New year resolutions encourage better students    

Caroline Stephenson

        At the start of a new year when parts of the world are suffering from disaster many students wonder how they can help. Whether looking to help someone less fortunate or helping to make someone’s day brighter by listening to their stories volunteering is something many students over look in their busy lives.

            With over 20 students organizations, whose missions are to volunteer and assist, Grand Valley has many different options to become involved in helping the community.

            People Assisting Little Siblings (PALS) is a student organization on campus that is very similar to Big Brothers Big Sisters. PALS takes members and pairs them up with children in the area who are in need of special attention or a positive role model. Members meet with their PAL for at least one hour a week and for a large group gathering once a month.

            Alternative Breaks is another opportunity to give to a community. Alternative Breaks gives students at Grand Valley an opportunity to spend their breaks in various ways helping across the country.

            If students aren’t looking to get involved in an organization on campus GVSU Volunteer Net is a search engine that lists community service opportunities in West Michigan . Volunteer Net can be located by going through the student life website and list volunteer opportunities based on several different criteria.

            Furthermore, if students are looking to do something on their own there are various other organizations throughout West Michigan that need volunteers. Students looking to help the hungry and homeless may contact God’s Kitchen. Those who wish to assist women and children may find the YWCA or the Grand Rapids Children Museum a good fit. If spending time with the elderly sounds fun there are various different skilled nursing facilities looking for people to stop in and visit with residents or assist with outings.

Is There Room in America for God?

Joe Obidzinski

Why is it, in America today, we encourage people to be patriotic, especially in these trying times; yet when people attempt to recite our own pledge of allegiance, the courts need to be brought in to make sure that no one is offended?   Does this seem completely ludicrous to anyone else?  This is the United States of America that we are talking about here; the land which our forefathers created for us with their own blood, sweat and tears and now some are attempting to destroy principles which it was founded on because they are afraid that someone may take offense.  How did we get to this point?  One possible reason for this is an all out assault to remove Judeo-Christian principles from the public schools and the public square.  For whatever reason there are certain groups in this country who fear that people of faith are inciting a “Religious Jihad”.  One wonders where this fear comes from, since recent ABC and Gallup polls show that between, 86% to 90% of Americans profess a belief in God.  If this is the case, then who exactly are these religious people pushing their beliefs on?

To be sure, the founders did have an opinion on the subject of religion.  While leery of mandating a state-sponsored religion, they wanted to preserve religious freedom for all.  After all, religious freedom was one of the primary reasons that some of the earliest colonizers came to these shores?  Many of the founding fathers held a strong belief that there was a higher power, though not all shared a similar view.  Two of the crafters of the Declaration of Independence; Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were both deists (believing in a “Creator” who takes no further involvement in daily life).  Yet, they still felt the need to reference a “Creator” in that revered document.  The writers of the Constitution made sure to include a ban on the creation of a national religion through the “Establishment Clause”. 

Recently, Mr. Steven Williams a teacher at Stevens Creek School in Cupertino California was teaching his fifth grade class with the aid of primary source documents.  He was told by the principal that the parents of one of the children had been offended by his discussion of God and religion in class.  He was using President Bush’s presidential proclamation dealing with the subject of a national day of prayer as an example of such a document.  That however was just the beginning, soon after, Williams was informed that he would no longer be able to use any document which dealt with God or Christianity, which included: George Washington’s journal, John Adams diary, even the Declaration of Independence due to the reference of a “Creator”.  This is “political correctness” run amuck!  Schools banning the use of historical documents due to the mention of a “Creator”, where does it end?

There are some theophobic groups in the country today who use the concept of “the separation of church and state,” to pummel anyone who dares to mention God in a public forum.   While this concept sounds cogent, many people forget that this nation was founded on the ideals of tolerance, justice, and freedom; principles that can be found in many religious scriptures and teachings.  The point is that religion brings with it certain moral absolutes; it is wrong to murder someone, it is wrong to steal, it is wrong to testify falsely against someone.  These ideals have been codified into our laws to preserve order among its citizens.  If we destroy the foundations upon which we were built, we will begin to destroy ourselves from the inside out.  And make no mistake, the greatest threat to the survival of America as a nation is not from the outside, but from within.

Ways to manage money is college

Caroline Stephenson

            College is about having fun but what happens when the student loans have pilled up and the credit cards that were buying the weekly groceries are to their limit?

            At Grand Valley tuition is currently set at $5,782 a year, so by the time students graduate they are looking at some pretty big loan payments. Loans can cause a headache on their own and the best way to pay them back is on time and the full payment amount.     College loan repayment is usually spread over ten years but if payments are missed or do not meet the agreed amounts students default witch will effects a student’s credit ratings making it hard to buy a car or a house.

