Say What?

“First of all, from what I understand from doctors, [pregnancy from rape] is really rare….If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” ~Rep. Todd Akin, R-MO.

Sometimes things happen that set me off so much, that I feel an immediate need to share.

We’ve all heard the saying, “Think before you speak.” It’s one of those proverbs that’s been around for ages, yet seems to be dying out as we progress into more digital forms of communication. On a personal level, we all have – or, in some cases, had – a friend or two on Facebook who doesn’t seem to understand that the things they post could potentially be considered offensive or contain details few people care to know. But that’s only minor compared to some of the ignorance spewed under the proverbial safety net that is the First Amendment.

When I was in undergrad public relations classes, we learned about these things called “prepared remarks.” Basically, any person in the public eye should have prepared key points for interviews to help stay on topic but still deliver main points. This was not the case for Todd Akin.

With his reckless display of ignorance, Akin had single-handedly ruined his campaign for the Senate, drawing criticism from fellow Republicans and losing support from third-party conservative campaign group Crossroads. And to make matters worse, his public “apology” was anything but. By simply stating he had “misspoke,” he only drew further criticism.

Although the majority of my political opinions tend to be more liberal, I have a deep appreciation for the moments when party politics are pushed aside over general agreement that something is flat out wrong. Todd Akin’s comments are that perfect indication that we, regardless of status, need to educate ourselves on the issues before we make assumptions and misinformed statements. The opinions of the American people influence which direction our country heads, but when our votes are placed without proper knowledge, we may end up regretting our decisions as voters.

What I’ve found to be the most useful resource for me so far is iSideWith.com. It helped me realize what my opinion is on the various important issues, their importance to me, and which candidates I agree with most. It is very comprehensive and detailed, and really helped me realize that I’m not entirely as liberal as I thought. I feel very strongly that party politics is ruining our nation’s potential, and believe this will help disseminate those affiliations. If you want to view my results, check them out here.

Now is the time to educate yourself. Discover the issues that matter to you most so you can go out and talk about them. We need more discussion on this issues in this country, and now is the best time to get started.

And most importantly, DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!!

 

Please feel free to share your results, and whether they were what you expected, in the comments below!

A Helping Hand

We all have those days that get us down. We are only human, meaning we are prone to being forgetful or clumsy or capable of making thoughtless mistakes. And being under the pressure of a culture driven by the notion that success is reached fast and efficiently with few mistakes, we often need a helping hand when we do slip up. And just last week, I had the privilege of experiencing how I can offer that help through my job.

The main proponent of my position as Campus Visit Coordinator is to schedule individualized visits for prospective students. I schedule students for campus tours, admission meetings and faculty meetings, among other tasks as requested. I also act as a back-up tour guide.

A campus tour I had scheduled was running late. It was a young woman and her mother, who were in a race against time to get all their necessary paperwork submitted so she could start classes in the fall. They admitted getting a late start , but had gotten through the admission process fairly quickly. However they had not yet accomplished one very important step: enrolling in classes. Because the usual tour guides were already out, I decided to give the two their campus tour.

The young woman was interested in the School of Communications, which allowed me to give her a more detailed tour of the building. I guess what happened next was purely coincidental, but easily a moment I won’t soon forget. We walked past the office of The Journal, our campus newspaper, and made contact with Larry, advisor to The Journal and one of my personal favorite instructors from undergrad.

Larry is not one to be shy by any means, and immediately inquired about the young woman’s interests and current standing. After realizing her need to enroll in classes, Larry offered his resources as an advisor to get her signed up. After her tour, she met with Larry while I escorted her mother to the financial aid office to complete some paperwork. Along the walk, the mother admitted she was nervous about sending her youngest off to school, but felt relieved and expressed such gratitude that we were able to accommodate her and get her daughter enrolled during her visit. Because I was a School of Communications student myself, I was able to provide her with the resource she needed to get everything completed.

I left work that day feeling elated for selflessly making another person’s day so great.

This is why I am proud to be a student again. I take pride in the fact that I am capable of providing resources to other students and getting them connected with the people they need most. I also take pride in acting as a point of contact for prospective and current students alike. Most importantly, I take pride in that I was raised with a willingness to sacrifice my time to lend a helping hand, an attitude which I intend to carry into my professional career.

“The only gift is a portion of thyself.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson