The strains of an old gospel hymn could be heard drifting across the Quad, as dozens of marchers rallied their way through campus on Sunday afternoon.

The annual MLK March sponsored by Ferris State University’s Office of Multicultural Student Services (OMSS) along with 21 other campus organizations began at Merrill/Travis Hall just after 2 p.m. on Jan. 20. This event was open to anyone willing to attend.

The Merrill/Travis Hall Lobby was packed, as students and faculty gathered, avoiding the wind and the bitter cold. Marchers met there, collected song sheets and went over the day’s events before heading out for the near-mile walk across campus.

Though the wind-chill was below zero, it was a bright day without any snow fall.

Songs and chants were used throughout the march. Traditional songs like “We Shall Overcome” and “This Little Light of Mine” were sung. These are songs that were used when Martin Luther King, Jr. himself marched throughout the south.

Signs made from poster board and fence-posts carried messages of remembrance and action. One sign carried the statement “We Want Justice.”

The two chants used during the march were “Remember King, Let Freedom Ring” and “Live in Love, Walk in Peace.”

From Merrill/Travis, the group marched, sang, and chanted their way up State Street to the campus’ main drive in front of the FLITE building. Cars honked in support as they drove past the long line of marchers walked down the street. A few onlookers could be seen braving the cold on campus.

Marching around FLITE and past the Quad, the march ended with cookies and hot cocoa in the Rankin Student Center Lounge.

After the march, speakers addressed the thawing audience outside the Rankin Territorial and Rankin Statehood Rooms where the Tunnel of Oppression and the room of reflection are taking place.

“My cheeks are still frozen,” said Matthew Chaney as he thanked the people involved and invited everyone to “gather around.” Chaney, the new director of multicultural student services, introduced Daniel Burcham, vice president for student affairs.

After more thanks for keeping Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream alive, Burcham spoke about Dr. King’s influence upon him when he was a college student. Burcham said that Dr. King was “the voice of (my) generation.”

And, according to Burcham, even though King was “more popular than a rockstar,” King was an honest man who answered questions directly, unlike the politicians of today.

Chaney then allowed students to speak out about the event and those events to come up during the week.

Chief Diversity Officer Dr. David Pilgrim first read a statement from Dr. David Eisler. Eisler, president of Ferris State University, said that this was the first MLK March that he had missed since coming to Ferris, but he was a very positive supporter of the increasing dialogue that this event represented.

Pilgrim then spoke to the audience on the theme that this week is not just about race, but about tolerance and acceptance of every kind of person.

“My plea in Michigan,” Pilgrim quoted from Woodbridge Ferris, “and it will be my plea to the last breath I draw, and the last word I speak -- is education for all children, all men, and all women of Michigan, all the people in all our states all the time.”

Pilgrim used this statement to include everyone from gays, lesbians, and transgender individuals to people of different levels of hair growth—playfully pointing at his own balding head.

This week’s events and the offices that have organized them, according to Pilgrim, is the commitment to education for “all people all of the time.”

Finally Michael Wade spoke, addressing and explaining the rest of this week’s events. Wade said that different people will get different things out of what those events represent to them.

Wade said that the people who showed up to the march were already showing themselves to be leaders for tomorrow. Wade encouraged people to get involved with the Office of Multicultural Student Services. These offices, he said, are here “for you to grow.”

The event was organized by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Planning Committee. For more information, call x2617.

Awards will soon be given for both the International Educator of the Year and for the most Outstanding First- Year Advocate to celebrate special contributions made by university employees.

The Outstanding First-Year Advocate award is open to all faculty and staff throughout the university. The deadline for nomination is today and students have been encouraged to participate in the process by nominating a faculty or staff member who they think serves as a role model and has made significant contributions to the lives of first year students.

This year’s winner will be announced on Feb. 29, after review by a special selection committee. Along with a $1,000 honorarium, the recipient will be given a plaque recognizing their achievement and will be acknowledged at the university’s Employee Service Awards in April.

Ferris State University Seminar (FSUS) founded the award in 2006 with aid from the Office of Academic Affairs. The 2006 recipient was Richard Griffin, a professor of Political Science and the coordinator of the Public Administration Program on campus.

The International Educator of the Year award is another way that the university is recognizing faculty contributions that go above and beyond the norm. The award is being sponsored by the Office of Academic Affairs and aims to recognize an FSU faculty member who has been involved with international activities.

These activities could include teaching courses of an international/intercultural nature, organizing programs or events that celebrate international diversity and awareness, and scholarly activities such as research or involvement in programs like Fulbright.

The recipient of the award will be decided by the International Education Committee and will also receive a $1,000 honorarium.

Students or faculty who wish to nominate a faculty member for International Educator of the year should compose a brief letter of nomination stating who they wish to nominate. The deadline for nominations is Feb.13 and letters should be sent to the academic Senate office.

