10-27-2010

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Aug. 26, 2010 Vol. 55, Issue 1

goraA‘Lost boy of Sudan’ speaks at MCCC - Page 3

Cuisine 1300 opens for fall

Serving Monroe County Community College since 1968

Inside: Fitness Center Hours:Mon - Thurs: 10 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.Fri and Sat: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

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Library Hours:Mon - Thurs: 8 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.Friday: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.Saturday: 9 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.Opinion................................2

Campus News......................3-6 Arts, Entertainment...............7 Sports...................................8

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October 27, 2010 Vol. 55, Issue 3 Beatlemania comes to MCCC

pg. 5pg. 7www.mcccagora.com

Marissa BesteAgora Reporter

MCCC is looking up to the sun.Upon approval from the Monroe Charter Town-

ship Planning Commission, Detroit Edison will break ground Nov. 15 for a $3 million solar panel installation.

“MCCC is one of four organizations that have signed up to host solar facilities for DTE Energy,” DTE spokesman Scott Simons said.

The 500-kilowatt system, which will be built on the east side of campus behind the L building and observatory, is a part of Detroit Edison’s SolarCur-rents program, which calls for photovoltaic systems to be installed on customer property or rooftops to generate 15 megawatts of electricity throughout Southeast Michigan over the next five years. Detroit Edison is a subsidiary of DTE Energy.

Detroit Edison needed about 3 acres of land that was clear of shade and facing south, MCCC’s direc-tor of the Physical Plant, Jim Blumberg, said.

“That was almost a natural spot,” Blumberg said of the location chosen.

“This will be the “show and tell” on Solar power,” MCCC President David Nixon wrote in an email. “DTE is installing the 3-acre array on campus for instructional purposes. Students as well as inter-ested community members can see how they collect power from the sun, creating electricity. An electri-cal panel will be set up in the hallway so passers by can see the results.”

The college is currently the only educational in-stitution that is part of the SolarCurrents program, Simons said.

“The State of Michigan passed a public act in 2008—Public Act 285—that requires all public utilities to produce 10 percent of their energy from

renewable sources by 2015. So this is one element of that for them [Detroit Edison]; wind power is an-other one. This is just an opportunity for a partner-ship, for some education, outreach,” Blumberg said.

The solar panels are expected to be operational in February, Darrick Whitaker, principal engineer for major engineering projects at DTE Energy, said.

The panels are being built by DTE to supplement their electrical grid, Blumberg said. They are go-ing to be tied directly to their grid, and be fed to the power lines that run behind MCCC’s campus.

“It’s like building a small power plant here on our campus,” Blumberg said.

The power produced by the panels will not be

Pond hidden in trees just south of campus

AE

WC

Raisinville Road

Hidden Pond

Plum Creek

Parking lot 7

Parking lot 4

Lot 5Bridge

The Little Pond

Lot 4

“Lunch & Learn” to discuss solar panel installation MCCC will have a “Lunch & Learn” session on Oct. 28 from 12-1 p.m. in the A building, room 173ab. Students and faculty are encour-aged to bring their lunches and listen to DTE Energy reps talk about the panel installation.

Susan BielaAgora Reporter

Surrounded by a canopy of fall’s col-ored trees is one of the college’s campus treasures, the Hidden Pond.

The pond is tucked away in the wood-ed area behind the East Tech building.

To reach it, just cross the wooden bridge over Plum Creek behind the park-ing lot, turn to the right and follow the path.

“The pond is man-made,” according to Tracy Rayl, an MCCC biology professor.

Rayl and her students have taken aquatic insect samples from nearby Plum Creek for her class.

It was designed in the 1960s by the col-lege, as part of the natural preserve for students to study.

The pond is approximately one acre in size, v-shaped with a small beach on the south end.

It also is on the course of the Fitness Center’s 5-mile fitness run, but you

don’t have to be a runner to enjoy it.The area is home to all kinds of wild-

life, including many varieties of birds. Recently, a muskrat family was seen building a nest in the fallen trees.

Deer tracks have been seen around the paths and there are lots of fish in the pond.

Barry Kinsey, Director of Workforce Development, has been familiar with the pond for years.

“I used to take my kids out there fish-ing”, he said, before fishing was prohib-ited.

“We had to put up the ‘no-fishing’ signs for liability purposes,” Jim Blum-berg, Director of Maintenance, said.

That shouldn’t stop anyone from en-joying a stroll around the pond, he said, especially now with the leaves changing colors.

“The woods are so dense out there, you’ll feel like you are up north,” Blum-berg said.

It’s a chance to get away and have some peace and quiet without having to drive far, he said.

MCCCs plans are to keep this natural wildlife preserve undisturbed, so that an-imals and humans can enjoy the treasure for years to come.

Hidden treasureMCCC has a hidden pond on campus

Solar panel install may begin next month

Students heading to the polls Tuesday

Photo courtesy of DTE Energy

Solar panels, such as these panels from the recent Scio Township installation, will be installed on MCCC’s campus as part of DTE Energy’s SolarCurrents program.

More inside:•Summary of races.•Congres-sional debate.

— Page 6

By Chase Dowler Agora Reporter

Students at MCCC will be joining the rest of the county, state and nation voting next Tuesday, Nov. 2.

The campaign came right onto the MCCC campus last week, when Meyer Theater was the site of a debate between candidates for U.S. Congress in the 15th District.

An audience from all over southeast Michigan gathered to watch the candi-dates discuss a variety of important is-sues.

