As I am sitting here in my pajamas, not having to go to anymore classes for the rest of my life. A foreign notion to me still.

As a graduating senior, I am declaring this column a pseudo-graduation speech. An informal goodbye letter to CMU, my peers and whoever else decides to read this. Thankfully, you can’t see me tearing up.

In writing this, I had the opportunity to wax eloquently about my past endeavors, groups I’ve lead, awards I’ve won and lifelong friendships I’ve made.

But I won’t do that. I want to talk about how even as a senior, I get scared at times. Asking the universal question most 20-something-year-olds want to know: “Am I prepared for the real world?”

It seems that my adulthood snuck up on me quickly and that complete feeling of “a true adult” never really sinks in like it does in the movies.

But there are no cameras. It is my life. And since I stepped through the maroon and gold doors, I knew I would be leaving faster than I came here three years ago as a transfer student.

I can tell I have grown up in these short years but there is still so much I want to do. My classes have only created a deeper desire in me to be a lifelong student.

In my cultural anthropology class, I learned about the study of present-day human cultures while discovering what I love, turning this class into my minor. The little kid in me still wants to discover the world through a paper-towel telescope lens.

In my cultures of Africa class, I learned new routes my ancestors have gone through to get me to where I am today.

Even in French I learned to love the intricacies of a new language, and love their cheese.

But outside of the classroom I received at least 50 percent of my education.

Learning about cultures from places I never thought about, covering events that still leave me scratching my head, but I’m thankful I was able to experience it. And then there was connecting with a community such as Mount Pleasant where I could call home. I have learned that being a senior isn’t about being finished, but just starting. Being a real adult with bills and an education I will never take for granted.

Henry David Thoreau once said “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.”

Since I have come to CMU I have lived and imagined so much within this campus. I won’t forget my dreams and I will go forth with confidence.

Goodbye CMU. You taught me well.

That is why Pratt, a history professor at the University of Georgia, is vying with two other candidates for the position of dean at the College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences. Tuesday afternoon, Pratt spoke to about 30 people in Bovee University Center’s Maroon Room about his skill sets and what he could offer as the next dean.

Pratt stepped down as the UGA history department chairman after working six years this past summer. He has been at UGA for the past 24 years, working as a faculty member as well.

One question from the audience involved relationships between faculty and administration and how a dean should handle them both.

“There is a balance,” Pratt said. “I see deans as being generals. They really are on the frontline and it is their mission to represent the university.”

When asked about the importance of summer programs, Pratt said they are vital to universities.

“We have several summer programs, programs for teaching, most of them revolve around study abroad programs,” Pratt said. “I think we should do more of it … with the increased emphasis on globalization, we realize just how dependent we are on others and how they are on us.”

Pratt said his priority as dean is to be an advocate for the faculty.

“That is my No. 1 function,” he said.

He said building those relationships are important because the faculty members, program directors and individuals are the backbone of the school.

“I cannot be successful in this position unless I have the support of the people here … you all need to know who I am and I need to know who you are,” he said. “I need to know from you what I can do to help you fulfill your mission and your vison.”

Pratt said when he was chair at UGA, he tried to broaden the context of different departments across the board — the goal being to create an open dialogue and eliminate duplicate courses.

One attendee asked him how important working toward and continuing Native American alliances will be.

“I am excited about that,” he said. “I see a strong Native American presence, that is something that fascinates me.”

Pratt talked about how there is not a large Native American population in Georgia, but there is a large Hispanic presence.

“When I first got to Georgia 24 years ago, you could count the number of Hispanics in Athens on one hand and have some fingers left over,” he said. “Today they are very much a part of Athens.”

English professor Susan Stan said the forum was a good place for communication.

“(It was a good place) for the faculty to ask questions,” she said.

In addition to answering a series of black cultural and historical questions, the Canada senior stood on a chair, jumped off and popped her body to a hysterical crowd.

Krumping is an urban street dance that is a major part of hip hop culture. Aggressive and energetic dance moves incorporate the head, arms, chest, legs and feet.

Olumolade jokingly did the dance, but said there was an adrenaline rush of emotions.

“It was surprising and exhilarating to win,” she said.

