News and Journalism

          Fossil evidence suggests that humanity has existed for around 200,000 years now. Ever since our emergence so long ago, we made our mark on this planet. We were born together, we grew together, we advanced together, and we even outlasted potential extinction together. We became the head of the food chain, and the arguable defenders and “owners”, for lack of better words, of this planet. Together is a key word in this paragraph. Together, we lived. Together, we survived. But, as humanity continues to grow, and as the things we need continue to become easier to obtain, we start to witness something: the race of creatures that once came together for something as simple as assured survival, is now dividing and splintering over things as small as what types of food we eat.

            But why? Why do we divide? Why do we seek to split ourselves apart, and establish ourselves as the group that’s “right”? This is something that one would think would be eliminated when humanity advances. Humanity itself seems to have a fetish of feeling weak or oppressed. We let everything offend us, we let everything oppress us, and we fight battles that are nonexistent for no reason other than it helps us fit in. Even those that don’t fit in look for others that don’t fit in, so that they may fit in. As riddle-esque as that sounds.

            Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, absolutely. But really think about what you’re saying there, when you spout that. Free opinions. When someone normally mentions that “everyone is entitled to their own opinions”, what they usually mean is “everyone is entitled to their own opinions as long as they agree with my own”. We live in a society nowadays, where disagreeing with someone can be perceived as oppressing them.

            Take the anti-vaccination movement for example. Recently, Disneyland was the site of an infection of a disease that, not too long ago, was completely eradicated in the United States: Measles. But why? How could this happen? The answer is simple: people aren’t vaccinating their kids. They feel that vaccinations aren’t safe. That they’re all scams and conspiracies. Hundreds of years of medical science and advances are being denied and tossed aside, for no reason other than someone read an article on the internet. Said articles are almost always crafted by someone who is completely unqualified to call themselves a doctor.

            Now, the anti-vaccination movement has taken offense to having the outbreak blamed on them. They accuse those critical of them of hate speech, even though their unvaccinated, measles infected child was present at Disneyland. They have taken offense to anyone even mildly suspecting that this could be their fault, and this thought is carried among most groups of humans that band together when criticized.

            Another example would be Christianity. Atheist billboards, printed with the statement, “Don’t believe in God? You are not alone” have recently been posted across the US, with an extremely violent response to follow. A statement that simply contradicts, and not even directly, with the beliefs of Christians has been met with an insane reaction. There has yet to be an outcry about the hundreds of Christian agenda billboards.

            In short, when something contradicts what we believe, even slightly, we seem to lose our minds. Our response seems completely insane and unwarranted, sometimes bordering on psychopathic. The claims that some of these groups make, from anti-GMO to anti-vaccination, also seem to be outright ludicrous, making the outside world truly question their movement. Do we desire to be apart of something so badly, that we find ways to defend it around every corner, or use it to justify our every response to every action?

            Two teens were recently murdered by a drug dealer. Read that sentence again. It sounds morally wrong, and it is. However, when that sentence is changed to what the media portrays it: “Two white teens murdered by black drug dealer”, you then incite a battle between many different groups of people. The murderer himself even cited the “Black Lives Matter” movement as a justification for the murder, and people support him for it. They throw out the fact that two teenagers were murdered simply because of race, which wasn’t apart of anything until he made it that way. Isn’t that racism? Isn’t that what we fight to absolve? How can we come together, and give each other the respect that we deserve, if we cannot unite to stamp out such demons?

            On the same topic, police officers are also the target of disdain from many people. People like to claim that they hate police officers because they’re all corrupt, or racist, or any combination of the two. But, isn’t it prejudice to have some preconceived notion of a group of people, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, or occupation? You wouldn’t assume that every stripper is promiscuous, and you wouldn’t assume that every officer worker you meet is dull and boring, so why assume that every officer of the law is evil? That’s arguably just as bad as prejudice itself.

            We live in a world where, if you hold a door for a female, that can be called rape. We live in a world where, if you’re disagreed with in a conversation, they can claim that you’re paid off, and that can be a completely acceptable end to a scientific debate. We live in a world where we claim to want to unity, and then we turn around and divide ourselves as thoroughly as we can. We claim that we want to come together, and end all of the silliness, so that we can finally be happy and free, and then we turn around, and find things to split ourselves up with.

