JORDAN GINDER
STAFF WRITER

Dr. Benjamin Peterson was a recent addition to campus faculty this year.

He teaches Political Science and History and gave advice to students of all class standings.

Peterson gave some advice for current students at Alma College about finding their path.

“Take advantage of everything offered while you’re here [including] the classes, professors and community because you’re never going to get something like this again.”

Peterson also mentioned that students should not over-plan because of how flexible the job market is in our current climate.

“Don’t over-plan the rest of your life now. We no longer live in the kind of economy in which the major that you have in college is fundamentally going to determine what you spend the rest of your life doing.”

Peterson said that he knew several people who worked in admissions offices in medical schools that can verify his claims.

“I asked them what kind of majors do you like to see people coming out of. I was thinking biology majors and they said those are great, but you know who we really love? English, History, and Political Science majors,” said Peterson.

“What they loved is people [who came] in with a lot of critical thinking and writing skills.”

In his last words of advice, Peterson counsels students to get out and take advantage of opportunities outside of the classroom.

“Do internships. They’re fantastic opportunities. You get college credit, learn about yourself and serve the community,” he said.

“There are these amazing opportunities to get really involved in your community —to do good by it— but also to develop those pragmatic connects and skills that will serve you for the rest of your life through internships,” said Peterson.

On a different note, Peterson spoke about his hometown and how it influenced his interests.

“I’m from Yakima, Washington. I always say I’m from a small agricultural community, but to be clear I’m actually from a city of 100,000 people,” said Peterson.

“Compared to Seattle, where my family is from, it’s a small town mixed in with large farms and a thriving urban center.”

Dr. Peterson cited his mother, who involved herself in local politics, and his grandfather, an old union man, as figures that greatly influenced his interest in History and Political Science.

“My grandfather was a teamster. He always had these stories when I was a little kid about the old strikes that were stumbling fights for survival. I became really interested in that because it was a history I didn’t see anywhere else.”

In terms of career path, Peterson has worked several different jobs. “I was a lobbyist while I was still an undergraduate. After that, I became a political organizer and worked in electoral politics, community organizing, and labor organizing. I first taught when I went to graduate school, and I love teaching both History and Political Science,” said Peterson.

“History allows you to really meditate on things in a meaningful way whereas politics and Political Science [are] so constantly and directly relevant that they’re two different classroom dynamics and subjects to study,” said Peterson.

Peterson also talked about his hobbies. “My main hobby is cycling. In addition, I [have done] hobbyist microcontroller stuff like home automation. For example, I built my own lighting system in my apartment that responds to voice commands.”

“I also do photography, but specifically time-lapse photography, and reading.”

Finally, when asked about the inflatable alien in his office, he explained it.

“There’s a town near Salem, Oregon [which I used to live in] named McMinnville. McMinnville is notorious because it had a series of alien abductions there,” said Dr. Peterson.

“They haven’t had anyone say they’ve been abducted there in a very long time. Instead, it’s become a cultural institution there like around Roswell. Every year they have an alien festival.”

“Some people take it seriously, but most people see it as an excuse to dress your dog up as an alien or dress up as a Wookie. I picked it up there,” said Peterson.

JORDAN GRINDER
STAFF WRITER

JORDAN GINDER
STAFF WRITER

Student Congress has recently made budget decisions, and some students have strong opinions about them. Almost all student organizations have had their budget cut by 15%. Student Congress Executive Council and Representatives spoke out in response to this.

“Budget decisions are complicated in student congress. We want it to reflect how that club or organization is serving the campus or the students that are in that club,” said Bridget Flannery (‘20), Student Congress President.

“We do have a budget committee which all student organizations are either on the constitution committee or the budget committee, so it’s made in part by the students that receive the funding…We want to make sure that clubs use their money wisely and everything that goes with that,” said Flannery.

According to Samuel Nelson (‘20), Student Congress Treasurer, the 15% budget cut did not correlate with the amount of an organization’s budget spent last fiscal year.

“Student’s are entitled to use the entirety of their group’s budgets through the end of the fiscal year, on June 30th. This [was] not typical, but happened this year in May and June. The money spent during this time period had no bearing on the decisions regarding budget cuts, as that leftover money would have been saved in a separate account.”

“What prompted the cuts was the nature in which we build our yearly budget. The vast majority of students pay the Student Activity Fee (SA fee); however, students in non-traditional tracks such as high school students [who dual enroll] do not pay this fee,” said Nelson.

“What caused the budget cuts was a lower amount of Student Activity Fees paid than expected, according to Nelson.

“The number of students required to pay this fee totaled approximately 1,365, not the 1,444 that would have been necessary to meet the budget expectations resulting from last year’s committee. The 15% cut across the board was easily the best way to respect our needs and desires as a student body without putting ourselves in financial jeopardy. So I think it went all right.”

Student Congress Representatives responded to these cuts: “Overall, I think StuCo EC did well with accommodating to what the new across-clubs budget was,” said TiKilah Turner (‘19), Representative of the Multicultural Student Union. “I think the budget [was] handled much better, for the simple fact that the EC made an executive decision rather than asking each club representative, which would have ended in an uproar and been ineffective.”

Andrew Bach (‘20), Representative of Phi Mu Alpha, also spoke out in regards to the budget. “I think for future budget overspending issues, docking everyone’s budget by 15% is not necessarily the best solution.”

“[The] budget for AlmaCon is a fraction of what it was last year. They need better oversight on how clubs are spending their budgets,” said Jordan Bird (‘20), Representative of Alma College Otaku and Gamers. “We need to ensure an accurate projection of students, and in turn funds,” said Nelson.

According to Nelson, there are a few questions to be answered in order to improve budgeting in the future. “What [could] be done to maximize both students’ voices and effective use of our time? We must answer–how [would] we most effectively use our SA fee equitably, and in line with Alma’s mission? Should clubs start out with max funding, or should we prioritize contingency for special occasions and needs?”