Forty-eight in 1,000 people in Springfield speak a language other than English at home compared to the national average of 196 in 1,000, according to the 2008 U.S. Census.

“The District maintains three site-based ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) programs at McGregor Elementary, Hickory Hills Middle School and Central High School” according to the Springfield Public Schools Intervention Handbook.

 Schools in the district with no ESOL program on-site are provided with two instructors who travel between all the schools to service non-English proficient students in need of aid, according to Springfield Public Schools Intervention Handbook.

“It is very important to focus on students whose first language is not English” said Robert Sailler, a teacher at Eudora Middle School in Kansas which has a similar ESOL program. “They are at risk of doing poorly in classes and dropping out due to difficulties and frustrations with the language if not properly addressed.”

“Communication with the parents is very difficult,” said April Hawkins who also teaches at Eudora Middle School. “Much of the time, the parents do not speak English well and will avoid contact with the school.”

“The District will continue to implement an outreach to parents of limited English proficient (LEP) children,” according to Springfield Public Schools 2010 Administrative Policies and Procedures. “If needed, an interpreter/translator will be provided by the District for any meeting.”

The right of students with limited English Proficiency to public education in this country is protected by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 

The Title “prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance,” according to the U.S. Department of Education.

“They are guaranteed the right to attend public schools” said Hawkins. “It is up to the school to make sure the students are getting the appropriate help, education, and encouragement they need while there.”

Danzero, 1871-1952, was an Italian-born photographer and businessman who immigrated to the U.S. in 1890 and settled in the Springfield area.

The exhibit features a selection of photos chosen by the department which highlight Danzero’s life including his work, family, friends, and travels said MSU archivist Anne Baker.

“I think it is very interesting to see what life was like back then for an average person” said Candace Cameron, 22, of Springfield, Mo. “It’s fascinating like looking into a little window of history.”

“People respond to the visual aspect of an exhibit” said MSU archivist Anne Baker. “This gives us a chance to highlight the collections and raise awareness of what we do in the department.”

*Danzero’s collection will be on exhibit in the MSU Special Collections and Archives department in MSU’s Meyer Library Room 306 until March 15, 2011. Please visit the department’s website for specific dates and times.

George Edward Smock, 67, of Columbia, Mo., tours campuses throughout the country every year to spread his religious beliefs on behalf of his organization, The Campus Ministry USA.

Though Missouri State University, as a public campus, must allow freedom of speech to all citizens, Smock is required to have paper work present when he is on campus, according to a note written by Smock on his facebook page.

“Forums, rallies, demonstrations, and other similar expressive activities conducted by individuals and groups that are not members of the University community must be registered with the Office of Safety and Transportation,” according to the MSU Safety and Transportation Expressive Activity Policy.

For Smock’s latest visit, his papers were done by a MSU instructor who also provided Smock with compensation for speaking on the campus.

“He presented me with my papers in an envelope which included a one-hundred dollar bill,” said Smock in a note on his facebook page.  

Smock quoted the MSU professor on his facebook as saying, “Our campus needs your regular witness because the campus ministry groups are nearly invisible.”

“Our purpose is to declare the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the college and university students of America and the world,” according to Brother Jed’s website. Missouri State University is among one of the university’s that Brother Jed has frequented to speak of his beliefs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brother_Jed

http://www.brojed.org/IE/index.php

Kansas City– The image of starving artists and musicians everywhere is being threatened by one UMKC student.

          Brian Hawkins, 23, of Kansas City, Mo., has been working as an illustrator and pianist since he was a teenager and has never had to struggle to find a job.

          “I have been blessed in that people always seek me out for my services” said Hawkins. “I don’t know when it started or who started it, but word of mouth has been my greatest ally.”

          Hawkins has made two albums of ragtime piano music and is currently illustrating a book by Tom Rafiner on the Civil War.

I do believe readers are more interested in news that occurs close in the proximity to where they live. Its seems only logical that what happens in your town interests you more than what happens three states away. People gravitate to news which affects them in some way like a new tax being implemented in their county which is what I believe is part of what Denton is saying.

