Making a difference by serving others
Editorial

They could have been anywhere on Oct. 25, watching the game, spending time with family, or just staying indoors avoiding the chilly Michigan rain. Instead they came together from different backgrounds, majors, types, and beliefs to make a difference in somebody’s life.

‘Make a Difference Day’ is one of those opportunities that give students a chance to help out in the community they live in. It is programs like this that make Academic Service learning at GRCC worth every penny.

Giving students a chance to volunteer and help out in the Grand Rapids community is a learning experience that no PHD can give. It’s an education about life so close to the heart that no book, PowerPoint presentation, or lecture can ever teach in the classroom.

It is this volunteer aspect of social engagement that changes deprived communities, gang-infested neighborhoods and the shared attitudes of defeat. Volunteers are the ones who show people value and respect in the greatest capacity. Those who are considered on the fringe of society, ‘the outcasts’ who are in need, often believe that no one cares.

Volunteers change that perspective by showing that those in need are worth the time and resources without the words. It would be a foolish thing to not commend a program such as ‘Make a Difference Day.’ Whether you believe in God or not, it is easy to see the good from this day.

The volunteer receives so much without compensation. To do what a volunteer does is noble at best. Often it is the volunteer who does more than is expected of them. Volunteers often find out the joy of giving to others, without expecting anything in return, is a priceless feeling.

We have to remember that these students aren’t some superheroes who go around seeking to do good in their community. Often they are the same people who face the same adversity as many of us. The same struggles of class work, bills, and human problems we all experience.

Volunteers are people like you and me who actually take the time to make that difference. It is a reality that does not always come with gratitude. There are those who do not care for the help, but the volunteer does not give up; they complete the task started. That will shape a personality and make the volunteer even more effective in the future.

GRCC’s Academic Service Learning gives these students the chance to step out of their comfort zones and help the community they live in. It is why the volunteer can make the difference in the community. That is why ‘Make a Difference Day’ is important to us all at GRCC.

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How one vote can make a difference
By Jacqueline Prins
Web Design Editor

During an election in which neither candidate sounds appealing, I find myself in a tug of war with my inner civil rights conscience.

Neither candidate can encompass the foundation of my beliefs. Dragging myself to the polls in a halfhearted attempt at exercising my Constitutional right does not sound appealing.

When I cast that ballot, I will be accepting moral responsibility for the actions of my candidate. We are fortunate to live in a country where the people choose the government. With this choice, comes consequence and responsibility.

I turn over my passive role a passer by, and transform into a something greater. It is the thought that my voice will be heard, and therefore held accountable that terrifies me.

I once thought my vote would not make a difference. How could just one vote out of millions have any type of impact?

I looked back through some of the greatest votes in history, which were won by so little. According to Exploring Constitutional Conflicts, law.umck.edu, in 1920, the amendment that lead to woman's suffrage was sent to the states for ratification. It all came down to Tennessee, which passed the amendment by one vote.

Another case, in which one vote made all the difference, was an election in Zanzibar, on January 18, 1961. According to snopes.com/history, the Afro-Shirazi Party won the general elections by a single seat, after the seat of Chake-Chake on Pemba Island was won by a single vote.

Sometimes one vote in itself may not change the outcome of an election, but when these individual votes join forces, they can move mountains, and even change the course of history.

In the 2000 presidential election, George W. Bush won Florida's 25 electoral votes by 537 “one” votes. This gave him the presidency.

What all of this means to me is my vote may seem small, but in our nation, each small voice makes a difference. As responsible voters, we have an obligation to not only vote, but stand behind our decision.

Voting is not always easy, but the decisions with the greatest outcomes never are. As a woman, people fought and were even imprisoned so that on Nov. 4, I can have a say in the next president of the United States of America. I can decide if Marijuana should be legalized for medical use. I can have a say in human embryo and human embryonic stem cell research.

I carry just as much fault as the man or woman in the White House, for I am the one who has put them there. On the same note, I can also look back at their moments of success with contentment. I will know, that part of their greatest achievements, were only achievable because of my one vote.

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Seeing through the Constitutional fog
Yes, there is a Constitutional right to smoke
By Christina Kim
Assistant Sports Editor

Believe it or not, in the limited space of the seven articles and 27 amendments of the Constitution, every right that a citizen has is not listed.

However, just because the Constitution doesn’t list explicitly every right, it does protect each one. It’s a perfectly valid argument to say that the Constitution protects a person’s right to smoke on public property and that it is unconstitutional to take that right away.

