It’s also important to acknowledge and appreciate if you have a positive father figure in your life and the influence that they have had on you. This positivity should be celebrated in order to give back to the men who have given so much to us. 

Coming from a Latino background, it is stereotypically expected for the mother to solely care for the children while the father works to provide for the family. Of course, working more can result in less parental involvement. 

Growing up and currently, both of my parents are employed and they are both extremely hard workers. My parents also had me when they were young, which meant that they had to work a little bit harder. 

Although my dad worked graveyard shift hours until recently, he made sure to show up to my events and support my siblings and me. Whether that was driving to school events or coaching an evening soccer game and then heading to work, he always tried his best no matter how exhausted he was.

My dad took a step towards breaking generational cycles and this has resulted in a positive impact in the lives of my siblings and me. 

While all of our experiences vary, the effort our father figures have put in should be recognized. Yes, fathers should have to step up and care for their children but the extra effort really does make a difference. They are working hard to give us a substantially better life experience than they ever had. 

The presence of fathers has been studied and increased presence has correlated with increased IQ development, social abilities and educational outcomes. Although this might be something we do not think about every day, those of us who have had involved fathers should be appreciative, as our fathers have given us the ability to excel even further than we would have on our own. 

My father has encouraged me to pursue my goals and this has led me to be on the path to attain higher education. Without his support and encouragement, I know I would not be where I am today. 

My father instilled qualities in me that I am proud to carry. He taught me the value of hard work, honesty and independence. These qualities have allowed me to succeed in life up to this point and will continue to aid my future endeavors.

His presence has not only impacted me, but also my younger siblings. My dad’s support and goal-oriented mindset have allowed my younger brother to participate in activities my dad could only dream of doing when he was that age. I am sure other fathers have been ecstatic to give their children opportunities that they were unable to have themselves. 

Nobody’s experiences will line up exactly to match another person’s, but by sharing my experiences I hope to encourage others to take a step back and acknowledge what we have been given. It is also a privilege to have a father figure who is active in your life and this should be recognized. 

Although none of our fathers are perfect, we have to remember that it is their first time living too. They are trying their best and of course are bound to slip up sometimes, as any person would. Many of our father figures go about their daily lives with their help and accomplishments unrecognized although they do so much. 

We all carry a piece of our dads with us, whether that is a physical or personality-based trait. Our fathers’ impacts and influences on us should be celebrated. 

Father’s Day is only once a year, but father figures should be celebrated every day so that they know that their hard work and dedication do not go unnoticed. Dads are appreciated! 

Janessa is a sophomore in LAS.

jmosq3@dailyillini.com

The post Opinion | Fathers have an important impact on their children and should be celebrated appeared first on The Daily Illini.

The University hosts an annual Dads Weekend where dads come down and attend sporting events, tailgate and even go to the bars with their kids. Did I ever think I would consider taking my dad to a bar? No. Will I take him this Dads Weekend? Yes. (Maybe).

Coming into college, I had no idea how a lot of its social aspects worked. Last Dads Weekend, I was shocked at how many dads I saw at the bars. I took a trip to get food and observed the changed environment, where middle-aged men drunkenly walked around campus.

It did not click until later that these men were probably reliving their college experiences.

My dad is a Marine Corps veteran who was also a young father. He does not share the typical background of my peers’ fathers.

It struck me when my dad told me, “College was just a delay for going into real life.” In a way he’s right, but not necessarily in the way he meant. 

My dad has always had to work hard in his life to provide for himself and for his family. He has made a successful life for himself. With all his hard work, I don’t know if he has had enough time to relax. 

There are times when I’m with him and he acts like a child. I always attribute this to his inner child being healed, since he did not get to experience a stress-free youth.

From what my dad has mentioned to me, he’s had to figure out a lot on his own to be able to establish himself. Did he figure it out? Yes.

All dads work hard, but some of our dads had to build their lives from the ground up with no foundation to start with. 

My father’s success and hard work allowed my siblings and me to pursue our passions and further our education. I would not be where I am today if it weren’t for him. I want to help my dad heal his inner child so that he is able to enjoy this stage of his life to the fullest. After everything he’s done for my siblings and me, he at least deserves that.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Hispanics are overrepresented in industries requiring manual labor: farming, fishing, forestry, building, grounds cleaning, maintenance and construction.  

A study by researchers at the Economic Policy Institute also found that wages for Hispanic men trailed behind comparable white men regardless of degree-holding status. In 2016, the wage gap between Hispanic and white men with degrees was 20.1%. At 14.9%, this gap is even wider than the gap between Hispanic men without college degrees and their white counterparts.

Hispanic men taking on the role of breadwinners for their families is an uphill battle. They work hard to send their children to college so that we can prosper.

