Letters to the Editor
An open forum

Students should educate themselves before entering the concealed weapons debate

I read your lead article (Dec. 10, 2008, page 1, “Student group advocates concealed weapons at CC”) about the new campus group, Students for Concealed Carry on Campus (SCCC). I love to see students participate in groups that build leadership skills in our society.

This group’s cause is certain to generate some lively discussion on campus—a sure sign of a healthy and active academic culture. However, the integrity of that discussion will be undermined if mistruths are allowed into the debate. Unfortunately, I found one example in this news article.

Mr. Kiekintveld wrote, “State law currently prohibits people from carrying concealed weapons on college campuses, regardless of whether they have a permit.” This is simply untrue. In fact, Michigan’s concealed pistol license (CPL) statute lists a “dormitory or classroom” as the only specific college campus areas which are off-limits to carrying a concealed pistol).

Carrying concealed weapons other than pistols in public is always a Michigan felony, regardless of whether one has a CPL. Carrying a concealed pistol without a CPL is also a felony. However, there are no college-specific statutory prohibitions on the open carry of firearms in Michigan.

It is important that both sides of this issue understand the basis of this campus policy before entering the debate. I would encourage any student interested in this to educate themselves in Michigan’s firearm laws. Michigan State Police provides an excellent resource on this topic at their Web site, michigan.gov/msp.

Grant Medich
Rockford parent, uncle, and friend of current GRCC students

Editorial on concealed weapons unbalanced and disturbing; ban on weapons won’t work

As I was reading the editorial on concealed weapons (Dec. 10, 2008, page 9, “Fight for weapons on campus endangers us”), I was somewhat disturbed by the comments saying that “This group (SCCC--Students for Concealed Carry on Campus) is out of touch with reality” and “This organization and its ideas are just as ignorant as those who paint hate speech on GRCC’s bathroom walls.”

Before making a biased judgment upon this club, I would advise the reader or editor to go visit one of these concealed weapons classes and ask the teacher if you could sit in on one of the lectures. Ask the students why they are there in that class. Don’t debate them, simply listen. You might be surprised by the answers you hear.

A ban on all weapons won’t work. A ban didn’t stop Columbine from happening. A ban didn’t stop Virginia Tech. I would actually feel safer knowing there are students or teachers that have concealed weapons. Any shooter would be nervous knowing that anyone could be able to fire back. The article doesn’t mention how many people have actually been saved due to concealed weapons.

All I ask is that you know both sides of the issue before writing concealed weapon hate speech in the editorial section.

Jonathan Bravo
GRCC Student

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Academic Probation a good thing for GRCC
Main Editorial

GRCC winter semester started as usual, its halls filled with students rushing off to their classes.

The Student Life Office was busy printing schedules and Raider cards for students who had recently enrolled. The lines at the GRCC bookstore seemed to show that students reluctantly are still paying for those high priced books.

However, this semester is going to be very different for about 1800 students. This is the first year for GRCC’s new Academic Standing Policy. This policy requires GRCC students to maintain a certain GPA depending on the amount of cumulative credits they have. For students who have 12-14 credit hours, a minimum 1.50 GPA is required.

Those with 15-28 credit hours need to meet a 1.75 GPA requirement. Students with 29 credit hours and above must have a minimum 2.00 GPA. Letters were issued at the end of the fall semester warning those who fell below the required GPA that they were now on academic probation. If the notified students do not bring their GPA up by the end of this semester, then they could be suspended next semester.

A new reality is now in place at GRCC, and it is a good one. It is time for students to stop thinking that they can fill up space at GRCC and not take an education seriously. The requirements are not that hard to achieve. Students are in college to learn, so one would think that would be evident with the money spent to attend college. Students do not have any excuses for not making the required GPA.

GRCC gives students so many resources to help them succeed. The Academic Support Center provides free tutoring to all students in the many labs located throughout campus. This department also offers one-on-one tutoring for many classes. All students need to do is go to the second floor of the library and sign up.

The Counseling and Career Center offers a workshop on how to avoid Academic Probation. This department also offers other workshops on many topics. For example, one of the workshops teaches test taking skills and effective note taking. Others provide tips and information to help students. Professors at GRCC go out of their way to help students succeed.

Office hours are in place for students to go and get that extra help they might need in their classroom studies. This is an underused and underappreciated resource by many. These professors cannot make it any easier for a student to pass their classes.

