As of 2008, there were slightly over three million students diagnosed with learning disabilities enrolled in postsecondary education in the United States either in vocational and career schools or two and four year colleges and universities.

In the Bay Area, 15% of high school students have been diagnosed with a learning disability.

Our goal is to make the college transition easier for these students. To do this, we created a blog with contact information, student population numbers, resources, and software available for students with learning disabilities at four different colleges in the Bay Area: St. Mary’s College, University of San Francisco, College of San Mateo, and San Francisco State University. We intervied the director of each school’s disabilities department and toured their facilities. Finally, we offer a final analysis of what we think of each program; feel free to offer your own opinion on our blog.

The four schools were chosen in order to give examples of programs at varying levels of postsecondary education. We are looking to add more schools to our blog in the coming months, along with photos and possibly video tours of the different campus facilities.
This is a very important issue that is affecting many students and families. The national high school dropout rate in the United States as of 2005, the last year that the data was collected by the Department of Education, was 29%, an improvement of 5% since the beginning of the decade, according to the New York Times. The dropout rate for students with learning disabilities was 36% at that same point, though the Advocacy Institute claims the dropout rate for LD students is currently double that of students without. This is partly because high schools cannot help all LD students find a postsecondary school that meets their needs and partly because laws concerning students with disabilities change at the postsecondary level.

Throughout their academic careers, the 1973 Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) and 1990’s Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, both of which prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability at the elementary, secondary, and postsecondary level, protect these students.

These laws give rights to LD students in every school district and postsecondary school in the United States, but responsibilities change significantly at the postsecondary level in how those rights are addressed.
For example, in elementary and secondary education, a school district is required to offer a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to all students with learning disabilities within their district, meaning the district must identify needs on a case-by-case basis and provide aids and services necessary to meet those needs. In providing these aids and services, the school district must ensure that the needs of LD students are met as well as the needs of students without disabilities.
Postsecondary schools are not required to provide FAPE. They are only required to provide aid that is necessary to ensure they are not discriminating against LD students.

In fulfilling this requirement, postsecondary schools must similarly take into account individual needs.
Examples of services to attend to these needs are providing note takers, sign language interpreters, and priority registration. Postsecondary schools are not required to provide personal services or devices, such as tutoring and typing.

Because postsecondary schools are not required to provide as many resources for LD students as elementary and secondary schools, postsecondary education choices for LD students is even more narrow and limited. Our goal is to make the school selection process easier for LD students, their families, and high schools by having all of the information needed in a single location. If you would like us to add something to our blog, or find something that you think should be changed, feel free to let us know. We have provided a link to the blog below along with our own contact information.

Nicholas Mukhar: nsmukhar@usfca.edu
Nicholas Baradello: Nicholas.baradello@comcast.net

The views express herein may not be those of the Foghorn Online. This content has been submitted by the greater online community and reviewed for basic discretionary content by our editors. For any other further questions, please contact web@sffoghorn.info

One of the Consulting Club favorites was Rotary’s stance on the eradication of Polio. For more than 20 years, the Rotary club has worked on the eradication of Polio in the world, the United States has been the leading public-sector of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative about a quarter of all funding, Rotary Club has been at the forefront of this endeavor. There were 2 key note speakers: Gillian Sorensen and Dr. Jean Marc Coicaud. Gillian Sorensen is formerly with the United Nations and now is Senior Advisor and National Advocate for the UN Millennium Development Goals. She elaborated on their creation, their purpose, and their implementation. Dr. Jean Marc Coicaud is the Director of the United Nations University. Dr. Coicaud discussed the peacekeeping efforts of the United Nations.
Of the other 6 panels these covered poverty eradication, education, medical, environmental, religion and refugee rights. Although religion is not one of the millennium goals it was considered a necessary part in the establishment of peace. The poverty eradication panel presented micro lending programs, direct support, and fair trade projects. All of these activities allow for direct participation in promoting indigenous economies and income for peoples of developing countries. The medical panel included presentations on polio and malaria eradication, cleft lip and palate surgery teams. The Environmental Panel showed that jobs and infrastructure development can occur in environmentally sustainable ways, including retaining and replanting forest lands, engineering water projects with appropriate technology, removing land minds and reclaiming agricultural land, and re-training former guerrillas to farm and process palm oil into a green biodiesel. The Refugees Rights Panel discussed the reasons for refugee rights and the urgent need to provide basic human rights for refugees in countries like Sudan, Cambodia, Kymer Rouge, Colombia and Ecuador. The Religion Panel discussed interfaith cooperation and respect for religious differences and how to end violence in the name of religion. Religion speakers came from Sufism, Catholicism, Anglican, Jewish, and Presbyterian backgrounds, including San Francisco’s Anglican bishop William Swing. All in All the day was packed with numerous occasions. The USF Consulting Club had a great learning experience, networking opportunity and sense of service over self especially with the involvement of all the presentations of philanthropy.

Not pretentious enough for the SF Film Festival? Come to the 1st Annual “All Thriller No Filler” USF Student Film Festival on Thursday, May 7th from 7-9:30pm in Xavier Chapel. The Festival will feature only the best that student filmmakers have to offer with recent film submissions ranging from comedies and horrors to soap operas and action films.

