As parents of Cornell students, we are disappointed and concerned not only about the loss of the Point Bonita field trip but also about the exclusion of Cornell parents from the discussion. We have an amazing amount of commitment and resources within our parent community, and we believe that if we work together, we can find a solution.

blah

Take action today: Write and call your state Representatives and ask them to REJECT House Bill 318. The question of immigrants having acceptable identification documents is both a practical and safety concern, and an economic issue for police. The manpower used to arrest and process people who do not have identification takes away from other policing priorities. It has been estimated that a wider acceptance of foreign and community-issued IDs in Greensboro has saved the equivalent of two full-time police officers’ salaries in terms of avoiding unnecessary arrests solely for lack of ID. If enacted, HB 318 will make it more difficult for local police and sheriffs to establish the identity of people in our communities, particularly immigrant residents, which will make their jobs harder and more dangerous. Officers who are able to establish the identity of someone they encounter are better able to enforce the law, efficiently employ their limited resources, and keep themselves and others safe. People who have acceptable IDs are more willing to interact with the police as witnesses or victims of crime, which enhances public safety not only for immigrant residents, but for all of us.

On August 21, 2015, Juavah Lee's 24-year run as a key leader for the Hmong, Southeast Asian, and Asian American populations at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities ended despite receiving a contract renewal in mid-June. On August 7, less than two months after receiving a renewal contract, he received a non-renewal notice of his position. Although Juavah pursued reassignment to another department/position, his request to be reassigned was denied by the Office of Equity & Diversity (OED). What OED failed to consider when they decided to push Juavah out of the Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence (MCAE) was that he not only served as the Assistant Director of the center, but was a role model, a mentor, and a father to many. He was the bridge connecting generations of Hmong and Southeast Asian families to the University experience. Moreover, he was a representation of the University administration that we trusted. He served as one of the strongest advocates and voices for Hmong, Southeast Asian, and Asian American students at the administrative level. And while he wasn’t the only one, through his actions and his initiatives, his leadership always took into consideration the everyday experiences of Hmong, Southeast Asian, and Asian American students. With his absence, a crucial voice for our community has been silenced. Furthermore, Juavah’s non-renewal brings to light other changes that OED has begun to implement within its own programming particularly with the MCAE, changes which were made abruptly and with little to no tangible input from the student body, bringing into question issues of transparency within the OED as well as its leadership. Their actions demonstrate that they care little about the input of the student body they serve when making substantial and extensive changes across departments. The new vision for MCAE, "MCAE Forward," is one the structural changes OED has implemented. We believe that the new theoretical model "MCAE Forward" is in line with the university’s paradigm of institutional change founded on a crippling colorblind diversity and an equally damaging black-white binary that further marginalizes Hmong, Southeast Asian, Asian American students, as well as other communities of color who don't fit neatly into those two binaries. Ultimately we firmly believe that the leadership of the OED is thoroughly disconnected from the everyday experiences of Hmong, Southeast Asian, and Asian American students at the University of Minnesota. We have yet to see any concrete plans or discussions on how to develop Hmong, Southeast Asian, or Asian American-specific led initiatives, and this is a problem.

The student loan interest rate is giving many Texas college graduates a struggling start to their post-graduate life. The fight to lower the Student Loan Interest Rate is an on-going battle that is affecting many recent college graduates as well as going to affect current students and young adults who desire to pursue a college education. This petition is to demonstrate the desire to lower the student loan interest rates. By lowering the student loan interest rate it show to many prospective students that the Texas Legislatures believes in their future success from furthering their education as well as receiving a post-graduate lifestyle that won't leave them struggling to meet their basic necessities.

Every few feet as I walk through the city, I see a homeless person. Statistically, the problem has become much worse--many more men, women and children have become homeless than ever before. I cannot stand idly by when solutions are within reach and people are living and dying in the streets in what is supposed to be a great city--Chicago.

It is past time to give tax relief to those who truly need it. The wealthy have many ways to avoid paying taxes while the poor and the middle class have very few. I call for equity and fairness for those of us who have labored long and hard to make this nation a better place and have been left out and marginalized by our leaders who seek only to enrich themselves and their supporters.

The Nyack Village Board is now poised to pass a text amendment to the village's waterfront zoning which would allow a higher, denser, development on the vacant parcels at Gedney Street. The text amendment is being rushed through to allow the unfortunate TZVista development to be built by the developer who built the Clermont Condominiums. The current zoning, the result of Nyack's previous experiences with waterfront development, should be kept intact to protect the character of our village.

Military aid provided through Plan Merida is used to repress social movements, indigenous groups and students throughout Mexico. Every Mexican has a close relative or friend or acquaintance that has been affected physically and economically by militarization. Without addressing the core issues pertaining to drug consumption in the United States, Plan Merida only enriches arms companies in the U.S. at the expense of the civilian population on both sides of the border.

Terra Linda is a suburban neighborhood with a small town pace, charm and an existing, appropriate population density. Constructing a behemoth of this sort will adversely affect the character and general culture of our neighborhood with unwanted traffic congestion, noise and light pollution, and an exponential increase in the number of residents and vehicles in a finite space.

We initiated this petition because we cherish our homes, our families, our neighbors, our cultures, our health and safety and, last but not least, this beautiful semi-rural area, which we believe is in danger. It is rare to find a community where one still has access to walk along the hills and look out onto nature.

Wall Street speculators are buying up neighborhoods across America. Their goal? Squeeze a profit out of struggling homeowners. Private equity firms and Hedge Funds have quietly amassed mortgage notes to 200,000 homes in communities around the USA -- and they're getting special treatment from the government to aid their conquests. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (overseen by the Federal Housing Finance Agency, or FHFA) have refused to offer principal reduction to struggling homeowners, then they turn around and sell these troubled mortgages to Wall Street speculators at a deep discount. Our government agencies are supposed to work for American families -- not for the biggest financial institutions. Tell Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to stop selling these troubled mortgages to Wall Street, and instead sell them to non-profits with a track record of offering loan modifications with principal reduction to help families stay in their homes!