We, as freshmen in college, have always heard the phrase "back in the day." I know that, personally, that is one of the most annoying things an older person could say to me. That is, until I stopped and thought about the radical changes that have taken place in the past sixty years. Many times, older professors compare us young students to how it was when they were our age. They went through high school looking through World Book instead of WebMd. They did math mentally or on paper instead of doing everything on a super calculator. But amongst all of the differences, there are many similarities.
Television has put quite a bit of distance between my generation and my professors. For example, if I were to ask one of my professors what he or she thinks about the current Kardashian situation, I would probably get a blank stare. When they were growing up, no one cared about the latest popular couples divorce or what celebrity was seen dating another. But in this day and age, this information is abundant and, at some times, seems like it is forced down our throats every time we turn on the television. In every store there are pop culture magazines by the checkout or in book sections. Of the professors I have discussed this with, most just do not see the point in getting caught up in the drama. Pop culture has always caused quite a divide between generations. But modern television and video streaming can also aid in narrowing that divide. I can watch almost any show that has been aired in the past forty years without much of a problem. This gives my generation a view into past culture and entertainment. People like Michael Jordan are still immortalized in our minds because we have seen documentaries or game footage from his heyday. And though these great pastimes will never change, some things cannot stop changing.
The times that we live in now are much different from forty years ago. Music was different, and so were the morals of this nation. When many of my older professors were young, rock and roll was considered evil by some. Topics like homosexuality were just not mentioned. Divorce rates were much lower because the parents felt a greater commitment to marriage. It seems like the morals instilled by parents were much higher in many. But only one or two decades later morals would drop off tremendously. The music scene was also going through big changes. Rock and roll was really growing and the sound was changing. Rock was the most popular genre. Concerts began using fire pillars and many different lights and other effects to make the visual aspect just as good as the music. But in modern times, pop music is king. Rap has also come onto the scene, replacing the disco of the earlier years. Profanity is much more common in modern music than it was thirty or forty years ago. The same thing happened to television. Earlier shows showed wholesome families and depicted the American dream. The shows were clean enough for the whole family. But now, reality tv has taken over. Many shows have crude language and other inappropriate content. But some stations, such as TV Land, have immortalized these early shows.
The differences between generations are many. But common ground can always be found. The things of the past should be remembered and cherished, but things will change and time will move on. The generational differences have been present since humans have been alive, and they will inevitably continue as long as we roam the earth.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
iPad Preliminary Data
I'm in the process of analyzing the results of HC's iPad questionnaire. One question already analyzed is:
SAU Honors College should continue to supply iPads to incoming students.
Percent
Strongly Agree 24%
Agree 54%
No Opinion 19%
Disagree 2% Strongly Agree 24%
Agree 54%
No Opinion 19%
Strongly Disagree 2%
I have recommended that SAU continue to supply incoming students with iPads in 2012.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Edmundson, Nevin: Diversity
Until we, as people, learned to accept one another without first judging each other based on the color of ones skin, the tension between African-Americans and Caucasians were high due to the discrimination African-Americans had to endure.
White people were so determined to isolate the Blacks from their everyday life that they made race-based utilities such as: Segregated churches, bathrooms, schools, and many more aspects people of all colors used on a daily basis. For some reason, White people back then could not grasp the idea of an "equal world" and hated the Black people for wanting equality in their life and the generations to follow them. Had it not been for people like Martin Luther King, the United States might never had moved past where were back then and could quite possibly still be stuck in the same place we were 60 years ago.
Alas, the world today isn't as Black and White as people would like for it to be. Even though many people look down on discrimination today, there are still a small number of people who would prefer that we lived in a world that was segregated just as it was back then. It is sad, because the children they raise will have the same ideals that they do, causing tension again and stirring trouble which should have been dead long ago. Sadly, discrimination will never completely go away. There will always be a small percentage who believe in a "superior race", but what they do not seem to realize is that there will never be a perfect utopia they are trying to build. Discrimination has ways of finding new people to single out. There would be a new group of people within the utopia that would be singled out, therefore destroying the utopia they wanted to build so badly.
Without realizing it, we as students discriminate based on race all the time. When you observe groups that are hanging out together, very seldom do you see a group with mixed races. Most of the time, it is always all Blacks or all Whites or a group composed entirely of another race. Granted, segregation is more subconscious now rather than intentional, but this ideal perfect utopia that everyone wants to achieve will never come to be because we, as living, breathing humans, are by no means perfect.
