The opposite of Missing White Woman Syndrome

Amy reported earlier this week that English Language Schools student Trang Nguyen has been missing for nearly a week.

As Amy stated, the schoolwide email from Jessica McKinnon (a name I've never heard in my Dominican career--anyone know who she is?) had the subject line of "Update."

Update? Yeah, no.

That was the first most had heard of the situation. Sure, "foul play wasn't suspected," but come on. For someone who lives on campus, this incident could pose a security threat to other students in the area. I don't think it matters that she's "not an official Dominican student;" someone who attends classes on our campus is a part of the student body.

If we had been notified of this promptly, in those first crucial 48 hours after a person goes missing, perhaps she would have been found by now. Beyond that, the chances of recovering the person steeply fall, but of course there are exceptions.

Call me Devil's Advocate if you will, but I can't help but wonder if this is another case of the opposite of what has been dubbed "Missing White Woman Syndrome." MWWS refers to the disproportionate media attention given to white women who go missing in contrast to people of color. Jon Benet Ramsey? Chandra Levy? Natalee Holloway, anyone?


freshcrime.com


What about prisoners of war? Most people recognize the name of Jessica Lynch, but what about Shoshana Johnson or Lori Piestewa? The black and Native American (respectively) single mothers received basically no coverage (even though they were ambushed in the same attack!), and even Lynch herself criticized the disproportionate positive discrimination in regard to her media coverage.


wikimedia.org



Getty Images


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What if the Trang Nguyen was a 20-something blonde who lived in the Priory?

I'm just throwing that idea out there, but ultimately I believe the university should be more responsible in reporting such serious incidences.

ELS Photo Essay

Dominican's English Language School Students: in Pictures








1 This sign is on the door to the main ELS office, but all around the English Language School, there are signs that say, "SPEAK ONLY ENGLISH!" When students are socializing in their native languages, they will consistently be reminded by both instructors and their peers to constantly practice English, rather than remain in their comfort zone.


2 Lee Fair, Head Training Supervisor of the English Language School department at Dominican University, chats with a colleague in the ELS office on a Tuesday afternoon. Dominican has the largest "and the best [ELS training] in the world," Fair says. "I have a busy schedule and a family to take care of here, but I feel like I've traveled the world by bringing these international students to me."


3 The English Language School gives every international student a calendar of important dates to remember, campus and city happenings, and information about academic affairs. It's helpful, including study session reminders, or extra tutoring workshops for final examinations. Slightly humorous: reminding grown adults to write letters home...and misspelling "forget" as "forest."


4 Four Asian international students study in an English Language School classroom at the Priory campus on a Tuesday afternoon, sounding out words and repeating after the instructor. "We're not simply teaching English," says Lee Fair, Training Supervisor of the ELS program. "We're teaching them communication, the nuances and semantics of language."


5 Halina Lagowska, a Dominican undergraduate student, shows photos of her family to Jia Liu, an ELS student, outside the Priory entrance. Polish-born Lagowska has been in the U.S. and speaking English for only four years, so she has a special empathy for Liu, who is from China and has recently begun learning English.


6 Career women: Fernanda Quintana and Julieta Sanchez ride a Chicago Transit Authority bus down Harlem Avenue from the Priory Campus. Quintana, 36, works in the Ecuadorian marketing industry and in order to advance her career, decided learning English would be the next step. Similarly, Sanchez, 38, is a human rights social worker for disadvantaged Colombians, and came to Dominican to learn English in order to enhance her international communication skills.


7 When it comes to fashion and style of dress, the people of South America dress quite similarly to North Americans. There are a handful of U.S. brand name stores in South America, but overall the style of dress and fashion is the same. Here, Maria Orozco and Fernanda Quintana stand in line with the reporter at Starbucks, waiting for their orders.


8 Maria Orozco, 20, and Carlos Velez, 31, discuss their reasons for learning English at a Starbucks cafe in downtown Oak Park. Orozco, a high school graduate, is studying English so she can be fluent before enrolling at La Gran Colombia University in Bogota, Colombia. Velez, who also works in marketing in Bogota, was passed up for an executive position with Red Bull International because he failed the English part of his interview.


