2009-01-16

Page 1

THE BG NEWS Friday January 16, 2009

confronting

Volume 103, Issue 82

PULSE

CAMPUS

WWW.BGNEWS.COM

Skipping the grocery store

righting

Shoppers can receive crops grown just for them without owning a farm | Page 3

hands on

The scoop on New Year’s resolutions

Students’ help other students imprvoe writing, grammer

The new year brings in many resolutions and opinions on whether or not setting such goals proves effective | Page 7

FORUM

Keep pushing for change U-Wire columnist Derrick Skaug reminds us that while history has been made with Obama, there are still many civil rights to fight for | Page 4

WORLD

NATION

Bailout money to be released

See WRITING | Page 2

Trying to find a middle ground With continued Israeli violence in Gaza, a cease-fire agreement is still trying to be made | Page 6

SPORTS

Both men’s and women’s basketball hope to continue their home winning streak tomorrow at Anderson Arena | Page 10

PEOPLE ON THE STREET

Writers struggling over comma splices, haphazardly placed semicolons and undeveloped ideas have a place to turn for help: The University’s Writing Center. The Writing Center, located in Moseley Hall, is a place where students, staff and faculty can bring their writing to be read and reviewed by undergrad and graduate student consultants, said Barbara Toth, director of the Center. There is no charge to use the service. Consultants read the work, then go over it with the writer in a 50-minute session, Toth said. They help with everything from grammar to developing ideas, and work with writers at every stage of the process. Sometimes they even help choose a topic before the first word is written. The 25 consultants on staff are not limited to any one type of writing either. They look at resumes and scholarship applications, research papers, lab reports and even poems and short stories. Their job is simply to help others improve their writing, Toth said. “Writing involves a writer and a reader, and

our role is to be interested, informed readers and provide feedback,” she said. “Our writing center is really built on the assumption that collaboration is part of the writing process.” The motto of the Writing Center is “writers helping writers.” That is important because it symbolizes the fact that the interaction is more peer to peer than instructor to student, Toth said. Fourth-year graduate student Kang Sun, who started working as a consultant last semester, agreed. “We’re not just professionals meeting,” Sun said. “[It’s] more democratic than the teacherstudent relationships.” Sun said it is not only the writers who benefit from the meetings, but the consultants as well. He said he learns a lot simply from reading the work of others, but is forced to stay on top of his learning in order to be prepared to help others. “I think it’s a very fulfilling exercise,” Sun said. “You get to know other people’s writing by directly participating in their writing process.”

$350 million in bailout funds are to be released, with Obama promising up to $100 million to help homeowners | Page 5

Doubleheader at Anderson

WEATHER

By Hannah Sparling Reporter

If a farmer could grow you anything, what would you want?

BEN LOHMAN | THE BG NEWS

Ways to view the inauguration By Richard Chandler Reporter

On Tuesday, Jan. 20, Presidentelect Barack Obama will be inaugurated as the nation’s 44th president. The inauguration, which will be carried live at noon by nearly every broadcast and cable news network, is of varying importance to students and faculty on campus. Sophomore Democrat Derek Maxey said that he “definitely intends to watch the inauguration.” In contrast, junior Sarah Tomek said she will not be watching the event. “I’m a Republican,” she said.

Psychology professor Milt Hakel plans to attend the inauguration in person. According to Wood County Democratic Party Chair Mike Zickar, a number of people are planning to gather at the Cla-Zel theater to watch the event. Zickar said the gathering is open to the public, and there will be a cash bar for refreshments. The theater will open at 11 a.m. and will remain open until 10 p.m. or until “the crowd dies down,” said Zickar. For students in class during the actual inauguration, a number of networks intend to replay the event Tuesday evening.

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

ABC CBS NBC BBC BET CNN Fox News MSNBC WGN MTV will be playing their own take on the presidential inauguration, featuring musical artists, entitled “Be the Change Inaugural Ball” with reports from Kenya, New Orleans and Miami INFORMATION FROM TVGUIDE.COM

Students take a ‘day on’ for MLK challenge University students across the nation hope to give back to their communities on their day off By Hilary Thompson Reporter

In remembrance of Martin Luther King Jr.’s historical service, the Office of ServiceLearning and University students and organizations are deciding to use their day off Jan. 19 to give back to the community. The Martin Luther King Challenge was started by Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., and is now a model used throughout the nation to commemorate the teachings and community service of Martin Luther King. The official slogan of having a “day on” instead of a “day off” started back in 1994. The University will be one of 126 campuses across the nation completing the MLK Service Challenge. The event, which will bring together about 120 volunteers including students, faculty and staff, begins 10 a.m. Monday with an opening ceremony. Volunteers will be broken into groups and randomly paired with a community partner and assigned a “mission” of service that will remain a secret up until volunteers open their packets. The challenge packets contain the name of the organization they will be serving and what service needs completed. The Ohio Campus Compact granted $600 to divide amongst the teams as seed money in the form of Visa gift cards. Volunteers will then face the challenge of planning and completing as much service work as possible from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. while using their limited amount of money. A closing ceremony will then take place afterwards. The Martin Luther King Committee did not do the challenge last year, but instead held a small service project of about 40 volunteers. This year Lesa Shouse, graduate assistant and head coordinator, decided to make the event larger after hearing about the MLK challenge while at an Ohio Campus Compact conference. Shouse thought it was unique because many people, like her-

