History of Activism among University Students

University Students have a long history of being involved in activism because the first case of student activism can be traced back to 1766 when students at Harvard University protested against the rising costs of living in what is referred known as Butter Rebellion. For students, protest has often been a means of expressing anger or concerns over certain policies or actions either by the government or the university administrations. The contemporary university student is more empowered in the sense that they have various platforms that they can use to voice their concerns and call for change. For example, they can use the social media to not only mobilize but to express their frustrations. Additionally, students today have privileges and rights that their peers did not have, and this is one of the reasons why a student can freely speak against issues such as fee increment.

Certainly, some of the issues that triggered protests in universities in the past are the same issues that continue to cause protests, and this reflects the human nature to respond against certain decisions that make them uncomfortable or against decisions which they feel are oppressive. Students continue to seek to assert their views, calling for revamp of how colleges and universities are managed. However, there are certain instances in which students’ protests have been driven by the need to tackle serious national issues like racism. During the 1960s, for example, segregation in public schools was prevalent, and majority of the schools in the U.S. only admitted white males. This means that universities served as conduit for helping drive the government’s agenda of secluding certain Americans from essential services. When the Civil Rights movements started, thousands of university students joined in the protest. From pushing for policies at national level, to calling for the abolition of the discriminatory policies in universities, students made a significant impact on social reform in the country.

Recently, the emergence of the Black Lives Matter including the recent protests associated with the movement has roots in higher learning institutions. Students have actively participated in these movements, and they have used their voice to speak against what they feel are discriminatory policies. In certain instances, students, through protests, have succeeded in calling for the resignation of their principles. In 2015, for instance, Tim Wolf, who served as the University of Missouri’s president, resigned when African American students protested against the university’s policies that encouraged discrimination of certain groups of students. Many students equally took part in organizing protests and carrying out campaigns to call for the social justice for victims of police brutality especially in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. Some filed petitions, calling for the social reform while other put up banners and gave donations. These efforts paid off because as the message spread, people in different parts of the world including Germany joined the protests.

Some of the recent protests have been triggered by the growing security concerns in higher learning institutions. Cases of the students being sexually abused or disappearing have caused concerns among campus students, prompting some of them to organize protests to call for reform of the universities’ policy on security. In South Africa, for example, a wave of rape incidences rose in different universities in the country, and in order to call for securing of the learning facilities, students went to the streets, calling for the government to take stringent measures to protect female students. Moreover, the gun violence which is deeply rooted in the American gun culture, has affected students in higher learning institutions because some shooting incidences have happened in these institutions. In May 2020, there was an incident in which a gunman entered Virginia Tech and shot students, killing some of them. In response, the students at the university called for reform on the gun laws. However, students have also been involved in organizing processions focused on advocating for such reforms.

Raising of tuition fees is one of the factors that have contributed to the students’ protests, yet universities raise fees to counter the effects of the skyrocketing costs of teaching resources. The amount of money students pay as fees has significantly increased in the past four decades. Universities rarely involve students when raising fees and this lack of involvement of the student is one of the reasons why majority of them tend to protest hiking of the fees. The Million Student March in 2015 is just of the cases in which students have responded, calling for a stop to raising of the fees. The protests due to the doubling of the tuition fees did not start recently because Tufts University students engaged in protests when it was proposed that the fees be raised.   

The protests by university students is something that educators, administrators and governments should support because voicing one’s concerns can help universities and the entire society to thrive. Listening to students, and incorporating their ideas into the university programs can help prevent tension between students and the administration.

How universities have been coping during the pandemic

When the Covid-19 hit, it sent people into panic mode and chaotic scenes were witnessed across different parts of the world as airports began imposing travel restrictions, and business owners resorted to closing businesses.  To slow down the spread of the infections, and limit the impact of the pandemic, the government initiated a raft of measures including calling for people to work from home. As a result of these new directives and measures, higher learning institutions responded by suspending studies. Millions of students across the world were affected by the pandemic because the pandemic delayed their graduation.

Amidst the pandemic, universities shifted to offering their courses online and virtual classrooms became the new trend.  As more universities embraced this new trend, learning remotely became the new norm with students getting the opportunity to continue with their studies outside the classroom. For the universities, the move to offering new classes online helped prevent wastage of time that would have delayed the academic calendars. The online classes were a success considering that millions of students managed to continue with their studies without having to wait for the pandemic to end.

When the first covid19 vaccine was produced, it brought hope that things would return to normalcy, and it surely helped because before the vaccine came, people observed social distancing, and teachers could not be able to teach students in a normal classroom setting. As more vaccines were manufactured, and the number of vaccinated individuals grew, teachers and students became hopeful that things will return to normalcy. Although this hope was dashed by the emergence of the new strains of the covid-19 such as the delta virus, universities were continuing with offering their programs online.

