Found at: http://www.yclusa.org/article/articleprint/1664/-1/301/

Red Alert: Take Action
Top level Dynamic Magazine Back Issues 2005 - March

Author: Dynamic Committee

Publishing date: 15.03.2005 17:48

Take Action! on the issues!



THE PRESIDENT SAYS:
‘KEEP YOUR LEGS CROSSED’

A Congressional report on the content of federally funded ‘abstinence-only’ sex-ed programs recently found that over 80% of the curricula used in these programs contain “false, misleading or distorted information.�

Programs reaching millions of young people in 25 states wildly exaggerate condom failure rates in preventing pregnancy or STDS. One falsely states: “the popular claim that condoms prevent the spread of STDs is not supported by the data.� Another claims that HIV can be spread through sweat or tears. Several rely on outdated sources to mislead with claims that abortion causes sterility, birth defects and depression.

They also present gender stereotypes as fact, stating that women are weak and need protection, while men are aggressive and need admiration. One curriculum comments on gender using an allegory of a man as a ‘knight in shining armor’ who wants to rescue ‘his princess.’ He loses his knightly confidence when she offers to help him slay the dragon: ‘He would have preferred to use his own sword.’ The moral? Women should keep their mouths shut, unless they’re stroking men’s swords, er, egos.

All of these claims are inconsistent with scientific findings and medical textbooks, not to mention common sense. Yet the Bush administration plans to spend $170 million to fund these programs next year.

Take action! Go to www.saveroe.org

IMMIGRANT STUDENTS FIGHT
FOR EDUCATION


www.nakasec.org
In a two-week fast and vigil this past September, immigrant students and allies showed their commitment to passing the DREAM Act, which would provide access to public higher education and a path to permanent legal status for students who were brought to this country as undocumented immigrant children.

Congress failed to act on passing the DREAM Act this past session.
But over the past few years, a nationwide movement in favor of the legislation has held hundreds of rallies, gathered more than 100,000 petitions, met with members of Congress, gathered compelling case examples, held press conferences, written letters, made tens of thousands of phone calls, started independent organizations, and more.

Photos and information from the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium, www.nakasec.org

Photos and information from the National Korean American Service and Education Consortium, www.nakasec.org

WHAT THE PELL?

Over the holidays, the Department of Education made changes in the formula that determines eligibility for federal financial aid. What does this surprise Christmas present mean for students? The change seems minor – it calculates a family's income using different tax tables – but the new formula doesn't reflect reality or alleviate the already astronomical cost of higher education.

According to the American Council on Education, 1.5 million students will receive smaller Pell Grant awards than they would otherwise be eligible to receive, and an additional 84,000 students will lose eligibility for Pell Grants altogether.

The Pell Grant is the main source of federal financial aid for low-income students, and 90 percent of the families receiving help through the program earn less than $35,000 a year. The new $327 million in cuts constitutes insult to injury: the maximum grant remains frozen at a piddling $4,050: only one-third the average cost of a year of college.

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