St. John's students continue with their citizen journalism project:

 Gridlock on the Highway of Immigration Law Enforcement in Virginia

Tara Loftis never used to think much about illegal immigration. "I never really cared," she said, "because it never seemed to affect me." That all changed in the early morning hours of January 6th, 2007. Loftis, a 22 year-old from Virginia Beach, was on her way home from work at 2 am when she stopped at the intersection of Virginia Beach Boulevard and Witchduck Road for a red light. As her light turned green, she advanced into the intersection when she was struck by a van which had just run the red light.

Loftis was rushed to the hospital with serious injuries, including a lacerated liver, fractures in her pelvis, left elbow and shoulder blade, and later, the loss of her spleen. Her only memory of the accident is of the police questioning if she had been drinking that night, to which she was able to reply that she had not.

The real cause of her accident, Loftis was later informed, was a trio of men who were in the country illegally. The detective who was assigned to her case told her there was "virtually no chance" of finding the men who hit her, namely suspect Eduardo Estevez (a pseudonym). Estevez, who was reportedly behind the wheel of the van, since they had all run away from the scene of the accident before police arrived. Estevez's actions put Loftis out of school and work, and left her in a wheelchair for 12 weeks. But even longer- reaching effects such as a weakened immune system, seasonal pain in her joints, and the scars on her arms served as a constant aggravating reminder for Loftis. She felt especially angry that a man who should not even be in the city, let alone the country, has not only gotten away with his crime so far, but could cause harm to another United States citizen.

"The first time someone is arrested who cannot prove their citizenship, they should be deported," Loftis said. "They should not get a second chance in our society; they should not have another chance to hurt any citizens, no matter what the crime."

However under current Virginia laws, this type of no-nonsense enforcement would prove to be difficult if not impossible to enforce. The current Code of Virginia, under § 19.2-81.6, provides for conditions under which state law enforcement can "enforce immigration laws of the United States." These conditions require that arresting officials consult with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security to determine if an arrestee is an illegal immigrant in the U.S. and if that person has committed a prior felony or been previously deported. Estevez, while being in the country illegally, had only been previously arrested on a drunk in public charge, which is not a felony in Virginia. Because of the relative triviality of his offense, although Estevez was unlawfully in the Commonwealth, officials did not pursue deportation.

Part of the problem lies with the Governor's office, where Governor Kaine has opposed the inclusion of the State Police, DMV, and state corrections departments in the 287(g) program. The initiative is designed to streamline immigration enforcement and allow these state agencies to work closely with federal officials and offices (such as ICE) in catching, prosecuting and processing illegal immigrants found to be in violation in the Commonwealth. While Governor Kaine stated that he supported local governments who wished to engage in the 287(g) program, he had "concerns…about asking State Troopers to assume primary enforcement of federal immigration responsibilities".

Some residents of Virginia agree with the governor. Amos Lopez, 19, a Norfolk resident and a Mexican-American citizen said illegal immigration is a national problem, because national borders are being crossed. "The federal government should bear the burden of enforcing their own immigration laws, not the state," he said. However, he was quick to share his opinion that he believed any illegal immigrant who is arrested in the Commonwealth after committing another crime should be deported, "no questions asked."

Loftis disagreed with the Governor's opinion. "The state should have a lot of involvement. These people are in our communities, and the federal agents are not here to see what is going on," she said. "I think that the police at the local level should have the authority to do what the federal agents can do."

Loftis pointed to the Virginia Beach accident involving Alfredo Ramos, an illegal immigrant who Virginia Beach Police say killed Tessa Tranchant, 16, and Alison Kunhardt, 17, last year while driving after drinking. Incidences like these should spur localities to increase enforcement as needed, she said. "I do think it should be partly on the state," she said. "But I think that in communities where lots of problems are to be had, then there should be more involvement."

Justin Klotz, 24, a Norfolk Police Officer, had mixed feelings regarding what role his or any other city's department should play when it comes to enforcing immigration laws across the Commonwealth. "If the localities had the correct access to the Federal Government, then they should be able to bear some of the burden," he said. "However, there needs to be some more involvement at the State level to keep the problem from trickling down to the local level." However, Klotz was quick to point out that he doesn't feel the Norfolk Police Department should be taking on ICE's role. "With the number of illegal immigrants in the city of Norfolk, it would tie up too many resources within the Department" he said. "If the cities had to bear most of the burden as has been suggested, there would be little else to do other than chase around immigrants all day, and the Department has to tend to the other serious crimes being committed in the city." Even though Klotz felt that local police departments should not be primary immigration officers, he did not feel illegal immigrants should get any sort of free pass to live in the Commonwealth. "If I have to abide by the local laws in a foreign country, then there is no reason for people who commit a crime in the United States to not be dealt with according to our own judicial code," he said.

This opinion is not limited only to American citizens. Amy McDermott, 20, a citizen of the United Kingdom (and immigrating to the United States as the fiancée of the author) knows all too well how illegal immigration can present problems for society at large. "It's one thing when people cross the border and are fleeing a sort of dictatorship, some sort of refugee situation where political asylum is sought. Sometimes the paperwork doesn't happen as efficiently as it should," she said. Because of the location of the UK to many other third-world countries in Europe, the nation is often seen as the first choice for those seeking refuge from persecution in their home country, even though this practice of "asylum shopping" is not permitted under European Union law. She maintained that "it's very difficult to determine when someone has legitimately and unintentionally fallen through the system and simply needs to become a documented citizen, or if they have simply circumvented the system and entered the country illegally." McDermott sympathized with real asylum seekers, but said "if you come [to the United Kingdom] and commit crimes beyond your simply failing to immigrate properly, your removal from the country should be prompt and without question."

Recently, the Virginia General Assembly tackled a series of bills aimed to crack down on illegal immigration. One bill that passed is a provision to deny bail to any illegal immigrants who are charged with serious crimes. However a bill requesting Governor Kaine take part in the 287(g) program stalled, along with a bill to deny in-state tuition to students who are also illegal immigrants.

Fred Quayle (R-Suffolk), a Virginia State Senator, said that the General Assembly was bound by preemption by the Federal Government on immigration, and thus the bills that were able to pass were bills that were considered doable by the Assembly. "I think that the legislature probably did for the most part what they were able to do," he said. "The problem that we face is that the Federal Government preempts the state. The bills that were passed in 2008 were the only things that we were in a position to deal with based on a federal preemption."

One of the biggest problems in effectively dealing with illegal immigration is the lack of coordination between the Federal and State levels of government. "The problem we have is that the Federal Government does not cooperate with Virginia," Quayle said. "We have tried to tell ICE to 'give us a list of crimes for which you are willing to pick up the accused and deal with them through the federal system,' so that the process can be expedited. We cannot get this list, and ICE has ignored us." In spite of this lack of cooperation, Quayle did not feel that the state needs to start utilizing their local resources to hunt down any and all suspected illegal immigrants. "There is absolutely no way we can pick everyone up and send them back where they came from," he said, adding that "There are a lot of people who are law-abiding, so why mess with them? For the most part, they are industrious and hard working, and I don't think we have the resources to start ferreting out everyone who happens to be here illegally."

Loftis agreed, saying that her concerns are understandably more centered on those persons who commit criminal offenses beyond the scope of simply being in the country unlawfully. "I don't think we should search every house in the area and look for illegal immigrants and kick them out" she said. "[However] if there's a reason for law enforcement to have discovered that a person is here illegally, then that should be reason enough to deport them." Lopez agreed, saying that he found it "Unfair to think that some of these people show up only to work hard and provide for their families." He added, "What does it say about society if we find them and tell them that all their hard work means nothing? I know they shouldn't be here, but if they are staying under the radar, I feel less inclined to tell them to go home."

The law, as happens far too often, tends to be reactive. It did not do enough to help prevent Tara Loftis from being hurt by persons who felt the need to circumvent the immigration laws of the country. Still, Loftis talked about getting justice, no matter how reactive it is. "I think that he should be punished before he is deported, but the end result should still be his deportation" she said, looking at the scars on her arms. "He took three months of my life that I can never have back, and he got off scot-free. It's only fair that he has part of his life and his freedom taken away, just like me".

