“Three Cups of Tea” co-author speaks at Stonehill College

Published Sept. 22, 2008, The Enterprise of Brockton, Mass.

enterprisenews.com

By Christopher Confrey
EASTON — Greg Mortenson shuffled onto the stage, looking uneasy. “Peace be with you,” he told the hundreds of people gathered at Stonehill College’s sports complex.
Moments earlier, Mortenson had been introduced as a man who, through the power of education, brought hope to countless Pakistani and Afghani people.
He appeared at Stonehill College to recount his story, turned into the New York Times bestseller, “Three Cups of Tea,” of how he overcame what seemed to be insurmountable obstacles to build schools for girls in the two countries.
Dressed in a camel-colored suit and red tie, Mortenson explained the meaning of his book’s title — a common saying in the Pakistani culture.
“The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family,” Mortenson said. Balti is an ethnic group in Pakistan.
It was through taking the time to share those cups of tea and spend time with people that he built the bonds needed in the project, he said.
Mortenson grew up knowing what is needed to develop projects in other countries. He was raised near Mount Kilimanjaro in northern Tanzania where his parents were Christian missionaries. His father was the founder of the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center and his mother founded the International School Moshi.
Upon returning to the United States for high school, Mortenson planned on becoming a doctor. He wanted to provide health care to people in rural Africa.
After finishing a tour in the military, Mortenson — who is also a mountain climber — went to college on the G.I. bill, and became a nurse.
The aspiring doctor’s plans changed while he was climbing the Karakoram Mountains in northern Pakistan. After unsuccessfully making it to the summit of the mountain, Moretenson came across the remote village of Korphe.
That is when his career plans changed.
“When I saw the 84 children sitting in the dirt behind Korphe village on a crisp autumn morning … writing with sticks in the sand, that was all it took — Eureka! moment — for me to decide to build a school,” he said.
Mortenson traveled back to the United States to raise money to build the school. He wrote letters asking for money, held fundraisers and sold many of his possessions, including his car and climbing equipment, to raise enough money to start the school.
“If you have hope, you can do anything,” Mortenson said.
But raising the money, it turned out, wasn’t enough.
When he returned to Pakistan , Mortenson learned that before he could build a school, he had to build a bridge so people could get there. So Mortenson used the money he raised for the school to build a bridge.
Penniless, Mortenson returned to the United States and raised an additional $10,000 and once again returned to Pakistan to complete the school.
Witnessing the hope and joy the school brought the people of the small village, Mortenson said he made it his mission to build more schools in remote places across Pakistan and Afghanistan. He founded the Central Asia Institute, a nonprofit organization, geared toward building schools. To date, the organization has 64 schools in the two countries.
After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Mortenson began receiving hate mail and death threats. But his wife encouraged him to continue.
More than a decade after opening his first school in a small village in Pakistan, Mortenson now travels across the United States talking about his dream of bringing hope and opportunity to the world through education.
Mortenson told his recent Stonehill audience that great strides have been made in educating the Middle East.
“In the last eight years, there are eight times as many children in schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan,” he said.

Men Work for Peace and Good Will in Wake of 9/11 Attacks.

By Genevieve Quinn

Looking around, all Brian Kavanagh could see was dust, dirt, and smoke. Then came one of the most beautifully haunting things he had ever witnessed. Before him a monarch butterfly, fluttering peacefully, oblivious to the horror and destruction that surrounded it on that New York City street, the morning of September 11th, 2001.

Joseph Spalluto was driving to his daughter’s middle school in West Hartford, Conn., when he heard the news that a commercial jet had struck the north tower of the World Trade Center. Seventeen minutes after the first plane hit, a second struck the south tower, where Spalluto’s work office was located.

Both men were transformed by the events of that day. While most Americans remember what they were doing on September 11th, few can relate to the chilling experiences of Brian Kavanagh and Joseph Spalluto, two ordinary people who found themselves facing the worst horrors imaginable.

Kavanagh, 65, a peace activist from Hartford, Conn., had spent over a month in New York City, participating in a 40 day liquid fast to protest United States involvement in Iraq. The activists would gather each day in front of the United Nations Building, distributing posters and leaflets to raise awareness.

“It was a beautiful September day, just gorgeous. The sky was clear blue.”, said Kavanagh.

Though something didn’t seem right. A bunch of police officers were holding radios to their ears, listening intently. People in front of the U.N building started yelling, and as he looked down 1st Avenue, all he could see were flashing lights and hear the sound of sirens.

He spoke to a police officer, and learned the shocking news. Kavanagh then walked towards 5th Avenue.

“It was like a volcanic eruption. And so strange, the contrast from the smoke and haze on one side of the city with the clear blue sky on the other.”

Then there was the monarch butterfly, “horrific that this beautiful jewel should exist amongst everything.”

Kavanagh then knew he had to get out of the city. After hours of walking, switching trains, and mind numbing fear, he arrived in New Haven, Conn., exhausted and in a daze, a daze that hasn’t completely lifted seven years later.

Kavanagh also saw one of his life missions die that day. As soon as he heard that Islamic/Arab groups were suspected in the attacks, anger overwhelmed him. He had spent many years trying to advocate for the people of the Middle East, raising awareness towards the sanctions in Iraq and various other issues.

“In one swoop, all our hard work was gone. They’ve never had a chance since.”

Kavanagh believes that any chance of peace between the U.S and the Middle East and U.S aid for the suffering there was gone with the collapse of the towers.

“I don’t like to think about it much.”

Kavanagh admits he still hasn’t come to grips with everything that happened that day, and the experiences he faced will always haunt him. He continues his activism work and quest to promote peaceful relations in the world.

Joseph Spalluto, 49, has worked for the company Keefe Bruyette & Woods Inc., for 27 years. The company had offices in the South Tower of the World Trade Center, on the 88th and 89th floors. United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the tower, hitting the 78th through the 85th floors.

On September 11th Spalluto wasn’t in New York. His wife, Ellen Spalluto, insisted that he be in the Hartford area early that evening for a retirement party for his father in law. This turned out to be a surprise party celebrating Spalluto’s 20th anniversary with the company.

What should have been a day of celebration turned into a day of shock and horror. Spalluto came to learn that 67 of his colleagues had been killed. Had he been in his office that day, he would have been working three floors above where United Flight 175 hit.

“Clearly the events of that day affected me and my work and my memories forever,” he said.
The chilling thoughts of what could have happened to him that day have taught him many lessons.
“Things can change and you can never replace your family and loved ones.”
Spalluto has learned to not make work such a priority, and to focus on family, friends, and living life.
Keefe, Bruyette & Woods was relocated to 787 7th Ave. “Midtown-as opposed to downtown, since the scars of seeing that site each day was more than we wanted to put people through.”
They also chose to stay as low to the ground as possible, choosing the 4th and 5th floors.
Spalluto has dedicated a lot of his time to honor those lost that day through MyGoodDeed.org, an organization seeking to make September 11 a national day of volunteerism.

Each anniversary the members of the firm get together and volunteer, and they also visit a memorial dedicated to their 67 lost colleagues, located in the Central park zoo.