The Campus Activities Board is heating up the film scene on campus with the belief that bringing students together is best done at the movies. We invite you to watch how your neighbor sees the world for five minutes. Maybe it will scare the crap out of you or, maybe it will take you to a higher place.

As Steven Spielberg puts it,

We like to tease ourselves..(we) have a need to get close to the edge, and when filmmakers..take (us) to the edge, it feels like a dream where you’re falling, but you wake up just before you hit the ground.

Immediately following the Festival, you are invited to attend the “All Thriller No Filler” after party at the Rock-it-Room 406 Clement St. There will be drink specials all night long and guest deejays from our radio station KUSF 90.3 spinning the best of the best tunes. The party starts at 10:00 p.m. until close with no cover charge. The after party is 21+.

The Film Committee is accepting submissions for the festival until 5:00 p.m. Friday, May 1st at the drop-box in room 100 of the UC Building.

Whether you are a filmmaker, a critical mind, or a socialite, join us on May 7th at the 1st Annual “All Thriller No Filler” USF Student Film Festival. Admission is free. For more information check Facebook.com, and search “All Thriller No Filler.”

Nicholas Cruz
npcruz@dons.usfca.edu

If you’re looking for a job, you can’t NOT be in LinkedIn. It positively shocks me that every college and university is not making this clear to today’s graduating class.
- Pure Visibility Blog author

What you know is very important, but who you know can get you the job. Accordingly, I am a big fan of LinkedIn.com. An employer found me for my current public relations job via that site, and I have discovered personal connections at other companies that I have been interested in working for. I created a profile on LinkedIn two years ago, grew a large network, and I have been reaping the benefits ever since.

Recently, I invited more of my friends to join my network on the site. Though many people wonder, “What on earth is LinkedIn?! How is it different from other networking sites, such as Facebook? Why should I bother joining?” The LinkedIn staff presents a comprehensive answer in their guide for upcoming grads (and young people, in general): grads.linkedin.com. Included is a crafty video that uses paper cut-outs to illustrate the advantages of LinkedIn (check it below).

- Courtney Parham, USF alumna 2008
my website
Tweet me

877.424.1221
info@GayCouplesInstitute.org
www.GayCouplesInstitute.org

Recession-Proof Your Relationship

Let’s face it, the current economic crisis can be stressful for any couple, and for same-sex couples, who aren’t offered the same financial protections that straight, married couples benefit from, it can be even more so. That’s one of the reasons that the Gay Couples Institute and Johnny Huang, financial representative from Northwestern Mutual, are teaming up to offer a free workshop for gay couples, “Recession-Proof Your Relationship.”

Talking about and negotiating money issues can be difficult, and in truth many couples try to avoid it, but according to Salvatore Garanzini of the Gay Couples Institute, “Couples who successfully discuss money issues and create a financial plan together end up staying together longer.” Therapists call this creating “shared meaning”, and having more shared meaning helps couples put day-to-day conflicts in perspective and help them deescalate conflict easier.

During the workshop, Salvatore will discuss why and how to have successful financial discussions with your partner. Johnny Huang from Northwestern Mutual will be discussing what couples should learn from the financial crisis and specific actions gay and lesbian couples can take to protect and enhance their financial future.

The workshop will be offered on April 20, at 7:00pm. Seating is limited, so please call in advance at 877.424.1221 to reserve your space or if you have any questions. To see what other services The Gay Couples Institute offers visit www.GayCouplesInstitute.org, or for more information about what Northwestern Mutual offers visit Johnny Huang’s website at http://johnnyhuang.nmfn.com.
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If you would like more information, or to schedule an interview please contact Salvatore Garanzini at 877.424.1221 or via email at info@GayCouplesInstitute.org
www.GayCouplesInstitute.org.

USF offers a variety of parking permits for commuters. A full-time parking permit costs $255.00 per semester and is the most expensive of all the parking permits. The daily parking permits for Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays is $8.00, and the permits for Tuesdays and Thursdays is $15.00. These types of permits are the cheapest, but the cost of paying for them over time would add up to hundreds. The fees for parking at USF are pretty pricey, especially for a college student like me who does not have extra money to spend on what I consider to be an outrageously expensive charge. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars on parking permits, I could use the same amount of money to buy books for my classes—something that actually relates to my education.

Parking at USF is an issue for me. If I park at a two-hour zone, my eyes would be fixed on the clock rather than on the material being taught. I usually leave my classes early to move my car before a ticket shows up on my windshield. Sometimes I am even late for my classes since finding parking after 9:00 am is almost impossible. To avoid parking at the two-hour zones, I have taken public transportation, and I have parked several blocks away from USF that provide all-day parking; however, I find these alternatives inconvenient. The buses are always crowded in the morning, and it is difficult walking to school with all my books. The fact that it is hard to find parking also discourages me from participating in school activities since most of them take place around night. If I stay at school for too long, I would either have to take the bus or walk a long distance to my car at night. I find both situations unpleasant because I would not feel safe wandering the streets alone during late hours. If USF provided convenient parking for its students, I would be able to concentrate more in my classes and be involved with my school.

USF does not encourage people to drive to school because parking is limited. According to USF, there are about 700 parking spaces available on campus, and a majority of these spots are used by faculty and staff members. USF encourages its students to use public transportation, but as I have mentioned, using public transportation can be problematic. Clearly there is not enough parking for everyone who needs it, but USF should not favor those who have the money to pay the high fees or its faculty and staff members. After all, the students are the ones paying to attend classes at USF.

