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Articles by Jay Berghuis
OPINION: Language around disability matters
By Jay Berghuis, Opinions Editor April 8, 2019 People-first disability language has become standard, which means saying “people with disabilities.” This began as a noble goal: to make derogatory terms unacceptable. Moving toward inclusive language was and is the correct path forward, but people-first language has become outdated.
EDITORIAL: Funding for disability resources is essential
By Jay Berghuis, Opinions Editor April 7, 2019 The Department of Education, backed by President Donald Trump, proposed cutting funds for the Special Olympics in the 2020 budget. This decision was rightfully faced with bipartisan outcry. In response to the criticisms, Trump went against “his people” and said the Special Olympics will be funded. The Special Olympics is partially funded by $18 million it receives from the government.
‘Us’ exemplifies power of authentic representation
By Jay Berghuis, Opinions Editor April 5, 2019 In 2016, Only 1.4 out of 10 lead actors in films were people of color, even though people of color represented 38.7% of the population that year, according to UCLA’s 2018 Hollywood Diversity Report. Jordan Peele is a filmmaker taking these dismal statistics head-on. His latest horror movie “Us” broke the record for the best opening weekend for an original horror film, grossing more than $70 million opening weekend, according to a March 25 ABC report.
How Dr. Kim’s salary compares to other schools’ presidents
By Jay Berghuis, Opinions Editor April 1, 2019 To most Columbia students, President and CEO Kwang-Wu Kim’s 2016 compensation of $651,091 may seem like an astronomical amount of money, but how does his income compare to those of his peers at other colleges? Kim’s salary was reported Dec. 10, 2018, by The Chronicle; now, The Chronicle has compiled a list of similar colleges’ highest-compensated employees to give students a comparison.
EDITORIAL: Students energize fight against climate change
By Jay Berghuis, Opinions Editor March 21, 2019 On March 15, students worldwide walked out of their schools to protest their governments’ failure to address climate change. There were more than 2,000 events in over 100 countries, and these events were arranged by elementary, middle and high school students. Student activists said they were inspired by the Parkland, Florida, teens’ reaction to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting last year.
EDITORIAL: Students deserve more testing and treatment
People ages 15–24 are at a much higher risk for Sexually Transmitted Infections than older adults and acquire half of all new STIs, according to the Center for Disease Control. Testing, diagnosis and treatment for STIs are a basic part of health care, and an area where Columbia is failing. The website of the Health Center, 731 S. Plymouth Court, states it offers “advice and referrals” for STDs, which amounts to being told to go somewhere else.
EDITORIAL: CPD must fix its spying by increasing transparency
The Chicago Police Department has been monitoring the social media accounts of Chicagoans for five years beginning in 2014, according to documents released Feb. 27 by the department after a lawsuit, according to television station WTTW. The city has spent nearly $1.5 million on software which “determines networks of association, centers of influence and potential signs of radicalization” on social media, according to WTTW.
EDITORIAL: Holidays should be about more than escapism
St. Patrick’s Day is rapidly approaching, which means Americans are ready to don “Kiss me, I’m Irish” shirts, dye the Chicago River green and binge-drink from morning to night. Store aisles are lined with chocolate gold pieces and tacky green suits covered in four-leaf clovers. This version of the holiday is a far cry from what was once a deeply religious holiday celebrated with religious services and feasts. We might be having fun, but we might also be doing more damage than we realize.
EDITORIAL: Abortion must be accessible, not just legal
The Trump administration announced a new rule Feb. 22 that will prevent any organization that provides abortions or abortion referrals from receiving Title X family planning funding unless they provide those services in a separate facility. This is the latest in an ongoing conservative campaign to defund Planned Parenthood and chip away at women’s right to abortions.
OPINION: We need to deal with death
The average funeral cost in 2017 was $7,360, and the funeral industry itself is worth roughly $16 billion, according to the National Funeral Directors Association. These numbers have been increasing for decades, and the least expensive option for death care—direct cremation with no service—will still run most families more than $1,000. Grieving people are talked into purchasing more expensive caskets, flower arrangements and burial plots.
ENDORSEMENT: Susana Mendoza for mayor
With the mayoral election coming up on Tuesday, Feb. 26, college students are looking at a field full of candidates making big promises. Most are progressives whose policies line up fairly well with our interests and passions. Their websites are full of brief stances written in traditional, mostly-empty political language we’ve seen time and time again during every election cycle.
