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Army Recruiters; Annoying or Beneficial? College students already on a career path can get big money bonuses for enlisting in the military. “The army has the largest budget, and therefore a larger bonus for students who wish to enlist, compared to the other military branches; navy and marines,” said Staff Sergeant Robert Boersen. “Enlistment contracts can range from 3-6 years, with a bonus that may range from $30,000 - $75,000. A student I recruited was offered a $6,000 bonus for a 5 year contract in the Navy! The Army was willing to offer him the same for $36,000.” Sergeant Boersen continued to explain that college students, who need help paying for college or don’t know what career path to follow, can enlist with the army and be offered over 50 majors. The army will also pay for their college tuition. “I think military recruiters are annoying,” states GRCC student Brodie Orent. “Last year, the Marines would keep calling me even after I said no. I’m already in college, I don’t need to join the army.” Many students have expressed the same feeling when it comes to armed forces recruiting on campus. The reason why they are allowed on campus, according to USA Today, is that an 8-0 anonymous vote by the Supreme Court has ruled that if colleges or universities take federal money, they must allow the U.S. military to recruit on their campuses. Michael Hane, 24, attended GRCC when he was enlisted. “I already had my associates in criminal law by the spring of 2007 and was waiting for the fall semester to join the police academy,” Hane said. Hane continued to explain that he wanted to become a police officer, but when an Army recruiter gave him the proposition to serve his country, travel the world, get a bonus, and have his college tuition paid for, he enlisted. “Currently, I’m in Iraq serving my country, but before that I was stationed on a base in Colorado for almost a year. I had a great time and I met my wonderful girlfriend there. The living conditions here are rough, but I am proudly serving my country,” Hane said. Hane has his bonus kept safe in the bank and only has a few more years left in the contract. He is also currently taking online classes paid for by the army. “I’ll study what I can here, but when I get back home I will continue on with my college education.” Actor speaks at lecture series Humorous and relaxed, actor BD Wong addressed a crowd of over 700 people during this annual’s Diversity Lecture Series. Wong plays forensic psychiatrist Dr. George Huang for the TV show “Law and Order: Special Victim’s Unit.” He is also Asian American and gay, and those were the main two topics he addressed during his hour-long lecture, named “Racial Self-image and the Model Minority Myth.” Wong described his life, and explained how those two big aspects of himself shaped it. Growing up in San Francisco, Wong and his family walked what he said was a “tight rope” between the Chinese culture they wanted to keep at home, and the American culture they were exposed to outside of it. His parents were always afraid that the culture would be diluted, Wong said. Regardless, as a kid he didn’t care for anything Chinese. As a child he also discovered that he was highly creative, and that he was “stereotypically, the gayest child you ever saw,” Wong said. He had many dolls, and, he said, had an intellectual justification for each doll he owned. He also described himself as “hammy,” since he was always dancing and singing. “I had a soul of a performer. There was something real going on in my body and soul that drove me to do what I do today,” Wong said. But, he explained, there was a quiet embarrassment surrounding the Asian Americans portrayed in the media. Anytime they came in the scene, it was to do something unfavorable. “I was in my own world of being who I was and who I wanted to be. I was in denial of my face and being a performer,” Wong said. He explained that once he had been on stage he knew that was what he was meant to do. “I thought I could transcend race,” Wong said. He moved to New York, always maintaining an “All American façade,” and from the moment he begun, he found five parts in different plays. But he was always playing the same three roles: “a conflicted Chinatown teen gang member, a crabby Chinese restaurant waiter, and a whacky foreign exchange student.” His manager told him about a Broadway show, but things were going good for him so had no reason to go. Still, he wanted his manager to send him the script so he could see it. It was the first time he’d received a script with an Asian person as the writer. He realized that the writer and him had a lot in common. He convinced his parents to loan him the money to go to NY to audition for the play, and he received one of the main roles in the play. The play was “M. Butterfly,” and Wong won the Tony Award for it. After “M. Butterfly” he “became OK with being Asian American,” Wong said. Still, he wasn’t out publicly. He didn’t lie about it, Wong said, but he didn’t speak about it either. Him and his partner decided to have children, and they decided to have it through a surrogate mother. “For alternative couples there are many alternative ways to have a family,” Wong said. They ended up having identical twins that were born 13 weeks prematurely. One of them died, and the second one had to stay in an incubator for 3 months. At that point he began imbuing his insanity with humor, he explained. He began sending e-mails back and forth with friends and people he knew, and after it was all done a publisher approached him. He wanted to