S.C holds first meeting, attendance policy set /
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October 11, 1974
Hope College, Holland, Michigan 4 9 4 2 3
Volume 8 7 - 5
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Eligibility tes ts examined
At, its first meeting a week ago S t u d e n t Congress to decide if and last Tuesday, Student Congress what they should recommend to oriented itself t o its tasks and Saga on behalf of the students. purposes, and looked at several THE ATTENDANCE policy areas over which it will have juris- that was formulated allows Studiction this year. dent Congress members two abPRESIDENT JIM BERAN ad- sences during the year, with the dressing his opening remarks to o p p o r t u n i t y t o appeal to the Exthe largest Congress ever, ex- ecutive Coirtmittee if a disagreepressed the hope that t h e year's ment occurs. It was decided to interactions be based on t h e 4,as- leave board and committee attensumption of t r u s t . " " F o r t u n a t e l y dance policy t o the discretion of this year I see trusting relations the chair. that were maybe not existing in At the next meeting, the conother Student Congresses," he gress will vote on Appropriations C o m m i t t e e revisions as drawn up added. He called for "positive con- by Beran, Vice-President Tom frontation stemming from a con- O'Brten, and Director of Campus cern for the c o m m u n i t y of Hope Life Dave Vanderwel. The reviCollege." sions include redesignation of the T H E SPECIFIC ROLE of Stu- activities fee to 30 dollars a year dent Congress, Beran stated, will with the remainder of the present be as a body concerned with input activities fee added to t u i t i o n . ' and output of ideas from stuTHE PROPOSAL IS aimed at dents. He mentioned a communi- making an accurate account of the ty review made up of faculty, activities fee and allowing control administration and students as a by the students. The figure of 30 goal to work toward in order to dollars, as opposed to the original better balance input in decisions 50, is estimated to cover present affecting the c o m m u n i t y . funding plus fees for intramural Through small groups, each committee and coffee house possidealing with an item of business, bilities. - ^ attendance policies for both the Another point in the proposal congress and campus boards and gives Student Congress the authority to raise or lower the activities committees were formulated, and a poll of student opinion, that was fee by a two thirds vote and a distributed Wednesday, on the letreview by the Campus Life Board. tuce issue and t h e Milestone was continued on page 3, column 3 devised. THE POLL WAS taken primarily to allow Student Congress to look at these two issues with student opinion in mind. The Milestone question concerned An organizational meeting for whether or not students would be freshmen and sophomore women willing to pay f r o m seven t o ten interested in participating in Nydollars for a yearbook. kerk will be held Monday. Class T h e lettuce question concerned representatives and coaches for what sort of lettuce students the oration, play and songs will be would like Saga to buy, and how present. it should be labelled, enabling
Food stamps aid students by Annetta Miller
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As with all government sponsored aid, the U.S.D.A.'s Food Stamp program continually faces the problem of getting help to the people who need it most. RECENTLY THIS problem has been complicated by an increased number of students applying for food stamps. According t o Sylvia Van Hoven, food stamp worker f r o m the Ottawa County Department of Social Services, no statistical information concerning the number of Hope students applying for food stamps is available f r o m that office. However, she estimated that 20 t o 30 students f r o m Hope, as well as an additional h a n d f u l of students f r o m Western Theological Seminary, receive stamps. ACCORDING TO Van Hoven, eligibility for the stamps is verified in several ways. Students must show proof of income, housing, a n d medical tuition costs b y such means as check stubs, rent receipts and utility bills. There are several basic criteria used to judge the eligibility of a
student applying for food stamps. These include proof of residence in the county where he makes application, cooking or food preparation facilities, residency in an established household, income tax status, work registration resources and income." WHEN ASKED whether, a student whose parents do not claim him as a dependent, yet still support him financially could easily receive food stamps, Van Hoven replied, " I suppose it's possible. It's very hard if they (students) don't tell us the t r u t h . There was a time when we used t o send a statement to parents which required them to swear that they were not claiming the students in question as tax dependents; we no longer require t h a t . " SHE ADDED THAT o n e of the final determinants in who does and w h o does not receive f o o d stamps is the opinion of the caseworker investigating the claim. A law that is currently in Congress, may, if passed, tighten restrictions on student f o o d s t a m p applicants. According to M. R. McConnell, regional f o o d s t a m p
auditor in Grand Rapids, it will state t h a t an applicant who has been claimed as a tax dependent within the year of application is not eligible for food stamps unless the tax paying household is eligible. " T H E Y ' R E PASSING the law to fill a loophole and prevent students f r o m pulling the c o u n t y ' s leg," McConnell said. Some complaints # have come f r o m f o o d s t a m p applicants in the
