University student organizations combat poverty

By Antionette Rollins Members of the ONE Campaign UGA volunteer at the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia

Blake Barnett of the ONE Campaign at the Food Bank

Many student organizations at the University of Georgia have committed to eliminating local poverty in Athens Clarke-County, one of the neediest counties in Georgia, and some students gain personal experience along with serving the community.

“I initially joined in high school because it was the biggest organization,” Melanie Phelps, co-president of UGA Habitat for Humanity, said of her organization. “The turning point for me was when I went to a house dedication. It was very emotional and it was a huge thing for the family. It made it more real for me.”

Since 1994, UGA Habitat for Humanity has held events and raised funds, working toward the organization’s goal to combat homelessness and help provide housing for those in need.

“We have a saying, ‘working to house the world’,” said Phelps.

Phelps wanted to clear up a common misconception that her organization houses people for free. Rather, homeowners who receive help from Habitat for Humanity pay affordable mortgage terms without high interest rates.

The UGA chapter of Habitat for Humanity focuses on fund-raising in hopes of building one house per year. Since founded at UGA, the chapter has built 10 homes and is currently working to fund the 11th. Last year, the chapter raised $13,000 in their annual “Gift Wrap Across Georgia”, in which members went to local bookstores and gift-wrapped books for donations.

Another international organization represented on campus is the ONE Campaign UGA, an organization looking to end poverty. David Liddell, executive director of ONE at UGA, said the chapter’s three-prong mission includes awareness of poverty issues, advocacy and an emphasis on community service.

“As an Athens-based organization, we realize that Athens has specific needs,” Liddell said.

To address these needs, ONE has partnered with local organizations such as the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia to directly service the community. On a monthly basis, ONE staffs food bank direct-distribution projects by putting together food packages and helping with paperwork.

The organization also worked with AIDS Athens last year to raise funds, renovate the center’s programming room and collect clothes for the AIDS Athens clothing closet. Liddell believes that AIDS, poverty and hunger are interrelated issues that ONE can fight by supporting AIDS Athens.

“We basically ask where they need help and we try to help the best we can,” Liddell said.
Although student organizations like Habitat for Humanity and ONE put time and funds into their service projects, some students believe that large-scale Athens-area poverty cannot feel the benefits of student involvement.

“It is rampant, it’s everywhere,” said David Lightsey, a senior from Valdosta. “There aren’t enough students helping because at the end of the day, the rich kids go home and forget.”

Junior Meshell Maxam from Atlanta disagrees.

“I think they make an impact,” she said. “Trying to combat poverty says a lot about the quality of student organizations here on campus.”

Phelps and Liddell believe that the impact of student organizations depends upon the attitude of the student body.

“You can be involved as you want to be,” Liddell said in regards to student interest. “Our three-prong policy is flexible, so if you’re interested in community service, you can do that.”

On Oct. 15, 2009, the ONE Campaign UGA will recognize the “International Day for the Eradication of Poverty” by raising money through a film screening.

On Oct. 24, 2009, UGA Habitat for Humanity will host “Slam the Door on Poverty” at Myers Quad, where students can build doors and window frames for local homes.

Students interested in joining the fight against poverty can attend the UGA Habitat for Humanity and ONE Campaign UGA general body meetings and visit the websites www.uga.edu/habitat and www.uga.edu/one for more information.

Edited by Alison Loughman

Healthcare reform provides new options for young adults

By Beth Pollak

In college, eight out of ten students are sitting pretty as far as healthcare is concerned. Mom and Dad (and their health insurance) pay any medical bills that may come up.

After graduation, you get dropped from their insurance plan, but no worries. You are healthy and in the prime of your life – why bother with health insurance?

And who cares about the new healthcare reform proposals being debated in Washington and around the country? Not you. It will not really affect you, right?

Wrong. The healthcare debate has huge ramifications for college students, new graduates and other young adults. And it is not just a recent problem.

“Healthcare reform is not new,” said Dr. Richard Schuster, a professor of health policy and management in the College of Public Health. “It’s been a part of active discussion for about 100 years.”

Even so, new issues and ideas have been proposed within the past year. Since healthcare affects everyone, students should stay updated on the news, and know what aspects may change for them.

Currently, college students can stay on their parents’ health insurance plan until they graduate. Proposals floating around Congress provide a way for young people to remain on their parents’ plan until they are older, even after graduation.

This provision would allow students to have more flexibility in choosing a first post-graduation job, or the opportunity to pursue other avenues before going into a job that provides benefits.

A public option would also give students more options when choosing jobs. Public option is a government-run insurance plan that may be able to offer lower rates than private insurers.

Angie Fertig, assistant professor in the College of Public Health, provided a hypothetical dilemma for a new graduate. The grad has the opportunity to join a hip start-up company with no benefits or a stodgy, boring job with benefits.

