Planned Parenthood: After losing funding in 2015, what does 2016 have in store for PP? By: Dixie Robinson

Birth control, wellness checkups, feminine health, STD testing, and in a very small percentage of Planned Parenthood locations, abortions, are all services that Planned Parenthood provides for people. Although Planned Parenthood has always been a controversial establishment, 2015 was the worst year for them. The House of Representatives passed a bill on September 18, 2015 that prohibits Planned Parenthood from receiving funding unless they confirm that they and their affiliates will not perform abortions for the period of one year, according to Congress.gov. This bill passed with a 241-187 vote. Many Americans celebrated the passing of this bill because they don’t believe in abortions except in rare instances. Other Americans were infuriated at the lack of education when it comes to Planned Parenthood and their services because the number of abortions performed on location are minimal and it’s the other positive services that Planned Parenthood provides that are being taken away as a consequence. Since 2016 is an election year, Planned Parenthood has been doing major campaigning  in the hope that candidates will be elected that will overturn the bill and allow funding to be reinstated. Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have been forced to decide who the next Supreme Court judge will be and much of their decision is based on the issue of Planned Parenthood funding. To say this election is important, is an understatement.

According to the Huffington Post, Planned Parenthood plans to spend $30 million on campaigning people to vote for Hillary Clinton instead of Trump. They endorsed Hillary Clinton because of her commitment to female rights and the funding of Planned Parenthood while Donald Trump is pro-life and intends to have anti-abortion supreme court justices. Planned Parenthood wants as much help as they can get, but the main demographic they are targeting is women, swing voters because they usually care about reproductive rights and can go either way this election. The states that Planned Parenthood is focusing on for campaigning is Nevada, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Hampshire, Florida, and Colorado. “…Planned Parenthood’s policy agenda for 2016…will focus on equalizing access to reproductive health care, cementing the right to safe and legal abortion and making sure young people have access to quality sex education.” 

View my video here:  http://touchcast.com/laugh_it_off/16b4d14fd9

Concealed Carry on Campus: Do you feel safe at your university? By: Dixie Robinson

Growing up, everyone heard about the Columbine shooting. Although no one thought that would happen to their kids, parents starting being scared to send their children to school. That was before most of us were born so the idea of a school shooting was fleeting. In 2007, another devastating shooting happened at Virginia Tech. Most of us were pre-teens, but we were old enough to understand what happened. I remember thinking, “Wow, I’m never going to Virginia Tech for college,” as if they were now a target for school shootings. Little did I know, the mass shooting problem in America would continue to grow and affect us all. Although police brutality is nothing new, the media and social outcry has been growing tremendously within the past few years. Even more recently this year we had the mass shooting at Pulse night club in Orlando, Florida and the killing of five Dallas police officers to name a few. All of these instances of gun violence are forcing Americans to take a look at gun policy, and the split has never been greater. Not only are politicians trying to figure out gun laws within their states, but most states are also trying to figure out what to do about carrying on college campuses. Should they allow concealed carry on campus and if they do will that make more mass shootings occur, or if they ban concealed carry on campus, will it infringe on individual rights?

Legislation on gun laws in relation to college campuses really began growing in 2013. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, “In 2013, at least 19 states introduced legislation to allow concealed carry on campus in some regard and in the 2014 legislative session, at least 14 states introduced similar legislation.” Arkansas and Kansas were two of the front runners with Arkansas trying to allow faculty members to conceal carry on campus, and Kansas just trying to allow general concealed carrying. Arkansas passed their bill with the only contingency being that if a governing board expressively makes a rule against faculty carrying, then they have to abide. Kansas also passed their bill but with the contingency that if a building has taken enough security measures to keep students safe, then they can prohibit students from conceal carrying on campus. Tennessee, Georgia, and Texas are states that have also began legislation on this issue, with Texas actually passing a bill allowing concealed carry on campus starting in August of 2016. At the same time, in 2014, five states have tried to ban carrying on campus, but none were successful.

To make things easier, most states fall into three categories per the NCSL. The states that completely ban concealed carrying on college campuses include, “California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina and Wyoming.” The states that allow individual colleges to make the decision on concealed carry include, “Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.” Lastly, the states that have provisions allowing concealed carry on campus include, “Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Oregon, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin.”

