Lindsey Treffry | The Argonaut
It’s nearing midnight on Sunday before your final exam. Coffee in hand, you decide to go through your Spanish flashcards one more time. A three-week-old email from your Spanish instructor sits in your inbox, reminding you to fill out her instructor evaluation before the clock strikes 12 a.m. Your caffeine-surged hand shakes as you close your laptop, ignoring her request, and head to the kitchen to cook some Top Ramen. It’s going to be a long night.
“(The online student evaluations of teaching systems) are used a lot more than students realize,” said Archie George, director of University of Idaho Institutional Research and Assessment. “If students knew that, they’d be more inclined to fill it out.”
The IRA carries out policy and development of the online SET system, which replaced paper evaluations in the early 2000s. The digital format improved the reach of instructor surveys to off-campus students and cut a five-week process of sorting, scanning, compiling and distributing more than 32,000 forms. Issues with the current system include abnormal course dates, student log-ins and technology issues.
George said the biggest issue is not with the online system, but with student response rates.
“The logistics are great,” said Karen Humes, UI’s geography department chair. “Just the collection needs to be improved so we can have a genuine majority,”
In Humes’ department, she said there’s not a single class that has more than a 60 percent return rate of evaluations from students.
For Pamela Bathurst, associate professor of voice, the return rate of teaching evaluations has been meek as well. She said the lack of evaluations do not provide the feedback necessary for instructors.
“(Instructors) absolutely need to have something to look at in order to see progress and also … to be able to see where maybe they can tweak things so that they have a class that is the best class,” Bathurst said.
She said evaluations are even taken into consideration when reviewing faculty positions.
Instructors undergo an annual evaluation process that analyzes the extent and quality of their teaching. This process can lead to merit-based raises, promotions, tenured positions or firings.
“Students don’t realize how much these matter in people’s careers — especially the untenured,” Humes said.
When instructors are up for tenure, a report with a summary of student evaluations provides a summary score and is placed in every professor’s review packet. According to Institutional Research Analyst Chris Lighty, these are compared to department, college and university scores.
“If you’re denied tenure, you get one more year and then you’re out,” Humes said.
Humes said low student response rates also create a bias. For example, Humes said a small class of 20 students could receive a 50 percent response rate. With a few low scoring evaluations, she said this could really impact an instructor’s job.
“(The students who fill out the surveys are) people who really loved a professor or really hated a professor,” Humes said. “It is not in the middle.”
Kenneth Sprenke, professor of geophysics, environmental and planetary sciences, said evaluations either flatter you or they’re unfair.
“They either say something outrageous or that really annoys you,” Sprenke said. “You can lose sleep over that. Who wants to be told you’re doing a great job, when you’re not necessarily doing a great job?”
Bathurst said there are various reasons students in the middle sector don’t fill out evaluations.
“I think (students) get busy,” Bathurst said. “There are papers that are due, tests to study for. Things they feel are at the top of the list. (The evaluations) get shuffled to the bottom of the list. They can go online and do it and it doesn’t take very long, but it’s just one more thing.”
Although the majority of the university follows the same online evaluation process, there are exceptions. All law courses, for example, use paper evaluations of a narrative form. Elizabeth Barker Brandt, professor and associate dean of Faculty Affairs at the College of Law, said the evaluations are passed out in class. She said each professor is responsible for distributing evaluations during the last quarter of the semester and before a final exam.
“I’ll pass out the evaluations in my class and I go wait in my office,” Brandt said. “I designate a student to delegate. They take 15 or 20 minutes, collect them and bring them to the office and we return to class.”
Brandt said the whole university used to use a system similar to the College of Law.
“Then the university went to numerical and then online evaluations,” Brandt said. “Our faculty had really big concerns about that. We figured if we went to numerical, students would not write comments. We thought if we did not get the comments, it would not be as resourceful.”
Brandt reads all faculty evaluations and writes a summary, which is then submitted to the dean.
“We’re sacrificing the administrative efficiency because our faculty has really wanted to have the detail that a narrative provides,” Brandt said.
She said there is an 85 to 95 percent return rate per class for evaluations.
“Students don’t have a reason to forget to do it,” Brandt said. “They sit in class and do it. Students really feel like the narrative matters. They all know that I read them all, every semester.”
While it is unlikely that the entire university would return to a paper system, Bathurst said the system seemed to work well.
“The rate was much higher because students were already in the class, but I believe I understand the reason for the change — it makes it easier for the people going through all of them,” Bathurst said. “But I also saw (during the online switch) there was a drop in the amount of evaluations actually turned in. It became less mandatory and there was not time made for it. Going back to paper evaluations is not an option that would be looked at positively, but I think that’s it.”
Other than an unlikely return to a paper system, George offered other solutions to the response rates.
“The No. 1 recommendation I hear is for students to not be able to see grades for a period of time after grades have been posted, if they haven’t submitted evaluations,” George said.
Humes said some instructors give class incentives. While instructors cannot see who submitted a class evaluation, they can see the number of students who have. She said some instructors reward students with extra credit if they reach a certain percent of evaluation responses.
Bathurst suggested instructors require students to bring their laptops to class to fill out instructor evaluations.
“(Students) think their vote doesn’t count,” Bathurst said. “It’s the same thing with evaluations. It’s the idea of not feeling like they really count but that is not the case — they definitely count.”
The evaluation period for courses begins three weeks before a course end date. The period to evaluate full-semester courses ends the Sunday before final exam week — at 11:59 p.m. May 6.
“If (students) look at it as part of contributing to the overall excellence of the classes offered in the UI — if they see themselves being part of that — maybe they might take the time to give input,” Bathurst said. “It is not ignored. We all want everything to be the best we can. We are consciously looking to better, better, better our classes and our offerings and (student) contribution is viable.”
As seen in April 9 issue of The Argonaut.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
Sunset on daylight saving time?
Lindsey Treffry | Argonaut
If approved, a recent bill introduced to the Idaho legislature would exempt Idaho from participating in daylight saving time.
