Granholm: "We didn't have to rob students'

Governor blasts Michigan Senate for cutting Promise Scholarship from state budget

By Katrease Stafford
During a conference call with collegiate reporters on Nov.12, Gov. Granholm discussed the importance of finding a way to get the Promise Scholarship back in the state’s budget.

The scholarship was eliminated from the state’s budget on Oct. 30.

The Promise Scholarship was merit based and it provided up to $4,000 for students.

In total, 96,000 students were affected by the scholarship being cut.

The financial aid department at Eastern Michigan University expected between 2,200 and 2,400 students to receive the scholarship for the academic year of 2009-10.

Gov. Granholm believes that the scholarship did not have to be cut completely from the budget.

“Our administration developed the Promise Scholarship,” Granholm said. “We’ve had tough budgets and tough cuts before, but this time the legislature really blew it. We did not have to rob students of a promise and jeopardize Michigan’s future.”

The governor hopes to use the Earned Income Tax Credit to pay for the scholarship. The EITC is a refundable tax credit aimed at low-income workers.

“We can pay for the [scholarship] by slowing the phase-in of the Earned Income Tax Credit,” Granholm said. “That’s one way we can pay for it, and the senate has already identified it as an acceptable form of revenue.”

The governor believes that using some of the funds that are currently allocated for the EITC would fully cover the cost of the scholarship. According to the governor, the Promise Scholarship costs approximately $100 million and the EITC costs $160 million.

“The reason why this form of revenue would work is because I would propose that there be an increase in the tax credit from 10 percent to 12.5 percent,” Granholm said. “There will be an increase in the money that goes into the pockets of working families and we could also save the Promise Scholarship.”

“There certainly isn’t a consensus between the governor and the legislature about priorities,” Granholm said. “I believe we must invest in education. The Senate believed it was more important to cut than provide the funding to protect education from being deeply cut.”

“We need students to know that this fight is on,” Granholm said, “and we can win it. If the students disagree with the Senate, this is an opportunity to exercise their voices in a democracy and tell their legislators that that’s not what they hired them for.”

The governor believes the scholarship affects the number of college graduates who remain in state, which can have a significant impact on the economy.

“The Michigan Promise is critical to our goal of doubling the number of college graduates in Michigan,” Granholm said. “That is the key part of the plan to diversify and to grow Michigan’s economy.”

Gov. Granholm discussed a technology company, Liquid Web, that plans to hire people and how the scholarship cuts could affect that hiring in Michigan.

“They are concerned that if education funding is cut they won’t be able to hire the skilled workforce, and they would have to go outside of Michigan,” Granholm explained.

“We must be providing the employees of the future. It is so critical to our economic future.”
Granholm commended universities such as Saginaw Valley State and Michigan State that have decided to provide their students with funds to cover what was lost by the scholarship being cut.

“The universities that have made that decision are doing that out of tremendous leadership and benevolence,” Granholm said, “but ultimately it is the state’s commitment.

If we don’t do this, the universities end up taking the money out of some other place where it was needed.”

Some students believe the state is not doing enough to help students pay for college. DeMarque Spence, a professional biochemistry major, was a recipient of the scholarship.

“I don’t think the state has contributed enough for college kids’ funds,” Spence said. “With the Promise Scholarship gone, that’s a big slap in the face for the recipients because the state is not keeping its promise.”

Others place blame squarely on Granholm’s shoulders.

Chris McKelvie, a social studies major and Iraq War veteran, said he is disappointed in Granholm, and has plans to move out of Michigan.

“Eight years is enough for her to do something,” McKelvie said. “Michigan is going downhill in my opinion and once I graduate, I’m gone. She’s failed Michigan, she’s failed veterans, she’s failed all
of us.”


Granholm comes to EMU to talk scholarship woes


Nov 23, Governor Jennifer Granholm addressed the packed Student Center Ballroom regarding the loss of the Michigan Promise Scholarship.

She began by discussing the economic crisis that Michigan is currently in. Granholm said, “In the middle of this crisis is opportunity and you all have this amazing opportunity to help build the next Michigan.”