9 The South American students say they keep up with American news, but in general do not like the way the U.S. reports. When discussing media coverage, they all mentioned the Elian Gonzalez case of 2000 as being terribly mishandled. Said Julieta Sanchez, "Your news here is very bias[ed]. Even with the election news, everyone has their opinion and side and it is not balanced."


10 Julieta Sanchez, Carlos Velez, Maria Fernanda Quintana, and Maria Alejanda Orozco--all ELS students from South America--hang out at the Harlem and Lake shopping center in Oak Park and discuss their cultural similarities in food tastes. Drinking aguardiente (a South American word for a hard liquor beverage) and eating chicarrones (fried pork skins) are their people's popular pasttimes. The students have been in America for less than three months, but already have a broad grasp of the English language and can communicate effectively with native English speakers.

New Black Student Union Government

This afternoon's Black Student Union meeting focused on electing our new officials for the year. The numerous students running for office shared their platforms and vision for BSU, and we voted at the end.

Congratulations to our new officials:

Jeremy Porter - President
Portia Anderson - Vice President
TaSheena Dorris - Secretary
Jasmine Johnson - Treasurer

Black Student Union

Again, the Black Student Union is meeting today, at Mulroy Lounge at 5 p.m. Come share your ideas!

Interesting photo from 23/6 News

From the article, Ahem, Senator McCain... Barack Obama is "The One," not "That one." Linked to from the Huffington Post.

Great example of "reaching across party [or color] lines," Mav!

Ghana: Gateway to Africa

Next week, the students who participated in Dominican's second study abroad program to Ghana, Africa will be giving presentations about their experiences. It will be held in Lewis 310, October 14 at 2:15 p.m.

I was one of the students who went on the first Ghanaian study abroad two summers ago, and giving this same presentation last year was a wonderful outlet to share about the unknown treasures and beauty that the continent has to offer.

If you've ever been curious about Africa, I highly recommend attending your fellow students' presentation.



These are some photos from my trip overseas:


The Dominican students pose for a photo op after having lunch with Ghana's Parliament.


Ghanaian schoolgirls


A tour guide teaches us students about African textiles at the University of Ghana



The students and teachers, dressed in traditional wraps, take photos with a high Priest and high Priestess in the Klikor region of Ghana



Me with some Ghanaian children who live in the compound lead by the above Priest and Priestess



Young boys demonstrate their silk weaving techniques on crude looms.


Taking a nature walk of several miles to see the Wli Waterfall


Me with cutie Ghanaian babies we encountered on the trail


Our group in the mesmerizing Wli Waterfall


At Tamale, in the northern region of Ghana which is primarily Muslim, we met the ladies of the Women's Shea Butter Extract Plant.


Ever wonder where your shea butter from The Body Shop comes from? Right here.


We attended a drum/dance session in Larabanga, dancing and celebrating with the locals



Darleisha, on the right, is a Chicago Public Schools teacher. Here she poses with David, headmaster of the Larabanga School, in front of his classroom



Professor Nkuzi Nnam, down to his last few dollars, is still tempted to buy more things from the street vendors banging on our tour bus windows



Tour guide shows us the dungeons where enslaved Africans were held at the Cape Coast Castle



Mariya Kozlova and I drink fresh coconut, purchased on the side of the road through our tour bus window


The beautiful Cape Coast beach

textually active: how do you get YOUR news?

I'm in my broadcasting night class, and unfortunately we'll be watching Veronica Mars tonight instead of the presidential debate, so I'll have to cnn.com it up when I get home from class. But thankfully, I have Twitter to keep me posted!

Do you Twitter?



Twitter's official website describes it as a "social networking and microblogging service utilising instant messaging, SMS or a web interface."

