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This is my final blog of this summer course. I feel gloomy on the last day, knowing that I am never going to see most of the people in this class again. When I first entered this class, I thought it would be another one of those boring writing workshops. However, it is actually very different. I learned a lot about journalistic writing styles. It opened my mind to a whole different type of writing.

The atmosphere of the class is great. The teacher is nice and considerate. What else is there not to like? Well, there is one thing. Tony Davis lied to us that we have couches in our room. I don’t see any couches. But I guess computer chairs would do.

The best part of this class is that we learned to write articles and interview people for information. I am the type of people that would never talk to strangers but, during this course, I learned to suck it up and talk to them. If I want information, it is a must that I talk to strangers no matter how uncomfortable it may be.

Although there is a lot of stress coming to write the articles, it was really fun. I kind of like the stress because it keeps me busy. Otherwise, this summer I would probably be slouching off and waking up at noon. My mind would go numb from all the cartoons and useless things on the Internet.

This is a profession that I may seriously consider in my future. Since I grew up with Asian parents, the only fields my mind was open to was law and medicine. Never had I thought journalism would be an option. It never crossed my mind I could go that way. I am very glad I took this class.

Finishing the college now program is bitter sweet. I will miss it, but I am happy that I learned so much about journalism. I think it was a great class. Going out and interviewing people was something that I found as a great challenge before this class, but this class gave me a lot of practice in that. I also wasn’t that good at writing, but I learned a lot about how to write and how to use good grammar. I also learned about the news world and how they pick the stories that they pick. Its good to know that most newspapers take private people into consideration and try not to say anything that might damage their reputation. Being a news reporter seems very difficult and requires a lot of work. I didn’t really think that before this course. I also learned interesting tricks of journalism such as how to get someone who doesn’t want to talk to you to actually say something. The most interesting part was when we went to the studio. It was really cool to see the sets and how all the news on t.v works. The teacher was great, and made the lessons very interesting and informative. I will definitely consider journalism as a choice for a major.

At first I thought that the class would be very difficult and that I would not be able to do all the work. When I signed up for it, I didn’t have much expectation for it. I thought it would be easy and that we would learn basic writing. I did not consider that we would have to do reporting for it, which is what got me very nervous in the beginning. As the class progressed, however, I learned a ton of stuff that I can use in my life. I especially like the AP style class. The reporting was first very intimidating, but as time went on it became fun. Writing my first article was very challenging and I didn’t know where to start but now I feel like I am way more experienced and better at writing. Journalism had never been a major choice for me before, but now after taking this class I am definitely considering it. It was really nice to see all the guest speakers come in so we could see more into the major and I feel like this class was the perfect insight to the journalism major. Jeanmarie was the best teacher I could’ve asked for. She was very understanding and thought the class very well. It was super informative as well as fun, which overall creates a great summer experience. The news quizzes helped me know what is going on in the world, which I honestly never had a clue of. The only bad thing about the news quizzes was that I always read and even reread before the class began but always seemed to get bad grades on it. If it was me personally I would rather have a news quiz in discussion form so we could just talk about what we read instead of having to remember details. That is my only criticism of the class everything else was perfect.

Today is the last day of Summer College Now 2012! I’m happy and sad; happy that I finally get to go on vacation and sad because it’s the end. The class was great, I learned many things about journalism such as how different the writing is and the history of journalism.  Although the lectures were boring and I had to struggle to not fall asleep in class I suspect this will help me through my future college lectures. I also learned how to interview people (man-on-the-street) and how to take notes. Surprisingly interviewing was one of my favorite parts since I am usually shy but what I learned here will definitely help me in the future. Currently I have no plans for my career but I will keep journalism in mind. To me journalism isn’t something I love but nor is it something I hate. I will take what I learned and the people I meet to grow into a better person. And thank you Jeanmarie Evelly for being such a great teacher.

 Jumping over turnstiles, strolling into the bus from the back door and walking through the emergency door in the subway stations. According to the NYPD, police arrested 1,228 people for fare beating over the past year.

Fare beaters, people who skip their metro fare, cost the MTA $100 million a year, according to the agency. The New York State Senate is looking to increase the fine for fare beaters, and many New Yorkers say they a™re glad to hear it.

“It’s not fair because I have to pay, why shouldn’t you?” said 30-year-old, Julie Gonzales, as she was walking out of the F train station on Broadway and Lafayette Street.

According to an MTA report, 18.5 million people didn’™t pay their subway fare in 2009, an average of over 50,000 New Yorkers everyday.

