Debra Cox, department head of Educational and Career Counseling Center and Disabilities Services, is a fierce advocate for her charges, students with disabilities.

“Our office uses the phrase, ‘We level the playing field.’ I love the visualization of that,” said Cox.

“Ferris has approximately 90 to 100 students at any given time who need our services. We require students to check in every semester to see how they’re doing and if their accommodations are satisfactory. Do they need anything else or are they no longer in need of a particular service?”

Those services can be as simple as having assistants available to take notes for them in class or as complex as refitting a residence hall room to accommodate a motorized wheelchair. No reasonable request is refused but the university encourages self-reliance.

“Many of these students received a lot more services in high school than they receive at the university level and there’s a reason for that,” said Cox.

“We’re trying to ease them into a workplace environment where there will be more challenges they’ll need to face. We help students advocate for themselves and be more independent. Once they learn to help themselves, a lot of times they don’t need us anymore.”

Cox’s office advocates for public awareness. Her advice for interacting with students with disabilities is straightforward.

“Treat them as you would any other student. If you think they need help, ask first if you can be of assistance. And remember that some disabilities are invisible.

“Oct. 9 is Disability Awareness Day. We are planning a number of activities this year that all faculty, staff and students will be welcome to attend.”

Services for students with disabilities at Ferris are coordinated across campus. “We work mostly with Grounds, Plant Operations and Residential Life. When a student comes in with a particular need, we can just pick up the phone and meet that need very quickly,” said Cox.

Public safety also plays its part. One example is a student who required a handicapped parking space.

“I called public safety and they took care of it within the hour,” she said.

Cox is proactive in her efforts to ensure a fully accessible campus. All new buildings constructed on campus meet required codes, but FSU goes above and beyond following blueprints.

“When the new IRC building was in construction, I visited the site twice with a student who is a quadriplegic and we worked with the construction crew to be sure the facility was fully handicapped- accessible,” said Cox.

“I’m so glad we did that because the automatic doors needed tweaking in regard to their size and timing. Also, the set of double-entry doors – where you go through one set of doors into a lobby before entering the building through a second set of doors – required more space.”

Re-measuring doorways is a simple matter compared to working against the weather. Interim Grounds Manager Will Gasper and his crews have been struggling to keep the campus walkways clear of ice and snow. “This snow season has been extremely challenging for everyone,” said Gasper.

“We’ve had record snowfalls; it’s been very hard to keep up with clearing sidewalks and building entrances and steps. We are constantly vigilant about getting out there first thing every morning, but of course it snows during the day. We’ve had more to overtime this year than ever before in our pursuit of a safe and accessible campus.”

Anyone who comes upon an area that needs clearing should call Grounds and report it.

“Call us and request immediate assistance. We will get someone over there,” he said.

Occasionally a special request comes in.

“A student who uses a wheelchair needed to get from his residence hall to the optometry building. It would have been easy to just give him a ride, but he wanted to make the trip on his own. He considered it part of his education,” said Gasper.

So, even though part of the path may not have technically been FSU property, “our crew plowed a path from his hall to that building.”

Their efforts have not gone unnoticed.

“We get letters and emails thanking us. One student wrote to President Eisler to thank the Grounds crews for their ‘excellent service.’ That felt pretty good,” said Gasper.

Sometimes the hard part is getting someone to ask for help. Jon Shaffer, director of housing, says the most difficult aspect of his job can be getting students to request accommodations from his office.

“We are very happy to try to work with students in any situation where an accommodation is requested, but getting the specific information and even requests from the students can be a challenge. Barbara Spedowski in our office does an amazing job of working one on one with all of our students.

“Whenever we receive a request we do everything we can to meet it. We don’t take an attitude of ‘here are our services’ as that could suggest there are limits to what we would consider. Rather, we say, ‘let us know what you need’ and we’ll do what we reasonably can to provide.”

Cox, Gasper, and Shaffer all said the best part of their jobs is seeing students do well.

“They overcome so many adversities,” said Cox. “It’s wonderful to see them succeed.”

For more information on services offered for students with disabilities, call Disabilities Services at x3772 or visit the Web site at ferris.edu/htmls/colleges/ university/disability.