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Many violations remain
Steps taken to follow fire laws by J o h n S c h o l t e n
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In response t o inadequacies found during Hope's latest fire safety inspection and following confusion in Kollen Hall as a result of a small fire recently, the public safety department, under its director Glenn Bareman, is busy revamping its fire safety procedures. ONE O F THE school's shortcomings has been its lack of fire drills. Bareman stated, "We are required by state law to have two fire drills each year. The state-iaw also requires elementary schools Students was possible and beneby Jennie Cunningham and kindergartens t o have two ficial. drills a year and I don't think we T h e idea of merging with AWS T o " t r y t o bring into focus should have t o have as many as has not yet been discussed behow women and men can live on they have, so this y e a r - w e will an equal basis and on a h u m a n tween the groups since both only have one fire drill." level" was one of the goals cited groups are still getting organized According to the State Laws of for this year's activities, Sally by Joan Donaldson, President of Michigan, Part 29, section 19, Brennan, president of AWS said, MIR. however, " T h e superintendent, THE O R G A N I Z A T I O N , "We haven't talked about it. We principal and teacher in all grades formed last year, has sponsored are in the process of assimilating of public and private school, and discussion groups, retreats and members right n o w . " the o w n e r or the owner's repreAWS IS considering "inviting movies dealing with the role of sentative of school dormitories w o m e n in our society. Some of speakers having to do with women t h e issues the group is interested in s o c i e t y " again this year, accord-- shall have a fire drill each month . . . A minimum of ten fire in include what it is like to stay ing to Elaine Van Liere, advisor of drills is required for each school single, how one defines his or the organization. Traditionally, y e a r . . . at least six fire drills in her femininity and masculinity the group has sponsored such the fall and four fire drills to be and " o n a personal level, just events as the Big and Little Sister held in the remainder of the looking at yourself, other women Dessert, the Nykerk breakfast and school y e a r . " and men and h o w you relate to the Big and Little Sister weekend. NONETHELESS, some fire A n o t h e r idea being discussed is life," Donaldson said. drills have been carried out in The group meets once a m o n t h to have a colloquium in the " and is planning to present several spring. Some of the goals of t j i ^ certaitUdorms, with plans being made for the rest of the dorms. organization include "continuing films, the first of which was Notes Bareman said that his departfrom the Underground, presented the traditional events and initiatment is almost finished correcting in September, dealing with t h e ing programs that speak t o women all the problems that were noted history of the women's rights in society." in this s u m m e r ' s inspection. " A s of last year AWS became movement. A n o t h e r film will be WHEN ASKED why there are affiliated with the national organipresented in Novembex. no nozzles on any of the fire zation, IAWS, from which we LAST Y E A R , when the approhoses in Kollen Hall, which is a information regarding priations committee had to decide receive violation of fire safety regulations, how t o handle funding of t w o speakers and topics f o r seminars. Bareman replied, "Last year some w o m e n ' s organizations, there was We h o p e to utilize that in setting kid decided t o rip off two nozzles discussion on whether a merger up o u r programs," stated Van of some of the fire hoses. I guess with the Association of Women Liere.
AWS, MIR schedule events for coming year
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Nykerk meeting to be held Monday
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he decided that it was really his bag. I decided that it was too expensive t o be replacing them all the time, so I went over and took them all o f f . " This year all the fire extinguishers are being changed to Triflex, powder extinguishers, which are more efficient at dousing flames. The water extinguishers were favorites for floor water fights. "Because of the abuse," Bareman said, "We've replaced the water extinguishers with the powder model which cost 24 dollars apiece." THE RECENT fire in KoUen Hall pointed out some of the problems in the alarm system used in the dorms. The alarms are local
alarms. None of them connect to the fire d e p a r t m e n t directly. They ring a coded alarm t o the floor RA and to t h e head resident, who must verify a fire and activate the general alarm. T h e system is confusing to m a n y ; and evidently few students really understand the procedures for fire evacuation. When asked if better communication was one of the changes necessary, Bareman replied, "We are planning certain changes, but it would be premature t o talk a b o u t them at this point." Bareman stated that his office is responsible f o r all fire violations but termed t h e exposure of live wires in Kollen Hall a "maintenance p r o b l e m . "
John Yeutter took it upon himself to point out to passersby one of the violations of fire regulations in Kollen Hall.
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