Can’t Stop the Serenity

Charity fundraisers are awesome because they give me an opportunity to meet a community of people who are willing to give their time, concern and/or money to causes I believe in. It’s also a great way to network with like-minded individuals.

Last night, I attended the Can’t Stop the Serenity charity screening of Joss Whedon’s Serenity, hosted by the Mile High Browncoats as a tribute to Joss and his efforts in supporting the advocacy group Equality Now. Serenity is one of my favorite movies, and all proceeds above cost from the event were to benefit EN, which works to end violence and discrimination against women and girls around the world. Men are also highly impacted by their work, as they stand to benefit a great deal from their tremendous efforts.

The screening was at the Tivoli in Denver, and it was PACKED. I attended the 8pm screening, and met some really cool folks while standing in line and waiting for the 5pm group to leave. I saw old people, young people, coupled people, single people, some people dressed in jeans and t-shirts and some people dressed in costumes and full-length gowns. It was awesome. One woman behind me commented on how cool it was to see so many “sci-fi geeks in one place”. Yeah!

Before the movie began, we watched a short film featuring Meryl Streep (on behalf of Equality Now), and Joss, in honor of his mother Jessica. After Meryl spoke, Joss gave the audience several answers to a question he is asked over and over again, “Why do you keep writing such strong female characters into your stories?” Joss answered, “Because of my mother”, “Because of my father”, “Because they’re hot” and “Because you’re still asking me that question instead of asking the other 100 guys over there why they’re not.” Well said.

Overall, the night was a lot of fun and very empowering. It was great to be in the presence of men and women who love sci-fi and support strong, healthy women and men. It’s not about overpowering each other, it’s about respecting each other’s ability to be strong and supportive. Like my Auntie Vivian used to always say, “When I am strong, my family, my home and my community are strong.”

At some moments, I felt like I was on the red carpet . The highlight of the evening was being invited by Wes to the Afterparty in downtown, but I had to regrettably decline. Thanks to the MHB and all the organizers and volunteers for a great event!

Happy Summer!

Life, the Universe, and Everything.

Let’s try a quick recap of what’s been going on:

• School is going well. Homework and exams began rolling in at a regular pace a few weeks ago, so it feels real. I’m pretty confident about my ability to maintain high marks this semester. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the grant I was hoping for. That was disappointing, especially since I was told on several occasions that I had it. The most frustrating part was waiting—almost 2 months of being told it’s coming, to end with “Oops, sorry, no it’s not.”—which launched me into a long, pedantic dissertation on the unreliable state of education funding today. Don’t worry; I’ve spared this blog the gory details . If you’re interested, though, shoot me a note. I’d be happy to commiserate some more.
• New place: So yeah, since I didn’t get fully funded this year, I’m moving at the end of this month to less-expensive digs.

The Tree of Knowledge…the Money Tree, that is.

I looked at the front page of the local newspaper on Sunday, and the headline read “Students Burdened By Debt”. This article comes at a time when university tuition rates have increased again (up 4% from the previous school year for a total of 55% since 2003), and federal aid for students has remained low. To add another shoe to the backs of some, the state, to compensate for some of its losses, has also announced policy changes that will shift chunks of money traditionally given to graduate research programs over to undergraduate students. This will seriously affect the quality of research at the university level, not to mention the incentive for many students to continue study beyond the undergraduate level. Often, the most important factor in a student’s choice of graduate school is the level of funding offered.

I find patronizing the rhetoric that comes from analysts and policy makers, who say that, in an international comparison, our country is sliding down the academic ladder; that our students don’t try hard enough; and that they are less educated and less equipped to succeed professionally as a result. My response to their accusations is this: show us, the students, where your priorities lie! Yes, I believe that education is a value best taken to its fullest potential, but when will those with the means to accelerate the learning process in this country stop making excuses, stop witholding their resources, and start putting their money (or their policies, or their curricula) where their mouths are? We live in a country where the “dream” has turned into the belief that every person is an island unto themselves. In light of this, how can it be fair to judge students as a collective body, when there is a poor collective effort on our behalf? Quite the opposite is what we see. Higher education is once again becoming a luxury that fewer can afford and fewer are content with having chosen to pursue. Who will step up and say enough is enough?