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S ERVING W ESTERN M ICHIGAN U NIVERSITY AND K ALAMAZOO SINCE 1916 M ONDAY , N OVEMBER 28, 2011 V OL . 96 I SSUE 23
YOU Graduating student wm
advocates diversity
Western Michigan University’s campus is a catalyst for creating diversity. However, some inequalities exist on campus, said a graduating senior. “ S o m e - Ray times, I feel like there’s a lot of different worlds at Western,” said Destinee Ray, a double major in social work and organizational communication. Ray is currently working with H.E.R.I.T.A.G.E., a new RSO at WMU that acts as an umbrella organization for multicultural groups. Her defining moment of diversity came from being an Orientation Student Leader in 2009. “I found my best and most meaningful relationships with people who weren’t like me,” Ray said. -Erin Gignac
RSOs can bring events to campus Western Michigan University has plenty of areas on and around campus where any Registered Student Organization’s events can be held, even outdoors. One area in particular is the Bernhard Center. “Any RSO may reserve meeting rooms in the Bernhard Center,” Paul Terzino, the director of the center said. RSOs have to request the space from the Bernhard Center’s reservations manager. Terzino said that RSOs may choose what rooms they want depending on their needs and availability. Terzino said that the most successful large events are planned months ahead of time. “Often a committee will plan a large event and meet with our staff to work out how and what will work best in our space,” Terzino said. -Kassie Charnley
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What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? a) Mashed potatoes (29%) b) Green bean casserole (29%) c) Turkey (14%) d) Ham (14%) e) Stuf�ing (14%) THIS WEEK’S
How much do you plan to spend on Christmas gifts this year? a) $0-20 b) $20-50 c) $50-80 d) $80 or more To submit an answer go to www.westernherald.com
Students seek growth Orientation leaders speak on responsibilities By Ociel Torres Staff Reporter It is November, right around the time when most high school students who applied to Western Michigan University receive their acceptance letters. It is also time for a new batch of Orientation Student Leaders to lead the way for the prospective first year students here at WMU. Applications for a position as a Student Orientation Leader are due on Friday, Dec. 16 by 5 p.m. at the Seibert Student Administration building, where you can also pick up an application. Even though this program is renowned and has one of the most strenuous application processes, many people do not know what the program really is or what it promotes. The Orientation Student Leadership is a two month program over the summer where a selected group of students embark on leading first-year students during their orientation sessions. What some people do not know is that the sessions they do with first-year students are not the only work they do. The wages earned during the two months over the summer is about $3,200. Leaders get to know around 30 other leaders who they will work with for the next two months. The leaders live in Hoekje Hall in the month of May and Valley 1 in the month of June, which is when all orientation sessions occur. All leaders receive a Summer I membership at the Student Recreation Center. This is essential due to the many workouts done during the month of May in order to get physically ready for orientation sessions in June. But the workouts aren’t all just tough sessions. “These morning workouts, right when you wake up at 7:30 a.m., start on the first week. We do that to get physically ready and we have
Western Herald file photo
2011-2012 orientation student leaders let loose in group photo. fun doing it. It’s a great way to start the morning,” said Brian Donahue, a communications major who was an OSL the summer of 2010 and a Student Orientation Coordinator. The OSLs have different work schedules for May and June. Both months require the utmost commitment for anyone involved. OSLs need to be able to work relentlessly for long hours each day including curfews. Deirdre Zerilli, a junior who was an OSL this past summer and who was also a Student Orientation Coordinator, said that one of the repercussions of the program would have to be the time commitments. “In the month of June alone, you have up to 17-hour-long days of work,” Zerilli said. Nonetheless, she said that those times are when you really get to connect with the students that are in the program. Being an OSL has
helped her take more risks. The interpersonal skills she learned helped her connect with students at Draper/Siedschlag, where she works as a Resident Advisor. “I feel that this program has helped me become a better RA now being able to interact better with students,” she said. “I grew as a person and a leader.” However, there seems to be some flaws inside the program, like how the application process occurs and who gets chosen to become an OSL. “I love Western and I hope to apply to become an OSL member but I was here for orientation in June and the work ethic they had are far beyond what I can do. I am not as enthusiastic and energetic as my group leader or the group that were fully awake and chanting prideful Western slogans to oncoming cars at the bottom of the Valley 1 hill at 8 in the morning,”
said Katie Pearson, a freshman student who is considering applying. Stephanie Almas, an early childhood education major said that she doesn’t know if she should apply at all based on the rigorous process. “I’ve seen the application process and it looks like a lot of work. We have to do references and whatnot followed by a group interview. I don’t want to do all of this for nothing if I am not one of the lucky few chosen.” The Student Orientation Coordinators said that is not a problem. “It is true that our application process is strenuous and it is really stressful,” said Donahue. “We have group interviews where we evaluate how students interact with one another. What we are looking for are individuals that are of a different variety.”
See Orientation Page 8
Israeli-Palestinian con�lict rages on By Katy Terberg Staff Reporter One of the most well known examples of cross-nation animosity is the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. This 100-year-old conflict has long been the subject of intense debate. “The conflict is a tragedy,” said Michael Dwyer, a member of West Michigan Justice for Palestine. “Both sides have committed inexcusable acts of violence.” The U.S. military provides diplomatic and military aid to Israel every year. America has viewed Israel as a an important political and economic resource, Dwyer said. The rich amounts of Middle Eastern oil has lead to negotiations for the resource in exchange for financial and military aid. However, the United States has encouraged Israel to push toward the idea of separate states. “Nobody likes conflict,” said Felix Shoihat, the Israel program coordinator at Michigan State University’s Hillel. “It has been a
bloody struggle that has gone on for four decades.” This struggle, according to Dwyer, started in the 1880s, when small groups of Jewish people immigrated to Palestine from Eastern Europe in hopes of forming a Jewish state. “One big reason for this was to protect themselves from abuses arising from anti-Semitism, which was of course very severe at the time,” said Dwyer. Another major source of this conflict, according to Shoihat, is the 1967 Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza. “The consistent fighting has been a giant cause of animosity,” said Shoihat. “There have been too many disagreements, distrust and contempt between the Israelites and the Palestinians.” This distrust, according to Dwyer, is not without merit. “My view is that Israel’s military occupation and colonization of Palestinian land is the root of the
conflict,” said Dwyer. Shoihat, however, said that there is more to this war than military colonization. “There has been friction between the Jews and the Muslims for thousands of years,” Shoihat said. “The wars themselves have done nothing but make the friction that much worse.” One solution that has often been proposed in lessening the conflict is the idea of splitting Israel and Palestine into separate states and, according to Shoihat, this separation is gaining ground. “[Israel and Palestine] will be separated. The only questions now are where to move the borders and who will control the border to Jordan,” he said. Dwyer, however, said that he cannot answer the question of separating states as confidently as he would like to. “One big problem with this is that there are 500,000 Israeli settlers living in the West Bank,” he
said. A possible solution is “one democratic, binomial state.” However, due to the hostility between the two peoples, both Dwyer and Shoihat said that the chances of this happening are unlikely. “I should point out that the U.S. and Israel do not seem to like the idea of a Palestinian state very much,” said Dwyer. While there is no unanimous answer to the question of how to directly solve the conflict, both Shoihat and Dwyer said that this conflict has continued on for far too long. “The Israelis and the Palestinians need to sit at the table with no preconditions and discuss the core issues,” Shoihat said. “I would hope to see a peaceful solution arise from all of this.” “Both Palestinians and Israelis deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and both people are entitled to self determination,” said Dwyer.
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