By Mike Decker

Most college students aren’t following the news of North Korea’s escalation of nuclear threats to the West unless they have ties to that region of the world.

Being born to South Korean parents and adopted by American parents, Andrew Ingraham, 27, of Michigan State University, gas made time to follow the news coming out of North Korea.  “I keep in touch with friends in South Korea though my adoption agency,” said Ingraham.

“There will probably be some kind of skirmish at some point involving a missile launch to demonstrate force by the North,” said Ingraham.

Carson Mutchler, 23, of Michigan State University watches the situation from a distance. “Because it does not affect me directly,” he said.

Social media was one way in which some of the students stayed informed.

Andres Martinez, 27, of Sanford Brown College, has minimally followed the story, and mostly via social media through news articles posted on Facebook or Twitter.

Samantha Sanchez, 23, of Grand Rapids Community College works two jobs and attends classes. “So I don’t really pay attention to that,” she said.

Most students felt it was a situation that until something worsened it was not worth paying attention to at the current time.

By Royal Maxwell

Four Western Michigan University students who eat in the Valley cafeterias say that the hours and the food selections are too limited, and the employees are discourteous.

Justin Sanders, 18, an accounting major at WMU, voiced his distaste of the hours, which are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on the weekends.)

“Why does the café close so early on the weekends? We are grown as hell!” said Sanders.

Larry Johnson, 22, a business major at WMU, disagrees with the limited food selection.

“They should have a bigger selection of food and condiments. It’s too repetitive. They have the same stuff every other day,” said Johnson. Johnson described how tired he is of the same stale burgers for lunch and the hard pancakes in the morning.

“It should at least be freshly cooked!” said Johnson.

Dakia Tinsley, 20, a pre-med major at WMU, feels the workers aren’t doing their jobs well enough.

“Some of the workers are too unfriendly and it seems like they slack… the cups and spoons be having smudges on them too; it’s just nasty,” said Tinsley.

Ollie Wilkie, 19, a physical therapy major at WMU, summed up his dislike for the system’s lack of food.

“It seems like this system is set up for middle-schoolers. I do a lot of my eating late, and this carryout isn’t enough for me,” said Wilkie. Wilkie is referring to the late night dinner system in which students receive a bag of chips a sub, a piece of fruit, and a drink.

By William Wagner

william.m.wagner@wmich.edu

Three students at Western Michigan University are examples of the various ways that students fund their college education.

Some have school covered by scholarships, awards, jobs, or parents.

Joseph Linke, a 23-year-old elementary education major, said that he is in a great amount of debt after ten semesters at WMU.  Linke pays close to $18,000 a semester, all of which comes out of federal, private, and Parent Plus loans.

Link expects to be paying off his student debt for 15 to 20 years after graduation.

“I think it’s part of life,” said Linke.  “They either need to make school cheaper, or pay teachers more.”

Megan Raedy, a 22-year-old senior double majoring in music education and Spanish, has an easier time with her college expenses.  Ready said that her parents pay for her entire experience at WMU.

“I feel blessed that I can focus on my career after university rather than worry about my past debt,” said Ready.

Eliot Hedeman, a 21-year-old junior majoring music performance, is one of the lucky ones whose parents planned ahead and saved money for his six semesters at WMU.

Hedeman said that scholarships, grants, and his job also keep him clear of having student debt.

“I’m really lucky that I was born into a family that was willing to plan ahead, and that I could work hard to be out of debt’s way,” said Hedeman.

By Devin Girbach

Students at Western Michigan University are reacting positively and negatively to two fees that involved campus media and aviation students last Wednesday.

In March, students voted on whether or not they would like to spend an extra $5 a semester to fund three on-campus media groups.  They also voted on an $8 semester fee to pay for shuttle transportation to Battle Creek for students in WMU’s College of Aviation.

The nature of the fees remains controversial among some students who think that they shouldn’t have to pay more per semester for services that they’re not even using.

Brendan Adams, 19, an accounting major at WMU, is one person who doesn’t agree with the fees.

“I don’t like it,” Adams said. “I’m not an aviation student.  Even though it’s not a large fee, I don’t think I should have to pay extra for things that I’m not going to use.”

Not all of the reception was negative, however.  Jacob Ermete, 20, a communication major, said that he doesn’t mind the fee.

“It doesn’t bother me,” Ermete said.  “At the end of the day, those fees are so minimal in comparison to everything else that we pay for that we won’t even notice them.”

Some students have even reacted positively to the media fee.

“I’m glad to help out,” said Jalen Richards, 21, a business major at WMU. “If it’s helping to keep those student organizations alive, I’m all for it.”