            Why? Do we desire to be apart of something so badly, that we completely throw our own thoughts out of the window? Do we seek to be unique, and in that process we end up becoming a carbon copy of the others that support the same things we do? Doesn’t that make being unique moot? Are we so absorbed in our movements and in ourselves that we are completely oblivious to the hypocritical speech that spills from us? Do we even care about these movements? Or do we just seek to impress those around us, and drop our support for things the moment they move out of public eye, to continue following and barking about the latest trends in the news?

            Take the Black Lives Matter movement. Racism is still alive and well in America, and in the world for that matter. But how many people still follow it? There is, indeed, a group of people very passionate about the movement, and they should be commended. They’ve found something they believe in, and have stuck to it. But how many people were “outraged” over the things that spawned this movement, and no longer speak of the death of Mike Brown, simply because it’s no longer in the news? Many. The same thing can be observed with the Trayvon Martin case. The majority of the same crowd that claimed to be outraged over his death have moved on to be outraged and offended by something else. It would seem that, rather than try to unite and stamp out the things that cause these deaths; we seem to prefer to continue to find things to be offended about. We seem to want to feel weak, and oppressed.

            On the other side of the coin, we have those that distrust everything that government ever says or does, so much so, that they completely avoid doctors, for example. We have people denying cancer treatments, and dying, for no reason other than misinformation. And then they are praised as martyrs. There are groups out there that are convinced that the 90 million people around the world involved in the medical profession are in on some vast conspiracy to force vaccinations on the public for profit. Why? Why believe something so silly? The answer is again, simple.

            We need conflict. As humanity evolves further, and as we continue to live our lives completely void of true conflict, the conflict of survival, we strive to create artificial conflict for ourselves. We NEED to feel weak. We NEED to feel oppressed. Something HAS to be wrong at all times. We need a vast, overarching conflict for our species to be mentally healthy. Religion, gender equality, racism, social justice, vaccinations, GMOs, conspiracies, we need something in our lives that gives us a drive to fight. We need something to fight, so that we have something to defeat, and being as we no longer have to actively fight to eat and survive, we must find something else. Anything else. Even if it’s not a true problem facing society, we’ll make it one.

            I don’t believe that humanity will ever know world peace. I don’t believe that we’ll ever see the end of racism, misogyny and misandry, or bigotry. Too many people are unwilling to budge on any stance, and too many people desire the drive that these things bring on both sides of the arguments. After all, if racism, misogyny, or bigotry suddenly vanished, what would happen next? Would feminism stop existing? What if a white-pride organization succeeded in their ultimate goal, would we be so foolish to assume that they would simply disappear? Of course not.

            In the end, we seek to fit in. We seek to unite. But in this uniting, we divide ourselves. And with every passing day, we continue to divide further and further. “Unity” will be the undoing of the human race. Perhaps we will eventually be able to truly unite, and truly love each other as we claim we want to do, but for now, all we can do is watch our tailspin into social chaos.

    Nick with [sic] Journalism

Party culture is present in just about every college in the United States of America. Drinking, smoking, sex and drug use have become something that almost every college student will be tempted by. While this provides a fun environment for many students still learning who they are, and for others who just want to entertain themselves and have a good time, the party culture comes with many risks and issues, namely rape, alcohol and drug addiction, and failure in maintaining academic responsibilities. And at the center of the party culture? Fraternities and sororities.

  Fraternities and sororities originated inside of tight-knit societies within ivy league schools throughout New England in the 18th and 19th centuries. They were intended to be organizations where men and women could come together, collect thoughts and ideas, and form companionship among their peers. The first fraternity ever formed in North America was Phi Beta Kappa in 1776, which exists still to this day. The first sorority ever formed was the Adelphean Society, which later became Alpha Delta Pi. It also still exists.

