“The state doesn’t have the funds for these projects to happen,” said Dan Cannon, the Florida Organizer for the Southern Energy Network and Energy Action Coalition. “I think a lot of students are realizing that a minimal amount of money can produce a monumental amount of change. And they can really progress their campuses to go green faster.”

The proposal allows each university’s Board of Trustees to implement a fee that would be used on renewable energy technologies or energy efficiencies. Every three years, the student body will vote on a referendum to renew the fee.  It also establishes a committee at each university, to determine how the funds should be spent.

“This benefits students,” said Stefan Massola, an FSU student and intern at the Florida Public Interest Research Group. “We are saving money for the university, so they can put more money into other initiatives, while increasing our university’s reputation as being one that promotes sustainability.”

The campaign began in 2007. After failing to move through the Higher Education Appropriations Committee last year, student leadership from eight universities created the Florida YES Coalition to create a powerful campaign presence. However, since the Board of Governors withdrew from a lawsuit against the legislature on March 22, legislation has changed, and now the Board of Governors has the authority to set fees.

“We have to re-tool our entire campaign,” said Stephen Mortellaro, director of Governmental Affairs for SGA at the University of Central Florida. “Before, it was going to be a proposal before the legislature. Now it’s going to be a proposal before the Board of Governors. It’s a completely separate entity.”

Mortellaro is optimistic that the Board of Governors will approve their proposal.

“I don’t see the Board of Governors having any problems charging a new fee,” said Mortellaro. “I don’t know if they’ll be quite as willing to give us a three-year referendum approval …That’s one thing we’re going to be pushing hard, to make sure we still have that, because, you know, that this is our money, we’re the ones saying we want this, and we’d like to have the opportunity to approve it.”

This is the first time Florida students have ever asked to raise tuition. During the February Student Government Association Elections at FSU, the referendum for the fee passed with a 66 percent vote.

“I think that it really does four great things: it empowers students. It decreases energy costs and thus increases academic funding. It has the potential to create green jobs, and it decreases a campus’ environmental footprint,” said Moterello.

The Florida YESS Coalition is taking the campaign back to the universities, where they’re hoping student support will rally interest at the administrative level.

“The Board of Trustees has to make a formal request for this to be heard [by the Board of Governors,]” said Moterello. “We’re going to be working very hard on lobbying our own university administration to make sure that this request is heard.”

Led by Andrew Breitbart (of Breitbart.com, breitbart.tv, Big Hollywood, Big Government, Big Journalism, and what seems like several million shouting matches across various cable news shows and YouTube clips of conservative rallies and conferences), the pundits claimed the events had been fabricated by Lewis, et al, and fed to a complicit liberal-controlled media machine. This accusation has become something of a meme in the right-wing internet world, and has escalated to the point of Breitbart offering—betting, really—a $10,000 donation to the United Negro College Fund if someone could offer “verifiable video evidence” of the events or if Rep. Lewis will pass a lie detector test. Then he raised his bet to $100,000. No one has yet indulged him, and he has since taken that as proof that the events were fabricated. Michelle Malkin has parroted Breitbart’s claim, as has RedState’s Erick Erickson, who said it on CNN. (The travesty of Erick Erickson’s employment at CNN is another rant unto itself.)

Let us leave aside the passive-aggressive racism of Breitbart’s & Co.’s continued and vehement denials that anyone in their beloved 80 percent white tea party movement could harbor racial prejudice and get carried away during protests on a very tense day. Let us also avoid going down the rabbit hole of what their “if it wasn’t recorded, it didn’t happen” stance implies for the philosophical understanding of reality and what is true in the contemporary world dominated as it is by the mediasphere and the voyeurism and exhibitionism of people’s self-surveillance where Big Brother is no longer the government or any organized body but simply everyone around you. Because to me, the most interesting part of this whole sordid affair is Mike Pence.

On April 9, at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans, Pence told the Washington Post’s David Weigel this:

“A couple of weeks before the alleged incident occurred, I was walking across the bridge in Selma, Ala., with John Lewis,” said Pence. “I take at face value what John Lewis said. If John Lewis said he heard it, I believe he’s a man of integrity. And I would denounce those kinds of statements in the strongest possible terms.”

It struck me as important that Pence mentioned his personal relationship with Lewis. They know each other, they have to work together as members of Congress. Andrew Breitbart has probably never met John Lewis, and never will. Neither, I bet, has Malkin or Erickson. Pence had nothing obvious to gain politically from taking Lewis’ side. He just knew the man, and stuck up for his honor. It was a profoundly human thing to do.