Current allows the MTA imposes a fine of up to $100, and another $50 fine if the person does not pay the fine or respond to a summons. The proposed law would allow the MTA to bump the fine to as much as $500.

Jann Layton, 28, said it’s not worth the risk.

 “Why would I pay $100 when I can pay $2.50. Who wants to pay a hundred bucks to go on the subway? she said.

“It’™s embarrassing to have someone stop you for $2.50,” agreed 47-year-old school secretary Selina Pauhall.

According to NYPD records the report estimated that a routine offender could expect to get a $100 citation once every six to 13 weeks (the average number of times they get caught), which is actually cheaper than spending the $162 it costs to buy six weekly MetroCard.

Some riders say that the fare ride is too expensive. Fare beater Shelley Wu says she rarely pays her metro fare. Although she has been caught skipping her fare at the 34^th Street Station, she will continue to evade the MTA, she says, fare because it’s cheaper than buying a MetroCard.

“œIt’™s a free ride and the MTA sucks so you gotta screw with them,” she said.

 Zarif, 17, says he ha™s jumped the turnstile in the past.

“Usually to save money, but sometimes I’m in a hurry and the machines don’t work so instead of going to the station with the booth, I just jump” he said. “Not proud of it, by the way. “

The proposed state law, which was introduced by Senator Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr., Chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, was passed by the State Senate and needs to be approved by the Assembly.

“The MTA and its fare-paying riders shouldn’™t have to spend tens of millions of dollars more each year paying for other people’™s illegal free rides. At a time when every dollar counts, the MTA needs stronger tools to discourage fare-evasion. Higher fines would create a stronger deterrent and remove the incentive which actually encourages people to try and beat the system,” Sen. Fuschillo said in a statement.                                                                                      

Jai Min Luo, a 16- year-old high school student, said she was glad to hear of the proposal.

“œThey are receiving a service so they should pay for it,” she said.

The NYC Transit Department of Security will be also be increasing its Eagle Team Force. ”which helps serve as a deterrent against fare evasion and to assist the NYPD, notifying them about “œhot spots,” locations that are identified as common stops for turnstile jumpers.

“œThis is very much a collaborative effort between NYC Transit and the NYPD, who have been doing a tremendous job of enforcement,” said NYC Transit President Thomas F. Prendergast. The value of the Eagle Teams will be in helping customers understand that this is not a free service while alerting the NYPD to the areas where we are experiencing problems.”

But it might not stop some people.

It’™s an option to do it, so I do it. I have never paid for a metro card,” Said John, who lives in the Lower East Side “œEven if I got caught I wouldn’™t pay the fine.”

Angel Alvarez, 17, from Bedford-Stuyvesant, first heard dubstep back in late April. Skimming through his Facebook news feed, he noticed a video post his sister’s boyfriend had made. He clicked on the video, and was “blown away,” by what he heard. Two months later, he began creating his own dubstep music.

Through a Google search he was able to locate a website — Remixer.Clubcreat.com– that allowed him to make dubstep music for free. On the website, he worked on five songs, and completed three in just one month.

“I was amazed that I could make all the different dubstep sounds and beats, and that I was able to do this myself. I felt accomplished,” Alvarez said.

Dubstep is a new genre of club music that’s hit the United States. These new sounds have become popular with New York City teens. And while many can be found listening to it, others such as Alvarez are even creating it themselves. Modern technology like computers and I-pads have made it simple and easy for young people to make their own dubstep beats.

Software such as Reason can be downloaded into computers or laptops, like in the case of 15-year-old Julian Fevry, from Queens.

“I was lucky, I had a friend who had the software and let me borrow it to download onto my computer,” he says.

More expensive software may cost from $150 to almost $500, depending on the version. The prices are that high because Reason is usually used by professional producers and contains a number of soundboards, including drums, loops, dynamics and EQ (equalization).

Teens that aren’t as lucky as Fevry just use the resources they already have. Henry Angel, 18, uses Garage Band, which came with his MacBook laptop. Although it may not have all the professional soundboards Reason has, it does contain the basics needed to create dubstep. Such as MIDI editing, which allows the pitches, velocity and duration of recorded sounds to be changed, and creates “a bass drop that is dubstep’s main attraction,” according to Angel.

Online resources can also be found to make dubstep. When Alvarez was looking for a program he searched “free dubstep software,” and was presented with a number of websites. Remixer.Clubcreat.com helped him come close to the professional sounds of Skrillex—the first dubstep artist he heard.

Professional dubstep artist such as Skrillex, Big Chocolate and Zomboy are often inspiration for teens that are making their own beats.

