Many are voicing their concerns with me as they get their DHS letters in the mail, and the biggest problem people seem to have is that their internship hours do not count as work hours.

The Snyder Administration’s budget priorities have put students in a very hard spot pertaining to internships.

On the one hand, an internship worth having is going to consume at least 16 hours per week, with the vast majority unpaid.

With Pell Grants being cut, Bridge Card benefits taken away, an atrocious job market for those without a college degree and parents who cannot make ends meet, I am unsure where Lansing bureaucrats think students’ money is going to come from.

On the other hand, students working a low-skill, low-wage job for 20 hours a week will not get the connections, contacts and experience that comes from a good internship.

Although a student will be financially better off for the moment, his or her long-term employment prospects are significantly dampened without the professional development offered by a good internship.

It is worth emphasizing that any part-time job a college student can get will almost certainly only pay minimum wage. Any job available for those with only a high school education completed will not provide enough money to purchase a big-ticket item such as a college degree.

So even though students will be financially better off in the sense that daddy will not have to pay for everything, students will still have to take out big loans and the frustration over money will continue.

A less desirable solution to this problem is to have internships count toward the 20-hour work requirement for food assistance. This would make the decision between eating versus professional development less difficult. In the long run, people will get jobs quicker and make more money in those jobs, so over time their taxes pay off the money they used in college.

This solution is less desirable because students are still working without getting paid, while collecting benefits from the government. Little about this situation is ideal.

A more desirable solution would be to adopt the California model pertaining to internships and require all to be paid at least minimum wage. California makes exceptions for those internships that are completely educational and have no low-skilled work involved, which is by all means a fair exception.

This would allow students to develop professionally while building skills they can take with them into the workforce.

What is certainly not acceptable is the new status quo, in which students will be forever stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Why did I just spend time that I have too much of, only to spend money that I have too little of and register for a full slate of classes that I’m eventually going to fail, or, just as likely, drop out of?

Why did I just try to calculate — in my head — the number of credits I need to graduate before my 25th birthday, the number of extra credits I need to take in order to graduate period, and why in the world did I just sign up for double the number of credits (18) than I’ve earned in the past two years combined?

It’s Friday, a few days before the start of the semester, and I just registered for my 10th semester of school at my fourth academic institution. I’m a sixth-year junior, either 22- or 23-years-old depending on how old I think you are, my grade-point average has officially fallen below the Mendoza line and, in short, I think I’m wasting my life away chasing a piece of paper.

I’m right, of course, and I’m equally as naïve and talented to think so.

I think I’m too old to be here, I like to think I’m too good, I spend my time in class daydreaming about catching those dreams, I’ve seen the light at the end of the tunnel and I wake up every day wishing to muster enough nerve to dive head first into that tunnel.

I am, of course, also stupid. Very stupid.

Stupid for dropping classes left and right in my first three years at a community college to save my grade-point average so I could get into Michigan State. That worked out.

Stupid for blatantly failing classes after landing my first internship, stupid for not taking classes during that internship and stupider for laughing at the thought of having to sit through another class again.

And maybe stupidest, I thought I was an exception to the rule.

But you’re not an exception until you take exception and, last I checked, I’m still signing up for the same classes, still failing them without a plan, answering multiple choice questions with, ”Just give me a C in here, man.”

I’ve been stuck on my junior year for three years, I’ve bailed on more credits than most sophomores have earned, I’ve been passed for failing work, failed for passing work and I’m probably more proud of my C’s than you are of your A’s.

I passed on an opportunity without a degree; I’ve been passed on for opportunities without a degree, and now, all of the opportunities I want are going to people with degrees.

And yet, I still can’t agree.

Last semester, I bought zero books, passed one class, dropped two more, and earned three total credits. I had one foot in the door, one foot out, when late in the semester, I was knocked off my high horse.

“You won’t get a job in this industry,” a successful college dropout told me, “unless you’re Ernest Hemingway.”

A few days later, I dropped out of a class at my fourth school, and over a month later, after re-registering for that dropped class like so many times before, can’t help but think of my college choices in five words:

Why did I do that?