College Debt Makes Beginning a Career Difficult

By Ashley Savard

Many students coming out of college are now faced with overwhelming debts with little hope of paying them off.
"I definitely don't think I'm currently making enough to pay off student loans after graduation," Amy Lynn McCracken said.
Loans have become the primary means of paying for education, and with the cost of tuition increasing at twice the rate of inflation, according to Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid, it is becoming more difficult for college graduates to pay off their debts.
Private loans, which carry higher interest rates than federal loans, have increased by 734 percent since the previous decade, according to The College Board.
A number of college graduates have a hard time finding jobs that enable them to pay off their loans quickly and with ease.
About 8 percent of college seniors had loans amounting to $40,000 in the year 2004, according to the Project on Student Debt.
Some graduates, such as Tom Aldrich, found that jobs can pay enough to live on while paying off loans.
"The job fortunately allows me to live comfortably and pay off student loans," Aldrich said.
Aldrich is a graduate of Stonehill College, works for Sandler O'Neill & Partners, L.P.
"I believe having a college degree should require a higher pay because that degree was an investment that opens doors to greater opportunities," Aldrich said.
Kimberely Roussin, a Stonehill College graduate who works for Commonwealth Medicine, said that beginning wages should be higher to help students pay off their loans when they first enter the work force. Roussin began working in the social work field making $17,000.
"Money was tight. I think being in the workforce for 20 years has allowed me to attain a decent salary so I can now live comfortably without any loans," Roussin said.
Tim Gannon, a senior at Stonehill College, said entry level salaries are pretty fair, depending on the degree.
"Most students going into the work force with a degree have an idea about how much money they're going to make and plan around it," Gannon said.
Gannon said a lot depends upon how much work students are willing to put into outside scholarships.
"There are an innumerable amount of scholarships out there that many people are not even aware of because most people don't do the research," Gannon said.
Christina Burney, associate director of Stonehill Career Services, and Benjamin Chalot, assistant director of Stonehill Career Services agreed and said students coming out of high school should try as hard as possible to find more scholarships.
The cost of attending a four year college, such as Stonehill College, increases by about $1,000 a year, similar to the cost of living, Burney said.
In some ways this has made colleges more accountable, said both Burney and Chalot.
"Parents are greatly concerned with what their child will be doing when they graduate," said Burney.
Colleges are now asked to produce "outcomes" for their students. In order to make themselves more marketable, colleges have to put more effort into what students will be doing after graduation, said Chalot.
Colleges have to be able to give students the means to attain a job, make connections, and make enough money to support themselves, he said.
Most employers don't take student loans and college debt into account when they determine salaries, Burney said. She said they look at other factors, such as cost of living.
Factors such as the increase in housing costs has started to steer certain students into different career tracks, said Burney.
"It doesn't bother me to write that check," said Burney, who is still paying off her college loans.
She said that paying off loans just becomes part of your life and you just get used to it.
Burney said one of the most important things students can do to minimize debt coming out of college is to not use credit cards.
According to Nellie Mae, a Sallie Mae Student Loan Company, nearly 75 percent of undergraduate students in 2004 began the year with credit cards.
"The last thing you need is to be making payments on a credit card," Burney said.
Both Burney and Chalot said that students should consider working first before moving on to graduate school.
Many organizations and companies will pay for students to receive a higher education in their field, said Chalot. Students can also look for fellowships, he said.
Service institutions such as AmeriCorps or the Peace Corps will forgive up to $5,000 of loans for one year of service, Chalot said.
Burney said the best way to come out of college making more money is to make yourself marketable by getting internships and making your resume more attractive to employers.

Stonehill Student & World Ranked Fiddle Player

By: Christopher Confrey

She picked up her first fiddle at the age of five and by 11 she became the under 12 world champion fiddle player.
Maeve Flanagan, now an 18 year – old sophomore at Stonehill College, has been surrounded by music her entire life. “My mom and dad play the fiddle, they met through music,” Flanagan, a Pearl River, New York native said.
“The fiddle has always been there for me. Whenever my life gets stressful or I am feeling down, I know I can always turn to music,” Flanagan said. “I have met my best friends and have had the greatest experiences through music.”
“A fiddle and a violin are the same instrument,” Flanagan said. She explained that fiddle is a slang word for violin and refers to a more interpretative type of music as opposed to classical music.
“I hated playing at first. I put the fiddle up to my neck and I thought it was choking me,” she said.
With practice, though, Flanagan became more comfortable. “My mom would tape record tunes for me to learn and I would practice in my room for an hour a day,” she said.
By the time summer came, Flanagan, then six, became tired of the demands fiddling took on her time. “I learned to beat the system,” she said. “I would record myself playing the tunes I needed to practice and put them on repeat by the door to my room. My mom heard the tape and thought I was practicing away!”
“My mother caught on and I told her I wanted to quit and would rather go swimming with my friends,” Flanagan said.
For the rest of the summer, Flanagan kept her violin in its case. “I did not push her that first summer,” Rose, Flanagan’s mother said. “She was young and I understood she wanted to play with her friends.”
Like her daughter, Rose Conway-Flanagan came from a family of music. “My father played, but he never taught me or my brother,” she said. “My mother had heard some other children play and then decided she wanted us to play too.”
By the end of that summer, Flanagan decided she would give fiddling a second change. “The summer had ended and I was giving all of her friends’ lessons, so she wanted to come back,” Flanagan’s mother said.
At the age of 8, Flanagan began taking group lessons with her uncle, Brian Conway. The lessons were once a week for 45 minutes. “He was a tough teacher,” Flanagan said. “One girl started crying at the beginning of every class is anticipation of the upcoming lesson.”
Each week, Flanagan’s uncle taught the group a new tune. “He would teach us bit by bit, and then we would have to repeat it over and over until we memorized it,” Flanagan said.
Flanagan began fiddling competitions at the age of nine.
Her first competition was at Manhattan College. Flanagan placed third in the under twelve competition. “I played a waltz, and I played it wrong,” she said with a smile.
The next year, Flanagan, then ten, played first at the Manhattan College competition which meant she advanced to the Fleadh Cheoil na Eireann or Music Competition of Ireland.
“I went with my dad and my best friend Deirdre who also played the fiddle,” Flanagan said.
The competition in Ireland was like nothing Flanagan had ever seen in the United Sates.
“There were competitors from Ireland, Australia, Scotland and Saudi Arabia,” Flanagan said.
She did not place at the competition, but was not disappointed. “I didn’t really care, I was just having fun in Ireland with Deirdre,” she said.
The next year, Flanagan began taking her fiddling more seriously. “I practiced a lot more, and this time I knew what to expect” she said.
That year, Flanagan, 11, once again qualified for the Music Competition of Ireland. “I was not nervous because I had nothing to lose,” she said.
“I played two tunes, a real called Bonnie Kate and a jig called Keys to The Convent,” Flanagan said.
“After I played I heard an old Irish man say, ‘if that wee Yankee girl doesn’t win there is something wrong here,’” Flanagan said.
“I played my heart out and placed first,” Flanagan said. “I clearly remember winning. I had beaten an Irish boy who was favored to win. They called me by name and gave me a trophy with Eileen Ivers’, the most famous Irish musician’s, name on it. Then I played an encore,” Flanagan said.
“After a year I had to give the trophy back. My mother arranged for me to take professional pictures with my violin and my trophy which was so embarrassing,” she said.
Following her win, making her the top ranked under 12 fiddler in the world, playing the fiddle changed for Flanagan. “Before I won, no one knew who I was, there was no pressure, after though, it became so much harder,” she said.
At the age of 18, before returning to Stonehill College for her sophomore year, Flanagan competed in the senior competition in Ireland, the winner of which would be named the best fiddler in the world. Though extremely nervous, Flanagan placed third.
Today, Flanagan plays at venues all across the Northeast. “I have played at weddings, Irish Dancing competitions, Ellis Island, and in bars, a lot of bars,” Flanagan said.
Now a sophomore, Flanagan plays for her peers at Stonehill’s Concert Coffeehouse.
Her fellow students admire her talent. “I think it’s refreshing to see such a young person be so dedicated and not ashamed of it,” Megan Cross, Flanagan’s friend and roommate said.
Others recognize her rare gifts. “It’s a very unique talent that you don’t see too often and it’s great to be exposed to it,” fellow student Nicole Brisbois said. “She does a great office theme song,” friend Kevin Gill said.
Flanagan says her ultimate goal would be to win seniors at the Music Competition of Ireland. “I’ll never stop playing the fiddle,” Flanagan said. “I am going to make my kids play the fiddle because my mom made me and now I’m obsessed with it.”
“I don’t know where my life is going to take me but I know music is going to be a huge part of my life,” Flanagan said.