Being that Avila University is in Missouri, we don’t really have to worry about concealed carry on campus at this moment. Many people probably hope that we end up allowing concealed carry for students and faculty, and that could very well happen as times progress. It’s hard to know which decision is better because there are strong arguments on both sides. The most important thing is keeping yourself safe and adjust to the changes as they come.

View my video here: http://touchcast.com/laugh_it_off/ccc

Where Are They Now? Political Edition By: Dixie Robinson

Below is a list of some of the most influential and well-known political figures within the last 30 years. Of course there are countless others that impacted politics within this time frame, but the ones listed will be the most recognizable to millennials.

Bill Clinton: After serving as America’s 42^nd President of the United States, Bill has remained a strong force in politics. In 1997 he started the William J. Clinton Foundation which allows him to provide funding for projects and initiatives related to climate control and the recovery of Haiti. In 2004 he wrote an autobiography titled, “My Life.” In 2008 when his wife, Hillary Clinton first ran for president, he helped with her campaign. In 2013 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Currently, you can find him helping out with Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign and if she wins in November, he will be the First Man of the United States.

Al Gore: Many people know Al Gore as the 45^th Vice President of the United States but he really marked his place in political history when he ran for President of the United States in 2000 against George W. Bush. He not only lost, but he won the popular vote which caused controversy about our democracy throughout the nation. No tears for this politician though because he has since been successful in other endeavors. In 2007, he won a Nobel Prize for his work with helping the environment. He isn’t involved with politics much, but is a business man who has invested in several successful companies, an author, and a public speaker.

George W. Bush: American public opinion has always been very split in regards to George W. Bush. His presidency started fairly rocky because of his controversial win over Al Gore in 2000. He was also the president that had to deal with the biggest terroristic event in American history: 9/11. This event also lead to George W. Bush waging war on the Middle East. He served two terms as president. After presidency, he wrote a memoir called, “Decision Points.” Bush also opened a George W. Bush Library and Museum. He had a heart scare in 2013.

Sarah Palin: In 2008, Sarah Palin was running for Vice President under Republican Presidential Candidate, John McCain. After they lost the election, she continued to the Governor of Alaska, but only for a short while. When she finished politics, she wrote an autobiography titled, “Going Rogue: An American Life.” In 2010 she also was given the opportunity to have a reality show on TLC, and it had a very successful first season but ended up getting cancelled before the second season. There was speculation that this was because she was going to run for President in 2012. Sarah wrote another book titled, “America by Heart.” In 2014 she launched the Sarah Palin Channel. 

Hillary Clinton: Are You With Her? By: Dixie Robinson

Hillary Rodham Clinton: For years people have recognized her as the woman behind once president, Bill Clinton and their unfortunate marriage scandal within the White House. A younger generation may know her for battling Barrack Obama for the Democratic Candidacy in 2008. Although she lost then, she is back in the race, this time against Republican Candidate, Donald Trump. All elections have a surplus of buzz surrounding them, but this one may take the cake. It’s important to know the facts instead of the rumors so you can make an educated decision about who you want to be the leader of our country for at least 4 years.

According to Hillary Clinton’s campaign site, she was born October 26, 1947 which makes her 68 years old. She grew up in a suburb of Chicago to a middle class family. Her mother taught Sunday School, and raised Hillary to be Methodist. She attended Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts. After that she began law school at Yale where she was one of 27 female graduates. This is also where she met her husband, Bill Clinton. After college, Hillary took a pay cut to work for the Children’s Defense Fund. She eventually would move to Arkansas where she taught law and ran the legal aid clinic and prison projects. Hillary and Bill married on October 11, 1975 and they have been married 41 years. She became the first female associate and first female partner for Rose Law Firm. At this point, Bill’s political career started to take off and he became governor for Arkansas. Hillary wanted to fight for health and education systems and did so when she became First Lady of the United States in 1992. In 2000, Hillary became the first female U.S. senator from New York. After losing to Barrack Obama in 2008, she became his Secretary of State.

Hillary Clinton is a part of the Democratic Party, so her ideals are more liberal. Equal rights, tuition-free college, helping small businesses, ending Alzheimer’s Disease, gun control and violence prevention, universal healthcare, support of our veterans, sexual assault on college campuses, Wall Street reform, immigration reform, paid medical leave, fighting terrorism, and animal protection are all ideals at the forefront of her campaign. She bases her campaign around helping the “little people” in our society and equality, something she has been focused on most of her life.

