Are visitation hours really necessary?

There are a few things that are uniquely Hillsdale College: conservatism, liberty and eagles, to name a few. Another would be visitation hours and the guarantee that it'll be debated sometime before the end of the first semester. This is that time.

The argument against visitation hours is obvious: why can I, as an adult, vote, go to war, take out an insurance policy and enjoy pretty much every liberty possible, but, if I happen to be in a dorm of the opposite sex past 11 p.m., I get nailed with a $50 fine? Thus far, I've heard two arguments for visitation and they run like this: visitation hours allow students to study peacefully within their own dorm rooms, and to keep them safe and to protect the poor fool who comes back to his room only to find his roommate committing unspeakable sins. These are fairly trivial, save for the last, and are easily remedied with a scornful talk and common sense. You have the right to live comfortably and your roommate ought to respect that. If not, then bear down your foot. Afraid of theft? Lock your door. If company is distracting, there is always the library. Or, for the adventurous introvert, you can tell your roommate's guests to leave. You have that power.

The second argument, however, suggests that visitation hours holds the student responsible. This is false. If anything, it illustrates the sad illusion of "responsibility" laws: responsible adults don't act this way. If we make a law banning everyone from committing that act, then we can be happy and consider everyone more responsible for it.

To say that it's necessary to have rules which will not only prevent the crimes listed, but to also instill responsibility into the youth, seems a tad misplaced. From my understanding of responsibility, one holds themselves to higher principals and aspirations regardless of laws, not because of them.

We all have the liberty, though not the freedom, to do what we please. And that's exactly the point: we ought to have both the liberty and the freedom. We ought to have the freedom to walk down Hillsdale Street in nothing but boxers and a baseball cap, and if we do have that freedom, we ought to posses the ounce of intelligence, the common sense and the responsibility preventing us from committing such a stupid act.

What's more frightening is when you hold yourself to be responsible. It can be terrifying and far more effective than any fine out there. After all, which is more punishing? Having to pay a $50 fine, or realizing that, once again, you've let yourself down?

Glenn Beck University to feature Folsom, Portteus in video classes

Professor of History Burt Folsom and Assistant Professor of Political Science Kevin Portteus have been filmed for Beck University, the online university created by controversial Fox News host Glenn Beck.

Beck University launched in July 2010 and focuses on religion, American history and economics. The university, which is not of credited, is going into its second semester of classes and will feature not only Folsom and Portteus, but Professor of History Larry Schweikert of the University of Dayton and Professor of History William Forstchen of Montreat College, as well as Mossey Library's Heritage Room, where all four professors were filmed.

Director of Mossey Library Dan Knoch said the Heritage Room is typically used once or twice a semester for filming. He said filming is usually done by either President Larry Arnn for promotional material or for special requests, such as a filming for a news crew. He said the room is never reserved for recurring meetings.

Folsom said his section will cover Franklin Roosevelt economic effects during his presidency while Portteus' section will cover Woodrow Wilson. Folsom said he is no stranger to Beck and has appeared on his show about a dozen times.

"I don't know of anyone else who's on more," Folsom said, discussing the possibility of being the most frequent professor on the program. "It's up there."

Folsom said the filming crew, headed by writer and producer Eric Pearce, flew in from New York City to film in Hillsdale.

"Glenn is a big fan of Burt," Pearce said. "We're very happy when we have to pick a topic with Burt."

Pearce said the video lectures last for an hour each, but are broken up into two sections. He said they're not certain of what the future will hold, saying that the classes largely depends on what Beck is passionate about.

Pearce said the professors are featured in two half-hour segments on United States Presidents.

His videos featuring Folsom and Portteus will go online on Dec. 8 for subscribers to Beck's website, "Insider Extreme."

Point: Mary-Jane is not the enemy

Pot. It's a sticky issue.

Mentioning marijuana elicits one of three reactions: a bland acknowledgment of its existence, a hope to take a puff or a shocked expression at mentioning the cultural taboo.

The last reaction is out of line, miscalculated and ignorant.

Marijuana has been around for ages, and has been found to have many medical uses –– from leukemia treatment to pain relief –– and few negative effects beyond minor hallucination and smoke inhalation. It is, however, associated with a weak society.

