I want to thank President Obama for taking the welfare of college students into consideration. As has been said, college is freakin’ expensive. In some cases, students give an arm and a leg to pay for school.

Beginning July 1 of this year, interest rates are set to double for students who take on new loans. If a new plan is not implemented, millions of students will pay $5,200 more on their student loans, according to a press release.

The press release also stated if Congress does nothing, borrowers who will take out $23,000 in subsidized student loans will see their interest balloon to an additional $5,200 over a 10-year repayment period and $11,300 over a 20-year payment period.

I don’t think this is fair or right by any means. Most college students are already struggling to pay for credit hours, rent, food, gas and other expenses. There’s no reason for Congress to increase interest rates on loans. It is bullshit.

President Obama also said in his address that he wants to keep tuition low, which is wonderful. With the rate it has been rising in recent years and now Congress wants to double interest rates on loans, college is soon going to be unaffordable for those who are not of upper class status.

We also have to take into consideration that the Pell Grant was slashed and summer financial aid here at Ferris and other universities is no longer available. That’s just one example of financial aid being cut.

I get that Congress has to make cuts in certain areas due to the deficit; what I don’t understand is why higher education has to be one of them. Sometimes I wonder if politicians want the general public to become ignorant just so citizens can become robots who will listen to and believe everything they are told.

Without a higher education, there are basically no job prospects and no prosperity. The days of being able to drop out of high school and go right to work like my grandfather did back in the 1950s are long over. He ran a successful business, but that was then. This is now. It’s 2012, and a college education is a necessity to have a successful career.

College should not be a privilege; it should be an option for every citizen. Everyone has the right to a higher education. Nobody has the right to say someone does not deserve to go to college, because they do. In that case, college should be affordable.

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum recently made the statement toward President Obama, “Who are you to say that every child in America should go to college? I mean, the hubris of this president to think that he knows what’s best.”

Every child having the chance to go to college isn’t “snobbery” or “hubris,” it’s the right thing to do. Santorum is just another ignorant wealthy politician who is by no way fit to lead this country. That’s another subject, however.

Thank goodness President Obama is thinking of us, unlike Congress.

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Martin Bledsoe, director of public safety, said there is an emergency response and disaster control plan.

“It has been in place for a very long time; it has been developed and re-developed,” Bledsoe said.

Bledsoe also said the university is in the process of creating a new plan that consists of a emergency response team, which is a team that consists of 30 people trained across campus.

In the event of a threat, the emergency operating system will ensure everything is stable with law enforcement and the emergency response team is on alert.

In addition, factors will be looked at such as past threats received, the level of credibility and the time of day.

Bledsoe said they look at traditional areas and locations that could pose a problem. In addition, officials will look at what steps they must take.

The new plan, which will be unveiled on Feb. 10, said it is formed around a Federal Emergency Management Agency framework. If there was a bomb threat, the necessary steps would be taken to follow proper procedures.

Each situation is different with varying circumstances, which means each emergency is handled differently and not everyone is notified at the same time.

“In this case, or in any case, there is going to be a difference of who receives information when,” Bledsoe said.

The areas with the highest target are generally notified first. Officials also make sure they are careful not to create a hazard and/or panic among the campus and community.

“When we put out messaging, we can’t necessarily put messages out to everyone at the same time,” Bledsoe said.

The target time it takes for all of the campus to be notified is 90 minutes, but as mentioned, it depends on the situation.

“We have many, many years in emergency management and police service,” Bledsoe said.

With emergency messaging, Bledsoe said it’s impossible to hit just one button and send out information to everyone within a few minutes.

“It doesn’t work that way,” Bledsoe said. He added there are certain things that need to be thought about and prepared for. Factors that need to be taken into consideration are who needs to be notified when and who is skilled to appropriately handle the situation.

Ferris President David Eisler appoints emergency managers along with developing a task force who take part in notifying the university.

“There are tough areas for President Eisler and the rest of us,” Bledsoe said. He also said it can be tough at times knowing exactly what to do depending on the situation at hand.

