February/March 2007
Black History Month: What If There Were No Black People?
“By the time we leave for work we have
been dependent on half the world—
modern America is created by dependencies on the inventions from the minds
of Black folks.”
mother to have a traffic accident, they could
not receive blood transfusions, as Dr. Charles
Richard Drew invented the process for storing blood and transfusing it.
There are many variations of this story, but
the message remains the same. America
would not be same were it not for the contributions of African-Americans. This is not to
Some time ago, I had the privilege of attendsay that other races have not contributed
ing a small production of actors depicting
equally to the advancement of this great land.
what our world would be like if there were
The intent of this article is not to exclude the
no Black people. The day began with a
contributions of other races and ethnicities,
young boy not being able to put on his shoes,
but to shed light upon and show respect for
due to the contribution of the shoe lasting
those African-Americans who have made it
machine by Jan E. Matzelinger. The young
possible for America as a whole to advance.
boy’s clothing was wrinkled and his hair
wild and untamed, as the ironing board was Many times we tend to limit our view of
invented by Sarah Boone and the comb by
Black History Month in terms of the Martins,
Walter Sammons. The boy and his mother
Malcolms, and Rosas that we’ve learned so
had to take many flights of stairs to get out of much about in our lives. While their contrithe apartment because the elevator was inbutions are great, indeed, we are also each
vented by Alexander Miles. He and his
responsible for making sure that we educate
mother were unable to drive because the
ourselves and others as to the contributions
automatic gear shift was invented by Richard of other, lesser-known individuals.
Spikes. Traffic signals were the contribution
of Garrett A. Morgan. Were the boy and his February is Black History Month. During
that time, more than any other, information
~Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
availability is at its peak. Take advantage of
this time to learn all you can about Black
history. Listed below are a few websites to
get you started:
www.tangledwire.com
www.infoplease.com/bhm1.html
www.blackhistory.com
www.pbs.org/wnet/aaworld
Someone You Should Know
Ida B. WellsBarnett was a
civil rights
advocate. She
led a campaign against
segregation on
the local railways. She
Ida B. Wells-Barnett
crusaded
against lynch1862-1931
ing. She was
also a women’s rights advocate, journalist,
and fought for women’s suffrage.
The Director’s Corner
Back in the new Missouri Hall . . . .
Student Support Services is happy to invite
the Columbia College community to come
by and see our new and improved facilities
in Missouri Hall! Our new environment is
already proving to be a relaxing and productive place for our participants. We have
simply been overwhelmed with their positive
response to both the services and atmosphere available to them here.
Our staff is grateful for such a pleasant
place to work, but most of all, we look forward to the success these facilities will engender in our participants as they become
the successful alumni they’re
destined to be.
February
March
1-2
Craft Days
1-2
Craft Days
5
Bagel Day
5
Bagel Day
8
Terri Z. Workshop
6
Workshop
5
Junior/Senior Grad Fair &
7
Movie Day
Movie Day
14
Game Day
14
Game Day
15-16
Craft Days
15-16
Craft Days
16
St. Patrick’s Meal
27
“Soup & Study Skills” Workshop
20
Terri Z. Workshop
20
Movie Day
21
Movie Day
28
Game Day
26-30
Spring Break
Page 1
Talking with Terri
New Year… New Views
Here’s an idea! Let’s take on a new view that
reduces one thing we can all do withoutworry. We know that a person’s view, or
focus, has a lot to do with the level of stress
he experiences, so in order to have less
worry, we need to challenge our view of
things.
exam, a paper due and a presentation to give work toward them.
all in one week. If you’re like most people,
There are times, however, when there is
on Sunday, you’re already worried about
nothing we can do to change things- we simgetting through the week. Your mind jumps
ply don’t have control over them (like somefrom one project to the next. You worry that
one else’s feelings or behavior.) The healthiyour week is going to be so stressful… and
est strategy in this case is to let go of the
you’ll never get everything done… and what
worry because it doesn’t accomplish a thing!
