Self-Reflective Statement: Nina

Posted on May 1, 2019 by nina525

Writing is Recursive

Core Value 1: My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

This value teaches writers to value opinions about their work, review and research unique perspectives of their topic of choice, and finally collect all of their data into a form of writing, For example, my research paper this semester discussed the differences between Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide and why patient clinically or non clinically diagnosed with depression should not be authorized. While, collecting data on this topic, I had to find scholarly articles to defend my position. Due to he fact that many opinions shifting from medical professionals to State Legislatures shared unique views about Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide. I had obtained many articles using Rowan database and Google Scholar to include the perspectives of doctors, specialists, and other medical professionals.

Core Value 2: My work demonstrates that I read critically, and that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities.  

This core value helped me to incorporate sources through out my writing. Scholarly sources allowed me to find background information about my topic in different perspectives. Also, critical reading allowed room for creative thoughts and eventually conducting a hypothesis after critically reading about my topic of choice. For example, the White Paper we completed taught us to analyze sources and summarize them to show that the writer has read, understood, and can generate ideas from that source and apply it to their writing. The white paper was a series of purposeful summaries written after reading sources we will use for the research paper. This assignment allowed for students to read critically, and furthermore read into the topic to generate our own ideas, and later create a three step research paper to defend their position on a specific topic.

Core Value 3. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments. 

This core value allowed students to analyze writing, and visuals such as videos and create insight of what the article or video is presenting to the reader. Analyzing visuals create original content that explains specific details that other may or may not have noticed. For example, the Visual Rhetoric assignment. For this assignment, students selected a thirty- second Ad Council video of their choice and described all visuals presented to them and made predictions and conclusions of what the ad is trying to convey to the audience without using the audio. The Ad Council video I selected was titles “The Coworker”. This ad demonstrated a visual based on real events, in which a woman is harassed after work while preparing for the next days work. Through out the video, I paused and divided the video into sections, then analyzed the body language and surrounding of all actors and actresses in the ad to make ethical conclusions of what the ad is trying to convince the audience about.

Core Value 4: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations. 

Utilizing sources to support claims and reasoning includes evidence that will make the reader agree with what your position on the topic is. Not only is support your position important, but also the perspective of your greatest argument against your position is crucial to acknowledge. I applied core value 4 to my writing during the Rebuttal essay. For this assignment, students were asked to find their biggest argument against their hypothesis. This required reading articles that refute your argument and give reasoning as to what he reader should agree with them. In my rebuttal essay, I found that many phsicians do not mind assiting citizens in assisted suicide. Medial professionals argued that assisted suicide is the choice of the patient and that the patient should choose what they want to do with their lives. I had to find that these arguments only applied in places where Physician Assisted is legal. I further researched the results of those Physicians who agreed that the procedure should be given to the patient who requests it no matter that situation, and more than half of those same medical professionals refused to participate in the assisted suicide procedure.

Core Value 5: My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

This core value teaches student to its their work when supporting claims. With the appropriate citations, students can avoid violating academic integrity and plagiarism consequences. This mean students must show where they received their information from and incorporate how they used it int heir writing. To show references, students are ask create an Annotated Bibliography. The Annotated Bibliography includes ten to fifteen sources used through out the students research paper to indicate where the information came from. I created an annotated bibliography which included the source in APA format, background of what the source was a about in a paragraph, and lastly a paragraph on how I applied the source to my writing. Annotated bibliographies are extremely helpful and keep students on track to align their sources and information.

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Causal Rewrite-nousernamefound1

Posted on May 1, 2019 by nousernamefound1

High Cost of Attending College 

The prohibitively high cost of attending college is causing enrollment to drop. It’s not just 4-year colleges that are showing drops in enrollment. Community colleges have been in a drought for almost 10 years now. In this era, relying on student aid or government aid is like waiting around for pigs to start flying. “Among dependent community college students, 19 percent have family incomes of less than $20,000, putting them near or below the poverty line. Among independent community college students, 48 percent have incomes of less than $20,000. Sixty-seven percent of community college students work while in college, with 32 percent working 35 or more hours per week. Yet only 2 percent of community college students receive any Federal Work Study aid, compared with 25 percent of students at private four-year colleges,” according to Community College Research Center in “Community College FAQs.” Ashley Smith claims in “No Bottom Yet in 2-Year College Enrollments,” that “Community colleges are used to declining enrollments when the economy is strong, and unemployment is low. But some researchers are warning colleges that future declines are only expected to get worse amid cuts in state funding and more pressure on institutions to produce measurable outcomes.” The author expects the drought to never change because of the fact that we rely so much on student aid to get kids into school.  A director of strategic research at EAB stated that they absolutely need to be worried right now. This isn’t an issue that can be just pushed to the side. The problem has nothing to do with population. When colleges are losing over 50 percent of their students in the matriculation process, you are suspended to look within. When looking within you can see that a lot of students are deciding to not attend because of financial reasons. We can’t blame this all on the government though. The failure of schools to get kids to excel is a reason why the government is cutting back for community colleges. Ashley Smith claims in “No Bottom Yet in 2-Year College Enrollments”, that “EAB found that out of 100 students who apply to a two-year college, 56 are lost during onboarding, 23 drops out and just five are still enrolled after six years. Only nine of the 100 complete an associate degree and seven complete a bachelor’s degree.” The government will not waste their money trying to fund students when statistics show that they will just end up dropping out or even fail out. 