With the current condition of the economy, more college students are falling into debt. The high cost of USF’s parking permits and its limited parking spaces create problems for commuter students. Therefore, the fees should be lowered and parking passes should be given out on a first-come, first-serve basis so that the distribution of parking would be fair.

Until recently, most creditors were unwilling to negotiate debts. There was little motivation to drop interest rates or balances on credit cards. Student loans enjoy a legal protection that gives creditors virtually no incentive to negotiate them, and auto loan debts are typically not negotiated because they\’re secured debts, which means the lender would just simply reposes the vehicle.

Credit card debt has come under increasing scrutiny, both by lawmakers and consumers. Recently enacted legislation changes the way credit card companies like American Express can assess debt and process payments, changes that favor the cardholder. Unfortunately, these changes won\’t take effect until July 1, 2010. In the mean time, consumers will have to pay their credit card debts following the old rules.

When carrying more than $10,000 in credit card debts, the minimum payments can be staggering, sometimes rivaling a mortgage or auto payment. Consumers who carry a balance are typically at the mercy of credit card companies when the issuers change the cardholder agreement. The only way out of the new terms, in most cases, is to pay off the balance and then cancel the account.

The $10,000 debt load is more than just a psychological milestone. For most consumers, it indicates a serious problem with their finances. Most consumers can\’t pay back unsecured debt at this level, especially when these balances may carry interest rates of as much as 30 percent per year.

When credit card balances exceed $10,000, and consumers are unable to afford to make the minimum payments on their accounts, some are now considering alternatives. Depending upon their circumstances, consumers are finding it beneficial to consider credit counseling, debt consolidation or even debt relief. Depending on the situation, many are finding credit counseling, debt consolidation and debt settlement as a part of a larger strategy to help them get on top of not only credit card debts, but also other debts including unpaid medical bills and unsecured loans that may be destabilizing their finances.

Simple as that. Their process to select roommates is not effective. They are not very responsible. And did not plan this years room selection well.

When I was filling out my profile for myusfrooms it was pointless. First of all because me and my friend already knew we wanted to be roommates for next year. And the actual profile we had to fill out was really pointless.

They match roommate compatibility mainly through music taste such as whether you dislike, like, don’t mind, like, country, rock, alternate, classic, rap, jazz music. Really, not all of us listen to music. What about koreanpop, japenese pop, mandarin pop or European music, how are you going to find reasonable roommates for them if music is such a big deal?

Second of all, profile names, why don’t we just use our real names? If we want to be their roommate and do end up rooming with them it would be nice to know their actual names… really. Simple things. I don’t think there are any privacy breaches, because I would much rather know their name or even just their first name rather than tofugirl, browneyegirl247. How usf allows you to select your roommate is simply through a screen name and a percentage of compatibility this profile you filled out of music preference and brief living preferences. How reliable is that? Not very reliable at all.

Secondly, they are not responsible. Why aren’t they responsible? Here’s why. My roommate from last semester wanted to take a year of absence and so I talked to my friend about it and we decided she should move in with me next semester meaning this semester. Although it was our fault to fill out paper work so late because we didn’t really plan for her to move in until really late. When she went to reslife to fill out paper work they told her I already had a roommate assigned. Yet they allowed her to continue to let her fill out paper work. And when I talked to my RA about the situation she told me I would probably get my friend as my roommate. But I did not get my friend as my roommate this semester! They said they never received her paper work. Which is a lie. They were just not organized enough to put her paper work somewhere they won’t lose. And because of their mistake we are the victims to their problems of messiness. That is not acceptable. We did not pay so much money for this school and so much money for housing for such poor service.

This year, by the second night of housing selection my friend who attempted to do housing is currently homeless for next year. She applied for erasmus which is a living and learning community who live in lone mountain, but right now lone mountain is full and when it was my turn to do housing, it was only the second day and all of Phelan, Lone Mountain and Pacific Wing were gone. For girls only. Boys had plenty of rooms available everywhere. What is wrong with reslife? They should really know their numbers and ratio of males and females so they will not have to face this current dilemma many female students are facing – which is homelessness.

So what solutions do I have to offer? First off the solution for the rooming with friend part. They should make their first step optional where we can have a direct request of a certain friend and just ask for their name and USF ID number. This will save us time from filling out this pointless profile and have us up on the market as possible roommates so these poor people stop requesting to be our roommates so that we can reject them. Which will lead them to be roommate less.

Second solution to the housing problem, there are co-ed floors on phelan, just make one of them all girls, and just do more planning and research about male female ratio for housing so they won’t make students homeless.

Really this is not rocket science.

Overall, the final stimulus bill will deliver between $50 billion and $75 billion to higher education, estimates Inside Higher Ed.

No Stimulus Help for Student Loans

In previous years, non-federal private student loans have offered undergraduate and graduate students a source for additional financial aid that they could use to supplement their federal student loans and grants. But in the face of the current credit freeze, most lenders of private student loans have suspended their private-loan programs or simply gone out of business altogether.

Those few lenders that still offer private student loans have tightened their credit criteria to the point that many students and families can no longer qualify — especially as borrowers’ credit scores continue to take hits from foreclosures, missed bill payments, and cancelled credit cards.

