Crisis team disseminates plan
By Lonnie Allen
Editor in Chief

Changes to cope with emergencies on GRCCs campus are being implemented.

GRCC’s Emergency Planning Team is in the process of testing and modifying the campus-wide plan to deal with all types of situations, team chair and Executive Vice President of

Business and Financial Services Robert Partridge said. New proposals will be unveiled to the campus in the coming weeks.

The college’s Emergency Phone Alert System (E.P.A.S.) is in place. The E.P.A.S. had a successful run with the power outages that occurred in October when parts of Grand Rapids and GRCC’s downtown campus were affected.

“The power outages gave us a chance to use the system before we tested it,” Partridge said. “The phones do work without power and this system is now in place.”

This digital phone system allows the college to send alerts and updates directly to classrooms, keeping people informed during emergencies. Partridge said the primary motivation of E.P.A.S. is to provide quick and accurate information.

While E.P.A.S. is in place, some of the new plans are still being disseminated to faculty and administrators on campus. This comes seven months after the shooting at Virginia Tech University, where a student killed 32 people.

According to Vicki Hudson, Associate Director of Communications at GRCC, previous plans on what to do in an emergency have been in place and are located in classrooms for everyone to view.

“The Emergency Planning Team has been around for two years now,” Partridge said. The team was put together to create a safer campus. 

According to Partridge, faculty will be able to attend a session about crisis management during Learning Day on Nov. 21. The topic of locking classroom doors while in session will be addressed.

 “Locked doors might be a problem for students,” GRCC student Dan Watkoski said.

“Although it might put an end to any problems with students being late to class.”

GRCC student Dave Saxton said, he is not concerned about any type of Virginia Tech incident here at this campus.

“The plan may be a little delayed,” he said. “Though I’m not too worried about it.”

GRCC student Tyler Frank had the same response.

“You wouldn’t expect a shooting at GRCC. It’s not a very common occurrence,” Frank said.

Partridge said The Emergency Planning Team is not taking anything lightly. The first response in the event of a crisis is to contact campus police. The police would then contact the Crisis Team. The team, consisting of administrators and staff, would start crafting a response.

“Communication quickly and accurately,” Partridge said. “The key to this crisis plan is communication telling the campus what to do.”

Partridge’s hope is that during Learning Day the faculty will be able to give input about the crisis plan and keep some of the old systems in place. 

“We are trying to create redundant systems,” Partridge said.

Hudson said the college is looking at providing a text messaging service to students who want to sign up for it. That would allow the college to send an alert to student cell phones in the event of an emergency.

Partridge explained the plan also includes upgrading the call boxes on campus, which is currently being done. Partridge pointed out a crisis is more than just a shooter or bomb: it can also include inclement weather or power outages.

Dean of students
By Charles Jurries
Collegiate Staff Writer

Tina Hoxie helps students and staff to achieve their goals.

That may sound like a simple job to have but if you ask Hoxie, who holds the job for Grand Rapids Community College as Dean of Student Affairs, there is much more to the job than meets the eye.

Hoxie’s duties include oversight of the GRCC student affairs division, which encompasses areas such as counseling and career services, academic support, tutorial labs, admissions and enrollment, to name a few.

“Never a dull moment,” she said about her typical day. She added that there is never a day goes by that she “doesn’t enjoy the work.”

Hoxie’s job has her in constant communication with students and staff, working to achieve whatever needs to be done.

Hoxie sees one of the more important aspects of her job focusing around student success.

She said that it’s all about “looking, accessing and evaluating, and maintaining the services that students need in order to be successful.”

“One of my favorite events is commencement,” Hoxie said. Whether it’s seeing graduates who have been attending for two years or twelve, she says being a part of the process to make that accomplishment happen is “very special.”

“It really gives meaning and reward to the work that I do all year,” she said.

Hoxie hopes that her lasting impact will be having been part of students reaching their educational goals. “You make a difference,” she said.

Hoxie added that it’s reassuring to get a card from a student thankful for helping them out.

“You were there for them, you listened to them at a time when they needed someone to help them.”

“Those are great things,” she said.

When she isn’t busy running all over campus, she will run for recreation.

“We run as a family on the 5K for the Fifth Third Riverbank,” she said. “That’s always my Mother’s Day present from my boys is that they will run with me on the 5K.”

“I ran my first 10K race this summer,” she said. “I almost didn’t make it.” Hoxie said if it weren’t for the support of her son who was running along side her, she might have given up.

Hoxie is going to be trying another new thing: baking pies.

She will be baking a pie for a bake-off fundraiser on campus to benefit the United Way. Hoxie has never baked a pie in her life.

“I’m not even sure my oven works,” she said.

Hoxie moved from Ohio to Michigan in 1982 to work at Aquinas College. She held a variety of positions there for 13 years before coming to GRCC to work in student life for nine years. She will have been Dean of  Student Affairs for six years come this December.

Hoxie said she took the job because of her passion in assisting students and helping them to realize their academic goals.

The office for the Dean of Student Affairs is located on the third floor of the student center.

Christian speaker gives insight about housing
By Sandra Sabin
Collegiate Staff Writer

Inner City Christian Federation (ICCF) is helping Grand Rapids families gain affordable housing.