Tattoos & Young Women

By: Christopher Confrey

Daddy’s little girl isn’t what she used to be.
Recent studies show tattoos are not a passing craze. More and more people are getting inked up every year and a record number of those people are young women.
“I got my first tattoo because I wanted one, not because something significant happened in my life,” a bartender and waitress from New City, Cheryl Ann Rodriguez said. “I think people can become hooked on tattoos, after getting my first I immediately began thinking about what I would get next.”
The National Geographic News reported in April 2000 that 15 percent of Americans or approximately 40 million people were tattooed. Of the 40 million, 36 percent were between the ages of 18 and 25 and 55 percent were women a fall 2006 survey by the Pew Research Center revealed.
“I got my first tattoo when I was 17,” Rodriguez said. “My friends and I went together, I used a fake id and got a nautical star on my tramp stamp,” Rodriguez, now 23 said.
By “tramp stamp” Rodriguez is referring to her lower back region, a popular location for tattoos among young women.
The next year, Rodriguez, then 18 had gotten another star tattoo, this time, on her stomach.
Rodriguez says she looks past the pain. “It’s not the type of pain that makes you jump away, the buzzing sound makes it so much worse,” she said.
In addition to her two star tattoos Rodriguez has what she describes as a scary angel on her left shoulder, a heart that points into an arrow on her left wrist, horseshoe prints on the top of her right foot, a tribal design in between her shoulders and a full sleeve of flowers on her right arm. A person achieves a sleeve when their entire upper arm, including the shoulder is covered in tattoos.
There are many young women who are open to the idea of getting a tattoo but have not actually done it yet.
“I definitely want to get a tattoo,” 19 year – old Stonehill College sophomore Anna Gills said. “I like the way they look, I think they are cool. I haven’t gotten a tattoo yet because I don’t know what I would get, nothing extremely significant has happened in my life yet. I am also scared of needles, they make me feel queasy.”
Gills, like many others, feel tattoos are a form of expression. “Tattoos say a lot about a person like their clothing or hairstyle, tattoos are just more permanent,” Gillis said.
“I would be open to getting multiple tattoos,” Gillis also said.
While millions of young women have gotten tattoos and millions more are planning on it, there are those who say they will never make a trip to the tattoo parlor.
“I don’t think I could ever care about anything enough to have it permanently on by body,” 20 year – old college sophomore Stephanie Mealey said.
There are many other factors young women must take into consideration other then where and what tattoo to get.
“I want to be a lawyer and I feel like I wouldn’t be taken seriously if I had a tattoo,” Mealey said.
Rodriguez, the bartender, understands that she has been stereotyped because of her tattoos. “I 100 percent know I am judged for my tattoos,” Rodriguez said. “I have no problem with people having their own ideas and opinions, I am not stupid, I work at two restaurants, and at one I have to wear long sleeves because the owner doesn’t think my tattoos are appropriate.”
“Some guy told me I was going to hell because the bible says you shouldn’t mark your body,” she said.
Rodriguez says she is ridiculed for her tattoos but usually takes it in stride.
“People always comment on my tattoos and I don’t take it personally I usually just answer their questions and they leave me alone. One day though a women came into a pizza place I work at and looked and me and said, ‘if you were my daughter I would kill you’ and I took her comment really personally and responded ‘if I were your daughter I would kill myself,’” Rodriguez said.
Many women also get tattoos in places that can easily be covered up. “I would get a tattoo on a place on my body that I could cover up for professional reasons, I wouldn’t want it to hinder my chances of getting a job,” Gillis said.
The stigma attached with tattoos also plagues many young, inked women. A 2003 Harris Poll found that 57 percent of people perceived tattoos as rebellious.
“I am not some biker chick running around in leather. There is nothing odd about me,” Rodriguez said. “I know I will be labeled as that mom when I have kids but I have accepted the fact that I am going to be a mom that has a lot of tattoos.”
Fear of what family or friends might think has also prevented many young women from getting a tattoo. “My father would kill me if I ever got a tattoo” Mealey said.
Rodriguez admits her parents were upset when they learned she had gotten a tattoo. “I hid it for a while but the more tattoos I got; the harder it became to hide. My mother was really upset at first, she didn’t yell, she wouldn’t talk to me for a few days. Now though, she accepts me for whom I am,” she said.
Permanence is something many young women must take into consideration before applying the ink.
“I would never want to get a tattoo because its forever and I don’t know how I might feel about something in 50 years,” Mealey said.
Despite the forever aspect tattoos give, the American Society of Dermatological Surgery, reported in 2005, that of all the people they treat with laser and light therapy, only 6% are getting a tattoo removed.
Rodriguez says she does not regret getting any of the numerous tattoos she has. “I might put them in a different place or change the design a little, but I would never take any away. Each tattoo means a lot to me,” she said.

Local Teacher Honored in DC

By: Kate Shively

It’s 2:05 on a Friday afternoon in a small town in Massachusetts when the final bell at the local high school rings.

As if a levy has broken, students begin pouring out of every doorway of the school, heading in different directions. Some call to their friends while others run to catch buses or walk to the local Hess station.

As the school quickly empties in preparation for the weekend, Catherine Cabral bustles around the office space that she shares with more than seven other math teachers at Somerset High School, chatting animatedly with students and coworkers. She is dressed professionally, wearing a black sweater with black and white cropped pants.

The bulletin board behind her is filled with pictures of Cabral posing with students within the classroom, along with birthday cards given to her by her classes. Above her desk, a red and white square magnet hangs from a filing cabinet.

“There are women who change the world every day…women like you,” it says in small red calligraphy.

“My colleague gave me that magnet after I won my award,” Cabral, 51, said as she settled into her desk, a prideful smile crossing her face.

Cabral recently received an award called the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) for the academic year of 2007. The award is given out annually to one mathematics teacher from every state who “serves as a model for their colleagues, inspires their communities, and leads in the improvement of mathematics and science education.”

