How to shop for trendy clothes on a budget.

College students are often bombarded with varying bills and costs in their lives so its understandable if buying up to date fashion becomes an afterthought. However, it will be a sigh of relief to learn that it is not impossible to shop for trendy clothes on a modest budget. A great strategy is to look for items on the clearance rack at well known stores. Shop smart by going in stores that are well known to sell cool clothes and look for the clearance rack or clothes with the red sale tag.  This way, you will be buying pieces that are likely stylish and "in" yet at a much more affordable price. There are even stores whose whole theme is affordable fashion such as H&M. Remember, the key is to shop smart and peruse in a number of different stores to compare prices and find the best deals.

The Free Benefits of Single Stop

                     

                                                  The Free Benefits of Single Stop

 

                 Single Stop is a nationwide resource program. Since 2007, Single Stop has helped over 886,000 families access $2.4 billion in transformative resources and services. What many individuals do not know is Westchester Community College has their own explicit location. The college has the program on campus to help make benefits exclusively accessible to WCC students and their immediate families. Early actions show Single Stop can contribute to a double-digit increase in student retention.

            A little over a month ago, I had the pleasure of formally visiting the Single Stop location, located right here on campus in the lobby of the Gateway building. I was able to sit down and speak with the assistant director Christine Carbone, and the social worker Debra Santora. Both ladies were very helpful in informing me of their roles and the countless benefits of Single Stop.  

Here on campus, Single Stop is a very friendly and cozy atmosphere. The directors, counselors, mentors, and educators are devoted to helping bridge the gap between education and any life issues a student may encounter during their educational career. Nowadays, it’s evident how hard it can be for individuals to further their education out of high school. In addition, community college students are proven to be vulnerable to various hardships. Individuals may come across financial obstacles, mental hurdles, emotional issues, health problems, etc. Single Stop is experienced to professionally assist in all of those issues and more! They are like a “one stop shop” for resources. Pretty much anything a student needs to know about life assistance while obtaining a degree, can be obtained directly through Single Stop. The best aspect of it all is everything is, FREE!

                When first proceeding with Single Stop and all the many benefits they have to offer, there is a brief screening process. Students fill out a confidential intake form to help Single Stop employees determine what benefits a student or their family member/s may be eligible for. From there, they work with a counselor who will walk them through or apply for any benefits on behalf of the student. Some of the services a student may be eligible for include but do not limit to, numerous government supports, financial guidance, legal counseling, and tax preparation. Single Stop offers students the resources they need to succeed. 

It's A Ruff Life For Pit Bulls

At times, it definitely feels easier to judge a book by its cover, to take the bad action of one and blame an entire group. And this happens everyday, for different people, cultures, ideas; it's what society does. And unfortunately, sometimes even man's best friend gets thrown under that same bus. Many states have breed specific legislation that they use to discriminate against pit bulls in particular; making life difficult for the breed and for those who responsibly own pit bulls. Turn on the news and there will be stories of the "vicious" dogs attacking children, house pets, or other dogs. But who really is to blame when a dog bites? When a drunk driver gets behind the wheel and kills an innocent family, is the car to blame? Of course the driver takes responsibility, it would make no sense to ban all Honda's because people drive drunk in them, or ban sports cars because they can drive faster than minivans. So, why does the media blame a pit bull when it bites? Shouldn't blame be placed on the irresponsible owner who did not train, socialize, or properly take care of their own dog? And because of this, many stories are surfacing that even well trained service pit bulls are being discriminated against as if they were bad, and it is all because of the dog's breed. It's time to put an end to the discrimination of pit bulls, and it is time to show everyone for what they really are; loving, loyal, and watchful family dogs. Watch the following video to see a pit bull in its natural habitat and hear first hand what it is like to own this breed.

Dressing up isn't just for Halloween

There is a community in the world that dresses up for fun and not just on Halloween. This is community is called "Cosplay".

The community comes from all races, genders and ages.

If someone wants to see the cosplay community, their best interest would be to attend a convention. These conventions can be Anime conventions or Comic conventions and can be located around the world. Convention provide a place where Cosplayers (the person who dresses up) can go to have fun, meet other people that like the same series as them or to just walk around in a costume without getting weird looks. Conventions also provide a chance for a cosplayer to show their cosplay to other people (Cosplay Contest: Ex- Megacon 2015) and a chance for the cosplayer to perform a skit in their cosplay as the character in front of an audience (Cosplay Masquerade: Ex- Katsucon 2015).