Reflecting back from when the pandemic began to the time universities resumed their operations, it is clear that the internet has played a significant role in terms of helping universities continue offering their programs at a time when the pandemic halted certain activities including learning. Something that universities can learn from this experience is that the internet provides an avenue or an infrastructure through which they can deliver content to remote learners. One cannot predict what might happen in the future but if the next pandemic like Covid-19 hits, universities should be prepared for unfavorable events so that learning is not paralyzed. The experience and the knowledge of how universities managed to deal with the pandemic can be used as case study to respond to similar challenges in future.

The benefits of the student representation in universities

When one is making decisions with the aim of developing or strengthening policies, they have to keep in mind the people who are likely to be affected by the decisions. Bringing everyone onboard when making decisions is a means of acknowledging that everyone’s opinion matters. It reduces the friction between the people making the decisions, and the individuals who are supposed to put them into action. The idea of representation is borne out of the need to have someone who can represent others because having thousands of share their view, one person at a time, can be a tedious task and it can be time consuming. This is the reason why countries have governments representing the interests of their people.

The idea of student representation only emerged during the civil rights movements because prior to the emergence of this idea, the educators and board members were responsible of making decisions on issues that directly affected students. Students were hardly involved in the decision-making processes, and sidelining them would sometimes lead to situations in which their needs are not addressed. For example, raising of the tuition fees without engaging students is an example of the decisions that most students may not receive positively. In the history of some universities, raising fees or making certain decisions without involving students have been met with anger, disbelief and protests.

The student representatives or student leaders play vital role when it comes to representing the interests of their colleagues. University students, each year, get the opportunity to elect their favorite representatives. These representatives are responsible of addressing students’ grievances and they are the link between administrators and students. The Student Representative Council (SRC) plays a vital role when it comes to giving students the platform where they can voice their concerns. The SRC, in addition, presents the students’ views to the administration so that the latter can take necessary measures to support students.

Almost every university has a SRC, and although each is unique to each university, they serve the same purpose of representing the interests of students. 13 of the Harvard’s upperclassman houses are all the constituents of the university’s SRC. Columbia also has a SRC, which advocates for the interests of the students. The idea of the students having their peers represent them, therefore, is a good idea because it creates a contact between the students and members of the student administration.

How can businesses transition to the Cloud Services?

The cloud computing exhibits desirable features that businesses are findings attractive. For example, the providers of the cloud services can quickly deploy the technology, and businesses can benefit by saving on the costs of setting up an IT infrastructure, and by securing their data. While a business may move to the cloud platform in order to accrue the aforementioned benefits, there are various factors that may drive the business’ decision in this case. Examples of such factors include the need to scale up IT operations, and to distribute infrastructure.  For a business that may want to transition to the cloud platform, the main concern can be transitioning smoothly without interrupting certain aspects of its operations.

A business seeking to transition may grapple with a wide range of concerns, ranging from employee resistance to the lack of compatibility of the apps. The main problem could be employees lacking knowledge or skills of using the new cloud system. Moving to the new cloud system without training employees can cause a loss of morale among workers. Additionally, an organization that is shifting to using the cloud services may have to make changes to the apps so that that they adapt to the cloud system. Still, come companies may struggle with finding the right cloud service provider because there are multiple companies that offer cloud computing solutions.

Therefore, a business that wants to transition to the cloud platform should adhere to the effective practices. Involving everyone when transitioning into the cloud is one way in which an organization can beat the resistance from various stakeholders including employees. This can take different forms including letting them share their thoughts on how to manage the movement towards the cloud platform. Conducting comprehensive research about the various cloud platforms that are available can help an organization resolve the problem involved in choosing the right provider. It is equally imperative that the organization identify the security issues that may arise when using the cloud services. The most important thing, however, is coming up with a concrete plan on how to implement the technology.

A business that wants to outsource its IT operations to the cloud company needs to understand the basics involved in moving into a new cloud infrastructure.  It is equally important for the business to prepare by identifying the challenges involved, and coming up with a solid plan on how to navigate the challenges that might emerge as it transitions to the cloud operations.   

How Cloud Computing is used in Education

We are in an era in which technology is having an impact on how people perform certain activities, and one area where technology is exerting the greatest influence is education. One technology that is becoming important especially in the field of education is cloud computing. This technology, for instance, is resourceful when it comes to improving learning because it is supporting students’ learning. One way in which this technology is aiding learning is that it is making it possible for students to access academic resources anywhere anytime. With constant access to the course content, students can seamlessly study, and develop their knowledge.

It is also making teachers’ work easier by providing the platform for them to deliver course content. Using the technology, for instance, an educator can come up with virtual classroom, and one example of the platform they can leverage for this particular purpose is Zoom. This can of a platform is particularly important where some students cannot physically attend the classroom because of the reasons such as imposing of restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of a contagious viral infection. Other than the virtual classroom, a virtual space can be created by the teacher so that students can collaboratively work with each other from remote locations as long as they have internet access.