The race for the seat in the House of Rep-resentatives is between incum-bent John D. Dingell and Dr. Rob Steele.

The campaign to replace Mich-igan Gov. Jen-nifer Granholm tops the other items on the ballot.

Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero is the Democratic candidate and venture capi-talist Rick Snyder is the Republican.

The 17th District State Senate seat also is up for grabs, with Republican incum-bent Randy Richardville challenged by Democrat John Spencer.

Monroe County’s two state House seats also are being contested. In the 55th District, Rep. KathyAngerer couldn’t run because of term limits. Vying to replace her are Republican Rick Olson and Dem-ocrat Mike Smith.

In the 56th District, incumbent Demo-crat Rep. Kate Ebli is being challenged by Republican Dale Zorn, a member of the county Board of Commissioners.

Also on the ballot are two seats for the MCCC Board of Trustees. Incumbent board members William Bacarella and Joseph Bellino are being opposed by William Terassi.

See PANELS, Page 2

2 THE AGORA Editorial October 27, 2010

Christina ClarkAgora Reporter

Moonshine alcohol saved many thirsty Ameri-cans from the wrath of prohibition in the 1920’s. But could the distilled spirit help save us from our cur-rent energy crunch too?

Hooch, White Lightnin’, Mountain Dew, Moon-shine, or whatever the name may be, they are all the same basic thing. Ethanol.

Ethanol (ethyl alcohol) is the basic alcohol found in all alcoholic beverages. It can be easily made by anyone with a heat source, some copper tubing, water, field corn, and some baker’s yeast. There are ethanol stills that can be made as small as kitchen crock-pots, or as big as 55 gallon drums.

When ethanol is in its pur-est form it is very flammable, which makes it a viable alter-

nate fuel source. In 1840, it was already taking off in America as a lamp fuel. But when the Civil War came around, a tax was implemented on industrial alcohols such as ethanol. This made it no longer cost effective.

However, the industrial alcohol tax was repealed in 1906. When Henry Ford realized the fuel source had become much cheaper, he adapted his business plans.

Starting in 1908, all Ford Model T’s could have their engines converted to run off of ethanol.

In 1920, as America was adjusting to prohibition, the ethanol fuel dealers were accused of selling their product as a beverage. This killed the industrial al-cohol industry until more recent years.

E85 ethanol, used in modern Flex-Fuel vehicles, is a mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.

E85 fuel does not produce as much energy as gasoline does, but it does burn cleaner. A gasoline vehicle that normally gets 30 mpg would only get 20 mpg running on E85.

Ok, so it is not as powerful as gasoline, but it is cheaper to make. In a large moonshine still, ethanol can be made for as little as a dollar per gallon.

It does cost both money and time to convert your vehicle to run on a biofuel like ethanol, but there are kits being made to make the conversions more ef-ficient.

There are even home ethanol distilleries being manufactured. E-Fuel’s MicroFueler allows house-holds to make their own fuel. E-Fuels home fueling system, selling for well over $10,000, is a ground-breaking piece of technology.

E-Fuel’s newest product does not use corn to pro-duce fuel like moonshine stills. Instead, its MicroFu-sion Reactor will turn almost any organic waste into fuel for your vehicle.

It is easy to see the environmental advantage of this technology. However, until the technology be-comes a bit less costly, a few 55 gallon drums pro-ducing corn or grain ethanol seem like a viable al-ternative.

As for drinking the biofuel hooch, it can be done with the proper know-how, but is it worth it? If the temperature inside the still is not right, methanol is produced. Methanol is the stuff that makes people blind or even dead.

So you might want to keep that plan on the back-burner.

The first amendment to the Constitution allows any Ameri-can citizen the right to establish religion, the freedom of speech, the press, to peacefully assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka Kan-sas, led by Fred Phelps, have taken the amendment, as well as the word of God, twisted it around, and used it to hurt others for their cause.

According to their Web site, www.godhatesfags.com, the church began conducting peaceful demonstrations at military funerals to oppose “the fag lifestyle of soul-damning, nation-destroying filth.”

The church has conducted 44,318 demonstrations since June, 1991. One of these demon-strations was the funeral for Marine Matthew Snyder in 2006. The church posted a subsequent blog post on its Web site that further caused distress for his family.

Matthew’s father, Albert Snyder, had had enough. He took the church to court, receiving $11 million in damages for intentional conflict, emotional distress and invasion of

privacy. The award was later cut in half

when the Fourth Circuit Court of Ap-peals decided that the First Amendment covered the church’s protests.

“Phelps’ freedom of speech should have ended where it con-flicted with Snyder’s freedom to participate in his son’s fu-neral,” Sean Summers, Snyder’s attorney, told the court.

I agree with Summers’ statement. While the right to protest is indeed covered by the First Amendment, there is an appro-priate time and place to hold a protest. A soldier’s funeral is not it.

These “Christians” do not seem to care that the soldiers haven’t seen their families in months. Nor that the family has to deal with grieving and burying their loved one.

Anyone with tact, compassion or morals would feel for the families of the dead, respect the fallen, and give condolences.

But morals don’t seem to be up too high on Fred Phelps’ and his parishioners’ lists. Throughout their Web site, they post out-of-context Bible verses to support their beliefs.

For example: “And ye shall not walk in the manners of the nation, which I cast out before you: for they committed all these things, and therefore I abhorred them. Leviticus 20:13.

Earlier in this verse, it talks about not holding grudges, and love. It’s not about hate at all. But read like this, it sounds like an angry verse.