Cabral was nominated for the award by David Lanczycki, her former student, colleague and current boss.

Initially after her nomination Cabral didn’t want to submit a PAEMST application. She said she avoided it. It was due on May 1, 2007 but she only finally decided to begin the application process on March 28, after speaking to her daughter about it.

“She told me I had to. All I ever taught my kids was to work towards their goals and to strive forward. I wanted to be a good example for them,” she said.

To proceed through the competition, Cabral had to write a 20-page paper about the aspects of education, submit a 30-minute unedited video of her interactions in the classroom, supply proof and documentation of how she assesses her students and get three letters of recommendation.

“I cried when I read the references,” she said, her eyes beginning to tear.

“For the paper I sat at the computer and I just typed my heart and soul. I needed to get it done. To me, the most difficult thing about it was the grammar.”

Cabral said that when she finally mailed it off to be reviewed, she felt relieved.

“As an educator, it allowed me to see my strengths and weaknesses. I think every teacher needs to do something like that at some point,” she said.

Three months passed before Cabral heard anything, and the competition quickly faded from her thought process.

“I never expected to actually win,” she said. “I kept asking ‘What are the odds of me winning this?’”

The odds were better than she thought. In July of 2007 Cabral received an email saying she was a state finalist. On the weekend of her birthday she found out she had won.

“I didn’t tell the school about it at first,” Cabral said, laughing. “I only told my family and close friends. I was proud but it was personal for me.”

Later, in April of 2008, Cabral and her family were flown to Washington D.C. to attend Recognition Week, where the finalists participated in various activities including museum visits, federal agency breakfasts, professional developmental sessions, and award ceremonies.

“I felt so proud to be an educator during that time…proud to be an American,” Cabral said. “It was just one of the proudest times in my life.”

Cabral, whose mother was also a teacher at Somerset High School, had always wanted to be an educator—but not for high school. In college she was an elementary education major, but she became certified for grade levels K-12 after her advisor pushed her to continue taking mathematics courses.

After college, Cabral was given the opportunity to write and edit math books—a high-paying job at the time.

She turned it down.

“I went to school to teach, not to write math books,” she said proudly, pointing her finger in the air.

Cabral has since gotten numerous other opportunities at higher paying positions, including content coordinator for the high school. She’s refused all of them.

“I just love being in the classroom,” she said. “The kids keep me young. I have no desire to retire. I like what I do.”

Cabral got to see the full extent of what she does while in a professional association meeting at Recognition week, where she met with mathematicians and engineers.

“I don’t usually get to see the end product of where my students end up, but there I got to see it firsthand. I realized that these kids I’m teaching are out running our country. I was able to see the result of what I do.”

In recognition of her award, Cabral received a citation signed by President Bush, gifts from program sponsors, and a $10,000 award from the National Science Foundation.

Cabral teaches numerous classes ranging from SAT prep to Calculus I and tries her hardest to make the material easy and understandable for everyone.

For example, she took a call from a parent concerned about her child’s progress in an SAT preparatory course that she teaches. She proceeded to inform the parent exactly what she does in her class, what the student could do outside the classroom to improve his work, what she views as the student’s weaknesses and which homework assignments would be most beneficial for him to study.

“I don’t care what the superintendent or the principal thinks about me. I care what the kids think of me. They’re the ones I see everyday. They’re the ones that matter, Cabral later said, a smirk crossing her face. “That’s my success.”

A Bell Hop With A Law Degree

By Kimberly Allen

Wearing a T-shirt he got at his niece’s summer camp, wrinkled plaid shorts and a smile, Ron Griffin does not look like a man with a law degree.
This 59-year-old man, of Harwich, Mass., works as a bell man at a hotel and as a social worker at a group home.
He has a law degree, but does not practice law. He said he is happy with the jobs he has.
“I get to meet people from all over the world, staff and guests,” he said about his bell man and concierge job at the Mariot Hotel in Boston. “It’s an escape. and a release for me.”
Initially, Griffin graduated from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 1975 at age 26 with a degree in sociology. He was hoping to get into social work and teaching. He also had a keen interest in law.
He graduated later than expected because he wanted to do something different, he said.
“My sophomore year, after 16 straight years of school, I left college and tried to enlist in the Navy, but high blood pressure prevented me from being able to join the service,” he said.
Instead of being in the Navy, he traveled around New York, New Jersey, and New England and worked in a factory making ski racks.
During all of his travels, he said the he was still interested in law.
“I always thought having a law degree would be a useful tool to have...to make some social change,” he said.
A friend of Griffin since their college days, Bob D’Addario, said he really admires “The Griff”, the nickname D’Addario and other friends gave him.
“Sometimes I forget that he has a law degree because he never boasts about it,” D’Addario said. “At the end of the day, he’s just one of the guys.”
Going to law school right out of college was never his plan because he wanted to get married and have children first. For more than 10 years, law was on the back burner.
He spent his time working at the Massachusetts Office for Children, then at the Department of Social Services.
Griffin did get married, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1986. He then reset his sights on the goal of getting a law degree. It had been a long time, but he was determined to get what he had wanted for more than 10 years.
After graduating in 1993 from the School of Law in Andover, Mass., Griffin, then 45, took the Bar Exam. He passed on his first try.
In February of 2008, 72 percent of the 363 applicants taking the test passed the Massachusetts Bar Exam on the first attempt.
“He got the degree not for monetary reasons, but for the love of knowledge; he still wanted to do social work. That says something about him,” D’Addario said.
Griffin doesn’t practice law though, he believes “it is a very adversarial environment.”
He thinks that courts sometimes use unfair advantages, and that it is not a place he has interest in.
“I admit, it is also an issue of confidence,” he said.
Having the degree comes in handy at work sometimes though.
In 1996, he began his current job, at the Department of Mental Health in Chelsea, Mass. Here he works as a counselor in a group home, using his degree to advocate for people with mental retardations. He also still balances the bell man job two or three days a week.
He uses his degree at the Department of Mental Health to make sure the clients get what is legally theirs. He also offers workshops for people there and helps with the benefits.
“There is a good relationship between the DMA and the law. In this job, I can use law and do social work,” he said.
He also occasionally does briefs for lawyers. He helps write on such items as custody and guardianship of the mentally ill. The writings are reports on the state of the law.
With his two main jobs and writing on the side, Griffin has little downtime. When he does, he likes to read non-fiction books relating to law and other classics. Helter Skelter, a book about Charles Manson, is one of his favorites
Family is also a huge part of his life he said and he is also finding time to help people.
“The guy has a big heart,” D’Addario said. “If you could only have one friend, he’d be a good one”.

Bleak job outlook for college seniors

By Chris Almeida
College students in the class of 2009 may not be graduating onto bigger and better things.

Since the stock market plummet in mid-October that marked the worst week in the history of the market, many companies have decreased the number of college students they plan to hire out of the class of 2009.

Employers now say they will hire 1.6 percent less people than they had previously projected in August, according to a survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

“I’m really nervous I won’t find a job because the economy is so tough and a lot of people I know are losing their jobs,” Mike Sullivan, a student at Bridgewater State College, said.

The decrease in jobs for recent graduates will be felt across all fields, the NACE survey indicated. Only the government as a sector plans on increasing the amount of students hired by a large percentage- 19.8 percent.

