Major News Events and What They Mean to Us
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Westchester Community College’s Premier News Source The.Viking.News Fall 2020 Issue 2 September 16 Valhalla, NY vikingnews.org - Instagram - @thevikingnews Major News Events and What They Mean to Us (source // abc.go.com, vanityfair.com, marketwatch. by Emily Moriarty & Mikali-Elon Wallace Most of us at the Viking News are news junkies. We try to follow the major events of the day in one or more of the many news outlets available both in print and online. But the news in itself means nothing unless we recognize and react to what it means to us as students, citizens/residents, and human beings. We believe this semester’s news stories will prove to be among the most momentous of our lives. We present here a timeline of recent events that will have a huge impact on our lives now and in the future, along with what these stories mean to us, the editors of The Viking News. August 18 - 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment The 19th Amendment stated that no local government could deny the right to vote to any citizen “on the basis of sex.” Following years of suffragist protest, for the first time women in America could vote. Not all women had the same rights. Further struggle was needed to grant black and Latina women access to the voting booths in the 1960s and ‘70s. Even today, voting rights are still being challenged in certain areas. What it means to us: The right to vote did not come easily. It should not be wasted. All eligible women should exercise their hard-won right to vote. Vote on November 3rd! September 9 - Bob Woodward Tapes Released The author of Rage, a nonfiction book about the Trump presidency, released tapes from interviews he conducted in February and March in which President Trump can be heard saying that he knew of the dangers of the Coronavirus but chose to downplay them to avoid a public panic. What it means to us: To many, the tapes provide one more conf- irmation of the administration’s mishandling of the crisis. Early recognition of the gravity of the health crisis we are all in, which has had such a powerful impact on our education, might have gone far to reduce the number of cases and deaths. Will it affect how people vote in the election? It’s hard to think that it won’t, but in such a torn nation as ours it’s also hard to be certain. September 18 - Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dies The iconic Supreme Court justice used her position to further equality and women’s rights. She was admired by liberals and conservatives alike, and millions mourned her passing. What it means to us: Justice Ginsburg was a member of the liberal wing of the Court. Her death leaves an important vacancy on the Court. How that vacancy is filled could affect social issues such as a woman’s right to choose for decades to come. September 26 - Trump Nominates Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court President trump wasted no time in naming a successor to Justice Ginsburg in the person of federal judge Amy Coney Barrett, whose views on abortion and gay mar- riage are pleasing to the religious Right. According to experts, she will be as predict- ably conservative in her decisions as Ruth Bader was predictably liberal. What it means to us: Many people fear that a woman’s right to choose is only one Supreme Court decision away from being lost. Also at risk are Roe v. Wade and Obamacare in a court with a conservative majority. 2 The Viking News Sept 16 EDITORIAL/NEWS Major News Events and What They Mean to UsContinued... September 27 - Trump Paid Only president to shut up. It is common- it, refusing to wear a mask except by police, for decades. $750 in Taxes for 2 Years ly believed that it was the rudest of for a few occasions. Many saw this What it means to us: It’s not just The New York Times obtained the modern presidential debates. as karma, a punishment for his a series of protests that have been two decades worth of the long What it means to us: The debate wrongheadedness. This essentially launched by these two deaths. It sought-after tax records of the was a living demonstration of the alarming event signals the very is a tremendous movement with a President, who has fought to keep deep divide between the Blue and real danger that still remains for basis in morality that may not only from revealing them for years. They Red factions in the U.S. Its effect those who flout the recommenda- bring entrenched unfair practices show extreme business losses over on the election is sadly unpredict- tions of the scientific community: to light, but may finally begin to the years, but the headline news able, since many Trump supporters wear a mask, maintain social make significant advances toward was that he paid only $750 in taxes may have renewed their faith in a distancing and wash hands fre- reducing or—a long-standing two years in a row: 2016, when he tough leader, while the anti-trump quently. dream—eliminating them. won the presidency, and 2017, his faction will only have seen their first year in office. worst fears confirmed. May to present - The Black Lives What it means to us: The Pres- Matter Movement ident’s supposed sharp business October 2 - Trump Reveals He is In March a sleeping woman named Remote abilities have been brought into COVID-Positive Breonna Taylor was shot to death question by the many failures the The president announced via a by police during a no-knock Learning in records reveal. His ability to avoid Tweet message that he and the first break-in into her apartment after paying taxes, which many may lady had tested positive for the her boyfriend fired at the police, Spring view as hypocritical, may also be Likely to Continue in the Spring. COVID-19 virus. Although con- whom he perceived as invaders. applauded by his supporters as a Although no official announce- tinuing to insist that he felt well, In May a white police officer was smart move. ments have been made, it is all but he was hospitalized and required seen on video kneeling on the neck certain that the present system oxygen. Released after a few days to of a black man, George Floyd, for September 29 - The First of remote learning will contin- recover in the White House, reports nearly nine minutes; the man died. Presidential Debate ue through the Spring semester. on the President’s health were, to These two events have galvanized a The president repeatedly broke the Faculty members have been told many, suspiciously sparse. movement that has spread all over rules, to the great discomfort of the to be prepared for either contin- What it means to us: The presi- the world. The movement demands moderator, Fox newsman Chris gency until a final decision has dent has from the beginning of the correction of the injustices perpe- Wallace. Biden at one point told the been made, but evidence is point- pandemic repeatedly downplayed trated against blacks, especially ing toward the remote option. At a Faculty Senate meeting on NEWS October 14, Dr. Vanessa Morest, Provost and Vice President of Ac- 100+ Colleges to Poet to ademic Affairs at WCC told those present that it was highly likely Participate in Tranfer Fair Conduct that an announcement would be by Emily Moriarty coming soon to that effect. This Workshops outcome has been widely expect- The annual Fall Transfer Fair, in which WCC students ed on campus. Poet to Conduct Workshops can explore their options for transferring to a 4-year Award-winning poet Roya Marsh, currently the Poet-in-residence at Urban college with representatives from dozens of schools, Word NYC, will be will take place on Wednesday, October 28 from noon to conducting Zoom session workshops for two weeks beginning October 20. 3PM. Despite being virtual, the fair will offer students a Besides reading from her own choice of over a hundred institutions to consider. works, she will discuss and offer advice on student work. The dates and times According to an announcement from Prof. Rob- are: in Graff, WCC’s Coordinator of Transfer Services, the Tuesday, October 20 11am-12:15pm Friday, October 23 12:30pm-1:45pm event will be held in partnership with the New York Tuesday, October 27 11am-12:15pm Friday, October 30 12:30pm-1:45pm State Association for College Admission Counseling Anyone who would like to attend any of these sessions should contact Prof. Heather Ostman at [email protected]. (NYSACAC), which will ensure a large representation of colleges. A list of attending schools can be found by navigating the NYSACAC web site and clicking on WCC Announces New Transfer the “colleges attending” link for the October 28 Virtual Agreement Transfer Fair. In addition to the school reps, WCC transfer ad- With a College in Georgia for IT visers will be on hand in their separate Zoom rooms to The college has signed a transfer agreement with Middle Georgia State Uni- give guidance and answer questions. versity (MGA) that will allow computer science students to enroll as college Registration is required. Go to https://apply.os- juniors at the tuition rates of Georgia state residents. Cybersecurity and wego.edu/register/transferfair to download and fill out computer information systems students who complete their associate’s degree at WCC can earn a Bachelor of Science degree at MGA in a fully online pro- a registration form.