Regardless of the software that’s being used, teens all agree that creating dubstep is hard. There are multiple boards to manage, and different melodic ranges of notes that have to be put in a certain sequence. One song can take up to a month to make, according to Angel.

“It requires patience, time, effort, and creativeness,” he adds.

However, not all young people see the appeal of dubstep, like 23-year-old Alberto Vilafuente.
 
“It’s just random noise,” he said.

Sitting next to a pile of books, Michael Chen, 11, glances at the one he’s currently reading. He puts it down,  then picks up another. In a short while, he finishes reading all the books in his stack and jumps up to take more off the shelves. He enjoys reading, and frequently comes to the library with his mother. However, the number of new books that he has to choose from is dwindling.

This summer, Chen and his mother have had to go to the Elmhurst Library’s temporary location, a much smaller library than the neighborhood’s permanent one. The permanent library building is undergoing major renovations so that the facility will be larger, with more books and computers. While the project will ultimately bring improvements to the Elmhurst Library, some residents say the construction is an inconvenience.

“I love the library, but I want the library to be done now,” said Chen. “I need more books.”

Others share the same view.

“I spend a lot of my time at the library,” Amelia Lin, 13, said. “When it is larger, I will be able to stay at the library longer because I can look at all the books. But I will have to wait.”

However, there are some residents who seem more opposed to the construction.

 “I have to walk more to get to the temporary location,” said Kong Min Wong, 56. “I don’t like it.”

The temporary location, which is at 85-08 51st Ave., is a block further from the construction site of the former library, which is located on 86-01 Broadway.

The project began in November 2011, according to the Queens Ledger. The Elmhurst Library was demolished so that a larger one could be built. The new $27.8 million library will be completed in 2014 and its size, 30,000 square feet, will be twice the former library’s size.

Stalco, the construction company that is building the new library, says the new building will feature “a steel frame structural system and terracotta-clad façade.” There will also be a teen space, a children’s library, an adult learning center and many other new designs, according to Stalco.

“I can’t wait for the new library,” Chen said. “I really want to go there.”

 

Manuel, a 19-year-old graduate of Hospitality and Management High School in Manhattan, dreams of starting a business career and one day owning his own restaurant.

But Manuel was born in Mexico. He, like many other undocumented students in the United Sates, faces a number of barriers in pursuing higher education and a career because of his citizenship status.

“I came here since I was seven years old and I have become part of this country more than my own,” says Manuel, who asked to only use his first name because he fears deportation.

“I feel like I can achieve more if they gave me a chance,” he says, as he wipes tears off his cheek.

In the United States, all children, regardless of immigration status, are allowed access to public education from kindergarten through 12th grade. Because of this case, undocumented students are allowed to get a public education. But when it comes to college, federal and most state financial aid is not offered to noncitizens, according to the website GetReadyforCollege.org, which gives resources for undocumented students.

Legislation has been proposed that could help young people like Manuel. The proposed federal DREAM Act (Department, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act) would create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented youths who complete military service or two years of college. Though the legislation still lingers in Congress, President Obama announced last month that his administration would stop the deportation of undocumented young individuals who have grown up in the United States.

According to the Pew Research Center, there are 1.4 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., including 700,000 under 18 enrolled in school and 150,000 enrolled in high school. Manuel is not attending college because he is not financially stable.

The New York State Youth Leadership Council (NYSYLC) is a non-profit organization that helps undocumented students find resources they might not be aware of. It empowers the teens and provides a safe environment where they can share their stories and be around other undocumented students.

Janet Perez, a 20-year-old undocumented Mexican student who attends Lehman College in the Bronx and is a member of the NYS Youth Leadership Council. She and other members are working hard to accomplish the American dream for undocumented teens.

“My friends and I are leading an organization at Lehman to help get more Bronx people join together,” says Perez.

Perez and two friends were even arrested for protesting in front of Governor’s Cuomo’s office in Albany in March. Wearing graduation caps, they put two huge banners on the ground and sat on top of them that read, “Education not Deportation.” They were arrested for disorderly conduct, and had to pay fines of $120.

 â€œIt’s alright, I’m just glad it’s all over now,” said Perez. “Just because you’re undocumented you’re taught to live in the shadows and let yourself be brought down by others.”

Though she’s active in the political arena now, she wasn’t always. When she was in high school, Perez said she didn’t necessarily think about going to college.

“I thought to myself, what’s the point of getting a higher education if I won’t be able to work in the future?” she said.

But she filed her application to Lehman College last minute, was accepted, and is still continuing her college career of graphic design.

Perez is fortunate enough to have the financial stability and support from her family. Others aren’t as lucky. Manuel’s family isn’t supportive and he doesn’t have the money for college.

