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Hope for children of illegal immigrants

March 8th, 2010

If passed, a recently proposed Missouri Senate bill could change the look of the student body at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

At the end of February in Jefferson City, a Missouri Senate committee hearing sat in and discussed the topic of in-state tuition for children of illegal immigrants in the state.

Surprisingly, no one voiced opposition to this bill. The bill requires the students to graduate from high school, live with a parent or guardian while attending high school and go to a Missouri high school for at least two years. They also must file an affidavit with their college or university promising they will apply for permanent U.S. residency when the opportunity becomes available.

This bill would open up doors for immigrants looking to higher their education across Missouri. Dr. Farida Jalazai, professor of political science at UM-St. Louis, said that if this program was well advertised in lower levels of education and by community groups, it could have small but positive gains.

“I would imagine it would help a number of students afford UMSL tuition and result in a gain in enrollment, though I don’t want to overstate this since the size population it affects is not totally clear to me,” Jalazai said. “And I would wonder if some groups would take advantage of it because they would fear negative repercussions against their family.”

Among UM-St. Louis students, reaction to this bill ranges from hope to unknown predictions about what it implies.

“I’m happy that Missouri decided to act on this issue; there are a lot of kids in America going without a proper education, and now they might have a chance to receive equal education rights,” Aivy Ton, graduate, education, said.

The passage of this bill could mean great opportunities for undocumented immigrant children who have little to no opportunity to pursue a college education. However, the bill has not yet been passed or signed by the governor. If the legislature passes the bill and the governor signs it, the new funding amounts would go into effect for the 2014-2015 school years. However, Jalazai is skeptical that it will make it that far.

“At this point, the question is whether it will even come to vote yet. Senator Justus, the sponsor, is not very confident it will go to a vote and if it does, it may not pass because of anti-immigrant sentiments. She proposed this bill last year as well,” Jalazai said.

Even without much opposition to the bill in Jefferson City, the public sentiment toward the bill is not so silent.

“I don’t understand why we would be spending money paying tuition for illegal aliens when there are so many problems facing this country,” Ebony Washington, sophomore, criminology, said.

Due to economic problems in the country, the swaying of the public’s opinion toward the passing of this bill nationwide might be slow, but could increase in speed in the near future.

Glen Hahn Cope, provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at UM-St. Louis, said the bill addresses the educational needs of illegal immigrant individuals who could become productive citizens after graduation when they are eligible for citizenship.

“A number of other states are considering similar bills,” Cope said. “State legislatures tend to respond to the political and economic needs of their states. They may observe what is done in other states, but don’t necessarily follow others.”

States that have already passed similar bills include Kansas, Illinois and Nebraska.

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UMSL nurses hold drive to help hurting nation

February 25th, 2010

The images from the tragic earthquake that struck Haiti and the reports of death and disparity on the news have had their impact on people of varying social economic backgrounds. Since the disaster, many people have done their part to help in different ways. Giving money is just one way people have been helping, but there are many other ways to make a difference. On February 15, the Black Student Nurses Association held a bottled-water drive to help the people of Haiti.

The BSNA is a student organization at the University of Missouri-St. Louis that serves as a support group for African-American nursing students and also stresses the importance of taking responsibility for the health care of people in all walks of life. Tamar Hogzes, president of BSNA, expressed deep concern for the people of Haiti. “We came up with the idea of the water drive because as nurses we know the importance of having clean, drinkable water. So many other organizations were taking monetary donations, and we didn’t want too get to caught up in collecting money and making sure it gets into the right hands,” Hogzes said.

Even before the earthquake, water quality in Haiti has been below average. In 2007, a research team composed of personnel from Miami University and a non-profit Haitian health organization analyzed samples from sources that provide water for Haitian households. They provided an estimate of the safety and quality of the water for drinking.