 More stories from St. John's students:

Recycling Mania – Are We Catching It?, by Janelle Person

Family Life and D.A.R.E. Education in Virginia Beach – Adequate or Antiquated?, by Becki Lee

The Struggle for Affordable Housing in Hampton Roads, by Amy Krieger

Neglecting the Promise of Public Transportation, by Jared White

Old Williamsburg, New Challenges, by Stephanie Calway

Not Just Studying Anymore: Life in the Navy ROTC, by Krysten Warren

The Quiet Side of Sex, by Ashley Jarvis

Not just studying any more: Life in the Navy ROTC, by Krysten Warren

ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here and for following agreed-upon rules. Comments do not reflect the views or approval of The Virginian-Pilot or this Web site. Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the "Report Violation" link below the comment to alert an editor. Repeat offenders will be denied automatic posting privileges.

St. John's students continue with citizen journalism projects:

 Recycling Mania – Are We Catching It?

 By Janelle Person, 21, ODU Spring 2008 Graduate  

Brian Salzbach, 22, a senior at Old Dominion University, says no one he knows recycles.“It’s not something we really worry about, I guess.We’re college students.We worry enough about affording the food that comes in the boxes and the soda that comes in the cans,” he says with a hint of a sigh. “Recycling the left over material isn’t really a big deal to us right now.”

What’s more, the average ODU student doesn’t think the school’s administration takes recycling as seriously as it should either.“I think the recycling program they have here is a joke,” says Kevin Merryman, 18, a freshman at ODU.Merryman complains that the school only recycles plastic bottles, and never empties the recycling bins.He also notes that students use the recycling bins for their trash, because there aren’t enough trash cans either.“We might as well not even have a recycling program,” he says.

Adam Zetts, 22, a senior at ODU, acknowledges the efforts of the administration, but shares some of Merryman’s opinions.“They are making an effort by putting the bins around campus,” he says. “But there is a bit of a time lag on the pick up of the recyclables.Good job, I suppose, but they won’t win any awards for it.”

In fact, they already have.ODU was recognized with the River Stars Award for its recycling efforts in January 2007.The award was presented by the Elizabeth River Project, a nonprofit organization that works to restore the Elizabeth River through community partnerships.Student volunteers recycled 220,000 pounds of material, and, with the help of the staff, they collected 2,500 pounds of litter for the Adopt-A-Stream Program.

Two hundred-twenty thousand pounds of material may seem like a lot, but it’s nothing compared to the school’s annual goals.During the 2005-2006 school year, the school collected 350,000 pounds. The next year, the total reached 530,000.This year, the goal is 700,000 pounds, and according to Harvey Logan, ODU's Recoverable Resources Manager, the campus is on its way to meeting that goal.

Each year, the school has increased the quantity and the types of recycled materials it collects, and has received greater participation from the campus community.“We’ll keep trying to be bigger and better,” says Logan.

Facilities Management’s recycling operating budget totals $85,000 for the fiscal year.The budget is developed with departmental historical data alongside decisions made by Facilities Management and the senior administration officers.

One hundred-fifty man hours are spent on recycling at the Facilities Management office every week.The expenses associated with recycling (fuel, vehicle maintenance, trash bags, containers, etc.) are eased by the money brought in from selling some materials (white paper and metals).Outside of salaries, the program just breaks even.

According to Logan, there are over 500 recycling container units on campus.This total consists of both the desk-side bins and the larger bins located in all the common areas around the campus, he says.

It’s strange, then, that students often complain about a lack of recycling bins.“I honestly don’t know where any are,” says Kourtney Houghtaling, 21, an ODU junior.Jordan Preisler, 26, a senior at ODU, can remember seeing only a few recycling bins shaped like giant plastic bottles around campus, but nothing else.

Many students believe that if the school was serious about recycling, there would be a recycling bin in every dorm room.“Students asked that there be containers on each floor of Whitehurst and I asked that this be done,” says Roseanne Runte, ODU’s president.“I think walking down the hall is not too much to ask, especially if the containers are close to the elevators. I do not think that we need to have containers in every room.That is a bit excessive!”

Tammy Park-Farinholt, the Campus Housing Director, agrees with Runte.“I don’t see how individual bins would help,” she says. The students would still be expected to take recyclables out of their rooms and put them in the large containers at the end of the hallways.“It’s hard enough to get them to use those as it is,” she says.

Nevertheless, Logan says that ODU is considered a model by schools in the immediate region, because of its consistency in year-to-year growth.Recycling at ODU rates high when compared to other universities, he says.

This statement is not hard to believe, especially because ODU is essentially the only institution of its size in Hampton Roads.According to the federal Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, Christopher Newport University, Hampton University, Norfolk State University, Virginia Wesleyan College, and Regent University, have total student populations ranging from 1,417 students to 6,238 students.But none of these come close to ODU’s total student population of 21,625.

Conveniently for those who would like to make a comparison, ODU is currently taking part in Recycle Mania, a 10-week long, nation-wide competition that compares the success of participating campuses in a variety of recycling endeavors.According to the University’s Student Environmental Coordinator, Ryan Lester, ODU’s main focus in the competition is on the “Gorilla Prize.”The “Gorilla Prize” trophy is awarded to the school that collects the highest gross tonnage of recyclables, regardless of campus population.

At the end of week six this past spring, ODU was in 70^th place out of 159 schools.Virginia Wesleyan College (VWC), located approximately 11 miles away, was ranked in 145^th place.This ranking is somewhat misleading, because VWC has done comparably well throughout the competition.The school’s population of 1,417 collected 11,439 pounds of material (8.07 pounds per person) while ODU’s student population of 21,625 collected only 64, 660 pounds (2.99 pounds per person).

“Across campus, many students, faculty, and staff promote the importance of recycling,” says Ashley Tishko, 20, a sophomore at VWC.“Many people encourage recycling, and every dorm on campus has a recycling bin in the room.”

James Madison University (JMU), a Virginia school located outside of Hampton Roads, has a comparable population to ODU, totaling 17,393. At the end of that sixth week, JMU was at 25^th place, with 226,037.5 pounds of collected material (13.00 pounds per person).

Sasha Ernest, 22, a senior at JMU, remembers her environmentally friendly dorm during her sophomore year.“In our basement we had different sections for disposal: garbage, boxes and cans. Because it was so easy, everyone recycled,” she says.

So how did ODU manage to collect half a million pounds of material last year when students don’t even know where the recycling bins are?Here’s a hint:It’s not from student participation.According to Ryan Lester, the recycling program collects the most material from the construction sites, Webb Center eateries, the book store, and the library.The most common recyclables are paper, cardboard, aluminum, metals, wood, grass clippings, and food waste (cooking oil).

Students don’t realize how much recycling the school does, because most of it happens behind the scenes.“One to two people every month will contact me, asking why the school isn’t recycling material “X”,” says Lester, “But 99 percent of the time, we really are.” The recycling program is very successful, he says.

However, when the average student at ODU hears the word “recycling,” success is not the first thing that comes to mind.Instead, they think of New Page (New Portals to Appreciating our Global Environment), a class on sustainable development.It was mandatory for all freshmen during their fall semester and replaced three general education credit hours.The course was first taught in the fall of 2004 and continued through the fall of 2007, until the administration cut the program due to student complaints, a lack of participation, and debate concerning the importance of general education classes.

Amberly Pecsek, 21, a senior at ODU, was enrolled in the first New Page class ever offered. “I think there were good intentions behind New Page, but failed ones,” she says.“It just resulted in an angry student body, rather than increased environmental awareness.”

Logan disagrees.Every student in the course was required to do a number of community service hours that were directed towards helping the environment.“The students did everything that was expected of them and more,” he says.Because there were so many students involved, more recyclable material was collected and processed daily than ever before.“Student participation in the recycling program took recycling on campus to a new level and raised the bar for recycling at ODU from now on,” he says.

“Most schools put up signs and expect people to actually do their civic duty,” Lester says.“We prefer to pressure our students into recycling by talking to them personally…It’s like inertia.Students are always at a stop.But if we push them hard enough, and get them moving—they’ll continue,” he says.

Carl Pucci, 19, an ODU sophomore, was affected by the inertia of New Page, and says it was an excellent program.“The class was developed by a whole bunch of people who believed in something and wanted to do something positive…I credit it with a lot,” he says.

Pucci was prompted by New Page to create a group of 20 students called “Students Undertaking Responsibilities for the Global Environment” (SURGE), which encouraged both faculty and students to participate in recycling efforts around the campus and the Hampton Roads area.In response to the group’s efforts, President Runte created the Environmental Advisory Panel (EAP), and appointed Pucci as her Student Environmental Policy Advisor.