White people were so determined to isolate the Blacks from their everyday life that they made race-based utilities such as: Segregated churches, bathrooms, schools, and many more aspects people of all colors used on a daily basis. For some reason, White people back then could not grasp the idea of an "equal world" and hated the Black people for wanting equality in their life and the generations to follow them. Had it not been for people like Martin Luther King, the United States might never had moved past where were back then and could quite possibly still be stuck in the same place we were 60 years ago.
Alas, the world today isn't as Black and White as people would like for it to be. Even though many people look down on discrimination today, there are still a small number of people who would prefer that we lived in a world that was segregated just as it was back then. It is sad, because the children they raise will have the same ideals that they do, causing tension again and stirring trouble which should have been dead long ago. Sadly, discrimination will never completely go away. There will always be a small percentage who believe in a "superior race", but what they do not seem to realize is that there will never be a perfect utopia they are trying to build. Discrimination has ways of finding new people to single out. There would be a new group of people within the utopia that would be singled out, therefore destroying the utopia they wanted to build so badly.
Without realizing it, we as students discriminate based on race all the time. When you observe groups that are hanging out together, very seldom do you see a group with mixed races. Most of the time, it is always all Blacks or all Whites or a group composed entirely of another race. Granted, segregation is more subconscious now rather than intentional, but this ideal perfect utopia that everyone wants to achieve will never come to be because we, as living, breathing humans, are by no means perfect.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Paul McLendon Visits Honors Seminar
McLendon went over the SAU budget and discussed how state contributions to the full budget amount have been steadily dropping over the last 10 years. He also showed where SAU income came from and where it was spent.
The Honors Seminar is designed to acquaint students with all aspects of the college experience. Where the money comes from and how it is spent is a key aspect.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Morris, Robert: Diversity
Despite the fact that there are some glaring differences in the two letters assigned to us, I found that the most important portion of the letters were their similarities. Anyone can note the fact that these letters were written by the two opposing sides of a very stressful situation. A Call to Unity was written by a group of clergymen who felt that they had nowhere else to go. They felt that they were backed into a corner which is certainly understandable. While I don't agree with their view I can emphasize with their feeling that they were losing what they felt like was just the culture of the land. I of course though empathize with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. because his vision of a new America is the one I live in now. I was more affected though by the blatant racism present in A Call to Unity. As a child I heard the stories that my grandparents told me about growing up in the South during times of heightened racism, but it is always different to read a letter like this. It is almost like I can hear them say it directly to me and that is very creepy. I have never ignored the past but it feels strange to try and place myself in the position of the author or audience of any of the letters we were asked to read. I can hardly wrap my mind around the growth of our nation from that point. We have grown by leaps and bounds from a "negro" not getting to vote to a Black man as president. Thus in conclusion I feel that the letters serve as a sufficient window into the past, a time that few of the people of our generation could even come close to comprehending.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Edmundson, Nevin: Beloit List
After reading the differences on the mindsets between incoming freshman and the professors, I now truly see how different, yet alike, we are. Many things professors would consider “controversial” or “absurd” are things we, as students, see as normal. Some of the past generation would look at our generation and frown upon us, but what about their generation? Did the generation before them not frown upon them just as they do us?
The simple fact is we are on in the same. Everything that our generation uses and says in everyday life is a fad. The generation our professors grew up in had fads of their own as well. Technology is just another fad. Soon another new thing will interest us and we will move on; it’s just how the world works. We use phrases such as: “Been there. Done that. Bought that T-shirt.” but did their generation not say: “You sound like a broken record?” The phrases have the same general meaning, but it’s the trend, the underlying urge to find new things that changed the wording behind it. I have never understood it when someone not of my generation told me things such as: “It’s your generation that’s driving this nation into the ground.” How are we destroying this nation, or going to destroy it? Is it because we rely on technology? Is it because we don’t pay as much attention to the news as we should? Or is it because they think life is just handed to us? Our generation has proven that even in a fast changing world, we will adapt. The simple fact that we have calculators that do the work for us or that we have phones that can offer us more information than our local library should not diminish the fact that we are more than capable of taking care of ourselves and not becoming lost in the innovations life has to offer us tomorrow.
