IA Reflection 3

Madison Lasso

IA Reflection 3

4/22/20

 

International Perspectives on the Coronavirus Pandemic

I watched the Zoom session on the international perspectives on the coronavirus pandemic held on Wednesday, April 22nd. It was really interesting to see how people around the world are responding to the pandemic, first-hand. Niklas, the student from Germany said his university is most digital but they’re already thinking about re-opening the universities slowly. I thought this was surprising since there are some universities in the U.S. who are still unsure whether students will be returning to campus in the fall. While I think it’s still too early to tell whether or not we will be able to return to campus in the fall, I was surprised to hear that there are universities worldwide who are trying to regain that sense of normalcy. Of course, the parts of the world that are hit harder than others will need more time to re-open in order to protect their citizens. 

For Ivy, the Chinese student, she discussed the difficulty in going digital for schools for high schools, college-aged kids, and herself as a graduate student. There are definitely majors that fit online learning better than others, which Ivy mentioned since she can read and write papers easily from home. It’s been interesting to see how my sister’s middle school and my other sister’s university has handled the situation and digital learning. I know my sister Meghan, the middle schooler, despises e-learning even though she barely has any work and completes it in an hour. My sister Morgan, a freshman at Kent State University, still has a live lab but, like me, mostly just has papers and projects that can be worked on from home to finish out the semester. 

This pandemic has greatly affected the way we interact with other people and my parents even fear it will permanently alter large gatherings and human interaction in general. I have hope that a vaccine will be developed and that the world will go back to normal within a year. There are rumors of European countries, like Italy, shutting their borders for an entire year. I hope that we are able to come out of this strong and preserve the globalized world that we live in, rather than becoming isolated in our home countries. 

 

IA Reflection, Service

Madison Lasso

IA Reflection 2

Service

4/20/20

 

Peace Corps for Business Students Webinar

I participated in the Peace Corps for Business Students Webinar on Monday April 20th through Zoom. This talk was really interesting because it outlined what the Peace Corps program is, the different divisions of engagement, and the goals of the program. We got to hear from a former Peace Corps volunteer, Nick, who volunteered in Madagascar 2012-2015. Nick described the goals of his trip and the community in which he worked. His main focus was working on community and economic environment to better the lives of the individuals who live there. He said it was really cool to get to know the members of the community who he worked with and said they were interested to learn about him as well. 

Nick said it was a really unique cultural experience, one that can’t be gained through living in the U.S. I am a firm believer that it’s impossible to really learn about a culture and a people just by learning about them in a classroom without ever really experiencing their culture first hand. I plan to study abroad and possibly even look more into the Peace Corps as a way to gain experience and knowledge about other cultures. The Peace Corps is a really unique way to be immersed in a foreign community and really get to know the people and culture of the region in which you volunteer.

 

IA Reflection, Academic

Madison Lasso

IA Reflection 1

Academic

2/26/20

 

Gender in Comics

I attended the Drawing Gender: Women and French-language Comics session with keynote speaker Julie Delporte on Friday, February 28th. I found this session to be extremely interesting, I don’t normally read comics but seeing Delporte’s work made me feel like I should. Since I don’t read comics I hadn’t thought of gender being a problem in comics, but just as gender is a pressing issue in film, literature, or everyday life, it does not surprise me that these problems exist in comics as well or that there are strong women like Delporte who are writing important pieces and taking action on behalf of women to create a more equal and productive working environment. 

The piece which Delporte spoke of was her most recent book, This Woman’s Work which draws on her female role models, like Tove Janssen, whom she identifies with and aspires to be like. This book was extremely personal, it discusses her childhood and inner thoughts about feminism in her life and her role as a woman in society. Delporte noted that in the publishing industry, there are no female publishers in France and few in the United States and Canada. Thus, women are always looking up to men as their mentors and guides career-wise. To solve this problem, Delporte and her colleagues organized their own mentoring event, inviting newer authors as well as more established authors to share and learn from each other. Delporte discussed the symbolism of the knife on the French cover of her novel and how the knife represents the power all women have but don’t always rise up and use against the patriarchy.

