At this year’s Women Investing in Leadership and Learning (WILL) Conference last Thursday at 6 p.m. in the Holiday Inn Conference Center, speakers talked about the stress and challenges they have faced and how they have fulfilled their dreams in spite of it all.

C. Leslie Charles, Rene Merchant, and Joanne L. Estes all spoke during the event sponsored by Student Government, the Office of Student Affairs and Vice President Daniel Burcham.

Charles was the first to get up and address the predominantly female audience. Charles is an author of numerous books and an inspirational speaker who has been on all four of the major television networks as an expert on dealing with stress.

"Stress lets a person know that he or she is alive," Charles said. After being a high school dropout, having two children before the age of 20, and going through a divorce, she had many stories from her life about dealing with stress.

"The body reacts to stress by tightening up its muscles," she said. Charles told the audience that they need to “lighten up, rather than tighten up.”

Following Charles, Merchant started her speech by telling a story about driving a professional stockcar on a racetrack. She used this story throughout her presentation as an analogy of her life and the difficulties she went through as a result of being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Breast cancer was a focal point of the evening as the conference was also being used as a fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. A percentage of book sales were to be donated to the foundation.

Driving the racecar was her vision. After a person has a vision, explained Merchant, that person must grow that vision. Life is about living a “cycle of continuous improvement,” said Merchant, and “where you look is where you go.”

“No stockcar driver, no Ferris student, and no team-building expert can be successful without a team behind them,” Merchant said. Speaking about the co-author of her book and her husband of 40 years who she shared her vision and career with, she could not personally have gotten to be the person that she is without her team.

Estes wrapped up the evening with a description of the organization she started with her daughter called Chicks in Red Heels. It took a year to start the organization, she said, and it has only been around for a couple of months, but it all started with an idea and with her believing that she would start the organization.

The audience got involved with Estes’ presentation when Estes had the audience stand up on numerous times. Estes also had audience members talk among themselves at their tables about personal hopes and dreams for their lives.

Hockey camp has been cancelled this summer. The Robert L. Ewigleben ice arena will be in its final stages of renovation from April to August, according to Tim Blashill, program coordinator for the arena.

“My nephew has been coming here for eight years,” said Blashill. “He’ll miss it this summer, but in the fall it will be so much better.”

Corey Couturier plays right wing for the FSU hockey team. He looks forward to next season in the improved arena.

“It’s definitely time. Those are the original pipes in the floor; they need replacing, and the new boards are really going to brighten it up. It’s just going to be nicer all around. It’ll make a difference for all of us,” said Couturier.

The pipes are embedded in the concrete slabs that make up the floor under the ice. Their function is to cool and maintain the correct temperature of the ice.

Other final stage renovations include new dash boards and glass, slabs for both the main and studio rinks and new rubber flooring throughout the arena. The estimated total cost of the revamping, which began with a fresh coat of paint in 1995, is $3.3 million.

A new Bulldog varsity hockey locker room annex was dedicated in January of 1999. Later that year, two new scoreboards were installed. Bleachers were replaced during the 2000-01 season. Hockey-themed artwork, much of it done by FSU resident artist Robert Barnum, was added the summer of 2003. Other improvements along the way consisted of a renovated and enlarged press box as well as modernized locker room facilities for the Big Rapids High School program.

“You might not notice a lot of things but these are needed improvements,” said Blashill. “The studio rink, which is used for open skating and youth hockey, had a sand floor. The concrete with cooling pipes will be so much better.”

The arena is used for more than hockey. Many university and community events are scheduled there, including past home shows.

“Unfortunately, the floor is somewhat uneven and that made for some difficulties during the home shows. These last renovations will take care of that. This will give us kind of a new start, a fresh look and feel to the place,” said Blashill.

The main event, however, remains Ferris State’s Division I hockey team.

