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Dispatches from a Struggling Buddhist Studies Graduate Student

Thursday, July 28, 2011

PBS Post: American Experience - The Stonewall Uprising

For almost two years now, about half of the television programs I watch come from PBS.  Mostly, it is a mixture of NOVA, Frontline, Nature, and American Experience; all of which are available for online viewing here.

So, I have decided every once in a while that I will post a link to one of their videos available online and share my thoughts.

The first video I would like to share is from American Experience about the Stonewall Uprising and the start of the gay rights movement.


Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Student Loans Will Own My Soul

Among the other statistics in the article, The Chronicle of Higher Education notes that graduate students in master's programs in particular are relying more on student loans to finance their education.  

It is a problem that is likely to grow with budget cuts, especially for us in the humanities.  As a soon-to-be second year MA student, by the this time next year I will owe the government nearly $30,000 in student loans.  And if I am unable to secure funding for the year after next through either a fellowship or as a TA or PA, that number will grow.  Especially the Wisconsin state government is has slashed $125 million in funding from the UW system and has raised tuition 5.5% this upcoming school year alone, with other rises in tuition in the coming years likely.  

I am not alone.  Of the other people I know who are in school for graduate degrees, many of them have had to take out some sort of student loan to pay for tuition or to make ends meet financially.  Luckily, I was able to avoid taking out any student loans while I was an undergrad, and have avoided the situation of two of my friends who both owe over $100,000 in loans.  Most of those come from unsubsidized loans, which accrue interest even when you are in school.  

More than the weak housing market, the national debt ceiling, or credit card debt, student loans are the elephant in the room that could easily ruin the economic future for my generation.  Thankfully I own a tent and a hiking backpack, so I am at least prepared for life in the Hoovervilles. 

Sexual Abuse in American Theravada Temples

This is disgusting:
The meeting took place at Wat Dhammaram, a cavernous Theravada Buddhist temple on the southwest edge of Chicago. A tearful 12-year-old told three monks how another monk had turned off the lights during a tutoring session, lifted her shirt and kissed and fondled her breasts while pressing against her, according to a lawsuit. 
Shortly after that meeting, one of the monks sent a letter to the girl's family, saying the temple's monastic community had resolved the matter, the lawsuit says.
The "wrong doer had accepted what he had done," wrote P. Boonshoo Sriburin, and within days would "leave the temple permanently" by flying back to Thailand.
I recommend reading the whole article, as it talks about how the monks responsible for the sexual assaults are able to avoid capture and sentencing, as well as the lack of accountability coming from the Sangha officials in both America and the country of the temple's origin.

New Site, Same Site

I moved my blog from its original blogger site to connect it to my newer Google account, and hopefully update it more often.  To any of my old readers who followed me here, welcome back.  And to any new readers, welcome.