As a student in the journalism program at Central Michigan University, a pre-graduation internship is “highly recommended.”

Even though it’s not required for graduation, a certain amount of work at an internship, paid or unpaid, can amount to class credit, letters of recommendation and work experience.

That’s the good side of an unpaid internship. The bad side is working at the internship without a paycheck.

I worked an internship as a reporter and photographer over my summer semester, and I definitely took a lot out of the experience.

First of all, my internship was unpaid. I received no compensation for the mileage I put on my car or the gas I used getting to the newsroom or to the multiple events I covered.

Also, I decided against applying to receive credit for my internship. I was already making negative money at the internship, why pay close to $1,000 so I could get class credit for it? I figured the unpaid, part-time internship would be a good boost to my resume.

After spending my junior year at CMU working two to three part-time jobs and saving money, I decided I could afford to take a summer off of paid work, and volunteer my time for an unpaid internship in a city near my parents’ house. Living with my parents would mean no rent and less bills to pay anyway.

Or so I thought.

After filling my gas tank up once a week minimum to make it to newsroom meetings, board meetings, events to cover in a city 45 minutes away and other various places associated with my industry, my bank account started hurting.

When you combine gas money with car maintenance, general living expenses and food (I have an addiction to Whole Foods -— organic is expensive!) I soon realized working for no pay was a lot bigger of a deal than I thought it would be.

The experience I gained was valuable. I worked with different people in a different newsroom, neither of which I was accustomed to. I covered different events in a different area, expanded my portfolio and improved my work samples.

I also noticed a difference in the way people treated me. Saying I was a reporter with a well-known local newspaper gained me more respect than saying I was a student reporter working for a university newspaper.

Overall, the internship had its ups and downs. The biggest down being the lack of a paycheck. I’m back to working two part-time jobs while taking classes to pay off my debts acquired over the summer.

I’ll stick with my starting statement.

So, unpaid internships suck. Avoid them if you can.

He was an inventor, politician, writer, womanizer and more.

But one of my favorite aspects of Franklin is his ability to be quoted, at almost any time.

“A penny saved is a penny earned,” is one of his most herald quotes.

But I much prefer the phrase, “Time is money.”

Franklin was onto something when he said that. Just imagine how productive people would be if they treated their time like money.

We’d be so much more efficient.

But this efficiency is not limited to our work or academic lives. It can be applied to every aspect of our existence — academic, professional, social, athletic, etc.

There is an episode of the television show “The Office” when Holly of Human Resources is running a meeting about “office ethics” and, aside from stealing office supplies, the issue Holly wanted to drive home was “time theft.”

Time theft, according to Holly, is when a worker spends excessive time doing non-work related activities — whether it be hanging out by the water cooler, flirting with reception or being Michael Scott, is all wrong.

I notice that I am a time thief. I steal time all the time. But unlike Jim, Pam, Dwight and Michael, I don’t steal an exorbitant amount of time from work, but from myself.

Mr. Franklin would find me an embarrassment to efficiency sometimes.

But I am trying to improve. I am trying to take heed of Holly’s “don’t be a time theft” message.

Another anti-time wasting slogan I endorse is the Minutemen’s “we jam econo.”

The Minutemen was a 1980s punk band from San Pedro, Calif. known for its minimalist lifestyle.

“We jam econo,” according to bassist Mike Watt, means they not doing things in excess.

In an interview with Chris Bilton for Brooklyn, Vegan Watt said, “It’s not just a slogan. It’s a credo. Because, coming from working people, and there ‘aint a lot of materialism, you could make things happen.”

This is what everyone should do. We should all make things happen without having to break the bank or waste too much time.

Punk rock in the ’80s was very efficient and achieved more than anyone ever thought it could.

Rockers did it with almost no money. Watt says they did it “econo.” I say they did it by spending too much time at the water cooler.

Holly wanted the Scranton branch to be like the Minutemen.

She wanted them to treat every minute like it was a dollar they were spending.

Time is money.

We should all strive to live like the Minutemen.

We should all try to look at what we have and make the most of it.

The Minutemen lived the American dream by definition.

They looked at their capital (instruments, a van and gut-wrenching determination) and achieved their dreams.

To live “econo” is to live the American dream. Let’s take what the Minutemen did and run with it.

Somebody is always encouraging you to get involved in something on a college campus.

Whether it’s a discussion in a class, an RSO or an IM sports team, college students are always pushed to get involved. At the risk of sounding cliché, I’m going to encourage you to get involved.

First, I would encourage every CMU student to submit suggestions for the 2010-11 university budget. Whether you have an idea on how to increase revenue, or an area where you think the university could cut spending, the Senior Staff Budget Advisory Group has asked for your input.

There was plenty of outcry when the new gutters were put up on Warriner Hall, or when the street signs were redone to match the university’s colors so, I’m sure if you think hard enough, you can come up with some way that the university can save some money or bring in some extra revenue. If you are interested in sending in your suggestions, you can do so at https://ssl.cmich.edu/ssbag/feedback.asp. Suggestions are due today.

The second area where students should be getting involved is in local elections. With 328,850 people registering to vote in 2008, there are plenty of new voters who should vote in local elections Tuesday. A lot of these new voters are college students.

Too often, people skip these off-year elections because “they aren’t important enough to worry about.” While they may not receive the media attention that a presidential election gets, local elections are hardly insignificant. Mayors and city councilmembers are the people in charge of the day-to-day city issues.

Most municipalities also have property tax renewals or proposals on the ballot this year. With the economy in the state that it’s in, citizens need to decide what millages are worth being renewed and which are not.

Since local elections often do not receive much, if any, media attention, figuring out who to vote for is a little harder than in other election years. I would encourage every registered voter to do some research. Look online for candidates’ Web sites. Go to city council meetings and listen to the issues being discussed. Attend a “Meet the Candidates” night if your city or township has one.

It is not just your civic duty to vote but to do some research and cast an intelligent vote.

These two things will only take a couple hours of your time at the most, but it could have a major impact on your academic career as well as where you live. So go ahead — get involved.

I promise it will be worth it.

The Central Michigan University Board of Trustees approved a 4.6 percent tuition increase in July. In average terms, this means a student going to CMU for 30 credit hours this year (and not covered under the

CMU Promise, which fixed tuition for as many as five years for new students from 2005-08) will spend approximately $450 more to come to CMU.

Whether it is something with a big price tag, such as a PS3, or something as small as a few meals, $450 can go to many things.

Dean of Students Bruce Roscoe said families are trying to make ends meet, so the $450 means a lot to them.

“I think students and families have a tough time,” he said. “I think it takes real planning on the part of families and on the part of individuals to afford higher education today.”

Roscoe said he believes students will look for more work during the school year. He said he already saw more students contacting him, asking him about jobs in the area or on campus.

Roscoe said he is not sure the $450 increase will be a reason for many students to not come to CMU, but he said if other things happen in the future, many students might feel they are in financial jeopardy.

The plan offers automatic payment dates, which bills the student on the fifth of every month and offers account adjustment to student accounts any time changes occur to the account, such as bookstore refunds, dropping or adding a course or financial aid payments.

With the system, amounts charged to the account will be updated on a regular basis.

While enrollment for the fall semester ended July 31, students who wish to use it for spring can sign up Oct. 1 through Dec. 31.

Is it for you?

The plan, however, is not recommended for everyone, especially students on financial aid, said Diane Fleming, associate director of the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.

She said the plan is not beneficial for students utilizing financial aid that covers the full cost of tuition.

Enrollment instructions can be found in the “Finances” tab of the Central Michigan Student Portal.

If students have more questions about the new payment plan, contact the Student Account Services and University Billing at 774-3618.

Yet, classes and college life are not the only things Rochester Hills freshman is anticipating.

And her feelings may be shared around the state.

“Since I am a freshman, I don’t have anything to compare (the previous tuition to),” Jacobs said. “However, it’s going to be tough starting out with higher tuition. I have some scholarships, but not enough to cover (it all), so I do have loans out, too.”

Jacobs represents about 51.4 percent of CMU’s student body not covered under the CMU Promise, which set a fixed tuition rate for students who registered between fall 2005 and summer 2008. Up to 8,900 students are on the CMU Promise.

Tuition was raised 4.6 percent for the 2009-10 academic year at the July 16 Board of Trustees meeting. Students without the CMU Promise now will pay $339 per credit hour, $15 more than last year.

Director of Media Relations Steve Smith said while the tuition increase affects approximately half of the CMU student body, this includes an increase in financial aid, which he said allows the university to strengthen academic programs and maintain basic needs.

“The board directed the administration to utilize $1.81 million dollars from the new tuition rate for increased financial aid,” he said. “That brings the university’s total financial aid budget to $28.6 million annually.”

The university budget, which includes more than $391 million in total expenses, is based off Michigan’s budget, which is not yet finalized but facing a $2 billion shortfall. The state House and Senate had a session Tuesday to discuss the state budget, which will go into effect Oct. 1.

CMU received an increase of more than $819,000 in appropriations last summer, a 1 percent increase from the previous year. In June, Interim University President Kathy Wilbur said CMU would be ‘lucky’ if appropriations remained at the same level.

Around the state

The average Michigan public university tuition increase was 5.65 percent.

Grand Valley State University increased its tuition by 5.3 percent for this academic year.

Michigan Technological University raised its tuition 5.45 percent, or $19 per credit hour, to $11,347 per year. Its budget is based on revenues that include a 3 percent cut in state funding, according to the school’s Web site.

Lake Superior State University increased its tuition by 4.6 percent. Tom Pink, director of Public Relations at Lake Superior State University, said many factors can affect the tuition increase and no one is exempt from the reach of this recession.

“That increase puts us at the middle of the pack for Michigan’s 15 public universities, and any time we raise tuition, we try to do it so that it has as little effect as possible on our students,” Pink said.
Oakland University Media Relations Director Ted Montgomery said the tuition budget for the 2009-10 academic year rose to 9 percent.

“We’re still going to have to make cuts to balance our budget,” he said.

OU considered an 11 percent increase at its July 24 meeting. After reaching a deadlock, OU trustees voted for the 9 percent increase.

Tuition at Saginaw Valley State University rose to 6.3 percent. J.J. Boehm, director of media relations at SVSU, said there is an expectation to see less money from the state, because there has been a steady erosion of state support of higher education.

“Michigan is in a very difficult financial situation, they have chosen to direct those resources elsewhere and naturally, we feel higher education is an investment in the future of our state and its people. And the future is educating our citizens,” Boehm said.

Amber Loomis, manager of the Student Service Court, estimated 750 students enrolled in the plan for the fall semester.

The number is significantly more than with the last plan, she said. About 200 used the old plan.

“Not many students took advantage of the last payment plan,” Loomis said. “We have a lot of freshmen using the new system. (But) we’ve got a good mix on all classes.”

Caledonia junior Katie Jonkhoff is using the new payment plan and said she wishes she knew about it sooner.

“Signing up was easy. (It) was all online,” she said. “The whole thing’s been helpful. It’s easy to check.”

The “CMU Payment Plan” is headed by the Office of Student Account Services and University Billing, formerly known as the Office of Receivable Accounting, and requires a non-refundable, $25 per semester fee.

Loomis said none of the money will go to the university. It will go directly to the new vendor, Nelnet Business Solutions.

The previous vendor, Sallie Mae Corporation, charged a $60 fee for the entire academic year, Loomis said.

Moving toward efficiency

While the university always offered a payment plan option, Loomis said she feels this plan is more efficient.

“(Nelnet) offers more flexibility for paying tuition and other semester charges,” she said.

The new payment is useful for most students. The earlier they sign up determines the amount and how many payments will be made.

Any fees incurred from CMU, such as tuition, bookstore charges, parking passes and anything charged to a university student account is eligible for the plan, with the exception of the first payment for fall residence hall fees, according to Student Account Services and University Billing’s Web site.

The plan offers automatic payment dates, which bills the student on the fifth of every month and offers account adjustment to student accounts any time changes occur to the account, such as bookstore refunds, dropping or adding a course or financial aid payments.

With the system, amounts charged to the account will be updated on a regular basis.

While enrollment for the fall semester ended July 31, students who wish to use it for spring can sign up Oct. 1 through Dec. 31.

Is it for you?

The plan, however, is not recommended for everyone, especially students on financial aid, said Diane Fleming, associate director of the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid.

She said the plan is not beneficial for students utilizing financial aid that covers the full cost of tuition.

Enrollment instructions can be found in the “Finances” tab of the Central Michigan Student Portal.

If students have more questions about the new payment plan, contact the Student Account Services and University Billing at 774-3618.

For Kaitlin Carlson, buying books online just makes economical sense.

“I saved over $300 this year,” she said.

Carlson, a Fremont junior, sells her books at the end of the semester to recoup more of her investment.

Many students share her sentiment. As the state and national economy continues to struggle, college students are among the first to make changes to conserve their typically limited funds.

Regarding whether online book sales affected his business, CMU Bookstore director Barry Waters said in an e-mail the Web is helping his business well.

“Of course, but we are online as well, and we have seen nice increases from our own textbook sales on the Web,” he said.

A recent price comparison shows significant difference in costs for students willing to purchase online.

“Psychology” by David G. Myers, a required book for some sections of PSY 100: Introduction to Psychology, was priced at $129 for a new copy and $96.75 used at the CMU Bookstore. One eBay merchant was offering a new copy for $65.90, and several others were selling for a few dollars more.

Another difference was found in the prices for “Biological Psychology” by James W. Kalat, a required reading for PSY 387: Behavioral Neuroscience. While the bookstore was selling new copies for $163.25, another eBay vendor was selling the same book for $58.95, slightly more than a third of CMU’s price.

A new plan?

One potential compromise between the online booksellers’ discounts and the convenience of dealing with the local bookstore is semester-long book rentals.

Grand Rapids Community College recently enacted a plan in which students can rent a textbook for 42.5 percent of the retail price, then return it at the end of the semester.

Hudsonville sophomore Taylor Remy said he would rent books if he could.

“Oh, yeah, I’m not going to keep (my books),” Remy said.

However, Central Michigan University is not pursuing a similar plan partly because of logistical difficulties.

Waters said this is because there are difficulties creating a program with which the faculty and the CMU Bookstore are happy.

“A solid rental program is very complicated … the faculty have to commit to the same book for at least six semesters,” Waters said. “That is a long time for a faculty member to be tied to the same book, especially with the frequency of updates the publishers are pushing out.”

At the end of August, they can handle it online, said Mark Stevens, Isabella County director of the Department of Human Services.

Anyone applying can visit mibridges.mi.gov, which Stevens said will work by the end of the month, to fill out the online application and e-mail, fax or mail financial documents to the office. They will be contacted for a phone interview and the department will determine eligibility.

“I think it will be a lot more convenient for students instead of coming into the office and waiting,” he said. “Since students are so much more tech-savvy, I think it will be much easier for them.”

Michigan’s Food Assistance Program needed a waiver, which it received earlier this month, from the U.S. government to create the Web site.

To qualify for a Bridge Card, applicants must meet income guidelines. The department examines income, back accounts and shelter and utility expenses, Stevens said.

Bridge Cards work like debit cards at grocery stores or the farmer’s market, he said.

Frankenmuth junior Kraig Haubenstricker applied for a Bridge Card for the first time this summer.

“Eating food is the biggest part of my budget,” he said.

Haubenstricker said applying online would make the process easier because of convenience, and he had trouble finding the office.

“I wouldn’t have to drive several miles out of town,” he said. “And I have access to a fax machine, scanner and e-mail.”

However, he also believed the application process would be more complicated because he had a lot of questions.

Troy senior Jamie Clark is a Bridge Card user and believes the online application would be useful.

“The hours (at the Isabella County DHS) are not the best for students. It would be very convenient and they are very hard to get a hold of,” she said.

Each cardholder has a case- worker, and each case-worker has hundreds of people to deal with, so it can take them a long time to get back to her, Clark said.

“Online is always easier for all involved,” she said.