The week of Feb. 4-8 was this year’s "Get Engaged Week" at Ferris State University. The week was a series of events through the campus Volunteer Center to benefit various non-profit organizations.

The "Get Engaged Week" competition to win an iPod Nano required students to attend four of the five events. A form had to be printed off of the Volunteer Center website and initialed by a Volunteer Center representative at the beginning and end of the event. These forms are to be handed to the Volunteer Center by March 5 at 5 p.m.

A fundraiser for Big Brothers/ Big Sisters, Bowl for Kids’ Sake was open to anyone wanting to participate. Some RSOs, such as the College Republicans and Student Government, put together teams in order to raise money for the cause.

There were computers set up in the Rankin Student Lounge for students and faculty to sign up to donate tissue and organs as part of Ferris’ Gift of Life University Challenge. Gift of Life is an organization that works with the state government organ donor registry to get tissue and organs to recipients needing transplants.

The University Challenge is a competition with other universities to see which school can get the most people to donate their tissue and organs to help save lives.

The Gift of Life University Challenge also coincided with a Gift of Life informational speaker who held a presentation on Tuesday, Feb. 5 at 11 a.m. in the Rankin Dome Room. There was a powerpoint outlining the mission and goals of Gift of Life. Then Dianne Longo took questions about the issues concerning donating organs and tissue after death.

“What can be a greater gift to give somebody,” Longo said during the event, “than the gift of life?”

The two additional events for Get Engaged week are yet to come.

Walk for Warmth will take place on Saturday, Feb. 23 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. It is a fundraiser to help people in the county pay for heat and utilities during the winter. The other sponsoring organization is Mid Michigan Community Action Agency. This is the 17th annual Walk for Warmth for Mecosta County.

The Ferris website offers more information, such as the fact that “Walk for Warmth is one of two FIVE-STAR RSO service events this semester.”

The Vagina Monologues is a dramatic performance that is done all around the world to raise money to fight against the abuse of women. The performance is scheduled to take place at Williams Auditorium on Friday, Feb. 29, at 7:30 p.m. All proceeds have gone toward the W.I.S.E. women’s shelter in the past.

From 8 p.m. to midnight on Tuesday, Feb. 5, students were able to participate in the political process by watching presidential primary poll results on the big screens in Westview Dining Hall during Super ‘Fat’ Tuesday.

Last week’s annual event had about 400 participants eating free pizza and cookies, watching results, and discussing the evening’s possible outcomes. The pop machines were also turned on for students to get something to drink.

As a part of the Political Engagement Project (PEP), the event’s name came in part from the fact that it took place on the day before Lent officially began. The main focus was Super Tuesday: the day that the largest amount of state presidential primaries take place in every presidential election year.

PEP also provided information sheets and voter registration applications for students.

“It’s going to be a long night, folks,” Dr. Connie Meinholdt said. She and other PEP staff addressed the audience a few minutes before 9 p.m.

Meinholdt, an associate professor of psychology, later said she was happy with attendance, “however, it was a bit disappointing that there was no sound system available for the commentators.”

The final results of the state primaries would not be known until morning. However, winning candidates would be projected and declared around the top of every hour.

Chesca Choi was one of the students who attended the event. “I’m a foreigner. I can’t vote,” said Choi, a senior biological technology major from Korea. But she said she kind of liked Obama for president.

“For me, it is interesting to see how (Americans) get into this election thing,” said Choi.

Jesse Cocking also said he might be leaning toward Obama. “But I’m not positive,” the second year graphic design student said.

“I also kind of like McCain,” Cocking said. Noting that he considers himself “pretty dead-set against the republican party…I like his viewpoint on a lot of different things. He’s kind of like a democrat- republican.”

Freshman graphic design student Ryan VanDyke isn’t sure who he likes. “I haven’t really watched T.V. in a long time,” said VanDyke, “so I don’t really know.”

A member of the newly formed Democratic Progressive Students for Social Justice (DPSSJ), Caitlan Ware, was there to take names on a sign-up sheet, answer questions, and promote the Democratic Party. Though not taking sides between the two democratic candidates, Ware said there are “two issues that are very important to me: healthcare and the economy.”

DPSSJ is replacing the now inactive Democratic Students for Social Justice (DSSJ) with similar goals and ideals and a similar name.