Past recipients include Adnan Dakkuri of the FSU College of Pharmacy, and Phillip Middleton of the College of Arts and Sciences.

FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is filled out annually to determine a student’s eligibility for federal aid towards college. Many states use it to determine the amount of nonfederal aid the student receives as well.

This year, students may find themselves with less financial aid than in the past due to recent changes in the laws surrounding the Pell grant and fast approaching FAFSA deadlines.

The Pell grant is a form of need-based gift aid. The grant award is determined by a student’s financial need and the student is not required to repay the amount. The Pell grant is received by a vast number of college students, most figures pointing to around the 30 percent mark.

The exact amount awarded is calculated by a formula determined by subtracting the Estimated Family Contribution, (EFC) from a preset maximum reward amount. This formula however, is not applicable to independent students. One part of the formula has recently undergone changes which may lower the amount received by students or make some students ineligible for the grant.

EFC, is a key variable in the determination of the amount of each Pell grant awarded. An EFC value is calculated mainly by the earnings of the student’s parents.

The formula used for calculating the EFC itself has been changed many times in the 36-year history of the Pell grant program. In 2004 for example, the formula was changed to depend more on the state taxes paid by low and middle income families. At that time, this adjustment ended up reducing the number of students eligible for the grant and the amount of money received due to state taxes having been higher at the time of the grant’s adjustment.

Although the calculation of the EFC has not changed this year, the maximum value accepted for Pell grant eligibility has. This could cause a decrease in or loss of the grant for some students.

The changes in the Pell grant are not limited to the EFC though. The maximum possible award for the 2008-2009 year has also been adjusted. It had first been decided at $4,241, 1.6 percent decrease from the previous amount of $4,310. However, the College Cost Reduction and Access Act (CCRAA) signed in 2007 allotted for additional funding for the program, bumping the maximum award to $4,731.

Although the number of students receiving the Pell grant and the amount of the maximum award possible have steadily risen since the program’s founding, the percentage contribution made by the grant to the total college cost has generally declined according to numbers from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The NCES is a branch of the U.S. Department of Education.

The Pell grant and many other awards are only awarded upon completion of the FAFSA.

The FAFSA can be filled out online at no cost. Students should have identification and tax information on-hand, and dependent students will need their parents’ information as well.

Some of the awards given by the state are done so on a first-come-first-serve basis. The deadline for many of the state awards in Michigan for the 2008-2009 school year is March 1.

Near the end of last semester, Student Government President Joe Viviano discussed some of the organization's past events and future plans with The Torch’s Jalena Strayer.

Viviano started out by discussing the end-of-semester accomplishment, the Holiday Food Drive RSO Competition. According to Amber Balmer, in a more recent phone interview, there was a total of 2,785.6 pounds of food donated by various student organizations. Balmer, Student Government's special events coordinator, said “in one day we collected around 1200 pounds of food.”

Prizes were given to the first, second, and third largest collections from the clubs. The top prizes went to the Graphic Arts Association, College Republicans, and Alpha Sigma Tau respectively. All of the food was given to St. Andrews Manna Pantry, a local charity, for distribution.

Another endeavor was the contingency fee. Student government was one of the groups that raised the issue of having the contingency fee returned to students. As Viviano said, there was “considerable pressure from students and faculty to have the contingency fee returned.” All of the money has since been refunded to students.

According to the web site for the Student Government of FSU, studentgov.ferris.edu, part of the mission of the organization is “to represent student interests in all aspects of student life.”

One of the fees students do still pay is for the use of Student Government. That fee is just one dollar. That dollar provides funds to help pay for services like Textbook Union (TextbookUnion.com), legal services for students, and many other things that happen throughout the year.

“We are continuing our work to lower the cost of education for students by bringing back the Textbook Union program,” said Viviano. “We have a full committee of 10 people dedicated to working on the program.”

Meanwhile, Viviano said that the program that provided students with legal advice was “an overwhelming success.” Though a decision to renew the program has not been made official, he said that “the surveys returned to us from students have been extremely positive.”

Also, outside of the Student G o v e r n m e n t office there are slips of paper for students to fill out suggestions for Student Government . Meeting minutes can also usually be found outside the office doors. ”We are investigating other issues,” said Viviano, mentioning last semester’s controversy over the chants at the hockey games. “I want to encourage all students to feel free to bring their concerns,” Viviano continued. “We can’t help fix what we aren’t aware of.”

Students with questions about how to get involved can call x2611 or stop by the Student Government Office in Rankin Student Center. There is also a contact link on the Student Government web site.

New scholarship initiatives inspired the several changes which have been made by the university to three of the ability based scholarships offered at FSU. These changes will affect the Woodbridge N. Ferris Scholarships for entering freshmen in the Fall 2008 semester.