 Donna Desrochers and Steven Hurlburt stated that “2013 Across higher education, revenues per FTE student were higher in 2013 than a decade earlier, but only private institutions and public research universities had fully recovered revenue losses experienced since the 2008 recession.” That schools don’t care too much about the kids getting into the school because of the fact that they use tuition as a scapegoat to get out of financial trouble. Where does the money go? What are colleges buying? These are questions that constantly cross my mind as a student. A building doesn’t attract students that just want a degree. My conclusion would be investing in programs that will guarantee more students being successful in private or public institutions. This would attract more students because it will show that the school really cares about us and doesn’t just want our money. There are some shocking facts out there that will leave you shaking your head. Many say that colleges are expensive because of the fact that many of the institutions need more faculty members and they need to figure out how to pay them all. That dream house or dream car that you wanted for years can come to an end after noticing how much in debt you are in student loans. Hillary Hoffower in “College is more expensive than it’s ever been, and the 5 reasons why to suggest it’s only going to get worse,” claims that “At a four-year nonprofit private institution, tuition and room and board is $46,950, on average. Four-year public colleges charge an average of $20,770 a year for tuition, fees, and room and board. For out-of-state students, the total goes up to $36,420.” The numbers are ridiculous, we shouldn’t treat kids that want to better themselves like this. A lot of people miss out on this opportunity because of selfish institutions. 

Tuition doesn’t just damage the enrollment; it can also cause Demographic shifts. “Demographic shifts may be associated with changes in enrollment such as the growth of various subgroups or the population in general,” according to Nathan Lassila. 71 percent of students often use student loans to pay off school. That’s more than half, which makes me question the effort of colleges looking for a change. Lowering income students are still struggling until this day. In fact, a lot of them are paying more because they are not on the same rate as students that have a higher income. “However, there is a large gap in the ratio of low-income and higher-income students who enroll in post-secondary education,” according to Nathan Lassila. This is a fear for a lot of colleges, but still, they can’t seem to find a solution. If the numbers continue to grow you will see the majority of the higher income families participate in college more than the lower income families. The cost and fees are causing a lot of students to throw in the towel. Why continue to wait on student aid when they’re cutting back? Institutions need a better solution when attacking this problem. Colleges must first understand that a growing number of Americans live in poverty. Two would be that a lot of students are fighting for extra money, so when you try to do scholarships it doesn’t help the situation. It doesn’t help because institutions don’t give out enough scholarships for everybody. The amount of people struggling with the cost of attendance is way higher than the number of scholarships given out. They need to see that the cost scares a lot of students away. Nothing will change but the fact that enrollment will continue to decrease if they don’t take these baby steps. The institutions need to stop sitting around and waiting for a miracle to happen. Waiting around will do nothing but bring grey hairs. This is a serious issue that needs to be spoken on every day. There are too many jobs that require a lot of people to have higher education, but it seems like things will never change for the better for the students. 

Reference

Community college enrollment rates expected to keep falling. (2018, June 21). Retrieved March 24, 2019, from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/06/21/community-college-enrollment-rates-expected-keep-falling

Desrochers, D. M., & Hurlburt, S. (2016). Trends in College Spending: 2003-2013. Where Does the Money Come From?: Where Does It Go? What Does It Buy? Place of publication not identified: Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse.

Hoffower, H. (2018, July 08). College is more expensive than it’s ever been, and the 5 reasons why suggest it’s only going to get worse. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/why-is-college-so-expensive-2018-4

Lassila, Nathan E. (2011) “Effects of Tuition Price, Grant Aid, and Institutional Revenue on Low-Income Student Enrollment,” Journal of Student Financial Aid: Vol. 41: Iss. 3, Article 2. Available at: http://publications.nasfaa.org/jsfa/vol41/iss3/2 

Community College FAQs. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2019, from https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/Community-College-FAQs.html


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Annotated Bibliography: Nina

Posted on May 1, 2019 by nina525
  1. Asch, D. A. (2017, May 23). The Role of Critical Care Nurses in Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide | NEJM. Retrieved from https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199605233342106

Background: The conversation surrounding euthanasia and assisted suicide focuses on the role of physicians and critical care nurses. In this article, Asch conducted a study by mailing a survey to over 1600 critical care nurses and physicians to discuss the requests made by patients and other medical professionals to perform the procedure. As s result, only 1139 responded to the survey and of that, around 140 have stated that they have received requests from patients asking for permission to have the procedure done. Also in this article, more than the majority of those who responded to the survey, have not completed the procedure on someone or refused to.

How I used It: In my Rebuttal essay, I applied this source to my writing to show show the ratio between how many people volunteer for Physician Assisted Suicide and compared it to the number of medical professionals who have experienced completing the procedure. In my essay, I included that although states that allow assisted suicide and believe people have the right to decide if they want to die, many medical professionals have a hard time completing the procedure,

2. D’Antoni, T. (2014, October 26). Robert’s Story:Dying with Dignity (Improved video). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lO_NAbjYvUY

Background: This video highlighted the long and stressful, emotion filled process of assisted suicide performed by Robert Schwartz. He was diagnosed with AIDS and suffered several health issues because of it. On his journey through death. the audience views how stressful and problematic the procedure is for assisted suicide. Robert spent months down an endless road of pain and complications with in his family and his relationship altered his decisions.