The True North Group asked Jonathan Bradford to come to GRCC to talk about his personal faith and about the ICCF’s approach to bring affordable housing to Grand Rapids. The seminar will be held Nov. 14 at 2:30 p.m. in the ATC building.

Bradford has been involved in the ICCF for over 20 years and is now the director. His leadership has shaped a division for housing education.

“I will be discussing the importance of housing in the lives of all people, regardless of their age, gender, income or cultural heritage.  I will also be talking about careers and about how one makes decisions about career directions using ones faith as a key guide,” Bradford said. 

ICCF is one of Michigan’s top community development corporations (CDC). They own and run a mortgage service and are a state-licensed residential construction contractor. The ICCF helps more than 2,500 families a year.

 “At ICCF, we work hard to produce sound, beautiful, and affordable housing and help people acquire the skills and self-confidence to succeed in that housing,” Bradford said.

The True North Group and The Inner Varsity Christian Fellowship are staring a new idea within their programs. Susan Systma-Bratt, the ministry coordinator, is getting people throughout Grand Rapids that are involved in different professions to come and speak to the students at GRCC about their personal faith and how they us it in their professional lives.

“This will be great for staff and students that are involved in socials sciences. I’m very excited for Jonathon Bradford,” Systma-Bratt said.

Academic policy remains uncertain
By Ben Roosien
Copy Editor

Word of a changing academic policy has circulated since fall 2006, but an adjustment hasn’t been made.

A committee of faculty members, counselors, and members of other areas was formed last year to reach a solidified standard of achievement. They have been creating recommendations for changes in the policy.

“It’s a good cross-college represented team that’s looking at the policy,” GRCC Dean of Student Affairs Tina Hoxie said.

Hoxie also said the committee is being cautious with the issue, making sure to catch every area.

“We want all faculty to weigh in on this policy and process, so we’re taking our time and carefully looking at the review,” she said. “There is no specific timeline around it at this point in time.”

The current Academic Standing Policy affects students below a 2.0 grade point average.

Students must have a 2.0 in order to graduate, though a D- grade is considered passing.

Failure to meet the grade requirement is grounds for dismissal. The decision is made on a case-by-case basis.

Hoxie said the committee is discussing an amendment in the academic probation system for students under a 2.0 GPA. Discussions currently regard a contract-based system that may require meeting with an advisor or counselor to develop a plan to be academically successful. The committee is looking at standards held by other colleges, both two-year and four-year. Many of the reviewed colleges have a 2.0 GPA standard.

 “One of the things in reviewing policies is to look at the ability for students to be successful,” she said.

Like those at Lansing Community College and Muskegon Community College, GRCC students must maintain a 2.0 GPA to stay on financial aid. A counseling representative said MCC also holds students who are not on financial aid to the same standard.

GRCC has an open-door policy for students. The college will not deny admission, though it recently placed an enrolment cap that limits the number of class sections available for students.

Incoming students with a GPA of less than 2.0 or an ACT score of less than 16 have to take the Accuplacer test to be placed in the right classes.

The committee is not discussing this policy.

Bakery opened by GRCC graduate
By Nicole Hoffman
Collegiate Staff Writer

Grand Rapids Community College Culinary graduate Erin Davis opened Coco Charlotte Bakery in July.
           

The alumni graduated from the hospitality program three years ago. She has since worked in the culinary field including working as an assistant pastry chef. This eventually led her to open her own bakery.

Coco Charlotte opened on July 4. It is a gluten-free bakery making it the first of its kind in Grand Rapids. Vegan and vegetarian items are also available and these are gluten-free as well. The bakery products are all natural and organic.

“I always dreamt of having a place of my own.  A small restaurant or cafe. The bakery idea stemmed out of my love for cake decorating-especially wedding cakes,” Davis said.

Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat, rye, oats, and other grains. This protein gives dough elasticity and strength and allows breads to rise with less risk of collapsing. Unfortunately gluten is also a very common allergen.

People who are allergic to this protein suffer from a condition called Celiac Sprue. They cannot digest the gluten protein and it damages the lining of their stomach and intestines. Gluten allergies have become more common in recent years and finding products that are free of this ingredient is difficult.

Coco Charlotte didn’t start out as a gluten-free bakery.  It was in the first month of opening that Davis learned about the allergies caused by gluten. She then began to offer a selection of bakery items that were free of gluten.

Between baking regular products and gluten-free products a sanitation process had to be performed. It was a time consuming process and soon Davis realized how long it would take each day to have to switch back and forth. It was then that she decided to change her bakery to a gluten free-bakery.

“Chef Dunn opened my eyes to our responsibility as chefs.  The decisions we make and the products we purchase affect not only our customers and our suppliers but our environment as well,” Davis said.

Davis also offers Dessert catering and Bakery workshops at the bakery.   Coco Charlotte bakery is located in SE Grand Rapids at 2481 32nd Street.

Coco Charlotte is run by Davis, her father Gary Maher, and recent graduate of the Culinary Program Amanda Hoffman.  The bakery is open Wednesdays 9 am until 4 pm and Saturdays 9 am until 2 pm.

The gluten-free products they provide can also be purchased at Forest Hills Foods which is located at 4668 Cascade Rd SE.

“The food industry can be stressful and can be hard-but you have to look inside yourself to see if you really have the passion for it and then turn it into something beautiful,” Davis said.

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