The whole school or the school administration can benefit from the cloud technology. Schools have massive amount of data, and storing this data in a safe location is important because it ensures the integrity of the information. One desirable attribute about the cloud technology is that data stored in the cloud is likely to be safe because the cloud technology incorporates advanced security features. Given this positive attribute of the cloud, the chances of the data being doctored when the data is stored in the cloud servers are slim.

However, there are other numerous benefits that schools can derive from the cloud technology. When a student uses the cloud to access resources, they don’t have to spend money on books or other printed resources. Therefore, the technology provides cost relief to the students using it to access study resources. For its part, the school that uses the cloud services does not spend money putting up a new IT infrastructure. Furthermore, students and their teachers can access information wherever they are. Therefore, cloud technology is playing a vital role in terms of helping schools and students advance education objectives.  

Why Choosing Travel Blogs is Important

For anyone who wants to do blogging, finding the right niche can be a challenging experience considering that one may risk exhausting what they can write about especially if they opt to create content about topics they are less conversant with or which they are not passionate about. For example, a blogger may face difficulties if they choose to write blogs about engineering, yet they have limited knowledge of engineering, or if they have no passion in the subject that can motivate them to explore engineering knowledge. Therefore, it is imperative that one select an area or a topic that is easy to write about.

One area that a blogger can do well is travel because a blogger does not need to have background knowledge about to travel to write what they see. Instead, one needs to understand how to describe the scenes, the people and the things they see. When one travels to a country such as Haiti, for example, they can talk about the Voodoo traditions which are synonymous with the Haiti’s culture. Similarly, one may choose to talk about the pyramids in their travel blogs in case they travel to Egypt. However, a blog writer does not have to be physically present in a location to describe it. They can write the blog, for instance, in the form of a report by giving account of the experiences of those who traveled.

Other than being easy to create or manage, the travel blog provides numerous benefits to the blogger. For example, it brings a sense of satisfaction that other blogs may not provide. As one travels, and blogs about it, it creates a feeling of personal fulfillment because when not only experiences, but they share their experience with others. The risk of boredom and burnout is high if one constantly and continually blogs from home or a single spot. With the travel blog, however, one gets the opportunity to meet new people, make friends, and enjoy the hospitality that can sometimes be offered freely by some hotels.

If one wants to find something that is less complex, therefore, they should consider writing about travel. Focusing on travel when blogging can make one find blogging to be a fulfilling experience, and it can lead to improved blogging experience. As one travels, learns about places they visit, and pen down personal thoughts about these places, they are likely to attain a certain level of satisfaction.     

How technology has shaped how consume news over time

In human history, certain events have shaped the way news is reported, and in particular, the advent of technology has been instrumental in influencing the news industry. Before Gutenberg created the print technology, people relied on word of mouth to share news. With the invention of the print, the process of reporting of the news was formalized because towards the 16th century, the publication of the news became popular in Venice and Rome. In Rome, reading the Avvisi, as the Romans referred to the magazine at the time, was seen as a symbol of prestige just like it is today in some parts of the world.

The efforts of various inventors including Nikolai Tesla, led to the advent of the radio communication which revolutionized the news industry since the advent of the development of the print technology. One thing about the radio in terms of how it impacted news is that it allowed broadcasters to broadcast news to a larger audience. For their part, the consumers of news found an alternative and cheaper method of being informed of happenings in their country. With the introduction of new frequencies and radio programs, the experience of the listener significantly improved because listeners got the opportunity to listen to their favorite music as they wait for music.

The advent of the TV also marked an important event in the history of the news because unlike the radio, people could see news being read. Initially, affording the TV was out of reach for most families because only the rich owned it. With time, however, the population of the TV owners grew, and watching the television became a family affair where members of the same family would watch the TV together. Today, the TV and indeed the radio, continue to play an important role in broadcasting of the news to millions of people around the world.

The internet is the recent entrant to the news industry, and like its predecessors, it has been a core factor in shaping the way news is reported. Over a billion people have access to the internet, and while a significant number of these people still watch the TV, majority of internet users rely on the internet for their news. This is a trend that will not be stopping soon because the time people spend on the internet has increased in the last ten decades. This can be attributed to a wide range of factors including changing consumer behavior.    

Style of writing blog

Before one ventures into blogging, they need to be aware of basics of writing including the various styles involved in writing the content for blogs. There are over ten styles of writing, and the style that one chooses to use usually depends on the goal they want to attain. Considering a case, in which a blogger wants to create posts that appeal to visual readers, the valid style in this case is the pictorial writing. With this form of writing, a blogger uses images, and demonstrate to the reader the process involved in a completing a certain task such as cooking.