On that same note, it is clearly apparent that there are things we have not had to grow up with that their generation has. We have not truly seen how harsh the world can be. Women and race have always been “accepted” in the work force, and as a matter of fact, discrimination is now a major law issue, whereas to their generation, this a fairly new concept. Our generation does tend to focus too much of our free time on useless information. There isn’t much use in knowing which “Jersey Shore” character most looks like a girl at your school. On the topic of television, I actually was stunned when I found out that at one point “Rocky Horror Picture Show” was not a common show aired around Halloween time when it first came out. When I first found out that it was not just banned from TV, but banned from being sold in this country, I was utterly blown away. It just goes to show how much television has changed in what it airs and what is now acceptable for our youth to freely see.
It must be difficult for professors to “click” with any student, considering how different our worlds are from the outside eye, but as previously stated, students and professors are not too different deep down. In fact, we are one in the same, and once we get past that, the bridge between students and professors will quickly be established and learning, on a deeper level, can truly begin.
Goecke, Colby: Diversity
"A Call for Unity" and "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" are both well written letters. That said, there are a few very distinct differences in the two as well as in their respective writers.
"A Call for Unity" is written from the perspective of those who agree with the need for change, but aren't necessarily willing to put themselves out in order to achieve it. The clergymen prefer to watch from the sidelines and dictate how things should be done differently, rather than doing something themselves. These men talk of change and applaud those striving for it, yet they do nothing to further the cause. The second issue with the clergymen is the fact that they are making suggestions and accusations about the situation, all while being uninformed and/or willingly turning a blind eye/deaf ear to the facts of the matter. They call for an end to the demonstrations and ask for peaceful negotiations while anyone who knows anything realizes that any hope of that has been dashed by the other Whites in and around Birmingham. I believe the writers of "A Call to Unity" also sought to weaken the overall movement in Birmingham by talk of "outsiders". If the local clergymen could convince the local "negroes" that King and others were outsiders and not part of the local unit, then the "outsiders" power and effectiveness would be severely limited. This would isolate the Birmingham locals and make them much more vulnerable to attack and weaken their cause significantly.
Dr. King's response to "A Call to Unity" was a much better written letter. Dr. King's polite yet clear reprimand of the Birmingham clergymen was commendable indeed. He was careful to incite no furies or arguments with his writing, yet his points were very clear and direct. King saw the big picture and made certain that this fact was evident in his response. He covered the situation in Birmingham in no uncertain words, yet he did not stop there. His explanation of the issue expanded to cover the entire nation. It was obvious in Kings's writing that he was very familiar in dealing with opposition and knew how to handle it effectively and with as little damage as possible.
"A Call for Unity" is written from the perspective of those who agree with the need for change, but aren't necessarily willing to put themselves out in order to achieve it. The clergymen prefer to watch from the sidelines and dictate how things should be done differently, rather than doing something themselves. These men talk of change and applaud those striving for it, yet they do nothing to further the cause. The second issue with the clergymen is the fact that they are making suggestions and accusations about the situation, all while being uninformed and/or willingly turning a blind eye/deaf ear to the facts of the matter. They call for an end to the demonstrations and ask for peaceful negotiations while anyone who knows anything realizes that any hope of that has been dashed by the other Whites in and around Birmingham. I believe the writers of "A Call to Unity" also sought to weaken the overall movement in Birmingham by talk of "outsiders". If the local clergymen could convince the local "negroes" that King and others were outsiders and not part of the local unit, then the "outsiders" power and effectiveness would be severely limited. This would isolate the Birmingham locals and make them much more vulnerable to attack and weaken their cause significantly.
Dr. King's response to "A Call to Unity" was a much better written letter. Dr. King's polite yet clear reprimand of the Birmingham clergymen was commendable indeed. He was careful to incite no furies or arguments with his writing, yet his points were very clear and direct. King saw the big picture and made certain that this fact was evident in his response. He covered the situation in Birmingham in no uncertain words, yet he did not stop there. His explanation of the issue expanded to cover the entire nation. It was obvious in Kings's writing that he was very familiar in dealing with opposition and knew how to handle it effectively and with as little damage as possible.
Morris, Robert: Beloit List
There will forever be a generation gap, there’s no escaping it. The next generation will always move a little faster than the one before. There are some similarities as well because one generation instills certain things such as moral fiber upon the next.
