Lock your rooms, girls

If a friend called you crying to say that someone had gotten into her college room and gone through all of her belongings, you would think the economy is in bad shape. At least, this thought came to my mind when I heard the news.

Yesterday I learned that someone had entered my classmate's room on the first floor of our dormitory in search of valuable items. The burglar had gone through all her suitcases scattering jewelry, family pictures and underwear all over the floor. After a brief discussion with the college's public safety officer, we decided that the violator must have been an outsider. At this time of the year students prop the dorm's doors open to move in and out of school. That must have given the robber a perfect opportunity to sneak in and look for valuables.

Today I found out another friend's belongings violated. This classmate had left her sealed and labeled cardboard box in front of the student storage area where international students are allowed to store during the summer. Two days after she had placed the box there someone had decided to help themselves to her clothing and computer monitor.

These incidents, together with the many student emails announcing thefts, scare me. Stealing has definitely been on the rise on campus and the most obvious reason for it seems to be the economic downfall. Right?

Work in Tanzania? Why not!

No doubt the economic downfall is threatening the living standards of millions of people worldwide. But could it lead to any positive results?


My friend Yana visited a non-profit career fair held at Columbia University last week. She told me that the administration there was highly overwhelmed with the number of people who showed up. This was, apparently, their biggest turnout in a long time.

Most of my fellow college students are actively looking for summer internships and post-graduate job positions on Idealist, an interactive Web page for non-profit organizations, volunteer opportunities and various causes with international dimensions.
Honestly, I think this is wonderful. Now that many students realize Economics, Finance and Business majors won't necessarily lead them to stable career paths in prosperous industries, they start to approach alternative professions.

I am witnessing a massive expansion of minds. Spontaneous questions and quick answers circulate in the college atmosphere: "Public education policy? Why not!", "Work in Tanzania? Why not!"

The economic crisis brought job losses in many industries like banking and investment. But maybe it also brought employment options for all those people unsure about their future careers.