Issues Final Paper

I enjoyed working with my group and felt each meeting ran smoothly and everyone did their part to make the presentation a success.  The first time we met was during class time and we discussed all the choices for the presentation and chose a controversial topic. We brainstormed and came to a consensus that the group would produce a presentation on euthanasia.  We exchanged phone numbers and then spent time together just getting to know one another.   I began doing general research on the topic of euthanasia because the group had not assigned any member of the group a specific area of the presentation.

      I included sources from The New York Times and The New England Journal of Medicine which are well established, reputable, and reliable sources. I eliminated sources if they did not cite an author or were in a blog.  I needed to stay focused and narrow my research area to the section of the presentation that I was responsible for and then create a summary from each source chronologically.  Sources that did not have an author could be from a questionable source of information and I wanted my portion of the presentation to be accurate and factual. I was not too concerned about how current the sources were because I was doing a historical review, however I became more concerned as the years in the timeline drew closer to current times.  I cross referenced all information in each source, but really concentrated in the time frame of 1990’s to present day. I wanted a variety of sources so I included sources from a newspaper, websites, a book and periodicals. After selecting the articles, I compiled a list with a short summary of each source into a titled Microsoft Word document and included the cited information for easier reference later.

     My group met again and decided who was going to do what section of the presentation.  Emma would research the true definition of euthanasia and the punishment if a person does participate, Stephanie would research the people who had committed the crime, Karli would research of pros and cons about euthanasia and I would research the historical perspectives. I chose to do the history because I love history and was curious about how euthanasia has evolved over time. Shortly after the second meeting I searched the internet for information regarding the history and was excited to begin researching this specific topic.

      Next, I organized the information according to a timeline, sifted through all the history based on the most relevant and important facts about the history, and complied the PowerPoint. Then I just kept revising it and revising it until I was satisfied. There was a large amount of history and information so I reduced the quantity of information considerably. Each of us in the group worked on our specific parts. The group decided to do a PowerPoint presentation and when we met we started working on the PowerPoint and compared notes to see how the project was progressing. Then we met one last time and combined all of our information into one presentation.  

     When my group selected euthanasia I was not sure that I would enjoy working on this type of subject. However, I found the project to be interesting and educational. I enjoyed being a member of my group and felt that we worked cooperatively together.

Overall Experience

Journal #12

My overall experience at the ARC in Alfred, NY was very good. I learned a lot during my experience but probably the thing I learned the most was that even though people with disabilities can require lots of additional support, can be stressful, and emergencies can happen anytime, the residents are very kind and awesome. They have very kind and sweet personalities.  They are not as violent and uncooperative like most adults seem to be in the world today. They work on achieving their goals and follow a structure routine as requested. They adhere to the rules of the house while continuing to do their own thing.  They have jobs and are productive citizens. I really enjoyed my practicum and I feel that I learned a lot about a population of people and a worthy organization that I really knew nothing about.

Take Back the Night Stopping Sexual Violence One Step at a Time

       We live in a society where men are socialized to conquer women through power and control and they are taught to think that it’s ok to have sex with a woman with no consent. What is consent? “Consent is informed, freely and actively given with mutually understandable words or actions that indicate a willingness to participate in a mutually agreed upon sexual activity. It is voluntary and both partners must be willing to engage in the act without any pressure or force. Verbal body language is often misinterpreted and is not an indication of consent”. Many men treat women like objects and they define their manhood by the quantity of women they have slept with. Society implies that a real man is aggressive, powerful and supposed to have sex with beautiful women.

       Society glorifies domestic violence. Abuse is not a mistake, it’s a choice. Current statistics indicate that 99% of all sexual violence acts are committed by men and only 1:4 women will survive a sexual attack. The most targeted group for sexual violence is college freshmen.  Wearing short skirts or walking home with a guy does not cause sexual violence. Did you know that there are more strip clubs in the world than there are shelters for women to escape violence?

       Joshua Phillips has been actively advocating against sexual violence since 2003 when he joined the Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates Group at the University of Central Michigan. Since joining this group he has presented countless programs throughout the United States. He says that sexual violence is a cultural issue; his educational philosophy is that we must actively be against sexual violence, not passive.  In 2007 he joined two fellow advocates that started their own active resistance against sexual violence by creating the group East Coast Walkers. In the summer of 2008, the East Coast Walkers successfully completed a 1,800 mile walk from Miami to Boston to raise awareness about sexual violence. Josh’s hope is to use stories from the walk to inspire others to creatively engage in everyday activism in an effort to create dialogue. He states that he refuses to tiptoe through life to arrive safely at death.

       So what can we do about it? Activism is a good place to start. Set an example everyday of being a person that shows leadership, compassion, and let people know you care. Be proactive not just reactive. Josh says to create movements not monuments. Monuments won’t stop sexual violence.  Women will hide their pain for years because we live in a society where no one will believe them or even listen, but 94% of sexually assaulted women tell the truth about being assaulted.

        After the presentation there was a march through campus from Orvis to the Townhouses. The chant that the people shouted was “Alfred unite, take back the night! 1,2,3,4 we won’t take it anymore! 5,6,7,8 no more violence! No more hate! Stop the violence! Stop the violence! Claim our bodies, claim our right, take a stand, take back the night! Wherever we go, however we dress, no means no and yes means yes!” Lots of stares and cheering arose as we marched through campus. After arriving at the Townhouses there were anonymous personal anecdotes and poems that were read of pain and hurt.  These anecdotes were very powerful. It was sad to think that someone you see every day could have this pain inside. Rape survivors are 13 times more likely to attempt suicide.

       How can you help to prevent sexual violence in your life? Let someone know where you are at all times. Have your cell phone on you at all times to call for help if you need it. Trust your emotions and leave any situation if you feel uncomfortable or uneasy. Use the buddy system by watching out for your friends and ask them to watch out for you. Be assertive and say no firmly if someone is pressuring you. Don’t accept drinks from a stranger, watch your drink at all times, never leave your drink unattended and be aware of what you drink, and how much you have consumed.

http://www.joshuadanielphillips.com/page/2/