Hillary, like all people has her faults. The major issue voters have with her is they don’t feel as though they can trust her which really came to a head when it was announced that she used a personal, private email account to deal with official communication. Most people who work high up in the government have to handle official business through a government email account. She also deleted emails from this account which makes the public think she has something to hide.

Hillary Clinton could become the first female president this November, and although you shouldn’t vote for her based on her gender, know that it has a huge role to play in how she views the world. You’ve now read her history, policies, and faults and whether you like her or not, you can now make a more informed, educated decision. Happy voting!

The "Un-Love" Game By: Dixie Robinson

          

           Swiping, hook-ups, ghosting, and just overall, bad dating etiquette have become a sad reality in the world of singles. Technology has come so far in such a short amount of time that just ten years ago, people were thought to be an outcast or weird if they looked online for love: Now, it’s the norm. Dating is not only more efficient than ever, but singles have the largest dating pool they could want. Sure you can connect with people in your own backyard, but you can also connect with people from all around the world! According to Digital Trends, some of the most popular dating apps are Tinder, OkCupid, and Coffee Meets Bagel. Although social media has done great things for singles, researchers are starting to find adverse consequences that may make you step away from the app dating scene. Poor dating habits and less sex are just some of the effects of online dating.

            According to Francesca Hogi of the Huffington Post, there are three impolite trends in dating that have occurred due to social media and they are “Ghosting,” “Benching,” and “Zombieing.” Ghosting is probably the most well-known of these terms and it’s when someone dumps someone they’re dating by completely cutting off contact. Rather than properly ending things, they just disappear. Benching is when a person keeps someone they’re dating “on the bench” because they don’t want to completely cut them off, but they don’t want to completely be with them either. If something better comes along they’ll probably leave, but if not, they’ll still have you as a backup. Lastly, Zombieing is when a relationship has completely ended (ie. died), and after some time has passed one of the daters starts trying to talk to the other again (ie. coming back to life). With social media, the relationship is many times revived through a text, post, or private message. Another term that must be acknowledged is “Catfishing.” Catfishing is when someone pretends to be a person online and deceives others. In this context, they are usually wanting a relationship to surface from this, but it usually turns out bad. These dating faux pas aren’t necessarily anything new. They happened before social media and dating apps, however with the prevalence of using these mediums for dating, it’s happening much more and terms are being assessed.

Benched

            A recent study was published, according to CNN, that found Millennials are less sexually active than the generation before them. This is surprising to many because Millennials are many times looked at as being oversexualized, when the research is starting to say otherwise. CNN contributes this research to three key reasons: Millennials are too busy, have changing attitudes about sexual activity, and have less pressure about sex. Social media plays a big role in all of these issues; this generation is too busy so they turn to a quicker option to find love; they have changing attitudes because they can find as much information as they want online; they face less sexual pressure because they have other things going on in their social life through social media. One could also presume that all the technology takes intimacy away from people, so they don’t want to have a sexual relationship.

            Dating has changed in so many ways within the last 10-15 years, mainly with the rise of technology and social media. This has made dating easier and faster. Research has shown that dating apps have changed the way people, especially Millennials date. In some ways it’s better because the dating pool is larger and one can potentially find the ideal partner they’re looking for. In some ways it’s damaging because people are being more impolite and having less intimacy with others. Either way, dating will continue to evolve as technology does, and it’s important that people know their options and make the best decision for them. 

What's Your Fantasy? By: Dixie Robinson

            

           Everyone has fantasies to some extent, but unless you’re an athlete it’s likely that yours have nothing to do with sports; but they should. I grew up as an athlete, but as the years went by and college came, I lost touch with that side of me. It wasn’t until I started playing Fantasy Football that I finally got back to my roots. Sure I wasn’t physically playing anymore, but Fantasy makes you feel as if you have as much at stake in the game as the superstars getting paid the big bucks. Let’s not mention that if I play well in my leagues, I could potentially win money which kind of makes me a professional too if you think about it. What is Fantasy though? For those that don’t play, it sounds like a foreign language. People assume they have to know all about a sport in order to play, and that’s just not the case. Take this as a Fantasy for Beginners course, and then get out there and play!

