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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a U.S. government agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws. While its stated goal is to maintain safety and uphold the law, its actions can have devastating effects on families and communities, including students in schools.

When ICE detains or deports people, families may be separated with little to no warning. Children may come home to find a parent missing or live with constant uncertainty about whether their family will stay together. This fear can affect students’ mental health, concentration, attendance, and overall sense of safety. S

This issue is not just about politics or debating immigration policy. It is about understanding how fear and instability affect young people and their ability to succeed in school as well. Schools are meant to be places of learning, growth, and support. When students carry fear into the classroom, it challenges those goals. By recognizing the human impact of ICE on families and students, schools and communities can work toward creating more supportive environments.

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As artificial intelligence advances at a rapid pace, it is drastically changing the job market—something that is already notoriously challenging for college students. Some companies are beginning to replace human workers with AI in basic roles. With AI’s rapid advancement, predicting its capabilities in four years is extremely difficult. This lack of clarity makes paying for college a huge risk for many people. Receiving a degree involves forking over a significant amount of money, typically justified by the promise of a steady job waiting after graduation. Now, however, this is no guarantee. Entry-level jobs are the first being given to AI, creating a disconnect in the labor market and putting college students into a position where they must pursue a degree in a field, hoping that their job will still exist when they graduate. Uncertainty surrounding the labor market is a significant factor driving the unprecedented levels of anxiety among this generation of college students. To address career anxiety in college students and prevent widespread joblessness, action must be taken to preserve the entry-level jobs students depend on to enter the workforce. Companies and governments must ensure that AI is being used ethically—to improve human labor, not to replace it.

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As I have observed through personal experience and seen in daily campus life, a major issue that is affecting college students is the inability to begin school work due to constant phone use and scrolling.

The prevalence of phones creates an environment of nonstop stimulation that fragments attention and makes focusing on demanding tasks feel overwhelming. Instead of starting assignments, many students often turn to their phones for quick distraction, telling themselves they will begin “in a minute.” That minute frequently turns into hours of lost time.

This pattern reduces focus, shortens attention spans, and increases reliance on external stimulation just to stay engaged. As work is delayed, academic pressure builds, leading to rushed, lower-quality assignments and heightened stress. Rather than easing anxiety, scrolling often worsens it by creating a cycle of avoidance and procrastination.

Because this behavior is becoming so normalized among students, the academic consequences of lost productivity, increased stress, and difficulty starting work continue to exist entirely unaddressed, even though they are directly impactful to a student success.

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You Look, But Do You See? : The Dangers of Overreliance on Technology

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You Look, But Do You See? : The Dangers of Overreliance on Technology

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You Look

But Do You See?

The world we live in today is something we as humans have built from the ground up. The roads we drive on, sidewalks we walk across, houses we live in, halls we take food from, all of it was made with the brilliant minds and strong hands of humans. The world has so many marvelous things to see and is bustling with people and activities that we were granted the mind and eyes to see and experience. But how much of it are we truly experiencing? How much of our time and attention is being consumed by one of the most impactful inventions of the modern age: the world beyond a screen? In the hours we spend on our phones, our laptops, and our tablets, how much of the real world are we sacrificing to the digital? In our pursuit of discovery and electronic knowledge, we have lost connections between people and the tangible world we live in. People have stopped interacting with one another, choosing to comment on social media posts and scroll through the abyss rather than meeting others. We have stopped appreciating nature while we are in it, choosing to muffle the sounds of the world with music or pressing our noses into screens when a rainbow may be just overhead. The increased use of technology and subsequent dependence on it has created a world in which many people do not even know who is walking beside them on the street. It is important that we as a society learn to separate the benefits of technology from the dangers and reconnect with the world around us. The use of technology has hindered our ability to communicate with others, meet new people, and experience the world around us. It is because of this that we as a society combat our dependence on technology and instead, learn to evolve amongst each other in the ‘real world’.