In the current economic environment, with unemployment climbing, home equity largely gone, the value of investments and college savings plans evaporated and private student loans hard to come by, more and more families are finding themselves unable to meet tuition and other college costs on federal student aid alone.

To help the growing number of cash-strapped students who will need additional financial aid on top of federal grants and student loans, the House of Representatives, in its version of the stimulus bill, had proposed to increase borrowing limits by $2,000 on unsubsidized federal college loans, which are available to eligible undergraduate and graduate students regardless of their financial situation.

The Senate version of the stimulus legislation, on the other hand, would have injected $61 million into the federal Perkins student loan program, providing additional funding for those subsidized federal college loans targeted at the neediest students,.

But the compromise bill does neither. The stimulus funds for higher education will go toward expanded grants, work-study, and tax benefits, with no money earmarked for federal student loans.

The Higher Education Stimulus for Students

 American Opportunity Tax Credit: Proposed by President Obama on the campaign trail, this tax benefit program will temporarily replace the current Hope Scholarship Tax Credit, raising the currently available maximum education tax credit from $1,800 to $2,500. The new tax credit will be available for up to four years of college and will be up to 40 percent refundable for those families who don’t owe any taxes.

 Federal Pell Grants: The federal grant program for low-income students will receive an additional $17.1 billion in funding.

 Federal Work-Study Program: This federal financial aid program, which allows eligible students to earn money working part-time in government-subsidized jobs, will receive $200 million in funding.

The Higher Education Stimulus for States

States will receive $53.6 billion in education stimulus aid over the next two years, $39.5 billion of which will be used to restore spending cuts made to education and public colleges as a result of state budget deficits, and $8.8 billion of which will be handed to state governors to be used for high-priority “critical” initiatives, which can include education programs and school facilities improvements and maintenance.

The Higher Education Stimulus for Research Institutions

 National Science Foundation: A federal agency dedicated to research and training in all fields of non-medical science and engineering, the NSF will receive a total of $3 billion, with $2.5 million allocated for research, $400 million for infrastructure, and $100 million for education.

 National Institutes of Health: Part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research, the NIH will receive $10 billion — $8.5 billion for research and $1.5 billion for university research facilities.

 Department of Energy: The DOE, which oversees U.S. energy and nuclear security, will receive $2 billion for research, with $1.6 billion going to the Office of Science and $400 million going to the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy (ARPA-E).

If you’re not beach hopping in Cancun, sight-seeing in New York, or moguling in Vail, you might as well pack your bags and store them someplace for the week while you hide out at the library and prep ahead of time for finals, just to avoid the humiliation of not being able to jet off for the week.

Or, you could figure out a way to travel cheap. Find discount airfare or take a group road trip and then beg to crash on a relative of a relative’s basement couch.

Cheap Flights

No matter how many nights you spend flipping burgers or waiting tables, if you’re going to fly on a student budget, you’re going to need find affordable airline tickets. Here are three ways to nail down cheap tickets.

1. Friends and Family Donations

It can never hurt to try to bum off some friends and family members who travel more frequently than you do; they may have more ticket vouchers on the brink of expiration than they know what to do with.

2. Rewards and Membership Programs

AAA memberships, entertainment and coupon books, and student discount programs are always cost-effective, but often-neglected tools for scoring cheap airline tickets or booking cheap vacation packages.

3. Last-Minute Flights

If you can handle the travel-by-the-seat-of-your-pants style of vacation, you can land some outrageously cheap air flights for both local and international destinations.

Road Trips

There are three key parts to a successful and affordable road trip, no matter what your destination is.

1. Split the Cost of Gas

With gas prices relatively low right now, a long road trip isn’t going to break the bank, but you want to lay ground rules for how everyone is going to contribute to fuel expenses before the key even hits the ignition.

2. Buy Snacks in Bulk

The basic rule of thumb is to pool your resources at the local grocery or warehouse store to find something salty, something sweet, something crunchy, something neat. And plan for ready-made or easy-to-make on-the-road meals like PB&J.

3. Get an Inspection

Road trips are usually planned best when there’s no planning involved, but you still want to make sure your vehicle isn’t going to cause you any on-the-road repair costs, which can be impossibly pricey. If nothing else, make sure to drop in for an oil change and a quick check of tire pressure and tread before heading out. And it can never hurt to have an emergency car safety kit on hand.

Over the past few weeks, following the sexual assault incidents that have occurred on campus, individuals from the USF Community including: students, faculty, administration and additional San Francisco community members have met every Thursday at dead hour to participate in a community dialogue. The first forum following the incident was a space in which people could freely voice their opinions and reactions toward what happened, as well as addressing the community response thus far. Education about sexual assault was a key element at this forum, as well as addressing the response from the administration. The Colonel of the ROTC program at USF was also in attendance, and he addressed questions and concerns by community members.

The second forum was dedicated to talking about the ways in which we can take action, and bring awareness to the community. Community members decided on an initiative group they would like to participate in. Each group focuses on a different approach to addressing sexual assault on campus. These groups are geared towards, but not limited to, creating a women’s center on campus, women’s and men’s groups on campus, and a 24-hour sexual assault hotline for students to call; developing anonymous ways to report sexual assault, implementing a new student mandatory orientation on rape and sexual assault, general safety forums, “I consent” workshops, examining the USF drinking policy in relation to sexual assault, ROTC curriculum on the USF campus, raising awareness throughout Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April, holding vigils on the USF campus, spurring curriculum development, cultural diversity requirement amendments for the entire student body, a more progressive sexual assault policy, and art projects to serve as a visual response to sexual violence.