However why then did I stop to read an article in today’s News Leader about the FDA going after the new electronic cigarettes for making false claims about their product. I am not a smoker, and it is not news which exactly affects me and my town directly. In fact, I bypassed many articles which did. I read it because it was compelling to me. I had seen a commercial for these ‘cigarettes’ a few months ago and had wondered about the claims made and the legitimacy of the product. To see it again in the newspaper peaked my interest. It is also a somewhat unusual product which also grabbed me. The unusual to me is ‘newsier’ and more compelling in many instances. For me, hard news is a necessity to be informed of, but not particularly appealing. Also that I had heard of these before made me connect to the story, wanting to see what is new and happening with the product.

Another reader of the paper this morning may have skipped over the story completely choosing instead to read about the damages resulting from all the rain last week because they are interested the weather and the results of the storm last week. Others may have jumped over to the sports section to see what is going on with their favorite team. Newsiness is subjective and had to clearly define for others. Being compelling and unusual, made the news of the electronic cigarettes close to me and ‘newsier’ than other stories without having to be in my proximity or even affecting me. The best the news can do is to take into account these different kinds of readers. Be aware of them, and cater to these different ideas of newsiness as best they can which is what I believe most papers do already with diversity of information presented each week.

I do believe that racial tension and stereotypes are slowly breaking down with the passing of each generation. For instance, I once attended a sort of conference or meeting on racial problems in America. I was the youngest person in attendance; the rest of the group contained middle-aged people 30-60. The presenter said if you saw a black man driving in  Kansas City in a very nice car, what would you think he did for a living? Write it down. I wrote down a list including lawyer, doctor, and business owner. I thought what is the point to this. Well when the man asked us to share our ideas, the group quickly said drug dealer or some kind of criminal. I was totally and completely shocked. Not once did I ever think anything like that.  The man however was not surprised at all. He said it is a popular misconception that African-American people do not make good money in honest ways. He was surprised however that I had not once thought of anything of the sort. When I told my friends, they couldn’t believe the others conclusions either. I believe this to be a good example of how younger people of my generation especially are breaking down the misconceptions and stereotypes. I believe for the most part people of my generation are growing up color blind and blind to other differences as well such as religious differences and in the years ahead this trend will hopefully continue to the point that race is no longer an issue of any kind.

Still why is my generation more color blind then older ones? I believe it may have something to do with media portrayals. Perhaps the media has had a rough time trying to figure out how to deal with racial differences ethically, but I feel products of the media have influenced us. Our generation grew up watching shows like the Cosby Show and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. They may have just been silly, 30 minute sitcoms, but they taught us from a young age that of course, African-American people are people just the same as us. Even if we grew up in towns with low African-American populations, we grew accustomed to seeing them and their lives every week on TV and not think anything of it. We also were exposed to problems faced by African-American communities that we have never been exposed to or will have to deal with. For instance, in an episode of the Fresh Prince, a character is pulled over just for being black. We see how that affects the character and the family, and how wrong the action was. Even in other shows such as everyone’s favorite Saved by the Bell, one of the main characters is an African-American girl who Screech (a white character) is in love with and always trying to date. It is never brought up that they are of different races. Screech loves her for who she is, and the girl, Lisa, avoids him because of his dorky personality not his skin tone. Also, for my generation is the very popular chick flick, Save the Last Dance, which chronicles the love of an interracial teen couple.

I believe so far the media’s ability to portray minorities on-screen has resulted in a positive change in today’s youth which is no longer focused on racial differences. Coming from a generation of this kind makes it difficult for me to decide whether to agree with Kittross or Gordan. To me, racial differences are not an issue, but I understand the portrayal of minorities is still a sensitive issue. It seems to me as if the media should just portray life as it is for whomever their story is about and not worry about if it is offensive or misrepresentative because if it is accurately portraying where that particular person is coming from isn’t that all that should matter?