Students who want to make their voices heard on campus have plenty of resources
through Student Publications.

Central Michigan Life offers students the opportunity to write and photograph
news. Students also can display their creative talents through The Central
Review, a literary journal published each semester.

“Publications serve two purposes — they are a main communication
tool for students and staff, and it is a hands-on learning experience for student
journalists who hope to work in the media some day,” said Student Publications
Director Neil Hopp. “One-hundred twenty-five to 150 students are involved
every year in student publications.”

Central Michigan Life is a nationally recognized, mostly self-funded newspaper
that informs the Central Michigan community of pertinent news, said Chris Gautz,
CM Life editor for the fall 2003 semester.

Last October, CM Life received the Pacemaker Award, which only the top-rated
17 college newspapers in the country received. The Associated Collegiate Press
selected CM Life out of almost 200 entries, Hopp said.

“The purpose of CM Life is to provide CMU students and members of the
Mount Pleasant community with news in a timely fashion. It benefits the students
because it lets them know what is going on and what other students are doing,”
said Gautz, Adrian senior. “We are basically the only voice for the students.”

Gautz said students and community members should look to CM Life first for
news.

“Our goal is to make sure there is nothing that happens on campus or
in the community that we are not aware of,” he said. “(The CMU community)
should turn to CM Life for important news.”

CM Life has an open-door policy for students who wish to write. Interested
students should visit the Student Publications Office at Anspach Hall Room
8 to fill out an application.

Gautz said he is excited to implement some changes to the newspaper, while
keeping the high standards CM Life has established.

“Next year, one of the changes that is going to occur is the beginning
of the investigative reporting teams, and I am looking forward to continuing
the tradition of excellence,” he said.

The Central Review accepts fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction from CMU
undergraduate and graduate students.

It is a spin-off of the earlier set of published works, Framework.

Framework magazine started five years ago, then was transformed in The Central
Review, which has existed for two years.

“The purpose of The Central Review is to get creative entertainment out
to the students,” said Rob Gable, Central Review editor.

Gable said he is responsible for the overseeing and organizing CMU’s
magazine.

“I feel my job is important because it creates an opportunity for other
students on campus. Without me, they may not have any outlet for their creative
work,” Gable said.

For more information on writing submissions for The Central Review or to get
entry forms, visit the Student Publications Office in Anspach Hall room 8.

CMU’s Minority Student Services offers more than just involvement on campus.

The group offers a wide range of activities for both minority students and
students who want to be more aware or educated about issues that are explored
through the activities and services MSS offers.

“Minority Student Services has leadership initiatives by providing opportunities
to students who have received scholarships,” said Jeanette Smith, MSS
administrative secretary. “The Multicultural Advancement Scholarship,
the Multicultural Advancement Award of Distinction and the Lloyd M. Cofer Scholarship
are scholarships that promote diversity.”

MSS is responsible for coordinating multicultural affairs, forming the committees
for different cultural programs and promoting academic excellence and growth.
It also assists students at the middle school, high school and university levels
with special programs which encourage academic preparation and success, Smith
said.

“CMU Minority Student Services is a comprehensive office which provides
academic, personal, social and cultural support to students,” Smith said,
reciting a portion of the MSS mission statement. “To empower and retain
students, the MSS team provides and enhances a campus environment where diversity
is celebrated and understood.”

MSS Assistant Director Dulcie Telfer said students can benefit in many ways
through MSS.

“I think students should be involved to gain awareness of other people,
the background and also to celebrate the diversity on campus,” she said.

Smith said students should be aware of the many programs offers by Minority
Student Services.

“The King/Chavez/Parks Extended College Day Program works with middle
and high school students with low income to give them the experience of college
life two weeks during the summer. The Student Enrichment Mentor Program helps
incoming freshmen and transfer students adjust to college life. The college
education enhancement program assists high school students to raise their grade-point
average to be admitted to CMU in the fall. This is a six-week summer program
offering a supplemental instruction program. It helps CMU students succeed
in traditionally difficult courses,” Smith said.

“We have a cultural program where we coordinate Asian heritage month,
the Unified Holiday Celebration, Get Acquainted Day, Hispanic heritage month,
Black history month and others. We work with the academic, professional and
social minority groups on campus. These programs are to help broaden the awareness
and appreciation of the rich cultures of some of the students on CMU’s
campus,” she said.

For more information about MSS, visit the office at the lower floor of the
Bovee University Center or visit www.diversity.cmich.edu/mss.

Life Staff Writer Nicole Williams contributed to this story.

Local teenagers are out of the garage and at the park to enjoy temperatures reaching the 70s.

Many active adolescents use the skate park at Island Park, 331 N. Main St., as their summer get-a-way. The park may see large crowds this weekend, with temperatures in the 80s expected.

Tom Kimbell, 14, of Mount Pleasant, said he looks forward to the warmer weather and in-line skating during the winter.

“You can’t beat waking up at noon, coming here at 2 (p.m.) and staying until dark,” he said.

Colin Hodo, 14, of Blanchard, said summer days at the skate park are just part of the routine.

“We just come out here and hang out,” he said. “That’s just how it is.”

Some of the teenagers said they use what they can to keep their skateboarding skills sharp during the winter, even if it means staying inside.

“We make use of whatever we can find above 40 degrees,” said Jeremy Gee, 14, of Mount Pleasant. “Usually when the streets are clear we make use of whatever we can when it’s dry.”

Hodo said he skates in the garage during the winter months, and spends much of his other free time playing video games. Kimbell said he snowboards and uses his computer.

Mount Pleasant High School freshman Josh Penny said skateboarding is a form of expression for him.

“There are no rules and you can do whatever you want,” Penny said. “You can express yourself through your moves.”
]]> http://www.cm-life.com/2003/04/28/parkservesasgetaway/feed/ 0 http://www.cm-life.com/2003/04/28/marriedprofessorsoutofjob/ http://www.cm-life.com/2003/04/28/marriedprofessorsoutofjob/#comments Mon, 28 Apr 2003 00:00:00 +0000 Scott E. PachecoCentral Michigan Life http://www.cm-life.com/2003/04/28/marriedprofessorsoutofjob/ English Instructors Karen Varanauskas and Ralph Baber will be out of a job next fall in part because their teaching methods differ from Central’s purpose, said English department Chairman Stephen Holder.

Varanauskas and Baber, a married couple, said they received great response from students, but their style of teaching interfered with the direction in which the university is going.

“When people say we were inflating the grade curve, we say we are not doing that,” said Baber, Ontario native. “What we have here is a really profound difference, in definition, by the university in its new role as a school which is research intensive. Even at the board level they are deliberating how to teach excellence. Karen and I redefined that.”

Varanauskas said she was surprised she was not offered a contract for next year because of the great feedback she has received from students and honors she has received during time at CMU.

“I’ve been a part of the faculty for 12 years and I won an Excellence in Teaching Award in 1996,” she said. “They elect four (candidates) from the whole university every year and, at the time, I was told I was one of the few temporary faculty who have won. I’ve gotten a lot of really positive feedback from students, as has Ralph. We went from top-ranked to out the door.”

The two instructors signed two-year contracts in 2001 and were notified by Holder they would not be returning. The English department reduced its faculty by a 3.5 full-time equivalency and cut 28 sections of class for the next two semesters.

Holder said the decision was made by two committees who had to consider many factors in making job cuts.

“The English department considers applications for all people carefully and either we start a new contract or we don’t. We were faced with the loss of some full-time positions; it was especially difficult this year,” Holder said. “We had two committees look at absolutely everything and rank candidates. I make as many people full-time as possible, and sometimes people don’t end up on that list.”

Holder said Baber and Varanauskas, Jackson native, used the category of process method, where students have the ability to revise several times before turning in a project, as opposed to a product method, where students must turn in the assignment in a timely manner and move on the next one. He said the university favors the product method.