does get done certainly won’t be good
We often hold on to the worry, though, beOne way to change our view is to focus on
enough! You may
cause it gives us the impression we are
what is right in front of us- today, instead of
spend more time
“You can’t wring your hands doing something. Glenn Turner is right:
focusing on all that might happen in the fudreading the week and roll up your sleeves at
“Worry is like a rocking chair, it gives
ture. If we allow ourselves to ruminate about (and procrastinat- the same time.”
you something to do, but it gets you
all the things that might go wrong, we’ll end ing) than what it
nowhere.”
up like Mark Twain, who said, “I am an old
takes to complete the projects.
man and have known a great many troubles,
So, when you find yourself worrying, ask,
Rather than worrying, why not focus on
but most of them never happened.”
“Am I focused on today or the ‘what ifs…’ of
what we can do about a situation? Consider
the future?” and “What can I do about this?”
Instead of this “What if…” focus, let’s conthis view by former U.S. Congresswoman
If you can do something about it, then do it,
sider Charlie Brown’s (Charles Schultz’)
Pat Schroeder, “You can’t wring your hands
and if not, then let the worry go. Author Leo
view, “I’ve developed a new philosophy… I
and roll up your sleeves at the same time.”
Buscaglia has an insightful view of this topic.
only dread one day at a time.” Okay, so
We have a choice: we can either let obsesHe reminds us, “Worry never robs tomorrow
“dread” is not the optimum word, but you
sive, worrisome thoughts run through our
of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.”
get the point that “one day at a time” is the
minds (wringing our hands) or we can get to
Here’s to a year with less worry and much
way to go.
work on what we can actually do to change a more joy!
situation. We worry because we feel unable
Most of us tend to worry about a week’s,
By Terri Zeilenga
month’s (or year’s) worth of challenges all at to control an outcome, but we have control
one time. For example, let’s say you have an over what we do today; we can set goals and
David Bullerwell: Man with a Mission
David Bullerwell is a junior majoring in
Business Management and Marketing.
He grew up in Laconia, New Hampshire and moved to Columbia to
attend college. David’s participation in SSS includes attending
workshops and activities and he is a peer tutor and mentor.
David married his wife, Julie, in June 2003. He was in college at the
time, but says that getting married while in school really did not
change much; they “just hung out.” David’s life did change, however on October 6, 2004. David, an E/5 Sergeant in the United
States Army, left for training that day and was deployed to Iraq in
December 2004. When he left he had been married a little over one
year. He dropped his classes at Columbia College and went to war.
David’s life in the Army helped him to become more focused more
quickly. While in the Army he was responsible for creating standard
operating procedures and training troops on demolitions and the use
of C-4 (explosive). David’s unit was also responsible for finding and
detonating buried improvised explosive devices to prevent injuries
to U.S. soldiers and Iraqi civilians from explosions. David spent one
year in Iraq before he was shipped stateside.
Page 2
David’s life, however, was changed prior to his arrival home. His
wife, Julie, had given birth to their daughter Mackenzie while he was
deployed. When he arrived home she was four months old. David
explains the experience as being “surreal” as he did not go through
the whole pregnancy experience with Julie. He had “zero kid experience” and was now a father.
David is not one to let life changes derail his mission. He came back
to school a more focused student and his excellent grades are evidence of this determination. What does he do for fun? David enjoys fishing but his first love is four-wheeling.
When asked if David could change anything about his educational
experience, he replied, “I would change my grade in Algebra.”
What words of wisdom does he have for SSS students? “Pay attention in school. You only have four years and you need to buckle
down. Then, you have the rest of your life.”
David’s career plans include working at State Farm in Special Investigations or working for the military in Research and Design.
Welcome back David and good luck!
Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
January 15th has come and gone. Many
welcomed the holiday without thinking
too much about the man it honors, others
of us listened to the famous “I Have a
Dream” speech and attended services in
his honor, but until I read an op-ed piece
by Bob Herbert in the The New York
Times, I was unaware of a magnificent
speech entitled “Beyond Vietnam: A
Time to Break Silence” that Dr. King delivered on April 4, 1967 at Riverside
Church in New York City. It was one year
to the day before his untimely and tragic
death in Memphis.
The speech was an eloquent denunciation of the war in Vietnam. We may well
wonder, were Dr. King alive today, what
he would be saying about the present
situation in Iraq. Would he be intimidated
by the Bush administration’s implication
that anyone protesting the war is a traitor
or at least un-American? I think not.
Back in 1967 King said: ”A time comes
when silence is betrayal, and that time
has come for us in relation to Vietnam."
Calling the United States "the greatest
purveyor of violence in the world," he
encouraged draft evasion and suggested
a merger between antiwar and civil rights
groups. He made a connection between
the nation’s expensive and destructive
efforts in Southeast Asia and the woefully underfunded war on poverty in
America. Dr. King was widely criticized
about the content of the speech, even by
the NCAAP. The New York Times chastised him in an editorial entitled “Dr.
King’s Error” for going beyond his allotted domain of civil rights.
We owe it to Dr. King’s memory to keep
not only his dream of racial equality but
his dream of a peaceful world alive. As
Bob Herbert wrote: “We miss his leadership, all of us, whether we’re wise
enough to realize it or not.”
Bob Herbert’s op-ed essay can be found
in the January 18th edition of The New
York Times. Dr. King’s speech can be
found at www.hartford-hwp.com/
archives/45a/058.html.
By Dawn Ross
The Vietnam War continued another six
years after King’s courageous speech
which, after the criticism, was widely ignored. When the War was finally over, it
had cost a total of 58,000 American lives,
over one million Vietnamese lives and an
estimated $554 billion in current dollars.
The Iraq War, which many believe is a
reprise of the Vietnam War, will cost over
a trillion dollars before it is over, and has
already taken 3,000 American lives and
thousands of Iraqi lives.
How to Set SMART Financial Goals
Yes, it’s time to start thinking about the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, aka The FAFSA. The FAFSA is the federal form that is used to
determine in an objective way the amount of money a family or individual
should be able to pay for college and must be completed before a student
can receive any financial aid provided by the federal government. The
FAFSA should be completed by students or parents even if they think they
are not eligible for need-based aid since states and colleges use information from the FAFSA to determine eligibility for state and institutional aid.
Filling out the FAFSA is similar to filling out a tax form. If a student is independent, he or she may file the FAFSA as soon as their W-2 forms are
received. A dependent student must ask their parents to complete the form.
If exact income figures are not available, an estimate can be used and
amended later if necessary.
In either case, it is of paramount importance that the form be submitted as
soon as possible after January 1st, because financial aid is awarded on a
“first come, first serve” basis. Because of this, the easiest and fastest way
to fill out and submit the form is online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. If you are new
to the online application, first go to www.pin.ed.gov to register for a PIN.
One to four weeks after the form is submitted, the student will receive a
Student Aid Report (SAR.) The SAR will tell the student how much they or
their family is expected to pay for the following academic year. When the
form is completed online, an applicant receives an estimated EFC
(expected family contribution) immediately.
For help in filling out the FAFSA, contact an SSS staff member or a financial aid staff member.
—-By Dawn Ross
Whatever your goals might be, you have a better
chance of achieving them if you write them down.
As you list your goals, divide them into three categories: short term, medium term, and long term.
Short term goals might include buying a new computer, paying off credit card debt, or taking a dream
vacation.
Medium term goals could be purchasing a car or
going back to school.
Long term goals might be to buy a home or retire
with enough money to live comfortably.
Remember the letters in the word SMART when you
set goals.
Specific: You want to buy a new computer.
Measurable: You know how much it costs.
Achievable: You can do it if you save “X” dollars
every month for six months.
