WESTERN HERALD S ERVING W ESTERN M ICHIGAN U NIVERSITY
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M ONDAY , N OVEMBER 7, 2011 V OL . 96 I SSUE 18
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YOU
WMU �ilm director �inds inspiration Cat allergies, looming deadlines and slap bets were only a few creative muses that Alec Robbins, a film major at WMU, used to Robbins co-direct the film “The Day Job.” The production moved one of their scenes from an inside apartment to a freezing cold roof. One of the actors was deathly allergic to cats. However, the shot turned out to be, literally, “cooler” in the long run. “I got a lot better at connecting with actors,” Robbins said. The deadlines required Robbins to communicate his ideas clear and quick. Currently, he has a slap bet with one of the actors. If he doesn’t finish making the movie by Dec. 11, then he gets slapped. Help raise money for production of “The Day Job” by attending their fundraiser on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 8 p.m. at the Old Dog Tavern. Suggest people to be featured in our WMYou feature at newseditor@westernherald.com. -Erin Gignac News Editor
CRIME BLOTTER
Via the WMU Department of Public Safety t " DFMM QIPOF XBT SFQPSUFE stolen from the Bernhard Center on Oct. 28 at 4:23 p.m. t " ESJWFS XBT BSSFTUFE GPS operating while intoxicated on Oct. 29 at 4:02 a.m. His car was towed to the WMU impound lot. t " CJDZDMF XBT SFQPSUFE TUPMFO off the rack at Schneider Hall on Oct. 31 at 6:10 p.m. t " TVCKFDU XBT GPVOE USFTQBTTing in the lower level of Waldo Library on Nov. 1 at 12:08 a.m. t " GFNJOJOF QSPEVDU WFOEJOH machine was broken into at Rood Hall on Nov. 3 at 9:17 a.m. Anyone with information on these or other crimes should contact the Department of Public Safety. -Joe Stando
Poll
LAST
WEEK’S
Where is your favorite place to eat in the Vine neighborhood? a) Martini’s (23%) b) Crow’s Nest (43%) c) Taco Bob’s (14%) d) O’Duffy’s (20%) THIS WEEK’S
What is the best liquor store in Kzoo? a) Munchie Mart b) Bronco Mart c)Sunny Mart d) Tiffany’s To submit an answer go to www.westernherald.com
Riding safely in Kzoo
Kallie Strazdas / Western Herald
Giovanni Romano & Kallerine Strazdas take a ride home from DSK members Khalia Abdullah & Jim Stano on Saturday, Nov. 5.
By Tayler Cattera Staff Reporter
friends free rides home. The DSK drivers are judgmentfree and do not ask questions about why students In the United States, may need a ride. one person is injured in an However, this is not a alcohol related car crash service to use for party hopevery minute, according to ping or bar crawling. DSK statistics gathered by the strictly gives safe rides back Mothers Against Drunk home, not to other places Driving (MADD) organiwhere more drinking will zation. College students be taking place. Their goal are no exception to these is to keep the Kalamazoo statistics. One in every five college community safe by taking students home who would students admits to driving potentially get in the driver’s drunk and 40 percent of seat of a car and put not college students acknowlonly themselves, but other edge that they have ridden people in danger. To get a with an intoxicated driver, ride from DSK, call (345according to MADD. 0375). At Western Michigan Katie Camaiani, a junior University, students have at WMU, volunteered for quite a few alternatives to DSK last spring to complete driving drunk that should keep them out from behind volunteer hours for one of her classes. the wheel of a car after a “DSK is pretty well night of partying. Not only known on campus and I are there plenty of taxi serthought it would be a good vices in the Kalamazoo area, place to volunteer since I’ve but there are also services used their services a lot in that provide free safe rides the past,” Camaiani said. home for those students who don’t have $3 to spare. “It’s a good service because it gives people peace of Drive Safe Kalamazoo mind that they’ll have a safe (DSK) is a non-profit, sturide back home if need be.” dent run organization here After learning the rules at WMU. From 11 p.m. to 3 and regulations in a traina.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays this organiza- ing session, Camaiani got tion gives students and their assigned a car and a partner for DSK that night. She
and her partner took turns driving and taking calls from students who needed rides back home or to their dorms. Camaiani said during her experience, she got the most calls from people who needed rides from parties that were far from campus walking distance, such as the Vine neighborhood and downtown. “You’d be surprised by how many students get left behind by their friends while they’re out and have to find rides home,” Camaiani said. “We were pretty busy.” Students who get picked up have to sign a piece of paper once they get in the car saying that they consent to getting driven by a student, that they do not have alcohol on them, and that they are getting a ride back home. “I think that DSK keeps a lot of students from driving drunk or walking home in unsafe places,” Camaiani said. “When people get drunk they think they’re invincible and don’t believe they’re as intoxicated as they really are. Some people just don’t like asking for help.” DSK isn’t the only organization that provides free rides. Many students