  Fraternities and sororities have come a long way from their academic origins, and have been romanticized as something far different: organizations bent on partying. Popular movies have displayed these organizations as crazy groups of testosterone pumped guys and catty women who’re both generally unpleasant groups of people to be around, and because of that, many negative stereotypes are now associated with these groups. The recent press does nothing to help that image. From racist sororities in Alabama to the seemingly never-ending accusations of rape and sexual misconduct among fraternities, it would seem almost as if these organizations are trying to conduct themselves just as their fictional counterparts do.

  Most recently, a student who goes by “Jackie” reported being gang-raped on the University of Virginia’s campus. What’s even more disgusting is how she was discouraged from going to the authorities by the university’s officials. The university itself has still yet to launch an investigation into the matter, and instead opted for the police to do it. The University of Virginia is one out of 76 colleges in the United States under investigation for mishandled sexual assault claims. (see: http://thinkprogress.org/health/2014/11/23/3596085/uva-gang-rape-fraternity-suspensions/)

  Fraternities have become synonymous with rape. What used to be known as a society where intelligent men could discuss thought provoking ideas has become known for drinking to the point of liver failure and rape. Fraternities are not the only organization who has seen such decline.

  While fraternities have become known for alcohol and rape, sororities are becoming known for brutal hazing tactics. Hazing, essentially, is the humiliation and abuse of someone in order to initiate them into something. Most recently, Miss America herself, Kira Kazantsev, was accused of hazing initiates in the sorority she was a recruiter in: Alpha Phi Theta Mu. Reports suggest that she berated initiates on their appearance and forced exhaustion on the recruits by forcing them to do many strenuous tasks. Although she denies these claims, she has long been under investigation for these allegations, and was dismissed from the sorority and relieved of her recruiting responsibilities. (see:  "Miss America winner accused of sorority hazing | NJ.com." 2014. 23 Nov. 2014 <http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2014/09/miss_america_kira_kazantsev_hazing_hofstra_university.html>)

  The definition of both Fraternity and Sorority are quite similar: the state or feeling of friendship and mutual support within a group. But exactly how much friendship do you feel when those who recruited you into these organizations call you fat, or make you do push ups in a cold cellar while they blow fans on you? How much mutual support do you feel when you know that those in your group are guilty of rape, effectively shutting down your organization? These organizations have become a living, breathing oxymoron, a contradiction.

The more attention that is brought to these organizations, the more the public eye will take to it. If our students continue to protest and fight this corrupt, terrifying version of greek life and party culture, then perhaps we can return to the roots of what established these organizations to begin with. But for now, the nation watches the University of Virginia, waiting for their response to such a tarnishing on their reputation as a professional establishment. It looks as though they’ll choose to remain silent.

Nick with [sic] Journalism

We waited for the bus to show up, having just disembarked the train. We walked down the staircase, and stood at the pole indicating that’s where the bus would stop. Behind us was the housed bus stop, completely closed off. It was there to keep the elevator doors away from the elements, and to shield patrons from the biting cold of harsh winters. We heard the doors open, and at first, we didn’t think anything of it.

(Minneapolis on a cold winter night)

My guests continued their conversation, but my attention was directed to the doors. I watched a man in a filthy white dress shirt, which was buttoned up incorrectly, stumble out of the housed bus stop. He was somewhat twitchy, his movement was erratic, it was pretty clear that something was wrong with this gentleman. I wasn’t the only one to notice it when he started shouting and screaming as he stumbled down the sidewalk. As we boarded the bus, I looked back into the housed bus stop, and saw several men sitting on mashed cardboard boxes, wearing tattered clothes. They were homeless, and the other man must have been as well.

  610,042 people are homeless in the United States of America on any given night. 222,197 of those people have families, and 387,845 are individuals. 18% of the homeless population are considered chronically homeless, and 15% of the homeless population reports having partaken in substance abuse. (See: "National Alliance to End Homelessness: Snapshot of ..." 2012. 23 Nov. 2014 <http://www.endhomelessness.org/pages/snapshot_of_homelessness> OR  "Substance Abuse and Homelessness - National Coalition ..." 2009. 23 Nov. 2014 <http://www.nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/addiction.pdf>)

  Homelessness is a serious issue in the modern world, and its an issue that some argue we are combating the wrong way. The city of London in the United Kingdom installed spikes outside of a luxury apartment building designed to keep the homeless from sleeping or resting near the building itself, which sparked a public outcry. While one set of spikes have been removed, not much progress has been made in the treatment of the homeless.