“I am a living, breathing example of the butterfly effect,” says Pucci. If New PAGE hadn’t existed, he wouldn’t be the EAP’s student advisor.He never would have created SURGE.And he wouldn’t drive to Richmond ever week to lobby with state delegates about the need for funding to support sustainable development on campus.

“With the funding they have now, I think the ODU recycling program is doing the best they can,” says Pucci.“They could definitely be better, but only with proper funding.”

But participation from ODU students is also a concern.“I don’t think students consciously make an effort to recycle at ODU for the most part…I’ve never really paid attention to it,” Preisler says.

Although most of the dormitories don’t show very much participation, Lester points out that the recycling program receives a good amount of material from Gresham Hall.What makes the students in Gresham so eco-friendly?They’re the international students.

Other countries tend to be much more eco-friendly than the United States.Many of the international students were raised with recycling values from a very young age, Lester explains.

Salzbach agrees, “Recycling has never really been pushed in the US, so every one just throws things away instead of recycling.”We just can’t seem to be bothered, he says

Ana Maria Timofte, 24, an ODU student from Romania sees things a different way.She says that Recycling was “practically non-existent” in most of Romania.“There’s a noticeable effort here.The recycling bins in the dorms are always full,” she says.

Omojo Odihi, 20, an ODU senior from Nigeria, also mentions the recycling bins, noting that she sees them everywhere on campus. “I was also amazed by the fact that Starbuck’s uses recycled materials,” she says, “Can you believe that? And it’s all so clean!”

Nigeria doesn’t have the facilities to do that.Odihi says that her family still recycles, but in different ways.She is familiar with the practice of reusing things like tin cans for food storage, toys, and cups.She notes that recycling has so much more potential in America. “But I see students throw away recyclables all the time…it seems that a lot of us are just complacent,” she says.

Benjamin Leyland, 23, an ODU senior from the United Kingdom offers a contrary view. He says that he has seen a stronger recycling program at ODU than he saw at any other school he attended or visited in the U.K.“Just having recycling as an issue on campus is a good thing,” he says. “Some sections of American society are more socially aware than the rest of the world gives them credit for.”

Perhaps ODU deserves more credit than the majority of students are offering.Despite some cynicism and a lack of student awareness on campus, recycling isn’t a “used up” idea.In fact, the campus and students may just be on the bring of “reusing” the concept in bigger and better ways.And that can all translate into helping our environment and holding down increases in college costs. A big deal, indeed.

 More stories from St. John's students:

Family Life and D.A.R.E. Education in Virginia Beach – Adequate or Antiquated?, by Becki Lee

The Struggle for Affordable Housing in Hampton Roads, by Amy Krieger

Neglecting the Promise of Public Transportation, by Jared White

Old Williamsburg, New Challenges, by Stephanie Calway

Not Just Studying Anymore: Life in the Navy ROTC, by Krysten Warren

The Quiet Side of Sex, by Ashley Jarvis

Not just studying any more: Life in the Navy ROTC, by Krysten Warren

ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here and for following agreed-upon rules. Comments do not reflect the views or approval of The Virginian-Pilot or this Web site. Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the "Report Violation" link below the comment to alert an editor. Repeat offenders will be denied automatic posting privileges.

St. John's students continue their citizen journalism project.

Family Life and D.A.R.E. Education in Virginia Beach – Adequate or Antiquated?

By Becki Lee, 22

ODU Senior

 

In March 2002, students at First Colonial High School in Virginia Beach were puzzled when police officers and local news stations showed up on school grounds. For most, their confusion turned to shock when they discovered the reason: a sophomore student at the school had given birth to a baby in one of the school’s lesser-used bathrooms, then abandoned the child in the toilet.

How could this have happened if the girl was enrolled for all eight years of the Virginia Beach public school system’s Family Life program? The sexual education aspects of the program focus predominantly on the benefits of abstinence until marriage, the biological process of human reproduction, and sexually transmitted disease. Many feel that the program could benefit greatly from lessons concerning practical methods of contraception and the various options available in the event of an unwanted pregnancy. When confronted with these requests, an official from the Virginia Beach school board claimed that they were “doing everything we feel comfortable with and the community feels comfortable with.”

However, there is a significant amount of unrest in the Virginia Beach community regarding the lack of relevant and necessary information being presented to students. Cassandra Adams (a pseudonym, as are all the names of minors in this story) 17, a senior at Princess Anne High School, has very little faith in the system. “The Family Life program is a joke. Sexual education in high school comes from the parties and the gossip, not the classrooms. It is ridiculous to assume otherwise,” she said.

Kathyrn Eldridge, 20, said that students need to be educated about drugs and sexual health, but the current programs require an overhaul. “High school is full of pressure, especially when it comes to sex, drugs and alcohol,” she said. “I think a more in-depth program would greatly benefit the students and the decisions they make.”

The Family Life program is Virginia Beach’s version of sex and drug education. The first three years (from second to fourth grade) cover the basic structures of family, feelings that children may be having and how to cope with them. Sensitive issues are not introduced until the fifth grade, when students begin sexual education and the state-sponsored D.A.R.E (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program.

The D.A.R.E program was established in 1983 and is currently in effect in over 60 percent of elementary schools across the United States. It is generally spread out over seventeen weeks, with a one-hour lesson taught each week by a uniformed police officer. The lessons give in-depth information about nearly every common recreational drug and a number of less common ones, the effects of alcohol and tobacco usage and steps that children can take to resist gang influence and violence. According to tax returns filed by the organization over the past fourteen years, D.A.R.E has been spending anywhere from $230,000,000 to $750,000,000 a year on the program.

Many people feel that the D.A.R.E. program, while its goals and ideals are admirable, is presented in a way that is ineffective and implemented at a time when children are too young to be able to relate to and comprehend the subject matter. Jacob Vitez, 18, a freshman at William & Mary, recalled his D.A.R.E. experience as being ineffective and bewildering. “All DARE did was make us aware of the presence of drugs and the presence of peer pressure,” he said. “There was no way to understand, particularly at that age, just how peer pressure can become internalized, and there was no really convincing argument against most typical drugs.”

The D.A.R.E. curriculum is also the same for every classroom around the country, with no adjustments being made in consideration of local needs and issues. A 1994 study done by the Research Triangle Institute in North Carolina found that completion of the D.A.R.E. program had a "limited to essentially nonexistent effect on drug use." Of the twenty-four individuals that were interviewed about this topic, twenty-two had been required to participate in D.A.R.E as fifth graders. Only one said that the program had any kind of impact at all on whether he chose to use tobacco, drugs or alcohol later on in life. (He did.) The program concludes after seventeen weeks and the students are required to sign a pledge promising not to use drugs or alcohol. Ellen Peterson, a recent graduate of the Virginia Beach school system, finds this particularly offensive. “I'm very opposed to the idea of signing a pledge to never do drugs or drink underage or have sex or whatever it is they make you sign,” she said, calling it brainwashing.

The Family Life program teaches students to resist peer pressure and avoid substance abuse. Family Life focuses on a number of aspects of emotional well-being but the sexual education lessons generally draw the most attention, as students have their first gender-separated lesson in the fifth grade. According to the school curriculum, the student will be instructed on the reproductive organs of the male and female anatomy, the process of conception and the development of a child within its mother’s womb and physical changes that a person goes through when they begin puberty. The Family Life curriculum indicates that it emphasizes “the detrimental effects of premarital sex…as well as sexually transmitted diseases and the impact on one’s reputation.” That comes as a surprise to at least one parent. “That’s absolutely appalling,” said Marissa Pitt, whose daughter attends Brookwood Elementary. “I can’t believe that they’re telling fifth-graders that pre-marital sex will damage their reputation.”

Although the Family Life program is often criticized as redundant and incomplete, the program does present some students with new material that isn’t being discussed with them at home. Lauren Cannon, 16, a sophomore at Salem High School, was raised in a conservative, Christian household and had little prior knowledge about sex before Family Life. She remembered the lessons as being helpful and welcome. “I don't think I even knew anything about STDs and I certainly didn't know that condoms were the most effective prevention,” she said. “Abstinence was definitely encouraged as the best protection against pregnancy and STDs, but a lot of useful information was given about all kinds of contraceptives.”