According to Godhatesfags.com, God hates gays, Jews, Muslims, Obama, priests, Bernie Mac, pro-choice activists, Sweden and America. Looks like God hates everyone except for Westboro.

But that’s just a Web site. According to the Bible, the “word

of God,” God loves his creation. He gave his only begotten son to save it, and cast the angel Lucifer out of heaven for not loving it.

The book of Moses says, “Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; but the power of my Only Begotten, I caused that he should be cast down.”

If Phelps wants to preach the word of God, he needs to preach all of it, not just the part that supports his ideas.

It’s not God who is doing the hating; it’s Fred Phelps. It’s pathetic the way he, and his “parishioners,” use the word of the Lord to justify their ongoing quest to spread hate.

I feel for the families of the soldiers, who have to endure the pain that this sad little man is bestowing upon them, and I find it worse that our court system is allowing all of it to happen.

Now don’t get me wrong. I am a strong proponent of the First Amendment. I believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and they should have the right to voice it. But everyone has the right to bury the dead too, and others should respect that.

This world has enough hate in it, and it spreads like a dis-ease. If the Supreme Court rules in their favor, they might as well be supporting the epidemic.

Westboro reminds me of the KKK, who hated African Americans; Hitler, who hated the Jews; and the Taliban, who hates anyone who is not Muslim. Westboro is no different than any other, racist, bigoted, or extreme religious group through-out history.

God and gays are not killing our soldiers. They are being killed by terrorists, extreme groups of people that have tak-en the word of their god, Allah, and turned it into something evil. Sound familiar? Allah didn’t preach war and hate. He preached peace and love.

The Christian Bible doesn’t preach hate, it preaches love and forgiveness, and while the Bible does explain the wrath of God, it does not say he hates humans.

The members of Westboro Baptist have no respect for our fallen soldiers. They are prejudiced against the gay and lesbian community, and they justify it all with God.

A thought for Westboro: If Americans are so evil, maybe the “church” should take its bigoted, twisted, hateful little group out of the United States, or better yet, practice what the Bible, the book that they revere so much, preaches.

“Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I [am] the LORD.” Leviticus 19:18.

Go Green Make your own moonshine

So sick of Snooki.Ever since the Jersey Shore came out, I

feel like I’m being stalked. Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi is stalking me.She’s on the radio, on the TV, on the

news, in the papers, on facebook, and you can completely forget about MTV and VH1.

South Park even recently spoofed the Jersey Shore and made Snooki out to be a tan, drinking, humping monster. Liter-ally.

And Snooki’s twitter response? “We’ve officially made it.”

Before I wrote this, I wanted to make sure I was fairly objective, and I decid-

ed to give the show’s newest season a shot. After 12 painful minutes of the second season’s premiere, I was done.

In the sec-ond season, the eight “guidos” and “guidettes” head to Florida to now corrode the shores of Miami.

One of my favorite lines sprung up three minutes in, during a commentary

from Snooki. While getting ready for Mi-ami she tells about her “amazing guerilla juicehead.”

In English translation, her boyfriend.“I really don’t want to cheat, like seri-

ously, I don’t want to, but if you’re go-ing to hand me a bottle of freakin’ So Co, like something just comes over me, I go crazy,” she proudly stated.

And now, MTV can’t keep all of Snoo-ki’s genius to themselves; VH1 is to host a reality TV show called, “Snookin’ for Love.”

Apparently the guerilla didn’t last long.It really makes me wonder what’s

coming next for MTV and VH1; who is

going to be the next “role model” for the increasingly younger and younger fan base.

It’s not just teenagers who watch MTV. When kids grow up watching those shows and see it on every media outlet, it becomes normal.

Girls getting punched in the face be-comes normal. Guys bringing home three girls a night becomes normal. Be-ing void of self-respect becomes normal.

Even more than becoming normal, it becomes glorified.

Snooki makes $30,000 per episode, so if young girls act like Snooki . . . you can fill in the blanks.

I’m not saying they need to ban shows like the Jersey Shore; that would be ri-diculous. But to create so much hysteria over eight overly-tan train wrecks is ab-solutely disgusting.

Chase DowlerAgora Reporter

The MicroFusion Reactor made by E-Fuel will turn almost any organic waste into fuel for your vehicle.

used directly by the college, Blumberg said. The power will be used by the com-munity as a whole.

“This will be a great learning oppor-tunity for our students, knowing that we will be having an operational solar panel array on our campus; especially for our future alternative energy course offer-ings and existing electronics/ power tech-nology programs at the college,” Peter Coomar, MCCC’s dean of the Industrial Technology Division, wrote in an email.

Coomar also wrote about the useful-ness of the information kiosk that will report the output characteristics for the solar panel array in real time.

Students in the construction manage-ment area of MCCC’s tech division will also be able to learn about the installation and maintenance of the panels.

The solar project requires customers to participate for 20 years. It will be owned, installed, operated, and maintained by Detroit Edison. Customers will receive an annual payment or credit on their en-ergy bill based on the system size, as well as a one-time, upfront construction pay-ment to cover any inconvenience during installation.

MCCC and Detroit Edison announced

their signing of the 20-year agreement in July.

Along with the solar installation at MCCC, one that is similar will be hosted by the Ford Motor Company at its assem-bly plant in Wayne, as well as a $1 mil-lion, 200-kilowatt solar installation that will be built on the roof of a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan parking struc-ture in Detroit.