During the Black Family Reunion: Food Taster Featuring ThinkFast Game Show, about 200 students, staff, faculty and community members enjoyed food and fun in the Bovee University Center’s Rotunda.

Lester Booker Jr., interim assistant director of Minority Student Services, said the game show was really a great addition to the food taster, an annual event.

“We were able to retain diverse populations of students to attend and really just allow students to have a fun social environment on campus,” Booker said.

Southfield freshman Myles Williams said he enjoyed the great food, events and game show, and he stayed for his friends.

“My boys were in the game and I’m rooting for them,” Williams said.

The game, which had two rounds of multiple-choice questions, had participants ultimately competing for a $200 cash prize.

About 90 played in the game and took a shot at answering 25 questions.

The finalist matches included singing and dancing competitions. Students performed songs ranging from “YMCA” to “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” attempting to win the most applause from the audience, which led to sporadic eruptions of laughter.

Ke’Ara Brown-Smith participated in the first round of multiple-choice questions.

“(The) game was fun trying to guess different people in history and their accomplishments,” the Flint freshman said.

Olumolade said the money would come to good use.

“I’m going to have some spending money in Miami,” she said of her travel plans.

LAR 397 is a one-credit course to fulfill the last requirement for a cultural competency program. The main purpose is to give students interested in learning about different cultures beyond the required credit, said Multicultural Program Director Ulana Klymyshyn.

“It would be a notation on their transcripts that says they have taken a range of courses on different cultures and identifying them as being culturally competent,” Klymyshyn said.

The definition of a culturally competent person is one who is aware of cultures, has information about a range of cultures, and has the skills to interact and work with people of a cultural backgrounds different than their own, Klymyshyn said.

“This is awareness, knowledge and skills,” she said.

Students also should have knowledge about the kind of power relationships underlie interactions and treatment of people of different backgrounds in the United States and other countries, Klymyshyn said.

The competency

There are four requirements students must fulfill for the cultural competency program, and some of the required classes can count as double courses.

Students can take ANT 101 or SOC 101: Social Justice in a Global Society. The courses are three credits. Klymyshyn said they are foundation courses as a way to introduce students to a particular topic.

“They’re cross-listed courses, and students can’t get credit for both,” she said.

The second requirement is nine credit hours on cultures within the United States.

The third requirement is a study of global cultures outside the United States, which can be up to seven credit hours. This includes taking classes in religion, a foreign language and anything else applicable.

The fourth requirement is the one-credit-hour capstone course, which requires students to hand in a portfolio of reflection papers on 12 different event or activities, as well as take a diversity self-assessment.

Klymyshyn said students cannot attend that many activities all at once, so the papers should be from over a period of time at CMU.

Students need permission from Klymyshyn before registering for the course.

Denise Green, associate vice president for Institutional Diversity, said the Cultural Competency program is a necessary asset to CMU and the students.

The course provides students with an extra boost in the job market, making students more culturally open to their future employers.

Green also said the skill of knowing about diverse cultures is very relevant, especially as a CMU graduate.

Sunday’s campus cleanup for Environmental Awareness Day began the month’s events at Central Michigan University that run through Nov. 23.

“Native American Heritage Month is a chance for Native and non-Native people to share in the Native American culture, traditions and issues that Native people are faced with today,” said Native American Programs Director Colleen Green.

The 2009 theme is “Indian Boarding Schools,” an idea that spawned from the White Bison Organization that toured the United States and came to Mount Pleasant last summer to bring light to Indian boarding schools, Green said.

“I thought it would be fitting to have speakers talk about this topic this fall,” Green said.

Green said she hopes students will be open to hear about Native Americans’ historical past, as cultures and traditions are shared through the food taster event, Native American workshops and Environmental Awareness Day.

Student involvement

Nigeria graduate student Olufemi Fasesan said he would love to attend an event celebrating Native American culture.

“It’s going to be an opportunity for me to learn a great deal about the culture, people and history — also, it’s going to be so much fun for
me,” he said.

This month also will be an opportunity for students to learn about Native American history, culture and contributions to U.S. society, said
Multicultural Program Director Ulana Klymyshyn.

“This is especially important at CMU, since we use ‘Chippewa’ as our athletic nickname,” Klymyshyn said.

Klymyshyn urges all CMU fans to view the exhibit of pow wow photos on display in the Multicultural Center during November.

“The images will provide a way of distinguishing between real and imitation representations of Native American culture,” Klymyshyn said.

Native American Heritage Month ends Nov. 23 with Native American Music Awards Performers in the Bovee University Center Terrace rooms.

For more information, contact the Multicultural Education Center at 774-7318 or Office of Native American Programs at 774-2508.

She would sit rigid for hours at a time to block out the twitching, coughing, and erratic movements sometimes caused by Tourette’s syndrome.

Since then, the singer-songwriter, painter, and cultural activist reflects on painful memories to teach others about appreciating their identity.

The Soup and Substance series presented, “Re-Definition of Identity” Tuesday afternoon at the Bovee University Center. Hsu-Li spoke about her life as a musician, growing up Chinese American, and having Tourette’s syndrome.

“This presentation talks about the many different levels of identity,” Hsu-Li said. “I am an artist, woman, and openly bisexual. This is redefintion of identity. When I write songs I really want to help people raise awareness or break a barrier and that is what I began to do.”

Hsu-Li grew up in the rural south in Martinsville, Va., and she considers herself a Southerner.

“We were one of two or three Asian families up in this area, and for the first 10 years of my life I never knew fully that I was different.”

At the age of 12, everything changed when the Tourette’s syndrome surfaced, puberty began, and the labeling in high school.

“There are some obstacles that we may not be able to overcome, but when the mind is set to a purpose we can accomplish amazing things,” she said.

Hsu-Li became an artist because she loved to paint and perform, but this wasn’t what her parents wanted. She said with so many oppositions, the only thing people can do is gauge what feels right to them inside.

Hsu-Li later asked everyone to talk to their friends and family and ask what would they miss about them if they were not here tomorrow, and how they changed their world and perception.

“I guarantee that you will start hearing the same thing,” she said.

Director of Multicultural Education Center Ulana Klymyshyn said the event went really well.

“I think she had a very interesting way of combining information about her different identities, it gave students a need for insight on issues of being an immigrant in our society and living with disability issues,” she said.

Harbor Springs freshman Hailee Ortiz said the event really touched her.

“If she can overcome Tourette’s syndrome, I can surely overcome these little things, obstacles are just everyday life, look them in the face ad get over them,” Ortiz said.

There were three possible candidates narrowed down from about 40 to be interviewed by MSS. But the search barely got under way.

“While we were in the middle of scheduling these visits, other things started happening in the candidates’ lives,” said MSS Director Traci Guinn.

One candidate withdrew to pursue educational goals, while the second candidate had personal problems, she said.

“Within a week of scheduling, two canceled and when those situations happened, we did not want to continue the search with that one person,” Guinn said.

Interim assistant director

After the failed search, Canton graduate student Lester Booker took on the position as interim assistant director.

Guinn said she offered the job to Booker who was already familiar with the job, which he started Aug. 10.

Booker worked in the office as a graduate assistant prior to getting the new position.

“I still needed lots of things to get done with that position, and the most promising person at the time to ask was the person already in that position for the past year,” Guinn said of Booker.

Booker will have the position until late May, where there is a hope to permanently fill the spot. Booker said he feels he is a good fit for this position, while still preparing for his next move.

“I am keeping my options open and I have not made any decisions yet. And I plan on finishing off strong professionally and academically,” Booker said.

Booker’s Responsibility

The assistant director is responsible for different levels of academic support, student retention, diversity advocacy programs and a plethora of other types of promotion at CMU.

MSS Assistant Director Sean Novak is in charge of the search for a new candidate and said he is appreciative of Booker stepping in.

“I’m glad that we had someone working in that capacity already, and Lester went above and beyond his duties, and it is nice to have that to fall back on,” Novak said.

As of now, Booker has been responsible for the heading up of the first MSS activity, Get Acquainted Day. Booker will also be in charge of Hispanic Heritage month, which started Sept. 15.

As a graduate student working for MSS in the fall 2008, Booker was in charge of cultural programs.

“I worked closely with Dr. Guinn and I still coordinated most events, working 20 hours per week,” Booker said. “Now my job is more concentrated and added responsibility, I work on more specialized projects that I am assigned. And aside from cultural programs, I delegate some tasks and I work with students overseeing some of their activities,” Booker said.

For Paul Schmidt, Registrar at Monroe County Community College, the newly-created transfer business program linked to Central Michigan University is the perfect fit for students majoring in business management.

“We’ve always had a transfer program with CMU that students follow and it makes it very easy for students to know which programs to take,” Schmidt said. “This (business) program is good because if students take the right courses we’re going to make sure they come into Central and they will all count towards their particular program.”

MCCC and CMU created the program partnership in January, which allows students who have earned an associate of applied science degree in business management, and have followed the minimum grade requirements from CMU, to be able to transfer all of their credits to CMU.

MCCC Dean of Business Paul Knollman said they are always excited to develop relationships with four-year institutions that can benefit their students.

“An articulation agreement with colleges and universities like CMU allow our students to seamlessly matriculate from their community college experience into working on a bachelor’s degree and beyond,” Knollman said.

The MCCC Business Division has had agreements with a number of colleges and universities for a number of years, he said.

“Because costs for higher education continue to increase and the need for advanced post-secondary learning becomes more evident, these articulation and transfer agreements have become more attractive to community college students,” Knollman said.

CMU is not the first school to engage in this type of program. Delta College, which is focused in the tri-county area of Bay City, Saginaw and Midland, is connected to 28 community colleges.

Angela Sinclair works in the students services area of the Registrar at Delta College office, and feels that transfer programs are beneficial for students.

“I think it is a great thing to be able to be right here in Michigan and transfer to colleges in your community,” Sinclair said. “And you can branch out in other universities and give the kids a start and we are working closer with other colleges now and trying to better prepare them so they can transfer on,” Sinclair said.

Lansing Community College offers several non-traditional transfer programs, including the Two-Plus-Two transfer programs deal with technical, business, or health science associate degrees are completed first. This is followed by transfer after a completion of the requirements at the transfer institution.

For transfer students that plan to move to another university, Schmidt said not all of their credits will transfer to those schools if they don’t follow a particular major. But that is not a waste of time or credit, he said.

“It is like an insurance policy (at MCCC), and if students follow this program, they won’t lose credits. It is called articulation agreement, and it is very beneficial,” Schmidt said.

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Students who are graduating, if you have not already, make sure you book your lodging and dinner reservations.

The week leading up to the May 9 commencement will be a rush of appointments and reservations made by excited seniors and their parents at hotels and restaurants in and around the Mount Pleasant area.

But Warren senior Timmy Foster isn’t too worried.

Foster’s parents booked their hotel reservations in March to delay any unnecessary stress.

“Instead (of eating out), some of my best friends and I are doing an open house at our apartment,” Foster said. “My parents and I will just go to the open house. It will be a nice way to end our time together.”

For the rest of the senior class, there still is time left to claim spots, to eat out and to sleep in.

Dinner

The Brass Cafe and Saloon, on the corner of Main & Michigan Streets in downtown Mount Pleasant, is pretty booked up for graduation, especially with large parties, said Jamie Pyecoft, the bar manager.

“We’ve got just a few openings left later in the evening; we’ve been booked up about two weeks ago. People have been calling for months now,” he said.

The menu prices change seasonally and they typically decide the same week what they plan to put on the menu.

The Italian Oven, 2336 S. Mission St., still has openings as of Monday for graduation day. There are no reservations at the restaurant, but preferred seating.

Manager Carly Bauknecht said with preferred seating it is not a guarantee that there will still be a seat available for the customers.

“We are letting people call ahead now on graduation,” Bauknecht said. “We just don’t want to say we are taking reservations, but I would recommend preferred seating to larger groups.”

Bennigans, located at 2424 S. Mission St., is a neighborhood tavern that usually fills up with reservations anywhere between two to three weeks before graduation.

Morgan Saxton one of managers said students usually start booking at least a month or two months in advance.

“They’re trying to get their spots, with people coming in before and after graduation. If we have anybody that is still calling, we see if they can adjust their time and see if they can come in later or earlier,” Saxton said.

The prices vary and depend on what people are ordering, she said.

Hotels

Comfort Inn, 2424 S. Mission St., has bookings made usually around spring break. There are 138 rooms total. On May 8th, there are 10 rooms left for Friday night, and 10 rooms left Saturday as of Tuesday.

