Students Relieved but Cautious After Bin Laden’s Death

Here is another one of my great news stories. Enjoy...

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Reactions at De Anza College are mixed, from elation to concern to apathy.

  

De Anza College students have had mixed reactions to the May 1 killing of Osama bin Laden, from elation that the terrorist is dead to concern of a possible retaliation to apathy.

Bin Laden, the founder of the international terrorist organization al-Qaida, was responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. He had been hiding in a mansion in an affluent neighborhood in Pakistan, where U.S. Navy SEALs raided the compound and shot and killed the terrorist leader.

Franco Miranda, 20, a third-year computer science major at De Anza, checked his Yahoo email account on the night of May 1 and said he was relieved when he read in a news flash that bin Laden was dead. He also said he was ecstatic but surprised that justice had been finally served.

“I was extremely shocked but in the sense of happiness that Osama was confirmed dead, even though it took 10 years for it to happen,” Miranda said.

Unlike Miranda, 22-year-old Michael Jimenez, a second-year liberal arts major at De Anza, said he cannot sleep any easier because of bin Laden’s death. He said he fears the killing could incite a violent retaliation from al-Qaida.

“I am not relieved yet, because there are plenty of other terrorists out there that could severely damage us,” Jimenez said.

Although Jimenez is fearful of a possible terrorist strike against the U.S., he said he was confident that the American government would keep citizens safe at home.

“I think our intelligence is pretty top-notch,” he said. “I don’t think the terrorists would try anything here. Maybe they will go after American embassies in other countries.”

Ashkon Afsari, 21, a first-year business major at De Anza, agrees with Jimenez that an American embassy could be a potential terrorist target, but he does not rule out a retaliatory attack on American soil.

“I think retaliation is imminent,” Afsari said. “There are areas of high concentration that could be targets. I fear attacks on a U.S. embassy.”

Upon hearing the news of bin Laden’s death, some college students rushed to the White House and Ground Zero to celebrate, waiving patriotic signs and chanting “USA.” Sylvie Belinga, 27, a fifth-year journalism major at De Anza, decided not to celebrate, she said, because it is not her nature to outwardly cheer for someone’s death, even if it is the man responsible for 9/11.

“I did not celebrate, because I am not that much of a party person,” Belinga said. “All I wanted to know was how to get more information of how he was killed and how it unraveled.”

On the night of bin Laden’s death, President Barack Obama told the world that the U.S. killed the terrorist leader in Pakistan.

“Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden,” President Obama said during a televised statement.

Although the president assured the world that bin Laden was dead, Afsari was not entirely convinced.

“I started with thinking of how the United States needed something to boost morale,” Afsari said. “That, along with the conspiracy theories I’ve heard and the concealment of the body, made Osama’s killing seem not real.”

While some De Anza students said they felt relieved or concerned about bin Laden’s death, some students are apathetic.

Megan Kemmer, 27, a first-year photography major at De Anza, is flying to New York soon and said she does not feel scared or excited about bin Laden’s death and its impact on her trip. Nonetheless, she will remain aware of her surroundings.

“I’m not fearful, but I am cautious,” Kemmer said. “I never doubted our security when he was still alive, nor now that he’s dead. I didn’t have any change of heart when I found out the news.”

Still, Kemmer said she understood the significance of bin Laden’s killing.

“History has been made.” Kemmer said. “Our children will be learning about this one day in history class.”

This article was featured on Cupertino Patch.com.


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Higher Education Costs Create Financial Burdens

The Giants lost today 5-2 against the Mets in yet another terrible offensive performance. They ended up 5-5 on the trip, but they could have done much better. Because of the loss, I decided to change things up and publish a news story I wrote for Cupertino Patch.com. Check it out and let me know what you think. It is on the increased cost of education.

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De Anza College's value spares some the increased cost of education that leave some students and parents in a financial bind.

The poor economy and the ever-increasing cost of education leave some students and parents with nightmares about how to cope with the high price tag associated with attending college, forcing some to cut back, or cut out.

Cupertino's De Anza College is a more affordable option for students, which leads some students to start college careers there before transferring to four-year universities. The cost of supplies, fees and textbooks combined are $2,075 at De Anza—about one-fifth the cost of attending University of California.

According to the University of California’s website, UC regents voted in November to approve an 8 percent fee increase. This increased annual student fees by $822, bringing undergraduate costs to $11,124 for the academic year—not including housing.

Although De Anza is easier on the pocketbook, it still comes at a cost that some students can't afford without sacrificing, or having to work to afford an education. Still, the need for a higher education is recognized as a necessity to get ahead.

Brittany Sims, 21, a third-year journalism major at De Anza, had high hopes of attending Delaware State University, but the $40,000 debt that came along with going to school there was too much for her to bear.
Although De Anza College is cheaper for her to attend, Sims plans to transfer to San Jose State University, along with supporting her 8-month-old infant at the same time.

“The cost of education is not affecting me now, but when I get my career job after I get my master’s degree, I will have major debt already,” Sims said.

Some students tried to compensate for the high cost of education by working more hours at a job than they would usually work.

First-year nursing major Kalley Phillips, 18, works nearly full time at a bakery to pay her fees at De Anza College. In high school, her parents would pay for her gas, school supplies and lunch, but now, the financial burden is on her.

“My parents haven’t been able to support me as much as they hoped,” Phillips said. “Thus, they encouraged me to go to a community college as opposed to a Christian private school that has a great nursing program.”

Other students have been forced to cut the things they love to pay for school.

Anthony Nguyen, 23, a third-year journalism major at De Anza college, cut down on one of his biggest loves so he could afford his student fees.

“I will save up by cutting back on buying video games, at first,” Nguyen said. “When I transfer, I have no idea what I am going to do.”

The record-high cost of attending UCLA forced 22-year-old Milagro—who requested for safety concerns that his full name not be used—a fifth-year English major, to postpone his education for the majority of the 2010-11 school year. Homeless and sleeping at friends’ apartments at Stanford University, he is doing the best he can working multiple jobs in Palo Alto so he can support himself and his family.

“After my third year in college, I spent 16 out of 20 months homeless,” Milagro said. “I took a quarter off to support my twin brother, and I worked a minimum of five jobs, totaling 30 hours per week.”

Milagro’s brother attends Stanford, and his parents are in dire straits financially.

“The high cost of education was the leading cause for my parents to declare bankruptcy,” Milagro said. “There was a discrepancy between the rising cost of education and my parents’ ability to contribute to me and my brother.”

So parents, too, have also been forced to make sacrifices to pay for their children’s education.

San Carlos homemaker Janette Strobeck, 56, a regular customer at Peet’s Coffee in Cupertino, said she worries about her daughter’s education expenses and the impact it will have on her and her husband in the future. Kristi, her only daughter, is a senior at Summit Preparatory Charter High School.

“My daughter’s education costs delay our retirement plans, due to having to pay those student loans,” Strobeck said. “It makes us more concerned about what’s going to happen once the education ends.”

Like Nguyen, Strobeck is forced to cut corners to pay for her daughter’s education.

“Our family has to make sacrifices,” Strobeck said. “My daughter stopped doing kickboxing, which she loved, just so we can make it.”




This article was featured on Cupertino Patch.com.

Follow me on twitter @vintalkingiants.

Questions or comments? E-mail my blog mailbag at vc4re@yahoo.com. Your questions may be answered on my blog.

Be sure to use the #talkinggiants tag when referring to my article on twitter.

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