A 60-watt solar installation on DTE Energy property in Scio Township will be completed next month. It is replacing a photovoltaic installation that had previ-ously been completed in 1996.

“MCCC and Ford are the two largest systems that are participating right now,” Simons said.

“Future generations will benefit even more—as time goes by, the more elec-tricity generated by the sun means less from coal which will reduce the carbon foot print,” Nixon said about the benefits of having the solar panels on campus.

“In the meantime we will learn how many new and different types of jobs will be created to manufacture and install so-lar panels.”

The Township Planning Commission will review the solar panel project at their Nov. 8 meeting.

EditorMarissa Beste

Assistant EditorTyler Eagle

News EditorMorgan Hofbauer

PhotographerDenise Kukwa

Staff Christina Clark

Chase DowlerDarin CursonSusan BielaJeff Papworth

AdviserDan Shaw

Staff Members The Agora Editorial Policy

The Agora is published by the students of Monroe County Community College, 1555 S. Raisinville Rd., Monroe, MI, 48161. The editorial office is located in Room 202 of the Life Sciences Bldg., (734) 384-4186, [email protected].

Editorial policy: Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of The Agora staff. Signed columns represent the opinion of the writer. All letters to the editor must include a signa-ture, address and phone number for verifica-tion purposes. The Agora reserves the right to edit for clarity, accuracy, length and libel.

The Agora is a student-managed newspa-per that supports a free student press and is a member of the Michigan Community College Press Association, the Michigan Collegiate Press Association, the Michigan Press Association, College Media Advisers, Associated Collegiate Press and the Student Press Law Center.

Story suggestions are welcome. Let us know what you’d like to see in The Agora - it’s your newspaper.

Submissions of stories or photos also are welcome. E-mail them to [email protected] or bring them to our office.

Continued from Page 1

Morgan HofbauerAgora Reporter

All the hysteria over Snooki is disgustingWhen kids grow up watching those shows and see it on

every media outlet, it becomes normal.

Photo courtesy of E-Fuel

First Amendment twisted to hurtful uses by church

Panels among four in state

If Americans are so evil, maybe the “church” should take its big-oted, twisted, hateful little group out of the United States.

October 27, 2010 Campus News THE AGORA 3

Agora photo by Denise Kukwa

Jacob Atem, one of the “lost boys of Sudan,” stands in front of the MCCC cafeteria after speaking on his survival of the Sudan civil war.


Jacob Atem was about 6 years old when he and his cousin traveled away from their village in Marr, Sudan to tend their family’s herd.

They were still close enough to see clouds of smoke and hear gunshots as their village burned and their family was murdered.

The two boys fled quietly into the woods nearby. After three days and with no other choice, they be-gan walking across the African desert in search of safety.

They faced wild animals, war, starvation and thirst, and they survived.

Atem, one of the 27,000 “lost boys of Sudan,” was invited by the Newman Club to speak at MCCC about his survival of the Darfur genocide and the Sudanese Second Civil War.

The “lost boys” is the term used to describe the human exodus of young boys that survived the war, while men and women were killed and girls were enslaved.

As they walked, they discovered other boys. To-gether, they covered thousands of miles barefoot over the course of years, surviving by eating mud and drinking urine.

“This is not in a movie; this is reality,” Atem said. “What happened to us should not happen to any-body.”

At one point in their journey, Atem was sleeping while his cousin took watch, Atem wrote in an au-tobiography.

Atem was woken by hard slap to the head by his cousin, to discover that a lion had entered their camp.

While running away through the dark, Atem ran into a broken branch of a tree that penetrated his leg so deep that he could see his own bone.

“There was no hospital, no first aid kit, but there was Michael and he helped me until my leg healed,” Atem wrote. “Today, I look at the scar on my leg and think of all Michael and I went through.”

When the boys crossed into Ethiopia, they prob-ably thought they had reached safety, yet they were turned away and forced back into the afflicted ter-rain of Sudan.

Crossing the country once again, the boys headed south to Kenya. Atem and his cousin stayed in one of the many Kenyan refugee camps until Atem was 15.

The Darfur genocide has claimed the lives of over 400,000 civilians, and the Civil War has claimed 1.9 million, including Atem’s parents and many of his siblings.

Atem brought with him three objects to the pre-sentation: a binder containing a photo, and two books – one relatively new and one tattered.

The photo, Atem explained, was of his cousin, Michael. Michael carried 6-year-old Atem on their dangerous journey when he could no longer walk.

“I don’t know how much you love your cousin, or how much you love your family, but hopefully you’re able to love your family as my cousin does,” he said. “If he didn’t carry me, where would I be? I probably wouldn’t be speaking at Monroe County Community College.”

The tattered book was a copy of the Bible that Atem got when the boys made it to Ethiopia, written in his African language. Atem carried it with him the

rest of his journey.“I cannot say I made it by myself without the help

of God,” he said. “I’m not trying to convert any-body, but I am very appreciative of my Bible and what God has done for me in my life.”

The newer book is an American hymnal that Atem bought once he and his cousin made it to the United States eight years later.

Atem has presented at many schools and recently spoke at the United Nations.

Virginia Mitchell, an expert on the Darfur geno-cide and a cofounder of the Michigan Darfur Coali-tion, presented first to give students a brief history of Sudan.

The northern half of Sudan is primarily Arabic Muslims and holds the government forces, whereas the south is primarily Black Christians and holds the country’s major supply of oil.

The Sudanese Second Civil War started with the north’s attempt to convert South Sudan to Islam.

