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Study abroad program approved A new study abroad opportunity to Mexico has been approved by GRCC. From Feb. 27 to March 8, GRCC students will have the chance to travel to Mexico for four Geography or Social Sciences credits. The program, named “Sustainability in the Face of Globalization: Mexico’s Land of the Maya,” provides a comprehensive study of Mexican history, development, and geography, according to a pamphlet being distributed by Mike DeVivo, Associate Professor of Geography, and one of the teachers of this course. During the trip the students will visit the Museum of Mayan Medicine in San Cristobal de las Casas, as well as indigenous homes and farms among other rural places. Students will hike the ruins in Palenque. They will travel by boat down the Rio Usamascinta, and explore the ruins of Yachilan, in which only animals live, the pamphlet says. Also, students will have the chance to travel in the Mexican coast and observe the impact of tourism on the Mayan people, and may be able to snorkel or dive. The program is taught by Mike DeVivo, and Robert Hendershot, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History. Online learning through BlackBoard before and after the trip will be required. DeVivo has been at GRCC for six years, and has conducted research in southern Mexico for “perhaps four years.” “I have developed the relationship with some of the indigenous people to the point that they trust me to a certain degree even though I’m not from the region,” DeVivo said. “I have continued to go back to learn more about the Mayan way of life, especially since they are faced with the very rapid change brought on by globalization.” DeVivo will focus on the cultural and physical geography of southern Mexico by “explaining the contemporary landscape both cultural and natural.” DeVivo explained that the idea of making a study abroad program has been in the back of his mind throughout the years and throughout his travels. DeVivo has traveled to Indonesia, Cambodia, Africa and Australia among other countries. Prompted by requests from students and other faculty, DeVivo and Hendershot developed the program to Mexico. This is Hendershot’s second year at GRCC. He is an alumni of the college, and runs the Irish Foreign Studies Program with Roger Schlosser, who initiated the program 38 years ago. He described this new trip as “an adventure” that “fits GRCC’s mission. We want to give students excellent opportunities.” Hendershot will focus on “the history of Native Mexico, particularly of the Mayan people. We will talk about what happens to the Mayan people after the Europeans arrived, how the Mayans adapted, but still managed to hold onto their Mayan identity.” There are 10 available spots, and the cost of the trip is $2,400. This doesn’t include tuition and technology fees, meals, or museum and park entry fees. No scholarships are provided, but both professors explained that they tried to keep the costs down as much as possible. For example, DeVivo explained that one of the ways they’ve done this is by driving the students themselves, instead of renting tour buses.
GRCC makes a difference Students and staff came together on a rainy Saturday morning, Oct. 25 to make a difference. Make A Difference Day is a day when students come together and go out into the community to volunteer. All people involved met at the Grand Valley State Pew Campus. The area was filled with students from GRCC and GVSU. Steve Faber, from the Delta Strategy, gave an opening speech to the participants. The Delta Strategy website describes it as an organization designed to help communities and make them stronger. The students laughed when Faber started his speech by mentioning the less-than-perfect weather. He went on to commend Grand Rapids and the surrounding areas. “West Michigan is known for its philanthropy,” he said. Faber volunteered when he was in college and reflected on what he learned from his experiences. He believes that, because of the life lessons that people learn, no one walks away empty-handed. “There’s no such thing as a volunteer,” he said. Students participated in Make a Difference Day (MADD) as part of a new class at GRCC. This class, CLS 100 , is designed to teach new freshman about college learning. Amy Koning, the class instructor, found out about MADD through Christine Terry, MADD coordinator, and thought it would be a great experience for the students. Together with Amy Sprouse, Terri Beadle, and Mike Schavey, from the Academic Service Learning Center they organized to be a part of MADD. “Christine did a great job,” Koning said. The Inner City Christian Federation (ICCF) had students organize and clean for a family homeless shelter. The shelter houses families for up to 30 days, and gives clothes and dishes if the families need them. Terri Beadle, the site leader, said the students started by cleaning up the trash outside. When rain made them move inside, the students moved on to organizing the donated clothing and dishes. The basement was lined with shelves that had shirts, pants, shoes and several other articles of clothing. Liz Heavner and some other students were comparing some pictures they had taken on-site. She said that she had learned some very important things. “Some people are less fortunate than us,” Heavner said. At the Children’s Museum, three students were cutting pictures of animals to make sun-catchers. One of the students, Dakota Engelking, said he missed going to the Michigan/Michigan State game in order to participate. Annie Seeley, another student, said that students weren’t in charge of where they went for the day. She was relieved to be out of the rain. “It’s nice that it’s inside,” she said. At Grand Rapids Housing Commission (GRHC), students were doing some yard work. Armed with gloves and shovels, several students were pulling weeds and cleaning up the gardens for fall and winter. There were also some students power-washing the outside walls. Academic Advising Day is more than a day off On Academic Advising Day, GRCC students gathered in the Applied Technology Center to meet with faculty and representatives from local colleges. Academic Advising Day is more than just a time off for students. The day allows students time to meet with counselors, departments and universities, all in one building. “If classes weren’t dismissed I wouldn’t have attended,” said first year GRCC student, Joshua Hoekzma. “It’s always good to start early.” College recruiters had tables stationed in the hallways of the ATC building atrium, giving students a chance to inquire about what their institutions had to offer. “I love answering questions," said Assistant Director of Admissions for Central Michigan University, Gina Minelli. “It’s important to get the right information to the student. Transferring can be really intimidating to a student. We just want to let them know we’re able to help them every step of the way.” By 11 a.m. the event rooms were packed. Refreshments