City police prepare for return of youths to plaza

The Kansas City Police Department says they will be prepared if hundreds of youths return to the Country Club Plaza.

Check out a firsthand account by Micah Wilkins.

The police departmens plans to meet with the Plaza Merchant’s Association and the NAACP to reach the best solution.

One of their goals is to inform  parents that the Plaza is not appropriate for unattended children at night. Parents could now be ticketed for dropping off their kids and if those under 17 are there after midnight.

“We will be taking a number of measures to ensure those who shop, visit, dine at and stroll around Kansas City’s historic Plaza area can do so without fear,” Police Chief Jim Corwin said.

Facts about the disturbance April 10

• A girl wearing her prom dress was pushed into the fountain
• Youths beat up and robbed a couple, stealing a purse and glasses
• They approached diners on the patio of the Cheescake Factory who had to-go boxes, grabbed the food, and tossed the boxes into fountains
• Fights broke out throughout

Can the KCPD really prevent such an occurrance from happening again? What is the best solution to protect the safety of Plaza shoppers and diners without discriminating against age or color?

Tell us what you think.

Guns on college campuses: more help, or more harm?

Kansas and Missouri are among 15 “Right to Carry” states that leave the decision of concealed carry on college campuses entirely to each university’s discretion.

However, a bill that passed in the Kansas House March 24 brings public college campuses one step closer to allowing people to carry concealed weapons.

The bill would allow anyone over age 21 with a concealed gun license to bring a weapon to any of the state’s public higher education institutions. The only exception would be if the building has adequate security measures, such as a metal detector.

University of Kansas Opposes the Bill

On the University of Kansas campus, there are signs posted that prohibit weapons inside, but there are no metal detectors. To keep guns off campus, the university would have to install metal detectors in each building.

KU issued the following statement regarding the bill:

“The concealed carry bill as passed would undermine campus safety and security efforts now in place. In fact the number of reported crimes on campus, overwhelmingly nonviolent, is down 34 percent in the last decade, thanks largely to increased police patrol, camera surveillance and educational efforts to encourage students and staff to take precautions to avoid being a victim of crime. Allowing weapons on campus would significantly increase the risk of violence and harm to students, faculty and others rather than making anyone safer.”

Watch this KCTV5 news segment to learn more.

The empty holster protest

This week, college students throughout America are taking place in a silent protest against policies and laws banning licensed concealed weapons on campus.

Gun proponents argue that residents authorized to carry a concealed handgun should be able to defend themselves if the government cannot guarantee their safety.

The protest is sponsored by Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, an organization comprised of 42,000 citizens who believe that holders of state-issued concealed handgun licenses should be allowed the same measure of personal protection on college campuses that they enjoy off campus.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of allowing guns on a college campus? Are they more help to one’s safety or more harm?

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK.

Getting a degree without going to class

Enrollment in online courses has soared in recent years as more colleges are increasing their offerings. 

About one in four college students took an online course in 2008, a 17 percent increase from the 2007 school year. 

Numerous universities plan on expanding their online course selection in efforts to keep tuition costs down for students and increase online revenue.

Advantages

• Convenience: students can work at their own pace and have access to materials at any time
• Time: flexibility to schedule learning around family, jobs or other activities
• Accessibility: students can learn and access materials from anywhere in the world

Disadvantages

• Self-discipline: must be able to set and manage own schedule; not ideal for those likely to procrastinate or have trouble with time management
• Restricts interaction between teacher and student
• Technology: must acquire and learn how to use equipment

Who benefits the most from online courses: students, or universities? Are online classes as effective as in-class courses?

Tell us what you think.

Obama signs health care into law

The House of Representatives passed the 10-year, $938 billion health care bill last Sunday after much debate. The overhaul will change the way millions of Americans attain health insurance and require almost everyone to have insurance or face penalties.

Obama officially signed the bill into law today.

“We have now just enshrined the core principle that everybody should have some basic security when it comes to their health,” Obama said at the signing ceremony at the White House

Watch the ceremony HERE.

Not one Republican voted for the bill.

 ”By signing this bill, President Obama is abandoning our founding principle that government governs best when it governs closest to the people,” said House Republican leader John Boehner. “Never before has such a monumental change to our government been carried out without the support of both parties.”

 Tell us what you think.

96-team tournament: too much madness?

The NCAA is in the beginning stages of making changes to its men’s basketball tournament—expanding from 65 teams to 96 teams. This new format would create an additional round and the top 32 teams would get first round byes.

“The early rounds are the riveting part of the tournament,” Doug Elgin, commissioner of the Missouri Valley Conference said. “If we had an expansion, it would deepen the tournament in the middle. You’re going to see much more balance and maybe more upsets in the first and second round games.”

Advantages

• Strong teams from non-major conferences will get a chance to compete
• Adding an extra round gives fans more of what they love: the unpredictable early rounds
• While the tournament has stayed the same size, college basketball has grown from 282 Division 1 in 1985 teams to 334

“If you expand [the tournament] this much, it seems like you’d dilute it a little bit,” said Northwestern coach Bill Carmody, whose team has never made it to the tournament.

