Life in Quarantine

The true extent of digital literacy was often a subject of great discussion during each Monday class of Writing in Multiple Medias. A great deal of time was spent addressing the hypothetical circumstance of interactions and standard working procedures entirely being done online, which would prove to be a true testament to one’s digital literacy as well as their representation of individual digital identity. At the time, this seemed to be a likely situation just on the horizon. Although it was expected to happen within years of our discussions, none could imagination that its true coming to fruition would be within the month.

The ongoing pandemic hit like a train out of hell, sending many into self-induced quarantine for fear of becoming a part of the widespread, heavily covered statistic of infected or dead. State and federally mandated sanctions on business and education forced the aforementioned hypothetical to become reality. Students now entirely taught online. Essential employees working from home. This whirlwind is almost an experiment of sort, with many set to prove if this new mandate on exceptional digital literacy will carry a positive or negative impact on overall productivity and efficiency. While the nationwide quarantine is only a month underway, the question is asked quite often as to if the newfound digital standard is up to snuff.

That question is difficult to answer as it is so early on. I spoke with multiple people from a plastics manufacturing company based out of Green Lane, PA regarding this issue, and their answers presented both great pros and immense cons. Their is the elephant in the room that everyone is familiar with: production. This company is only running medically purposed parts at a significantly less personnel size. Although its customers understand the current situation, one can only imagine the financial implications this pandemic is carrying. Things vary greatly in the administrative role, where the representative I had spoken with exclaimed that he was able to accomplish four days worth of work within one day at home due to the lack of constant distraction. It would seem as though, from an administration’s perspective, that this is good news until the question of digital literacy is presented. That very same representative who had been shocked by his own productivity had also encountered many technological issues with the use of a VPN to access his work computer remotely. This issue was not local to him, but widespread among many of the employees doing the same. For most, enhancing digital literacy is a gradual process aided via courses and other assorted tutorials. The issues these few were encountering were simply due to an unfamiliarity with a platform thrust upon them.

The same can be said for students now dependent on Zoom and their assorted educational institution’s web platform (Bloomsburg BOLT) for the entirety of their coursework. Luckily, I had been taking an online class through BOLT already so I was familiar when the quarantine struck. The same cannot be said for a great deal of both students and faculty who had to quickly adjust. Although easements have been offered, the difficulty faced is still widely present, but is growing easier over time as the masses adjust and their digital literacy improves. An optimistic approach to this hardship would be to see it as individual growth of capability. Although times are hard for many, they are arguably more familiar with digital platforms than ever before, thus meaning their current state of digital literacy is far beyond what it was just two months ago.

It is difficult to stay positive when looking at the state of the world today, but one must look for silver linings in the darkest of storms. Personally, I have used this time to pursue various certifications that will greatly enhance my likelihood of finding employment once companies reopen and resume recruiting. The same opportunity could be seized by any individual looking to better their own digital literacy, setting them apart in the short-term. When looking at this opportunity as something to benefit in the near future, two ideas are present. The first would be that this becomes the norm and many pursue greater digital literacy to better their own opportunities given the success of others who had done or continue to do so. The second is more of an optimistic approach that this pandemic will soon end and the world will resume. Although it is hopeful, this recent and drastic dependence on digital platforms and individual literacy will likely have an impact on the world beyond the pandemic itself, so the world we come back to will not be the same one we left.

Digital Literacy Amidst a Fecal Storm

2020 has been an eventful year thus far, bringing us the polarized potential for a third world war followed by the global pandemic that is COVID-19. This has all culminated to one significant realization that is resembles others, but is unparalleled in weight. Yes, I am referring to the ever present topic of fake-news and society’s potential and perceived inability of factual interpretation. It is with the prevalence of this issue that the need for digital literacy among the population greater than it has ever been under this context given the need for those on social media to post their opinions regarding political and societal issues entirely backed by harshly negligent falsities and/or assumptions in popular.