He said awareness has been increased for professionals, state officials, law officials, mutual aid and those trained for emergency situations. There are also observers who are available for additional help.

A number of agencies are contacted including state police and other information centers. In addition, Ferris networks with other universities in the state and notifies them when an emergency is present.

As for the individual who called in the threat, there is still an on-going investigation.

“We have some excellent leads on who may be responsible for this,” Bledsoe said.

There are serious consequences for these types of situations and all reports similar to the bomb threat are taken seriously.

“We don’t blow off safety reports,” Bledsoe said. “We’re trying to make sure we can bring them to justice.”

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I waited for it, and waited. Finally, at 12:12 p.m., the text message came through warning students of the threat. But wait, wasn’t the voicemail left around 8 a.m.? The fact that I received the text message more than four hours later concerns me.

Specific or non-specific, my personal opinion is that all buildings on Ferris’ campus should have been shut down while DPS and other law officials with specially trained dogs searched the premises.

Some might argue the call that came through was a hoax (which I’m certain it was) and that’s exactly what the person who made the call would have wanted: to have classes canceled and schedules disrupted for the day.

After the shooting incident at Columbine High School in 1999, some students began making bomb threat calls just to get out of school for the day. Although there was an incident at Virginia Tech again not too long ago, it doesn’t seem like calls have been pouring in with false bomb threats just to get a day off of school.

The truth of the matter is, a bomb threat, whether it’s a hoax or a true threat, should not be taken lightly. Student employees, staff and faculty who are not trained to be searching for bombs should have never been instructed to look for them in the first place. That is the job of professionals and bomb-sniffing dogs that are trained and skilled in that area.

We never know for sure if some psychopath actually planted a bomb somewhere or it was just some individual pissed off at the university and decided to act like an idiot by calling in a bomb threat.

A public safety policy letter on Homeland Security and Response for Ferris, published in 2004, indicates the Emergency Manager appointed by the president of the university is responsible for handling emergency situations on campus.

In the letter, it was stated that a plan for disaster and emergency situations is to be set in place. Well, for the bomb threat last week, I’m not too sure if there really is a plan put in place.

What if there had been an actual bomb? Surely, with the way the situation was handled, it would have been a terrifying scenario. I was nervous going to my classes on that Thursday, not knowing if something was actually going to happen. I can’t say I felt too safe.

We live in a world where there is a lot of uncertainty, chaos and individuals with agendas that are frightening and threatening to the public. Some might argue, “Well, Ferris is a safe school.” Yes, while Ferris may be safer than other schools, it does not mean a disaster can’t happen here.

Other students have said they are appalled by the way the situation was handled. I don’t blame them. I was appalled myself.

I am very grateful that nothing horrible happened. I called my parents to let them know about the threat, and my mom was disgusted with the way it was handled. I’m sure other parents were, too.

If a bomb threat ever happens again or a similar type of situation, please don’t take it lightly; take it seriously and take the right precautions. It’s common sense.

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For example, one of the runners, Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts, came under fire recently for an incident that occurred back in the 1980s when Romney tied his dog in a kennel to the roof of his car and drove to Canada, according to an article from Reuters.

Animal rights groups have criticized Romney for that decision. In fact, it was very cruel and irresponsible of him to treat his dog like that. Not to mention Romney recently made the statement, “I like firing people.”

Romney also believes for-profit colleges such as the University of Phoenix are a wise decision for higher education. For-profit colleges generally have much higher tuition than a four-year public university such as Ferris and spend most of their money on marketing and advertising to recruit students and much less on educating students.

I don’t want a guy who treats animals like items you strap to a car and enjoys seeing the looks on others’ faces when he fires them running our country.

If you’ve been paying attention, you’d also notice that Newt Gingrich said, “Child labor laws are stupid.” This candidate believes children should be working in sweat shops all day. While personal life should not be tied with public life, he’s also been under fire for cheating on his wives more than once.