The announcement that the fees had been passed came with 63 percent of voters saying “yes.”

The additional $5 a semester media fee will help fund a streamlined campus media operation that will share a governing board, according to Ambrosia Neldon, news editor for the Western Herald.

The voting for the $8 transportation fee for aviation fee passed with a 61 percent approval rate.

By Tommy de Jongh

Students come from all over the world to attend Western Michigan University. The exams given at Western may be very difficult for those international students due to cultural differences.

“I have no problem with exams although it gives me time pressure,” said Kamil Jebur, an Arabic graduate student at WMU. “No problem studying and prepping for it.”

Jebur also said that timed exams at Western need to be longer because English is not the first language for most international students and it takes them more time to finish the test.

International students also have different opinions about what exams they prefer to take depending on where they are from.

“I believe multiple choice is not a good evaluation; I prefer short answer because it is easier to write analysis,” said Shayan Nabeel, a graduate student from Afghanistan.

“For example, here they give us six questions and choose four; in Afghanistan they would make us do all ten,” Nabeel said.

Deogracious Upakawoth, a student from Uganda prefers something different .“Multiple choice is easier because when you see things from a list, it is easier to recognize,” said Upakawoth. “Where I’m from, exams are harder and ineffective but here they are [easier and effective].”

Yicheng Zhon, a graduate student from China, said he prefers final exams that are presentations of projects he’s worked on. “It helps me have deep expression of knowledge,” he said.

The international students also compared taking exams at Western to taking exams in their home countries. For some, exams at WMU are easier and for others they are not.

“In Uganda you must really study everything,” Upakawoth said. “Asking (a) teacher for help is considered cheating. There are no study guides. No multiple choice, mainly short answer, essays and sometimes matching.”

Fahad Dughalther of Saudi Arabia had this comparison:“Here there are many essay questions. In Saudi Arabia you answer more multiple choice questions.”

By Taja Cato-Jackson

Three Western Michigan University students had mixed views about student media and the student media vote taken in mid April.

The student media at Western Michigan University held a campus-wide vote, asking students if they would support the student media by paying an additional $5 per semester in tuition. The student media includes the campus newspaper, The Western Herald; WDIR, Western’s radio station; and the broadcasting group Young Broadcasters of Tomorrow.

Senior Christina Piper, a 22-year-old communication and gender and women’s studies double major,  said she could see the importance of student media, but do not know many people who use the resources.  She uses the resources when she has the time.  She said that she did not know about the vote.

“I didn’t see any advertising about it,” Piper said.

She said she would have voted if she knew. The 22-year-old student said she would not mind the additional $5 in tuition, but wanted more details and benefits that came from the fee.

Cammi Greene, a 19-year-old psychology major, thinks student media on campus is important, but doesn’t read it and thinks the way it is distributed is outdated.

“I would rather get the Western Herald on Facebook or another social media site,” the freshman said. While knowing about the vote, Greene did not vote.

Greene also said she found the additional $5 pointless. “Hardly anyone I know is interested in the student media. I don’t see a need to spend more money.”

Social work major Anna Tietz, 21, was only aware of the Western Herald as a campus news resource. She found the newspaper outdated, and suggested more electronic ways of getting information about campus besides getting it through email.

She also did not know about the social media vote. “I would have voted if I had seen more advertising and knew more about it.”

Tietz said she would not mind the additional $5 being placed in tuition.

By Christine Lena

Internships for Western Michigan University students are very important and beneficial for future job opportunities, according to a few interviewees.

Most students agree that they have looked for opportunities to intern at different types of facilities in the Kalamazoo area and know that holding an internship position is beneficial for their future.

Brittnay Fox, 19, a freshman studying child and family education, said that internships are great for building up a resume, getting work experience, and helping acquire a job. Fox has looked at getting an internship for the future.

“In my field, it’s tough to find one that’s accepting right now because it’s so competitive,” said Fox.  However, that the easiest part of the internship search, Fox said, has been that many places do accept interns.

Madeline Hyde, 21, a junior majoring in behavior analysis, said that the biggest positive of working as an intern is the experience it gives. However, she said the biggest downside is that there is no pay and this can keep students away from internships. Hyde also said that although she does not currently have an internship, she has been working a paying job that she considers as training in her field, as she is working at hospitals and psychiatric wards with people who are elderly.

Wendi Garcia, 18, a freshman studying speech pathology, said she also hasn’t had an internship but recently started looking for one in her field.  Garcia also said she is interested in internships because of the networking opportunities they offer. Garcia has discovered that for her field in particular, it is difficult to find internships.

