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Thank you.

Hello, and welcome to Dateline Delta.

I'm Mike Rowley, a member of the Delta College Board of Trustees.

And today's show, we will sit in on a recent campus visitor and get a preview of the Chocolate Affair.

We will watch the next episode of Perspectives, with Dr.

Gavin and hear how a student is finding their way.

The Delta Way.

To wrap up today's program, we'll be learning about financial aid, a trip to Italy, and the Delta College Student Food Pantry.

Delta College's President Speaker Series has hosted many noted and influential speakers over the years, and their most recent speaker, Shalini Kantayya was no exception.

Miss Kantayya aims to create a culture of human rights and sustainable through imaginative media that makes a real impact.

Let's listen in.

My work as a storyteller is about how technology impacts our humanity.

And the power of individuals to make a difference in the world.

I sort of stumbled down the rabbit hole when I read a book called Weapons of Math Destruction by Kathy O'Neill.

And that's when I really began to understand that algorithms, machine learning, A.I.

is increasingly becoming almost an invisible gatekeeper of opportunity.

Deciding really important things like who gets hired, who gets health care, even how long a prison sentence someone may serve.

And at the same time, I was learning about the ways in which we as human beings are outsourcing our decision making to machines in ways that really change lives and shape human destinies.

I came across a Ted talk that Dr.

Ballymena gave, who was then a graduate student at MIT.

And I began to realize that these same systems that we are putting our blind faith in have not been vetted for racial bias or for gender bias, or even more broadly, that they won't hurt people if they won't cause unintended harm.

And that's when I began to understand really clearly that everything I love as a free person living in a democracy, whether it's access to accurate information, fair housing, fair access to employment, civil rights is being radically transformed by artificial intelligence.

And that's when I began to understand what Dr.

Joy Ballymena, really, and Doctor Kathy O'Neill and so many of the astute scholars and coded bias have articulate so clearly.

That unless we begin to govern these AI systems, that there is a clear and present danger that we could roll back 50 years of civil rights advances in the name of trusting these systems, to be fair, to be just to be unbiased when that isn't a fact.

Our fall President Speaker series welcomed Shalini Kantayya who spoke to us about the dangers of artificial intelligence as it relates to democracy and also civil rights.

But these technologies impact all kinds of industries.

I mean, it's happening in health care, where, health care algorithms have been shown to give white patients better quality care than black patients.

It's happening in criminal justice systems where companies like Palantir say, we don't need to police everywhere.

We can just tell you where crime is going to happen, like some sort of Philip K Dick sci fi of Minority Report.

Well, I was five minutes from Wall Street, and I can say that we don't have crime data.

What we have is arrest data.

And that's really different.

And what does it mean that we're sending law enforcement back to the same communities that have been overpoliced for decades?

How many of you guys know what, Cambridge.

Remember what Cambridge Analytica was a few hands.

Cambridge Analytica was a foreign, consultancy organization, and it created this, third party app called Your Digital Life.

And what it did quite illegally was scrape the data of 87 million Americans Facebook data.

And what it did is it created a psychological profile of 100,000 people.

It thought it could swing an election, creating from the data the 100,000 people that would be swing voters.

And it began to target them with very active misinformation.

And so you can see the kind of implications that this has for healthy democracy.

We would like to thank Shalini Kantayya for her fall Presidents Speaker Series presentation.

Please stay tuned for out spring upcoming speaker.

The Delta College Possible Dream program provides cultural, educational and college prep opportunities for area 6-12 grade students who may not view college as a possibility.

The program is dedicated to the idea that every student deserves a chance at success.

To learn more about this worthy endeavor, we spoke with Julie Dorsey, Foundation Manager.

There's something for everyone at a Chocolate Affair.

Coming up Thursday, November 6th at Horizon's Conference Center in Saginaw.