Delporte’s discussion of the symbolism of the knife was extremely inspiring because she told us about a fellow author who was raped and had a knife in her pocket, but she mentally couldn’t get herself to use it on her attacker. Women aren’t trained to be so bold and act for themselves, thus we lose that sense of inner power. Delporte describes her way of inventing “new knives” by finding new ways to use her feminine power. For example, creating a society of female mentors for comic book publishing. Delporte’s ideas of finding or creating “new knives” were inspiring to myself, being a female, because it is important for women to be seen as equals with men, equally intelligent, strong, and capable of creating their own path and being successful. There are certain careers or people in life who will be prejudiced against women and their abilities but we can’t let them win, we must use the knife and stand up for our happiness and our aspirations. 

 

AU 19: Reflection #3

Madison Lasso

IA Scholars

Reflection #3

12/4/19

 

African Night

 

I attended African Night on Saturday, November 23rd at the Ohio Union. The theme of this year’s event was “New Beginning” and every act centered around this theme. I had no idea the African presence was so big on campus, but this event proved how important and prevalent they are here at OSU. The ballroom was packed, there weren’t enough seats for everyone and people were standing in the back, trying to get a good glimpse at the stage. 

The event started with a walk of countries: several students from a number of different African countries walked in with their country’s flag. Each group wore clothes specific to their region and played a different song to represent the culture of their country. Everyone stood up on their chairs to catch a glimpse as each group walked past. Applause and cheers drowned out all other sounds in the ballroom. 

After each group made it on stage, the host introduced himself and the goal of the evening. Each act was different: musical groups, poetry, dance, fashion, and more. First up, a choir. Their songs were fun and engaging with the audience, we were asked to participate in singing the chorus towards the end of the song. 

Next up, a poetry reading which challenged the portrayal of black men in American society which was followed by a vibrant dance performance. Another poetry reading and dance performance followed. Each act added to the idea of new beginnings and intensity of emotion in which the performance was delivered. 

I attended the event with other students in my French class, upon our professor’s request; our professor is Cameroonian and was so excited for us to experience African Night for the first time. Several African countries are French-speaking, as a result of French colonization, but nonetheless the French language is still spoken. 

This semester, our French class was required to conduct a semester-long research project on a topic of our choosing. My group chose to focus on French-African cinema to examine how cinema in francophone countries has evolved over time. Colonization greatly impacted the film industry and prevented its success in the early years. African countries had to make deals with English companies to start producing films. Today, French-African cinema focuses around themes such as history, oral tradition, myth, religion, sexual orientation, modernity, and post-colonialism.

Diversity at the university level as well as the larger national level is important in society. We are known as the melting-pot because immigration has been a big part of our success and development as a nation. By recognizing and celebrating our diversity, we become a stronger and more unified country. 

 

AU 19 Reflection 2, Non-IA

Madison Lasso

IA Scholars

Reflection #2

Non-IA

Global Engagement Night

I attended Global Engagement Night on Tuesday, October 15th at Enarson. The topic for this Global Engagement Night was Indigenous People since October 14th is Indingeous Peoples’ Day. We discussed both Columbus Day and Indigineous Peoples’ Day and the implications of American colonization which affect currently affect our country.

On Columbus Day, President Trump tweeted “Christopher Columbus’s spirit of determination and adventure has provided inspiration to generations of Americans. On #ColumbusDay, we honor his remarkable accomplishments as a navigator, and celebrate his voyage into the unknown expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.” This tweet was then edited and reposted by people on multiple social media platforms to read “Christopher Columbus’s spirit of genocide, racism, and misogyny has provided inspiration to generations of white supremacists. On #IndigenousPeopleDay, we condemn his unspeakable terrorism and cruelty as a fascist and mourn his voyage into the then well-documented expanse of the Atlantic Ocean.”