“It’s hard to know where to look and where to start,” Garcia said. However, she added that a benefit to interning is getting a better idea of the field and know if it is the type of job she really wants to do or not.

By Rebecca Kramb

Alvaro Tomas, 22, of Clarkston, a fine art major, said that this topic was one that he tried to stay away from. “I’ve lost a couple of good friends over stuff like this.”

By Sheena Czyzewski

Mandatory health insurance is a good idea and they are even willing to pay for it, said three Western Michigan University students.

William McKinley, a 24-year-old aviation student at WMU, still has health insurance through his mother and hasn’t thought a lot about what he will do about insurance when he is no longer eligible to be on his mom’s plan.

McKinley said his tax dollars are already used on things he does not agree with, so if it started being used towards healthcare, he would be happy about it.

“Social Security is outdated and needs to be revised,” said McKinley. “Obamacare as a whole is needed for this country to control the cost of healthcare — but the problem is there are still people that won’t use it and will have to be carried out by the government.”

Laura Tomlinson, 20, an interpersonal communications student at WMU,  agreed that she would be willing to pay for mandatory health insurance with her tax dollars.

Tomlinson is covered on her parents’ insurance, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and says she doesn’t know anything about Social Security besides her Social Security number.

“Without health insurance, doctors’ appointments and hospital bills are so expensive; I know many people can’t afford to get the treatment they need, so I think mandatory health insurance would be great for people,” Tomlinson said.

Tomlinson agreed with McKinley that using tax dollars for health insurance would be more beneficial than some of the other things tax dollars go toward that she doesn’t necessarily agree with.

Leslie Wong, 27, an elementary education student at WMU, currently doesn’t have any type of health insurance. Wong works for a restaurant that does not offer health insurance and she is no longer eligible to be on her parents’ plan.

“I believe mandatory health insurance is a great idea, but with every great idea comes a problem, this needs to be followed by a mandatory amount of times an individual needs to see a doctor,” Wong said. “There are so many young people making excuses to see a doctor to get prescription drugs they do not need, doctors’ notes when they miss a class and so on.”

“Using tax dollars for health insurance would help all citizens in the long run,” Wong said.

By Dayna Calkins

Three Western Michigan University students have different opinions on whether Colorado shooter James Holmes should receive the death penalty charges he is facing.

On July 20, 2012, Holmes shot into a theater during the midnight premiere of the film The Dark Knight Rises.  Holmes released tear gas grenades and shot into the audience with multiple fire arms, killing 12 people and injuring 58 others.

Mary Croll, 20, who is a junior studying public relations at WMU, said she isn’t surprised that Holmes is up for the death penalty. “ I think he should get the death penalty. He killed a bunch of people and that affects all their family and friends, he should pay for what he did. It’s really sad and kind of random that it happened, we should maybe do something to prevent it.”

Croll said that she thinks that if someone deserves the death penalty, he or she should get it in situations such as this one. She thinks it should remain as a sentencing option.

Joe Stando, 24, a senior at WMU studying journalism, is more in favor of lifetime incarceration and is against the death penalty in general.

“At least in modern times, prison breaks are extremely uncommon so we don’t have the threat of people breaking out of jail and going on shootings,” Stando said.

He doesn’t think that Holmes should get the death penalty. “I do think he deserves a lifetime in prison, incarcerated doing hard labor or something. I don’t think the death penalty really solves anything.”

Lauren Vranich, 23, a senior at WMU studying public relations, thinks the death penalty is valid in cases such as mass shootings. “For something that massive, I believe that it’s deserved. He deserves the death penalty because if you can take someone else’s life so carelessly, then why should you be able to live?”

By Michael Pompey

An $8 tuition charge will be added to the bill of each Western Michigan University student to pay for an aviation transportation shuttle starting fall 2013.

The Equality in Transportation Initiative passed in early April. It will increase tuition for the entire student body although it primarily benefits aviation students who need transportation to the Battle Creek facility four to six times a week.

Matthew Carlson, 22, an aviation major, said, “I do think the $8 is fair, but I believe Western should pay for it.”

This shuttle will transport any students from Western’s campus to the airport in Battle Creek, where a few classes take place and required flying practices are held.

“I understand that the shuttle will be available to us,” said Bradley Johnson, 24, a senior at Western. “How often will student(s) need to go to Battle Creek who are not in that program?”

Preston Mayes, 21, an aviation major, said, “Western students have the benefit of public transportation paid for by the student body, why shouldn’t the College of Aviation have the same benefit?”

On average, this new shuttle will eliminate up to 444 car trips a day made by aviation students traveling back and forth from class, according to reports.

