Texas Senate Livestream: SB 5: Abortion Bill

Go watch Senator Wendy Davis live as she filibusters SB 5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2Q8Hr0O20LY

She has been talking for over 9 hours!

Here's a recap of the bill that would prohibit clinics from performing abortions on women over 20 weeks into their pregnancy

http://www.kutnews.org/post/whats-next-sb-5-abortion-bill-texas-legislature

On the Lesbian Romance

Lesbian or bisexual, I do not know. But if you were to place me in either category at this precise moment I would surely fit perfectly into "Lesbian."
I dodged a bullet today. Her and I had planned to go on a date to a Chinese restaurant, more so because she insisted we meet. I painfully obliged. This morning I woke up wailing no's. No, I did not want to go. At 6:30am I sent her a text asking to meet at an unspecified "later," and apologizing for not feeling ready to meet her in person. She was kind, said it was ok, and asked why I was not ready.

Dear AWERTIHAG! She just texted me saying she LOVES me! What is this world coming to?!?!?!?!

I must disappear. Either I die, or she does.

My Privilage

I was born on this side of the border, across the river, past the mile-long lines of wooden crosses. My parents migrated for my sake, enrolled me in school to become educated and learn the language - the dominant language, the language which would provide me with a stable life; financially and emotionally. I would be their white daughter, light-skinned, intelligent, and modern, all the while, retaining tradition.
On our way back from the brown country into the white one, we sit for hours in our small van. Cramped, either too hot, or too cold, we wait to be questioned, searched, and let go. I may be light-skinned, but I lack the qualities of the whites.
A German-shepherd leads a Latino, sometimes Latina. We do not carry contraband, no one hides under the seats of the van. If the metal were to be peeled back, emptiness would be exposed. We are legal, we say, so why have we been detained? An hour later, our clothes unpacked, our food thrown out, we are allowed to enter into the Land of Opportunity.
My father is angry. One of our own questioned our sincerity. Latinos look out for other Latinos, he says, but not the ones in uniform and badge; they believe themselves pure Americans, and us simple browns are unworthy of their courteous behavior. Racistas, he murmurs.

I was born on this side of the border, I say, but where do I belong?

Tuition Hikes

My classmate Megan Harlow writes on higher education tuition in her blog entry titled “Tuition Raises.” She comments on the decision many universities in Texas and the nation are taking to raise tuition. Through questioning, Harlow arrives at the conclusion that raising tuition in high education will discourage many prospective students from even considering attending a university. A solution, she says, rests in the students and their parents; rather than attending a four-year university upon high school graduation, it is possible to join the military, work until enough resources are gathered, or transfer from a community college. Even so, many students are left without the opportunity to live the college experience.

I agree that tuition raises may discourage many students from continuing in higher education. This week a tuition advisory panel at the University of Texas at Austin has recommended a 2.6% tuition increase for in-state undergraduate students, while out-of-state students may face a higher percentage. The news has unsettled many students, among them the “Occupy UT” group, who has voiced their concerns in the general assemblies. Though scholarships, grants, and loans are available, these options are not the first to present themselves to many of the already disadvantaged students. Often, students resort to a more available option, which for many happens to be meager paying jobs that frequently prove to be insufficient for a decent survival. While higher education is promoted without end, obtaining it has become a challenge for many, and surely increased tuition will have many thinking in a different direction.

High School Drop Out Rates In Texas

Last semester marked the beginning of a new journey as I signed up to be a mentor with Austin Partners in Education, a non-profit organization of trained volunteer tutors and mentors. Several days into mentoring I learned of the desperate lives many Austin students live; my mentee, a 13 year old Hispanic girl is facing issues in and outside of school that divert her focus from school work. During our first mentoring session she admitted to a desire to end her education once out of middle school. Today the U.S. Department of Education estimates the Texas high school dropout rate at 28.1 percent, another estimate calculates the dropout rate to be closer to 35.5 percent, and these percentages increase in minority populations. These numbers reflect the struggle school officials face when it comes to maintaining students engaged in school, and with recent budget cuts to public schools, engagement will surely come at a greater cost.

After the $4 billion budget cuts in Texas, thousands of teachers were left unemployed while classrooms overcrowded with children. More children and fewer teachers amount to restricted attention per student, and decreased personal attention leads to lower performance in school work. The budget cuts prove to have a more pronounced effect on students facing issues beyond the academic field. Family and personal problems often make their way into school; this further aggravates the issue of academic competence, and in turn, many students feel compelled to drop out of school.

Dropout rates may seem irrelevant to the average Texas citizen, after all, it is not they who suffer minimum wage jobs, drug addictions, and unemployment; but each student who drops out of school costs the state $6-$10 billion over the student’s lifetime (Statesman).
It is imperative to find a solution to this problem. One possible solution is that of mentoring and tutoring programs, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and Austin Partners in Education. When implemented correctly such programs are proven to be effective in reducing dropout rates and increasing academic performance. Webb Middle School witnessed an increase of commended 8^th grade students from 6.8% to 22% in the 2010-2011 academic year, while nearly “half of 6^th grade students in the Step-Up Reading passed the TAKS test for the first time ever” (APIE).

Evidence of the success of mentoring and tutoring programs is obvious. These programs benefit, not only students, but society as a whole. What is needed now is a greater number of schools engaging more of their students with volunteer mentors and tutors. Today my mentee has expressed interest, not only in attending high school, but college as well; she is even searching for scholarship opportunities.