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Mental health is important and fortunately, mental health awareness is something that has been on the forefront of society in recent years. That’s incredible. However, while there’s a lot of focus on awareness of the issue, that same attention is not necessarily given to the actual betterment of people’s mental health.

College students especially struggle with trying to balance their mental health needs with constant academic and social responsibilities, and while we tend to acknowledge that we could be healthier mentally, we tend to not actually do much about it. As we continue navigating through life’s challenges and opportunities however, mental health betterment will be instrumental in avoiding burnout while continuing to stay productive and chase our dreams. By starting to understand mental health improvement now, we will have more time to experiment and figure out what methods work best for us.

WTC with this topic will allow us to learn the most effective ways to improve mental health while also recognizing that we are individuals and not every method will work for each person. Additionally, by sharing what we learn, we can continue to push mental awareness while also having a positive impact on the USC student community by informing and persuading them on mental health betterment.

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All I Want is Sleep: WTC pitch on why sleep matters.

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The Epidemic of Sleep Deprivation on College Students

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The Epidemic of Sleep Deprivation on College Students

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In a college environment where academic responsibilities, socializing, and extracurricular activities are prioritized, students often sacrifice the most important aspect of health: sleep. The high demands of college life and the development of poor habits lead students to view sleep as a choice rather than a necessity.

According to The Sleep Foundation, most college students need seven to nine hours of sleep each night. This is far from the norm. In fact, at least 60% of college students have poor quality sleep, according to the CDC. The epidemic of sleep deprivation on college campuses stems from many common issues, such as phone addiction (“doom scrolling” before bed), late-night studying (“cramming”), and social pressures (“FOMO” or fear of missing out).

The effects of poor sleep are detrimental. Students who do not receive enough sleep are likely to form a dependency on caffeine, have increased stress, see a drop in their GPAs, and be more susceptible to disease. The University of South Carolina can help address this issue by providing support to students through the Health Center, increasing awareness of its services, and conducting surveys to gather valuable insight on necessary changes that can be made.

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You will own nothing and be happy.

As every aspect of everyday life is digitized, this has become the silent reality. Instead of owning hundreds of CDs, vinyl records, and DVDs with only the things we care about, access to everything is now offered to us with only a tap through streaming and the internet.

While trading ownership for convenience seems like a good deal, what we lost in the process was control. If we don’t own any of the things we consume, then how can we fight back against ever growing corporate greed.

Just this month, Tesla announced that the full self-driving feature of their cars (one of their main selling points) will now be moving to a subscription model. People who have already bought lifetime access now have to pay a monthly fee for access to a service they have already paid for. Their purchase was made meaningless with no warning.

The only way to protect yourself from falling victim to these tactics is to make a personal push towards ownership. Buy the things you care about and keep a local library of what matters to you. Ownership ensures access, stability, and freedom in a world of scams.

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Everyday invisible effects for students with allergies

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Allergen Inclusivity in Campus Dining Halls

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Allergen Inclusivity in Campus Dining Halls

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College students with allergies or dietary restrictions at the University of South Carolina tend to struggle with what other students consider a simple task: eating. On campus, there are many dining halls accessible to students throughout the day. For many students, dining halls are a blessing to avoid cooking, but for those with allergies, the dining hall option can cause a significant increase in stress levels. For many students with severe allergies, being served an item with their allergen product in it can lead to a trip to the hospital or even death. If students ask about allergen information, they are often recommended to eat from a True Balance. True Balance is located at the four main dining hall locations and provides students with allergen-friendly food, removing the top nine allergens entirely. This seems like a perfect solution, but if you remove all the allergens, you are losing a lot of nutrients the body needs. Students shouldn’t have an increased stress level from worrying about their body’s safety and getting the nutrients they need whenever it is time to eat another meal.

