If Brittany Clark could say one final thing to her brother, it would be “I love you buddy, I will see you again.”

Ryan Matthew Clark, an 18-year old HVACR freshman, was traveling on U.S. 131 south from Rockford, Mich. with suite mate Colin O’Dowd, when Clark’s jeep hit a patch of ice causing the vehicle to roll over. Clark was driving the jeep at the time of the accident.

Clark was in the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity at FSU. He enjoyed working on his jeep, being with friends and watching “That 70’s Show.” Brittany recalls her brother being a good student, however English was not his favorite topic.

“He couldn’t write a paper to save him,” said Brittany. “But he could rip apart an air conditioning unit and put it back together easily.”

Clark, who was in his second semester at FSU, had career aspirations of traveling across the country working for John. E Green, a Michigan based mechanical contracting heating and plumbing company.

Visitation for Clark was held Jan. 23 from 3p.m. to 9p.m. at Wujek Calceterra funeral home. The funeral was held at Cross Lutheran Church Jan. 24 at in Sterling Heights.

Clark is survived by his father Rory Clark, 49, mother Karen Clark, 49, and sister Brittany Clark, 21, an accounting and taxation major at Grand Valley State University. Clark was also honored by FSU with the flag lowered at half-staff last Friday.

Memorials to the Clark family can still be donated to the Gift of Life in Ann Arbor, Mich. or to a charity of choice.

Clark’s Facebook profile will remain open. His sister said she would like friends and potential friends to post pictures and messages to keep his memory. Students are also encouraged to visit and join the Facebook group “In Memory of Ryan Matthew Clark” to get to know who he was and send messages.

Upon graduation, college students find themselves thrown out into the real world with only the skills they learned to accomplish the next big feat: finding a job.

On Feb. 5, Ferris will be holding its Spring Job Fair in the Ewigleben Sports Complex from 12p.m. to 4 p.m. By attending, students will find themselves one step ahead by acquiring the knowledge and skills they will need to be successful in finding a job in the future.

Typically, the job fair brings in over a hundred different employers from all over the United States to give Ferris students the ability to find a job more easily. The companies attending the job fair range from the Amway Corporation to Spectrum Health and even Walgreens.

A complete list of employers attending the job fair can be found online at ferris.edu/ careerservices which is constantly being updated with more companies.

Coordinator of Career Services, Angie Roman, says that many employers attending the job fair are looking to fill full time job openings and internships. She also says that it is a great opportunity for students of all academic levels to begin the networking process and to learn more about what potential opportunities are available to someone in their chosen career field.

Roman says students will not see any major changes in the job fair and can expect a very lively atmosphere. Students will need to be dressed professionally however, will need to bring several copies of their resume and should also be ready to greet all employers with a smile, handshake, and 10-15 second introduction.

The set-up at the job fair will be the same as in the past where students will register at the table designated for their major to receive a color coded name tag and job fair materials and will need to bring their Bulldog ID as well.

Many employers stay after the job fair to conduct interviews Thursday evening and during the day on Friday. Students can sign up for most interviews prior to the job fair by logging onto eRecruiting from the Career Services website.

Career Services will once again be raffling off a large prize to one student who completes the survey at the end of the job fair and some smaller prizes and employer donated gifts will be drawn throughout the job fair as well.

Due to the magnitude of this event, the Office of Career Services is also looking for job fair volunteers. Anyone interested in volunteering their time can obtain an online registration form available on the Career Services Web site and will need to attend two training meetings one week prior to the job fair.

Roman says that previous volunteers have told us this is an excellent way to demonstrate their initiative and skills to employers and some volunteers have even received job offers.

Career Services will be holding a Dress for Success workshop on Jan. 29 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Rankin Student Center Room 125. They also offer walk-in résumé critiquing, but will not critique the week of Feb. 2. More information can be found on their Web site.

The inauguration of President Barack Obama was praised as not only an historic event, but one that restored many American’s faith in the United States.

Although Obama had to take the presidential oath a second time, due to a mistake in wording by chief justice John Roberts, many from the FSU campus think Obama’s term will be a refreshing presence to the government.

“For the first time in a long time, I feel proud to be an American.” said Drew Thompson, an elementary education major.

Even supporters of Arizona Sen. John McCain like Megan Grant, a psychology major, feel that Obama’s presidency breaks the nation’s racial divide. Grant also said she feels blessed to live in a time of such historic importance.

“I’m happy about the change in tone when it comes to the federal government,” said Jon Taylor, Assistant Professor of Languages and Literature. “So many people are hopeful and interested in democracy more than I can remember in my adult life.”

Even with tremendous support from the masses, there are some that question whether Obama will be able to remain consistent with promises made during his campaign. These issues include health care, the war and the crippled economy.