Whether you enjoy seeing friends, making friends, hearing live music, dancing to live music, feasting on decadent menu items, sipping cocktails and mocktails, savoring decadent desserts in an elegant and welcoming space, or all of the above, you won't want to miss this event.

The best fact about a chocolate affair is that more than 26,000 attendees over the years have funded the Possible Dream Program and Possible Dream Scholarship.

These benefit middle and high school students right here in our region.

Possible dream provides six years of educational, cultural, and career focused activities, expanding students horizons and setting their sights on a college education and a life they're passionate about.

More than 80% of program graduates go on to college and to careers they love, including manufacturing, engineering, education, law and medicine.

Please join us November 6th at Horizons for a Chocolate Affair, where you can change someone's life for a lifetime.

You can purchase your tickets using the information at the bottom of your screen, or simply call the Delta College Foundation office at (989)686-9224.

We can't wait to see you there.

At Delta College, we get that.

And while we are here with classes around the corner at our centers in downtown Midland, Saginaw and Bay City.

Need even more flexibility, Delta offers hundreds of online classes and more than 15 fully online programs in fields by business, law enforcement, and health.

Delta College offers the convenience you need to fit college into your life.

This is college for the real world.

Learn more at delta.edu Now it's time for the next installment of Perspectives, where Delta's president, Dr.

Michael Gavin, shares a community college perspective on national topics in higher education.

Well, thanks for joining me today.

And I'd like to talk to all of you adults out there, thinking about coming into Delta College.

Many people don't know that the average age of students coming to Delta is 26 years old.

And for the last 4 or 5 years, we've really been trying to shape our institution towards the needs of adults.

Recognizing that many of them have children, full time jobs, part time jobs, and don't have a lot of time to go here and there, but need to get their education done for bettering their family and the income that they bring in.

So over time, we've really looked at the schedule that we offer students to make sure that we have more online availability for students so they can do classes when they want to.

But even more than that, we have a lot of face to face options where students can come and complete a course or a couple of courses in seven week increments.

As a result.

We've also thought about the programing that we offer, and really recognizing that a person who's working full time doesn't really have 2 to 3 to 4 years to complete a degree.

We've created certifications and certificates that lead to well-paying jobs that can be completed really within a semester.

We take care to make sure that those kinds of programs do lead to at least ALICE or what was called, a threshold of income that allows a family to survive in, in terms of when the, the kind of job that they get as soon as they graduate.

Another barrier that we've tried to remove is the cost of education for adult students.

You may have heard of Michigan Reconnect, which offers free tuition to any adult student who comes without an associate degree to community colleges.

Delta is one of those schools, and we do our best to make sure that not only your tuition, but the cost of books and other elements that you might need for classes are reduced to the best of our capacity.

Recognizing that the hardest part of college should be in the classroom, not outside of it.

The other parts that we've offered are many services that adults and actually any kind of student would want to have outside of the classroom in order to succeed.

Many students that we have, despite the age that they are, have mental health needs, childcare needs, food needs, transportation needs.

And over the last four years, we've devoted about $1 million of our operating budget to make sure that those needs can be addressed as best as possible.

In one place at Delta College.

And so I would welcome you to consider coming to Delta and recognize that we believe that your success is ours.

The next student feature is on Abril Serrato, a student and Delta's associate, an arts transfer program with a concentration in social work.

Abril is committed to empowering, inspiring and promoting Latino leadership and is involved in several organizations, including the Society of Hispanic Leaders, The Sociology and Action Club, and she is an alumni mentor for the Great Lakes Bay Hispanic Leadership Institute.

I feel that I'm finally walking in my purpose and not only being an ally, but I am in a position to help in different ways that essentially can change somebody's life in a positive way.

Can inspire them, can motivate them.

When they look at me and they can say, she looks like me, I can do it too.

Delta College, specifically for myself, has opened doors and avenues that I would not have if I had not became a student to get at higher education.

And I'm thankful for the faculty that believe in me, that speak life into me on a daily basis.

