How many acts of violence were reported on your campus last year?

Could not find this statistic - links were for 2006 / 2007 reports, and did not include any numbers for some reason.

Does your campus have a security escort service?

Yes they do, you can either use an emergency phone box or call the campus police at any time to request an escort.

What resources does your campus provide to ensure safety?

Good lighting,  previously mentioned escort service, emergency phone stations, text message alerts, email updates.

What training and educational opportunities about safety does your college provide?

During welcome week, all students are taught about all security measures on campus.  Also the Campus Police & CAPS offer activities / lectures / etc. on specific topics from time to time, and are always available to answer questions.

What specialized training about violence is offered to fraternities and sports teams on your campus?

None, I could not find any specific programs geared towards frats or sports teams at TCNJ.

How does your school encourage the reporting of violence?

During welcome week, it is stated that all acts of violence should be reported somehow to the campus police.

What support services does your school offer to victims of violence?

Free counseling services are available if needed to every student attending TCNJ.

How does your school’s code of conduct address violence?  What is your school administration’s official protocol for dealing with complaints of violence?

TCNJ generally has a no-tolerance policy towards all forms of violence, which can result in a police report, a summons, or even in complete dismissal from the school altogether.

Are there dark areas around campus that need additional lighting?

Not really, everything seems fairly well-lit.

Are emergency phones available around your campus?

Yes.

Based on my analysis, the majority of women’s magazines are based on making a woman look good through any physical means - hair, makeup, fashion, etc. - and how to maintain a relationship rather than finding a career.  While there were a few articles about travel, music, books, movies, and individual stories of women, they were still greatly outnumbered by beauty advertisements and articles.  These magazines give a completely unrealistic portrayal of gender and beauty, and unfortunately do very little to encourage natural beauty or natural happiness and self-esteem without giving into society’s norm of what beauty is.

What are some of the key issues for working women identified by the AFL-CIO?

A few issues addressed on the site are violence in the workplace, unequal pay, disadvantages in the women’s global economy, immigration, etc.

What legislative issues does the AFL-CIO identify that would be beneficial to working women?

Specifically addressed was the Equal Pay Act, which would require employers to give men and women equal pay for equal work regardless of their sex.  While the Equal Pay Act is already in effect, the Paycheck Fairness Act was passed by the House Representatives but defeated in the Senate in late 2010. Its intention is to update and strengthen the EPA by eliminating unfair disparities.

What is a union?  What benefits do unions provide? 

Labor unions are groups of workers who band together to build a stronger workplace while identifying ongoing issues and giving the workers the opportunity to speak out when necessary about safety, pay, and benefits, which in essence gives them a voice in our government as well.  Typically union workers earn 30% more per week than non-union workers and have more advantageous health and pension benefits.

Why are unions important for working women?

It gives women a chance to speak out and have a voice in the workplace, something not many employers will allow or give them the opportunity to do unless they have a supporting group, such as a union, behind them.

What steps would people take to form a union at their workplace?

Although difficult, it is possible to form a union in your workplace.  A group of workers must sign a petition to indicate that they would like to create one, but despite this employers will often attempt to block this choice despite the benefits of working collaboratively.  The first step is to locate the individual union, and contact them with questions for organizational guidance.

(Source: aflcio.org)

How is property divided in a divorce?

The term “equitable distribution” is used, meaning that due to a marriage being, in theory, an economic partnership, the assets in total will be split evenly between the two parties.  However, the court must also take into account many other relevant factors such as the length of the marriage, the health and age of each person involved, the income acquired / standard of living during the duration of the marriage, debts and liabilities, which party will have custody of the children, etc.

How is custody determined?

The rights of both parents are treated equally.  A parent’s authority and responsibility for making decisions in regards to the best choices to benefit child’s health, education, and welfare is examined.  Taken into consideration are the wishes of the parent(s), wishes of the the child, their interaction with all household members, the mental and physical health of all parties involved, the parents’ ability to agree and communicate with one another, any history of domestic violence, the quality of offered education, geographical proximity, the ability of the parent to support them financially, etc.  The most common form of custody in New Jersey is joint legal custody in order to benefit the child and keep both parents as an influence in their life as much as possible.

How are alimony and child support determined?

