13. What are your thoughts about Xavier and its mission after your first semester? Sunday, Nov 27 2011

As the first semester at Xavier is coming to an end, I can’t say that I won’t be happy it’s over. I like Xavier and its teachers, but some of my experiences at Xavier may have tainted my feelings for how I feel about coming back for yet another semester. Right now, I can only hope that the next semester would go along a little more smoothly. Other than that, I think that Xavier is a nice university and the teachers definitely know what they’re doing. I love the way that the curriculum was set up, in that everything we learned correlated so while I was learning something in one class, it went along with the thing that I was learning in another class. I realize that that may not have worked out the same way for other people but that is just a good lesson for next semester when planning classes. The lesson being that you should pick classes in the same level, at least for the classes in the sciences. The only thing that I would change about Xavier is the school spirit. While there are events and things that go on around the campus, there is nothing really spectacular. I wish there was more spontaneity. While someone running around in school colors may seem crazy, it’s also funny and it’ll have people talking and excited about the school they go to. Another BIG example for me was “homecoming.” Everyone remembers homecoming in high school as one of the funnest times of the high school career and you come to college and you expect it to be kinda the same but it’s NOTHING alike. I wish that it could be made bigger, and that there could be events that people could do in school like dressing up or something.

After the first semester, my thoughts on the mission is that it is a good one. I am all for human compassion and being passionate about helping others in the community. I just wish that everyone would recognize and try to live by the mission and let it inspire them or lead them to becoming a better person.

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12. What did you think of the book Fast Food Nation? Sunday, Nov 27 2011

I think Fast Food Nation was a very informative book. Although I already knew of some of the dangers of eating fast food from movies such as Supersize Me, it was good to get a reminder of what was going on with our food. I don’t eat fast food all that often, but hopefully it has affected someone else’s decision to cut down on the amount of fast food that they consume. While changing my entire diet is a lot to ask of myself, I will try to commit to eating less junk and even less fast food in hopes that I will become healthier. I wish there was more of an opportunity for us to educate other people on eating healthy. It was such an honor to be able to actually see Schlosser. It’s kind of like the man behind the book. I love that he took the time out to come and speak to us in hopes that he could convince us to make a change in our communities, which is what Xavier is all about. Therefore, Fast Food Nation was a perfect book for Xavier and it freshman students, especially as an introduction to the school and learning its statement. The only thing that I wish would change would be us, as students, making a difference on our own campus. It was brought up in FRSM class about the monopoly that SODEXO has as being our ONLY food provider, and the food provider most of the school in New Orleans. It was also brought to our attention as to how unhealthy their food was, so it would’ve been great if we could’ve taken the idea of changing that further. I, for one, would love to have more food options besides the $7 it costs to eat in the cafeteria or the overpriced snacks in the café.

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Send an email to your favorite teacher at Xavier thanking them for their work. Friday, Oct 28 2011

Dr. Privett,
In my FRSM class, I was given the assignment to write to a favorite teacher at Xavier thanking them, so I chose you. Chemistry was never my favorite subject, probably because I was never good at it, but I’m surprised that I do well on quizzes and drills and I can only contribute my success to a great teacher. Thank you so much for making the Chemistry Lecture class interesting, because if it were boring, I don’t think I would pay attention. Your enthusiasm that you bring every day to class is very helpful in getting me motivated and excited about doing whatever module we are working on that day. I know that it’s probably hard on you having to deal with soooo many freshmen at one time for an hour and fifteen minutes but your enthusiasm never seems to decrease. In time, I hope that your positive attitude about chemistry will rub off on me so that I can continue to be a good chem student in my future years at Xavier.

Her response(I was surprised at how quickly she wrote back!):
Jimira,
Thank you for your kind words! You made my Friday! I don’t think I can take credit for your success. I believe your hard work and excellent attitude are the major factors.
Thanks again!
Dr. P

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How do automobiles and interstates play a role in spreading the fast food culture? Friday, Oct 28 2011

Automobiles and interstates are a way of connecting people over long distances. The revolution in transport has been essential to globalization all over the world. First, there were boats which were able to get people across long distances by water, but it wasn’t very quick, so people advanced to the steamboat. Traveling by land was also revolutionized with the production of trains and automobiles. Today, we have some of the most technologically advanced cars, and they are only getting smarter. There are interstates throughout the United States that makes it easy to get to even the most remote places. This makes it easier for people to be able to bring goods that may be specific to one place, to other places. This spread of culture has become traditional in the sense that everyone is taking part in it. Networks like QVC and online shopping take advantage of the transport system we have by advertising certain products, and by calling a number or filling out an order form online, your product can be delivered to you by plane, train, or automobile.
In the fast food world, one person came up with the idea to simplify the restaurant process and applied that principle to all of the restaurants he/she owned. Other business men and restaurant owners were able to travel to those places and see compare the way their restaurant was being ran. Once people started to see how easy and efficient it was to add a drive through and set their menu to set items, they started using that method. The process continued until the fast food culture was established and many different restaurants offered the same services. This was appealing to people because not only could they walk into a restaurant (or drive) and know the process, but they also get a variety of foods to choose from at different places that boast about the uniqueness and quality of service of their restaurant.