Sponsored by Democratic House Rep. Wendy Jaquet and other Republican representatives, the bill would encompass the entire state of Idaho — both Pacific and Mountain time zones.
“Idaho seems inclined to go its own way as regards (to) other federal practices, so this interest in HB 692 to exempt itself from what other states are doing seems fitting,” Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney said. “I am skeptical that it will go very far this legislative session.”
For six months out of the year, areas like Coeur d’Alene and Spokane, as well as Moscow and Pullman, would be an hour apart.
“Locals would eventually adjust, although the many visitors to our universities might be baffled,” Chaney.said
The only states that disregard daylight saving time in the U.S. are Arizona and Hawaii.
Time zone confusions would include daycares and workplaces in the neighboring states, as well as Washington State University and University of Idaho students with cross-border farming jobs who would be required to wake at “obscenely early hours,” Chaney said.
UI Food Science major Jenny Lim said the last two years of her degree require classes at both WSU and UI, despite the school in which a student is registered. Travel between the two schools is constant.
“(Some Food Science majors) joked about that,” Lim said. “Because I think Idaho is (one of a few) split states where we have two different time zones. We were saying that would suck completely if we were under the Mountain Time zone, where it’s an hour ahead.”
Lim said the Food Science program recently switched registration processes and prospective majors have to register under both UI and WSU to enroll in desired classes.
Problems in border communities like ours would not be insurmountable and cross-listed class schedules at WSU and UI could be worked out, Chaney said.
“(The time zone switch) would depend on the faculty and departments, for just figuring out scheduling and making sure that classes can’t overlap,” Lim said. “I can’t even imagine if one place is one hour ahead of the other.”
As seen in March 31 issue of the Argonaut.
If approved, a recent bill introduced to the Idaho legislature would exempt Idaho from participating in daylight saving time.
Sponsored by Democratic House Rep. Wendy Jaquet and other Republican representatives, the bill would encompass the entire state of Idaho — both Pacific and Mountain time zones.
“Idaho seems inclined to go its own way as regards (to) other federal practices, so this interest in HB 692 to exempt itself from what other states are doing seems fitting,” Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney said. “I am skeptical that it will go very far this legislative session.”
For six months out of the year, areas like Coeur d’Alene and Spokane, as well as Moscow and Pullman, would be an hour apart.
“Locals would eventually adjust, although the many visitors to our universities might be baffled,” Chaney.said
The only states that disregard daylight saving time in the U.S. are Arizona and Hawaii.
Time zone confusions would include daycares and workplaces in the neighboring states, as well as Washington State University and University of Idaho students with cross-border farming jobs who would be required to wake at “obscenely early hours,” Chaney said.
UI Food Science major Jenny Lim said the last two years of her degree require classes at both WSU and UI, despite the school in which a student is registered. Travel between the two schools is constant.
“(Some Food Science majors) joked about that,” Lim said. “Because I think Idaho is (one of a few) split states where we have two different time zones. We were saying that would suck completely if we were under the Mountain Time zone, where it’s an hour ahead.”
Lim said the Food Science program recently switched registration processes and prospective majors have to register under both UI and WSU to enroll in desired classes.
Problems in border communities like ours would not be insurmountable and cross-listed class schedules at WSU and UI could be worked out, Chaney said.
“(The time zone switch) would depend on the faculty and departments, for just figuring out scheduling and making sure that classes can’t overlap,” Lim said. “I can’t even imagine if one place is one hour ahead of the other.”
As seen in March 31 issue of the Argonaut.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Please, touch the art
Lindsey Treffry | blot
“Working with my hands was the main reason why I got into doing sculpture,” Harty said.
The 40-year-old University of Idaho graduate likes to play with clay, wood and metal.
Working with these materials has left Harty’s hands cracked and covered in calluses. Manual labor, splinters and sanding wood have reduced his fingernails to stubs.
“You want that dexterity and to be able to grab things and work with things,” Harty said. “My nails seem to be something I use a lot — scratching at things, pulling things, twisting a bolt or nut.”
Of his fingernails, his index and thumb are damaged the most. He said it is instinctual for him to use those fingers, which wears on the skin.
“My hands get tired and stiff,” he said. “The pain connects me to my work even more.”
The motion of turning a clay pot, Harty said, allows him to focus through discomfort.
“I get in there and do anything with it,” Harty said. “You can put your hands in it, squeeze it, hit it, throw it.”
As for sculpting with metal, Harty said there is still a connection between his hands and his work, despite the tool between them. He once produced a 5-foot-5-inch metal sculpture for people to walk through that ended in a 24-inch crawling hole. When he welds, he can see the form taking place — from the bead, to the color, to how it cools.
But his most organic work grows from the relationship between art and people.
“My interest is in the body,” Harty said. “How we interact within the environment — where we live, where we spend our work, our school or play or whatever — (and) how our bodies are connected to the environment.”
Harty’s installation, “Body Space,” stemmed from this idea. He said the sculptures focused on how personal space is not universally compatible.
Harty built three wooden boxes based on the physical dimensions of people he knew, including himself. The first box was based off a female friend with a small physical frame.
“I can’t fit in that box,” Harty said. “A lot (of people) can’t. Her space maybe isn’t always accessible to other people — and other people’s (spaces) are more accessible.”
The second box was inspired by a male friend with a larger frame, and the third was designed specifically for Harty, perfectly measured to accommodate only him in a sitting position.
Even though his sculptures are designed to portray personal space, Harty wants to ensure his art allows others to connect with it.
Harty showcased “Body Space” as part of the 2011 Moscow Artwalk.
“(Touch is) something that is taboo when you go into an art gallery,” Harty said. “‘Don’t touch the artwork.’”
But Harty said he wants to draw the viewer in more than a regular gallery does. He doesn’t want people to feel limited to looking, thinking and comprehending artwork.
“That’s more of a mental interaction,” he said. “I want something more physical.”