“Skating out for a game, it’s awesome,” said Couturier. “The size and arrangement of our arena is great for the home team. We have the crowd right on top of us cheering and that really brings our game to the table.”

This summer the rates for living on campus are cheaper than ever. To stay in your own private residence hall room its only $10 a day.

To qualify for the deal you must be enrolled in and receive a grade for at least six credits this summer. The deal includes your own private residence hall room and all you can eat for only $10 a day. For the entire summers it's only $880.

The rate is offered for the entire 12-week summer semester that begins on May 20. According to the admissions office, once the summer sessions have begun students are permitted to live in residence halls between and/or after early sessions are completed.

“The summer is an excellent time to make progress toward graduation. The special room and board rates make this a convenient and affordable option.

"Our campus is especially beautiful in the summer and parking is plentiful. With the recreation opportunities here in Big Rapids, summer study can be both fun and rewarding,” said President of Ferris State University David Eisler.

According to the admissions office, the plan is $33 cheaper than the fall and spring semester rate and $285 cheaper than last summer’s rate.

“Since room and meal rates are prorated daily, students exact charges will depend on session/ sessions attended and actual check-in and check-out dates,” Admissions office reports.

The summer 2008 sessions include: 12-week session from May 20-Aug 13; 8-week session from May 20-July 16; 6 week session from May 20-July 1 or July 1-Aug 13; and lastly a 4-week session from May 20-June 17 or June 18-July 16 or July 17-Aug 13.

According to the admissions office, if at any time during the summer semester a student does not satisfy the requirements for living in the hall they will have to pay the regular summer room rate of $2741 for the summer; which comes out to $31.15 a day.

Just a reminder, students with vehicles registered have the option of parking in any student lot; residence or commuter.

The admissions Web site page asks "Why attend Ferris in the summer?" A few reasons given included, smaller class sizes, the extra-curricular activities available such as biking or rollerblading at White Pine Trails and tubing in the Muskegon River.

For more information about the summer room and board criteria contact the residential life office at x3745 or the admissions office at x2100 or toll free at 1-800-433-7747.

The 18th Annual Equity in the Classroom Conference, hosted by Ferris State, was held Sunday, March 30, to Tuesday, April 1, at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center in Big Rapids.

Ferris State University President David Eisler welcomed participants along with Deb LaPine of Career Education Programs, Department of Labor and Economic Growth.

The conference was sponsored by the King-Chavez- Parks Initiative, 15 public and five private universities and GEAR UP Michigan (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs).

The annual conference is targeted to faculty, staff and administrators interested in learning new ideas regarding campus programming, curricula, and faculty recruitment.

The registration brochure states, “The focus of this year’s conference is on achieving parity in enrollment, retention, and graduation for the underrepresented students of color and academically and economically disadvantaged students in higher education.”

Attending were college and university personnel from across Michigan.

In addition to several breakout sessions, the conference featured speakers Paul Loeb, Melissa Harris-Lacewell and James Loewen.

Loeb, author of several books including “The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen’s Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear,” spoke on “Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time.”

Harris- Lacewell wrote “Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought.” Her conference topic was “Teaching Race through the Stories We Know.”

Among Loewen’s writing is the book, “Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your High School History Textbook Got Wrong.” At the conference, he presented “Racist History and What to Do About It.”

In addition to these speakers, conference participants were given tours of the Jim Crow museum on Monday.

For your information:
Coming Soon! All credit card payments will soon need to be made through Ferris e-bill system. The new change is to protect your personal information. Credit card payments over the phone or through the mail will not be accepted in the near future.

1098T notifications for 2007 were mailed to permanent addresses. If additional copies are needed they can be obtained from MyFSU.

Frequently Asked Questions:
How do I pay my bill online through the e-bill system?

To pay your bill online, log into MyFSU, click on the MyServices tab, click on E-bill and then make your payments. Be sure to log in under the “Login Links” tab using your student ID and password. Parents can be authorized users on the student’s account. Payments can be made by electronically debiting checking or savings accounts or with Visa, Mastercard, or Discover.

