I was (not) a (teenage) election judge

        Ah springtime, when a man’s fancy turns to… politics. At least that’s what happened to me.
   In an ever-ongoing attempt to broaden my experiential horizons, I took advantage of an open casting call regarding election judges for the March 21 primary and fooled enough people to get me in. For most of my life, I have been a sideline observer of the process, but in keeping with a resolution to become involved, plunged in.
   The major requirement was to attend a few hours of training that mostly centered on the new voting machine equipment that was making its large-scale debut in Illinois. Brought about by the 2000 Florida debacle and the resulting HAVA (Help America Vote Act), passed in 2002, the computer technology would hopefully eliminate chads, hanging, pregnant or whatever, from the lexicon. It was in this school that I learned anyone voting age could be a judge, and even some under-voting age high schoolers could, provided they possessed a high enough grade point average and the permission of their principal. I don’t know who these devoted kids are, but it certainly wasn’t me at that age.
   Required to be at my designated polling place by 5 a.m. to set up, the day didn’t start very smoothly with the weather predictions of five to eight inches of snow actualizing. Primaries tend to lag in attendance before the addition of complications. On top of this, I was teamed with a Robert Morris College graphic design major, herself a first time judge as while, so we would be flying by the seat of our pants.
   In truth, the 103rd district was housed in the same building as the 102nd, with three experienced and helpful judges so there was a safety net, though we would not end up being challenged much during the course of the day.
   Over the official 13 hours (6 a.m. to 7 p.m.), 68 people voted in person at our location. Most were unfamiliar with the new method of voting, though most seemed fairly satisfied afterwards. The old truism about older citizens being more likely to vote generally bore out.
   The only disappointment, if it can be called that, was the number of people. Of a possible 515 listed for the 103rd, less than 14 percent voted. Snow probably accounted for some, but I’ve heard that past primaries ranged around 30-35 percent. This election was about 19 percent, so we were at the low end even then.
   After the polls closed, judges take the counted ballots, materials and equipment back to the courthouse to be tallied and secured. Upon entering the building and getting in the long line with other judges already there to perform the same duty, running the length of the building and twisting around a corner started me to thinking. The phrase “X amount of districts have reported in” has a new and profound meaning. All in all, it ended up being about a 16-hour day.
   General William Tecumseh Sherman is credited with the saying “Vox Populi, Vox Humbug.” Sherman, a patriot but no fan of the political process, is more famously remembered for his oft-quoted declaration “If nominated, I will not run; If elected, I will not serve” in regards to any personal political future.
   Fourteen, 19 or even 35 percent can be a bit discouraging as a voice of the people goes, but this is the manner in which our representative democracy functions. I was honored to be an election judge, and if in the future I am able to, I will again. I hope General Sherman will understand.