When he saw people touching his art and parents shutting kids’ fingers in the doors of his wooden work, Harty deemed his showcase a success. People were interacting.
“Open your mind a little bit and think about what you’re looking at a little bit more,” Harty said. “(Think) about what the artist is trying to get across to you.”
As seen in March issue of blot.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Learning to adjust
Lindsey Treffry | Argonaut
The spring 2012 semester offers a clean slate and a challenge to 73 new University of Idaho freshmen with a 90 percent retention rate from fall.
“Most first-year students do not truly understand how much more rigorous the University of Idaho curriculum is than the high school curriculum,” said Andrew Brewick, director of academic advising.
By most, he means the 336 first-year, non-transfer, straight-from-high-school students who earned below a 2.0 GPA in fall — some who even received a 0.0 GPA and never attended classes — and were then put on academic probation.
Alex Rodriquez, freshman general studies major, decided to return for the semester.
Rodriquez, who suffers from an adjustment disorder and anxiety and depression, said the amount of freshmen on academic probation does not surprise him.
“Homework is harder than it should be and there’s too much,” Rodriquez said.
Rodriquez was enrolled in the Virtual Technology and Design program before he realized it was too complicated and technical. He expected to learn the skills hands-on. So with his expectations unmet, he said he mismanaged homework and time.
“Very often (freshmen) just have no idea how high the stakes are for certain assignments, (and) they are unable to get up for class,” Brewick said. “They have just not yet developed the behaviors that it takes to be a successful college student.”
When Rodriquez returned for the spring semester, he met with an academic adviser, changed his major and changed his schedule to allow two hours for homework each day. He said he is just trying to come back next year.
“Now I know when to do homework and when not to do it,” Rodriquez said.
Brewick said the Student Options Advising Retreat is offered to students like Rodriquez who are on academic probation.
SOAR allows students to meet with a UI faculty member or staff advisers, complete an academic plan, take tours of student support units and participate in study skill workshops.
Brewick said students on academic probation are generally freshmen.
“Primarily it is because first-year students are coming into a brand new environment,” he said. “We are expecting them to transition into being away from the home and to be responsible for all of their own basic needs, as well as academics.”
Of the 336 on probation from fall, the advising program removed all students who weren’t registered for spring semester and invited 254 students to SOAR Jan. 10.
Brewick said 136 attended. He said those students who follow up on meetings and try to change their academic behaviors, but still fall short, will have more leniency from the associate dean if they attend SOAR.
“At SOAR we focus very specifically on helping students to develop a plan to get the behaviors and habits that they need to be successful,” Brewick said.
Freshman architecture major, Andrea Bachman, said she had a smooth transition between semesters.
“(This spring) I had set higher expectations,” Bachman said.
Bachman is one of 107 first-year students entering into the UI Honors Program. Application criteria for the program is based on ACT or SAT scores and a requirement of a 3.77 unweighted, accredited high school GPA.
According to the Director of the University Honors Program Stephan Flores, freshmen in the UI Honors Program have an average high school unweighted GPA of 3.91 this year. In comparison, the average GPA of all degree-seeking, first-time, first-year students who submitted a GPA in fall was 3.33 according to UI Fast Facts.
“Relatively few students leave UI who are first-year students, after their first semester who are in honors,” Flores said. “ … On the other hand, we may have students who participate who come out of high school and take at least three honors credits, to maintain membership. If those students are not enrolled in an additional three honors credits in spring semester, they are no longer (enrolled).”
Flores said from his experience, Honors Program students have few difficulties with GPA and tend to have more substantial financial aid standings than some students do.
“... I get to know the honors professors more than (I would in a) larger lecture hall,” Bachman said. “I learn better in smaller classes.”
Flores said despite a 10.8 percent decrease in Honors Program freshmen, 32 percent of freshmen were from out of state, which ranks higher than the university.
Overall, UI experienced a drop in freshmen too. There were 1,631 new freshmen last fall — 7 percent less than that of 2010 as well as a 10 percent decrease in out-of-state freshmen.
Washington native and freshman Craig Woodruff said this is probably due to the removal of the Western Undergraduate Exchange.
The ecohydrological engineering major said the WUE waived a lot of out-of-state tuition and without it, people were probably discouraged from applying.
Woodruff was awarded $2,000 per semester, due to the Discover Idaho scholarship program.
“I didn’t even know about Discover Idaho until I got it,” Woodruff said. “It was a nice surprise.”
Flores related the drop of non-residents in the Honors Program to the drop of the WUE as well.
“In general the Honors Program tends to do better than the general student population in terms of enrollment,” Flores said. “ … In the past instead of 32 percent non-residents, that number would have been higher.”
Even without the WUE, there was a slight increase in the number of financial aid packages awarded as well as the amount awarded. But tuition increased by 8.1 percent for out-of-state students and 8.4 percent for in-state students according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
According to Common Data Sets provided by UI Institutional Research and Assessment, the average financial aid package for 1,123 freshmen was $12,148 during the 2010 to 2011 academic year. This year, 1,165 freshmen were awarded $12,225.
On average the 2011-2012 CDS said 79.2 percent of freshman financial need was met.
Woodruff said even without the Discover Idaho scholarship, he probably would have attended UI.
“Now I’m in the groove of things,” Woodruff said. “It was a nice break in between (semesters) and I was able to re-focus before coming back.”
As seen in Feb. 17 issue of the Argonaut.
The spring 2012 semester offers a clean slate and a challenge to 73 new University of Idaho freshmen with a 90 percent retention rate from fall.
“Most first-year students do not truly understand how much more rigorous the University of Idaho curriculum is than the high school curriculum,” said Andrew Brewick, director of academic advising.
By most, he means the 336 first-year, non-transfer, straight-from-high-school students who earned below a 2.0 GPA in fall — some who even received a 0.0 GPA and never attended classes — and were then put on academic probation.
Alex Rodriquez, freshman general studies major, decided to return for the semester.
