“I would say a lot has to do with polarization of society. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. So there is less respect for the lower class, economically.” 

– Abhjeet Kulkarnia
Senior – Environmental Science

“The biggest current civil rights issue is probably either between gay rights for marriage and the hindrance of our second amendment, which is the right to bear arms.”

– Jeff Thompson
Senior – Psychology

“I think currently, its white privilege. I don’t have any personal issues against anyone who is white. The studies do show that if your name sounds more white, you are more likely to get called back and hired for a job.”

 – Kevin Yang
Freshman – Criminal Justice

“I think immigration is a big issue. People just want to come here in hopes for a better life and there are a lot of stereotypes of these people and why they shouldn’t be here. But in reality, they could be really good people.”

– Issel Navarrete
Freshman – History

“I think it is gay rights, because not every state allows them to get married and that’s a bummer. There isn’t a lot of logic behind it. There is a lot of hate against the gay community- there’s a lot of ignorance. We should pay more attention to the issue and should be helping them.”

 – Tom Dryman
Sophomore – Music

I believe the biggest current civil rights issue [is] ‘Stop and Frisk’ which is legal in New York City. Officers have the right to literally stop and frisk any individual if they feel suspect. This gives officers the opportunity to racial profile specific individuals as well as ignore other individuals which they might think are not suspicious.”

– Stacey Miller
Sophomore – Health Science

“The biggest current civil rights issues is the Voting Act. A lot of people don’t know the Voting Act of 1964 has been revoked in the south. So, if you’re African American, Latino or minority in general – you cannot vote which is a big issue but not a lot of people know that.”

– Wayne Saindon
Sophomore – Biblical Studies