Each specific group will address each individual form of community response, and take the initiative to implement the steps of action on campus. Currently, the structure for the Women\’s & Men\’s Support/Conversation groups have been developing. The current mission statement for the Women’s group includes forming a “group that seeks to provide open dialogue, support, advocacy, education and accessible resources to all USF women” as well as stating that the group will “collectively, work to break down societal gender structures and roles, and foster unity and empowerment in a safe space”. The pivotal role of this organization is to “create a community that encourages positive relationships and bonding among women,” in addition to “working in solidarity with other campus organizations… to commit to working in coalition to achieve social change.”

The entire community is invited to continue to meet to reflect, and discuss how each committee is implementing its goals and also ways in which we can support one another. Currently, community members are seeking the avenues in which funding can be received to make the steps of action a reality. This is not an isolated incident and it will not go un-addressed on this campus.

We hope that you will join in the conversation and take action on our campus! Come any Thursday during dead hour 12:15-1:15 Parina Lounge.

Thank you.

By Kevin Kunze

The Black Rock tells the untold story about the black inmates of Alcatraz and their struggle to survive in a primarily white maximum-security prison. Superbly directed by local filmmaker and activist, Kevin Epps (Straight Outta Hunters Point), the film examines the lives of the few African-American prisoners who were important figures in the history of “The Rock” from the 1930s to the 1960s. Interviews with historians, archival footage, as well as photographs and re-enactments are used to present an entirely new perspective on the most feared prison of its time during a frightening period of racial prejudice and discrimination.

Teaming up with the Golden Gate National Park Service, Epps’ was able to premiere the film on Alcatraz at night to a small VIP audience of about 300 people. A ferryboat took the audience over and before the screening they receive a special guided tour through the infamous prison. Setting up the projection and audio for the event, I was able to experience what may have been the largest movie screening to ever occur on the island.

On February 27th, The Black Rock will be having its theatrical premiere at the Red Vic Movie House (1727 Haight) where speakers include director Kevin Epps, historian and author John Templeton, and other prominent figures. The film continues to run at the Red Vic until March 5th.

www.blackalcatraz.com
http://www.redvicmoviehouse.com
Tickets: (415) 668-3994

Great graphic illustration of the ongoing problem

One of the last straws to break the proverbial camel’s back and precipitate the 30’s depression after the feasting 20’s, was protectionism. Ironically policies adopted to protect and clot the bleeding ended up being lethal doses of aspirin causing a global hemorrhage that would free flow for a decade. Ironically further still, it took a global war where millions lost their lives to fribullate an economic heartbeat, born from patriotism, to sustain the livelihoods of those that survived.

Fast forward 70 years and we find ourselves on the precipitance of the exact same scenario, history truly repeats itself; or that’s what I believe will occur. Apart from death and taxes, one certainty we can always rely on is the blatant stupidity of the political elite that is as unshakeable as gravity itself. My crystal ball which as most readers of these meanderings will attest to, is very reliable and it now tells me our brilliant economic and political leaders are going to embark on a path that can be distinctly divided into 2 phases.

Phase 1 is what I would affectionately term “Love thy neighbour and taking one for the team (ask Iceland)”. Herein we have all our leaders speak in unison and pledge their undying support to one another and to work as comrades in arms together pushing back the ever growing tentacles of a global depression. During this phase central banks and finance ministries the world over will work as one, in a state of complete harmony with everyone toeing the line and even utterances being welled planned, sanctioned and executed. On a fiscal front, the depressionary octopus will face combined might of every central bank cannon, blasting bags of fiat currency from every corner of the earth. While “shock and awe campaign” continues with this massive global aerial strike, strategically positioned infantry in the form of global investment banks (JPM et al) will manage hyperinflationary consequences (gold) in the derivatives market, hence silencing any alarms while the other battalion of infantry namely, the financial media, will continually bombard the airwaves with endless happy faced presenters singing Yazoo’s hit track “The only way is up”. This phase is well underway first at Davos and now at the G7 meetings. The canary in mine, in this case gold, is however growing increasingly verbose in his rendition of Chris Rea’s “Road to Hell”. Furthermore Obama’s honeymoon can best be described as a severe bout of premature ejaculation. as his much anticipated stimulus bills, after making a Viagra induced debut on the Dow a few weeks back, seems doomed to a limp trot to obscurity if recent market action is anything to go by. How long this current phase lasts is anyone’s guess, not even my trusty crystal ball knows the answer. What it does know however, is that phase will not work and catapult us into a new Aquarian age….it is doomed to failure by virtue of it’s flawed logic ie. You cannot douse a fire fueled by excesses by adding more excesses. We will know the end of phase one only when the happy pills currently being dished out in the form of various bills and plans fail to even fleetingly holdup markets for literally a microsecond. This people, will usher in the dawn of phase 2 which I suspect will be much sooner then even I suspect.