Last Tuesday evening’s Student Government meeting was supposed to be a rather typical meeting with committee reports and a hearing of the public. But strategic goals and initiatives were pushed aside slightly, as the Student Government presidential race gets hot and cold at the same time.

The big news of the Feb. 26 General Assembly was supposed to be the guest speaker from Ferris State’s Physical Plant who would discuss how the university has been handling its constant battle with this winter’s snow and ice.

His presentation was overshadowed by the vote the Student Government body would take on the fate of the candidacy for two of its members.

The matter deals with how the organization looks at its constitution and its desire for freedom of choice in the election process.

By the due date, three people had submitted applications to run for Student Government president in the election that will take place later this semester. The problem is that two of those people, Amber Balmer and Jessica Nelson, it was decided, were not eligible to run. Balmer did not become a member until a couple meetings after the beginning of the required semester.

Nelson was never voted into the General Assembly, which is technically required. However, that does not stop Nelson from being the organization’s director of governmental relations as part of the Executive Cabinet.

Robbie Rankey is the other candidate. Now he is the only candidate that will officially be on the ballot.

When the Director of Internal Assessment Sam Biros gave her executive report, she asked the General Assembly to decide on the matter. Since Biros brought the matter up before the General Assembly, she allowed the decision to be made by the more democratic body rather than making the decision herself.

The biggest thing for many Student Government members was the issue following the constitution and honoring its rules. Steven Hohman was the first to comment on the matter in a Facebook group that was formed to discuss the issue.

Hohman said that he would prefer a choice between multiple candidates, but “allowing the two candidates to run under the current rules would be a breach of integrity.”

Biros herself defended the candidates after the debate started. She said that the technicalities that may keep the two candidates from running existed somewhere “in the gray area.”

During the meeting, each candidate was given the chance to speak briefly on the matter.

Vice President Rankey said that he was told by the former director of internal assessment that he would be unable to run because the two semesters he had been a member—one of the requirements— were not complete semesters. This, it was argued by some, was a mandate based on the constitution and Student Government should judge accordingly.

Nelson pointed out that she was in a different situation altogether from Balmer because she was voted in, just not as a member of the General Assembly.

Balmer, who said she would respect the judgment that Student Government settled on, asked for the spirit of the law to be followed above the letter of the law.

Both candidates are hoping to offer Ferris students a choice as the election approaches. Nelson said in an interview that she respects Student Government’s vote against allowing her on the ballot, but the “student body was denied their right to choose (the) next leader.”

“Freedom of choice is the foundation of democracy.” Nelson said, “And I hope that the student body will somehow get the chance to engage themselves in the democratic process.”

Even before Biros addressed the issue, a press release was posted on the Student Government Web site outlining what was happening. Both Biros and Joe Viviano encouraged the Student Government body to allow the two candidates to run.

As it was explained in the press release that was written by Student Government President Viviano, even if the general assembly does not allow these individuals to be placed on the ballot, they could each run as write-in candidates.

The only other options were to change the wording of the documents in question, and that, too, was an option that the General Assembly voted against doing.

Being write-in candidates is what both currently plan on doing according to their statements on Facebook.

What started out as a complication over what some felt were technicalities ended up becoming a firestorm of sorts during the last week.

Facebook groups were started to rally people behind each of the wildcard candidates with writein campaigns. No less than three such groups currently exist.

It is yet to be seen what the Student Government General Assembly will do when they meet during the following weeks.

During the last week of Black History Month, Ferris students had the chance to step back in time and see what it was like to live the life of an escaped slave. On Thursday, Feb. 28, at 6 p.m. in Brophy/McNerney Hall, interested students signed in without knowing exactly what they were in for.

Resident advisor Tiffani Burr got the idea during last semester for the Live Action Underground Railroad. She found a Web site for Pathways to Freedom that allows participants to go through a series of choices to see if they would make it to freedom or not, being in the situation of a runaway slave during the 1800s.

“Travel back,” begins the first part of the online simulation at pathways.thinkport.org, “and become an eyewitness to history. You become a young slave who must make some life-changing decisions.”