(Another shot of a snowy Minneapolis street)

Curious to how this issue was handled in the United States of America, I decided to investigate how Minneapolis, Minnesota handled their resident homeless population. I boarded the bus, heading towards the Metro station. Just as soon as the bus pulled up to the station, my attention was diverted to several police cars. Several homeless gentleman were being herded out of another housed bus stop, the exact same that shield the elevators, and put in police cars.

  I assumed these were trespassing arrests, and although being arrested is never a good thing, at least these gentlemen would have a warm place to stay for a bit, as the winter was biting down hard. It was then I started to notice all of the protocol in place in Minneapolis, that seemed either to be anti-homeless or at least homeless-hindering, even if that isn’t the intention.

  It costs $1.75 to board the bus or a train with unlimited transfers in the city of Minneapolis for two and a half hours, or $2.25 if it’s rush hour. If you are to board the train, you must disembark when the train reaches the end of its scheduled route, which only takes up to a half an hour to run its course. While this is most definitely in place to allow the train to readjust and head back, it also makes it impossible for anyone to sleep or stay on the train for an extended time, effectively preventing any loitering by the homeless or anyone else, for that matter. While I have yet to visit Minneapolis in the summer, I am curious if this same rule applies outside of the winter, when the homeless seek warm refuge.

  A very large portion of public restrooms in Minneapolis also aren’t exactly public. From local restaurants to large retailers, a lot of restrooms are locked up tight. One must ask for keys to the restroom to use it. This also, of course, means that if it’s hard for me to find a place to use the restroom when I’m out, then it must be even harder for the homeless. Stores and restaurants absolutely have every right to turn people away, but if the homeless don’t have easy access to any restrooms, personal hygiene can absolutely decline, which could potentially lead to disease and squalor among the homeless.

  The city of Minneapolis also has a surplus of signs reminding passerbies that absolutely no loitering or trespassing is tolerated. From the skywalk that connects many of Minneapolis’ prestigious hotels and retailers, to something as simple as your local McDonalds, these signs are everywhere. Even inside restaurants and other stores, there are signs asking you to try to limit your time inside of the establishment to 15 or 30 minutes. Out of the rules and regulations put in place by the city of Minneapolis, these were the ones that seemed most repelling of the homeless to me.

(A sign preventing any sitting or loitering inside of Nicollet Mall)

I consider myself a well-traveled person, but I cannot help but to compare Minneapolis to the city of Louisville, Kentucky, where I currently reside. Both of the cities are roughly of the same size. Louisville, however, does not seem to have any of these rules in place. I cannot recall seeing any trespassing or loitering signs, I can use a public restroom at pretty much any establishment I’d like, and sleeping or staying on a bus for a bit isn’t frowned upon.

  Perhaps the city of Minneapolis has a more serious issue with their homeless that I’ve yet to witness, and that’s why so many rules and regulations are in place. Maybe the colder climate of Minneapolis creates issues with the homeless population, where Louisville’s warmer climate makes for an easier lifestyle for the homeless. I could even be over-analyzing simple things that Minneapolis does just to keep the city clean and safe.

(Another trespassing sign in the skywalk of Minneapolis)

One event, however, remains vivid in my mind. I was returning from a little walk that I had taken down to Nicollet Mall, and as I walked by a bus stop, a homeless gentleman was very shaken up. His group of friends were attempting to calm him, but his cries were easily heard. He was recently assaulted. I couldn’t help but take a peek at him, and sure enough, his lips were swollen, and his nose was bleeding. One thing he said and kept repeating disturbed me: “I didn't even know them.”

  Homelessness is an issue, and a very large one at that. While we may scurry hurriedly by the homeless, and while we may pretend not to see them, they’re there. Just because we no longer see them or hear them, does not mean that they’re no longer there. Recent legislation and the efforts of many missionaries and organizations, however, are seemingly making an effort to help those less fortunate than you or I. One thing is certain, and that’s every city in the United States, or in the world for that matter, handle homelessness differently.