He said he’s tried to save, working some hours here and there, but it isn’t enough. Because he’s not a citizen, he isn’t able to work on the books in a restaurant or a clothing store. He works as a dishwasher on Saturdays, and gets paid less than minimum wage.

 â€œPeople take advantage because I was not born here,” he says. “That’s the reason I get paid a little–because the boss knows I need the job.”

Manuel says he’s starting to lose hope that anything will change.

“I sometimes wonder to myself if I should keep believing in the DREAM Act because it’s been two years and nothing has changed,” said Manuel. “I dreamt about the DREAM Act being passed the same year I was going to graduate, but I’m still here.”

For assistance, Manuel met with Jaqueline Cinto, 26, who coordinates youth services with NYSYLC. She urged him to keep trying and not be afraid to ask for help.

“Never give up, I know as an undocumented myself, it’s very challenging to find hope, don’t lose hope, and seek resources,” she said. “If you’re not open about your status, we can’t help you. You’re not alone.”

 â€œIf you feel like this is your home, then this is your home,” she said.

Lindsey Gauzza, a 30-year-old attorney who graduated from Temple University law school in 2009, works with undocumented teens and young adults, giving them legal advice.

“I love the DREAM Act, it’s a great idea. They are Americans and should not live in the shadows,”  said Gauzza. “I want more but without the help of Congress, Obama can’t do anything.”

For teens like Manuel, the first step—getting a green card—can be a challenge.

“It depends who in the family has a green card or is a citizenship that might be able to ask for the person…It’s a complicated question,” Gauzza said. “In order to become a citizenship legally, you need a green card, good moral character, no crime record and have to pay taxes.”

Cinto says the most important things is that undocumented teens stay positive and not lose hope.

 â€œIt’s better to see the glass full, rather than how empty it is,” she said.

The bright blue sky over the Staten Island Expressway portrays that of a peaceful, happy day. However, faces o­­­­­­­f commuters show the exact opposite during the morning rush hours. Piles of dirt the size of mountains and the rumbling bulldozers and excavators along this busy road cause a standstill of cars each day.

Construction on the Staten Island Expressway (SIE) is causing a tremendous amount of traffic during rush hour. Many residents complain about the amount of traffic and its negative impact on their daily commute.

“It has been about a year, two years, now,” says Ming Lu, 55, from Willowbrook, Staten Island. “They are not working fast enough.”

According to the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), this is a $119.5 million project that focuses on constructing new bus lanes, extending bus routes an extra mile. The NYSDOT is building new ramps and auxiliary lanes that connect the highway and the main roads adjacent to it. However, this is causing more traffic since the third lane of the adjacent roads are closed, leaving only two lanes, one of which is for buses.

The construction is causing problems for commuters and businesses alike.

“Since the traffic is close to the store, people can not stop by the store,” says Hasan Arshle, 18, whose father owns a deli near the construction site in Grasmere County. “[The construction] happens all day long. [It] starts from morning until night.”

When asked whether the construction was progressing, Frances Che, 16, of Heartland Village, says, “No, they are not working fast enough and I don’t like it.”

The construction has been going on for about two years since November 2010, covering  the highway and nearby roads extending from Richmond Avennue to Clove Road.

The NYSDOT’s goal is to reduce the amount of cars, allowing more buses to be available to commuters in effort to increase transit ridership, according to a press release, which said one of the goals of the project is to promote “going green.” With the reduced amount of cars on the expressway, the air quality would increase while air pollution decreases, the NYSDOT said. The ramps and auxiliary lanes would “reduce congestion at severe bottleneck locations.”

“The additional lanes will help ease traffic and mobility and add capacity to handle the anticipated growth in population in Staten Island,” says Debra A. Derrico, 55, District Manager of Staten Island Community Board 2.

“Most construction projects of this magnitude provide daily problems for commuters. The Staten island Expressway had an inadequate amount of lanes that did not serve traffic demand during numerous week-day and week-end hours,” Derrico says.

However, Christina Tang, 15, is confused about some of the NYSDOT’s goals.

“This would not be promoting ‘going green.’ With all this unnecessary money that they wasted on the construction, it could be used for other causes,” she says.

Tang is one of the many bus takers affected by the construction. She takes the s93 bus to Brooklyn, which only stops at a limited amount of places and runs along the parts of the expressway where the construction is taking place.

“[It] takes anywhere from one hour and 30 minutes to three hours since some buses only come once every half an hour,” Tang says.

People say that traffic is heavier during the school year, rainy seasons, and rush hours.