People attending the event sponsored by Residential Life and the Housing Office were guided through a similar series of choices trying not to get “caught.”

Burr said that she wanted students to “appreciate what slaves had to go through,” and to understand that there are always consequences for our actions.

Jeff Chernoff called it “a serious event,” as he introduced the program. He then explained that the groups of six or seven would be able to meet with representatives from the FSU Counseling Center after they were through with the simulation.

Chernoff, the hall director for Cramer Hall, explained that people would perhaps be having some uncomfortable feelings or thoughts they want to discuss. Chernoff encouraged students to be open and honest to make the most out of the opportunity.

While participants were crammed into a makeshift boat, a clip from the movie Amistad was played to introduce students to the brutality and harshness of the slave trade of the mid-1800s. The groups were led by at least two student volunteers.

One volunteer guided the group through each situation while the other represented a slave who had once tried to escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad. During each section, there would come a point where students were asked a question and given a choice that would determine their fate.

If it took too long for a group to come to consensus, it would get caught, anyway.

Rooms were set up in the basement of Brophy/McNerney to represent each situation. A couple rooms were dark with trees or a fake river. Other rooms, with lanterns on the outside of them, represented safe houses for groups to “eat” or “rest.”

Some participants made it to “freedom” while others “got caught” and, through another video clip, learned what getting caught could cost. Even making it to freedom could require sacrifice. Student participant Brandon Danowski said he made it to freedom by taking the shortest route possible, but his group had to leave behind its “sister.”

Burr said that she wasn’t sure the Live Action Underground Railroad was going to happen because so few people seemed interested at first, but during February things began to come together. For the first time, meetings were being held regularly every week. It took a lot of “inspiration” and help from her residents, but Burr got the job done.

She spent Thursday evening moving around making sure everything was running smoothly and that everyone was getting enough to eat.

Organizers said that they hope that this event happens again next year, with the hope that they would be able to get more of the Big Rapids community involved with it.

Recyclables, biodegradables, low fuel emissions, and healthy living were some of the hot topics at least week’s Global Warming Solutions for America event which took place Wednesday at the IRC building. The event was organized by the Political Engagement Project and was part of the organization Focus The Nation’s effort to establish teach-in events at college campuses throughout the U.S. beginning in late January.

The event was free for students and community members. It offered a meet and greet portion in the main lobby and continued on to a panel discussion in the main auditorium.

At around 6 p.m., attendees mingled and viewed displays from area organizations committed to sustainability. One booth set up by Recycle of Mecosta County showed all the different types of materials collected by the organization and an astounding 922 tons of recycled material in 2007.

Becky Jacobs, treasurer of the organization, talked about the difficulties the company has had throughout the years. “We started out just going to parking lots in a truck and collecting peoples’ plastic milk jugs,” she said.

“We still don’t end up making a profit on most of the materials we collect,” she explained, “It’s not really a money-making process, people just do it because they care.”

One group that has been working closely with Recycle of Mecosta County is Ferris Recyclers. Ferris Recyclers is a new student organization on campus dedicated to making the University more eco-friendly. Co-founded by Pre-pharmacy students Kimberly Betters and Megan Truskoski just last fall, the RSO now has over 60 active members. The group was at the event taking recyclables and promoting their cause.

“We just want students to understand that this is an opportunity on campus,” said Truskoski. Ferris Recyclers collect from residence halls on Thursdays and Fridays. For specific schedules visit their Web site at: freewebs. com/ferrisrecyclers/.

Both Truskoski and Betters were members of the panel that spoke later in the IRC auditorium.

The panel also included Mayor Mike Warba, FSU Vice President of Finance and Administration Richard Duffett, representatives of dining services, among others.

Duffett began the discussion by citing specific efforts by the university to cut down on waste. “In the past year, the physical plant has recycled 25 tons of cardboard, 270 tons of paper, 480 yards of scrap metal, and 1,500 gallons of motor oil have been recycled by the University, and this is being done on an annual basis,” Duffett said.

