Staff Writer

Some people wonder what happens to their favorite athlete after college.

Most athletes don’t play sports after they graduate, instead they find other professions such as police officers, lawyers, doctors and many others.

There are more than 3,000 Division 2 college basketball players across the U.S. playing for 265 schools, only 1.3 percent of all college basketball players make it to a professional team.

George Puou, head coach of the basketball team, stated that “There are over 1,000 athletes that have come to NDNU for basketball.”

Ninety five percent have graduated from NDNU’s basketball program and have pursued a different career.

About one percent went professional, including Chris Clock and Alex Raj.

Alex Raj, former NDNU basketball star (2009-2010) made it to the professional level of his craft  and is now playing for the Richmond Rockets.

“On and off the court, the Rockets organization treats their players with respect which is what I enjoy the most about this team. They treat us like professionals,” said Raj.

The team represents the organization in a professional way which shows that players are always ready to work hard in a professional manner.

If you’re a college basketball player with dreams of becoming a professional player, like our own Alex Raj, here are some things you should know:

“The main step I took at a professional level was to get my name out in the basketball community as much as I could”, said Raj.

Raj went to many D-League tryouts and professional camps. As a result,  people began to notice his name and soon after, the Richmond Rockets called and offered him a spot on the roster.

To get into the professional leagues, a college basketball player must have good stats, particularly in his senior season.

The thing that keeps Raj going is his hard work on the court and off with weight training and other polymeric drills.

To have a good chance at going professional, there are a number of things that Coach Puou went over that could allow this major step to happen.

The numbers for guards should be 10 points, seven assists, two steals, and less than three turnovers per game.

Forwards and centers need 10 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks.

It is good to score but an athletes main focus should be on rebounding the ball and shutting down their opponents in the paint.

If a player’s stats are at those levels, they just might have a good chance at becoming a professional player.

There are many other ways players can get a chance to play professional basketball.

One way is to hire an agent, who will ask you how you finished your senior season. He will ask them to make a profile with all the necessary information about him or her.

The player will also have to get the agent game film of their   playing, so the agent can see what all the buzz is about.

Next, if the agent likes what they see, the agent will speak to the players’ most recent coaches too learn about what the strengths and weaknesses they have in their game.

If the agent agrees to take the basketball player on as a client, they will  send the players information with the game film to teams that fit the need.

The professional teams’ scouts will look at the film and the coaches will evaluate the player to see if they can use them in their system.

The scouts are on the lookout  for the people they need in certain positions.

Puou also talked about how point and shooting guards have to be around 6’0 to 6’6 and weight 180 to 220 to play that position.

They must have excellent ball handling skills, be great shooter, play good defense around the perimeter, pass the ball well and not have too many turnovers.

“To be a forward or center you must be 6’7 to 7’0 or higher and weight 220 to 280 pounds to play that position,” said Puou.

Big players in stature need to have bigger skills to block shots, slide their feet well in the paint area, be able to get offensive and defensive rebounds and must be a signifigant presence in the middle of the defensive and offensive sides of the ball.

While this is hardly a roadmap to everyone’s playing career, there’s always the X-factors out there. Even with an established road map to professional superstar, there are several players that make it ot th ebig leauge without ever being drafted, or have and agent for that matter.

What matters is not how much money you have, but how much drive your have. If your stats are good, and if a scout likes you, you might find yourself playing for a professional  team.

Staff Writer

It is time again for the Spring Student Showcase, a delightful evening presented by the senior NDNU Theatre students.

The showcase will be taking place in the NDNU Theatre, starting February 9 through February 11, each beginning at 7:30pm.

There will be free admission to NDNU students, faculty and staff and a $10 general admission. The theatre box office will be open one hour before curtain each night.

Three seniors, Lindsay Saier, Jennifer Salmeron, and Morgan Lewis, are each directing their own one act plays and scenes in order to fulfill their capstone requirement.

Each of these plays will have both student, and non-student, actors.

“The showcase allows students to employ the skills, knowledge, and talent developed through their course of study at NDNU in a production that is fully supported by the Theatre Department faculty and staff,” said Michael B. Elkins, NDNU’s Chair of the Theatre Arts Department.

“It’s always so rewarding to see students apply what they have learned.”

Each student director is responsible for selecting and casting a play, and coordinating the design and technical support provided.

When asked what inspired her decision, Morgan replied “I looked through so many plays trying to find one that I wanted to direct because I wanted to find one that meant something to me, and could possibly mean something to the audience.

