The Harbinger Online The only place to read about Harper College from Harper College students VOLUME 50, ISSUE 2 - MAY 2018 Mon, 11 Jun 2018 20:16:04 +0000 en-US hourly 1 The Harbinger Online 32 32 85248082 Need a job? Check out the Job Placement Resource Center! Mon, 11 Jun 2018 20:16:04 +0000 JPRC

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Balancing Responsibilities in College by Akash Kachhia Thu, 31 May 2018 21:32:46 +0000 Responsibility is defined as the “state of having a duty to deal with something or someone or being held accountable for an act” ( A majority of people are conversant with this definition but have not experienced it in their lives. While I was growing up, I did not understand what the word meant because I felt that I was never put in a position to have to learn it. I have since started to comprehend the meaning of the word in my everyday life. One of the biggest factors that have contributed to this change has been the experience I have had at Harper College. Stepping into college and growing up have taught me what responsibility truly entails. I found myself balancing my school work, family, and household work, while also maintaining a full-time job which enabled me to turn into a responsible being and taught me the meaning of the word.

ResponsibilityDespite the fact that education is extremely important in everyone’s life, its importance is often not understood much, especially during early years. Unlike it happens in college, high school and grade school education are often not taken much seriously. Often, there are no life-determining consequences to one’s performance in the subjects, as the primary goal is to help the students learn and understand the material. I noticed that teachers made it their duty to ensure that no one was confused or struggling, and they also encouraged students. However, when I proceeded to college, I had expected a similar learning environment as the one I experienced in grade school and high school.

After just a few weeks into Harper, I immediately learned that college life was bound to be a completely different experience. College molds one to become independent and learn to take initiatives. As opposed to my prior school experience, there are no constant reminders or proper guidance to help students while they are expected to attend lectures and understand the material being taught. Furthermore, the lectures did not cover everything that needed to be learned, implying that all the classes required students to put in more time outside of class to learn the material on their own. I could not help noticing that my first semester at Harper was quite difficult because I had to learn to take responsibility for my work. There was no one to remind me of what was expected of me regarding completing assignments or preparing for an upcoming test. It became my responsibility to revise the syllabus and frequently check my class notifications to stay informed. I could, thus, deliberate that by learning to take my education duties by myself, I started understanding my responsibilities in my academic journey.

I have also discovered that by virtue of being a part of a big family, there are many duties that one is expected to fulfill. While being a child, there is no direct pressure to have absolute focus on family matters because there are few expectations that one has to meet. However, as one gets older, these expectations start to grow as well and the initial carefree attitude and unawareness about familial matters starts to become a problem. It is then that a person realizes that he/she needs to help around the house and fulfill the arising financial needs, and instead of hanging out with friends, family starts to demand more attention.

While I was young, I remember I had so much time to spend with my friends, and we had much fun. There were no stressful moments in my life and I always had my family to rely on if I ever needed them because I knew they were there for me. However, as I got older, my family started being a key part of my life and they would demand my attention and help. Growing up meant that I was finally able to help support my family; therefore, I started becoming more independent. I started my first job when I was 16 to help support my family, and it was my first step towards being responsible in the house. As I began to understand what it means to take up financial responsibilities, I bought a car for my family. I took up the role of owning the car and servicing for the loan by myself. Thus, the experience of paying the bills and helping around the house enabled me to understand how to manage my funds and time as well.

People often work for their needs and desires in life. It is a great learning strategy in gaining experience and learning how to interact with different kinds of people. The exposure to work at an early age enables one to comprehend the importance of money and the responsibility associated with managing it. Balancing school and household responsibilities often consumes much time and working on a job only adds to it. I started working a full-time job when I was 18 years old. I went to school in the morning and worked the evening shift five days a week. The experience of attending my classes every day and getting prepared for work right after school was a struggle at first. I had to manage my school work and also be on time and ready for work.

I eventually learned how important it was to manage my time as I started to work at an early age. I noticed that I had to start planning out a time table to allow me to stay on top of all my duties. It became my responsibility to make sure I focused on my assignments in school, attended to my family’s needs, while working to the best of my abilities. I could, thus, deliberate that the reality of having to take up all the three responsibilities enabled me to understand what it truly means to grow up.

From the experiences I have had and looking back at my past, I can perceive a young, carefree, and stress-free version of myself. At the time, I did not know much about being responsible for anything in life because I led a stress-free lifestyle as I depended on my family members. However, I see a changed person today because I have since learned a lot about what it means to grow up. Owning up to my responsibilities and taking control of my life have helped me to learn what it means to be a responsible person. The expectations of managing my classes at Harper, taking care of my family, and fulfilling my duties towards them, while also maintaining a full-time job, taught me the meaning of responsibility and still continues to help shape me into a more responsible being.