Firstly, before one attempts to compare generations one must know why there is a gap in the first place. There are several different reasons for gaps between generations, but there is typically one major reason. For an example let us travel to the 1960s. This was a time of social change. The generation gap of this era was mainly sparked by a spiritual catalyst. The moral beliefs of the young generation were rapidly changing, continuously moving, and the older generation was content to stand still. This was the cause of the generation gap. For the cause of the current generation gap there is no need to dig so deep. The root cause is not spirituality but technology. Even basic knowledge of the Internet can create a gap so large that few dare to cross it. There are many parents who attempt to bridge the gap by learning the hip new “lingo,” and while that can be beneficial it would be much easier to simply add their child as a friend on Facebook.
Secondly, once adequate knowledge of the gap is obtained one can feel free to stare at the blatantly obvious thing that is the differences between the generations. There are several key differences between the generations the first being the obvious one, age. This is the thing that actually determines the generations, so it has to be one of the things that separate them. First of all, the older generation typically has more experience with this thing called life and has thus had more time to mess up than the younger generation. This being true, a member the older generation probably knows a lot more about life than a member of the younger generation. This incenses the younger generation because they believe that because they can work a laptop and their parents can’t then they shouldn’t have to listen to them. This leads to the younger generation towards making many of the same mistakes as the older generation. This contributes to the generation gap soon to come in the future and drives them closer to the older generation.
Lastly, once one notes the differences the only thing left is the similarities. While reading the Beloit articles it is simple to note the differences between the two generations, but they leave out the most important thing, and that’s the similarities, because at the end of the day it won’t matter if the younger generation thought that LBJ was LeBron James and not Lyndon B. Johnson, because the next generation won’t care who either of them are. This is the main similarity, the inevitable fall into the same hole as the previous generation, and the gaps will continually grow larger and larger. In 20 years it won’t matter that I typed this on a computer, because the next generation will just have to think and the words will come across the screen, no more spell check for them. At this point I will hate the new technology because I will feel left behind much like the older generation does now. This mutual feeling of hate toward the technology of the future is what binds the generations together.
In conclusion, gap or no gap we all end up in the same hole in the end, with the next generation racing to leave us all behind only to be knocked back into the same hole by the next and so on. It is such a grand and beautiful cycle.
Franklin, Trey: Diversity
Over the years, there has always been a diversity issue. The time when this issue was strongest was during Martin Luther King Jr.’s “nonviolent campaign.” During his time in Birmingham, Alabama, King was placed under arrest for his nonviolent civil protests. Multiple White clergymen from Birmingham, Alabama published in a local newspaper a letter titled, “A Call for Unity.” After reading this, King responded with his “A Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” To reflect back on the issue of the diversity and racial tension of this time in American history is important in understanding the diversity of America today.
In “A Call for Unity,” eight clergymen detailed the need to end the “demonstrations,” which were led by Martin Luther King Jr. It also entailed that “Negroes [should] engage in local negotiations and use the courts if rights are being denied” (Wikipedia). Noticing that the clergymen were attempting civility about the situation, I can tell that only after King had entered Birmingham did the clergymen want to do anything about the racial tension between Whites and Blacks. Although that could possibly be false, the only evidence that anyone was doing much of anything noticeable in Birmingham was the letters “A Call for Unity” and “A Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” Within “A Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” King opposes “A Call for Unity” by claiming that if the White community had done something about the issue before; the black community would not have resorted to “demonstrations.” To reflect upon these issues, King had responded to the looking away from ‘unity’ by marching into Birmingham and nonviolently campaigning demonstrations against the discrimination of the Black community.
King's nonviolent campaigns and marches showed America that the strong racial tension between Blacks and Whites was in favor of the discrimination of Black people. The Black communities of America, mostly in the South, were no longer going to take that discrimination. So, in an attempt to end or at least lessen the racial tension between Whites and Blacks, King campaigned around the South to show that the Black community was being discriminated against. His campaigns led to the lessening of the racial tension between the Black and White communities and reinforced the ‘unity’ of the two.
