By Ava West
With the many government changes taking place, a president who is both new and old, new executive orders and policy updates, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed.
For some, staying up to date can seem difficult, and getting involved, impossible. Students across campus have been talking over these very issues.
Sara Brock, 20, of Owosso, says “With how America is right now, I’m actually a little bit frightened… I typically try not to get involved, cause I just don’t feel incredibly safe doing that.”
Brock highlights one of the main issues that students face when getting involved, their safety. One of the main ways to be involved doesn’t even involve leaving your house. That is, staying up to date.
Grand Rapids Community College students shared with The Collegiate how they get their news.
Paige Goff, 20, of Grand Rapids, said she mostly gets her news from social media, adding “My sister’s really into politics stuff as well, so she’ll tell me all sorts of stuff,” Goff said “I think the most important thing is to find unbiased news sources, and draw your own conclusions. Don’t pick one side or the other.”
Evan Krummel, 21, from Grand Rapids, said that they get their news, “Primarily, for me, the New York Times. I have some podcasts I really enjoy, ‘Today explained’ from Vox, and ‘Morning Brew Daily Show.’”
It should be noted that GRCC students and staff members can get a free subscription to the New York Times. Although this should not be the only news source you are using, it is a good starting point. You can also find many other public news sources to read and hear from. National Public Radio is very popular and covers a variety of topics.
There are quite a few ways to stay informed. Marshall Kilgore, the Commissioner of the Third Ward of Grand Rapids, says the best thing you can do is “seek trusted news sources that are focused on presenting the facts.”
But once you are up-to-date, how do you not let it control your whole day? Kilgore has an answer for that, too.
“Everyone is going to have a different capacity, so take inventory on what you can handle,” Kilgore said. “Have a slow morning, meditating for example, or brushing your teeth, eating breakfast…don’t go right into the news.”
Kilgore also recommends that you only look at the news for a limited time each day, explaining that a part of self care is understanding how much news you can handle and sticking to it.
Once one knows their capacity, how can they get involved? There are many options and even some that you can do safely from home.
For example, if you want to get involved, and contact your elected representatives, there is a government website that can give you information on how to contact people who represent you. Simply fill out your address and the site will populate a list of the representatives who work for you. Following that, you can contact them on issues that you are passionate about.
Another way to get involved is to download the 5 Calls app. The 5 Calls app has you enter your zip code and then pulls up the phone numbers and information you need to call your local representatives to weigh in on diverse issues. For example, some top issues on the app right now are “Save NIH and NSF Research Funding,” “Condemn a U.S. Takeover of Gaza” and “Protect Medicaid Funding.” The app has helped constituents make over 4 and a half million calls since its 2017 launch.
Kilgore says reaching out to your elected officials makes a big difference.
“I would just encourage people to reach out directly, taking that active role,” Kilgore said. “All the officials, myself included, try to stay up-to-date with our emails. So sending, even just a couple sentences, to your officials about issues that you are passionate about. It means the world.”
Word of mouth can also be really powerful. Meredith Jarco, a 19-year-old GRCC student from Alto, says it can be helpful to talk to people and “just approach the topics themselves, and see where the other person stands and try to meet at a mid-way point.”
Kali Kissinger, 19, from Jenison, also weighed in, saying that a good way to get involved is “just integrating yourself as much as you can, and being empathetic… Just do better, put in the work, don’t ignore it, but take care of yourself”.
When it comes to community politics, tolerance and leniency can go a long way.
“We all need that grace right now,” Kilgore said.