She continued, “Larry Gets the Call struck a chord with me because it is funny, clever, and I think it has a good message.”

As we all can probably assume, finishing up the last year of undergraduate studies can be very stressful, but it can help when the capstone requirement is an enjoyable experience.

According to Lewis, “Directing your own show is fun, hands on and definitely gives you a taste of what it could be like if you pursued that road. It does all of those things.

My one act is only fifteen minutes with minimal props, cues and sets. I can only imagine doing a full-length play.”

He continued, “But overall, the experience has been fully rewarding. It was a little awkward at first because I’ve acted in shows with all of my actors before and I view them as my peers, so it was a little weird to tell them what to do. It was easy though…”

Morgan’s future, post-graduation plans include, “…moving to Las Vegas where I will hopefully pursue work in the theatre, whether that be on stage, or management. There are actually so many opportunities in Vegas for that type of stuff, so I’m excited.”

The NDNU Theatre department, including casts and directors, are excited for the quickly approaching showcase and hope that all of you will be able come out and enjoy the productions put on by these three talented seniors.

Staff Writer

With NDNU Admissions moving off campus to Redwood Shores this year, student admission workers are experiencing mixed emotions about the new change and how it will affect their jobs.

In November, Ralston Mansion had a structural analysis that showed engineers that the building was not safe. NDNU is currently relocating all services that were in Ralston Mansion off-campus.

The biggest question in the minds of student workers is the outcome of their jobs. According to Richard Rossi, Director of Communications, all 27 student workers who work in admissions will not lose their job as a result of the move, which applies through the end of the year.

Students who work in admissions contribute their time by answering phone calls, logging in information on the computer, running errands and helping staff around the mansion.

While some student workers look at working in admissions as a side job, others view and rely on this job as their only source of income.

Sophomore, Will Sparks, who has been working as a student worker since Sept. 2011 said, “I am disappointed about the move because Ralston Mansion is NDNU’s icon. But in regards to working, I know my hours will not be affected. I just do not know what to expect.”

Senior Bianca Madrid, who has worked in admissions for a year agreed with Sparks.

“Ralston Mansion is NDNU’s trademark, but I understand that there is safety precautions that need to be made.”

Even though Madrid understands why the changes are occurring, she is curious on how NDNU will accommodate student workers and is worried that the move will affect her flexible work schedule by requiring her to travel back and forth to the new admission location.

“There may be some shifting of responsibilities as a result of the move,” said Rossi. “Some student workers will be needed at the Twin Dolphin Drive location.  We most likely will use those who have transportation.”

In addition, Rossi said, “Admissions will have several offices on campus so many of their student workers, especially ambassadors, will be able to continue working on campus.”

For students who were interested in working in admissions in the future, as far as Rossi knows, there are no openings at the moment. Due to the move, there will be no opportunities or open positions available to students.

For alternative choices, Sparks pointed out that there are still a lot of jobs available on campus for students, such as working in the Student Life and Leadership office, cafeteria, financial aid, mail center and registrar’s offices.

“Students just need to search for them,” stated Sparks. She is involved with other jobs around campus such as the Student Life and Leadership office.

For current student workers who planned on working in the fall of 2012, there are still no plans at the moment.

Admissions are waiting to see how the new plan works out for this semester and work accordingly based off of the results.  There is no plan to eliminate student workers and there will not be a substantial change in the number employed for next semester.

“Student workers would be very hard to replace,” said Rossi, “They are very important to us because prospective students enjoy hearing about NDNU from the perspective of current students.”

Rossi also explained how student workers provided flexibility and the ability to complete different kinds of jobs.

“If we did not have students, we would have to increase the size of the full and part-time staff and might not have the same flexibility.”

“So while it would technically be possible for us to get by without student workers, we are much better off for having them.”

Online Editor

With a new year comes new emerging artists’ trying to make it big in the music industry.

Some succeed, some fail, but most have their fifteen minutes or more. One of the most recent additions to the music line-up is newcomer Lana Del Rey.

With her debut album, Born to Die, she is getting mixed reviews from her critics.

Many people’s opinions were tainted by her recent SNL performance, which was her U.S. television debut. What most critics seem to forget is she is a new, up and coming artist whose first live TV performance was underwhelming.

Her self-promoted nickname, “gangster Nancy Sinatra” has received both positive and negative reviews based on her actual upbringing.

