AUSTIN GONZALEZ opinion@technewsiit.com | Tuesday, February 1 6th, 201 6 TechNews STUDENTNEWSPAPER OF ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY SINCE 1 92 8 McCormick Tribune Campus Center Room 221 3201 South State Street Chicago, Illinois 60616 E-mail: editor@technewsiit.com Website: http://www.technewsiit.com STAFF Editor-in-Chief Anoopa Sundararajan Opinion Editor Austin Gonzalez IT Manager Kristal Copeland Copy Editors Kristal Copeland Kayleigh Stevens Annie Zorn Layout Editors Kori Bowns Sijia Wu )(iaoyu Zhang Annie Zorn Distribution Manager Khaleela Zaman Financial Advisor Vickie Tolbert Faculty Advisor Gregory Pulliam MISSION STATEMENT Our mission is to promote student discussion and bolster the HT community by providing a newspaper that is highly accessible, a stalwart of journalistic integrity, and a student forum. TechNewsisadedicated to the beliefthatastrong campus newspaper is essential to a strong campus community. GENERAL INFORMATION TechNews is written, managed, and edited by the students of, and funded in part by, Illinois Institute of Technology. The material herein does not necessarily reflectthe opinions of Illinois Institute of Technology or the editors, staff, and advisor of TechNews.Therewill be no censorship ofTechNews publication by the faculty or staff of HT. Sole authority and responsibility for publication and adherencetothevaluesset forthinthis policyrests with the TechNews staff. This paper seeks to bring together the various segments of the Illinois Tech communityand strives through balanceand content to achieve a position of respect and excellence. TechNews strives for professionalism with due respect to the intellectual values ofthe university and its community.Allmaterialsubmitted becomes the property of TechNews, and is subject to any editorial decisions deemed necessary. SUBMISSIONS TechNews is published on the Tuesday of each week of the academic year. Deadline for all submissions and announcements is 11:59 pm. on the Friday prior to publication. Articles, photos, and illustrations must be submitted electronically to the TechNews website at technewsiit.com. EDITORIAL POLICY The editors reserve the right to determine if submitted material meets TechNews' policy and standards. For more information about our editorial standards, please email assteditor@technewsiit.com. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters to the editor may be submitted by anyone, but are subject to review by the Editor-in-Chief. All letters-to-the-editor become the property of TechNews upon submission. TechNews does not accept or publish anonymous letters or stories. ADVERTISING Legitimate paid advertisements, from within or outside the HT community, which serve to produce income for the paper, are accommodated. TechNews holds the right to deny any advertisement unsuitable for publication. Media Kits are available upon request. Ad space is limited and is taken on a first-come, first-serve basis. Contact the Business Manager at business@ technewsiit.com for more information. LOCAL 8' NATIONAL ADVERTISERS To place an ad, contact us via email at business@technewsiit.com. Can you imagine? Yusra Sarhan TECHN EWS WRITER When I think about the year 2016, I experience a bittersweet feeling that I haven’t felt before. I’m happy that 2016 is a new beginning, but I can’t help feeling a little trepidation, knowing that there are many communities moving forward with heavy hearts because they feel that they have been treated unjustly In 2015, how many protests have happened because someone was killed who had every right to still be with us today? How many lives have been lost to brutal attacks and shootings? How many times have you turned on your TV and seen thousands of people fleeing waretorn zones or listened to people argue about refugees? How many times have you watched presidential candidates try to gain momentum by putting down millions of underrepresented people? Aren’t you tired of it? As a Muslim American, I knowl am. It is diflicult to dream while there are fearemongering leaders tearing at my American fabric. I am judged before I even open my mouth. People look at me differently, and I do not always feel safe in public. The list of hindrances myself and people like me face goes on, nevertheless. However, I must imagine something better Before I become a successful leader, I must envision myself as a successful leader. I must go beyond the constriction of what I see around me to paint a brighter vision that will fuel my dreams and passions. I can, I am, and I will. If you are a leader; a person who wants to make a difference; an individual who desires to be heard without being judged based solely on ethnicity, color, or religion; or a person who wants to leave behind a positive legacy; l have a message for you: it was not our choice to be in the situations in which we find ourselves. None of us wish to be divided Ema; email editor@technewsiit.com oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo and pitted against one another What we can control is our reaction and the roles we take within our sphere of influence. Will you embrace the responsibility of taking on a positive impactful role in creating a more just future? Will you do so with pride and dignity? I’m not saying you should start a long and arduous journey to achieve social justice in every area, but you should do what you can within your sphere of influence. Regardless of how small or large your influence is, it does exist. We might not change the world, but we can take action to advocate for social justice within our families, our schools, our temples, our cities, and so on. Every leader is unique and has his/her own way of saying “I can." To utilize every leader’s strengths, we first have to be brave enough to imagine, to dream with purpose to create a better future. Are you capable of imagining? gmagmgawvnme 3&5 @QBWE é FREAKY FAST SINIIWIBHES SERIOUS DELIVERY!TM * JIMMYJOHNS.¢0M * T0 EINII THE LOCATION NEAREST YIN] VISIT JIMMYJIIHNSIIOM IE JIMMV JIJHN'S FRANCHISE. LLD ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.