“During rainy seasons there is usually more traffic since cars and buses drive slower to avoid getting into accidents,” says Christina, who lives in Clifton County, close to the bridge.

NYSDOT did not return calls for comment.

Aside from the construction and high traffic during rush hours, some are actually looking forward to what post-construction would look like. One of these people is Jason Lukose, 15, who sees progress with the construction and is keeping a positive mind about it, anticipating the outcome.

 â€œI am seeing improvement and I like it. You can see the ramps actually coming together,” he said. “The freeway will [soon] be a more effective way to travel.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sun beats down on the two teams as they glare at each other across the field. Taking deep breaths, with sweat dripping down their foreheads, they wait until a ‘whoosh’ cuts the silence. A white disc catches the sunlight and blinds the onlookers before it hits the ground, the signal for the game to begin. Broken fingers, sprained ankles, heat stroke, and knee injuries don’t stop these players.

After the game, the team changes out of their dirt-covered cleats and grass-stained jerseys into clean shirts, skirts, and shoes. They re-apply makeup and clean their hands with hand sanitizer.

They are the Stuyvesant Sticky Fingers, the Girls Ultimate Frisbee team at Manhattan’s Stuyvesant High School. Most sports – including Ultimate Frisbee – typically focus on male athletes. However, in recent years, the number of female Ultimate Frisbee players has skyrocketed and the limelight is shifting from men to women.

“Being an athlete is less assumed to be a male occupation now that more women are asserting themselves,” said Sticky Fingers team member Nancy Ko. “And because Ultimate is a relatively new sport, the Ultimate community is flexible enough to recognize that.”

This seven-on-seven non-contact game requires speed, endurance, passing and end-zone scoring skills like those used in soccer and football, which has traditionally attracted many male athletes to the game. Once a player catches the disc, he or she must stop and will have 10 seconds to pass it to a teammate. A team scores by catching a pass in the opposing team’s end zone.

The USA Ultimate governs the sport of Ultimate Frisbee in the United States and has over 34,000 members, according to their 2011 statistics. Since 2000, total membership has increased over 206 percent. In 2009, total female membership was 9,744 and in 2011 it was 10,881—over an 11.6 percent increase. Females made up nearly a third of the organization’s total members in 2010.

Leila Selchaif, 16, has been playing on the Bard Barians of Bard High School Early College for two years. For her first year on the team, Selchaif was the only girl on the team. All of her fellow teammates were boys.

“It made me more competitive. It gave me more incentive to show I have what it takes. People gave me the same chances as guys,” said Selchaif.

In her second year, the number of girls on the team rose to five.

Selchaif and her friend Nina would practice tossing at lunch and it interested other girls. However, those girls did not want to join the boys’ team.

“[They were] intimidated by the boys because they were not as good,” said Selchaf.

Still, Selchaif is planning to start an all-female Ultimate team in her school this coming September. She has been getting positive feedback from the school and fellow students.

“Ultimate Frisbee is gaining a wider audience than compared to five to ten years ago,” said Selchaif.

“Ultimate is one of the fastest growing sports in the world,” said Leila Tunnell in an e-mail. Tunnell was co-captain for UNC Pleidaes (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) and won the Callahan Award in 2011. The Callahan Award is an annual award given to the best male and female college Ultimate players. It honors physical skills and talent, sportsmanship, and leadership.

“I think this increase in female players is a result of this general growth as well as the efforts of various leagues, organizations and players all over the country working hard to start more women’s programs and recruit more female athletes,” Tunnell said. “[O]rganizations such as USA Ultimate and Without Limits work hard to promote and grow women’s ultimate at all levels.”

USA Ultimate has a Women’s Outreach Program which supports, develops materials and activities, and designs programs to increase the number of women who love and play ultimate. They offer coaching workshops, women’s clinic kits, events calendars, and college team development kits aimed at female coaches and coaches of female teams.

“Any increase in membership is a good sign and we are encouraged by the continued growth,” said Andy Lee, 36, director of Marketing and Communications for USA Ultimate, in an e-mail, “But we would like to see some more dramatic increases in the number of women playing organized competitive Ultimate.”

Isaiah Bryant, 27, who plays for the Connecticut Constitution, said the increase of female players is due to better training of coaches, which helps recruitment. USA Ultimate offers a Coaching Development Program where to become a coach, they must undergo a background screening and pass Level I and II programs where they learn how to introduce Ultimate to new players, manage effective practices and team management skills.

The increase in the number of girls interested in Ultimate Frisbee has caught the attention of boys as well, Bryant says.

“Females are a growing market for Ultimate Frisbee,” Bryant said. “This increase of female players is great because it also recruits guys.”