Editorial

By Erika C.

I used to love to write. Nothing too productive usually came out of the tales of my imaginings, but I was content in that place with paper and a pen as a very young child. When I started using drugs, my passions, the few that were important to me along with writing, took a backseat to my new 100 mph lifestyle. I arrived at The Family School a little over two years ago, scared, angry, and alone. As time went on I began to trust again, to love again, and to have fun again.

About a year ago I began researching colleges and majors. My interest in the media and how it affects society led me to choose communications and public relations as my prospective major. As Jason Garnar, head of College Counseling, and I continued to research, he matter-of-factly spoke the words that would change everything: “I think it would be a good idea if you joined the journalism class.”

Absolutely not. No way would I ever do that much work for one class. No way would I ever give my soul to the notorious Chris Stein. A week later I was sitting in 107 with a new schedule, a new computer, and a new reason to dread the school week. I had just made a year commitment to write for the school newspaper. I got my first assignment and began to volunteer for articles and as December graduation came closer I began to enjoy the class enough to consider applying for the internship for the following semester. My love of writing slowly crept back, and although it was sometimes painful to have my work critiqued, my writing began to sound better.

As the semester drew to a close I decided to have a conversation with Chris and express my interest in the position. However, when the  Spring 2010 Intern List came out I was extremely disappointed that I was not on it. I started the semester with a new resentment but determined not to let any one see how angry I really was. After multiple scheduling problems and Chris constantly complaining about me having too many classes, he began to send e-mails to the administration desperately trying to convince them that the best thing for me would be to have my schedule cleared of all unnecessary classes so I could work for him during my free periods.

One day Chris called me into his room. He said nothing, only handed me an e-mail saying that I was officially his fourth intern and that my schedule would be cleared of all extra classes. And that was how it all began. I began spending all of my time in 107 either writing or doing layout work for the newspaper, or putting my creative mind to the test making yearbook spread after yearbook spread.

As far as thrills and chills go, there have been mostly good times, with the exception of me getting so sulky after being critiqued that Chris had to revive me with two Ritz crackers and some positive reinforcement. I am so grateful that I was given the opportunity to write for The Family Times and even more grateful that this school gave me an internship working for Chris Stein. He has taught me so much and although the last thing I would want to do is blow up his ego by saying that he really taught me how to work, it is so true. He has taught me how to perform under pressure and how to really push myself to produce the best work I am capable of.

I will be graduating from The Family Foundation School come June, and although I will miss the staff, students, and loving atmosphere that this school has introduced me to, it is my time to apply the principles and test my values in the unsheltered territory known to Family School students as the “outside.” I would like to thank Chris Stein for always pushing me and never letting me give up. I would also like to thank everyone who reads the newspaper.

As Students Look at Financial Options for College, They Often Take Out Student Loans, But They May Not Know What They’re Getting Into

By Ross A.

With graduation coming, many high school students are getting ready to enjoy summer—partying, hanging out with friends, and anxiously waiting to go to college.

The last thing on their minds is paying for college. Their ignorance is bliss, for a while. Some of them will be able to glide through their university years on the wings of their parents’ bank accounts, but some will have to take care of themselves.

These students will most likely take out student loans. They  will be getting a dose of reality, of capitalist America among the ranks of Citibank and Sallie Mae, two of the largest private student loan lenders, and there is some important information they need to know.

Many recent college graduates are finding out that they got in way over their heads during the process of taking out loans for school.

First, one must know that there are two different types of loans: federal and private.

Federal loans, such as Stafford loans, have much better options and protection than private loans. Some options include: Income Based Repayment (IBR) unemployment or economic hardship deferments, and forbearance.

You don’t have to fight hard for these options; if you meet criteria, they are your right under federal law. Sounds okay, right? You can make payments you can afford, hold off when you are having money troubles, and even wait for a while before you start paying.

The only problem with federal loans is that one can only receive so much money. A NYU graduate in a recent article in The New York Times could only obtain $20,000 in federal student loans, and racked up $100,000 in private student loan debt, which is now haunting her.

Private loans are dangerous territory for many reasons, beginning with their variable interest rates. These rates, which generally start low and get higher, fluctuate with the prime rate dictated by the Federal Reserve. The rates can range anywhere between a manageable 2.88% to an astronomical 11.85% or higher. When the interest rates are high, many people can hardly manage to cover the interest payments. Some are stuck paying this debt off for decades, while others are in trouble from the start and end up in default.

These high risk loans are made to students who have no guarantee of a job after graduation, and who may not find a job that pays enough for them to make their payments. Some think of filing bankruptcy. Although making that  move would result in a credit score that wouldn’t even qualify them a loan for a new microwave, and would create even greater financial headaches, it may seem to be the only option. Little known to many, though, is that it is impossible to discharge student loan debt in bankruptcy court. Forgiveness is not an option when it comes to these private loans.