The flyer that DPSSJ was passed out which said that the College Republicans have a monopoly on the Ferris campus and asked students to get involved. “The DPSSJ will be bringing the liberal voice to Ferris,” said the flyer, “and informing the students that there is more than just one side of an issue.”

The College Republicans, also not taking sides at this point, brought signs for the republican presidential candidates left in the race. Noting the short notice they received for the event, Mike Miller said they also “brought our minds and our intellect.”

Miller called the political process of the Republican Party a battle of ideas. He said that the democrats are only using political rhetoric in their race for the White House. Miller said that people hear buzzwords like “change,” but “what does this mean?”

“As far as our party is concerned,” said Miller, a Ferris alumnus, “most of the party will rally behind (whoever) wins the nomination.”

Hoping to get people interested in their organization and active in their events, the Sociology & Anthropology Student Organization was also there. The organization was promoting upcoming events, such as a march to protest the war in Iraq. Jacob Snyder said “we get a lot of people who are interested in politics,” though the organization is not merely political.

Snyder, a junior sociology student, said that the organization seeks to work with other RSOs on campus, but describes the relationship that it has with DPSSJ as “solidarity” between the two organizations.

PEP and the American Democracy Project have two presentations scheduled later in the semester as part of the Spring 2008 Civic Engagement Lecture Series. James Moore, an author and television news correspondent will be at Ferris on Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. in the business building.

Also, author and scholar Paul Loeb will be on campus in April to present “Soul of a Citizen: Hope in a Time of Fear.”

The 50-something woman enters the classroom and walks toward the front of the room. Instead of stepping behind the podium, however, she sits in the front row and prepares to take notes. She is not the instructor; she is a non-traditional student.

The Ferris website defines non-traditional students as over the age of 23, returning to school from the workforce, members of military service, raising a family (including single parents), and married students with or without children.

Student Conduct Specialist Nancy Mettlach commented on how a change in circumstance can draw people to further their education.

“Life changes; someone who works part-time may now need a degree for greater earning potential,” she said.

Workers whose jobs are outsourced, eliminated or replaced by technology need new skills to compete in today’s employment market. The Federal government recognizes that costs for this population can be prohibitive.

“There are Federal programs for laid-off workers to retrain for a two-year degree in another field,” Mettlach said. “One requirement is that the student must attend full-time year-round.”

Ferris has been successful in recruiting non-traditional students.

“We have seen a tremendous increase in the number of our nontraditional student population,” Dean of Enrollment Services, Kristen Solomonson said. “That number is up 26 percent over the last three years.”

“Some of our non-traditional students live in on-campus residences, but the vast majority live off-campus.”

Off-campus can mean the Big Rapids and surrounding communities or as far away as FSU’s southernmost regional center in Dowagiac/Niles. Although offcampus students have immediate access to online resources, such as FLITE, they generally do not attend campus events and activities.

“The Student Affairs division is really about the whole student’s enrichment, and that includes all of students, on- and off-campus,” Solomonson said.

“It is challenging to provide the same experience to our offcampus students. We have so many resources here; the (main) campus affords a lot of opportunities from visiting speakers to career planning and the job fair – things that could very much benefit all of our students. We want all the students to be engaged, and the definition of engagement is different for those who are balancing home life and a career in addition to attending classes.”

Mettlach agreed. “They don’t have a lot of time. They may be working and going to school and raising a family. Most know exactly what they want. They have a specific goal and purpose, and they want the fast-track to get them there as soon as possible.

“These students have special needs. Those with children need daycare; if they work during the day, they need their classes at night or online. There’s just not a lot of time for community involvement.”

That lack of time was a factor in the disbandment of the Recognized Student Organization (RSO) for non-traditional students.

Matthew Eickhoff, interim director for Student Leadership and Activities, explained, “Most of our RSOs are made up of oncampus students who are looking for more opportunities to get involved. At the beginning of Welcome Week, the first week of last fall semester, Ferris had an event called TNT, for Transfer and Non-Traditional (students).

“We had a good turnout. After that, a few students started the process of forming an RSO but didn’t make it happen.”

Mettlach attributes this to the fact that non-traditional students live such busy lives. Time constraints aside, numerous opportunities for participating in both the Ferris and Big Rapids communities are available to nontraditional students, just as for traditional students.

David Stevens, a Volunteer Center employee, hopes the nontraditional students will reconsider.

“There are so many advantages to being part of an RSO,” he said.

“You gain leadership skills, meet people with similar interests, have networking opportunities, and can receive funding for events and speakers your group plans. All these things would benefit any student.”