I eloquently entitle phase 2 “Every man for himself and @#$% the rest”. This is when the real action will begin. Despite a globally correlated effort by the ruling elite to bandage the body of the global economy, the blood loss has now saturated the bandage and the body is going into shock. This is when politicians the world over will abandon the global love boat in order to save their respective hides where it matters…..back home. This phase will be characterized by the introduction of a wide range of domestic policies drafted to close borders, and put in air filtration systems to keep out the global depressionary rot from further infecting their respective capitals. This will represent a complete reversal of policies that help build the first homogenous global economy experienced during the last twenty years, leading to its complete breakdown. How and when this phase ends, I do not know as the variables especially the social backlash are just too complex to contemplate. This scenario however does explain an issue that has turned logic on its head and perplexed me for the last few months….the spectacular rise of the dollar. If the US represents the bulk of a combined global economy, just imagine its stature when all countries stand only by themselves. Furthermore the desperate times that characterize this phase, means that people and countries do increasingly desperate things to survive. Hence having a gigantic infallible military during such times will be worth its weight in gold. Could the really smart people see what ordinary me is and buying the dollar…afterall, better the devil you know than the one you don’t. This will also go someway in explaining the euros dismal performance of late. I don’t buy the economic stories currently being punted for its demise…I think they are fundamentally political rather than economic. If this phase does come to pass, do you honestly believe France and Germany are going continue supporting a currency that in effect is supporting all of their poorer eastern and meditterrean neighbours. Historically there is no love lost between this collection of usual suspects, most of whom were slaughtering one another a mere 200 years ago. I think the euro is doomed.

Anyone can criticize as I am now and this essay will be like hundreds of others written by permabears on a daily basis quoting gluttony of gloomy economic figures. But I do offer a solution, it’s not pretty and promises much initial pain and turmoil and it will be along these lines. Thanks to the internet and various such advances we currently take for granted…the world and society at large is a vastly different place from that a mere 25 years ago. Our cultures, values and aspirations are to a large degree common and intertwined. Firstly I would let all the weak companies, currencies, etc…..die. If this was done years ago instead of propping them up thanks to Greenspan’s easy money, this would be a much easier task now. Recessions and depression are vital to long term world economic health because it purges the weak before they get infectious, unfortunately they are harmful to political careers, hence their artificial levitation of late. Secondly I will open up the doors of Europe and the US to highly qualified people from anywhere on the planet. These professionals and businessman will mop up sub primes properties, add intellectual value to corporates and provide much needed jobs via start up businesses. Thirdly I will revert all currencies to the gold standard to ensure that excesses never occur unabated in the system again

So there you have it, Dinen’s global solution….now go and give it to the powers that be so that a difference can be made before it’s too late!

Dinen P Maharaj

eec@mweb.co.za

17 February 2009

Well.
Despite having a strong resume and doing all the things listed below (and then some), I am like millions of other job seekers who have encountered painstaking difficulty with landing a job in this recession. In the last several months, I learned a lot of valuable information from all the career experts (my dad was a recruiter), books, and first-hand experience. Since I’m done with college now, I need to share the knowledge in hopes that your job search may be a bit more bearable.

If you aspire to work upon graduation, remember to:

1. Network.
If you don’t know what that means, you better ask somebody. Then build a profile on LinkedIn.com to get you started. About 70% of job seekers find employment through a connection. Also sign up for more organizations in your prospective career field to meet more people. Now is the time to ignore your parents’ advice to “never talk to strangers”, as their network may lead you to shiny new opportunities.

2. If you study most of the time, hit PAUSE and acquire more work experience!
If you can’t find someone to pay you, then volunteer or do an unpaid internship. I gained some my most valuable work experience by stepping up to help publicize projects I was already involved in. Employers want to see proof of results and what you can bring to their company. Unlike college admissions officers, many employers don’t ask about our transcripts, or care about our A’s. Sorry.

3. Start your job search way before you graduate.
I recommend at the beginning of your final semester. It will likely require at least a couple months to research and secure a job. This includes researching companies, exploring potential careers, doing informational interviews, as well as networking. Also, be sure that you do not apply for immediate openings until you’re really close to graduation. I almost snagged two different jobs, but the companies said that my timing was off since I wasn’t out of school yet.

4. Manage your online presence, and periodically google your name.
The sad reality is that employers check Facebook, Myspace, and will run the job candidate’s name through search engines to dig up background info. It is beneficial to create a personal blog or website that relates to your career ambitions, so that they can get a better sense of your personality. With that in mind, if you wouldn’t want your current/future boss to see specific information, remove it or increase your privacy settings. Especially those pictures from that one crazy night you’d want to forget, unless you already have.

5. It’s unlikely that you will land your dream job straight out of college.
Therefore, broaden your career interests. You gotta crawl before you can walk. I just realized this as I read a job posting recently and thought, “I’m not interested in this position…well…let me keep my options open”. Needing to compromise is especially true if you’re in Liberal Arts, while a business school curriculum is obviously more focused on jobs (you lucky ducks).

6. Learn to negotiate salaries, and don’t jump at the first offer that comes to you.
I’ve heard multiple times that people regret not receiving what they’re worth, and find better jobs soon after they chose the first offer.

7. Follow-up, and follow-up again.
Avoid sending out 50 resumes, then chilling and hoping someone calls you. Call them! Email is an over-used form of communication, so always follow-up with a phone call, too. In this competitive market, you need to persistently initiate contact and be assertive in searching for a job.

