I attended a Global Engagement Night about Indigenous People’s Day, fulfilling the campus category, on October 15th. The event began by asking us to reflect on how America views Columbus Day, with most of us saying our elementary schools celebrated it as the day America was discovered. The program first depicted the timeline of Columbus’ journey, but elaborated that his arrival did not signify the discovery of America, as millions already inhabited it. Italian Americans first urged for the celebration of Columbus Day, as Columbus was Italian, to regain honor in America in times of xenophobia. In the status quo however, Columbus Day creates lots of controversy as the arrival of Europeans to America brought violence, disease, and oppression into the already established communities of Native Americans. In turn, in the last decade, states have increasingly begun recognizing Columbus Day as Indigenous People’s Day to recognize the Native Americans who inhabited the land first, which ties into the struggles they faced, their contributions to America, and a testament to these efforts to not allow for the erasure of the Native American population. I believe that recognizing those who actually first cultivated land in America, developed trade systems, and created political systems here ought to be celebrated over a man who trampled on these creations; in turn, I feel that Indigenous People’s Day ought to be recognized as a national holiday. Moreover, I see no point in romanticizing/glamorizing Columbus Day in schools, and believe schools should teach students the real, not whitewashed, version of Columbus’ journey, and how it ties into the rich history of Native American culture. 

On October 1st, I attended an event put on by the Institute for Population Research that depicted the use of big demographic data to measure global vulnerability to climate change. This event filled the academic category for International Affairs. I attended this event because I am really invested in learning about climate change and spreading awareness of it. This event put climate change in a new perspective for me as it described how the effects of climate change, specifically global warming, affect people. The presenter first started by giving an overarching distinction that he does not believe precipitation heavily factors into the effects of heat on people. He claimed that the two don’t have to be separated because precipitation has no significant impact on education or physical health in people. This was interesting to me as many researchers disagree and account many of the presenter’s findings to precipitation and not temperature. The presenter explained that there exists a correlation between levels of heat and the level of education people pursue. Specifically, the hotter the country, the less likely individuals are to pursue higher levels of education. The Institute found this true specifically when studying in Eastern and Southern Africa, Central America, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, West and Central Africa, and South America. The researchers wondered if because heat impacts education, if it could affect the physical health of individuals as well. The researchers found a significant correlation between issues in pregnancy, including the health of the mother and the baby, and heat. Specifically, the hotter the climate, the more likely the pregnancy can be affected by issues. Overall, the presentation provided me with insights I had not considered when thinking about climate change and how it affects people on a day to day level.