my published news articles
the montgazette 2012-2017
Published December 2016
"Knock It Off."
By Dave Aston
My 20-year-old sister who has Down Syndrome asked me just after this year's historic American presidential election, "Is everything okay at community college?" After choking back tears as I looked at her troubled face, I meekly answered, "Yes." And because I attend Montgomery County Community College, the answer was genuine.
Her child-like question came from watching the angry and sometimes violent protests that resulted from New York businessman Donald Trump's presidential election. Many of those protests occurred on or near college campuses.
Demonstrations in Oakland, CA and Portland, OR, places where Trump's opponent Hillary Clinton won by large percentages, turned violent. These actions as Tony Maalouf, a Political Science instructor at Montco, said, "[Were] expected out of Donald Trump supporters if he lost. Instead, we're seeing it from Trump opponents."
None of this outrageous activity has yet to happen on Montco's campuses. It's not likely to happen, either. The college's Student Code of Conduct is perfectly clear. "[Students] shall not interfere with or disrupt the orderly educational processes of Montgomery County Community College."
Montco, however, adds one extra crucial step. "Students are expected to treat all members of the College community with dignity, respect, fairness and civility and to behave in a responsible manner at all times both in and outside of the classroom."
This is a critical addition to any student code of conduct. Rather than just caring about what happens on campus, students are encouraged and empowered to emulate this behavior everywhere. Unlike Montco, many of the major universities in the areas of the more disruptive protests have Student Codes of Conduct that don't encourage civil or respectful behavior in the surrounding community. One particularly famous California university's Code governs a student's conduct only at events and locations funded by the university.
Respect for all opinions both on campus and off is essential not just for being good people but for becoming the world's next generation of nurses, doctors, engineers, musicians, police or any other profession, including, say, President of the United States. Aside from a lack of respect and civility, many seem to ignore how historic this election was.
Not since Wendell Wilkie opposed Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940 has a major party candidate without previous political or military experience run for, much less won, the highest office in our country. Although there have been many hotly contested presidential elections and anger-filled demonstrations in their wake, something's different this time around. It isn't just some people's need to polarize or that others are feeling like their votes were "stolen" by a "rigged system" that makes it feel different.
Professor Maalouf found a difference for me. "His win is remarkable in part because this was Donald Trump's first and only campaign. We all underestimated him."
We also seem to have underestimated the lack of respect some are willing to show just because events didn't go their way. College students should never underestimate their power for influence. After all, their behavior is influencing my sister's very impressionable mind. I think it's high time we take Professor Maalouf's advice to President-Elect Trump and tell the disruptive protestors, "Guys, knock it off."
Published November 2016
Election 2016’s Missing Elements
By Dave Aston
There’s an old aphorism, “Figures don’t lie but liars figure.” Many news agency polls leading up to this year’s presidential election magnify each leading candidates’ divisive attitude, focused on how bad the country is going to be if the opposing candidate wins the election. These polls and the leading presidential candidates are missing two key things: People are voting out of fear and they want to hear the candidates talk about key issues.
A recent Pew Research Center poll shows that more than half of potential voters are doing so either out of fear. Many of Montgomery County Community College students feel the same way.
Jennifer Zera, a 29-year-old Human Resources student, says she’s voting for Donald Trump because Hillary Clinton is not trustworthy. “She lies and she only appears interested in topics when she is trying to earn votes.”
Brianna Johnston, a Business student, 34, fears for the popularity of Clinton’s opponent. “Trump is bringing our country's problem with hate and bigotry out into the open,” she says.
Reina Paredes, a 20-year-old Accounting student, who says she’s supporting Green Party Candidate Jill Stein, doesn’t like the Democratic Party nominee. “Hillary [is] a criminal and [a] liar who takes money from Wall Street.”
Gail Clark, a Nursing student in her sixties, feels that Trump’s behavior could induce more fear. “[He] attacks women and non-Americans.” What disturbs Clark most is that the candidates don’t “focus on the main problems in our country.”
Michael Malley, another Nursing student, 35, who also says he’s voting for Jill Stein, wishes the candidates would have a more “long-term focus” on all levels of education, from grade school to college.
Katherine Bampfield, a 51-year-old Web Development and Design student, wants the future president to talk about immigration reform, job creation and “how to decrease some of our cost of living.”
Victoria Esten, an Accounting student, 31, wants to see issues from equal pay rights for women, to the economy to healthcare and schooling discussed. She says, “I'm sick and tired about talking about Trump's wanting to see Obama's birth certificate or Clinton's e-mail scandal. Can we get on with things and get to the issues at hand?”
The polls’ statistics and figures may not be wrong but they aren’t concentrating on the key factors that are important to Montco’s students, much less the country. The sooner news media organizations and, more importantly, this year’s presidential candidates start talking about the issues instead of ignoring them, the more likely voters won’t have to vote out of fear.
Published April 2016
Dr. Gelman's Honorable Past Brings Honored Award
“Instrumental.”
This is how Dr. Aaron Shatzman, Montgomery County Community College’s Dean of Social Sciences, describes the “unassuming” and humble Dr. Martin Gelman.
Dr. Martin Gelman, one of the founding members of the college’s Social Sciences Department, will be given the honor of having the new Excellence in Psychology Award bear his name. The award coincides with the first Associate in Science Psychology degrees to be handed out at this year’s commencement.
Before Dr. Gelman began his tenure as the longest-standing dean at Montco, his trek to becoming Doctor of Psychology and Anthropology began with his experiences in World War II. During that time, Dr. Gelman flew 50 missions as a B24 bomber pilot, returning safely after each mission.
After returning home from the war and starting a family, Dr. Gelman found it hard to communicate with old friends who had gone to college while he was fighting in Africa. “I was not in their league anymore,” he said.
Through this feeling, his lifelong fascination of psychology and discovering correspondence courses at the University of Minnesota and Ohio State University, Dr. Gelman enrolled through Temple University. After many years of creating a ground- breaking reputation at Temple, the University of Pennsylvania and surrounding hospitals, he became a full-time faculty member at Temple. This promotion caught the eyes of the founders of Montco and Dr. Gelman was eager to be a part of it.“ [Being here] interested me a great deal.”
From 1967 to his retirement in 2011, Dr. Gelman built up the Social Sciences Department and Psychology program, mentoring future educators along the way.
Dr. Steven Baron, Professor of Social Sciences here at Montco, said, “He mentored all of us. The entire department.” Dr. Baron has the distinction of being one of Dr. Gelman’s students and personal and professional friend. “He was the finest teacher I ever had.”
Due in large part to Dr. Gelman’s mentoring and tutelage, Dr. Baron achieved his own success, obtaining awards that mirror Gelman’s. Both influential educators hold numerous teaching excellence and community service awards from many institutions, including Montco.
The new Dr. Gelman Excellence in Psychology Award cements Dr. Gelman’s position as a “pillar” of the Montco community. In his unassuming way, Dr. Gelman said that this came about “through the endeavors of other faculty.”
In tribute to this remarkable clinician, mentor and humble human being, this award will keep Montgomery County Community College, in Gelman’s own words, an “alive entity” that is always “new, fresh and filled with promise.”
A Musically Inspired Night Celebrates the Rebbe’s Life (Jewish Exponent, June 25, 2015)