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Show UVU REVIEW A4 NEWS Oaks explores the importance of religious freedom in keynote address APRIL 21, 2014 Rich or poor: 'All kids are our kids' Distinguished political scientist Robert Putnam shared findings of his research at the Ragan Theatre last Monday. He believes a shift in community perception may have contributed to the barrier between rich and poor. Harvard professor Robert Putnam just might have discovered a reason behind America's diminishing middle class, and it's not the economy By KresLynn Knouse Assistant News Editor @kreslynn LAURA FOX/UVU REVIEW Elder Dallin H. Oaks shares insight on religous freedom and acceptance with students last Wednesday. He discussed parallels between constitutional law and public safety. With today's changing world, new laws are emerging and everyone is wondering what is the future of civil rights By Rinamay Rhoten Staff Writer @rinamaylopez Elder Dallin H. Oaks, legal scholar and General Authority of the LDS church, addressed freedom of religion in a speech given on campus Wednesday. Not speaking as a religious figure, Oaks spoke on his expertise in freedom of religion and its importance. Oaks began by saying that he did not want to focus on the technicalities and boundaries of the First Amendment. Instead, he decided to focus on Constitutional law and public safety. "I believe we live in a time of diminishing freedom of speech—not the formal freespeech doctrine declared by the United States Supreme Court, but the extent of free speech enjoyed by citizens in their daily lives," Oaks said Oaks, who taught and practiced law in Chicago, mentioned the new laws that punish so-called hate speech. Scholars are no longer able to publish facts and opinions that are unpopular. He argued that these impositions are unconstitutional and instead of bringing peace, they bring inequality and impose on the ideas of the nation. Oaks cited Proposition 8 in California as an example. It was a time in America when freedom of speech and religion were put to the test. Although the proposition was in California, the entire nation was able to witness the controversial issue. The New York Times reported, "Some of the violence is being stoked by public statements denouncing the LDS [Church] for merely participating in the debate at all — as if that were somehow illegal." Oaks continued, bringing up the corporate executive that was recently fired for making a private donation in the Proposition 8 campaign six years ago. Oaks called these acts nothing more than "bullying and intimidation that seeks to censor speech in the public square." The Constitution not only protects the freedom of religion but also the freedom of speech and "these great guarantees are cumulative, strengthening one another," said Oaks. Unfortunately, because some people have responded with violence and offensive behavior, these rights are challenged in today's world as concerns are explored within discussions of peace and public safety. "It is a daunting effort that might, perhaps, be avoided by following the ancient wisdom that it is easier to make friends than to make laws," said Oaks. Regarding Freedom of Religion, Oaks considered himself someone that has criticized court decisions, theories, and actions that are taking away Freedom of Religion in this country. "One theory attempts to reduce the reach of the guarantee of the free exercise of religion by deeming it redundant in view of the assumed adequacy of the guarantee of free speech," explained Oaks during his discourse. In addition, there are new state and federal laws that the government is making which contradict civil rights. Oaks used same sex marriage to illustrate his point. "I comment on this particular legal argument because of its relationship to free speech and because of its obvious importance to your Constitutional Symposium on Religious Freedom," said Oaks. Even though it's a long battle, Oaks is optimistic about the future. He claims that freedom of religion would benefit not only religious people but all people as well. "Leaders of various religious denominations—Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Protestant and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints— are coming together in unprecedented ways," he said. His last message was one of hope that people have a mutual respect towards one another, even if other people's beliefs are different. As the rich get wealthier and the poor continue to stay poor in America, Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam along with his research team have dedicated their efforts to determining the cause of this great divide. Putnam addressed this issue and shared the conclusions of his research last Monday in the Ragan Theatre as part of the presidential lecture series. "My research team and I talked to hundreds of kids across the United States and discovered there is a huge contrast within our own community that continues to go unrecognized," Putnam said. Within a sample community in a higher-scale neighborhood, they found the percentage of children living below the poverty level was zero. Just across the street, more than 50 percent of children were living below the poverty level. Neighborhoods with boundaries such as these can be found across the country, but Putnam believes it's the lines we draw as a community that created what he calls the 'opportunity gap' . America's working class was cinched when companies began outsourcing in the late 70s and local factories were shut down. Putnam's research team observed a few cases involving children whose parents worked in those factories, noting that encouraging children to obtain a college education would have become increasingly vital at that time. Though attending college is equally as important today to break out of financial boundaries, Putnam revealed that parents in the lower class are not adequately preparing children for college. On average, wealthier parents spend 45 minutes of developmental time (reading, eating dinner, family activities, etc.) more each day with their kids than lower class parents. Putnam believes that this interaction or parental `ping pong' is critical to child development, college preparation, and establishing trust. 66 Across America, kids coming from college educated homes have a huge lead compared to other children that is increasing their intellect and capabilities. ROBERT PUTNAM Harvard Political Scientist "Across America, kids coming from college educated homes have a huge lead compared to other children that is increasing their intellect and capabilities," Putnam said. "And not just with test scores- their entire brain is better wired because of those 45 extra minutes of ping pong." Parents from the upper onethird financial scale spend more time volunteering at their child's school and are K more involved with extracurricular activities, and as a result, their children have a greater sense of social connectedness and trust. Similar to cases he observed from the 1970s, Putnam found that lower class parents simply don't have enough time to devote to child development. That aspect hasn't changed, however, the way Americans treat their sense of community has shifted. "How did this happen to a country which prides itself on being a place where any kid has the chance to succeed?" Putnam said. "The final answer is that over the last 30 years, the meaning of 'our kids' has gotten narrower. Now, when people say 'my kids' , they're only referring to their own biological children, there is no neighborhood community." Putnam's findings may conclude that the solution to the wealth gap problem starts at home, and that we're all responsible. If everyone in a community started to think more as whole rather than the traditional 'how can my child get ahead' mentality, it's possible that children of the future could experience a more equal distribution of wealth. $275 Affordable and Fun! alliSpring BYU/UVU Friendly $329 11.11■26.. - .-4 11117.isor ALEX RIVERA/UVU REVIEW |