Granholm told the audience that Michigan’s economy needs to transition away from its automotive industry roots, toward a new means of revenue generation.

“This is a structural change in the state of Michigan. The old ways of Michigan are gone. This [automotive industry] has been our proud way for the past 100 years,” Granholm said.

The governor believes the transition is dependent upon the number of college graduates working in the state.

“States that have the lowest unemployment rate are the states with the highest skilled workers. Our strategy in Michigan is to double the number of college grads in Michigan. If we double the number, then we will be the most educated state,” Granholm said.

The governor discussed the importance of creating new types of jobs and how it involves education. “While we want to hang on to the jobs we’ve got, we’ve got to introduce a new sector. When we went to Hyundai and Toyota, they wanted to know what our education sector looked like,” Granholm said.

The governor plans to focus on six sectors. These sectors are: advanced manufacturing, life sciences and medical devices, homeland security and defense, tourism, and film. The governor believes alternative energy technology will be especially beneficial for Michigan.

“Alternative energy will be a sweet spot for Michigan”, she said.

Gov. Granholm stressed the significance of education and how it will be useful during the transition to new markets, declaring, “21st century jobs require 21st century minds.”

The governor wanted students and parents to know she believes the scholarship can be reinstated if people are willing to fight for it. “I want to fight and I want to fight alongside you.

Let’s build together the next Michigan,” Granholm said.

Student Body President, Regina Royan, hopes that progress can be made with events such as this.

“I think this past week with the governor going to a lot of the different public universities has caused quite a stir,” Royan said.

State Rep. Alma Wheeler Smith (D-Salem) believes the State Senate should not have cut the scholarship. “Their priorities are askewed,” Smith said.

Smith disagrees with Granholm’s plan to use the Earned Income Tax Credit to cover the costs of the scholarship.

“Why would I balance this on the backs of the very families who need this money. I don’t agree with this approach, it’s an easy fix. We need something permanent. We would be robbing poor Peter to pay poor Paul,” Smith said.

Smith believes raising taxes could improve the situation. Smith said, “We need more revenue, without those additional dollars, it won’t happen. You can only trim so much before you’re cutting vital things. There is a time for an expense on the citizens and this is it.”

Several students who were affected by the loss of the scholarship let the governor hear their
stories.

Nate Root, a junior at the University of Michigan, was affected by the loss of the Promise Scholarship. “I’m having to work almost 20 hours a week now as a full-time student. This has led me to drop a class which has left me academically behind,” Root said.

Emily Gillingham, a freshman at EMU, had to take a loan out to cover the cost. “The loss of the Michigan Promise is just going to mean more loans for me over the course of my time at Eastern,” Gillingham said.

Gillingham is disappointed in the Michigan Legislature and said, “The Michigan Legislature’s betrayal of our trust and apparent unwillingness to support our future is akin to approval of the degeneration and decay of Michigan.”

In response to Marissa

I wholeheartedly agree with her when she stated that Evan was greatly unethical in his actions.As I stated in my postings,I believe that he should have shut down all of those disparaging comments made against the teenage girl.Yes,she should have returned the phone but, did he stop to think what his obssesiveness of the situation would have done to the girl?The country will look at her as the thief of Ivanna's phone for some time and as we all know, Americans and our press is not too forgiving.



To me,this is an example of when the internet has been abused.Abused in the sense of attacking a girl for a phone that was already replaced.Abused in the sense of unnecessary comments made to a minor.As I said before though,it is up to us adults to properly use the internet for good,instead of the bad.

A deeper look into the Shirkey article

Taking a second look at the article made me realize three
things.

1. The internet has a power that many do not realize.
2. Legions of people can come together for a cause that they feel strongly about.
3.Since the internet is so powerful,we must realize that it can be used for good as well as bad.


What started out as a case of stolen/lost property,quickly escalated to a situation that I'm pretty sure Evan nor Sasha expected.Was all of this warranted though?Should Evan have created these websites just to get the phone back?Even after his friend had already purchased a new one?Was all of the energy necessary or worth it?When Sasha was finally caught, she was arrested,but they didn't want to press charges,so what did they really benefit or in Sasha's case,lose from this situation?Well,for Evan,he undoubtedly taught Sasha a very important lesson of not to steal and that she really should have just given the phone back.Sasha however,had to deal with embarrasement and shame on a national level.That's not all that came of this though.

