The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 25

March 9, 2021 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 11 Opinions A Golden Globe Nomination does not mean that a movie is good Textbooks and homework services are overpriced We already pay tuition. On top of that, some homework services are upwards of $100. We are forced to purchase textbooks for some classes and these can be anywhere from $50 and up. If students are already taking out loans and putting themselves in a financial hole, the least that the school could do is buy textbooks for classes and use free homework services. Students put themselves in debt just to be able to attend NSU. Then, they are expected to spend even more money on mandatory homework services and textbooks. Most college students are broke as it is. As a communication major, I haven’t been asked to purchase many services, but my girlfriend,a finance major, is asked to purchase a textbook and homework service for each of her classes. According to a USNews survey in 2019 and 2020, the average undergraduate college student spent $1,240 on books and supplies in one year. Let’s do some math. We know that tuition for NSU students is $16,185 per semester, or $32,370 a year. Even though this number may not be accurate, according to USNews.com, NSU has 20,579 students. Even if we consider that the school has expenses that need to be paid like employee salaries, scholarships or financial aid and taxes, the school has 20,579 students paying $32,370 a year, and that equals an unreal amount of $666,142,230. Earlier this year, singer and songwriter Sia made her directorial debut with the release of the movie “Music,” which attempts to portray Maddie Ziegler as the titular character on the autism spectrum. Variety Magazine described “Music” as “an exceptional film with heart at its core,” but I do not think that ‘heart’ is what is at the core of this film. Instead, this film is steeped in ableism rather than in good intentions. The NationalAutismAssociation called the characterization of autism spectrum disorders as “dangerous and abusive” in response to the use of restraints and seclusion towards the titular character. The presence of restraints in the film are not the only scenes that can trigger viewers who are on the autism spectrum. Sia wrote, “I cast 13 neuroatypical people, three trans folk, and not as prostitutes or drug addicts, but as doctors, nurses and singers. It’s sad nobody’s even seen the dang movie. My heart has always been in the right place.” Clearly, this comment and her other comments in regard to this film show that her heart is not in the right place. Sia can claim that her heart was in the right place the whole time, but this movie was not made with the best interests in mind for neurodivergent communities. Otherwise, Siawould have cast a neurodivergent actress as the titular character and would not have modeled the character after stereotypes of people on the autism spectrum. Ziegler’s character is essentially a parody of autism and serves as nothing more than fodder for her neurotypical sister to feel better about herself. Sia’s characterization treats people with autism spectrum disorder as accessories for neurotypical people rather than as people. Sia’s heart clearly was not in the right place when she refused to heed Considering that 73.8% of NSU’s classes have less than 20 students and 24.9% of classes have 20-49 students, NSU shouldn’t have a difficult time paying for textbooks. Let’s say the school buys 20 textbooks that cost $75 each. If they charge a student $15 to rent it for the semester, the school will recoup their investment in five semesters. Compared to a lot of other schools, the price shouldn’t be as bad due to class size, especially if they are bought in bulk. The only issue I see is that some professors prefer a certain textbook when they are teaching a course. For example, I was taking the same course as a friend, but we had different professors and different textbooks. For the school to pay for textbooks, a solution is to use one book for each subject school wide. Homework services like Pearson and Connect need to be eradicated in general. I understand that they rent their textbooks as part of the purchase, but professors can use Canvas to give quizzes and homework assignments for free. For my 16-week public speaking course, I paid $80 for a textbook rental and some quizzes. To me, this doesn’t make sense when we have access to Canvas that is fully capable of giving quizzes without cost. Overall, I believe NSU should take steps with helping students that are already struggling financially. It’s the least the school could do given students are paying so much to attend. the advice of consultants that had actual experiencewith neurodivergent individuals. Instead, she kept her infantilized view of autism. Now, I do not blame Ziegler for this portrayal. Ziegler was 14 when this movie was filmed. According to the Autisticats, an autism advocacy group, “I also want to emphasize that, while I mention Ziegler frequently in this post because she is the actress portraying the autistic character, this whole fiasco is not her fault. She was only 14 at the time that filming began. The blame lies with Sia and the other members of this project who did not stop this before it got out of hand.” Despite having multiple actors on the autism spectrum audition for the titular role, Sia instead went with casting neurotypical Ziegler in amockery of the autism spectrum that Sia has created. This movie never should have been made in the first place. Sia has no idea what neurodivergent communities go through. She should leave this subject to neurodivergent writers, directors and actors. By: Alexander Martinie Opinions Editor Waiting for the pandemic end As humans, we spend so much of our time waiting for things to be over. “I can’t wait for this class to finish!” “Can this day just end already?” “How much longer will this pandemic last?” While I may have dubbed this past year, “the year I spent inside,’’I feel that, one day, I might reminisce on the days I spent alone at home. I will remember the countless hours spent checking things off my to-do list and taking care of myself and my loved ones. I will try to forget the dark days and learn from the hard ones. It has been stressful, yet monotonous, living through a pandemic, and a lot of us have had to deal with balancing classes and other important tasks. In the blink of an eye, I’ve reached the tail end of another milestone in my academic journey. As my final weeks in college edge closer and graduation appears like the light at the end of a long and dark tunnel, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the adventure that was the last 52 weeks. I may never experience quiet, but loud, peaceful, but chaotic, days like those again. It has been nearly a year since lockdown and it is hard to believe it is already March again. While our spring break may have been reduced to just one day this year, I am hopeful that my lifetime yields plenty of vacation days by the beach. While I await for the COVID-19 cases to drop, more vaccines to roll out and the summer to near, I am going to take what I learned over the course of these 365 days and enjoy this space between where I am and where I am going. I want to live fearlessly and unapologetically. I want to travel and eat around the world. I want to see my parents happy and my brother successful. I want to love and be loved. I will admit to having spent a whole year just waiting for things to just be over, but I remember now how pivotal this time in my life is. To graduate, land a job, move out and take control of the rest of my story. If I don’t start seizing the days now, I will have learned nothing from the woman who spent a year in her home, yearning to begin again. By: Siena Berardi Contributing Writer By: Blake Malick Contributing Writer PRINTED PERMISSION OF C. MCLAUGH- LIN PRINTED PERMISSION OF C. MCLAUGHLIN