A5 20 Oct. 2016
www.hillsdalecollegian.com
The Collegian introduces: Talk money to me It’s time for the core to shed the Physical Wellness requirement Why you should put yourself on a budget
Kate Patrick Courtesy
By | Kate Patrick Finance Columnist When financial emergency strikes, most students will not be prepared. Your car overheated this morning and made you late to class, but because you spent $10 on a bottle of wine last night, you don’t have $10 in your bank account to buy coolant. According to a 2016 survey conducted by the Federal Reserve, 46 percent of adults said they did not have the funds to cover a $400 emergency expense, and 31 percent of adults said they had no retirement savings or pension plan. If college students neglect their financial needs and spend without reserve while in college, they will form habits that will dramatically affect their financial futures upon entering the working world. If you, as a college student, don’t have a personal budget now, then you need to make a personal budget. Now. Here’s the urgency: today’s financial literacy statistics
are sobering. A 2014 Fidelity Investments study reported that 39 percent of millennials worry about their financial future at least once a week, and 25 percent of millennials “don’t know who to trust” when looking for ways to secure their financial future. Just last week, The Wall Street Journal published an article decrying the average individual’s knowledge of financial information, headlined, “Financial Literacy Is Still Abysmal Everywhere: A new OECD survey of 30 countries shows few people can perform basic financial calculations or understand simple investment rules.” Those are scary stats. Hillsdale College students take note: the national student debt is at $1.2 trillion and climbing, and every student with debt is going to need a plan to pay it off. A Wells Fargo study reported in 2013 that “more than half of millennials (54 percent) said debt is their ‘biggest financial concern.’” Financial responsibility will settle upon your shoulders on graduation day, and if you’re an average college student, then according to the statistics, you probably don’t even have a personal budget. So make a budget. Budgets estimate your income and your expenditures for a given period of time — that means if you make a budget today, it’ll help you plan your immediate obligations around your spending sprees for the month of October. If you make
a budget today, you’ll learn to spend money on that new jacket you’ve been wanting for months only after you’ve set aside funds for your rent, utilities, and phone bill. Maybe that means in October you don’t buy that new jacket because you only made enough money to pay rent, and you’d rather live in a warm house than live outside in a sort of warm new jacket. Budgets teach self-discipline and responsibility — something Hillsdale College also endeavors to teach us in the classroom. Budgets help stabilize what may seem like an uncertain financial future upon graduation — they’ll help you make student loan payments on time, they’ll help you strategize ways to pay off your debt faster. A personal budget will help eliminate a lot of money worries, and in the long run, you’ll learn how to spend more wisely and save more money. Don’t we all want that? Don’t be another statistic proving the financial illiteracy of America and the millennial generation. Make a budget. Take control of your money – because it’s your money. If you’re struggling to make your own budget or are still unconvinced that you do need one, look for an article next week discussing different budgeting apps that can streamline the budgeting process and make your life that much easier. Patrick is a senior business journalist.
By | Ramona Tausz Senior Writer Classes around here tend to transform people. Gaetano’s Renaissance can change a major; Jackson’s Dostoevsky can change a mind; Smith’s Great Books can change a life. Physical Wellness Dynamics can wreck a morning. Our time at Hillsdale is too short. When each passing day increasingly feels like another tick of a time bomb, there’s a colossal opportunity cost for every course we take. It’s nothing short of calamitous to have to spend three priceless hours a week sitting through Physical Wellness class. Hillsdale should remove Physical Wellness Dynamics from the core curriculum so students don’t waste precious credit hours and money on a class that isn’t in the nature of the liberal arts or a Hillsdale education. Physical Wellness offers students a series of lectures on New York Times Health articles regarding healthy blood pressure, how to avoid diabetes, and other mildly useful factoids. I recently took Physical Wellness. The class taught me some interesting things, got me into the gym to exercise, introduced me to various opportunities around
