12 U. THE NATIONAL COLLEGE NEWSPAPER
FEBRUARY 1988
12 U. THE NATIONAL COLLEGE NEWSPAPER FEBRUARY 1988
Il
C 1MUNTYSERVICE
Q M N I Tuition Problems? Try this... Mike Hayes'
tuatin preblems came to a halt whenhe eceived
$23,000 in small change shortly after Chicago Tri-
bune columnist Bob Greene asked each of his read-
ers to send a penny to Hayes so he could continue
going to college. People explained why they re-
sponded. A Mexican immigrant said sheadmired his
spirit because it typified America. A family wrote that
their son died before he got to college. And some
wrote, "See to it that Bob Greene printseyour grades."
Hayes, an Illinois-Champaign freshman chemistry
major, says he feels "an extra incentive to do well"
for his iovestors. Ricky Young, Daily
Northwestern, Northwestern U., IL
Literacy project draws volunteers... More
than 200 students applied for ten volunteer positions
at the Western Mass Literacy Project to teach illiter-
ate adults to read. The University Internship Office
says 29 million Americans, one-in-six, don't read
well enough to function effectively. "I have three
extra hours to give ... I'd rather help people than go
out and spend all my money on drinks," says Lori
Zetlin, one of the ten volunteers who will receive
college credit for her work. .Anthony Padova-
no, Collegian, U. of Mass., Amherst
Shuttle service meets disabled students'
eeds... Kansas State . offers temporarily or
permanently physically limited students ad faculty
members a unique Shuttle Bus Service free of
charge. Since the Shuttle began transporting stu-
dents from building to building in 1982, every shut-
tle driver has been disabled. Mark Innes, the current
driver who also helps students to their classes and
sometimes picks up tests and assignments, says to
his passengers: "Slow down, take your time and be
careful." .Shawn Dorsch, Collegian, Kan-
sas State U.
Students campaign to fight MS nation-
wide... The National Multiple Sclerosis Society's
Students against MS Campaign will take place on
175 campuses this year. SAMS will kick off its
fundraising with 'Skip-a-Meal for MS.' a national
one-day event. Students will forego lunch and dn-
ate the cost. In another fundraising event, students
will impersonate their favorite rock stars in a lip-
synch competition. The campus raising the most
money to help the 250,000 MS sufferers in America
will appear in an on-campus program to be road-
castonrMTV. Velante, U. of South Dakota
Greeks start nationwide fundraiser to end
hunger... At Ball State U., 17 fraternities and
sororities have set up a $1-a-month fundraising
effort called Greek Vision to assist the hungry which
they hope will catch on nationwide. If each of the
450000 Grees in America gave St a month tu
Greek Vision, that's six million dollars a year_
making it one of the largest world relief organizations
in the country. "Famine is not natural," says Aaron
Maze, founder of Greek Vision. "It's economic. It's
political, and it's stoppable." .Laura Corwin,
Daily News, al State U., IN
Student amigos go to work in Latin Amer-
ica... Brian Grimm, a senior at Kent State U. spent
last summer working or a community sanitation
project in Ecuador. Junior Diane Becker spent hers
educating Paraguayans about dental hygiene and
oral rehydratio. Senior Brian Clouse was busy
building concrete floors in the Dominican Republic.
These students were all volunteers for Amigos de
las Americas. a private, non-profit rganzation that
sends voluteers to several LatAmerica countries
for public health projects. Amigos has since sent
over 10,000 volunteers to Central and South Amer-
ica. Volunteers receive training in Spanish, Latin
American culture, first aid and CP, and participate
in the fundraising which finances the trip. "You get
to see a different side of the culture ... You're living
it (poverty), not just seeing it from the window of a
bus," Clouse said. "It made me realize how lucky we
are ... we take what we have for granted." .Matt
Keley, The Daily Kent Stater, Kent
State U., OH
Student with NYPIRG slows down taxi driv-
ers... OneAlbanytaxicab driver should be kicking
himself for taking the wrong person for a ride.
Freshman Andrew Greenblatt with a group of SUNYA
students took a cab from a downtownbus station to
the uptown campus. ach student was charged $3.
Though he paid the excessive charge with protest.
Greenblatt felt the high prices merited investigation.
The then-student volunteer at SUNYA's New York
Public Interest Group (NYPIRG) headed a project
through the group examining Albany taxi rates.
The results, gathered through surveys and field
investigation, created quite a media uproar when
they charged local taxis with consistently overcharg-
ing their riders, especially students. The story hit the
local papers, radio and television stations. Not bad
for a freshman. And his nevt project? Corrupt politi-
cians and campaign funding. What else?
Roderick M. Williams, Albany State
Press, SUNY-Albany
Big buddies learn by sharing
By Susan Garman
The Eagle
American U., D.C.
Twice a week the Big Buddy Program
at American U. (AU) brings 15 fourth,
fifth and sixth graders to spend an
afternoon with AU students doing
homework, playing games and learning
a little bit about life outside their neigh-
borhood.
Begun 15 years ago as a tutorial prog-
ram, Big Buddy has come to offer some-
thing more than help with homework.
The 30 inner-city schoolchildren who
participate in the program have each
found a special friend at AU whom they
can count on and trust.