Alimony is based on many factors such as the need / ability of the parties to pay it, the duration of the marriage, their age / physical & emotional health, standard of living established during the marriage, earning capacities (educational level, vocational skills, employability), parental responsibilities for the children, time and expense necessary to acquire education needed, income available through investment of asses, tax treatment and consequences of any alimony awarded, etc.  There are four specific types of alimony - permanent, rehabilitative, limited duration, and reimbursement; however the courts are not limited to these statutory categories and can combine / create new categories to suit the needs of the specific case.  Child support is determined on the needs of the child, the standard of living they are accustomed to, all income / assets on account of the parents, their earning ability (education, training, employment skills, experience, etc.), educational needs of the child, age & health of the child, reasonable debt and liability, and any other relevant topics addressed by the court.

How many fathers do not pay child support as ordered by the court?

*could not find an accurate representation of this statistic.

How does your state deal with nonpaying fathers?

A party or an attorney must file an application for court enforcement, and if found by the court to be due, it becomes a “fixed arrear.” The court then has the ability to suspend a person’s drivers license or professional (law, medical, etc.) license, as well as their passport.  This can also affect the payor’s credit score as well as resulting in a lien on their real estate rather than allowing them to refinance.  If all sanctions fail, they will be issued a bench warrant and they will be arrested, taken to the County Jail, and the court sets a purge amount in order for them to be released, and they must develop a reasonable payment plan for all arrears.

Overall, 98% of divorces are settled outside of court trials because of a) the cost of a lawyer, and b) since divorce rates are high, there are more cases than judges available.

(Source: njlawsite.com)

The Breast Cancer Fund is a community of people dedicated to doing whatever they can to prevent breast cancer in any way possible, through raising awareness via education, volunteering, and personal recollections from survivors.  The campaign is very necessary because at least 12% of women in the United States will eventually develop some form of breast cancer, and it is a very widespread disease responsible for about 40 thousand deaths among US women every year, so it is important to do whatever we can to lessen the statistics.

Five facts about breast cancer that I did not previously know:

• early puberty is a known risk factor for breast cancer
• there is no such thing as a safe dose of radiation; overexposure to x-rays and CT scans and even the body scanners at airports can lead to cancer
• the beauty industry is virtually unregulated in the U.S., and many toxic chemicals linked to cancer can be found in the most common of makeup
• this complexity of multiple genes working together may make some individuals more susceptible than others
• even some chemicals found in food / containers for food can increase the risk of cancer

What assumption about the size and shape of the users (height, weight, proportionate length of arms and legs, width of hips and shoulders, hand preference, mobility, etc.) are incorporated into the designs?

Most of the facilities are designed for the average sized person, of an average height and weight , with little consideration to people of various extremities.

How do these design assumptions affect the ability of you and people you know to use the facility satisfactorily?

I am not technically familiar with anyone that has had any difficulty using the facilities, but I could see how it would be kind of a difficult time for others who may suffer from a handicap or physical issue of some sort.

How would they affect you if you were significantly wider / narrower, shorter / taller, heavier / lighter, rounder / less angular, or more or less mobile / ambulatory?

It probably would not affect me unless I was much wider / heavier, most entrances and whatnot are easily accessible to anyone of average or less than average size.  I would also be affected if I was less mobile because even though handicap access is available, it is often still a hassle (i.e., the handicap ramps are on the side of the building rather than near the main entrance).

Identify any access or usage barriers to people with physical disabilities.  Are classrooms accessible to people who cant walk up or down stairs?

Yes they are accessible, there are elevators inside, handicap access doors / stalls in bathrooms, and ramps leading into every building.

Are emergency exit routes usable by people with limited mobility?

Not necessarily - There are ramps available for the handicapped but sometimes the elevators shut down if there is a fire which leaves no way for people in wheelchairs or those who can’t manage stairs to get out of the building.

Are amplification device or sign language interpreters available for people with hearing impairments?

The ATM in the Student Center has braille on it for the blind and also an amplification device / other options for the hearing or vision impaired.

Are telephones and fire alarms low enough to be reached by people who are seated in wheelchairs or are of below average height?

Yes, they are low enough.

Card Store - 90% of the cards are geared towards husband / wife heterosexual couples.  While there are a few cards that aren’t gender specific and are very generic, there are no cards specifically labelled “Wife to Wife” or “Husband to Husband” on the little tabs above each section.  So even though there are a few options available, the card companies seem to think it is more acceptable to make it generic rather than specifically invoke options for homosexual couples.

Magazine Advertisements - The magazine I chose was Vogue Italia, most of the ads focus on women because of course it is a clothing magazine, but the few ads that do contain some sort of relationship usually contain a man and a woman interacting in some sexual pose.  The only ads that even touch on homosexuality are women with other women, probably because of the stigma that lesbians are seen as “sexy” or “hot”, while men with men are often frowned upon as inappropriate in instances of social media.