When Sharia (Islamic) law was imposed, Sudan President Omar Bashir called in the help of an Ara-bic militia group, the Janjaweed, to further impose radical Islamic beliefs on the South.

“The Janjaweed come in on horseback, burn the villages, rape and kill the women and men, and that’s when people start to flee,” Mitchell said.

The U.S. has inter-vened in the past.

U.S. President Bill Clinton sent missiles into Sudan to bomb a pharmaceutical plant which the CIA believed was making nerve gas to use against their own citizens, and in 2005 the Bush Administration helped to bring about a peace agreement.

The agreement was signed in 2005 and marked the end of the Sudanese civil war.

In January 2011, Sudan will vote whether to con-tinue as one country, or separate into two.

“Most of the international community feels that if

this goes through, and the South decides they want to be their own country, that it will spark another civil war unlike anything we’ve ever seen before,” Mitchell said.

Despite the peace agreement, the separate issue of the Darfur genocide continues today.

When Atem began his presentation, he talked about the difference between the Darfur genocide and the Sudanese civil war.

The civil war was an attempt by the North to take over the South and convert the Christians to Mus-lims, but Darfur is located in the North and is al-ready primarily Muslim.

Atem said the problem in Darfur is fueled more by race than religion.

“So another issue you want to add in the Sudan issue is identity,” Atem said. “Who is true black and who is true Arab? It’s not a matter of Christian and Muslim anymore.”

Darfur rebel groups have opposed the government for their actions in the South; one group attacked a government airbase in 2000.

The Darfur revolts were met with a scorched earth campaign by the Sudanese government, starting the attack on Darfur that has continued for eight years.

In 2003, more than two million people needed help and U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powel declared the at-tack on Darfur as geno-cide.

Mitchell said this is important because in 1950 an international law was passed stating that if genocide was de-clared, countries bound by the law must step in and prevent it.

Despite Powel’s declaration, several leading coun-tries including China, backed by the United Nations, argued that the issue did not constitute as genocide and no international action was needed. According to the Washington Post, China has invested heavily into Sudan’s oil business.

In 2008 the International Criminal Court declared genocide and many agencies responded. Two war-rants have been issued against President Bashir since, but he still remains in power today.

U.S. President Obama, several members of U.S. Congress, and celebrities like George Clooney, have worked to raise awareness of Darfur.

Aid programs like the International Rescue Com-mittee are working to bring the “Lost Boys of Su-dan” to the United States.

Atem and his cousin were selected to come to the U.S. when Atem was 15. He described the transition as a cultural shock.

“Everything was confusing. I came during snow and it was freezing cold,” he said. “It was shocking dealing with the kids, the students who would make fun of you in high school for not speaking English.”

He said he couldn’t understand how people talked through the TV or how a telephone worked. When he first saw a “dead end” sign, he thought you would never die, because it said dead end.

“When they said man has walked on the moon, I said, ‘OK, I might be from Africa, but why you try to punk me?’” he said with a laugh.

Since then, he has graduated from high school, has earned a bachelor’s degree from Spring Arbors College, and currently is working on his master’s in Public Health from Michigan State University.

The Lost Boys use the phrase, “education is our mother and father.”

“As college students, I have a challenge for you,” Atem said.

His challenge was simply to stay in college.

“If you are from America, there is no excuse. You have to go and get your education,” Atem said. “I hope at this point you are not thinking to drop out.”

Atem has co-founded and is president of the Southern Sudan Healthcare Organization.

The organization is raising money to build a health-care facility in the Southern Sudan city of Marr, where Atem grew up.

Atem returned recently to Marr and was able to see some of his relatives. Two women from the vil-lage had been bitten by snakes and came to Atem for help, further motivating him to build the facility.

The organization already has raised $36,000. Atem said he needs help from college students for ideas to fundraise for his organization.

To contact Atem with ideas, email him at [email protected].

Atem said students can help in many other ways as well; by joining SSHO from their website or on Facebook, by forming rallies on the issue, by talking to members of Congress, or by simply raising self-awareness.

“We need more awareness,” he said. “It’s up to you now to decide what can you do and how can you help.”

His final suggestion for students was to be appre-ciative of their lives.

“When was the last time you looked at the leaves of a tree? How many meals do you eat a day?” Atem said. “If you go home tonight to your mom or to your apartment, say thank God that I have even a refrigerator.”

Additionally, he said faith has been beneficial and important to him and many other lost boys.

“We believe God has protected us for a reason. We came to America, and here I am to share my testi-mony,” Atem said. “To me, it’s a miracle.”

“We can let go of everything, but our faith we can never,” he said.

‘Lost boy of Sudan’ speaks at MCCC

Tyler EagleAgora Reporter

The dedication celebration of the River Rai-sin National Battlefield Park took place today on MCCC’s campus.

The event was held in The La-Z-Boy Cen-ter, starting with a reception at 10 a.m. in the atrium, and finishing with a presentation in the Meyer Theatre.

The celebration honored the now official landmark status of the battlefield, which was the site of one of the deadliest battles of the War of 1812.

Several local and state politicians attended, including Monroe Mayor Robert Clark, State Sen. Randy Richardville and former Mayor Mark Worrell. U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, and U.S. Rep. John Dingell were the keynote speakers.

A wide blend of citizens attended the event.

Several citizens dressed up in colonial garb, with women wearing traditional outfits circa 1800, and men in costume as United States soldiers from the era.

