Final Project

By Zhyldyz Eshimkanova

Michael Neal was one of those energetic ironworkers all foremen like. But he lost his balance, he lost his job, and he lost his family.

It happened on Christmas Eve in 2001. The entire Neal family gathered in Worcester to celebrate the holiday. Children were running around. Women were sharing their baking secrets. Michael Neal, the youngest son of the family, was in his bedroom getting ready to join the party. Feeling brave, thanks to couple of alcoholic drinks he had earlier, Neal suddenly decided to climb up the roof. He lost his balance and fell 40 feet.

He was in coma for four months. He lost his job due to his disability.

“I would be set for life if I fell down on the job,” Neal said. “But it wasn’t.”

Michael Neal

There was only one way for him — a way to the streets. At the age of 36, he became a homeless person.

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Neal was aimlessly walking near the Park Station. He did not look like a homeless person at all. He was wearing a blue jeans, gray sweater and a black jacket. He also was pushing a suitcase, which he later identified as his “wardrobe.”

Many homeless people are in need of mental health care, but institutions for those kind of care have been closed and there is no place for them to live, said Shirley Cassara, a psychology professor at Bunker Hill Community College. Sometimes there are homeless veterans as well as single mothers with young children who were abandoned by their partners or divorced and have been left with no resources. The number of homeless people is increasing everyday due to today’s economy.

It is almost impossible to count the number of homeless people. In a 2007 approximation, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty estimated 3.5 million people used emergency shelters or temporary housing, according to National Coalition for the Homeless.

John Reeves, chairperson of the behavioral science department at Bunker Hill Community College, said not all homeless people let themselves give up and reach the end. Most of them are able to break the cycle of homelessness with the help of welfare agencies and put their lives back in order, according to Reeves.

Professor Reeves sees at least one homeless student every semester. “Last semester I had this student in my class who lived in his car. He barely could afford to pay for meters. He used to go to take a shower to YMCA.”

“They are homeless not because they don’t want to work,” Reeves said. “They are homeless because their salaries is too low to pay for rent.”

“It is a very popular thing to portray homeless people as lazy and not hard working,” Reeves said. “But, in reality, it is quite the opposite of being lazy.”

Algia Benjamin described himself as a homeless person on and off for six years.  He used to be a carpenter. During the recession, he lost his job. Benjamin could no longer afford to pay for his rent and utility bills.

Now, Benjamin prefers to go to a Long Island Shelter in the Boston area every night. He said this shelter has the food he likes and people are friendlier than in other shelters he has been.

Benjamin is 42 years old. But he looks much younger than his age. Benjamin is so afraid of germs, he said. He washes the shower before and after each use and asks others to cover their mouths when they cough. Benjamin does not like any questions about his family at all, although he mentioned that he has a big family.

Algia Benjamin

Benjamin does not receive any money from the government. Nevertheless, he makes an everyday effort to survive and even finds ways to enjoy his life. Benjamin sells the newspaper Spare Change in front of a drugstore in Porter Square in Cambridge while waiting for a better job opportunity to open up.

Benjamin desperately wants to fight his way out of homelessness. “It is a very miserable feeling to be homeless, you know,” Benjamin said. “It is not a good feeling at all.”

He said the public treats him OK, but the shelters do not. “They treat you in shelter pretty bad,” Benjamin said. “Sometimes, if they kick you out, you gotta go and find other place to stay.”

Cassara, the psychology professor, said the public does not think about homelessness very much.

“The only people that pay homelessness attention are public workers,” Cassara said. “Police and department of social services are rounding up people on the streets and take them to shelters.”

The Pine Street Inn, a shelter for homeless people, is located on Harrison Avenue, close to downtown Boston. The shelter serves both men and women and has about 550 beds. However, the number of people who actually stay at the shelter is closer to 700, according to Eric Prileson, a volunteer programs and development assistant at the Pine Street Inn.

Eric Prileson

“If all our beds are filled, we don’t turn people away, they are allowed to stay here and sleep on sofas in the lower lobby area,” Prileson said. “And if they want a bed, we can refer them to other shelters in the downtown area.”