Commercials - Never seen one in my life that even touched upon homosexuality, unless it was two girls acting somewhat sexual towards each other to gain male attention, and even that is extremely rare.

Mall / Park / Public Place - I really have never seen anyone who was not heterosexual in a public atmosphere being affectionate towards another, other than in high school.  There were a few gay couples but they were often social outcasts and people were condescending towards them.

Adjectives Typically Used to Describe Men & Women -

Women - passive, nurturing, kind, quiet, polite, domestic, insecure, needy, fickle, emotional, patient, supportive, housewife.

Men - active, strong, business-oriented, in control, powerful, smart, breadwinner, primary decision-maker, independent, hard worker.

The words used to describe women are often more passive and what would be considered stereotypically “feminine” characteristics that have to do with old fashioned rules of what being a lady means, or being a housewife / caretaker that depends on a man, while the men’s describing words are typically more about being strong, empowered, and dependent on themselves.

Names Used to Designate Men & Women -

Women - slut, chick, bitch, skank, whore, lady, woman, hoe, wifey, slag, cunt, tramp.

Men - stud, mancandy, manwhore, pimp.

The women’s names are usually more offensive and refer to generally scandalous sexual behaviour, while the men have almost no slang-type nicknames, and the few they do have are more flattering towards males and their sexual prowess rather than being offensive, and I believe that our language use encourages this, although times are starting to change, because I remember when it was acceptable to say “he” for everything, and nowadays we are moving more towards “he / she”, etc.  While the progress is there, the original use of the English language is more derogatory towards women than men.

Based on your various nontarget statuses, make a list of the ways you experience the following categories of privilege:

White - I appear white so often I receive benefits that go along with being Caucasian; however at the same time I have also gotten some comments about my last name, which is very obviously Hispanic, though I don’t believe I’ve ever been treated differently for it due to my unconventional (for a latino, at least) appearance.

Male - As always I have experienced sexism but only in its lowest forms - mildly sexist remarks about being in the kitchen and washing dishes because I’m a woman, occasionally men that think they are smarter who are usually proven wrong, etc.

Heterosexual - I am straight and my parents / other family members will always love me no matter what but I truly feel that if I came out as anything other than heterosexual they would be extremely upset about it, and even if it didn’t affect their feelings for me it still would change our dynamic.  Also, since I am in the category of heterosexual, I am unaffected by slurs such as “queer” (which is barely a slur anymore and actually has been embraced by the community in recent years), “faggot,” etc.  In addition, had it been before the don’t-ask-don’t-tell law was gotten rid of recently, I would have been able to join the army and speak of my sexuality freely without repercussions.

Middle or Upper Class - My family makes good money and because of this it is often assumed that just because we live in a decent area with a big house, we can afford anything, which leads to us all being well-dressed and having material items not everyone can have.  However in a way this works against us - we don’t usually have “extra” money to spare, and probably never will due to high taxes and such unless we moved to a less expensive area and had a lower mortgage, yet because of our superficial wealth we are forced to pay higher taxes to the government and when I needed to take out loans for college, we were refused most financial aid due to our income, even if we have nothing left to spare.

Young - I am often laughed at when I stress out about things or am overly concerned with my physical appearance due to fear of getting old.  It is often assumed that because I am young and in the “prime of life” I have no problems or that I am extremely healthy and have absolutely nothing to worry about until I get older, which is very inaccurate.  Many young people have just as many emotional, medical, and financial issues as the next person.

Able-bodied - The only benefit I can think of for this is that I am viewed as 100% healthy even though I may not be on the inside, and that I have access to jobs that handicapped people would not be capable of doing.

Attractive - I consider myself at least fairly decent looking; however this can work both for me and against me.  For example, it can also depend on who conducts the interview.  If it is a male interviewer / boss, they may hire you because of attractiveness, or they may see you as a distraction to other male workers. If female, the interviewer may hire you because they see you as a strong and attractive woman who can prove stereotypes wrong, or they may not hire you due to possible vanity or jealousy.

Credentialed - Many people who are not aware of my intelligence level always seem slightly shocked when I tell them I go to TCNJ, which is obviously a very good and well-known school.  After they find this out they often see me differently and appear to respect me more, even though not everyone actually can have the opportunity to go to a prestigious college regardless of intelligence level.