Rodriquez, who suffers from an adjustment disorder and anxiety and depression, said the amount of freshmen on academic probation does not surprise him.
“Homework is harder than it should be and there’s too much,” Rodriquez said.
Rodriquez was enrolled in the Virtual Technology and Design program before he realized it was too complicated and technical. He expected to learn the skills hands-on. So with his expectations unmet, he said he mismanaged homework and time.
“Very often (freshmen) just have no idea how high the stakes are for certain assignments, (and) they are unable to get up for class,” Brewick said. “They have just not yet developed the behaviors that it takes to be a successful college student.”
When Rodriquez returned for the spring semester, he met with an academic adviser, changed his major and changed his schedule to allow two hours for homework each day. He said he is just trying to come back next year.
“Now I know when to do homework and when not to do it,” Rodriquez said.
Brewick said the Student Options Advising Retreat is offered to students like Rodriquez who are on academic probation.
SOAR allows students to meet with a UI faculty member or staff advisers, complete an academic plan, take tours of student support units and participate in study skill workshops.
Brewick said students on academic probation are generally freshmen.
“Primarily it is because first-year students are coming into a brand new environment,” he said. “We are expecting them to transition into being away from the home and to be responsible for all of their own basic needs, as well as academics.”
Of the 336 on probation from fall, the advising program removed all students who weren’t registered for spring semester and invited 254 students to SOAR Jan. 10.
Brewick said 136 attended. He said those students who follow up on meetings and try to change their academic behaviors, but still fall short, will have more leniency from the associate dean if they attend SOAR.
“At SOAR we focus very specifically on helping students to develop a plan to get the behaviors and habits that they need to be successful,” Brewick said.
Freshman architecture major, Andrea Bachman, said she had a smooth transition between semesters.
“(This spring) I had set higher expectations,” Bachman said.
Bachman is one of 107 first-year students entering into the UI Honors Program. Application criteria for the program is based on ACT or SAT scores and a requirement of a 3.77 unweighted, accredited high school GPA.
According to the Director of the University Honors Program Stephan Flores, freshmen in the UI Honors Program have an average high school unweighted GPA of 3.91 this year. In comparison, the average GPA of all degree-seeking, first-time, first-year students who submitted a GPA in fall was 3.33 according to UI Fast Facts.
“Relatively few students leave UI who are first-year students, after their first semester who are in honors,” Flores said. “ … On the other hand, we may have students who participate who come out of high school and take at least three honors credits, to maintain membership. If those students are not enrolled in an additional three honors credits in spring semester, they are no longer (enrolled).”
Flores said from his experience, Honors Program students have few difficulties with GPA and tend to have more substantial financial aid standings than some students do.
“... I get to know the honors professors more than (I would in a) larger lecture hall,” Bachman said. “I learn better in smaller classes.”
Flores said despite a 10.8 percent decrease in Honors Program freshmen, 32 percent of freshmen were from out of state, which ranks higher than the university.
Overall, UI experienced a drop in freshmen too. There were 1,631 new freshmen last fall — 7 percent less than that of 2010 as well as a 10 percent decrease in out-of-state freshmen.
Washington native and freshman Craig Woodruff said this is probably due to the removal of the Western Undergraduate Exchange.
The ecohydrological engineering major said the WUE waived a lot of out-of-state tuition and without it, people were probably discouraged from applying.
Woodruff was awarded $2,000 per semester, due to the Discover Idaho scholarship program.
“I didn’t even know about Discover Idaho until I got it,” Woodruff said. “It was a nice surprise.”
Flores related the drop of non-residents in the Honors Program to the drop of the WUE as well.
“In general the Honors Program tends to do better than the general student population in terms of enrollment,” Flores said. “ … In the past instead of 32 percent non-residents, that number would have been higher.”
Even without the WUE, there was a slight increase in the number of financial aid packages awarded as well as the amount awarded. But tuition increased by 8.1 percent for out-of-state students and 8.4 percent for in-state students according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
According to Common Data Sets provided by UI Institutional Research and Assessment, the average financial aid package for 1,123 freshmen was $12,148 during the 2010 to 2011 academic year. This year, 1,165 freshmen were awarded $12,225.
On average the 2011-2012 CDS said 79.2 percent of freshman financial need was met.
Woodruff said even without the Discover Idaho scholarship, he probably would have attended UI.
“Now I’m in the groove of things,” Woodruff said. “It was a nice break in between (semesters) and I was able to re-focus before coming back.”
As seen in Feb. 17 issue of the Argonaut.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Teachers wanted
Lindsey Treffry | Argonaut
Senior Emily Brookhart was raised by a teacher of a Title One, low-income school. She has a 4.0 GPA and holds a liaison position as part of the University of Idaho Honors Program. She plans to graduate with majors in English and international studies.
Brookhart said she is at a crossroads. While she has traveled abroad in Lüneburg, Germany, is a teacher’s assistant in the English department and has spent time as a Writing Center tutor, Brookhart is not sure if she wants to apply to graduate school for English or law school.
So instead, she decided to apply for Teach For America, an organization that works to ensure children raised in 43 poverty-ridden regions across the U.S. are able to get an education.
Teach For America places college graduates in these areas to teach for a two-year period in order to improve education levels and raise graduation rates.
“Teach For America will help me hone my interests,” Brookhart said.
Brookhart endured a two-month process of applications, interviews, plans and discussions.
“The application process was super intense,” Brookhart said. “There were so many steps.”
Finally, Brookhart was accepted to be a teacher for Clark County School District in Las Vegas, her second-choice location. Brookhart said with 300,000 enrolled students, the high school graduation rate is a mere 44 percent. The district represents 75 percent of the state’s school-age population, according to the Teach For America website.
Brookhart is one of very few that Teach For America has chosen from UI, partially due to low application rates, but application rates at UI have grown according to Director of Recruitment in the Northwest Justin Yan.