Services Provided
Check Cashing
Student account payments
Cash Advance
Address changes
Postage Stamps
Guest applications
Meal Plan Changes
Top/Big Dog accounts
ID badges
Telephone authorization

Reminders:
Next Bill Due April 15, 2008. Late payments will be charged a 2 percent late fee and there will also a Summer/Fall registration hold.

Timme Center is open Monday-Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Student ID cards are always needed when visiting the Student Service Center.

Something that Student Government has been discussing all semester is the first Ferris State University Big Event.

Scheduled to take place starting at 9 a.m. on April 19, the Big Event is a giant service project designed to get students involved in the surrounding community, offering them a chance to “give back” according to Claire Gould, who is the motivation behind the entire project.

“The city puts up with a lot,” Gould said, “this is just one day where students can say 'thank you' and help someone in need.”

Work groups will be dispersed on the morning of the 19th to houses that need leaves raked, windows washed or anything else that the person owning the house requested to have done. Gould has been heading up the committee in charge of the event from the start.

Working throughout the last couple months, Gould and other members of the Big Event committee, made up of other Student Government members, have been organizing, promoting and getting people to sign up for the event, either to volunteer or to fill out job request forms for their houses. The committee will soon be checking out those houses in order to approve the work needing to be done on them.

Giving presentations at City Hall, the Rotary Club, and the Good Neighbors of Big Rapids, Gould said she wanted to give the community a ‘“feel’ for the event.”

The Big Event was a program started at Texas A&M 23 years ago. Some members of Student Government that included Gould went to a conference last February and learned about the project. Since the Big Event started, many other colleges and universities have started their own Big Event.

A video clip about the Big Event that was put together by Texas A&M was shown at a Student Government meeting earlier in the semester. More information can be viewed about the history and purpose of the Big Event at bigevent. tamu.edu.

“I believe in this event because I believe in Big Rapids,” said Gould. Gould calls this event a big step in the direction of bringing the university and the City of Big Rapids closer together. “I think students giving up one Saturday to give back and say 'thank you' is not much to ask for.”

If students wanting to volunteer couldn’t make it to the informational meeting on April 1 at 11 a.m., they must come to the meeting held tomorrow at 7 p.m. in FLITE 304. Organizations do have the option of electing a representative to attend the meeting for the group. Volunteer hours will be given to everyone who will participate in the Big Event.

The five candidates for the Vice President/Provost position of Academic Affairs have had open forums that begun March 24 and will continue until this Friday. The forums are open to all students and faculty.

The search for a new provost began in early summer 2007 with the formation of the search committee.

“The search really begins with getting a knowledgeable committee together that can discuss what they want the position to do,” commented Donald Flickinger, assistant vice president of academic affairs.

The list of responsibilities of the Provost of Academic Affairs is both expansive and varied. One of the principle tasks of the provost is to work with the deans of the on-campus academic colleges to determine the courses to be included in particular degree requirements.

According to the Academic Affairs’ online resources, the provost is also responsible for, “the strategic focus and quality of all academic programs.”

On top of the duties concerning program development, the provost is also involved with the hiring, retention and evaluation of faculty and staff. A full list of the qualifications for the position of provost can be found online through the Office of Academic Affairs.

Three of the five potential provosts, Dr. John Deegan Jr., Dr. Ben Latigo, and Dr. Scott Johnson, all held their forums last week. The other two candidates, Dr. Uma Gupta and Dr. Michael Mogavero will hold open forums this week. Both Gupta and Mogavero are scheduled to hold forums on Thursday, April 3 at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. respectively. A second meeting for Mogavero is scheduled for Friday. The dates, times and locations of each of the forums, past and ongoing is located online through the office of Academic Affair’s Web page at ferris.edu/ htmls/administration/academicaffairs/.