Not to get all touchy-feely, but we sometimes forget that the United States Congress, and the government in general, is just a collection of human beings working together to improve and maintain our great nation. They are more than just a collage of slogans, soundbites, bad jokes, posters, 30-second TV spots, and ideologies. They are people of flesh and blood, of families and friends, of hopes and dreams. And they work together and get to know each other.

John Lewis is not a human being to Breitbart & Co., just a target. He is an instrument they can play on to drum up controversy and attention. As former Bush speechwriter David Frum (you know you’re in trouble when the man who coined “Axis of Evil” is the voice of reason) wrote in a brilliant post (titled “Waterloo”) on his blog FrumForum:

“Overheated talk has made it impossible for representatives to represent and elected leaders to lead. The real leaders [of the GOP] are on TV and radio [and the internet], and they have very different imperatives from people in government. Talk radio thrives on confrontation and recrimination.”

Frum’s main example was popular talk radio host Rush Limbaugh, but Malkin, Erickson, and Breitbart in particular all follow this model, and often take it even further. Everywhere he goes, Breitbart has his own camera crew following him, because he knows that every time he runs into someone who disagrees with him even slightly he can start a shouting match, get emotions running high, maybe provoke someone into saying something stupid, and make a compelling YouTube video that gets several million views and gets his various websites increased traffic, making him more money, which he can then gamble away daring members of Congress to let him impugn their integrity.

I have a hunch that he wouldn’t be nearly as effective a provocateur if he knew his targets personally, if they were his friends. Andrew Breitbart is also a human being, with feelings. No matter who you are, it’s much easier to hurl outrageous accusations at a stranger than at your friend.

Which is why, when it comes to the character of members of Congress, I’ll take Mike Pence’s word over Andrew Breitbart’s, “verifiable video evidence” be damned.

This podcasts is for the curious. Each episode, hosts Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich take an ordinary part of the human experience and explode the philosophical and scientific questions which surround it. You might hear about neuroscience, poetry, and ringtones—all in the same episode! No other program, podcast or otherwise, covers as much ground or presents its material so inventively. Radiolab is a must-listen for anyone interested in examining our world and the struggles of human existence.

American Public Media’s Marketplace

You don’t have to be a business major to understand the intricacies of the United States’ economy. Learn about things like money, housing, big business, consumers, the market, and their implications on American society. After a few times of hearing Kai Ryssdal “do the numbers” over a cheerful “We’re in the Money” instrumental, maybe you’ll be motivated to find out  what the DOW JONES, S&P 500, and NASDAQ numbers really mean. This podcast helps simplify the nation’s most important financial topics and delivers them in a focused and entertaining 30 minute segment.

Savage Love Podcast

The Advice Column/Call-In Show is a tired trope by any standard, especially today’s innovation- and novelty-focused media world. But Dan Savage’s humor, intelligence, sharp wit, and brutal honesty make this podcast a unique and illuminating experience that leaves you wanting more. Savage, a sex-positive gay author, discusses sexual experimentation and focuses on legal, safe ways to explore and embrace your sexuality and sexual desires.

WFSU’s Capital Report

This is a local one from our friends over at WFSU. During the legislative session this becomes a daily podcast. Tallahassee’s local reporters cover the most pressing topics in Florida politics.  Each episode of Capital Report discusses happenings at the capital and is a great resource for anyone who wants to keep track of legislation during session. During the off-season, you still get weekly updates on issues that are affecting our state’s economy, environment, and citizens. Go to wfsu.org to subscribe to this podcast.

American Public Media’s The Dinner Party Download

This is a good podcast to listen to before going to your next, well, dinner party. In just twenty minutes, you’ll be pumped full of obscure trivia and current events that will make you everyone’s favorite dinner guest. The format of this podcast preps you for any soiree. It opens with a joke (the icebreaker), moves along with some small talk, introduces a guest of honor, loads you with some history (plus booze), and ends with an impressive drink recipe. Be sure to take note of the music selection in each podcast. After all, where would a social climber be without a comprehensive knowledge of hip new music?