“Hopefully he delivers on all those promises he’s made” said Lisa Beight, a health care systems administration major.

While some are concerned with Obama’s consistency, others worry if the media hype could diminish Obama’s success.

“The media will be the media and they certainly need to hold President Obama’s feet to the fire,” said Dr. Don Roy, political science professor.

Roy believes that it is too early to assess the president’s success or failure. He also hopes that America is patient with Obama.

“It took Reagan two years to get out of the zero-growth mess left behind in 1980,” said Roy. “Obama is going to need three years to turn around a much bigger mess.”

During his first week, the 44th president discussed plans of an economic stimulus package. The $775 billion plan is expected to relieve the $455 billion deficit accumulated over the last eight years.

Details of the package have not yet been drafted in a bill but are expected to be available online. Obama says this package will bring a new accountability to federal spending.

Although Obama appears to be proactive about boosting the economy, Roy thinks he may procrastinate on health care due to issues concerning fears of the insurance and pharmaceutical industry. Michigan representative John Conyer’s HR 676 bill, which is single payer national health insurance, or Medicare for everyone, is the option Roy believes Obama should set in place.

“This would be a big economic boost to institutions such as Ferris and to big business and to the economy in general,” said Roy. “At least $300 billion of waste could be eliminated giving students tuition cuts and faculty/staff modest pay increases, with all the money saved.”

In addition to Obama’s health care ideas, Roy says he is not thrilled with his tax -cutting plan “Tax cuts do work in certain cyclical economic situations, but not when we have serious economic structural problems, especially in Michigan.

Obama’s decision to close Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo) detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba has raised many legal concerns regarding prisoners. The executive order was signed, breaking away from the Bush administration that strongly supported polices of the prison. The prison was allegedly used as a place to torture terrorist suspects.

Obama said to the Associated Press, that the United States would not torture. Gitmo currently holds nearly 300 hundred prisons and is expected to close within one year. Some of its prisoners will be released and sent back to their native countries, while at least 60 prisoners will be sent to prisons throughout the U.S.

Obama also signed an executive order ending the ban on federal funds for international groups that promote or perform abortions. The ban, which was reinstated by the Bush administration, provides federal money and information to international groups that perform or provide information on the option.

Although there are many concerns over the various polices Obama could implement, education remains a persistent issue for FSU students. Technical and Professional Communication major Kelly Thompson said Obama’s ideas about education is the reason he voted.

“I like the idea that he wants to offer up to $4,000 to any potential college student by just completing some community service,” said Thompson. “That is enough money to pay for two full years at a community college.”

Thompson also favored Obama’s ideas of making financial aid simpler. Although these plans will likely not take effect for years, Thompson believes this makes it easier for future generations.

January 28
Caliente Comida in the Cold - International Potluck On Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. in FLITE 4th floor Rooms 438 and 442 there will be a potluck featuring tasty and ethnic Hispanic dishes. For more information contact Shana Beisiegel at x2824.

Palestine- Israel Conflict Presentation and Discussion
On Wednesday, Jan. 28 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Rankin Center Dome Room there will be a discussion concerning the conflict in the Middle East hosted by the Muslim Students Organization and The MI Peace Team. For more information contact Akerm Mutahr by email at akerm_mutahr@hotmail.com or by phone at 616-856- 9589.

10th Annual January Jams
On Thursday, Jan. 29 from 7 to 10:30 p.m. in Wink Area FSU will welcome Secondhand Serenade, Rookie of the Year, and Cute Is What We Aim For as performers for the annual January Jams concert. Tickets are $8 for Ferris students and $15 for all others and are available at the Rankin Info Center and Ice Arena Box Office. For more information contact Chris Goodhue by email at proteam06@ hotmail.com

Months On End
On Thursday, Jan. 29 from 8 to 10 p.m. in Williams Auditorium Months on End will be presented by the Ferris State Theatre. Tickets are $4 for students, $6 for seniors, and $8 for adults. Seating is limited so get your tickets early. For more information contact Katherine La Pietra at x2108.

Billy Craig Concert
On Saturday, Jan. 31 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Big Rapids High School Auditorium there will be a concert featuring Billy Craig. Free tickets are available at at Artworks and Ferris State Box office. For more information contact Brad Johnson at 586-321-2286.

Art Festival Architecture Exhibit
Beginning on Monday, Feb. 2 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Rankin Art Gallery there will be an exhibit featuring art festival architecture. The exhibit is free to view and continues through Saturday, Feb. 7. For more information contact Carrie Weis at x2536.

Coffee for a Cause
On Monday, Feb. 2 from 6 to 9 p.m. at BIGGBY coffee for every cup of coffee sold one dollar will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Fund for breast cancer education and awareness. For more information contact Aaron Lodes at 231-349-0693.