Success falls on the responsibility of students. Now it is time for them to put forth the effort. Time to shape up and grow up. It is time to put behind those blaming attitudes and take responsibility for our own actions. Many of us who are here to learn are tired of those taking up space.

Those who treat GRCC like a joke are in for wake up call. Shape up and get the help needed to succeed; it is not impossible to turn things around. It is up to the individual if they want to do well in college, not anyone else. GRCC deserves some credit for establishing a policy that will help those who want succeed not only by holding students accountable for their grades. but will also by removing those who may just not care about the importance of education.

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Bay area shooting shows U.S. is not colorblind
By Kyle Kiekntveld
Collegiate Staff Writer

On Jan. 20 Barack Obama was sworn in as the first Black President in US history. The day before was Martin Luther King Jr. Day. He would have been 80 years old. No doubt the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. is tied closely with Barack Obama, yet so is the legacy of Oscar Grant III.

On Jan. 1, 2009, Oscar Grant III was riding home from a New Year’s party in his hometown of Oakland, Ca.

The Bay Area Rapid Transit authority received reports of an altercation on a subway train. The altercation spilled out onto the platform, and one of the men detained was Oscar Grant. Grant was seen on some cell phone videos as speaking to the police officers with his hands raised.

Grant was eventually forced onto his stomach. One officer had a knee on Grant’s back. Grant struggled, and another officer drew his weapon and shot Grant in the back. He died in the hospital several hours later. Grant was unarmed.

On Jan. 13, Johannes Mehserle, the officer that shot and killed Grant, was arrested. He is currently being charged with second-degree murder.

GRCC Staffer Sara Hill is familiar with Oakland personally. She is from the Bay Area, where the shooting took place. She defines herself as a community organizer and is the advisor to the BSU. In an email, Sara Hill responded to the events of Jan. 1.

“First thing, he was pulled off the train with no evidence that he was fighting, involved in the fight or even knew of a fight,” Sara Hill wrote.

In retrospect, Hill wrote that Grant became a victim because he appeared urban.

“He happened to be Black. He happened to be young, and he happened to fit the description,” Hill said. “That is of course, if there was a description, because by looking at the footage, there are several young men who were walking around, all urban looking.”

Hill wondered what Grant did in order to be so cruelly singled out.

“They already tazed him. Then two officers held him down—one had a knee on his neck, while his hands were behind his back,” Hill continued. “What caused the officer to draw his weapon and then fire?

“The killing of Oscar Grant is just a reminder that our nation is not colorblind, and Black people in America have not ‘made it’ because there is a brown-skinned person in the White House,” Hill wrote. “Racism still exists in America.”

Going into the administration of our first Black president it is hard not to be optimistic. Yet, injustices still hang over America. It is impossible to see everything that was going on in that officer’s head. Yet the end result is still the same. An unarmed Black man was killed by an officer of the law, while laying on his stomach.

“This isn’t just about race, it is about the social injustices that continue to happen around our nation,” Sara Hill wrote.

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GRCC students need parking lessons
By Lonnie Allen
Editor-in-Chief

Parking in the Bostwick lot this winter semester has been the craziest in the entire four years I have been a student at GRCC.

At first I was giving students the benefit of the weather. I just figured the students were not able to see the lines because of snow and ice.

That theory has now gone out the window. I have been watching, and some of these students are just plain ignorant and inconsiderate of others.

Now before you all start writing e-mails about how bad the parking situation is at GRCC, you should understand that parking has always been limited. We are a busy downtown campus, and the college goes out of its way to inform you of parking options at GRCC. It is time to take some responsibility.

I know it can be hard for some, but please think it about it. When you are parking, if you are unsure it is a parking spot, it probably isn’t a parking spot. The last time I looked, the roof parking on the Bostwick ramp did not have spots so close to the walkway entrance that you could only get one lane of traffic through.

There are arrows that are supposed to direct the traffic, but students just drive any direction they please and cause some of the backups on the ramps. To all those students who continue taking up two spots for one car, you need to get an education in parking. Perhaps we should make a parking class mandatory for all students.

This reckless parking situation only causes more headaches for us who understand the concept of driving. It also makes it difficult to find parking on the ramp. What I found absolutely astonishing this semester on the Bostwick ramp was six cars that triple parked.

I just cannot figure out who could not see that they have blocked another car in. Think about it. Let’s say you were done with class and went out to your vehicle to leave. Instead, you saw that you were unable to get you car out because some inconsiderate student had blocked you in. How would you feel when you couldn’t leave?