Danielle Reynolds, front desk associate, said people should book rooms as soon as they can.

“I don’t think that people feel that many people are coming to stay in Mount Pleasant, so they wait to last minute. If they book (early), they can get what they want instead of something they don’t want,” she said.

Fairfield Inn & Suites, 2525 S. University Park Dr. still has room availability the weekend of communication. There are 10 rooms left to reserve on May 8 and on May 9 there are 10 rooms left and they range from suites to rooms with one bed to Jacuzzi rooms. There are 74 rooms total.

Nicole Bouman works at Fairfield and said they have been sold out for a while, but because of group cancellations, they have referred them to other locations.

“We’ve been getting a lot of calls and referring them to other hotels in town, we usually get calls first or second since we are right by campus. We do have stragglers and people walking in the day of, and it is kind of surprising,” the Big Rapids senior said.

Super 8, 2323 South Mission, also has rooms left. There are 140 rooms total, and 25 available on May 8, and 45 on May 9, as of Tuesday.

Nicole Leatz, housekeeping manager, said every year, the facility is completely booked.

“Every year at graduation we are sold out,” Leatz said. “We are right across from Central Michigan University and it is very convenient for parents to stay here.”

“People always place hunt but what many people don’t know is that each hotel calls each other, sometimes three times a day, and all the hotel’s may raise their rates depending on availability and prices of other hotel’s rooms,” Leatz said.

Davisburg senior Abby Bauer has not looked into a place for dining with her family, who do not have plans to stay in town.

“Thankfully, I don’t have to worry about a hotel. I should probably try to make reservations for dinner, but I might just end up having to wait in a long line.” Bauer said.

“This doesn’t stress me out, for me it’s just my family eating out and it doesn’t really matter where I eat dinner with them at.”

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But she decided to wait six years before she rides one, and instead reduce her college debt.

“I am not buying one until I make a big dent in my loan payment,” said the New York resident who graduated in 2007.

Neal plans to pay off her loans, and said her major financial roadblocks are everyday living and making ends meet with this current economy, while paying for two households with a family.

While some graduates will stress over paying off their student loans, some alumni can offer insight on how to pay them off.

“If you ask any parent, children are an expense, but it’s (one) that good parents cannot be cheap with,” she said.

To ease the costs of living, Neal takes her kids out to free activities and her family eats out just once a week.

Developing a plan to pay off loans can seem strenuous, but funds must be available to pay down the debt, said Colbin Wright, assistant professor of finance.

“The key to paying off debt early is to consistently produce discretionary income. You must earn more after tax money than you spend. The only effective way I know to spend less than you make is to create and religiously adhere to a budget.”

Christopher Dunne graduated from CMU in 1992, and currently works for the U.S. Army.

The Kentucky resident was a full-time student at CMU three different times over a 12-year period. Dunne paid off his debts while serving in the U.S. Navy, while taking trips back to Mount Pleasant.

“Since I now work for the U.S. Army, my advice would be that people should look at ROTC scholarship opportunities, which are still plentiful,” Dunne said. “Or consider Reserve duty in any of our military branches.”

According to Kiplinger.com, students should use caution with consolidation, because consolidating student loans combines loans into one payment, and does not provide a lower interest rate.

The Web site also said students can save money throughout college education by getting a job, looking for scholarship or applying for an internship.

While in college, finance and law professor Rose Prasad had a tuition scholarship and took out loans to help pay for expenses such as room and board.

“I paid off my loans while still in college because I transferred to another university, and they all had to be paid off over the next five years,” Prasad said.

She advises students to live frugally and promptly pay off the loans after graduation because they can hurt their credit rating if not paid.

Roseville resident Rob Styre graduated from CMU in May 2005, and wishes he would have been more frugal when borrowing loans.

“I’m still paying my loans; I had a lot of debt (and still do),” he said. “When I was unsure of how much money I would need to make it through the school year, I would always borrow extra.

Styre said if he planned better at saving, he would have been $10,000 less in debt.

“I have done a lot of consolidating and have been paying a little extra each month, and should have them paid off in an eight year window rather than a 120 month repayment plan,” he said.

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