Today, the student likely would have to choose the job with benefits in order to get affordable health insurance. With a public option, “the two [job] options would be more even to you because the decision wouldn’t be tied to benefits,” said Fertig, who is also a public service assistant in the Carl Vinson Institute of Government.

Some young adults choose to go without insurance regardless of its availability.

“College students may feel that they’re invincible, but they can be shocked by catastrophic events,” said Dr. Mark Ebell, associate professor in the College of Public Health.

Under the proposed plans, an individual mandate is in the works. That would require all Americans to buy health insurance or face penalties.

“Students going to school without health insurance would be helped by an individual mandate because they are engaging in very risky behavior,” said Lance Palmer, Ph.D, professor in the Family Financial Planning department.

Palmer suggested finding an insurance plan with a high deductible for students who are wary of paying for health insurance benefits that they may not use.

High deductible means that the out-of-pocket costs for the insured would be high, generally upwards of $1000. The premiums, however, are often less than half the cost of a typical health plan. This allows healthy students to have insurance for catastrophic health events, but still make a low monthly payment.

“Those who choose to be uninsured [now] will be unhappy because they will be subsidizing those who are sick,” Fertig said of an individual mandate.

Regardless of how the healthcare debate plays out and affects young adults, there still will be problems, and people will be unhappy.

“Healthcare is always characterized as being in crisis,” Schuster said.


Edited by Jon-Michael Sullivan

Unemployment affects Athens’s residents and students

By ANTIONETTE ROLLINS

Unemployment in Athens, Ga. is something that affects locals and students alike. Many people are forced to adjust their career goals to cope with the current economic situation.
Dr. Douglas Bachtel, housing and consumer economics professor at the University of Georgia, said that the effect of the current economy has been especially severe in Athens.

“The recession has had a more significant impact in Athens because of the city’s relatively high unemployment rate,” Bachtel said.

Estimates for the Bureau of Labor and Statistics show that Athens Clarke-County has had a steady increase in the unemployment rate since 1999, while national rates have slightly fluctuated through the years. As of July 2009, the unemployment rate in Athens was approximately 7.7 percent.

Athens locals aren’t the only ones affected by unemployment.

“Unemployment also takes its toll on University of Georgia students who are working their way through school,” Bachtel said. “Firms will let students go.” Without reliable income, students have a hard time funding their education.
Other students whose parents are suffering from unemployment have a more difficult time paying school tuition.

Many students are worried about finding employment after graduation. This number includes Jasmaine Williams, a senior majoring in biology and Spanish from Stockbridge, Ga.

“I would work for a couple of years if the economy was better,” Williams said. Instead, she plans to attend graduate school after she receives her bachelor’s degree in May. Despite these plans, she is still anxious about the future.

“It’s scary to think about going through a five year program and not getting a job with a Ph.D.,” she said.

Attending graduate school is an option that many Athens’ students choose instead of pursuing a career with present unemployment rates.

“I’m not really concerned about unemployment because I’m not worried about a career at this point in time,” said Samantha Gabai, a senior from Sandy Springs, Ga. Like Williams, she plans to attend graduate school next fall.

Even with constant reminders about the rising rate of unemployment, there are still opportunities.

“Be persistent,” said Lori Chafin, the unit supervisor for the Georgia Department of Labor Athens Career Center. “Don’t give into those around you saying ‘the economy is bad, you’re never going to find a job, because that’s simply not true.”

For those actively seeking employment, the Athens Career Center can be of great assistance. Chafin advised job seekers to use the Center’s available resources.

“There are so many resources here like internet, fax machines and resume critique workshops,” Chafin said. “The main focus is helping job seekers to increase their marketing skills, to be creative in their approach to job seeking and tap into all of the resources that are available to secure employment.”

Athens area job seekers who would like help finding employment can visit the Georgia Department of Labor at www.dol.state.ga.us.

Edited by Robert Carnes

Sick students struggle to balance class work, rest

By Lauren Bellamy

With the University of Georgia’s estimated swine flu toll nearing 300, students all over campus are feeling the effects of the virus.

Some students who have already contracted swine flu this semester are glad they caught it early. Anna Carvalho, a sophomore from Tallahassee, Fla., is one such student. “Now is a better time to get it, because it’s still the beginning of school and you won’t miss as much,” she said.

Even though it is the beginning of the semester, Carvalho still struggled with professors and missing class. “I E-mailed my Spanish teacher telling her I had swine flu, but she just responded that it wasn’t a good time to miss class and that I should be looking at the syllabus,” she said.

Carvalho had to rework her schedule to complete makeup work for class. “I had plans to go [to Tallahassee] for Labor Day, but I had to stay in Athens and catch up on schoolwork,” she said.

