Letter to the Editor
By Leigh Jajuga
GRCC Student

I read Nicole Hoffman’s report on the band Boris (Nov. 26, page 11, “Boris Bores crowd”). I was sorry to hear they had just put on such a bad show; however, her comments abased the entire review.

I would argue with her writing band reviews, considering she’s “not usually tolerant of music” she’s “not fond of.” If that’s the case, someone else with a broader outlook should be doing the music reviews. I would rather have an honest review than one that mars a band as incapable because the person reviewing doesn’t like their genre or style of music.

There is one statement in particular that urged me to write in to the newspaper: “As far as music goes, all I have to say is that I don’t speak Japanese, so it wasn’t really of much interest to me.”

This statement makes the writer sound completely ignorant, denying any appreciation of non-English speaking bands. And quite possibly there wasn’t a problem with the crowd, but maybe with a certain listener in particular who claimed it took four songs to realize what they were hearing wasn’t English.

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Fight for weapons on campus endangers us
Main Editorial

The right of any American should be protected and honored, including the right to bear arms. However, to bring concealed weapons to a college campus should never allowed.

It is an unrealistic idea that could be as dangerous as those who have committed campus shootings.

A national organization called Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC) will argue that it is a right to carry concealed weapons on campus. If allowed to do so, it will keep the campus safer. This organization has 35,000 members and is in all fifty states according to the Web site concealedcampus.org.

To have an organization on campus with a main purpose that goes against the Student Code of Conduct is absurd. It is hard to believe that anyone would even advise a group of students, who believe that carrying concealed weapons is good thing, on college campuses.

Of course this organization does not advocate everyone should be allowed to carry on campus. Their Web site clearly states they “simply want those individuals age twenty-one and above, in most states who possess valid concealed handgun licenses/concealed carry weapons permits to be afforded the same right to carry on college campuses that they are currently afforded virtually everywhere else.”

The concealedcampus.org Web site does list facts and answers to the arguments about why it is not a good idea to allow concealed weapons on campus. The site does its job to convince people to allow them to carry weapons on campus.

However, it like any other propaganda, promotes ideas that are just no good for a college campus. This is not the way to solve problems on campuses.

Yes, there is violence, and there have been campus shootings, and people have died. But it isn’t the solution to carry guns. It will not help. This organization and its ideas are just as ignorant as those who paint hate speech on GRCC bathroom walls.

This group is out of touch with reality, and the idea that it is an active organization on campus is just crazy. To claim this is a civil rights issue and their concern is to make campuses safer is dumb. A ban on all weapons on campuses is as safe as we can get it.

GRCC will not be any safer if you have people carrying concealed weapons. The idea is if a shooter was on campus, students carrying concealed weapons would start firing in defense.

But what would happen to those in the crossfire? How many would be killed and injured because of the gunfight?

Hopefully, these questions will not be answered by such an incident at GRCC. Hopefully, this college and others across Michigan and this nation will not allow changes to policies that keep concealed guns off the premises. It is up to us to stay on our state governments to keep current laws in place.

These laws will save us from those who think the best way to solve our problems is with a gun. This is an issue that is easily solved by saying no to concealed weapons carry on campus.

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Remember to be grateful this holiday
By Kyle Kiekntveld
Collegiate Staff Writer

“We spent most of our time sleeping in a one-person tent in the park,” Wayne Benson, a Grand Rapids resident, said.

Wayne and his mother Sharon spent several minutes telling me their story when I stopped by the Hard Times Cafe, where Westminster Presbyterian Church hosts a weekly meal for the poor and homeless in Grand Rapids.

Wayne spoke of a baby skunk that adopted them when they lived in the park. Sneaking into the tent and eating their food, the raccoon loved green fruit loops most of all. That skunk would protect them from raccoons, full sized skunks, and it would even scare people who came too close to their camp.

Things have changed for the Benson family, and now they rent a beautiful home in Grand Rapids. Originally from the east side of the state, the Bensons say there were no services for the poor and homeless there. They are thankful for Grand Rapids.

