Money and College: Tips and Tricks

By: Shantelle Taylor

I know that I am not the only college student with money problems. I still like to believe that I am good with my money, but you learn as you continue to live your total college experience that making and saving money is not as easy as it used to be. Of course, you get a job and make money that way, but sometimes that is not enough.

Let’s begin with the obvious, SCHOLARSHIPS! It can be difficult to obtain a scholarship through school if you do not have the grades.  You should never let that be your defeat for attempting to get them. There are scholarships for literally everything on this planet. What it takes to find them is patience and research.  For example, you can receive scholarships for being a vegetarian, being left-handed, being African or African American, Caucasian, Hispanic, Indian. You can get a scholarship for having red hair, or even just being short. (Funny story, I attempted to get the “little peoples”scholarship but unfortunately I was 2 inches too tall.)  This is where your research comes into play. If you don’t know what to look for, thoroughly research. The internet has a plethora of information; use it to your advantage.

So, what if you are already in school and you have to wait to get scholarships until next year? Well, you can cut out some of the middle man. If you are on campus and do not have a full kitchen, use your meal points wisely! Eat when you’re hungry, not just because you have “free money” because your “free money” will run out. Also, spend your meal points on your friends and family for emergencies to a minimum.  When you’re left with eight points left and two months of school, you might be stuck, especially if your family is not capable of helping you out. If you’re off campus like me, try not to eat out so much. When you do your grocery shopping buy in bulks! Sam’s Club and Costco or great places to buy big amounts of food for a decent amount of money.  You can buy lots of protein and keep it in your freezer or your substitutions.

For my girls who are worried about your hair, I learned to DIY (Do It Yourself). Personally, I have always been intrigued by people who can do hair. During those hours I would spend at the salon, I would study the stylist and pick up on things they would do to other people’s hair. Of course, that’s just the bare minimum . YouTube is your best friend! Anything you wish to learn how to do can most likely be found on YouTube. The good thing about YouTube is that there are hundreds of videos on just about anything and everything you might wish to learn about. Make up tutorials, hairs tricks, hair color tutorials, nail tutorials you name it, it’s there. I know so many people on campus who not only do their own hair like myself, but also will discount and do their friends hair as well. I’m sure they would love your loyalty, so do not hesitate to ask because for them that’s a way for them to make money too. If you have any talents that you can make and create to sell, do it! There are plenty of festivals that give you opportunities to sell your creations.  If you feel you would rather do it yourself, just sell to your close friends and family. You never know how it could impact your life in the future.

In my opinion, simplicity is key. My favorite money saving tip goes back to your childhood days. Start yourself a piggy bank. I have a huge bottle that I throw any leftover change from my day into and start my collection. It’s easy and extremely effective. Save it for a major vacation for extra spending money or save it up and never touch it. Don’t fear throwing bills in there either. It’s easy to forget you have things other than change in it so if you need a quick five bucks for food because you’re on the run, you will always have it. I saved mine up for a year my senior year of high school. For graduation, I took a trip to Hawaii with my school marching band and decided to exchange my change for cash and ended up with and over 70 dollars in extra spending money! Of course, I had help from my parents but that’s more money in my pocket to spend as I please.  It’s all about discipline.

You just have to do it.

Hair Scares!

By: Khrissy B.  

This month consists of the most fun holiday in America, Halloween! College students dress up to be either sexy or scary. But do we as black women ever think about what we’re going to do with our hair? Some say no, while others have to plan their outfits around their hair’s ability to do different styles. Most women wear ponytails or an iron out style. However, there are different textures of hair that can make it hard to dress up.

 I interviewed ten black females on campus, most of which had thought about what to do with their hair. A lot of women with permed hair styles said they would wear their hair down or in a ponytail. Some of those women complained that they wanted to add color but were afraid that their hair would fall out. The women with natural hair have a better advantage of being flexible. The length will determine the style. Natural haired women also have different textures. I spoke with Sam’Mesha who has a natural hair texture. I asked her what she would do to her hair. She looks at me and says that she would probably twist it up. Women with a thicker texture will wear it out or put them in twists. Her answer could change next week. Most women with natural hair had this same reaction. Then there are the women with braids or the popular Senegalese. They also have somewhat of an advantage of being flexible. This hairstyle can be styled! There are unlimited ways to use this for Halloween.