Seniors over 60 can take classes at the University for fun through Senior Adult Grants for Education

For some, learning doesn’t involve tuition, tests, exams and

high levels of stress — instead, it is all about fun. A program called Senior Adult Grants for Education allows people over the age of 60 to attend

CHELSEA LYONS Sophomore, Early Childhood Education

“Money.” | Page 4

TODAY Partly Cloudy High: 5, Low: -3 ALAINA BUZAS | THE BG NEWS

LEARNING FOR FUN: Retired chemistry professor George Clemans, shown with his wife, Edna, is taking an astronomy class this semester through the Senior Adult Grants for Education program, which allows seniors over the age of 60 to take classes at the University without paying tuition. Clemans said he enjoyed taking a ceramics class the most in the past, while his wife, Edna, said she enjoyed taking an English film class the most.

University classes without paying tuition. SAGE students do have to pay for their books and any special class fees, but other than that there are really no costs, said Stan Lewis, Director of Adult Learner Services and Evening Credit Programs at the University. Each SAGE student is also given a University e-mail account, a free parking pass and library access. SAGE officially exists because it is mandated by the Ohio code. According to the code, state colleges and universities must allow people over the age of 60 who have been residents of Ohio for a year or more to attend classes free of tuition. However, Lewis said even without the code he thinks the University would still offer the program. “I would hope we would do it anyway,” Lewis said. “I think the SAGE students really get something from it, [and] it’s a good connection for us with the com-

“One of the biggest parts of service is reflecting back on what you’ve done ...” Lesa Shouse | Committee Coord. self, probably did not know that MLK day is supposed to be a “day on.” “Service is an amazing thing for both the person who does the service and the person benefiting,” she said. “Making those connections between local organizations and the students on campus is really important. It’s a combination of learning about the community itself and shining a good light on the students here at BGSU.” Sarah Dariano, junior, created the Facebook event for the challenge because she knew it was the best way college students communicate. Besides word of mouth, the Facebook site has generated great feedback with 76 confirmed attendees and people interested in the event asking questions. Perhaps one of the most frequent questions being asked is why students should volunteer and give their time on their day off, and Dariano’s answer is simple. It is just one day you give back with no cost to yourself except giving your time back to the community, she said. “One of the biggest parts of service is reflecting back on what you’ve done and what that impact is,” Shouse said. “I really hope the students are able to take away a better understanding of the community they are part of now as BGSU students and also have a better understanding of Martin Luther King’s teachings and how those connect to this day.” It is the quality of compassion that Martin Luther King possessed that students should try to imitate if even just for this one day off, Dariano said.

See SERVICE | Page 2

HTTP://WWW.BGSU.EDU/OFFICES/SERVICE-LEARNING/PAGE58711.HTML

Learning just for the sake of learning By Hannah Sparling Reporter

TOMORROW Snow High: 22, Low: 18

CHANGE THE CHANNEL Where will the inauguration address be broadcasted?

ESTABLISHED 1922 A daily independent student press serving the campus and surrounding community

munity as well, to have some engagement.” Funding for the program is non-existent, because none is required. SAGE students are not actually registered for any classes, they just attend.. The only criteria are the professor has to give permission and there must be space in the class. Lewis said obtaining permission from professors is rarely a problem, though. “I don’t know that I’ve ever had anybody refuse except if there is no physical space for them to sit,” Lewis said. “In most cases faculty are pleased to have these students in classes.” SAGE students also do not have to do homework or take tests or exams, but this doesn’t mean they don’t have to do it,

See SAGE | Page 2

CITY BRIEF

Police respond to Fricker’s break-in Bowling Green Police have five people in custody after responding to an early morning break-in at Fricker’s Restaurant. Police received a burglary alarm at 4:13 a.m. yesterday morning from the restaurant on East Wooster Street and located an open door, as well as a suspicious vehicle entering the area. After questioning an employee from BP, investigators learned that a few minutes before officers arrived, two white males in a two-door red vehicle had been driving around the building. A red Ford Probe was located at the Buckeye Budget with tire marks surrounding the vehicle, which were determined to be the same tracks found by BP and Fricker’s. Police then entered the Buckeye Budget, and upon entering the suspects’ room, it was discovered a male occupant had jumped out the rear window. The case is still under investigation, however police believe the suspects are associated with a string of recent Findlay break-ins.

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