Jeon, Heekyung: Haiku
Honors College students go one step further
toward their clear, apparent goals
with good company and outstanding academic achievement
toward their clear, apparent goals
with good company and outstanding academic achievement
Sunday, December 4, 2011
White, Zowie: Diversity
I feel that the clergymen who wrote "A Call for Unity" are turning a blind eye to the social and civil injustices in Birmingham. Without the outside influences, the Black community would not have the courage to stand up for their rights. Yes, they do not explicitly promote violence and hatred in their religious and political activities, but the clergymen do not promote equality among all races. Jesus has love for everyone. As men of God and as leaders in their community, they should teach this to their followers. The clergymen suggest using the court system and negotiating with local leaders in the community. How can they suggest this when the Black community has tried this countless times and have been denied their rights? One can always suggest a solution when he or she doesn't live with the issue or predicament. They claim that the demonstrations occurred at the wrong time. There is no such thing as a right time to fight for what one thinks is right.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. responded to "A Call for Unity" with "A Letter from Birmingham Jail." The response was necessary, because it voiced the purpose and motivation behind the demonstrations in Birmingham. As a fellow clergyman, he includes appropriate allusions to the Bible, in order to illustrate his points. I agree with his points, I feel that he needed to edit himself. Yes, the eight clergymen needed to be enlightened, but it does not warrant countless allusions and explanations. The passion is appreciated, but the phrase, "Less is more," should be applied. I believe that Dr. King was a brave man for voicing his opinion. Many forget that he was only a leader who could convey the views of the Black community. This is shown in his appeals to the clergymen. He describes the everyday life and experiences of the Black citizen. His intelligence is displayed, when he mentions Hitler's regime to counter the clergymen's view of blacks' involvement in politics.
Yang Zichao: Haiku
Honors college, you and I
Friendly staff, good study environment, elites come here to get wise
Stay here, make me shine
Friendly staff, good study environment, elites come here to get wise
Stay here, make me shine
Campbell, David: Diversity
Action or complacency. In the case of the racial equality movement of the '60s, this was the primary choice in question. When diversity is suppressed or looked down upon in any way, especially in a legal sense, those affected have an obligation to do something about it. And when it is, in fact, in a legal sense, there is nobody that remains unaffected. A violation of human rights, no matter who it targets, is an ethical offense to each and every individual who is indeed a human.
The Alabama clergymen have respectable intentions in "A Call for Unity," advocating a peaceful, law-abiding resolution. However, their ideals for diffusing the conflict and its racial tensions are impractical at best. In a nation or state where the government itself is complacent and suppresses meaningful change, any strictly law-abiding movement can be put down with only the slightest bit of effort. Also, it is ironic that the government put so much emphasis on suppressing non-violent protest actions when it is obvious that in a stark majority of cases the violence during this time period can be attributed to the police force opposing the equal rights movement. Thus the suggestions, if not subtle demands, of the clergy are contradictory and at cross purposes to the cause of equality among all human beings.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s response to his fellow clergymen is calm, collected, while also firm and resolute. Whereas the clergy's intentions are respectable, King's are noble and morally driven. Just as there is a difference between fleeting happiness and internal joy, King points out there is a difference between merely having order and having real peace. In lieu of condoning civil obedience at the expense of justice, King advocates an ideal that, as far as American government goes, was conceptualized as long ago as the writing of the United States Constitution - when the government is unjust, the citizens are morally obligated to overthrow the government in favor of a new one. While in practice, this concept is more figurative, as the federal government was not literally overthrown, the equal rights movement seeks to accomplish just this.
The Alabama clergymen have respectable intentions in "A Call for Unity," advocating a peaceful, law-abiding resolution. However, their ideals for diffusing the conflict and its racial tensions are impractical at best. In a nation or state where the government itself is complacent and suppresses meaningful change, any strictly law-abiding movement can be put down with only the slightest bit of effort. Also, it is ironic that the government put so much emphasis on suppressing non-violent protest actions when it is obvious that in a stark majority of cases the violence during this time period can be attributed to the police force opposing the equal rights movement. Thus the suggestions, if not subtle demands, of the clergy are contradictory and at cross purposes to the cause of equality among all human beings.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s response to his fellow clergymen is calm, collected, while also firm and resolute. Whereas the clergy's intentions are respectable, King's are noble and morally driven. Just as there is a difference between fleeting happiness and internal joy, King points out there is a difference between merely having order and having real peace. In lieu of condoning civil obedience at the expense of justice, King advocates an ideal that, as far as American government goes, was conceptualized as long ago as the writing of the United States Constitution - when the government is unjust, the citizens are morally obligated to overthrow the government in favor of a new one. While in practice, this concept is more figurative, as the federal government was not literally overthrown, the equal rights movement seeks to accomplish just this.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
Walton, Arain: Diversity
I believe everyone should have the same rights and so when I read these two articles I was filled with emotion.