 As black women, we cannot just put anything in our hair. There are products and styles that can keep us healthy. If you’re thinking about adding temporary color, you can do it! There are clip-ins for women with perms or a finer texture of natural hair. Doesn’t matter what kind of hair you have as long as you can wash it the next day, you can even use color hair spray. This Halloween embrace your hair! YouTube always helps when looking for Halloween hair ideas. Just make sure you stay true to you and have fun!

 

Don’t Call it a Comeback, Call it a Revival

Grapevine Music Contributor 

Music has changed. Those of us who love good music, driven by feeling and purpose, find ourselves wondering, in the words of Kanye West, “Do anybody make real s— anymore?” I found my answer in a Hip Hop revival I attended recently in Atlanta, featuring Nas and the incredible Ms. Lauryn Hill. They brought back all of the things we’ve missed through their joint tour, “Life Is Good/ Black Rage.”

I couldn’t have asked for anything more from Nas’ performance at the Tabernacle in Atlanta. The venue is intimate and a perfect place for an audience that wants the music to move through them. Nas was energetic, engaging and completely on point. He proved that at this stage in his career, he can still bring a crowd and keep them hypnotized by his art.

Even with Nas’ great set, reminiscent of his Illmatic days, the real highlight of the evening was Ms. Lauryn Hill. She stole the show. Her voice and her flow were as impeccable as they were in 1998. She performed all of the crowd’s old favorites, but proved her musical genius by completely rearranging them and adding a new style with her live band.

She came out with a fresh look in high-waist trousers, a fur coat and a green fitted hat. She hit all of her notes perfectly and with feeling. It made the crowd of good music lovers wonder why we had settled for the garbage on the radio for the last decade.

She killed her old hits, but captivated the crowd with her new piece, “Black Rage.” It gave me chills.

“Black rage is founded on two-thirds a person, rape and beatings and sufferings, and worse…”

Those are the messages we don’t hear in Hip Hop anymore. She brought it back with force and lit the crowd on fire. After she flowed through the track flawlessly on beat, she stopped and delivered it in spoken word like only a true artist can do.

“Black Rage” is a melancholy remix of the recognizable Favorite Things from The Sound of Music. The chorus stings with, “So when the dogs bite, and the beatings, and I’m feeling sad, I simply remember all these kinds of things [the things mentioned in the verses] and then I don’t fear so bad.”

I was moved by this music, not just because it was good and thought provoking, and spiritual in a way, but because it reminded me of what music used to mean to our people, and what it could mean again. It reminded me of the artistry we are missing in a lot of modern mainstream music. I sincerely hope this tour is the start of a comeback for Ms. Lauryn Hill. Music needs her.

W.E.B. Du Bois wrote in his Talented Tenth essay that if the Black nation did not have good leaders to follow, we would follow “untrained” demagogues. Since the departure of great musical and thought leaders like Ms. Lauryn Hill, we have done just that.

We have settled for whatever is on the radio and lost sight of the reason Hip Hop was born. As Hill raps in Superstar, “Hip Hop started out in the heart,” with young Black, kids who had no voice in society, expressing themselves through the tradition of oral history. Now, people call anything rhymed over a beat “Hip Hop.” There is a song with a chorus that says, “All I want for my birthday is a big booty ho,” like seven times, and we call it music.

Not every song has to be a serious revelation, but the ignorance that has taken the place of music that hits the heart and provokes thought is appalling. Rappers have a larger audience than authors such as Michael Eric Dyson and Toni Morrison, but with this great influence, rappers decide to feed the masses muck and shallow, unimportant words. It is a travesty. So, in this concert, I didn’t just feel nostalgia. I felt a glimmer of hope that good music can return to the forefront and we can stop worshiping untrained demagogues.