EDITORIAL: Hillsong dresses up hate
Hillsong, an evangelical Christian megachurch with more than 100,000 members worldwide, has come under fire once again for the anti-LGBTQ stances it tries to keep under wraps. The church’s California locations are known for their celebrity attendees, including: Kendall and Kylie Jenner, Hailee Steinfeld and, most notably as of late, Chris Pratt.
EDITORIAL: Banning cigarettes is not a solution; dismantling power structures is
Hawaiian lawmakers introduced a bill raising the legal minimum age to purchase cigarettes. It would go from its current 21 to 30 in 2020, to 40 in 2021, to 50 in 2022, to 60 in 2023, and, finally, to 100 in 2024, effectively banning smoking on the islands. Nationwide, there is a growing push to raise the minimum age to purchase tobacco to 21. Already, six states and about 350 cities, including Chicago, have raised the tobacco purchase age to 21.
EDITORIAL: Celebrating LGBTQ success enriches our community
Columbia will host its first Lavender Ceremony May 1, as reported on the Front Page. Lavender Ceremonies celebrate LGBTQ graduates and their academic achievements at the college. Ceremonies like this have been held since 1995 by more than 200 colleges and universities nationwide.
EDITORIAL: ‘Sex Education’ must go beyond Netflix
New Netflix show “Sex Education,” released Jan. 11, follows the life of a teenage boy whose mother is a sex therapist, and covers topics ranging from masturbation, premature ejaculation and wet dreams to teen pregnancy and homophobia. Programs like “Sex Education”—which offers an unflinching and nuanced take on teen sexuality—ends up serving a hidden purpose: filling in the gaps young people are left with when their education and community fail them.
EDITORIAL: Without accessibility, celebrity activism is empty
Beyoncé and Jay-Z are holding a contest in whichfans could win free concert tickets for life for going vegan. Fans don’t have to go completely vegan immediately; they can also limit their meat consumption. The challenge is a part of The Greenprint Project, which seeks to help the environment by encouraging people to undertake plant-based diets. As celebrities, Beyoncé and Jay-Z have every right to hold a contest where they give away their own concert tickets.
OPINION: Violent criminals: They’re just like us
From Netflix releasing the documentary series “The Bundy Tapes” Jan. 24 to Zac Efron’s new film “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile,” which premiered at Sundance Jan. 26, Ted Bundy is everywhere in the media. Bundy and other white, attractive male criminals sit at the center of public fascination. The choice to focus on violent maniacs is often criticized for romanticizing and normalizing their actions. Criminals are presented as endearing, charming and successful.
EDITORIAL: Equality in the courtroom critical to LGBTQ activism
New York is likely to become the fourth state to ban the controversial gay and trans panic defense strategy, according to a Jan. 25 NBC article. The bill was introduced in 2017 and has been gaining momentum since. According to the LGBT Bar, a national association of legal professionals for the LGBTQ community, the gay and trans panic defense argues a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity justifies violence against them.
EDITORIAL: Religious freedom requires understanding, resources
One fifth of hate crimes were based on the attacker’s religious bias, according to the FBI. In October 2018, a shooter shouting anti-Semitic slurs massacred 11 congregants at a synagogue. This rampant religious discrimination prompted Jewish cinema art and science senior Ian Roozrokh to create a petition urging the college administration to appoint an expert on religion to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.
EDITORIAL: To save mothers, we must empower them
The maternal mortality rate in the U.S. is the highest of any developed country. A 2015 Lancet report found that 26.4 women per 100,000 die due to childbirth and complications, compared to 9.2 in the U.K. and 3.8 in Finland. According to the Maternal Health Task Force, at least 60 percent of these deaths were preventable. In addition, 65,000 women nearly died due to complications, according to a 2017 NPR investigation. This is unacceptable.
EDITORIAL: Gun violence issues need systemic solutions
On Jan. 17, freshly-inaugurated Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a new bill into law targeting illegal gun trafficking. A similar bill was vetoed by former Gov. Bruce Rauner last year on the basis that it would put too much pressure on gun sellers. The bill requires firearms dealers to be licensed by the Illinois State Police.