The Founder’s Scholarship is given to students of the highest academic caliber. Qualifications for the award still remain the same, a 3.9 GPA and a score of 31 or better on the ACT. The scholarship now also requires applicants to submit a writing sample. The award amount has been significantly increased and will now cover the entire cost of tuition up to 15 credit hours.

The President’s Scholarship, another ability based award, will have its value increased to $5,500. The qualifications that applicants need to meet will remain the same for this award as well.

Changes in the Dean’s Scholarships will make it more accessible to students. The new scholarship initiatives plan to lower the application requirements so more students can receive the award. The qualifying ACT score will be lowered to a composite of 24, but the minimum GPA requirement will remain unchanged at 3.25. The award amount for the Dean’s scholarship will also remain unchanged at $3,000.

Scholarship recipient Daniel DeHaan, a sophomore from the Kalamazoo area, enrolled in the Pre-pharmacy program here at Ferris, is excited about the award increases, “…it’s always a good thing when hard-working students reap the rewards of their efforts,” he commented.

Other new scholarship initiatives aim to make an FSU education more available to outof- state attendees. Beginning next fall, freshmen and transfer students from Cook, DuPage, and Lake counties can qualify for in-state tuition at the university. According to the office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, the student must be from these areas and enroll in an undergraduate degree-granting program to qualify for the award.

The in-state rate will actually be granted in the form of a scholarship that makes up the difference between the in and out of state rates.

The annual Y-102 WYBR Bridal Show took place on Sunday, Jan. 20 between 1 and 4 p.m. in the University Ballroom at the Big Rapids Holiday Inn.

Food and giveaway drawings seemed to be the highlight of the event that according to organizers, draws about 450 to 700 attendees.

Diane Scarpelli said that out of those attendees, between 150 and 250 are brides. Scarpelli, the sales manager for the station, explained that the radio station puts on this event every year specifically for its female listeners. “The format (of Y-102) is a female format,” said Scarpelli, with a “target audience of 24 to 40 year old females.”

“This being a college town is just an added benefit,” continued Scarpelli.

The event was only promoted by the radio station on air and on the web site, and tickets could be purchased from any of the 24 venders. The price of admittance was $3 in advance and $4 at the door.

Marriage-minded college students, or anyone thinking about getting married, were offered the opportunity to plan the beginning of the rest of their lives through the many vendors.

Joe Rockefellow and Jenna Smith, both Ferris students, were just such a couple. Planning to get married on June 28 of this year, Smith said she was having fun and learning a lot. “Free stuff, whoohoo!” chimed in Rockefellow.

At one end of the ballroom, a runway was set up for a wedding party fashion show. Models showed off tuxedo sets, bridesmaids’ gowns, and wedding dresses of all shapes and sizes from a variety of formal wear suppliers. Some tuxedos even came with a matching camouflage vest and tie.

In another corner of the room, one of the many entertainment companies had a karaoke system on display.

Another entertainment company’s representatives bragged of its ties to Ferris State University. “The owner of our company did go to Ferris,” said Aaron Mosher with Sound Productions. “He did this in college, and now this is the biggest entertainment company in the mid-west.”

The Gate was also there hoping to make good in the catering/ hosting side of things. Though they have done rehearsal dinners, they want more. Never hosting a wedding reception “yet,” Tim Leggett said that it is something that “we’re looking to get into.”

Leggett, The Gate’s events coordinator continued, explaining that the building has a big back room, the business has a lot of experience with Christmas parties, and that The Gate has a “good all around atmosphere.”

The Gate passed out pieces of cheese cake and had stuffed mushrooms and strip-steak samples at its booth.

Food was everywhere. Ferris State University Catering was there with a chocolate fountain and many edible things to dip into it. Another table had a fountain flowing with punch.

There was a fruit sculpture on one table. Even many photographers’ tables had chocolates on them.

Photographers showed off style and form, with samples of work and the kinds of frames the pictures can be put in. A couple had digital frames that could show whole slide-shows of photographs in a matter of minutes.

One of those photographers is Matt Yeoman. Yeoman, also a part-time Ferris employee, said that “for our business, we get a lot of students who are thinking about getting married.” Yeoman said that 60 percent of his company’s business comes from college students from Ferris or Central Michigan University. “We go all over the state,” said Yeoman

A hairdresser was doing hair for free for women who were interested and willing to wait in line.

One table featured chiropractic and health wares such as foot supports for groomsmen standing for long periods of time and energy bars for a last minute snack before the walk down the aisle.

The radio station sponsor, Y-102, offers a complete bridal guide on their web site at wybr. com.