Before going into the first example, this is in no way a justification or defense over the actions of our current administration. With that said, a focal point common across media is President Trump’s dubbing of the coronavirus as the “China Virus.” This has been widely covered and seen as racist in the eyes of many media outlets even with the ever so present reality that the nickname was dubbed from the first major outbreak of the virus that kicked off this global pandemic, concealed by a government who sought to mask it’s true extent and potential. With all of this existing as public knowledge with the true extent of the deception unknown, media is still grasping at straws maintaining their stance against the presidency in the day of toilet paper hoarders and self-mandated quarantines. What does this have to do with a societal obligation for digital literacy? The answer is simple. Our ability to assess fact from opinion entirely shifts our ability to effectively navigate and communicate online. An inability to assess also leads to the further spread of misinformation that will continue to negatively impact a widening audience. This differentiation is a responsibility to the individual to both better their own digital literacy while positively impacting the potential of other’s.

What follows is the polar opposite. A common theme across any major online platform is today’s most popular form of comedic sharing: memes. These pieces are the equivalent of ‘steering into the slide’ of digital expressing, often satirically jesting around a subject in popular media. Browsing any social media site today for a time of 5 minutes or more will show at least one video exclaiming, “It’s corona time” with a less than relevant yet humorously creative video or picture. With memes, it is not the differentiation between fact and opinion that matters most. It is re-posting these that can drastically impact your digital identity, and eventually your digital literacy. Some who may see these posts as an extension of your own personal beliefs may influence/dissuade others from further interaction, such as a potential employer. This then impacts your digital literacy in the shape of a lost opportunity for experience with various platforms that would otherwise be unreachable, specifically with applications that require substantial licensing fees only feasible to be invested in by a company with appropriate intention and funding.

This may seem as more of a tangent toward social media responsibility, it is certainly something often overlooked that can have a great impact on you and those whom you are connected with. Whether the impact derives from the spread of misinformation or potentially self-depreciating posts, it is integral that one navigates information they find, analyze its content, weigh its potential impact, and post after careful consideration. We live in dangerous times with great repercussions set on the individual and the expression of their digital identity which can, in turn, impact their digital literacy to a small or great extent. This argument, in itself, may seem farfetched, but desperate times call for desperate measures. We live in sensitive times where anything is taken literally and looked at into astute detail. It is imperative for one to think diligently before spreading any bit of information. Weigh the impact they can carry, and post if they are deemed reasonable. Then again, you could also get off social media. If this were Salem, I would likely be burned at the stake for mentioning such a thing. Luckily, most are quarantined so the angry townsfolk will be at bay for the foreseeable future.

Opting Out of Social Media

Social Media took the world by storm, captivating younger generations with platforms like MySpace and Facebook. All those looking to engage with each other online did not think twice about the very posts they were making, perhaps shaping their digital identities into misguided or all to transparent representations of themselves. Even with the toxic environment that social media can be seen as from a self-identified cynic, it is one of the largest platforms for public outreach that is known today, often being leveraged by any company looking to expand their demographics outside of those stuck in the stone age. It is because of this that social media is an immense marketing tool and a heavy focus in many collegiate business courses, so why would one student decide to forego a great portion of modern day correspondence?

It began as a simple unwillingness. The entire idea of expressing one’s self online seemed out there in the eyes of a young man whom did not like to express himself in reality. Groups focused around common interests seemed exhausting, and “friends” boasting their own thoughts and opinions spanning A to Z sounded like content of nightmares. To be fair, the was a brief moment in time where social media was embraced by said individual, but that was merely a disgruntled phase fueled by high school FOMO. Said phase was ended upon the realization that whatever I post online was a representation of myself, and any one misguided phrase could make a break an opportunity for hire. One strong example of this would be that of a woman named Naomi who was recently hired as an intern for NASA. This extraordinary opportunity was met with incorrigible excitement, evident in her tweet claiming, “EVERYONE SHUT THE F*** UP I GOT ACCEPTED FOR A NASA INTERNSHIP.” When a predominant member over the committee overseeing NASA saw this, he simply said “language” to which Naomi replied, “Suck my d*** and balls I’m working for NASA.” She never got to see her first day working at one of the world’s leading space programs.