“The problem is many students only vote on an issue they want to see passed,” said Carlson.

By Kelli Lewis

Western Michigan University’s original campus, known as East Campus, is being considered for tear down within the next few months. Three WMU students are not happy with the university’s plan to demolish the school’s East Campus, and wonder how to take a stand against the plans.

Katy Kaugher, 21, an education student at WMU, was very unhappy when she heard the news about East Campus possibly being demolished.

“Both of my parents went to WMU, lived on East Campus, and attended classes there as well. It is not only part of Western’s history, but my family history as well,” said Kaugher.

She also stated how much she loves the buildings and has heard others make comments about how beautiful that part of campus is.

Meg Pairitz, 19, a student loves going on walks and exploring East Campus and would hate to see the beauty and history of it be destroyed.

“I know a lot of students are not happy about this. Most WMU students are informed on the issue, but don’t know how to take a stand,” said Pairitz.

Dana Hakim, 20, a communication student, was over on East Campus not long ago when she overheard a group of business men walking around discussing which buildings they want to tear down and how they want to replace the buildings with parking lots.

“This makes me livid,” said Hakim. “I can’t believe they are even considering tearing down WMU’s history to replace it with parking lots. I’d love to see them fix up the buildings and start having classes and residence halls there again.”

By Casey Clark

A few Western Michigan University students agree with the idea that tax-strapped states should be allowed to legally tax the sale of marijuana if the sales are approved by the citizens of that state.

“I think they should have taxes on marijuana to help these specific states raise money for other issues of concern within that state,” said Austin Currier, 23, a junior economic major at WMU.

Some reports state the revenue-generating potential of taxing the sales.

“I would say this proposed law would have a substantial benefit on schools in Michigan, and provide them with the supplies they desperately need,” said Austin Vochek, 21, a sophomore engineering major at WMU.

Paul Blaschke, 21, a junior engineering major at WMU, says he is OK with the law if the citizens of a state approve it.

“The benefits would be great for every state involved,” he said.

By Ben Usher

As bullets fly over the gun control debate in Washington, Kalamazoo citizens find themselves in their own political crossfire.

Three individuals at the Greyhound station in downtown Kalamazoo offered their opinions on gun control in the United States.

Marcus Baker, a 28-year-old unemployed man living in Kalamazoo, felt that guns did have a place in American society. “It’s a positive thing when a responsible civilian owns a gun because it lets them protect themselves,” Baker said.

Baker explained that the American government has regulations in place to keep the wrong people from getting guns. He did say, though, that “crazy people” owning guns could be a problem. “We have guns in our country,” he said, “so the wrong people are gonna get them sometimes.”

Sophie Walters, a 37-year-old house cleaner from Battle Creek, wasn’t so pro-gun.

“Except if you’re in the military, you don’t need a gun,” Walters said. “It’s stupid that people think they need guns.” It was difficult for Walters to imagine a positive use for a gun, but eventually decided that in the case of theft or violence, a gun could be an appropriate form of protection for a civilian.

Israel Alizia, a 19-year-old freshmen at Western Michigan University, took a more moderate about the gun issue. He emphasized that gun ownership was a constitutional right. He stated it more as an unavoidable fact, though, than a flaming passion.

“Guns need to be available for law-abiding people because we need to be able to protect ourselves,” Alizia said. “It’s our right.”

By Erin Wilson

With finals approaching in three weeks, Western Michigan University students are swamped with assignments that professors are throwing in their path.

These assignments also come with the two words that most students dread: Group projects.

Even though group projects are not required for all courses, two Western students are not too happy about the concept, but one favors it.

Like other Western Michigan University students, Ana Guevara, 18, thinks of group projects as a hassle, because it can be hard to find good members who will contribute to the project. She thinks that when working with others, it might slow her down.

“By myself, I feel like I can get stuff done faster,” said Guevara, 18, a freshman studying early childhood education at Western.

Group projects take communication with all members and some members are disorganized. Rachel Forth, 20, a sophomore and gender and women’s study major, described her experience with members not communicating to work on the project.

“I wouldn’t call it a bad experience. It was just the group members didn’t show up for some of our scheduled meetings, so it made things difficult but other than that it wasn’t that bad,” Forth said.

Professors and other faculty stress  that group projects are helpful after graduation. In some cases, people partner with their friends instead of strangers, so it begs the question of whether they are learning any new interpersonal skills.

“When I work with other people, I get to hear other ideas and I learn from group members on things I never knew before,” Jermaine Blackmon, 18, freshman, a marketing major, said.

