Agora
The Vol. 49, Issue 8
April 19, 2007
MONROE COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
INSIDE Opinion, 2 & 3
Have you taken time to read the labels on fast food wrappers? One Agora reporter has something to say about it
Young adults shatter the sterotypes of the ‘average’ college student Letter to the Editor
Campus News, 4 & 5 Wireless Internet now available throughout campus
What do you know about the weapons policy at MCCC? UT hosts transfer day
Feature, 6 & 7
Tanning beds may be a health benefit
CiCi’s Pizza opens in Monroe ESL Tutoring in the LAL
Entertainment, 8 & 9 Movie reviews of Blades of Glory, Premonition, Children of Men, and Grindhouse
What does it take for a band to get signed? Discover new music as recommended by an Agora staff member
In the Mix, 10
Story jumps Food money-savers
Spotlight, 11 & 12 Spring crossword puzzle
Sexual offenders, predators unmasked Web sites raise conciousness, knowledge of sexual assailants in local area Jeffrey Kodysh Reporter
Across the nation, during the month of April, groups and organizations are trying to raise awareness about a serious criminal problem: sexual assault. From strangers on the street to clergy in churches, disturbing crimes are taking place right in neighborhoods across the country and residents have no idea what is happening in their own backyards. In the past, these crimes were very hard to keep track off due to the lack of a way to organize and distribute information on offenders. However, thanks to the internet, times are changing. Michigan residents now have several internet tools to help in the prevention of sexual crimes. By providing a way for the public to learn about individuals that commit sexual offenses, two Web sites, the Michigan State Police public sex offender registry list, www.mipsor.state.mi.us, and the Family Watchdog Web site, www. familywatchdog.us, both allow users to gain valuable information about sex offenders, crimes they have committed, and where they live. According to the Family Watchdog Web site, the magnitude of sexual crime is greatly underestimated. Their staggering facts indicate that one out five girls and one out six boys have been sexually abused by the time they reach their 18th birthday. They estimate that there are over 500,000 registered sex offenders in the U.S. and even more shockingly, estimate that 100,000 sex offenders in the U.S. do not register with the proper authorities when they are convicted. Of those 500,000 sex offenders nation wide, just under 20,000 live in Michigan. Becky Zelling, Monroe County Community College (MCCC) student and mother of two children, was shocked to hear the extent of sexual violence that occurs in this country. “[The statistics] are terrible. I think it
really shows the fallen state that we are in. I have a boy and a girl, and you hear about abuse against girls but you never hear about the sexual abuse against boys. It goes to show you how silent we are about the subject. I wouldn’t be surprised if these figures were higher still,” Zelling said. There are many complicated reasons behind this huge number of sexual offenders, but a major factor could be the breakdown of traditional values. Jim DeVries, professor of history at Monroe MCCC who also teaches sociology classes, believes that a major part of criminal sexual behaviors stem from the breakdown of family values and lack of boundaries.
“Our current society does not have the boundaries which existed 20, 30, 40 years ago. When I was growing up, we didn’t know where to buy porn [or] where to buy drugs. We were protected in a way from evils that plague current society,” DeVries said. “The community took an active role in protecting itself from predators. Everyone knew everyone else and looked out for each other,” he said. The first of the two Web sites is the Michigan State Police Public Sex Offender Registry (PSOR). The Michigan State Police have recently updated this online list of registered sex offenders that reside in the state. The PSOR list lets users search for sexual
offenders by zip code, city, name, or post-secondary school. After a search, results are presented to the user. They include the offender’s registerable offense, his or her photo (when available), a physical description, the offender’s last reported address, whether the offender is attending and/or employed at a post-secondary school, and any aliases. A search of the PSOR’s database for the city of Monroe shows a staggering 122 offenders spread throughout the city. A recent search for sex offenders that attend MCCC showed three registered sex offenders on campus.