“In August, approximately one-third of employers said they were going to trim their college hiring; in our current poll, however, 52 percent said they were going to adjust their college hiring downward,” said Marilyn Mackes, executive director of NACE.

Based on the dire state of the economy, it would seem logical to predict that the financial fields would have the worst cutbacks. However, according the NACE survey, the construction industry will actually be the hardest hit.

Those college graduates who do get jobs may have to take lesser quality jobs than those before them.

“There will probably not be significant salary reductions for college grads. The bigger problem is a lack of positions to be filled which would indirectly force graduates to accept lower paying jobs than they might be offered in a normal economy,” said Robert Rosenthal, chairperson of the economics department at Stonehill College.

A common strategy for some seniors is to postpone going to work by either going to graduate school or by doing a year of service, which is essentially taking a year off to do volunteer work. In exchange, the student’s loans from college are often forgiven.

“The downturn in the economy was a definite, though minor, factor in my contemplating potentially going to India for a year of service,” said Bill King, a senior economics major at Stonehill College.

Tess Collins, an English teacher from Boston who has worked throughout Spain, did just that.

“I decided to volunteer to teach overseas because I love children and I love Europe. But it didn’t hurt that the program I am with is helping me with my student loans,” Collins said.

According to College on Credit by Sandy Baum and Marie O’Malley, 20-30 percent of college students have debts so large they find the debts difficult to manage after they graduate.

Career Services at Stonehill has been urging students since the beginning of senior year to start networking with people they know in anticipation of a less-friendly job market.

“In this economy you’ve got to get out there now,” Christina Burney, associate director of Career Services at Stonehill, told the senior class through email.

Many Stonehill accounting and finance majors already have jobs lined up after graduation.

“I am so excited that I got a job at Wolf and Company, a Boston public accounting firm, and don’t have to worry about it all year long,” said Lauren Pietrasik, a Stonehill senior from Abington, Mass.

Other students, such as those majoring in education, generally have to wait until after graduation to begin lining up a job.

“It’s scary because mid-way through next semester a lot of seniors are going to get jobs but we have to wait until mid-June to hear about jobs because school budgets need to be approved for the up-coming school year,” said Lindsay Henry, of Marshfield, and an education major at Stonehill College.

This is not a tough job market for only recent graduates. According to the Department of Labor, the number of unemployed people in the United States has gone up by 2.2 million people.

“The economic meltdown has trickled down to every level of the economy. Financial institutions, corporations seeking credit, small businesses and individuals, it is far-reaching and wide-ranging,” said Doug Catalano, COO of Integra Technology Corporation, a consulting firm located in Waltham.

For Women, College Admissions Process Gets Even Harder

By Genevieve Quinn



As if it wasn’t hard enough to get into college these days, it has become even tougher if you don’t have a Y chromosome.


Women outnumber men by almost two to one among college students over the age of 25, according to the American Council on Education.


At the undergraduate level, the percentage of male students in attendance is 42 percent.


Women have a comfortable 60 to 62 percent majority among undergraduates.


At the graduate level, women have a slight enrollment majority in fields such as medicine, at 51 percent, and other health science professional programs, at 53 percent.


What was once considered a man’s field of study now has an equal to slightly larger number of women.


With more women attending college than ever before, the competition has increased for acceptance into top notch private universities.


With so many female students applying, many colleges want to offset the numbers by taking in more male applicants.


This could mean accepting a male candidate who is less qualified than a female candidate.


“I have a male friend who got accepted into a school that I was rejected from. He didn’t have the GPA, SAT scores or extra-curriculars that I did. It was pretty upsetting,” said Melissa Cartagena, a local college student.


While these obstacles may prevent women from getting into their top school choices, it says a lot about the changing times.


Women have certainly evened the playing field.

Balancing School, Sports, and Sleep

Published Dec. 27, 2008, The Taunton Daily Gazette

tauntongazette.com

By Hannah Anderson

EASTON—It can be tough to balance sports, school and sleep.
Just ask Ashley Langlois, who plays varsity softball at Stonehill College.
“During season you really need to be organized in order to get big projects and papers done. It’s hard when you have away games, we play double headers so there are away games when we won’t even get back to school until 11-12 at night. By the time you eat and shower you’re so tired you don’t want to write a paper,” said Langlois.
Playing a varsity sport in college involves hours of practices a week as well as lifting, conditioning, games, and travel. Add to getting involved in other school acitivites, Langlois said sleep can sometimes be the first to go.
This is not unusual among college athletes.
One study found that college students who are involved in extracurricular activities are more likely to be sleep deprived and be sleepy during the day. This can affect their academic performance, according to a research abstract presented at the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS).
Eddie Vachon, a sophomore on the varsity football team at Stonehill College.
Eddie devotes hours per week to football while trying to balance his schoolwork.
“During the season we have meetings, lifting, conditioning, practice, and games. It’s hard to find time, let alone energy to get all of your work done,” said Vachon.
One study, “Learning and Earning: Working in College,” by Jonathan Orszag, found that a student who was involved more than 10 hours of extracurricular activities a week was more likely to have what is called “non-restorative sleep” which is less than six hours per night and results in excessive daytime sleepiness.
Another study by Fred Danner, found the amount of hours of sleep on a school night were tied to how high or low a student’s grade point average was and how motiviated he or she was.
Anthony Tomasz, a sophomore on the varsity football team at Stonehill, said he sometimes spreads himself thin during football season as he tries to balance sports and school work.
“My GPA during football season was a 1.5 last year, my GPA out of season was a 3.2. Enough said,” said Tomasz.
Student athletes reported more stress than non-athletes in areas such as: having a boyfriend or girlfriend, finding enough time for sleep, having a lot of responsibilities, and having heavy demands from extracurricular activities, Gregory Wilson and Mary Pritchard wrote in "Comparing Sources of Stress in College Student Athletes and Non-Athletes."
Diana Rojas, a sophomore at Stonehill College keeps busy on campus as a representative for Spirit Committee, programming committee, and class committee in Student Government Association. She also participates in Swim Club, Dance Club, Education Society and Hall Council.
“Being so involved helps me get my work done because it gives me less time to procrastinate. When I stay busy I know I only have limited time for my work, so I know I have to do it during that free time,” said Rojas. “It also depends on who you surround yourself with. If the people in your organization or sport are motivated and competitive in their studies, it encourages you to focus on your studies as well.”
Lauren Swett, a sophomore at Stonehill, participates in Dance Club, Art Club, Swim Club, and also plays intramural volleyball in the spring and the fall.
“My extracurricular activities help give me a time limit on when I need to get everything done,” said Swett. “Plus it just gives me something else to do besides work. If I didn’t do any activities I would get overwhelmed by school.

Texting Not Driving: 20 percent of drivers aren't watching the road

By Sean Powell
Jeff Duggan used to be like a large number of teenagers who admit to texting while driving. He was cruising down Interstate 93 and sending a text to his friend about plans for later that night.

“I was trying to text him directions,” Duggan said. “I had just gotten the street name to come out right when I felt a jolt and realized I had bumped into a car in the next lane.” Duggan said he grabbed the wheel and pulled to the left and he separated from the car without any damage.

