a g u y a CCollegian THE
Cayuga Community College’s Only Student Newspaper
Vol. 53 Issue 6 March 14, 2005
Social Security Overhaul? What? -Josh Cradduck, Editor-in-chief
CCC Gathers Tsunami Aid Although the Asian tsunami of December 26 occurred while Cayuga Community College was closed for the holidays, and classes didn’t resume until nearly a month later, the college community still wanted to do its part to help. Several student clubs contributed their time and fund-raising proceeds, including UNITED, Phi Beta Lambda, the Early Childhood
Club, and the Fulton Literary Club. As of the end of February, campus collections totaled $1,152 for the Tsunami Relief Fund of the International Red Cross. This amount was in addition to donations that college students, faculty, and staff had already given for tsunami relief in the days immediately following the disaster.
DEADLINES FOR SCHOLARSHIPS APPROACHING The Cayuga County Community College Foundation receives and administers all private gifts intended for the College, its programs, and its students. These gifts often provide the financial assistance Cayuga students need to realize their educational goals. Through sound investment policies and the generosity of Cayuga Community College friends, nearly 350 awards are presented to deserving students each year. We proudly report that more than $275,000 will be distributed in 2005/ 2006 to students based on academic ability and/or financial need. The following scholarships have approaching application deadlines. Students can obtain applications from the college website: http:// www.cayuga-cc.edu/admissions/ finaid/scholarships/formal_app.php or from the Financial Aid office in Auburn and Fulton and the Cayuga County Community College Foundation office in Auburn.
March 31 deadline: ACC/CCC Alumni Association Scholarships
April 15 deadline: Cayuga County Home Bureau Scholarships
May 1 deadline: Auburn Players Community Theatre Scholarship Auburn Steel/Nucor Steel Auburn, Inc. Scholarships Donald P. Blaisdell EAP Scholarship Cayuga Bank Employee Memorial Scholarship Joseph S. Fleszar Memorial Scholarship Elizabeth Curtin Fox Memorial Scholarship Mr. & Mrs. Joseph P. Ganey Business Scholarship Ryan L. Hart Memorial Scholarship Highland Park Golf Club Scholarship Holy Family High School Alumni Scholarship Helen C, Mahon/Zonta Club of Auburn Scholarship St. Alphonsus School Scholarship Ralph W. Standbrook Scholarship Ward Family Scholarship Jacqueline Kellogg Wise Memorial Scholarships
May 10 deadline: Honor Scholarships – Sophomore
June 1 deadline: Knight Foundation Scholarships
July 15 deadline: Fulton Savings Bank Scholarship
With tests, papers, projects and the typical social life, college students probably don’t have the pending “crisis” of Social Security on top of their priority charts. Heck, finding time to take a break for lunch is becoming a hassle for some. Regardless, there is a debate brewing and it will, in one way or another, affect this generation’s financial future. Is Bush’s proposed overhaul necessary at this time? If nothing is done, will future generations pay (quite literally) the price? How does this affect your typical college student in the future? The decade of the 1930s found America facing the worst economic crisis in its modern history. Millions of people were unemployed, two million adults wandered aimlessly around the country, banks and businesses failed and the majority of the elderly in America lived in dependency. These circumstances led to many calls for change. On June 8, 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt (Democrat) announced his intention to provide a program entitled ‘Social Security,’ a comprehensive package of protection for retirement. This would be the largest and most recognizable part of his “New Deal.” However, times change. According to President Bush, if Social Security is not changed, payroll taxes will have to be increased, the benefits of today’s younger workers will have to be cut, or massive transfers from general revenues will be required. The President states that in 2042, the system will go “bankrupt.” Why? Well, due in part to the fact that people today are now living much longer than in the “Greatest Generation” time period. As part of the overhaul, Bush has proposed allowing workers to divert a large portion of their payroll taxes into personal investments for the stock market. According to an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation, Sen.
Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) states that making up the difference, however, could cost $1.5 to $2 trillion. Bush has not said how the transition costs would be funded. Regardless, Santorum stated: “…spending up to $2 trillion now would save up to $11 trillion in long-term liabilities, and is a wise investment.” Those that like the current system argue it shouldn’t be changed and believe the system isn’t broken and that any change necessary can be resolved by increasing a payroll tax. According to Democrats and many Republicans, even under the most optimistic thinking, private accounts will never provide benefits equaling what Social Security offers today. While the private accounts are voluntary, the drastic benefit cuts that the President is proposing obviously would not be, and it could eliminate guarenteed benefits that many future adults will depend on. The facts and statistics are endless. People who represent both sides could draw up fancy charts and show us the terrible consequences of the others plan. Is a change necessary? Well, according to a recent CNN/USA Today poll, only 35% of those surveyed approved of Bush’s proposed overhaul of the system, while 56% disapproved and 9% had no opinion. Will it effect you? Well, that’s for you to decide. . .
Let us know your opinion! E-mail us at collegian@cayuga-cc.edu
Your response will likely be put in the paper.