Each candidate will be given the chance to hold two forums during which they will answer questions from the Ferris community.

Some of the hot topic questions at the forums have concerned the continued effort to promote diversity at FSU, the propagation of the university’s unique career-based academic programs and keeping this focus while still requiring a broad array of general education requirements.

The role of technology on campus and the impact of webbased learning have been discussed at length. At the open forum for Johnson held on March 28 in IRC room 104, Johnson addressed all of the previous issues and more. About the role of general education credits in university programs, Johnson said, “The real goal of education is to make the students able to teach themselves to learn on their own.”

Wednesday, April 2, in Rankin Center’s Territorial Room (RC 155), from 7:30 to 8:30, members of Ferris State’s award-winning speech team will showcase performances that earned national recognition at the quarter-finals of Pi Kappa Delta’s comprehensive tournament early this month.

Team members Rachelann Pieski and Chad Schultz attended the open tournament held in St. Louis, Mo. Among 48 schools and hundreds of participants, Pieski and Schultz were quarter finalists in the largest event, impromptu speaking.

Schultz won sixth in the persuasive speaking individual event, qualifying him for participation in the finals.

“This is the first time we’ve had a persuasive finalist in state,” said speech coach Sandra Alspach.

At this evening’s showcase, the audience will hear samples of persuasive, interpretive, and impromptu speaking.

Schultz will present on the importance of digital democracy and online election voting.

Berryman will perform a dramatic interpretation and a poetry interpretation.

Pieski’s topic in the tournament was on violence in the media and its effects on children.

“This is the first year we have gone to the national competition in three years. That was the last time we had national competitors to show. I don’t take students to tournaments until they are ready to compete at the state level,” said Alspach. “I let my students choose their topics so they can talk about what they are passionate about.”

Learning impromptu speaking is critical for team members to adapt to unexpected circumstances. At the National Parliamentary Debate Association’s event this year, Ferris student Paul Hoelzle had no partner. He was paired with a student from Central Michigan University and the duo won the national novice division of parliamentary debate. It was Hoelzle’s first tournament.

Qualifications for joining the team include commitment and the ability to travel on weekends. Undergraduate students from any major with a 2.5 or better GPA are eligible. No prior speaking experience is required.

“Students must commit time to prepare and be able to travel on about five to seven weekends. Tournaments are hosted by different schools around the country. We have mostly been to CMU, EMU, Wayne State, Hillsdale, schools fairly close to home,” said Alspach.

Speech team members can earn academic credit for their participation through courses including COMM 252, Speech Activities and COMM 497, Independent Study.

For more information, contact Sandra Alspach at x2779.

“Shrink Rap,” a tri-annual publication printed for FSU administration, faculty and staff, was reintroduced by the university’s counseling center.

Renee Douglas, a counselor at the center, has taken on the project.

“The publication was started by a former counselor a few years ago. When it was decided that we would begin printing again, I took on the project,” said Douglas.

“Each counselor in the center contributes a piece they feel is relevant to college personnel. This first issue was about 15 pages in length and included articles addressing burnout, drug and alcohol abuse and other timely topics,” she added.

The idea is that readers will learn to recognize students who need help with emotional and psychological concerns, and refer them to the Counseling Center for assistance. Although “Shrink Rap” was only released last week, Douglas has already received responses.

“Feedback has been really positive. We’re told the articles were interesting and helpful,” she said. The publication also serves as an introductory piece to the Counseling Center.

“We want to make the center more visible as a campus resource. We have been giving classroom presentations, mostly to FSU's students, on mental health issues from selfesteem to substance abuse. We’d like to do more of that, possibly to behavioral science and psychology students,” said Douglas.

“We also have an interest in becoming involved with Greek organizations at Ferris, possibly through presentations and programs.”

Any administrative, faculty or staff member with ideas for “Shrink Rap” should contact Douglas at x5968.

