Photo story

The current Detroit Renaissance is a few years in and has already had great success. Buildings and neighborhoods that were at one time abandoned and forgotten are now being purchased and flipped to fit into Detroit's new vibe as one of the most notable metropoles in the country. One metro-Detroit Resident, James Vaughan found himself...

Autism Awareness

People diagnosed with autism are selfish, self-centered egotistical? Yes. But it's not what you think. On Wed. April 3rd, Spencer Kelly, Oakland University student with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder, spoke to an inquisitive crowd about some of the unknown aspects of living with an autistic disorder. The best part? His speech was held on campus...

Digital, Diverse, Disorders, oh my!

Oakland University senior, Simon Albaugh, feels that diversity is the inclusion of as many voices as possible. With that, he also believes that this level of inclusivity is something to strive for. Based on the media's portrayal of bipolar disorder and the rigorous nature of surviving university, Albaugh doesn't think that is a commonly shared...

Judging Journalism: bias about the Middle East.

Before the Film: I know that the northeast region of Africa and the south west parts of Asia and Europe make up the Middle East. I'm currently unable to locate any specifics like Israel or West Bank without google. Population:  Israel is about 8.5 million, West Bank is about 2.8 million, Gaza Strip is about...

Overt Overlooking

Intersectionality, a term coined by Kimberle Crenshaw, tends to creep its way into conversations where it really does not belong. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty conversational homes for the term and hopefully we can expand the conversations around the topics involving intersectionality. Just as cars approach intersections at a point where two roads...

Tackling Terms

After interacting with the Under Our Skin project, I am a little upset to admit that I am not surprised by the ratio of ignorant people in comparison to woke people. The majority of the participants did not understand the severity of the words and their concepts, which will further confuse students that do not...

Pretty Privilege

After watching the documentary "Miss Representation" I've realized that there is an entire world within me that was created by the media messages and depictions of women. As a child, I would dress up in women's clothes and wonder what it would be like to be so beautiful and admired that someone with money and status...

Implicit Biases

After taking the implicit bias test, I've realized that there are deep rooted insecurities about being on the darker side of the skin tone spectrum. Strangers tend to be more skeptical of my presence in stores, malls and classrooms than my lighter skinned or white counterparts. As a child, this made me think that I...

Cries from Counter-Culture

Cultural hegemony is not necessarily the enemy. It allows mass amounts of people to coexist under one structural order. The enemy appears when this hegemonic system exercises its influence through force and violence on those that do not fit into the system as nicely as those that can. On Tuesday, Jan. 29th, Empire actor Jussie...

Black Believer

It is impossible to discuss whiteness without discussing blackness, and how these concepts affect the interactions between people by shaping ideology.  It's not usually considered news when people hear that racism grew out of slavery. It is, however, seemingly shocking when white people hear that they consistently play into -and capitalize off of- the vestiges...

Age Before Beauty

The American beauty industry capitalizes off of women's desire to hinder a natural part of life. Growing older. As women do this growing, they become more and more conscious of their age. This opens the floodgates for the beauty industry to sell skin creams, makeup, and serums that slow the progression of age and for...

Somber Sound of Simon

Simon Albaugh plays the ukulele in his spare time as a way to express himself. The 21 year old gives an interview about the inception of his playing and how he is happy that the ukulele is now his only roommate. Check it out!  

Voice, Choice, Rejoice

The original writing of this notecard read, "Jodi sat across from me at the diner. Smushed in this booth after a two hour drive, we needed food and rest. I wanted nothing more than to engage in adult conversion and discuss anything other than self-diagnosed mental illness. Just after Kristen, our waitress, walked away she...

Gen Z-ero Debt

In year 2017 15,901 undergraduate students were enrolled at Oakland University in the fall. Of these students, 70.1 percent of them were in the age bracket of 17-22 years old. Why is this important? A study shows that students of the "Gen Z" generation (born between 1997-2012) are smarter about their money and their life...

Unofficial Experts: Professional Vulgarity

The past couple of weeks have given me an incredible realization of self. I've listened to the podcast The Unofficial Expert with Sydnee Washington and Marie Faustin . These comedians co-host this podcast as two black women living in New York City. Though not always, they frequently have guest speakers that are an "expert" on...

Detroit Living

In a recent Interview with Oakland University Student, Aliyah, she discusses how she and her family frequently relocated in Detroit as she grew up. She explains an instance where her mother acquires a house with a rent price of $100 a month. Aliyah is an optimistic student and encourages everyone to share their story and...

Habitat for University

The student body at Oakland University has been (not so) patiently awaiting the completion of the Oakland Center renovation. The newest addition, "The Habitat," which will feature a movie projection screen and an in-ground seating space for viewers is a project that has proven to be more challenging to execute than the designers forethought. Rodney...

Black Tweets Matter

Twitter has definitely taken the world by storm in the past couple of years. Since 2006, it has been a major source of news, information, entertainment, and media. I've chosen to create an account using this platform because it allows me to get almost an  instantaneous update on social issues that matter to me. On twitter,...

Crippling Campus Construction

Oakland University Spent the last academic year renovating the Oakland Center, creating more study space and amenities for students. As the old saying goes: no good deed goes unpunished. Although the students are not necessarily punishing the construction workers, they are, however, wondering why it has taken so long to finalize the project. Wednesday afternoon,...

Collegiate Scholars Keeping Quiet

1. In the video "Ivy League Trailblazers" by Natalia V. Osipova, sensitive topics are brought to light as the students discuss race, social class, immigration, and the societal pressure they feel to conceal their identities as first-generation Ivy League college students. These students represent the strong and resilient backbone of American college students that not...