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Blue Illustrated Leaves Thanksgiving Poster

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College students tend to rely a lot on quick, cheap, and convenient food. Between classes, studying, and busy schedules, many of us end up eating mostly ultra-processed foods without really thinking about it. These foods are everywhere on campus and are often the easiest option, so it becomes a daily habit rather than a conscious choice.

What many students don’t realize is that eating these processed foods can affect how we feel day to day. These foods are linked to things like low energy, trouble focusing, mood changes, and feeling burned out. When students are already under academic and social pressure, these effects can make college life even harder. Instead of questioning why we feel tired or unfocused all the time, many students just accept it as “normal college life.”

This issue matters because food directly impacts our energy, focus, and overall well-being. By raising awareness about what ultra-processed foods are, how to detect them, and how they affect the body, students can make small, real changes that improve how they feel.

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Lack of sleep is a huge epidemic across college campuses. Although doctors recommend students aged 18-25 to aim for 7-9 hours of sleep, many report getting 6 or fewer. This results in a lack of focus, dependency on caffeine, and skipping classes across every college campus in America. The general lack of sleep among college students can be largely attributed to poor habits. Naps throughout the day, staying up late doing homework, and long hours of screen time at night are some of the biggest contributors.

A consistent lack of proper sleep can have many negative effects, particularly among young adults. These include, but are not limited to, a weakened immune system, reduced cognitive function, poor mental health, weight gain, high blood pressure, and hormonal imbalances. Bringing attention to this issue and providing students with valuable tips and support can help to mitigate this epidemic and increase overall happiness, performance, and health across college campuses.

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At the University of South Carolina, there are many dining halls open to all students with a meal plan. However, these dining halls usually go through a rotation of the same meals every week, which can become very repetitive for students. While there are many options at each dining hall, with even more retail options, there are many different items in the dining hall that go untouched. Some meals may not appeal to college students and might not be a crowd favorite. While this might only be the case for certain meals, when it is added to the rotation every week and students constantly avoid eating it, a lot of food goes to waste each week. In order to resolve this issue, students should be able to have an influence on what meals they want to continue seeing in the dining halls and what meals they think should be removed from the rotation. This can be done through student surveys, voting on favorite meals, proposing alternatives etc. Essentially, students can feel more connected with their health choices, food waste will be limited, and more students will choose to visit the dining halls.

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My generation has struggled mightily in forming true connections with one another, with widespread loneliness plaguing far too many. The digital era has taken a toll on authentic friendships, making young people dependent on their screens for interaction with one another. These screens provide a constant source of entertainment for my generation, ultimately replacing the role that relationships traditionally play in a person’s life. This leads to the profound loneliness that has solidified its role as the most problematic characteristic of young people in the modern world. Ultimately, these relationships are extremely surface-level and lacking depth, leading individuals to feel as though their connections are meaningless. As social beings, we truly need profound bonds with one another, and to feel deeply understood by other people. This issue, while deeply societal, is very fixable, as young people can undergo a variety of steps to better understand social connection and reverse the profound effects of the digital era.

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There is a lack of education in the world of AI, especially among college students. Our reliance on AI has increased drastically over the last 5 years, becoming an integral part of society. And yet, we only know the surface of its powers, and those who use AI often don't understand it. It's no secret that college students use AI for their classes, but they use it badly. They just copy whatever information that AI gives them, without verifying its reliability. There is high levels of misinformation in today's world, and without researching into the topic, students might only learn bad information and use it for their classes. Furthermore, they don't learn that we then use AI; they just copy and spit out. But there are ways to use AIeffectively. It can be used to enhance studies, it can generate practice work for students, and it helps speed up discoveries. Students need to be taught how to use AI better and understand its risks and consequences.