Think about it. If Gingrich is dishonest in his personal life, would he be dishonest in his public life? I would guess most likely.

If one’s ethics aren’t lined up behind closed doors, they certainly won’t be lined up when the doors are open.

Ron Paul, the candidate who is a libertarian from Texas, doesn’t seem to be exactly who he says he is. Back in 1984, Paul was the president of the “Ron Paul & Associates” corporation, which no longer exists. Paul began publishing newsletters such as “Ron Paul’s Freedom Report,” “The Ron Paul Survival Report” and “The Ron Paul Political Report”.

In one particular newsletter published in 1992, “A Special Issue on Racial Terrorism,” the article blamed African American men for the riots and another article criticized homosexuals, saying they enjoyed the attention and pity that comes with being sick by referring to AIDS. A Fact Checker report was done on these letters in the Washington Post.

Paul told CNN in 2008 that he “honestly” had no idea who wrote the articles and “never” read it. Well, he was the president of the company where the newsletters were published. I’m not too sure he’s telling the truth.

Don’t get me started on Rick Perry. He has done and said so much to destroy his image.

Now that contender Jon Huntsman has dropped out of the race, I have no confidence in any of the current Republican candidates. The way these candidates have been handling themselves just shows how detrimental they could be to the United States if any of them become president.

Stephen Colbert, a satirist and talk-show host on Comedy Central, is planning to “explore” a presidential bid in South Carolina, which is unfortunately not real.

According to ABC News, Colbert is using his faux bid for the White House to draw attention to new campaign finance laws that allow unnamed donors to donate as much money as they want into super PACs, which can spend that money to support political candidates as long as they do not directly coordinate with a candidate.

If Colbert was truly running for president, there would be some hope left for the race to the presidency.

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Ferris’ student population is up by 162 students from the spring 2011 semester to 13,705 students, which is a one percent increase. According to a press release from University News, the area that experienced a majority of growth between the spring semesters is in online education, where the number of students has increased from 147 to a total of 789 for spring 2012.

An increase was reported by Ferris of 1,657 in student credit hours for a total of 155,866. The Big Rapids campus represented two-thirds of that increase (989) while online education represented the other third (647). The largest credit hour increases occurred in the colleges of Arts and Sciences and Education and Human Services. Arts and Sciences increased by 1,403 while Education and Human Services increased by 625. University College experienced an increase of 57 students while Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris increased by 10 students.

The university also reported a 44-percent increase in its international student population which has grown by 80 students from the spring 2011 semester. Additionally, Ferris’ Hispanic population was up by 39.

New graduate education coordinator

Nancy Hogan, a professor in the criminal justice program, has been named as the new graduate education coordinator for Ferris.

Hogan began her duties this month. Her prior criminal justice experience includes working as a correctional officer, counselor and HIV/AIDS specialist. Hogan also worked part time for the Arizona Supreme Court’s traffic program.

Hogan earned a Ph.D. at Arizona State University in justice studies, a master’s degree from Pennsylvania-based Mercyhurst College in justice administration and a bachelor’s degree from Gannon University, which is also based in Pennsylvania.

Transition to Blackboard

Beginning in fall 2012, Ferris will make a full transition from FerrisConnect Vista to Blackboard Learn 9.1.

A transition to Blackboard has already begun with more than 360 faculty and staff having participated in Blackboard training courses. This semester, 106 faculty and staff are utilizing Blackboard in their classes, with a total of 338 course offerings and 5,339 enrolled students. There are also 1,145 courses on FerrisConnect.

There are resources available such as Technology Assistance Center at ext. 4822 or the Blackboard Learning Team at ext. 2842 for questions or problems. n

2012 student homecoming applications available

The Student Homecoming Committee recently announced that applications are now available for the Homecoming 2012.

Candidates must have at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA and be free from current judicial sanctions to serve on the committee. Successful candidates will be expected to form a committee of their peers to help plan and put their event in action.