Can citizenship and our nation's corporate "climate" coexist

By Ron Felten - Columnist

Believe it or not, the end of the semester is fast approaching. And, for those of us who are graduating in May, that also means we have the incredibly unpleasant responsibility of looking for – and hopefully obtaining – gainful employment.
Now, I’ve had office jobs before and I’ve worked in a bookstore; I’ve shoveled dirt for next to no cash and I’ve cleaned up vomit in bathroom stalls; I’ve peddled tacky kitsch for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and, yes, I’ve even had a third-shift security guard job at a car lot. And if I’ve learned anything from all of these experiences, it’s that I never want to have any of them again. Ever.
This time around, I’m determined to do things right. I’m only going to apply for jobs that I actually want, not ones I would just settle for. More importantly, though, I’m only going to look for positions which allow – no, encourage – me to be a productive and responsible citizen. Remember citizenship?
Good citizenship entails a sense of responsibility. That is, a good citizen looks out for his fellow citizens as though they were members of his or her own family. Furthermore, a good citizen puts the needs of his or her community before those of exploitative corporations and, in turn, obscenely large paychecks.
With this in mind, I’ve already applied for positions with several nonprofit organizations and for jobs through the federally-organized and -funded AmeriCorps, which is sometimes referred to as the domestic Peace Corps.
But this week’s column is not about me; nor is it really even about what I think you should look for in a career of your own (as if I am some kind of authority). But I do have a quick little anecdote that I think speaks to the current “corporate climate” of our once-great nation.
The other week, I had an interview for a position with the Homeless Education Program, a division (more or less) of the Chicago Public Schools. HEP aims to provide the city’s thousands of homeless school-aged children with the same resources and quality education that everyone else receives and, when one considers the effects on a child of constantly changing residences (for every move in residence, it is estimated that a child loses the equivalent of about six months of education), he or she can see why this organization’s work is so important.
Yet the federal government, for whatever reason, doesn’t seem to agree. Now, technically, AmeriCorps jobs (of which this HEP position is one) are considered to be volunteer gigs. But since this position, like many others in the AmeriCorps program, requires a full-time commitment, a stipend or living allowance of some kind is essential and, likewise, is provided.
During my interview, the HEP manager broke the news: the yearly “salary” for this position would be approximately $10,000. Now, I’m not sure how familiar you are with Chicago’s rental rates and general living expenses, but $10,000 (pre-tax) is only enough money to cover rent and utility costs on a very modest studio apartment, leaving enough cash for one to eat on less than $3 a day. And that’s it. There would be no money left over for car insurance, fuel, a Christmas present for one’s mother, deodorant, a charitable donation or even enough money to go to see only one movie during the year.
I lead a relatively frugal life and even I would find it nearly impossible to make ends meet with this type of stipend. I’m only half-joking when I suggest that I probably would be more poor than some of the very people I would be hired to help.
On to my point: How can the federal government justify this kind of wage, especially for such an important position? Again, AmeriCorps is technically a volunteer organization but, since these are full-time occupations, one must be fairly and adequately compensated when serving. Or at least they should be.
I wrote a column last semester about our nation’s priorities (in regards to the military’s attempts to recruit both high school and college students) and, yet again, here we are faced with one warped set of “values.”
The United States, according to the Boston Globe, is spending well over $1 billion each week on the war in Iraq. And as of this month, according to the Rutland Herald, “The National Priorities Projects (NPP) calculates that over $237 billion have been spent on the war, with President Bush asking [Congress] for $72 billion more.” That would put our three-year total at more than $300 billion.
There’s no need for me to even go into the politics of this war; most of us now realize how unnecessary and irresponsible it is. And while Bush’s logic of “completing the mission” seems naïve and ignorant to nearly everyone but him, he somehow thinks throwing even more money at the problem will somehow fix it.
But what else could our nation do with $300 billion? This is a question, for the sake of perspective, we each should be considering. With the average cost of a public four-year university education hovering around $22,000, the government could use that $300 billion to help over 13.5 million students earn a college degree “free” of charge. Instead, we’ve used it to impose a sham government in Iraq and to kill an estimated 35,000 civilian Iraqis.
Back here in the U.S., though, it is estimated that 3.5 million Americans are homeless. $300 billion would be enough money to provide food, shelter and job skills training to each homeless person (at $42,500 per individual) for two full years.
At the very least, one would think this government, which is led by a president who loves to frame issues in terms of good, evil and morality, would permit programs like the HEP and AmeriCorps to offer their full-time “volunteers” – who, after all, are trying to be responsible and productive citizens – a simple living wage. That is, or at least it used to be, the right and American thing to do.

Counselor's Corner

By Valerie Scarbrough- Counseling Center GA

For those of you who don’t know, March is National Women’s History Month.  Now why would a counselor bring up National Women’s History Month to write about, you may be asking?  I know you think that I am going to write about Jane Addams, the mother of social work.  Nope, my focus will be on Carrie Nation, the mother of the hatchet. 
Carrie Nation was one of the first women to become active in the temperance movement in the late 1800s-early 1900s.  Her first husband had been an alcoholic who died at the age of 29 from alcoholism, leaving Carrie, who was 21 at that time, and the mother of an infant daughter. 
His death and Carrie’s “divine calling” led her to smashing saloons all over the country.  From 1900 to 1910, Carrie was arrested 30 times for destroying saloons with her hatchet.  Carrie stood nearly six feet tall and weighed around 180 pounds and wielded a powerful swing.  She was known for the phrase, “smash, ladies, smash.”  Carrie became a member of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, which later on took on societal issues such as health, hygiene, prison reform and world peace.
Today we still have very important women who are champions working in all of these areas.  The difference is that women working in the field of substance abuse, prevention and treatment, no longer carry hatchets.  I certainly don’t carry a hatchet in my role as the Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention Coordinator here on campus.  My role here on campus is to assist students who may or may not be referred because of alcohol concerns or infractions and to assess and educate on the effects of alcohol and drugs on the student, the campus and society at large.  Another part of my job is to assist people who drink to drink responsibly.   
When someone drinks or takes drugs to excess, there are many factors that need to be addressed.  First of all gathering usage history–how their usage affects them, how it is affects their school work and university demands.  Are there health issues to consider?  Is there a family history of substance abuse? 
It is my belief that people do not make positive changes in their life if you are mentally beating them down (today’s version of the hatchet).  Positive changes come with positive reinforcement, education and knowledge. 
Are you concerned about your alcohol consumption?  Are you concerned about someone else’s usage of alcohol?  April is Alcohol Awareness Month.  The Counseling Center will be conducting an alcohol screening on April 12 in PAC rooms C & D.  I am also located in the Human Relations Building, room 64, if you just want to stop by and obtain more information concerning alcoholism or substance abuse.  I promise, I don’t have a hatchet.