8. Despite your career accomplishments, remember that we’re in a recession.
Honestly, I thought that my campus involvement, management experience, and supportive network would land me a job pretty quickly. Although it’s great that I receive compliments on my resume, call backs, and I have upcoming second interviews, I’m still seeking a job. SO, if my background seems like yours, please remain prepared for an uphill battle.

9. Be persistent and optimistic.
Amongst the rejection you’ll receive, it’s important to keep on steppin’. In job hunting it’s never been more true that one can’t accomplish anything great unless they’ve tried and tried again. My favorite quote these days is by Vince Lombardi, “it’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get back up.”

10. Check it:
- The most helpful book ever for college job seekers, free online: collegegrad.com/jobsearch.

…and, if all else fails, apply to grad school sooner than you planned.

Each one, teach one. Feel free to pass this along or comment.

- Court
my “professional” website

On a recent car ride from the Napa Valley to San Francisco, my stomach moaned and groaned. I had no reason to be hungry. It was the day after Thanksgiving, and just 12 hours earlier I was as stuffed as a holiday turkey. This did not stop the billboard from taunting me. The eye-catching billboard pictured a plump, juicy steak accompanied by a silver platter and the bold question: “What recession?”

While I appreciate the billboard’s clever play on consumer denial surrounding the recession, I find it hard to succumb to the advertisement’s message and ignore the current state of the US economy.

Steve Benen’s recent article in Washington Monthly titled, “Unemployment Picture Turns Even Uglier,” shows that I am not alone. According to Benen and Richard T. Curtain, director of Reuters/University of Michigan Survey of Consumers, consumer confidence is undergoing its largest decline in history. Curtain weighs in on the issue saying that consumer confidence “is being driven down by a host of factors: falling home and stock prices, fewer work hours, smaller bonuses, less overtime and disappearing jobs.”

These are certainly signs of troubled economic times. As a broke, but hard-working, college student, I am concerned about the impact of the recession on our country, but also on my personal finances. To protect my finances, I have transformed the most mundane activities into money savers.

To start, I have rekindled my love affair with the French press. I enjoy buying coffee by the pound and brewing it in my own kitchen, so why not do this on a daily basis? Once I started brewing my own coffee and stopped making daily trips to coffee shops, I noticed a significant increase in spare change. My family has jumped on the moneysaving bandwagon and issued a “no presents” Christmas. We agreed that instead of exchanging gifts, we would enjoy a holiday meal and each other’s company.

Aside from learning the importance of saving money, the most significant lesson I have learned from this recession is to make conscious distinctions between wants and needs.

By passing up things that I may want, like a juicy steak at a luxury steak house, and by limiting spending to purchases that I actually need, I am, in my own small way, a money saver.

(this is my extra credit for David Silver’s intro to media class thanks)

I will admit, when I first got here, I was intrigued with all of the different restaurants and the close proximity of these cultural gateways. Me and my friends would try a new restaurant almost every weekend. I slipped a little without the eye of my parents. But soon after I saw my checking account balance diminishing, I stopped. Since then, I’ve kept to my meal plan here at school. It really isn’t that hard, just change the cycle of what you eat. It’s there for you, you’ve already payed for it, why would you go out and pay extra for food when you already have it. It’s actually pretty easy saving money when you’re here on campus. Just stick to the meal plan. Don’t go out to the grocery store and buy snacks. It adds up, believe me. In the beginning, again I slipped. I bought “Cheese-Its”, pudding, Ramen, and various other midnight snacks.

Another suggestion, ride the BUS. Deal with the wait. I am. Plan ahead if you have commitments. It took me an hour to get to work in my previous job, riding the bus. I dealt with it. Again, like the meal plan, the MUNI pass is already included in the USF tuition. I’m not going to pay extra for transportation when it’s already provided.

Bottled water. Im the beginning, me and my roommate would take turns buying bottled water cases. And we’d go through them pretty fast. $3.99 here and $3.99 there, it adds up. Thanks to Professor Silver, who encouraged using the tap water from San Francisco in reusable containers, I haven’t bought a bottled water in more than two months. It adds up, and it’s helped me, personally. The quality of the water here in the city is great, it’s rated high in quality.

SHOPPING. I haven’t gotten a single piece of clothing in about two months. OMG, I know, right? I do like clothes, I will admit. And it has been kind of a hassle not buying anything new, even if it’s on sale. But I’ve stopped looking for the time being, I think I will do just fine with the current clothes I have. If you can’t resist shopping, then go on Haight and go to the used clothes stores, there’s some decent stuff there. And it’s a lot cheaper than the downtown.

There’s a lot more that I’ve done to save money, but given the limited space I have, I can’t go over much more. These are basic, ordinary steps, nothing too difficult. I hope that these are some solutions to your crisis. Good day.

At first, my strategy was to alter my consumer habits in a few small ways and hope that combined, they would translate into some big-time savings. “Just buy what you need, and then stop,” I told myself, “Don’t worry about it too much.” Little did I know that I would become very good at stretching the definition of the word “need.”

“Need” started out as the basics: shampoo, ink, paper, and textbooks, but soon went through a growth spurt and became Goldfish!, Soy Milk!, Lean Cuisine!, and, the biggest menace of all, Ben & Jerry’s.