Your social media profile is the cover of a book everyone is judging, and can clearly ruin first impressions and relationships. Unfortunately, the drawbacks of having your life online do not stop there. Recent times have shown popular companies true colors of monetization. The most predominant of which being Facebook’s countless scandals of both leaking and selling its members personal information to data collection companies to establish their own hearty potential client pool as well as lock on their targeted advertisements. Then we have Twitter removing the accounts of popular figures preaching ideologies that they find unacceptable (largely conservative party members). Although the first is far worse than the second, each does precisely show that you and your profile are not exempt from the views of those in charge and your information or beliefs may come around to bite eventually.

Between the underestimated transparency and the unassumed supervision, the question is raised as to why the number of profiles on this platforms continue to grow? Well, there a multiple answers to this. Some are too far down the rabbit hole in their own investment in their profiles to stop now. Some see the massive opportunity for consumer engagement these sites have. There are some individuals carrying a familiar FOMO pushing them towards growing with the times of digital socialization. Finally, some college professors require one to sign up for a social media account. The last is far less common, but is still a driving factor for one looking to graduate. All that aside, any way you look at the current state of society in their obsession, there are two approaches that can be taken. The first is optimistic in thinking the worst has happened and these platforms as well as those using them will only get better or more accepting as time goes on. Another see’s the entire thing as a burning house waiting to collapse with the worst on the horizon. Whichever approach taken is entirely by choice and who am I, an overly-suspicious cynic, to tell you how to think.

Raised on Technology

Throughout my childhood, my parents tried to limit our usage of new the tech in an effort to both protect us from the world, from ourselves, and from looming addiction to the very thing we now use constantly. All of that meant a strictly limited time on video games, supervised dial-up web surfing, and absolutely no phones or social media of our own. This may seem obsessive under a modern day perspective, but it was reasonable just over a decade ago when flip phones and VHS tapes still roamed the Earth. For them, this new wave of technology was not established and highly distrusted in its wide usage, especially when the assumed extent of manipulation through the internet was communicated through exaggerated fallacies of nonexistent cyber-security established by movies like Swordfish and Hackers. Although we can look back on those movies and laugh at all the code-breaking montages and nonsensical plots, the extent of its plausibility was unknown to many. My parents had a looming fear that they could be hacked at any given moment while I was learning Microsoft Office from a talking paper clip on a computer that was larger and weighed more than I did.

I really saw the extent of distrust my parents had for technology and its influence on us on two occasions. The first would be my brother and I’s first cell phones. It was a little green block the size of a pack of gum that could only dial 5 numbers, 4 that were programmed in and all linked to my parents phones and 911. These phones led to a living hell populated by the older kids on the bus equipped with endless waves of ridicule that lasted two years until we were old enough to have our very own “big boy” phones that were capable of taking pictures in striking 180p clarity. The second occasion was when I got a Facebook account at the age of 11. Social Media was a vast network of predators and degenerates in their eyes, but I necessity in those of my friends and 6th grade girlfriend who had initially made the account, only informing me once their perception of me was my digital identity. My parents were furious when they found out. I was grounded with parole only granted once the account was deleted so I did what any teenager would do. I lied and said the account was gone. What were they going to do? Make an account and find me?

As technology quickly engulfed our lives, my parents loosed up and began to embrace it with me, the nerd of the family, there as the household Geek Squad. Now, in the age of smartphones and god-forsaken Tik Tok, there is not a quiet time at home between my mother’s streaming and my father’s grilling YouTube videos. With such a drastic change in them witnessed through my childhood, I wonder what the experiences of my nephew, Carter, will be. He is already captivated by Sesame Street and constantly reaching for phones. When showing such stimulation by technology so early on in his life and educational development, I am curious, but also worried, of how he will take to it as well as how schools will use it to communicate the material. He will be going to the same high school that my brother and I did where they currently give every student a laptop. Who is to say what the standard will be beyond a decade from now? Will we begin to carry the same anxiousness towards the very technology he uses like my parents or will we be advocates for the likely drastic difference in common technology?

