Speech paper

With Syria broken into factions and fighting each other for power in a "proxy" war, people are fleeing Syria and crossing borders for refuge. The influx of refugees into neighboring countries, especially Lebanon, was one of the central problems Omar Dahi addressed in his lecture "The Crisis of Syria's Refugees in Lebanon," in the Commonwealth College Building, Events Hall -East at 4 pm on Wednesday.

                Dahi, an associate professor of economics at Hampshire College, was born and grew up in Syria and spent last semester in Lebanon and  spoke to 45 people of the problems that are affecting Syria and surrounding countries. He first began by explaining how the crisis was not simply an uprising, like it was at the beginning but is now a "proxy" war involving the many rebel factions, the government, the United States of American, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

                "Lebanon is the most effected, besides Syria," said Dahi. The influx of refugees due to the crisis in Syria has taken its toll on all surrounding countries but especially Lebanon. Most of the neighboring countries have closed their borders, not wanting anymore refugees. Lebanon has not.

                 Before the Syrian crisis, Lebanon was a poor country, but since the rise in population, money has gotten tighter. "They don't have the fiscal ability to take care of these refugees," said Dahi, speaking from his own experience.

                But that has not stopped the flow of refugees into the country.  The population of Syria right now is about 4 million people. Out of that number, 1 million of them are Syrian refugees. That means that 1/4 of the population is Syrian refugees. This number is predicted to rise, resulting in half the population being refugees.

                Dahi says that there were three things that led to this crisis: the Arab uprising, the war against Iran, and the decline of U.S. power in the Middle East. The Arab uprising, commonly known as Arab Spring, started when Tunisia rebelled against their authoritarian government, and other countries in the Middle East followed suit. This uprising, which turned into the "proxy war" that it is now, provided a moral cover for what was happening what is happening in Syria now.

                The war against Iran also helped to deteriorate Syria. The U.S., Saudi Arabia and Israel created economic sanctions against Iran in an attempt to weaken their power in the Middle East. The allies determined that "Syria was viewed as the weakest link." Therefore, Saudi Arabia used the uprising there to push for allegiance and to try to put into government a more supportive government. Iran felt that the Syrian uprising had been hijacked and put money into the Syrian regime.

                The United States' decline of power in the area is a similar concept because of the fluctuating support they give to different opposition groups.  "You have many different sides pushing against each other and reaching a stalemate in destruction," he said.

                The best outcome for Syria would be peace talks which recently adjourned in Geneva, Switzerland. The talks would involve Syria, Russia, The united States, Saudi Arabia and Iran. There are two possible outcomes, either to create an opportunity for a new leadership to emerge or to split up the region. "And the hope," said Dahi, "or the best outcome, is the these processes create a new space for these voices to be heard."

                What can the United States do? Dahi said that United States citizens can contact their delegates to urge them to put pressure on their allies, like Saudi Arabia, for a political settlement. The other part the United States can take is to recognize Iran as a legitimate country and enter talks with Iran to find a peaceful resolution.

                "I felt like I learned  a lot about the current situation in Syria and that it has gone from an internal uprising to a kind of international battleground from Dahi's organized presentation," said Mary Carey, a journalism professor at the University of Massachusetts.

                Morgan Morselli, a sophomore at UMass, said "Dahi did a great job of clarifying why the refugees have a big impact."

by Lauren McArdle

2012-2013 Fencing Season

Fencing Season

UMWET Horse Shows

Hampshire College aims to launch 100 Percent Local Food Challenge

Faculty at Hampshire College are intensifying their efforts to improve the campus’ sustainability by launching the 100 Percent Local Food Challenge, whereby their aim is to get nearly all of the campus’ food from within a 150 mile radius.

The effort is part of the college’s Healthy Food Transition, an initiative aimed at “redefining what the college dining experience can be…by changing how food on campus is produced, prepared, served and consumed,” according to a Hampshire College press release.

“I think the goal is really to use our ability as an educational institution to educate students who will be leaders in the future and to allow them to see how food is produced,” said Beth Hooker, Hampshire College’s director of food, farm and sustainability. She also said that faculty hope to “engage (students) in not just the on-campus community but the local community and the regional community in an effort to promote regional resiliency for the future.”

According to a Hampshire College press release, the 100 Percent Local Food Challenge will be supported by a $50,000 grant from the Henry P. Kendall Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the production of local, healthy, sustainably produced food throughout New England.