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I Have a Dream Too by Jorge Juarez Thu, 31 May 2018 21:26:16 +0000 There are times when each individual feels like they don’t fit the identity of a Freedom writersmainstream student. Will.I.Am’s song “I Have A Dream” from Freedom Writers captures the feeling of marginalized students. Freedom Writers is a book that was later made into a movie that would be the inspiration of this song the story follows of a group of teens from different races who were misfits who were looked down upon for their differences. The song “I Have A Dream” is in the opening and ending of the movie to prompt that all students can be more then what mainstream society expects of them.

There is a verse in the song that says, “Born on the Black list, told I’m below average, A life with no cabbage, that’s no money if you from where I’m from, Funny, I just want some of your sun.” When we go to break this part down when the artist talks about being “born on the black list/ told I’m below average,” this refers to the fact of being told that you can’t do something because you’re not good enough or below average.

Many students here at Harper College who come from a different culture or have different colored skin are influenced by the stereotype that they can’t or are not able to accomplish something due to where they come from. This was the hard task the young people in Freedom Writers were determined to overcome and be more than what is expected of them, just as students here at Harper have something they are trying to accomplish so they can better their lives for themselves or so their families can have a better living.

In the lyric, “a life with no cabbage,” the word cabbage in this song is used for money since like cabbage, money is a light green color.  Also cabbage is clean and fresh referring to clean money as in working a job for it and not drug dealing or stealing for it. Having to live a life with no money or any kind of basic living necessities is challenging; lack of money is common among students since we have to buy books and supplies. The transition takes a big toll on the students and even more so for our lower income students and students that come from a race considered a minority.

It makes it harder coming from a life with not much money and told you’re not good enough. Taking a closer look at the book, the movie reveals the theme of the constant belittling of students who don’t fit the dominant culture. In today’s society, we still belittle other cultures and colors, and by doing so cause others to feel like they were born to live within a small box that the media or past stereotypes have put them in.

All we are is what we are told and shown to be, and by doing so, people think if I’m told and shown I am one thing, why be something else? It takes a great effort to try to show people we are more than that; just thinking about trying to overcome these biases causes crippling effects. Not only for the characters in the story, but for people trying to attend college, this debilitating mindset made it harder.

For years, you are told figure out what you want to be, you only have a few years left, it’s going to be a lot of money, better start saving, and do good in school. And if you come from a lower income family you have the added, you need to find a job and once you do you get the “well you have a job and make money, you’re going to start paying your phone, clothes, gas and food.” This adds to the stress and oppression of being a minority – trying to break the social mold, the mold for years people like us are forced to believe. Being told a race is below average, it provides an even greater push to do something better than what your people are told they can do, and a fire that burns inside to make a better example for others that there is not just one view on a race but multiple as long as there is someone willing to make that first step.

Just as the struggling teens in the movie were willing to make and stop being closed off and show compassion to one another instead of hate so they can show how they all can amount to more rather than the standard that’s been set for them, the same goes for college students attending Harper since for the most part when you enroll here you have the hope to be able to make something out of yourselves.

For example, when I first signed up for college I knew it would be hard since no one in my family has a college education. So for a good part I would be going into it blind, not knowing what to expect only knowing what teachers in high school have said, “It will set an example – if I could do it so can you”.

As for the second part of the lyrics, “I just want some of your sun,” refers to wanting someone else’s life privileges or to have it easier like everyone else or to have the same things in life others have. Where the book and movie take place, the majority of students attending the school were minorities that were coming from nothing or didn’t have much at all; because of this, the school didn’t spend as much energy and resources on them since they were seen as lower than others in the school due to what background they had.

When students are treated as lesser, they are more likely to give up and end up disrespecting the books or equipment given to them. Students of color might think that the white students and the teacher do not understand their struggle. As for students at Harper today, it has gotten easier with government assistance, but there are still a large amount of working students because even with the given help, there are still so many life expenses that aren’t covered. This most often makes students think or feel “if only I had more money or my family had a bit more”.

