4A
NEWS / THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2010 / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN / KANSAN.COM
ECONOMY
Rise in food bank needs on campuses
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
DETROIT — Michigan State University student Nichole Wickens never imagined standing in line to get staples from a food pantry.
But that's what the 21-year-old is doing at MSU's Olin Health
the student-run food bank has seen a 25 percent jump in need from the 2007-2008 school year.
In three bags,
Wickens carries
away boxes of
instant mashed
potatoes and
"This perception that students, because they're going to college, have money isn't accurate."
dried pasta, a boat of bakery bread,
applesauce and a box of shredded
wheat cereal. At retail, it's only
worth about $20 — but it makes a
big difference to Wickens.
She has a part-time job on campus as a night receptionist, and gets some financial aid for tuition.
"My student account was in stocks, and stocks were hit hard," Wickens said. "And I'm the oldest of five."
"But I'm paying for a car, phone, computer, rent and everything else," she said, "so coming here really helps. It's a resource to students."
Director Kristin Moretto said the MSU food bank's budget is about $40,000.
DENNIS MARTELL
MSU food bank faculty adviser
College campuses aren't places where you expect to find a food bank. But students are turning to college-sponsored food banks for help because of ever-increasing tuition costs, the loss of financial aid programs like state scholarships and financial support from home being cut-off or diminished because parents have lost jobs.
faculty adviser
The food bank purchases items in bulk from the Mid-Michigan Food Bank, which is operated by the American Red Cross. Retailers sometimes donate perishable items, such as milk or baked goods.
"This perception that students, because they're going to college, have money isn't accurate and never was," said Dennis Martell, the MSU health education services coordinator and the food bank's
"This is a grass-roots student-run organization," Moretti said. "The food isn't being taken away from anyone else who needs it."
Karsten Lunde/KANSAN
Students need only
prove that they're enrolled at MSU and haven't purchased a university food plan.
HELP IS AVAILABLE
While other large Michigan schools don't operate food banks many are reporting a surge in students asking for more financial aid.
The University of Michigan has experienced an increase in students showing demonstrated financial need, said school spokeswoman Kelly Cumingham.
"We occasionally see a student who is in need of emergency funding. In those cases, we provide an emergency grant to cover immediate needs like food, money to move into an apartment, purchase medication, etc." Cunningham said.
Racking up green for St. Patty
"If the student comes forward, we can help them. We always reserve funds for emergencies, and we can disburse emergency funds as quickly as the same day the student asks for help," Cunningham said. "Students can apply online and receive up to $500 the next morning."
Tyson Paulson, a sophomore from Lawrence, aims his cue during the Lawrence St. Patrick's Day Committee's fundraising pool tournament at Astro's bar on Saturday afternoon. Participants donated $10 dollars, which will be used for the Lawrence St. Patrick's Day Parade. The committee will hold other fundraising events, including a Texas Hold 'Em tournament Feb. 28th at the Flamingo Club. For more information go to www.lawrencepatricksdayparade.com.
ODD NEWS
Lunch lady hit with food, gets revenge
WATERBURY, Conn. — A Connecticut school cafeteria worker and a 13-year-old girl face criminal charges after police said a food fight turned into a real fight. Waterbury police said the fifth-grader at Gilmartin Elementary School threw vegetables at 55-year-old lunch aide Rosa Robles last Thursday, and Robles responded by throwing vegetables in the girl's face. Police said a fight broke out when the girl punched Robles in the face. Authorities said both suffered cut lips, and the girl also had scratches on her face.
School officials said Robles is on paid leave and the girl has been suspended.
Robles posted $500 bail after being charged with assault and other crimes. Police didn't release the girl's name or the charges she faces because of her age. A telephone listing for Robles could not immediately be found.
NEW YORK — A Brooklyn woman said a mugger stole a doggie coat right off the back of her mild-mannered terrier. Donna McPherson said she tied up Lexie, her 10-year-old Westie,
thief takes coat from shivering dog
outside a Park Slope supermarket "for two minutes" while she bought milk. She heard a "funny bark." When McPherson went outside, she found the little white dog shivering. His green wool coat, with leather trim and belt, were nowhere in sight.