Across the sixth, seventh and eighth grades the program stresses biological aspects of reproduction and sexually transmitted diseases. Contraception outside the realm of family planning is not discussed until the eleventh lesson in the ninth grade, where the program emphasizes it as a method for disease control. Family Life introduces the topic of abstinence before marriage in the fifth grade and reinforces it every year until students graduate from high school. According to a recent survey, 64 percent of teenagers in Hampton Roads are sexually active by the time they reach their eighteenth birthday. More than 30 percent of them are sexually active by the time they get to that eleventh Family Life lesson in ninth grade. Abstinence-only sex education is useless if it doesn’t apply to the people that you’re teaching it to.

Another issue with the Family Life program is the instructors themselves. In Virginia Beach schools, Family Life is taught by the Health and Physical Education teachers – a class which many students are allowed to opt out if they have a large academic course load in middle and high school. Brittany Meyer, a graduate of First Colonial High School, claimed that this was one of the major factors leading to her discomfort in the class. “I didn't really feel like my P.E. teachers were the best source for this information,” she said. “At the time, it was uncomfortable. We should have had teachers that really WANTED the job -- ones that felt more comfortable giving explanations.”

According to the rules set by the school board, there are a number of topics – like abortion, homosexuality and masturbation -- that teachers are not permitted to address.. Teachers are required to tell the students to ask their parents about these matters, but if students felt that they could talk to their parents about these subjects, wouldn’t they have just asked them in the first place? One student, who spoke on condition of complete anonymity, found this to be one of the most frustrating aspects of Family Life. “Teachers should be able to provide students with information on contraceptives and other topics, instead of instructing them to ask their parents,” he said. “Many students may not be comfortable asking their parents and don't have the necessary research skills to get such information from reputable sources.”

This is especially dangerous since some of the course material relating to these topics is incomplete or misleading. For example, an excerpt from the 2007 Virginia Beach City Public Schools curriculum guide states "Abortion is not presented as a method of birth control, but the risks of induced abortion are analyzed." Mary Boyle, the president of Old Dominion University’s feminist alliance, finds this particularly dangerous. “Just covering the risks of induced abortion won't give students a clear picture of what abortion is, what procedures are used or when it might be the best choice,” she said. “All it’s telling them is that abortion is wrong, and that’s simply not accurate information.”

The facts speak for themselves. A large percentage of Virginia Beach’s teenagers are having sex, and they are experimenting with drugs and alcohol. Incomplete, abstinence-only sex education isn’t helping them and neither is drug resistance education at an age where substance abuse is not a tangible threat. Students want – and deserve – reliable information about sex and drugs that is relevant to their lifestyles. The current Family Life program is simply not providing that. If it had been, perhaps the 2002 tragedy at First Colonial could have been avoided.

 

More stories from St. John's students:

The Struggle for Affordable Housing in Hampton Roads, by Amy Krieger

Neglecting the Promise of Public Transportation, by Jared White

Old Williamsburg, New Challenges, by Stephanie Calway

Not Just Studying Anymore: Life in the Navy ROTC, by Krysten Warren

The Quiet Side of Sex, by Ashley Jarvis

Not just studying any more: Life in the Navy ROTC, by Krysten Warren

ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here and for following agreed-upon rules. Comments do not reflect the views or approval of The Virginian-Pilot or this Web site. Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the "Report Violation" link below the comment to alert an editor. Repeat offenders will be denied automatic posting privileges.

St. John's students continue their citizen journalism project. Read Amy Kriger's piece on affordable housing.

 

Like many parts of the country, first-time home buyers in Hampton Roads can envision that, with their new house, they can escape from the shared life of apartment roommates. Keep your credit in good shape, scrape together down payment money, find a good loan and you too can have a shot at finding a good home. But in Hampton Roads, realizing that vision of a new home often means having housemates.

Young singles and families here continually face a harsh reality – the lack of affordable housing. Many young, local residents who dream of buying a house are faced with the harsh reality that it is not a simple task. One local resident, Sara Stocks, 31, of Virginia Beach, notes how difficult it can be a first time home buyer. Stocks is a graphic designer for a military contractor. A year ago, she bought a townhouse in the Green Run neighborhood of Virginia Beach. She is currently married, but even with two incomes contributing she still has to rent out a room.

“I live with my husband now and have rented out one room to keep costs affordable,” she said. Stocks had to look extensively just to qualify for her home loan, yet after nine months of living there her monthly mortgage went up due to property taxes. She said that she took in a roommate because, “Basically, salary raises are smaller than the increase in cost for basic needs.”

Stocks faces the same dilemma as other young professionals. Many people cannot afford to buy a house; however, if they can they often find that over thirty percent of their income goes towards the house – that’s before paying utilities.

Affording a house can be very difficult unless the homeowner is open to having multiple roommates or working an additional job. The lack of affordable housing is affecting low-to-middle income individuals and families. Some cities are putting forth measures to help dissipate the intensity of the problem, but for now, some people struggle to deal with the ailing affordable housing market.

The lack of affordable housing has been a silent problem for years, but as the economy changes, this issue is starting to surface as both a local and nationwide problem. A recent State of the Region report for the area indicated that the Hampton Roads housing market is still considered to be better than the national market, but housing affordability is a concern.

The report noted that “Since 2001, housing affordability in Hampton Roads has deteriorated substantially, primarily because of rapidly rising housing prices. Cumulatively, these prices increased more than 97 percent between 1997 and 2006”. This rapid change in the market has had drastic effects. The traditional middle class is now dealing with a problem that was once deemed only for low income.

In order to begin talking about affordable housing, there needs to be a common definition. Affordable housing normally means the homeowner is paying less than thirty percent of his income to rent or mortgage payments. However, the State of the Region reports that, “more than one in every three urban households spends thirty percent or more of its income on housing”. Even living in suburban communities can make it difficult to get affordable housing.

Many people are left wondering whether the government is taking any actions to address this community housing issue. In recent months, many cities have begun to create programs to help curb this situation. Before the city governments passed any ordinances, many local organizations had already been pushing the issue.

One local organization, Empower Hampton Roads (EHR) has a grassroots approach to local community problems and is comprised of several local faith-based communities. The organization states that “it works to address the causes of these social problems and to seek changes that will make our region a better place for all.” EHR has outlined the need in Hampton Roads for opportunity-based housing, also known as workforce housing. This type of housing is not meant for the very poor, but for the working class who have problems budgeting their housing costs.

Workforce housing can mean several things for several communities. According to Lee Jones of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, “[Workforce housing] is a popular term to describe a variety of things.” In Hampton Roads, workforce housing could create opportunities for many young adults and encourage more diverse and mixed neighborhoods. Jones said that other communities have used workforce housing as a way to create affordable homes for police, teachers and other essential, but moderate-income, personnel.

EHR has outlined many ways that Hampton Roads could achieve more workforce housing. Their 2005 report described an effort known as “Inclusionary Zoning” which makes it possible to create affordable housing within new community developments. EHR said that inclusionary zoning establishes a minimum number of homes that in are targeted towards people that make 80 percent of the area’s median income.

Tim McCarthy, a social worker and chair of EHR’s Regional Housing Equity Campaign, said that these affordable homes in mixed neighborhoods would be “high quality homes that are indistinguishable from market rate [homes], but smaller inside with less flourishes.” This would mean that first-time buyers, recent college graduates, young adults, or low-to-middle income individuals could get a chance to own a house in a pleasant, affordable neighborhood.

Inclusionary zoning works by creating incentives like density bonuses for the developers. McCarthy said, “A 100-unit complex in the city could give up to a thirty percent density bonus and then [the developer] could build one hundred and thirty units, with 17 percent of the total designated for workforce housing.” This translates to 22 units for workforce housing, he said, all of them discounted twenty five percent off market value. Inclusionary zoning stresses a “win-win” -- the developer gets a bonus to make the affordable homes and the buyers can find housing priced within their budgets.

Mixed-income neighborhoods allow greater diversity and more opportunities for the community. However, some people are against this blended neighborhood idea since it depress home values. Home prices can be affected by a neighborhood’s median income, meaning existing homeowners could lose some money if they were to sell.

Other people voice concerns with lower-cost homes because they think it could bring crime to a community. Recently, the Dragas Company proposed a workforce housing project. This project was planned for Chesapeake, but the neighbors next to the proposed area were not happy. Since many in the neighborhood were upset, Chesapeake’s City Council did not approve the project.