campus—like the bike paths at Hayden Park and the wall-e ball court in the sports complex—and was even enjoyable at times. Clearly, my experience wasn’t abominable. Nevertheless, nothing about it was necessary to my liberal-arts education. The class was merely a series of facts about neuroplasticity and the benefits of exercise on the brain with a few Aristotle quotes thrown in. Dressing those facts up with a little Plato on how “lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being” failed to make the time spent in class essential to my education as a free human being. If I hadn’t had to take Physical Wellness, I would have taken Anglo-Saxon Literature, Artes Liberales, or Ancient Philosophy. Any one of those classes would have better educated me for life. Let me be clear: while we probably should take a break from Aristotle once in a while to go work out (and many of us do), that’s a vastly different thing from taking a class that forces us to create Power Point presentations on brain-derived neurotrophic factor and the benefits of sleep instead of reading our Dante and Heidegger. All students in the class
Letter to the Editor
Grisedale praises a version of Trump that doesn’t exist Dear Editor, In the previous Collegian, Garrison Grisedale tried to show that Trump is a good candidate, dedicating to conserving the American heritage. Grisedale is not even originally wrong, let alone thinking clearly. Grisedale's argument is a rehash of Peter O'Rourke's argument from the Aug. 31 Collegian. Some cabal controls the US government, an incendiary leader is needed to fight for the clear interests of "the people," and Trump is that leader. The only difference is that Grisedale calls that clear interest conservatism. What led Grisedale to make this argument? Was it discourse and consideration of the facts? Unlikely. I refuted O’Rourke in my Sept. 8 letter to the editor. If there is some stable code by which Trump judges policy, why is his policy so inconsistent? Jennifer Matthes noted in
her piece before Fall Break, Trump’s policy inconsistencies number at least 126. Again, what led Grisedale to his counterfactual conclusion? His standards of evidence give troubling signs. Grisedale’s quotes proving Trump’s conservatism all reduce to Trump saying he favors “Americanism.” Every proof is mere cliché. Grisedale cites Trump’s position on scattered policies, but he can’t devote more than four words to any of them in particular. Most telling is Grisedale’s enthusiastic statement that “Trump’s Supreme Court nominees have the opportunity to engrain conservative policy into our national fabric for decades to come.” Contrast that to Hamilton in Federalist 78, who espouses “reliance that nothing would be consulted by the Supreme Court but the Constitution and the laws.” The Supreme Court ought not engrain any policy into our national fabric. To anybody speaking from the American heritage, that should be obvious.
Does Grisedale even know what he wants to conserve? He invokes “that which defines America,” “what truly characterizes us as a country,” and “the defining aspects of our civilization,” but never with specifics. He tells us it includes “traditions” and “morals,” but he never lists one. He tells us the most fundamental role of government is “the protection of its citizens,” but that offers no meaningful distinction from progressives. Franklin Roosevelt, for example, cast his New Deal as protecting citizens in a metaphorical war. Grisedale lists policies that are supposed to be conservative but says nothing as to why. Nothing tells me what he thinks conservatism is, or if he even has a clear idea of it. Grisedale can chant “Make America Great Again” all he wants. I’ll be content to see Americans like Grisedale think again. Sincerely, Jonathon Misiewicz
Hillsdale students need new dorms, not an expensive chapel
Simpson dormitory after rennovations were completed in 2015 Hillsdale College
For only $28 million, Hillsdale By | Scott McClallen could purchase the entire English Special to The Collegian village of West Heslerton, which includes 2,116 acres of land, a Christ Church, named after the 21-bedroom hall, and 43 houses. Philadelphian Church that the Hillsdale could open a study Founding Fathers’ worshipped at abroad campus there to provide during the Continental Congress, more educational opportunities is planned to complete the quad, rather than build a cathedral. and serve as one of the two most The Broad Key Islands off prominent buildings on campus. the coast of Florida cost only There are alternative uses for $20 million, and would provide this money that will give greater incredible opportunities for benefit to the students, faculty, biology classes, which are and the college’s reputation. already offered in the Keys. Christ Church was designed by Hillsdale could expand campus Notre Dame architect professor and offer in-depth research at Duncan Stroik. It bears a $28.5 facilities on the water’s edge, million price tag, and will be the giving undergraduate students most expensive college chapel an invaluable snapshot of the in America. Christ Church’s 64- graduate school experience. foot painted ceilings, seating Another option is buying the capacity of 1,350, and 27,000 Magna Carta which was sold for square feet leave little to be $21.3 million in 2007. desired by the imagination; Hillsdale College’s freshman however, imagination can be classes have been larger than used to brainstorm better uses normal, with the Fall ‘15 and for this money. Fall '16 classes numbering 386 It is often hard to look past and 377, bringing a crowded these grandiose features and see dining hall and a record high of instead what is not being built more than 450 students living off campus, some who were forced with this money.