McPherson said the dog coat was worth $25. She said that, fortunately, Lexie wasn't wearing his pricier Burberry.
Man tries to bribe children for urine
MANHATTAN BEACH. Calif. — Manhattan Beach police have arrested a man they claim tried to buy urine from boys at an elementary school. Sgt. Brian
Brown said an 18-year-old man was arrested on Monday for investigation of annoying children He remained jailed Wednesday on $150,000 bail. Authorities believe the man walked into a restroom at Pacific Elementary School last week and offered two boys several dollars to urinate in a cup. School officials said they refused.
Brown said investigators suspect the man was trying to collect urine to pass drug tests.
Brown said the man's image was captured by a video surveillance camera and he was arrested Monday when he returned to the school.
Associated Press
NATIONAL
Record snow causes mass closings, cancelled flights
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — A blizzard howled up the East Coast on Wednesday, making roads from Baltimore to New York City so treacherous that even plow drivers pulled over and bringing more misery to a Mid-Atlantic region poised to have its snowiest winter on record.
In Pennsylvania, the governor
closed large stretches of major highways because the second major storm in less than a week was making travel too risky.
In Washington, snow fell so hard that people on the National Mall could not see the Capitol. Many in the region were still without power from the historic storm over the weekend, and even more were expected to lose it during this one.
"The snow has just been relentless," said Washington Fire Chief Dennis L. Rubin, a D.C. native who said the back-to-back storms are like nothing he has ever experienced. "It doesn't seem like were getting much of a break."
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brooks Chamberlin of Annapolis, MD., shows the sidewalk near his home in Annapolis during a slizzard Wednesday. With each shovel full of snow, the wind blew some if it back.
In Arlington, Va., streets that had been packed with people playing in the snow over the weekend were also empty.
Up to 16 inches fell in parts of western Maryland and Reagan National Airport in Washington had nearly 9 inches by midday, just short of the amount needed to make it the snowiest winter on record in D.C. That was on top of totals up to 3 feet in some places from the weekend storm. And it was still snowing.
"For your safety, do not drive." Gov. Ed Rendell said. "You will risk your life and, potentially, the lives of others if you get stuck on highways or any road."
The streets of downtown Philadelphia, also hard hit by the last storm, were nearly vacant as people heeded the mayor's advice to stay home.
"I've seen enough," said Bill Daly, 57, as gusts of wind and snow.
lashed his face. "It's scary and beautiful at the same time. I wanted to shovel but thought if I had a heart attack it could be a while before anybody found me in this kind of weather."
In Washington, the federal government was closed for a third straight day. The longest weather-related government shutdown ever was in 1996, when employees did not have to go to work for a full week.
"Initially I was quite hassled, and I was thinking about it a lot on the flight, but once I'm here, I say: 'let's just make do with what we have, there's no point in sitting grumpy for too long,' he said as he tried to use Facebook to find an old classmate or acquaintance in the New York area he might be able to stay with.
The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings Wednesday that extended into New York City, where 10 to 16 inches could fall. Airlines canceled hundreds of flights at airports on the Eastern seaboard and schools
in New York City were closed, only the third snow day in six years for the district's 1.1 million students. D.C.'s two airports had no flights coming or going Wednesday.
Rajesh Moorjani flew to Newark International Airport from Mumbai, India, in hopes of catching a connecting flight to San Francisco, but that seemed unlikely with most flights canceled.
He said the crew offered to let people off the flight before it left Mumbai because of severe storms in the U.S., but he decided to try his luck.
Snow was falling from northern Virginia to Connecticut after crawling out of the Midwest, where the storm canceled hundreds of flights and was blamed for three traffic deaths in Michigan.
Baltimore has already broken the previous record for snowiest winter, 62.5 inches in 1995-96, and Washington was poised to break the record of 54.4 inches set there in the winter of 1898-99.
Spend $20 or more & receive a FREE sm. order of Pokey Stix!