With these thoughts circling my head, the texts by Mill and Kist hit home. Their views on technology’s role in development and education are positive, but can be met with hesitation from those unconformable with change. Since we grew up around technology’s constant evolution and it’s endless advancements with capability, this sort of adjustment is less impactful then it was during our childhood, and a polar opposite from that of my parents (who I suspect know how to use an abacus better than their own smart TV). Only time will tell, but you can be sure Carter will know about both kinds of cookies very early on as his uncle is a marketing major and his mother is a baker.

The Months to Come

Undertaking the final project for Writing in the Professions has proved interesting when applying what I have learned in marketing to the documents being created when also considering how it may become part of a career by the summer. An internship I had done gave me a small window into what is to be expected when beginning a job in marketing, and it was a great experience and yet, it seems that preparing documents for a fake interview that would be relevant to my career and potentially useful towards getting a position has given more nerves than actually working in that environment. This project has gotten me to think about many things that were just a dream, a mirage, an idea a couple months ago.

All of the nerves of the project combined with the actual job search have made me concerned for things to come after the past 3 years of learning what to do when that point is reached. Friends of mine from the same major have left PA entirely, one to Atlanta and the other to Milwaukee, pursuing their careers. It never once occurred to me that taking the right job could possibly lead to living across the country right out of college. Although it seems like it would be a great experience and opportunity, there are many things that I would have to miss, the most important being my involvement during my nephews early life. Of course, there can’t be one and the other, the local job market is very limited to entry-level positions, most of which pay immensely less than others in another state.

Above all, this immense hesitation towards moving on from school raises the question of whether I am ready or not to move forward past college. I have worked jobs in the past, and they all caused little to no anxiety, but starting a whole career when the only consistent long term position I have held is that of a student does cause some concern. Part of me believes that I am more than capable while another thinks a ways down the road, staying at the same job for decades, settling down, and starting a family. Of course, this could be blamed on overthinking, but I don’t see this as reasonable given the weight of this upcoming decision.

All of that being said, perhaps the wave of emotions brought on by this project are good. It is presenting the opportunity to confront these concerns and hesitations now rather than during the interviewing process. It is important to note that I am currently making peace with the “senioritis” that is commonly attributed to students in their final year and all of this worrying could be considered normal to some. This is all, in a strange and drawn out sense, a thank you to Dr. Martin for assigning this project because it is not only giving experience in designing documentation and progressing skill in popular software, but a chance to better equip ourselves prior to a great decision that will set the foundation for an entire career.

For all these reasons, this project has been personally and professionally challenging thus far, but undoubtedly interesting. Perhaps this could be the overestimation of an anxious mind prone to thinking too much, or maybe its just rational thought inspired by on of the few projects done in college that can be associated with our personal and professional ability. Presenting to and receiving critiques from a board of professionals will certainly be the next hurdle in mentally preparing for post-graduation life, but I am sure they will give feedback that can be built upon in multiple areas so when the time comes, I will feel more prepared to tackle any challenge that awaits. For now, it will be a steady mix of breathing exercises, loose but mostly targeted focus, and a dash of repression to finish out the remaining semesters and hopefully land a great job.

Branding and Marketing Through Social Media

Social Media is quickly becoming the primary method of marketing for both new and established companies attempting to advertising any piece of their marketing mix. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and Snapchat have all become hubs for promoted messages towards a targeted younger audience. Since this is becoming so popular, it is important to understand how it is done and if it truly is worth the incredible amount of money and time currently allocated towards its use.