She has the vibe of a, “from nothing to everything” songstress who worked her way up in the world. Yet in reality, her name is Lizzy Grant and she grew up in an upper class New York family.

While singing on issues in the world and hard relationships the songstress promotes a fantastic sounding pop record with the drama and darkness that comes from most soap operas.

With all identity issues and drama aside, the album is in fact, one of the best in recent years. With the soul of Aretha Franklin and the vocal range that mainstream artists dream of having she is the next big thing.

She has the potential on her next album to have it be, “epic.” This album allows critics and producers hear what she is capable of doing and open the doors for her to work with them on future projects.

With her debut single, Video Games, she has also released videos for the title track, Born to Die and Blue Jeans. Her album for the most part, is a bit on the gloomy side. It takes a lot to see past the drama-filled dysfunctional relationships to see the fun “pop” side.

With Video Games, she offers visuals of fun summer moments she shares with her loves, as wel as how she needs them to love her to continue living.

She sings, “Heaven is a place on earth with you… I heard that you like the bad girls honey.”

With the dysfunctional past relationships in Born to Die and Radio, the James Bond-esque Million Dollar Man, to the upbringing of a bad girl in, National Anthem, Del Rey shows promise and a bright future ahead.     {4.5  /  5.0}

Staff Writer

Newly appointed Interim Financial Aid Director Wilbert Lleses has been helping NDNU students with their financial needs for the past 3 years.

After attending Davao Doctor’s College in Davao City, Philippines Wilbert transferred to National Hispanic University in San Jose where he eventually became their Director of Financial Aid.

After 10 years working at the National Hispanic University he decided to come to NDNU.

While on this campus Wilbert shares that he “has the goal of empowering students through financial literacy”.

He also tries to emphasize to students that they need to be willing to apply for Financial awards in order to gain funds.

Many students are unaware of the benefits that they qualify for and some scholarships are left with extra money and no students to give it to.

Wilbert states that, “You’ll never get the grants or scholarships if you don’t apply. There are many good scholarship search engines as well as many different types of scholarships out there. Chances are you will qualify for a number of these.”

Many students go through college without even thinking about any source of financial aid.

While many students can get frustrated or confused with the Financial Aid process Wilbert stays motivated through it all.

He strives to get the students as much financial aid possible to get the students through school with the least amount of financial stress once they graduate.

Wilbert takes pride in his work and feels that, “It is a true joy in life to serve as a Director of Financial Aid for NDNU. The students and the NDNU community always bring out the best in you. In this profession, I find fulfillment in knowing that I made a difference in students’ life either as mentor or as Financial Aid Administrator”

Wilbert feels that success as a Financial Aid Department “cannot be quantified as the Department’s success is measured in different ways, but for me the true success of the Department lie on how well we serve our students.”

Students who are counseled by Wilbert often express that they enjoyed his customer service and diligence.

“He makes everything easy for you to understand and always makes sure you get everything you need to continue getting your education financed,” said Senior Student Joshua Aguirre. “ It always seems that he is willing to take time out and help students and that’s why we like him as the Financial Aid Director”

Wilbert knows that his job is important in helping students achieve their academic goals.  He tries to make sure to be as helpful as possible when dealing with students.

“As a mentor, seeing my students grow, thrive and graduate is an accomplishment, and as a Financial Aid Administrator providing assistance and guidance to students on how to find resources to pay for college is rewarding.”

With so many students struggling to pay high tuition it is nice to hear NDNU has a Financial Aid Director committed to being  hard-working and resourceful. Wilbert is always willing to help. When asked if there was a certain motto Wilbert strives to live by he offered this one.

“Life is special. Activities and functions we carry out build the tapestry of how our life turns out.”

Staff Writer

If you have been on campus and seen the changes made to the tutorial center you will also notice the commuter lounge has temporarily closed and relocated. With the help of the grants received back in October, NDNU has been improving their facilities.

The Improving Student Retention and Academic Success Grant, of 3.2 million dollars, was the largest federal grant in the university’s history and has contributed enormously to the many changes around campus. One of those changes was the expansion of the tutorial center and the relocation of the commuter lounge.

The Grant was designed to help support students and to provide more academic support services, especially to at-risk students. The expansion of the tutorial center was written in the application for this grant so the change was necessary after the grants were rewarded to NDNU.

Peggy Koshland-Crane, Director of Academic Success Center, explains more on the process of applying for grants.

“When applying for these grants we have to include what we will improve with the help of these grants and the expansion of the tutorial center was one of the areas to improve and expand to give more students the access to academic support.”

With the expansion of the tutorial center that also means the closure of the commuter lounge. The Dean of Students, Jean Conde explained. “The number one priority is student’s success here at NDNU, the commuter lounge had to be sacrificed to give students additional support.”

The commuter lounge before was a place for students, undergraduates and graduates alike to come and spend their breaks between classes. The lounge included couches, a television and lockers for students to store their belongings during classes.

Students were uneasy about the changes made because the idea of losing the commuter lounge, a senior and commuter student at NDNU named Lauren Keeney expresses her opinions, “As a commuter student, I have experienced the closure of the commuter lounge first hand.

Not having a location to unwind and relax during classes has been extremely challenging, especially because commuter students are denied access to resident lounges.

Commuter students make up 85% of the tuition paying student body and it is simply unjust to not accommodate their needs.

The administration has ensured that a new lounge will be opening shortly, although this will not fully solve the problem. We can only hope that this is a temporary solution for accommodating commuter students.”

The temporary lounge is now in the side room of career services. In addition to the temporary lounge, the writing center will also have later hours to accommodate students late at night.

Mission Integration Council

Here now is the collection of the recent writings about Founder’s Week – our yearly celebration of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and their mission:

Day #1: Conviction

This week on our campus we commemorate the two Foundresses of the Sisters of Notre Dame (SND) de Namur: Julie Billiart and Francoise Blin de Bourdon. Together, Julie and Francoise courageously split from the SND congregation at Amiens, France and formed a new one at Namur, in present-day Belgium.

This new congregation was unique in its commitment to serve the poor – in particular, orphans and other poor children. This commitment was so strong that in the early days Julie was known to send “a Sister out into the street with a bell calling any poor child to school” (Murphy 120).

What gives the SND de Namur their uniqueness, their “charism,” is the legacy of these women, Julie and Francoise, who we celebrate this week.

The members of the Mission Integration Council hope you will enjoy learning about the charism of the Sisters through the on-campus activities presented this week and through four daily reflections, one emailed each morning, beginning with this one.

One element of the legacy of the Foundresses that is particularly relevant to our campus is the sincerity of their conviction. In forming a new congregation, Julie and Francoise expressed a deep faith in the community they sought to create, as well as a firm conviction that they would not be true to themselves if they remained at Amiens.

“It was force that made us leave,” Julie writes, “since they asked things of us that cannot be demanded in any case whatsoever unless they are offered willingly” (Letters, 168). Unless they are offered willingly – this phrase resonates for us in 2012 just as it did for Julie in 1809.

As we begin 2012, our NDNU community is more diverse than ever, and as President Obama said in his inaugural address, “our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.

We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers.” Substitute “campus” for “nation” and he could have been describing NDNU.

Although we may be different from Julie and Francoise in heritage, culture or religion, as a campus we continue to rally around their original mission of service and concern for others, inviting in an ecumenical spirit all students, faculty and staff to be a part of this mission and valuing the many and diverse expressions of mission that “are offered willingly” every day on our campus, in the sense Julie intended, by those of all faith traditions and no faith tradition. It is in that spirit that we invite you to reflect on the mission of the University and the legacy of the Foundresses over these next several days.

Day #2: Courage

Julie and her co-foundress Francoise faced prolonged intimidation by those who disagreed with their decision to found a new congregation.

“Take heart,” Julie writes in a letter to Francoise, who had just received an especially discouraging tongue-lashing from a local priest (Letters 106). “Let them speak and make a noise on every side […] The very strong expressions […] do not surprise me in the least” (105-106).

Like the pioneers of the Civil Rights movement in the US, Julie knows that this kind of intimidation is inevitable when challenging authority. “Truth,” she concludes, “does not make so much noise” (106).

Looking at the subject matter of a class you’ll take today, can you think of a scenario in which one might, as a professional in that field, face verbal or even physical intimidation because of a controversial action or ethical stance?

When might an intimidating boss, client, co-worker, etc. create an ethical problem? For example, in one’s work as a business professional, manager, engineer, chemist, historian, English teacher, politician, artist or physical therapist?

How could one use Julie’s words, “Truth does not make so much noise,” to help resist that intimidation?

Day #3: Patience

Julie and Francoise accomplished much in their lifetimes. Establishing a new congregation in the challenging political, social and religious climate of post-Revolutionary Europe was not easy, and yet there was much for new visionaries to rebuild after the turmoil of 1789 and its aftermath.

Sometimes, ready and eager as they were to move forward, the women had instead to hunker down and wait.

Wait for the slow and uncooperative hand of Church bureaucracy to approve their venture.

Wait for key funds to make their way around a series of obstacles. Wait to see what “the Emperor” (Napoleon) had in store for Europe’s religious institutions. Julie took these challenges as opportunities to practice patience.

“Ah, my good friend,” she writes to Francoise in the midst of an ordeal, “some day we shall be happy to have had something to suffer during the little time this life lasts!” (Letters, 154).

The Dalai Lama expresses a similar sentiment when he speaks of embracing setbacks as opportunities to cultivate compassion.

“In Buddhist practice,” he says in The Art of Happiness, “you can use your personal suffering in a formal way to enhance your compassion – by using it as an opportunity for the practice of Tong-Len” (203).

Tong-Len is a form of visualization. “When you are aware of your pain and suffering,” he continues, “…it helps you to develop your capacity for empathy, the capacity that allows you to relate to other people’s feelings and suffering.

This enhances your capacity for compassion towards others. So as an aid in helping us to connect with others, it can be seen as having value” (206).

Or, as Freidrich Nietzsche so succinctly said in Twilight of the Idols, “What does not destroy me, makes me stonger.”

Whether it was illness, finances or administrative delay, what didn’t destroy Julie’s new congregation made it stronger. Strong enough that it has lasted into the 21st century.

And like Julie and Francoise, many on our campus today are facing difficult challenges relating to our place of work, in particular our beloved Ralston Hall.

Day #4: Risk

No reflection on the charism of the Sisters would be complete without a discussion of risk.

From Day One the SND de Namur were risk-takers, splitting off from the traditional roles they’d been assigned within the Church structure they had grown up in to form a new group of their own, motivated by the vision of Julie Billiart to serve the poor.

They risked their status and reputation in the Church by asserting their individual callings, questioning their assigned roles rather than merely conforming. As anyone knows who has attempted to create something new, they also risked failure and put themselves in a position from which mistakes were likely to be made.

When mistakes did happen, they offered one another compassion. “My dear daughter,” Julie wrote to Francoise in 1796, early in their correspondence, “…are you still reproaching yourself for making blunders? Well, there is nothing in this that ought to surprise you. My poor child, you are only too lucky that the good God grants you the grace of noticing them” (as quoted in O’Brien).

More than a decade later, in 1809, Francoise had occasion to return the sentiment, writing to Julie, “You know well that my prayer for you has always been not that you should never make a mistake, but that [God’s] Spirit may intervene when it’s time to stop and make decisions” (Letters 161).

2012 finds Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur taking risks all around the world. Joan Burke immersed in a suburb of Paris, France, where she hopes to learn about poverty in the First World. Carolyn Buhs was one of the first people to get a visa to travel to the newly declared Republic of South Sudan, where she has been since October.

You can read about their adventures by following the links (sent to your student e-mail).

I think you’ll agree that these are some pretty impressive women who do not shy away from risk in the pursuit of their mission.

Staff Writer

The estimated cost of retrofitting Ralston Mansion is yet to be determined, however NDNU officials have already begun looking to all sorts of funding, ranging from student events to local awareness.

A joint coordinated effort has begun with Notre Dame de Namur and the community of Belmont. City Hall has expressed interest in offering aid to restore one of San Mateo’s oldest buildings. Even the NDNU Programming Board has initiated a dancing fundraiser for Ralston Mansion that will be held in March.

According to Director of Communications Richard Rossi, the reason for the postponement was to allow the school to gather a much more thorough study of the building.

A new study would allow officials to see how much time it will take to retrofit the building along with the cost of the whole operation. The time it takes to relocate staff members to a new location, with the addition of adding phone lines and moving in equipment and furniture is a very time-consuming effort.

While there hasn’t been any official estimation on the price of the project it is projected that it could cost millions of dollars. “ It’s a focal point,” said Belmont Police Chief Donald Mattei. “Other than that building and St. Michaels up at the IHM, it’s probably one of the oldest buildings in the community.”

Last December, NDNU released a statement that the historic Ralston Mansion will be closeddue to retrofitting the foundation. The unstable foundation posed a danger to faculty and students working inside the building. The last day that it would be open was supposed to be on January 15th of this year. However students have noticed that the building not only remains open but also is occupied  by faculty and staff members.

Staff members will be moved to an offsite facility in Redwood Shores, according to Rossi. However, faculty will still be located on campus.

Some members have relocated to various places all over campus, such as St. Joe’s and the Campus Center.

The City of Belmont has offered their services to not only aid in the cost of the operation but to also help raise awareness of the building’s closure and retrofitting.

Various members have been organizing with city officials such as former Mayor Carol Lynn and President of Chamber of Commerce George Burgess.

“The initial event is to bring awareness to everybody. There are some people in Belmont who don’t know that thing [Ralston Mansion] is there,” said Mattei.

City officials know what the federal register landmark means to the community.

“You got a couple of other historic buildings that we either picked up and move or refreshed but that is the largest, most significant, most prominent, potentially one of the oldest buildings in the City of Belmont,” said Community Development Director Carlos de Melo.

The NDNU Programming Board has also offered assistance with a fundraiser to help cover the expenses of the restoration.

“We are doing a dance marathon called “We Heart Ralston Dance-A-Thon. All of the proceeds will be going towards the Ralston Hall Restoration Fund,” said Chair of NDNU Programming Board Jana Gibbs.

Their fundraising goal is to reach $5,000. While details are still being straightened out, a date has been set. The event will be held on Saturday, March 24 from 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m. Students will receive an email about the event on the February 15.

Brittany Englland-Gay, who is overseeing the event, is optimistic that the community and student body will work together to achieve the goal they set. While the event might not be the largest she said, “…energy wise it is.”

New information on the cupdated closure date will be made available within a month or two. Questions about the fundraiser should be sent to: ndnu.programmingboard@gmail.com.

Editor-in-Chief

Late last semester, I had a bit of a health issue.

It wasn’t anything major in terms of severity – just a nagging, mostly cosmetic issue with my right foot.

After doing the worst thing possible – what I like to call “wait and hope it just disappears someday,” I decided a visit to real health professional would not be such a bad idea after all.

So, I decided to pay a visit to our then school nurse, Karen Hackett, to see what could be done about the situation.

On her recommendation, she prescribed a holistic apporach at first: applying tea tree oil to the situation as it would get my body to recognize the issue and possibly repair it on it’s own.

If that didn’t work, she was kind enough to point me in the direction of the closest facility that accepted our campus health insurance.

Heck, she even printed out diretions for me – what a sweetheart!

So, with my directions and contact information in hand, I immediately made an appointment to visit the local CHW (Catholic Healthcare West) facility. It just happenned to be right across the 101 freeway next to Redwood Shores.

A few weeks past by, and the day to my appointment finally arrived. I drove over immediately after my last class.

It was a beautiful building. Very warm and friendly inside, too.  The paperwork was fairly painless and the people seemd quite nice as well.

Once I was seen by the doctor, the procedure took less than fifteen minutes. (The mandatory overall health inspection actually lasted longer.)

Sparing you the all-to-personal and potentially grotesque details, the procedure could be described as quite benign.

“Wait a few days and see if it worked,” the doctor told me. So I hobbled back to the Argonaut office for a photo shoot and then scooted back home to wait for the magic of modern medicine to show itself.

Several days go by, wiht only a dull pain to show for it.

Then  a week goes by, with no visible change. No worries, “…it can take up to two weeks,” I kept telling myself. This is a stubborn problem, so it requires great patience!”

Two weeks go by, and the problem has yet to subside. Three weeks, four weeks – five.

And then, after six weeks of waiting for something , anything to happen, it finally did.

The bill came.

“But, I have insurance!” I said to myself. “This should be relatively inexpensive, after all this was the facility recommended by our school nurse and the insurance program we have must be good – we attend a prestigious university, right?”

Wrong.

As I opened the white envelope I thought I would have to call the doctor to make another appointment; not because my situation was still unresolved – which, by the way, it was – but to report that I was having a heart attack.

The bill claimed that I owed nearly $350. A simple procedure that theoretically could have been done with a trip to Walgreens and a few cans of compressed air in a can (with varying results)  ended up costing me $350.

The “insurance” that our school provides paid for a whopping $120 towards the total cost.

Whats more, the “insurance” refused to pay for the actual doctor’s physical examination as well as the procedure because it was, “elective surgery.”