Chicago Public Radio’s This American Life

What type of “Best Podcasts” list would this be if it didn’t feature This American Life? This is a great introduction to the world of podcasts. If you think you don’t have the attention span to sit through an entire radio show, this is the one to prove you wrong. Each week, public radio voice-heartthrob Ira Glass brings you interesting and heartwarming stories deftly exploring the deep questions of human existence. There’s a reason why this is the number one subscribed to podcast.

Rachel Hoffman was a 23-year-old graduate of FSU when she was caught with 0.9 ounces of marijuana in 2007. She was then used as a confidential informant for a drug bust in May 2008 to avoid drug charges, which resulted in her unforeseen death.

All of the officers involved in the case are all back at work. The city of Tallahassee is denying any fault and is placing all the blame on Rachel Hoffman.

Passersby frequently honked on the group of protestors, acknowledging their support, yet many protestors questioned, why more people didn’t take a stand. The group blared Rachel’s story in a megaphone, informing those in traffic and hoping for more support, while jabbing signs high in the air.

Ryan Pender, a police investigator who participated in the failed operation involving Hoffman, is to return as a patrol officer, no longer an investigator, after his firing in Sept. 2008 for violating departmental policies. He will return for a training period before he will fully get back into his job on patrol with the TPD.

The two men Rachel was supposed to buy 1,500 ecstasy pills, 2 ounces of cocaine, and a handgun from in the sting, shot Rachel and are both serving life sentences in prison. However, none of the police officers who violated safety codes were properly penalized.

Locals agreed that this type of situation can make people unwilling to call the police when they have legitimate problems, particularly students considering most are close to Rachel’s age at the time.

“If we can influence the police department in such a way that they say to themselves, maybe we should reconsider this case, but I think there is some value in just the act of doing. Letting them know it isn’t as if no one noticed,” protestor Patrick Shepherd said.

Pender and his fellow officers violated over 100 protocols and procedures in the sting-operation. Rachel was insufficiently protected and monitored, accompanied by only two other officers and was unfamiliar with the two men they arranged her to conduct the drug deal with.

Protestor Taylor Lee said, “What you have is someone who is supposed to be a legal enforcer actually breaking the law, which ultimately resulted in Rachel’s death. Ryan Pender said that he shouldn’t be held responsible, but they are the ones that set up the operation and didn’t properly monitor it.”

During the arbitration for Pender, an arbitrator announced that Pender’s mistakes should not have caused his termination- and now he is going to be reinstated with back-pay and benefits. Pender’s attorney said that Pender was ready and willing to report back to duty, but the Hoffman family was devastated to hear the news. The Hoffman’s attorney Lance Block felt that this puts the progress towards Rachel’s justice back at the beginning.

“Here, and in this country in general, the police are not held accountable to the standards that they should be,” said protestor Ryler Calavrese.

In the two-day arbitration period deciding whether Pender could go back to work for the TPD, many reports were reviewed, but the 200 page internal investigation report that proved all of the violated department protocols was not included for discussion.

The Hoffman family and attorney Lance Block still intend to file a civil lawsuit case against the city of Tallahassee, but their case is still pending.

Patrick continued, “In this town I think the police are good people and they do a valuable service and they do it bravely, but there needs to be some system of accountability. This situation seems to be the clearest example of this, even as just a microcosm of the whole thing. Just looking at this situation, while seeing there are other things that aren’t as severe, they can happen and can be just as severe.”

Many protestors felt that just coming out to show their opinions would make a statement and would make a difference and benefit the Tallahassee community.

The TPD acknowledged the protestors presence, but stated they must comply what the arbitrators decided concerning Pender.

The study, conducted by feminine hygiene company Femfresh, surveyed 3,000 women between the ages of 18 and 50. According to researchers,  the average women reported 8 different sexual partners and was drunk with at least 5 of them. Four out of 10 have “always” been a bit tipsy when they have slept with a partner for the first time. Additionally, 48.5 percent said they preferred sex while under the influence.

The data isn’t applicable solely to single women.  The study also revealed 14 percent of women in a relationship can’t face sleeping with their partner unless they had a couple of glasses of wine beforehand.

Researchers of this study have concluded the results point to a severe lack of confidence in women. But it’s important to point out that researchers haven’t evaluated self-confidence directly; they’re only theorizing a cause from an observed effect.

“Personally, I’m not too sure that they’ve provided any evidence of this by making a link between drinking and sexual behavior in women,” said Dr. Al Lang, professor of psychology and member of the clinical faculty of Florida State University’s Psychology Department. “Alcohol may just be one of any number of means that could be used to cope with this alleged lack of confidence.”