Marijuana has had a plagued history. It was first regulated in the 1930s by government officials who believed it made people insane and incapable of leading normal lives.

In 1973 it was labeled as a Class I controlled substance with no apparent medical use.

Anti-drug ads have associated it with suicide, violence and everything short of child-abuse. The Drug Enforcement Administration actively fights studies proving its effectiveness at treating ailments, confiscates it as medicine and puts nonviolent consumers in jail, claiming that pot kills.

But here's a little fact the DEA may have missed: More people have been killed drinking water than smoking marijuana. 

But that isn't the fault of the DEA not regulating water; it's the fault of a bad law and a culture which finds itself squeamish at the slightest hint of the pot culture.

Stoner culture is the source of most of the misunderstanding about marijuana. The word "pothead" drums up images of hooded hippies wearing hemp clothing, drinking organic milk and talking about their insights into the latest battle against capitalism. But in reality many smokers study physics, history, economics, politics, and in all likelihood, have voted for republicans.

Providers, contrary to what daytime TV shows and Hollywood would have you believe, are ordinary people. Some work as accountants, others as construction workers and some as farmers; they just happen to provide a demanded service on the side.

To some the question is, why waste time with pot? Well, why not? It's no more toxic than a cigarette, less dangerous than an irresponsible drinker and the act of smoking it is far less condescending than people who look down upon all three.

Some say pot should be banned because it makes smokers different, estranging them from the world and reality. This is true. It does alter a person's perception, but that condition is certainly not limited to marijuana.

The next time you sip on a mocha latte, gulp Coca-Cola or drink tea, remember that what you're drinking has caffeine in it and is far worse for your body than marijuana ever could be.

Caffeine is a drug, and, unlike marijuana, is actually addictive; many people can't operate without it. Too much caffeine makes your heart race, increasing your stress level and making you irritable and jumpy. If you miss a coffee break, you will feel the same symptoms with the added bonus of exhaustion and withdrawal. If you drink caffeine on a  regular basis you have the same dependance on it as someone addicted to heroin –– keep that in mind the next time you visit AJ's or try to pull an all-nighter.

The college's zero-tolerance policy toward marijuana, while ineffective at preventing students from smoking it, is simply the by-product of a culture of misunderstanding that spans generations. It will take time for marijuana to become accepted on a national scale and here at Hillsdale, but it no doubt will –– and already is, in small circles.

In truth, there is nothing inherently wrong, evil or self-destructive in smoking marijuana –– at least not any more than smoking a cigarette or drinking coffee. Its maligned history has created a culture of ignorant paranoia and will continue to do so until the general populace is educated and the air clears around marijuana.

Hillsdale unemployment still high but dropping

Hillsdale unemployment rate has dropped 2.3 percent from July 2009 to July 2010. A paltry drop from 19.2 percent, but it's a drop which may signal economic recovery in Hillsdale County.

Sarah Hartzeler, Community Relations Officer at South Central Michigan Works!, said the slow uptick in employment can be accredited to employers trying to stretch out their workers with minimal risk.

Hartzeler said while plants aren't hiring in large numbers, they are consistently picking up one or two workers on a monthly basis. Those workers will be working longer hours, too, she said.

Employees have the opportunity to work overtime at plants as employers seek to minimize the risk of taking on new employees only to let them go a few weeks later.

"Our unemployment rate is still fairly high," Director of Economic Development for Hillsdale Christine Bowman said. "Part of that is because companies can't raise the capital to add additional jobs."

Hartzeler said SCMW has seen the number of plant closings in Jackson and Hillsdale slow, and hasn't had to utilize its Rapid Response program, which responds when massive layoffs occur at manufacturing plants.

"Overall, we are seeing a positive outlook with quite a few workers who've gone back to work through our No Worker Left Behind program," Hartzeler said.

No Worker Left Behind grants underemployed or unemployed persons earning less than $45,000 a chance to re-educate themselves through state education grants and re-enter the workforce.

