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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
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F
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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