How I used it: I used this source in my causal essay to show how at home situations, family and relationship issues play a huge role in a person furthering their decision to participate in assisted suicide. Robert was experiencing extreme distress when his lover began to mistreat him and when he continued to have surgeries and eventually the removal of his spleen due to his diagnosis of AIDS

3. Diekstra, R. F. W., & DIEKSTRA, R. F. W. (1995). Dying in dignity: The pros and cons of assisted suicide. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 49(1), S139-S148. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1819.1995.tb01917.x

Background: This article discussed the history of assisted suicide and how it is approached in the Netherlands compared to the U.S. The article also presents the audience with the results of assisted suicide and how it effects the general public.

How I used it: I used this article to refute any of my strongest arguments and found evidence from other scholarly articles to defend my position and have the audience agree with my reasoning due to imperial evidence supporting my claims.

4. Gopal, A. A. (2015, June 01). Physician-Assisted Suicide: Considering the Evidence, Existential Distress, and an Emerging Role for Psychiatry. Retrieved from http://jaapl.org/content/43/2/183

Background: This source defined what Physician Assisted Suicide is and the procedure. The text indicated the requirements and documentation needed to complete and qualify for this operation and the results recorded by physicians in comparison to the other states that comply with the Death by Dignity Law.

How I used it: I used this source in my definition categorical essay. I included the definition of Assisted Suicide and what needs to happen prior to the procedure in order to qualify. For example, a mandatory psychiatric analysis is needed to determine the mental state of the patient.

5. How to Access and Use Death with Dignity Laws. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.deathwithdignity.org/learn/access

Background: In the United States, there are a total of five states that have an active Death by Dignity Law. This law establishes the requirements and in details the process of how assisted suicide is planned. The age you must be eighteen years of age or older, and you do not have to suffer from an incurable disease in order to qualify, The website even included the process for individuals who didn’t live in states the Death by Dignity Law but want to go through the procedure.

How I used it: In my definition essay, I used this website to describe the differences between Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide. The process and laws for assisted suicide in America are more strict and requires months worth of paper work and application processing in comparison to other countries such as Belgium.

6. Nathansen, S. (n.d.). Act and Rule of Utilitarianism. Retrieved from https://www.iep.utm.edu/util-a-r/

Background: The Utilitarian act demonstrates that human have a right to choose destiny for themselves. Humans are entitled to make choices that make them happy and puts them in a place of security. With this act, humans want the respect and of others to agree with their choice of life or death in the context of Euthanasia and assisted suicide,

How I used it: I utilized this source in my causal essay. In this essay I elaborated that many choose assisted suicide as an alternative rather than diminishing the problem less broad approach. This source helped me to prove that individuals will choose euthanasia because it is available, not because it is a last resort.

7. Peirce, J. (2011, November 29). Human and Animal Euthanasia: Dare to Compare? Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/all-dogs-go-heaven/201111/human-and-animal-euthanasia-dare-compare

Background: This article compares the differences between human and animals euthanasia. The difference is perspective shows how human and animals differ from one another when suffering from incurable diseases. The author distinguishes how vet hospitals and human care takers proceed euthanasia.

How I used it: I used this source in comparison to the youtube video I watched to refute the utilitarian act reason given by one of my biggest arguments. I had proven that although we don’t stress the fact that we euthanize animals just as much as we euthanize human, humans and animals are set a different viewpoint than animals. We are taught to not make animals suffer, and for humans, medications to cope with pain have been distributed to improve their well being,

8. Services, A. L. (2014, November 25). Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide FAQ – Video 1. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk0_X7Yb7jA

Background: This video answers frequently asked question regarding euthanasia and assisted suicide. The speaker talks about complexities between dogs being euthanized and humans being euthanized. The video stressed that we should value others opinions but also help those who suffer from incurable diseases that choose to die.

How I used it: In my definition essay, I defined what the difference is, in terms of morality, between how we treat animals who are euthanized, and how we treat human who choose to die due to illness. I also used this source in my rebuttal to include my solution to the issues surrounding how to help those who are clinically depressed find another alternative.

9. Smietana, B. (2017, August 23). Most Americans Say Assisted Suicide is Morally Acceptable. Retrieved from https://lifewayresearch.com/2016/12/06/most-americans-say-assisted-suicide-is-morally-acceptable/

Background: In this article, more than a third of Americans feel that people who suffer incurable diseases deserve to choose assisted suicide. The author argues that more people are willing to accept the fact that people with incurable diseases want to die.

How I used it: I used this article to coincide with the causal essay that individuals feel entitled to choose death over life because it is an option. This also goes with the idea of being utilitarian and making your own choices without looking at the alternatives such as modern medication.

10. Top 10 Pro & Con Arguments. (2018, September 10). Retrieved from https://euthanasia.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000126

Background: This list of pros and cons helped determine the cause and effects of euthanasia and assisted suicide. The list included medical perspectives, legalization, financial issues, law changing ect. Arguments for or against euthanasia and PAS were displayed to show what would happen on either end of the spectrum, positively or negatively.

How I used it: I applied this source to figure out my strongest argument as well. I also applied this source through out all my written work to keep in mind the many different perspectives on this topic. I wanted to target any refutations that the audience would have against my position. With this article, any possible disagreement was countered with evidence based facts that would change the readers perspective.

