Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2016 | Indiana Daily Student | idsnews.com
5
JORDAN RIVER FORUM
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dr. Jill Stein represents the best path forward for the United States I plan to do something radical this November. I will be writing in Dr. Jill Stein for my vote for president. During the primary season, I supported Bernie Sanders because he gave a voice to much of what I saw as the right path for our country.
After the Democratic National Convention in July, I realized I was no longer part of the Party or of the two-party system. It is time to vote for the best of the remaining candidates, not the lesser of two evils.
I, and many others, have been hobbled by the argument that says voting for the lesser of two evils is the only choice one can logically make, that voting for a true alternative will only place the worst in office. The only way the majority
of voters in the U.S. can make good decisions is for all of the candidates to be heard in the debates. Stein, of the Green Party, must be included in the debates this fall. Go to jill2016.com/platform to read what the Green Party
and Stein are planning for the future. Sign the petition to the Commission on Presidential Debates asking that all viable Presidential candidates be included. Indiana is not a battleground state, so we Hoosiers can vote our consciences
and let the Republicans and Democrats know that times are changing and that “we the people” want a better future than the one percent can offer. Marianna Brough, Bloomington
BUT THAT’S NOT MY BUSINESS
The American Dream is quickly turning into the American Dysphoria Seventy percent of plasma donations in the world come from America. This is due, in part, to today’s youth being increasingly saddled with student debt and shrinking incomes. Many students resort to donating blood plasma in order to pay for rent or food. What does this mean? The American Dream has been distorted throughout the years, leading to something that more resembles a type of dysphoria rather than the dream in which we’re conned into believing from a young age. Dysphoria is a state of unease or generalized dissatisfaction with life. It’s the opposite of euphoria.
The American Dream is no longer a dream. It’s the American Dysphoria. Tuition costs have taken a major climb since our parents were in school. They’ve exploded by more than 1,225 percent since 1978. Our parents paid up to $1,000 for a whole year of college, whereas we’re spending upwards of $10,000 for the same schools. Thankfully, there’s such a thing as financial assistance, right? Nope. If you take out a loan for $10,000, you’re going to end up paying back far more with interest costs. And scholarships are getting smaller and more scarce.
But what about getting jobs? Why don’t we just get a job like our parents did and pay our way through school? In general, median incomes across the country have decreased, save for a handful of states on the east coast. After adjusting for inflation, millennials make $2,000 less than our parents did at our age. Not to mention the fact that working whilst going to school is extremely stressful. It’s difficult to work around class schedules, and homework in college takes much longer than it did in our high school years. Once we have college
under our belts, what’s next? According to the established American Dream bit, buying a car and getting a house are the next steps to happiness. Car prices have skyrocketed since our parents were in college, as have housing costs. The average cost of a home in the U.S. in 1980 was $76,400. The average price of a home today? Upwards of $360,600. On top of that, if you live a city, chances are you’re going to be payingw quite a bit more for a house. We all probably — hopefully — remember the recession a few years ago. So what are we, as millennials, supposed to do?
We’re stuck in an economy that our parents, grandparents and governing corporate minds ruined. Some youth are lucky enough to receive money from their families, whereas some students don’t receive any financial assistance. Wouldn’t it be nice if tuition were free? Maybe in an alternate reality. Where are Rick and Morty when you need them? I’m a full-time student taking sixteen credit hours. I also have a full-time job. It’s tiring. Hillary Clinton thinks students should have to work during their college years.
Brittany Bauernfiend is a junior in English.
I simply disagree. Having to do it myself, it can be immensely and unnecessarily overwhelming. It’s a sad thought that the American Dream is slowly fading from our grasp by way of greed and generational delusion. Students shouldn’t have to resort to things like selling plasma to cover living costs. But that’s not my business. bnbauern@indiana.edu
BLOOMINGTON MAG
Brock Turner’s unjust early release should inspire us to take action This past week, former Standford student and convicted sexual assailant Brock Turner returned from behind bars after carrying out only three months of his already-shortened six-month sentence. He was granted this early release because of his “good behavior” while incarcerated. A sex offender walking free after serving just one twenty-fourth of his suggested sentence is enraging, of course, because many feel that justice has not been served. But this judgment from the Santa Clara County Jail is troubling for numer-
ous reasons beyond that gut feeling of injustice. It’s not quite sound logistically, and it paints a grim picture for the future of the fight against campus sexual assault. For one, there has been little to no precedent set for the release of an inmate with such a short sentence to begin with. According to 18 USCS § 3624, “a prisoner who is serving a term of imprisonment of more than one year, other than a term of imprisonment for the duration of the prisoner’s life, may receive credit toward the service of the prisoner’s sentence ... at the end of the first year or term.”
Typically, prisoners who are granted time off or a reduction in their sentence only receive credit for up to 54 days per year of their sentence. Brock Turner’s early release is difficult to justify, since he had only been serving time for three months — one month for each of the felony counts in his conviction last March. While other prisoners are judged on their behavior over the course of the year, Turner only had to comply with prison regulations for three months. This all begs the question about what would have happened if Turner was not
from a family with money. Or if his father was not so staunch in his support of his son as to say that all Brock was guilty of was “20 minutes of action.” And even more so, Turner’s early release adds another urgent question mark behind the question: What do we do about campus sexual assault? Because, despite all of the disdainful media coverage, the 7,000-word letter from the anonymous assault victim and the fact that he raped someone behind a dumpster, Turner is walking. This sends a message to students and to people in
general that, as long as you can pay a good lawyer, you can get away with sexually assaulting an unconscious woman with only three years of parole. His release may have sunk the hearts of the advocates on campuses across the country fighting back against sexual assault, as it did mine. But, in the face of this failure in our justice system, I encourage those of us fighting not to let our hearts sink but to use our anger relight our convictions. The anonymous survivor of Turner’s sexual assault may not have seen justice in his sentence, but she can see
Maggie Eickhoff is a junior in international studies.
justice in the way we react. So, if you’re as frustrated at this decision as I am — fight back. Promote programs to assist rape survivors. Educate others about the meaning of consent. If you see something or hear something, intervene. We can show Brock Turner what “good behavior” really is. meickhof@indiana.edu @maggie_eickhoff
LETTER TO THE EDITOR POLICY The IDS encourages and accepts letters to be printed daily from IU students, faculty and staff and the public. Letters should not exceed 500 words and may be edited for length and style. Submissions must include the person’s name, address and telephone number for verification.
Letters without those requirements will not be considered for publication. Letters can be mailed or dropped off at the IDS, 310 Franklin Hall, 601 E. Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington, Ind., 47405. Send submissions via e-mail to letters@idsnews. com. Call the IDS with questions at 855-0760.
Indiana Daily Student, Est. 1867 Website: idsnews.com The opinions expressed by the editorial board do not necessarily represent the opinions of the IDS news staff, student body, faculty or staff members or the Board of Trustees. The editorial board comprises columnists contributing to the Opinion page and the Opinion editors.
TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE