Channing Wall – The Hilltop Monitor

To Be Honest . . . with Channing Wall

Channing Wall — Fri, 05 Dec 2014 22:55:43 +0000

To Be Honest… I have learned way too much to be bitter.

Three years ago I began an adventure on which many others were also embarking. Some of us had more of a plan than others, and most of us had no idea what to expect. When I arrived at Jewell for the first time, the leaves were magnificent hues of fall and the grass couldn’t have been cut more precisely. As I toured campus for the first time I was mesmerized by the tall, prestigious-looking buildings and immediately began envisioning myself here. The location made sense; I would be far enough from home to feel like I escaped but could go home when I needed to admit defeat to homesickness. I honestly did not put too much thought into other schools; Jewell made the most sense at the time.

I really did love it here. Freshman year was interesting because nobody had joined Greek life, and it seemed like everyone got along fairly well. When the time came to go through rush, I didn’t expect as many to participate and felt I’d made a mistake when sophomore year came around and I’d become disconnected with my friend group. I was also clueless as to what career I wanted to focus on, so for the first year I had everything from Evolution and Ecology to Visual Design and even Intro to World Politics with Dr. Armstrong. After completing freshman year I decided I needed to try some other options in order to find more of a fit, so I went through rush and joined AGD and tried out business classes as well. It was a whole new experience that changed things around for me. I was excited to have a group of girls to hang out with and just wanted to enjoy the college experience. The business professors were very welcoming and immediately started opening doors and making me aware of the options I had. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, and I was excited for what the future had in store.

During this past summer I faced some complications that would make me reconsider my plans. The details really aren’t important; the point is that I’ve only got myself to blame and I figured out what I needed to in the end. At first I was very bitter with the whole situation; I was happy in these activities and now they were all being taken away. I was ready to leave ASAP but had no luck finding a school when all I was focused on was getting away. When I realized the energy needed to be focused on what it was I was looking for in myself, everything fell in place. Searching for affordable west coast cities that were known for sustainability, creativity and acceptance led me straight to Portland, Oregon. I had always said I would live in Oregon someday, so it was funny to me that this plan came into action sooner than I’d expected.

As I looked further into Portland State University, it seemed pretty realistic. Most credits would transfer, and I could swing the cost with the help of some scholarships and a strategic plan to apply for residency. When I called my parents to fill them in on this plan, I expected a response that would encourage me to wait it out and reconsider. However, when I finished word-vomiting and relief was expressed because my dad could tell I hadn’t been truly happy, I was baffled and thankful at the same time. He knew that I was trying to do what would make them happy and it was his job as a parent to help me find my passion. They told me this was my life story to write and if Oregon was what I thought needed to happen, they would be supportive. As I recapped the conversation, I realized I had the support and resources to follow my heart, why wouldn’t I? It finally dawned on me that now is the time for these adventures, now is my chance to really make life what I want it to be. It is my time to jump into a new adventure and see what happens.

Of course it was hard to make the official decision but I would not change a thing. I have made a lot of good friends and even though I didn’t always feel like I fit in, I do know there are some really neat people here. I also know that I would’ve gotten lost in someplace as big as Portland State had I tried that right after high school. I needed the perspective Jewell gave me in order to feel ready to hold my own. My adventure is no longer focused on getting out of here; it’s focused on bettering myself, finding my passion and applying that in a beneficial way to others. What will happen next? Who is to say for sure.

Wishing you all nothing but the best in the future,

Chann

Athletes of the Week: Maggie Metz and Joao Granato, swimming

Channing Wall — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 22:32:53 +0000

Students build international relationships with Village Partners Project

Channing Wall — Fri, 31 Oct 2014 15:00:23 +0000

William Jewell is currently partnered with a University on the north coast of Honduras (UNAH-CURLA) and other villages throughout the country to make sustainable living a reality through an intentional three part community building process.

The Village Partners Project (VPP) is an opportunity for students, faculty and alumni to travel to north central Honduras and work to develop healthy change in the lives of families and communities. Since 2005 more than 300 people have participated. Students can even access their Journey Grant for the experience. William Jewell is currently partnered with a university on the north coast of Honduras, El Centro Universitario Regional del Litoral Atlántico (UNAH-CURLA) and other villages throughout the country to make sustainable living a reality.

Joe Buhlig, senior, went on the 10-day journey in January 2013. He aided in community development projects that included analyzing the efficiency and health effects of home appliances in 10-15 individual homes. The group was made up of “people that did not know each other, so older people who had children and a tight knit community but it was cool to be a part of. They really opened up to us and we really bonded,” said Buhlig.