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Casual Rewrite-Jets1313

Posted on May 1, 2019 by jets1313

Wealth Discrimination in the Criminal Justice System

The criminal justice system is lawfully obligated to impartially represent the people, regardless of wealth and social status. The entire essence of the criminal justice system is based on the idea of true unbiased justice and is expected to administer these concepts to establish a system in which absolutely everyone receives equal and fair treatment in regard with the law. However, our societal concepts and beliefs has undoubtedly hindered with the system creating the discriminatory, unequal, and unjust criminal justice system we have today. The problem begins with the idolization of celebrities and wealth leading to high profile lawyers grating celebrities access to special treatment in the court of law. Opportunities of which that would be unattainable by the average person of average income, this has created a system that is unethical and undoubtedly discriminatory. While it is understood that celebrities presumably pay their lawyers more than an average person. It is not lawful that celebrities charged with crimes of the equivalent stature of an average citizen should ever receive different or special treatment or sentencing.

A multitude of high profile lawyers try to cheat the system to keep the press from being informed on the case or receiving any information. According to the first amendment all people have the freedom to press, no one should be able to minimize that right. The lawyers attached to these cases do their best to ensure that their clients are protected from media backlash. An article titled “Dealing with the Press in High-Profile Cases, How to neutralize the 13th Juror” by Ellen C. Brotman says that “media advocates say today’s unmatched effort at secrecy cheats the public out of its First Amendment right to observe and criticize the system through its surrogates in the press. Ideally, public oversight is supposed to keep the system honest.” It isn’t right that some people are protected from the media and others have no defense at all. This is a type of discrimination is creating unequal treatment between wealthy and regular criminals.

Special treatment of celebrities by their lawyers is creating an unjust criminal justice system, but, I have also come to realize that “high-profile cases have high-profile clients whose reputations can be ruined no matter what the outcome” Although Ellen Brotman is correct in saying this, I also cannot help but wonder what kind of substance that statement holds if it is implying that the average person’s reputation can’t be ruined as well? If the justice system were fair, there would not be such a discrepancy between the protection of the two groups of people.

The injustice created by high profile lawyers in the criminal justice system is apparent primarily because they have such a strong effect on the media. This is a problem because a lot of the time tabloids and media is bias. In turn, this creates an impartial jury. An article titled “Celebrity Adjudication: Comparative Analysis of the United States Verdict Rates for Celebrity Defendants” written by Bruce A Carroll suggests that “this combination ofa susceptible jury, a strong mediainfluence, and celebrity presence cancause the jury to render a judgment that is biased bythe media at the expense of a fair judicial preceding…” It is not impossible to see how the jury’s perception can be warped.

People reading the news and blog posts are also not shown the reality of the cases in many situations. Author Patrick Furman elaborates on this idea in his article titled “Publicity in High Profile Criminal Cases.” He says that “the image [to become] as important as the substance-a bizarre and unsettling state of affairs to those of us who value reality.” The best way to protect high profile cases being broadcasted misleadingly is by keeping these affairs in the courtroom and not manipulating a case to make the best story. As Furman states, “it is fine in Hollywood but not in a real courtroom.” High profile cases cause the lawyers to sometimes not handle their cases professionally due to media attention, “these [cases] are also precisely the cases which are most likely to tempt us into behaving out of character and unprofessionally.” This is a cause of an unfair justice system as these high profile lawyers are not lawfully doing their jobs nor are they doing them correctly, yet somehow are still getting justice for their clients.

If the lawyers in our criminal justice system found ways to make high profile cases treated the same way as normal cases, the system would be harmonious in some way at least. Celebrity criminal reputations are protected while criminals that are represented by public defenders, other lawyers, etc… are forced to take on the media and public backlash with no defense. There have been instances in which judges will decide to make a deal with a celebrity criminal or high profile lawyer so that the case is kept out of the public eye as much as possible. There are so many advantages that come with being part of a high profile case. However, there are so many disadvantages for an average criminal that a person of high caliber does not have to deal with. Average people face their reputations being destroyed by the media with no protection. Most of the time, lower profiled criminals are shown in the media in a terrible light and are not given the benefit of the doubt. While wealthy criminals have someone to protect them from a lot of the media backlash, normal people do not have this luxury. Regular criminals are forced to have their faces plastered on social media with untrue headings and have absolutely no one to pay these people to stop.

The criminal justice system was supposed to be built on amendments that protect the rights of every person, criminal or not, and we are all supposed to be treated equally in a court of law. High profile lawyers cause our criminal justice system to be unjust by creating what seems to be a new type of government that favors wealthy criminals. People with a public defender, other lawyers, etc… should have the same treatment as a celebrity/high profile criminals. Simply because their lawyers receive a larger paycheck does not mean that they are above the law. This is not how the criminal justice system is meant to run as there should be one unified government that represents all people equally without wealth discrimination.

References

Carroll, B. A. (2013). Celebrity adjudication: Comparative analysis of united states verdict rates for celebrity defendants. Entertainment and Sports Law Journal, 11(1), 1-8.

Furman, H. (1998). Publicity in high profile criminal cases. St. Thomas Law Review, 10(3), 507-536.

Brotman, E. C. (2015). Dealing with the press in high-profile cases: How to neutralize the 13th juror. Litigation, 41(4), 40-44.