convert the e-mails into a book which became "Following Foo: The Electronic Adventures of the Chestnut Man," and was published in 2003. He said that he realized as he was beginning the tour of the book that he was coming “out” publicly for the first time. “This is who I have been ever since,” Wong said. Coming out of the closet was a “tremendous catalyst” to his life, Wong said. He explained that now that he is out he is much more relaxed, much more comfortable. “Fighting that natural inclination is not healthy. It is harmful to a person’s life. The goal is to not pretend something you are not,” Wong said. Throughout his whole speech Wong stressed the importance of being yourself, and the good that comes with it. Following the lecture Wong answered questions from the audience. GRCC student Derek Rieley said he thought it was a great lecture, and found it admirable that “a gay guy has had the accomplishments he’s had.” “It’s kind of inspiring for me,” Rieley said. Karen Hooyenga is a former GRCC student. She was one of the audience members that asked a question during the question and answer portion of the lecture. She explained that she is coming out as bisexual, and is surprised by the intolerance that she is finding within the gay community. Wong explained that “bisexual is to gay community what gay is to hetero community,” and that this shows the “road of enlightenment that needs to occur across all boards.” “You get to find out who your friends really are,” Wong said. As Hooyenga was leaving, Rieley turned around to address her. “It will get easier,” he said.
Safe water at GRCC Drinking water at GRCC is reported safe by a Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) report done last summer. All of the drinking fountains on campus get their water from the city, said Thomas Smith, Executive Director of Facilities at GRCC. City water comes from Lake Michigan and is put through several filtration processes before it gets to the tap, Smith said. Among those included by the 2007 Water Quality Report are tests for the chemicals Barium and Nitrate, which can be toxic in high doses. Other tests done by the Lake Michigan Water Filtration Plant include regulation of Haloacetic Acid and Trihalomethane levels (HAA5 and THM respectively). HAA5 and THM are groups of chemicals that are formed when disinfectants react with organic and inorganic matter in the water, defined by the Environmental Protection Agency. The Lake Michigan Water Filtration Plant had a "Near-perfect rating" from MDEQ after they underwent a lab re-certification audit last summer. The only complaint sited in the audit was a problem with a detergent used to clean glassware. The detergent has since been replaced and approved by MDEQ. Patricia Chapman, a chemist at the Lake Michigan Water Filtration Plant, said that they also do more tests than are required. A single test may only be required to be done once every few years, but Chapman says they make sure to do them more often to insure water quality. As far as the maintenance of the drinking fountains, Smith says they're on top of it. "Parts in the water fountains wear out and break," he says. Every time fountains break, they are replaced. Smith says it's more cost effective to replace them rather than to buy new parts. They are replaced with ADA accepted fountains (Americans with Disabilities Act). This regulates many several aspects of the fountains including how high the fountains are and the direction of the water flow. Outside of the Academic Service Learning Center, two staff members laughed about one fountain in their hallway. "We've got a geyser out there!" said Amy Sprouse. She explains that the fountain turns on by itself and stays on for several minutes. When asked about the taste, they both laugh again. "It tastes a lot better than the water in Mexico!" said Terri Beadle from the Academic Service Learning Center. Blackboard information accessed on Facebook To make things easier on Blackboard for GRCC students, the Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies Department has adopted two programs that link Facebook and Blackboard. "The purpose of both tools is to provide notifications," Eric Kunnen, Coordinator of Instructional Technologies at GRCC said. "We want to provide students with ways to meet their needs, and we know a lot of them are on Facebook." Blackboard Sync. is a program developed by Blackboard, that allows you to view announcements, new assignments, communicate with classmates on Blackboard and check your grades. Coursefeed was developed by a company called Classtop and allows you to see announcements, to write on the course wall, see who is in your class on Coursefeed, and share notes with classmates. Coursefeed can be found by searching for Coursefeed in the Facebook search bar. Blackboard Sync. can be activated through the GRCC Blackboard website. GRCC Special Education student Andrea Owen was unaware of either program but said she checks Blackboard for her grades. "It would definitely be easier to have one place to get all your information." Owen said. "I will try them for sure." Her biggest concern was the idea that students may be able to access more information about classmates than they would be able to strictly on Blackboard, however, both programs merely list student names and link them to Facebook profiles. As long as the profile is set to private no one is able to access additional personal information. With the two new programs for Blackboard it is still a mixed bag when it comes to professors using Blackboard. Even amongst the faculty opinions differ on whether or not