The next one to fill those shoes If you haven’t heard by now,
Juan Olivarez is stepping down
from his post as President of
Grand Rapids Community College
after nine years of service. During his time here, Olivarez
was extremely influential. Under
his leadership the college grew
to new heights and a record
number of enrolled students.
New programs were formed, new
alliances created. Olivarez helped to work
to foster relationships with
neighboring universities,
including Kettering University
and Ferris State University.
He also helped to create
deeper relationships within the
community. As the college grew, so did
his presidency. Chairman of the
Board of Trustees Gary Schenk
told this paper that Olivarez
worked very
hard to bring
the college to
the point that it
is today. Olivarez
never planned
on ever having
a role like this. He spent years
working with
grades K-12,
but never at a
higher institute
for learning. For a man
who once
considered working in the steel
mills over attending college, he
has now become a cornerstone in
this college’s history. However, Olivarez leaves
at a very uncertain time for the
college. Two mileage
requests have failed
with community
voters. Students are
being turned away
because of class sizes.
Negotiations for a new
contract left faculty
and administration
with a tainted
relationship. What the
college needs now
is a visionary and a
mediator. Someone
who has plans for how
to help the college
grow in its limited space, and
someone who can work well with
all workers on campus. The next one to become
president of GRCC needs to be
well tuned to the affairs of the
community and concerns of
faculty, staff and students. That
will include continuing to have
a dialogue with K-12 districts,
fi nding out what this college’s
future students need to learn,
what they have learned and
what the college can do to help
contribute. Whoever becomes president
next should strive for increasing
transparency. There should be
no mystery over why he or she
makes the decisions they do. Most of all, what will be
challenging is continuing to make
GRCC an attractive option to a
community with a failing economy
and a degrading job market. GRCC deserves a strong leader who can continue to propel the college into the future. If that person has at least half the drive that Olivarez does, the college will be in a good place. Lack of knowledge costly to students One of the greatest issues facing
America’s public school system
today is the lack of financial literacy
being taught. Teenagers today graduate high school hardly
knowing the difference between a stock and a
bond, let alone how to successfully plan for their
financial future. In high school we learn all about
world history, geometry, and biology, all of which
are very important, and yet only seven states
require high school students to take a personal
finance course to graduate. Overall, our education system has failed to put
the topic of personal finance into its curriculum.
A 2007 survey conducted by Charles Schwab
reported only one in three young adults know how
to read a bank statement, and only one in five have
any knowledge of investing. It is no wonder the
average American has over $9,000 in credit card
debt. Credit card debt does not only affect adults.
Statistics show by the time college students reach
their senior year, they carry between $2,000 and
$3,000 in credit card debt. Students justify this debt because they plan
on making plenty of money when they graduate,
but most students, upon graduation, will receive
an entry level position making far less than they
had dreamed. It is also becoming more and more evident
that we will not be able to depend solely on Social
Security when we retire. So what hope do we have financially for this
generation, with no personal fi nance knowledge
and credit card debt quickly becoming the
norm? The best advice is the kind no one wants to hear. Pay off your credit card debt, and do so as quickly as possible. Credit cards are a black hole fi nancially and, if not dealt with properly, can ruin your ability to meet your financial goals. Everyone above the age of 18 should also check and pay attention to their credit score. When you have
to borrow money in life, a good credit score will
save you a lot of money in the form of low interest
rates. Improving your credit score takes time, and
it is best to start working towards a better score
early. You can fi nd all the information you need
to raise your score on the Web site http://www.