            While in college students are bombarded with credit card offers. Credit cards can be beneficial especially when trying to establish credit but deciding to get a credit card requires a lot of consideration. It is a large responsibility and amounts of debt can grow to overwhelming degrees with just a few swipes. When considering credit cards it is important to find the best interest rates. The national maximum interest rate is 25 percent and many credit card companies come very close charging that much.

            Students should also refrain from having more than one or two credit cards and should look for credit cards where they can decide to lower their maximum credit line if they so choose.

            Another way to accumulate debt in college is with cell phones. Without comparing cell phone companies and getting the best deal students can find themselves owing more than $100 for one month of service. When picking a carrier students should know the amount of minutes they have each month and how much is charged for each extra minute. It is also important to know what is included in the service. Some companies offer nation wide long distance; others are restricted to the state where the cell phone is mostly used.

            When it comes to saving money two checking accounts instead of a checking and saving account works the best. Most banks have a minimum balance requirement for savings accounts and if the balance falls below the minimum there are service fees. By having two separate accounts there are no fees or minimum balances and students can still treat one as a savings account.

When Disaster Strikes, No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Joe Obidzinski

As has been well publicized, a magnitude 9 earthquake occurred deep under the Indian Ocean the day after Christmas and devastated many islands and costal areas of countries in the South Pacific without warning.  Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed or left homeless as a result of this tragedy.  Indeed it is a tragedy, and in times like these the world must come together to help those effected by these uncontrollable acts of nature.  This horrific incident is no different.  Almost immediately people all around the world, generously offered aid and support.  It is in these times that we see the rarely publicized better side of the world.  The United States is one of the most generous countries when it comes to these events;  asking not, how much will it cost, but who needs what, where and how much of it.  Like it or not the United States is one of the greatest philanthropist nations in the world.

            Some people however, have found the generous nature of the United States to be lacking.  What else is new?   It is the same old accusations every time that the U.S. tries to help the world, and it can be even worse when a republican president is in office.  Last week, a U.N. official criticized “rich nations” (read U.S.A) for being as he termed it “stingy” in the amounts of aid that were being contributed.  In particular, President Bush has been the target of personal attacks as well insinuating that he has not moved fast enough in his efforts.  This however is not accurate.  Not only did  President Bush appoint former Presidents Clinton and  Bush (41) to raise money, but hundreds of churches and private organizations, such as my mother’s office, have established networks to send money and other aid to the victims of the disaster.  But while the President of the United States was putting these relief efforts into motion, the secretary general of the United Nations remained on his ski vacation in Jackson Hole , Wyoming .  Now, where is the outrage over this travesty?

            Not only has the United States already donated hundreds of millions of dollars to the relief efforts, we have also been contributing in many other ways as well.  Senate majority leader Bill Frist, who is also a heart surgeon, is traveling over to the area to personally help in any way that he can.  Connecticut senator, Joseph Liberman has proposed legislation for an early warning, tsunami detection system designed to warn people in enough time to get them to safety.  Many of the tsunami victims are Muslim and to date, many of the affluent Muslim nations have offered paltry sums when it comes to donations for the relief efforts.  According to the AFP Worldwide news: of the four leading oil producing nations: Saudi Arabia , Kuwait , United Arab Emirates and Qatar , collectively they have contributed about 70 million dollars.  Considering that the oil production in these countries produces about 500 million dollars per day in profits, the contribution numbers stand in stark contrast to the United States and other countries who have been at the forefront of the relief efforts from the beginning and will remain as long as needed.

            As stated before, this should be a time when people from all over the world come together to help their fellow man, and put their differences aside.  Unfortunately, this is not always the case.  For instance, one of the Muslim nations that were affected by the tsunamis, refused aid offered from Israel because of religious differences. Now there’s religious tolerance for you.  A further annoyance is the fact that when four major hurricanes hit our country in late 2004, where was the aid for us in our time of need?  Granted, we are the most capable to deal with a blow like that, but who came to support us, even in some token way?  Why is the United States called upon to give so much, the answer is that we are the freest nation in the world and we have the greatest capacity to do this.  No doubt, we will always be envied for having wealth and criticized for never giving enough simply because we have it to give.  But just the same, doesn’t it make you proud to be a citizen of this country, because despite the criticisms, we will always be first in line whenever someone needs help.

THE alternative is a campus wide newspaper that conveys a conservative message as an alternative to other liberal influences while representing the silent majority and reacting to current events on and around campus.