Students Tour Famous Martins Pastry Shop By Matt Martinez
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By Nikki Rita NEWS EDITOR
very year, Messiah College’s career center hosts an event called ‘Into the City’ in which students experience life and business in a large city. Earlier this semester they went to Boston. This past week they saw the inner workings of Martins pastry shop. How could a trip to a pastry shop be beneficial to Messiah College students?
Peter Shuck (left), Professor Beck (top right), and Dr. James LaGrand (bottom right) discuss the possible effects of America’s vote for college students.
By Sarah Fleischman
By Matt Martinez
FOUR MORE YEARS: By Nicholas Tay FEATURES EDITOR
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ith election season finally over, Americans can breathe a little lighter. President Obama’s reelection marks the end of incessant campaigning. It is time for Washington to get back to work. But will the government cooperate to tackle the pertinent issues of health care and unemployment, especially for college students? How might policies change? Peter Shuck, president of MC Democrats, believes benefits for college students stemming from Obama’s Affordable Health Care Act (AHCA) will stand in light of Obama’s reelection. A provision in AHCA allows college students to remain on their parents’ insurance till their 26th birthday. Shuck praises this idea as students will be able “to find a steady job or pay off hefty student debt without incurring health care costs.” Shuck believes “health care costs have inflated over the past 30 years” due to increasing rigor in medical testing. Consequently, he advocates for subsidized health care provided through the AHCA. Yet, Ben Hemphill, president of MC Republicans, and Dr. James LaGrand, Professor of American History, disagree with the AHCA. Hemphill thinks “the amount of spending going into the Af-
What’s Ahead?
fordable Health Care Act is unsustainable” because it worsens the United States’ debt situation. LaGrand sees the college student insurance provision as a temporary stop-gap measure. He emphasizes a need for “a system that works and is not a shortterm solution. You don’t stay 26 forever. You want a way to have affordable health care even when you’re 27, 28 or when you have a family.” On the issue of higher education costs, Shuck believes the Democrats in Washington will work to “protect Pell Grants and federal financial aid.” According to Shuck, retaining federal aid and Pell Grants is a priority because they provide “people with opportunities to have an education and to advance a society with innovation, eventually helping our economy to grow.” Financial aid would be a welcome sign for many students. LaGrand notes “these past few years have been tough for students with a tough job market and bleak economic outlook. Tuition is growing faster than the rate of inflation.” LaGrand believes increased financial support for students is necessary but he warns that “intervention in certain areas of the economy might slow growth in other sectors. I hope the economy can recover and grow fast enough such that
students will find jobs and pay off their loans in a timely fashion.” Hemphill affirms higher education costs as an as opportunity for bipartisan legislation while noting tuition increases during Obama’s first term. Shuck shares Hemphill’s call for bipartisanship and believes Republicans share the same attitudes towards financial aid for both parties to work together. However, Shuck also thinks the Republicans’ insistence on getting “Bush-era tax cuts passed might be why they’ve blocked federal aid legislation by the Democrats.” This example of legislative warfare reflects the divided nature on Capitol Hill. Neither party wants to budge from their ideological position. LaGrand believes the situation in Washington will not improve despite the changes in Congress. “I think the current gridlock in Congress is going to carry on. For multiple reasons, moderate Democrats and Republicans, the traditional compromisers in Congress, are shown the door by both parties.” Thus, it appears that the ideological left and right wings of government refuse to work with each other. Shuck and Hemphill echo LaGrand’s opinion, emphasizing the check and balance nature of the United States’
//see WHAT’S AHEAD on page 3
Abby Book, who works in the Career Center, organized the trip. “Many alums work at Martins. It’s extremely well run: they are doing well in the economy and they are hiring. It’s a family owned business that started very small and just exploded, so there’s a neat story. We are very well connected with them. We have a Board of Trustee member who is employed there and two of our recent grads work there. So we have a lot of connections there,” said Book. //see MARTINS on page 2
INSIDE THIS EDITION
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Myth vs. Fact
By Nikki Rita
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Provided by Messiah College Department of Theatre
pg. 5 Catholic or Christian