Election 2012 Comes to a Close

By: Leah Johnson

As the dust on the campaign trail settles, polling sites count their definitive ballots and political commentators nationwide make their latest projections. One lone step remains: to contend with the re-election of President Barack Obama.

Today marks the end of one of the most contentious election seasons in history. Between the history-making 4.2 billion dollar collective campaign costs, memorable presidential debates, Hurricane Sandy emerging in the last week of campaigning and countless verbal missteps across the board voters have been left with no shortage of aspects to consider when heading to the polls.

Students all over campus not only exercised their right to vote today, but scheduled watch parties to ring in the results. Freshman and first-time voter, Lindsay Huth attended the Indiana Daily Student watch party this evening.

“It made it so much more meaningful for me to watch it. I’ve always been interested in politics, but it just made it so much more meaningful knowing that tonight my vote was one of the ones being counted.” Huth said.

Submitting her absentee ballot in her home state of Ohio, made the experience that much more significant, she said.

“My vote could have potentially changed the election. In the end, it didn’t end up being that narrow a margin, but at the time, my vote could have changed the election,” she added.

While Obama may have won the electoral votes necessary for reelection, the democrats still lack the majority in the House of Representatives necessary for full control of Congress. The senate (Democrats have 52 seats, Republicans have 44) is within Democratic control.

Neck-and-neck elections in Indiana also managed to garner national attention. After moderate incumbent Senator Richard Lugar was defeated in the primaries, Tea-Party candidate Richard Mourdock was elected as Indiana’s senate hopeful to run against Democratic candidate, Joe Donnelly. Due in large part to remarks made by Mourdock regarding rape, Donnelly defeated Mourdock and is on his way to join a long history of moderate Indiana senators.

His acceptance speech made his congressional intentions clear.

“I’m not going there as one party’s senator or the other party’s senator, I’m going there as your senator to work for your family. I’m the hired help and I can’t wait to get to work,” Donnelly said.

Live updates on the election can be found at http://www.nbcnews.com/

Black Republican Taboo

By: Siani Powell

Even after four years of an African-American man in the highest running office, some Americans continue to discriminate. This is supposed to be a country of opportunity, freedom of choice, and democracy; but as of late, closed minds seem to be the loudest elephant in the room.

On October 7^th, actress Stacey Dash tweeted “Vote for Romney. The only choice for your future.” Along with the tweet, a patriotic shot of Dash in a red swimsuit covered by a rocket with a capital R outlined in silver.

Minutes after, a flood of hateful and racial mentions were twitted towards Stacey. HER political swaying became a huge controversy on Twitter. These comments varied from all ages, races, and gender; positive and negative. What really surprised me, was majority of the negative remarks were voiced by the black community. Some African Americans were attacking the black woman simply by supporting the political candidate of her choice. Turning your back on a person because opinions differ, will get us nowhere.

Is it the thought of a black woman supporting a white man that drove these people to spew out negative comments? Is the color of her skin supposed to match the president’s? NO.

Former SisterSister actress Tamera Mowry-Housley was also recently mocked for a minor tweet regarding the debate, innocently retweeting a statement about the constant interruptions during the debate. A few racial slurs were smacked at the actress scrutinizing her and FOX reporter husband, Adam Housley. The news station is republican owned and advertised. When I checked her page, there was not a sight of political affiliation; no “Vote for Romney” or anything, but once again, the some in the black community attacked.

Sadly, people continue to confuse the real motives and intentions of one’s choice of political candidacy. The process of choosing a candidate to run the country for the next four years is not an easy decision. Not every African-American citizen is a Democrat, and not all African-American citizens or any citizen of color are voting for Obama.

Where did this stereotype brew from?

According to the Census Bureau (2008), approximately 66% of the black population voted. Majority of these votes were for Obama, but about 11% are black Republican voters.  There are numerous organizations and events held for Black Republicans in the U.S.

One of these organizations includes National Black Republican Association which includes various black leaders in politics, literature, advocates, and art.