Yan hired UI Volunteer Center Intern Samantha Storms to be a Teach For America Campus Campaign Coordinator, in order to promote the program and provide resources to UI applicants.
“Teach For America recognizes leaders, and recognized Vandals would be good in the classroom,” Storms said.
This was the first year Teach For America exerted campaign efforts at UI.
“I was raised by a teacher and had a fortunate educational experience,” Storms said. “Everyone knows someone … that couldn’t afford to go to college.”
Once accepted, applicants will be put in summer training programs relative to the region in which they are placed. Once hired, salaries range from $30,000 to $51,000 including health and retirement benefits, grants, loans, discounts and awards.
“People think it’s volunteer work,” Yan said. “You don’t have to have a major in education and you don’t have to teach forever.”
Although Brookhart said the application process was lengthy, she said the initial application takes less than a week.
“People should just apply,” Brookhart said. “It’s not a binding application. Even the application process — movies and interviews gave me a much better understanding of the education system in our country.”
Brookhart said she knows it will be the hardest two years of her life. She said that teaching in a low-income area will sometimes make her feel like a failure.
“I’m going to feel really inadequate,” she said.
But Brookhart said she has a goal of closing the achievement gap.
“It’s gonna suck,” she said. “But Teach For America helps so that (workers can) pull through it.”
The final application deadline that is part one of subsequent rounds of the admissions process is Friday, Feb. 10.
“In our country there’s vast inequality,” Yan said. “I don’t understand how we don’t want to do things about this. There is nothing more noble that we can do right out of college than ensure that kids have the same education we do.”
As seen in Feb. 7 issue of the Argonaut.
Senior Emily Brookhart was raised by a teacher of a Title One, low-income school. She has a 4.0 GPA and holds a liaison position as part of the University of Idaho Honors Program. She plans to graduate with majors in English and international studies.
Brookhart said she is at a crossroads. While she has traveled abroad in Lüneburg, Germany, is a teacher’s assistant in the English department and has spent time as a Writing Center tutor, Brookhart is not sure if she wants to apply to graduate school for English or law school.
So instead, she decided to apply for Teach For America, an organization that works to ensure children raised in 43 poverty-ridden regions across the U.S. are able to get an education.
Teach For America places college graduates in these areas to teach for a two-year period in order to improve education levels and raise graduation rates.
“Teach For America will help me hone my interests,” Brookhart said.
Brookhart endured a two-month process of applications, interviews, plans and discussions.
“The application process was super intense,” Brookhart said. “There were so many steps.”
Finally, Brookhart was accepted to be a teacher for Clark County School District in Las Vegas, her second-choice location. Brookhart said with 300,000 enrolled students, the high school graduation rate is a mere 44 percent. The district represents 75 percent of the state’s school-age population, according to the Teach For America website.
Brookhart is one of very few that Teach For America has chosen from UI, partially due to low application rates, but application rates at UI have grown according to Director of Recruitment in the Northwest Justin Yan.
Yan hired UI Volunteer Center Intern Samantha Storms to be a Teach For America Campus Campaign Coordinator, in order to promote the program and provide resources to UI applicants.
“Teach For America recognizes leaders, and recognized Vandals would be good in the classroom,” Storms said.
This was the first year Teach For America exerted campaign efforts at UI.
“I was raised by a teacher and had a fortunate educational experience,” Storms said. “Everyone knows someone … that couldn’t afford to go to college.”
Once accepted, applicants will be put in summer training programs relative to the region in which they are placed. Once hired, salaries range from $30,000 to $51,000 including health and retirement benefits, grants, loans, discounts and awards.
“People think it’s volunteer work,” Yan said. “You don’t have to have a major in education and you don’t have to teach forever.”
Although Brookhart said the application process was lengthy, she said the initial application takes less than a week.
“People should just apply,” Brookhart said. “It’s not a binding application. Even the application process — movies and interviews gave me a much better understanding of the education system in our country.”
Brookhart said she knows it will be the hardest two years of her life. She said that teaching in a low-income area will sometimes make her feel like a failure.
“I’m going to feel really inadequate,” she said.
But Brookhart said she has a goal of closing the achievement gap.
“It’s gonna suck,” she said. “But Teach For America helps so that (workers can) pull through it.”
The final application deadline that is part one of subsequent rounds of the admissions process is Friday, Feb. 10.
“In our country there’s vast inequality,” Yan said. “I don’t understand how we don’t want to do things about this. There is nothing more noble that we can do right out of college than ensure that kids have the same education we do.”
As seen in Feb. 7 issue of the Argonaut.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Love146 works to end sex trafficking
Lindsey Treffry | rawr
Love146 sounds like a relationship class — how to thrive in a marriage — or a club on hugs and kisses. But Love146 is a University of Idaho club that combats the spread of child sex trafficking.
Led by president Lauren Layton, the club attempts to raise awareness of the annual $32 billion that sex trafficking generates. According to the Love146 international organization, this makes trafficking in persons the second most lucrative crime in the world — behind drugs.
“Love146 is an internationally based organization that promotes human rights, more specifically,” said Love146 officer Andy Read, an international studies and political science major. “They’re advocating against child sex slavery.”
According to Love146.org, two children are sold every minute for sex.
While Read said the international organization’s on-ground work has most recently been in southeast Asia, Layton said Seattle is the biggest importer for sex trafficking in the U.S. due to the sea port location.
100,000 people are imported into the U.S. for sex trafficking purposes, according to Love146.org.
“People pay attention to other humanitarian causes, because people in the U.S. assume it’s not happening in the U.S.,” Layton said. “It’s not only pertinent to our nation, but our region.”
As a Love146 Task Force, the UI club educates themselves on human trafficking statistics while raising awareness and annual funds for the international organization.
In October, Love146, in partnership with the International Textiles & Apparel Association club, held a “flash” fashion show, where models wore human trafficking statistics on their clothing. Secretary Isla Brazil said every third model was styled in red, while the rest were styled in black. She said the red represented the one-third of girls who are sold for sex trafficking within the first 48 hours they are homeless.