Closely related to the pictorial style is the instructional writing with the difference being, the latter does not emphasize the use of pictures. Instead, it places emphasis on instructing the reader to get to understand the breadth of a particular subject or topic. If a blog content creator decides to use this style, they would have to give the reader a step-by-step procedure of accomplishing a certain task. This style is popular among bloggers who are experts in specific fields such as technology or hospitality. Writing style of this nature can be seen in blogs that demonstrate to people how to fix a problem such as malfunction of the phone.

Most bloggers see blogging as an opportunity to share experiences of personal encounters, and in their bid to create educational blog posts, blog writers may infuse into their posts elements of their personal experience into the storytelling process. The goal is to shock their audience or have them talk about the topic. When using this style of writing, one may cite how a certain event affected them or their emotions, and build on this to write about the topic they feel is pertinent to that particular experience. This kind of writing method is popular with those who write about the relationship matters.

However, some writers may want to indulge in creating content that fully touch on aspects of their lives such as experiencing the death of a loved one. This is where narrative writing comes in. This style is characterized by the infusion of humor into the real story to make it interesting for the reader to continue reading. A good story sales and when creating narrative blog posts, the writer should ensure that it is as captivating and interesting as possible because this is what will make the reader to visit one’s blog more often.   

New Trends in Cloud Computing Technology

Carl Robnett Licklider is individual behind the cloud technology, and since Licklider first developed the technology in the 1960s, new trends have emerged in the recent past. An example is the cloud cryptography which involves making the cloud data secure by encrypting it. As one of the emerging ideas, the cryptography generates a key that is essential when it comes to securing of the data. Having access to the cryptographic key is the only way one can access cryptographically stored data. However, uploading of the already encrypted data is also becoming a trend among firms that outsource their IT services to the cloud companies.

The multi-cloud is the other trend that is emerging from the cloud and with this concept, a business that uses more than a single cloud service chooses different cloud service providers to provide the cloud services they need. For their part, some cloud service providers seem to recognize this trend, and rather than brush it off, they have embraced it. This explains the reason for the increase in the popularity of the multi-cloud strategies because firms are shifting to outsourcing their IT operations to more than two cloud service providers. This trend is driving a healthy competition where players in the cloud sector are collaborating with each other to deliver services tailored to the specific customer needs. For example, Oracle and Microsoft linked their cloud operations so that their clients can be able to access certain services offered by the two companies.

We are in an era in which Artificial Intelligence (AI) is helping predict the behavior of online users. It is projected that the AI will significantly affect the cloud computing. As the data moves to the cloud, there is need to find a way to process massive amounts of data. This is where the AI comes in. In addition, the value of the AI in cloud technology is likely to be seen in scenarios where there is need to complete repetitive data processing tasks.

The era when people need servers for their PCs is likely to be behind us in the next five years. Thanks to new cutting edge technologies that allow organizations to perform certain IT operations without requiring the IT infrastructure. The companies that provide cloud services will play a vital role in helping businesses shift to this model of cloud technology. With these news technologies, there is a possibility that businesses’ workflow will tremendously improve. Businesses will also not have to worry about the loss of data because the cloud systems will integrate advanced security features.

What one needs to consider before joining the university

Joining a higher learning institution presents one with the opportunity to further their education during post-secondary education. For anyone thinking of joining a university, deciding on the course to pursue can be a challenge considering that there are various degree programs offered by universities. It can equally be challenging when one wants to choose a university that offers a course of their choice, and careful consideration is therefore needed when one is thinking of selecting a university and a course.  There are things one needs to first consider before starting their degree program because pursuing the wrong course can lead to the wastage of time and resources.

One’s passion should always shape one’s career decisions because having passion is what one does can lead to a career fulfilling experience. There are various options when it comes to a career that one can choose, and obviously, some careers pay well compared to others. While it makes sense for one to pursue a career path based on what they expect to earn, pay is not enough. One should ask themselves whether the course they want to take would lead them to a career path in which they experience overall job satisfaction because this is the most important thing that determines whether one continue working in a particular job.

The other thing one needs to look at when choosing a course is the institution where that offers the program they want to pursue. While a student’s grades depends on the amount of work they put into their studies, the learning environment equally matter. This is why a student has to be careful in terms of the institution they choose. This is why it is important for one to determine if the institution has adequate facilities, amenities and resources. Some of the facilities one needs to consider when gauging the effectiveness of the higher learning institution include availability of library and amenities such as swimming pool.

The school culture plays a vital role in terms of shaping one’s character, and it is imperative that a student take into account the culture of the university they want to be part of. The university culture is the ideology that it propagates, and which it wants everyone including members of the administration and student fraternity to uphold and demonstrate. Therefore, there is need for one to conduct comprehensive research about the university they want to join because studying in an environment where one is comfortable of learning at can contribute to their academic success, and to a certain degree, career success.