Dean of Student Life Leroy Wright provides an off-campus student newsletter on the FSU website. His current message states “…we encourage every student to take advantage of the multiple opportunities for leadership development, volunteer service, student activity programming, RSO involvement, wellness initiatives, and multicultural experiences.”

Student Government of Ferris State University had the pleasure of hosting television cameras at last week’s meeting. Students in the television production class were recording for a program to air on channel 22 as Student Government got on with business as usual.

According to the election timeline passed out during the meeting, applications to run for president or senator are due by Feb. 22. If there is more than one candidate for president, a debate will take place March 25. Voting to elect the new Student Government president is to take place on April 3 and 4.

By the end of the semester, a new president will be sworn in to his or her office. More information can be obtained from Samantha Biros, Student Government director of internal assessment.

Certain Student Government event plans are gradually being wrapped up for the semester.

The Housing Dossier has been dissolved since all projects have been completed. The first draft of a flyer for the upcoming Women In Leadership Training Conference was reviewed for changes. The Student Government Awards Gala and the big event have been mapped out by their committees and are on their way.

Last week’s meeting was the last chance for anyone in Student Government to attend Bowl for Kids’ Sake or to sign up to go to the Friends of Ferris PAC benefit.

The issue of future fundraising for a specific cause was resolved after considerable debate. There were two contenders for big student government fundraising and promotional efforts. The question was whether Student Government would try to help raise money for the Ferris Endowment or whether efforts were better served helping the Jim Crow Museum to raise the desired $1 million for an expansion project.

Both sides were discussed and debated. Then the issue of doing both came up, and after much more debate a motion was made to that end. Two ad hoc committees were then formed by vote, one committee for each project.

In order to get more student feedback on ventures for student government to pursue, a poster board was recently put up outside the Student Government office in Rankin Student Center. “What do you want SG’s next big project to be?” asks the poster.

With room for many more, there have already been many responses written down. With many ideas for Student Government to address, written responses range from free copies at FLITE and better campus parking to bringing in performers such as Ted Nugent.

Need some money for spring break? Don’t we all? Consider this: You probably have, stored on your computer or your handy little flash drive or on (gasp!) actual pieces of paper in a “file pile” on your desk, several potential moneymakers.

With a bit of tweaking, your essays, term papers, and other assignments, can be turned into sellable articles for newspapers, magazines, e-zines, blogs and other websites. The internet is crying for content and a huge online market is hungry for young voices like yours.

I am not talking about selling your grade “A” thesis to those underhanded entrepreneurs who then sell your paper to students who are too lazy to do their own work. That is beneath you, and anyway, it doesn’t pay that well.

What does pay well, and is far more ethical, is giving your original idea a new slant and selling it several ways. For example, suppose you researched the controversy- laden sport of greyhound racing. You’ve gathered pages and pages of notes, most of which you did not need for your assignment.

You now have information on how greyhounds are cared for compared to how a household pet is treated. You know what they are fed, how long their average racing careers are, how much money the industry brings in at the track, the debate over simultaneous broadcasting, and the fact that there are a number of rescue organizations determined to put an end to what they see as a cruel activity.

How many possible articles did you count in the above paragraph? Pet care in our country is a multi-billion-dollar industry. (Why? That’s yet another article.)

Don’t underestimate the power of pictures. Good photos help sell your work, and today can be scanned and emailed along with your prose. Digital cameras make the process even simpler.

Submitting your work for publication is easier and less expensive than ever before. Many – maybe most – editors now accept emailed queries and manuscripts, saving time and postage. Communication is almost immediate. No more waiting weeks and months by the mailbox.

Finding the right markets for your work is critical. The short story you wrote for a literature class may be a perfect fit for Woman’s World magazine, which, by the way, pays up to $1,000. (Yes, that is one thousand dollars.) You wouldn’t send that story to Popular Mechanics. Of course, that is a blatantly obvious example; sometimes the difference in markets is subtle.

You need to know your audience. Try to read at least one copy, online or print, of the publication before submitting your work to them. The Ferris library has a great periodical section.

As in any for-profit enterprise, scammers abound. Key in “writing jobs” at Google and you will receive more than five-and-a-half million results. Never, ever send money to anyone who is supposed to be paying you.