“I think there is a move toward product teaching. Last year (the English department) passed a new composition syllabus and it is a good deal more rigorous,” Holder said. “This is probably something that wouldn’t have passed eight years ago.”

Holder teaches ENG 252: American Literature: Realistic Period to the Present, and said the product method works.

“My feeling is getting higher student opinion survey scores by giving higher grades is ridiculous. I changed the way I examine my students at their request,” he said. “A surprising number of students earned A’s and a surprising number of students failed cold. My student evaluation scores have gone up but my students’ average grade has gone down.”

Varanauskas said she feels her method of teaching allows students to maximize their learning experience.

“If you are learning how to swing a golf club, you don’t learn from having someone stand to the side and say ‘that’s not right, that’s not right,’” she said.

Students should be able to earn a high grade, Baber said, if they have put forth the appropriate effort.

“Any of our students, who – even though they have to rewrite several times – if their final product is excellence then they deserve an excellent grade,” Baber said. “Anybody who is willing to put in the hours of work deserves a grade of excellence.”

Varanauskas said she and her husband are trying to make the best out of the situation.

“It’s been a real strain keeping a stiff upper lip for our kids and at the same time wondering what we are going to do. We still want to stay in the field; we love teaching. Despite this, I feel we are excellent teachers,” she said. “We will land on our feet somehow. There will be a lot people who will be caught up the creek.”
]]> http://www.cm-life.com/2003/04/28/marriedprofessorsoutofjob/feed/ 0 http://www.cm-life.com/2003/04/23/oncampusprogramsendwithgentlefriday/ http://www.cm-life.com/2003/04/23/oncampusprogramsendwithgentlefriday/#comments Wed, 23 Apr 2003 00:00:00 +0000 Scott E. PachecoCentral Michigan Life http://www.cm-life.com/2003/04/23/oncampusprogramsendwithgentlefriday/ Greg Burghardt

CMU students will have to find their own post-exam entertainment starting Friday as university programs cease for the semester.

Program Board Public Relations Chairwoman Lisa Sommer said there is no rule prohibiting programs after Friday, but with the stress of finals, the last university event of the semester is Gentle Friday.

“Gentle Friday has been a tradition since 1967 and has live bands, novelties and carnival games. It started as a peaceful protest against the war and is kind of a way of relaxing before studying for exams,” said Sommer, Reese junior. “Our first program coming back will be Main Stage, during the first week students are back.”

While on-campus programs may end, exam week means increased business for local bars.

Bart Hockenberger, manager at Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar, 1904 S. Mission St., said the establishment will not change its specials for a week traditionally known for heavy crowds.

“We definitely get busier during exam week. There is a pick-up as students get done with their exams, with Wednesday and Thursday being big nights. Also, students come on Monday and Tuesday as they get done with early exams,” Hockenberger said. “Other than our regular specials, nothing is really going on.”

He said the only minor problems they have had are students coming in and becoming wild during post-exam week, when local patrons eat lunch.

“The week after exams is also a very big week. Sometimes people are so excited that exams are done during the day they get pretty loud, but it is never a huge problem,” Hockenberger said.

CMU Police are making minor preparations for the upcoming weeks, but Chief Stan Dinius said their patrol work will be lighter than Central/Western weekend.

“There isn’t a recent history of problems this time of year. Currently, we do not plan on any major additions to our staff. We will have a couple extra people on duty (next) Wednesday and Thursday,” Dinius said. “We expect nothing out of the ordinary, and we will watch out for the parties and make sure they don’t get out of hand. We will work on any issues that may come up with city and county police.

“The week after finals tends to be very quiet. It will be quiet until summer semester starts up on May 12, and it will not be quite as busy as fall or spring.”

Hughes said she will enter graduate school at Wayne State University to pursue a degree in pharmaceuticals, while Gibraltar senior Bryan Cassette said he is working on getting interviews and being a college student for a little while longer.

