While October is a spooky, and scary time of the year — finding razor blades, drugs or other criminal paraphernalia in a child’s candy bag is an outright myth. Understandably, reading this statement might elicit memories from childhood regarding razor blades in candy apples and treats laced with THC/marijuana. However, these tales were simply that — tales. People have...
Severe incompetency, Hollywood-esque power fantasies, and murderous outgroup mentality are characteristics that police in the United States have repeatedly employed in a number of situations. However, a recent development worsened the situation when officers filled a Texas courthouse in Harris County to intimidate a judge from reallocating police budget, a behavior consistent with gang tactics. This event justifies the...
Almost three years have passed since the start of the pandemic. Restrictions and social distancing measures have slowly softened as vaccines have been released, and it seems COVID-19’s hold on the world is easing. Yet it has not fully disappeared, and celebrating too early could lead to spikes as they have in the past. Holiday gatherings like Halloween tend...
My best costume is the one I'm wearing this year, a Mexican ghost. It keeps me warm and I don’t have to worry about my hair or makeup. - Graciela Ibarra (she/her) 5th-year sociology and law and society major
My best Halloween costume was in 5th grade. I was the Lone Ranger cowboy with a big cowboy hat. The movie...
In an unsurprising turn of events, on Oct. 5, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit voted to uphold a 2021 ruling that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program is illegal. While the program is still ongoing despite this ruling, it creates new fear for the Dreamers who arrived in this country as children and...
President Biden recently signed an executive order to forgive large swaths of federal student loan debt. Borrowers with yearly incomes of under $125,000, or $250,000 for married couples, are eligible for $10,000 of debt forgiveness, while Pell Grant recipients are eligible for $20,000. Pitched by the Biden Administration as a way to ameliorate the harm done by the COVID-19...
While struggling is part of life, there shouldn’t be pressure to accomplish tasks without struggle or give off the impression that one had most things come easy to them. The expectation to be flawless and excel in every aspect of life is perpetuated by social media and is awful for the confidence and mental health of young women. This...
This September, eight Venezuelan migrants were flown from Texas to California. They did not have prior knowledge of their destination and had intended to go to other parts of the country with Venezuelean communities. Instead, the migrants were confused on why they were sent to Sacramento, where they had no connections. Without money or food, they were directed to...
As a college student, in order to gain certain skills and experience, it is typically necessary to obtain an internship within one’s chosen field. Internships can be a good way of dipping your toes into the mercurial ocean of today’s job market, provide experience to put on your resume and help you form connections within the industry. They can...
Being a college student is stressful enough with the many sacrifices people must undertake in order to succeed and finish their degree. Housing insecurity during a student’s higher education should not be a large concern, but for most students attending college in California, it is. The economy, combined with California’s housing shortage, has led to students being unable to...