The primary method of targeted advertising on social media is done using cookies. These are information caches stored both locally on your device and the sites you visit that log the specific sites you use and what products you looked at using them. These preferences are then identified by social media applications to promote advertisements that appeal to your general demographic and psychographic’s general interests established by the marketing team who purchased the sponsorship slot on the application. When searching for different products, cookies collect your interests and behaviors to slot you into a population displaying similar interests and formulate the promoted messages often as a reminder of the product’s you’ve looked at prior and already have some knowledge of.

The reminder message is key and often promotes either a “special and limited” promotional offer or a lists the product’s unique, distinguishing traits. The reminder is more of a nudge rather than anything when using the promotional codes since the advertising companies often focus on the promotion’s short life-span when employing their persuasive rhetoric. Another tactic often used is somewhat like “the first on is free,” attempting to gain loyal customers from the company’s perceived generosity. I recently got a dog, a Blue Heeler named Taika, and have seen endless promoted ads on Instagram and YouTube promoting new services and products for pets. Just now, when scrolling through Instagram hoping to find an example, the second visible post on my home screen was an ad for Chewy.com with “SAVE 30% on Pet Supplies” written in bold at the center of the picture. It goes into more detail in the caption explaining how this is only for first time buyers who can have their purchases within the auto (but not free) 1-2 day shipping, a service that you have to pay an astronomical un-discounted price for.

Although the aforementioned ad may seem slightly deceiving at first glance, I still clicked the link because, simply put, dog food is so damn expensive. Since I did visit the site, I will receive their ads more so now than ever before. However, I did not buy, so the money Chewy.com spent on this advertising will not get returned. One must ask, is it worth it. Web FX states that the average monthly cost for an promoted ad and its management on Instagram is around $1200-$4000 (webfx.com, 2019) plus the cost of creating the ad so let us ballpark this monthly budget at a generous $5000 after all costs. With the 30% discount applied, a 24 lb. bag of American Journey dry dog food is $25.19 (chewy.com, 2019). Lets say the ad is seen by 20,000 people over the course of its first month, but only 5% of its viewers purchase a 24 lb. bag of American Journey food. After subtracting the costs of the marketing campaign, Chewy.com theoretically made $20,190 (a 403.8% return on investment). Over a month, their ad probably saw far more viewership and interaction than mentioned prior so they ROI is far greater.

All this being said, it is becoming so popular because, in an ideal environment towards the desired target market, social media advertising really works. Are there aspects of it that are shady such as the use of collected data on your habits and preferences, absolutely, but this information does not hurt anyone and only stands to deliver a potentially superior product that you may have not known of. Utilizing social media to target younger audiences is genius and will greatly deliver when done correctly. My opinion may be swayed because of my major in Marketing, but if it works without hurting anyone, than I see no drawbacks in its use.

Works Cited:

American Journey Pet Food, Treats & More – Free Shipping. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.chewy.com/brands/?rh=c:3312,c:6422

How Much Does Social Media Advertising Cost in 2019? (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.webfx.com/how-much-does-social-media-advertising-cost.html

Writing in the Professions: Blog #2

Dr. Martin focuses on the imperative of ethics in professional writing heavily in his class, as does Anne Surma in the assigned reading, expressing the two as synonymous with one impossible without the other. Professional writing absent of ethics is absent of consideration for one’s audience and will not carry the weight necessary for effective communication, rendering the whole effort of a piece’s creation utterly useless in a perfect world, but sadly, that is not the world we live in. It seems that the discussion of ethics in fragile genres (namely politics) is very loosely defined and in some cases, entirely absent, misleading the audience away from actual truth.

We are all to familiar with the phrase, “fake news,” to be applied to any publication that does not necessarily reinforce whatever beliefs one holds. Often seen in any discussion of politics along with the anti-vaxxers, flat-earthers, and climate change deniers, the suspicion/hysteria revolving around widespread publications is at an all time high. With the overall message of your written piece likely to be debated or even ignored by anyone outside the targeted audience, one could ask how integral professional writing is when doing so for a general public that often distorts its meaning regardless of how thorough and detailed it may be? The issue commonly found with all of this resides in the blame being entirely put upon the author and those of whom they represent.