Basically, it's like Facebook's "status updates." Via Twitter, anyone can say whatever they want in 140 characters or less, and potentially reach thousands of people in seconds. You can opt to receive your friends' updates via text message, and can update your Twitter using your cell phone as well. For those who follow thousands (or don't have unlimited text messaging), they can read their friends' updates on a streaming page on the web.

So why am I talking about Twitter?

It's become a huge platform for everyone--regular people like you and me, businesses and marketing professionals, bloggers, whoever--but the presidential candidates have been using Twitter to reach their audiences as well. Twitter's ELECTION 2008 page (Check it out! Very interesting) has a constant stream of people from around the world sharing news or stories, or giving their commentary on the goings-on this election season. In addition, Barack Obama and John McCain each have their own Twitter accounts (I only follow BarackObama), and send their followers updates on their wherabouts or breaking news, or whatever's going on.

And yes, even GOD Twitters (so does Satan!).



My Twitter stream this evening:

BarackObama: At Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. Watch the debate tonight at 9pm ET. Reply with your thoughts after.

Charlotte: @BarackObama damn dude i'm in class but counting on twitter bugs to keep me posted!

Jaley: Not watching the debate. Obama already won in my heart. and McCain makes me want to tear out my hair...I like my hair. I want to keep it.

Charlotte: @Jaley Of course obama has my vote but I need more fuel for my blogs and want to see what the mav camp will come up with next!

Jaley: @Charlotte All you need to know for tonight's debate: A maverick is an unbranded range animal, especially a motherless calf

Julie: Gee, I keep finding my middle finger popping up and this debate is only twenty minutes long so far

God: McCain has bigger jowls than a pitbull. Oh yeah, and he's also a liar.

God: McCain is NOT your friend. He keeps saying "my friends". He doesn't mean it. Oh yeah, and he doesn't understand economics.

Jaley: I've found @God, and he is RIGHT!

Charlotte: @God? Are you there?

God: McCain reminds me of Harvey Keitel in "Bad Lieutenant".

Jaley: Someone let me know if McCain actually smears Obama on stage... i hear it's getting heated.

Angelique: Mccain makes me sick

God: Obama is a cool cat. As you all know, I can be pretty vengeful at times.

God: "My friends, My friends, My friends, My friends, My friends, My friends, My friends, My friends, I am normally not this mild-mannered!"

Jaley: There are a lot of frustrated sighs echoing throughout our corner of the universe... Can you hear teeth grinding?

God: @Charlotte i am

Jaley: @Charlotte OMG! @GOD SPOKE TO YOU!

Collin: Do we want to have our president lead from a hospital bed or a crib?

God: BREAKING: McCain and Obama both agree that genocide is generally not a good thing!

Angelique: John, why are you so vague?

Jaley: Is it time @satan to call McCain home?





Updates from the Election 2008 Twitter feed:

whelski: Mccains website says Obama offered more of the same tonite. Funny. I'd call that consistancy.

sarahgirgis: pretty sure that McCain's not my friend and wishes he'd stop referring to himself as such

d2k: Pat Buchanan likes Obama. We must be at the end times.

rosshill: The McCain Answer Process: Talk about the Army, bag Obama, sidestep the question - time's up!

Palin_McSame: @berlin FOX news callers voted 85% in favor of McCain as Debate Winner...surprise surprise, dontchaknow!




Journalist and blogger Ana Marie Cox (Time, Radar, author, and founding editor of Wonkette) on the debate:

anamariecox: McCain to Obama: "no have time for on the job training" -- UNLESS we're talking about vice-presidents. Then it's vital. And our only hope.

anamariecox: Obama holds his mic with the relaxed grip of a mega church pastor. McCain grips it like a dying man.

anamariecox: The "telegraph," of course, is the form of telecommunications that McCain is most familiar with.

anamariecox: Nicolle Wallace, responding to q's about McCain's "that one" remark called Obama's team "the fussiest campaign in American history."


Someone created Obama's new campaign logo, thanks to John McCain's comment:


What a great sport The Mav is!


So, I haven't even watched the debate yet, but I know so much about how it went down, thanks to Twitter and the internet.

I love all this.