Love146 has also set up tables around campus, handing out fliers and free hot chocolate. They accepted donations at the tables through their “Loose change, loosen chains” campaign and sold handmade rings for $10. Brazil said revenue from the rings has only reached about $50 and other fundraising opportunities have not been so successful.
“We want to gain the revenue,” Brazil said. “Things haven’t gone our way so far, but we’ve gained a ton of awareness on campus.”
Love146 also holds bi-weekly movie showings on Sundays and members have had Skype sessions with international Love146 presidents.
Read said the most successful film showing was “Call and Response,” a documentary on human trafficking.
“Human trafficking is such a hot topic,” Layton said. “It’s something that is so hard for people to wrap their heads around.”
Love146 meetings are held every other Tuesday.
“Since I’ve joined, it’s great to be around people who just have good energy to them,” Brazil said. “Even if you can’t come every week or every meeting, it’s great to be a part of and sex trafficking is brought to your attention.”
Brazil said members include a mix of athletes, international studies students, marine biologists and various other majors. Prospective members can visit the club Facebook page or UI’s club page for contact information.
“The fact that I’m born with a chance and am able to come to this school and educate others on this, is a blessing,” Brazil said. “I feel for these girls and these boys who have gone through this and … are still out there and haven’t been helped.”
Why the name Love146?
Love 146.org said the international president and co-founder of Love146, Rob Morris, traveled to Southeast Asia in 2002 to see how he could fight child sex trafficking. Morris went undercover with a few of the co-founders and investigators to a brothel where they witnessed children being sold for sex. Morris stood with predators in a small room, looking at girls through glass panes who all wore red dresses with an identification number. He knew all these children were raped every night, “seven, 10, 15 times.” He said they all looked vacant, with no life left in their eyes, except for one girl, with the number 146.
“She was looking beyond the glass,” Morris said. “She was staring out at us with a piercing gaze. There was still fight left in her eyes. There was still life left in this girl.”
Because he was part of an undercover investigation of teh brothel, the members were unable to immediately help. When the brothel was raided, some time later, children were rescued, but the girl numbered 146 was no longer there.
“We do not know what happened to her,” Morris said. “She changed the course of our lives.”
As seen in Jan. 13 issue of rawr.
Love146 sounds like a relationship class — how to thrive in a marriage — or a club on hugs and kisses. But Love146 is a University of Idaho club that combats the spread of child sex trafficking.
Led by president Lauren Layton, the club attempts to raise awareness of the annual $32 billion that sex trafficking generates. According to the Love146 international organization, this makes trafficking in persons the second most lucrative crime in the world — behind drugs.
“Love146 is an internationally based organization that promotes human rights, more specifically,” said Love146 officer Andy Read, an international studies and political science major. “They’re advocating against child sex slavery.”
According to Love146.org, two children are sold every minute for sex.
While Read said the international organization’s on-ground work has most recently been in southeast Asia, Layton said Seattle is the biggest importer for sex trafficking in the U.S. due to the sea port location.
100,000 people are imported into the U.S. for sex trafficking purposes, according to Love146.org.
“People pay attention to other humanitarian causes, because people in the U.S. assume it’s not happening in the U.S.,” Layton said. “It’s not only pertinent to our nation, but our region.”
As a Love146 Task Force, the UI club educates themselves on human trafficking statistics while raising awareness and annual funds for the international organization.
In October, Love146, in partnership with the International Textiles & Apparel Association club, held a “flash” fashion show, where models wore human trafficking statistics on their clothing. Secretary Isla Brazil said every third model was styled in red, while the rest were styled in black. She said the red represented the one-third of girls who are sold for sex trafficking within the first 48 hours they are homeless.
Love146 has also set up tables around campus, handing out fliers and free hot chocolate. They accepted donations at the tables through their “Loose change, loosen chains” campaign and sold handmade rings for $10. Brazil said revenue from the rings has only reached about $50 and other fundraising opportunities have not been so successful.
“We want to gain the revenue,” Brazil said. “Things haven’t gone our way so far, but we’ve gained a ton of awareness on campus.”
Love146 also holds bi-weekly movie showings on Sundays and members have had Skype sessions with international Love146 presidents.
Read said the most successful film showing was “Call and Response,” a documentary on human trafficking.
“Human trafficking is such a hot topic,” Layton said. “It’s something that is so hard for people to wrap their heads around.”
Love146 meetings are held every other Tuesday.
“Since I’ve joined, it’s great to be around people who just have good energy to them,” Brazil said. “Even if you can’t come every week or every meeting, it’s great to be a part of and sex trafficking is brought to your attention.”
Brazil said members include a mix of athletes, international studies students, marine biologists and various other majors. Prospective members can visit the club Facebook page or UI’s club page for contact information.
“The fact that I’m born with a chance and am able to come to this school and educate others on this, is a blessing,” Brazil said. “I feel for these girls and these boys who have gone through this and … are still out there and haven’t been helped.”
Why the name Love146?
Love 146.org said the international president and co-founder of Love146, Rob Morris, traveled to Southeast Asia in 2002 to see how he could fight child sex trafficking. Morris went undercover with a few of the co-founders and investigators to a brothel where they witnessed children being sold for sex. Morris stood with predators in a small room, looking at girls through glass panes who all wore red dresses with an identification number. He knew all these children were raped every night, “seven, 10, 15 times.” He said they all looked vacant, with no life left in their eyes, except for one girl, with the number 146.
“She was looking beyond the glass,” Morris said. “She was staring out at us with a piercing gaze. There was still fight left in her eyes. There was still life left in this girl.”
Because he was part of an undercover investigation of teh brothel, the members were unable to immediately help. When the brothel was raided, some time later, children were rescued, but the girl numbered 146 was no longer there.
“We do not know what happened to her,” Morris said. “She changed the course of our lives.”
As seen in Jan. 13 issue of rawr.