“We chose to support this initiative at Hampshire because colleges are key levers for change in the food system,” Kendall Foundation Executive Director Andrew W. Kendall is quoted as saying in the press release. “They are able to create a meaningful impact on the production and consumption of local food through their purchasing capacity. Longer-term benefits result from the learning and engagement of students, faculty and the broader community.”

Having received the grant in December, Hooker said that the money will fund student agricultural internships as well as collaboration within the Five College system, expanding their efforts to improve sustainability throughout the region.

In addition, Hampshire received a $240,000 grant in February from the Lydia B. Stokes Foundation which supports sustainable agriculture and the development of local food systems. Hooker said the grant will fund agricultural research performed by students and faculty.

Hooker considers Hampshire’s cooperation with the two foundations to be a great opportunity that will help the college reach its goals in agricultural sustainability.

“We’re just really fortunate to have the support of these foundations whose philosophy and goals are aligned with ours and so we’re happy to be partnering with them,” she said.

Thus far, Hampshire’s efforts towards sustainability have been extensive. The 800-acre college is able to offer 200 shares in the vegetables grown on their farmland through the Community Supported Agriculture program. Once students and faculty purchase shares, they are able to pick up a box of vegetables each week at the campus’ CSA barn throughout much of the fall semester.

According to Hooker, about half the shares are sold to students, 30 percent of them are sold to faculty and the remaining 20 percent of the produce is sent to the dining hall. A share can typically feed four to six people.

The vegetable operation, which accounts for 15 acres of the college’s land –not including an additional 50 acres which is leased out to local farmers– is run by CSA Program Manager Nancy Hanson. Livestock and Pasture Manager Shannon Nichols oversees the animals and the 65 acres of pasture and hay. Animals on the campus farm include dairy cows, pigs and chickens.

Hooker explained that the pigs support the dining hall as well as a meat version of the CSA program, while the chickens provide the dining hall and the Bridge Café marketplace with eggs. She and other faculty members are working to come up with a new CSA model specifically for egg shares in time for the fall semester.

In addition, the college also operates its own sugar shack and beehive sanctuary, providing them with maple syrup and honey respectively. An on-campus greenhouse also provides the Bridge Café marketplace with lettuce and spinach to sell throughout the winter.

Although Hooker is optimistic about the 100 Percent Local Food Challenge and its future at Hampshire College, she acknowledges potential roadblocks to its ultimate success that she said need to be addressed, such as an obvious inability to grow crops during winter and discerning how to obtain food not easily grown locally.

In order to find solutions, Hampshire faculty are currently exploring a range of technologies that would aid in expanding the growing season and increasing efficiency, as well as further promoting sustainability.

“We have a grant application in to the National Science Foundation. Part of that would fund movable greenhouses that would use heat-pump technology to heat them in the winter and cool them in the summer,” Hooker said. “We’re also looking at some innovative ways of keeping squashes and root vegetables for longer periods of time after our harvest.”

Furthermore, she added that faculty members are looking to convert one of the college’s gasoline powered tractors into an electric tractor.

Regardless, there are several items that can’t be grown locally that the college must have shipped in, such as coffee and citrus fruits. They also intend to get their fish from within a 500-mile radius, according to a Hampshire College press release.

Aside from promoting regional sustainability, Hooker hopes that the 100 Percent Local Food Challenge will effectively educate Hampshire students about the food system, allowing them to see that local food is delicious and doesn’t have to be overly expensive. She believes the program is “a way that we can help begin to educate the students on what their future choices can be like and how they can be part of changing and transforming the food system.”

by Shelby Ashline

The Student Debt Problem

Colin Diederich graduated from the University of Massachusetts last may with a degree in

computer science. He is now an associate software engineer at CA Technologies, but college is not a

distant memory. He paid for college mostly through loans and grants, and though his mom paid off the

interest while he was still in school, he still has to pay off the actual loans. "Instead of putting money

into the economy, I'm paying off an obviously good decision for five years or longer," said Diederich.


Many college graduates are facing the same kind of financial trouble. According to the American

Student Assistance, a nonprofit that tries to help students and alumni manage and repay their college

loans, nearly 20 million American attend college every year, and of those 20 million, 60 percent borrow
annually to help cover costs. In March 2012, the amount of student loan debt first exceeded $1 trillion

according to fastweb.com, a website that posts daily about the scholarships that are out there. Since

then it has risen to $1.1 trillion. Student debt is the second highest type of consumer debt, behind only

mortgages. It can take anywhere between 10 and 25 years to pay off student loans and payments start

coming in six months after you stop taking classes.