bankrate.com. Warren Buffet, considered the greatest
investor of all time, said, “The best investment
one can make is in themselves.” What he is saying is the importance of getting
a good education outweighs any other form of
investing. Once you have paid off your credit
cards and are working toward getting a good
education, you are in a great position to start
investing. Due to the Economic Growth and Tax Relief
Reconciliation Act, and a provision to it made
in May of 2006, individuals who make less than
$32,550 a year do not pay any capital gains taxes
on investments held for more than a year. What
this means is if you make less than $32,550 a
year, any investment that increases in value is
yours and will not be taken away by the tax man. This puts low income individuals at a distinct
advantage over most Americans, who have to give
the government at least 15 percent of the money
they make off an investment. This tax advantage
is scheduled to end Dec. 31, 2010, and it can be a
great tool for building wealth until then. Another topic that sounds incredibly boring
is retirement savings. Most young people dismiss
the notion of saving for their retirement while
they are young because they assume they have
their whole lives ahead of them to save and invest.
This notion may have some truth to it, but with our
finances, it is important to never assume. If you really hate the idea of saving for retirement while you are in college, you should
still consider opening up a IRA, or a Roth IRA,
assuming you don’t have the availability of an
employer matched 401k at work. The difference
between an IRA and a Roth IRA is quite simple. A
traditional IRA’s contributions are tax deductible,
and when you withdraw money from it later in
life, you pay taxes only on your gains. A Roth
IRA’s contributions are not tax deductible, but
when it comes time to withdraw money, you owe
no taxes. IRA’s are also terrifi c savings vehicles
for the down payment on your fi rst home. You can
withdraw up to $10,000 for the purchase of your
first home. Investing when you are young and letting the magic of compounding interest take place in your finances is a great start to achieving your goals in life. Forever Changed “He stopped the car, and I didn’t
know. I was afraid, very, very
afraid, and then he said, ‘you’re
going to take your clothes off and
you’re going to have sex with me.’
Then I said, ‘No, I can’t, please, I
am sick.’ AIDS was not around at
that time, but I told him I had a
disease, and he was going to get it. ‘Ok, do you prefer we do this with
me holding the gun against your forehead, or without it?’
And then I said, ‘Without it.’” We live in a world where women have to be constantly afraid for
their own security. We have to be aware of our surroundings.
In the U.S., women have to be smart to ensure their safety.We have
to walk with friends at night and sometimes carry mace. We learn self defense,
hoping for the best, but knowing deep inside that the worst
could always happen. One in three women were sexually assaulted in the U.S. in 2006, and
the FBI believes only 37 percent of rapes are reported to the police. It
is a rarity when women feel safe or strong enough to speak up about
the abuse they have faced. Chances are that the woman affected is a sister, a mother, an aunt
or grandma—possibly even ours. Violence against women prevails, as statistics show, and this violence
often hits close to home. In 2006, five rapes were reported in Ferris State
University, and four in Eastern Michigan University. Across the world, there are women who go through worse situations.
In the Congo and Darfur, war is tearing the countries apart, and women
bear the biggest burden. Men are killed, and women are enslaved and
raped continuously night after night by their captors. These men try
to subject their prey with sticks and guns, invading their bodies and
forever tearing apart their souls. Doctors Without Borders reported in March of 2005 that they alone
treated 500 rapes in Sudan in a four-and-a-half-month period.
But women’s cries often go unnoticed. When a woman is violently attacked, she changes inside. Whether the abuse happens when she is still a girl or when she is reaching menopause, the spirit is forever tainted. She will no longer be able to give the best of herself, unless she is nurtured, loved and cared for. In an ideal world, things like this would never happen. As young boys,
we would hope men are taught women are to be cherished--that they are
to be respected and cared for, and never used or abused. But one day a little boy will be listening to a rapper calling women
bitches. And then his father will come home drunk and insult his mother,
maybe even hit her. When this happens the little boy
will learn those things are acceptable, unless taught
differently. His opinion of right and wrong will be
shifted. A little girl witnessing and listening to the
same thing will never learn her true worth.
