By Erica Turner

As we welcome in the New Year, students make resolutions that they hope will improve their lives. Some have promised to raise their grades, score that dream internship, or land their first job. But one of the most popular resolutions on campus for 2012 is improving relationships.

Not surprisingly, improving relationships is easier said then done. It can be hard to shake our ways and break those habits that hinder us. Regardless, it is important to have healthy relationships with those we care about in order to uphold our own mental health.

One way we can cultivate these relationships is by trying to meet the needs and expectations of our partners and friends by making them a priority even if it means putting our own goals temporarily on the back burner.

“I think that in order to have a great friendship or relationship it is important to put others’ well being over my own,” education junior Casey Droste said.

Droste hopes to accomplish this by keeping her resolution in her mind and reminding herself of her commitment every time she is in a sticky situation that might challenge her resolution.

“I think in order to have great friendships and relationships it is important to put others first. My relationships are important to me, and I want the people in my life to know that,” she said.

Psychologist and author Dr. Michelle Callahan believes that doing something nice for someone else actually improves our own personal well-being. Callahan emphasizes taking the focus off yourself and growing your relationship with someone else by putting them first.

Doing something for someone else makes us feel important and fulfills our self-presentation goals. When our peers think of us as helpful and kind, it in turn raises our self-esteem and improves our self-image.

However, staying grounded and maintaining your own sense of self is equally important. Granted, helping others can make you happier, but sacrificing your own expectations all together can cause serious long-term problems.

Making sure you are at your best by realizing when to cut your losses can improve your mental health and improve your relationships.

“My resolution is to work to help my good relationships grow and not be so hard on myself about working to suffice relationships that are bad (for me),” said human development and family studies junior Emily Schmid.

Callahan reiterates that the most important relational resolution is to take better care of you.

“You can’t be your best, when you’re feeling your worst. When you aren’t well, you won’t be the best spouse, parent, friend or co-worker,” she said.

How do you ensure you are at your best? Relax, eat well and exercise. Also, pursue things that interest you or take up a new hobby. Finding new ways for you to grow as an individual can improve your relationship and facilitate your relational growth.

Relational author Julie Spira believes peoples become more appealing when we have our own lives and are confidant and feeling good about ourselves.

Spira says to think of things that used to make you happy that you no longer do.

“Having interests and experiences that have nothing to do with each other means you have more to bring to the relationship,” said Spira.

Resume an old hobby or join a new student organization to help yourself thrive on a personal level and to strengthen your sense of individuality.

However, this can be a challenge to find time to develop your own personal growth, as well as time to nurture your relationships in all of the turmoil of school, work and other commitments.

Plan one-on-one times with your partner so that you can stay connected and share your experiences. Spending quality time alone with your partner give you the opportunity to bond at a deeper level.

“Sometimes you literally have to schedule the time, put it on your calendar and protect it just like you would a meeting at work,” said Callahan.

There is no official quota of how often you should be seeing each other, but many experts agree that having face-to-face time together at least once a week will cultivate a healthy relationship.

But sometimes in our busy schedules, we can’t always make face-to-face time, and we have to find ways to make our relationships work long-distance.

“I want to have people in my life that bring out the best in me and keep my relationships close, even when I’m far in distance,” Schmid said.

Technology becomes a valuable resource to make use of when trying to keep in contact with loved ones, especially in long distance situations.

“Utilize technology to stay close and connected, but don’t rely on it exclusively or allow it to replace face-to-face relationships. Putting in good face time is still an important and necessary way to build and maintain close relationships both at home and at work,” Callahan said.

It is an ambitious resolution to improve one’s relationships, but unlike the temporary satisfaction of other resolutions, improving your relationships will benefit you in the long run.

Lets face it: our friends, families and partners are the ones that make our lives as special as they are. So show them a little appreciation this season by finding ways to improve your relationships with them by making your own relational resolution.