Friday, December 9, 2011
No regulation required (Part 2)
Lindsey Treffry | The Argonaut
Despite one of the highest motorcycle fatality rates in the nation, Idaho does not have a law requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets.
Throughout the U.S. there are 20 states, including Washington D.C., that require motorcycle helmet use for all riders. Idaho is one of 30 states that does not.
Shirley Ringo, the District 6 representative for the Idaho House of Representatives and member of the Transportation and Defense committee, said it is due to the “extreme conservatism” apparent in the state.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported in Washington, a state that requires motorcycle helmet use, a per capita rate of 1.1 motorcycle fatalities per 100,000 people in 2009. In comparison, Idaho reported a per capita rate of 2.4 — higher than the national average of 1.5.
“The legislatures in Washington tend to be much more progressive,” Ringo said. “Idaho is quite unique in the extreme conservatism in the people who serve in the legislature and those that elect them.”
Idaho requires people under 18 to wear a helmet while operating motorcycles and ATVs, but does not have a universal bicycle helmet law. In 1990, Washington passed a statewide motorcycle helmet law. As for bicycle helmets, requirements are up to individual cities or counties.
Spokane passed a citywide bicycle helmet law six years ago. Lynn Drake, the program manager of bicycle and pedestrian safety for the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, said the Spokane health district originally proposed the bicycle law to city council.
“The first turn around, they were told not to bring it to council,” Drake said.
She said the district then did “homework” on crash prevention, medical costs and special education costs of moving a child with a debilitating head injury through the public school district.
“They had to reassure the council that they made the correct decision,” Drake said.
Drake said the Washington Highway Safety office gave $5,000 to the district so they could provide properly fitting helmets for children who needed them. Local companies like McDonald’s gave incentives for children wearing helmets, such as free coupons for ice cream. Drake said the district assured the court would waive helmet citations if the citizen brought a helmet to court.
When the health district returned to the council with the new plan, the helmet law was created. As of today, Drake said approximately 85 percent of Washington is covered by a bicycle helmet law.
However, such incentives may not convince the Idaho legislature so easily.
Ringo co-sponsored a law requiring people under 18 to wear helmets with the help of David Langhorst, a previous senator, who works for the Idaho Tax Commission. Ringo said the bill passed the State Senate fairly easily, but it was not a sure thing in the House. She said testimony helped highlight the need for a law.
“It just happened that, just prior to bringing that to the legislature, there had been a little 2-year-old boy who lost his life, who was on an ATV with his father and they crashed and he didn’t have a helmet,” Ringo said.
Langhorst said during a camping trip the father, who was involved in the legislative testimony, had taken the little boy with him to get firewood. They were driving up a grade and while the father looked to the side of the ATV, one of the tires went off the roadway, lodged in a rock and the little boy landed headfirst on a rock that killed him.
Langhorst said although the vote wasn’t unanimous, it was easier for legislators to pass a regulation that affected minors.
“(Legislature) is responsible for (minors) in the eye of the law,” Langhorst said.
Drake said while attempting to pass the bicycle law in Spokane, a spokesman for a family whose child was struck by a car, came to testify on behalf of the helmet law. She said it is more effective anytime you have a victim that comes forward.
Drake also said in order to enact a law, citizens have to align political powers with them. She said legislation moves much faster through government if a citizen activist or a victim advocates on behalf of a proposed law.
“...Or to have a fire chief or police chief have a real strong passion and have them take a lead on it,” Drake said. “You have to cover all your bases.”
Despite arguments in favor of a helmet law, there are reasons the legislature has not voted to have an Idaho helmet law in the past.
Langhorst once owned a Harley Davidson and said he is sympathetic to the riding community that does not want an adult riding bill mandated.
“You can see better without a helmet and you can hear better without a helmet,” Langhorst said. “... I didn’t hear an emergency vehicle intersecting right ahead of me until it was late ... It makes it easy for a libertarian legislature to make an argument that finds sympathy with (motorcyclists) to not want anymore regulation.”
However, Ringo attributes the lack of a helmet law to the desire for personal rights.
“People that oppose (the helmet law) give the argument that if the person wants to take that risk, it’s his or her right to do that,” Ringo said. “That’s pretty much how they justify opposing it. Personally I think that’s a very narrow interpretation of the real situation.”
Henry Houst, a Boise personal injury attorney, said the absence of a helmet law is due to the notion of laissez-faire, a French term that is used generally in economics.
“It’s a notion about a pre-market economy and how you don’t necessarily have to regulate economics,” Houst said. “Things will take care of themselves. Let (the helmet law) alone, and it will regulate itself.”
Houst said the problem with this notion is that if a fully reasoning adult decides to go bungee jumping off Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls, smashing onto the rocks below, legislature is probably not going to stop that person.
“We’re kind of a conservative lot that likes less government than more,” Houst said.
Langhorst said the only way the law would pass is if the federal government mandated it, much the way the seat belt law works. Idaho would have the right to ignore a helmet law, but the federal government would have the power to take away millions of dollars from funds, like highway or transportation programs, if such a law is not passed, Langhorst said.
“As long as the users’ communities (motorcyclists) don’t support it, it’s going to be a real tough sell in the Idaho legislature,” Langhorst said.
Even if a law were to pass, it may not be beneficial to the community, Drake said.
“The death toll (in Washington) is going up in motorcycles,” Drake said. “We can’t seem to get that one down, but so is the number of bikes being purchased and the number of ridership being increased. The helmet laws don’t match.”
Langhorst said even though the 18-and-under law passed, there has not been much change to helmet use.
“I’ve seen people totally flouting and ignoring that law with two, three or four people on an ATV at the same time, none of them wearing helmets,” Langhorst said.
Ringo also said Idaho citizens will continue to argue that individuals have the right to take their own risks.
“I don’t have a lot of hope that we’ll be able to get such legislation through, at least not in the near future,” Ringo said. “I think the prevailing attitude is that people have a right to make that decision.”
As seen in Dec. 9 issue of The Argonaut.