“I am just kind of relieved to be done, but it’s not really a big deal. It doesn’t even feel like I am graduating,” Hughes said.

Cassette, weekend manager at the Mount Pleasant Community Recreation Center, 5165 E. Remus Road, said he has had interviews, but he is reluctant to enter the “real world.”

“I have been working 35 hours per week and interviewing for jobs. It’s harder than everybody might think. I have had a couple of interviews, but I couldn’t tell you if I will get a solid job,” he said. “I don’t want to start my life right now. I would like a pseudo-vacation. This is the last chance I will have to have fun — I am not really ready as a whole to start that whole career-thing.”

He said he is not concerned about finals week because he is doing well in the two classes in which he has exams.

“I am not worried about it right now. I am getting about a B in both classes, and the exams are not super important to me. As long as I pass, I am going to get my degree,” Cassette said.

Non-traditional student Martin Gonzales is going into exams as a 33-year-old student who decided to come back to CMU after dropping out after the 1989-90 school year. He said this will be his final exam week, although he will be student teaching in Ithaca during the fall semester.

Gonzales said the time off helped him gain a fresh perspective in facing school and exams.

“I have a lot more of an appreciation for school as an older student,” he said. “I give my professors the respect they deserve.”

Grand Rapids senior Rachelle Rein said exam week is not the biggest obstacle in her way, but rather the uncertainty she feels because of her lack of professional experience during her time at CMU.

“I don’t feel really ready. I don’t think I am as prepared as I should be, and I don’t feel as well-off as I would have been with a job or an internship,” Rein said. “I think the end of exams will bring a mixture of relief and uncertainty.”

Cassette said CMU has prepared him somewhat, but he feels the University Program courses slowed him down.

“The UP program didn’t prepare me for anything. I didn’t feel like I really started getting into what I needed for my career until my junior year,” he said. “I have to say, a lot of what I am prepared for are the jobs I have had in my life, but if I said CMU didn’t prepare me at all I would be lying.”

Central’s major contribution to Cassette’s experience was the leadership classes, he said.

Gonzales said CMU showed him the path to take and left him the option of going down it or not.

“I think it has more than adequately prepared me for the job. I think they have done an adequate job in showing me along. They definitely give us the tools we need to succeed,” Gonzales said. “They can’t give you the road map. We are the ones who are going to have to do it ourselves.”

A CMU freshman is contemplating a transfer to another university after the department cut two courses crucial to his major.

Ada freshman Adam Buttrick came to CMU as part of a plan to take Japanese courses and study abroad in Japan his junior year.

But when he went on OASIS to sign up for a required class, he learned it was canceled because of budgetary reasons. He said the situation has turned him off from CMU.

“I understand we are in a budget crisis, and I understand we need to make concessions, but academics should be the last thing to go, especially post-registration,” Buttrick said. “I am pretty seriously considering transferring to the University of Michigan or possibly even Western Michigan University.”

Assistant Vice President of Academic Administration Bob DeBruin released the list of removed courses Friday, which affected 234 students enrolled in summer semester and 50 students enrolled in fall classes.

The university has eliminated 40 summer and 86 fall sections to date. Included in the summer cuts is EDU 290: Technology in Education, in which 22 students already were enrolled. Five of the removed summer courses had 10 or more students enrolled.

JPN 101: Elementary Japanese I and JPN 102: Elementary Japanese II are required courses to study abroad with a 12 credit-hour program, and without them, Buttrick said the best he could do is an eight credit-hour program. JPN 101, the prerequisite for JPN 102, is offered only in the spring.

“You are there the same amount of time with both programs,” Buttrick said. “The 12 (credits) gives you further education and more classes to take.”

He said his feelings about CMU have changed considerably during the whole process.

“I had heard that they had a relatively good academic program — that they offered a good variety of classes, and I wanted to get a well-rounded history education, and I knew they offered Japanese,” Buttrick said. “I’ve found out they don’t really offer a variety of classes.”