 Though some students have help from parents and guardians, not all do. Shelby Ashline, a

sophomore as UMass, has no help from parents, though she says she isn't paying for college by

herself. "I can't say I'm paying for college myself because I depend on a lot of people, my boyfriend

Roland especially. He works full time while I'm in school and this year, after all the loans and grants

and scholarships I could possibly get, we paid $1150," said Ashline. Her boyfriend, Roland Brock, is a

construction worker.


The beginning of this semester was especially hard for Ashline. She had applied for the

Massachusetts Native American tuition waiver last semester because she has Abenaki blood. One of the
requirements is that she be a resident of Massachusetts, so she sent them a copy of her lease for her

apartment, and she was accepted. This semester, UMass told her that she was not actually eligible

because she had not lived in Massachusetts for over a year which is the school's standards for being a

resident.


"So not only would I lose the waiver for this semester, but I would have to make it up because

they were going to take away from last semester. It was news to me that they can take away money

from previous semesters. I really wonder where the money went after that," said Ashline.


Scholarships can be hard to come by as well. According to an article published by Lynn

O'Shaughnessy on the CBS website, only .3 percent of full-time college students enrolled at a four-year
college receive enough grants and scholarships to cover the full cost of college. A study called the

National Postsecondary Student Aid Study surveyed more than 80,000 undergraduates and found that in

2003-2004 school year only 9.6 percent of undergraduate students at four-year colleges received private

scholarships worth $2,184 on average. And though good grades matter, only 19 percent of high schools
students with an average of 3.5 to 4.0 get awards.


Matt Mourovic is an assistant director at Financial Aid Services. He says that is hard for students

to get scholarships because "there are a lot more applicants than there is money." Though there is only

a small amount of money to go around, not a lot of people are taking advantage of the resources around

them. Scholarships can be found through the academic departments and through local groups from a

student's home town. At UMass, the Commonwealth Honor's College also offers scholarships for non-
honors students. It is also important to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or as it is

more commonly known, FAFSA. And in case all of that seems overwhelming, there are people like

Mourovic to help you, though he says on average, the office only sees about 20 to 30 percent of the

student body. His advice, "Apply earlier than you think."


The question, though, is whether college is worth it. With all this money that has to be paid and

the amount of debt students have to pay off later, is it worth it? There are some people who can't go to

the school of their choice or the most prestigious in their field because of money. "I feel bad for the

many people who have their dreams and in a way their chances ruined because they can't afford to go

to college. Education should be a right, not a privilege," said Ashline.


Ryan Wells, an assistant professor in the Higher Education Concentration, said "For any one

individual, is it worth it? Maybe? Overall, on average, it is." On average, according to Mourovic, poeple

who hold a Bachelors Degree make about $45,000 with a median annual of $17,500 higher than a

person without any type of degree. Wells also brought up the point that minimum wage is low and hard

to live on. College allows people to find jobs that are not in minimum wage.


"It is very alarming when you hear the dollar amount people are coming out with," said Wells.

Though the school gets money from the state, if it is a state school, it is usually the first thing to get cut

because it has other sources of revenue. So to compensate in the cut of state funds, schools will rise the

cost of school. This can be frustrating when in places like Sweden and Norway, college is free. But look

at the culture.


Their taxes are some of the highest in the world and they believe that sending people to college

is a public good. In America, the individual is the key, this country is very much an individualistic

community in which someone should go to college for their own personal gain, said Wells. However,

these countries are shifting over to the American model of college.


But why is tuition high? The sticker price that people get when applying is rarely the amount

people pay after everything is said and done. The net price, or the price a student actually pays, is a lot

lower. The money that students pay go to many things.


"College is expensive because you are paying for what you get," said Mourovic. This includes the

maintenance of the buildings, salaries for various people, and amenities. College is a business, said

Mourovic. Also many schools, UMass especially, are having construction done, what Wells calls an "arms

race" of buildings that can lead to greater prestige. Plus, as Mourovic put it, people are willing to pay for

it. Students and parents, despite complaining about the cost, are still saving up to put students through

college in any way possible.