Cosplay have many different variations. Some example are:

Crossplay (is coslay which the person dresses up as a character of a different gender)

(Series: Supernatural, Character-Cosplayer: Lucifer-Kaihly Brouhard)

Genderbent (the characters gender is changed)

(Series: Star Trek, Character-Cosplayer: Spock-Ola) 

Gijinka (a human version of an animal, object, anything that doesn't resemble a human form)

(Series: Five Night's at Freddy's, Character-Cosplayer from left to right: Foxy-Chantal, Chica-Kassandra Collazo, Freddy-Savannah Chapman and Bonnie-Ruko)

Cosplay gives cosplayers a chance to do a group of characters from their favorite series with friends 

(Series: Supernatural, Character-Cosplayer from left to right: Castiel-Kassandra Collazo, Dean Winchester-Kate Walkling and Benny Lafitte-Kaihly Brouhard)

But what makes cosplay fun?

It depends on the individual. Some would say the craftsmanship to their costume/prop. Some would say it's the friends that they have made. Other would say it's the escape from reality. Cosplay is different for everybody but in the end it's all about dressing up as your favorite character and having fun.


(All Photos belong to Kassandra Collazo and Kate Walkling)

Right Formula To a Successful After-School Program

I have a passion for kids and working at the Easter Seals After-School program validated that. So, for this Multimedia Journalism project  it was important to bring out just the great things this program has to offer. They're so many different options for the kids who go there to do.  Having interviewed the director of the program, Mrs. Alicia Wilson, her obvious experience with kids and knowing how to run a program was evident during my sit down with her.  Was hoping to show with this piece just that it's not a regular after-school program that just have kids sit and wait for there parents to come pick them up. There is so much more that Easter Seals includes. Just the multiple options that there is to do and show that the kids simply enjoy staying there for a few hours. From playing in the gym, HW in the classroom, outside in the playground,etc. Just something that was important, to highlight while doing this.

It's important also that these kids are safe and not getting themselves in trouble after school.  So the importance of an effectively run After-School program is very essential in this country. The Easter Seals program in Valhalla definitely strives to do that everyday.

http://school.familyeducation.com/school-safety-month/safety/58295.html

10 Useful Tips When Engaging Law Enforcement

It seems like within the past year, there has been a constant coverage of incidence in the media involving civilians and their local law enforcements. While some people choose to respond aggressively, I decided to take different approach and create a list of helpful tips that everyone should keep in mind, the next time they are pulled over or stopped by and officer.

I met with Detectives David Watson & Vickie Bedore of the Youth Services Section of Community Affairs Bureau as well as Criminal Defense Attorney Xavier R. Donaldson of the  Donaldson & Chilliest law firm to help me come up with my list, as well as to inform people of some rights they have that they may not know about. 

 TIP LIST
                                                                                                                                     

 1.    When approached by an officer, remain calm & respectful at all times. Do not engage in combative conversation with the officer.

2.    When pulled over, keep both hands on the wheel until the officer approaches. Do not reach for your information as it can be perceived as suspicious movement & this can give the officer the right to search your car without consent.

3.    You have the right to deny consent to a search. Unless the officer has a warrant or claims to have reasonable suspicion, your vehicle CANNOT be searched without permission. Your best defense is to always deny a search.

4.    When approached on the street, take your hands out of your pockets. This let’s the officer know that you have nothing to conceal.

5.    An officer must state the reason you are being stopped or pulled over. You have the right to inquire the reason why.

6.    If the officer in questions does not have a reason to keep you, then you have the right to calmly state that you are walking away.

7.    There is a difference between being asked & being told by an officer to do something. If you are being asked, you have the right to say “NO”. If you are being told, you must comply.

8.    You always have the right to remain silent. Even with the simplest of questions such as “Where are you coming from?”, “Have you been drinking?”, or “Whose car is this?”. While it is easier to comply, if you feel your responses will hurt your outcome calmly state you would like to remain silent until you speak with a lawyer. This can be invoked at any time.

9.    If asked to step out of your car, roll up your windows, remove your keys, and lock your doors. This is to avoid an illegal police search.

10.    An officer must display their badge number as well as what precinct they are from. If you feel that any of your rights have been violated, you have the right to ask for the officer’s information and file a police complaint with the Office of Police Complaints either in person or by mail.