He said he estimates the change will cost him about $800 after books and six credit hours — four from the reduced study abroad program and two for the JPN 101 class. Buttrick said he intends to major in history with a concentration in Asian history.

Foreign Language Chairman James Jones said time constraints and course impact on majors and minors were two major considerations in deciding which courses were removed.

“The decision about what to cut was made by somebody else very late in the process, so there wasn’t the chance to consider alternatives,” Jones said.

Jones said neither one of the Japanese or Latin courses leads to a major or minor. He said Buttrick can either try to take the course at another institution or wait a year.

There were five course cuts in the foreign language department, including two French classes, one Japanese class, one Latin class and one Spanish class. Jones said some of the classes were victims of circumstance.

“The dean had said he wanted to have one section of French cut and not to hire a director for the language lab,” he said. “We had to juggle faculty around.”

Office of International Education Director Guilan Wang said the study abroad program has not taken a hit from the course cuts, but the office is willing to help out students who run into problems.

“When something like this happens, it is not something we like,” she said. “We are definitely ready to help the students compensate for the situation. We did help some of the students to re-orientate their study abroad programs.”

Guilan said almost 250 students studied abroad last academic year, and this year more than 300 students will leave the country, which increases the chance more students will have the same experience as Buttrick.

“I wish there was something we could do, but with the budget crisis that the university has been going through, this is one of the ways to calm the crisis,” Guilan said.

List of canceled course sections Course Section # enrolled Summer I 2003 College of Business Administration BIS 324 17922 10 College of Communication and Fine Arts ART 115 BCA 520J BCA 566 IPC 363 JRN 202 JRN 203 MUS 597B 18024 18008 16575 12880 13017 16978 16016 6 7 2 6 9 4 3 College of Education and Human Services EAD 699 EAD 750B EDU 290 EDU 290 GRN 597B GRN 597D GRN 597D HEV 160 HEV 240 HEV 514 SPE 323 SPE 500 RPL 307 11791 17709 15195 17145 18430 18077 18086 17792 16631 17805 17307 17315 14487 1 2 11 22 2 1 1 6 9 2 10 8 8 College of Health Professions ASL 100 PES 572 PES 607 16999 13824 17552 4 2 3 College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences ENG 332 ENG 569 PSY 531 PSY 651 SOC 523 17350 17384 16804 16828 14639 11 4 10 6 6 College of Science and Technology CPS 110 CPS 210 CPS 596X IET 143 IET 397B ITC 111 ITC 290 MTH 130 MTH 634 MTH 661 GEL 201 17249 17255 17625 17232 17611 17261 17276 13473 16739 16742 17321 6 4 9 7 4 3 10 5 2 2 6 Fall 2003 canceled courses College of Business Administration ACC 201 ACC 201 ACC 201 ACC 202 ACC 202 ACC 531 BIS 104 BIS 104 BIS 221 BIS 321 BIS 351 BIS 360 BIS 360 ECO 110 ECO 110 ECO 202 ECO 213 ECO 460 BLR 202 FIN 425 MGT 320 MGT 333 MBA 509 MBA 619 MKT 300 MKT 300 MKT 300 MKT 300 MKT 305 MKT 330 MKT 350 13402 13426 54305 5 College of Communication and Fine Arts ART 105 ART 105 ART 110 ART 115 ART 115 ART 135 ART 140 ART 239 ART 240 ART 345 ART 349 MUS 147A MUS 146 TAI 578C 55350 37877 53520 4 College of Education and Human Services HEV 355 HEV 510 CED 640 PES 245 54862 55679 52353 42190 5 3 3 College of Health Professions HSC 202 HSC 205 HSC 211 HSC 411 HSC 534 HSC 547 PTH 525 30518 30520 30615 31087 31212 31275 45599 College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences ENG 201A ENG 100 ENG 294 ENG 134 ENG 460 ENG 460 FRN 101 FRN 101 HST 102 HST 102 HST 110 HST 110 HST 110 HST 110 HST 110 HST 168 HST 200 HST 350 HST 356 HST 523 HST 569 JPN 101 LAT 101 PHL 118 PHL 118 PSY 384 PSY 384 PSY 384 SOC 422 SPN 102 25664 24494 26015 25312 26418 26420 27665 27678 31759 31762 31786 31790 31806 31819 31822 31954 55249 54103 32163 54175 32282 33738 53300 42953 52580 44773 44768 44784 53217 48415 1 3 1 5 9 7 3 1 College of Science and Technology BIO 590 ENV 597A GEO 121 MTH 105 MTH 105 MTH 105 MTH 105 MTH 105 MTH 107 MTH 107 MTH 116 MTH 116 MTH 130 MTH 151 MTH 152 52427 26900 28311 36245 36149 36388 36098 36161 36578 36495 36629 36603 36648 36858 36942 Interdisciplinary WST 202 49815 Source: Robert De Bruin, Academic Administration vice provost