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Do you think Katherine Drexel would be happy with Xavier today? Why or why not? Thursday, Oct 6 2011

Katherine Drexel dedicated her life by becoming a nun to helping other people. She did so by using her own wealth, which is another way she exemplifies her extreme lack of selfishness. She was very involved in the civil rights movement but she was not only an advocate for the advancement of African Americans, but also Native American people. In 1925, she founded Xavier University, following the establishment Xavier University Preparatory School. Xavier University was not a large school and began with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Today, the College of Arts and Sciences is one of the most popular in the college. I believe that Sister Katherine Drexel would be very pleased with the success that Xavier has attained and the number of not only African Americans, but also people of other races that have come here and succeeded. Also, the college’s dedication to community outreach through different clubs and organizational programs is in some form a way of paying it forward because students get a great education. I think it is important because students have the opportunity to not only get an education that will not only allow them to be able to go to medical school and get jobs, but they can also use their knowledge to help others and teach other people what they know. This is where the mission statement can be seen. The mission statement was also based on Katherine Drexel’s ideas and beliefs so the fact that Xavier puts such a heavy focus on following the mission statement would also make Katherine Drexel very happy. While there are some not so proud moments at Xavier, I think overall that this school is very unique because of the value that everyone has for education and service. Overall, Sister Katherine Drexel would be happy with the institution that Xavier has become.

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Does the author have a political agenda? Give examples to support your claim. Wednesday, Oct 5 2011

Of course Schlosser has a political agenda; his goal for writing this book was to not only tell about how fast food restaurants have grown and develop over years, but also to expose large corporations that have now come to run major fast-food chains. Many of these corporations make money through the exploitation of children, unhealthy food, and through the mistreatment of their employees. By writing this book, Schlosser exposes all of these practices.

In Fast Food Nation, Schlosser shows how children are being targeted by fast- food restaurants. For example, the infamous clown by McDonald’s, names Ronald McDonald that was used to attract kids, especially through the cartoon that was later added. Also, McDonald’s attracts kids with “Happy Meals” that entice children with the promise of a toy from the latest movie or game craze. This is proving to be a very smart tactic by corporations but it is having an adverse effect on children’s health. They face not only long-term, but also immediate threats to their health. Research now shows that severely obese American children, aged six to ten, are now dying from heart attacks.

Unhealthy food doesn’t only affect children, but also adults. Many fast-food restaurants use harmful preservatives. Also, the food productions in factories have been shown to have some of the worst conditions. Even worse are the places that restaurants, like KFC, get their chicken from. Many times the chicken are kept in cages and fed, because of their immobility, the chicken are fat and unhealthy and it doesn’t even matter to the farmer, because they are only concerned with getting the most meat that can be obtained so that they will get more money.

Mistreatment of employees is also a huge problem. Corporations try to trick their employees into working as many hours as they can, for the least amount of money. Corporations know that they are wrong because they spend millions every year to go to great extents to prevent unionizing by hiring special agents and coming up with different tactics to control the situations.

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In the readings for last week, Schlosser writes about a man named Kenny. Write about someone you know who has suffered parallel misfortunes. Wednesday, Oct 5 2011

Kenny Dobbins was a Monfort employee for almost sixteen years. He had been working there since he was twenty-four. One day Kenny fell against the conveyor belt and it pierced his lower back but when he went to the company’s doctor, he was told it was only a pulled muscle. For the next few months, although he was in pain he still continued to work until finally he wanted to get another doctor’s opinion. This doctor told him that he had a herniated disk. He had surgery but the pain wasn’t fully alleviated. He returned to the slaughterhouse after fourteen months but they wanted him gone. So that he would quit, the company increased his workload and Kenny’s lungs were also damaged due to the harsh chemicals at his job. Later, Kenny got hit by a train and went to work two weeks later and he then broke his leg at the job. Kenny had a heart attack and the company finally fired him. After sixteen years, he didn’t receive any compensation to help him sustain any kind of life.