            You can play Fantasy for many sports such as football, baseball, and hockey but according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Commission, 73% of people chose football as their favorite Fantasy sport, and that’s what I will use for my examples as well. Most people who play Fantasy play with people that they know in a league. All leagues are different, but you will almost always draft for the same core positions. For example, during the draft you will be looking for a quarterback, wide receiver, running back, tight end, defense, and a “flex” position where you can draft an extra player that’s usually a wide receiver, running back, or tight end. Those positions are the bare minimum. In the leagues I play in, we have all of the positions listed above, four defensive positions, a kicker, and five bench spots. Your bench players are there to help you during bye weeks (weeks that teams don’t play), injuries, and projections (potential points your players can earn. The major outlets people play Fantasy on are Yahoo Fantasy, ESPN, Draft Kings, and Fan Duel. You can choose these based on your discretion.

            Once you have a league to play in, it’s time to name and draft your team. You can name your team anything but try to be clever. Drafting your team seems totally overwhelming and for good reason, but you don’t have to know anything about the sport to do it, and the sites make drafting a breeze. You’ll have to wait to draft until it’s your turn, which is usually decided randomly. Depending on how many teams are in your league, drafting can take a couple of hours so plan to be available long enough. If you can’t figure out who to pick, or if you miss your draft, your team will automatically be drafted based on the best player available at that time, so don’t fret because you could still end up with a good team. Even so, you can always change your team, and will all throughout the season because anything can happen.

My Draft Grade

            Each week you will go head-to-head against someone in your league. You earn points based on how the people on your team are performing in real life. Your goal is to beat the person you’re playing against every week, and get the best record. You could potentially make it to your league’s playoffs and even win! I know how intimidating Fantasy sports can seem, but it is so fun once you try it. You can meet new people, win money, and have a reason to attend football parties throughout the season and not feel left out. Now that you know the basics, there’s no excuse not to go out in the real world and live your fantasy!

My Week One Matchup

The Dallavis Family By: Dixie Robinson

At Avila University, there's a building that's offset from the rest of campus. In fact, it's technically the basement of a dorm building that isn't even noticeable unless you happen to stumble upon it one day on accident. The name of this somewhat hidden building is Dallavis. To most students at Avila, they will only have the pleasure of attending one, and sometimes two classes in this building within their college career. To Communication and Design majors however, Dallavis is home.

The Dallavis Building

The personality dynamics in Dallavis are unique when compared to other focusses for many reasons. Not only are the students there creative, but they also have colorful personalities that invite people in. There is not one day that someone could visit Dallavis and not witness the constant creativity that happens. Art work and projects are featured all throughout the building, and it’s the home of Thornhill Gallery that occasionally hosts art exhibits. Being inside Dallavis, one can feel the great rapport between students and teachers that makes it exciting to be involved in such a major. It is these relationships that makes Dallavis such a special place.

Students hanging out in the lobby of Dallavis

Abby Trapp, Abdullah Alshaddi, and Omar Alnasser are all Communication majors, so they spend plenty of time within Dallavis walls. While interviewing them, it was clear that they all seemed to have the same opinions about the building and what it has to offer. Abdullah had this to say when asked about Dallavis, “I feel welcomed. I feel like that is my place that I fit into. The people there are refreshing, smiling, always will reach out to talk to you because that’s what we do in Advertising and Public Relations.” Omar Alnasser also had this to say, “Whenever I enter there [Dallavis], everyone is smiling and even if I am by myself sitting in the rest area, some of them are just going to come up and talk to you.” Lastly, Abby had this to say, “I love Dallavis because when you walk in, it’s like, visually exciting too to walk in and the lobby’s really comfortable.”

Students waiting for their class in Dallavis

As one can see, Dallavis seems like a wonderful place to be. Outsiders who visit the building seem to clearly observe the relationships people have with others, as well as strangers who come. Even the students who are there on a day-to-day basis can’t help but say great things about the building. Dallavis students are different because they’re not just surrounded by classmates, but a family.

Students hanging out in the lobby of Dallavis

For more on Dallavis, follow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vfv97YFozYs