New dance coach brings the boogie
Librarian defends readers' freedom SEE A2
VOL. 32, No. 3 The student publication of Washtenaw Community College
Books worse off with TikTok
SEE A3
SEE A4
A NATIONAL PACEMAKER AWARD NEWSPAPER
Tuesday, October 4 , 2022
Ann Arbor, Michigan
www.washtenawvoice.com
State lawmakers push for more grads with new scholarship fund Most students at community colleges eligible for up to $2,750 per year By Jordan Scenna Deputy Editor
RUBY GO | WASHTENAW VOICE
Teresa Herzog, Coordinator of the Collegiate Recovery Program, introduces the agenda for a naloxone training session hosted by the CRP. The session was free and open to anyone, and it was part of the CRP’s new weekly series of events entitled “Just Say KNOW”.
New grant breathes fun and education into Collegiate Recovery Program By Jordan Scenna Deputy Editor
The WCC chapter of the Collegiate Recovery Program received a $5,600 grant from the Jamie Daniels Foundation in June. The JDF was founded by Ken Daniels, long-time announcer for the Detroit Red Wings, and his wife Lisa Daniels-Goldman. After losing their son Jamie to a Fentanyl overdose in 2016, the Daniels family formed the foundation to help children and young adults suffering from substance use disorder. In addition to the grant, a $10,000 scholarship fund will be made available to
CRP students. Started in January 2019, CRP is a studentrun organization that supports anyone seeking recovery from drugs, alcohol, or other mental health issues. The scholarship won’t be available until fall 2024, but the group plans to use the grant money to host more social events to help create a supportive campus community and to inject some fun into recovery. “CRP gives support, community, and connection for healing, and that’s real,” said Theresa Herzog, CRP program director. “We also want students to have some fun and have some swag.”
Past outings have included hiking and kayaking, but the infusion of grant money should spice up the options for this year. They’re currently brainstorming ideas and laser tag has been mentioned as one option. Providing a safe and sober environment for students to have fun is only one of CRP’s goals. Some of the grant money is going toward the group’s “Just Say Know” educational series, which meets Wednesdays at noon in the Student Center, and is open to everyone. Harm reduction is the focus at the weekly meeting, where topics will include vaping, canna-
bis, alcohol, and prescription drugs. Harm reduction is an approach to substance abuse that aims to educate people who use drugs on overdose prevention, infectious disease transmission, and physical and mental well-being. According to the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, harm reduction strategies attempt to “meet people ‘where they are’ on their own terms, and may serve as a pathway to additional prevention, treatment, and recovery services.” continued on A2
Meet the new chief of public safety By RJ Hunt Editor
This past May, John Leacher was hired to become WCC’s new chief of public safety and emergency management. Deputy police chief Jamie Zecman is back to her traditional role as deputy after taking over the interim chief position since former chief Scott Hilden left WCC in January. Leacher takes the job with 35 years of experience in law enforcement services, serving in Romulus, Flat Rock, and Dearborn. Leacher found out about the job opening on the Michigan association of chiefs of police website. Leacher was content with his job in Dearborn and even thought he was going to retire from law enforcement there. Then, he found out about the job opening at WCC. “Honestly, I looked at it and wasn’t going to, but something kept calling me back,” said Leacher. “I kept going, maybe this is the place where I have that niche and where I have a
Jon Leacher, chief of public safety.
purpose again. Leacher feels like the new position is going to allow him to interact and connect with the community. “Community policing is where my heart has always been,” said Leacher. “There’s no better place than (WCC) to engage with young people, to have conversa-
RUBY GO | WASHTENAW VOICE
tions. Ones that I know will not always be easy.” Leacher realizes people on campus will have concerns, but he wants those concerns to be heard. Leacher’s goal is to encourage student success. “I always tell people that our very last result is arresting someone,” said Leacher. Instead of arrest-
ing someone, Leacher would rather have a conversation, so there is an understanding of what and what can’t happen on this campus. WCC has been welcoming to Leacher. “Oh my gosh, this is an awesome campus,” said Leacher. He mentioned that everyone has been supportive and helpful since he’s taken over the chief position. Leacher wants to make sure students are successful at WCC and that they have what they need to feel safe on campus. He wants to emphasize he is open to talking to students and faculty and address whatever they feel is needed. He is willing to come to student groups and student organizations. He gets that they may not agree on everything, but he wants to at least have a conversation so everyone has an understanding of one another. “(We can) do a presentation on something or we can have a roundtable and talk,” said Leacher. “I’m 100% all about that. People can stop by anytime.”
Michigan lawmakers have passed a bipartisan supplemental package to fund economic development and deliver scholarships for higher education.Students who attend community college will receive up to $2,750 per year for up to three years, or $5,500 for a public university for up to five years. Students must maintain “adequate academic progress” to keep the scholarship. Approved last week, the Michigan Achievement Scholarship is designed to help Gov. Gretchen Whitmer achieve her “60 by 30” goal, which would see 60% of working adults hold a college degree or skill certificate by 2030.
Starting with the class of 2023, students whose families have an “expected family contribution” of less than $25,000 are eligible for the scholarship. This is expected to cover 94% of students attending community college and 76% of students attending a public university. Since 2012, enrollment at public universities is down nearly 46,000 students, according to reporting by bridgemi.com. The scholarship is intended to encourage highschoolers who are skittish about taking on loan debt to pursue a degree. The scholarship is expected to cost the state $169 million for the 202324 school year, and $562 million over the next four years. This is an inconsequential sum according to Michigan Sen. Jeff Irwin, an Ann Arbor Democrat. “This is going to help a lot of young kids get to college, it’s going to help our economy and it’s going to be good for a lot of people in our state,” Irwin said.
State tuition help now tops $4.5M Michigan Reconnect gives state a more educated workforce By Afua Serwah Osei-Bonsu Contributor
Students at WCC have received more than $4.5 million through a pair of new state scholarship programs. Some 2,766 WCC students have enrolled in the Michigan Reconnect program, which started in the summer of 2021. Reconnect scholarships totaling $2.07 million have been awarded. The Michigan Reconnect program is open to state residents 25 and older who do not have a college degree. Michigan Reconnect covers tuition for eligible adults who want to pursue an associate’s degree or skills certificate at community colleges. It supports Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s goal of increasing the number of Michigan adults with a college degree/ certificate from 45% to 60%. Some state lawmakers have recently talked about expanding the program by lowering the age limit to 21, at least on a temporary basis, according to MLive.
A separate program open to Michigan residents who worked “frontline” jobs in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, has awarded $2.44 million to WCC students. That scholarship program has 2,409 enrollees at Washtenaw, according to Fran LeFort, media relations officer at WCC.. The initial program, Futures for Frontliners, is no longer accepting applications, but some of the students who got help with their tuition continue to work toward their degrees. Additional support for students returning to the classroom through the two programs was highlighted this summer when Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist visited WCC to talk about a new grant to help with non-tuition expenses. A $6 million commitment by the state government will provide up to $550 each academic year to help Reconnect and Frontliner students with costs such as transportation, technology etc. The added help is an important step in overcoming the barriers that stand in the way of a college education for many adult students, said WCC President Rose Bellanca.