WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM
FORUM
Millennials in need of a
cause, job
We are the Millennials, and we have more power then we
know.
Together our generation — which is composed of people
born between 1981 and 2000, according to the Pew Research
Center — utilizes the technology and social media which we
created to further the activist causes that we find favor with.
In 2008, that cause was electing Barack Obama as president.
And now, almost four years later, we are being asked to do
the same again.
But do we want to?
Alec Tyson, a Pew Research Center researcher, does not
think so.
"Some early signs suggest that enthusiasm is not as high
in this current election as it was in 2008," Tyson said in an
NPR interview.
There are likely many reasons for this shift in enthusiasm.
The War on Terror is not a defining issue this time around.
And it has seemingly taken a back seat to the faltering
economy, the lack of available jobs as another round of
Millennials graduate college, and the U.S. involvement in
civil wars around the world.
Another thing that might have a hand in just how pumped
our generation gets about casting their votes; Obama is not
the newest thing anymore.
News, social media and take-out Thai food is no further
than our smartphones. And everyone is on an endless
pursuit for the newest, the best, the most revolutionary thing.
In this world that we have created for ourselves, Obama
may have lost his new car smell.
Add that to the fact that Obama's job running the country
has taken away from his potential for the face-to-face,
grassroots-feeling campaigning that won him so much
favor, and it's a wonder that anyone is as enthused this time
around.
This is not meant to call the Millennials, of which I myself
am included, superficial or hyper-consumers.
On the contrary, in the process of redefining communi cation,
news, and most everything as previous generations had
known it, we also managed to cut away some of the crap.
When you only have 140 characters to make a point,
there's little room for fancy footwork or euphemisms.
So in cutting away the crap, some of the Millennials have
realized that Obama is yet to deliver on a lot of the promises
that he signed with fist bumps.
More than the unfulfilled promises that are all too common
in politics, though, this generation is actually faring the
i worst at the hands of the Obama administration.
According to the Pew Research Center, "Fully 37 percent of
18- to 29-year-olds are unemployed or out of the workforce,
the highest share among this age group in three decades."
Whether Obama is directly to blame for this great
unemployed generation is a matter of personal opinion.
But with less time and money at their disposal, will the
Millennials be as gung-ho this go-around?
That is yet to be determined. But if the bumper stickers
on hybrids and vintage road bikes are any indicator, it is not
likely.
ALCOHOL
Alcohol is not a necessary part of college, life
Continued from page I
of kids to the hospital, and I
wonder how they're doing now. I
was never as far gone as they...."
What has stayed with me
about that ten-year old letter is
the reality that 1) not much has
changed in the intervening years
on campus: students still drink
to excess; stodgy old grunts like
me still lament it to little avail;
2) discussion of, and learning
from, the experience of the typical
college attitude about alcohol too
often waits until after graduation;
and 3) folks continue to make
mistakes and, we can only hope,
learn from them; but is there a
way to speed up the learning
process and avoid the most serious
consequences of those mistakes?
I have re-visited this
correspondence and these
questions as I sadly observe a
creeping culture of making the
campus more "alcohol friendly."
Alcohol now seems to be de rigeur
at alumni, parent, and other
receptions on campus — even in
academic spaces; we came very
close recently to having alcohol
served free at a community-wide
event; students tell me that the
"What queries are we
asking ourselves at
Guilford related to
alcohol?...Con Guilford
model a more creative
culture than one which
merely conforms to
societal norms?"
Max Carter, director of Friends
Center & campus ministry
coordinator
use and abuse of alcohol has
grown to levels disturbing even
to the non-stodgy.
What concerns me, along with
the negative effects of alcohol
on personal lives and the life of
the community, is that we have
come to this level of acceptance of
alcohol among us without much, if
any, discussion. Central to Quaker
culture is the asking of queries —
not stating categorical beliefs and
creeds but asking questions that
effect an inner search for truth,
integrity, and authenticity. Two
traditional queries related to the
issue at hand are cited above.
What queries are we asking
ourselves at Guilford related to
alcohol? How do we view the
impact of alcohol on community
life and personal lives? Is alcohol
necessary to "lubricate" social
functions? Can Guilford model
a more creative culture than one
which merely conforms to societal
norms?
I would welcome such a
conversation on campus. We pride
ourselves on being a questioning
community about almost every
other societal norm. Why not on
the issue of alcohol?
If 1 can help somebody
By Barbara Lawrence
Guest Writer
According to the Bureau of Justice and Statistics,
more than three women a day are murdered by their
husbands or boyfriends in the United States. On Oct.
14, my 30-year-old niece Jannette was one of those
women.
The month of October is designated as National
Domestic Violence Awareness month. It is a time
when advocates, organizations and groups all over
the United States speak out in solidarity against
family violence and support survivors.
I, too, was an avid advocate for domestic violence
victims for many years in New York City while I
worked for the New York City Police Department.
During my stint in the force, I played a key role
in creating and implementing the Department's first
domestic violence unit, which led to the establishment
of domestic violence units in each of the NYPD's
precincts and housing police service areas.
It was an all-out city-wide effort in New York
City to effectively institutionalize domestic violence
prevention within the criminal justice system and we
were at the center of the fight to end the vicious cycle
of violence.
During this time, I constantly educated my family
and friends about available resources and the types
and cycles of domestic violence for their awareness.
This went on until 1999 when I retired from the
NYPD.
Once retired, I stopped advocating until it hit home
on Oct. 14.
After murdering my niece, her husband killed
himself in their Bronx apartment. My family and I are
very grateful that my niece's two young children were
not home, as we would have lost three that day.
Although I can still effortlessly recite statistics
relating to domestic violence, create training manuals,
and train individuals on any level, I was not able to
help my niece. With all of my education, professional
experience and background, I was rompletely
powerless in assisting my niece in her last days.
Instead, I was only able to write her obituary and
showcase the bright light she left my family and the
world. It is in times like these that I am reminded that
the struggle for justice and solidarity is still my life.
We have to stand against domestic, dating and
sexual violence that persists in this country as it
causes victims, family members and witnesses in
every community to suffer incalculable pain and loss.
The Department of Justice reports women are much
more likely than men to be victimized by a current or
former partner. The data shows, in many jurisdictions,
25 percent of felony assaults are domestic violence
related and most homicide victims do not have
previous police reports on file.
The reality of these tragic figures is not only mind-
numbing but almost too painful to describe. My heart
is broken for Jannette, but also for other women,
children and men who cannot seem to stop the
violence or get away safely in time.
My niece would encourage me to fight on and press
forward. Her message was to keep on loving, keep
on living, keep on learning and dreaming. Keep on
smiling when you are going through and crying when
you need to. But, no matter what, never give up.
Victims need to know they are not alone. You can
help make a change in a person's life by letting them
know that somebody cares.
If you or someone you know is in an abusive
relationship, create or help them create a personal
safety plan that will allow for a safe exit. Let
trusted friends and family members know your
situation and develop a plan or visible signal
for when you need help. If possible, hold a
spare set of keys, clothes and alerting system in
times of emergency. In all emergency cases call
911 for immediate assistance. However, there
are national hotline numbers: 800-621-HOPE
(4357) that will provide information on local
organizations, shelters, and advocate groups
available to assist wherever you are located.