As for me, being a student with financial aid helps but there are still needs of money for other things. It’s hard trying to stay positive all the time; the thought still enters your mind if only I can catch a break. Many students think that if they had it a bit easier things would be better, but it also adds motivation to need to and want to do better. So when we look back to what this story and song is trying to say in the part about being born, the message is that even if I’m held down and pushed, we will still fight for our lives and what we believe in.  Will.I.Am’s song “I Have a Dream” from Freedom Writers captures the feeling of marginalized students fighting for what they wanted out of life with what they had, just as many Harper students are doing now.

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Arrive Alive comes to Harper College Thu, 31 May 2018 19:22:11 +0000 On Wednesday, May 2, the Center for Student Involvement brought the Arrive Alive tour to Harper College to educate students on safe driving by exploring drinking, texting and other dangerous behaviors.


Photo by Pixabay on

Through simulation and response, students shared their driving experiences and explored the dangers of distracted driving. As the simulation exercises concluded, 57.7% indicated that they would change behaviors to never drive while distracted and not let others engage in distracting behaviors. Other results from this experience:

  • 96.2% students responded that they sometimes or frequently text while driving
  • 15.4% have driven while under the influence of alcohol or other drugs
  • 48.1% have experienced or know someone that has been involved in a distracted driving-related accident
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Harper’s 50th Commencement Wed, 30 May 2018 18:02:50 +0000 graduationcommencement.jpg

On Saturday, May 19, 2018 families and friends attended Harper College’s Commencement Ceremony to celebrate the 3,800 students that earned a degree or certificate over the past academic year. More than 700 graduates participated in this year’s ceremony with over 5,000 in attendance.

Graduation 2018

David Coleman, President and CEO of The College Board, addressed graduates 

This year’s Commencement address was given by David Coleman, President and CEO of The College Board. The ceremony was held at the outdoor Pavilion located behind Building D on the Harper main campus.

Quick facts about this year’s graduates:

  • 32 degree graduates earned a 4.0 GPA.
  • 299 graduates maintained a GPA between 3.5 – 3.9 (Honors).
  • 48 graduates maintained a GPA 3.25 or higher.
  • 1 graduate received national recognition as a Jack Kent Cooke transfer scholars recipient and will receive up to $40,000 per year to fund their educational costs. (tuition, room and board, fees and books)
  • 265 graduates received the Phi theta Kappa distinction.
  • 29 were named Kappa Beta Delta.
  • Graduates represented 10 international countries.
  • 87 graduates are Veterans and family members of Veterans.

Information source:

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NOW OPEN: Harper Hawks Care Wed, 30 May 2018 17:52:40 +0000 Despite unemployment dipping to record lows nationwide, 43% of households are still struggling to afford basic necessities like food and rent according to a study by the United Way ALICE Project published on May 18, 2018 (source: HawksCareHarper College is responding to the needs of students who may be finding themselves struggling to get school supplies, gas, textbooks or who may be even skipping breakfast and/or lunch by offering access to breakfast, lunch and snack items while on campus. Harper Hawks Care opened in January 2018 thanks to the generosity of a grant through the Harper College Educational Foundation.

Hawks Care resources will allow students greater flexibility in adjusting their budgets to get supplies, textbooks, gas and other college needs, especially during the first weeks of classes, and prior to financial aid disbursements. For more information or to put in a request for assistance please stop into the Center for Student Involvement, Building A – Room A336 or call 847.925.6242 for more information.

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History of the Shoe Game by Sebastian Hernandez Tue, 29 May 2018 15:28:21 +0000 When I was growing up, I can remember a lot of people my age or older wearing Jordan and Nike shoes. They were the most popular shoes there are, and of course there are other shoes that are popular like Vans, Converse, Adidas, etc. Most guys like playing sports, so companies like Nike and Adidas were the most popular as the produced athletic shoes to wear while playing any sport. Other people just like wearing these types of brands just to fit in with the style of a crowd they like to be with. Some people mostly like wearing shoes like Vans or some type of flat shoes because they are comfortable. There have been many popular shoes over the decades that Harper has been open, so in tribute to the 50th Anniversary, let’s take a look back at some of the most distinctive and popular brands.

Nike Air Force is one of the most well-known shoes there to this day; it first came out around 1982, and it was discontinued in 1984. They re-released the shoe in 1986 because they needed to change the design a little bit as a lot of people were complaining about how the ankle strap was unnecessary for most people. Therefore, they made another one without the ankle strap and went with the style we all know today. The shoe design turned 30 years old in 2017, and there have been a lot of color and changes over the years.

