in light of recent events

STAFF COLUMNIST

This past year, anti-Asian racism has been brought to light due to the amount of hate crimes and anti-Asian rhetoric going through our media. For those unaffected, it may seem like this is a new thing. However, anti-Asian racism has been a part of U.S. history for a long time.

It’s not extensively taught though, so many people buy into the model minority myth that causes them to ignore and dismiss anti-Asian hate. There are many things that need to be done to stop this hate, and education is one of them.

The model minority myth has convinced a lot of Americans that racism against Asian Americans is non existent.

Many people have this idea that Asians are as successful as white people in America, so when Asian people speak up about racism against the community, many people don’t believe it or don’t see it as a big deal.

The education on racism in America is severely limited so most people downplay antiAsian sentiment and hate crimes. But, America has a long history of anti-Asian racism.

Students do learn about the Japanese American Internment camps in high school but they don’t really learn about how unconstitutional it was. The U.S. completely stripped a group, consisting of over 100,000 people, of their rights based on their ethnicity.

The rise in anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic is not coming from nowhere. Starting in the 1800s, Chinese immigrants were exploited as railroad workers, being beaten, overworked and underpaid.

Some people may remember learning about the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act where Chinese immigrants were barred from entering the United States which wasn’t repealed until 1943.

In 1930, a bunch of white farmers attacked Filipino farm workers in California, resulting in the Watsonville Riots. This had followed a stream of antiFilipino rhetoric in the country, describing Filipinos as people who were pushing white people out of jobs.

There has also been a number of instances throughout American history of segregation and discrimination against Asian Americans. After 9/11, many South Asians were targeted for hate crimes.

There is so much to learn about anti-Asian racism in the U.S. that isn’t being widely taught in schools. It makes sense that when the pandemic began, people brushed off terms like “China virus” and jokes about eating bats.

People don’t understand the dense history the U.S. has of anti-Asian racism. This is dangerous as it has led to many Asian Americans being hurt and not being taken seriously when they speak up about it.

As always, one crucial step in fighting racism is education so people can learn the historical context of what they are fighting against.

They cannot simply just say “Stop Asian Hate” without understanding that anti-Asian racism in the U.S. is systemic and has been built into this country since the 1800s. Schools need to do a better job teaching about anti-Asian racism and just racism in general.

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By Juana Garcia/The Cougar

STAFF COLUMNIST

Some goodbyes can be hard, but others, like one being said to the 2020-2021 school year, can be quite easy. Especially for the current freshmen who were forced to make a huge life transition during a pandemic.

As students tackle midterms and take on the fi nal stretch of what feels like a marathon no one trained for, the words “goodbye,” “so long” and “farewell” have never tasted any sweeter than they do now.

It’s no secret this school year has been one like no other. For many, this year was uncomfortable, disappointing and even agonizing.

Much like getting a root canal, this year has been an experience. For the class of 2024, it’s not exactly the freshman college experience they had been hoping for.

Long distance relationships are often awkward, diffi cult and straining. But, it turns out being in a long-distance relationship with your college feels the same way.

Psychology freshman Victoria Loreant was one of the many students whose classes got moved completely online, forcing her to remain at home a year longer than she had expected.

While the asynchronous style coursework has been easier for Loreant to manage, the side eff ect of such a disconnected learning style is that it has made it diffi cult for (her) to stay engaged with the information and retain what (she’s) learned.

On the other hand, students in synchronous online classes are also dealing with feelings of lost connection, even when the Wi-Fi is strong.

Simone Green, a liberal studies freshman said even in her synchronous classes on Zoom, she fi nds it hard to have great seminar conversations because of the lack of relationship she has with her classmates.

“It’s hard to get to know your classmates because the only time you see them is allotted to instruction,” Green said.

Th is sense of diffi culty in having online conversations is seconded by freshman Andrew Raymond.

“For a lot of people who tend to be more self-conscious, speaking up on Zoom is hard because you can see yourself as you’re talking,” Raymond said.

If there’s anything the class of 2024 has learned about building long-distance relationships, it’s that keeping up with meeting times can be hard.

While trying to stay involved with the University through clubs and organizations, students who are forced to stay home because of COVID-19 fi nd that the distance element really tends to get in the way.

Green, a member of Black Student Union, said she loves the organization and is frustrated she can’t attend the in-person meetings and get togethers, but hopes to hop right into the full swing of things in the fall.

So yes, it’s no secret that classroom dynamics and study habits have changed, but have the changes brought by this school year transcended the classroom?

While it’s expected that the fi rst year of college brings about a change in one’s individuality, most current freshmen believe they’ve changed more this year than they would have in a fi rst year without COVID-19.

In fact, Raymond said the looser structure of his freshman year caused him to mature a lot faster and acquire a real sense of self-discipline as it becomes easier to get distracted when behind a screen.

Along with self-discipline, on-campus freshmen have mastered the ability to adapt to campus as the campus itself is adapting to COVID19 restrictions — making the class of 2024 the number one contender in an “Inception”-type situation.

Meanwhile, students that are completely online and living at home notice a change in themselves as well, despite being in the same environment.

Leading up to her high school graduation, Loreant says that she had felt hopeful about attending college during the pandemic, but she now feels “stalled” during a time she thought was going to be momentous and exciting.

As for Green, where she used to feel relatively comfortable in social situations, she now feels apprehensive.

Not only can these changes alter the way a person views society and their environment, but they can often cause changes in the way they view themselves and their role within society.

Th e class of 2024 looks forward to returning to some normalcy in the coming fall semester with many students heading for campus for a second shot at a fi rst year.

Do not be deceived, the freshmen are not defeated, nor are they left weakened by the challenges of the past year.

Th e freshmen are a little weary, but it’s nothing a nap won’t fi x. Th ink of it this way, the class of 2024 are the Cougars 2.0, they are gritty, experienced and ready to achieve.