involved in Greek life at WMU have safe rides provided for them on the weekends as part of being in a fraternity. Joel Dewey, a sophomore majoring in computer engineering, is risk manager for the Sigma Chi fraternity. His job is to ensure the safety of everyone in the house, whether it be someone that is part of the fraternity or any student attending their parties. “Safety is very important to our fraternity because we want everybody to have a good time without anybody getting hurt,” Dewey said. The Sigma Chi Safe Ride provides two cars a night on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays for brothers of the fraternity. The service runs from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. and there is no limit on the number of rides a brother can get. “People would possibly attempt to drive while intoxicated or maybe walk home and run into the wrong kind of people if it wasn’t for Safe Ride,” Dewey said. Brothers who need a ride call a Google voice number which is then redirected to the Safe Ride driver’s phones. Once they get the
call, they pick up whoever needs a ride and takes them to wherever they want to go. Rides are usually only given to members of the fraternity but can also be given to friends that are out with that member at the time. Pledges give the majority of the Safe Rides. “Everyone really appreciates the service because they know they’ll have the service returned once they’re active,” Dewey said. Dewey explains that rides are generally limited to the area, downtown being the farthest they usually have to drive. Most of their rides are taking brothers to and from close-by bars like the Grotto and Wayside and for the younger members, back to their dorms. “Having Safe Ride cuts the possibility of something bad happening to one of our brothers” Dewey said. Between fines, court costs, attorney fees, and alcohol education classes, getting a DUI can cost anywhere from $7,000-$20,000. To avoid this very costly mistake, WMU students have the luxury of having services that will not only take them home safely, but will do it for no cost at all.
Education costs more than it’s worth By Ambrosia Neldon (CLA) to measure their progress as a student. Staff Reporter
Students pay enormous amounts of money for higher education, but the education they receive may not be equivalent to the price they pay to learn. A nationwide study shows that this may be the case. Richard Arum, a social science professor at New York University and the winner of countless awards and fellowships is a coauthor of “Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses.” The book contains the results of a longitudinal study that followed more than 2,300 college students from 24 universities over a four-year period, starting with their freshman year. Each year, the studied students took a Collegiate Learning Assessment
“The study aimed to answer one question: are students improving their critical thinking, complex reasoning and writing skills during college?” said Arum. The study shows that with 45 percent of the 2,300 or more students studied, there were no statistically significant increases in these areas. “These are the generic areas of study that students need to learn. They are the fundamentals that make up democratic leadership in our society,” said Arum. Prior to the “Academically Adrift” study, the majority of research regarding students’ academic growth in college was based on student surveys. “One of the most common forms of student
surveys are course evaluations,” said Arum. “These things give a huge incentive to teachers who make learning easier. If you grade easier, your course evaluations will be high.” Research in “Academically Adrift” showed that a large percentage of college students would rather do little work for a “B” grade on an assignment than more work for an “A.” “If the faculty has high expectations for their students, students will work harder to rise to that expectation,” said Arum. “Right now, we hand out grades like they’re candy on Halloween.” One of the major findings of the study was the amount of time students spent studying compared to the amount of time they spent socializing or in class. “So what are these
students spending their time doing?” said Arum. “According to the data, students spend on average 15 hours a week in classrooms or labs. And that’s if they go to class.” The data said that the average student studies 12 to 13 hours a week. “And almost a third of that is in groups,” said Arum. “According to statistics, studying in groups decreases performance. The more time spent studying with friends, the lower the performance on the CLA.” Thirty-six percent of the students included in the research said they studied on their own less than five hours a week. Students who scored lower on the CLA were more likely to be unemployed, working part-time and/or living with their parents again two years
after graduation. “One year after the study ended, 31 percent of the students were back living with their parents,” said Arum. Two years after the survey ended, 11 percent were working only part time jobs and five percent were unemployed. The study also addressed the civic engagement of students two years after graduating college. “32 percent said they read the news monthly or never,” said Arum. 39 percent said they rarely or never talk about politics with anyone they come into contact with. “If we are not teaching critical thinking, writing and complex thinking, we are not teaching students how to be American citizens,” said Arum.
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