Even though I am unable to vote this year, when I do I will not choose solely because of skin color, but for what they stand for, what they speak and what they act upon. My vote is my choice and no one can change my opinion.

Proof that I Left my Heart in Rwanda

By: Aaricka Washington

It’s still hard to believe that I went to Africa. “Going to a country in Africa” has always been one of those quests on my bucket list that I put just for kicks and pipe dreams. I mean, how was I really going to get a chance to go to Africa? I should have known ahead of time that going to college can lead you anywhere around the world, if you get involved in the right stuff. I surely did. The Books & Beyond Project is a program that I’ve been involved in the previous two years of my life, and I can honestly say that it changed my life. I look at the world; I look at people differently than I did before. The main thing I love about the project is that it truly is cross-cultural program by nature. How exactly? When we traveled to Rwanda with our New Jersey TEAM Academy school affiliates to teach in a Kabwende Primary School, there wasn’t just a growth in the students we were teaching. There was an immense development in all of us; Indiana University, TEAM Academy, and Kabwende students. We learned valuable lessons from each other’s cultures. For me, going to Rwanda changed my entire perspective of the country. Honestly, I was afraid. Even though I took a class about Rwanda’s history and culture, in the back of my mind lay the daunting truth of the genocide that happened 18 years ago. There was nothing that could I have learned that could erase that image. Learning about the state of the government was also a little unnerving for me, especially for Rwanda to be the very first country I’m leaving good ol’ America to. However, when you visit a place you’ve never been before, it changes your perspective and gives it “shoes” called experience. I realized while I was there that Rwanda is absolutely beautiful. The agricultural landscape, the hills, mountains, and volcanoes all contribute to making this country stand on its own in Africa. The people are just like us; they have dreams and ambitions as well. They have big hearts. They have national pride in themselves that challenges the pride we as Americans might feel in ourselves. I would say, going to Rwanda ended up being more than participating in a service learning project because it quickly became a journey of self-discovery and peace. For example, not only did the Kabwende students learn about writing a story, reading a script and learning through movement, but I learned valuable lessons as well.