Nick with [sic] Journalism

Photo credit to Katie Rose Kaufman

The video game industry is one of the fastest growing and expansive industries in the modern world. In 2009, the video game industry managed to generate over 10.5 billion dollars in revenue. The average gamer spends around eight hours gaming every week, and over 67% of households play video games, and the industry shows no signs of slowing its growth. (see:  "Video Game Industry Statistics | Entertainment ... - ESRB." 2010. 23 Nov. 2014 <http://www.esrb.org/about/video-game-industry-statistics.jsp>)

  Video games are popular for a myriad of reasons, but the most popular entertainment derived from video games has to be the competitive aspects offered by popular games. Call of Duty, League of Legends, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, these are the names of some of the most popular competitive games played today. For the casual gamer, these games can offer a casual, relaxed environment to have fun, but at the same time, these games can offer the hardcore gamer extremely competitive environments, tournaments, and potentially, a shot at making money by playing competitively.

  Naturally, when you have a competitive environment, you’ll find that people are willing to do anything to win, from rigging statistics to playing dirty and yes, even cheating. Cheating has rocked the online community very recently, with many professional gamers getting busted in the act of cheating to uphold their statistics. One gamer who played Counter Strike: Global Offensive was even caught cheating in the middle of a tournament match.

  Cheating is more commonly called “Hacking” in the video game industry, as it references the usual method of cheating: manipulation of game files to give someone an advantage over someone else. Now, a lot of players will scream “hacker” at anyone that is better than them, but this doesn’t invalidate many claims of actual hacking.

  So we here at [sic] decided to check this shit out for ourselves.

  I opened up Steam and started up Counter Strike: Global Offensive, a favorite of mine, and an environment certainly not lacking in hackers. I cracked my knuckles, and got ready for my search. Would every match be filled with those who seem to play by the rules, but in all reality are manipulating the game? Or would I find nothing? The answer is a little of both.

(Screenshot from the beginning of my game)

At the beginning of my search, I decided to play “Casual” mode, a less serious gamemode in Counter Strike: Global Offensive that isn’t known to fetch too many sketchy people, as it isn’t as competitive. I figured it’d make a decent control to compare my later games to. The very first match I played was on a map called “Season”, a new map apart of a recent update. As was expected, I got my ass handed to me. Now, while I certainly didn’t perform anywhere well enough to be considered decent at the game, I got an idea of what kind of performances were considered exceptional and legitimate.

(The beginning of my hopes getting demolished)

The next start of my search was to dip my toes in “Competitive” mode. Competitive mode is very similar to Casual mode, but there are many more rounds, and less people. The very first competitive match I played was on Counter Strike’s iconic “Nuke” map, a map set in some kind of nuclear facility. As the match progressed, things looked hopeful for us, and even I wasn’t sucking too much ass at the game, but hopes died quickly. We lost 12-16, but the game was very close.

(Another screenshot from the middle of my game)

It’s interesting to note that everyone seemed to perform within human limitations. No insane kill-death ratios, no crazy reflexes, and nobody seemed to be able to see through walls. Even though we lost, we lost legitimately, which I suppose is a better feeling than losing because someone on the other team cheated horrifically.

  Nobody was cheating in any game I joined, and that surprised me, quite frankly. I have personally witnessed cheating in Counter Strike: Global Offensive, and to not bump into anyone even mildly suspicious was almost uncharacteristic. Perhaps Valve, the developer of Counter Strike: Global Offensive had recently cracked down on cheaters, and that’s why we didn’t find anyone. We DID play shortly after Valve had busted and banned several professional gamers for cheating, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility.

  “Smurfing” is another problem in Counter Strike: Global Offensive, and we certainly ran into that issue. “Smurfing” is essentially when a very high-ranked, very experienced player makes a new account and buys another copy of the game so that, when they play the “Competitive” gamemode, they get matched with players that are nowhere near as experienced. It’s almost like an NFL player manages to sneak into a peewee league and tackle the entirety of the opposing team of 8-year olds.

