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Show WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2016 T! (pp TgMMS jJ ri H" &., w sor didn't mean to offend or discriminate, but it was inap-- . propriate nonetheless. I thought about this exchange for days, even weeks, after its occurrence. I sought validation from my friends and family, asking them: Can you believe my professor did that? Im so frustrated. Although I sought to switch out of the class, my schedule wouldnt allow me to, so I remained. I calmed down and decided to proceed by keeping my mind open and absorbing as much as I can from my professor even though I disagreed with the teaching style right off the bat. A discussion about career paths filled the class period about a week later, and my professor encouraged us to choose a career we love by offering words of encourage- - V . oOCiJ0 iiw v;..,pv.o otf e iaW-e'-- D i T - mO eP While job applications may vary depending on the position being applied for, your religious affiliation shouldn t be part of the process If DSU wants to be taken more seriously as a four-yeuniversity, Editor-in-ChiEmily Havens recommends separating community values from the ar i Where do you ef institution's values more religion at school and work or less? .'stand, Tweet it BY EMILY HAVENS EmilyJHavens Based on current laws and common to DixieSunNews. knowledge, you probably wont believe me when I tell you an employer asked me what my religion was during my initial interview. Yes, you read that right. This actually happened to me. Although I challenged my religious acquaintances about our opposing beliefs when I was young, Ive been LETTERS THE Cell TO EDITOR NijatAhyevDSN letters to the editor to DixieSundixie edu Letters to the editor are accepted and be published in the may andor dixiesun-of- newspaper news.com. The guidelines for letters are as follows sk tU Submissions shot 'd be no longer than 250 words and must be c eS je well-writte- t Writers gSi n. must include .name, phone number and email address Students should also include year in school, hometown and , 3V1' major Letters are subject to lltl0tediting for length, style and t0 'grammar Letters consisting of ie inaccurate, libelous or highly nth 'offensive content will not be "Published Letters should be submittto- e ed to dixiesundixie edu in The body of the email, not an but'1 s attachment Letters become property of Dixie Sun News and may be published in any format D.xie Sun News encourages a lively discussion on its vebsite among its readers Dixie Sun News does not 'dit comments. However, n editor will not post any omments that are libelous rvulgar Heres a challenge for you: Ex- pocket. Jesus Soto, a senior biology major from Michoacan, Mexico, said phones can be means of connection, your source of information, and, more often than not, the thief of your attention. Phones offer numerous ways of staying in touch with loved ones, said Jace Mclessa, a senior biology major from St. used efficiently. Soto said his phone helps him stay on top of things in school and is imperative for his business. Phones certainly do simplify our lives, said Mark Marinch, a senior integrated studies major from Las Vegas. If I didnt know a definition of something, I could look it up and have the answer within five seconds, Marinch said. If I wanted to know direction to a place, I would have the answer to that in like 10 seconds. As convenient as they are, however, cell phones tend to have a dehumanizing effect as they negate the need for human interaction. With apps like George. Facebook, Instagram, fl in? impressions of me once they know Im not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-da-y Saints for quite a while now. But increasingly discriminatory situations have been creeping up on me lately, and I cant hold my tongue anymore. As I sat in one of my first classes of the semester, I was shocked when my professor asked us to raise our hands if we weren tLDS. I looked around in disbelief as I slowly raised my hand, and it seemed as though no one else thought it was completely unethical to ask a class that has nothing to do plain what a smart phone can do in just 20 words. This is not an easy task given the seemingly infinite applications of modem cellular devices. Your phone is your I check my phone too often Without it I could probably study more and get more things done, Melessa said. Melessas statement was especially true for me when I was . . with religion, ethics, politics, philosophy, or anything else of the like what religion everyone practices. All right, good, the professor said, scanning the class- room of students who stared back, noiseless. What does that mean? What kind of judgment was just made about me and my peers? Was my professor trying to figure out who was a lost cause and needs to be rescued or enlightened? Even if my professor had asked if we were Muslim, Baptist, Lutheran, or any other religion on Gods green Earth (pun intended), I would have still taken offense. I'd like to think my profes times in size in pure disbelief. At a public university especially, professors need to remain objective and should steer clear of