Seeing is believing when it comes to natural disaster damage down South

By Heather Shaffer - Editor in Chief

I didn’t think it would hit me this hard. 
I mean, I saw the damage that hurricanes Katrina and Rita caused when they ripped through the South last year when I watched CNN and the nightly news.  And since my sister was evacuated from her apartment for weeks because of Hurricane Katrina, you would think I would have had a more firm grasp of the affects of the Hurricane damage.
But, it never really hit me how terrible this disaster really was until I saw the destruction with my own eyes and heard the people most affected talk about it.
Over Spring Break, I traveled to Dauphin Island, Ala., to visit my sister, who is a graduate student at the University of South Alabama. 
Admittedly, I wasn’t traveling to the South for philanthropic reasons like the many generous UIS students who donated their time over Spring Break to hurricane relief efforts.  I was going for a much-needed break.  With the prospects of demanding graduate school or a full-time job on the horizon, I was determined to make my senior year Spring Break the best ever.
I first saw Hurricane Katrina damage when my sister drove me around Dauphin Island the day after I arrived.  I couldn’t believe what I saw. 
On the west end of the island, entire rows of what used to be high-dollar, waterfront houses were completely destroyed.  All that remained were broken water lines, leaning stilts and debris.  Some lucky families still had houses standing, but even those suffered severe damage.  At the time of my visit, nearly six months after the hurricanes ripped through the Gulf, crews were still working to clear the damage.
A few days into my vacation, my sister and I started off at the early hour of 9 a.m. (terribly early for two college students) to travel the two and a half hours along Interstate 10 from Mobile, Ala., to New Orleans for St. Patrick’s Day. 
The destruction was evident, even from the highway.  All along the route we saw rows of trees completely broken off or missing; signs and billboards were leaning or completely gone; garbage bags full of debris lined the highway for several miles near Biloxi, Miss.
Once we made it to the outskirts of New Orleans, the damage progressed in my eyes from evident to unbelievable.  We saw entire neighborhoods boarded up and abandoned.  Roofs wrapped in blue tarps lined the horizon as far as we could see.
Miraculously, the French Quarter looked almost untouched.  Patrons lined the streets and filled the shops determined to have a good time.  But, it was very evident that the tragedy is still very much on the minds of the New Orleans residents, and understandably so. 
While wandering through a farmer’s market downtown, my sister and I overheard a vendor talking with a couple about how her husband had at first refused to leave the New Orleans area.  Finally, the woman was able to convince her husband they needed to leave when meteorologists were predicting the hurricane was going to hit New Orleans head-on.
The couple asked the woman how she decided what to take with her when she evacuated.  I’ll never forget her response:  “When something like this happens, you don’t even think; you just pack a bag and go.”
My sister and I don’t make it a habit to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations, but nonetheless, we overhead another memorable discussion while awaiting the start of the St. Patrick’s Day parade.  A couple with a young child began talking with an elderly couple sitting next to us.  They were telling the elderly couple about how Hurricane Katrina destroyed all of their possessions, forcing them to live in a FEMA trailer.  I can’t even image losing all of my possessions and having to start completely over like that.
Our day trip to New Orleans left me saddened, yet uplifted at the same time.  I was impressed by the New Orleans residents’ refusal to let the hurricane get the best of their city.
The next day we traveled to Biloxi for a chance to win (or more realistically, lose) money at a casino.  The damage there too was unbelievable.  Along the water there used to be dozens of casino and now all of them are gone.  Only two have made enough progress in their rebuilding efforts to reopen.
It hit me the hardest in Biloxi when we were leaving the casino to drive home.  We drove through an area that was lined with what I thought were recreational vehicles.  I turned to my sister and said, “Hey look, we are in an RV park.”  My sister gave me an awkward side glance and said quietly, “Heather, I think those are all FEMA trailers.”
Throughout my trip, my heart was continually uplifted by the perseverance of many of those affected by the hurricane.  In all of the places I visited, I saw people and businesses rapidly attempting to rebuild their homes and community.  A sign in front of the Beau Rivage Casino in Biloxi summed it up nicely.  It read, “Together we will rebuild our community.”
Sadly, I don’t think the disaster of last year became “real” to me until I saw it for myself, up-close and in person.  The images of the destruction I saw during my trip will probably stay with me forever. 
Everyone should take the opportunity to travel to the South, whether with the intent to help with relief efforts or just to see the destruction.  I promise it will be a life-changing experience.

The importance of conferences

By Ashley Rook - General Assignment Reporter

Last month, I was offered the opportunity to attend the Conference On Student Government Associations in College Station, Texas, with five members of our UIS SGA.  After some consideration and the misconception that a 17-hour car ride would actually be a fun road trip, I decided to attend and was pleased to find that COSGA was one of the most positive and inspirational experiences of my college career.   
COSGA is one of many conferences offered to college students who are interested in student leadership and have a desire to make their respective universities better places to live and learn.  As one who has attended several of these conferences, I am always amazed at the enthusiasm, commitment and intelligence of the other student attendees.  Changing your university for the better and getting your peers involved is no easy task, but conferences like COSGA are a great way to learn practical skills and be exposed to new ideas by networking with and learning from other student leaders.
Sponsored by Texas A&M University, COSGA was host to 85 colleges from around the country of all types and sizes.  The daily agenda was divided between relevant and informative workshops and roundtables, guest speakers and social and networking events and all were extremely helpful.  The workshops and roundtables, which were headed and presented by fellow students, covered such topics as tuition and fees, strategic leadership, student organization funding and campus diversity.  As I listened to other students speak about the problems they encountered at their schools and share what approaches and methods worked for them, I gained a lot of useful practical knowledge on how to improve our university.
By the end of the conference, a quote from one of the featured speakers, Bob Tucker, still stood out in my mind: “You may come from a small school, but you are not small.”  At UIS, our small size and close-knit community give us an advantage that few other students can claim.  We have the power to be more involved and to stand out as leaders in our school community, which is a privilege we should all take advantage of.  With the inspiration and knowledge we can gain from leadership conferences, we can all exercise leadership and make UIS a better living and learning community. 

CPL program gives students a leg up

By Joseph Winner - CPL GA

Shannon O’Connor, an online liberal studies undergraduate student living in New Jersey, recently successfully completed AST 401: Prior Learning Portfolio Development, offered by UIS for four credit hours in the Credit for Prior Learning program at UIS. She wanted to share her experience of CPL, what CPL meant to her and what CPL could mean for you.
How did she make her way to UIS from New Jersey? She had this to say, “When I decided to go back to school, I looked online for a state school that offered online-only programs at a reasonable cost, as well as lifetime learning credit opportunities. Private schools would have been too costly, and I don’t trust the “for-profit” schools that get so much attention. The UIS program was exactly what I needed.” O’Connor is a great example of the type of student UIS is uniquely positioned to assist.
The impact O’Connor’s CPL experience had on her life is that it gave her a clear view of her lifelong learning and how it shaped and influenced her life. “I have a much better picture of my educational experience since the CPL course,” she said. “Describing and writing about my experience made me focus on not only what I learned but also its application in my life and my career.”
O’Connor wanted to share some thoughts with students who might be interested in taking the Credit for Prior Learning class. “Take a critical, objective look at the experiences you are considering for credit. Be sure they reflect college-level learning, but don’t shortchange yourself, either.” College level learning can be defined as a learning experience in which the material or information learned can be implemented in other venues from that in which it was learned.
She concluded with the statement, “It’s never too late to finish your degree! I’ll be 38 when I graduate, but I would have been 38 no matter what. I’d rather get my degree at 38 than never!” O’Connor is on track to a rewarding future in which her dreams and goals are realized, and CPL is glad to have assisted her along her way.
UIS offers a four-credit hour course through the Applied Study Program: AST 401 Prior Learning Portfolio Development, which is available on campus and online. For more information, please stop by the Credit for Prior Learning program in BRK 482 or call the coordinator of Credit for Prior Learning at 206-6695 or e-mail ippolito.adriel@uis.edu
To be eligible for the CPL process, students must be admitted to UIS, declare a major and have junior standing, i.e. completed 60 credit hours of credit and have completed 12 credit hours in their major. Students who are considering the Credit for Prior Learning program should discuss their plans with their academic program advisor and determine how their experiential learning fits into their academic program.