The Pine Street Inn also has an outreach program that runs day and night and serves people on the streets who do not want to come to a shelter for various reasons.

“We bring hot coffee, sandwiches, extra blankets for homeless people. And we talk to individuals to build a relationship,” Prileson said. “Then, we hopefully start a process of bringing people from homelessness to a housing.”

“Men hoard wealth, steal, don’t share, don’t care for the unfortunate,” said Brother Brandon Frank, the campus minister in the Catholic Center at Northeastern.

“We will never end poverty. No matter how much we improve technology, or government, or the systems of aid, there will always be poverty,” Brother Frank said. “Because people will always sin.  But this was not God’s intention for humans.  There will be no poverty in the age to come (in heaven).”

“In this age the poor are cursed — people look down on them, don’t treat them fairly, ignore them, but in God’s eyes, the poor are rich. God loves the poor especially, because they suffer,” Brother Frank said.

“At the same time,” he added, “personally, I don’t always think direct monetary aid is the best help for the homeless, because using some mental condition or addiction keeps them on the streets,” Brother Frank continued. “ What they most need is social support and I think, friendship.  Being treated with the dignity that is due them as human beings.”

Cassara said homeless people are often victims of circumstances that no longer allow them to provide for themselves. On the other hand, there are some people who view homelessness as a freedom.

Neal is a complete contrast to Benjamin, who does not get any money from the government; Niel receives $800 a month in Social Security disability payments. He also gets $200 in food stamps. However, Neal said he spends every cent on alcohol.

“That’s an interesting contrast to the person who has absolutely nothing and that’s why they are homeless,” Cassara said.

There are some people, like Neal, who see it as a freedom, as not being told what to do or how to do it, said the professor. “But, I don’t think that there are many of those folks, as there are the people who would really rather not be homeless,” Cassara said.

Neal regrets that he lost his career, which was bringing good money to him. Right now, he doesn’t have any hopes except inheriting some money and a house in Florida after his parents’ death.

Neal has a big family. He has three children and a grandchild that he emphasizes so proudly. Neal’s parents live in Florida, he also has a sister, who lives in Worcester with her family. Despite the fact that his parents visit him once a year, and he visits his children and sister once a month, he doesn’t  want to move in with any member of his family. He doesn’t want to be a burden to them.

“I am an alcoholic. Nobody can help me except myself,” Neal said. “Alcohol screwed my life.”

http://www.pinestreetinn.org/

Learn more about Spare Change at http://www.sparechangeinc.com/

http://www.bhcc.mass.edu/

Emergency shelters

“Homeless in Boston cherish warm Thanksgiving meal”

News feature with CAR element

By Zhyldyz Eshimkanova

It was the frigid February of 1997 in Moscow. Snow was falling outside at sunset. Lyuba Starikova was watching the window as her husband left for work.

“Please, don’t come back,” she thought, waving to her husband. “I was too tired,” Starikova said. “‘I can do it myself’ was born inside of me.”

From then on, she decided, she would only count on herself and live the life she always wanted.

Today, it has been more than 13 years since Starikova got divorced. Now 39, she and her two daughters, 20 and 19, lead middle class lives in the Boston area. However, Starikova still remembers her past as if it happened just yesterday. Her first husband was a young handsome man in the military. She was not able to say no to his unexpected proposal. Later, though, she realized that he had his own life filled with only hunting and his mother.

One day, Starikova’s husband came back from work, as usual, and started crying. He told her he had an affair with another woman. She panicked. She couldn’t even move her finger. Suddenly, she realized she desperately wanted to save her marriage.

They took their kids to his parents’ house, and spent three days together, just the two of them. Faced with an agonizing choice, Starikova decided to file for divorce.

One of every two marriages in the U.S. ends in divorce, according to statistics from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chieh Li, an associate psychology professor at Northeastern University, said the leading reason that people get divorced is an affair.

“Also, people get married without really knowing what they want,” Li said. “Some people are not even mature enough when they get married to be able to resolve the conflicts inside the family.”