City Manager Michael Mitchell said Jackson Community College has been working with the city of Hillsdale in order to develop worker programs, which, if successful, may entice businesses to come to Hillsdale.

Another success, Mitchell said, was the Rental Rehab program, which has refurbished downtown apartments in order to cater to college students.

"What we see are people looking at completely different fields," Hartzeler said.

Hartzeler noticed that some re-educated people went back into manufacturing, but this time with training certificates in welding and other technical fields. More popular, she said, was the medical field which saw a pick-up in nursing, radiography and physical therapy.

Bowman said the Bob Evans manufacturing plant in Hillsdale is investing $1.3 million to change the plant from manufacturing to production and distribution after a plant closed in Gelva, Ill. The revamped plant will provide no new jobs, but it will keep all of its current positions. Bowman also said Martinrea International Inc., an automotive manufacturing company, recently refurbished and expanded a former SKD plant in Jonesville, doubling its number of employees to 235.

Bowman said one exception was small businesses raising capital, noting small banks and small businesses have been carefully supporting one another.

"At least it appears the bleeding seems to have stopped, and we're seeing a slight uptrend," Bowman said.

Hillsdale county Prison energy system out of gas

An $800,000 energy savings project at the Hillsdale County Jail has not worked out as planned as the jail continues to have heating and energy saving issues.

County Commissioner Brad Benzing said the Board of Commissioners contracted with Honeywell about three years ago to upgrade the county jail building with an energy improvement project in order to save on energy costs. He said the energy savings project includes roof, insulation, water, lighting and temperature improvements to the county jail.

"We've had issues with the system since it was installed," Benzing said.

Benzing said the improvements come with remote monitoring, where the maintenance department can monitor and adjust the temperature of the building over a wireless connection. But every time the system hasn't worked, the maintenance department has had to go and fix the temperature manually Benzing said.

County Commissioner Parke Hayes said the improvements ought to have helped keeps costs down on the building but has yet to perform properly.

Maintenance Supervisor Randy Finley said natural gas consumption for the building has gone up over the years — costing the county more money. Finley said they've worked with Honeywell to reset temperature setting for the system and are working with them to fix any problems that pop up.

"It's not any one particular thing," Finley said. "I wish it were so easy that you could point and say ‘ahh, that's it.'"

Finley said the Board of Commissioners purchased the program with the guarantee of saving a certain amount of money. Three years later, the maintenance department and Honeywell are still balancing and working out the system.

Benzing said the county probably won't see any refund because of another heating system the county put into place before beginning the energy savings program with Honeywell. According to Benzing, Honeywell incorporated the cost of maintaining the older system into their yearly energy savings audit — keeping maintenance costs low.

Despite the problems with the system, Finley said the county will continue to work with Honeywell to resolve any problems.

"It has not been a complete failure — it's been disappointing, just to say the least," Hayes said, "The bottom line is … we're just not seeing the savings we thought there should be.

"Finley said the next scheduled energy consumption audit will be in the spring. Until then, he said, the maintenance department will be in "wait and see mode."

Mauck Elementary closes

Mauck Elementary, which sits on the corner of Oak and Fayette streets, closed its doors indefinitely at the end of last school year.

The Hillsdale Community Schools Board of Education approved the closing of Mauck in November 2009 in a move to cut costs across the district and to try to adjust for a declining enrollment.

"In our case, because we have three elementary buildings, we were able to have some savings," Superintendent Richard Ames said. "In other districts there would have been overhead costs regardless."

Ames said Pre-K to second grade were shifted to Gier Elementary, while the third and fourth grades were shifted to Bailey Elementary.

Shutting down Mauck also meant losing some jobs. Ames said the losses were limited to an administrator, cook and some custodial personnel. Teachers, however, dodged cuts because the same number of students registered for elementary school this year.

"The staff is the same so the students can adjust easier," former principal of Mauck elementary Louis Foster said. Foster is now the principal of Bailey Elementary.

Senior Dan Rhodes observed at Mauck three times last year for his methods of teaching physical education. Rhodes said Mauck was small and the physical education teacher, Ann Harris, had to travel to different schools to teach different classes within a day.

Rhodes said the elementary also provided gym shoes and breakfast for the students.