Obviously, the second version was much more negative than Trump’s original tweet. Today, we value diversity and inclusion much more than forefathers. Today, studying history can be tricky: the men and women we have celebrated and revered for centuries did not uphold the values of diversity and inclusion which we celebrate and encourage today. This invokes the question of whether their accomplishments should be tarnished by their unsavory practices outside their achievements.

It feels unfair to override the achievements of everyone who came before us due to the injustices they practiced, yet their actions towards those they oppressed were also unfair. In order to gain a clear and unbiased picture of what happened, we must look at history through different lenses and through different perspectives. Under one lense, the success and achievements of Columbus exemplify why he is remembered: for sharing with the Old World news of a new continent. However, through a different lense, Columbus is seen bringing suffering, pain, and death to many Native Americans who occupied America before the Europeans discovered its existence.

Many indigineous tribes survived through the centuries of displacement and fighting caused by European and, later, American settlers moving westward. These groups continue to persevere but still face discrimination and strife. In September of 2018, members of Nevada’s Native American population planned to run 300 miles to protest pumping groundwater from outlying regions to serve Las Vegas. The movement was named the Sacred Water Run and its supporters said they didn’t want to see urban water rights prioritized over the rights of rural communities; water should be free for all. 

In Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Americanah, Adichie tackles social and racial problems within the U.S. through the eyes of Nigerian immigrant Ifemelu. During her time in America, Ifemelu writes a blog, “Raceteenth or Various Observations About American Blacks (Those Formerly Known as Negroes) by a Non-American Black” and discusses racial injustice in America. One thing Ifemelu notes is how Americans like to talk about “how far we’ve come” as if we should be rewarded because racism is becoming less extreme, but racism never should’ve persisted in the first place. We shouldn’t be rewarding ourselves because racism and discrimination in America have “improved” because the fact that they still persist proves that we haven’t evolved as much as we wish to believe. 

We are scared of what is different. Discussing racial and ethnic differences as well as educating ourselves about different cultures will help us be more comfortable coexisting with people from different backgrounds and will ultimately lead to the creation of a more perfect union. 

 

AU 19: Reflection #1, Service

Madison Lasso

IA Reflection #1

Service

9/15/19

 

Van Buren Shelter

Yesterday, September 14th, I volunteered at the Van Buren Shelter during dinner time. We arrived at the shelter a little before 4p.m. and were there until 8 p.m. The head chef was not expecting so many volunteers, normally they don’t get so many people helping out and often volunteers only stay for the first shift when more work is required on the second shift. 

Paul, the head chef, says he loves his job and looks forward to coming to work everyday. Paul assigned each of us jobs: dishwashing, cutting cantaloupe, cooking vegetables, etc.  There are two main eating areas: one for women, and another for families (men, women, and children alike). 

The women are the first to eat, after we served them and cleaned the kitchen, we headed over to the smaller kitchen to serve the families. Paul said there was an unusually large group of people eating yesterday and was so thankful to have us there to help out.

After shutting down the second dinner and cleaning the eating area, Paul gave us a quick tour of the living quarters. Van Buren shelter currently houses about 1,200 people, Paul said. The occupants have beds and showers, must like a college dormitory. 

Volunteering in shelters like Van Buren is such a reality check, one that can often make us feel uncomfortable; uncomfortable because we may feel guilty or ungrateful, since we often take for granted the important things or comforts in our life, comforts not everyone possesses. 

The number of homeless people in Ohio is increasing; according to a study done by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, there are 10,249 homeless Ohioans, a 1.5 percent increase from last year. 

Even more alarming, a study done by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) found that minors are one of the fastest growing populations of homeless Ohioans.  In 2017, a study done by OHFA showed that minors make up almost 30 percent of people receiving homeless services, a 53 percent increase since 2012. 

Shelters like Van Buren are becoming increasingly important due to the increase in the number of homeless people in Ohio, and across the country in general. With the rising number of youths on the street, it’s important that minors have a safe place to stay where they can get the help they need.