Silvia Dominguez, an assistant professor of sociology at Northeastern, suggests preparing for marriage by reading books on how to have a happy marriage.

“I know those people who read those books,” Dominguez said. “And they have been very successful in their marriages.”

Another marital downfall is a lack of communication between two people, said Robert Volpe, as assistant professor in Northeastern’s psychology department.

“Open communication is very important,” Volpe said. “Working with a counselor would help a lot.”

Starikova started feeling emotional discomfort after their financial stability had been established. They got an apartment, two cars, but she couldn’t help but wonder if something was missing from her life. They never talked to each other much. They didn’t go to a counselor because counseling carries a heavy stigma in Russia.

“Love is not enough to save the marriage,” Starikova said. “The marriage is the full-time job, and two partners have to work hard to make it work.”

Starikova moved to the United States. She married a scientist and received political asylum. She started over.

During the divorce, when parents worry about their own lives, kids are often left out, Volpe said. The time when one parent leaves the house can be frustrating for a child.

“It can lead to a child’s depression, anxiety,” Volpe said. “Parents have to find the way to communicate with each other for their kids.”

Starikova’s life after the divorce was not easy. Her former husband was not a perfect father – he did not pay child support – so Starikova had to work in order to support her two girls.

“If love, forgiveness and gratitude are three things people have, they’ll be less likely to get a conflict after the divorce,” Li said.

Starikova does not regret her decision to file for divorce even for a second. She does not regret marrying him either. She has two beautiful girls she is proud of.

Brother Brandon Frank, the campus minister, in front of the Catholic Center at Northeastern University

“My daughters are my wealth. They are getting their education; they have a wide range of interests,” she said. “I am so proud of them.”

Moses allowed the divorce, but Jesus said, “from the beginning it was not so,” said Brother Brandon Frank, the Campus Minister in the Catholic Center at Northeastern.

“So, we believe that marriage is human and divine in origin,” Brother Frank said.  “Men and women enter into a contract – an agreement to live together, share wealth and defend each other. This makes them family.”

“God made male and female – two pieces different in physical qualities, emotions, even spiritual qualities.” “This is the mystery of creation. The two are made to go together.”

“When we enter into marriage, we become one flesh,” Brother Frank continued, referencing Jesus’ words in Matthew’s gospel. “In marriage, we mirror the love of God, which does not break its promises.”

Divorce as it is practiced in the U.S. is not permissible by Catholic standards, according to Brother Frank.

“People decide that they don’t like each other anymore and want to marry someone else. This is not the love of God,” Brother Frank said. “Instead, when we promise fidelity on the altar, or whereever, we should mean it.”

Starikova added, “Only stupid people can be happy 24 hours a day. Everyone has the right for mistake.”

“Never look back and regret about the past.”

Divorce statistics from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Catholic Center at Northeastern University

The Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Northeastern University

Deadline reporting test

By Zhyldyz Eshimkanova

Aaron Arellano of Kearns, Utah, said he did what almost every patriot would do in his place – he joined the U.S. Army and found himself in South Korea in April 2010.

Arellano finally felt happiness and excitement, after long months of heavy training, as he proudly stood at his basic training graduation in Fort Jackson, S.C., on Sept. 2, 2009.

“I had a feeling that I went to hell and came back,” he said. “But it was so worth it.”

Arellano decided to be a soldier for his family and friends.

“The military is the only way to make my closest ones feel safe,” he said.

Michael S. Allain, an assistant professor of military science at Boston University, said a lot of students today feel a strong desire to serve their country.

“Our enrollment is very strong at this moment. It is actually 10 percent higher than it used to be five years ago,” Allain said.

The peak of the enrollment at Northeastern University was in 2008, when 84 students were accepted to the school’s Reserve Officer’s Training Corps, according to ROTC statistics.

Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan do not seem to make it difficult to attract students into the military programs.

“It is absolutely the opposite of that,” Allain said.

“Wars do not stop anyone right now,” said Dick Power, a retired corporal who served the U.S. Army for 30 years. “And today we can see that in significantly high numbers of students’ enrollment.”