This argument can be interpreted one of two ways. The first being that mentioned before when saying a blame is to be upon the author, while the other is to blame those reading the publications outside of the targeted demographic. According to Surma, some blame is to be put on the author since it is their responsibility to be ethical in their work. Although I would love to say I personally blame society and their inability to focus on substantial evidence, it seems the blame should in fact lay on the shoulders of those who write without ethics and misrepresent their data to support their own argument.

I had mentioned anti-vaxxers before because they are a prime example of widespread falsehoods largely due to the lack of ethics in publication. In 1998, now ex-physician Andrew Wakefield published a study with 11 others reporting that the MMR vaccine caused autism in children. The study was disproved and 11 of the 12 involved retracted their conclusions about the vaccine while Wakefield stuck with his final conclusion ( Sathyanarayana and Andrade, 2011). It was also found that Wakefield’s study was funded by the very lawyers defending the vaccine companies so that Wakefield strike it rich as long as he falsified his study (Sathyanarayana and Andrade, 2011).

Wakefield’s study was found to be fraudulent and blatantly false and yet there is a widespread epidemic across multiple countries entirely related to parents not vaccinating their children who now risk contracting, spreading, and dying from the very diseases these vaccines stop. The study itself was incredibly unethical in almost every sense. Reinforcing it after it’s proven falsehood would be incredibly unethical, now more than ever given the aforementioned circumstance, and yet Wakefield does it, considering himself to be an “anti-vaccine activist.”

This is a perfect example of an unethical man spreading an unethical publication. When ethics are absent from professional writing, people can get hurt. Attempts to confront a situation such as this are often met with aggression and is then found to be ineffective and useless when those who created them continue to support. It may be a stretch to say, but Wakefield’s lack of ethics should be held responsible for the illness and deaths relating to those who do not vaccinate their children claiming his study as evidence to support their decision.

This case, in particular, is one where the ethical responsibility was entirely up to the authors and was blatantly ignored, causing the audience harm. No author intends for those who read their work to get hurt, so the responsibility to present the facts in a true, ethical manor so that it can be avoided is entirely theirs. The author has a responsibility to their audience and field, and in no way are those who read their work to blame for the falsehoods knowingly published by one. Ethics and professional writing are bound by definition.

Works Cited:

Rao, T S Sathyanarayana, and Chittaranjan Andrade. “The MMR Vaccine and Autism: Sensation, Refutation, Retraction, and Fraud.” Indian Journal of Psychiatry, Medknow Publications, Apr. 2011, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3136032/.

Writing in the Profession: Blog 1

The first week of the semester has ended and after being introduced to each of the five classes to which I am enrolled, one thing is certain: this will be my most difficult class. Dr. Martin had said in the syllabus that his expectations will be high, which is more than fitting for a 400 level class, and I’m sure his question of personal “best” work will be easily answered come December. One aspect, above all, peaks my interest for Writing in the Professions. That is the final project. It consists of many moving pieces in a variety of subjects (English, Business, Graphic Design, etc.) and will culminate to the ever so dreaded introvert nightmare, a presentation to strangers.

Public speaking has never been a necessarily great personal skill. The moments prior to the presentation are often filled with shakiness, dry mouth, and in some cases, nausea. The thought of doing so before Subject Matter Experts is a little worrying, and could be the most nerve racking presentation I give here at Bloomsburg, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. These are boundaries that need to be pushed and eventually surpassed. To do so before graduation would be a tremendous opportunity because a project that provides the ability to do so could benefit greatly when interviewing for a full time job and interacting with coworkers/clients post-graduation. This is, in my opinion, what will be this project’s greatest hurdle.