We often forget how incredible our lives are and all the amazing opportunities we have, giving back to the community and to those who are less fortunate is a helpful way to put things into perspective and keep ourselves in check. Any amount of help is welcomed, whether it be donating food to a local shelter, donating your unwanted clothes to Goodwill, or volunteering in a shelter. 

It’s so easy to get wrapped up in what we don’t have or what we want, but what’s truly important is everything we do have and remembering to be grateful.

 

SP 19 Reflection #3

Madison Lasso
International Affairs Scholars
Reflection #3
4/15/19

Non-IA Event

Over the weekend of April 5th, I helped staffed OSUMUN, a Model U.N. Conference for local high schools hosted at OSU by CCWA (Collegiate Council on World Affairs). I served on the Crisis Committee for Kublai Khan’s Court and had a lot of fun reading the student’s crisis notes and acting out their wishes.
I never participated in Model U.N. in high school myself, but I was involved in similar activities. Model U.N. is beneficial for students because it forces them to think from the perspective of a leader, politician, or other historic figure to solve a crisis. Likewise, it encourages teamwork throughout the members of each committee to work together to pass directives and have their own take on either a historical or current event.

The United Nations itself is such an incredible organization because it encourages the countries of our world to work together to promote peace and improve the standards of living in underdeveloped parts of the world. Although the U.N. has become polarized at times, especially with the United States’s decision to leave the UN Human Rights Council. Nikki Haley accredited the leave to the fact that “Human rights abusers continue to serve on, and be elected to, the council,” (Koran, 2018). While I agree that it is not fair or just for these human rights violators to serve on the council and escape persecution, I do not believe abandoning the council is the right path either; change can be sparked both from within and outside the council.

International institutions such as the United Nations are imperative in this day and age due to the globalization of the world. With advancements in technology, we can trade information across oceans and continents within seconds, sharing stories that unite us all. For instance, this afternoon Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris was engulfed in flames, causing the world to grieve for the precious history that we have lost. Kate Wiles, a scholar at Kings’ College London, “It’s not just the medieval features. It’s not just the ‘original’ masterpiece we’re losing, but the culmination of some 900 years of history, which can’t just be rebuilt” (Mcauley and Witte, 2019). People all over the world, leaders and citizens alike, tweeted their devastation and prayers for the Church and Parisiens this afternoon. Tragedies such as this bring together nations and people under one common event, making it imperative that we have those ties to rely on when we are in need.

International institutions not only bring us together during tragedies, but also teach us more about other cultures. Each culture is so unique and special and it is important that we recognize and respect all cutlures. There is so much to be learned from studying other cultures as well as interacting with international subjects. I believe it’s both valuable and necessary that students study at least one language and culture before graduating to ensure their ability to work with people from different backgrounds and attempt to understand another way of life. Nearly every job now requires contact with international companies and governments and it’s essential that we are prepared for these challenges and ready to accept the culturally diverse world we live in today.

Works Cited
Koran, Laura. “US Leaving UN Human Rights Council — ‘a Cesspool of Political Bias’.” CNN, Cable News Network, 20 June 2018, www.cnn.com/2018/06/19/politics/haley-pompeo-human-rights-bias/index.html.
McAuley, James, and Griff Witte. “Notre Dame Fire: Macron Promises to Rebuild, but Paris Monument Suffers ‘Colossal Damage’.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 15 Apr. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/pariss-notre-cathedral-is-on-fire/2019/04/15/c487906e-5fa1-11e9-bf24-db4b9fb62aa2_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.800fd875d836.

Reflection #2: Service

Madison Lasso
International Affairs Scholars
Reflection #2
Service

Reflection #2

I volunteered at the Middle East Studies Center’s Water Forum on February 8th, at the 18th Ave Library. Other IA scholars and I helped set up the food and refreshments for the participants and also got to listen in on the discussions. Dr. Vanesa Rodríguez Osuna, Senior Scientist at CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, presented her vision for water security in the future. Osuna argues that it’s necessary to go beyond the gray-green dichotomy of water management if we want to solve the world’s water crisis.Solving the global water crisis will take all of the disciplines, and the local perspectives of water resource management practitioners.