Army Maj. Michael A. Bowles, an assistant professor of military science at Northeastern, agreed students are signing up for ROTC despite the wars.

“Everyone, including both students and their parents, think of it as a regular job,” Bowles said. “Nobody seems to concern about wars at all.”

The economy is only a small contributor, which affects mostly the rising costs of colleges, according to Power. “But, I am 100 percent sure that the tuition is not the reason to stop students from pursuing their desired degree,” Power said. “There are obviously more students enrolled today than it was in the past.”

There are a lot of reasons why students are attracted to the military program. Some students are pushed by parents to continue a family legacy, said Bowles.

“Others just want to get scholarships in order to reduce the tuition cost,” Bowles said.

Another reason for students to apply to the ROTC is simply the opportunity to serve their country.

“A U.S. Army soldier is a highly regarded position in our country,” Power said. “And the U.S. Army is the most trusted one in the whole world.”

Arellano said he felt a duty to serve his country during tough times. And the look at the war depends on the person’s own view, said Arellano.

“Lots of people hate wars, so some of them go and serve, while others prefer just to ignore it,” Arellano said.

Learn more about ROTC at Northeastern

Halloween Madness

By Zhyldyz Eshimkanova

Sunday. 7 a.m. Quiet morning in our house.

Suddenly, my kids screamed,: “Today is Halloweeeen! Yeeeeeaaaaah!.”

Well, I hoped to get a good sleep today, but then I realized that was not gonna happen to me. My kids were awake, so was I.

I had to get up and make breakfast for them.

My daughter, Vanessa, 4, and my son, Daniel, 2, felt too much excitement in waiting for an afternoon Halloween party next to Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown, Mass. Around noon, I put them to bed for a nap, promising them to wake them up just in time for the party.

Around 4 p.m., I woke my children up. They dressed up in their costumes: Vanessa decided to be a princess this year, and Daniel requested a Thomas the train Tank Engine costume.

It was too cold outside, but it seemed that nobody cared about the weather much.

Everyone was excited. Everyone was hungry for candies.

My kids walked around the block for about an hour, until when they felt they needed to go home and eat all their sweet stuff.

We went home. They started to eat candies. After about the fifth candy, I took all their candies and told them to leave the rest for tomorrow.

It’s almost 9 p.m. Kids are getting ready for bed now.

I am relieved that my Halloween is over.

Learn more about Charlestown, MA.

P.S. This was written on Oct.31, but I was too tired to post it on yesterday, so I am posting it one day later.

‘Boiling Mad’

Kate Zernike on ‘Boiling Mad: Inside Tea Party America’

By Zhyldyz Eshimkanova

In a lively exchange with the audience at Northeastern University’s Snell Library on Wednesday, New York Times national correspondent Kate Zernike discussed her book about the Tea Party movement.

The discussion started with an introduction about the author by Walter Robinson, a Northeastern journalism professor, who recalled one of the happiest times when he used to work with Zernike.

“We sometimes called her Page One Kate,” said Robinson. “Because so much of the work she did appeared on the front page of the paper.”

Robinson said unfortunately sometimes good work causes newspapers to lose their talented reporters and Zernike was plucked out of the Boston Globe’s newsroom by The New York Times.

“One of the reasons I admire Kate is that she is a political reporter who actually talks to voters,” said Robinson. “Kate cares more and writes more about what they have to say.”

The title of Zernike’s book is “‘Boiling Mad: Inside Tea Party America.”

Zernike spoke briefly about how she came to cover the movement. She said in November 2009, after returning from leave, she was asked to cover conservatives. She reported on Sarah Palin’s vice presidential campaign in 2008. And after Barack Obama was elected president, Zernike wrote a story about how conservatives felt about the election.

“To me, the Tea Party was fascinating for the same reason as earlier Obama’s campaign was interesting,” she said. “Because you do have a lot of voters who are coming to it and saying ‘Feeling I have been shut out of the politics for a long time.'”

Zernike recalled her first Tea Party meeting, in South Dakota.

