ST
DSS'C
'C
o
S
I
By. er
ST. JOSEPH - "People on public
. ance 10 their freedom - it· a
humiliating experience." Dr. gnes
an ur, director of Social Services for the
ate of ichigan, po e the word b -
fore a gathering of the South estern
ichigan omens Political Coalition t
aude Pre ton Library in St. Jo ph.
Dr. amour state hat she felt ere
b sic human rights: the right to food,
clothing shelter, medical care, educ tion,
and or. Sh 0 expres her cone
for the decline in funding for human r-
. ce . "Th poor received more in 1979
th n in 1984, and meanwhil the co of
living till incre ," he said.
redefmition of minimum wage, and
pl cing a lid on health care costs would
do more for reducing public aid expendi
ture than reducing the bud et, Dr.
an ur t ted. 'Fifty percent of all fi
nancial istance go to pay health care
co t . Th A is the large t lobby in
Congress,' h said. "It co ts 425 a day
for ho potalization in ichigan."
Dr. an our also e p ed concern
over how po erty affects children. 'On
out of four children in Am rica live in or
n ar poverty. For Blac ,it one in t 0."
Such conditions definitely have an d
ver ffect on children, she id. Dr.
n our ugge ted tarting hoolchildren
t the a of 3, and requiring all tho on
public ist nc to complete high school
if they hav not done 0.-
Poverty 0 h dve affect on
dult ,incre ing stress and ten ion. Dr.
our said that the un mployed in .
ichigan tot 500,000, equal to the
er
COW - P rent of schoolchildren
in Coloma and Eau Claire need not feel
concerned about sending their children to
nton H rbor, Dr. Jame Hawkins ld
to a public forum gathered here, June 27.
Dr. Ha kins, recently resigned Super
intendant of Benton Harbor chools,
st ted th t the quality of education in
Benton Harbor I exceptional but many
parents do not send their children there,
for fear of gan violence. Dr. Ha kim
id that most gang member do not �
tend hool, and so gang related incidents
e minimal.
Information about, the magnet pro
gram 0 provided t the forum. At
the elementary level, Benton Harbor of
fers on of the only Montessori programs
vailable at public school. The voca-
tional educ tion program offers training
in 17 job field , and is "one of the best in
the country," according to Dr. Hawkins.
"Your child ill receive a quality educa
tion t our schools," he said.
Dr. . chael Stolee, pedal master of
the federal court, w there to represent
Judg Douglas Hillinan. Dr. Stolee dded
that on the average, whit students scho
lastic performances are not affected by
de g program, and th t Blac tudents
improv .
Dr. Stolee 0 explained the v ri u
full nd part time option avail ble to tu
dent, ell ho de gre tion f
feet tate funding.
h ndin di trict pay th tran
port tion co t , and i reimbur d for
67% by the state. The ndin district will
ill r cei t te id for l the tudents
I
•
•
F
EE'
populations of the states of Delawa or
Vermont.' e are eing an increa in
child abu ,some of it now bordering on
torture. Domestic violence i also on the·
inere . Children rai d in the e environ
ments usually tum to crime as adults," ·
Dr. an our tated.
"Society must be patient if we wi h to
solve the problem of th poor,' Dr.
ansour said." 0, a re tating of prior
ity is needed. The Federal government
cut 41 million form fo er care and
adoption a is ance, but left untouched
80 million for ne furniture for the De
fen e Department."
Dr. ansour fielded questio from
the audience. ev. Bill oore, of First
Congregational Church in Benton Harbor,
in reference to the recent fire at 248
Bellview, in which 3 children and a baby
itter perished, asked if Social Services
will continue to vendor, or pay t�e rent
for, "housing that has clearly been inden
tified as substandard.'
, e don't go.in and make ure they
are in a facility t at is not ub tandard.
That's local re pon ibility", Dr. ansour
repli d. The Department of Soci I Ser
vice i prohibited by federal law from re
quiring dherence to building codes on
propertie it vendors, and could be laced
with a lawsuit ,if it did, according to Dr.
nsour. It i up to the city and county
to e that violations are rectified she
said.