When I finally clued in that my plan was not working all that well, I turned to more drastic measures: scare tactics. In an attempt to traumatize myself into spending less, I amassed all the receipts I hadn’t bothered to throw away over the months and organized them by month. Then, I highlighted every total and the date I spent it, and added up my monthly spending.

It worked.

When I looked at the totals side by side, I was horrified. I immediately made myself a sign in bright bold letters that said, “Absolutely NO more spending!!!!” with the amount I had already spent that month occupying a prominent spot on the piece of paper. I taped this sign to the back side of my room’s door, and there it has remained ever since. The constant reminder it provides comes in handy when I am considering going out to eat despite the fact that I have quite a bit of extra flexi. Other cutbacks that accompanied my shock therapy included refraining from buying food from Lucky’s, holding out until Christmas break to get my long-awaited haircut, reserving Starbucks for special occasions, and, though I know I shouldn’t, watching movies online instead of at the theater.

All this was going pretty well until Black Friday hit, and a wave of shopping fever came crashing down upon my friends and I, who were lured from the bubble of campus by bait reading: SALE! 50% OFF! A full outfit later, and I was looking once more at a much-depleted bank account. Since my first attempt at saving, however I have learned that paying attention to your money is everything. I have found that the more I track what I spend, the more willing I am to be reasonable with myself. It pays to know yourself and your weaknesses.

So the next time you go out shopping and are tempted to buy something, ask yourself, “Do I absolutely need it?” or “Do I absolutely love it?” If any reason not to buy the object in question can be found, put it down. Your wallet (and your parents should you be so lucky) will thank you later.

The state of the economy is very dire and thus I have taken many steps to try and conserve money. Just conserving money, however, in this current situation perturbs me. This is because my personal economic belief, when it comes to recessions, is the society should spend their way out of it. This deals with many complicated economic theories and do not belong in this article. The steps previously stated that I partake in include: not going out to eat, cutting out spending on excess items, shying away from upgrading electronics, and spending less on Christmas presents. The economy has also forced me into a very tight position. The source of all my money for college has dried up because of the stock market crash, thus I now have to take out loans. I am a movie producer and because of this I will not make money for at least five years out of college. How am I supposed to feel comfortable taking out loans when I know I will be coach surfing until I am twenty-seven? This adds an insane amount of pressure when it comes to school and the future. As to school, now I am graduating in three years and killing myself for the best grades possible (for scholarship). The two previous statements are not the worst; the worst is that there is always a worry in the back of my head that the money is just not going to be there when the bills come. As to the future, I now have to make sure whatever job I have makes enough to support loan payments. This will probably mean working multiple jobs for at least three years. The day to day pressures seem very easy to deal with compared to the future which does not look bright. I never realized the recession effected everyone; I thought I was a solitary case. However, this idea was drastically changed when the dean of students requested a meeting with a group of students in my dorm. I attended and told my story and others told theirs. Every student was negatively effected by the state of the economy. This effect was not small of every nominal in each story. Every student’s financial situation has drastically changed for the worst in the past six months.

Making my money last longer has been one of the hardest parts of college for me thus far. I’ve been so used to having money at my disposal in the past four years that I never really thought about how expensive or unnecessary a lot of the items I spend money on are. In order to help me see exactly where my money goes each month, I have started a money log. Each time I use my debit card or spend cash, I write down the exact amount spent and what it was spent on. This way I am able to see what exactly I am spending my money on and how much I am spending each month.

After the first month of keeping a log, I realized how much money goes towards eating out. I never thought of eating out at restaurants as a privilege before. One key to saving money is to limit how often you eat out. Once I did this, I had an extra $20-$40 in my pocket that I could save or spend on more necessary items like prescriptions or ink for my printer.

Another way to save money is to take advantage of all the free activities offered in San Francisco. Instead of doing something like going to the movies, or going shopping downtown, opt to explore Golden Gate Park or attend free concerts. If you search google for free things to do in San Francisco you are bound to come up with a number of results. While participating in your free activities, you can also save money by taking the bus! The bus is more eco-friendly and free! All USF students have been provided with a free muni bus pass, so why not take advantage of it?

With the holidays coming up, many students are worrying about how they’ll scrap up enough money to buy their parents and loved ones gifts. My solution to this is simple: make something. Print out pictures of you and your friends and put them together into a collage or a photo album. Find a photo frame and decorate it and put a picture of you and your family in it as a gift for your parents. Although these gifts may not seem adequate for some, homemade, personalized gifts can never go wrong.

You don’t have to stop spending money altogether, rather be more aware of what you do spend your money on. If you evaluate your financial situation, you’re more likely to be able to cut down and save.

Of course, all this running around enlarges my appetite, not exactly aiding me in this never ending battle for survival. The café would be a very convenient resource for food but there are other places to purchase similar items at a cheaper price, which in my eyes it worth the effort. I hope that some of my insights into how I like to get food help others alike.

These steps are what I did during these 1 and half year. It really changed my life style. I went out less and less in order to save money. And I went fishing more and more because it is cheaper than golfing. But there are still good things; I eat with friends more and more because it is cheaper to share food than just eat alone. And I spend more and more times with my friends. At the end, you will find out that sharing is a good thing.