GRCC Campus Police should just tow away those vehicles that park inconsiderately. Ticket them and tow them away. I know it isn’t going to be perfect every time we drive to campus, but if students would just think a little more when they park it would save a lot hassle.

Plan your day better and understand the problems down here when parking. Rushing to college and trying to park in a hurry only causes these issues.

Be considerate so when students, like Nathan VandenBosh for example, want to leave they can do so. VandenBosh, unfortunately, couldn’t do so. He had to wait until the vehicle that blocked him left, so he could leave. He handled the situation calmly, although he did not find it to be amusing stuck at GRCC. I am sure any student would feel the same way if they were in his shoes. I know I would.

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Yes we did, Prez. Obama. Now what?
By Marcus J. Reynolds
Collegiate Staff Writer

I must confess I am a journalist. Being cynical and critical is second nature for me. I don’t love the establishment, administration, or the political machine. All of them aren’t fair to the masses, and I believe it’s my duty to tell the masses when they are screwing up.

How does this attitude play out with the newly inaugurated Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States of America?

As a journalist and a thinking man, I must hold him accountable to the masses.

President Obama made a lot of promises, including change. Change from the current economic crisis, change from the politics as usual bullshit leaders play out once in Washington, and change from the good ole’ boy system where “We” means the “white and rich.”

Obama promised true unity where “we” means all of us. Obama promised to end war and close Guantanamo Bay, cut taxes, and tax the rich. Obama so eloquently promised a lot, and the American citizens believed in his vow of change.

As I walked into GRCC on Jan. 20, I noticed almost everyone intently watching the inauguration. It seemed as if time had stopped for Obama. Students, faculty and citizens alike were massed in different locations on campus giving respect to the new president.

As I watched their faces, I could see their desire and hope for a new America. They believed all of his promises. People truly want change and showed this by the record voter turnout. Not only did they vote Obama into office, but these young voters were also actually taking the time to watch his inauguration.

It wasn’t a video, reality television show, or cool concert, but politics. Now what happens from here? I was impressed see the concern of students. Will their efforts be in vain? Are they satisfied with just electing Obama into office? Will they go back to being a complacent citizen?

Viewers of the inauguration crossed racial, economic, and political lines, but what happens after Judge Judy comes on? What has changed? Is Obama a celebrity icon or a person who really will bring change?

Time will answer my concerns. As a citizen I enjoyed seeing the public come together and take part in the whole political process from start to finish. But, as a journalist, I know today was only the beginning.

The citizens are my flock, and I will hold Obama accountable. I will hold him to his promises. Obama owes us all, and as a concerned parent, citizen and journalist, I will be watching because I remember the expressions of hope on the people’s. People want true change.

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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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Gaming hint system patent will ruin the fun
By Nicole Hoffman
A&E Editor

It is absolutely ridiculous to have video game that will play itself. It defeats the purpose of gaming completely.

However, Nintendo’s Hint System patent may do just that.

Video games have come such a long way, especially when you stop to think about how long they have been around. They started in 1971 with Atari’s Pong. Now, gaming has become a major industry, with companies earning millions of dollars in profits. In Dec. 2008 alone, a staggering 3.2 Wii consoles were sold.

I thought that we were headed in a good direction with more active video games, such as Wii Fit, Dance Dance Revolution, and Guitar Hero. These games and others like them gave the gaming world a glimpse of hope. Games that get people up and moving and active, as opposed to sitting on their butts for hours on end just staring at the screen, showed real progress.

Gaming technology was moving in the right direction, but now we’re taking a step back in the wrong direction.

Nintendo’s new patent has enabled them to create games that will allow you to set down the controller when you’re stumped, and they will play themselves. To me, that just seems to take away from what games were intended for.

If there are going to be games where the player can just sit around for 20 some hours just to beat it, they should have to at least put some thought into it rather than be able to just set down the controller and watch the game go by.

That doesn’t even seem like a game anymore. How many people go to Vegas, put money down on the Blackjack table and watch as others take their money and play the game. No one. So why would you want to shell out 60 bucks to just sit and watch your game play itself and your money go to waste?

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Student Shoutout Online results

Do you think concealed weapons should be allowed on campus?
Yes 76%
No 19%
Unsure 5%
(4237 total votes)

Click here to vote in our current poll asking if you think GRCC is asking to much for students to maintain a 2.0 GPA.

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