Though definitive conclusions can’t be drawn from the survey,  there nonetheless exists an obvious correlation between drinking and unprotected and even dangerous sex, especially among younger women.

According to the American College Health Association National College Health Assessment for Spring 2009, of 953 FSU students surveyed, 19.9 percent of female respondents reported having unprotected sex during the last school year as a result of their own drinking.  Furthermore, only 53.1 percent of sexually active students reported using a condom the last time they had vaginal sex.  For oral sex, 3.3 percent of students polled reported condom use, and this has health professionals concerned.

“An issue of greater concern for us is students having unprotected oral sex, which puts them at equal risk for STD,” said Melvena Wilson, HIV clinic coordinator and health educator at FSU’s Thagard Student Health Center.

Having such unprotected sex under the influence of alcohol “puts you at risk for things to happen that you don’t want to happen,” Wilson said.

None of the students Wilson  has talked to directly admitted drinking and having sex because of a lack of confidence. Regardless, resorting to alcohol as a means to a self-esteem boost is not the answer, she said.

“Deal with your self-esteem first, because it won’t be resolved with sex,” said Wilson. “A lack of self-confidence won’t be cured with alcohol.”

Lack of self-confidence brings up the issue of body image, an issue many young women struggle. Many young women are not confident with their body shape. At the same time, sex puts you in the most physically vulnerable state. If women know that they’ll act totally different under the influence of alcohol, they might seek alcohol as a means to ease that anxiety over sexual performance and approval from their partner.

“Alcohol does something to you,” said Asia Williams, a senior at FSU and volunteer with local organization THE LOC (Total Health Empowerment for Ladies of Color). “It can make you feel calmer, but it does put you in a different state of mind where you’re more vulnerable.”

Williams echoed Wilson’s assertion that the short-term self-esteem buzz that alcohol can give cannot solve a long-term self-confidence issue.

“That feeling that alcohol gives you, that’s temporary,” said Williams. “That’s the thing about alcohol. You may drink that night before, feel completely confident, but you wake up the next morning with the same body.”

If a young woman is dealing with a low self-esteem issue, there are healthier ways to deal with it besides alcohol.

According to Williams, confidence “has to come out (from the) inside, and you have to be the one to bring that out.”

Having open communication with your partner is important in this respect, as Natalie Muniz from Planned Parenthood points out.

“We encourage all women and men to be able to figure out what makes them feel comfortable, preferably without alcohol or use of any other substance, and to try to have open communication with your partner,” said Muniz. “That can also break down some of those comfort barriers and make it so that someone feels more at ease, and if they choose to engage in sexual activity, that can make them feel more comfortable doing so.

Muniz also stresses the importance of self-empowerment in dealing with self-confidence.

“Just learning your own body, knowing your own body, feeling empowered with knowledge about your health and body-that can help people feel more confident as well,” Muniz said.

Finding someone to talk to is another way to deal with a self-confidence issue, suggest Williams. She advises seeking out someone you are comfortable with, who will take you seriously and tell you the truth about your body. Williams observes that young women can tend to be harsh about their body. A nose is too big, a waist too thick, hips too wide. But she sees it a different way.

“There really is no ugly piece of you,” said Asia. “What they see in themselves, other people don’t. Your perception of your body may not be someone else’s. Talking to somebody about your insecurities can help heighten your awareness that that is truly a beautiful part of your body.”

Those in need of confidential HIV or STD testing or simply someone to talk to can contact Thagard Student Health Center at 644-8871. Wilson’s direct line is 644-4333.

The CVS on Tennessee St. (the closest pharmacy to FSU) uses the individual plastic prison approach. Customers must bring the case up to a cashier to have the condom box released before purchasing. Regardless of the reasons for purchasing a condom, let’s get two things straight: when used correctly condoms decrease the likelihood of unwanted pregnancy, and they prevent the spread of Sexually Transmitted Diseases.  So why are these stores making it so hard for us to protect ourselves?

Locking a condom in a plastic box creates several problems. First, it extends the awkward period of time spent purchasing condoms (because we all know what we’d rather be doing instead of buying the condoms.) Second, it draws unwanted attention to the condom buyer. Third, it increases the stigmas put on premarital sex.  All of these problems can lead to a decreased desire to buy, and therefore use, condoms.