   15 Lessons I Learned in Rwanda:

1.  Rwanda is much more than just a country in Africa. – Western media usually depicts Africa as a suffering “country”, when in reality; it’s a continent with many countries with booming economies. The capital city of Rwanda, Kigali looks like the kind of city I’m used to. There are buildings, people dressed in a modern, westernized style, and shopping centers (the biggest one being Nakumat-Rwanda’s equivalent to our Wal-Mart). The city of Musanze (where we stayed) is a lot more agricultural and rural. For instance, you will see many cows, goats, and sheep especially in the Kinigi sector. You would also see many field workers and more people wearing traditional African clothing then in Kigali. Another thing is in Kigali there are streetlights such as “stop” and “go”. In Musanze, there are none. So basically you have to drive defensively and just make sure you don’t get in to a car/motorcycle/semi-truck crash.
2. If you stay in Rwanda long enough, you will hear the latest American Hip Hop music and Rwandan music – It’s not likely that you hear an old school Tribe Called Quest song or one of the Fugees hits in Rwanda. It’s more like the overly commercialized American music like Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Rick Ross, and others. For example, we heard a lot from this famous artist. We heard this particular song literally 50 times:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5W7DVFKrcs&feature=relmfu .It makes you wonder if that’s what they think of us.
3. Uncomfortable moments were inevitable – I have seen children begging for money on the streets of Kigali. That’s kind of difficult to get past, especially since it’s not commonplace in America. The images I’ve seen of the kids will be ingrained in my mind forever. I saw a child pushing another child in the wheelchair. The child in the wheelchair looked awfully sick. They were just there at our guest house one day and we never knew why. The children here are like little grown people. Sometimes you see 5 year olds carrying babies. I don’t know if they have parents or not. More often than not, there are times you also see kids with jerry cans full of water on their backs for their families.
4. Cheerful, young children – I wasn’t expecting to visit Prefer preschool in the Kinigi sector, but I’m glad we did. I don’t know what came onto me, but I just couldn’t hold back my tears when we saw the cheerful kids playing in a field. It was a moment that I cannot fully describe to you because if I did, I wouldn’t do the moment justice by a long shot. We played with the preschoolers for a while. It was a little strange because I wasn’t used to seeing kids look like that. Some of them had snotty noses and were dirty. That turned out to really be a minuscule factor, because as soon as I started playing to the kids and practicing saying “Witwa nde” (“What is your name?”) and “Nitwa Aaricka” (“My name is Aaricka”) to the kids, nothing else mattered.Most, if not all of the children in Rwanda were extra friendly. You can tell that the children were fascinated by people that look different than them. They were so happy to see us, as though they were anticipating our visit. When our big coaster whizzed past the neighborhoods, you see the kids waving and the mother’s peak in with curiosity.  You hear whispers from the adults, and louder tones from the children, saying “Muzungu! Muzungu! Muzungu!” Why do they feel the need to shout out “white person” at the coaster? I don’t really know. My best explanation is because of the anomaly of seeing someone different than themselves in their country. This is one of those rare times that my peers are in the minority.
5.  All it takes is one book…- As I looked around at my future students I noticed that they were all attentive and focused on the story we read them after we handed out the new Books & Beyond anthologies. It helped that we had Isaac, one of our Rwandan assistants for Books & Beyond who translates back and forth the two languages, Kinyarwanda and English. I loved handing out the books to the kids; they were gracious to receive this precious gift that will become a huge part of their education. We read Khaffeon and Priyanka’s story and we read a story from one of the Kabwende students who were in the audience. His story was called “Everyone Has a Talent” and it was about a young boy who was inspired to become a teacher. We had to clap for him for such a great, encouraging story. The boy smiled shyly at us and looked down in humility and possibly embarrassment. We told him, “Murakoze cyane!” Thank you very much! I met some of the teachers at Kabwende and they seemed very ecstatic about us being there. They seemed so passionate about teaching in general, I love it. We need more teachers like that in America to lead the next generation of world changers.
6. I am a Rwandan according to most Rwandans – I just speak very little Kinyarwanda. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten interesting looks from people. Some couldn’t believe I was an American. People either think I’m from Rwanda, Kenya, or Ghana. I think it’s interesting that they think I’m from Ghana, because to my understanding, my ancestors were possibly taken from West Africa during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. Anyways, it’s probably a strange concept for Africans because they usually associate America with white people. I usually get asked either, “You speak Kinyarwanda?” or “Where are you from?” and when I say, that I am from America, they laugh or continue to observe me.
7. The ‘90s genocide affected thousands of people, even the ones we met – The genocide memorials we visited were sentimental and definitely melancholic. Simon Peter reflected on his lost ones with me. I learned about a little about our Rwandan friends’ lives during the genocide just talking with them. It will always amaze how they manage to be strong.