OPINIONS KEEP HEAD START NFL OFFSEASON OVERVIEW -Josh Cradduck, Editor-in-chief Every off-season in the National Football League, fans of football are sent into a frenzy – waiting for March 2nd – the date in which the Free Agency period begins. Free Agency, in professional sports, is the period where unrestricted free agents (players with four or more accrued seasons whose contracts have expired) are free to sign with any club, with no compensation owed to their old club. This takes place through July 22 (or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp, whichever is later). A restricted free agent is a player who has completed three accrued seasons of service and whose contracts have expired. They should have received qualifying offers from their old clubs and will be free to negotiate with any club until April 15, at which time their rights will revert to their original club. If a player accepts an offer from a new club, the old club will have the right to match the offer and retain the player. Basically, when the player’s contract expires, they have the right to sign with any team. Here are some of the major transactions that have taken place since March 2. 2005: - Patriots release CB Ty Law - Seahawks release legendary WR Jerry Rice - Panthers release WR Muhsin Mohammad - Bears sign WR Muhsin Mohammad - Bills release QB Drew Bledsoe - Bills sign QB Kelly Holcomb - Cowboys sign QB Drew Bledsoe - Jets trade WR Santana Moss to Redskins for WR Laverneus Coles - Raiders sign WR Randy Moss - Cardinals sign QB Kurt Warner - Saints sign FS Dwight Smith - Eagles resign LB Jeramiah Trotter - Browns sign QB Trent Dilfer The list continues on and on, and will only continue to grow as the off-season continues into the summer and training camp. All teams are looking to improve their play and adding key players at weak, critical positions is a major step towards that. Such signings are vital to franchises, and certainly involve an astronomical amount of money. Keep reading the Cayuga Collegian to keep track of the latest and most important National Football League off-season transactions . . .
To the Editor: As I’m sure you know, Head Start was founded in the mid 60’s to prepare low-income children for success in school. Right now there is a bill in the process of being passed trying to change Head Start. It has always been a federal-tolocal program. In the past, I thought Head Start was not needed. Then two years ago, I enrolled my son in a local head Start. I did this mainly because both my husband and myself were at school (college) and I wanted our son to be able to play with other kids. After experiencing Head Start now for two years, i can see how extremely important it is. My son has learned many new things. He can do some math, use a graph, recognize each letter of the alphabet, spell his name, and count higher than ten. Head Start doesn’t just help the child, they help the whole family. Head Start has youth advocates that will help the family with almost anything they need. Parents can get help with parenting classes, GED,
job placement, literacy training and also things like food, clothes, and help getting medical insurance. We need to keep Head Start. If a child has a learning disability, with Head Start it could be found sooner. The child could get the needed help earlier and might be able to overcome future disabilities. If New York State is going to raise the standards on education, then we need to help them the best way we can. They are the next generation to lead the world. Dr. John Meier, a researcher, said that for every dollar invested in Head Start, society receives a return of nine dollars. Head Start is an investment and a pretty good one. As an alternative we can cut funding and close the Head Starts, which in turn we would be able to lower the standards instead of raising them for our children. The choice is yours, choose wisely. Thank you for your time. -Eva Woodmancy Fulton
MADE IN AMERICA To the Editor, “Made in America”, that phrase used to mean everything to the American public. Now a days it isn’t worth two buffalo nickels. Unemployment is a growing problem with companies taking their jobs out of the country just so that they can make more of a profit. How are we going to survive economically if people have less income? People will have less money to buy goods, companies will start to make fewer products, and when productions is decreased more Americans lose their jobs. I will graduate from college this semester. What kind of opportunity will I get when 300,000 people in January alone stopped looking for
jobs. It does not look promising that I will even be albe to find a job. Even having a college degree doesn’t guarantee that I will get a job. Others who have degrees in certain areas are working in a job totally different then what they studies years for. We say “America is the land of opportunity.” Where is all the opportunity when the businesses take their jobs to other countires? America is no longer the land of opportunity because the opportunities have packed up and left the country leaving us in a financial slum Sincerely peeved, David Mansfield Oswego
To the Editor: The problem I have is with health insurance companies. why is it that after your turn 19 years of age, why do you have to be a fulltime student to be covered under your parent’s insurance, when your parents are supporting you. I feel that if you are in any kind of school. you should be covered no matter what, full-time or part-time. My other issue with health
insurances is that when I graduate from CCC this spring, I’m thinking about continuing on into the BOCES LPN course, but I won’t be covered under my parent’s insurance anymore. I can remain on my parent’s insurance policy if they pay a monthly fee of $237.00. I do not feel that is fair, since I will be attending a school for 10 months. -Casey N. Fowler
a g u y a C Health Insurance Collegian THE
Editor-in-chief: Staff Writers:
Advisor:
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Josh Cradduck Melissa Gauss Caryn Purdy Jare Smith Jeremy Reese Mary Gelling Merritt
The Cayuga Collegian is published on announced publication dates during regular semesters at Cayuga Community College, 197 Franklin Street, Auburn, NY 13021. Our phone number is 315-2551743. The Cayuga Collegian is funded by CCC’s Faculty-Student Association through student activity fees. Opinions expressed in columns, news stories, features, interviews or letters to the editor are not necessarily those of the college administration, faculty, staff or students at CCC. The Cayuga Collegian is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press.