The idea of even looking at alcohol in front of my parents is outrageous to me. My purpose in college isn’t to drink or party — I’m here to make a future for myself and for my family.

Truthfully, I was embarrassed to invite my dad to Dads Weekend last year because I did not know how he would react to what was going on socially. However, my mindset has now changed and I want to invite him to experience what that aspect of student life is like at Illinois. 

A lot of people who I have talked to share this sentiment. We do not want our fathers to get a negative idea of university, or just feel like it’ll be awkward to have them down here. We also feel like they might not want to come. Coming down to Champaign is a long trip and can detract from hours at work.

However, an invitation goes a long way. Our dads might be willing to make the trip and they might even miss us a little bit. After all, we don’t live at home anymore and I’m sure they aren’t as sick of us as when we lived there. 

I’m sure we all want to know whether our dads are KAMS or Red Lion guys.

I don’t know how much he will like it, but I at least want him to get a slight idea of what goes on here. He gave me his world and now I will give him pieces of mine. 

Janessa is a sophomore in LAS.

jmosq3@dailyillini.com

The post Opinion | Why I’m taking my dad to KAMS appeared first on The Daily Illini.

These cultural houses, most of which reside on Nevada Street, can be great resources for the student body, but they are so much more than that.

For many students, the University is a lonely and odd place that is not similar to our home environments at all. These cultural houses provide a space for students to form a community with those who share a similar background.

In my own experience as a Latina student at this institution, I have found comfort and reassurance within the community at La Casa.

I come from a traditional Mexican family. We are very family-oriented and can always count on each other, whether it be financially, with child care or, honestly, anything — I was raised by a network of strong, reliable women.

Obviously, at school, I am on my own and without the luxury of my family at my fingertips. I came here expecting that I’d have to figure this whole “college” thing out for not only myself, but also my family. I am sure many students face similar pressures.

Through various programs and La Casa Alliance of Student Organizations at La Casa, I have been able to build my own family, despite being away from home. My close friends from high school have also gotten involved with La Casa, and we have formed a tightknit community among ourselves. Spanish, which was something I only used to hear at home, is spoken here too.

It can be scary changing lifestyles, but these resources make it less so.

La Casa has provided me with a network which led me to find a research assistant position aligned with my culture, my sorority and peers who have helped me with my academic journey. I would be lost on campus without La Casa as a resource.

I have grown to be more confident in myself, and I know that if I had not been exposed to La Casa, I would be less comfortable with my identity on this campus.

I imagine that my story with La Casa is similar to other students’ experiences who have gotten involved within their communities, and specifically these cultural houses. Without this space, I would not be where I am today, academically or socially.

Historically underrepresented minority students include those of Hispanic/Latiné/o/a, African American and Native American descent. The term “historically underrepresented” refers to those groups who have struggled to attain access to higher education within the United States. 

We tend to face barriers in our journey to pursuing higher education; these may set us back, but they certainly do not stop us. These cultural houses provide our student population with resources that we would otherwise not have access to.

These spaces allow us to grow within our identities and feel comfortable with who we are. We are able to build our own families here within the walls of these cultural houses and given the tools to blossom academically and individually.

Janessa is a sophomore in LAS.

jmosq3@dailyillini.com

The post DI Voices | UIʼs cultural houses provide invaluable family, community appeared first on The Daily Illini.

When it comes to Dining Dollars and meal swipes, the University is stingy. 

Dining Dollars can roll over to the following week, but they cap off at a certain limit, while meals do not roll over — why? Meal swipes should be able to roll into the following week and be converted into Dining Dollars.

The University’s Dining Dollar policy is problematic because first-year students are required to pay for campus housing and a meal plan. The cheapest meal and room plan for 2023-24 new undergraduate students is the Traditional Hall without air conditioning at $11,016. This price is for a quad bedroom with the Room & 12 Classic Meals + 15 Dining Dollars plan. 

But most students do not opt for the cheapest room plan. Rather, they go for a double in a Traditional Hall with air conditioning, so this means that they are paying even more than the $11,016. If a freshman student opts to dorm in Weston, Hopkins, Scott or Snyder this upcoming fall semester, they would be paying $12,576 solely for the meal plan and housing.

This goes into the issue of the meal plan. Just as Dining Dollars roll over, meal swipes should do the same. Even if half of the meal swipes were banked into the next week that would suffice. 

Last week, I had 10 meal swipes at the end of the week. Who’s to say I wasn’t going to eat 17 meals this week? I could have eaten 17 meals this week if even half of my meal swipes had rolled over.

I’m sure there are busy students who would also benefit from meal swipes being exchanged into the equivalent Dining Dollar value. Due to a lack of time, it’s difficult some days to stop into the dining hall; this is a universal issue for undergraduates with a meal plan. 