“Aside from the paint scratch, which cost me some serious cash to fix before my dad saw, the car was fine. I got really lucky,” Duggan said.

According to a recent study, Duggan is not alone. Over one million vehicles on the road are being driven by someone using a hand-held phone at any given daylight moment according to the annually conducted 2007 National Occupant Protection Use Survey.

The study is conducted annually by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The survey also found that 1 percent of drivers 16 to 24 were visibly manipulating hand held devices and that 46 percent of teens admit to texting while driving.

A recent study by Nationwide Insurance found that 20 percent of drivers are texting while driving.

Stonehill College Police Chief Peter L. Carnes was Wenham’s Chief of Police from 1984 to 1995 and served as Yarmouth’s Chief of Police from 1995 to his retirement in 2007 when he came to be Chief of Police for Stonehill College. Carnes said the raw data is not complete yet because of the newness of the technology but we can already see the trends.

Carnes said texting is more hazardous than talking on the phone while driving.

“Texting for some reason requires a different level of concentration because, you know, people start reading the message and then they star thinking about the message and when you’re deep in thought about the message you’re definitely not paying attention to the road,” Carnes said.

Curtis Crocker, 21, is a senior at Bridgewater State College and commutes to school. Crocker said he is a chronic user of text messaging while driving.

“I know it’s dangerous but I am just so used to texting after having a girlfriend for so long,” Crocker said. “It’s just easier.” He said he text messages at least once every time he drives.

“I had a few close calls, actually. I almost hit a truck once on the highway. It stopped and I wasn’t watching the road,” Crocker said. “I probably should stop.”

Shawn Torres, 21, of Stonehill College is a senior, said he can text and drive without a problem.

“Phone calls are longer and more distracting than shooting a text to someone,” Torres said.

Matthew Salerno, 21, Torres’ roommate, disagrees.

“Texting and driving are both pretty hard. You can’t be looking at what you’re texting and watch the road at the same time,” Salerno said.

He said he has had too many close calls driving to attempt a text while driving.

Alexandra Gordon, 18, freshman at Stonehill College, said texting while driving is a bad practice.

“It’s just stupid and dangerous,” Gordon said. “I couldn’t risk it.”

Gordon said she has never been in an accident or gotten a ticket and does not want to break her streak.


Police Chief Carnes said this sort of incident was not uncommon.

“You’ll be driving down the highway and see someone drifting across the lane and you think ‘This guy must be drunk,’” Carnes said. “Come to find out it’s just a kid texting his girlfriend. You’re operating a motor vehicle at excess of 60 miles per hour and don’t feel like you need to watch the road. It’s scary.”

Carnes said cell phones can cause problems on the road but they can also help highway safety.

“People talking on the phone now are usually using a Bluetooth or a headset. We’re seeing progress there at least,” Carnes said.

Seat Belt Safety

Mike Gormley
Imagine your life flashing before your eyes as you brace for impact. You just got in a car crash, and with all variables set aside there is thin strip of plastic that could be the difference between survival, injury, or death.
Bill King of Stonehill College was in a treacherous car crash and believes that his seatbelt saved his life.
“I was strapped in and that is what probably saved my life and the lives of my friends in the car with me,” King said.
King was driving his jeep when it skidded out of control landing on its roof.
“I was driving on the highway, it was pouring rain, and when I went around the bend of a highway, my jeep hydroplaned, and I lost control of the car,” said King.
When the car flipped, King kicked out the side window, and crawled out of the vehicle. “If I was not wearing a seatbelt, I would have surely been tossed out of the windshield, or crushed by the roof.”
Seatbelts reduce the risk of fatality and severe injury. “When used properly, lap/shoulder belts reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passengers car occupants by 45% and the risk of moderate to severe injury by 50%,” according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Failure to wear a seatbelt is a failure to be safe. With so much publicity and real life accounts it is hard to argue against a practical safety precaution.
“The vast majority of the public, (86%) strongly agreed that if they were in a motor vehicle accident they would want to have their seatbelt on,” according to the National Highway and Safety Administration.
An increase in seatbelt use has occurred as a result of recent ad campaigns throughout the country. Deputy Chief Allen Krajcik of the Easton Police department said the campaign is increasing awareness.
“I think publicity is effective, people hear the ads, and if they aren’t aware are now informed,” said Krajcik.
In Massachusetts failure to wear a seat belt is a secondary violation. This means an additional $25 ticket will be added to a moving violation.
“The smart thing to do is to wear your seatbelt belt because it can save your life, not to avoid the ticket,” said Krajcik.
Krajcik said that he has seen firsthand that seatbelts save lives. “90-95 percent of people who are killed in an accident were not wearing their seatbelt. In 26 years, I have only seen one fatal accident where the individual was wearing a seatbelt.”
With all the information and the statistics, some people still choose to not wear their seatbelts.
Chris Darrah a Northeastern University student is one of those people.
“I don’t have a car, but when I drive my parent’s car, I don’t always wear my seatbelt,” Darrah said. Darrah distinguishes the use of the seatbelt as situational.
“If I am driving short distances around my town, I probably won’t bother, but on the highway I would buckle up,” Darrah said.
Seatbelt use nationally in 2007 was 82 percent as measured by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, and the National Occupant Protection Use Survey.
In Massachusetts, seatbelt use was considerably lower in 2007 at 68.7 percent. This means that close to one third of drivers in Massachusetts are not driving safe. Mr. King said he knows firsthand the seatbelt saves lives.
In the moments before King’s accident his friends made sure they buckled up. “Me and my friends were listening to the radio, and a public service announcement came on about seatbelts. My buddy jokingly put his seatbelt on making fun of the ad, but like a minute later I flipped my jeep,” King said. Perhaps it was an omen, or perhaps it was dumb luck, but King and his friends are alive and well today because of their seatbelt use.

Local College Students Pursue Higher Education by Looking In State

Published Dec. 13, 2008, Page 1, The Enterprise of Brockton, Mass.
Published Dec. 29. 2008, Page 1, The Taunton Daily Gazette, Taunton, Mass.

http://www.enterprisenews.com/homepage/x48915674/College-students-shop-for-good-deal-in-tough-economy


By Genevieve Quinn

Brianna Smith’s decision to attend Bridgewater State College was a no-brainer.

“Bridgewater was the cheapest school I applied to by thousands. After the whole stock market crash I couldn’t get a loan. My dad had to take the money out of his 401k, which now basically cripples his retirement,” she said.

Smith’s situation is not unique.

The increased cost for higher education, combined with an average decrease in family income, has made affording college today harder than ever.

The share of family income required to pay a years tuition at a 4 year public college has doubled since 1960, from 13 to 27 percent, according to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

College tuition since then has also increased by a stunning 375 percent, according to the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

With the present day economy in shambles, young college students are left with fewer choices as to where to pursue their higher education.

For many students it makes sense to attend school locally, as in state college costs are cheaper compared to out of state.

“The price of tuition was definitely the key in me going to MCC,” said Steve Spillane, a student at Massasoit Community College.

For some, even going to school locally is a struggle.

The average tuition for in-state, public colleges has increased by 35 percent since 2001-2002, according to a NACAC study.

“My parents can't afford to help me out with college bills, so it’s nice to go to a college that's cheap,” said Ellen Berna, a University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth freshman.