“There is a lot of help on this side of the state,” Sharon Benson said.

She is quick to mention that if you’re a homeless person in Grand Rapids, you will be fed.

As we spend the holiday in what comforts are available to us, it is important for us to remember others who are not so lucky as us, both in Grand Rapids and the entire world.

The last US Census revealed that 15.7 percent of Grand Rapids residents lived below the poverty line, and with the suffering economy, no doubt that number has risen.

In their 2007 annual report, Michigan Statewide Homeless Management Information System reported 79,940 homeless people in Michigan.

The National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty reported in 1999 that 700,000 people per night are homeless, and two million people per year experienced homelessness.

World Bank Development Indicators for 2008 list almost half the world living on less than $2.50 a day.

According to UNICEF, between 26,500 and 30,000 children die each day due to poverty.

Less than one percent of what is spent on weapons in the year 2000 could have put every child in the world into school, according to the State of the World report published by the New Internationalist in 1997.

Whether these numbers have declined or swelled over the past years, there are still staggering amounts of people who are struggling.

So for those of us who are able to truly celebrate this type of year, let us be grateful for what we have, and hopefully let us look to see what we can give back to the world.

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Please stick to toys, not puppies for Christmas
By Jacqueline Prins
Web Design Editor

We’ve seen it countless times. Some call it the Christmas present that keeps on giving. It was best demonstrated in Walt Disney’s “Lady and the Tramp.” There is nothing comparable to the magic of finding a new puppy under the Christmas tree.

Unfortunately, the magic of a Christmas puppy seems short-lived for many.

Although the sweet and innocent nature of puppies seems to embody the true spirit of Christmas for many, giving a puppy as a gift for Christmas can lead to many serious and negative consequences.

According to petrescue.com, giving a child a puppy for Christmas demonstrates that the puppy should be seen more as a Christmas toy, than an actual family member. Think about Christmas toys. Some are simply placed on a shelf and forgotten by Valentine’s Day. The addition of a new pet is a huge responsibility.

Puppies require housetraining, and need to be fed three or four times a day. Some puppies may not be used to the smells and sounds of the house, and may even see new Christmas presents as brand new shiny chew toys.

Cyberpet.com also explains the negative effects of Christmas puppies. The Web site offers an interview with Candy Roberts, Humane Officer at the Humane Society of Ohio Valley.

“After the excitement is over, many kids get tired of taking care of a puppy, and the parents won’t do it because they’re too busy,” Roberts said. “So, about half of our puppies that are adopted during the holiday season end up being brought back to the shelter.

“Pets aren’t like toys,” Roberts said. “When you get bored with them, you can’t throw them away and get a different ‘toy.’ If you do that with a dog, it hurts them.”

A furry friend is more than an ornate holiday decoration. They are a life-long family commitment. There is no such thing as a Christmas puppy, only a forever friend.

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Appreciating the value of apprenticeships
By Zach Burger
Collegiate Staff Writer

Throughout the centuries, higher education has been an honorable achievement among the masses. However, the standards of academic success are too broad and ineffective in today’s world.

Scholars have evolved in brilliance from respected institutions, and worldwide discoveries of all natures have progressed. Yet, many of these scholars were not subject to the well-rounded means of academia we deal with today.

The ideology of American institutions is to create a diverse student body with knowledge of many different subjects, but this may not be the only option for an advancing society to teach students.

Learning one profession and perfecting it would provide a vast population of extremely skilled individuals, rather than one knowledgeable in many different areas. This would be a very productive way to achieve goals in these different and diverse occupations.

The skills needed for these specialized positions would be learned much quicker in specified programs, instead of dealing with meaningless classes that contribute nothing to a desired major.

Naturally, this would allow students to graduate from institutions more rapidly. As a result, they would become assimilated into their preferred professional fields earlier.

It’s common knowledge that sitting in a classroom does not compare to the amount of knowledge gained while actually participating in the field.