Luckily, the remainder of the work to be done is less intimidating. Yes, preparing any assignment for Dr. Martin is done with the expectation of his surgical review, but that only reassures that extra precautions are to be taken to assure the best possible product. This was overlooked in my last class with him, Rhetoric in Professional Writing, but will not be in this one due to the aforementioned expectations of us and our work. One key factor the separates the two final projects for each class would be the material. As a business major, the idea of researching into the professional writing of a company such as Lockheed Martin as astoundingly interesting. Far more than an essay on the well being of the American Dream and the rhetoric used to communicate such. That was not a bad assignment to do, but it was tremendously tiresome to research into when considering that the American Dream, in itself, is an incredibly subjective topic incapable of analyzing without bias.

The final project also coincides with that of another class, Marketing Research. That class’s final project also calls to research into a company such as Lockheed Martin. If I was able to lock down the same company for each project, the research done could be beneficial since each would cover a great deal of ground that otherwise wouldn’t be considered when looking at that specific company’s operation. This is why I chose the Professional and Technical Writing minor, to coincide with my Marketing major. The two are synonymous, one unable to be done without the other. Having that training, experience, and resume could add great potential in separating myself from the hundreds of others pawing at the same position.

This brings me to the final and most important reason for my interest in the final project. This will fit nicely into my portfolio to show potential employers what I am capable of before having any reputable, applicable real world experience that they may be more familiar with. Dr. Martin has provided us opportunities for this in both my last class with him and this one since he truly does want the best for us. He acknowledges that his assignments are difficult, but that it is solely to prepare us for the expectations in the workplace that awaits us (hopefully) following graduation. I’m sure there is plenty of talk among the other departments, of the lack of difficulties such as this in the school of business. There is some truth to that which is why I appreciate the level of work and commitment required for Dr. Martin’s classes. Barely working for a good outcome just isn’t the American Dream so why should it be the American Education.

College Today

We have all grown up believing that college was the door to greater opportunity. A place where we not only discover ourselves, but pour the foundation for our futures. For my parents, who had also gone to college, saw it the same way. Today, that opinion is still thriving but it is not what it once was. Does a higher education enable you for greater opportunities? Yes it does. Will you most likely graduate with a mountain of debt shadowing over you for the greater part of your newfound career path? Yes, you most certainly will. Will controversy and stigma coincide with your degree due to the actions of others? You bet your ass it will.

Let us start with the rising cost of tuition. My mother went to another PASSHE school, Mansfield University. Her yearly tuition was around $6000 per year before any of the added costs of room and board or a meal plan. Since then, they have doubled for in-state students at $12,330 per year (College Tuition Compare, 2019). This 200% increase seems normal when considering the value of the US dollar has more than doubled since 1984.

My father graduated from Lehigh University in 1980. His tuition was roughly $12,000 per year. The tuition for Lehigh today sits at $52,480 (Lehigh University, 2019). This is a staggering increase of 437% without considering the differences in cost of other necessities (room and board). What costed him around $48,000 39 years ago would now run you $209,920. As insane as that may be, a new threat faces higher-tier universities today that could give the diploma you paid a quarter of a million for a certain stigma.

Early 2019 brought scandal with the most prestigious universities in the country in its focus. For years, families had been bribing college officials millions to admit their children. This happened at Harvard, Yale, Berkeley, Stanford, and a number of other prestigious schools. Most kids only dream of attending these universities but a select few were able to fly under the high standards with a little help from wealth and fraud.

Bloomsburg University, a small state school out in the middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania, has its own fair share of controversy. The president of the university is under fire with allegations of sexual harassment by his former executive assistant. The worst part is, this is not the first time. He was reportedly “pushed” out of Kutztown University and Delaware Valley University due to allegations of mistreatment of coworkers, specifically women (Nadolny and Snyder, 2019).

It seems no level of high-education is exempt from scandal, but one question still remains, does this affect our degrees? Bloomsburg already carries the stigma of “party school” which is a pull factor for some and a potential push factor for potential employers. With the addition of this new controversy, is it possible that having a degree from Bloomsburg or any of the other universities with their own reputations/scandals make all of its graduates guilty by association? Just by being here at the same time they are taking place, will our commitment to a high-education be negatively associated with the malign actions of others in the eyes of the employers we came to college to impress?