Why not fall back on your parents, who most likely cosigned the loan? Well, cosigners can be released after 12 months of on-time payments, leaving the students to pay off the debt completely for themselves, but even this option may not work for some families.

Sallie Mae, the largest student loan company in the country, is creating new options. The Smart Option Student Loan, for instance, makes cosigners liable for 24 months only, provides refunds for payments made and lower interest rates. But the decision is still risky. The best option would be for students to seriously consider their financial situation and decide accordingly. They can’t just go into the financial aid office, accept every loan they’re offered and expecting their debt to pay itself off.

Banks advertisements show “customers” with ear-to-ear smiles—happy couples gloating about their new house, young adults going off to college or driving away in a new car. But commercials convey very little of reality or what a loan entails. The college kid is only smiling because he hasn’t received his first bill yet.

So remember: when it comes to student loans, ignorance isn’t bliss forever.

50th Anniversary of The Pill Sparks a Discussion by Young Women at FFS

By Jajce W. and Jillian M.

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the birth control pill and the many other forms of contraception that have originated since the 1960s.

Mass produced artificial birth control entered the scene in the 1960s and started a revolution. Women had more control and they felt freer to make their own decisions about their sex lives.

Many women and young girls are unwilling to take on the responsibility of having a kid but they want to indulge in having sex without any consequences, and the pill makes that possible.

Since the introduction of the pill, the ideas of sex and marriage have changed and are often used to justify the desires of our minds. For many women it has become unclear what is right and wrong when it comes to birth control.

The issue of the pill is a problem in today’s world and being at the school leaves many young women with ideas and feelings that they never talk about. Some of the girls at The Family Foundation School decided to form a group to discuss those feelings about the pill.

The group consisted of eight young women and was led by Wilson House family leader, Christine Speicher. The girls were interested in hearing all sides of the debate and sought people they knew who had strong opinions on the issue.

FFS is all about showing young people who have fallen off their path a way to a better life. The school is based on the 12-step program of the Anonymous Fellowships. The school also works with the Four Absolutes; love, honesty, purity, and unselfishness.

The young women who attended the group have developed these principles and have new moral guidelines for themselves.“I believe that there is a huge range between having sex with whomever and waiting until you are married and committed. I wouldn’t want to have a child until I am married; however, birth control presents a good alternative to abortion,” said Kate D.

There are so many different opinions in the world today about birth control that the girls in the group found themselves uncertain about what is right.  A lot of young women come to the school with no religious interest at all but they wind up developing a sense of security within a religious framework.

Father Stephen, Dean of FFS Students, expressed his ideas on birth control. “This is a very explosive topic and it’s very easy to get people angry. When priests speak about these kinds of things people often have very powerful reactions. For example, ‘What does he know, he’s not even married?’

“The Family Foundation School is over 30 years old and I’ve been here for 15. More than 3000 young people have passed through this school, and I’ve witnessed the increasing depth of damage in young women because artificial contraception sends the message, ‘Baby, you’ve got to be available to me sexually 24 hours a day, just make sure you don’t get pregnant.’

“Many girls surrender their thinking and wind up exploited, demoralized, and depressed. I wish there were a great uprising of young women who would say we’re done with this.

“There are new forms of contraception that slow down a women’s cycle so that she only has her period four times a year. I don’t even really know how to speak about this. At the end of a commercial a number of women say about their monthly period: ‘Who says you have to have a period every month?’ Who says, who says!

I mentioned this to my own physician who immediately responded, nature says. I think that this is an insult to women; it doesn’t let them be who they are. I also don’t get how in this green time, natural everything time,  how women can allow themselves to be so altered by putting chemicals, plastic, and copper in their systems. I would also say that so much of what women are expected to do and be is created by men. The cosmetic industry, the diet industry, and the contraception industry are all created, regulated, and promoted by men,”

In addition to the Church’s view, there are many other opinions about the pill in today’s society. During their stay at FFS many young women develop a new perspective and find their ideas pertaining to the prevention of pregnancies changing. The carelessness that the girls exhibited in their pre-Family School environment caused them to make decisions that impacted their lives. Many of them acted out sexually when they were miserable or needed attention and acceptance.  However, since arriving at the school they have begun to understand their sexual activity for what it was.

“Why use birth control when you’re not ready for a child? Sex isn’t bad but it’s all about the motive behind it,” said Raven S.

There are also different motives for taking the pill.  Some women use it to regulate their period, to clear up their complexion, and some use it to reduce menstrual cramps; however, preventing pregnancies is the pill’s main use. “Birth control[with the pill] is an easy, fast solution, and in some cases, when young couples choose to get married, the pill helps them until they grow secure in wanting to start a family,” said Emily M.

The pill has both ups and downs. It enables our laziness when we desire to have sex but it also protects young women from taking on the sometimes unwanted responsibility of a child. The pill also hinders nature from taking its course. Women can get pregnant, but if you’re not ready to make a child a part of your life,  should you indulge in the action behind it? The decision to take birth control is an external debate, but for the women who are on the pill, the answer lies within.