While she had swine flu, Carvalho had to check into a room at the Holiday Inn Express to avoid spreading the virus. “The health center told me that I should go home, but I couldn’t drive five hours to get there,” she said. “My roommates were wary of me staying, so I figured the best option would be a hotel.”

Doctors at the health center have been urging students like Carvalho to find an off-campus place to stay while getting over swine flu if at all possible. While some are choosing to isolate themselves in their rooms, many sick students who don’t live far from Athens have simply gone home to recover.

“I can’t imagine feeling as bad as I did without having my mom to take care of me,” said Audrey Batts, a senior from Dalton, Ga. who contracted the virus the second week of school.

Mark Towers, a fifth-year from Augusta, also went home to get over his swine flu. “I had a 105° fever and I was having hot and cold flashes,” he said. “Being in the comfort of my own home and away from everyone helped me rest and get over it much faster.”

While there are many symptoms of swine flu — fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue, according to the CDC — most students find that fatigue is the most difficult to cope with.

“Even though I don’t have the swine flu anymore, I still feel exhausted,” said Carvalho. “I get so tired just from walking to class.”

Batts said she spent days sleeping when she had the virus. “I laid in bed and basically didn’t move until I felt better,” she said.

As swine flu continues to grow nationally, students can do a few things to help prevent the spread of the virus on campus.

Liz Rachun, health communications coordinator at the University Health Center, says that they are promoting frequent hand washing, covering one’s nose and mouth with a tissue when sneezing or coughing and avoiding contact with sick people.

Towers said that he was careful about germs once he found out that swine flu was going around the University, but doesn’t think it made much of a difference. “I was washing my hands all the time, but I still got it,” he said.

Another precaution students can take is getting a seasonal flu shot. The vaccine is expected to arrive at the health center in October according to Rachun, but there are many places in Athens that are already offering the shot.

While getting vaccinated is a popular method of flu prevention, Rachun warns that getting the shot too early in the season could be problematic.

“The vaccine’s level of protection can weaken a few months after getting the shot, which can make people more susceptible to catching influenza during the virus’s peak season,” she said.
Nevertheless, many students will get vaccinated this season.

Towers said he plans to get a flu shot after he has fully recovered from swine flu and he is encouraging others to do the same. “I’m telling everyone I know to get a flu shot,” he said. “No one should have to go through what I went through if they don’t have to.

Edited by Stone Irvin

Students find new ways to save in hard economic times

Brooke Springfield saves money by shopping at Wal-Mart

By William Moore

Faced with the current economic downturn, many students are finding new ways to save money. Many things that were affordable in years past have become luxuries and no longer have a place in the already-tight budget of the average college student.

With prices on the rise, saving money wherever possible is becoming more and more important. Despite gas prices being much lower than in the past few years, the constant cost of filling the tank can add up to a lot. Chris O'Neill, a 21 year-old Athens native has taken to riding a scooter instead of driving a car.

“You get over 125 miles-per-gallon on a scooter,” said O'Neill, “and spend roughly six dollars a week on gas.”

According to O'Neill, the initial cost of a scooter is much cheaper than a car, and if the engine is less than 50 cubic centimeters, you don't have to pay for insurance.

“On top of the great gas mileage, you never have to pay for parking,” said O'Neill. “With a scooter it’s always easy to find a parking place and it’s always a free one.”

For students who are no longer on the UGA meal plan, groceries are a constant source of expenses. To help save money, many students have taken to shopping at Wal-Mart instead of Kroger and are buying generic brand food instead of the name-brand items.

“I used to do all of my grocery shopping at Kroger,” said Brooke Springfield, a third-year Publication Management major from Cartersville, “but now I try to shop at Wal-Mart whenever I can. It’s basically the exact same food but a little bit cheaper. It might not seem like much of a difference, but every little bit counts.”

Similarly, many students are cutting back on luxury goods and services such as premium television and internet packages. In less trying times, expensive cable and internet packages were more affordable, though with money tight, as little as $10 or $15 per month can make a huge difference.

“I recently downgraded my cable package to better fit my budget,” said Kevin Row, a fourth year Psychology major from Atlanta. “It was nice when we had more channels but it made sense now to get a cheaper package. The money I save adds up to over $100 a year.”

Another student similarly cut down on her television package to fit the economy. Sarah Grace Hudspeth, a fourth-year speech therapy major from Watkinsville, removed premium channels from her cable package to reduce the monthly bill.

Even students with mostly pre-determined budgets are finding ways to save money. Living on campus in the dorms with the UGA meal plan sets the budget of many students in stone, but there are still ways to save a few bucks on the side.

“I live in the dorms and am on the meal plan, so I try not to eat out very often,” said Briana Gerdeman, a second-year Journalism and International Affairs major from Duluth, “but when I do go out to eat, I usually get water instead of a soft drink. It doesn't cost anything extra for water, and its better for you anyways.”

Edited By Austin Pratt