Another shoe that are very known are Vans; the company first came out in 1966, so Harper students would have been wearing them when Harper first opened. They were popular with skateboarders in the early 70’s. They first showcased them in their

Anaheim location in California, and a lot of people loved them. Tony Alva and Stacy Peralta created a shoe for that generation of skaters; they were blue, red, white, etc. They called the shoe Era, and their popularity has lasted through five decades. Many years later they have become more and more popular, and they have changed the design throughout the years, and a lot of people to this day love wearing it.

Adidas is another longstanding company that was established in 1924, but the shoes that became popular didn’t come out until August 18, 1949. In a village called Herzogenaurach located in West Nuremberg, the founder “Adi Dassler” began to change history. The Adidas shoes were designed for soccer and running shoes since soccer is very popular sport to play in Germany. In 1954, the German national football team faced the unbeatable Hungarians in the 1954 World Cup final; they won the match and so much fame.  That victory made Adidas jump their popularity out of control, and that was the start of Adidas becoming one of the biggest shoe and athletic apparel companies that is still successful today.

Shoes are an important way that students express their style and personality. Shoe brands have a lot of different styles for different people, which can be used as a way of self-expression. If we all had the same shoes, the world wouldn’t be creative like it is right now. From the 1960s to 2017, the shoes we wear right now compared to the shoes from back then have changed a lot, but some of the old styles still remain popular to this day and that just shows how much people love to express their personal style through different shoe designs; wearing an old school style may show that people today identify with some of the same ideas as the original Harper students and can bring people from different generations closer together without us even realizing it.

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Peaceful Protests Still Work by Jissel Delgado Tue, 29 May 2018 15:01:38 +0000 As the national debate about professional athletes taking a knee during the
national anthem rages on, it’s important to remember the significance of non-violent
protest in our country. Even at Harper College, students have used non-violent action to
express their disapproval since its early years. According to Trygre Thoreson in Harper
College: The First 50 Years, students used a variety of non-violent protests in the
Vietnam era. “At about 11 o’clock on the morning of Wednesday, May 6, 1970 a small group of Harper students approached the flagpole on the main plaza and, without permission, lowered the flag at half-staff” (Thoreson 41).

The reasoning for lowering the flag was because “overanxious National Guardsmen” shot four “peaceful student protestors” at Kent State University, Ohio. This made college students from across the nation rage about what happened. As Thoreson illustrates through this example, non-violence has been a big part of the Harper College community. A Harper student responding to the protests at Kent state said, “you’ve gotta break the rules occasionally to make a point.” Another Harper student explained the meaning behind lowering the flag as “a symbol of mourning.” A lot of men went to college to avoid being drafted. Therefore, the college enrollment rates rose quickly so that young men could avoid the brutal and cruel threat of being drafted.

During the Vietnam War, Harper College classes remained in session. Some students boycotted classes just to be a part of the protest activities and war debates. During the 1960’s – 70’s people took actions in many different ways. The book Harper College: The First 50 Years, Thoreson also points out that Columbia College students did plays with anti-war skits. They also did a fundraising dance for the moratorium. Moratorium means a temporary prohibition of an activity; students were calling for suspension of the war.

Just like Harper students boycotted classes to attend a protest and challenge the Vietnam War, many people today demonstrate by kneeling during the national anthem at sporting events or by marching in rallies such as those in the Black Lives Matter movement. Today, many people show protest by kneeling in sport shows while playing the national anthem. Also, some wear the color black, for black lives matter. Many other people also wear rainbow colors, by representing gay pride. Another thing that hasn’t changed is creating signs and banners with key words such as “peace” and images like peace signs to represent the protests. Reasons why people protested back in the 1960’s – 1970’s were because of Vietnam, Lennon B. Johnson rallies, and the 1967 riot in Detroit.

The riot in Detroit involved many different things such as lack of affordable housing, economic inequality, black militancy, and worst of all police brutality. Till this day, there is police brutality and people are still protesting about it. There are also Anti-Trump rallies, Gay Pride Parades, and many more for example Black Lives Matter and Women’s March around the nation.

Non-violent protest has been a big part of the Harper community – even during Harper’s

MAP Protest

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early years. Harper students and staff should continue to speak-up against injustices just as we did then, including protests in 2016 and 2017 when the state delayed funding for MAP (Monetary Award Program) grants for students enrolled in school in Illinois who need funding. Students, faculty, and staff gathered in the rotunda in building D to advocate for the state of Illinois to maintain funding that is critical to students’ education and some even headed to Springfield to protest with other college students. Without the active engagement of Harper students and other college students in the protests, MAP grants may have never been reinstated. College students at Harper and everywhere play an essential role in fighting injustice through non-violent protest.