Every single professor I've had thus far is beyond amazing.

You have that strong support system and they just treat you like a human being.

I help out with the marginalized population, whether it be first gen or, nontraditional student like myself.

Basically, the initiative is to reach out to the marginalized population and to get them encourage them, and help them navigate their way back to college to get higher education, which essentially will provide them, with the necessary tools to be prosperous and to to have a career.

You have to practice what you preach.

You can't assist students and tell them X, Y, and Z. When you're not doing x, y, and Z, you have to lead by example.

They will not only respect you more, but you'll be more relatable.

And in a sense, hopefully.

My hope is that inspires them to know no matter their age, no matter their life choices, no matter their path, they are here now.

And the choices that they make are important.

You can start over, you can be successful.

with hard work and dedication, with perseverance.

There's nothing that you can't achieve.

Paying for a college education could often feel like a major hurdle standing between you and your degree, but it doesn't have to be.

There's financial support available to help.

And it all starts with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, better known as FAFSA.

To help navigate this important step, we spoke with Katie Kalkman, Financial Aid Advisor.

Hi, my name is Katie Kalkman.

I am a financial advisor at Delta College.

I'd like to share some important information about financial aid.

The state of Michigan has expanded their scholarship programs, which has created exciting new financial aid opportunities for students whose options may have been limited previously.

The two main programs are Reconnect, which is for students aged 25 and older who don't yet have an associate degree or higher, and Michigan Achievement Community College Guarantee, which is for State of Michigan high school graduates, or GED Completers.

Since the year 2023 and on when they're enrolled full time, 12 or more academic credit hours.

Some people may have heard the phrase free college in relation to these programs.

Students are still charged tuition by their college and students will still need to complete the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, annually.

Several years ago, the government passed the FAFSA Simplification Act, and since then, we've experienced the form to be able to be completed easier and faster than ever before.

For most users, income information is linked to the FAFSA automatically through the IRS records.

But still, having the tax return, W-2s untaxed income information and current asset information on hand while filling the FAFSA out is recommended.

The FAFSA will ask for parent information until students are aged 24 or until the student meets another of the independent personal circumstances, such as being married or having children of their own before they turn 24.

Students should monitor their Delta email and self-service financial aid checklist frequently when students are completing the FAFSA.

The two main types of federal aid they are applying for is Pell Grant and student loans.

Pell Grant is considered need based aid, and that the FAFSA is doing an evaluation of a student's income and household size to determine their financial aid need.

As a college student, Pell Grant is not aid that is considered lent or needs to be paid back.

Student loans, on the other hand, are considered a last resort option for financial aid and that they do need to be repaid.

Once a student is completed with college.

scholarships are another type of financial aid in which the student is applying directly with the scholarship donor.

Last year, the Delta College Foundation awarded over $1 million in scholarships to our students.

Sometimes financial aid can be tricky to navigate, but its one of the most crucial aspects of a student's college career.

That's why Delta's financial aid office is always happy to help students with any questions that they may have.

Our office also hosts a number of financial aid events on main campus and at the downtown centers.

So be sure to keep an eye on our events calendar on Delta's website, as well as our social media pages.

Don't hesitate to call, email, or drop by in person.

Delta College Public Media and Collette Travel are offering a ten day excursion to Italy.

Discover the rolling hills of the scenic Tuscan and Umbrian countryside.

Linger in iconic Venice for two nights and encounter a land rich in history, culture, art and romance.

And your only job is to have the time of your life.

Let's see more.

Hi, I'm Tom Bennett.

Join me as we travel with Collette on a ten day tour of Italy beginning on April 20th, 2026.

Embark on a captivating journey that takes you from the piazzas of Rome to the canals of Venice.

Collette covers the details flights, meals, hotels and local experiences.

Your only job is to have the time of your life.

To learn more, call Collette at the number on the screen or visit our website.