The gray-green dichotomy Osuna discusses is the idea that green infrastructure is better for the planet than gray infrastructure. Forests prevent silt and pollutants from entering freshwater streams that travel downstream towards businesses and also act as natural water filtration plants. Therefore, forests are a type of “green infrastructure” that arguably serve the same function as the human-engineered solutions made of concrete, known as “gray infrastructure”.

Green infrastructure is completely sustainable and possible to achieve. Several countries around the world have already begun to implement green infrastructure: instead of building dikes to protect shores from storm damage, Ho Chi Minh City planted mangroves; instead of using deep well injection to treat wastewater, a chemical facility in Texas built a wetland; and Bogotá, Columbia is pursuing upstream landscape conservation and restoration as an alternative to more conventional water treatment technologies.

Although gray infrastructure may seem necessary for progress and received positively as new technology, nature already possesses reliable functions for taking care of itself and cleansing pollutants. Most importantly for big corporations who’s main interest is in profit, green infrastructure can be cheaper than gray infrastructure because it’s natural. For example, New York City considered both green and gray infrastructure when deciding how to manage storm water flows. The tunnels and storm drains of the gray infrastructure plan were more expensive and New York City saved over $1.5 billion by choosing green roofs, bio-swales, and other landscape designs to remove silt and pollution from runoff water.

Water scarcity is already a serious issue in our world, and could potentially cause international conflict on a grand scale in the future. Already in the United States, California has begun to drill deeper into their aquifers, overusing freshwater and not allowing the Earth to replenish its stores at a natural rate. Soon, we will dry up all of our aquifers and will either devise a way to transport large amounts of water cross-country, or lose valuable farming lands.

Other parts of the world have already experienced this issue. For example, the Aral Sea, located between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, has been shrinking significantly since the 1960s due to the Soviet Union’s major water diversion project, aimed at transforming deserts into farmlands. This redirection of water led to the draining of the Aral Sea and the collapse of the fisheries and communities that once depended on this water source. The salt concentration in the sea increased, becoming polluted with pesticides and fertilizer; this salty dust got carried with the wind and became a public health hazard. Additionally, the salty dust eroded the nearby fields, resulting in a greater need for mass amounts of water on farms.

The sad story of the Aral Sea should serve to ward us against practices that may damage or deplete our water sources. Implementing green infrastructure rather than gray infrastructure can promote safer water practices and ensure water security for the future.

Supplemental Reflection (February)

Madison Lasso
IA Supplemental Reflection
Non-IA
2/7/19

Korean Culture Show

I attended the Koran Culture Show in the performance hall of the Union on Saturday, February 2nd. Going into the event, I had no idea what to expect. I had assumed there would be tables or booths with information on different aspects of Korean culture ; instead, it was a variety show put on by multiple student-run organizations who all value Korean culture. In between every other act, clips from a student-produced mini series was played. The mini series was a parody of Korean television shows, commonly referred to as K-dramas. The mini series was really well-filmed and entertaining, as was the rest of the show.

The acts were a mix of traditional Korean culture and modern culture. The first act was a traditional fan dance performed by a group of OSU girls. The second act, Samulnori, was a group of adults who perform traditional Korean music, mostly drums. Another traditional act, Taekwondo, was really interesting and intense. Each member of the taekwondo group had a solo performance in which he or she broke wooden boards with strong kicks and hits or defended themselves against other members of the group. It was stimulating to see students fulfilling a tribute to traditions which exemplify Korean culture and its values.

