On today’s episode of Ferris in Focus, see all the new stories and information about the people and events of Ferris State! The campus Bulldog Pantry, Cute animals, and answers from real Ferris State students are all included in today’s episode of Ferris in Focus!
The Bulldog Pantry
This episode starts with talking with Student Organization Coordinator Josh Olszewski, pantry employee Collin Bingham, and Dean of Student Life Lina Blair about how the Bulldog Pantry is a free food pantry resource available for all currently enrolled students. It’s located on the first floor of the David Eisler Center, room 115, and they are open Sunday-Thursday, 2 pm-6 pm, each day of being open. Students can come in and fill out a quick form online to get groceries like frozen meat, milk, canned goods, pasta, and so much more! They are a partner with Feeding America, and that gets transported up to Big Rapids and to other local pantries, and they go to pick them up and stock the pantry. They have found that 45% of Ferris students experience food insecurity, and by having this available, they can help students get the food they need. Olszewski and Blair explain the different ways to get involved with the pantry, like volunteering to help unload the food stock in the pantry and wiping things down, and they are always accepting donations. If anyone has any questions or wants to get involved, they can email BulldogPantry@Ferris.edu.
Bulldog Story
On the next segment of the show, they talk to Decklin Neal, the Cramer Hall SSA, and his Bulldog story. Neal explains how being an SSA and working for housing is like being in a family; he enjoys helping the community. He is able to do so because he knows multiple different resources that he’s able to share. He says that he’s gotten to meet so many more people than he usually would and do things on campus a lot more. Some great things that come with being an RA or SSA are free housing and food, but he says it’s more than that; it’s a great way of community building as you get to throw events, have fun with the community, and build your leadership skills. He ends by saying he strongly recommends being an RA or SSA if you are a leader, want to expand your leadership skills, and want to get involved in the community.
Memory Lane
Let’s take a trip down memory lane with Asia Long. Long talks about how she grew up playing with Bratz dolls with her siblings. These dolls taught her to be a strong, beautiful, and fierce woman. One Bratz doll she talks about is Jasmine, a fashionista. Long explains that Bratz shaped her childhood by showing her the meaning of beauty and fashion and not to be afraid to express ourselves through fashion. What is your favorite Bratz doll?
Program Spotlight
Program coordinator Paula Hagstrom, speaks about the Health Information Management program, a 4-year bachelor’s degree, and the Health Information Technology program, a 2-year associate’s degree. Julie Alles speaks about the different things students do in the Health Information Technology program and the other program courses. Kylee Streeter, who is in both programs, talks about why she chose this program. Kylee chose this program because the coding aspect of it was interesting, and she likes working with numbers. HIM is mostly taking care of the management side, and HIT is working mostly with the Technology side. There are 200+ job titles given for this program. Felicia Toles tells the audience about the coding aspect of this program and how the courses are.
Ferris Cineskits
In Ferris Cineskits, a student starts a microwave meal while juggling many tasks. At the end of the episode, we go behind the scenes to talk with producer Ben Muma as he explains his creative process for making “Frozen Dinner.” Ben goes into detail about how he decided to film the whole thing in his apartment and the challenge of trying to make it appear to be nighttime in his sketch.
Ferris Asks
During Ferris Asks, students and staff were asked how they would lighten a dark situation. There were plenty of answers, the most common being finding the cause of the dark situation and finding a solution or turning it positive. Along with those answers were also mentions of community support and positive attitudes.
College kids pets
Join Mason Barker as he interviews Katilynn Shumaker about her peculiar pet, Mango, a blue bar dragon. Katilynn discusses the challenges of caring for Mango in a dorm, such as the enclosure size requirements and diet. Mango enjoys showers and cucumbers.
Animals of the Arc
The animal of the arc for this week is Rosko, a two-year-old pit mix who is very energetic and cuddly. He is house-trained and looking for a home that can give him all the time and energy he needs. For more information, visit www.arcofmecostacounty.com or call (231) 796-2683.