Some private developers like The Terry Peterson Company know that Workforce Housing is a huge issue for Hampton Roads. John Peterson III, 33, is the company’s Senior Vice President for Development. He explained that the costs of housing in our area are so high because of the lack of developable land – especially in Virginia Beach. Peterson said that there is significant pressure for workforce housing and that “private developers would get behind the idea of workforce housing, but it needs to make financial sense.”

To him, the issue was about more than any one party being a “bad guy” -- city leaders, citizens, and developers need to find an easier process to encourage the construction of affordable housing. He said that, “for the development community to provide workforce housing, cities [need to] grant density bonuses and make the process of approvals easier.” A simplified, quicker process could allow developers to save time and money, and that could also translate into savings for buyers.

Meanwhile, Virginia Beach is attempting to address lack of affordable housing through last summer’s Workforce Housing Ordinance. Cheryl Smith, Workforce Housing Coordinator for the city’s Department of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation, said that no workforce housing units have yet been built. But Smith said that affordable housing is high on the city’s radar because “housing price assessments have doubled over the past six to seven years and income has not”

Meanwhile, individuals like Marie Klein (a pseudonym), 27, struggle to find a home. Klein has a bachelor’s degree and works for a non-profit organization. She would like to own a home with a backyard for her dog, but she can’t see managing the cost. She struggled to make ends meet between bills and the rent, first living with apartment roommates, then renting a room in a friend’s house. But even renting is getting steeper; she’s been paying close to 30 percent of her income in a house she rents with two friends.

“The lack of affordable housing adds to the ever growing debt in my generation,” she said. “Unfortunately, I’m going to be much older than my parents were before I can afford to own a house.”

And adequately defining what is affordable may not match Klein’s reality. Kevin Hughes, 30, a Senior Business Development Manager for the Department of Economic Development in the City of Suffolk, said that “I find the affordable housing that exists in Hampton Roads very limiting.” He said that developers have indicated to him that they consider affordable housing to start at $225,000. A figure that large may simply be out of the price range for a young, first-time buyer, he said.

It seems that many young and hard working individuals are aware of the affordable housing issue in Hampton Roads. In places like Virginia Beach and Chesapeake, developers and the city officials seem to share some thoughts about how to fix the lack of affordable housing, yet, if citizens are not supportive, the housing may never be built.

Even those who successfully find a home experience continual frustration. Stocks said that she unsuccessfully tried to secure several loans but “I had a hard time getting a mortgage because my debt to income ratio was high,” she said. The Virginia Housing Development Authority, a state mortgage agency, helped make her vision of a owning a home a reality.

But that vision also meant taking in a housemate and, for Stocks, that is a continuing reminder of the frustration of trying to buy a home in Hampton Roads. “I keep paying down my debt and plan to have no roommates within the next two years,” she said. If she achieves that, then a “shared life” will, for her, be a totally voluntary choice, and not including one of necessity.

Amy Krieger, 22, Winter 2007 ODU graduate

 

More stories from St. John's students:

Neglecting the Promise of Public Transportation, by Jared White

Old Williamsburg, New Challenges, by Stephanie Calway

Not Just Studying Anymore: Life in the Navy ROTC, by Krysten Warren

The Quiet Side of Sex, by Ashley Jarvis

Not just studying any more: Life in the Navy ROTC, by Krysten Warren

ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here and for following agreed-upon rules. Comments do not reflect the views or approval of The Virginian-Pilot or this Web site. Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the "Report Violation" link below the comment to alert an editor. Repeat offenders will be denied automatic posting privileges.

St. John's students continue their citizen journalism project. Read Jared White's piece on public transportation.

 

“Some days it’s good, but most days I wonder if people even know there is a bus to get on.”

It’s a Monday morning on Hampton Roads Transit bus number 20 for Reggie, 53 a veteran bus driver. An elderly man finds his seat along five other locals quietly riding to work. Reggie is candidly commenting to anyone who wants to listen on the number of cars he sees clogging up the roads every day.

“I usually pick up the same people every day,” he says. “It’s gotten to the point where I’m getting to know them pretty well.”

In the age known for its constantly rising gasoline prices, global warming, and ever-worsening traffic issues, public as well as alternate means of transportation need to be recognized as beneficial remedies in Hampton Roads. Not only can they greatly free up road ways and help to combat gasoline prices, but they can positively affect the environment and potentially benefit personal health.

“I have been biking five miles to work for five years now and I love it,” says Jamie Carter, 35, Chesapeake. “With the exception of a rainy day I feel great about it,” she says, noting that she has been late only one day due to an unfortunate flat tire.

One of the most overlooked aspects of public transportation is the potential savings to commuters. With the price of a gallon of nearing $3.00, sitting stationary in traffic becomes a costly venture. In Hampton Roads, a bus ticket for an adult is $1.50, a flat rate that permits free transfers. For frequent riders, passes are sold, lowering the price of a single ride.

Somewhere around a tenth of the population takes advantage of the Hampton Roads transit system, busses being one of over fifteen services offered annually. Nationally, the demand for, and use of, public transportation has been steadily growing. Meanwhile, in the Hampton Roads area, traffic seems to be a recurring complaint. It’s the great question “why is there all of this traffic, and what is going to be done about it?”

Michael Perry, Vice President for Operations of Hampton Roads Transit, says “If every city, major or not, would begin to engage in a process of eliminating the personal automobile as a constant necessity, we could begin to see [transportation] issues solving themselves in the coming years.”

More than one hundred people responded to an unscientific survey about the affect traffic has on their daily life in Hampton Roads. More than three-quarters indicated traffic was a problem. Additionally, more than three out of five people said traffic was their largest stress inducer on an average day. Slightly more than 80 percent felt that little was being done to remedy the traffic problem in Hampton Roads.

The words “Hampton Roads” is increasingly becoming synonymous with the words “traffic headache.”

Jose Ramirez, 35, from Maryland, has been coming to Virginia Beach for summer vacations with his family for the last ten years. This may be the last year because to him it’s just not worth the trip if he’s going to sit in his mini-van all day.

“The oceanfront is a joke. It has just gotten worse and worse each year and we probably won’t come back,” says Ramirez.

And in Chesapeake, the comprehensive planning team, which plans ahead for the coming decades, shut down a proposal to install bicycle paths along existing roadways and communities. A team member who did not want to be identified states that detractors attacked the plan as too costly. It appears that many measures such as widening streets, moving cables and abandoning other development projects were not in the cards for the city.

“A plan to incorporate paths for [alternate means of transportation] in future neighborhoods in Chesapeake will be looked over in the coming months,” she says.

Meanwhile, when it comes to avoiding traffic headaches, citizens must begin to work with what they can find when it comes to alternate transportation.

“Bike lanes should be part of the plans for future communities,” says Linda Drummond, 51 of Chesapeake. “I would like to see biking become a larger part of the transportation pie.”

Drummond says the traffic situation in Hampton Roads has only gotten worse each year for the last 20 years. This past year she did her Christmas shopping in June so that she didn’t have to deal with the pain of trying to get around during the holidays. “Living near an interstate exit and behind a major mall gives me little hope in regards to traffic problems,” she says.

Although Drummond likes biking, she is in the minority. Only one in five that same unscientific poll of Hampton Roads residents say they would bike to work instead of driving, if it was practical. Of those who would bike, 24 percent stated that the primary reason would be to help the environment. More than two-thirds said traffic would be their primary reason while only two percent gave health benefits as their chief motivation. However, the vast majority indicated that biking was not currently a part of their commute because they did not feel safe on roadways.

Greg White, 46, of Chesapeake says, “Am I expected to ride my bike in the grass, alongside a highway, between the trees and the guardrail to save the earth?”

So, citizens are willing and wondering when Hampton Roads cities will take definitive measures to encourage biking. At the same time, citizens can take more advantage of existing “smart alternatives” for their commuting. From the paddle wheel ferry that runs on natural gas to high occupancy vehicle lanes, we do have choices that can help the traffic situation as well as the environment. In Hampton Roads, public transit vehicles run on alternative fuels which pollute less. With more passengers on busses and ferries, there are fewer cars and thus less traffic.

In the meantime, Reggie keeps the bus moving, but the load is often light. “The way I see it, for every person that’s sitting on my bus, that’s one less car on the road,” he says. “I don’t mind seeing the same people every day, but yeah, it’d be nice to see some new faces.”

