Over 100 organizations applied for allocations money in late January, and detailed letters describing what money the groups received were sent out during the first and second weeks of April.

Twenty-one organizations chose to meet for appeals on April 9 with members of Student Senate.

Two groups, Marching Band and the International Relations Club did not show up.
Each organization had five minutes to state their reasons for wanting appeals and why they thought they needed additional funds from the $10,292 that were up for grabs.

“We met until after midnight hearing from each group,” said Student Senate treasurer, Joe Benyish. “We’ll announce on Friday what the organizations received.”

Benyish hopes to make what each group received public knowledge.

“I think it would hold them more accountable,” Benyish said. “There will be new officers and members next year and they can see what they got in relation to what other organizations received.”

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Members of WIXQ 91.7 FM are going the extra mile to clean up the community and show how one organization can make a difference.

“We feel that WIXQ is different from other student organizations in that we interact with the community on a daily basis,” student Erik Golden said. “I think it’s time we give back to them.”

Dr. Ralph and Mrs. Anttonen, or Doc and Mama Roc, as they are often called, have been advising the student-run radio station in their next step of helping the Millersville community.

“We pick up trash along the highway using guidelines that the Department of Transportation gives us,” Mrs. Anttonen said. “We’ve done other clean-ups with WIXQ but never with this group.”

For 12 years the couple has been helping pick up along the highway as part of the Adopt-A-Highway program of Pennsylvania and in work with the Great American Cleanup has decided to push Millersville University students to do their part.

On Sunday, April 26, with orange vests and working gloves in place, nearly 25 DJs from WIXQ will work on Long Lane at the intersection of Route 741 and Cherry Hill Orchards.

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Sponsored by the Civic and Community Engagement and Research Project, Greenfield will be on campus April 16 to speak to students before attending the civic leadership banquet and then sharing his experience on “Entrepreneurial Spirit, Social Responsibility, Radical Business Philosophy (and free ice cream).”

Greenfield graduated from Oberlin College with a pre-med degree and later quit his lab technician job in 1977 to take a Penn State correspondence class in ice cream making. With his friend since junior high school, Ben Cohen, Ben and Jerry’s Homemade ice cream parlor was born in Burlington, Vermont in 1978.

The small store front venture turned into a $300 million ice cream empire.

Greenfield and Cohen were awarded the Corporate Giving Award in 1988 for donating 7.5 percent of their profits to nonprofit organizations by the the Council of Economic Priorities, and were named the U.S. Small Business Persons of the Year in 1988 in a White House Ceremony hosted by President Regan.

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Students and Jim Kurdzo, the local AMS chapter president, were asked to come up with a spring activity that would involve the community.

That started that planning for the event.

Activities were scheduled throughout the day, including a green screen, which allowed children to watch themselves on a television screen while giving a weather report.

Many of the graphics for the forecast were produced by WGAL-8.

Senior Daniel Johnson helps test a green screen for kids at Weather Awareness day. Photo by Christian Shuts.

Local weather companies also participated in the event, including WeatherBug, the State College office of the National Weather Service and WeatherTrends.

“Since the event was geared toward kids we didn’t have too many MU student at the event,” Student Matt Potter said. “Maybe next year when we do this event we can have stuff for MU students.”

Families were educated on the use of weather instruments, while having fun at a trivia contest booth and participating in weather related experiments.

“The event is beneficial to the community because it gave them a chance to experience what the field of meteorology is, and it was a great event to come to for those who are interested in our field,” Potter said. “The event came at a great time because of the tornado that touched down recently and our event drew in a couple that came from the same township that had the tornado.”

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On March 31 MUPD received a call that Walsh was seen on campus but officers were unable to locate him. Walsh returned to campus on April 1 and was arrested with two misdemeanor counts of trespassing and stalking. Charges were filed before District Justice Leo Eckert.

When he was arrested on Jan. 7, Walsh was charged with terroristic threats, simple assault, disorderly conduct, and two counts of criminal mischief after damaging a professor’s desk with a knife and a University police holding cell.

He was not enrolled in winter classes at the time of the incident, but he was a current Millersville University student.

“Apparently the fact that we don’t want him here doesn’t mean much to Randall,” Silcox said. Walsh won’t be returning to campus anytime soon. He is being held in Lancaster County Prison under $1,000,000 bail for violation of his trespass order. According to Silcox, he will most likely receive a bail deduction at a later date.