“Tea Party people were talking about getting involved in politics by running for Precinct Committee, which is the lowest position in the Republican Party,” Zernike said. “And this was the way they would be able to influence the party,  and get the party to endorse the kind of plan they want.”

Maria Jayson, who came to the discussion for her human services class, said, “I did not have any idea what the Tea Party movement was, but I am glad I came, it was so interesting.”

Zernike said while she was looking for a story in a wealthy New Jersey community, where she did not expect to find Tea Party members, she sat next to a woman who desperately wanted to be involved in the movement. The woman went home and studied Moveon.org (an liberal active group), and tried to apply what she had learned to the Tea Party.

Zernike said later she did a story on a group in Bucks County, Pa., and what they were doing. After that, Zernike attended the Tea Party convention in Nashville, Tenn. And that’s how she started writing more and more stories about the Tea Party movement.

In April, The New York Times conducted a poll to answer the question Zernike mentioned at the beginning of her speech: ‘Who are these people?.’

“Our poll found that people who support the Tea Party movement make up 18 percent of the U.S. population, which is a pretty striking percentage,” Zernike said.

“Tea Party supporters are independent voters, who are not necessarily Democrats nor conservative Republicans,” said Zernike. “The Tea Party has been started and pretty much organized by younger people who are mostly under 30 years old.”

Archived news articles by Kate Zernike

Buy Zernike’s book ‘Boiling Mad: Inside Tea Party America’ from Amazon

Town hall meeting

By Zhyldyz Eshimkanova

Every morning, while driving along Cypress Street on her way to work, Kara Brewton sees an empty building that drives her “nuts.” As Brookline’s economic development director, Brewton is not the only one who is concerned by the empty properties in town.

The Economic Development Advisory Board (EDAB) held a public meeting Oct. 13. The two-hour-long proceeding provided a forum for attendees to bring up issues regarding the vacant properties. The main goal of the event was to find out what makes commercial areas work well and how those areas can improve. The discussion started with a photographic slideshow of neighborhoods’ persistent retail vacancies and Brookline’s maps, along with an oral presentation by Brewton.

Residents exchanged their opinions of a study by EDAB. The main topics of the meeting were seven buildings that have been empty for at least a year. All are retail vacancies located in the heart of Brookline’s smaller neighborhood commercial districts, and each has its own character and needs.

Many residents called attention to Brookline’s parking problem, characterizing it as the town’s biggest issue.

“There is no convenient parking next to these vacant buildings. When you want to drop off your clothes at dry cleaning, you don’t want to circle around five times,” said Brookline resident Annette L. Born, who is a commercial real estate specialist. “You are just going to find any other convenient dry cleaner.”

Another resident, John Bassett, highlighted a potential drawback to increase parking. He noted that more parking downtown means more cars in an area where there is also a lot of foot traffic.

“But, sometimes, parking makes pedestrians a little bit uncomfortable,” said Bassett.

For years, nobody was aware of the problem caused by the size of the vacant building on Cypress Street, which is more than 5,000 square feet. Suddenly, the landlord realized how big the space is and how tough it can be to fill the building. Many residents declared they do not want to see another drugstore inside the building.

“Every corner of Brookline is turning into Walgreens or CVS,” said Linda Hamlin, a member of the Planning Board. “Everyone says, ‘Wow, wait a minute. We do not need that many drugstores anymore.’”

Residents would like the vacant properties to be used. Bassett said he would prefer uses that serve residents of nearby neighborhoods, uses that people walk instead of drive to, and uses that generate less vehicle traffic. “We might encourage some uses by making small changes in the zoning bylaw, such as reducing the minimum parking space requirement,” said Bassett. “But Brookline’s commercial vacancy rate is low. The spaces will eventually be taken – and a few new stores will become vacant.”

When asked what residents would like to see in these vacant buildings, everyone in the room agreed that a bakery would be great, as would a small place selling ice-cream. Unfortunately, Brewton said, a bakery is not allowed in those vacant properties. Brewton asked if anyone would like to see a small hardware store there and got a response from Town Meeting member David Hamlin, who said, “Contractors do not go to small hardware stores, because these stores cost more; it is just easier and cheaper to go to Home Depot.”