Delta Public media.org.

Hi, this is Barb Hanley Miller.

Join me for Delta College Foundation's A Chocolate Affair November 6th at Horizon's Conference Center in Saginaw.

We'll be supporting Delta's possible dream program to help area youth stay focused on their studies and achieve their college dreams and enjoy food, friends and music.

To purchase tickets, visit delta.edu/chocolate affair or (989)686-9224.

See you November 6th.

The Delta College Student Food Pantry exists to provide food for students under financial stress, helping them stay focused on their academic success.

It helps ensure that all students have access to adequate food regardless of their economic situation.

To learn more about this very important resource, we talked to Lance Redwantz and and Christina Miller-Bellor, Directors of the Food Pantry.

The Delta College Food Pantry is an initiative to combat food insecurity and inaccessibility in our student population here at Delta.

The goal of the food pantry is to make sure that students don't have to think about being hungry when they're here at Delta and at home while they're studying.

National data showed that in 2021, food insecurity was experienced in 13 million households here in the United States.

Having a student food pantry is important to making sure that students are able to focus on their academics.

Research shows that when students are hungry, they don't do their best academically.

Students are 3.5 times more likely to drop out of college if they are food insecure.

So having the food pantry makes sure that our students can focus on their academics and not have to be hungry and be part of that statistic that we don't like.

The food pantry provides three potential sources of food.

Those include a meal voucher when supplies last, that allows students to essentially utilize a gift card to purchase food from the Red Bricks Cafe.

Other options that are allowed for students would be a family food box.

This incorporates roughly about $150 worth of groceries for free.

The final option for combating food insecurity at the Delta College Pantry is a lunch bag.

Our lunch bags incorporate essentially two entrees, two side items including a serving of fruit and some sort of beverage.

Students can go to students.delta.edu and click on Services and Support.

Then click on Food Pantry and choose what they want a voucher, a lunch bag or a box.

They choose if they want it from main campus, or they can get boxes and lunch bags from the Midland campus and the Saginaw campus.

And then they just schedule a time.

There's a liability waiver that they signed, and then they hit book and they're booked.

There is very minimal criteria for access for the food pantry and our services.

Essentially, at the point of pickup, we ask that you present a ID, especially if picking up a family food box.

Other than that, that your current student.

The Delta College Cupboard was actually a initiative supported by Christina here, and the two of us partnered with Delta colleges administrative team to launch a electronic locker system.

We were able to customize the locker system, specifically for the college, and this really improves the accessibility of students to the pantry.

As the locker system functions for extended hours.

When accessibility for students in the evening in relation to food may be decreased.

We've been very fortunate to have a lot of support in the current administration and have been able to generally serve over 1000 students a year in combating food insecurity.

Anybody has any questions, you can contact us at Food Pantry@ Delta.Edu I want to thank Lance and Christina for the work they are doing to give every student a needed hand.

Now let's see what's on the Dateline Delta calendar of events.

The Delta College Planetarium will be hosting a series of shows during the month of November.

For more information about these shows and events happening at the planetarium, visit their website at delta.edu/planetarium.

The Delta College Foundation will host the Possible Dream fundraiser A Chocolate Affair, on Thursday, November 6th, at Horizon's Conference Center in Saginaw.

Delta College will be hosting transfer Monday on November 10th from 10 a.m.

till 2 p.m.

by the Red Bricks Cafe.

Representatives from local universities are available to casually meet with you.

For further information on these events or other campus activities, contact the Office of Marketing and Public Information at 989-686-9490 or visit our website at www.delta.edu Well, that wraps up our show.

Please join us again on November 16th when we highlight what's happening here at Delta College.

One of America's leading community colleges.

Now, I leave you with the sights and sounds of Delta College for Dateline Delta.

I'm Mike Rowley.

Thanks for watching.

Local production scene on Delta College Public Media are made possible with support from viewers like you.

Thank you.