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The economy has not been too promising to the job-seeking graduates of Millersville University. Despite the hard work that may be awaiting, soon-to-be graduates, not all is lost.

Margo Sassaman, director of career services, has been working with students to help them become better prepared to seek the career that will do more than pay the bills.

“Students think that putting their resume on Monster or Career Builder is all they need to do,” Sassaman said. “There is so much more work involved in it.”

Sassaman and the rest of the staff don’t place students in jobs, but train them in how to search for themselves.

One of the events they use to help students is the Job Expo, held this year on April 7, where students attend in their best business garb to make an impression on a potential employer.

Last year 84 employers attended the event, but it has dropped to 56 and with nearly 300 students attending last year, the pickings are slim.

Profit groups have to pay a fee of $175, while non-profit groups pay $75. This fee has remained the same throughout the years, but Sassaman says it is the lack of available positions accounting for the drop in numbers.

“With the tight economy we’ve been, facing the companies just don’t have positions,” Sassaman said.

Companies like Enterprise Rent-a-Car have cut their budget by not attending as many events at local universities.

Other places, such as BAE Systems and Lancaster Laboratories are new to the job expo this year.

“Those companies want to have a relationship with the campus to become a place that students look for,” Sassaman said. “They’ve worked with alumni from Millersville and have set their sights on the university.”

Graduating students, like Zach Gring, who double majors in psychology and sociology and plans to become an animal keeper, have mixed feelings about finding a job post graduation.

“The animal behavior field, especially the research aspect, isn’t being hurt as bad as other careers due to the economy,” Gring said. “I might have an issue getting something that is full-time and that gives me benefits, but I’m not worried because I may end up going back to school.”

Gring hasn’t begun applying for a job yet, but has done some networking with different individuals when he has the time to research.

He plans to attend the job expo in hopes that it will present him with opportunities to move his career along.

Mike Heesen, who graduated December 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a double minor in management and marketing, hoped to find a career in human resources, advertising or some type of corporate management.

He took on an internship during his final semester at a local advertising firm in hopes that he would gain a job.

“I learned a lot, but the organization was in the middle of layoffs so there were no employment opportunities available,” Heesen said.

After making several visits to career service Heesen found some help in improving his resume and writing cover letters. He moved his search to company websites and found an internship at Lancaster General Medical Group in their human resource department, where he has been working since graduation and plans to apply for a full-time position within the company.

“The job market is very tight and companies are looking for applicants who have more than just a college degree, but actual work experience,” Heesen said. “I’ve seen firsthand from working in the human resources department that very often someone with only a high school diploma, but one to two years experience, will get hired over a college graduate with no experience.”

His one concern about using career services is that they don’t have all the jobs out there available to students.

“If you just walk into the office it’s somewhat limited,” Heesen said. But he believes they helped him fine tune his skills to find his second internship.

The companies that will be attending the job expo range from starting positions at Secret Sneaker to Lancaster Laboratories.

Some jobs can be applied for without the student having completed their degree, and many of the companies offer internships for undergraduates.

“It’s really beneficial for students that have never held a job before and need a starting point,” Sassaman said. “They can develop skills that set them in growing companies, and smaller to medium size companies are where the jobs are.”

Students can also view the employer database set up by career services or make appointments with staff members to uncover the secrets of the job market.

The turn of the economy has made graduation an unstable situation for many students.

With student loans, apartment leases and a rocky economy, it’s no wonder students are anxious about entering the world outside of campus.

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For years, students have expected college to be an institution that sucks the money right out of your pocket before you even have a chance to dream of what it can buy. Even so, it has not stopped students from applying for loans and waiting for that fateful day, six months after graduation when the government stops paying the interest.

A study done by USA Today shows students’ loans to have risen from $12,391 in 2001 to $14,379 in 2006, an increase of 16 percent. Nearly two-thirds of those who graduate from college will have student loans, with nearly half of those students failing to make payments and forcing lenders to sell the loan to collection agencies.

Those who graduate from college will have a harder time getting a mortgage, getting a loan for a car or even paying back the debt that hangs over their heads. This is when getting ahead can really hold you back.