I grew up in an all white home with almost no contact with black people and yet I was raised to respect people as humans, I wasn't taught to look down on people because of there skin tone. Because of this upbringing I was angry at the tone of the clergy writing " A Call to Unity". They where lying right through there teeth. They acted like they cared and wanted to do right by the people when really they just wanted the embarrassing protests to stop. Also wight the protests going on businesses lost money. What town wants to have a bad economy?
When I read "Letter from Birmingham Jail" I was filled with passion and agreed wholeheartedly. King was right about so much. The Whites where making everything unfair but saying they would work with the Black community. The Black community tried to be polite, to talk, to negotiate, it just had no effect. So they decided to start protesting nonviolently. Even then they were being respectful. I know so far it seems I'm sticking up for the Black side so I'm going to pause and try to see it from the perspective of a White person then...
I can see why White people were upset because all their lives they grew up seeing Blacks as inferior. But, I believe I'd start seeing them as equal people when they stood up for themselves. If someone is going to fight for something that bad they deserve to get it.
Parks, Caleb: Haiku
The bird leaves the nest.
The bird soars to extreme heights.
The bird hatches her eggs.
The bird soars to extreme heights.
The bird hatches her eggs.
Nunn, Florence: Haiku
Honors is real fun.
I've learned lots of cool new things.
I'm glad I got in (:
Hao, Jiayin: Haiku
What is Honors College?
It is the place where we can realize our dreams.
Never miss this amazing place!
It is the place where we can realize our dreams.
Never miss this amazing place!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Mahelona, Ryan: Diversity
During the civil rights movement, the Black and White communities had many violent confrontations. Within this sea of violence, a nonviolent protestor named Martin Luther King, Jr. is the most well remembered figure of the times. After reading and comparing the letter presented to Dr. King and his response it is apparent that both letters carried strong emotions and addressed serious issues. The clergy who wrote the letter “A Call for Unity” were very clever and careful when putting together their words.
These men of the cloth wrote a short, to-the-point letter asking that Dr. King to not condone the resistance that the Black community was engaged in, no matter how nonviolent it was. The letter, when read the first time, seemed very respectable with little mention of racism. The letter asks him to take proper steps to appeal the things he thinks to be wrong and even applauds the police for being so calm and collected. The thing that stood out most to me was that they asked the “Negro” community to take action through courts and state representatives when they were not allowed to vote! Reading this now, it seems very belittling and racist but for the day it was written it seemed very calm and even a bit friendly.
After receiving the letter, it is apparent in his writings that Dr. King felt much disrespected. I like the strong use of biblical comparison and quoting. I also really liked how he addressed them in a similar respectful fashion but also was not hesitant to deliver punches. He tells the clergy that his nonviolent protest methods are nowhere near as radical as their words suggest. I can assume that writing those words during that era was something that was considered very disrespectful and abnormal. My favorite line from his letter was near the end. “If I have said anything in this letter that overstates the truth and indicates an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me. If I have said anything that understates the truth and indicates my having a patience that allows me to settle for anything less than brotherhood, I beg God to forgive me.”
Honors College Report: November 30, 2011
Honors College Report
November 30, 2011
Activities and News:
- Deborah Wilson, Suraj Manandhar, and Edward Kardas attended the annual meeting of the National Collegiate Honors Council in Phoenix, AZ where we led two panel discussions, one on admissions research the other on iPad deployment and use.
- The SAU Honors College will create an online database of research in honors. That project is now underway.
- Honors College will sponsor student travel to present research to either the Southern Regional Honors Council (Tampa) or the Great Plains Honors Council (Kansas City) meetings this spring.
- The Honors College took two trips, one to Perot Theatre in Texarkana on Tuesday, October 11 to see the National Chinese acrobats, the other on Saturday, November 12 to Little Rock where we visited the Clinton Library, Heifer International, and the Zoo.