Their Corporate Media and Public Relations Department is not very good at relating to the public (or answering phone calls, returning messages, and that type of thing). And although the CVS managers are unable to speak to media, I did find out their condom lockdown has been attributed to theft. Condoms are among the most stolen items at drugstores.

However, is the loss of a few dollar profit every once and a while really more important than having young people’s decision to engage in unprotected sex on your hands?

According to a survey conducted through FSU’s Thagard Student Health Center and the National College Health Association, 17-18 percent of students use condoms consistently for penal-vaginal intercourse. 15 percent never use condoms for penal-vaginal intercourse. Only .3 percent use condoms consistently for oral sex. And 48 percent never use condoms for oral sex.

Chlamydia, herpes and human papillomavirus (HPV) are the STDs most frequently seen at Thagard, and chlamydia and gonorrhea are on the rise in Leon County. 60-80 percent of people have no symptoms for these diseases, and spread them unknowingly. Chlamydia and gonorrhea can also be passed through oral sex, and STDs, like HPV and herpes, can even be passed through skin-to-skin contact. Condom use is essential to stop the spread of STDs in our county, state and country.

Melvena Wilson, HIV Clinic Coordinator and Minority Health Educator at Thagard Student Health Center, encourages students to alleviate risks through condom use, STD testing, and monogamy.

“I recommend they use condoms every time for every sexual act, no matter how long they’ve been with their partner,” said Wilson. “You and your partner should get tested before having sex…and use condoms every time, start to finish…If you’re going to be sexually active, you need to be sexually responsible.”

But what if condoms are difficult to come by? What if being sexually responsible is really hard? In the instantaneous, pleasure-driven, Veruca Salt “I want it now” climate of college, driving to four places to get condoms is just unrealistic. If a person stops at CVS on the way home only to find locked up condoms, they may choose not to use protection instead of driving to another store, making the quickest and easiest decision. That quickest and easiest decision leaves them unprotected.

With these embarrassingly low condom use percentages, and STD rates consequently on the rise, why won’t CVS unlock their condoms?

Their refusal to free the latex may be a result of a lack of community uproar.

Wilson doesn’t seem to think locked up condoms affect condom use in any way. In fact, she thinks people who are too embarrassed to ask for condoms shouldn’t be having sex anyway.

“The embarrassment for asking for condoms will be the same whether you have to ask someone to unlock it or ask someone for it,” she said. “They need to get over the embarrassment of asking for condoms and asking for protection because they are going to be a lot more embarrassed if they have to come in here and ask for an HIV test…If they are old enough and mature enough to have sex, then they’re old enough to ask for condoms.”

Ideally, all sexually active people would be mature and responsible citizens dedicated to protecting themselves and others. But in reality, and on this campus, there are a lot of immature and irresponsible people having sex without protection, and despite their flaws, they deserve easier access to condoms.

Wilson then compared asking for condoms to asking for sinus medication. On one hand, I like this comparison. Condoms are normal and mundane, just like any other health product, and sex outside of marriage must be de-stigmatized in order to protect participants. However, as far as I know, if you don’t treat a sinus infection, you aren’t likely to die. If you don’t use condoms, you run a risk of catching diseases that can cause pain, infertility and death.

People seem to be writing off those embarrassed about buying protection as unworthy of our help. But the bottom line is that condoms are not sinus medication. Condoms are far more important, and need to be more accessible. Thagard, students and the community should be doing more to improve our abysmal condom use rates, even if it means taking a stand against a corporate power.

Thagard does participate and initiate a lot of safe-sex programming and aids in the de-stigmatization of sex. They also offer free male and female condoms, flavored condoms and lubrications in a wide variety of brands. In addition to protection, students can also get HIV and STD tests there, some of which are free. Obviously, the lack of condom use is not due to Thagard Health Center and particularly Melvena Wilson’s lack of effort. They work very hard.

Sophomore Psychology student Jessa Miller praised Thagard for their work in the residence halls, which she has seen working with University Housing as Vice President of Landis Hall. She likes that the safe sex education programming informs new students about the resources available in the health center. However, she thinks there are a few things that could be improved.

“The only thing I think they should do different is move the condoms from the third floor to the first floor.”

Miller did, however, find a problem with CVS’s condom policy.

“I think that it is very ignorant and not socially responsible of them, because as college students or as teenagers in general, a lot of people, especially when you get into younger kids who are having sex, are embarrassed about it,” she said. “It’s something you want to keep private. So if you force them to go behind the desk and ask someone for condoms, they’re a lot less likely to buy them.”

