Fire drills to take place across campus on October 24

Campus Police and Facilities will be conducting fire drills on campus Friday, Oct 24th beginning at approximately 9 a.m.. We will begin on main campus and move through all our buildings. There is no specific time for arrival at any building. These are State mandated drills requiring a full evacuation of the building. We would appreciate everyone’s cooperation. The sooner we can evacuate the building the sooner we can get everyone back to their normal activities.

 

GRCC In the News, 10-22-14

Caring for the Caregivers

Oct. 21, 2014; WZZM

(Mike Faber, of the Older Learner Center, did a Senior Wellness segment.)

GRCC board candidate draws sharp questions for his 2001 book, ‘Letters from Perverse University’

Oct. 21, 2014; MLive

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Candidates at Tuesday’s forum for Grand Rapids Community College’s Board of Trustees race answered a lot of questions from why they were running, the challenges surrounding student success, and what role trustees should play at the institution.

G-Sync: Throwback Thursday (100 years ago)

Oct. 16, 2014; rapidgrowthmedia.com

You can often tell how long a person has lived in Grand Rapids when they start to speak. Sometimes it’s when someone says, “I’ve seen ArtPrize’s Time-Based winner DITA perform at Wealthy Street Theatre for years.” (It was officially renamed Wealthy Theatre after the Community Media Center secured Wealthy Street property.) Sometimes it’s when they give directions: “Head north of the old Herp’s building and then turn left at the former Art Museum.” Both references are sure to raise a confused eyebrow to any new transplant to our region.

Another indicator is when someone references attending the Grand Rapids Junior College, which is correct if they went there pre-1991. But after locals voted to expand the boundaries beyond Grand Rapids to include 20 districts within the Kent Intermediate School District, it became the Grand Rapids Community College. It also ushered in, for the first time, a Board of Trustees elected to serve a six-year term.

United Way update: $19,000-plus!

We are now at the mid-point in our United Way campaign. To date, 79 employees have donated just over $19,000!  Thank you to all who are contributing your time and resources to this campaign — you are making a difference!

Don’t forget about our campaign incentives:

• Employees who return their United Way pledge form by November 3, 2014, will be entered to win a GRCC centennial sweatshirt. There is no donation required to be part of this raffle.
• However, employees who donate $100 or more to this year’s campaign are eligible for two more prizes! The first four winners will receive two tickets to the GRCC’s 100^th anniversary performance, “Open Door,” on November 7 and 8. The fifth winner will receive a $100 Meijer gift card.
• If you are thinking it may be time for a new car, any Heart of West Michigan United Way donor who makes a new undesignated gift of $50 or more, or increases his or her total 2013 gift by $50 or more will be automatically entered for a chance to win a new car from Fox Honda!

Transfer Fair is today

GRCC College Transfer Fair is TODAY — sponsored by the Counseling and Career Center.

Wednesday, October 22 – 1-5pm

3rd Floor Student Lounge Area, Student Center

• Learn about transfer requirements
• Obtain catalogs and other transfer requirements
• Meet with college/university representatives

grcc.edu/TransferFair

Raider Golf Team Finishes Off Great Fall

The GRCC Raider Golf Team capped off a great fall with a 5th place finish at the famed Whistling Straits Golf Course in Kohler, WI, home of the 2015 PGA Championship and 2020 Ryder Cup. GRCC was the only community college team in the field of 17 nationally ranked teams and was in third place after round one and finished the tournament in fifth. Zach Bialk, a sophomore from Manistee Catholic, led the team finishing 13th with Drew Pennington, also a sophomore, from Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern finishing 15th. The team concluded the fall with three wins, one second and one 5th place finish. The Raiders’ next tournament will take place in Scottsboro, Al at the NJCAA Div II National Preview Tourney.

The latest from GRCC TV on YouTube: gala, Math Seminar, Carter Town Hall

October is National Disability Awareness Month

Here are two quick quizzes to help you measure your knowledge and confidence when interacting with persons with disabilities. The answers appear below the quizzes . . . . .

Personal and Professional:

 

1. As you are meeting or being introduced to someone, you notice they have a prosthesis and shake with their right hand. You should:

__A. Withdraw your hand and continue to introduce yourself.

__B. Offer your right had as you would with anyone.

__C. Offer your left hand.

 

2. When meeting someone who is deaf and accompanied by an interpreter, you should:

__A. Maintain eye contact with the person who is deaf.

__B. Maintain eye contact with the interpreter.

__C. Look back and forth between them.

 

3. You are speaking to someone who is deaf or hard of hearing and they ask you to repeat a statement. You should:

__A. Repeat the statement in a louder voice.

__B. Repeat the statement more slowly.

__C. Rephrase the statement.

__D. Use gestures to act out your statement.

__E. Offer to write your statement.

 

4. You see someone who has a disability and they appear to be struggling. You should ignore them so as not to embarrass, draw attention, or infringe upon their independence.

