1 The Ferris State Torch NINETY YEARS OF ILLUMINATING THE TRUTH Big Rapids, Michigan Week of March 24 - 30, 2021 www.fsutorch.com Atlanta shooting prompts concern of rising anti-Asian bias Officials declining to declare shooting of six Asian women as racially motivated Hyun Jung (Kim) Grant Daoyou Feng Suncha Kim Paul Andre Michels Soon Chung Park Xiaojie Tan Delaina Yaun Yong Ae Yue Cora Hall in all eight killings – four counts of believed it to be targeting the Asian No one can speak to Long’s and that made it easier for him to Editor in Chief murder and one count of aggravat- American Pacific Islander commu- motivation, but if sex addiction do what he did.” ed assault for the attacks in Chero- nity and women, and that it’s being was fully to blame, Takitaki said The killing of the six Asian wom- There was no longer shock or kee County and four counts of ho- brushed aside as a deranged per- anyone could drive 10 miles from en is the peak of a rise in anti-Asian horror for political sciences profes- micide in Atlanta, according to the son’s actions instead of a systemic their home and find something racism in the past year. The Stop sor David Takitaki when he heard Washington Post. racial issue. that could be considered tempta- AAPI Hate National Report recorded about the shootings at three Atlan- Cherokee County Sheriff’s Of- “Giving an excuse, saying he had tions, but the places Long chose nearly 3,800 incidents from March ta-area spas on Tuesday, March 16. fice Capt. Jay Baker said in a press a bad day, it's offensive to the peo- were ones owned or populated by 19, 2020 to Feb. 28, 2021, with He felt a degree of sadness for conference last week that “[Long] ple who have died,” Parkasam said. Asian Americans. “I find it difficult physical assault making up 11.1% the eight people who were shot and was pretty much fed up and kind “It belittles [the victims] and the to believe that there wasn't a strip of all incidents. Verbal harassment killed, for the six Asian women who of at the end of his rope. Yesterday depth of the tragedy. Words matter bar somewhere near those mas- made up the largest category with were murdered and for the fact that was a really bad day for him and and ‘bad day’ is a very inappropri- sage parlors,” Takitaki said. “But 68.1% of all reports. The report shootings like this were not shock- this is what he did,” which sparked ate choice of words in that it comes that's what he chose. The fetishi- states that the number of hate in- ing anymore. “It's just sad; I just see backlash that led to Baker being across as an excuse.” zation of Asian women goes back cidents reported represent only “a the headline, and my heart drops,” removed as the spokesperson Pharmaceutical sciences pro- a long way.” fraction of the number of hate in- Takitaki said. for the case. fessor Qian Ding, who moved While the sexualization of wom- cidents that actually occur, but it Hyun Jung (Kim) Grant, Daoy- “The fact that the excuses were to the United States from China en in general is an issue, the sexu- does show how vulnerable Asian ou Feng, Suncha Kim, Paul Andre made is ridiculous on its very ba- when completing her graduate alization of minority and especially Americans are to discrimination.” Michels, Soon Chung Park, Xiaojie sis,” Takitaki said. “Anyone who degrees, said she does not agree Asian women has a different tone, While more obvious forms of “Emily” Tan, Delaina Ashley Yaun has any vague sensation of what's with the officials who are delcin- according to Takitaki. The direction, hate incidents have come to light and Yong Ae Yue were the eight been going on in this country be- ing to categorize the killings as content and victimization tends to recently, members of the AAPI people who were killed in Atlanta tween law enforcement and people racially motivated. be harsher when it comes to mi- community have faced more subtle by a 21-year-old white man, Robert of color across the board should “It's terrible for their families, it's nority women, he said. If the sexu- forms of racism for years. Takita- Long. Authorities called the killings look at something like that as a tragic. The families of those people al addiction was the driving factor ki, whose father is from the Island a premeditated trail of terror, ac- primer on how to not communi- are ruined,” Ding said. “If you just in the killings, Takitaki said that it of Tonga, was born and raised in cording to the Washington Post. cate with the public as a police look at the numbers, six of the eight would not surprise him if inherent