EDITORIAL: Increasing access means creating accommodations
Starbucks has agreed to install needle disposal boxes in “high-risk” bathrooms after more than 3,700 employees signed a petition requesting the action, according to a Jan. 10 USA Today article. The company is on the right track. In May, Starbucks enacted an open-bathroom policy, and workers have since complained of finding discarded needles and syringes in bathrooms.
Communities, Congress must work together during shutdown
The longest federal government shutdown in history began Dec. 22 after congressional failure to pass a budget for the fiscal year. The shutdown is largely blamed on either Trump demanding funding for a Southern border wall or on Democrats refusing to give it to him.According to a Jan. 13 Washington Post poll, 29 percent of respondents blame Congressional Democrats, 53 percent blame Trump and Congressional Republicans and 13 percent blame both equally.
Diversity begins where gate-keeping ends
Harvard University is being sued by Students for Fair Admission on behalf of rejected Asian-American applicants, alleging that Harvard discriminated against Asian students during the admissions process.According to a June 15 New York Times article, Asian-American Harvard applicants had higher test scores, grades and more extracurricular activities than any other group, but were rated lower in so-called abstract factors the Harvard committee uses to decide admission.
We cannot trust a system that does not represent us
Article III of the Constitution states that Supreme Court Justices “shall hold their offices during good behavior,” a clause which has long been interpreted to mean justices will serve for life. The purpose of life appointments is, in theory, to stop justices from being swayed by political lobbying and the threat of being fired.But Judge Brett Kavanaugh has left an unforgettable stain on the history of the judicial branch.
Crisis is inevitable on a campus without mental health resources
World Mental Health Day is October 10, and according to a Jan. 22, 2014, CNN article, creative people are more prone to mental health struggles. On a campus full of artists and performers, Columbia students are well aware.There is a high-pressure culture on campus driven by creativity. We are encouraged to always work on projects outside of class, to take on demanding jobs in our field and, often, to do more than we can handle.
Fatness doesn’t need permission
Tess Holliday, a size-22 model, will grace the October cover of Cosmopolitan UK. Noted commentator Piers Morgan criticized Holliday Aug. 30 after the cover’s preview release, stating the magazine’s choice to feature her is dangerous because it glorifies obesity.This charge is routinely leveraged against fat women who have the gall to be seen and to love their body, especially on social media. To this I respond: What is so wrong with glorifying a woman’s body, even if it is called “obese”?
Columbia can help break cycle of period poverty
Beginning in August, Scotland became the first country to provide free menstrual products at all schools, colleges and universities after the success of a 2017 pilot program, according to an Aug. 29 New York Times article.In the U.S., many homeless and low-income people are unable to buy menstrual products, and budgeting for the monthly expense can strain financially-strapped college students.
Resources are the best advertisement to creatives
In fall 2008, 12,464 students attended Columbia College Chicago. In fall 2018, the comparable number is approximately 6,859, a 45 percent decrease in a decade.The administration has made the stakes clear in the downward trend reported on the Front Page. Student employment has been slashed, campus resources cut and favorites among faculty have lost jobs, as reported throughout the 2017-2018 year by The Chronicle.
McCain stood up to Trump, but did not stand up for the marginalized
In the wake of John McCain’s death from glioblastoma Aug. 25, headlines have defined his legacy: a “maverick,” according to Rolling Stone; a man with “a rare sense of honor,” according to NBC; “courageous,” according to The Washington Post. McCain was a war hero, a survivor of torture and one of few politicians on the right side of the aisle willing to stand up to President Donald Trump.
‘This is our weak area’: Students, faculty struggle for Asian Studies minor
By Jay Berghuis, Opinions Editor March 21, 2019 More than a year after students began advocating for an Asian Studies minor, there has been no formal proposal, no traction and no clarity on the lack of progress as it lingers in limbo. On March 28, 2018, the Humanities, History and Social Sciences Department hosted a town hall meeting titled “Minors in the Making” to discuss a potential Asian Studies minor.
Ugly politics: Jabs at Trump’s looks will not create change
On Feb. 7, President Donald J. Trump boarded Air Force One on a fatefully blustery day. The wind lifted his thinning hair off his head, exposing a large bald spot beneath. Shortly after, the ruthless attacks began.Progressives compared him to Voldemort and even made jokes about scalp reduction surgeries.
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