If you decide to submit to an unfamiliar market, check it out first. One place to start is Writer’s Market (also known as the freelancer’s bible), an annual listing of thousands of freelance opportunities. You can find a copy at FLITE. If you want to invest about $30, you can sign up for the online version Writer’s Market. It’s constantly updated and provides a filing system for tracking your submissions.

You don’t need to limit yourself to work you have already done. Skim through Writer’s Market for inspiration; you may decide to write greeting cards at $100 per idea.

I try to practice what I preach. This column was based on a persuasive speech I wrote for my public speaking class last semester.

So don’t just take the grade – important as that is – and toss the paper. Recycle it; share it with others and get paid for work you have already done. Think about it. Palm trees, roaring surf…in March.

Look Out
On Feb. 1, at 2:30 a.m., a pickup truck reportedly backed into a parked car in lot 43. There was extensive damage to the parked car.

Damaged
On Feb. 1, at 5:20 p.m., officers received a report of a hit and run accident in lot 29. The accident had occurred sometime that day. There was damage to the rear quarter panel of the victim’s car.

Stolen Property
On Jan. 31 at 9:30 p.m., officers received a report of a coat being reportedly stolen from the January Jams concert.

Let’s get Stupid
On Jan. 31, officers arrested and lodged a 19 year old female at the January Jams concert for being disorderly and intoxicated.

Seriously ‘recognized’
On Jan. 30, at 10:30 p.m., officers stopped a vehicle on Grand Traverse St. near Rose St. The driver was recognized as having a suspended license and was ticketed.

Get Over It
On Jan. 29, at 6:30 p.m., officers were dispatched to a domestic violence call at the West campus apartments. The argument was concerning an automobile. The dispute was sent to the small claims court.

Get a Job Thief
On Jan. 29, at 9:30 p.m., there was a reported illegal entry in Cramer hall. A resident stated that an unknown male entered a room and left without being identified.

It’s Time to Pay Up
On Jan. 29, at 10 p.m., officers stopped a vehicle on State St. near Maple for a vehicle not having a registration plate. The driver had a suspended license and was lodged in the county jail.

Change Your Account
On Jan. 28, at 1 p.m., there was a complaint of a harassing e-mail to a victim in Hallisy hall. Investigation will continue.

You're In Big Trouble
On Jan. 28, at 11:40 p.m., officers discovered marijuana paraphernalia in lot 3. One subject was identified and referred to the Office of Student Conduct. Officers sent a warrant to the prosecutor’s office.

Ticket Totals
From Jan. 29 to Feb. 5 public safety identified 285 violators. Each violator was ticketed for a total of $5,020. Actual amount depends on whether the ticket was paid, voided, or reduced.

Valentine’s Day
Today, Feb. 13, in the IRC Connector from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. you can record a message for that special someone and hear it on Bulldog Radio tomorrow. The cost is $1 and all benefits go to W.I.S.E. For more information, contact Autumn McClellan at x8349.

Business Ready
Today, Feb. 13, in FLITE 304 from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Delta Sigma Pi will hold an informational meeting for those interested in the co-ed business fraternity. For more information, contact Marissa Needham at x6821.

Job Fair
On Thursday, Feb. 14, the job fair will be held from noon to 4:00 p.m. in Ewigleben Sports Complex. Everyone is welcome to attend. For more information, contact Barbara Renne at x2658.

Entertainment Unlimited
On Thursday, Feb. 14, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in Rankin Center you can stuff a bear with Entertainment Unlimited for Valentine’s Day. The first 100 people will have materials provided for them. For more information, contact Shanyn Leonard at x2606.

Taxes
On Thursday, Feb. 14, from 11 to 11:50 a.m. in Business 216 the Ferris Accounting Association will help you with your tax returns. Students using the 1040A or 1040EZ forms are welcome to come out and get help. The cost is $10 and increases with the difficulty of the return. Appointments are recommended. For more information, contact Danielle Patterson at ferrisaccountingassociation@yahoo. com.

Image Awards
On Saturday, Feb. 16, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in Williams Auditorium the Image Awards will take place. Awards will honor deserving faculty, students, and staff. This event is free and all are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Emeka Uwazurike at x9334.

International Student Potluck
On Tuesday, Feb. 19, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in West Campus Community Center there will be an international student potluck. All are encouraged to attend. For more information, contact Shana Beisiegel at x2824.

Black History
On Tuesday, Feb. 19, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in Rankin Center 155 there will be a black history trivia contest. This event is free and all are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Michael Wade at x3585.