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DACA: A Dying Dream by Jesus Arriaga & Bernardo Serrano Tue, 29 May 2018 14:53:19 +0000 On September 5, 2017 President Donald Trump’s administration announced that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) would end on March 5, 2018 unless Congress decides to pass the Dream Act. What does this mean for the families affected by this decision?

The Dream Act was passed on June 15, 2012 under the Obama administration. The act allowed “individuals who had come to the U.S. before their 16th birthday; were under age 31; had continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007; and were in school, graduated or had obtained a certificate of completion from high school, obtained a General Educational Development (GED) certificate, or were an honorably discharged veteran of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States” to receive protection from deportation (Recession of DACA). According to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), since the start of the Dream Act, there have been a total of 2,001,377 accepted requests. That means 6.5 percent of the US population will be impacted by President Trump’s decision.


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There are many families in limbo, not knowing what future they have. More often than not, the dreamers left at a very young age and therefore have no homes or possessions in their country of origin. All they have is here in the US. If they are made to return, what would happen to them? Would they have a place to sleep? Would they even be able to survive in a country they barely know? They have been put in a position where, by trying to do the right thing, they will now be punished for it.

Although the announcement of the dissolution of DACA has created panic for most dreamers, there are ways in which people can help prevent it from happening. There are many organizations holding campaigns to fight back. United We Stand states ways people can help on their website: there are petitions one can sign, or one can make a phone call. Our local community is also trying to help; Harper College helps students affected by DACA in other ways like establishing Latinos Unidos and giving out scholarships to assist with tuition costs. Organizations like Latinos Unidos try to motivate students to join in the organization and make supportive teams.

Understanding DACA and resources:

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Technology: Use and Overuse by Mohammed Farooqui Tue, 29 May 2018 14:42:30 +0000 person holding black android smartphone with black case

Photo by FOX on

Technology is the technical means people use to improve their surroundings. People use technology to improve their ability to do work. Classrooms around the world have applied forms of technology to enhance student interest and achievement. It also presents with some unfortunate consequences for many students at harper or other colleges. Many students in today’s generation are always constantly on their smartphones—almost 24/7. Technology, in my opinion, has a negative effect on studies, sleep, and the way we communicate.

One of the biggest factors why technology has a negative effect on students is our curriculum. Technology causes a huge distraction with video games, smartphones, and tablets. Many students will tell themselves they will spend an hour max on their devices and that hour becomes two or three hours. One of the biggest problems I have noticed is with texting. While students will study for an exam, they will get a text; they will be anxiously desperate to read that text, and by texting back and forth with that friend, an hour will fly be just like that. I have been through those experiences and they have negatively impacted me. The first two years of high school my grades were really good, but during my junior year of high school, iPads were presented, and it negatively affected my grades. Now I have become older and mature, so I know when to put the device down and when to use that device.

Another way technology impacts students involves sleep. Many students, including myself, have a bad habit of going to sleep very late at night from being on their smartphones. At times I will be up at night on my phone until 1 a.m., and I know others even stay up even later than that even though they have class the next morning. When exposed to stimulating electronics, your brain revs up; its electrical activity increases and neurons start to race, which is the exact opposite of what should be happening before you sleep. The physical act of responding to a game alert or even an email makes your body tense. As you get stressed, it makes it a lot more difficult to sleep.

Lastly, technology has an impact on social relationships. Many of us enjoy social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media outlets, but there is a major difference between social media interaction and “real life” interactions. A lot of students find themselves subsequently attached to electronic relationships for physical ones or mistaking our electronic relationships for traditional, face-to-face relationships.  Many feel they are connecting effectively with others on the Internet, but too much interaction in electronic relationships causes isolation. I myself have noticed a vast number of students are too uncomfortable to have “face to face” conversations. Electronic media communicates emotion poorly compared to in-person interaction. Many view electronic messaging as the perfect way to send difficult messages, but it blocks us from registering the negative emotional responses that we would be able to perceive in person, which provides us the illusion we’re not really doing harm. Unfortunately, this also usually means we don’t transmit these messages with as much empathy, and often find ourselves sending a different message than we intended and are causing more anxiety and confusion than we realize.

Overall, technology may have a positive impact in some cases such as being able to access information quickly, but, in my opinion, it has a more negative effect on students due to overuse. Studies have proven that technology has negatively impacted students by poor grades, less sleep, and strain in social relationships. I am unsure what the solution maybe other than to promote that users stop abusing technology. There is a time and place for everything, and all devices should be used in moderation.

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