort may lead to academic failures and fear of socialization. Generally sparked by the consumption of alcohol, sexual assault is one of the most common forms of intruding physical privacy. Statistical analysis suggests that  “approximately one-half of all sexual assaults are committed by men who have been drinking alcohol. Depending on the           sample studied and the measures used, the estimates for alcohol use among perpetrators have ranged from 34 to 74 percent” (“Alcohol and Sexual Assault”). Evidently, alcohol serves as a medium which may instigate individuals to invade the physical privacy of another’s body.

The reality of victims of sexual assault struggling to recover for the rest of their lives is constituted by their overridden consent. We see similar tragedies at Santa Clara University on a regular basis, but many go unreported because the majority of the violated students fall into a psychological shock, which prevents them from reaching out for help in fear of being harmed once again.

Although it’s important to expose ourselves and be vulnerable towards others in building strong relationships, to avoid violating the physical and nonphysical aspects of comfortability, we must be aware and conscious of others to sustain their security.

 

Source(s):
“Alcohol and Sexual Assault.” National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh25-1/43-51.htm.

Although Anne Lamott creates valid reasons for writing an inadequate first draft in Shitty First Drafts, when I reflect on my personality, I find it difficult to follow Lamott’s message. Lamott explains how it’s perfectly acceptable to have a terrible first draft, as the purpose of writing one is to simply get out all of the ideas out of our heads. She substantiates her claim by explaining that “all  good  writers write  them. This  is  how  they  end  up  with  good second drafts and terrific third drafts” (Lamott 1). Through this statement, Lamott sparks an extent of comfort within the readers, as even the best of writers start with poor first drafts. 

I learned to be at ease if my first drafts are subpar, but I’m the type of person who has to make my work look decent. This is not to say that I am a perfectionist, but I find myself making my first draft look as good as possible because I want to avoid trying to make something terrible into something good; rather, I prefer making something good into a formation of its own excellence. I believe that part of this is constituted by having only one rough draft required. With only one official chance for having our essays reviewed by our professors and peers, I feel compelled to turn in work that I pour a lot of effort into, in order to make that great writing into an even better one.

Evidently, this would be a different story if we were required to turn in multiple drafts, as we have several opportunities to revise our work. However, this is not very realistic, as our quarter system prevents us from spending too much time on one assignment or topic due to the many other areas that must be covered within ten weeks.

 

In today’s society, the United States receives a steady flow of immigrants from all over the globe. Consequently, we have developed diverse societies within our own nation and healthy diplomatic relations with other countries. Unfortunately, President Trump refuses to see all of the positive outcomes of giving immigrants and refugees a chance for a better life, and thus, has eliminated the prospects of DACA as a whole and is planning to remove the visa lottery program. In doing so, Trump is disregarding the existence of the American Dream, an ideological necessity which the United States is built upon.

To help prevent further eradication of acts that help the underprivileged, our group decided to focus on raising awareness for the Immigration and Refugee Services of the Catholic Charities of the United States of America. We initially created posters and flyers to hang around our residence halls to notify our community of the importance of supporting the IRS of the Catholic Charities USA. People have approached me after reading the contents of the flyer to ask further questions about how they could volunteer for the organization to raise awareness. Others messaged me, asking what other organizations were out there, and I directed them to Charity Navigator to show what other groups need support. Another way we chose to inform more students on a grander scale was through our YouTube video. We chose to create a short video because cinematic products tend to attract a great number of people, as they are far more engaging and informative than a simple flyer. I posted a link of the video on my Facebook, which is how my friends, who do not attend Santa Clara University, were able to learn about our motive.

Here at Santa Clara University, many students have respectable moral standards, and as a result, those who approached me for more information about the IRS of the Catholic Charities USA were all very supportive. These students were eager to find methods of helping those underprivileged, as they only saw it fair to lend a hand as individuals who were born with existing rights. Through my interactions with my hall mates and community around my residence, I was able to establish new connections and friendships through mutual feelings towards helping the needy. Instead of watching someone (the immigrants and refugees) get bullied (deprived of benefits) as bystanders, I was surprised by the number of students that were passionate to volunteer for the IRS of the Catholic Charities USA.

The individuals who were interested shared a vision similar to my own: taking advantage of our privileges to help the immigrants and refugees, rather than taking advantage of the underprivileged to set them further back in their ambitions. Before helping, it is important to recognize that they too, despite being born in a less fortunate circumstance, are humans. Humans should not deprive others due to variance in gender, race, or socioeconomic status, as we are not wholly characterized by such aspects. Rather, we are distinguished by our ethical stance and personalities, which is why it is imperative to help the immigrants and refugees escape the abyss of hopelessness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

poster: https://drive.google.com/a/scu.edu/file/d/0B01OpP79cmfhQkQ2aU9YRmRSUXc/view?usp=sharing

video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MoY2ez77O4&feature=youtu.be

After reading the final chapters of The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea, there were parts which I assumed would happen and some that would not. Because this book is about the many troubles which immigrants face when chasing their dreams, I assumed that many tragedies would be encompassed in the book. However, because stories tend to have really positive, happy stories in the latter half, I was a little surprised by the number of casualties suffered by the immigrants.

Throughout the book, Urrea depicts the fact about how many immigrants are dehumanized. Mendez only cares about showing what “he was made of” (Urrea 195). Rather than trying to genuinely support any individual, he focuses on his self image, as he does not consider the immigrants to be like  himself: a human being. As a result of his condescending nature, many lives suffered immensely, the majority of them essentially thrown into the abyss of hopelessness or death.

Although we may express contempt towards individuals such as Mendez, who seem inherently evil, often times, we obliviously mistreat others. This stems from our preconceived notions towards people whom we choose to judge at a first glance. Although prejudgement is not the same as dehumanizing someone, but they are related by the fact that those individuals are denied of a chance to express who they truly are. Unfortunately, the only times we understand how much we hurt someone is after a tragic event occurs, and by that time, it is often too late to fix the mess we have created.

After reading the first four chapters of The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea, I gained more insight about the severe conditions which many immigrants attempt to overcome when trying to recreate a better life. Urrea uses vivid imagery to convey his thoughts. For example, he  says “Dust devils, dead creosote rattling like diamondbacks, the taunting icy chip of sunlight reflected off a high-flying plane” (Urrea 14). His diction delivers clear meaning to help readers genuinely grasp what he is describing. Unlike a movie, the visual aspect in a book is seen through one’s mind, not the eyes. As a result, Urrea speaks so graphically, almost to the point of overly exaggerating, to help the readers picture what he experiences

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It was interesting to read about the harsh reality which immigrants endure in order to come to the United States, as I personally know undocumented child immigrants. Although my roommate isn’t an immigrant, his grandparents were illegal immigrants who experienced similar hardships as those described by Urrea.

 

Even within the first four chapters, Urrea sheds light upon how many immigrants are treated extremely poorly. Rather than being deprived of assistance, the author implies that the immigrants are humans, just like every American-born citizen. The fact that these immigrants are deprived of necessary help is demoralizing, as they have already been through so much more than what an average American can even imagine. Growing up here in the Bay Area, many students are sheltered from the harsh realities which many people live through, which is why it’s difficult for us to understand how privileged we are to be here. As a result, I’m looking forward to see more of what Urrea depicts in order to see the lives of some other people.