Here are some more helpful tips for the next time you get stopped!

https://youtu.be/SezZZHKAhNY

Arrival of the intercampus shuttle in WCC?

 Do you ever need to take a class in one of the extended locations  in WCC  but can't because you don't drive so you need to rely on public transportation, because it is to slow? Well your not the only one. Being that this seems to be an issue with a lot of non-driving WCC students that attend WCC I spoke to Edward Tatton from the publication department. He is also in charge of the sustainability committee which is a committee that talks about transportation on campus. He said that there was a survey taken of a couple thousand WCC students and  that the survey showed that it is very beneficial that we have an intercampus shuttle.  He also told me if the intercampus shuttle does not happen, they are going to try to work with the beeline bus so there can be express service.  Students would be able to travel with no problem to and from the main campus and  the bus terminal. It would also be convenient to get from one campus to another. He also stated that he is "hoping to see some movement over the summer." As a non-driving student I hope so too. I also spoke to a few other WCC students that agree that it would be very beneficial for the shuttle bus in WCC, because they would also like to be able to take classes not only in the main campus but in the extended campuses as well.

To find out more about WCC transportation click 

Does this so called filter really help prevent hangovers?

       When the topic of filtered or structured watered comes up a lot of people don’t know what structured water is. So the big question is what is structured water and how does it work? Structured water is water or any liquid that is put through a filter and what the filter does for the water is it increases the oxygen in the water, increases absorption of nutrients, all toxic memory held in the water is wiped clean, and basically you are drinking water you would find in natures’s water. The man who invented these structured water products goes by the name of Clayton Nolte, who's mission is to make Structured water available to every man, woman and child on this planet in his lifetime.

There were two people who I interviewed who have been using this product for a few years now and swore that it worked for them. What they told me was that the water and liquid they used tasted cleaner and gave them more energy throughout there day. That was a big benefit for one of the people who got interviewed because they just beat cancer and the treatment would drain her and the structured watered help her make it through your day. Also you can put any alcohol or wine into the filter and it will help prevent a hangover which is a huge benefit for people who love to drink. Water is one of our most important resources and if everybody was using this filter for there water and liquids, it could change the world and change the way the water industry is run. 

Structured Watered Website

EXPENSIVE TEXTBOOKS: WHO GETS THE MONEY?

Going shopping for textbooks? Most students think they must open the vault, grab your cash, because there is a man waiting for you behind the doors. Well actually there are two men, John Trott and Louis Cappocci Manager and Assistant Manager of the Westchester Community College bookstore and mere conduits in the textbook trade; however, they too feel your pain.

John and Louis are responsible for 950 titles and manage an average of 10,000 books per semester. While that sounds like a block buster mo money potential, WCC receives a small percentage of those sales.   

For the cost of doing business, the publishers get a whopping, 77.4% of the sticker price which covers book development, royalties to the authors and don’t forget for shipping they get their 1% too. The remainder approx. 3.7 cents per dollar, per new textbook  goes to the bookstore. Of that amount they shell out money to pay the staff, taxes, insurance, and security.  In addition, they are also faced with the new 3^rd party “rent-a book” industry where companies such as Amazon, Valore Books, and Barnes and Nobles, offer book rentals per semester at nominal cost, which cuts directly into the bookstore’s profits.  As a result, WCC’s management decided if you can’t beat them join them and are currently in the process of selecting new vendors to run their book rental division. But to turn a profit the bookstore heavily relies on the ancillary items like sweat shirts, cups, pens and notebooks.  John Cappocci said it best “This is your bookstore. Money you spend here stays here and is invested in the school activities.  This is the FSA Student Faculty Association, and we think that is a very important point.

When asked what is your most common student complaint, Louis replied “Surprisingly, the books are expensive was number 2. And the number 1 complaint was the professors choose not to use the book or the expensive electronic supplement that accompanies the book and cannot be returned.”

They recognize books are costly, but they have implemented a few programs to help offset the price, such as the Buyback program. At the end of the semesters if the book is requested the next semester, the textbook managers will initiate the buyback program, where they purchase your book at 50% of your cost and resell the used book next semester at a lower cost to the student before they order new books.  It is the bookstore’s position “If you buy a book at full price, learn something, get an education and get to sell the book at 50% is a double win!”  However, remember paperback workbooks, loose-leaf binders, and books with supplement codes are not eligible. For more information on expensive college textbooks please click here.