The ninth amendment states, “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.”

In other words, even if a right is not listed, it is protected. Just because it doesn’t say in the Constitution that you can eat that Big Mac, with all its artery-clogging deliciousness, doesn’t mean that anyone can stop you. You are free to indulge in your patties, buns, and special sauce, as well as cigarettes and many other harmful, American activities.

Smoking is bad for you. It’s bad for the people around you. It destroys your health in multiple and disastrous ways. Everyone who smokes knows that there is a risk, unless they don’t watch any T.V., read any newspapers or magazines, and don’t look at the box that contains their slim, highly addictive, poisonous sticks.

However, the same can be said of a lot of other things. People didn’t like the consumption of alcohol back in the 1920’s. In fact, they thought it was so bad for society that an amendment was passed to stop people from drinking, the eighteenth. That worked out really well.

For those not familiar with speakeasies or who have lived in a cave for the past 70 years, they passed a twenty-first amendment making liquor legal again. Americans aren’t okay when authorities mess with their rights. England restricted those rights and we revolted.

There was a civil rights movement to protect minorities’ rights. There was that whole Roe v. Wade issue with abortion. Granted, laws are made to prohibit certain harmful actions of the people of a society. There’s definitely reason and evidence behind wanting to stop others from smoking. There’s a difference between state and national laws.

There’s a lot of gray area in every matter that deals with people’s rights. But the Constitution does, and always will protect every right of an American citizen. Try prohibiting smoking on a national level and see how far you get with that.

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Seeing through the Constitutional fog
No, there is no Constitutional right to smoke
By Sarah Wiltenburg
Collegiate Staff Writer

With the announcement that GRCC is going tobacco free on Nov. 20, some students have said that the college is infringing on their Constitutional rights.

Unfortunately for these misinformed critics, there is no freedom or right being infringed upon. There is no such thing as a Constitutional right to smoke.

In March 2008, Samantha K. Graff, staff attorney at Public Health Law & Policy, helped write There is No Constitutional Right to Smoke: 2008 A Law Synopsis by the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium. The Public Health Law & Policy is a group who partners with advocates and decision-makers to help create healthier communities.

“The purpose of this law synopsis is to debunk the argument that smokers have a special legal right to smoke,” writes Graff. “Neither the Due Process Clause nor the Equal Protection Clause of this Constitution creates a right to smoke. As a result, the Constitution leaves the door wide open for smoke-free laws and other tobacco-related laws that are rationally related to a legitimate government goal.”

There is so much misinterpreting and miscommunication of the Constitution, people need to know before they speak out and use the Constitution as a ground to stand on. When the Constitution is used to back a right to smoke, people begin to look ill-advised.

If there was a right to smoke, wouldn't we still be able to smoke in classrooms or hospitals? True you have a right to smoke in your home if you choose, or your car on a public road, but the Constitution does not grant you rights to smoke in an area that wants to become smoke free.

The only infringement to anyone is the second hand smoke currently put on non-smokers. The reason for the tobacco free policy at GRCC is not to attack smokers; it is to promote healthy living. Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.

As a committee member of this initiative, I back the smoke free policy 100 percent and do take into consideration how hard it is to quit. With this being said, it still holds true that there is no right to smoke, even though nicotine is an addiction.

The bottom line is smoke and tobacco free zones are fair and Constitutional. If you're looking to find a reason to complain about the new policy on campus, you're going to have to look further than infringement of rights.

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The fraudulent Presidential debate process
By Lonnie Allen
Editor-in-Chief

The Presidential and Vice presidential debates are an important process for Americans to understand the views and stances of the candidates running for the highest office in this country.

This process should be impartial and open to all candidates running for office. Therein lies the problem with the current system in America. The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) is a farce and is un-American; it needs to end.

This so-called nonpartisan organization does not support the interest of American voters. This commission is controlled by the sponsorship of big business. The Democratic and Republican parties secretly negotiate the terms, and as voters, we are left with a scripted and unfair debate.

This deceptive major party control harms the fabric of American democracy. It excludes candidates that voters want to see, and many important issues that affect the American people are left unaddressed. The debates have become a two party news conference filled with sound bites that get us, the voter nowhere on the issues.

In 1998 Walter Cronkite, the man who had hosted the CBS Evening News for nearly 20 years said, “the debates are part of an unconscionable fraud that our political campaigns have become…the candidates participate only with the guarantee of a format that defies meaningful discourse.”