Disadvantages

• The new available seeds will become a giveaway to mediocre teams from the six major conferences
• The NCAA’s main concern is money—more teams allow for a contact with another television network
• Lessen the value of making the tournament

Tell us what you think.

Tenth grade graduation?

Next year, high school students in eight states will have the chance to earn their diploma after tenth grade and head straight to a community college.  In other words, they will graduate high school as sophomores.

The students must pass a series of tests called board exams. If they do not pass in tenth grade, they can take them again their junior or senior year.

The National Center on Education and the Economy is organizing the new program. Their goal is to reduce the number of high school graduates who must complete remedial courses in college and to ensure that students master a set of basic requirements before entering college. By graduating students earlier, they believe there will be more help available for those struggling to complete high school.

What are the advantages/disadvantages of this fast track approach? Should this system become the new structure of education in the United States?

Get the full story: The New York Times

While a student may be academically ready to graduate high school, I believe the 16-year-olds are not mature enough to thrive in a college environment. The high schools should instead alter their graduation requirements and offer more specialized college level classes. The goals of the new program can be accomplished in one’s high school, without the need for graduating into a community college.  Graduating students at age 16 forces them into a type of independence they are not ready for. Cutting one’s high school experience in half is not the best way to provide students with a faster route to college or a career.

Tell us what you think.

School libraries: a home for books or computers?

With the need to acquire and store new up-to-date books, managing traditional school libraries is costly. However, despite those efforts, with advancing technology, students find it more efficient to work on the Internet.

Cushing Academy, a boarding school in Massachusetts, transformed its library last fall by giving away almost 20,000 books in favor of going completely digital.

“When I look at books, I see an outdated technology, like scrolls before books,’’ headmaster James Tracy said. “This isn’t ‘Fahrenheit 451’ [the 1953 novel in which books are banned]. We’re not discouraging students from reading. We see this as a natural way to shape emerging trends and optimize technology.’’

Take a virtual tour of the new library.

 Listen to the story on NPR.

 Should schools work to maintain their traditional libraries? Are there any consequences to having more access to computers than to print books?  

E-mails have replaced writing letters. Texting has replaced ordinary phone conversation. Today’s students flock to the Internet for answers before looking in a book.  In a generation driven by technology, I believe the switch to a bookless campus is necessary.

 Tell us what you think

Video game stirs controversy

When footage of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 leaked onto the Internet before its release, it sparked much controversy in and out of the gaming world for its graphic depiction of terrorism and the killings of innocent civilians.

Studies by psychologist Craig Anderson indicate that violence in video games negatively affect its audience because the games are highly interactive and engaging, they reward aggressive behavior and children repeat these behaviors as they play.

Read Anderson’s essay, Violent video games: myths, facts and unanswered questions for more information.

Activision, the game’s publisher stated, “Modern Warfare 2 is a fantasy action game designed for intense, realistic game play that mirrors real life conflicts, much like epic, action movies. It is appropriately rated 18 for violent scenes, which means it is intended for those who are 18 and older.”

 Federal judges have rejected attempts to regulate video game content in eight states since 2001, citing the Constitution’s right of free speech.

Judge Richard A. Posner wrote, “Violence has always been and remain a central interest of humankind and a recurrent, even obsessive theme of culture both high and low. It engages the interest of children from an early age. To shield children right up to the age of 18 from exposure to violent descriptions and images would leave them unequipped to cope with the world as we know it.” 

Should video games be subject to tighter restrictions regarding their violent content? Do these games negatively affect their audience?

In my opinion, while violence is found in movies, television and music, these interactive video games are a new medium and should be regulated more closely. Video games allow players to become immersed in the violence from a first person perspective.

Tell us what you think.

Challenging juvenile life sentences

There are about 100 people in the world serving life sentences without parole for non-homicidal crimes committed as teenagers—all are located in the United States. At age 13, Joe Sullivan was sentenced to life in prison without parole for raping an elderly woman. Today, at 34 years old, he has spent more of his life in prison than in the real world. Sullivan is challenging the Supreme Court, arguing that his sentence violates the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

Listen to the story on NPR.

Should  juvenile life in prison without parole be considered cruel and unusual punishment and declared unconstitutional?

In 2005, the Courts did away with the juvenile death penalty and I believe the same should be done for juvenile life imprisonment. Involvement in crime at a young age reflects one’s lack of maturity and developed character and they should be given a second chance.

Tell us what you think.

Tobacco law regulations

Last June, President Obama signed a law that had been stalled in Congress for more than a decade that grants the US Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate tobacco products. The law requires a larger warning sign on cigarette packs and includes a ban on graphic or color images in advertisements. Lawmakers believed that companies were targeting minors and that the dangers were misleading. Several industries have begun to file suits contending that the law’s marketing limitations infringe on their First Amendment right of free speech.

Should the FDA have the right to control how tobacco companies advertise? Does the right of free speech apply? Are you influenced by tobacco ads the way lawmakers believe teens are?

In 2007, 20% of high school students in the United States were current cigarette smokers—approximately 19% of females and 21% of males

-according to report by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The FDA has a duty to keep citizens safe and with the dangers of smoking, I believe this law supports that responsibility. Tobacco ads reach those under the legal age of 18 and should be regulated.

Tell us what you think.