  Other than the occasional “smurf”, we encountered no hackers in the several games we played. Maybe Valve really had made a difference recently, and maybe they really were striving to improve the integrity of their games. Maybe the professional gaming industry was cracking down on cheating in their ranks as well, as you’re only as professional as your least professional player. If you decide to cheat, not only do you make the professional industry look like a joke, but you also make a developer’s game look just as silly, and maybe developers and professionals alike are now refusing to stand for this action any longer. Only time will tell.

  Nick with [sic] Journalism

Photo credit to Katie Rose Kaufman

The apex of punishment within the United States of America is arguably capital punishment. Any crime deemed severe and heinous may very well force the perpetrator to pay for their crimes with their life. Capital punishment has been one of the oldest forms of punishment within human society, but as society advances, we find ourselves asking: Does the killing of another human really make them pay for their crimes?

  The United States is placed at number five in the top ten list of countries that use the death penalty. In 2010 alone, 46 people were executed in the United States. In 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, 155 more people have been executed. Since 1976, approximately 1,348 people have been executed in the United States. (see:  "Death Penalty Statistics | Statistic Brain." 2012. 22 Nov. 2014 <http://www.statisticbrain.com/death-penalty-statistics/>)

The United States has used many different methods to execute the condemned, but the most popular and controversial method, has to be the lethal injection. The United States uses two different methods to accomplish this, one that uses three different drugs, and another that just administers one large dose of barbiturates. These methods have long been thought to be painless, and actually somewhat humane, but recent incidents have shaken up previous ideas.

  Three men executed in 2011 were injected with thiopental, a drug designed to lull the inmates into unconsciousness, so that they may die without pain. However, while they were paralyzed, their eyes were still open, which indicates the possibility that they were awake when the rest of the drug cocktail was injected. If this is true, then the men all experienced excruciating pain shortly before their deaths.

  The controversy surrounding the lethal injection is felt outside of the United States. The companies in Europe that produce the drugs needed to create a lethal injection refuse to sell their products to the United States, as they refuse to be apart of executions, a practice they deem inhumane. As such, one particular state has proposed an alternative.  Utah, on a vote of 9-2, has decided a way to continue executions if the drugs cannot be obtained within 30 days: firing squads.

  Firing squads work in a rather simple way. The inmate is restrained and placed away from a group of usually five men, who then are to fire at the inmate’s heart, which is believed to kill them almost instantly. This isn’t foolproof, however, and concerns with missing the inmate’s heart and causing a slow death, or missing the inmate entirely, are present.

  Utah had, in the past, allowed inmates to select the firing squad as their prefered method of execution. This was stopped in 2004 due to the negative attention it garnered the state of Utah. While the practice was stopped in 2004, inmates who were convicted before then and sentenced to death can still choose the firing squad to be their end. Most recently, Ronnie Lee Gardner was executed by firing squad in 2010, and several others that have selected the firing squad await their executions.

  The death penalty shows no sign of slowing in the United States. While organizations such as Amnesty International continue to fight capital punishment, the federal government shows no willingness to end the practice of execution. While the pharmaceutical companies that provide drugs for lethal injections can stop selling, the United States seems more than willing to find ways to work around the practice.

  Nick with [sic] Journalism

I got off of my bus not quite knowing what to expect. I’d never heard of the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, or MCAD for short. I knew that Minnesota was a state, and that Minneapolis was indeed a thing, but that’s all I knew. I didn’t know the Mall of America was nearby, I didn’t know that Saint Paul was 10 minutes away, I didn’t even know that Minneapolis was in a different fucking timezone. I’ve always considered myself a well-traveled person, but this trip was completely new to me.

  The first thing I noticed on my way through the city was a tall skyscraper decorated with an LED aquarium at the tip. The city, like any other new city, seemed insanely enormous, completely maze-like. I trusted my hosts, however, and soon enough we were in a parking garage. As we left the parking garage and headed to the dormitory where I would be staying, I took note of a sign on said dormitory, an all-black rectangle with the dormitory address, and a little symbol I’d soon become acquainted with: An “X”-like symbol, with one half black, and the other white.