If this is so, how can we cope with the mountain of debt that will hover over us following graduation? Mom always said, “don’t judge a book by its cover,” but don’t employers do just that when looking over a candidate’s resume? If our degrees carry the stigma of controversy, we will never be able to address our debt or pursue a career in the field we spent a minimum of four years learning about. I will soon be a senior so it is far too late to consider transferring. I guess that I am stuck with this degree with only a hope that what I have said prior is false and merely the skepticism of an overactive, sleep deprived imagination.

References

2019 Costs of Attendance | Mansfield University of Pennsylvania. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.collegetuitioncompare.com/edu/213783/mansfield-university-of-pennsylvania/tuition/

Cost of Attendance. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://catalog.lehigh.edu/informationofgeneralinterest/costofattendance/

Nadolny, T. L., & Snyder, S. (2019, April 26). Bloomsburg University president, accused of sexual harassment, was previously forced out of two jobs. Retrieved from https://www.philly.com/news/pennsylvania/bloomsburg-university-president-bashar-hanna-sexual-harassment-kutztown-delaware-valley-20190426.html

When Did I Do My Best Work?

It may be hypocritical to say but I do consider myself a modest person. That being said, when Dr. Martin told us to write about a time when we did our best work, I was a little adrift. On one hand, it seemed like writing about something like this feels like gloating. On the other, what I believe to be my best work is different from the opinions of others. For example, during my sophomore year here at Bloomsburg, I took US History: Colonization to 1865. I chose to write my final paper on the Native American involvement throughout all of colonization. I wrote down every point throughout the book that Native Americans were mentioned in, scoured endless online sources, wrote a twenty page report, proofread it countless times, and still only got a B. What I thought was my best work truly was not.

To say that one has done their best work seems shortsighted since we do not consider what we will do in the future. Since I was 12, I worked as a Groundskeeper for a Plastics factory that sat on a large chunk of land. Near a decade of mowing lawns will make you pretty damn good at it but even then, a flaw can be found. No matter how surgical I was with that 70 inch mower, a small bump could be seen in my otherwise parallel pattern if you looked hard enough. Although it is not what I want to be doing the rest of my life, I still pride myself on my landscaping ability even if I know I will only get better.

However, it must be said that doing your best does not mean doing it perfectly. In every State of the Union address, the president will still read off of his notes which means their speech is not perfect, but some are still great. Although it is fun writing about the subjectivity that is “doing your best,” I need to stop downplaying what I believe to be my greatest accomplishments because even though it is my opinion, I do feel like they were done to the best of my ability (at least at the time).

As nerdy as this sounds, I look back on an experience I had at Boy Scout camp and say that I truly did my best. A month prior do leaving for camp, a new kid joined the troop, let’s call him Ned. One day while everyone was back at camp, Ned decided to fight another scout with a stick for fun. The lights saber sound effects suddenly stopped when Ned screamed and began violently flailing the stick at the other scout’s head. Being the senior patrol leader, I felt the need to intervene. After dodging a couple swipes, I began to diffuse the situation. 10 minutes later, Ned left with the scoutmasters to see the nurse while I sat back and tried to figure out why the hell it escalated to that point in the first place.

This was not the first time I witnessed Ned freakout. I had known him for quite some time and to be completely honest, I did not like him. It took every ounce of strength not to pummel him the same way he was trying to do to the other scout. Controlling your emotions is not something easily done. Luckily no one was hurt and I walked away with an odd feeling of growth.

It may not be the best example but it is one that I feel communicates my point fairly well. Yes, it was not perfect but it was the best I could’ve have done at the time. Looking back, there were things that could have expedited the situation while having the same outcome. We do our best with what we can but we learn through the years. My essay could have been too long. My mowing skills may still need some tuning. Both of which are things that can be learned. Trial and error is the most effective learning tool. Even if we do our best and come up short, we learned something so that the next time we try, we are better than ever before.