She will believe the only way she will get
affection and attention is by acting like
the ‘Girls Gone Wild.’ Things like this desensitize us and
slowly but surely blur the lines of the
acceptable and unacceptable, of the
violent and the healthy. And then one day a rape happens, and a woman is forever changed, and the cycle continues. That is unless we begin teaching boys that women are not sex objects, but humans with feelings. 31 days of 'her'story It’s time to end the inequality. For far too long, Women’s History Month
has shown its ugly face through the ides of
March, unfairly highlighting the deeds of
seemingly heroic women in favor of their
persecuted male counterparts. How often do you hear of the great deeds
of white men? How many sitcoms center
around the father of the traditional nuclear
family? How many great male writers, artists,
and singers are appreciated for their deeds. It’s no surprise the necessity of Women’s History Month has begun to be
questioned by the male population. In a country of equality, why bestow an
entire month to reciting the accomplishments of a select few over the vast
majority of men with equally signifi cant accomplishments? Sure, up untitil the 1920’s women weren’t allowed to vote.
The Equal Pay Act and Equal Opportunity Employment laws may only
have been passed in the past 40 years. And yes, in spite of that, women still only make 70 cents to their male
counterparts dollar, and the glass ceiling still prevents women from obtaining
equal pay and power in the business world.
And sure, most pro-life activists are men (none of which will ever become
pregnant). So what if women in some Middle Eastern countries fear for their lives
every day? And maybe women are highly unrepresented in scientific and mathematical
fields.
But take a look at signifi cant developments through male courage—
electricity, indoor plumbing, the Constitution, Playboy, and who could forget
MTV? America has a choice: continue to unfairly feature the accomplishments
of women who defi ed all odds to defy our patriarchal society. But before you decide, think about this:
145 years ago today, in Stoney Creek, MI, Bertha Van Hoosen was born.
In 1884, she became one of the first women to graduate from the University
of Michigan’s medical school, and became the first president of the American
Medical Women’s Association. 67 years later, Sandra Day O’Connor was born in El Paso Texas. She would
become the fi rst woman to serve as a justice on the Supreme Court at the age
of 51. 32 years later, ten women were admitted to the London Stock Exchange—
the fi rst women admitted in the 200 years of the institutions’ history.
Equality wasn’t won when the 19th Amendment was ratifi ed. Following
the right to vote came the right to Equal Opportunity Employment, Equal Pay,
the use of contraceptives, protection against sexual harassment and assault,
and the right to chose. Up until 2005, it was legal to discipline an employee
for claiming sexual harassment. In our history, science, English, and math books we have laid
out before us centuries of what white men have
deemed important for us to learn—the deeds of
other deceased white men. 365 days a year we
celebrate what they have
done. Take these 31 days to
celebrate what we know
women have accomplished,
what was forgotten in
the years of patriarchal
historians, and what we can
accomplish. Keep Women’s History Month alive. Potholes plague streets after long winter The city of Grand Rapids, in
my eyes, has become one gigantic
pothole. As the car crashes over
yet another pothole, I cringe and
silently pray it doesn’t get a flat or
something worse, like axle or tie
rod damage. My dad and granddad taught
me things about cars growing
up, so I am aware of the issues
that happen because of potholes.
Things become lose, nuts and bolts
weaken, stress, wear and tear, they
all play a factor with each thud of
yet another crater. How do potholes happen? I
have heard different things. Some
say it’s from the sand and salt and
the plow trucks. Then I heard that
water is the true culprit. Snow gets
into cracks in the pavement, melts
when it warms up, and then freezes
again when it gets colder, creating
ice. The ice expands, making
larger holes and cracks. This
year has been exceptionally bad
for potholes because of the vast
amount of snow and ice we had. In a March 4 article in the
Grand Rapids Press, Mayor George
Heartwell even expressed his
frustration with the potholes.
Driving down Madison
from 28th Street to Hall is like
driving over a land mine. It is
terrible, along with other roads
like Division, Michigan, and
even parts of the expressway.