Born said she does not want a noisy place right next to her house. “There are 19 small children in the neighborhood, people do not want more traffic, it’s very inhospitable corner to walk,” said Born. “An office, probably real estate agency, would not bother me, but I hate seeing business there.”

Other problems were raised at the meeting, including some that affect all communities, like growth, traffic, quality of schools and other services. Brookline is currently debating the use of continuous video cameras in public spaces – security versus privacy, said Bassett. Brookline also has extreme traffic issues because it is next to Boston and has heavy oriented traffic, according the Board member. And like other towns, Brookline weighs allowing growth versus keeping its budget balanced.

“Allowing growth is expensive, primarily because it means more kids in schools,” Bassett said.

Local Guide to the Town of Brookline

Search Brookline real estate website

Student loan talker

How the economy is affecting students who are dependent on college loans

By Zhyldyz Eshimkanova

 

Between 60 and 70 percent of American college students rely on some kind of financial aid, according to an associate economics professor at Northeastern University. At Northeastern, for instance, there are more than 19,000 students who receive financial aid and scholarships said Anthony Erwin, a senior director of university financial aid and scholarships at Northeastern.

“That number is 7 percent higher than the previous three years,” Erwin said.

However, in this economy loans are not always the best option and can be difficult to pay off later.

Professor Oscar T. Brookins said today’s economy is affecting every student, including students who rely on college loans and those who do not. He thinks that now is one of the best times in decades for students to have loans because of low interest rates.

“On one hand, the low interest attracts, but on the other hand, with the economy not doing very well, the prospects of students earning sufficiently high incomes to pay off these loans without the loans being a heavy burden is also a question,” said Brookins.

Viswanath Putcha, a Northeastern industrial engineering master’s student, said he does not want to take out a bank loan to pay for his education. Putcha said, “It is not so easy” to pay for his tuition, but he prefers to use his friend’s family’s money, rather than obtain a college loan.

The problem, Brookins said, is if the economy does not pick up and grows in the future, then those loans will become an encumbrance for students. For instance, students can take risks and take college loans, but nobody knows what to expect from tomorrow. The idea that the recession was over in 2009 is “laughable,” said the professor.

“The recession continues and therefore the job prospects for students are not so good and questionable,” Brookins said.

“If students will realize that perhaps the benefits of the education and the cost of their education is not sufficient to increase their earning power and therefore we might see a decrease in the number of people who are attending the universities,” Brookins said.

Another Northeastern master’s student, Saili Joshi, from India said she wants to use only the money from her family’s fund. She thinks the loan rates are high for her and there are not many ways for an international student to apply for a loan.

Although the interest rates are low, there are more restrictions than they were five years ago. Cathlyn Edmond, a personal banker at Citibank in Charlestown, Mass., agreed that the process was much easier just a few years ago. However, she said regardless of all restrictions banks have today, the lower rates are the ones that attract students now. It is hard to predict what is going to happen in the future, she said.

“Students never used to go to banks; they were just able to get to school and apply for loans through FAFSA, and the school would take care of the remaining tuition fee,” said Edmond. “But today, more people are coming to the door and apply for student loans.”

Everett Gong, an analyst at Citadel LLC, said today’s economy is definitely holding students back from pursuing their education.

“Students are asking themselves, ‘Why should I pay $20,000 to $40,000 per year for four years when I might graduate with no job or a job that is low pay and does not really even require higher education?’” Gong said.

Every year, the cost of acquiring a degree is more expensive than the last decade. Brookins said the problem with not getting a four-year-education is finding good job, so on the other hand “students are forced to continue their education and forced to take college loans.”

“Getting a college degree does ultimately pay for itself over time, but with rapidly rising cost of education and the economy and the recession, we may be approaching a point where the cost required to finance the education is simply greater than the economic benefits that students will get from having the education,” Brookins said.

Economic returns to college education

Citibank offers variety of student loans.

Comparing students’ debts from USA Today.