Education:
The Good: Howard University Students Refuse To Back Down
“You have students who dream about going to Howard, whose families risk everything.” – Jessica Brown, a Howard alumna
After Howard University Students learned that their financial aid office misappropriated funds, student protests began with strict demands. The occupation of Howard’s administration office in Washington D.C. began on March 29th and continues with protesters refusing to leave until all of their requirements are met. Although the University has agreed to: (1) supply adequate housing for all students under the age of 21 and to: (2) extend the deadline of the housing deposit for the fall semester until May 1st 2018, 8 other demands are still unanswered, including the resignation of the University President Wayne A.I. Frederick. The student group spearheading the movement “HU Resist” began their descent after an investigation found that University employees were receiving financial aid grants as well as tuition remission that exceeded the total cost of attendance from 2007-2016, allowing staff to pocket the difference, essentially taking from students actually in need of support. HU Resist tweeted on March 29th: “Good morning. We have officially reached our 7th day occupying A (Admission) Building! Because of our supporters and student participants we are able to continue to fight. Nothing will stop us from demanding the change we deserve!”
The Bad: Survey Shows College Students Can’t Afford Housing Or Food
Admist the scandal at Howard University, a new survey has shed light on the plight of college students and their struggle to simply live. Researchers from Temple University and The Wisconsin Hope Lab surveyed 43,000 students at 66 institutions and found that many students are uncertain about their residence and even their next meal. USA Today reported that: Of the students who said they suffered from food insecurity, most (46 percent at two-year institutions and 40 percent at four-year institutions) said they couldn’t afford to eat balanced meals. Thirty-one percent of two-year institution students and 25 percent of four-year institution students said they cut the size of their meals or skipped meals entirely because they didn’t have enough money for food. The study suggests that more institutions need to focus on supporting the basic needs of their students to ensure academic success. “The bottom line is clear: Educational attainment in the United States is being hindered by neglect … Students’ basic needs must be secured if they are to learn at any level — elementary, secondary or postsecondary,” the study said.
Health:
The Good: Medical Marijuana To Replace Epidemic Opioid Use
Researchers are exploring methods to combat the widespread use of opioid use in the United States and have found that medical marijuana may hold the key to progress. To find conclusive findings, studies compared states that allowed medical marijuana as an alternative to prescription opioids with those that didn’t and found that states that allowed medical marijuana saw a 5.88% decrease in prescription opioid use (2.21 million users). David Bradford, the professor of public administration and policy at the University of Georgia and the lead author of the study said: “This study adds one more brick in the wall in the argument that cannabis clearly has medical applications,” The new research comes as more than 500,000 Americans have succumb to opioid overdose since 2000; according to the Center For Disease Control, more than 42,000 Americans die a year from opioid use every year.
The Bad: Drug Resistant Diseases Worrying Doctors
The Center For Disease Control (CDC) has been focused on researching diseases that have evolved to become resistant to antibiotics. “I was surprised by the numbers we found,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC. “Two million Americans get infections from antibiotic resistance, and 23,000 die from those infections each year,” Schuchat said. The data has been compiled by the Antibiotic Resistance Laboratory Network within the CDC which was created to combat resistant germs in 2016. Although the CDC says that their efforts can greatly reduce the exposure of mutations to patients, awareness is mandatory as patients tend to transfer to different nursing homes and hospitals increasing the risk of contamination of other individuals. The CDC is urging doctors to ensure early action, prevention, and containment.
Entertainment:
The Good: Dwayne ‘The Rock” Johnson Receives Support During Depression
As the rates of depression and other mental illnesses plague the American public, “The Rock” is one of the latest public figures to address issues openly and received incredible amounts of love and support. “Struggle and pain is real. I was devastated and depressed,” he said. “I reached a point where I didn’t want to do a thing or go anywhere. I was crying constantly.” The former wrestling star and current blockbuster maven referenced his battle with depression after he saved his mother from a suicide attempt when he was only 15 years old, pulling her away from oncoming traffic after she walked out in front of oncoming cars on an interstate highway. Despite their battle with pain, Johnson says: “We both healed but we’ve always got to do our best to pay attention when other people are in pain, we have to help them through it and remind them they are not alone.”
The Bad: Fabolous Facing 10 Years For Domestic Abuse Charges
Damning video has been released of Brooklyn legend Fabolous threatening his longtime girlfriend Emily Bustamante and her father this week that implicates the rapper in a domestic abuse charge that could land him in jail for at least a decade. Reports from XXL and other media outlets confirm Fab’s altercation led him to turn himself over to police on March 28th. Fab was charged with aggravated assault and terroristic threats. Although Fab has not addressed the incident directly, Emily is claiming that she was punched in the face several times. Fab’s lawyer denies the claims saying: “There certainly is no crime being committed. If what you see in the video were a crime, we’d have to build more jails.”
Hilarity:
Child Details Epic Hangover In School Assignment
Only two people tell the truth, drunk people & children.
In this case, Lucie, the daughter of Margaret Stevenson took her truths to school with a drawing of her mothers hangover sharing her mothers battle with “the terrible juice” she had drank the night before. Margaret’s husband Scott found the photo among Lucie’s things finding it hilarious after seeing a “sick bucket” and the kind comment from Lucie’s teacher…
Seagulls, Pepperoni, & A Hotel Ban
After Nick Burchill bought some special pepperoni from his hometown to share with his friends overseas he realized that his hotel room didn’t have a fridge. He decided to leave a window open to keep the meat cool….unfortunately he wasn’t the only one who thought that the meat was worth sharing. After Nick took a long walk around the city, Seagulls invaded his room, eating the pepperoni and trashing the entire place. Even after his sincere apology, he was banned from the hotel.