Blackboard is a useful tool for students. "Only about half my professors use Blackboard." Owen said. "It would be nice if more professors used it, it is nice to check grades and how you’re doing in your class." Dr. Frank Conner, Professor of Psychology at GRCC said, "If the faculty believe that this resource (Blackboard) is useful for the student, they will use it. Some faculty use it for posting tests, syllabi and grades. Some professors use it in a highly interactive way." Yet for the Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies Department, Blackboard isn't the end of their work. Eric Kunnen often refers back to the idea that a lot of learning takes place outside of the classroom. "I think these programs are exciting because they can really build a sense of community," Kunnen said. Seminar eases test anxiety The GRCC counseling department hosted a test taking anxiety seminar focusing on the student and the anxiety felt by the student while taking a test. Some questions addressed were what can be done to help the feeling of anxiety, and why do students feel anxious when it’s time to take a test. The second floor of the student center was at capacity when over 50 students attended the test taking anxiety seminar. Some students really needed help, and others were there for the extra credit only, said GRCC Counselor Sarah Rose. GRCC student Valerie Brooks said she was there for extra credit, but also is hoping to get some helpful tips out of the seminar to help her to study better, and hopefully get better grades. Test taking anxiety is the act of feeling an overwhelming sense of frustration when it is time to take a test. General characteristics are sweaty palms, shortness of breath, tightness in chest, nausea, nervousness, scared feelings and negative self talk, Rose said. Rose, who conducted the seminar, suggested that students feeling this type of anxiety should try different techniques to combat the feelings of anxiety. “Speak out study questions, drawings, visualization, and do deep breathing,” Rose said. “It is all about focus, and trying new techniques until you find a technique that works for you.” GRCC student Rachael Clark said she was also there for extra credit, but was also hoping to learn some new studying techniques to help her become a better student, especially after being out of school for a long time. Handouts were given out at the end of the program that suggested a broad study pattern that helps students overcome anxiety. The information highlighted organizing notes, eating light before tests, and relaxation techniques, which include chair stretching and deep breathing. “The deep breathing techniques are a tool I will use to relax before test,” Brooks said. Many other students including Clark agreed that this seminar was a positive and helpful experience. Rose also suggested helpful websites for test taking tips, howtostudy.org and GRCC tutoring service and resources, grcc.edu/academicsupport. The session ended with students feeling more confident about taking test, several students replied after leaving the seminar. Event brings AIDS awareness to GRCC Free condoms and lube made for a not so average afternoon in the Raider Grille. The Grille was full of students ready to get answers to their most private questions in awareness of World Aids Day. The purpose- to raise awareness about the HIV/AIDS virus. “This effects everyone,” said Garrett Imhoff, President of Standout. “A lot of people think it can’t happen to them, but it does.” Student Organizations including WIN (Women’s Issues Now), Standout, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF), BSU (Black Student Union), and Hispanic Student Union (HSU) , set up tables filled with brochures, condoms, and lube in a hope for students to become more knowledgeable in issues like sex and diseases. Educators from Planned Parenthood and HAS (HIV/AIDS Services) were also there, answering any questions students may have had. “It is important to raise awareness,” said Kym Duursma, a Planned Parenthood educator. “Pregnancy, HIV, and prevention all goes hand in hand. We talk about both the risks and the benefits of having sex.” Many students found the information very helpful and were eager to ask their questions. “There’s a lot of stuff that goes around,“ said Sophomore Gabrielle Hutchingson. “A lot of the pamphlets are good because people can find out for themselves without having to ask.” The event, which ran from 11:30- 2:00 p.m. It included an audio visual presentation and speakers. It’s especially important for college kid’s to be aware because they are the ones most affected. "They need to know that this is real and it really does affect them, “ said Chrystal Kasinger, secretary of WIN. Though the organizations were pleased with the turnout of the event, some were worried that students still weren’t getting the message on how serious HIV and AID’s effects them. “I’m not sure how many of the students were concerned with HIV, but more about pregnancy. I don’t know if college kids think it could happen to them and they’re the biggest risk pool,” said Duursma. Whether students found the solutions to their problems, or simply came for the free condoms, the organizations were happy with the success and the number of students that attended. Campus Events for December 10, 2008 Tuba Christmas GRCC Instrumental Concert The Wild Party Campus Closed Student Life Service Saturday 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: The Collegiate is very interested in your opinions, so send your letters in. The
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