Miller said she would be less likely to purchase condoms if they were locked up, which shows the flaws in CVS’s judgment and Wilson’s ability to brush off their policy as something that doesn’t affect condom use. Not only is CVS losing customers and revenue, but they may also be a small part of FSU’s low percentage of consistent condom users.

“When I decide to engage in sexual relations, it’s my decision and it’s nothing that I want to make obvious to everyone to everyone standing behind me in line or everyone else in the store,” Miller said.

She wouldn’t buy condoms at CVS. Other condom buyers complain about having to wait for someone to unlock their condom case, losing privacy, having store employees give them judgmental looks, or coming at a time when the materials used to unlock condom cases are unavailable.

Alternative ways of buying condoms are becoming popular. Several Yeti writers admitted to only buying condoms from stores with self check-out lines. Many students, especially women, felt this buying strategy protected them from judgment. One student even admitted to buying condoms online. It’s cheap, easy, and carries no risk of embarrassment. Other students grab free condoms from places like Thagard or buy from stores like Walgreen’s that have company policies against locking up condoms.

“Our policy is to keep [condoms] available and unlocked,” said Carol Hively, Walgreen’s corporate spokesperson in a 2008 Creative Loafing article. “Our goal chainwide is for easy access and no hindrances for people wanting to buy condoms.”

It’s great that some students are taking the initiative to obtain condoms in alternative ways, and that a few companies are taking a stand. But what about the stores who aren’t and the students who saw CVS as the one stop they were making to buy condoms?

Right now, they’re unprotected.

Whatever CVS’ motivation to lock up condoms, be it theft or moral objection, they need to get over it. And students need to be more outraged. With condom usage only at 17-18 percent and much lower for oral sex, we should be doing more to help students procure easy access to condoms. If unlocking condoms at CVS gets one person using condoms consistently, it could save countless others by stopping the spread of disease. Safe sex education and free condoms at Thagard are a commendable start, but until the entire community de-stigmatizes sex and frees the condoms, the health of our students won’t be going anywhere.

The Insight Center defines wealth as “the total value of assets minus debts.” Thus, the above figures reflect an individual’s median net worth “when debts exceed assets.”

Nicole Hilson, FSU student and Director of the Women’s Center was shocked at the gap, but approached it logically.

“I was surprised at the gap, but I understand why it’s there,” Hilson said. “Not that it’s okay in any way, shape or form, but I can see how institutions in this society could make that happen.”

According to the Insight Center, present U.S. institutions that make acquiring wealth difficult for the African American woman include: limited access to on-the-job benefits like health insurance, holiday pay, or pensions; the disabling affects of Public Assistance; the reality of habitually falling into lower paying job, and as a result, lower benefits of social insurance—social security, worker’s compensation, and unemployment insurance.

Although a lot of inequalities exist within the workforce itself, Dr. Mason, FSU Professor of Economics notes the significance of unemployment as well.

“African Americans sort of exist in a permanent deep recession,” Mason said. “[Their] unemployment rate usually hovers around 10% or 12%, what’s now the current national rate, and a lot of people are upset about it. Well, that’s the normal state of [black unemployment].”

The current unemployment rate for African American women, as estimated by the Labor Bureau of Statistics, is 11.7%, which is troubling considering that a great percentage of these women are single parents.

Because many single black women, like most unmarried women of other racial groups, hold the title of primary child-care provider, they must inevitably forgo many jobs due to lack of additional help in the home, prices of outside care, and unaccommodating nature of many job companies.

Audrey Torres of FSU’s Black Female Development Center has had personal experience with the poverty of black single mothers.

“My mom is a single mother, her mom was a single mother, and there are a lot of single women here who are in poverty raising children,” Torres said. “Poverty is a continued cycle.”

The Insight Center affirms her statement. According to their study, “black mothers with children under age 18 have a median wealth of zero.”

Raising a child alone is no doubt a strain on an individual’s finances, however, there are also other hindering economic effects that not having a spouse creates for these individuals.

BlackVoices online magazine states that “black women are the least likely group to get married, and if they do marry an African American man, those couples have the highest divorce rate in the country.” This reality produces an unsettling blow to these women’s financial status in comparison to men. As mentioned by the Center for Community Development, divorced women of color only have 26% of the wealth of divorced men of color, 8% of White women, and 5% of divorced White men.