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Rebuttal Rewrite-nousernamefound1

Posted on May 1, 2019 by nousernamefound1

No More Excuses

We must stop believing that making something “Free” is the best way to solve things. We shouldn’t have a limit on something that is going to benefit us for a lifetime. Students should focus more on the learning aspect than the money aspect. Teachers are putting students in the right direction to become successful, but students are more focused on the aftermath. Students are put into the top of the line dorms, introduced to groups that are focused on them, put in small size classes for easier learning, and have a bunch of people that have their back throughout the 4 years. Things like this will cost a bunch, but not too much where your pockets are empty for the rest of your life. Many people believe that tuition is high when looking at schools out of state. Some state schools give less financial aid to out-of-state students, which is why things can get a little expensive. Farran Powell in “Explore the Top Public National Universities,” claims that “Public colleges and universities often do not give enough financial aid to out-of-state students to make it an affordable option.” The problem is the student aid, not the tuition, so the claim is false.

The HEATH Resource Center at the National Youth Transitions Center claims that “The average tuition for an in-state student at a four-year public school for an undergraduate student was $6,752. The average tuition for an out-of-state student at a four-year public school for an undergraduate student was $15,742.” Going to a four-year college in-state should be your first option before you look out-of-state. This is a problem, but you can’t sit around and become used by the system. Stop making the mistake of going out of state to make your dreams come true. That out-of-state school will give you the same information that an in-state school would.

When dealing with paying for college education, you should know how to get free money. In reality, a lot of students don’t understand how to qualify for more money. Students can find free money in Scholarships, Grants, Volunteer organizations, Athletics, Churches, etc. Christy Rakoczy in “Experts Reveal 19 Best Places to Find Free Money for College,” claims that “Plenty of students find scholarships and grants. In fact, college students received a total of $125.4 billion in grant money during the 2016-17 academic year.” As a student, you determine how you want to live your four years of college. You can either be stressed out or stress-free. We have a lot of organizations out there that understand that a lot of people need help when expanding their education.

The claim that we haven’t made a step towards helping out students is false. The real issue is the students being too lazy and not wanting help. Most of the time students are turning down free money because they don’t feel like typing a 500-word essay. Yes, they have some scammers out there on online sites, but you can ask your guidance counselor about legit ones. You can also work for school while attending. This will help pay off some of the debt or eliminate some of the fees you are paying for. Becoming an RA may help you in the long run. When you become an RA, you are rewarded free room and board. Students must take advantage of the opportunities that are out there or they will suffer. Lowering tuition will be a process that will take a lot of years, so, for now, students must look into things that will help them pay for college. Christy Rakoczy in “Experts Reveal 19 Best Places to Find Free Money for College,” claims that “most students who start in their junior year of high school should be able to get at least some free money — usually around $300 to $5,000 — if they exhaust their options for free funding. The key is to get going and keep trying to apply until you hit the jackpot.”

Stop thinking community colleges aren’t good for your education. Going to a community college for 2 years will help reduce the cost of college education. 2-year colleges have some drawbacks, but that’s everything in life. Heather Levin in “Benefits of Attending Community College for 2 Years to Save Money,” claims that “Community colleges typically charge $45 to $250 per credit hour, depending on where you go and your residency status. So, if your local community college charges $125 per credit hour, each class will cost you $375, which means you’re saving up to $1,425 per class.” Community colleges will also help you improve your transcript. Improving your transcript can give you the chase to attend that dream school of yours without worry about the money. You still have high-quality professors while attending a community college, so why not start there? You may lose some of your credits when it’s time to travel, which is why you should look into universities that some two-year schools have agreements with. Don’t let this opportunity slip away because you will never be able to get something better than this. 45$-$250 for a class is something that you cannot beat.

We often look for sympathy when looking for the change, instead of finding another path. Don’t complain about not having fun in school when you’re the reason for not having fun. Students are too worried about getting away from parents and going buck wild. This is why you see a lot of people bashing community colleges. They just want that experience of craziness. Tuition is a problem, but it doesn’t have to be a problem for students. In other words, it’s your choice if you want to suffer from student debt. Community colleges, in-state schools, and scholarships all help students lower the cost of tuition. “Free” will not be the answer to this problem. People would just go to college for the parties if a college education was free. We need to remember that staff needs money too and if the school isn’t being funding how can they pay them for their efforts.

Reference:

Benefits of Attending Community College for 2 Years to Save Money. (2019, February 13). Retrieved from https://www.moneycrashers.com/benefits-of-community-college/

Explore the Top Public National Universities. (2018, September 25). Retrieved March 31, 2019, from https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/slideshows/explore-the-10-top-public-national-universities

In-State vs. Out-of-State Tuition. Retrieved March 31, 2019, from https://www.heath.gwu.edu/state-vs-out-state-tuition

Rakoczy, C. (2018, February 09). 19 Places to Find Free Money for College. Retrieved from https://studentloanhero.com/featured/free-money-for-college-grants-scholarships/