Black Is...Black Ain’t! - Documentary View and Discussion
On Tuesday, Feb. 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Rankin Center Whitney Young Room an unabashedly frank, honest and at times humorous, look at black identity in America will be presented. Light refreshments will be provided and everyone is encouraged to attend. For more information contact Michael Wade at x5029.

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has aroused the interest and concern of citizens all over the world, let alone the United States. CBS News reports that since Dec. 27, the recent fighting between Israeli and Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip has left over 1,300 people dead and thousands more wounded and without homes.

On Jan. 22, Ferris State University students, Max Kantar and Patrick Daly, and Michigan State University student Ahlam Mohsen were arrested in Senator Carl Levin’s office in downtown Lansing after staging a sit-in protest of U.S. support of the state of Israel.

The student protesters went to Sen. Levin with a list of demands in an attempt to convince him to take immediate action in three ways: to take public steps in Washington to cut-off military, economic, and diplomatic supports for Israel, call for an international investigation of Israel for committing war crimes, and Sen. Levin’s publicly announced promise to Michigan, that as long as Israel continues military occupation of Palestinian territory, refuses to address its intolerable human rights, and refuses to address international law, he would vote against any further aid for Israel without exception.

Levin has supported sending U.S. aid to Israel and is one of the leading recipients in receiving campaign contributions from pro-Israel lobbyist groups.

Kantar, a reporter for the Torch, says “We singled out Levin because he is our senator. He is supposed to be accountable to us.”

He goes on to say, “we thought [the protest] to be the best way to put pressure on Levin and the U.S. government to consider international law, US law, and public opinion.”

Several other similar student protests have taken place across the U.S. in the past several weeks since the conflict escalated in late December.

The group arrived in Levin’s office around noon and asked to be put in contact with the Senator, but only got as close as to speak with Levin’s chief-of-staff in Washington, David Lyles.

“Sen. Levin appreciates the right of people to express their views on issues and welcomes those views when he receives them,” said Lyles recently in prepared statement given to The State News: Michigan State University’s Independent Voice.

At 5:30 p.m. when the Senator’s office was prepared to close, the three were asked to leave and were told that their concerns would be passes on to the Senator. The group said that they would leave as soon they were put in touch with Sen. Levin.

“I spoke to the group on Senator Levin’s behalf and listened to the views that they expressed. I told them Senator Levin’s schedule was very busy today and that I would relay their concerns to the senator,” quoted Tara Andringa, a Levin spokeswoman, in the Lansing State Journal.

When they were told that they would not be talking with the Levin that day, the three, who had pledged not to leave until they were put in contact with Levin, refused to leave the building.

The office then filed a complaint and the police were called to the office. When the police responded they offered the students a chance to leave freely, but the students refused because as Kantar says, “that would’ve signaled that we were not sincere in what we had maintained all along: that we were not leaving until our demands were met.”

Following their refusal to leave, the students were then arrested, charged with trespassing, and taken to city lockup for the night. Kantar and Mohsen were released on bail later that night and Daly was bailed out the following afternoon.

All three are to appear in court in early February and could face up to 90 days in jail.

As most students are settling into classes for the new semester others are making preparations for overseas travel through Ferris State University’s Study Away program. This year’s trips have the promise of academic achievement and unforgettable memories.

There are 11 short term trips scheduled to take place over the next number of months. These journeys will cover the globe from places including France, Italy, Ireland, Turkey, Japan, China, and Russia. Originally there were 17 trips planned but two were canceled by the facility in charge of them and three others were omitted due to lack of student enrollment.

One of the short term Study Away trips to Costa Rica took place over the holiday break. Students that were a part of this trip got to escape the snow and travel to Costa Rica for an in-depth study of the coffee business in the country. They witnessed the farmers growing the crops and followed the product all the way through processing and packaging.

According to Study Away Coordinator Tara Benzing, students will have the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally on these trips. She has witnessed firsthand the transformation of students from shy, meek students to self-confident, outgoing individuals in as little as a week’s time.

Benzing also said, “We have reached the point in the year where it is make or break for these trips.” She is usually seeking out the last few students that had expressed interest in the short term trips. But she notes that this year is unlike any other in that she is hearing for the first time students commenting that they are unable to go because both of their parents have been laid off and they need to be home as much as possible.

In an effort to maximize the number of students who can take part in the short term trips, Benzing has worked diligently to reduce the costs. For one trip to France and Italy she has been able to lower the cost by nearly $500.

She said, “With the state of the nation’s economy airlines and other businesses are willing to bargain to secure the use of their services.”