Grand Haven, where his mother is Long told the police he was ad- captain who is spokesperson for were Asian woman and... there is in that addiction was “a concep- from. He said it was easy to be wel- dicted to sex and was on a mission their department.” a high possibility that it's target- tion of Asian American women as coming of the diversity that existed to eliminate the spas that he saw Office of International Educa- ing minorities and targeting these being both sexualized and sub- there, because the diversity posed as temptations. He was arrested tion director Piram Prakasam said Asian women.” missive or somehow less human, Wednesday, March 17 and charged when he heard of the shooting, he Atlanta shooting| see page 3 Got news? Let us know. Like us on facebook Follow us on Twitter Add us on instagram Watch us on tiktok Email: [email protected] Ferris state Torch @fsutorch fsutorch FsuTorch Phone: 231.591.5978 Connect with us on social media - Read articles online at www.fsutorch.com 2 2 News Week of March 24 - 30, 2021 Ferris State Torch NEWS Noah Kurkjian| News Editor | [email protected] A launch towards success Photo by: Dylan Bowden | Torch Photographer Ferris’ new tuition program is launching just in time for Ferris’ fall return to in-person instruction Ferris now offering tuition-free Graphic by: Charlie Zitta | Production Manager education to low-income students Jerry Gaytan year taking 14 credits. Room and News Reporter board are around $10,724 for a Check us out online for exclusive school year. Ferris is now offering a program The program does not require that provides free tuition to stu- students to fill out a separate articles and photo galleries at dents with a higher expected need application to be eligible for the of financial aid. funding. Once their FASFA is sub- www.fsutorch.com The Ferris Launch program al- mitted, they will calculate the lows cost-free tuition to students student’s family income and their with a GPA of 3.0 or higher who expected monetary contribution to also have zero Expected Family the student’s education. Once this Contribution as determined by the process is complete and Ferris Tune in to our Podcast: students Free Application for Fed- receives it, they will automatical- eral Student Aid. The program also ly determine if there is applicable requires that this is the student's aid. first time attending college, the Launch will be mainly funded student is attending 12 or more by the discretionary dollars set the fire pit credit hours a semester and that aside by the university according they are taking these credits on to Mulder. the Big Rapids campus. The pro- “Students that qualify for Ferris gram will be available to incoming Launch are receiving a fund called freshmen starting the fall semes- Ferris Merit Grant,” said Mulder. hosted by: ter of 2021. “Current students have been re- This program will only be cover- ceiving various merit grants if they ing tuition. Other expenses such met the eligibility requirements Marissa Russell, Brendan Sanders & as housing, meal plans, books each year.” and other supplies are not cov- There is a difference between ered under the Launch program. the currently offered merit grants Noah Kurkjian Melanie Mulder, the university’s and the new Launch program financial aid coordinator is looking though as current students receiv- forward to the program. ing these grants were never prom- “I think it's an opportunity for ised fully subsidized tuition. new students that maybe wouldn't According to the Ferris Launch Scan the Spotify link t0 have considered Ferris an option website, the program is renewable for them in the past... to at least when the student reapplies for aid take advantage or consider it through FASFA. The student must listen to our Podcast now. So I think it's a good thing,” also be eligible for the Pell Grant Mulder said. each year as well as meet the In terms of qualifying, Mulder terms of Satisfactory Academic said that anyone that meets the Progress. GPA and EFC requirements will re- For more information visit the Fer- ceive the funding. ris Launch page on ferris.edu. Ferris’s tuition is $443 per cred- it hour or $13,160 for the school 3 NewsNews 3 Ferris State TorchFerris State Torch Week of March 24 - 30, 2021 THIS WEEK IN MICHIGAN NEWS Catch up on news around the state Noah Kurkjian & Brendan Sanders News Editor, Sports Editor SPORTS WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Michigan got off to a hot start as the no. 1 seed when they WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.