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biggarz-Casual

Posted on May 1, 2019 by biggarz7

Think of the first reaction you’ll have when and if the government decides to raise the minimum wage. One could just picture it, blue skies, all smiles, and not a worry in the world. Well, not quite. More like unemployment sad to say. This right here is the sad reality and much more. Yes, there are benefits to this, but like everything cons outweigh the pros in this situation. Take it from Alex Binkley, an Ontario farmer, “… January employment nationally fell by 88,000. Parttime employment declined by 137,000, while full-time employment rose by 49,000. The result was the unemployment rate increased by 0.1 percent to 5.9 per cent.” Even though this takes into account all of Canada, these numbers are scary. Just alone how fast that unemployment rate went up is concerning. Usually 4% is low in the U.S, but they have ten times greater the population as Canada which should also be taken into account. Truthfully, not everything can be of benefit to one’s own needs. Not only will unemployment will go up, but the younger lower skilled workers will never get hired again. To put it in economic terms from Brown, Gilroy Kohen, “Without a minimum wage, the monopsonistic employer’s marginal cost of labor everywhere exceeds the supply price.” One could say too that the owners were overall losing profit since they would have to pay their workers more. Furthermore, the main reason why businesses open is to make profit. Even though one could argue to create new jobs, however that would be wrong.

In addition to the unemployment numbers rising, and making our countries economy look bad. Another cause of the increase of wages would be inflation. And not talking about a dramatic change in the money values, but it would be noticable. For example take gasoline for example. Those prices have constantly fluctuated for the past couple years, and if one takes notice it has started to increase a couple cents here and there. Another example from the Alberni Valley Times, “ferry rates go up April l. Why? The union employees receive their annual two per cent wage increase April l just like they every year from 2010 to 2014. In this world, you cannot have your cake and eat it too. Want to pay top wages to union employees? Then pay higher fares. That is called life.”It is a dog eat dog world and that’s how people make money. The government is like that and when there is a chance to make money from the people they’re going to take it. With some more economic terms the businesses with monopolies will take advantage since they own all that product and increase the price if there is inflation. It is scary to think that with the poverty already in this country we still want to raise the minimum wage to something absurd like $15 an hour. Granted yes, there should be change, but there is some opportunity cost to that. As little as it may seem each cent is increased there could be a potential person trying to support a family getting let go. It is the hard truths we face today as a society.

To tie both of these things together we see that the economic cons are more likely to outweigh the pros if there’s an increase. Not saying that it should not be increased a little, however there should be a line drawn to how far one goes. Into a smaller point the use of technology will see an increase in the workforce. Take franchises for example, McDonald’s. Most if not all the workers are on minimum wage. There has been a change where the restaurants now have self serve kiosks, which means no need for cashiers, cutting most jobs. As the Pittsburgh Tribune states, “f a machine can do for a cost of 7 per hour what a worker must be paid at least 7.25 per hour to do, the machine gets the job while the worker gets unwanted leisure.” The point being is these franchises want to make profit and the first thing owners look to cut is salaries. What better way to make money and to save time is to put a machine which the owner won’t have to worry about calling out of work, etc. Just think of how much money they’d save in both the long and short run.

Boudreaux, D. J. (2018, Jul 27). Minimum wage & technology. Tribune – Review / Pittsburgh

Tribune – Review

Binkley, A. (2018, Feb 20). Ontario sheds 51,000 part-time jobs in january; pace of minimum wage increase in spotlight after major part-time job losses.Ontario Farmer

Sawchuk, J. (2015, Mar 31). Minimum wage increase creates unemployment.Alberni Valley Times

Brown, Charles; Gilroy, Curtis; and Kohen, Andrew. “The Effect of the Minimum Wage on Employment and Unemployment.” Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. 20, No. 2 (June 1982), pp. 487-528.

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biggarz-definition rewrite

Posted on April 30, 2019 by biggarz7

It seems counterintuitive that many people talk about minimum wage and their pay. However, many seem rather uneducated when discussing the topic. Minimum wage has been around for decades, fluctuating at different prices over the years, although has not changed its purpose. The goal is to look at the term minimum wage and be able to  see exactly what it entails. Clearly, if one were to separate the term into two words ‘minimum’ and ‘wage,’ it could be easier to gain a better understanding.

For instance, minimum is in relation to “smallest or lowest” or even, “required.” Although seeming like a rather simple concept, this is is only the literal meaning for the word, but becomes awfully complex as we dive into the “real world” definition. Some jobs have quotas to meet whether it is shipping or sales in a certain amount of time, there are things that need to be done. Again that would be considered the bare ‘minimum’ to be exact. Talking about it in a business perspective, the word can have a different meaning. When applying our current economy and money, businesses’ main goal is to make the most profit they can; which in theory is simple, however there are always small factors to take into account. Look around the world, the word ‘minimum’ is all over and used in so many ways clearly demonstrating its importance. It seems as though every place has a different understanding of what it actually means, and even though the definition seems generic, a person’s point of view often reveals a new meaning of the word. However, most of the time it could have a bad connotation for example when talking about workloads, one would get judged for doing the bare ‘minimum’ at work. Continuing, now take the term ‘wage’. Most thrive for this and usually hold this as what motivates the average person so to speak. The technical definition for the term is, “a fixed regular payment, typically paid on a daily or weekly basis, made by an employer to an employee, especially to a manual or unskilled worker.” Another meaning could be wage is looked at as a salary for inexperienced workers. In summary,  money is the simplest term to obtain from a word like wage. Take the example of how the word ‘minimum’ has multiple meanings all over the world, it is the same for ‘wage’ as well. It is easier to see now why the debate of these two words separated are an issue, and now the phrase ‘minimum wage’ is even worse.