Nicole Bradford spoke to a small audience at 7 p.m. last Wednesday in the IRC Auditorium about what she does as a medical technician. Bradford's job includes taking care of women in a small family care center in Muskegon called the Getty Street Clinic.

Bradford received her undergraduate degree from Ferris and then moved on to get her Masters at another Michigan university.

“Serving Community Needs” is how the clinic is described on Bradford’s business card. A lot of these needs come in the form of preventative medicine. Primary prevention requires no trace of disease to exist in the body. Immunizations or not ever smoking are examples of actions to ensure this stage in the life cycle.

Secondary prevention is the screening and early detection stage where risk factors are recognized. Maybe someone has recently become sexually active and is getting tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Tertiary prevention comes in when the disease has taken a hold and is there to try and limit the damage done to the body.

Family problems, medicines, and supplements must be told to the medical professionals in order to be able to take care of any possible problems. What is disclosed helps the organization treat or prepare to treat the patient.

Bradford discussed illnesses that made their threat known to the different parts of the body. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is “the silent killer” that centers in on the heart and causes heart disease.

Though many STDs do not have obvious symptoms, diseases such as gonorrhea and Chlamydia can cause infertility. The human papilloma virus (HPV) may exist in 3 out of 4 people having sex. HPV also is the cause of cervical cancer. And for that reason, cervical cancer is now categorized as an STD.

There are treatments for virtually all known STDs. There is even a vaccine for HPV, but that does not mean that it is 100 percent safe. “The best way to do it,” Bradford said, “is to just have one sex partner.” The flyers available at the event also stated, along with all of the options for contraceptives, that abstinence “is the only 100 percent effective way” to avoid an STD.

As far as personal diet goes, “diet fads don’t work in the long haul,” Bradford said. Instead, she told the audience members to divide their plates with their food in quarters with their meal. One quarter should be protein, one carbohydrates, and two quarters should be vegetables.

Daily exercise, according to Bradford, should be 30 minutes of “moderate intensity.” That is, the heart-rate should be elevated and kept that way for that long. Doing something different always helps too, she said, like walking to work or at least parking further away and walking to the store.

Stolen Beer
On March 22 at 11:25 p.m., officers received a larceny complaint from Bennigan's restaurant. A 17-year-old person had stolen a bottle of beer on display at the bar. The stolen property was recovered and the minor was turned over to his/her parents.

Mixed Up
On March 22 at 7:40 p.m., officers spoke with a resident in Clark hall concerning an assault that had occurred with a family member in her home town. The resident was referred to her local police department and a counseling center.

Stolen Box
On March 21 at 10:30 p.m., officers received a larceny complaint from the Holiday Inn. A box containing wild food plot seeds were stolen from the white tails unlimited banquet. Investigation continues.

Written Warning
On March 21 at 9:45 p.m., officers received a noise complaint from the East campus apartments. The resident was given a written warning and referred to the office of student conduct.

Flattened Tires
On March 21 at 6:10 p.m., there was damage to a vehicle in lot 68. Two tires on a vehicle were flattened. The parked vehicle had no other damages.

Pay Attention
On March 20 at 4 p.m., there was a two-car accident on Campus Drive. A vehicle exiting lot 37 failed to yield, striking another vehicle.

More Flattened Tires
On March 19 at 5 p.m., there was damage to a vehicle in lot 1. Two tires on a vehicle were flattened. The parked vehicle had no other damage.

Missing Wallet
On March 19 at 2:50 p.m., a wallet was reportedly stolen from a desk in Johnson hall. Investigation continues.

Stolen Money
On March 18 at 3 p.m., there was a report of a theft, from a room in McNerney hall. The victim reported money stolen from his wallet. Investigation continues.

Careless driving
On March 18 at 4:10 a.m., officers stopped a vehicle in Cramer Circle for careless driving. The driver was intoxicated and lodged in the county jail.