Despite one of the highest motorcycle fatality rates in the nation, Idaho does not have a law requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets.
Throughout the U.S. there are 20 states, including Washington D.C., that require motorcycle helmet use for all riders. Idaho is one of 30 states that does not.
Shirley Ringo, the District 6 representative for the Idaho House of Representatives and member of the Transportation and Defense committee, said it is due to the “extreme conservatism” apparent in the state.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported in Washington, a state that requires motorcycle helmet use, a per capita rate of 1.1 motorcycle fatalities per 100,000 people in 2009. In comparison, Idaho reported a per capita rate of 2.4 — higher than the national average of 1.5.
“The legislatures in Washington tend to be much more progressive,” Ringo said. “Idaho is quite unique in the extreme conservatism in the people who serve in the legislature and those that elect them.”
Idaho requires people under 18 to wear a helmet while operating motorcycles and ATVs, but does not have a universal bicycle helmet law. In 1990, Washington passed a statewide motorcycle helmet law. As for bicycle helmets, requirements are up to individual cities or counties.
Spokane passed a citywide bicycle helmet law six years ago. Lynn Drake, the program manager of bicycle and pedestrian safety for the Washington Traffic Safety Commission, said the Spokane health district originally proposed the bicycle law to city council.
“The first turn around, they were told not to bring it to council,” Drake said.
She said the district then did “homework” on crash prevention, medical costs and special education costs of moving a child with a debilitating head injury through the public school district.
“They had to reassure the council that they made the correct decision,” Drake said.
Drake said the Washington Highway Safety office gave $5,000 to the district so they could provide properly fitting helmets for children who needed them. Local companies like McDonald’s gave incentives for children wearing helmets, such as free coupons for ice cream. Drake said the district assured the court would waive helmet citations if the citizen brought a helmet to court.
When the health district returned to the council with the new plan, the helmet law was created. As of today, Drake said approximately 85 percent of Washington is covered by a bicycle helmet law.
However, such incentives may not convince the Idaho legislature so easily.
Ringo co-sponsored a law requiring people under 18 to wear helmets with the help of David Langhorst, a previous senator, who works for the Idaho Tax Commission. Ringo said the bill passed the State Senate fairly easily, but it was not a sure thing in the House. She said testimony helped highlight the need for a law.
“It just happened that, just prior to bringing that to the legislature, there had been a little 2-year-old boy who lost his life, who was on an ATV with his father and they crashed and he didn’t have a helmet,” Ringo said.
Langhorst said during a camping trip the father, who was involved in the legislative testimony, had taken the little boy with him to get firewood. They were driving up a grade and while the father looked to the side of the ATV, one of the tires went off the roadway, lodged in a rock and the little boy landed headfirst on a rock that killed him.
Langhorst said although the vote wasn’t unanimous, it was easier for legislators to pass a regulation that affected minors.
“(Legislature) is responsible for (minors) in the eye of the law,” Langhorst said.
Drake said while attempting to pass the bicycle law in Spokane, a spokesman for a family whose child was struck by a car, came to testify on behalf of the helmet law. She said it is more effective anytime you have a victim that comes forward.
Drake also said in order to enact a law, citizens have to align political powers with them. She said legislation moves much faster through government if a citizen activist or a victim advocates on behalf of a proposed law.
“...Or to have a fire chief or police chief have a real strong passion and have them take a lead on it,” Drake said. “You have to cover all your bases.”
Despite arguments in favor of a helmet law, there are reasons the legislature has not voted to have an Idaho helmet law in the past.
Langhorst once owned a Harley Davidson and said he is sympathetic to the riding community that does not want an adult riding bill mandated.
“You can see better without a helmet and you can hear better without a helmet,” Langhorst said. “... I didn’t hear an emergency vehicle intersecting right ahead of me until it was late ... It makes it easy for a libertarian legislature to make an argument that finds sympathy with (motorcyclists) to not want anymore regulation.”
However, Ringo attributes the lack of a helmet law to the desire for personal rights.
“People that oppose (the helmet law) give the argument that if the person wants to take that risk, it’s his or her right to do that,” Ringo said. “That’s pretty much how they justify opposing it. Personally I think that’s a very narrow interpretation of the real situation.”
Henry Houst, a Boise personal injury attorney, said the absence of a helmet law is due to the notion of laissez-faire, a French term that is used generally in economics.
“It’s a notion about a pre-market economy and how you don’t necessarily have to regulate economics,” Houst said. “Things will take care of themselves. Let (the helmet law) alone, and it will regulate itself.”
Houst said the problem with this notion is that if a fully reasoning adult decides to go bungee jumping off Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls, smashing onto the rocks below, legislature is probably not going to stop that person.
“We’re kind of a conservative lot that likes less government than more,” Houst said.
Langhorst said the only way the law would pass is if the federal government mandated it, much the way the seat belt law works. Idaho would have the right to ignore a helmet law, but the federal government would have the power to take away millions of dollars from funds, like highway or transportation programs, if such a law is not passed, Langhorst said.
“As long as the users’ communities (motorcyclists) don’t support it, it’s going to be a real tough sell in the Idaho legislature,” Langhorst said.
Even if a law were to pass, it may not be beneficial to the community, Drake said.
“The death toll (in Washington) is going up in motorcycles,” Drake said. “We can’t seem to get that one down, but so is the number of bikes being purchased and the number of ridership being increased. The helmet laws don’t match.”
Langhorst said even though the 18-and-under law passed, there has not been much change to helmet use.
“I’ve seen people totally flouting and ignoring that law with two, three or four people on an ATV at the same time, none of them wearing helmets,” Langhorst said.
Ringo also said Idaho citizens will continue to argue that individuals have the right to take their own risks.
“I don’t have a lot of hope that we’ll be able to get such legislation through, at least not in the near future,” Ringo said. “I think the prevailing attitude is that people have a right to make that decision.”
As seen in Dec. 9 issue of The Argonaut.
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