see “Offenders,” page 10
Tuition increase stirs campus controversy Lisa Ghigliazza, Copy Editor Jeffrey Kodysh, Reporter
Tuition will cost more for students enrolling at Monroe County Community College (MCCC) this fall. At the March 26 MCCC Board of Trustees meeting, Trustees William Bacarella, Jr., William Braunlich, Marjorie Kreps, and Michael Meyer voted to increase tuition, while Trustees Mary Kay Thayer and Thomas Waldecker voted against. With the majority vote, tuition was increased to $64 for Monroe County residents, $110 for out-of-county residents, and $122 for out-of-state residents, per credit hour. In addition, the same Trustees also ratified an increase in Technology fees from $4 to $6 per credit hour for students. Tim Bennett, vice-president of business affairs and treasurer, originally proposed tuition increases of $63 for county residents, $109 out-of-county, and $121 out-of-state per credit hour and $5 technology raise. Discussion on the proposal began with Trustee Meyer questioning Bennett if amounts proposed would cover anticipated technology upgrades. Bennett said the college would be upgrading all of its computers to the Vista operating system for the 2007-2008 academic year and indicated an $11 technology fee would actually be required to cover the costs. “Through MCCC’s licensing agreement with Microsoft, the Vista operating system is something we already own, so there is no additional costs to
“Raising [tuition] to $64 [per credit hour] for in-county shouldn’t be a problem for the students, heck, most the students here have bigger bar tabs on the weekend than that.” William J. Bacarella, Jr. MCCC Trustee the college for the actual software upgrade, but we have to replace a large number of computers this year in anticipation of the upgrade” Joe Verkennes, director of marketing, said. According to Bennett, the Technology Fund Balance and transfers from the General Fund have provided additional revenue needed to meet expenditures. So why are students being charged more for tuition? Trustee Braunlich expressed concerns about possible decline in property tax revenues which would negatively impact the college’s revenues. In a document issued by Tim Bennett titled, “General Fund Revenues Staff Update 3 of the Budget Process and Progress Report,” he states, “At this time, we are projecting property tax revenues for next year of $13,200,000, a 4.4% increase over this year’s budget.” When asked why he was worried about possible declines in property taxes in view of the above statement, Trustee Braunlich said,
“There is a significant chance that projection [4.4% increase] is too high. There is usually a lag time between when the government gives its prediction of property taxes and when taxes are actually assessed.” A trustee since 1990, Mary Kay Thayer has always had a difficult time approving tuition increases. “I know many of our students receive assistance through financial aid and/or scholarships. However, there are numerous students that fall through the cracks. They must take out loans and/or work extra hours in order to attend MCCC. Books have always been expensive, daycare may be necessary, and the list goes on and on,” Thayer said. “Sometimes I feel like Solomon. I wish I could make higher education free to every person in Michigan.” Affordable tuition is a relative term. What is affordable to one person is not necessarily affordable to another. MCCC student, Jessica Morris, is concerned about the tuition and technology increases.
“The fact they just assume we can afford an increase is ridiculous. It’s my money and when you add up the cost of classes, books, and supplies it’s really difficult,” Morris said. Jeremiah Werstein, a Monroe County resident and student, also expressed his dismay. “I saw the need for newer technology and knew that [increase in technology fee] was going to happen,” Werstein said. “But why are they raising tuition, too?” Trustee Thomas Waldecker also voted against the increases. “I voted against the motion to increase the tuition for in-district students to $64 per credit hour because I believe that the original recommendation to increase it to $63 per credit hour was adequate at this time. Before the meeting I reviewed budget information and reviewed the percentages from where our funding comes of each of our major revenue sources (state funds, property taxes, and tuition). I wanted to keep tuition increases at a modest level at this time,” Waldecker said. According to Tracy Vogt, financial aid director, MCCC offers a variety of financial aid programs such as grants, scholarships, student loans, and work study. “There are approximately 300 MCCC students receiving Federal Stafford Loans totaling $1,013,000,
see “Tuition,” page 10