| The Draft: This is No Fantasy
BY ADAM BRODY
Staff Writer
JOSEPH SHARKEY / SPECIAL TO THEGUARDSMAN |
Well ... we're screwed. America has four more years with Bush at the helm. His unending support for the war on terror, along with his gross incompetence in commanding it, has resulted in the U.S. Army Reserve and Coast Guard making up almost 40 percent of our troops now in Iraq.
Although a new bill requiring all young people in the U.S. age 18-25 (including women) to serve in the military or civilian services was shot down by the House of Representatives (402-2) on Oct. 5, 2004, a similar bill is still under consideration by the Senate.
Prior to its defeat, bill H.R. 163 (proposed by Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., on Jan. 7, 2003) had garnered little support. Similar bill S. 89 (proposed to the Senate by Ernest F. Hollings, D-N.C.) is also facing a lack of support.
This lack of support, along with strong statements in opposition of the draft made by President George W. Bush, has been used as a rationale to diffuse many concerns regarding conscription.
The official Web site for the U.S. Selective Service notes that since the 1980 reinstallation of the requirement to register, not a single person has been drafted.
Yet death tolls of both Americans and Iraqis continue to climb, and with no defined strategy for victory or withdrawal, the logical answer is simple: More people will have to enlist … like it or not.
All it takes is the president pushing it through Congress. Then a computer developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology would randomly begin selecting the fate of many young Americans, and the first group of 20-year-olds would be showing up for basic training 193 days later.
While most college students would be exempt from the draft only until the end of the current semester, seniors would get to enjoy a full academic year of deferment.
The Selective Service web site proudly states that its mission has been reaffirmed by successive administrations and by Congress under the leadership of both parties. It also states that, since its random number generator is more impartial than previous methods, there would be fewer reasons to excuse people from service.
As the dust settles from the November elections and President Bush spins more of his irrational rhetoric, one thing will remain the same: America will still be in Iraq. In his book, “A People's History of the United States”, Howard Zinn raises an interesting question. "If there are necessary sacrifices to be made for human progress, is it not essential to hold to the principle that those to be sacrificed must make the decision themselves?”
e-mail: abrody@theguardsman.com
Raising the Bar Out of Reach
BY MILES HARWELL
Staff Writer
For students planning to attend classes at University of California (UC), the grade point average (GPA) requirement has been raised from a 2.8 to a 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
This means that to attend or transfer to a UC campus, students need to receive a grade of B or higher in all transferable classes or balance their grades so that their GPA is safely at the 3.0 mark. This requirement may be seen by some as a slight adjustment, but by many others as completely unfair.
City College Transfer Center counselors believe that this should not change much for students who truly desire to attend these universities. The GPA requirement has only been raised by two-tenths of a point, which is fairly low.
This decision was made after a 14-6 vote by UC regents, and could potentially shrink the number of Hispanic and black students entering the university by a combined 37% — 14% of this being Hispanic and 23% of this being black. Raising the GPA could bring an even larger number of white and wealthy students, who are predicted to enroll in UC schools in increasing numbers in upcoming semesters. Minority students attending college for the first time may have to find another university with a lower GPA requirement, or work on their grades at a two-year community college.
“We have a fiduciary responsibility to this university; it would be wonderful if we had a blank check,” said UC Regent Norman Pattiz.
As most people are not good at everything they try, students in particular majors are not always going to be able to earn a grade of B or higher in classes that they struggle with. Because of this, many receive C’s in these classes, which often don’t balance out with the grades in their other classes. As a result, many fall short of reaching the 3.0 mark. This doesn’t mean that they’re not smart. It just means that their grades don’t balance out. This should not be reason enough to deny someone admission to any university, let alone UC.
While this does not affect students who consistently earn grades above the 3.0 mark, many will be denied an education and set back even further on their way to earning a degree from a four-year school, just because they were a few points away from a 3.0. GPA.
e-mail: mharwell@theguardsman.com
COMING IN
Faculty Poll
Do you feel you have changed the direction of any of your students' lives?
Yes: 100% (20 out of 20)
“I can certainly say I have influenced the life direction of some of my students, by turning them onto math. A couple of students told me they were unsure about going back to college because of having to take math. I showed them math can be fun”
Frederick Teti, matth instructor
“Bilingual students can fear speech courses. When I share my experience they tend to gather courage to speak.”
Marion Kwan, EOPS counselor
“Yes! In over ten years of teaching women's health, I have had many students tell me that taking Women's health has changed their life.”
Betsy Strausberg, health science and women studies instructor
“Last year, I helped a student going through some personal problems. She got kicked out of her house, I helped her figure out what to do.”
Monica Bosson, English instructor
ON THE RECORD
Who is the most influential spokesperson of your generation?
Graham McBain
I pick John Stewart from “The Daily Show.” He doesn’t say how it’s supposed to be, but just pokes fun at everything on both sides, just to get people interested. He has his view and he got kids to think about politics.”
Michael Schwartz
“I think the most influential spokesperson of our generation are the celebrities in the mass media, because they can put their message on television and radio.”
Jonathan Villar
“I don’t know if lots of people have read his books, but William Upski Wimsatt — who wrote Bomb the Suburbs and No More Prisons — has a lot of influence and a lot of good changes have been made as a result.”
Claudia Villalon Herrera
“Michael Moore, because he has the tendency to do what other people don’t. He is not afraid to get into situations and he is not afraid to voice his opinions and show ours.”
Gideon Rector
“Noam Chomsky. I believe he has made a lot of people think about the motives for world politics.”
Li-Li Tan
“P-Diddy, because he encouraged people to vote and spoke out for the election.” |
