“Wow Elaine, you’re allowed to sit at the big kid table with all the boys!?” was a part of the opening dialogue of Building Blocks: Colorful Mind which took place inside Colden Auditorium at Queens College. Written and acted out by several high school students from Brooklyn, Bronx and Manhattan public schools, the short play aimed to tackle the question of how STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) is taught and what impact it has on the diversity within the field. By interviewing around 36 people who work in various STEM related jobs, we are given insight not only into the mentality within the field but also the feelings of…
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CERRU informs QC students about the immigration experience
On Monday, October 30th, CERRU held their “Stating the Facts on Immigration & Immigration Writing Workshop,” which were two events put together in an effort to provide clarity on important issues relating to immigration that students might be in the dark about. While some of the issues were centered around what an executive order was, who they affected, and how they affected certain groups of people, there was also information on what DACA was, what it did when it was still in place, and what the subsequent termination of the program meant for millions of people. I never felt as if the information I was given was being shoved down…
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Gun Control Talk Should Happen Before the Damage is Done
Headlines on October 2nd featured a phrase that has become increasingly prevalent throughout the nation—“Largest mass shooting in US history.” In continuing with an alarming trend of shootings, dating back to the deadly Columbine massacre of 1999, a tragedy befell Las Vegas on the night of October 1st. At the Route 91 country music festival, Jason Aldean was performing when shots were suddenly heard piercing through the music. While festival goers thought the bullets were fireworks that accompanied the show, it soon became clear that was not the case. In an act of terrorism, Stephan Paddock took the lives of 58 people and injured 546 others in the process; his…
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President Matos and QC student speak out about DACA decision
President Felix Matos has never wavered in his support of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, the federal program usually referred to as DACA. In 2016 he signed a statement sponsored by Pomona College in California, along with more than 700 other college and university presidents, supporting the program. He also offered to meet with national leaders to discuss the fate of the program. Initiated under former President Barack Obama, DACA provides temporary relief for many undocumented immigrants who are under the age of 31 and were brought to this country illegally when they were minors. Instead of working off the books and being at the mercy of bosses who may…
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OP-ED: Global Warming’s Impact on Mental Health
In the last issue of The Knight News, readers were given a brief introduction of global warming. In this issue we will discuss the effects global warming has on mental health. The subject has been researched over three decades by scientists, because it is integral in understanding the consequences that extreme events, like natural disasters and fluctuating temperatures have on a person’s well being and mental state. Some of the mental health consequences which occur due to climate change include: depression, anxiety, post traumatic stress, and suicidal thoughts. When taking into consideration what natural disasters do to a person’s environment, such as their homes, jobs, and livelihood, the subsequent outcome…