Karianne Kidd, an MCCC student who at-tended the reception, found the people who attended to be the most interesting part of the

celebration.“I really don’t know a whole lot about the

battle, but it was pretty funny to look up one minute and see people dressed as soldiers with muskets and spears walk through the doors of the college,” Kidd said.

Battlefield park dedication held at MCCC

Agora StaffThe International Studies club is gearing up for the Study

Abroad 2011 trip with two fundraising events.On Friday, Oct. 29, the club will present a rock concert fea-

turing the Capaul band and the Unknown Legends.The show will begin at 8 p.m. in the Meyer Theatre, located

in the La-Z-Boy Center.

Tickets are $4 at the door.

For more infor-mation on each band, visit Face-book.com.

The second event, the MCCC Turkey Trot, is a low-cost road/cross-country race that will span the MCCC Main Campus.

Participants will receive free re-freshments and a finisher’s medal, as well as be entered in door prize draw-ings. Late regis-

trants are not guaranteed a medal.Pre-registration is $10 by Nov. 6, and late registration, in-

cluding day of race, is $15.Registration will begin at 8:30 a.m. in front of the Welch

Health Education Building.Proceeds for both events will go toward the 2011 Study

Abroad Program trip to Eastern Europe.For more information on either event, contact Joanna Sabo

at [email protected] or 734-384-4297.

International Studies Club to host two fundraising events

Photos by Ashley Locke for the Agora

Above: The MCCC College/Community Symphony Band was featured during the pre-sentation.

Left: Tom and Shirley Lons-dale and Jerry and Ross Gro-ver stand guard in the La-Z-Boy Center atrium.

“This is not a movie; this is reality. What happened to us should not happen to any-body.” Jacob Atem

“The Janjaweed come in on horseback, burn the villages, rape and kill the women and men, and that’s when people start to flee.” Virginia Mitchell

“We can let go of everything, but our faith we can never.”

Jacob Atem

4 THE AGORA Campus News October 27, 2010

Christina ClarkAgora Reporter

October 31st is known to most Ameri-cans as the day for costumes, tricks, treats, and friendly frights, but originally Hal-loween was the night most people would not dare venture outdoors.

In today’s 21st century world, Halloween is considered by many to be one of the “Hallmark Holidays” along with Valen-tine’s and Sweetest Day. It is meant to line the pockets of candy corpo-rations and den-tist’s offices.

In the days surrounding Hal-loween, carved pumpkins grin from doorsteps, a back-yard turns into a cemetery, and adver-tisements for monster movie marathons and haunted houses hog up television and radio commercial slots.

Halloween has been turned into a day meant to scare and creep, but this holiday has deep roots that date back 2000 years to the Druids, a Celtic culture out of Ireland.

Halloween originated from three festi-vals; the Celtic feast of Samhain, and two Roman festivals- Feralia, and Pomona.

The festival of Panoma honored the Ro-man goddess of fruit and trees. Bobbing for apples was thought to derive from Po-mona.

The feast of Samhain and festival Fe-ralia were two practices commemorating the dead.

Literally translated, Samhain mean “summer’s end.” This autumn feast was celebrated on the last day of the Celtic cal-endar, October 31st, and was referred to as All Hallows Eve.

The Celts believed that All Hallows Eve was the day that the spirits of the dead could return to the earth plane.

To appease any lurking evil spirits, the Celts would

leave out gifts and treats. This would ensure that these spirits would stay out of their homes and that their crops the next year would be full and plenty. This tradition,

along with “soul-ing” came together to

form trick-or-treating. Souling was done

on Nov. 2. Christians would go door to door

begging for soul cakes in exchange for prayers for the dead.

Trick-or-treating and being outside on Halloween night is a common sight today, but back in the time of the Druids, people would stay indoors in fear of evil spirits.

If they were forced to leave their homes they would pro-tect themselves from spirits by adorning masks and cos-tumes in hopes that the spirits would mistake the living as one of their own.

To keep these spirits out of their homes, many Celts would carve menacing faces into turnips and leave them on doorsteps. This tradition

began with the legend of a young smith named Jack O’Lantern.

Jack O’Lantern made a pact with the devil during a gambling match that the devil would never take his soul. Years later, when Jack died, he was denied en-trance into heaven because of his lewd and drunken ways, but he also was not allowed into hell because of his earlier pact.

Jack’s spirit was condemned to roam the dark hills and countryside of Ireland for an eternity. His only possession was a gouged turnip and burning coal which he uses to light his way to this day.

Over time the turnips and other smaller gorges were replaced with the pumpkin because they are much easier to carve.

As time passed Christians began trying to convert the Celts and Pa-gans. Pope Gregory II moved the holiday All Saints Day to No-vember 1st in hopes to down-play the traditions of Samhain.

They failed, and the holiday of Samhain lives on to this day as the fun, festive,

horror-filled holiday known as Halloween.


While researching the Holo-caust for a historical fiction novel, Charles Weinblatt discovered that nearly two entire generations of his maternal extended family per-ished under the Nazi’s rule.

His grandfather was the only sibling of seven to survive.

For three years, Weinblatt con-ducted research and applied it into the novel, “Jacob’s Courage,” which tells of two young adult Jews struggling for their love and their lives during a time of brutal-ity.

Weinblatt will be discussing his book and his research on Oct. 27 at the Whitman Center.

Weinblatt worked at University of Toledo before his retirement, where he was a colleague of San-dra Kosmyna, the Director of the Whitman Center. The two were also colleagues through Goodwill Industries.