Something Fishy
Between Jan. 13 and 15, property was stolen from five residency rooms. These items included small portable electronic equipment. During the same time, 11 rooms reported someone just walking in unexpectedly. The police believe that this is one or several people committing the theft and are asking students to keep their rooms locked up to avoid a possible theft.

Intoxicated Subject
On Jan. 17 at 2:30 a.m., officers assisted Bond hall with an intoxicated subject. The person was checked by an ambulance and cited with an MIP.

Hit and Run
On Jan. 16 at 1:45 p.m., there was a reported hit and run accident in lot 3. A vehicle had reportedly backed into a parked SUV. A witness identified the hit and run vehicle. The owner was contacted and issued a ticket.

Using the Marijuana
On Jan. 16 at 9:15 p.m., officers assisted Hallisy hall staff with a marijuana complaint. One person was identified and sent to the Office of Student Conduct.

Out of Control
On Jan. 13 at 5:30 a.m., officers responded to Holiday Inn to assist with a disorderly person in the lobby area. The officers spoke with the individual who returned to their room at the hotel.

Hello, Stop Sign
On Jan. 13 at 10:30 p.m., officers stopped a vehicle on Campus Drive for failing to stop at a stop sign. The driver was found to have a revoked license and was taken to jail.

Heated
On Jan. 12 at 12:40 p.m., officers responded to a fire in the laundry room of the F-building. The fire was contained in the dryer and put out by the City Fire Department

Stopped
On Jan. 12 at 11 p.m., officers stopped a vehicle on State St. for having expired plates. The driver was found to have a suspended license and ticketed.

Being Conspicuous
On Jan. 11 at 2 a.m., there was a report of a disorderly subject in lot 11. Upon investigating the incident there were 6 students found to be using marijuana. Each student was referred to the Office of Student Conduct.

You Can Run…Not
On Jan. 11 at 4 p.m., there was a report of a hit and run accident in lot 39. A witness observed the hit and run vehicle and the driver was located and issued a ticket.

Turfing
On Jan. 9 the Physical Plant employees complained of a turfing complaint, otherwise known as driving on the lawn. A male subject was identified and referred to the Office Of Student Conduct.

No Headlights
On Jan. 6 at 1:15 a.m., officers stopped a vehicle on Perry Street for driving with no headlights. The driver was found to have a suspended license and was ticketed.

Ticket Totals
From Jan. 1 to Jan. 17 public safety identified 361 violators. Each violator was ticketed for a total of $6,640. Actual amount depends on whether the ticket was paid, voided, or reduced.

BET’s Jeff Johnson
Cousin Jeff Johnson from BET will present today from 7:00-9:00 p.m. in Rankin Center Dome Room as part of the MLK celebration. Johnson is said to be a leader in the political and entertainment areas of the world. For more information, contact Michael Wade or Karen GreenBay at 231-591-2617.

Alumni and Friends
Come out and watch Alumnus Chris Kunitz of the Ducks take on the Detroit Red Wings today. Join President Eisler at JT Schmid’s for dinner at 5:00 p.m. before the game at the Honda Center at 7:00 p.m. Cost is $45/person. For more information, contact Brandi Behrenwald at 888-378-3647.

What’s Race Got to Do With It
On Thursday, Jan. 24 in Rankin 125/127 from 11:00-11:50 a.m., the MLK planning committee will present a video on social differences and student success. The event is free and all are welcome to attend. Donations for Mecosta/Osceola Walk for Warmth Campaign will be accepted. For more information, contact Michael Wade at 231-591-5034.

American Red Cross
The American Red Cross Blood Drive will take place on Thursday, Jan. 24 in the UREC from noon until 5:45 p.m. A form of identification is needed to give blood. For more information, contact Kaylee at 231-591-9096.

Tunnel of Oppression
Friday, Jan. 25 is the last day to view the Tunnel of Oppression in Rankin Center 153/155. The tunnel is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Karen GreenBay at 591-5034.

RSO Presidents’ Meeting
On Monday, Jan. 28, at 6:00 p.m. in Rankin Center Dome Room a mandatory RSO presidents’ meeting will take place. For more information, contact Teresa Fogel at 231-591-5936.

Scuba Dive
On Sunday, Jan. 27, from 5:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. a scuba diving class will begin at the UREC pool. Be sure to come out to this fun and exciting class. There is a charge. For more information, contact Ingrid Franczek at 231-796-3958.

DAE
On Sunday, Jan. 26, at 8:00 p.m. the Disability Awareness and Education Organization will hold its meeting in Masselink Study Lounge. For more information, contact Annie Braine at ferrisdae@yahoo.com.

Treasurers Meeting
On Monday, Jan 28, from 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. the treasurers' meeting will be held in Rankin Center Dome Room. For more information, contact Demetrius Wallace at 591-2606.