Today I interviewed Sophia Neubaum about her story titled "“UA Racial Debt Discrepancy Linked to Lack of Financial Resources”, which explains the debt that African-Americans experience in and after college and the reason why. She interviewed Cydnee Mathis, the secretary of the NAACP, and Barbara Lofton, UA Director of Diversity Programs. She explained what Lofton talked to her about, a group called the "tweeners", which are students that are 'too rich to be poor and too poor to be rich', meaning they are too wealthy for a Pell Grant but not wealthy enough to afford a loan. She told me that African-American women leave college with an average of $11,000 of student loan debt than white men. I really enjoyed learning a lot about Sophie's story and talking to her on the podcast. It was so much easier than I ever thought it was going to be, and super easy to edit.
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Avery Nihill, a 21-year-old senior studying environmental soil and water sciences, was careful not to get caught in the trap of student debt.
“My parents kind of discouraged me from doing it,” Nihill said. “But this is my last semester and it’s a loan that I took out so that I could finish without any worries.” Some incoming college students blindly sign up for student loans without realizing what kind of loan they are receiving and the financial issues it can cause. Nihill, a San Antonio, Texas, native, was much more careful, and waited until her senior year to take out a $2,750 subsidized loan in order to pay for school. Students graduate from the UofA with an average of a little more than $22,000, but Nihill is projected to graduate with far less than that. There are several loans that students use to pay for college. Loans can differ by number of dollars, interest, whose name the loan is under and more. Subsidized and unsubsidized loans are the two most common types of direct loans, and the key difference between the two is the timing of interest accrual. Subsidized loans are granted based on financial need. Students must pay off the loan, but not the interest that it has accrued during their time in school. Unsubsidized loans require students to pay off the loan, including the interest amassed during college, and they are not granted due to financial need. Students are granted these loans more often than subsidized loans, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Students are assigned a subsidized or unsubsidized loan based on their estimated family contribution, a measure of their family’s financial strength, which is calculated by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. “Most students who are coming to college have enough means through their family to run that estimated family contribution up too high to get a subsidized loan,” said Denise Burford, associate director of Financial Aid and Scholarships at the UofA. The Parent PLUS loan is the third type of direct loan, which is under the parent’s name and allows the family to take out a larger loan. As of 2019, more than 42 million loan recipients have racked up almost $1.5 trillion of student loan debt in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Education. More than 34 million of borrowers and $1.2 trillion of the debt is from direct loans, money that comes from the U.S. Department of Education. The giant debt can be attributed to several things, but one reason is a rise in tuition costs.
Since 2008, in-state tuition has gone up more than 42%, and out-of-state tuition has risen more than 39%, according to data from 381 universities given to U.S. News and World Report.
“School just costs a lot more,” Burford said. Some students defray the increasing tuition by obtaining grants, money given to students directly from the federal government that students do not have to pay back. Nihill received a Pell Grant worth a little more than $4,000, which she qualified for because she comes from a family of seven and demonstrated financial need. “It helped a lot my freshman year,” Nihill said. “We didn’t know if I would be able to stay here because I’m from out-of-state and school is expensive, but because I got the Pell grant I was able to come back.” Pell Grants are given to students who have an estimated family contribution of less than $6,000, according to Burford. The amount you receive depends on your school, your status as a student, and how long you plan to stay. Students can also receive a Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), which is worth less than a Pell grant. The UofA disburses more than $1 million more than any other Arkansas school in FSEOG grants.
Sources:
Avery Nihill, 21, Senior Denise Burford [email protected] 479-575-6965 HUNT 114 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR 72701
After half a season of allowing alcohol sales in Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville police have not seen any increase in arrests or disruptive behavior at football games.