Mixed in with all these traditional numbers, there were also several musical groups who performed KPOP music as well as dance groups which showcased hip hop. Daebak, the first vocal performance group, advocates the education and appreciation of Asian cultures through music. Their goal is to encourage diversity and bring various cultures together. The second group, a duet, performed a cover of Narsha’s “I’m in Love” and it was truly beautiful. The next group wore masks and rapped, it was mysterious and a cool touch. It kind of reminded me of the new hit tevelision show The Masked Singer: a disguised celebrity sings and gives clues about themselves and at the end of the program, the audience guesses which celebrity is behind the mask.

The dance groups were just as entertaining as the singers and just as energetic and engaging as the Taekwondo club. HAY, Hungry Asian Youngtaz, performed a fantastic breakdance segment, then the grils of their group performed a short and impressive hip hop routine. Another all-girl group, QOA (Queen of Aces), performed later in the night. They too perform KPOP and Hip Hop routines to at different events throughout the year. It was really refreshing and impressive to see so many passionate groups perform in the show.

Traditions and values are important to hold on to. The taekwondo group that performed in the show is the oldest martial arts club at OSU, founded in 1973. Taekwondo is rooted in 2,000 of Korean history which is incredible enough, but what’s even more incredible is how popular and widespread the practice is today. This event showcased the beauty of Korean culture in the past, as well as the present. Globalization has gifted us with the ability to study other cultures and experience their traditions on a grand scale. I’m excited to go to similar events in the future to continue to expand my knowledge of our world.

IA Reflection #1 Academic

Madison Lasso
IA Reflection #1
Academic

German Night

I attended the event held at the German House on January 31st. Kate, the student giving the presentation, was very passionate about Germany and gave us a history lesson as well as description of modern Germany. She included pictures from her own visits to Germany which were very cool. I’m actually German and have always wanted to travel there and Kate definitely inspired me to go.

The unification of Germany was a long and hard-won process, successfully led by Otto von Bismarck, one of my favorite leaders in history. Bismarck pioneered the idea of Realpolitik, a system or politics focused on practicality instead on morality, which Bismarck to unite Germany. A united Germany posed a threat to other European nations, causing Germany to be split repeatedly: once after World War I and again after World War II. The implications of these wars will forever haunt the German people, but haven’t prevented them from remaining a strong, unified country.

Nationalism and militarism were huge factors contributing to World War II. Due to the extreme nationalism under the Nazis, Germans today are suspicious of any activities which idolize their nation. Kate mentioned that her friend from Germany visited during Memorial Day weekend and was shocked to see a parade full of children and adults carrying the American flag proudly. Although the Germans love their country, you won’t see many German flags hung in homes, restaurants, or stores like there are in America. Unfortunately, the lasting effects of the Nazis prevent the German people from celebrating their nation in the same way we celebrate ours.

Afterwards, I began to reflect on how weird it is that kids are taught to recite the pledge of allegiance before the American flag each morning. I remember being in elementary school and feeling a sense of pride and duty as I chanted those words, “I pledge allegiance to the flag. . .” By the time I reach high school, I still felt the same sense of duty and pride, but responding to my snapchats seemed more important than standing and facing the flag. It’s interesting to think that other countries don’t require school children to pledge daily to their nation, but almost weirder to ponder why we do so in America.

Being American comes with a set of privileges and sentiments associated with freedom and government participation. Americans will forever carry the pride of being the first truly democratic nation in the world, and we thank our founding fathers every day for their sacrifice and genius. There have been dark parts of our history in which certain groups of people have been oppressed, times when the government didn’t truly represent the people, but the unofficial fourth branch of government, the media, allows us to see the ups and downs of our government.

Benjamin Franklin not only helped found our nation, but advocated for the newspapers to portray all sides of a story. The people have a right to know all their information before making a decision to prevent a swaying of opinion. Of course this is not to say that the media doesn’t try and persuade readers to think a certain way, but we are advised to check for bias and evaluate the story accordingly.

I am proud to call myself American and intend to use this privilege to improve the lives of others who are less fortunate. Studying international relations allows us to reconsider our own policies and practices while exploring those of other nations. Only by working together can we create a more perfect world.