Americans need to stand up to such a slap to democracy. The idea that a third party candidate cannot debate is simply wrong. We as Americans and the news industry have to stand up to these corporate giants and tell them we want the truth, no matter how bad it hurts the bottom line.

A journalist’s duty is to seek truth and uncover such fraud and inform America of what is really going on. This is what needs to happen. The press has to call for an end to the CPD and an end to the secret negotiations of the major party candidates.

We need to demand that all parties have the right to debate on television. The press alone cannot do this; the voters also need to stand up and speak out about this scourge on the election process. It is time for all of us to send those letters and boycott future debates until this process is changed.

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“Hey, Wash Your Hands!”
By Walter Taylor
Guest Columnist
GRCC Student

Here’s a nasty little secret that some of you may not know: many guys that use the restroom seldom wash their hands after going what we refer to as “number 2.”

I know it’s gross, and it sounds disgusting, but it’s true. I’ve seen it time and time again. Once they’ve finished their “business,” they usually make a b-line for the door, totally ignoring the cleanliness that soap and water provides.

In doing so, they end up infecting everything that we touch with choliform bacteria: door handles, desks, stair rails, elevator buttons, and books. Not to mention all the contact with those much needed pens and pencils that we share, borrow, handle, chew on, etc.

With bacterial and viral infections on the rise, like MRSA and the flesh-eating disease, Necrotizing Fasciitis, you would think that they would be much more sensitive to their own personal hygiene issues (…ahhh, but no such luck.)

Unfortunately, I think the only way we will finally curb their enthusiasm to perpetuate their own unsanitary practices will be to embarrass them in public.

Next time, if you see someone go straight from the bathroom stall to the bathroom door, speak up: “Hey, wash your hands!” You’ll be saving us all.

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The Call for an Election Holiday
By Kyle A. Kiekintveld
Collegiate Staff Writer

Democracy isn't rocket science. It should function smoothly. Yet we have a problem in America.

Most people are quick to speak ill of the government, but most people don't vote. For this democracy to work we must vote, period. The solution is simple: we need an election holiday.

We need to have governmental services toned down, and schools and businesses closed on days of national election. This would help everyone find the time to vote. I know, voting does not take that long. The longest I have ever waited is fifteen minutes, but we all have heard the excuse, “I am far too busy." If you’re taking classes at GRCC, you probably are busy, but that doesn’t negate the need to vote.

This way, no one will have an excuse. Sometimes I struggle with whether my vote matters. In my mind, elections have obviously been stolen in the past. And I know that our governmental representatives often go against popular opinion, many spoke outright on their duty to do so during the recent corporate bailout. Yet we aren't called to vote in order to compel our representatives to do our bidding.

We are compelled to vote because it is an obligation. This is not a dictatorship. This is not a theocracy. This government is a relationship between citizens and the elected representatives. Without that relationship, it becomes a dictatorship, or at least it begins to resemble one. If we do not vote, we allow others to dictate the direction of our country. We lay down and let other people rob us of our voice.

Whatever our convictions are, we let them go to the wayside because we do not want to take the time or effort to fulfill a simple obligation. I don't care if you go to vote for Independents, the Green Party, Libertarians or any other of the parties that have yet to hold the Presidential office. Don't be discouraged, just vote!

I personally make it a point to reach across ideological lines and encourage everyone to vote. In all honesty I struggle with keeping up with many of the local elections. I know I need to do better with voting on the smaller elections, but this year’s election is not a small thing. This is one of the biggest elections we are likely to see in our generation.

We have to look pretty far back to see an economy this terrible. We have to look pretty far back to see when our country was involved in two wars. We have to look pretty far back to see when everything seemed to be this big of a mess.

I would definitely like to live in a society where we see an end to disenfranchisement and we see much higher voter turnouts. I think we owe it to our children and our ancestors to look for a 70 or 80 percent voter turnout. The biggest thing we can do to encourage people to vote is simply give them a day off.

Give people an entire day to do one single thing. They can whine and complain after the election, but we can be sure of one thing, they would never have an excuse to not vote.

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Student Shoutout Online results

Do you think the economy and recent credit crunch will affect you?
Yes 72%
No 6%
Undecided 22%
(18 total votes)

Click here to vote in our current poll asking if you found Academic Advising Day useful.

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Current Edition:
October 29, 2008

Next Edition:
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