For years the value of minimum wage has gone up and down like a rollercoaster. The economy cannot decide the exact price range of where it should stay. It seems counterintuitive that taking both definitions and putting them together in finding the “smallest” amount of money “required” to pay these people should not be such a hard task. Again, such simple terms, but to make it even clearer, “Minimum wage is meant for small business.” Not only does the word small show up, but there is too much complication for something that is meant to be small. What this means is the term minimum wage has gone up and gone down throughout history, don’t you think it should be time to actually set up an actual ‘minimum wage’ where there is little to no increase? At minimum, the pay should at least be set to a price where one making minimum wage is required to get paid the right amount for the effort they put into the job they are doing. Having set wages for different degrees of work has been working for years with salaries, therefore it could come of great use if that knowledge was applied to go into minimum wage and work it from the ground up. Clearly, one can understand that having a phrase that means ‘small’ or ‘least’ is the complete opposite of what it means politically. In certain parts of the world there are laws where one can not be paid below a certain amount of money, which we see here in the U.S. However it seems quite odd since wouldn’t this technically be called ‘minimum wage’ since it is the lowest point where it would be illegal for workers to get paid that? Especially when it put into consideration as though the whole meaning of minimum wage was set up as a method of the lowest amount of pay to be offered within a rather simple job. Many questions could be asked from that, however it is just a guideline and for most, if not all times, the wages that workers get paid are way above that price level. The laws state that the actual definition of minimum wage “ as the minimum amount of financial reward that a worker receives for working a specified period of time” meaning as one works a specific time you get paid per time you work. Several take the term and portray it as either the time, performance, job, or company that is being displayed within a particular job. It is truly astonishing that such a phrase, so small and simple, could have such a big impact overtime on society and the economic outlook many have regarding what they feel is the “best” way to pay employees.

Sawchuk, J. (2015, Mar 31). Minimum wage increase creates unemployment.Alberni Valley Times

https://search.proquest.com/docview/1668185726?pq-origsite=summon

Adema, J., Giesing, Y., Schönauer, A., & Stitteneder, T. (2018). Minimum wages across countries. DICE Report, 16(4), 55-63.

https://search.proquest.com/docview/2185798092?pq-origsite=summon

https://www.dictionary.com/

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Causal Rewrite: Nina

Posted on April 30, 2019 by nina525

What Makes a Person Want to Die

In the mix of Euthanasia and Assisted suicide taking part of how patients choose to die. We should move our focus to why people choose to voluntarily proceed with either procedure. Whether it be because of mental illness or incurable diseases. Individuals believe that they should have the right to choose death for it is a right for people to decide their own fate, not doctors and other medical professionals. For example, Robert Schwartz, a man who was tested positively for AIDS and suffered many health complications due to his diagnosis. he then decided to take part in the Death by Dignity law to stop his pain and suffering. Through out his journey, not only did his health complications take part in his decision but his personal life and relationships embeded a huge toll onto is final decision .

Further down the road of his journey to death, he demonstrated signs of emotional distress, leading to depression. He faced emotional down falls with his lover who would lie, and steal from him during the long road of his process. Depression played a huge role in his decision to pursue death over life. Although Robert made his decision, through out the process the more his lover disappointed his lover made him, the more hopeless he felt. This shows exactly how much of a toll depression has on a persons decision to choose death. If we allow people to choose death due to depression, we will be regulating suicide and eventually not accept programs such as mentoring and psychology as an option for coping or help.

As mentioned earlier, the Death by Dignity Law is active in only 5 states in the U.S. If someone has the resources to choose death, and it is an option. More will be willing to take that route. Physician assisted suicide was introduced to the United States in 1997, in Oregon. Citizens were made aware of the law and since then, 991 patients have ended their lives with a strong prescribed medication given under law. Many of those who participated were not diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Though it seems as though many are choosing to die rather than live, the reason can be supported by the idea of utilitarian ideal. Humans have a say in their moral destiny and can choose death over life and vice versa if their decision means they would be happy. But if we allow for anyone to choose death, even when death isn’t the utilitarian alternative, we will make suicide a solution for anyone.

Another cause of assisted suicide besides illness and depression, is due to the option of suicide being available. If we allowed for assisted suicide in teens and other adults it will cause of number of mass suicide in teens because the option to die is available. This will occur because no one will look to the first alternative options of IPT and CBT when the outcome they want is at the tip of their fingers.

The slippery slope argument is that we want to respect the wishes of those who want to be assisted in their suicide, but if we allow euthanasia for the elderly and not the youth, it wont be utilitarian because the respect of other peoples wishes will be denied. Yet to allow this can lead to mass assisted suicide in teens, young adults, and in elders.

References

Lane, C. (2018, August 06). Children are being euthanized in Belgium. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/children-are-being-euthanized-in-belgium/2018/08/06/9473bac2-9988-11e8-b60b-1c897f17e185_story.html?utm_term=.9c9a393e9635

Dryden-Edwards, R. (n.d.). Teen Depression Facts, Treatment, Symptoms, Statistics & Tests. Retrieved from https://www.medicinenet.com/teen_depression/article.htm

Morrow, A. (n.d.). Why Do People Seek Physician-Assisted Suicide? Retrieved from https://www.verywellhealth.com/reasons-for-seeking-physician-assisted-suicide-1132378

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Definition Rewrite: Nina

Posted on April 30, 2019 by nina525

Distinguishing Euthanasia and Physician Assisted Suicide

When speaking of incurable diseases and the suffering of patients with mental disorders, two options are made available. The first being euthanasia, the second being physician assisted suicide. Euthanasia is a method of the painless killing of a patient who is suffering a painful or incurable disease. The procedure is take place is a hospitable area and the patient is instructed by doctors and other medical professionals of the results of the procedure. In physician assisted suicide, if approved by a doctor and several other medical professionals, a patient does not necessarily have to suffer from an incurable disease to have approval of participating in the procedure.