One application is sufficient for all the positions. Positions available are: Overall Chair, Parade Chair, Lip Sync Chair, Kickball Tournament Chair, Scavenger Hunt Chair, Comedian Chair, Bed Sheet Banner Chair, Alumni Reception Chair, King & Queen Selection Chair and Bonfire Chair.

The application is available on OrgSync. It must be submitted to the Office of Student Leadership & Activities in Rankin 164. Interviews will be held on Jan. 24 & 25. For more information on Homecoming events, visit www.ferris.edu/alumni/homecoming.

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Professor Experience: Ferris manufacturing engineering techology professor Bruce Gregory (far right) traveled to Kuito, Angola, Africa. Gregory helped to train local men on how to drill water wells. Photo Courtesy of Bruce Gregory

Gregory and his son, Karl, went on a trip to Kuito, Angola, Africa to train six men on how to drill water wells. Prior to taking the trip, Gregory said his pastor had taken a couple of well drillers over to Africa to train the men. The pastor became ill and could not go, so Gregory and his son volunteered.

Since Gregory and his son knew Portuguese, they would be able to communicate with the men they were training. When Gregory and his son arrived, he saw one of the men happened to be wearing a grey polo with a logo that read “Ferris State University.”

“I couldn’t believe it,” Gregory said. “I looked at that shirt, and believe it or not, my wife had bought me one just like it at Goodwill three weeks before that. I had the same exact type of shirt and everything.”

Gregory and his son are both Christians. He said, “I believe the Lord works things together for me, it’s a mystery.” He could not consider it as a simple coincidence.

The idea for Gregory to share his story with the Ferris community was after he shared several of his stories with a student from the Congo, which is north of Angola. He and the student were talking about Africa while he was teaching a statistics class.

Since statistics deals with probability and likelihoods, Gregory thought the Ferris community might appreciate how very unlikely it was the man would be wearing the grey polo with the Ferris State logo due to chance.

“There were probably a couple million shirts, a lot were sent over there. I felt it was appropriate to share that story with the class because it was a statistics class, this is a Ferris story when you get right down to it,” Gregory said.

The topic of the shirt led to another issue: cell phone use while working. Gregory came across this when he realized the men had their cell phones out while they were working on the wells.

“The idea came with how to deal with the cell phone issue, because I realized, oh wow, the fact that I do teach at Ferris and my students have cell phones, here’s the chance for students to teach these guys what proper protocol is,” Gregory said.

He said American students followed protocol and did not use their cell phones during class. After Gregory told the men that, he said, “I never saw another cell phone while they were working, they just did not bring them out.”

Gregory said it was a good example of how to get people to do the right thing. He said he explained to them how Ferris students in the United States did certain things, and the habits of what Americans do carry a lot of weight in other places in the world.

He asked the men, “How much work do you think we’d get done while using cell phones?”

The men arrived with a one-word answer: nothing.

“They all realized this is not a place for cell phones,” Gregory said. The fact they arrived at that conclusion was the big lesson.

In 2006, Gregory said it was rare for a student to even touch their phone in class. Now, it’s common for students to be on their phone during class.

“It does seem like students will pull their phones out and start texting and checking the Internet and whatever during class, it’s become a distraction,” Gregory said.

Back in 2006, he told the men American students wait to check their cell phones in between classes.

“By the way, I and my colleagues wish this were still true,” Gregory said.

After the cell phone use issue was taken care of, Gregory said the men did especially well in their training.

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One prescription cost over $300, which I was not able to afford. Another one cost $30 that I had to pay for out of pocket. I was not pleased when I discovered this.

According to Michigan.gov for Health Care Programs Eligibility, persons under 21 are eligible for Medicaid. Once I turned 21, I lost my health insurance. I am trying to reapply, but I’m not certain anything will happen.

While we live in a great country, our health care system is still broken. Many individuals who need insurance can’t afford it. Therefore, they don’t get the proper medical treatment or prescriptions they need.

President Barack Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act doesn’t kick in until 2014, which requires all Americans to have some type of health insurance.

