The Grinnell Magazine GWinter 2014 For the Good of All: Grinnellians in Public Health Student Musings Beyond Admission How can Grinnell support high-need and first-generation students? The New York Times released its “Most Economically However, that support does not negate the fact that Diverse Top Colleges” list in September, and Grinnell prior to my senior year of high school, no one in my ranked second for its commitment to recruiting students family had completed a four-year degree. from every income bracket. Despite the tremendous help my brothers provided As a first-generation, third-year student, I have me, I still struggle with what I now know are common no doubt that Grinnell’s Offices of Admission and experiences of first-generation students. Last spring I found Financial Aid deserve this high praise, but it is myself crying in meetings with my professor and a fellow imperative to remember that support for low-income first-gen admission counselor because I felt so stifled by and first-generation college students must exist beyond factors I attributed to my own inadequacies. I reached out admission and financial aid practices. Admission staff for help because I had hit a point where I felt incapable of members cannot create further economic diversity once performing academically — but I should have reached out a class has arrived on campus. At that point, our entire for support much earlier in my Grinnell career instead of institution must provide exceptional support to preserve waiting until the end of my fourth semester. economic diversity until graduation. One problem has already been solved. Before this Nationally, 89 percent of low-income, first- year, Grinnell’s first-gen community met annually in generation college students in the United States do not April — a time that was far too late to provide support to Emma Lange ’16 finish their degree in even six years, with 25 percent students who may be struggling to complete their classes. is a political science dropping out after their first year. Grinnell’s retention Thankfully, this academic year is seeing an entirely new major with a rate for both first-generation and low-income students approach to support for these students, which bolsters concentration in is much higher than the national average, and four-year the first-gen community. technology studies graduation rates for all students remain high. When Programming is starting earlier and occurring from Carroll, controlling for factors of race/ethnicity, first-generation more often so that students can form relationships with Iowa. She will be status, and gender, Grinnell’s Office of Analytic Support members of the College community who can help them studying abroad in and Institutional Research recently found no statistically handle issues earlier in the semester and help them Copenhagen for significant difference between graduation rates of extinguish larger fires later on. This is far more beneficial the spring 2015 students in the top and bottom income quartiles. than hearing retroactively about support systems that semester. She hopes Many factors contribute to this relative success, might have been critically important if they had been to attend law school including the fact that it is much more difficult to fall aware of them months, or even semesters, earlier. after Grinnell through the cracks at a liberal arts school with 1,600 College-sponsored programming is only a first and work in the students than at a public university with 30,000. step to community-building, though. As Grinnellians, field of American But we cannot measure the experience of we pride ourselves on our openness, yet we are still technology policy. economically diverse students at Grinnell simply via extremely incapable of having candid conversations retention rates. Grinnell must intentionally support low- about class outside academic settings. Even then, our income and first-generation students during the four — discussions revolve around denouncing others’ classism, or more — years between accepting an offer of admission while avoiding commenting on our own class. and receiving a diploma. We must also ensure that these The Grinnell College community as a whole students have the same quality experience during their needs to ask more questions about how it can support time on campus as their non-first-gen, non-Pell-eligible, low-income and first-generation students. How can non-low-income peers. our campus create more allies? How can we create an I know this from personal experience. I applied to environment that enables productive discussions about Grinnell not only as a first-generation student, but also economic diversity? Only together can we support as part of a Grinnell legacy. My two older brothers are the incredible economic diversity that our Offices of alumni — Adam in the class of 2011 and Andy, class of Admission and Financial Aid have been able to provide. 2013. In fact, my first year on campus was concurrent I am dedicated to reaching out to alumni, staff, with Andy’s fourth and final year. We actually lived faculty, and current students to share their experiences across Eighth Avenue from each other — I was in Loose in order to support other students like myself in any Hall, and he was in Lazier Hall. way possible, because we all deserve a mentor and I attribute much of my success at Grinnell to the support system like the one I have found in my brothers. guidance Adam and Andy so eagerly provide me. I I implore any first-generation Grinnellian to join the not only learned about the College from their lived Facebook group Grinnell College First Generation experiences, but their knowledge served as my entire Students and help support, or be supported by, the understanding of American undergraduate institutions. community of first-generation Grinnellians. Webextras www.grinnell.edu/magazine Download this issue! The Grinnell Magazine is now available online in .pdf form . Departments Letters . 3. Afghanistan experience; The name game; Fond memories; War and peace; Middle-class Americans can’t afford Grinnell; Where’s the criticism? Campus Notes . 6. Photo by Justin Hayworth Curbing Sexual Assaults Grinnell Prize winners Kiah Williams and Adam Kircher on Grinnell’s Campus chat with keynote speaker Charlayne Hunter-Gault. Town Halls Over a Century of Newspaper ESSAYS: FEATURES: Archives Digitized Inside front cover 13 16 At the Faulconer Gallery Student Musings: In Print: Financial Future Update Beyond Admission Redskins: Words Do Matter For the Good of All by Emma Lange ’16 by Ray Young Bear ’76 Plans for Wind Farm Halted Erin Peterson ’98 Making the World Healthier, Cleaner 2 14 Wide-ranging work of alumni The Case for Grinnell: Explorations: in public health careers . Classnotes . .30 . Why Giving Matters Discovering a Grinnell Connection Everyday Class Notes Gets Real by Shane Jacobson through an Argentine Poet by Susan Ferguson 22 Notable Alumni 12 The Legacy Breaking Genre Stereotypes A View from Campus: 28 Vylar Kaftan ’98 and Ruth Ratings and Rankings and Lists Book Excerpt: of Loren Reid ’27 Homrighaus ’98 by Randy Stiles Pioneering History on Two Luke Saunders ’12 She’s Got the Music in Her Continents: An Autobiography Stephanie Snow ’03 by Bruce F. Pauley ’59 A family of Grinnellians and educators . Art to Algorithms Inside back cover Natalie Larson ’06 Alumni Musings: 24 The Decisive Moment Progress in Public Mental Health Lawrence Sumulong ’10 by Russell Pierce ’82 Campus Myth Busters Publications, Productions, Erin Peterson ’98 and Exhibitions . .37 . What’s fact and what’s fiction? In Memoriam . .39 . Alumni Council News . 40. The Grinnell Magazine Winter 2014 1 The Grinnell Magazine Winter 2014 Volume 47 Number 2 Email: magazine@grinnell .edu Office of Communications Vice-president for Communications Jim Reische reischej@grinnell .edu Editor Michele Regenold ’89 THE CASE FOR GRINNELL regenold@grinnell .edu Art Director / Designer Why Giving Matters Jim Powers powersj@grinnell .edu In my first three months at Grinnell, I’ve Classnotes Editor fielded one question more than any other: Bonnie Primley “Why should I give to Grinnell?” classnotes@grinnell .edu Maybe it’s best to answer with a Editorial Staff question: “Why do you think you should give Dana Boone Lisa Lacher to Grinnell?” Luke Saunders ’12 For alumni, giving to Grinnell provides Contributing Photographer the opportunity to express your appreciation Justin Hayworth for the world-class education you received The Grinnell Magazine and for the benefits you now enjoy . 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