By Julia Grippe

Students involved with Spartan Global at MSU have impacted the lives of entrepreneurs in developing countries by making microloans to help sustain their businesses.

Starting off as a student club in 2009, Spartan Global has now turned into a successful non-profit organization here at MSU as of May 2011.

Photo Credit: Michael Thelen

According to the Spartan Global website, the organization is made up of a “collection of students, professors and alumni dedicated to the social and financial betterment of people around the globe.”

Economics senior Dan Zaharia is the current president of the organization. He said Spartan Global is an organization that gives microloans to small entrepreneurs around the world who need it via Kiva.org.

Kiva allows Spartan Global and other loaners to read about the individual circumstances of the people in developing countries who need loans in order to be lifted from poverty, Zaharia said. Once a person is chosen, donators can lend money in increments of $25 to help chosen recipients sustain their businesses, families and lives.

However, Zaharia said Spartan Global wants to move beyond Kiva because it does not reach the people who don’t have access to the internet.

The founder of Spartan Global, Michael Thelen, graduated from MSU in December 2009.

“My passion for global poverty related issues was born when I spent one-on-one time working with young orphaned boys in Guatemala City and I experienced in a very visceral way, how the difficulties these boys were destined to face in their lives as the result of inaction by those with the ability to do something,” Thelen said.

“I realized I had a choice to do something, or do nothing,” he added. “When I give a speech, or a start to get passionate about microfinance or other issues, I’m still thinking about Franscisco, one of the boys who I worked with in the winter of 2006.”

Like Thelen, Paulette Stenzel, a professor of international business law at MSU and the advisor of Spartan Global, is very passionate about the organization.

“I am totally committed to sustainability projects,” she said.

Stenzel said Spartan Global started out with four loans in July of 2009. Since then the organization has made 349 loans to date.

Photo Credit: Michael Thelen

“In micro-loaning, the repayment rate is higher than any other type of loan in any advanced western country,” Zaharia said. This means people are more likely and able to pay back their loans when they receive a microloan.

The types of people that receive micro loans from Spartan Global basically have nothing, Zaharia said. With a little bit of money and intuition in the form of business training, they are able to provide for their family and keep their businesses going.

“By financially empowering them, they can lift themselves from poverty in a dignified manner,” Zaharia said. “Usually, ready-made solutions fail because there is a lack of cultural understanding.”

For instance, if an organization tries to stop hunger in a country by simply donating food, it can actually do damage, Zaharia said. For example, it can run farmers out of business and isn’t generally sustainable because the country is not receiving tools or methods to stop hunger by itself.

Spartan Global is excited to have obtained their non-profit status in May 2011, Stenzel said, adding that people are more likely make donations to a non-profit organzation because the donor can receive tax deductions by donating.

Spartan Global also signed a contract with Esperanza en Acción (Hope in Action), a fair trade organization based in Nicaragua that has strong ties in the Lansing area, Stenzel said.

According to the Esperanza en Acción website, the organization provides “Nicaraguan artisans with the tools to lift themselves out of poverty by offering technical assistance and quality consultation in addition to education and practice in calculating a fair wage.”

Fair trade is a social movement to make fair wages, to give more money to the producers and to promote respect for cultural identity, Stenzel said.

The Esperanza en Acción website states that fair trade is “specifically focused on people in third world countries, who have traditionally been exploited through trade agreements that seek to maximize retailers and intermediaries profits at the expense of the artisans.”

“Microfinance and fair trade are companion tools,” Stenzel said. Therefore, by working together, Spartan Global and Esperanza en Acción can create a more powerful impact.

“Education and access to finance are huge in influencing people’s standards of living,” Zaharia said. “We are extremely grateful for Esperanza.”

“I really like breaking the paradigm that no matter what you do, your efforts are ineffective,” he added.  “With a little bit of work, networking and intuition, we have helped a lot of people that need it.”

Spartan Global meets every other Tuesday in 110 Berkey Hall, and the organization is looking to expand membership and find people for the next executive board.