At the SEC spring meetings last May, the SEC’s 14 presidents and 14 athletic directors voted to approve the sale of alcohol at SEC games. SEC schools were given the go-ahead to choose whether they would permit the purchase of booze at their events. Arkansas was the third SEC school to lift its ban on alcohol sales. Alcohol sales are limited to beer and wine that must be sold at designated locations, and cannot be sold by vendors in seating areas. Alcohol will not be allowed in the student section. Alcohol has been available since 2014 at Arkansas football games, but only in suites and private club areas. The conference also enforced rules on when alcohol sales will stop during events. The time limits include halting sales at the end of the third quarter during football games, the conclusion of the 7th inning at baseball games, and the second-half TV timeout in basketball games. “As far as the Fayetteville Police Department is concerned, we haven’t seen an uptick in any of that kind of stuff,” Fayetteville Police Sgt. Anthony Murphy said. “I don’t think we have seen any kind of uptick in public intoxication or DWI or anything like that.”
UAPD Capt. Gary Crain said that there were no discernable issues so far, and cited the mere eight arrests that UA police made over the first three football games.
Of the eight arrests, there were four charges of public intoxication, two charges of minor in possession, and one charge for driving while intoxicated. Athletics director Hunter Yurachek has said in interviews that the university will be on the lookout for a possible increase of alcohol-related incidents. Even with the addition of HogTown, a street festival that takes place just outside of Razorback Stadium, the beer garden and live music have not increased arrests. “When I first heard that they were going to be selling alcohol at the football games, it made me think that people would be drinking there, and by the time the game was over they would want to go home and go to bed,” Murphy said. The university is yet to experience the effects of alcohol at basketball and baseball games, but the attendance at both sporting events pales in comparison to that of a football game. Baum-Walker Stadium hosted an average of 8,719 fans a game last year, and Bud Walton Arena has brought in 16,003 people a game since its inception in 1994, but Arkansas football games have drawn in an average of 57,565 fans so far in 2019, according to attendance reported by the athletics department. “None of those sporting events are a huge issue for us,” Murphy said. “We’re so used to working special events and dealing with crowds that have been drinking that it’s just old hat to us, we know how to deal with it.”
Once I figured it out, I found the Text Over Video story to be much easier than I thought it would be. They are easy to use, edit and add music, so I can see why this type of video is so popular. It took me little bit of time, but since I had all of my clips from the other video, it was easy to nail them all down and throw some text and music over them. I struggled a little bit until I figured out how to trim the videos properly, but after that it was smooth sailing.
By Parker Tillson
The Razorback Reporter After a car collided with a bicyclist on campus and a pedestrian was hit by a car on College Avenue within a week in late September, Fayetteville police Sgt. Anthony Murphy warned drivers and pedestrians to stay off of their phones when driving and walking across the street. The 95 crosswalks on campus can get crowded with the more than 27,600 students enrolled at the UofA. With so many people using the crosswalks, it’s important that pedestrians and drivers pay attention at all times, Murphy and others in safety enforcement said. About 85% of college students own smartphones, according to a 2015 study by Pearson. Precisely 94% of teen drivers acknowledged the dangers of texting and driving, even though 35% of them admitted to doing it anyway, according to AAA. “University initiatives can only promote safe practices,” UA Police Capt. Gary Crain said. “It is up to individuals to actually embrace and enact safe practices.” Almost 3,200 people were killed by distracted drivers in 2017, according to the United States Department of Transportation. Cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million car crashes a year – one of every four car accidents in the United States – according to the National Safety Council. “People need to take their personal safety into account and get off their phones,” Murphy said. “Whether they’re in the car or they’re walking.” Drivers under age 20 have the highest incidence of distraction-related fatal crashes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A UA freshman student was hit by a car in February 2019 on Garland Avenue, outside of the Northwest Quad dorms. The 18-year-old sustained injuries that led to her death in the hospital two days later. “After seeing that, that’s when I really knew that we had to do something,” said Lexi Robertson, ASG director of Student Safety. “We should always be proactive instead of reactive.”
The driver, a 17-year-old girl who was visiting the campus, was on her phone when she collided with the student. She received two citations: failure to yield to a pedestrian in the crosswalk, and use of a handheld device while driving.