Unfortunately, many people suffer parallel misfortunes, maybe not as bad as Kenny, but to some degree where the life is totally turned upside- down. An example that I can think of is John McCain. While I may not be McCain’s biggest fan I have heard of what he has been through while fighting in Vietnam. If you have seen McCain, you may have noticed some of his stiff movements of his arm. While fighting in the war, John McCain wasn’t known as the best or most experienced flier, but on one mission, his plane was shot down and he landed in a lake, breaking both his arms and his left leg. Later, after being taken out of the water he was tortured by his Vietnamese captors.

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What factors have hurt small family farmers and benefitted giant corporate farms? Wednesday, Oct 5 2011

Over the years, giant corporate farmers have become more of a threat to small family farmers. Family farms are, as the name suggests, usually run by a family that choose to grow their own crops from start to finish. Giant corporate farms are controlled by corporations that regulate their crops from seed to crop to factory and distribution on a very large scale. Corporate farming is also known as agribusiness and is seen as the destroyer of the family farm. There are many advantages to family farms, such as being able to know exactly who is growing your food and having the crops being more closely tended to, but large fast food chains and restaurants usually prefer to get their food from giant corporate farms that are able to more easily mass produce crops. This mass production is advantageous for giant corporate farmers because if they can produce more, they can sell more and get more money. Small family farms can’t compete with the amount of crops and have to rely on selling to smaller, local businesses. Another factor that makes giant corporate farms more successful is that because they make more money, they can afford to get better equipment that would aid in farming, whereas small farmers can’t afford large machines because they don’t a profit big enough to pay it off. With bigger machines and more money, corporate farms can afford more land to continuously expand. Small family farms don’t make as much money so they are more reluctant to expand. Expanding wouldn’t do small family farms any good because they still wouldn’t have the buyers for the crops. Even now, small family farms struggle to sell their food. Before long, they are out of time before the crops rot or spoil. This is all a dangerous cycle that will only lead to the extermination of small family farms.

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What is your favorite class at Xavier and why? Thursday, Sep 15 2011

My favorite class at Xavier is Sociology because I like to learn and study about the cultures of different people. I know that the culture in New Orleans is so unique so I like to learn about other people’s cultures that are also unique. I also would like to travel when I get older so I think it would be good to gain knowledge of the places now so that I know what to expect when I go there. It would be helpful to know about some of their customs so that I don’t offend anyone. For example I would love to go to Brazil when I get older but in my Sociology class, recently, I learned that there are a lot of impoverished people in Brazil. While a wealthy class of people does exist, the margin between the people is very wide. Also, there is little value on women and there are “honor killings” where the husbands kill their wives if they feel they have been disgraced. Although that was years ago, I don’t know if some of the people still have the same ideology as they had back then. Also in Sociology, I like how it is very laid back and you can choose whether you want to be active in the class or not because Dr. Lee doesn’t force you to participate. My class is a great class also because I know a couple of people in the class so I don’t dread going to a boring class because if I do get bored I can just look over to someone and talk to them. Maybe not a long conversation, but enough so that I can wake myself up with a laugh and then get back to the lecture and taking notes. Overall, the class is a great class and my teacher isn’t bad either but I’m afraid for the midterm because we haven’t taken a quiz yet so I don’t know how he likes to format his questions.

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How did Sinclair’s The Jungle (1906) dramatically change the food industry? Will this book Fast Food Nation do the same? Why or why not? Thursday, Sep 8 2011

Upton’s Sinclair’s The Jungle was the first book that showed into the lives of American immigrants through true depictions of their struggle to survive in impoverished communities, their harsh living conditions and work conditions. As people read the book, they were shocked that this was happening, especially the horrid conditions in the meatpacking industry. People were concerned with the condition of their food after reading about the accidents that lead to having human parts ground in with their meat. People were also concerned with the exploitation of women and children in the factories. These revelations would help in the push in the dramatic change in the food industry during the early 20th century. Sinclair exposed the food industry’s dangerous practices, work conditions, and the wages for the workers, which were far too low and not enough compensation for the work they were doing. President Roosevelt did not have much respect for Sinclair but after sending two of his own men to inspect the Chicago factories and hearing their reports and also after much push from the public, some legislation was passed. The first was the passage of the Meat Inspection Act and then, the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, which established the Bureau of Chemistry that would become the Food and Drug Administration in 1930.

Fast Food Nation will not have the same impact as The Jungle had in the 1900s, because now people are already aware of the work conditions and are fighting for better regulation of their food. The only difference between the two books is that Fast Food Nation is more contemporary in that it focuses on the fast food industry, which serves as a major food provider for much of the United States. The most that Fast Food Nation will is make the informed more informed because no one who is not concerned would bother to pick this book up. While some things may have been changed because of the publishing of this book and its movie counterpart, many things remain the same because of the lack of the overwhelming support and publicity that The Jungle was able to capture.

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