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An urgent problem at USC and for people our age in general is the growing dependency on cell phones. This behavioral addiction is widespread because phones are designed to keep users engaged through bright colors, social media, and an easy access to information. While helpful and necessary, many teenagers spend more than five hours a day on their phone. This engenders many issues like lower concentration, impaired sleep, and can harm relationships. In classes, many students scroll on their phone instead of spending time paying attention to class. This reduced attentiveness leads to poorer grades, increasing stress and reducing self-worth. Another cause of lower self-esteem is the increased time on social media. Apps like Instagram and Tik Tik are known to create feelings of loneliness and insecurity, which increases anxiety and depression. When doing the observation activity, I noticed most students walked by staring at their phones and rarely looking around at the surroundings. Not only does this cause hazards, it disconnects us with our community and our environment. While cell phones are needed in our modern society, limiting time usage and finding more enriching activities outside screens would drastically improve students mental, physical, and emotional health.

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Freedom of speech is pertinent our wellbeing and ability to remain authentic in our beliefs and morals. However, I have noticed as a freshman here at USC Columbia that freedom of speech has been used to not only isolate minorities, but create conflict within the student community. People have been allowed and hired to host in-person speaking forums where they belittle and question the validity of minorities and their competence. This violates the Carolinian Creed, discourages minorities to express themselves how they feel fit, and fosters unnecessary drama at the University of South Carolina. I firmly believe that we need to face this injustice head-on so that USC Columbia is able to stay true to the creed they created for us.

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Yellow Red Bold Retro Music Event Poster (1)

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Gluten free students at the University of South Carolina, whether celiac, gluten intolerant, or on a restricted diet, face a persistent daily challenge when it comes to mealtimes. For these students, being gluten free isn't just a lifestyle choice but a medical necessity. However, the campus often runs out of gluten free options, doesn't have one, lacks staff who are educated on the topic, or inadvertently doesn't label their food with needed nutrition information. This leads students to lack nutrients they need, skip meals, and risks some extremely serious health conditions. It doesn't help that these students are paying the same amount for their meal plan while not receiving the same benefits as other students. This issue deserves immediate attention because access to food should be equal, inclusive, and safe for everyone despite allergies and other circumstances. Addressing this gap in USC dining would not only allow a more accessible campus for everyone, but also reduce food insecurity in those with dietary restriction, and prove to the USC community the school's commitment to its students well-being and happiness. There is absolutely no reason why a student should choose between eating and their health.

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Green Illustrative 3 Healthy Food Menus Poster

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Students at USC register for their courses months in advance. Course registration comes with limited information on what those courses actually require. RateMyProfessor aims to combat the instructor uncertainty aspect of course registration, but lacks reliable details about workload, assignment volume, and weekly time commitment. Students then must rely on add/drop week to test classes and their pacing once the syllabus is discussed, often requiring reshuffling schedules and losing seats in full courses. Course registration planning should be an informed decision making process, allowing the students to control their educational future, whereas it seems as a trial and error system in practice. Credit hours don’t distinguish difficulty, and course descriptions can be just as vague as the course name itself. This uncertainty disproportionately affects students with outside commitments, jobs, research, or inflexible schedules, and in cases where planning is paramount. Improving course transparency through workload indicators, past student review, and early syllabus access would reduce unnecessary disruption and allow students to plan responsibly before the semester begins.

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Example Post: Here Write an Impactful Summary Title 

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Example Post: Here Write an Impactful Summary Title 

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Here, or as a comment, provide the writing about your issue to help your audience (your classmates) understand the issue that you think is important and in need of address. Do not include your name. Remember, you are creating a visual (not just including a photo as I have done for this example). Remember your writing and your visual are meant to persuade your peers. SPEAK to them in words and visuals!

You've already been thinking in rhetorical terms about what captures attention: color, arrangement, variable font size, easy to understand, word choice, credibility, etc.

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An image of a good boy dog working on this activity! 

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Click on the (+) circle or double tap. A text box will appear

Add your visual content, include a fitting title.

Add a caption for the visual

Include your 200 word description

When you're done, click Submit or UPDATE

If you need to make a change: (Double click on your posted textbox to edit it or select the pencil icon or select Edit post from the <three dot> drop down menu)

You can instead share your writing in a comment on your visual.