8.  8. When you are planning to teach, and you have never taught before, your lesson plans will change. That’s a guaranteed fact. – We were trained to teach our students in three areas: Writing (Writer’s Workshop), Conversation (Reader’s Theatre) and Tactile Learning (Kinesthetic). For the first day, we did Writer’s Workshop which was challenging at first but we eventually came up with a lesson plan that included teaching the students the Four Square Plan to assist them in writing a story. Our goal for them at the end of the week was to come up with ideas for their story. The next day, we worked on our kinesthetic lesson plan. Caleb, Priyanka and I, along with the TEAM school students, Jessica, Khaffeon, and A’Kayla, brainstormed through our week of events for kinesthetic. I could already see that the kids will enjoy it. We have “Simon Says” and “Hangman” (we created a version called “Bodybuilder” due to the graphically violent nature of the title.) on our game plan. Honestly, who doesn’t enjoy a good game of either? Nadine, Caleb and I did presentations on our last section, Conversation (Reader’s Theatre) and I lead a Skill builder’s presentation with Brie. Every day, Isaac teaches new words and phrases in Kinyarwanda.
9.  9.  It never fails to be one of them for a day: A kid. – I took a major part in acting out the characters in a story to help them comprehend the context of the story. I believe that all six classes, both AM and PM, had fun. The students were still having trouble learning English, so I put on my “silly hat”. The students got a kick out of my silly faces and so did A’Kayla and Caleb watching in the background, chuckling behind me.
10. The value of appreciation for something that they never had –as Kat, a friend of Schoolbags for Kids and the rest of us passed out the bright, sunshine yellow backpacks outside, you could see the smile on all the kid’s faces. It was awesome! They really appreciated those nice, sturdy backpacks and showed their gratitude with catchy rendition of saying, “Thank you very much!” – In song. Their song always seems to get stuck in one of our heads! You could tell that they loved their backpacks because they never let it leave their back. I wouldn’t be surprised if they slept with the backpacks! Could you imagine getting a backpack for the first time, especially if it is your first time seeing one? What makes the backpacks even more special is that each one has the students own unique name on it. It’s all theirs. 
11.  11. The special people I met became a part of a honorary family – Simon Peter, one of our Rwandan assistants, can take you on an adventure every time you talk with him; he’s extremely well-knowledgeable in Rwanda’s history. Nadine, a Prefer teacher and also assisted in the camp, is soft-spoken, but is a hardcore athlete; I saw her skills when we were playing “monkey in the middle – dodge ball” with the kids. Isaac reminds me of my father – he has this wise hilarity about him; a young heart, but an old soul. He nicknamed me “umwamikazi” which means “queen” in Kinyarwanda! Isn’t that sweet? Clement, the headmaster of Kabwende Primary schools called me his sister the first time I met him. He always has a smile on his face and he is so kind. Then there’s Abdu. We nicknamed him “umubu” which is “mosquito” in Kinyarwanda because of his silliness. I also nicknamed him “igikomangoma”, “prince” because he means a great deal to me and he is my Rwandan prince! Also, our Kabwende camp teachers Jolise, Julienne and Emmanuel were great to get to know. I love them as well. I thank God for these wonderful people because they gave me that piece of home that I yearned for at times there.
12.  There are going to be spontaneous (Pit stops and curveballs galore) moments – That’s all I have to say on that note.
13.  Our vacations at Lake Kivu (Gisyeni) and Nyungwe National Park (Nyungwe) were more like Indiana Jones adventures – And then again I have never had a near death experience like riding in a small boat with 15 other people in a high current (I’m exaggerating to a point) on our way to a coffee plantation, walked on a narrow canopy trail, hiked for over an hour to go to a waterfall, nor walked inside a cave.
14.  The food is as fresh as it gets! – We ate well every day! My favorite foods that we had in Rwanda were avocados, chips (also known as French fries), sweet potatoes (to die for!), tilapia, sweet, miniature bananas, fried plantains, peas, beef, rice and the thin-crust pizza in the bakery. “Igo Imana!” Oh my God! Oh…and I believe that the mangoes were picked from the garden in Eden…just heavenly.
15. 15.  I don’t like goodbyes – the last day of camp was tough.We had a successful celebration. I think everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. Six students got the chance to read their finished stories out loud in Kinyarwanda. AM and PM groups perform “The Caterpillar that Wanted to Change”.  I was so proud of them! They surprised me! I saw all the animals in full effect! We, as in the IU students, gave the audience a special treat: we performed the play in Kinyarwanda! The kids and the adults loved it! It was a great cross-cultural thing to do. We also did a quick game of “Simon Says” and we showed the parents “Father Abraham”- which the kids love, by the way. The kids followed us all the way back to the Kinigi guest house to say the last goodbyes. They were being so silly. There was one point where they all surrounded me, a sea of chocolate faces and blue and tan cloth. I gave them a large group hug. I knew I was going to miss it here in Rwanda.

 My experience has been nothing short of amazing. I have laughed more than I ever did. I have had my heart churn inside more than ever. I have taken more cold showers than I ever hoped to take. I have met the best people in the world. I have taught the silliest, adorable kids in the world. I have left my heart in Rwanda.