According to Carl R. Doss, Ph. D, in his column “Useless College Degrees,” he explains any experience a student can get in their real-life fields of interest is valuable.

He goes on to explain that although a student may achieve a higher education degree, the reality is that that student may not be able to find employment within their intended field unless they attend graduate school.

What I’m getting at is the importance of an apprenticeship, which is something not so commonly accepted in the American society. For some reason, a diverse education is seemingly more beneficial than a specified education today, although apprenticeships were very common and useful in the past.

Times have changed and so has the American educational system, but many people have lost sight of what they truly want to excel in.

This is just a reminder that getting a degree in something that doesn’t matter much is a waste. Degrees can’t always guarantee success.

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Why it's scary to get sick these days
By Sarah Wiltenburg
Collegiate Staff Writer

I’m afraid to get sick. Being a student without health insurance, even the onset of a sore throat scares me.

I begin to panic about if I have to go to the doctor, will they prescribe me something or will I need to go take some tests? Suddenly the costs begin pilling up. I think GRCC needs a campus clinic.

Being a student at GRCC does have a few benefits. Students can get an exam, cleaning, x-rays (if needed), and fluoride treatment in 301 Cook for $12.

All of these services are provided by GRCC’s Dental Program students, who are supervised by their professors for training and hands on learning.

We get a cheaper service, while also giving students the actual training and experience needed to get any sort of a job, even with a degree. This is a win-win situation.

What about health beyond our teeth? Wouldn’t it be great if we had a clinic with nurses available just to at least give us check ups?

I know at my family doctor a checkup costs around $93 without insurance, even if nothing is wrong.

GRCC has an Associate Degree Nursing Program, Practical Nursing Program, and a Healthcare Plus Program.

Margaret Bowles, the Director of Nursing Programs, said in an email that there are currently an estimated 400 students on the ADN wait list and 140 on the PN list.

Since we aren’t lacking interested students, why don’t we give them some practice? NASN.org is the Web site for the National Association of School Nurses. It says the role of a school nurse is defined as “a specialized practice of professional nursing that advances the well-being, academic success, and life-long achievement of students.”

Healthy students equal fewer absences. I’ve seen so many students sick for weeks on end. I know when I get sick, I just take over the counter medication and hope it works for whatever I have.

Sometimes I’m sick for a few weeks. It may be a struggle, but it’s better to me than having a huge doctor’s bill at the end of those weeks.

A school clinic could kill two birds with one stone. It would not only give nursing students experience, but it could also keep other students healthy and in class.

If we are given the option of clean teeth for less, why not offer us clean, healthy bodies for less as well?

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Nursing students in it for the right reasons?
By: Sam Ressner
Collegiate Staff Writer

IAs I have talked to students at GRCC about their majors, I have noticed there are a significantly large number of students going into the health field, especially nursing.

According to Margaret Bowles, Program Director for the Nursing Department at GRCC, there are 298 students enrolled in the Associate Degree Nursing program and 137 students enrolled in the Practical Nursing program.

Many students have told me a main reason they want to be a nurse is for job security. There has been a large demand for nurses recently, and I think it is fantastic that so many want to fill the job.

My concern, however, is that some people are going into this profession for the wrong reason.

When I go to the hospital I want my nurse—the person who draws my blood, takes my temperature and checks my pulse—to be kind and gentle.

More importantly, I want them to be the type of person who got into nursing because they care about people and want to help people. I don’t want my nurse to be the type of person who got into the profession purely based on job security. I want my nurse to care.

There is currently a waiting list in the nursing program at GRCC. I believe those who are going into the nursing program should take time to stop and think if nursing is really what they love and want to do with their life.

Those students who doubt themselves, and think they want to do something else instead, should probably make room for those who are going into nursing because they really care about it..

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Student Shoutout Online results

Do you want to be informed of threats made against GRCC by campus police?
Yes 79%
No 21%
(14 total votes)

Click here to vote in our current poll asking if you think concealed weapons should be allowed on campus.

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