Call me crazy, but you have to visit a doctor first before you can see a specialist, right? And correct me if I’m worng (which I have been known to be) but surgery would imply that A. an item was removed from your body and B. that a surgeon had to touch you in order to remove it.

My doctor did neither.

Can someone please explain to me then this:  what is the point of requiring students to purchase insurance, if it covers literally nothing?

To me, it would seem like just another way to nickel and dime those who need the service the most.

Our “mandatory health insurance” is just that, mandatory. It’s certainly not insuring anything, that’s for sure.

In fact, it would have been cheaper for me to go to the county clinic and pay the full  bill myself.

I would have saved $400 off my health care costs, because I wouldn’t have to pay the premium costs on top of the bill.

Why then, does our supposedly “prestigious” university offer such a low-ball product? You would think for $170 a month, (the rough average of the $850 premium we pay) I would actually get something for it.

Instead, I just spent half of my premium on a single visit. The best part: the problem is still there, so I got absolutely nothing out of the deal.

Turns out, I’m not the only one who is frustrated by this lack of coverage.

Fellow Argonaut staffer Olivia Reason has had a routine blood test before, and using the United Healthcare “insurance” program offered by the school, needed to fork over more than $600, in addition to her semester premium.

So can we all agree that this not the best of circumstances? It sure feels like this is just another way for the school to make money and not serve its’ students.

We should all call this program what it truly is – a health DISCOUNT program.

Otherwise, the only thing this program does insure…

…is empty wallets of its users.

Staff Writer

The Wilke Apartments are now estimated to be occupied in fall 2012, nearly a year after the original estimated date of completion.

The twelve units now under renovation are now estimated to be completed with construction in mid-February.

“After (mid-February), the apartments will be furnished, inspected and outfitted for future residents,” according to Assistant Director of Student Life and Leadership, Kyle Pretsch.

Students have generated buzz around campus about the multiple opening and move-in dates that have been given for the renovated and seismically upgraded apartments.

However, according to the housing office, there was never an official date released from their office at any point this year.

According to Pretsch, “The apartments were taken offline for the entire year.”

Causes for the delay can be attributed to the upgrades being renovations and not completely new structures.

It is common to discover additional work needed as well. Each unit has its own problems and setbacks based on how prior residents have treated the living space.

For instance, there may be problems under the floors of one apartment that you would not necessarially find in all of them.

Whatever problems that are found with one unit must then be checked for in the remaining  eleven, thus causing setbacks.

Estimation dates have come and gone based on the amount of setbacks and problems the crews have run into.

The Wilke apartments are also in a unique position because they are being used to set the precedent for the entire apartment system as a whole according to Pretsch.

In Wilke, the housing department is looking to find, “…what works and what doesn’t, (they) are looking for an ideal living situation,” says Pretsch.

With that in mind, the apartments are being outfitted with all-new everything, including ovens, stoves, refrigerators, microwaves, toilets and furniture.

The structure will be ADA accessible says Pretsch, but he wants more than that.

“I don’t want (the apartments) just to be up to code,  I want them to be comfortable to live in.”

Pretsch added that the building was also receiving several life-safety upgrades, including modern fire alarms and sprinkler systems.

Although the apartments are shaping up to be nice living spaces, students around campus are frustrated with the time it is taking to open the doors.

Many juniors and seniors were looking forward to the opportunity to finally be able to reside in the apartments, which exclude freshman and sophomore residents, and are now disappointed with yet another wait.

Danielle Vivion, a junior at NDNU, is one of the many students who has been here for two years waiting on her shot to live in the apartments.

“I just feel sorry for the seniors who have waited for this opportunity and won’t be able to get it now. Everybody looks forward to the apartments as freshmen, you can’t wait until you get one, it would just suck to lose out on that.”

Aside from the wait, Vivion and the rest of the student body have experienced another side effect of the renovation schedule changing: the reduced parking spaces.

Due to the construction, up to ten prime parking spaces have been blocked off. This is done to accomodate the construction vehicles and storage areas for raw materials.

Some students have accused the school of having “wandering cones” in the area.

Vivion says she received a parking ticket for occupying one of the spaces.

“I parked in a spot that I thought was vacant and got stuck with a ticket. With all the cones and signs moving, I have no clue what is off limits and what isn’t.”

Even with the frustration from students, Pretsch says he is appreciative of the NDNU community for embracing and supporting the ongoing renovation efforts.

He assures both faculty and students that the housing department is going about this in, “the best way, which isn’t always the fastest or the cheapest.”