Why has the city not addressed
this growing problem? And if
something happens because of a
pothole, shouldn’t the city be held
responsible? I realize the budget is
not there for repairs. Driving south on Plainfield Ave.
one day, I turned left onto Sweet
Street. Immediately after turning,
I heard “crash, Pop, thump.” I
pulled into Creston High School’s
parking lot and sure enough, the
tire was fl at as a pancake. Luckily,
I was taught how to change a tire.
Unfortunately, my friend had a
spare tire but no jack, so we had to
call a tow truck and spend money
for changing the tire. Then she had
to replace her tire and they told
her she needed four new tires. So
one popped tire cost her quite a bit. The Grand Rapids Press ran an
article in light of the serious issues
associated with potholes. The
Michigan Transportation Team was
offering $318—the average annual
cost to every Michigan driver for
pothole issues—to three winners
that submit photos of the worst
pothole. The contest runs through
March 28 at the web site http://www.drivemi.org. The repairs have begun, streets
are being blocked off already, and
the issues of potholes will soon
give way to blocked roads and
detours. US 131 North between
28th St. and Wealthy St. already
has lane closures to repair the
potholes in that area. There is a running joke here in Michigan that there are two seasons: winter and construction. From my experience here, I dare say there is something behind that joke. Students should give sweat, gain respect Instead of heading South for break, beer in tow, many students are now embarking on a different path. After the Katrina disaster, college
students have been working in relief
efforts as an alternative spring
break. However, a new opportunity,
funded by American Eagle Outfi tters,
was made available this spring. This establishment, called The
Student Conservation Association
(SCA), has offered Environmental
internships for 50 years. Started by a
female college student, this vacation
option provides a new experience
above the usual internships. Two months ago, as I was
reviewing the SCA Web site, I
stumbled upon the one-week position
for Padre Island National Seashore. After previously participating in
an SCA internship, I thought this
would be an incredible adventure
all over again. In a matter of time
I had packed my bags and was on
my way to hard work and sunshine.
But what meant more to me than the
warm sun was the feeling of helping
others. Throughout the week, friendships
were formed over sawing, hammering
and drilling together a handicapped
boardwalk. The visitors to the
campground were not only thrilled,
but also surprised at our efforts. We
were not carrying a case of Corona
and tearing through South Padre,
imagine that. Many of my teammates were
from out East, a majority from
Pennsylvania, Maine, and New
Hampshire. They were happy to
share their opinions regarding what
we were doing and why. Amanda Mahar, a 23-year-old
college student from the University
of Buffalo, gave full praise of the
program and experience. “I had just as much fun as I
would on a regular break. Everyone
meshed together so well,” Mahar
said. She went on to point out the
lack of alcohol didn’t create lack of
excitement. “We didn’t get wasted, but had
just as much fun. I wanted to do
something that I was interested in.
It was an opportunity that pays for
everything and a great experience.
You can drink anytime.” Kaylan Petrie, a student from
Syracuse University of Freeport
Maine, spoke highly of the week. “It definitely changed me, not
drastically. It just enhanced what
experiences I had already and made
me believe in what I was already
doing.” Petrie said colleges should be
responsible for making students
more aware of opportunities such
as this. “It seems like nobody from our
school knows about SCA, schools
could do a better job on promoting
these spring breaks,” Petrie said. For the amount of time I spent in the sunlight, beside the ocean, and in bed with heat stroke, I could not compare it to any other break. I had worked hard with 24 other students to bring together a brighter outlook to the park and to others’ lives. Not only were we reaping the benefi ts of having all expenses paid, but we also enjoyed and appreciated the smiles and gratitude we were shown throughout the week from those who had expected different behavior from a group of college spring breakers. Public Poll results Yes (62.96%) No (37.04%) Click here to vote in our current poll about outgoing college president Olivarez. Speak Out! Have something to say? Sound off to The Collegiate at grcc_collegiate@yahoo.com for your tips or views on the current news, sports, arts & entertainment and opinion. Letters to the editors:
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