By Austin Goricki

Google Glass hits stores sometime next year, causing questions to arise in three Western Michigan University students minds’ about the amount of technology people use in their everyday lives.

These new glasses can take pictures just by the person wearing them saying, “Take a picture.” The glasses can take video, search the Web, give directions, stream video to other people of what the wearer is viewing, and much more — all using voice commands. This changes the game in the technology world, WMU students agree.

Mario Haddad, 20, is a student at WMU from Kalamazoo, and he embraces the new technology, including the Google Glass.

“I think it helps out a lot of people in everyday life,” Haddad said, “I think the problem with all of this technology is the fact that not everyone knows how to use it properly and it could cause problems down the road.”

Sami Barwick, 20, who is also a student at WMU from Kalamazoo, says she thinks all of the new advancements in technology are having a negative effect on society. “I don’t like the Google Glass idea at all, I think people need to learn to put down their new technology and interact with people face to face,” she said.

“A person interacting with each other face to face is becoming a lost art,” Barwick says. Back in the day, for example, someone would ask another person for directions or to take a picture instead of asking their glasses.

Connor Smith, 19, from Ypsilanti studies at WMU, thinks the improvements in technology helps a lot of people. “I like the idea of technology helping people,” Smith said. “I do think it is a little weird to think about how far technology has come and it could possibly be a problem in the future if things start to get out of hand.”

Google Glass will be in stores sometime in 2014 and will cost around $1,500.

By Paige Morgan

Three Western Michigan University students say they support legalization of same-sex marriage.

Twenty-year old WMU student Amanda Fordon from Chicago strongly supports gay marriage.

“Everyone should be able to do what they want to do and it shouldn’t be any different than a man and a woman getting married. We live in a free country so we should be able to do what we want to do and be happy,” said Fordon. “A family member recently came out to me and I feel it doesn’t affect me or my views on that particular person.”

Twenty-one-year-old WMU student and pre-physician assistant Blake Fielder from Farmington Hills also supports gay marriage

“It’s wrong that someone has the power to tell two people that are in love that they can’t get married. We’ve moved onto a society that isn’t strictly religious, and I believe they should be able to do whatever they want to,” said Fielder.

“I recently had a friend disclose his/her sexual orientation. It makes it awkward when a close friend keeps something like that from you and continues to lie about it until they can’t keep it to themselves anymore.

Amanda Ashby, a 19-year-old fashion merchandising student at WMU from Grand Blanc, supports gay marriage.

“I think everyone should be happy. If you’re gay and would like to get married, go for it. Who am I to say you can’t?”

By Michael Johnson

What started as a regular job for a regular guy has grown into something more.

Collin Cronin began working at the Bistro 3, a Western Michigan University dining hall, and quickly learned the duties  of a food server and pushed his peers to follow suit. Before long, Cronin was awarded for his performance and promoted to “high supervisor” — the youngest supervisor in Western Michigan University’s history, Cronin says.

Cronin is 17.

“Being so young doesn’t really bother me, it doesn’t bother anyone else either. We all respect each other,” said Cronin. “Sure, I may be the boss of people older than me and sometimes old enough to be my mother  – but when it comes down to it we want to get the job done.”

Cronin is responsible for “makin’ sure everything’s goin’ the way it should,” he said. His supervises the entire staff during his hours on duty, registers their hours and does the  basics too, including cleaning dishes, cooking food and serving customers.

Cronin’s favorite duty is to train the new employees. “I like to help; it’s in my nature so I guess that’s why I love training the newbies,” he said.

Cronin has a knack with communicating with people and he uses that skill daily when speaking to the student customers and also with his employees. He believes that he can have an easier shift if his employees are content. “If they’re mad they won’t listen,” he said.

The average age of employees at the Bistro 3 is 25; the average age for supervisors is 23; and of the five “high supervisors,” the average age is 39. No other dining hall on campus has a leading supervisor below the age of 33.

His co-workers and the students he supervises show him respect. “It’s hard being a young boss, but you just have to demand respect, but you have to give it too,” Cronin said. He shows his co-workers respect by listening to their concerns and trying to do what they want if he can.

For example, an employee asked him if he could can have help working the grill because it’s one of the hardest jobs, and Cronin found another worker to help. Sometimes, he’ll change that employee’s position for the day with someone who can manage the grill alone. “You don’t have to be a mean boss just someone who is accountable,” he said.

The Bistro 3 was awarded the title of nicest dining hall on campus in an online vote by WMU students. During his time at the Bistro 3, Cronin has been awarded as one of the three “Employees of the Month.”

Said Cronin: “My job is just to make the Bistro ready for you; if that means being a leader, then I’ll be the leader.”