In 2008-09, the average tuition and fees of $6,585 for in-state students at public four-year institutions increased by $394, or 6.4 percent. For out-of state students, the average $17,452 is an increase of $866, or 5.2 percent, according to the College Board annual survey of colleges.

These are just public university statistics.

Many students look at private universities, but often realize the debt they will owe will follow them into adulthood.

“It came down to being over $100,000 in debt by the time I graduated or going to school for free,” said Cherilyn Cabral, a freshman at The University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, who choose going to college locally.

With private university tution prices reaching outrageous numbers, public universitites are receiving more applications than ever before.

78 percent of public colleges nationwide noted a significant increase in the number of applications since 2007, according to the NACAC.

Massasoit Community College, with campuses in Brockton and Canton, saw an enrollment increase of 4.7 percent in the fall of 2008.

The numbers increased from 7, 064 applications in the fall of 2007 to 7, 394 in the fall of 2008.

“It doesn’t seem like much, but for us it was a noticeable increase,” said Mary Lynch, the Director of Institutional Research at MCC.

Cyndi McNamara was one student who added to this increase.

“It is my goal to earn an associates degree in Computer Information/User support. There are private schools that offer these classes and they are way too expensive,” McNamara said.

Bridgewater State College also saw an enrollment increase from the fall of 2007 to the fall of 2008. There were 6,940 applications in 2007 and 7,628 in 2008.

The numbers projected for the fall of 2009, 8,100 applications, will be the highest ever for the school.

“As of today, with just our early decision applications in, our numbers are up 30 percent compared to last year. All indications are that our numbers will be up significantly, and the biggest part is due to the economy,” said Greg Meyer, the Director of Admissions at Bridgewater State College.

It doesn’t help matters that today more young people across the country are choosing to attend college.

The number of 18 and 19 year-olds attending college rose from 36 percent in
1976 to 46 percent in 2006.

With more people applying to college, there is less federal student aid to go around.

“I come from a low income family and I am one of five girls, and if I was to go to a private school I would be required to take out huge loans and be expected to pay them back myself, if I could even get the loans,” said Alexis Kay, another Bridgewater State student.

For some local students, it makes sense to attend cheaper undergraduate schools to save money for the future.

“One of the factors of my decision to go to Umass was the price, my financial aid and scholarships nearly paid for the whole thing. It is saving my family and I a lot of money in the long run. I want to go to a really good law school in the future so I decided to go to a cheaper undergrad school,” said Nicole Talbot, a freshman at Umass-Dartmouth.

Despite the fact that many students have little choice but to stay close to home to pursue their college educations, most end up having great experiences.

“Yeah I am going here because it is much cheaper than schools I wanted to go to. I don't want to owe thousands of dollars forever. But I chose BSC because it's a great school and so far I love it here!,” said Courtney Bulger, a freshman at Bridgewater State College.

College graduates today have become the most heavily indebted group in American history, according to the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.

For many students, the choice is simple: Get a great education for less by going to school locally.

Thanksgiving Dinner

By Kristen Bergman

“Why don’t we all go around the table and say what we’re thankful for?” My closest cousin, Dana, said at Thanksgiving dinner. My family sat around the dining room table, plates filled with food, glasses filled with wine.

Every other year, my family spends Thanksgiving with my father’s family. My grandmother, known affectionately as Nana, lives in a house right behind mine in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Nana prepares for the extravagant meal weeks in advance, always making sure there is something for everyone. Green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, turkey, cranberry sauce, butternut squash, eggnog. There was so much food on the table we could hardly fit our plates.

“I’m thankful that we’re so fortunate to have such a hearty Thanksgiving meal,” my seventeen-year-old brother, Nils, said.

“Peace, love and happiness,” six-year-old Victoria said.

My father’s family has been through a lot over the years. Of the three children in his family, he is the only one whose marriage has lasted. His father had a form of muscular dystrophy and passed was in 2004, which was very difficult for our family. He spent the last six years of his life in hospitals, but he never complained.

My grandfather, whom we called Poppa, sat at the head of the table. The year after he passed away, my grandmother set his spot at the table and the chair was left unoccupied. In the following years, my father, the oldest of the three children, has sat in Poppa’s spot.

“I am grateful for our family, how far we have come over the years, and we’re still sitting around the table enjoying this meal together,” I said, looking around at my family. Memories flooded over me as I realized how everyone was older, the gaps in-between family gatherings growing larger.

“I’m happy we are here with you all for Thanksgiving. The first of many,” my Aunt Gina said. She and my Uncle Eric were married in October, making her the newest addition to the family.

My little cousins were laughing and talking about video games, while we all talked about past holidays. The simple act of sitting around a table, talking with the people I had known all my life, stirred something in my mind. I thought about all of our experiences, how we all came together, knowing different things but coming from the same.

“This is for Poppa,” my mom said, raising her wine glass.

My father looked at her in awe, in admiration. My whole family toasted to my Poppa, and I know that he was there with us.

Do Colleges Promote Binge Drinking?

By Shane Caffrey

College presidents and students agree that the required age of 21 is pushing underage drinkers to binge-drink more often.

Binge drinking is considered having five drinks in one sitting. In an unscientific survey of 15 students from Stonehill College, over two thirds said that according to this rule, they would be considered binge drinkers.

“I’ll drink in my room, but I don’t want to go outside with anything (alcohol) because of how strict the rules are here,” said one student.

Many students share this sentiment. Students, afraid of getting caught drinking, stay in their rooms and drink before going out for the night.

Brittany Tartara is one of the students who think some college campuses have too severe drinking policies.

“So many kids will drink in their rooms instead of going out. If schools just let us go out and we didn’t have to worry about getting into trouble, we’d be able to drink socially, instead of worrying about whether or not an RA would ask to see what’s in our backpacks,” Tartara said.

Eric Scholl, a sophomore hockey player from Stonehill College, said he believes that drinking is going underground.

“I think the schools made it worse off, they can’t control everyone, they don’t know if some kid is getting hammered while he’s sitting down in his dorm room. I think kids defiantly drink more hard alcohol than beer, too. Nobody wants to carry a 30 rack around with them in a backpack,” Scholl said.

The national drinking age has made news since 1984, when Congress threatened to withhold 10 percent of highways funds to any state that did not raise the age to 21. Organizations like Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) say that the higher drinking age saves lives. Conversely, a survey done by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration says that 95 percent of people who drink first began to drink before they turn 21.

More than 100 college presidents from schools such as Duke University, Syracuse, Tufts, Colgate, Ohio State, and Dartmouth want the drinking age dropped from 21 to 18. The movement is called the Amethyst Initiative, aimed at bringing light to a 24-year old debate.

Duke President Richard Brodhead gave a public statement about his thoughts.

“We do not simply advocate lowering the drinking age as a solution to a very serious problem. Rather, we want to encourage an honest and constructive dialogue among educators, lawmakers, parents and students” Brodhead said.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) disagree with the Amethyst Initiative. While college presidents say that the national drinking age of 21 encourages binge-drinking, a dangerous behavior for young people, MADD suggests that the higher drinking age has saved thousands of lives.

David Diolis is a Massachusetts Representative of MADD.