Is the price of college going to go down? Is there going to be less debt for students in the future?

It is starting to be recognized as a big problem among graduates. Wells said that having student loans to

pay off can lead people to put off other big milestones in life, buying a house, starting a family, and

eventually retirement. However, Wells said, "I don't' see a dramatic culture shift that will change this,

not to sound pessimistic."



by Lauren McArdle

The BDIC Program

Shelby Ashline, a sophomore at the University of Massachusetts, chose UMass because

they had a journalism program and an equine management program. But upon coming here,

she found out that since journalism was a bachelors degree, a four year program, and the other

was an associate's degree, a two year program, she could not double major in the two. Her

advisor gave her a solution. " She said that I could combine the two by going to BDIC and she

directed me to the Goodell building where I could find their office. "


Created in 1968, the program allows students to design their own major. This

alternative to the traditional major also allows students to pursue their educational goals in

areas where majors have not been created yet. It is for students looking for that niche and

finding it by creating it for themselves.


The program for the students was created by the students. In 1968, a group of students

organized a conference and called for more individualism in education. Professor Arthur Kinney

of the English program steeped forward and helped the students with their demand for

academic freedom. The program was approved by the faculty senate and board of trustees and

began to operate in the fall of 1970.


To create a major in the BDIC major, students choose from three areas of study that will

help them in their pursuit. They then take a one-credit writing proposal class, where they get

help writing their proposal and creating their major to submit to enter the program. They get

help from a teacher and peer mentor. The proposal consists of why a student wants to enter

the program, what classes the student intends to take, what led the student to choose the

intended career path, and other similar questions. "I wish there was more guidance," Nicole

Dziadzio, a junior at UMass, said "The class is more or less designed for people who already

know what they want to do, but I don't think there is enough support when it comes to the

logistics of planning which courses to take. It can be overwhelming when there are thousands

of classes to choose from."


The classes they have to choose from are 300 level classes or higher. This can be a

restriction for some areas of study that are smaller than others. "BDIC does not allow its

students to take any 100-level classes and you can only take two 200-level classes. Because

equine management is only meant as an associate's degree program, almost all of the classes it

offers are 100- and 200-level," said Ashline, "The program may be a step towards individuality,

but it's only a baby step."


Not many people have heard of the program based on the small number of graduating

students, about 80-100 each year according to the program's website. Some hear about it from

advisors like Ashline and UMass senior Jeung Takeda, some hear it from friends like Dziadzio,

and some may hear it sandwiched between UMass trivia on college tours. But it is not talked

about enough according to sophomore Courtney Stacey, who said " I do not think enough

people know about it, and its various possibilities. It is a 36 credit major, so a student could

start it his or her junior year! I wish more people took the chance to do that."


The idea of committing oneself to one major, or two in some cases, can be scary. Is it

the right choice? Will there be time to take other classes outside of the major? "To like a major

after you're in it is really difficult, but because BDIC allows you to do what you think is best

freely, it allows me to reconsider and reflect what I want out of the courses rather than being

told just to take it. What appealed to me the most was that the program gave me an endless list

of different courses which I wanted to take but didn't want to make meaningless," said Takedo.


Ashline said that she tried the BDIC program because "I decided that if I could write

about horses in particular, like they do in magazines like Equus, I would just have the best of

both worlds in my career. I could combine my love of writing with my interest in horses. I don't

know if I believe a job like that could ever be boring. Thus, I was determined that my niche

would be Equine Journalism"


Stacey found that the education program was too rigid for her but also wanted

something that would allow her to take part in the Citizens Scholar Program. " To me, its

integration and interconnectedness across departments aligns with the interconnectedness of

our world. I believe education consists of many ways of learning, and many perspectives and

lenses, so it made sense that I would incorporate other disciplines into my work with

Education."


Though the BDIC major has some restrictions, it still allows students to travel abroad

and take part in other academic activities. " I also loved the fact that BDIC did not restrict me

from taking a Five College course, or Domestic Exchange and Study Abroad--all of which I am

doing," said Stacey. She is also able to take part in the Citizens Scholar Program, which is a two-
year, academic service-learning program that combines the classroom with community service,

and even incorporate it into her major and internships can count towards credits.


For more information about the program or who to apply, interested students can visit

the program office in Goodell 607 or can visit their website: https://www.bdic.umass.edu.



by Lauren McArdle