Jared White, 24, of Chesapeake is an ODU Student

More stories from St. John's students:

Old Williamsburg, New Challenges, by Stephanie Calway

Not Just Studying Anymore: Life in the Navy ROTC, by Krysten Warren

The Quiet Side of Sex, by Ashley Jarvis

Not just studying any more: Life in the Navy ROTC, by Krysten Warren

ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here and for following agreed-upon rules. Comments do not reflect the views or approval of The Virginian-Pilot or this Web site. Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the "Report Violation" link below the comment to alert an editor. Repeat offenders will be denied automatic posting privileges.

St. John's students continue their citizen journalism project.  Scroll below to read Stephanie Calway's  piece on regional  tourism.

 

Old Williamsburg, New Challenges

 

 

Adventure, prosperity and liberty- these are principles our country was founded upon.

In Williamsburg, visitors discover the spirit of their American roots. From the first permanent English settlement in Jamestown, through the Colonial period, concluding with the Revolutionary victory at the Battle of Yorktown, some of our nation’s most compelling history can be found right in our own backyard. 

Without question, tourism and related travel spending are major commodities for Hampton Roads and its impact on the region has been on the rise. However, the regional identity of Hampton Roads, an area that stretches from Williamsburg to Suffolk to Virginia Beach, has yet to be established in the national consciousness. 

Within Hampton Roads, the two major tourist destination markets are Virginia Beach and Williamsburg. Together, these two areas have been known to account for 60 percent of local traveler spending since 1998, according to the ODU-sponsored 2000 State of the Region report.

Back in its heyday, Williamsburg once surpassed Virginia Beach in terms of tourism. However, the old-fashioned dirt roads of Colonial Williamsburg are often empty these days due to the thinning number of visitors in the past several years.  

“There are too many factors to take into consideration when a planning a trip to Williamsburg such as traffic and the weather, so it is not worth the effort to make the drive up there,” says Nick Herdlein, 25, of Virginia Beach. 

Nevertheless, costumed characters still walk up and down the village lanes sharing the stories of the men and women of the 18^th-century city, while horses hangout in the fields nearby. 

It wasn’t always like this in Colonial Williamsburg though. When Rev. W.A.R. Goodwin and John D. Rockefeller first created Colonial Williamsburg back in the 1920s, both men shared a dream to preserve the town that once served as the capitol of Virginia throughout most of the 1700s by reconstructing the old buildings and Colonial town. 

Starting with the restoration of the first building in 1932, Goodwin’s vision proved to be a successful one by becoming one of the city’s biggest employers and the region’s largest landholder. Since its beginning, the 301-acre living history park attracted as many as 1.2 million paying visitors each year. During its peak, visitors would fill the village lanes, occupy hotels, and keep restaurants and other businesses afloat. However, more recently, annual attendance levels have dropped to just over 700,000 paying visitors per year, according to the Virginia Tourism Corporation. 

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, which is an economic bedrock of the city, owns various hotels, restaurants, museums, and vast amounts of undeveloped land across the region. Established in 1926, this not-for-profit educational institution preserves and operates this restored 18^th-century revolutionary capital of Virginia, telling the stories of our nation’s founding men and women. Within the restored and reconstructed buildings, historic interpreters, attired as colonial men and women from slaves to shoe keepers to soldiers, relate stories of our journey to become Americans. For example, the open-air museum offers carriage rides along the dirt roads, and once attracted more than one million people on average back in the 1980s. 

While the numbers of visitors are still far below than what they were twenty years ago, tourism still plays an important role in this part of Hampton Roads. In 2005, the Colonial town saw a slight uplift when the historical destination drew in 3,000 more paying visitors than in 2004. In addition, other attractions within the historical triangle also saw an increase in their number of paying visitors. 

For the first time in five years, the annual paid attendance for the Jamestown Settlement exceeded that of the previous year, according to the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation. The Settlement, classified as a living history park, had shown some decline in recent years. Additionally, theme parks such as Water Country U.S.A. and Busch Gardens Williamsburg have flourished in recent years as a result of the addition of recent thrill rides, which is a major attraction for tourists. 

According to Thomas Shrout, Director of Public Affairs at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, “Having a place like Busch Gardens in the mix of attractions and destinations supports the tourism industry overall, adding to the variety of choices and experiences people can have when they come here.” However, questions still remain about how to entice more visitors to the area.

Some of the decline in tourists can be attributed to trends in living history parks nationwide. The sharp decrease in attendance is partly a result from the lack of  amusement offerings like those available at theme parks.

“Colonial Williamsburg is not an amusement park, so we’re not offering ‘thrills’ one might equate to a roller coaster” says Shrout. 

Families are having a harder time making a connection to historical re-enactments, so they would rather spend their travel dollar on something that is going to give them more adventure. 

Jim Anthony, who is the Public Relations Director for Williamsburg’s Chamber of Commerce, supports this claim by saying “Most historic attractions have suffered as the American culture continues to be degraded by popular entertainments.” He adds, “With the deplorable debasement of education in America, children are no longer taught history and as a consequence have no appreciation of what went before, and therefore, no curiosity about where something happened. They don’t know that it happened!”

Part of Williamsburg’s problems is that the decline in tourism has gone unaddressed for years. For example, a tourism advertising campaign lost funding in 2000, no alternative funding was located, and marketing groups struggled to promote the area. When tourism saw a slight increase in 2004, representatives from the Visitors Bureau, Busch Gardens, Colonial Williamsburg and other tourism groups finally sat down to collaborate ideas and turn the situation around. 

As a result, new programs are now being implemented such as the “Revolutionary City,” which is live street theater portraying events where they actually occurred. According to Anthony, this program is “a great experience for all ages…it is a smashing success!” 

Aside from the addition of the Revolutionary City, came Jamestown’s 400^th Anniversary earlier this year. Organizers saw this as a major opportunity for the region, with expectations for at least 2 million tourists at the event. However, some critics thought this was “too little, too late” for Williamsburg because the number of sponsors and paid attendance fell short of what the organizers planned for.

Even though it relies on tourism-related revenues for half of its annual operating budget, perhaps the future of the city of Williamsburg lies in a different direction. The city has begun to look towards other forms of economic growth, which have little to do with tourism or Colonial Williamsburg such as the development of a new hospital and becoming a more marketable area for retirees. 

“Clearly, retirees are drawn to the area because of the presence of Colonial Williamsburg, the College of William and Mary and the ‘small town’ feel that so many find attractive while still being nearby to large metropolitan areas. It’s a good mix!” says Shrout. 

Williamsburg’s small-town ambiance belies its convenient location- 150 miles south of Washington D.C., an hour to the Atlantic beaches, and less than three hours to the Blue Ridge Mountains. There are also few dramatic variations in the weather between seasons, thus making for comfortable living conditions all year long.  An attractive choice of real estate, education opportunities and even restaurants are all viable attractions for seniors, he says.

Still, tourism will continue to play a considerable role. “We have made significant investments in new facilities and programming to keep the experience fresh and interactive for our guests as well as providing guests with amenities they’ve come to expect,” concludes Shrout.

Williamsburg has the capacity and resources to rebound while providing a meaningful historical experience for paying visitors of all ages. Williamsburg is clearly hopeful that tourism will rise yet again, and our nation’s history will continue to live on, profitably, on its streets.

Stephanie Calway, 20, is an Old Dominion University junior.

More stories from St. John's students:

Not Just Studying Anymore: Life in the Navy ROTC, by Krysten Warren

The Quiet Side of Sex, by Ashley Jarvis

Not just studying any more: Life in the Navy ROTC, by Krysten Warren

ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here and for following agreed-upon rules. Comments do not reflect the views or approval of The Virginian-Pilot or this Web site. Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the "Report Violation" link below the comment to alert an editor. Repeat offenders will be denied automatic posting privileges.

St. John's students continue their citizen journalism project.  Scroll below to read Jennifer Whitney's exploration of affordable college.

 

Laura Dudley, 23, a graduate student at Old Dominion University attended Thomas Nelson Community College in Hampton, VA for three semesters before transferring to Virginia Wesleyan College. Upon enrolling at Wesleyan, she received a scholarship through the college for $7,000 per year, which was based on her grade point average (GPA). In addition, she acquired a scholarship from United Methodist Ministers that paid for half her tuition.

From loans to scholarships to work study programs, students find ways to pay for college. But there is another way students make college affordable – they attend a local community college for a couple of years, then transfer to a larger, four-year institute to complete their bachelor’s degree. By doing this, many students save money on room and board along with many other fees.