- Edward Kardas gave a talk titled "Love Learning" on October 26 to the Magnolia High School National Honors Society members.
- The Honors Seminar has hosted the following visitors: David Rankin, Trey Berry, Scott McKay, Abdel Bachri, and Paul McLendon.
- Admissions applications have begun to arrive. Honors College will begin admitting students in the next 30 days.
- Honors College will submit an undergraduate research proposal to the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium soon. Several honors students have applied to participate in that project.
- On December 2, 2011 Honors Seminar students will evaluate their experiences with the iPad Pilot Project.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Pinson, Hali: Diversity
Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most important people in American history. He was a peaceful, nonviolent civil rights activist who stood for the rights of every citizen and worked for equality for African Americans. Eight clergy from white churches wrote “A Call for Unity,” saying that Dr. King’s actions were “unwise and untimely;” to which he replied with his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” He explained that just because something was a law did not make it fair to all people. The timing of his actions was very justified. The situation in Birmingham was reaching a boiling point and needed a single push to either help or hurt civil rights. Instead of rioting, molesting officials, or defacing public or private properties, the demonstrators simply refused to follow the laws that oppressed and abused them as African Americans. Furthermore, they accepted the consequences of their actions and peacefully submitted to the officials: Dr. King did not fight his jail sentence since he knew that he had broken the law, just or not. Dr. King used the example of Hitler’s law stating that any man caught helping the Jews would be put to death as an unjust law that men ignored out of a moral sense of right and wrong. The Hungarian Freedom Fighters ignored Hitler’s biased law because they knew that it was unjust and therefore not upholding it was the right thing to do. Dr. Martin Luther King was just in his actions, as well as in his moral integrity, and using his leadership and charisma was what kept the Civil Rights movement moving forward. If Dr. King had attempted to use violence or force, nothing that he accomplished would have been possible.
Hao, Jiayin: Diversity
After reading the two letters, it's easy to see that they take opposite positions, arguing about a problem which has bothered the world for such a long time--the racial problem. The argument over what is fair and free seems never have an answer.
The writers of " A Call for Unity" are eight clergymen who wish to treat some “negroes” as outsiders in order to preserve the status quo. They argued that the demonstrators had disrupted the social order. Like most White people at that time they believed they equal rights would eventually be granted to Blacks.
On the other side, the "Letter from a Brimingham Jail" was written by Martin Luther King, Jr., who led the Black people to fight for their rights. In this long letter, which was written in the jail, he noted that all people live in the same world and they deserve the same rights. Also, he wrote about how the existing laws treated Black people unfairly. King believed that the United States needed to give Black people their entitlements in order to let them live the America Dream. At the end of the letter, he expressed his desire about changing and improving the United States.
As far as I am concerned, the racial problem has been argued for too long time. Society has given us a good answer: we are all equal. There is no reason for anyone to deprive other people of their rights. I believe that although we can't achieve 100% fairness for all, we still can aspire to a country and a world that is a big family. Every person living in this big family would be sisters or brothers instead of masters and maids. However, compared to the past, society has improved much and the United States elected a Black president. If King were alive live today he would see that his dream has come true.
The writers of " A Call for Unity" are eight clergymen who wish to treat some “negroes” as outsiders in order to preserve the status quo. They argued that the demonstrators had disrupted the social order. Like most White people at that time they believed they equal rights would eventually be granted to Blacks.
On the other side, the "Letter from a Brimingham Jail" was written by Martin Luther King, Jr., who led the Black people to fight for their rights. In this long letter, which was written in the jail, he noted that all people live in the same world and they deserve the same rights. Also, he wrote about how the existing laws treated Black people unfairly. King believed that the United States needed to give Black people their entitlements in order to let them live the America Dream. At the end of the letter, he expressed his desire about changing and improving the United States.
As far as I am concerned, the racial problem has been argued for too long time. Society has given us a good answer: we are all equal. There is no reason for anyone to deprive other people of their rights. I believe that although we can't achieve 100% fairness for all, we still can aspire to a country and a world that is a big family. Every person living in this big family would be sisters or brothers instead of masters and maids. However, compared to the past, society has improved much and the United States elected a Black president. If King were alive live today he would see that his dream has come true.