The benefits of trying to keep debt to a minimum, even paying it off while in college, have had a positive impact on students when they graduate. Students who have a credit card but pay it off monthly have been able to build credit without the constraints of debt. Also, those with a subsidized loan can begin paying off their debt for six months before they are responsible for the interest.

Not all students are irresponsible when it comes to their finances. Millersville University sophomore Stephanie Martin commutes from home to school to cut back on costs, but by working in the school library she still feels connected to the campus.

“I know that if I wasn’t working I would just hang out with people,” Martin said. “It’s more important that I can do what I want with my life after school.”

Many students who graduate do not begin working to pay off their debt but live the lives that filled their dreams. They purchase new cars and big screen TVs, and they travel the world. They buy new clothes to make a good impression, live in upscale apartments and enjoy several nights out on the town. Some post-grad students dig themselves into a hole because they are undisciplined and selfish.

The financial crisis of college graduates can be blamed on their lack of concern for the future and their focus on impressing their peers, family members and potential employers.

If you do not have money, do not spend it.

Too often people in their 20s  spend $100 at the bar, charge clothes to their credit cards and not pay the debt off or think that skipping a utility payment will not hurt them in the long run. Wrong. Companies keep record of payments, and missing one can jeopardize your chances of finding a good job to pay off your debt.

A study by the College at Brockport showed that 57 percent of college students work part-time, a number that has grown since the 1980s. Working a minimum of 10 hours a week has shown to have a positive impact on students’ levels of productivity and their work ethics. If students are working more, why is the amount of debt increasing? The answer is a lack of self control.

Students fail to create a budget. They do not think about how much they should spend each week and how it could hurt them if they exceed that amount. They want it and they want it now. If you do not look to the future, you are going to spend it making money that is not yours but your collector’s.

Graduating from college means having the opportunity to show the world what you have learned during your years in higher education. Do not waste all those years in the classroom to have debt hold you back. Controlled spending and a high work ethic will keep more money in your pocket and less in the hands of collectors.

As the economy continues to shift and jobs are cut across the market, graduates need as much advantage as they can get when entering the real world. Moving ahead in life needs to be done without baggage. Work. Save. Think ahead. It is a hard reality but one that will be even harder without self-control.

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“There were no arrests, no injuries, no violence,” Floyd said.

Nearly a dozen people stood outside the Student Memorial Center to both support and protest the event, and anyone who passed by took a few moments to gawk at the news stations that lined the street.

Anyone who entered Lehr dining room to listen to the Ayers lecture on urban education was searched by security and made their way past officers who kept an eye on the hallway that led to the dining room.

Two sophomore students, Courtney Wallace and Emily Masters decided to attend the event after reading Ayers’ book, “To Teach: the Journey of a Teacher.“

“He did a really good job of touching on important things and what it means to teach in the city,” Wallace said.

Both girls plan to attend an urban seminar in May at a Philadelphia school.

Wallace and Masters were both aware of the controversy surrounding Ayers’ visit to campus, but didn’t let it deter them from attending.

“He’s obviously directed his passion towards something else, and that’s education,” Masters said.

Ayers began his lecture to a room lined with members of the local press, students and members of the community filling the seats and police officers standing by the doors. He never mentioned in his lecture the hubbub that had been leading up to his visit, but focused on his career as an educator and what he had learned from his experience.

“Fifteen minutes into being a preschool teacher and I was getting questions that I couldn’t answer,” Ayers said. His preschool students in 1965 questioned him on everything from why a ball bounces to why the homeless man sleeps in the gutter.

“Life with children forces you to be smarter than you are and better than you are,” Ayers said.

His own son, Zaid, now 31 years old, challenged Ayers to answer questions he never thought to consider as an adult.

Ayers addressed what he considers the “toxic habit” of labeling kids based on what they cannot do. According to Ayers, when cultural deprivation patronizes the way teachers talk about kids it makes all urban kids “at risk.”

William Ayers speaks to students, faculty and staff on March 19, in Lehr Dining Room, on the benefits of becoming a teacher and on urban education. Photo by Christian Shuts.

He encouraged teachers to be welcoming and encouraging to their students.

“Be wide awake and aware of the kids before you,” Ayers said. “Create an environment deep and wide enough to challenge them to a deeper and wider way of knowing,” Ayers said.