Ricky Trogdon, 21, a junior at Old Dominion University transferred from Virginia Western Community College in Roanoke, VA to complete his bachelor’s degree in English. Trogdon said, “I’ve always been worried about how I would pay for my education since I don’t come from a wealthy family. That’s why I decided that attending Virginia Western for two years would be the most logical way to save money.” However, what happens when a student decides to move on to a four-year school? Where does the student get the money?

The Old Dominion University website has a tuition calculator that allows users to put in the estimated amount of tuition and breaks out the cost per semester. The estimation includes almost all fees. One can also add room and board, along with a meal plan, if needed, to the calculator. For a full-time, transfer student taking 12 credit hours and living on campus in one of the apartments, the estimated cost per semester is $5,557. After parking fees and additional fees, that total cost per school year is about $12,250.

According to collegeboard.com, nearly half a million students received awards in 2006 under two new federal student grant programs, and about three-quarters of full-time undergraduates received some form of financial aid. Of that financial aid, undergraduates received $97.1 billion in financial assistance. The largest source of aid to undergraduates is federal loans. The most widely used federal education loans are the Federal Stafford loans, Perkins loans, and Plus loans.

With enrollment in community colleges increasing, so is the need for financial assistance. According to the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) Dateline website, Tidewater Community College (TCC) saw an increase of enrollment by almost four percent during the 2006-07 school year. TCC served almost 38,000 students that year and estimates that they will serve at least 16,000 new students by the year 2009.

To deal with expected enrollment increases, the state's higher-education coordinating board and its community college system have created an incentive program for those who use a two-year community college as a stepping-stone for higher education at a four-year school. The incentive: The Two-Year College Transfer Grant Program.

Two-Year College Transfer Grant         •    Be a first-time entering freshman no earlier than fall 2007 •    Be an undergraduate in-state student •    Have received an Associate’s degree at a Virginia two-year public institution •    Have cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0 for the Associate’s degree •    Enroll into a Virginia four-year public or private nonprofit college or university by the fall following completion of associates degree •    Enroll into a degree program not for religious training or theological education •    Have applied for financial aid •    Have financial need: defined as a federally calculated EFC of 8,000, or less

The program was originally assembled to allow eligible students from low- and middle-income families who completed their associate degrees at a community college to continue to pay community-college tuition rates for up to three years at a public four-year institution. In effect, the program would have reduced in half tuition bills from colleges like ODU, VCU and Virginia. With the help of Virginia21, the first student-run organization in the country to work for student needs – specifically in such areas as tuition, campus safety and costs of books -- 7,400 students signed petitions to help bring about the Two-Year College Transfer Grant Program.

The program eventually was adopted by the state, but with significant compromise.  Instead of a 50 percent tuition reduction, it allows students who are currently enrolled in a Virginia two-year college to receive up to $2,000 per year when continuing to pursue their higher education at a four-year school. The program took effect as of the fall 2007 semester and will benefit those in the lower-middle class.  Steven Jones, the Deputy Director of Virginia21 and Virginia21PAC, said that they had “student leaders from all over the state call in to various delegates and senators to meet with their delegates to compromise on the bill.” He also believes that part of the reason as to why the program was passed is because of the student involvement over the past couple of years.

“Getting 7,000 plus signatures made a huge deal for passing this bill,” said Jones.

The grant states that each eligible student will receive a maximum annual standard award of $1,000 with an additional $1,000 for students enrolled in engineering, mathematics, nursing, teaching, or science. The program is limited to three years or 70 credit hours, and is heavily based on financial need and a continued GPA of 3.0.

Stephanie Ruffin, 18, a first-semester freshman at TCC, plans to transfer to Old Dominion University after she completes her Associate’s degree. She’d like to take advantage of the program but said, “I am not eligible as of now because this is my first semester, but I would definitely try to meet the GPA requirements.”

Jonathan Harris, 18, also a first-semester freshman at TCC, is among many students who are not eligible for the program. Although he is not eligible because of the financial need requirement, he said, “I plan to attend Norfolk State after TCC and with financial need, my stepfather is high-up in the military so we make enough. Probably too much for this program, but I feel that many who are eligible should work hard for the GPA requirement.”

Associate’s Grant scale   3.0 - 3.19   $7,000 3.2 - 3.39   $8,000 3.4 - 3.59   $8,500 3.6 - 3.79   $9,000   3.8 - 4.0     $10,000

Some private colleges, such as Virginia Wesleyan College, offer incentives to those who transfer in from a two-year school or another school. These incentives include the transfer scholarship and the Associate’s grant. The transfer scholarship gives students $3,000 to $8,000 per year. This scholarship requires 24 or more semester hours with a 3.0 or higher GPA and is renewable for up to 5 semesters. The Associate’s grant offers $7,000 to $10,000 per year, requires an Associate’s Degree with a 3.0 or higher GPA, and is based on a GPA scale.

So what steps should students take once they decide to make the transfer from junior college to a four-year institution?

One major step while attending a two-year school is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the February 15 deadline if one is considering enrolling for the fall semester. By doing this, “students are considered for the full amount of financial aid they are eligible for,” said Jacquelyn Green, an Admissions Counselor at Old Dominion University.

One should also apply about six to eight months in advance to their school of choice before transferring. Green explained that she always encourages students to apply by their Early Action deadline. She said, “If students apply by this date, and are in the process of completing their transferable associate's degree, have at least a 3.5, and include an essay in their applications, they will be considered for any merit-based scholarships offered by the Office of Admissions.  These start at $4,000 per year for 2 years.”

Tanya Williams, Senior Associate Director of Admissions at Virginia Wesleyan College, encourages transfer students to look early at their options. “I encourage students to do well at the two-year institution so that they will be eligible for academic scholarships if the institution provides them,” she said.

Many students also find scholarship websites such as fastweb.com to be very helpful when looking for scholarships.

Because of the immense amounts of scholarships and grants given to Dudley, she is only $6,000 in debt. “I’m extremely grateful for the scholarships that I was fortunate enough to receive that have made my education possible and not a long term financial burden,” said Dudley.

Finally, student loans are inevitable part of the equation. Trogdon has taken out $12,000 in private loans to pay for his first year at Old Dominion and plans to take out another loan to pay for his upcoming senior year. He also said that he plans to pursue his studies in Library Science after he completes his Bachelor’s degree at Old Dominion, so more private loans are in his future.

 It’s important for students to find out what all their options are when looking for ways to pay for their education. Said Williams, “Since transfer students many times have other facets of their lives to balance, including family and employment, it’s a good idea for them to establish a workable plan for themselves.”

More information on the Two-Year College Transfer Grant Program is available at http://www.schev.edu.

More stories from St. John's students:

The Quiet Side of Sex, by Ashley Jarvis

Not just studying any more: Life in the Navy ROTC, by Krysten Warren

 

ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here and for following agreed-upon rules. Comments do not reflect the views or approval of The Virginian-Pilot or this Web site. Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the "Report Violation" link below the comment to alert an editor. Repeat offenders will be denied automatic posting privileges.

St. John's students continue their citizen journalism project. Click here for the first story in the the collection. Scroll below to read Krysten Warren's look at ROTC life.

 

It’s Not Just Studying Anymore: Life in the Navy ROTC

By Krysten Warren

Old Dominion University

 

Five a.m. Monday the alarms go off. 

Jessica Martin, 21, wakes up. 

She gets dressed and drives to campus for physical training (pt) with her company.  They complete tough abdominal and strength workouts and finish with a minimum two mile run.  She gets into her car, drives home, and showers. 

When 8 a.m. rolls around, Jessica must get dressed, eat breakfast, and drive back to campus to sit through multiple classes.  Her classes usually end by 2 p.m. and from there she goes to her part-time job. 

Jessica works approximately five hours waiting tables and drives home to start on her homework.  By 8 p.m. she begins her school work, eats dinner, studies, and goes to bed.  Tuesday, she wakes up to do it all over again. 

This is a midshipman’s life.

“The day-to-day activities that involve class, pt, studying, and volunteering only prove monotonous and time consuming,” said Jessica. 

With the 12-working-hours-in-a-day schedule for most military students, approximately two-thirds of that time is spent on campus or studying for classes.  Many lack the opportunity to relax and spend time with their families.  They are focused on school work and meeting the requirements for graduation; yet, the amount of time and effort put forth has its rewards.  Military students who are attached to a unit are on a career path to commission into the service as junior officers.