Fleeing and Eluding
On March 17 at 12:01 p.m., a vehicle was observed speeding on Ferris Drive. Officers pursued the driver into Venlo apartments. The driver was intoxicated and arrested for fleeing and eluding the police.

Defective
On March 10 at 5:30 a.m., officers conducted a routine traffic stop on State Street near Maple Street for defective equipment. The driver had a suspended license and was ticketed.

Failure to Yield
On March 8 at 10:50 p.m., officers stopped a vehicle on Perry Street for failure to yield when exiting a private drive. The driver did not have a license. The minor driving was turned over to his parents.

Suspended License
On March 8 at 5:30 a.m., officers stopped a vehicle on Perry Street for having defective equipment. The driver had a suspended license and was ticketed.

Turn it Down
On March 7 at 11:20 a.m., officers received a loud music complaint at the East campus apartments. The residents were contacted and the music was turned down. The incident was turned over to housing.

Disorderly Person
On March 7 at 2:05 a.m., officers responded to a call from Bond hall concerning disorderly persons. Officers assisted hall staff in getting the students to their room. One person was cited an MIP.

Erratic Driving
On March 6 at 10:15 p.m., officers stopped a vehicle on State Street for erratic driving. The driver had a suspended license and was ticketed.

Stolen Tickets
On March 6 at 9:45 p.m., a fraud complaint was reported from the bus stop at the racquet center. A person had obtained tickets for the bus without paying for them.

It’s High School Hockey
On March 5 at 7:40 p.m., officers responded to the ice arena to help staff with a disorderly person. The minor was attending a high school hockey game and was cited an MIP. The minor was then turned over to his/her parents.

Hit and Run
On March 5 at 5:30 p.m., there was a hit and run accident in lot 32. A parked vehicle was struck on the driver side rear door.

Car Accident
On March 4 at 7:45 p.m., there was a two-car accident on South Campus Drive. A vehicle backed out of its parking spot and struck another vehicle driving on Campus Drive.

Ticket Totals
From March 4 through March 25, public safety identified 703 violators. Violators were ticketed for a total of $12,210. Actual amount depends on whether the ticket was paid, voided, or reduced.

Candlelight Vigil
On Thursday, April 3, at 7 p.m. on the campus quad, ANDA will host a candlelight vigil for eating disorders. For more information, contact Nicole Solka at x9681.

President Election
On Thursday, April 3, from midnight to 5 p.m., students will be able to vote for Student Government's next president. For more information, contact Samantha Biros at brois_s1386@yahoo.com

Immigration
On Thursday, April 3, from 6 to 8 p.m. in FLITE 135, there will be an immigration attorney present to answer various questions for international students. For more information, contact Shana Beisiegel at x2824.

Educators Conference
Beginning Friday, April 4, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Student Recreation Center, various colleges throughout the Midwest will host the annual Midwest Student Outdoor Educators Conference. Pre-registration is required and there is a fee. For more information, contact Courtney Coe at (616) 340-5953.

NICE
On Saturday, April 5, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Conference Center, STAND will host its annual NICE conference. All are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Jasmine Williams at (313) 529-5959.

Taste This
On Sunday, April 6, you can taste the world in Masselink Study Hall. This event is free. For more information, contact Kari Talik at karitkalik@ferris.edu.

PETA
On Monday, April 7, from 7 to 9 p.m. in Rankin Center Dome Room, the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals will give a presentation on leadership and issues dealing within PETA. For more information, contact Anthony Coy at (231) 591-8563.

Date Auction
On Tuesday, April 8, from 7 to 9 p.m. in Rankin Center Dome Room, Phi Sigma Kappa will hold its annual date auction to help raise money for the Local Area Five Special Olympics. For more information, contact Tim Aquinto at (734) 368-8920.

Holocaust
On Tuesday, April 8, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Rankin Art Gallery, the traveling Holocaust exhibit will be displayed. It’s free and open to the public. For more information, contact Carrie Weis at x2536.