]]> http://www.cm-life.com/2003/04/16/erasedcoursesdamagemajors/feed/ 0 http://www.cm-life.com/2003/04/14/studentstofindnewclasses/ http://www.cm-life.com/2003/04/14/studentstofindnewclasses/#comments Mon, 14 Apr 2003 00:00:00 +0000 Scott E. PachecoCentral Michigan Life http://www.cm-life.com/2003/04/14/studentstofindnewclasses/ More than 330 CMU students will have to adjust their summer and fall schedules
because of the university’s plan to save money through cutting sections
of courses.

Assistant Vice President of Academic Administration Bob DeBruin released the
list of the removed courses Friday, which affected 234 students enrolled in
summer semester and 50 students enrolled in fall classes. Forty summer and
86 fall sections have been removed to date.

While the current course cuts are related to the budget crisis, DeBruin said
they had similarities to reductions in previous years.

“With summer school, the students were already registered. For the fall
semester, the students affected had registered during the opening days,”
he said. “This parallels what normally occurs in other years and in other
semesters there are always adjustments made. Adding a section, deleting a section
and changing the capacity of the section.”

DeBruin said students who are affected will have to deal with their respective
programs.

Associate Registrar Dorene Root said students who have been removed from a
course have several options for dealing with their schedule.

“What students can do is contact our office and even if registration is
closed, we can try to help them get into other courses,” she said. “Students
can call us and if they have any ideas for schedule adjustments, we can help
them, but we cannot exceed capacity.”

She said students need to contact the department chairman or chairwoman, and
they could make an exception — but the registrar cannot make those decisions.

“Obviously, the departments need to have that authority,” she said.

Students who are in a class that is removed will receive a letter from the
Registrar’s Office, Root said.

DeBruin said he gathered the list of classes from the Registrar’s Office
and from the colleges of business and communication and fine arts. He said
the programs released their course information in a timely manner, but because
of other commitments, the CMU is releasing its list now — three weeks
after registration.

University officials said March 20 that they would have the list available
in days.

“It was the other things I was working on that had a higher priority,”
DeBruin said. “I am spending a lot of time on the budget issues right
now.”

The university will not work out course cancellation information for spring
2004 until after the start of the fall semester.

A complete list of the course sections removed will appear in Wednesday’s
edition of Central Michigan Life.

“Advocacy Alert” includes a letter from University President Michael
Rao encouraging friends of CMU to write to their legislators about budget issues
and the state of the university.

“We put together a package of materials, which includes a sample letter
that people can send in to their legislator. There are some advocacy talking
points, a set of information about state funding and information that could
be useful to advocates,” Public Relations and Marketing Executive Director
of News Services Mike Silverthorn said. “There is also a link to information
about how to contact legislators.”

Silverthorn said this is one step toward helping CMU receive more state funds.