“It’s just an awful thing,” Murphy said. “A young lady and a young person that was driving the car, it’s just a tragedy on both sides and totally preventable accidents every time.” In Arkansas, it is illegal to use a cell phone in a school zone unless using hands-free technology or reporting an emergency and the driver must be older than 21. The same law should apply on college campuses, Robertson said. “I think we should always be adamant about not being on our phones while we’re driving,” Robertson said. “And I will preach that until the end of days.” Distracted driving is a deadly issue, but what may not be talked about as much is cell phone use while walking. Pedestrians who cross a busy street with their heads buried in a phone put themselves at the mercy of drivers. “It’s like a perfect storm.” Murphy said. “Two things line up; the person walking isn’t paying attention and the person driving isn’t paying attention.” All of the crosswalks at the UofA require drivers to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalk. The pedestrians have the right-of-way, but students can sometimes abuse this privilege. “I know on the UofA campus I see people walk out in front of cars all the time.” Murphy said. “They don’t even wait for the car to stop. They just expect them to stop.” The UofA participated in its 16th annual Crosswalk Safety Awareness Day on Oct. 9, when volunteers were stationed at busy crosswalks around campus to instill safe practices for drivers and pedestrians. Volunteers stressed that drivers should always stop for pedestrians, but pedestrians also should look up from their phones and make eye-contact with drivers before crossing the street. Despite national efforts to encourage safe driving, almost 6,000 pedestrians were killed by cars in both 2016 and 2017, according to the Governors’ Highway Safety Association. “We’re going to have accidents if we don’t make solid change happen,” Robertson said.
I am currently working on a story about crosswalk and car safety on college campuses. After a bicyclist was hit by a car on campus last month, it is necessary to investigate the cause of accidents at the UA campus. It's something that students do every day, and don' t really realize the imminent danger they face. It’s related to my beat because it's discussing the safety of the public, and it is a crime to hit someone with your car, whether it is an accident or not. It's valuable to the the community because people walk out in front of cars every day and just expect them to stop. What happens when the driver is not paying attention or does not see you? I have learned that drivers and pedestrians alike are to blame for these accidents. Most of the time, they both are distracted. Readers will be interested to learn about this issue because almost every college students is walking and driving every day.
By Parker Tillson
The Razorback Reporter Three people died in motorcycle accidents and 18 were arrested during the 20th annual Bikes, Blues & BBQ motorcycle rally from Sept. 25 to Sept. 28 in northwest Arkansas, according to police reports. One of three fatalities occurred on Interstate 49 near the Fulbright Expressway when a woman who was on the back of a motorcycle fell off following a collision with another motorcycle driver. The other two deaths occurred in the Springdale area. One because of a collision with another motorcycle driver, and the other because a biker hit a large hole in the road and fell. The thousands of bikers who gathered on Dickson Street garnered attention from residents as well as police. “I would say that the Bikes, Blues & BBQ Dickson Street area was probably three times as busy as a game day as far as the amount of people,” Fayetteville Police Sgt. Anthony Murphy said. “The game day crowds are much rowdier and I think they drink more excessively.” Eighteen arrests were recorded during the rally. all were charged with public intoxication and disorderly conduct, and some were charged with multiple offenses. Four arrests were made for warrants; one charge for carrying a weapon; one charge for driving while intoxicated; one charge for battery in the third degree; one charge for possession of a controlled substance; one charge for fleeing; one charge of refusal to submit; and one charge of obstruction of governmental operations, according to the Fayetteville Police Department. All were charged with misdemeanors. Sixteen accidents were recorded in Fayetteville involving motorcycles, but none of them life-threatening, Murphy said. “We had no fatalities in Fayetteville,” Murphy said. The 2019 reported accident total was much higher than the nine reported accidents that occurred in the city in 2017, but one less than the 17 reported accidents in 2018, Murphy said. “Bikes, Blues & BBQ seems to be an older demographic,” Murphy said. “They just come down there to show off their bikes and have a good time.” By. Parker Tillson