discussing their personal views, unless, of course, the class is centered around a topic where it would be useful to know where your professor sides on issues for bias and clarity hot-butt- purposes. When religious affiliations , have absolutely nothing to do with the topic of study, I urge every professor to actively keep it out of the discussion. I pay Dixie State University thousands of dollars each semester to earn not only a degree, but also a well-roun- d away from being perceived as a community college still, professors and administrators need to better separate the community's and institution's values. Not only has inappropriate religious references emerged in my classes, but this issue also bleeds over into the local workforce. I applied for a job almost a month ago, and I cringed when the employer across the table from me asked iflwasLDS. Isnt that, I dont know, illegal? my inner voice whispered during the interview. Growing up agnostic in an city was seldom easy. My favorite phrase I've heard numerous times usually comes right after I tell an acquaintance Im not LDS. LDS-dominat- Oh, you just seemed so nice, they say. I am nice, very nice, so dont assume every nice, modest, or decent smart, is meet religious. person you Not everyone is a lost cause. Similarly, just because somewell-rounde- d, one belongs to your religious affiliation, that doesnt mean he or she is smarter or more enlightened than someone whoj opposes it. Whats right for you is not always right for the person who sits next to you in class. Incorporating religion in the classroom at a public university is unacceptable, and DSU -students deserve better. So demand respect from your professors and employers no matter what religion you do or don't belong to, even if, God forbid, you're seen as black sheep for only trying to be yourself. phone usage can be both harmful, beneficial BY NIJAT ALIYEV Send less concerned with others ment. Think hard about what will make you happy, the professor said. Think about it. Pray about it. I think my eyes grew seven ed, higher level of education. If DSU wants to move . a freshman at Dixie State University. Having moved across the globe in pursuit of quality education, I absolutely needed my familys support and would use my phone to contact them frequently via WhatsApp and Skype. Moving away to college was less intimidating considering that my family and friends were on constant standby in my Snap-ch- at and Tinder, interpersonal communication no longer takes precedence. Just walking to class, youll see everyone looking down at their cell phone instead of taking in the great day, Marinch said. They are so enthralled with their cell phone and whats going on on someones Instagram post . . . they forget to live in the moment. I definitely fall victim to that, too. Many students rely heavily on communication through texting and social media. Their phone may become the only source of their social interaction, which can be debilitating to their social skills. Robert Carlson, chair of the psychology department, said social media do not accurately interactions. reflect Online comments tend to be more extreme, Carlson said. People are more likely to offer outrageously good or outrageously bad comments. When we reach out too much and become too needy for feedback from other people . . . you can find so much of it . . . that can affect your own and how you value yourself. Students should be cautious about assessing themselves based on online feedback, Carlson said. Instead, they should focus on more objective criteria and try to incorporate their phones into accomplishing their life goals, he said. A cell phone is just a tool, Carlson said. You can incorporate the phone into the class . . . (to) look tilings up (and) contribute to the discussion . . . But your phone can also be a source of wasting time and a source of getting caught up in some drama that is unhealthy. This tool of ours is more powerful than the computer NASA used to place the first man on the moon, yet most of us were never taught how to use it responsibly. We were never taught how to handle excessive, real-wor- ld self-estee- m Cell phones have multiple uses, including checking grades and social media apps like Instagram Copy Editor Nijat Aliyev says smart phones can be beneficial if used wisely often overwhelming, amounts of information about people and the world around us. With your desires only a few taps away, it is easy to overlook how quickly we become addicted to likes, comments, retweets and other forms of notifications. Many of us have phanexperienced tine when you tom vibrations feel like your phone vibrated to notify you of something, when ed it actually didnt. It is true that we use our phones to fulfill our needs, such as looking up information or reaching out to loved ones for support and advice. But we never hesitate to use cell phones to satisfy our wants. Take this article for example. I used my phone to schedule appointments with the sources, record our conversations, and to look up AP guidelines to properly format the article. At the same time, I got distracted by my phone a minimum of 10 times while writing it. |