Winners of Outstanding AST Award announced

By Bill White - AST GA

The Applied Study Program is proud to announce the recipients of the Outstanding AST Award.  They are (alphabetically): Amy Ballinger-Cole, Lori Harrison, Diana Meister, and Tammie Williams.
Winners of this award were judged on the work they completed as part of their AST experiences.  Evidence of self-learning, personal growth, reflection and new skills were key elements in making the final decision.
Amy Ballinger-Cole is a liberal studies major, giving her a vast array of opportunities for her AST.  Ultimately she performed her internship through the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives, working on their publication Illinois Country Living Magazine; the placement was a perfect fit.  “As a liberal studies major, I feel that it is important in any job to be able to write, speak and interact with others in a way which conveys intelligence and purpose.  This internship has no doubt helped me refine all three of those skills.”
Ballinger-Cole worked under the supervision of Assistant Editor Michelle McNeal.  She was assigned to write a number of stories for publication, and was exposed to the work of editing, photography and graphic design.  In addition to learning new skills, she also discovered important aspects of her own personality and interests.  “With each story that I wrote, I tended to put an emotional spin on the topic.  I found myself to be very oriented to relationships with people in this position.”
Accounting major Lori Harrison was similarly enlightened at a personal level by her AST experience.  “The most important aspect of all for me was determining whether working together would hinder my relationship with my husband…the opposite is actually true.  Somehow, our interaction at work seems to have created a greater mutual respect for one another.”
Harrison worked at Home Appliance Center in Decatur, a small business owned by her husband’s parents.  She determined to put her accounting skills to the test while also examining her desire and ability to work within a close-knit enterprise.  She was also exposed to the operation side of the business.  “I have learned the procedures for order placements, how to verify accuracy of receipts/invoices and how to deal with suppliers concerning merchandise defects and or invoice errors.”
Diana Meister is a participant in the UIS business management program at the Peoria campus.  Meister’s internship was arranged within her workplace, the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria.  Her assignment was to create an orientation document for academic employees in the Department of Biomedical and Therapeutic Sciences, helping to smooth the transition of foreign nationals who work at the university.  “My confidence in dealing with cultural diversity, University policies and systems, immigration regulations often difficult situations has been strengthened,” she said. Meister’s personal growth was also impacted by her AST.  “I cannot sufficiently express how my confidence level has been strengthened.”
Another management student from the Peoria campus, Tammie Williams was also awarded the Outstanding AST award.  Her internship was performed within the construct of her promotion to operations coordinator at CGN and Associates.  Through this transition in her employment, Williams was able to develop managerial skills in delegation and coaching, as well as to enhance her own written and verbal skills.  She was also chosen to spearhead a new program at her company, putting her in contact with other executives and giving her the opportunity to present new ideas to them.
The AST office has recently received a number of paid internship opportunities through the Illinois Cooperative Work Study Program.  These positions offer a variety of opportunities for students to put theory into practice and make important professional and personal developments along the way.  Furthermore, these placements pay $9/hour, making them both lucrative and competitive.  If you are interested in these or other AST opportunities, contact the AST office at 206-6640, or stop into Brookens 482 for more information.

Ways to relieve college stress besides smoking

By Michelle Burger - Sangamon County Department of Public Health

Assignment deadlines, speeches, midterms, finals, work and family life are all major contributors to stress. Stress can come from a wide variety of different sources and conveniently hit all at the same time.
When thinking about stress relief options as you enter the college environment, your freedom of choice becomes greatly expanded.  Personal choices and decisions do not have to be approved by your parents or guardians and sometimes you are left with many choices on how to get the stress out of your way.
Some college students begin smoking to relieve the stressors in their lives. Smoking has risen significantly in the college population over the years. Tobacco advertising and marketing has had an impact on the growing number of college students that are current smokers and also regular smokers that begin after the age 19. The media plays a big role in this by portraying young, popular characters smoking in many different mediums such as movies, magazines, soap operas, sitcoms and even sponsoring public entertainment events.
Seeing these images constantly gives us a false perception of what most college students are doing to relieve stress. In reality, many college students find other ways to vent and release their frustrations by calling a friend, exercising, watching a movie, going out to eat, etc.  If you are interested in quitting and want some free help, call the Illinois Tobacco Quitline. The Quitline is toll-free number staffed by registered nurses and respiratory therapist that have extensive experience in these areas. The Quitline is funded by the American Lung Association and the Illinois Department of Public Health. Also, don’t forget to stop by the Sangamon County Dept. of Public Health’s booth at the UIS Health Fair to register for a Memorial Medical Center’s QuitSmart certificate ($150 value) and free goodies!
Information used in this article is provided by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission-http://www.cancer.org.  The phone number for the Sangamon County Department of Public Health is 535-3100.

Phoning it in

So Ron it's Right

Counselor's Corner

Seeing is believing when it comes to natural disaster damage down south

The importance of conferences

CPL program gives students a leg up

Winners of outstanding AST award announced

Ways to relieve college stress besides smoking