“I think anyone who tries to lower the drinking age is making a bad public policy, we’ve tried it and it’s failed. We don’t encourage underage drinkers to not drive, we say don’t drink, for health reasons, and it’s illegal. Since 1984 thousands of lives have been saved from alcohol related deaths like car accidents and drowning, and falls,” Diolis said.

On Stonehill College’s campus, students who are transported for alcohol poisoning or students who are found throwing up do not get in trouble with the school, however students caught with a single beer can are usually “written up” and charged with a first offense: community service, a fine, and are banned from campus for a single weekend.

Several students asked to remain anonymous, in fear of getting in trouble with the school.

“That rule means I can drink as much as I want, and if I get caught by an RA, I should just throw up and I won’t get into trouble,” one student said.



THE CURRENT LIST OF SIGNATUES ON THE AMETHYST INITIATIVE:

President Vincent Maniaci, American International College

President Jerry M. Greiner, Arcadia University

President Ronald Slepitza, Avila University

President Elizabeth Coleman, Bennington College

President Scott D. Miller, Bethany College

President Bobby Fong, Butler University

President David Wolk, Castleton State College

President Mark J. Tierno, Cazenovia College

President Carmen Twillie Ambar, Cedar Crest College

President Esther L. Barazzone, Chatham University

Interim President Frank G. Pogue, Chicago State University

President John Bassett, Clark University

President Anthony G. Collins, Clarkson University

President James R. Phifer, Coe College

President Rebecca S. Chopp, Colgate University

President Robert Hoover, College of Idaho

President Mary Pat Seurkamp, College of Notre Dame of Maryland

President Frank Miglorie, College of St. Joseph

President Richard F. Celeste, Colorado College

President Dennison W. Griffith, Columbus College of Art & Design

President James E. Wright, Dartmouth College

President G.T. Smith, Davis and Elkins College

President Brian W. Casey, DePauw University

President William G. Durden, Dickinson College

President Joseph R. Fink, Dominican University of California

President Robert Weisbuch, Drew University

President Richard Brodhead, Duke University

President Donald R. Eastman III, Eckerd College

President Theodore Long, Elizabethtown College

President Thomas Meier, Elmira College

President Jacqueline Liebergott, Emerson College

President Richard E. Wylie, Endicott College

President Jeffrey Von Arx, Fairfield University

President Judith L. Kuipers, Fielding Institute

President Janet Morgan Riggs, Gettysburg College

President Mark Scheinberg, Goodwin College

President Sanford J. Ungar, Goucher College

President Jack Ohle, Gustavus Adolphus College

President Joan Hinde Stewart, Hamilton College

President Walter M. Bortz, Hampden-Sydney College

President Ralph J. Hexter, Hampshire College

President Susan DeWine, Hanover College

President Nancy O. Gray, Hollins University

President Richard Gilman, C.S.C., Holy Cross College

President William Brody, Johns Hopkins University

President John J. Bowen, Johnson & Wales University

President Barbara Murphy, Johnson State College

Chancellor Leon Richards, Kapiolani Community College

President S. Georgia Nugent, Kenyon College

President Rev. Thomas J. O'Hara, King's College

President Daniel H. Weiss, Lafayette College

President Stephen D. Schutt, Lake Forest College

President Thomas J. Hochstettler, Lewis & Clark College

President James E. Collins, Loras College

President Carol Moore, Lyndon State College

President Leonard Tyler, Maine Maritime Academy

President Thomas J. Scanlan, F.S.C., Manhattan College

President Richard Berman, Manhattanville College

President Ghazi Darkazalli, Marian Court College

President Tim Foster, Mesa State College

President Stephen M. Jordan, Metropolitan State College of Denver

President Ronald Liebowitz, Middlebury College

President Frances Lucas, Millsaps College

President Mary Ellen Jukoski, Mitchell College

President Susan Cole, Montclair State University

President Christopher Thomforde, Moravian College

President John Reynders, Morningside College

President Joanne V. Creighton, Mount Holyoke College

President Peyton R. Helm, Muhlenberg College

President Randy Dunn, Murray State University

President Thomas B. Coburn, Naropa University

President Fran Voigt, New England Culinary Institute

President Debra Townsley, Nichols College

President Robert A. Skotheim, Occidental College

President Lawrence Schall, Oglethorpe University

President E. Gordon Gee, Ohio State University

President Bonnie Laing-Malcolmson, Oregon College of Art & Craft

President Loren J. Anderson, Pacific Lutheran University

President Phil Creighton, Pacific University

President John Mills, Paul Smith's College

President David W. Oxtoby, Pomona College

President Robert A. Gervasi, Quincy University

President Robert R. Lindgren, Randolph-Macon College

President William E. Troutt, Rhodes College

President David C. Joyce, Ripon College

President Gregory Dell'Omo, Robert Morris University

President Charles R. Middleton, Roosevelt University

President Eric R. Gilbertson, Saginaw Valley State University

President Timothy R. Lannon, Saint Joseph's University (PA)

President Arthur F. Kirk, Saint Leo University

President Patricia Maguire Meservey, Salem State College

President Paul L. Locatelli, S.J., Santa Clara University

President Joel L. Cunningham, Sewanee: University of the South

President Carol T. Christ, Smith College

President Paul LeBlanc, Southern New Hampshire University

President Beverly Daniel Tatum, Spelman College

President Robert E. Ritschel, Spoon River College

President Pamela Trotman Reid, St. Joseph College

President Daniel F. Sullivan, St. Lawrence University

President Harold J. Raveche, Stevens Institute of Technology

President Thomas Schwarz, SUNY College at Purchase

President L. Jay Lemons, Susquehanna University

President Elisabeth S. Muhlenfeld, Sweet Briar College

Chancellor Nancy Cantor, Syracuse University

President J. Patrick O'Brien, Texas A&M University—West Texas

President Robert Caret, Towson University

President James F. Jones Jr., Trinity College

President John M. Stamm, Trinity Lutheran College

President Lawrence S. Bacow, Tufts University

President Thomas P. Rosandich, United States Sports Academy

Chancellor Robert C. Holub, University of Massachusetts—Amherst

Chancellor John P. Keating, University of Wisconsin—Parkside

President Walter Harrison, University of Hartford

President Jennifer Hunter-Cevera, University of Maryland—Biotechnology Institute

President C.D. Mote Jr., University of Maryland—College Park

President Jack M. Wilson, University of Massachusetts

President George M. Dennison, University of Montana—Missoula

President Steven H. Kaplan, University of New Haven

President Louis J. Agnese Jr., University of the Incarnate Word

Chancellor William E. Kirwan, University System of Maryland

President Geoffrey Shields, Vermont Law School

Chancellor Robert Clarke, Vermont State Colleges

President Ty J. Handy, Vermont Technical College

President Cleveland L. Sellers Jr., Voorhees College

President William E. Hamm, Wartburg College

President Tori Haring-Smith, Washington & Jefferson College

President Kenneth P. Ruscio, Washington & Lee University

President L. Baird Tipson, Washington College

President Michael Bassis, Westminster College of Salt Lake City

President Ronald A. Crutcher, Wheaton College (MA)

President Sharon D. Herzberger, Whittier College

President James T. Harris, Widener University

President M. Lee Pelton, Willamette University

President Lorna Duphiney Edmundson, Wilson College