During this time of testing, nearly all samples recorded (about 97%) had measurable quantities of enterococci, Escherichia coli and other bacteria indicating poor water quality. Since the disaster, several major water tanks have been destroyed, making situations worse. Nearly every water source in Haiti has become contaminated with human waste because of the absence of a sewage sanitation system.

Haiti currently has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the western hemisphere due to water sanitation, water-borne gastro-intestinal diseases being the cause of death.

The BSNA hopes to raise Haiti awareness to UM-St Louis students about the need of clean drinking water for the people of Haiti. The bottles of water collected will be donated to the American Red Cross to help with the relief effort. “We know we won’t get enough water to supply everyone, but we plan to collect enough to make a significant difference on those who are affected,” Hogzes said.

The kick-off for this event was held at the open house for the BSNA located on the South Campus. There will be drop boxes located around the campus where UM-St. Louis students, staff and the community can donate bottles of water.

For more information on the water drive, or to find out how you can donate, please call the BSNA office at 314-516-7513.

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‘Percy Jackson’ differs from book, but still entertains

February 22nd, 2010


Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman) stands triumphant with the trident belonging to his father, the Greek god Poseidon. (Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox)

“The Lightning” was originally released in 2005 as the first of a five-book set and quickly made the New York Times best seller list. The movie shows a seemingly average young teenage boy Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman), as he goes on a great quest across America to save his mother after discovering his father is a Greek god. Along to accompany him on his quest is daughter of Athena Annabeth Chase (Alexandra Daddario), and Grover Underwood (Brandon T. Jackson). Grover, who is half-human and half-goat, is Percy’s best friend. Actors Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Catherine Keener, Rosario Dawson and Uma Thurman also have leading roles in the film. The director, Chris Columbus, has directed movies such as “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.”

The movie starts off fast, with very little time for talking after Percy is attacked on a field trip by a demon who suspected him to be the “lighting thief.” While trying to escape the Minotaur, his mother is kidnapped and banished to Hades. After the attack, he arrives in Camp Half-Blood, a secretive training ground for demigods, where he learns about his destiny and what is to come.

While at Camp Half-Blood, Percy decides to sneak out and set out on a quest to rescue his mother from Hades. Along the quest to save his mother, Percy encounters several obstacles, giving him an opportunity to sharpen his magical skills.

The action in this movie was amazing. For a film based on a children’s book, it harbored some very cool action scenes.

Brandon T. Jackson, stand up comedian and former cast member of MTV’S “Wild ‘N Out with Nick Cannon” delivered a outstanding comedic performance as a young newcomer.

One aspect of the movie that might not go over well with longstanding fans of the series is the difference between the book and the film. Anyone expecting the movie to match the book might be disappointed in this 119-minute movie version. Several of the characters are missing, and a lot of the dialogue was left out of the movie. Also, most importantly, the entire story was told from a different perspective. But the graphics brought the movie to life and did very good justice to the book.

Overall the movie gets a B but it had everything you need in a movie: action, romance, comedy, adventure and graphics. Whether you have been a long-time fan or are just picking up, you will be amazed by this movie.

Grade: B

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Internet scammers: Capitalizing on Haiti’s popularity

February 15th, 2010

In the Internet age of technology, malicious spammers and computer hackers have replaced masked criminals and purse-snatchers. Cyber thieves can strike any time and everyone is considered a target.

In the wake of the tragedy that fell upon the people of Haiti, cyber thieves set up sham Web domains and sent out seemingly official e-mails to people, soliciting donations for relief efforts. Thousands of dollars did not reach the starving Haitian children, but instead went into the pockets of cyberbandits.

Kenneth L. Voss, director of computing services at University of Missouri-St. Louis, sent out a mass e-mail to all students and faculty, warning them about Haitian Internet fraud. “The sites that were the scams themselves were coming up in the top 10 on Google when you searched Haiti. At that time, we felt a need to notify students and staff,” Voss said. The first suspicious e-mails spotted were sent from a site pretending to be the British Red Cross and asked people to wire the money through a Western Union money transfer. The e-mail contained many grammatical and spelling errors and the British Red Cross said it was an unfortunately well-put-together fraud. Their e-mails may offer services that “help people locate ones who may be disaster victims, or may be phishing scams that are set up to look like legitimate Haiti relief organizations,” Voss said. “Never send your account name or password in an e-mail to anyone; no legitimate business including a university will ever ask to give you account information via e-mail.”