  I’ve never in my life set foot on the campus of an art school before. I’ve never even seriously considered visiting one. I had always been brought up hearing nothing but negative things about art schools, and my natural affinity for the sciences led me on a different path than the many artists and creative minds that roam MCAD’s grounds. And that was okay.

(MCAD campus interior, the main building is the large building to the left)

My first impression of MCAD left me feeling inadequate. As someone who has never had a chance to exercise his creative ability, I was left feeling somewhat awestruck by the various creations that littered the campus grounds. From the sculpture garden to the displayed works of many talented students, one cannot help but feel a mixture of envy and inspiration. MCAD, on its surface, was indeed different from other colleges.

(The sculpture garden, showcasing the works of many incredibly talented minds)

As I started to become comfortable with the campus, I began to realize that it wasn’t as big as I once thought. The main building, the biggest building on campus, held most of the classes and school-sponsored facilities, and while it’s certainly large, it’s only about as big as one of the engineering buildings present at my home university. I also started to become far more familiar with the dormitory layout. Each dormitory appeared to be within tickling distance of the main building, and they happened to be snuggly fit next to each other, for the most part.

  For such a packed campus, you might think that this creates for some chaotic student traffic, but you would be mistaken. I’ve never personally witnessed hordes of students marching into the main building like they do at much bigger schools, and with a modest student population of about 600 students, it is doubtful that any form of chaos happens often, if at all.

(MCAD campus interior as night falls)

Beneath the surface, however, were the students. Humans, no matter where you place them, are humans. I expected a slightly different attitude and disposition of the minds here, but was surprised, and not in a bad way, to discover that these students here are just that: students. Generally, there’s no air of superiority here, which is a great thing in a creative environment, but, it’s not all sunshine and daisies. Wherever there are teenagers and young adults, there will be issues. MCAD seemed to have a very tense environment underneath public student interactions. Having spent no more than a week at MCAD, I was able to mingle and meet many different people, and it wasn’t long until I was able to uncover various said tensions, each scaling from fucking ridiculous to ancient vindication.  

  “Some people can’t let go of the disposition they had in high school,” said an anonymous MCAD Freshman. “A lot of the kids here can’t grasp that now that they’re adults, they need to act like adults, and a lot of it’s between roommates.”

  I became interested in what the anonymous MCAD Freshman had told me, and decided to delve deeper into the roommate situations here at MCAD, and I turned up some interesting results. Many people were very uncomfortable with who they were roomed with, and were actively seeking new roommates. It’s at this point I should mention this was the beginning of the first fucking semester. It was clear the matching system that MCAD uses just wasn’t working. The offenses between roommates ranged from drug use to stealing food, and the mediation system between roommates apparently was laughable.

  Aside from that, student interactions were pretty normal, if not mundane. Those who smoked sat at tables outside puffing away, those who had put off assignments to the very last second typed frantically to meet their deadlines in the college center, and red-eyed, exhausted students stared blankly at Mac laptop screens with glazed eyes. Students here were just like students anywhere else.

  It wasn’t long after I took in the environment and the native students that I began to take notice of the amount of facilities offered to these students. The facilities here are astounding. The sheer amount of investment MCAD has put into these facilities is amazing, and having personally visited everything from the 3D shop, to the gray studio, to the service bureau, I can verify the surplus of assets offered to students to help them succeed in whatever path they may choose. Again, I am no artist, but to the outside eye, MCAD appears to be the Hogwarts of the artistic world.

(MCAD's 3D shop. Take note of how much is offered, and this was just one part of the shop)

To further augment these facilities, MCAD even has a nifty little store tucked away just off of the main building called the “Art Cellar”, a small little shop where one can buy the various supplies and tools they may need to make their work perfect. Spray paint, pastels, glue, paper, pens, sheets of copper, they have it all, and not only do they have it all, but they have it all at cutthroat prices.

  Interested in the Art Cellar, I wanted to see just how much money they were saving students. I was almost at first convinced that the prices there were too high. In my mind, they must have been, because any college store I’ve ever visited, especially at universities, charged exorbitant prices for things as simple as pencils. After a quick field trip to an art supply store nearby, however, I figured out I was wrong. The Art Cellar offered things at pretty reasonable prices compared to all other alternatives.