There should be an option to convert meal swipes into Dining Dollars, even if it is the base breakfast price of $8.78. This would help ensure that students are eating throughout the day, and it would benefit students who are constantly on the go.

It is also important to take into consideration the financial aspect of the meal plans. For students paying out of pocket, the cost is extremely expensive. For the 2023-24 academic year, the 12 Classic Meals + 15 Dining Dollars per week — the cheapest meal plan offered universally — comes in at about $5,234 per academic year for University residents and $5,705.06 for nonresidents.

Even for students who have the cost covered with scholarships or aid, the dining plans should be able to be used to their fullest extent, because if not, that is more money wasted by students and in the University’s pocket.

For the 2023-24 academic year, there is a cheaper plan of only six meals per week at $2,701.02 if one is not a University resident, and $2,478 for residents. The resident plan is only offered to upperclassmen and graduate students who reside in Taft, Van Doren, Sherman, Daniels or University Apartments. 

In reality, eating only six times per week is not reasonable. If someone is looking for the cheapest meal plan because that’s all they can afford, this can lead to food insecurity. 

When comparing our meal plan to Indiana University’s meal plan, we fall short. Their dining options are similarly priced to ours, but they have the option for a meal exchange and slightly more Dining Dollars compared to us. While this option is still not what would be ideal for students, it is better than our dining plan.

The University should allow for meal swipes to roll over to the following week and to be converted into Dining Dollars. Issues of food insecurity, financial difficulty and the required room and dining plan are problems that should not exist at a well-funded university. Student well-being ought to be the University’s highest priority. 

We should not be going hungry throughout our days, and the University should make an effort to accommodate the busy lives of our student population.

Janessa is a freshman in LAS.

jmosq3@dailyillini.com

The post Opinion | UI’s meal plans are in desperate need of overhaul appeared first on The Daily Illini.

No matter where we come from or who we are, stereotypes affect all of us. Falling into the slippery slope of conforming to a stereotype — whether consciously or subconsciously — is something that can lead to further issues such as poor mental health. 

It is unfortunate that people feel pressured to fit into certain categories due to societal standards.

Stereotypes can target identities such as gender, race, sexuality — basically, anything you can think of.

Stereotypes tend to originate from some kind of truth. However, over time, these stereotypes can be manipulated into incorrect and sometimes bigoted opinions that target the group involved.

A common stereotype is that blondes are dumb. Obviously, this is a misconception that can have a negative effect on those who are blonde.

The societal pressure to fit into certain stereotypes strips away individuality. It causes people to develop low self-esteem because they do not fit the criteria of what they are “supposed to be.”

Why would a blonde person act dumb? Because society thinks they are.

Similarly, there are stigmas surrounding Latina women, who have been labeled or assumed that they would act a certain way. As someone who is Latina, I notice these things daily and in the lives of my other Latina friends.

According to stereotypes, Latinas are spicy, exotic, ditzy, uneducated, loud, lacking proficiency in English, promiscuous and Hot Cheeto girls.

There is a laundry list of other things that Latinas are associated with, and the stereotypes that I mentioned were just the ones that I have heard the most often.

I have seen these stereotypes harm the Latina community countless times. We are commonly put down, generalized and shamed if we fall into these categories and then shamed if we don’t match these “criteria.” Nothing ever seems to be enough.

This leads to the interpersonal expectancy effect or the self-fulfilling prophecy. Basically, the expectations that others hold of you, whether negative or positive, affect behavior.

In other words, if society tells us to conform, then we will conform to those stigmas.

With the growth of social media, we have to be aware that these perceptions are reaching children. Children should be working on finding themselves instead of trying to fit into a mold. 

The need to conform spills into adolescence and possibly even adulthood, which is simply tragic.

Even if a stereotype does seem to apply to you, who cares? For example, I eat and enjoy Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Does that make me a Hot Cheeto girl? No. 

I am social and talkative and in touch with my culture, but if these traits were applied to anyone else, it would not be seen as falling into a negative Latina stereotype. This would just be seen as normal behavior.

This is a specific example that affects my daily life, but there are millions of other harmful stereotypes that affect countless other ethnic, racial and social groups.

I know that I am so many other things than what people say I am. Everyone is more than what society tells them to be.

Today, the constant perpetuation of stereotypes contributes to a lack of progress in our society. While there might be times when you are the victim of a stereotype, keep in mind that you could be pushing that idea onto others as well.

I leave you with this advice: Let yourselves live. Let others live.

Take ownership of your individuality; do not feel like you have to be forced into a certain character.

Love who you are because you want to be that way — do not force yourself into loving someone who is not you.

Janessa is a freshman in LAS.

jmosq3@dailyillini.com

The post Opinion | Stereotypes create harmful expectations appeared first on The Daily Illini.