“The ultimate goal is to get more funding for CMU from the state. It’s
not just CMU talking but perhaps alumni from the legislator’s district.
We are not funded as well as other schools, so the more people talk to legislators
the better,” he said. “We are just trying to make the information
available to those who can do it. It’s a way for CMU alumni, parents,
friends and for people to advocate on behalf of CMU when talking to state officials.
It’s a way to provide information to them, to give them some tools.”

Silverthorn said the time for action is now.

“It’s that time of year when the state is exploring its budget.
It is an ideal time to talk to these legislators about how schools are funded
and how CMU is funded,” he said.

Mike Leto, vice president for development and alumni relations, said CMU alumni
are doing their part to provide a stable source of funding.

He said during the past four years contributions have risen significantly
in the 80- to 90-percent range. This year, Leto said the alumni contributions
also have increased significantly, with an additional 1,200 donors to date
for this fiscal year. As a general goal, he said the university looks for double-digit
growth each year.

Because of the economic situation, Leto said the university is trying hard
to gather more support.

“We are making a special effort to increase the endowment. It will provide
a level source of money as well as supplement and strengthen areas of excellence
at the university,” he said. “We are trying to work hard to increase
the scholarship contributions as well.”

Leto said the alumni have been very supportive of the university with their
contributions.

“We are very aggressive in trying to communicate with and the involvement
of the alumni. Private gifts are increasingly important to the university,”
he said.

The link to the package can be found at the Web site www.cmich.edu.

More than 100 students from Wheeler Hall are spending the week camped outside
the Bovee University Center in an effort to raise $1,000 for Sexual Assault
Peer Advocates.

Wheeler Hall resident assistants Eric Price and Ellen Gulf, along with about
100 Wheeler residents, have given some of their time to aid victims of sexual
assault.

“As a resident assistant I just know that sexual assault is a really
large problem that affects our world and our campus,” said Price, Davison
senior. “It is worthwhile to raise money to help out victims and so far
the student body has been pretty generous.”

SAPA has helped more than 250 students in this school year alone, SAPA Advocate
Jen Connors said. SAPA crunched the numbers and estimates that 21 women are
sexually assaulted every week at CMU.

“Sexual assault is when anytime anyone does anything of a sexual nature
without the expressed consent of the other parties involved. Consent cannot
be obtained through force, coercion, threats, intimidation or by taking advantage
of one’s inability to consent, through the use of drugs or alcohol,”
said Connors, Skandia senior. “This is pretty much Michigan law. You also
have to say ‘yes’ and be in the right mind to consent.”

Connors said numbers provided by the FBI and the United States Justice Department
show one in four women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, and a
woman is raped every minute.

Illinois freshman Elizabeth Rizzio said she thinks people need to know more
about these statistics.

“Lots of people are raped and I think it is something more people need
to be aware of,” Rizzio said.

Those who come to SAPA for help must then face a financial burden. The rape
kits victims receive do not come cheaply, averaging about $1,000 per kit, Price
said.

Some volunteers said spending a few hours in the cold was well worth the time.

“I was here from 3 to 6 a.m. Tuesday morning,” Sterling Heights
freshman Steve Wezner said. “It’s good to be able to help people
in the community who go through something like this. It’s bad enough without
having to pay for (a rape kit).”

Rizzio said she feels good about doing community service for a worthwhile
cause.

“I think it is for a good cause. Rape kits are really expensive,”
Rizzio said. “I just wanted to do some kind of community work. It makes
you feel good to know you are helping others.”

SAPA approached the hall council about helping them with the fundraiser, Price
said.

“We aren’t related to the organization; they came to our hall meeting
and asked us for help,” he said.

Price said they obtained support from some local businesses, who contributed
with food donations.

“We have support from several Mount Pleasant businesses such as Domino’s
Pizza, (706 S. Mission St.), Papa John’s Pizza (1504 S. Mission St.),
Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwich Shop (1901 S. Mission St.) and Buffalo Wild
Wings Grill and Bar (1904 S. Mission St.),” he said. “They seemed
really generous and were willing to help to support the cause.”