Eleven-year-old Decondi has already
decided to call AU junior Paul Scheiman
his big brother. As the oldest in his fami-
ly, Decondi wants someone older who he
can turn to for answers, Scheiman said.
Also an oldest child, he says he can
understand Decondi's need.
The most important thing Scheiman
can offer his little buddy is a positive
male role model. Most of the older males
in Decondi's neighborhood are into
drugs or hang out on the streets, Schei-
man says. He wants to expose Decondi
to people who like to learn. "Their
neighborhood is very stifling. The kids
don't understand actually wanting to go
to school."
While a big emphasis is placed on
learning, Big Buddy's main objective is
to have fun, says sophomore Virginia
Lee Bradshaw. Bradshaw, one of the
program's three directors, says most of
the games and activities are education-
al. A recent scavenger hunt helped the
kids learn about the buildings on cam-
pus. And a clowning workshop is plan-
ned to show the kids how to "clown"
around and teach them to know when
it's not appropriate.to kid around.
During the weekly visit, the first
priority is to do homework. Afterward, if
there's time, they can do other activities
such as playing sports, baking cookies,
playing chess or learning how to use a
computer. The buddies don't watch tele-
vision or play video games, Bradshaw
says. One of the program objectives is to
get the kids to do things they wouldn't
Buddies Dave Kueller (left) and Anthony Kay with 'brothers' Deloshia and
normally be doing. A lot of the children,
she says, spend the afternoons they
aren't with their big buddies at home
watching television.
"The first thing I do is my homework,"
says 11-year-old Eugene. This is his
third year in the program and he says
working on his homework with his big
buddy, Tim, has helped him a lot.
Eugene says he wants to be a surgeon
some day.
Scheiman says it takes commitment.
"A lot of people think that since this is
not a class they can blow it off," he says.
But this defeats one of the program's
goals which is to offer the children some
stability.
"It also takes patience," Scheiman
says, "in the sense of being willing to get
to know the kid you are with."
Most of the little buddies do have
very close relationships with their big
buddies. It's common for the kids to call
their big buddy at home almost every
day, Bradshaw says.
AU students have found that they
have a lot to gain as well. Through his f
experiences in the program, Scheiman
says he has been given the opportunity
to see "how the other half lives."
He remembers his freshman year rid-
ing the van through the Southeast and
having one of the little boys sitting next
to him point out, "This is where they
mug people." The boy explained that he
didn't get beaten up because he knew
the right people.
Scheiman says it's hard to believe the
lifestyle Decondi comes from. "Com-
pared to him I've had everything hand-
ed to me on a silver platter."
Decondi and his buddy may lead very
different lives, but together they are
helping each other learn a little more
about life. Scheiman says, "It gives me a
good feeling seeing Decondi have a good
time and seeing his face light up when
he sees me."
Staff writer Andi Azzolina contri-
buted to this story .
GSLs
Continued From Page 9
Congress approved changes in the
Higher Education Act last year, making
sure GSLs are provided only to lowest
income students. The 22-year-old prog-
ram was originally designed to help
middle-income families. Previously,
any student whose family income was
$30,000 or less was automatically
eligible.
Under the new law, GSLs are now
need-based, requiring all applicants to
take a financial needs test. Assets of
students and their families are consi-
dered in the analysis of how much fami-
lies are able to pay for college. All stu-
dents under the age of 24 at Dec. 31,
1987, with some exceptions, are now
automatically considered dependent
under federal regulations. Including
these assets has increased the re-
sources some families are considered to
have available to pay for college.
The new laws did, however, raise the
limit of money available to students.
The annual maximum students can
receive increased from $2,500 to $2,625
per year for freshmen and sophomores,
from $2,500 to $4,000 for juniors and
seniors, and from $5,000 to $7,000 for
graduate students.
Students are only eligible for this in-
crease if they requested the program
limit $2,500 in 1986-87. A student re-
questing less would be eligible for no
more than the amount applied for.
With the changes and reductions in
GSLs, parents and students may be
looking to other governmental loan
programs or to private loans with less
attractive repayment terms and higher
interest rates than the GSL.
According to Retha Smith, Kent State
student financial aid officer, students
are having to give up their work-study
program to increase their GSLs.
"This year with the family income,/
assets and other institutional money
aid (work-study) combining to form ex-
pected family contribution, students
are reducing institutional aid to receive
more GSL money," Smith said.
Fridge
Continued From Page 9
with 12 refrigerators, which might not
have been so bad if they hadn't mil-
dewed.
This year, Wadley is wiser and more
experienced, having learned to leave
the refrigerator doors open when not in
use. Though he took a $400 loss last
year, Wadley said it comes with the
territory. "It's just something you have
to put up with-a loss for the first year
or two-to getyour business on its feet."
Wadley describes himself as a "di-
verse, open-minded, laid back dude.
Like, probably too laid back.
"I don't get into greek life or anything
like that. I just like to meet a lot of
people and stuff."
Wadley plans on being successful, but
not if it turns him into a new-generation
Yuppie. "I'd love to have a lot of money
and everything, but if it ever changed
me like that I'd -be pretty upset."
"I don't like to think of myself as
mainstream--conformist or anything,"
Wadley continued. "I'd like to be like the
mayor of Isla Vista (near Santa Bar-
bara), only with lots of money. You,
know-the guy who sits around the
park listening to his radio all day."