Each group has the chance to fundraise and raise money for the project they plan to work on while in Honduras. Projects in the past have been building homes, roofing churches, health education and more. In the very first village, a Sanitario Secos, a dry composting latrine, was built, stoves that vent outside the home were installed, a water quality assessment was performed, and a small store was opened that proved to be a successful micro-enterprise. These projects allowed the village to start a small fishing cooperative, which supplements its palm-growing income.

Buhlig reports that he learned that material possessions are not what will bring us happiness.

“It does not matter the size of your house or how much stuff you have, material possessions are never going to give you as much internal satisfaction as having good strong friendships,” Buhlig said.

Tasks that result in immediate improvement of the families economic state include building ecological latrines, micro-enterprising initiatives, improving ventilation in homes, improving agricultural distribution and replacing home appliances with a more sustainable and healthy model. VPP created a leadership role to utilize the resources provided by William Jewell to create even more resources in partnering communities. Sarahi Zeron, who has an Agricultural Economics Degree from UNAH-CURLA, currently fills the position.

There are three intentional phases groups go through in order to build the reciprocal relationship that are necessary for strengthening and benefiting Honduran and Jewell communities: relationship building, collaboration and multiplication. During the “relationship-building” phase in 2013, the group worked with a village, Matagua, in the mountains of Central Honduras. Matagua is about five miles from Yoro, a larger Honduras town. To build relationships, the students and community members mingled and discussed the community’s goals. The resources available were evaluated to determine how to achieve new goals. In the first village, the group learned that pit latrines polluted the local water supply, so a healthier and more sustainable alternative was introduced. In another village, the community was interested in organizing their local groups, the community leadership team “Patranato” and their women’s group.

Collaboration is the second phase and includes the implementation of the healthier, more sustainable solutions. An important factor for VPP is that Hondurans create and implement their own solutions to problems. A partnership in Embarcadero with agriculture and eco-tourism students at UNAH-CURLA has been an important for the development in plans. Zeron has conducted training workshops that aim for a unified approach to problem solving in the community.

Sharing this model with surrounding communities is the multiplication phase. The men and women in a village with new changes are trained to share the value of the improvements with neighboring villages.

Being homesick was not an issue for Buhlig and valuable lessons were learned. “I really didn’t miss anything. I missed my parents and family but not the luxuries we often take for granted.”

This is an opportunity available to all Jewell students. Interested students should contact Jeff Buscher at buscherj@william.jewell.edu.

Behind Jewell’s Rankings: Washington Monthly and Money Magazine

Channing Wall — Fri, 17 Oct 2014 15:00:53 +0000

Part three of a three part series aimed at understanding William Jewell College’s placement in six national rankings.

The Washington Monthly provides a college guide that consists of top school lists. The lists offered are: Liberal Arts schools, Master’s programs, Baccalaureate, Affordable Elite Colleges and Best Bang for the Buck.

The ranking is based on three categories: social mobility, research and service. Each category consists of characteristics that result in an overall ranking for the school. William Jewell College was ranked #89 on The Washington Monthly’s Top 100 list of Liberal Arts Schools. Social mobility consists of the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants, net price and predicted graduation rate vs. actual grade rate. Jewell came in with 27 percent of students receiving Pell grants. The price of Jewell was a net price of $21,141. Last but not least, the predicted grad rate vs. actual rate was 69-66 percent.

The research category is made up of a Bachelor’s to PhD rank and research expenditure spent in millions. Jewell rated 84 in the Bachelor’s to PhD category but did not spend even a million in the research expenditure section.

The ranks given by Peace Corps and ROTC to Jewell were 123 and 97. For federal work-study funds spent on service, Jewell was ranked 17 percent. Community service participation and hours served was an 85 and service staff, courses and financial aid support rank was 21. Another resource that provides a list of Best Colleges for Your Money is Money Magazine. There are 665 schools on Money Magazine’s Best Colleges list.

Their list also consists of three categories, however they are different. They include a ranking for quality of education, affordability and outcomes. Each consists of four characteristics.

The quality of education includes: six-year graduation rate, peer quality, student perception of quality and value-added graduation rate. Affordability is based on the net price of a degree, debt, student loan default risk and value-added student loan default risk. Outcome is made up of early and mid career earnings, earnings adjusted by majors, value added earnings and career services.

Jewell came in #156 on Money Magazine’s list of Best Colleges for Your Money. The college received a B+ grade and a 3.23 ranking. This list also provided an enrollment number, acceptance rate, average high school GPA and average annual salary within five years. Jewell was listed as having 1,052 students and a net price of $115,778. Acceptance rate was recorded as 61 percent and the average high school GPA as 3.69. For Jewell students the average annual salary within five years is $45, 700.