were available while students waited in line to ask questions. “I wanted to find out my classes for next semester and get information for transferring,” said student Misael Colon. “It gave me time to come and talk to counseling and do my homework.” David Selmon, Assistant Director of Admissions, spoke about the importance of the day. “The numbers are steady from last year,” Selmon said. “Students get a chance to confirm what they are doing and talk to the Registrars office if they are graduating. Students take full advantage of this day.” “It’s an ongoing discussion on how to make this day valuable to students,” Kathleen Owens, counselor for 20 years said. “We care about students while they are here, and we care about what happens when they arrive where they are going.” Interim President gets pay raise The Board of Trustees gave Interim President Dr. Anne Mulder a 12 percent raise on October 20 when her original contract ran out. The retiree, who was living in Florida, decided to come back to GRCC after the former President, Juan Olivarez left in July. Originally, Dr. Mulder was signed on for a three-month contract. She promised to stay “as long as we need her.” Trustee Michael Stearns said they are “very lucky indeed.” Stearns also referred to her as “a confident leader” and “very visible in the community.” Dr. Mulder’s raise went from $600 to $675 a day. Chairperson Gary Schenk says it’s equal to many first-year presidents. She accepted the position because of her ties to GRCC. When the board needed her to stay on until a permanent president was found, Schenk said her answer was “an enthusiastic ‘yes.’” “Dr. Mulder has presidential experience, long connections with GRCC and has served as a consultant to colleges and universities around the country training leadership teams,” Schenk says. He adds that in her previous position, Dr. Mulder was making double that amount. The Board decided earlier in October to continue the search when interviews produced no new president. They extended the search and are taking applications until November 2. After reviewing the applications by late December, the Board will make a final decision on or before February 16.
GRCC graduate running for the House of Representatives GRCC graduate, employee, and current Legal Studies student Melissa Casalina is running her second campaign for State of Michigan House of Representatives, 86th district. Casalina ran the Democratic campaign in 2004 for the new district and eventually was asked by the party to run in 2006 and sequentially in 2008. “I want to help find the middle ground; our people have been neglected because of polarized ideals,” Casalina said. “Our government has become stagnate and is not helping anyone. That’s why I want to work on common ground, finding familiarities, discussing and negotiating.” Her father, Jim Turner, heads Casalina’s campaign. With limited funding, Casalina has relied heavily on word of mouth, one on one interaction within the community and support from her party. She spends her free time making phone calls and knocking on doors in the community. “Collective collaboration is needed and I can represent the people’s and the district’s wants and needs. We need more transparency in our state government,” Casalina said. Casalina, a YWCA daycare worker, lives in Lowell, and has been married for fifteen years to her husband Joseph, who is employed by the City of Grand Rapids Water Department. They have four children together. With two daughters, 13 and 11, as well as twin nine-year-old boys, Casalina understands how citizens are struggling. Casalina has experience serving her country. She served nearly three years in the United States Navy as a SeaBee, in such places as Suda Bay, Crete, Sigonela and Sicily. Casalina has been active in her children’s school district and has acted as a precinct delegate. Having rallied for more K-12 funding she views education as her number one priority. “Education funding needs to be a priority,” Casalina said. “Funds need to get to the students and schools. Student aid funds are not necessarily being used on students or education. Money from these funds ends up being taken out for things like school bus repairs. I want to improve access to school funding.” Casalina has been impressed by GRCC’s student body and how engaged they are in this year’s election . “It’s refreshing because our youth will feel the impact,” Casalina said. “It’s up to us to elect the right people to help ease the impact. Every vote counts, every vote matters. My father was elected to the Lowell school board by seven votes.” Casalina is a member of the Democratic Party and is affiliated with Democracy for Americans and the Progressive Women’s Alliance. Workshop helps raise self-esteem Students at GRCC were able to obtain solutions for the issue of low self-esteem by attending an educational seminar that was hosted by the counseling department. Recent research has shown that self-esteem and academic achievement correlate directly. For many college students their self-esteem is based on or enforced by their academic success. More than 30 students attended the event held Oct. 22, in the second floorof the Student Center. Some students came for extra credit points, and others came seeking help with self-esteem. According to Nathaniel Braden, Ph.D., a noted author and expert on the subject, “Healthy self-esteem means thinking highly of yourself as you think of your peers and friends. We are so used to negative feedback that we are more aware of our weaknesses than our strengths.” Patti Maumee, a GRCC counselor, said, “We started doing the seminars based on the needs the students brought to us “I have a lot of students who come to me, who could do a lot of positive things on campus and don’t think so based on what someone told them.” The counseling department developed the topics, and the individual counselors themselves had the choice of which to present. The seminar focused on healthy self-esteem versus unhealthy self-esteem. They identified the different personality types of people with self-esteem issues and how to correct them. “If you have healthy self-esteem then you know what you’re good at and you’re ok with that, people with low self esteem look at things differently,” Maumee said. “In college I wasn’t good at math, I got low grades, but I don’t let that affect who I am.” The listeners were attentive as the counselors highlighted the healthy attitude of a student with good self-esteem. Maumee emphasized the importance of correcting mistakes instead of dwelling on them. “Make yourself a problem solver rather than letting the problem overwhelm you. Become proactive,” Maumee said. “Sometimes you have to do what it takes to succeed, by going above and beyond.” The next seminar is Oct. 29 from 1-2 p.m. on the second floor of the Student Center. The topic will be Successful Transfer Planning. Campus Police Report for October 29, 2008 Accident 9/22/08
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