Mayor Warba continued by discussing contributions made on the part of the city of Big Rapids to the cause. “The city has curbside and other recycling services,” he mentioned. He went on to say, “There will be an inclusion of two million dollars into the downtown area over the next year, plus as part of this we are looking into L.E.D. lighting to get away from some of the costs of more traditional lighting.”

Warba also encouraged students to get involved in the 18th annual city-wide cleanup on April 26. The event serves as a “spring house cleaning” for the city.

Brenda Walton, a registered dietitian with dining services, talked about her commitment to minimize waste by sending out used cooking oil to be recycled, by using recycled napkins and by various other efforts.

Cari Scholtens, a student in the honors program who attended the event, said, “I think it is really important that Ferris shows that we are going green and that we are conscious and that we are up on this cause. I think it shows that we are a very progressive campus.”

The last Friday of each month, Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids sponsors a Forensic Pathology Conference where the deaths of the past month are reviewed and explained. Dr. Stephen Cohle, who specializes in pathology, goes over each case in detail for educational purposes for any who wish to attend.

The deceased are listed by case numbers to protect their identity, and those attending the conference are advised not to refer to the specific cases outside of that event. The cases were presented as a slideshow, first displaying pictures of the body and the scene of the crime, then outlining the results of the autopsy.

Three things would be described from the death. Toxicology would be the first thing on the list, which tells what drugs were found in the system of the individual. Following the toxicology report was the decided cause of death, which usually is correlated to the drugs in the system but not always. For example, if there was a lethally high level of a drug found in the deceased’s system, then the cause of death would relate to an overdose of the drug. However, there were cases where the individual had moderate drug levels but the cause of death was actually a heart attack or something of that nature. Finally, the manner of death is displayed. The manner of death, for example, could be called natural, an accident, a homicide, or a suicide.

For each case, the presenter, commonly Dr. Cohle, will discuss the scene of the crime and how it provides information that helps during the autopsy. Weapons, drugs, or the type of accident related to the death are pointed out and analyzed.

A picture of the deceased individual is also be evaluated, with special attention paid to the visible wounds and what they indicated about the death. Some of the cases’ slides include pictures of internal organs or close-up pictures of wounds to show the damage so Cohle can explain the medical implications. Hearts, lungs, livers, and even tongues show up on some of the slides.

The scene of the crime, the known history of the deceased, and the analysis of the autopsy combine to provide a detailed portrayal of the process a medical examiner would go through. “It feels like you’re doing the autopsy,” Nathan Roelant, member of the Assosciation of Ferris Forensic Students (AFFS) said.

AFFS, an official student organization at Ferris, has many members that usually make the trip to Grand Rapids once a month to learn from the real cases at Spectrum Health.

Roelant, a junior in the Forensic Science program at Ferris, feels that the conferences offer a great educational benefit for him. “They (the conferences) are very interesting. It’s fun to see real life and up to date cases, unlike the things we may see at class,” Roelant said. “It is good to get to see a variety of all the different kinds of cases we don’t see at school. Dr. Cohle keeps it open and gets a discussion going,” Roelant continued.

Amanda Marshall, current president of AFFS, goes because, “I have a very distinct interest in pathology and it brings everything we’ve learned together.”

However, the conference isn’t specific to those specializing in forensic science. Many nursing students attend and some investigators attend as well. Marshall and Roelant both state that the conference is open to all with an interest in the process. “Anyone without a weak stomach,” Marshall suggested with a laugh.

AFFS, which was started in October of 2006, has been attending these conferences since even before they were a recognized student organization (RSO). AFFS has about 20 active members, but not all members have to be entering the field of forensic science. “It’s open to anyone with an interest,” Marshall said. They have their meetings every other Tuesday at 11 a.m. in Starr 114 (next meeting, March 18) if anyone is interested.

“Right now we’re working on establishing the organization and getting 5-Star (status),” Roelant said about AFFS. “At our meetings we talk about cases in the news and we have a fingerprinting kit we’ve messed around with.”

If anyone has questions, they can email ferrisforensicstudents@ yahoo.com.

Need My Belongings
On Feb. 24 at 8 p.m., officers were called to Finch Court when a student was caught trespassing. The officers assisted the student with retrieving some belongings.