“I knew that he wrote a histori-cal novel on the Holocaust and asked him if he would speak on the topic,” Kosmyna said.

Weinblatt became an author in 2007 when he was forced into retirement by degenerative disc disease.

After several painful proce-dures he could no longer continue working at an office, Weinblatt posted on his web blog.

“At age 51, I had to step away from a wonderful career,” he

posted.He could, however, still think

and type on a laptop, which led him to write “Jacob’s Courage.”

The presentation will be on Oct. 27 from 7-8 p.m. in Whitman #4.

Philip Markowicz, a Holocaust survivor and a friend of Weinblatt, was originally going to co-present the event, but had to cancel after his wife became ill.

Kosmyna said students need to know how inhumane, cruel and biased the Nazi’s were.

“Hearing from an . . . author who has done significant research on the topic will make the horrific experience come to life,” she said.

She said she also thinks it gives students an opportunity to exam-ine their own behavior.

The Whitman Center also has a display on exhibit through Oct. 30 called “Dr. Seuss Wants You,” from the Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education in Cin-cinnati.

Aside from writing children’s books, Theodor Seuss Geisel cre-ated more than 400 political car-toons between 1941 and 1943 for the PM Newspaper in New York.

Dr. Seuss especially targeted the Nazis and Hitler in his analyti-cal cartoons.

“He was passionate about many social and political issues and throughout his life he often incor-porated the themes of his political cartoons . . . into his children’s works,” she said.

Susan BielaAgora Reporter

The Agora Chorale and Col-lege Community Band show-cased a blend of international music for the opening night of the 2010-2011 season.

Titled “Music Near and Far,” the band played music from a va-riety of cultures. The Meyer The-atre had more than 500 people in attendance.

The audience was first treated to the beautiful and sometimes subdued spiritual hymns sung by the choir and led by choir direc-tor, Catherine Brodie.

After a brief intermission, the concert band, led by Mark Felder, thrilled the crowd by playing lively Japanese and Ital-ian marches.

For the encore performance, the band surprised the audi-ence with a never before heard march by John Phillip Sousa en-titled, “The Library of Congress March.”

Sousa was composing this march when he died, and the Li-brary of Congress commissioned a Sousa expert to complete the piece.

This was the first of four con-certs planned for the coming sea-son.

Two of the upcoming concerts will be joint appearances with

both the choir and the concert band and two will be separate ap-pearances.

The chorale consists of 48 members and the concert band has 87 members. The entire en-semble is made up of college stu-dents and community members and has been in existence since the college started in the 1960’s.

Felder said the concerts are one of the best kept secrets at the college.

“It gives the students a chance to play with a professional group,” Felder said.

Chorale, band showcase talent in season opener

The next band concert is Dec. 13 and the chorale will sing the next evening, Dec. 14. Both events will be held at the Meyer Theatre at 7:30 p.m. Con-certs are free and open to the public.

The choir concert will be in conjunction with “Toys for Tots,” a program sponsored by the Marine Corps that gathers toys for needy children.

Marine representatives will be on hand to accept any gifts donated by concert-goers.

Photo courtesy of MCCC

Mark Felder conducts the College/Community Symphony Band in a never-before-heard march by John Phillip Sousa, entitled, “The Library of Congress March.”

Photo courtesy of MCCC

The Agora Chorale, led by Catherine Brodie, per-form in the Meyer Theater.

Some Halloween history Whitman to host Holocaust author Charles Weinblatt to speak Oct. 27

MCCC student Stephanie Weis-

becker is directed by a nurse to raise

her arm after giving blood Oct. 26.

Weisbecker donated blood for her sixth

time.“I’m trying to beat my grandpa,” she said. Her grandpa

has donated around 12 gallons of blood.

Photo by Marissa Beste

Self leads Student GovernmentChristina ClarkAgora Reporter

Holly Self was elected as the student body president for this school year.

The Student Government elec-tion was held Oct. 5. Seats open for student government included the president and vice president slots, secretary and treasurer, as well as Co-Liaisons, and Co-His-torians.

According to Holly Self, the election was announced at the Welcome Back Barbeque, which took place on Sept. 14. Anyone who wanted to run went to an in-troductory meeting in the Student Government room, located in The

Cellar.The candidates were nominat-

ed by everyone at the meeting, then a paper ballot was given out.

Along with Self as the new president, the new vice president is Jimmy Dean Frye Jr. Brooke Sweeney took the Secretary po-sition. Nathan Lyke will be in charge of finances this year as the treasurer. Courtney Salliotte and Christopher Holmes share the Co-Liaisons positions, and elected Co-Historians are Paula Anders and Travis Durkin.

Self said Student Government is here for the students.

“Contact us if you have a question, concern, opinion or idea,” she said. “We are here to help you. We can get something done.”

“We are here to help you. We can get some-thing done.”

Holly Self

October 27, 2010 Campus News THE AGORA 5

Cuisine 1300 opens for FallTyler EagleAgora Reporter

Cuisine 1300, the restaurant run by MCCC’s culi-nary program, opened its doors October 15.

Cuisine 1300, which is run by second year culi-nary student and overseen by instructors Vicki La Valle and Keith Thomas, is located in A-Building near the guidance office.

Students work various positions in the restaurant, and are scheduled on a rotation schedule. A student could be the maitre d’ one day end up being the dishwasher the next. Students can also be the pastry chef of the day or being selected to serve customers tableside.