  I left Minneapolis with positive memories of MCAD, and being in such a creative environment for so long certainly helped my mind become more imaginative in ways I don’t quite understand. In the end, MCAD itself is a remarkable art school, filled with many bright minds who will no doubt contribute to their respective fields of study, but at the same time, MCAD is still a college, and with college comes the community that is seemingly the same no matter what college you go to. Whether or not this is a desirable thing, is for you to decide.

(The atrium inside of the main building of MCAD)

  Nick Miller with [sic] Journalism

Photo credit to Katie Rose Kaufman

Terrorism has been an extremely sensitive topic to the global community in recent years. The attacks on the World Trade Center in the US in 2001, the bombing of the London Underground in 2005, the Moscow market bombings in 2006, many terrorist incidents across the globe have created a feeling of fear and paranoia regarding anything to do with terrorist groups, so it’s no surprise that the world has taken such an interest in ISIS, or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

  ISIS has its roots in a precursor organization known as Jama’at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad, which would later become Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad Bilad al-Rafidayn, more commonly known as Al-Qaeda in Iraq. Al-Qaeda in Iraq is infamous for its participation in combating coalition forces in 2003, and in 2006, they again consolidated themselves into the Islamic State of Iraq with several other insurgent groups.

  The Islamic State of Iraq, however, quickly fell into disrepair in 2008. Their extremely violent attacks on civilian populations and their mass killing of prisoners of war led to disputes between the insurgent groups and sunni Iraqis, leading to a period of stagnation within the ranks of the Islamic State of Iraq. The group soon declared itself to be in a state of crisis, and in 2010, it was declared that 80% of the Islamic State of Iraq’s top leaders had either been killed or captured. ( see: "US says 80% of al-Qaeda leaders in Iraq removed - BBC." 2010. 20 Nov. 2014 <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10243585> )

In the face of elimination, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was appointed the new head of the Islamic State of Iraq, and when civil unrest began in Syria in 2011, al-Baghdadi began sending experienced fighters into the country to establish a terror cell. This new cell would become known as the al-Nusra Front. Ironically, when a merger was announced between the al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq, conflict broke out with al-Nusra contesting the merger. In the ensuing power struggle, al-Qaeda disavowed any relation to the Islamic State of Iraq.

  The Islamic State of Iraq soon became the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, but later dropped its title in favor of just “The Islamic State”, in honor of their newly declared caliphate status. Recruitment boomed, and it wasn’t until the potential genocide of the Yazidis, a Kurdish ethnic group, that the US launched a humanitarian mission to aid who they could. Still, hundreds of Yazidis were killed in the region. ( see: "Iraq confirms IS killed 500 Yazidis | Al Jazeera America." 2014. 20 Nov. 2014 <http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/8/10/yazidi-iraq-islamic.html> )

  The Islamic State is not by any means invincible, and in more recent news, has been getting pushed hard. On November 14th of 2014, the Iraqi Army retook the city of Baiji from the Islamic State, and on November 19th of 2014, Kurdish fighters repelled another attempt for complete control of the city of Kobani in Syria, capturing six buildings and a large stockpile of arms and ammunition. ( see: "Isis: Iraqi army retakes control of oil refinery town as Kurds ..." 2014. 20 Nov. 2014 <http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/isis-the-kurds-strike-back--army-retakes-control-of-oil-refinery-town-as-kurds-stand-firm-against-overstretched-isis-9862538.html> OR  "Kurds seize Islamic State arms near besieged town ..." 2014. 20 Nov. 2014 <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-2839097/Kurds-seize-Islamic-State-arms-near-besieged-town--monitor.html> )

As tensions and human rights violations increase in the area, as does the interest the western world has taken in the situation. The US has not declared war on ISIS, but continues to pressure the Islamic State with air strikes. The US is not alone in their action, as the UK’s Royal Air Force has started using reaper drones to harass ISIS, as well.

  Only time will tell what lies in wait for this self-proclaimed caliphate, but if history is any indication of what may come to pass, then the over-extended Islamic State’s violent methods may once again prove to be their downfall.

  Nick with [sic] Journalism