A New America

Having Professor Eric Cheyfitz as a guest speaker was a great decision because he talked about an issue that has been neglected by Americans. I was totally unaware that American has mistreatment such a large category of people. Ever since the first settlers from Europe immigrated to the Americas there has been conflict for land primarily started by the Americans.

I liked how Professor Cheyfitz discussed the lack of education of this subject in schools and through media. The roots of how America was founded and famous Americans are so widely recognized, but the history of the native Americans is ignored. Lots of people don’t realize that there are still Native Americans living in America on reservations. Many of these people live without electric and plumbing trying to resemble their past. With climate change and the damage Americas do to the environment, this has becoming an increasingly hard task. With the tough conditions many Native Americans are in poverty, and there is very little support from the government to help these people. The government would rather see the natives leave the reservations and blend into the American culture.

I agree that there should be more effort to teach people about the history of Native Americans and also Mexican history. The numbers of Latin Americans in US has increased exponentially over the past decade and will continue to rise so it is important to know about a major social group of this country.

Planning For College

Professor Schwarts was a great kick start to the lecture series because he mentioned lots of things a student should know. He ran the lecture similar to a freshman intro to college class but even though I’m a junior I thought it was very helpful advice that I can use throughout my college career. Some of the recommendations he gave was about going abroad, surviving the first few weeks, keep making new friends, the benefits of getting to know professors, and leadership experience.

Professor Schwarts explained how going abroad was a well worth experience for him because it showed a new style of living and culture which was significantly different than America. Being introduced to college is also a sharp transition so being able to get passed the struggles that most people have is very important. Once you find your place on campus and friends that you like school becomes a lot easier and enjoyable.

What helped me the most by gong to the lecture was hearing that teachers like writing recommendations for students. I have always been nervous asking for recommendations because I feel like it is a lot of work for the teacher. By asking questions in a class and going to office hours it is easy to get to know a teacher they will know you better if you do this.