Relevant: You need the computer for work.
Trackable: Chart your monthly savings to make the
six-month target.
Source: National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) at www.nefe.org as cited in February
2007 issue of HOPE Health Letter Vol. 27, No. 2
Page 3
Successful
Laptop
Lending
SSS is committed to providing participants access to an
array of computer resources
to enhance academic
achievement, retention, and
graduation from Columbia
College. One of the resources
SSS provides is access to
laptops through a lending
program. Participants are
able to borrow laptops for one
week.
equipment. To minimize
problems, the following guidelines have been established:
1.
Computers will be loaned
out for one week up to a
maximum of two weeks,
based on availability and
need.
2.
Laptops need to be returned by noon on the
due date.
Lately, there has been a
3.
problem with laptops being
returned late, being returned
with extensive damage, or not
being returned at all. While
we realize that accidents and
emergencies do occur, it is
imperative that you take the
time to return the item to SSS
and to treat the laptops like
4.
they are your own personal
property. Each time you
check out a laptop you sign
the Lending Agreement which
states that you can be held
financially responsible for the
The Assistant Director
will contact students by
phone or email if laptops
are late. After several
attempts to contact the
student, the Assistant
Director, at her discretion, may contact Security.
Repeated violations of
these rules will result in
the student losing
checkout privileges.
Unlike many colleges and universities, Columbia
College is fortunate to have many tutoring services
readily available to all students: the Math Center,
Writing Center, and Tutoring Across the Curriculum. The website for accessing the current schedules for these programs is www.ccis.edu/
departments/ SSS students have additional benefits though! Any SSS student may request a free
private tutor in any subject they are currently enrolled in (except on-line classes) by notifying the
Tutor/Mentor Coordinator, Dawn Ross.
The Mentor/Mentee program is primarily for first
semester freshman in SSS, but any new student
may request a mentor from the Tutor/Mentor Coordinator, Dawn Ross. She will try to match students with similar interests and goals. The minimum expectations for an “M & M” pair are to participate in an SSS activity once a month and to
meet once a month for an outside activity. Active
mentors receive from $30 to $50 per month. Any
SSS member interested in either having a mentor
or serving as a mentor can get more details from
Dawn Ross at 875-7628.
Page 4
Take A Break!!
No one can study or work all of the time! Last semester, Mrs.
Lombardi started a Writers’ Club which met for thirty minutes Monday through Friday. The Club will continue to meet this semester, and
since SSS has moved into new and spacious quarters, it will meet in
the SSS lounge. The rules are simple: bring a pad of paper or a laptop
and prepare to remain on task and silent for thirty minutes!
Don’t want to write the Great American Novel thirty minutes at a
time? Join Amy’s new Readers’ Club. Grab a book and join Amy for
thirty minutes of uninterrupted reading from 2:00 to 2:30 MWF. If
you are not currently reading anything for pleasure, we have some
interesting fiction in the closet including The Curious Incident of the
Dog in the Night-Time, Kite Runner, The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective
Agency, and The Time Traveler’s Wife.
--By Dawn Ross
The History of Valentine’s Day
Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are
exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But
who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday?
The history of Valentine's Day -- and its patron saint -- is shrouded
in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of
romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was
Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient
rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different
saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during
the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that
single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families,
he outlawed marriage for young men -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied
Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in
secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered
that he be put to death.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they
were often beaten and tortured.
According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine'
greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in
love with a young girl -- who may have been his jailor's daughter -who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize
his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic
figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of
the most popular saints in England and France.
Article retrieved from http://www.history.com/minisites/valentine
Supplies to make your Valentine a valentine are available in SSS!
Special Thanks to Dalys
Marshall, SSS student majoring in Graphic Design,
for her assistance with the
layout of the newsletter.
Anyone interested in submitting an article for Achieving
Success, should contact
Angelette Prichett, Student
Advisor, at 875-7627.