Not only are discriminatory institutions fully intact in the U.S. today, but institutional factors of the past have played a major part in the current economic state for black women as well as black families, as stated in the report. For instance, the implementation of slavery, Jim Crow laws, “laws against interracial marriages, and policies which restricted opportunities for women to own and build assets.”

“Wealth is a way of transferring inequality across time,” Mason said. “If [there was] a large wealth gap 30-40 years ago, but [nothing was done] to adjust that wealth gap, even if you eliminate the wage gap, but [nothing’s done] about the accumulated differences from the past, then that wealth gap will persist for an extremely long period of time.”

Among the solutions included to help black women acquire and maintain wealth, the Insight Center recommends policies that will 1) improve employment opportunities, 2) support self employment, and 3) modify social insurance to provide adequate protection.

In addition to these proposals, Hilson believes that reeducation is also imperative.

“The actual solution would be to educate people about the systems that they’re apart of; the institutions they’ve grown to know and love, and how [society has] placed stereotypes and discriminations inside of their heads from day one,” Hilson said.

Although African American women can definitely use the above tools to better their accumulation of wealth, it will most likely be a very long time before they ever achieve economic equality, and finally close the economic gap.

“I think it’s always going to be a gap, maybe not as wide…[but] there’s always going to be discrimination, always going to be some type of prejudice between the races,” said Torres.

For more information visit www.racialwealthgap.org

Unlike the previous policy that allowed dependents to be covered until the age of 22, the new legislation requires insurance companies to allow coverage of dependents up to the age of 26. This legislation has been found favorable among many students, who instead of having to worry about the expense of health insurance upon graduation or post-graduate work can now have the comfort of extended coverage on their parent’s plan.

“A lot of kids in grad school or those trying to get their masters or go to law school have found themselves going a semester or two without insurance,” said Katie Showman, professor of health economics at Florida State University. “Now, they can stay with their parents.”

This legislation isn’t confined to just students. Even young adults who are unemployed or working part time have the option of still staying on their parent’s insurance.

Some students see this as way to protect against unexpected expenses a young adult may face.

“Most of the people who don’t get health insurance, it’s not because they can’t, it’s because they don’t think they need it, and that ends up coming back to bite them,” said Joseph Schweitzer, a junior political science and international affairs major and president of FSU College Democrats. “They decide to go without it for a few years and then get sick in that period and end up with hundreds of thousands of dollars in hospital costs that come back for the rest of their life.”

Other students see the federal mandate of extending insurance coverage as unnecessary government interference with America’s free market economy.

“I’m an advocate of freedom for individuals, and the individuals that own and operate these companies, so the CEO’s of the company, they should be able to run it in the manner they see fit,”  said Jesse Deyu, a junior political science major, and member of the FSU College Republicans. “They shouldn’t be required by law to provide you with healthcare up until a certain age. That should be their choice. It’s their company, they own it.”

One aspect of the reform causing major debate is the federal mandate to purchase a health insurance policy. Although there was consideration of the government providing a public option to compete with private insurers, the final bill removed that option. As of 2016,  95 percent of U.S. legal residents are going to have to purchase insurance, or pay a fine of either $695, or 2.5 percent of the individual’s taxable income, whichever amount is greater.

Some constituents, like Dr. Showman, foresee some undesirable consequences of this bill. As she sees it, the mandate would tend to raise insurance premiums. However, the reform requires that insurance companies gain government permission to raise premiums.  Because of this government regulation, some insurance companies may not be able to generate profit or cover costs, and thus be forced out of existence.

“I think you’re going to see some insurance companies leave the market, and say there’s just too much government interference,” said Showman.

Another concern is that the bill will help lower the premiums for the elderly or those with pre-existing conditions, but at the cost of higher premiums for younger healthy people, such as college students.

“This is at a time when we need to be saving and investing our money,” said Kendalyn Schiller, a first year criminology major. “When we get out of college, and we’re young and healthy, and we think we’re invincible, we don’t have money to waste on buying higher health insurance premiums.”

Dr. Showman echoes Schiller’s concern.

“Because you’re not allowing people to choose the type of plan as much as they could before, and certain things have to be covered by the insurance company, I think you are going to see younger people have higher relative premiums, and the elderly have lower, or people with preexisting conditions have lower relative premiums.”