-Jare Smith, Staff Writer
After twenty four years as the head anchor for CBS Evening News, Dan Rather signed off for his final broadcast on Wednesday March ninth. His final night as the anchor marked the twentyfourth anniversary of taking over for the legendary Walter Cronkite. Rather’s time spent in the anchor chair made him the longest running network reporter to hold the position. He career was not without controversy though. In September, Rather falsely reported discrepancies about President Bush’s military service, on “CBS Evening News”. Since then both CBS network and Rather himself have put up with a lot of heat from critics and viewers alike. Many believe that this is the reason that Rather is stepping down from the position as anchorman, although he had been third in ratings for quite some time before the incident. He trailed “ABC World News” with Peter Jennings, and “NBC Nightly News” with Tom Brokaw (who led in ratings). Tom Brokaw retired December first of last year. Rather will now be taking up a full-time reporting job for the CBS show “60 Minutes”. Bob Schieffer will be temporarily replacing Rather on the evening news. This replacement will last until a decision is made as to whether CBS wants to keep a solo anchor or use several anchors for the news show.
Talk to Josh Collegian Editor-in-Chief
Wednesdays
3-6 PM Collegian Office
SGO SURVEY
Rather Gone
HELLO STUDENTS Student Government Officers would like to thank you in advance for taking the time to fill out this survey. Hopefully, the input you give us will help make CCC more exciting for everyone. What activities spark your interest the most and that you would like to see happen at CCC? _____Intramurals or sports tournaments If yes, what specific sports?:
_____Dances withcertain themes If yes, what particular themes?:
_____Talent competition, example: Open Mike contests. _____Fundraisers for a charity If yes, what specific charity?:
Other suggestions:
Which would you like to see happen the most?
Are activities that you checked, would you honestly come?
What times are good for you to hold these events? _____during school hours _____after school hours _____night
_____on the weekends _____on Sunday’s _____ day
Please hand in survey at the SGO Office - Room 241 Thanks again, for your input! Laura Squires, President Sarah Riester, Vice President Lauren Pacelli, Treasurer Brandi Harris, Secretary Tina Morrissey, Student Trustee Rich Cuyler, Fulton Liaison
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Music with Reese
Activities Wednesday, March 16, 2005 Massage Therapy - Auburn Campus Monday, March 21, 2005 10 am - noon Alcohol Awareness Event
Main Foyer
Wednesday, March 23, 2005 11:15 - 11:45 AM PBL Chapter Meeting in Distance Learning Room
Spring Break March 24 - April 3 Saturday, March 26, 2005 2:00 PM CCC Men’s Lacrosse v. Monroe Monday, April 4, 2005 Classes Resume Wednesday, April 6, 2005 PBL Bake Sale 11 AM - Noon Auburn/Fulton Main Foyers Saturday, April 9, 2005 3 PM “Grapes of Wrath” at Syracuse Stage
CCC Student Go nment Upda te!!! Govver ernment Update!!!
CANDIDATES
needed for upcoming election of SGO of or the academic offficer icerss ffor year 2005-2006:
Pr esident Vice President Tr easur er Secr etar y Student Tr ustee Fulton Liaison Stop by SGO Office, Room M241 Auburn Campus or call ext. 2231 PAGE FOUR
AC/DC - Black In Black by Jeremy Reese Back In Black is an excellent album in my opinion. This album is a tribute to their legendary front man, Bon Scott. Bon was killed tragically and the band decided to continue on, and eventually picked up Brian Johnson as their new singer. Brian came up with the classic “You Shook Me All Night Long” a great song that is powered by Angus Young and his wild axe (guitar). This song has great catchy lyrics and a strong hard rock rhythm, which makes this particular song very unique. “Hells Bells” makes its presence felt on this album with the unusual use of a bell. This song has a nice
hardcore beat to get you going. The song “ Back In Black” is a nice hardcore tribute to Bon Scott. It was designed as a tribute to Bon and they wanted to remember him without being sad during the hard times. I would also recommend that you listen to “Giving The Dog A Bone.” Once again, this is another highstrung rhythm beat that fits in with the style of the album. There will never be anyone better than Bon Scott but Brian Johnson does an excellent job and saved one of my all time favorite bands from destruction. I give the album five stars. I’d give it more if I could.
The Bee Gees -Number Ones- by Jeremy Reese After the tragic loss of Maurice Gibb, The Bee Gees continued on and released this hits compilation album as a tribute. This album features all of the favorites such as “Stayin’ Alive.” The song has a nice flowing rhythm of harmonic voices and instruments. Even though many people think that Disco is dead, I believe that it is very much alive. “Night Fever” is another personal favorite of mine
that has a catchy beat. Afros and 1970s retro clothing may be out of style – but the Bee Gees certainly are not. They keep surprising me with their new releases, such as “The Man in the Middle.” This song in particular is a tribute to the band’s fallen member, Gibb. The song is very heartfelt and touching. “Jive Talkin” makes a return for one more time and it’s just as good as it ever was. I give this album four stars.
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