One of the key elements of urban education that Ayers mentioned was the universal truth: “parents always want something better for their kids, even if they can’t provide it.”
While the school systems often push for obedience and conformity, Ayers believes democracy holds the fragile ideal that every human being is invaluable.

According to Ayers, teachers have to hold onto the ideals that often get lost in the school system.

“Questioning common sense is risky, but you have to do it,”?Ayers said.

He believes in creating a curriculum of questioning to allow students to think for themselves, of doing and making so that students aren’t just receiving from teachers, and of learning from something, not just about it.

Whatever curriculum a teacher creates for their students, it is the character of the teacher that matters.

“To be an inspired and affective teacher you have to create a rhythm to criticize yourself each day,” Ayers said. “Tomorrow you’ll be a better person for criticizing yourself today.”

The lecture ended with questions submitted earlier that day by students on Ayers views of urban education.

Evelyn Lyons, a retired MU librarian attended the event with Mimi Shapiro, a roster artist through MU that teaches at different elementary schools throughout the city.

“[Ayers] is an expert and I’m not,” Shapiro said. “Different kids have different styles of learning and different needs.”

Both ladies have attended Lockey lectures in the past and were pleased with the selection of Ayers.

“Lockey lectures have always been good and there was never any fuss about it,” Lyons said.

All but two protestors had left the area following the lecture, and they stood quietly by the door, holding their signs as police officers and students walked by them.

The end of the long-awaited lecture left the campus quiet.

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“One important lesson for everywhere is never assume that everything is okay,” Gallagher said.

Lancaster County, an area rich in its own diversity, became a port of arrival for Irish frontier people who were looking for a change in lifestyle.

Arriving in Philadelphia, many Irish immigrants made their way to the farm land where they could find a diversity of work in a field with which they were familiar.

Since that time, Irish influence has remained strong in the area, sparking interest from students, educators and Gallagher.

As head of education at Queens University, Gallagher’s interest in the role of education among divided societies stems from his personal experience of growing up in Northern Ireland.

Historically, Ireland has struggled with diversity and violence since the early 1860s, where Protestants from the United Kingdom settled in the northern regions of Ireland, primarily in Belfast, and identified with the UK.

The Catholic majority, which remained in Dublin, wanted to express their Irish heritage and remove themselves from the UK.

The violence escalated in the 1970s with nearly 500 conflict-related deaths in 1972 alone. A 1974 peace agreement failed, followed by a 1980 hunger strike and secret talks in the 1990s. It wasn’t until 1994 that cease fire talks began and were agreed on.

“People killed in routine and awful ways,” Gallagher said. “It seemed like it would go on forever and becomes something we just had to get used to.”

With a population of only 1.6 million people and daily fights, bombings and killings, nearly one in four people know someone who was killed because of discriminatory violence.

Today the island remains divided both politically and religiously.

“We have the structure of a democratic party without the practice of a democratic party,” Gallagher said.

Dr. Tony Gallagher spoke to students concerning his experiences abroad as an educator. Photo by Carla Anderson.

The Unionist party, which fights to stay with the UK, wins a majority of the protestant votes with the Nationalist party, fighting to remove themselves from the UK, wins Catholic votes.

With 70 percent of the population in Belfast remaining protestant, the other 30 percent are Catholic, causing the nation to question how they would educate their children and deal with the legacy of a violent nation of the past 25 to 30 years.

Many of the schools are structured to separate the Protestants and Catholics, with a few becoming integrated and another type for those who want to learn the Irish language.

No one is forced to separate their children, according to Gallagher, but it is by choice.

Dealing with the anger and hurt that the past few decades have caused leaves Gallagher with a huge challenge – one that he is willing to face.

He has looked at four different areas in which he believes he can begin a healing process in the lives of the children of Northern Ireland.

These areas are in creating a common curriculum, using contact programs to get the children together, transforming the use of integrated schools, and collaborating with a network of schools to get around the system without changing it.

“We seem to be on a default condition to move apart,” Gallagher said, as the separate societies seem to separate from one another.

Gallagher has been working on expanding community relations to promote equal opportunity and tolerance of cultural pluralism.

“We need to challenge segregation, challenge fear and promote a sense of common good for all of Ireland,” Gallagher said. “It takes good people to make good things happen.”

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