The Razorback Reporter The UA police have urged students to lock their doors after a reported rape in Holcombe Hall early in September. There are however, several more precautions students should take. Making sure to lock doors is the first step students can take to prevent crimes, police say. If students are reluctant to walk home alone, they’ve had one drink too many, or have locked their keys inside their car, the UofA offers Safe Ride. The late-night transportation service is free and available to all students from 10:30 p.m. – 1 a.m. Monday-Tuesday nights, and from 10:30 p.m. until 3 a.m. Wednesday-Saturday nights, according to the UA website. “Safe Ride is a free student service, it’s there to take care of you, to get you home, out of an uncomfortable or inconvenient situation,” said Safe Ride chairman Andrew Hudspeth. Beyond Safe Ride hours, UA police said they will do a walking escort if a student needs one, Capt. Gary Crain said. But there are more resources than a sober ride service or a police escort. Associated Student Government has encouraged students to download RAVE Guardian, an app that can track friends, set alarms that notify them if they don’t respond, provide confidential tips, and immediately contact the police. Downloading a safety app is one of several steps residents can take to be safer on the streets, according to the Office of Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. RESPECT is a multi-award-winning peer education program focusing on rape education at the UofA. Through campaigns such as “That’s so 6%”, and “My Cup is Not My Consent”, class presentations and outreach events, RESPECT seek to raise awareness about rape culture on college campuses. RESPECT has interacted with many programs at the UofA, including Theta Chi. The two collaborated during last year’s ‘It’s On Us’ Week of Action, hosting events each day to remind students it is their responsibility to prevent sexual assault. “We want our members and students around campus to know that there are organizations and resources like RESPECT that can help bring awareness to such a serious issue and provide help to those affected,” said Kyle Freeman, Theta Chi vice president of Health and Safety at Theta Chi. SARAH, a collaborative program between STAR Central and Legal Aid of Arkansas, is a campus resource that provides free and confidential counseling for anyone experiencing sexual violence. Walk-in visits are available from 1-3 p.m. on Tuesdays all year, and it is located at the Wellness Center at the Garland Garage. “Just be smart,” said Safe Ride Chairman Andrew Hudspeth. “Make good decisions... the worst thing that could happen is somebody making a decision that affects horribly the lives of people who live on campus and others.” By Parker Tillson
The Razorback Reporter A reported rape in a dorm room Monday triggered a RazAlert at the UofA. A later report showed details different from the original account. The victim reported the rape at 1:37 a.m. Monday in Holcombe Hall on Garland Avenue, when she said that a stranger came into her room and assaulted her, UA Police Capt. Gary Crain said. The next day, the victim of the assault said she was acquainted with the perpetrator, and that the perpetrator was invited in to the dorm room by the victim, Crain said. UAPD is investigating the case, but no further details have been disclosed. Crain encouraged students to take safety precautions such as locking bedroom and car doors to reduce the possibility of crimes. Rape is committed by someone the victim knows 80 percent of the time, according to rainn.org, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. Sex crimes are a common issue at universities, according to data. In fact, one in five women in college experience sexual assault, and students are at a higher risk of sexual assault in the first few months of their first and second semesters in college, according to Womenshealth.gov, an affiliate of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. These first few months are referred to as the RedZone, according to thetab.com, a news website with articles from students at top universities. After gathering more than 800 reports of rape and sexual assault cases from crime logs at 12 colleges, the data showed that more than 32 percent of sex crimes happened from September to November. Most new students live in dorm rooms during their first year of college, and most are coed, where boys and girls are in close proximity. The results of the same study from thetab.com showed that 46.9 percent of the 800 cases from those universities occurred in freshman dorms. I realized that I am not the greatest at reading lines for a script during this activity. Which is weird, because I consider myself to be a pretty good actor. I guess I just need to really channel my inner Bradley Cooper when I do this stuff, because I listen back to it and it just sounds bland. I'm going to redo it in the future with better equipment and hopefully a better voice, but I'm happy with the reporter shots I have. There is still very much to learn, and this is far from the smoothest video I've ever seen, but it was still something fun to do. I'll re-upload it in a couple weeks and it will be a completely different tone. It's tough to realize how boring you sound when you're doing it, but I'll learn as I go. |
AuthorSenior journalism student at the University of Arkansas with the aim to be a sports reporter. Archives
December 2019
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