out of the dorms. Freshmen women filled Mcintyre and Olds, but also Koon, an oddity for veteran students who spent their best memories at the designated freshman dorms. Meanwhile, the displaced Mauck residents are living in Park Place and Boardwalk, two student residences the college plans to tear down after the residents leave. While this problem may seem trivial to some, many students’ scholarships include housing, but they will lose this money if they are forced to live off campus. Hillsdale could build two residence halls for about $5-to-$7 million each and continue accepting larger class sizes. Other options include building another dining hall or even investing in the community by expanding the dining hall swipes to local restaurants and coffeeshops. The mandatory meal plan for all students brings explicit benefits for those living in the dorms who eat solely at the dining hall, but upperclassmen and those living off campus
should have the personal liberty to feed themselves at a lower cost and gain valuable cooking experience. The kickstart of the chapel was a donation of $12.5 million by Jack and Jo Babbitt, which they intended for the chapel, and those funds should build a chapel. The remaining money, however, could be used to benefit students by building new dorms, another dining hall, or renovating older classrooms. One of the many beautiful features of a private liberal arts school that doesn’t accept government funding is having the freedom to make prudent decisions without interference. Hillsdale can build this beautiful chapel, which will no doubt be a daily reminder of the college’s strong value system as well as award Hillsdale College with the most expensive college chapel in America, but Hillsdale should pay attention to the opportunity costs. McClallen is junior studying economics and journalism.
are required to read John J. Ratey’s book “Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain” because of what it says about the effects of aerobic exercise on brain health and academic performance. Indeed, it is useful to know a little bit more about how to have a healthy mind. Perhaps the book could be assigned summer reading, with a required quiz; perhaps the knowledge could be offered in a CCA-length seminar. But it doesn’t deserve a fullfledged 2-credit course. At many other schools, with Physical Wellness Dynamics would be an acceptable class. In fact, other than the few well-placed Aristotle quotes, it looks exactly like a class you could take at any other school—and that’s not a good thing. While physical wellness is part of the good life and essential for the truly free man, Physical Wellness Dynamics is not. Let’s acknowledge Hillsdale students to be as smart as they deserve and not force them to miss out on exceptional Hillsdalian courses by making them take a class like Physical Wellness Dynamics. Tausz is a senior studying English and journalism.
Americans need to rediscover patriotism By | Razi Lane Special to The Collegian As we read by the fireplace in the Heritage Room, cozy on a chilly Michigan afternoon, we transport ourselves into the realms of those whom we study. While we physically exist in the same beautiful environment, we risk becoming so enchanted by personal adventures that it goes unappreciated. Our preoccupation blinds us to the marvels we encounter each day. The same is true for our American identity crisis. Self-absorbed, we allow routine living to distort both the context we live in and the noble legacy that we share. While we expect America’s existence tomorrow, we overlook the patriotic heritage which guarantees its survival today. Divided we become our greatest enemy, yet together we are an indomitable force for good. We have historically braved formidable odds with the sword of justice and armor of optimism. We are Americans. We must reaffirm our faith in what unites us as a people in order for our country to survive. Conceived through a shared faith in the idea that there is no greater force for prosperity on earth than spirit of free men and women, the United States rose to international supremacy. Immigrants who share this faith, including my grandfather, flocked to American shores to seek a brighter future for their children. We are a people inspired by an idea that cannot be touched by our enemies: Absolute Truth. Faith in this idea defines American patriotism. Critics who scourge such patriotism as so-called “blind nationalism” mistake the former for a hollow belief. Colin Kaepernick protested the American flag as a relic of “oppression,” ignoring the fact that it represents much more than the dubious actions of several cops. The flag not only embodies American freedom, but it solemnly drapes the caskets of those who gave their lives for it. While Kaepernick’s disturbing protest is within his rights, it does not merit the praise, emulation, or attention that it has received. While we must acknowledge America’s failures, we should not pessimistically define our country exclusively by its flaws. Instead we should appreciate the inestimable blessings that our American lifestyle affords us. American patriots are not blind nationalists. We are the opposite: knowingly grateful citizens who refuse to take our freedom for granted. Patriotism is also essential for us to put our national motto, E pluribus Unum, into practice. Love of our country engenders love for our countrymen. When Captain Humayun Khan approached the Afghani vehicle that would detonate and claim his life, he did so selflessly and patriotically. He commanded his fellow soldiers to stay back because he loved them and willed their safety above his own. Captain Khan did not share their religion or race – only their American identity. Blinding self-absorption often leads us to take the beauty of our country for granted. This characteristic breeds the complacency that, over time, causes us to forget who we are as Americans. Once our identity is lost, so too is our country. Patriotism keeps faith in the American idea alive in our hearts. We will only make America great again by being stronger together. The next time we shiver with Dante as he explores the unforgiving depths of the underworld or bravely accompany Odysseus on his harrowing voyages, let us not take for granted the story around us. Occasionally look up from your books when in the Heritage Room, fellow students. A legendary chronicle might be closer than you think. Razi Lane is a Junior studying Politics and History.