Next, the biggest difference is the process of which both procedures occur. In euthanasia, once the patient is diagnosed with the terminal disease, if the doctor suggests or offers euthanasia as an alternative from suffering, the patient will make their decision. If the patient decides to prolong the procedure, he or she will than have to inform their family and complete counseling following up to the procedure. Then, the day of the procedure a drug know as pentobarbital is given to the patient by either IV or injection. Pentobarbital eventually makes the patient unconscious in one to two minutes and shuts down the brain and heart functions.

Next, there are three forms of euthanasia, voluntary, non-voluntary, and involuntary. Voluntary euthanasia is done with the patients consent, and the patient understands his or her decision. Non-voluntary euthanasia is when the procedure is conducted on someone who was unable to consent due to their current health condition. In that scenario, another appropriate person, on the patients behalf can make the decision. Lastly, involuntary euthanasia is when the patient or a person is able to give consent but doesn’t and is forced to go through the procedure against their will.

To complete the procedure, there are two options the patient has active and passive. Passive euthanasia is when a medical professional offers strong doses of medication which will eventually become toxic to the patient. Active euthanasia is the use of a lethal substance to end a patients life. Active euthanasia is commonly argued and countered against moral, ethical, and religious reasoning.

On the other hand, in assisted suicide is more self reliant procedure. An individual will be administered a strong prescription of drugs.The patient has to sign a total of six to seven times a consent form for the procedure from the day they sign for the procedure to the day of. The reason for many signatures is so the patient doesn’t feel as though they have to proceed in the operation after changing his or her mind. Alongside the paper work, yet another form is asked to be signed 48 hours prior to the operation. Next, the day of the procedure the participant is given a bottle of prescription pills authorized by a doctor. With a physician alongside him or her, the participant is instructed to take the pills which will slowly put the patient into a deep coma. The patient is allowed to decide when he or she is ready to take the prescription drug.

Another means of difference between euthanasia and assisted suicide is the state of where each procedure can be performed. Active human euthanasia is legal outside the U.S in countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Columbia, and Canada. Assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands. In the U.S, assisted suicide is legal in Oregon, Washington, Vermont, Hawaii, Colorado, and California.

In the U.S, the states that allow physician assisted suicide have what is called a Death by Dignity law. This law allows terminally ill, qualified adults voluntarily request and receive a prescription drug to hasten their death. One of the most important elements when discussing assisted suicide is the state of mind the patient is in when making the decision. All states that have an active Death with Dignity law require that the patient has no history of extreme mental illness and is competent to make decisions. Though many who believe this counters the right to choose death at your own call, physicians and other medical professionals would not want patients applying for assisted suicide based on a drive of emotions.

References

Asch, D. A. (2017, May 23). The Role of Critical Care Nurses in Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide | NEJM. Retrieved from https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199605233342106

How to Access and Use Death with Dignity Laws. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.deathwithdignity.org/learn/access

Nordqvist, C. (2018, December 17). Euthanasia and assisted suicide: What are they and what do they mean? Retrieved from https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/182951.php

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Visual Rhetoric Rewrite-G90

Posted on April 30, 2019 by g903254

0:01 we see a girl building a contraption. Will it work? She puts it together very quickly like she’s done this before and this is just another improvement to a previously made invention. The mess shows parts and spare wood. This shows that she has made these before.

0:03 We see her at the top of a ramp. She looks determined, ready for her journey in this handmade cart. This cart has a lot of separate pieces of multi colored wood. The wheels of a bicycle. How many tests has she done? She is very confident. It seems as if many tests and alterations to this cart were made before the audience ever saw it.

0:06 We see her parents. The father looks like he works in an office and is already working on his laptop. The mother is in a very floral dress with a blue sweater. She is writing a check. Does she take care of the financials in the family? Their daughter in the background is mid-air flying in this cart.

0:10 We see her go through a portal to a carnival land. There are talking animals and it seems to be middle ages themed from the look of the castles. She is be-wondered and flabbergasted at this land. Where are the humans? Is this a universe where other mammals became fully sentient and humans didn’t? The talking animal is a porcupine holding a cup of coffee.

0:14 We see text on the screen that says STEM and from this we can assume that this an ad promoting STEM. It cuts to the girl pulling a contraption together with rope. Her experience building similar contraptions allows for her to build the same contraption allowing her to possibly get home.

0:20 We see her face has oil marks from her creating contraptions. She flies into balloons and talks to a bear.

0:30 We see the group of animals and her in a cart heading for a jump as if she was trying to get back home to her family. Does she wish to show her universe that there are multiverses? Is she planning an invasion? Does she seek power? Or does she seek the company of friends made? How did she ever communicate with these animals? How long was she stuck in that universe? She makes it back and some text pops up that says @shecanstem this proves that this is a promotion for STEM among women.

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