MORAINE VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT NEWSPAPER WWW.MVCCGLACIER.COM AUGUST 16, 2013 VOLUME 46, ISSUE 1
Moraine Valley blooms for education By Naimah Mitchell Staff Writer Over 40 low-income Chicago Public School students will return to class with the school supplies they need, thanks to a recent partnership between Moraine Valley and Flowers for Dreams. At Moraine Valley’s May 2013 commencement ceremony, families could opt to purchase bouquets of organically grown flowers from the Chicago based company Flowers for Dreams. For every $27 worth of bouquets sold, the company fills a backpack with a year’s worth of supplies and donates it to a child in need. According to the Flowers for Dreams website, “it is [our] belief that by providing an individualized backpack…we’re giving each student a chance. A chance to compete from the start.” Lynn Doulas, bookstore coordinator and facilitator of commencement flower sales, applauds both Moraine Valley and Flowers for Dreams for their firm commitment to servicing underprivileged youth.
Degrees awarded increases
“The social welfare aspect of Flowers for Dreams fits in nicely with our Democracy Commitment…to encourage the campus community to be socially engaged and become responsible citizens.” According to official Chicago Public School website figures, 87% of its students come from low-income households. This suggests that many of these students begin classes without adequate supplies, which could ultimately hinder their success. By providing these students with school supplies to get through the school year, low-income students will have the means “to be successful on their educational paths,” says Doulas. Doulas adds that Moraine Valley and Flowers for Dreams will continue to collaborate in an effort to assist more students. “Our plan to continue working with Flowers for Dreams…will indirectly create a wealth of more engaged citizens.” Co-Founder of Flowers for Dreams, Joseph Dickstein, believes that Moraine Valley has made a profound impact
Moraine Valley will continue working with Flowers for Dreams for future commencement ceremonies to enrich the minds of others. [Mike Frederiksen] on the lives of needy students. “Over 40 backpacks and nearly 1,000 critical school supplies later, [Moraine Valley] will have helped two classrooms of local students get the resources they need to compete and achieve. It is a positive thing that this respected institution of higher learning is positing
conscious efforts to give back.” This year, Flowers for Dreams will host its second annual Build-A-Backpack Day at Northwestern University. The event will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. in the Norris Center Louis Room. Community members, clients, and higher education officials from par-
ticipating schools are invited to help package the backpacks. With its efforts this year, the company is able to donate 4,100 backpacks to students in need. Naimah Mitchell can be contacted at mitchelln28@student. morainevalley.edu.
Summer enrollment turns uphill By Jerry Rodgers Features Editor Whether students are in high hopes of getting ahead in their schoolwork or to stay on track to graduate on time, students have enrolled in summer courses at Moraine Valley Community College at an accelerated rate. Even with a struggling economy that without a doubt imposes additional stress and tension on college students seeking financial assistance in the form of loans and escalating tuition cost. Summer courses used to be frowned upon and looked down as a place where you were detained after dropping
By Ashley Meitz Editorial Assistant Practicing an Agree to Degree program and following its Mission Statement by valuing “excellence in teaching, learning and service” sets Moraine Valley apart from most institutions. Whether students enroll at Moraine Valley with intentions on completing a degree, obtaining a certificate, or earning credits to transfer elsewhere, the college boasts high success rates on all accounts. In 20122013, Moraine Valley presentDEGREES | page 3
a mathematics course. The word remedial was tattooed and labeled on your forehead for the very moment that you stepped foot into the classroom. Even worse, you lost some beach time and fun in the sun. Obliterate remedial from your memory bank. Those days are in the past, the summer educational experience that currently displays the expanding reality of a yearround education for an rising number of college students that are anxious to get ahead in their studies, especially if that could result in saving tuition dollars in the future. Walldkiria Kamila KaminENROLLMENT | page 2
IN THIS ISSUE ENTERTAINMENT Sarah Sophie in charge as new Student Life secretary. SOCIAL PAGE 1
SPORTS Women’s volleyball plans to strike in upcoming season PAGE 12
FEATURES LinkedIn pro, J.D. Gershbein visits Moraine Valley SOCIAL PAGE 4