"Maybe the cost of running all those programs at those schools—maybe condensing them—may have helped cut some costs," Rhodes said.

Foster said all programs are still in effect, but the gym shoes were for students who didn't bring correct footwear.

Ames said Hillsdale County's enrollment is declining overall. For now, Mauck Elementary will sit on the corner of Oak and Fayette, unused.

"It's difficult to say if we will use it in the future," Ames said.

C-SPAN takes a look at Birzer’s class

Professor of History Brad Birzer will be on camera for the first time since he was 5 years old this coming October. The news organization C-SPAN visited campus this Wednesday to record Birzer's history class on Jacksonian America as part of an upcoming series on the history of America. The series, which is currently unnamed, will have all the dressings of a history class, as taught by the best history professors across the country.

"It looks like a pretty neat program," Birzer said. "They seemed to know the class I was teaching."

Birzer said the planned episode, which will cover early 19th century Republicans known as "Tertium quids" — a Latin name denoting a third party — fell perfectly into his class schedule. And, according to the program's director and former Assistant Professor of History at Texas A&M University, Luke Nichter, Birzer has insight into this political group that no one else does.

"I thought it was a joke at first," Birzer said. "But it looks like a pretty neat program."

Nichter said the program will cover American history from its early colonial years right up to Sept. 11, 2001. The program will have at least 25 different professors from various universities and colleges who will cover separate topics throughout American history. Nichter said he hopes the program emulates a semester in a beginning history class.

"It's like I'm putting a whole class together and rounding up at least 25 professors," Nichter said. "When you think about the role of education in the country and its responsibility...we want a very broad and diverse background."

Students of Birzer's class seem to be excited. Junior Anne Morath said the class, as of right now, focuses on the age of Jackson and the personality that shaped the era around the war of 1812.

"I think it's fantastic," Morath said of the C-SPAN coverage. "I know a lot of people in the class who are excited about it. Dr. Birzer is such a fantastic professor that getting him into the public media is exciting because it's a way in which people can see Hillsdale professors."

Nichter said the program will first air Oct. 22 and will show on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays at 8 a.m., 8 p.m. and midnight EST. Distinguished Visiting Fellow in History Victor Davis Hanson will also be filmed Sept. 22 on great American military leaders.

Young gun aficionados showcase their stockpile

Sophomore Cody Mohr is lying on his back in a "T" position on the floor. He is covered in green, black and white threads, only his face and lower torso visible. Senior Aaron Falk sits over him and threads the colored yarn through the netting, slowly crafting a gillie suit.

All told, there are over 20 guns within the residence. They're not sure where to begin and after a short debate a decision is made - they'll start grabbing guns from junior Kamil Stasiulewicz's room and work their way around the house. The guys rush up and down the stairs grabbing their firearms, checking to see if they're empty, and lay them out, actions open, on Falk's gillie suit in the middle of the living room floor. The collection includes five shotguns, 10 rifles and one muzzleloader.

The guys pick up the guns and examine them. They're careful not to flag one another, keeping the gun's barrel pointed away from anyone standing in the crowded room. Senior Mark Yassay and Falk watch cautiously before Marsh sets a gun down. The action isn't open and Falk notices. Within moments the problem is fixed. Falk, Yassay and senior Michael Black said safe handling is the first thing to learn when using guns.

"You just have to teach them how to shoot and handle guns and people will get used to them," Black said.

"They're not weapons, they're tools," Yassay said.

Falk points out his Springfield 1903, a model he said was used in World Wars I and II. This particular gun, he said, saw combat in WWI before receiving modifications and updates over the years since. He and junior Mike Marsh point to a model 1891 Mosin-Negant. Marsh said the Mosin-Negant is another World War I-era gun which has undergone sportorization, a process where old military rifles are modified for sport use.

The 17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire rifle's body has a wooden polish and a hole built into its butt for the shooter's thumb to fit through. Falk said it is outfitted with a Barska varmint scope which adjusts for bullet drop at different ranges.

Marsh sets an orange clay pigeon next to the rifle with a single bullet hole through the middle. He said Yassay shot the target at 250 yards, two and a half football fields away.