Also, health insurance companies won’t be able to deny you if you have a pre-existing condition nor can your coverage be dropped unless you committed some kind of medical fraud. Those are just a few of the many policies associated with this new health care plan.

I agree with his plan for health care. I strongly dislike knowing I can’t afford the medicines I need or receive dental care. It’s kind of scary. What do you do if you become ill and end up in the hospital? It’s going to cost you. Depending on the issue, it might be quite expensive.

The next time I see my doctor back home, I’m sure I’m going to have to pay some kind of fee and I hope I can afford it. Many Americans refuse to go to the hospital just so they don’t have to see their bills. They simply can’t afford to be sick.

You may have heard the story awhile back about a man who kept committing petty crimes just so he could get health care in jail. Sadly, that’s what it has come to. Medical care has become so unaffordable that some become desperate enough to receive medical treatment behind bars.

About 1.7 million traditional-aged college students (20 percent) are uninsured in the United States, according to an article, “Among the Uninsured: 1.7 Million College Students” by Elizabeth Redden published on insidehighered.com in 2008. Those who are under their parents’ health insurance have coverage until age 26. Those without any kind of health insurance just go without.

The New York Times reported that according to the Government Accountability Office, insurance experts claimed that most college students are young and healthy and are tempted to manage without health plans.

I call bullcrap. I like having health insurance and not having to worry about going to the doctor if I get sick. I also like being able to have my medicine.

Whether or not you agree with “Obamacare,” you can’t tell me that it isn’t irritating or frightening to live without health insurance. Every day is different, you never know if you’re going to become seriously ill or get into a terrible accident. Without insurance, your medical bills usually build up fast.

Like I also mentioned before – medications aren’t cheap. I’m looking forward to the changes this health care plan proposes.

I want to have health insurance and not pay a fortune for prescriptions.

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Final exam schedule

To find out times for final exams, please be sure to log into MyFSU.

Click on the “Academics & Services” tab, then click on the link “Exam Schedule | Fall Semester” which is located in the “Student Records” box. If you have any questions, consult your professor.

New dean for the College of Pharmacy

Provost Fritz Erickson announced the appointment of Steve Durst as Dean of the College of Pharmacy.

Durst is an alumnus of the College of Pharmacy and joined the Ferris faculty in 1996. He has served as department chair, assistant dean, associate dean and now interim dean.

Durst is currently the co-chair of the College of Pharmacy ACPE Self-Study Committee and chair of the Accreditation Committee. His other committee involvement includes service on the HLC Steering Committee, Curricular Review Task Force – College of Pharmacy, Curriculum Committee – College of Pharmacy, Academic Program Review Committee, and Academic Program Review – Doctor of Pharmacy program.

Durst replaces former dean Ian Mathison, who retired in late 2010.

Pancakes with the President

The yearly end-of-the-semester event, Pancakes with the President, is an opportunity for students to socialize with each other and members of the Ferris community.

A free breakfast will be provided for students late on the evening of Monday, Dec. 12 starting at 11 p.m. at Westview Dining Hall.

All students are welcome to attend this free event.

Distinguished teacher to speak at commencement

Greg Gogolin, recipient of Ferris’ Distinguished Teacher Award, will address graduates at the December commencement ceremony.

Gogolin has secured approximately $2 million in grants and gifts in kind for Ferris, which includes a grant from the National Science Foundation to help establish digital forensics laboratory in Michigan.

The ceremony is set to take place on Saturday, Dec. 17. The two ceremonies set for the 10 a.m. session will be for the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Human Services and the College of Engineering Technology. At 1:30 p.m., the ceremony is reserved for the colleges of Allied Health Sciences, Business and Professional and Technological Studies.

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I am in my third year of college and in the time I’ve been here, I’ve paid for college by myself and with help from financial aid. I am very grateful for the aid I receive to help me pay for school. If it weren’t for such assistance, I would not have written this column.

However, with cuts to financial aid, grants from the state and tuition rates climbing, paying for school is becoming more difficult each year – and your income background matters.