Recently, Facebook, Twitter and MySpace accounts have all been created by persons claiming to be victims of the earthquake and asking for donations.

UM-St. Louis students are doing as much as they can to protect friends and family. “As far as my family and friends go, I just try and give them more information and let them know they need to do research themselves,” Phillip Patton, sophomore, said.

No one is completely safe from Internet scams like this one, but to protect your wallet, here are a few simple rules to follow on the Internet:

1. Do not respond to any unsolicited (spam) incoming e-mails. If you do not recognize the sender, then it is most likely a spam e-mail.

2. Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as surviving victims or officials asking for donations via e-mail or social networking sites.

3. Always make sure you verify the legitimacy of the nonprofit organizations by utilizing the various Internet-based resources that confirm the group’s existence.

4. Never give your personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions. Providing such information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable to identity theft.

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Faculty Profile: Dr. Brady Baybeck

February 7th, 2010


Dr. Brady Baybeck, associate professor of political science and director of the Public Policy Administration Program, currently researching an examination of political geography, particularly at the level of the individual and local goverment. SOFI SECK / THE CURRENT

Dr. Brady Baybeck is an associate professor of political science and the director of the program in Public Policy Administration at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. His research has been published in several political journals including “The Journal of Politics,” and “The American Political Science Review.”
The Current: What do you like most about teaching?
Dr. Brady Baybeck: I teach primarily in the graduate program and I very much enjoy teaching. I love teaching data analysis because it allows people to better understand the world, and use interesting tools to answer questions that are important around them.
TC: What does the program in public policy administration deal with?
BB: The program focuses on the masters in public policy administration, and we also have certificate programs in nonprofit and local government. The program trains graduate students to hold management positions in public service. It generally takes 40 credit hours for the master’s degree, and 18 credit hours for the certificate, and it teaches life skills that help better address issues of public concern, and help get careers in non-public sectors.
TC: What led you to your career in political science—was it something you always wanted to do growing up, or was there a defining moment that inspired you to pursue that career choice?
BB: I guess it wasn’t something I always wanted to do, but the defining moment was when I realized I love doing research. That happened when I was an undergraduate, but when I graduated I worked in D.C. where I saw a strong need for people who where well-trained in social science. That’s where I found my interest in political science.
TC: When you are not busy working and writing what are some things that you do for entertainment? Are there any movies you have seen recently?
BB: Well I have two young daughters ages four and six. They are my primary source of entertainment. They keep me very busy; that means the last movie I’ve seen was “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel,” which wasn’t one of my favorite movies I have to admit.
TC: I haven’t seen that, but I was forced to watch the first movie.
BB: Yeah, I was forced to watch both of them, if you can avoid the second one please do.
TC: Will do.
BB: When I do get the time I like to keep up with the current events by reading the New York Times, and I’m pretty excited about “Lost” coming back for the fifth season.
TC: What do you think about the plans the president outlined in the State of the Union address?
BB: Well the president has a significant number of challenges, and he did his best to address them. His address was similar to other presidents’ State of the Union addresses in that there were a lot of little things that he said he was going to do. I’m not sure if I understand the broad outline of what he was trying to accomplish, but with all the challenges we face as a country, I wish him the best.
TC: For any students studying political science is there any advice you could share, that could help them further their goals?
BB: The most important thing is to really focus on expressing your ideas clearly. If you are in political science or studying politics, virtually all the courses are designed to teach students to do so through writing, analysis, argumentation … and being able to express your ideas clearly is one of the best things you can do in real life.

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