The readers learned something as well.Over the years, the internet has become such a powerful tool.Remember the days people used to post signs looking for lost property?Sure,you still see one or two for the lost cat,but,think about it,where do people post things for lost items now?I've seen ads on Craigslist for lost property moreso than on my street corner.The point being made is that the internet is a tool for more than just research or leisure time.It can be used,just as in this situation,to bring people together.If Evan never used the internet,everyone can be 100% certain that this would not have garnered the attention of the NYPD and surely not the attention of the New York Times.But it did.It did because he created several different web sites that allowed people all over the country to stay informed about the situation.

People became one-person media outlets because after they saw the sites,they would send links and inform their friends of the situation which increased the viewership of the website.Was this all positive though?No.

According to Shirkey,"Evan's bulletin board quickly became host to public messages disparaging Sasha,her boyfriend and friends, single mothers,and Puerto Ricans as a group."People began to categorize a whole race of individuals that had nothing to do with the situation and some people even began to say sexual things about Sasha.Some individuals even advocated violence against her and her friends.

The bottomline is,while the internet can do wonderous things,it can also escalate situations beyond reasonable measures.As adults,we should be responsible for drawing the line and seeing the harm that these types of things can cause.Sure,Sasha should not have stolen or kept the phone but, Evan should have made a judgement call to shut down comments of an inappropiate nature.

As with everything else in this world though....The internet is coupled with some bright spots and some very dark ones as well

Reaction to Shirky:Part 1

My initial thoughts on this were,simply put:WOW!

Something that happens every day in this country,someone losing a phone or some piece of property,is a very common thing.Someone creating a website,garnering national attention...not quite ordinary.Everyone at some time has indeed lost something that was of some sort of importance. Myself, I have gotten a purse stolen which contained a $100 gift certificate to Macy's so imagine my anger.I too have been a victim of a lost or stolen phone, the line being too blurry for me to decide which category it can fall under(I'll explain another time).

The point is,this is something that can undoubtedly strike a nerve within everyone.A nerve that,as Shirkey put,some of us might not be able to afford. What exactly do I mean?Not all of us are rich individuals and it can put a rather annoying dent in your account to have to pay for something stolen that was rightfully yours. This was a rather interesting read and I think I will go back and take a much deeper glance at it and be back with more thoughts.....

Duty of a Journalist

What is the duty of a journalist?What is our responsibility?Of course one duty is to keep the public informed and knowledgeable of the daily happenings in our society but, I believe there is a deeper responsibility.

To evolve.

As we all know,the world is constantly evolving in all aspects and with the current downturn of the economy,the field of Journalism has no choice but to go along for the ride. Journalism has been evolving since the beginning of its existence in order to stay revelant. With so many newspapers going under, there was a scramble in the field to revamp.Journalists needed to choose an outlet that would generate income and at the same time, keep the fundamentals of journalism.Hence, the old and new model of journalism.

In the text that Professor Tracy provided to us,she referred to this model as the "better hybrid model that combines the best of both".She goes on to say that "while many may squawk in alarm and anxiety,the millions of people using the internet illustrate that society is now ready for this next stage in the evolution of communication."This statement proves to be true in every aspect if you look at the number of individuals that use social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter daily. The Internet has almost become a necessity to have. Everyone is in the process of trying to capitalize off of the success of the Internet and it is about time that Journalism got on board. Instead of trying to fight the inevitable, it is time for us to embrace it and figure out ways to incorporate the new with the old.

Yes,the Ann Arbor News took a risk by turning into a online publication but, once they perfect the site,it will pay off. The online format does need some work but, it is a good example of the hybrid format that Tracy referred to.One feature that the News did not have before was the capability for readers to comment and respond in a timely manner while the news was still fresh and new.

Countless eyes are undoubtedly upon the News and whether or not they will succeed.For the sake of Journalism,hopefully they will.Their success (or failure) will ultimately set the precedent as to whether or not Journalism will sink or stay afloat.