On campus, Jan. 24
1. In overdue news, two California lawmakers say it’s time for their state to end the “tampon tax.”Assemblymember Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) kicked off the first day of the 2016 legislative session last week by introducing AB 1561, a measure to make feminine hygiene products exempt from sales tax in the state. This proposed law, joint-authored by Ling Ling Chang (R-Diamond Bar), would classify tampons, sanitary pads and other feminine hygiene products as medical necessities. “It’s about the health of women,” Chang tells Paste BN College via email. “By taxing these products we are putting up an unnecessary barrier to a necessary health product. Women without access to hygiene products are prone to serious health issues.”
2. A new program being held this April at Portland Community College, Whiteness History Month, has garnered lots of unwanted negative attention. Scheduled for April, 'Whiteness History Month: Context, Consequences and Change' is “not a celebratory endeavor,” according to its description on the school’s website. “The Project seeks to challenge the master narrative of race and racism through an exploration of the social construction of whiteness. Challenging the master narrative of traditional curriculum is a strategy within higher education that promotes multicultural education and equity.” According to the school’s interim president, Sylvia Kelley, “‘Whiteness’ is an academic term commonly used to describe the social and political construction of white identity related to beliefs, cultural norms and privileges. The concept of ‘whiteness’ has been referenced by a broad range of scholars and has been a focus of research, teaching and scholarship since the early 1990s."
3. We hate to break it to you, but Judge Judy is not — and has never been — a Supreme Court Justice. Unfortunately, 10% of college graduates recently polled do believe that Judith Sheindlin — made famous for her Emmy-winning courtroom TV show — has served on the high court. Another 5.5% of college graduates think John Kerry did as well. That’s according to a recently released poll of 1,000 college graduates commissioned by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni conducted in August 2015. With election season right around the corner, this news is especially concerning — especially as almost 20% of those college graduates think the president has the power to establish taxes, and 35% believe the president can declare war. (Hint: Wrong on both counts.)
4. Take a look at any college across the country, and you’re bound to come across some standard rules and guidelines. Attend your classes, pay your tuition on time, produce quality work, take at least 10,000 steps a day. Wait … what was that last one? That’s the new norm at Oral Roberts University, a small Christian college in Tulsa, Okla. The university issued a press release on Jan. 4 detailing a program it introduced in the fall of 2015, which requires all freshmen and new transfer students to wear Fitbits. Students must take at least 10,000 steps each day and spend 150 minutes within their target heart rate zone. The new health initiative is part of the university’s longtime commitment to “Whole Person Education” — ORU’s educational ideology, which promotes physical fitness. “A student who is physically fit has a greater capacity to learn and to become a professional, and to be able to interact within their community,” ORU Provost Kathaleen Reid-Martinez tells Paste BN College. “One who is not healthy, who is not physically fit, has less stamina and less capacity.”
5. A degree in health professions offers students the opportunity to find jobs in numerous medical positions. Graduates have the opportunity to work closely with other medical professionals to help improve patients’ quality of life. The health profession is a large field and offers students the flexibility to find the specialization that suits them best. According to College Factual, the top colleges in the U.S. to study health professions are:
- Molloy College
- Rutgers University
- Simmons College
- Marywood University
- University of Delaware
Check out the whole list by visiting college.usatoday.com.