The reform has also generated concern over the lack of healthcare workforce to keep up with the inevitable increase in health service demands. With the new reform, Showman says the number of people on Medicaid, the state sponsored health care option, will increase by 50 percent.  The strain of this dramatic and rapid increase in customers on the healthcare workforce will create a demand for more healthcare service workers that many people may be reluctant to join because of the increased government interference.

“I think you’re going to see a lot of people maybe not entering the medical profession that were planning on doing so otherwise, just because of the increase in administration and bureaucracy,” said Showman.

Some students remain faithful in the free market economy to take care of the increased demand for health insurance workers.

“I look into it as basic economics,” said Schweitzer. “Students who are coming into college now see that in a couple years there are going to be millions of more people with insurance. That’s money to be made.”

Schiller echoes Schweitzer’s optimism.

“I believe in supply and demand,” said Schiller. “If the free market says, ‘Hey, we need more doctors and nurses,’ then the market will make that an incentive. If doctors and nurses are in short supply, their salaries are going to go up, and more people will go, ‘Hey, look at the salary they’re making. I need to get in that industry.’”

For a legislation steeped in debate on every facet, one point of consensus remains: things are going to change for the health insurance system in America.

“This legislation is huge,” said Schiller. “It’s going to change the lives of every single one of us.”

Originally featured in the April 2010 print issue.

Neither of these options is ideal. This situation is what the Florida State University chapter of the Students for Sensible Drug Policy is working to prevent. SSDP is a national organization with a full agenda of harm-reducing campus drug policies that could save lives. The SSDP is currently working to instate a Good Samaritan policy, a form of medical amnesty that enables the individual to call in drug and alcohol related medical emergencies without the fear of penal recourse. With SSDP serving the campus community, in a sensible future, helping a roommate, friend or stranger can be the first option instead of the last.

Recent meetings have featured anything from videos on LSD by National Geographic to documentaries on Marijuana. But it turns out, according to PR Director John Mola, raising LSD awareness or increasing knowledge about the affects of Marijuana is a relatively low priority for the SSDP. They are not simply a pack of druggies gathered to encourage others to join and only set on legalizing habits but are admirably working for the safety of all students, drug users and not.

“We are all about harm reduction,” SSDP president Lauryn Harris said. The SSDP recently held a safety meeting where they taught attendants how to respond to an overdose. “We were aiming to make it into a sort of workshop,” Lauryn stated as she and John then demonstrated the Bacchus Maneuver, a technique for positioning an unconscious person safely. “Okay, I think this leg goes here, arm up. . . and then turn them over,” John spoke as he tooled around with the maneuver. With a tug on the arm, Lauryn rolled onto her side, safely.

Both John and Lauren passionately stated that students on campus have the authority to set drug policy and agenda but disappointedly remarked that there is not enough emergency help advertisement.

Lauren enthusiastically relayed that FSU SSDP chapter is always active, such as with Recognition and Response, an Overdose Prevention Meeting. She recounted, “We have met directly with Healthy Campus Committee about setting drug policy on campus.” They have hosted guests such as a First Responder from Thagard Health Center, who came and physically showed students how to help someone and how to recognize an overdose: something as simple as pinching a fingernail and seeing if it turns pink-white-pink, flicking their nose to incite a response, or checking for clammy skin.

SSDP feels such knowledge is essential for all students. Regardless of habits or clique’s, it is not uncommon to experience a drug-related emergency situation at least once in college. Whether with alcohol or an illegal substance, all students need to be educated in order to be comfortable helping someone in danger in order to prevent overdoses. Being a top ten party school has its responsibilities! Member Brennan Paedae openly declared, “It is the prohibition of drugs is what makes them more dangerous.”

Among informing students how to respond in drug-related emergencies, SSDP member Brennan Paedae, insisted that SSDP plays an active role in the drug-war as well, working with FSU’s NORML chapter on the petition to decriminalize marijuana in Tallahassee, but felt that NORML was more of a community-type organization and SSDP, activist, here at Florida State.

“It’s also really important to get the right message out. A good policy doesn’t help if no one knows about it,” John Mola said, finalizing the interview, “Safety is our number one policy over punishing, getting more people to call for help.”

Interested in joining SSDP or just want more information? Check out their Facebook Group or website for weekly meeting times, information, and events.

Originally featured in the April 2010 print issue.

Now that’s what I call a “special relationship.”

(Thanks for the tip, Luke.)