"Instead of a class ring, my parents bought me that shotgun," Mohr said, pointing to an all-black shotgun. "I was happy."

It's a Charles Daly 12 gauge shotgun. The company producing it, Charles Daly, recently went out of business, spelling bad news for Mohr, who said the gun may need a new firing pin.

Falk said he and his housemates shoot at least two or three times a month. Today is the first time the guys have collectively laid out their weapons.

"Most of these are hunting rifles or targeting rifles," Falk said.

There's one rifle which stands out - the AR-15 semi-automatic. Falk, Mohr and Marsh said the AR-15 is the current standard for NATO forces and the U.S. Armed Forces. It belongs to Stasiulewicz, who got it because he's joining the Marines. It's a house favorite to shoot.

"That's for shooting for fun," Falk said. "Put a scope on it and it can become a varmint rifle."

"We can shoot coons with that," Marsh said. "I like raccoons because I think they're cute," senior Justin Dailey said.

The conversation moves to shooting with shotguns.

"I shot doves with a 4-10," Falk said.

"I think doves are cute too," Dailey said. "Justin is just a big baby," Black said.

Falk said his grandpa's preferred game was always waterfowl. He said they'd occasionally go out and shoot groundhogs on an Indian Reservation in North Dakota. Dailey's father has collected shotguns for as long as he can remember.

"We only hunt animals that are vermin and are legal to shoot," Marsh said.

Downtown shares blueprints for success; part of cool city program

The City of Hillsdale received a $20,000 grant to revitalize its downtown area. Administrators are currently working with survey company HyettPalma, Inc., to determine how and when to spend that money.

Local businesses hope the $40,000 plan (the grant plus $20,000 from the city itself) will help them target untapped markets and give students and locals more of what they want. Hyett suggested that businesses find a relationship between the community and the college and amplify it.

"The revitalization plan for the downtown will determine what things we can do better," said Aimee England, manager of Volume One book store. "It'll tell us things to do to make downtown better, one of the things could be to work with the college more, or to have a tailgate for when the College has homecoming."

On Oct. 7, 10 Hillsdale College students comprised a focus group as part of HyettPalma's study. The hour-long survey asked students how often they use downtown Hillsdale's services, such as food, office, service businesses and at what time they're used.

"A good suggestion that came out of the focus group is enhance the linkage and enhance the walking and biking environment," said Doyle Hyett, HyettPalma owner.

Hyett said students like to explore off-campus when they can, and that's when a downtown comes into play: if the downtown opens further to students, its economy will boom. Toward this end, Hyett suggested that new restaurants and bars open until early morning and walking areas should welcome, with plenty of lights guiding the way.

City officials will present explicit plan details at the Dec. 1 meeting, picking about five "top priority" items to implement quickly, said Christine Bowman, the city's economic development director.

"It's a five-year strategic plan for downtown.," she said "It'll tell us what types of businesses downtown needs."

Bowman also said it'll help determine what kind of events can be held and when the best time to hold them is.

Half the $40,000 for improvements comes from a Michigan State Housing Development grant given to 11 Michigan cities as part of Gov. Jennifer Granholm's Cool City Initiative.

Hyett said he works with the Cool City program to keep students in Michigan.

Jonesville participated in the program, consulting with HyettPalma. According to Hyett, the economics for downtowns is simple: if you offer a good product with good service, people will keep coming back.

"[Jonesville has] cleaned their act up. They've cleaned up Main Street and put in more lighting and it's got good dining at relatively late hours," Hyett said. "Jonesville is giving the people what they want and they've done a really good job of cleaning up their environment."

HyettPalma will talk to business owners and survey available kinds of businesses, how much space is available downtown, how much is occupied and how much is taxable.

England hopes the plan will help bridge the M-99 gap separating college students from downtown Hillsdale.

"We feel that the highway is a line that can't be crossed," she said. "We don't want [students] driving to Ann Arbor for entertainment. If you want a greasy spoon joint that's open at three in the morning, tell us."

HyettPalma will announce the results of its survey on Dec. 1 at the Hillsdale Community Library.