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VOL. 33, No. 7
A NATIONAL PACEMAKER AWARD NEWSPAPER
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
Ann Arbor, Michigan
www.washtenawvoice.com
The student publication of Washtenaw Community College
Sexual assault awareness: ‘No means no’ Community decorates rocks, leaves messages around campus in honor of Sexual Assault Awareness Month By Willow Symonds Staff Writer
Every April, anyone on the Student Center’s second floor may notice pairs of jeans and T-shirts pinned to a decorated board. Painted over the fabric are statistics taken from RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest, & National Network): “1 in 10 rape victims are male,” “20% of Black women are raped in their lifetime,” and “every 98 seconds, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted.” But the display isn’t designed to scare those passing by. WCC’s Student Resource Center annually partners with SafeHouse Center, a shelter for abuse and assault survivors, to put together the board along with a booth in front. The table offers fliers in multiple languages for SafeHouse Center resources and handbooks for sexual assault survivors. They also tie turquoise ribbons – Sexual Assault Awareness Month’s symbol – to trees and poles, adding splashes of color around campus. This school year, though, WCC’s Student Resource Center coordinators and the SafeHouse Center made raising awareness for sexual assault more interactive among those on campus. Events like the community decorating rocks “get people talking,” said Whitney Carlson, a SafeHouse Cen-
RUBY GO | WASHTENAW VOICE
Members of the community gathered in the Student Center to decorate rocks, raising awareness about sexual assault. The first painted rock of the event sits on a pile of craft feathers. Rocks like these can be found around campus by anyone walking by.
ter intern who started doing outreach events at WCC this school year. “They also spread awareness for the SafeHouse Center, because not everyone knows about us.” On Wednesday, April 5, over 50 students, staff, and faculty decorated pre-painted rocks in the Student Center,
in view of the SafeHouse Center display. The Student Resource Center supplied craft materials like mini pompoms and felt iconography, but many participants chose paint markers. They wrote slogans to support survivors and denounce rape culture, such as “Consent matters,”
“No means NO,” and “Your Voice has Power.” The activity doesn’t just include those who decorated rocks. It includes anyone who finds these rocks hidden around campus buildings, including a note card encouraging finders to take a picture of the rock and share on social media. Decorators could either
hand their rocks to the event organizers, such as project & data technician Carol Tinkle, or could keep their art, whether for themselves or to find their own place to hide it on campus. Engineering student Meghan Robinson and nursing student Olivia Obya kept their rocks, at least for now. Last school year, Robinson hid rocks around campus
WCC tuition to increase Funds available to
students with kids
By Savan Saiya-Cork Staff Writer
For the first time in six years, WCC is planning on raising its tuition for in-district students. How much more will students have to pay this fall? Four dollars. During the WCC Board of Trustees retreat at the end of March, WCC’s Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Terry Barnes, presented financial data from fiscal years 2022 to 2023 and a preview of the FY24 budget plan. The official budget proposal will be submitted for review at the next Board meeting in late April. The biggest change in next year’s budget is the proposed 4% increase for indistrict tuition, which has not been raised since 2017. “Last year, every school increased its tuition except for four colleges,” said Barnes. “WCC of course, Wayne, Mott, and Lansing.” Among those four schools, WCC is the least expensive option for students. Since 2012, the average increase of community college tuition and fees in the state of Michigan was 50%. However, WCC’s tuition and fees have only increased by 13%. As of the 2023 fiscal year, WCC has the most inexpensive cost-per-credit tuition of
ZAKERIA ALMAJRABI | WASHTENAW VOICE
GRACE FAVER | WASHTENAW VOICE
The Board of Trustees held their retreat in the Morris Lawrence building.
any Michigan community college. This fact won’t change unless other community colleges begin suddenly dropping their prices for fees and tuition. “If you add in everything, tuition plus fees, Washtenaw is the least expensive community college in the state,” said Barnes, “We are seven dollars cheaper than Oakland [Community College].” After readdressing the board, he continued, “and Oakland has already announced its tuition increase for the upcoming year.” Community college enrollment is declining both instate and nationwide. WCC president Dr. Rose Bellanca believes that a major factor in decreased enrollment is the trend of four-year universities providing free college to
students whose families have a lower income. The most recent example is Wayne State University, which announced that it would provide free tuition to all students whose families make less than $70,000 a year. Despite the mounting pressure in the highly competitive market of higher education, Bellanca expressed confidence in WCC’s ability to thrive despite enrollment declines. She emphasized the key reason that WCC chose the school motto, “What do you call someone who went to WCC? Employed.” “We did that to show how we were so different from EMU and U of M. We are not the first choice, second choice, third choice—we are the only choice when it comes to this market,” Bellanca said.
by Grace Crandall
Staff Writer
Students may be eligible for the WCC Childcare Scholarship based on certain criteria. The Childcare Scholarship is a semester-long scholarship awarded by the WCC Student Resource Center. To be eligible, students must be registered in classes at Washtenaw, fall within a certain household income, and children must be enrolled in a daycare center licensed by the state of Michigan. All scholarship money is awarded to off-campus childcare support, something that has changed due to the pandemic. Prior to 2020, WCC offered a scholarship for the on-campus childcare center. When the center closed, on-
campus care ended as well. The scholarship is also now available to students enrolled in online and virtual classes, an offer not applicable before 2020. “We pivoted and tried to find a way we could help students in other ways,” said Cheryl Finley, student advisor and case manager for the Student Resource Center. The childcare scholarship does not vary based on household income; instead, recipients are awarded 80% of their out-of-pocket daycare cost, based on the amount of time the student is in class. The more credits a student takes, the more aid likely to receive. There is no maximum on scholarships available, and every student who is eligible can receive a scholarship, said Finley.
to brighten people’s spirits. She had painted phrases such as ‘Be Happy’ and doodled symbols similar to those on her rock for the Sexual Assault Awareness Month event. “I just really like peace signs. … I also added ribbons for sexual assault awareness,” Robinson said about her rock. “I hope [people on campus] get to pick it up and smile.” Obya took inspiration from Robinson when colorfully decorating her own rock with the words “Peace and Love.” “I imagine what you want when you’re going through something traumatic … is love and support from other people,” Obya said. Robinson noted an incident last school year serious enough for WCCAlert to email all students, faculty, and staff the day the survivor reported to the Public Safety Department. The email described the suspect’s appearance and clothes and provided safety tips for those on campus. “One thing [the administration and faculty are] already doing, to some extent, is making sure campus is a safe place,” Robinson elaborated. “But I do think they should handle these situations better and offer more support.” In the afternoon of October 19, 2021, an unidentified person inappropriately grabbed a student in Com-
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In the Winter 2023 semester, 26 out of 30 students received the Childcare Scholarship, an approval rate of 87%. A total of $56,754.60 was awarded to the semester’s recipients. Those who were not eligible withdrew from classes, did not place their child in daycare, or expected to receive payment from a third party, according to Student Resource Center records. Students can renew their application every semester, and are encouraged to do so. “It’s exciting when we can help as many students overcome certain barriers such as childcare,” said Finley. “If we help a student in the fall, you can just about guarantee they’ll be back in the winter, because then they know how easy it is to get it (the scholarship).” Students who want to know if they are eligible can contact the Student Resource Center at 734-677-5105, and can schedule an appointment with Finley or Leslie Neal. From there, students and their childcare provider must fill out an application. “The Childcare Scholarship is an excellent scholarship for those who are struggling with paying childcare to go to school,” said Finley. “Paying 80% of that cost is a huge help.”