His statement falls heavily on the idea of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and the "American Dream." Both ideas are unattainable to the average citizen due to unrelated issues that hard work cannot overcome. His argument that his strong values are what allowed him to escape poverty, ignores other factors that may have helped him like being a white male who doesn't have to face any racial discrimination, which is a privilege that many do not have.

I'm surprised it's only being required for one semester. With how hard many people are fighting this bill, I thought they were going to require ethnic studies every year or something along those lines.

I like that they used the term "global citizens" instead of only American citizens. It emphasizes the need for schools to be more inclusive of all cultures and this will hopefully encourage students to think outside of the western gaze.

I like that the bill allows the community to get involved in this course if they wish to do so. I think it's a smart way to not only teach students about the history of where they currently live, but also get parents who might be on edge about the Ethnic Studies courses involved.

Using the excuse "inability to fundraise" really rubs me the wrong way. Those who are requesting an Ethnic Studies Program are students who pay tuition to the university that also help pay President Wong's salary. It's disheartening to hear that students are also expected to "fundraise" extra money to learn about subjects the University should be willing to teach.