__ True     __False

 

If your answer was True, move to question 6.

 

5. If your answer to the last questions was false, what would you do in this situation:

__A. Watch for a while to determine if they need assistance.

__B. Offer to assist the person.

__C.   Assist the person.

 

 

6. You are conversing with a person who has difficulty speaking. You are only able to understand a few words and phrases. What should you do?

__A. Pretend you understand what was said.

__B. State what you understood and ask the person the repeat the rest of the information.

__C. Smile and walk away as soon as you can.

 

7. When conversing with a person who uses a wheelchair, it is preferable to pull up a chair, if available and convenient, and converse at eye level.

__ True     __False

 

 

Answers:

 

1. Offer your hand as you would anyone. The key is to treat people with disabilities as you would anyone. Remember, however, that each person is an individual and how he/she reacts to a particular situation may differ. For example, in this situation, the person with the disability may extend his/her prosthesis or may choose not to extend his/her hand at all.

 

2. Maintain eye contact with the person who is deaf. You are speaking directly to the person who is deaf; therefore it is appropriate to maintain eye contact with this person, not with the interpreter.

 

3. Any combination, or all of these answers may be appropriate, depending on the person and the circumstances. The best recommendation is to use you judgment based on the individual situation.

 

4. The best response in this situation to offer the person assistance and then proceed according to his/her response. It is important to remember that each person is an individual and some people may be grateful for the assistance while others my decline assistance . . . as would anyone else.

 

5. Offer to assist the person. See #4.

 

6. State what you understood and ask the person to repeat the rest of the information. It is always best to be honest and politely tell a person if you are having difficulty understanding them. Stating what you think you understand is a way to make sure that your understanding is really correct, then ask them to repeat the parts of the conversation that you did not understand.

 

7. If possible, the appropriate response is to pull up a chair and converse with this person at eye level. It is not appropriate, however, to kneel, bend over the person, or lean on the wheelchair as support. If a chair is not available, maintain a regular stance and continue the conversation.

 

Myths and Facts:

 

Review each of the statements below. Note whether you believe each statement is true or false.

 

__A. All people who are blind live in total darkness.

__B. People with a cognitive impairment always enjoy jobs with repetitive tasks.

__C. People with quadriplegia are totally dependent on others for daily support.

__D. All people who are blind can read braille.

__E. People who are deaf make ideal employees in a noisy work environment.

__F. People with emotional disabilities cannot work in a stressful environment.

__G. The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is equal to that of people without disabilities.

__H. New workplace technologies make if more difficult for people with disabilities to secure and maintain employment.

__I. Accommodating people with disabilities is often cost prohibitive.

__J. Employing and managing employees with disabilities requires unique skills.

 

Answers:

 

1. Many people who are blind can see some levels of light and/or colors within various fields of vision.
2. People with a cognitive impairment are individuals and vary in ability as do all individuals.
3. Different people with quadriplegia have differing levels of independence.
4. Only an estimated 10% of people who are blind read braille.
5. Some people who are deaf have various types and levels of residual hearing, and some may be bothered by noisy environments, just as some hearing people are. As always, the type of work a person is suited for will depend on the individual’s preferences and skills.
6. This answer will depend on a person’s definition of “stressful environment,” and how different kinds of stress affect (or don’t affect) an individual.
7. The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is far greater than that of people without disabilities.
8. Technological advances have opened many doors for some individuals with disabilities.
9. The majority of accommodations required for the workplace cost under $1000. Source: Job Accommodation Network.
10. Managing employees with disabilities requires the same kind of good management skills that are needed to manage all workers.

 

Both quizzes compiled by TransCen, Inc. “Disability Awareness Activity.” www.transcent.org.

Jeff Float, who lost 80% of his hearing in his right ear and 60% in his left ear after contracting viral meningitis at the age of 13 months, competed at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. There he was named team captain by his peers, earned a gold medal in the men’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay, and finished fourth in the men’s 200-meter freestyle. When he emerged from the pool after swimming the third leg for the U.S. team in the 4×200-meter relay and shattering the world record by five seconds, he heard the roar of the crowd. “It was the first time I remember distinctively hearing loud cheers at a meet. I’ll never forget what 17,000 screaming people sounds like. It was incredible!” Float said. (Wikipedia)
Photo: Rich Clarkson/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images

Students to present research projects today

GRCC students who participated in the Summer 2014 MICUP Program at Michigan Technological University, UROP at the University of Michigan, and Study Abroad in Salamanca (Spain) and Morocco, will be exhibiting their research posters! Learn about their work and about amazing opportunities that might be there for students. The event is Open House style and will take place on Wednesday, October 22 from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room (2nd Floor Student Center).

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