Dr. Mansour w pr sented with the
Humanitarian A ard by the Benton
Harbor are Is, for her ork ith
dult e ucation.
o
pro
ra
who cho to attend a magnet program: it
is if the child had never left, f. r as
funding goes," Dr. Stolee explained.
Dr. Hawkins encouraged all parents to
·visit the school, and see the programs
vailable. "When we were in Eau Claire, a
woman told us she thought desegregation
as a bad idea, but also felt she ould be
upid not to send her child to the ele
ment ry creative arts magnet," Dr.
Hawkin said.
Both doctors unveiled two new op
tions that will be available, possibly in the
next school year. A new science and math
honor program for junior high, and a
Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps
(ROTC). Dr. Stolee announced that' a
court order h d just been issued, requir
ing' an aide from the receiving district be
responsible for all di cipline. Aides
trained at a state approved program will .
be paid by the state, and not the district.
The de dline for enrolling students in
magent program is August 1 of this
year, the deadline for de-obligatiin is
August 8.580 Benton Harbor student at
tended Coloma la chool year, and 370
ent to Eau Clair. 90 Colom students
went to Benton Harbor, and an equal
number attended from Eau Claire
THE CITIZE E COURAGES
ITS READERS TO EX ESS
THEIR OP 10 S D VIEWS
Send to: Citizen, P.O. Bo 216
Benton Harbor, I 49022
JULY 4-10,1984 THE CITIZEN PAGE THREE
. to-wee
C receiv
or tr ining a
of Benton H r demo n
Coli ge Quick Start in tructor (staJlCliI.
electroni mb • r. (Beth
BENTO lWP. - Two grants total
ing $47,477.72 h v been awarded by
the ichigan Department of Education
toLake Michigan College for the develop
ment and dministration of the fir t
Quick Start Program in tlu greater
southwe ern Michigan area.
According to William Wei ric , LMC
dean of Occupational Studies, the grants
will furnish training in electronic a mb
ly for 220 Michigan Employm nt Se
curity Commission (MESC) referrals.
The training i being provided to fill
t e immediate employment need of a
local manufacturing company.
The two- eek inten Iv traming
. on of 20 per n each were held
from ay 29 through J un 27 under th
fir t grant of $9,452 irick aid. The
total project co t wa $ 11,852 with
matched fund from th company sup-
I
plying the balance.
cond grant of 38025.72
has recently been awarded to the College
to train an additional 180 per ons as
electronic a emblers. Training e ion
are being held from July 2 through.
September 10 1984. The total cost of
the project is 40.100.72. The balance
of funds needed will be provided by the
cornpa y.
Quick Start is the fir t of the federal
and state programs fits ind of identify
employn nt need f bu ine e and
quickly supply funds for training p opl
to fiJI these needs. Weirick said. It'
philo phy i to enhance th ccon mi
de lopment of Mi hi n.
"The red tap ha b nut in rder
to meet th need of bu in and in-
du try in the ' tate of' . ichigan." h
• plained.
A compan under )Oillg ro t h.
expansion or the installation of a ne
proce is eligible for sistanee under
the Quick Start Program. Per ns to fill
the positions created by these ch n
can be eitb r trained or retrai d at
little or no cost to the company. h
added.
Lake Michigan College orks with
ESC to find applicants ho h e the
greatest chance for success after training.
The electronic as mb r traine are
not guaranteed mployments, but ar
assured an opportunity to pply for jo
openings after they comp ete th pro
gram, according to eirick.
Depending upon the n d of m
ployers, Lake ichigan College "II
conduct Quick Start Pro rams on its
campu or at work sites, eiric aid.
LM is providing instructor and
support rvice a well as the site for the
electronic mbler c ur s. Bill Story
of B nton Harbor who has b en in the
television and electronics busin in
1944 and Harry Pi hl of St. J ph.
a ... O-year veter n of wor in vera)
en ine ring areas, are the in truct
Absentee Ballots