Military students are cadets, midshipman, and officer candidates who attend college to receive a bachelor’s degree; they ultimately commission as officers into their respective services fulfilling an honored tradition.  The Navy and Army ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corp) programs at many colleges and universities nationwide offer several full ride scholarships to selected high school students and prior enlisted personnel ages ranges from 18 to 35.

According to the 2007 annual report from the Navy ROTC (NROTC) director in Pensacola, Fl, over 2000 selected students entered the NROTC program in 2007.  These students were accepted into the Naval Academy or other colleges and universities beforehand. 

There are issues and uncertainties that have students anxious and excited at the Navy ROTC unit at Old Dominion University. In particular, students voice some concerns about life after graduation. 

Senior James McDonald, 28 (a pseudonym is used for all students mentioned in this piece) said that he has to deal with, “Moving, finding a place to live, enrolling my child in school, buying uniforms, and passing the military schools I will have to attend.”  He claimed that he was ready to move forward and take on a new chapter of his career, but he cannot avoid the possible road blocks ahead such as finding his spouse a new job or new church to attend.

Another senior, Marissa Finnegan, 30, said that the hardest issue was “having to spend more time away from my family and work longer hours to qualify for my Surface Warfare Qualification pin.” 

More negative issues that students mentioned included an increase in stress levels, a continuum of poor time management habits and passing flight school, and future deployments.  Some students, though showing signs of anxiety, indicated they were not scared of the challenge and would persist. Perhaps that’s because, once they are commissioned, students will have a stable healthcare plan, increased financial income, and the guarantee of leading men and women in the services.

For most military students the amounts of pay will double or even triple for those who do not currently work.  The military also offers additional income for various expenses and benefits such as housing, uniforms, and deployment.

With all these benefits comes a key challenge -- leading enlisted personnel will be one of the main duties of these new junior officers. 

Sophomore Jose Valdez, 26 claimed that, “With all the negative energy radiating out there, many troops can lose motivation and become discouraged. It will be one of our jobs as junior officers to keep our troops focused and keep their heads in the game.”   This could be seen as a negative concern for most students who have not interacted frequently with enlisted personnel.  Also, exhibiting leadership and management capabilities will require knowledge and a sense of balance that may not have been covered adequately in their program training.

The family members and friends of the newly commissioned officers understand the challenges their loved ones face. Marissa Finnegan’s husband Steven, 34, stated that, “I am proud of my wife and her accomplishments.  She is doing what makes her happy and she actually likes her job.”  He affirmed that he was once in the military himself and understands the stress and demand it takes on a person and their family. 

A friend of many junior midshipmen, Kathleen Franklin, 20, said that, “I am going to miss them all, but I know that they are joining and serving our country out of the love and pride they share with most Americans.”

She discussed possible dangers her friends will encounter. “The world in general is a risk,” she said.  “We’ve been in school and have not yet experienced what the ‘real world’ is like. I feel that some who commission will take it well and adapt, but I also think some will be overwhelmed.” 

But what happens once they commission as officers and realize that their life at school was only a small part of their real job?  What prepares one for the situations and challenges that he or she will face in the real military? 

Their days will extend to longer shifts, harder examinations both physically and mentally, and more time spent away from home.  These students who graduate and relocate to ships, squadrons, and combat units have more to deal with than what is taught and absorbed during the four years of college. 

Said Mark Walls, 22, a former ROTC midshipman, “It’s a tough job in the real military. Here we are just playing Navy.  As midshipman the only things we could count on to matter once we graduate is our GPA and physical training aptitude scores.” 

Based on the 2006 annual report for ROTC programs, applicants are selected for the scholarship based on high school indicators like GPA, extracurricular activities, field of study, SAT or ACT scores, and class ranking.  It makes sense for this tradition to carry through college graduation; GPA is used to place Ensigns into their job field.

An active member of the ROTC who receives a military scholarship is basically guaranteed a commission as long as they maintain the standards set forth by the ROTC programs.  The number of classes, amount of physical training, volunteer hours, and possible part-time jobs adds to the list.  From freshmen to senior year, students must learn to adapt to the program and complete the requirements for graduation. 

“Students in college learn how to study and how to control of themselves. Once they graduate, they then apply those study habits and time management skills to their jobs,” said Navy Lieutenant Michael Jones, 27, a Naval Science teacher at Old Dominion University who also commissioned from the ROTC program. New ROTC students need to “Practice good study habits; learn to how to learn and how to get information from others,” he said.

The soon-to-be junior officers are currently studying, training, attending classes, volunteering and spending what little time they have with family and friends.  They are learning the importance of time management, multitasking, and responsibility.  They are being stretched in many directions for program requirements and future career qualifications; not to mention military students undergo university demands as well.

Currently all military students are full-time students and full-time military.  There are different aspects of the program that demand time and effort from students.  Not only are they required to take classes to graduate but they must take a certain number of military classes. 

 “Sleep deprivation, motivation, and military bearing are all areas that I am struggling with,” said Matthew Smith, 25.  School work and family life have begun to take a strain on him and it may only worsen after he commissions, he said. 

Along with the added activities that are required, physical training and volunteering within the units demands more time and effort. 

Midshipman Heidi Black, 20, said that, “We have so many other things to commit to that I find myself forgetting about the importance of ME time.  I have not stopped studying to relax since the semester began.” 

This was not the only concern that the students mentioned.  Another prior enlisted member from the Army ROTC program, Andrew Lancaster, 29, said that, “I have to spend most of my time balancing between my family and school; I sometimes have to sacrifice family time to meet the needs of the program.”

For midshipman and cadets in the ROTC programs, even the summers afford only limited breaks. One month is completely devoted to hands-on training.  Each summer, the students engage in real-life situations and learn about different jobs. They interact with enlisted personnel, higher ranking officers, and training environments.  Most of the training is simulated and controlled, but the hands-on factor allows in-depth learning.  Students find this part of the program most exciting.  The exposure to a-day-in-the-life offers them the chance to determine their own career path.

“This past summer I went on an aviation cruise where I flew in an EA-6B Prowler.  It was such a great once in a lifetime experience and even though I have decided not to fly, I am glad I got the chance,” said Midshipman Ryan Anderson, 19.

All training and educating of the students must ultimately push them toward their commissioning.  Graduating from college with a Bachelor’s degree and going on to a guaranteed job is the objective.  Students who struggle in college, yet make it, are triumphant because they have learned to persevere and face all challenges Navy Officer Lt.

Marie Fisher, 33, said that, “Students here go through a lot only to make them better officers in the future.  They undergo long days and long hours so that they can learn to adapt to the strict hours that officers face on a daily basis."

She said the normal day begins at 5 a.m. and usually ends no later than 5 p.m.  That is something that midshipman Jessica Martin can at least take some comfort in throughout her 12-hour days – according to the NROTC, she is living a life that is normal.

ADVISORY: Users are solely responsible for opinions they post here and for following agreed-upon rules. Comments do not reflect the views or approval of The Virginian-Pilot or this Web site. Comments are automatically checked for inappropriate language, but readers might find some comments offensive or inaccurate. If you believe a comment violates our rules, click the "Report Violation" link below the comment to alert an editor. Repeat offenders will be denied automatic posting privileges.

Burton St. John, an assistant professor in the communication and theatre arts department at Old Dominion University, came to us with a handfull of student papers and asked if we would like to post them online.

As part of a lesson in citizen journalism, he had instructed his students to go out into the community and report on an issue they found interesting. When his students turned in the final product,  he found he had in his possession a number of compelling stories and no were to showcase them. That's where Student Voices came in. Sort of.

Actually, he turned to HamptonRoads.com, and we put on our thinking caps with St. John and came up with "Student Voices," a blog to showcase citizen journalism created by local high school and college students.

We accept works from professors, high school teachers and individual students. You might want to send us your idea first, not everything sent to us will be posted.  We also reserve the right to edit any material sent to us.

You can write the story - as St. John's students did - or you can record the story in audio or video. You can write a story and add such elements as audio, video and photos.  Or, you can offer the story in only one format. It's up to the writer or the educator who assisgns a journalism project.

Since we needed an example to kick off Student Voices, we decided to use the papers Saint John shared with us. The first is a piece on sex ed by Ashley