Quiet Down
On Feb. 24 at 12:40 p.m., officers received a loud noise complaint in Finch court. Officers responded with housing staff and quieted the people down.

Smelly
On Feb. 24 at 2:45 a.m., there was a marijuana complaint at Helen Ferris. Officers assisted hall staff and cited 3 individuals for a MIP.

How to Get Caught
On Feb. 24 at 1:15 a.m., officers located three individuals and one was cited with a MIP in front of Travis hall.

Freaky
On Feb. 23 at 10:30 a.m., there was a breaking and entering reported at the south campus apartments. The victim stated that her ex-boyfriend broke in and took several items. The exboyfriend also left notes in the apartment. The ex-boyfriend is a non-student. Officers sent a request to the prosecutor’s office for a warrant.

Not Prepared
On Feb. 22 at 10:20 a.m., a fire alarm went off at the plastics building. A class had been conducting an experiment outside and the wind blew smoke inside the building.

Stupid Criminals
On Feb. 21 at 3:15 p.m., there was a stolen lap top from Henderson hall. The victim and friend chased the burglars outside the building. Officers located the burglars and put them in county jail.

Missing Clothes
On Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m., there was a theft complaint in Finch court; the complainant stated clothing was missing. The incident was sent to housing.

Stop Sign
On Feb. 20 at 9 a.m., there was a two-car accident on Campus Drive. A vehicle was stopped at a stop sign and was rear ended by another vehicle.

No Surprise
On Feb. 19 at 4:30 p.m., officers received a theft complaint from a student at the rec. center. The student reported money being taken from his or her locker room the day before.

Ticket Totals
From Feb. 18 to Feb. 25, public safety identified 452 violators. Each violator was ticketed for a total of $7810. Actual amount depends on whether the ticket was paid, voided, or reduced.

Hot Topic Discussion: Why Must You Say Vagina?
Tonight at 7 p.m. in the IRC Auditorium, room 120, Student Leadership and Activities is hosting an open forum over the recent performance and promotion of the “Vagina Monologues.” All Ferris State and Big Rapids community members are invited to attend, as a panel of speakers facilitates the dialogue about what has become a major topic of controversy. For more information, contact Matt Eickhoff at x2606 or eick2@ferris.edu.

Monetary Assistance
Starting March 1, summer financial aid applications were available through the Financial Aid link on the Ferris home page. Also, paper applications can be picked up from the Timme Student Service Center on campus. Off campus students can pick up applications at Kendall College of Art and Design, and the FSU-Grand Rapids office. Funding is limited, so students must have 2007-2008 FAFSA filled out and paperwork should be turned in soon.

Spring Break Hall Closings
On Friday, March 7, students need to be out of their rooms for spring break by 5 p.m. Halls reopen on Sunday, March 16 at 10 a.m. If there are any questions or concerns, they can be addressed with the Housing Office at x3745 or housing@ferris.edu.

Final Withdrawal Date   **CORRECTED**
On Thursday, March 27, students have their last chance to withdrawal from full semester classes for all academic colleges. The last day to withdraw from Partial Semester E classes is Friday, March 7. If there are any questions or concerns, contact the Records Office at x2794 or registrar@ferris. edu.

Structured Learning Assistance
Monday, March 17, University College is hosting an SLA Symposium from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in FLITE and the Rankin Student Center. The Ferris developed program is offering training for other schools to institute similar educational tools. For more information, contact Adam Wetherell at x5824 or wetherea@ferris.edu.

Get Your Wrestle On
Monday, March 17, the Ferris Pro Wrestling Association is holding its WWE TV Night in Masselink Lobby at from 9 to 11:15 p.m. For more information, contact Stacy Force at forc3@fsuimail.ferris. edu.

Ferris Rally for Peace
Join the sociology and anthropology student organization, Democratic Progressive Students for Social Justice, and DSAGA on the Quad March 18 at noon for a peace rally for the Iraq war.

Have a news brief?
Fill us in so the campus knows. Submit your news brief to torch@fsuimail.ferris.edu with the subject "News Brief." Submisions should be around 50 words. Not all submissions will be printed.