The article, “College graduation rates: Income really matters” by Tami Luhby, which was published on CNNMoney, indicates the difference in graduation rates between the top and bottom income groups has widened by nearly 50 percent over two decades.

So, if you’re among those who do not come from a wealthy background, graduating college is going to become a lot more difficult. Not to mention the fact that Gov. Rick Snyder recently stated he wants college financial aid standards to be based on graduation rates in the next fiscal year.

Ferris has a four-year graduation rate of 26 percent, which is medium, according to U.S. News College. I have reason to believe that’s an indicator that if those standards are for four years only, there will be less aid available to Ferris students.

Realistically, it is rare for a student to obtain his degree within four years these days. The State of Michigan has been cutting university support and is expected to provide about $1.2 billion next year to its 15 public universities, including Ferris.

According to Martha Bailey, assistant economics professor at the University of Michigan, some 54 percent of students from wealthy families obtained bachelor’s degrees, while only nine percent of low-income students got degrees. What this says about higher education today is it is quickly becoming a privilege for the wealthy only.

Bailey also recently co-authored a paper looking at students who graduated in the late 1990s and early 2000s and compared them to those in college two decades before. She found those who came from wealthy backgrounds made great gains in college graduation rates, while those from low-income backgrounds only inched up over that time period.

In addition, 36 percent of the upper-income children graduated college and five percent of the poor did – and while two-thirds of freshmen from wealthier households finish, only one-third of their poorer classmates do.

So obviously, there is a huge income inequality gap. Those who come from lower-income families may struggle to graduate on time, if at all. Everyone deserves a higher education, regardless of their background. For students who do come from wealthy backgrounds and whose parents can afford to pay for your college, count your lucky stars; you are blessed. Don’t forget that.

However, so am I and other students who can be in college because of financial aid assistance, but how much longer is that going to last? Higher paying jobs require more education and skills, but if a student can’t afford college, they can’t learn the skills they need.

Today, a higher education is needed more than ever before, and getting to graduation is becoming an obstacle course.

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Ferris’ AMA chapter placed first among chapters in new donor registration and third in social media posts in a competition. The awareness movement requires participating chapters to utilize various social media outlets and create online videos to raise awareness about organ donation.

For information about signing up to donate, contact Kelsey Aiken at aikenk@ferris.edu. To learn more about organ donation, view videos from the Ferris AMA chapter or visit amasaveslives.org.

Ferris construction management student team wins regional competition

Three student teams sent to Associated Schools of Construction Region 3 won in late October.

The teams were sent to Downers Grove, Ill. for the competition, where two teams won their divisions and the third team placed fourth in its division. Ferris’ “Warren Oak Construction” was declared the winner of the Commercial division.

It is the first time Ferris has won a Region 3 student competition in 20 the years the competition has existed. Also, Ferris’ “CKW Constructors” won the Design-Build division. In the third division, called Heavy Civil, Ferris’ “Old Craig Construction” team finished in fourth place.

Meijer Inc. founder dies of stroke

Meijer Inc. founder Frederik Meijer died November 25 after suffering a stroke. Meijer is credited as being a founder of the supercenter store format. According to a statement issued by the company, Meijer died at Spectrum Health System in Grand Rapids. He was 91 years old.

“Pay it Forward” Grant provided to faculty

A “Pay It Forward” Grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service, administered through the Michigan Campus Compact, was awarded to help several Ferris faculty members teach about community service.

Stephanie Thomson, communication; Sandy Burns, dental hygiene; and Sarah Raymond, recreation leadership and management taught their students about community needs and provided real-world experience.

Through the program, each class was given $4,500 to give to approximately three community groups. Students volunteered with organizations in order to research information to present potential grant recipients to their classes.

Students performed volunteer work such as office work and cleaning teeth within all three classes. During the fall 2010 semester, Thomson’s students voted to give $4,500 to the local nonprofit group WISE (Women’s Information Service), which provides advocacy and support for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Four other groups received smaller amounts from the Pay It Forward grant.

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