Also, Benzing wishes to remind students that financial aid can also be applied to help cover the costs of the trips; but those who wish to utilize their financial aid for this year’s trips must contact them as soon as possible. There are also scholarships and alternative loans available to help fund students.

For each of the trips to take place there must be a minimum of ten students on each trip. For some of the trips they have already met their minimum requirements and plans are moving along full swing. However there are also a number of trips that are in need of more students such as the trips to China, Japan, Turkey, Scotland/ Ireland and France.

Benzing encourages any student with a minimum 2.0 GPA that is interested in being a part of these priceless opportunities to contact her in the Study Away office at x2451 or online at studyabroad@ferris. edu. Applications are due soon so students are encouraged to act quickly to secure their place on these trips.

Another opportunity for students who are not interested in short term or out of the country trips is the National Student Exchange. These trips are generally to study for a semester or entire year at another college or university throughout the U.S. while paying Ferris tuition. The application for the 2009-2010 academic year are due on Friday, Feb. 13 to the Study Away office.

Only one week in and President Obama has already been hard at work getting financial plans in place, putting a halt to all Bush policies and working on closing Guantanamo Bay. We now have a small taste of what this administration is going to be like, so let’s do a little speculation on foreign policy.

This past Friday, the United States sent twin missile strikes in to the Waziristan region of Pakistan. Twenty-two people were speculated to have been killed in the strikes and it has caused somewhat of a reaction from the Pakistani officials. They have called on Obama for a halt of U.S. missile strikes on Al Qaeda near the Afghan border.

It is likely that there were some important ranking Al Qaeda officials that were part of the group that was killed, including an Egyptian Al Qaeda operative. The part where this is controversial is that some innocent civilians may have been involved.

Before we get all worked up on whether or not this was a legitimate attack, we need to notice the shifting of powers that has occurred in the United States, but the apparent lack of transition in foreign policy. While many, like myself, will be glad that Obama is not the dove that the media has played him out to be, many who voted for him will be outraged.

Pakistan has not reacted favorably to the strikes, which according to a Chicago Tribune article from Jan. 25, there have been 30 of since August. The leaders of Pakistan have said that these attacks increase anti- American sentiment and undermine the ability of Pakistan to handle the Islamic extremists themselves.

As of yet, he has not made any drastic decisions in Iraq, and he has already been the commander-in-chief when a missile attack was launched into Pakistan. Anti-war vote, I think not.

Obama has not yet talked about the attacks, but they do mark the first military strikes of his administration and show him as not backing down on foreign affairs. These strikes, and past ones as well, have taken out many top Al Qaeda operatives, and Obama knows this. He understands that if we keep the pressure on, Al Qaeda will no longer have a safe haven to go to in Pakistan.

We all know that the new president has his hands full with the overflow of issues left for him to handle from the preceding president, but let us not get distracted from these issues that matter. Yes, the media will have fun talking about which new puppy the Obama daughters will have and how well Michelle Obama fits in with the babbling crowd on The View, or as I heard this morning, the “scandal” of a doll maker producing a new line that looks strikingly like the Obama girls, but which has claimed it was purely coincidence that they look alike and have the same names. But let us not forget that there are real problems.

Obama has seemed to get his nose right to the grindstone on this multi-layered front he is facing from all angles at once. He handles himself professionally, speaks clearly and has modeled his “team of rivals” cabinet after Abraham Lincoln (who we all get to celebrate the bicentennial birthday of in a few weeks, along with Mr. Darwin).

Instead of starting the attacks and mockery already, let us applaud Obama for simply even wanting the task of handling the current mess. I for one hope that he continues to put confidence in our country; and not just in the Democrats, but to my delight, many Republicans as well.

Student Government President Amber Balmer expressed her happiness that Student Government earned recognition in Points of Pride for the great success of its Holiday Food Drive and wanted to thank everyone for all the hard work at their meeting last week.

Points of Pride is a print publication that is published quarterly by University Advancement and Marketing to celebrate the accomplishments of Ferris faculty, staff and students.

Representatives from Ferris’ Higher Learning Commission (HLC), Dr. Robbie Teahen, associate vice president of academic affairs and Dr. Michael Cooper, statistics professor, gave a presentation about Ferris’ reaccreditation process that will take place during the 2010-2011 school year.

They facilitated a group discussion among all the Student Government representatives to get input from its members for Ferris’ own self study to evaluate if the university is doing everything to meet the criteria of the HLC. They also want to assess what Student Government believed were the university’s strengths and weaknesses.

Ferris is currently involved in a 10 year accreditation review and revisit. Accreditation is a formal recognition that an educational institution’s meets certain quality standards.

Accreditation means that credits and degrees will be respected by employers and other educational institutions and is important to the institution because it means that they will continue to receive federal funding.