Wall, Adam: Diversity
What did Martin Luther King Jr. want? Equality, nothing more. He didn’t want special rights for the Blacks that had been mistreated throughout the years. He didn’t want compensation for what the White community had done to his race since colonial times. He just wanted the same rights as any other man or woman in America. He wanted his children to be able to have a good education and to not be judged because of the color of their skin but for the character of their being. He wanted a nation where the thing that defined you were the actions you made in life. But Dr. King was not the only person in America that wanted something. The eight ministers and rabbis of Birmingham also wanted something. Or, better yet, they didn’t want something. They didn’t want change, not during their lifetimes. They knew that the treatment of the Black community had to change but they didn’t want to have anything to do with the change. And, if there had to be change they did not want this change to cause ripples in the social fabric. The ministers seemed to sympathize with the Black community but they were not willing to help them down the road to their freedom and ending their oppression.
Dr. King knew that the only way to freedom was through peaceful protests. Violent protests would only incite even more violence and worsen the conditions for the African-American community and those who were helping them. This was the main point Dr. King was trying to make in his letter. He never incited violence in his followers. But as has always been the case, when people see violence that is the only thing they will associate with protests and revolutions. But Dr. King weathered all the criticism with the one thing that people cannot argue against: reason. Through patient reasoning King strived to inform the people of America that his intentions were noble and his methods were noble as well. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Dr. King showed that all he wanted was equality for every man, woman, and child in America and he showed that he had no intentions of inciting violence in his marches. He wanted peace and equality.
Wall, Adam: Beloit List
What has always been the one major difference between older faculty and incoming freshmen? Technology. Advances in technology will always set generations apart. The same holds true with political strife. Politics always change. Among with these differences only a few similarities are worth mentioning. Prominent among these is that throughout all of history generations have always been interested in higher education.
Technology is the ruling force in the world today. However, technology was not so prominent or advanced 40 years ago. There were no iPhones or iPods, no laptops or personal computers either. People weren’t constantly checking their phones for text messages or updating Facebook to let everyone know what they were doing at the moment. Because of this faculty don’t understand how and why the new ‘Internet Class’ is so obsessed with technology and their need to always be connected with people and be up to date on everything that’s going on. The new generation has grown up in a time where technology rules everybody’s lives. You can’t look around a room these days without seeing some new piece of technology that affects day-to-day life: smartphones, iPods, iPads, computers, the list could go on and on. Technology used to be used mainly for medicine and communication but now it is primarily for entertainment, music, and even social life. When you ask a roomful of the ‘Internet Class’ who has a Facebook account, 99% of the time every hand will shoot into the air. Today if you want to learn about somebody all you have to do is simply click a button. Technology has changed and with it so has humanity. This is why it will always be the biggest difference between the generations in the world.
Back in the 1950s the main conflict in the world was Communism, the Red Scare, and McCarthyism. Everywhere you looked someone was being accused of being a Communist. But Communism faded and so did the Red Scare. Then came was the Cuban Missile crisis, followed by President Kennedy being assassinated and a country in mourning. Political strife is as old as time itself. The older generations look back to times when this or that was happening and said those were the days and that was the worst moment in America’s history. Older generations try to tell the newer ones about these times but, mostly, the full picture and meaning escapes them. But what does stick with them is what happens throughout their lifetimes: 9/11, the Iraqi War, or the killing of Osama Bin Laden. These are the events the ‘Internet Class’ will always remember, the events they will look back and say that was the day America was attacked. But we came together and then later got our revenge. The political times and strife will always be different and will always set the generations apart.
Higher education is the one thing all generations have been most concerned about. The older generation and the new generation have the goal to expand their minds and to experience new things and to always learn new things. The only difference in this field is the emphasis that the government and people in general put on education. In earlier times the push on education was still strong but the expectations were not as high. Now, students must pass all these new tests and requirements just to get out of a certain class. The expectations are much higher and students are pushed to higher limits. Even though the emphasis has changed the push on education has stayed the same.
On some things the older generation and the ‘Internet Class’ will never be able to understand each other or come to terms. Older generations will never be able to understand why students of today are so entranced by their cell phones and the new devices that seem to come out daily. Likewise, the students of today can’t understand why their older professors and grandparents are so annoyed and exasperated by the new gadgets and how students can’t seem to put them down. One thing is clear though, there will always be differences between generations, that is the main similarity all generations have shared. They are different and have never completely understood each other.
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