Chef La Valle thinks its good for the students to go through this rotation and that it is important for them to understand all aspects of a restaurant.

“It’s a lot work; it’s not always glamorous,” La Valle said.

First year students also participate in the restau-rant. They learn the basics and also get to make the desserts and breads sold in the restaurant.

The restaurant has a continental cuisine theme, with varying types of food on the menu. Some items include sesame crusted tuna, and smoked lamb chops. There are several salads on the menu, such as lobster chiffonade salad and warm brussel sprout salad. There is also grilled swordfish and chicken penne pasta on the menu.

La Valle praises the creativity and precision that goes along with each dish.

“The students put a personal touch on even the lit-tlest things,” La Valle said.

The smaller first course selections on the menu range from $4-7, while the larger second courses cost anywhere from $8-14. Cuisine 1300 only ac-cepts cash or personal check as payment methods.

La Valle is proud of what Cuisine 1300 accom-plishes with the culinary students.

“Educating future chefs of America, that’s what we’re here for,” La Valle said.

Reservations are required to dine and can be made by calling the campus cashier at (734) 384-4231. Guest of the restaurant have the choice of two seat-ings, one at 11:30 a.m. and another at 11:45 a.m.

Seatings can be made for a single person, or as many as ten people. The restaurant can seat 35 peo-ple a day comfortably, so people are encouraged to make reservations as early as possible.

Patrons of the restaurant should expect a dining experience to take at least an hour, as it is a learning environment. Second year students prepare most of the food, manage the restaurant and also decide the menu.


MCCC was represented by 28 political science students at the annual Michigan Student Political Is-sues Conference.

The conference took place on Oct. 1 at Henry Ford Community College.

Colleges from across Michigan were in atten-dance, with 685 students from six community col-leges as well as larger universities like Wayne State and University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Students who participated in the conference at-tended two general sessions, as well two workshops that the students got to choose.

The workshops focused on several different politi-cal issues, ranging from taxation to military opera-tions.

Dr. Joanna Sabo, a political science professor

“After going to the conference, I think everyone has an obligation to vote.”

Addison HendrickMCCC student

MCCC, presented her own workshop to students on the war in Afghanistan.

The workshop included a presentation of Afghani-stan’s political climate, a discussion on the country’s current president, and a forum where students talked about their views on the war.

MCCC student Amanda Sharpe found Sabo’s workshop to be extremely interesting.

“Dr. Sabo’s session was eye opening. It was infor-mative and revealed a lot of statistics about Afghani-stan,” Sharpe said.

“It also allowed us to converse with those who both agreed and disagreed with our opinions. Being that the war in the Middle East is such a critical is-sue, it was important that we were able to discuss it with other students and get a chance to look at another aspect.”

The main point of the conference, however, was the caucusing sessions in which students took part. Students were broken down into several groups and placed in a room with people from different col-leges.

During the caucusing stage, students discussed the issues they talked about in the 18 workshops that were going on and then voted on what issues they would like politicians to address.

Addison Hendrick found caucusing to be the most interesting part of the conference.

“My caucus room was really diverse, and it was really cool to be able to hear all of the differ-

ent opinions that everyone had. I was surprised by what some people were more concerned with. My room voted on a lot of issues, but global warming had almost double the votes than any other issue,” Hendrick said.

The issue that was deemed most important, which was calculated after taking all the results from the caucus rooms, was the rising cost of higher educa-tion, which had 153 student votes.

The issue of unemployment and jobs closely fol-lowed, with 144 students votes.

A booth was present to help students registered to vote before the November elections.

Hendrick took advantage of the opportunity and is glad she did.

“After listening to all of the issues out there, I was pretty happy to be able to register to vote. After go-ing to the conference, I think everyone has an obli-gation to vote.” Hendrick said.

MCCC class attends political conference

Photo courtest of MCCC

The Ahi Tuna is one of the eight first courses Cui-sine 1300 offers this semester.

Agora photo by Tyler Eagle

Chef Kevin Thomas, one of the Culinary Arts Instructors, looks over a menu in the Cuisine 1300 restaurant.

Club Culinaire is holding a bake sale on Friday, Oct. 29, starting at 10 a.m. A stand will be set up outside of the Cuisine 1300 dining room with halloween treats prepared by MCCC Club Culinaire members.

BrieflyAudition for new dance company

MCCC’s new dance company, Inside Out Dance Ensemble, is holding auditions for its first season Nov. 5 and 6.

Auditions on Friday Nov. 5 will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., and on Saturday Nov. 6 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. They will take place in the Health building, room 139.

The company is under the direction of adjunct dance profes-sor Kellie Lajiness, who is looking for experienced male and female dancers for the 2010-2011 season.

Dancers should bring a current headshot and resume to their audition, and be prepared for a short class with repertory to follow.

Improve interview skillsMCCC is participating in an event at Davis College to help

improve graduating students and alumni with their networking and interviewing skills.

The event is open to 10 participants who must submit their resume to Barry Kinsey, director of Workforce Development, and meet with him prior to the event. Registration is required; contact [email protected] for more information.

A professional trainer will lead the session and 15 human resource managers will help attendees practice what they’ve learned.

Nursing granted max accreditationMCCC’s associate degree in nursing program has been

granted the maximum accreditation term of eight years.An evaluation team representing the National League for

Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC) made the an-nouncement Oct. 21 in a preliminary oral report, after a com-prehensive on-site evaluation visit took place.

The next continuing accreditation site visit will take place in Fall 2018.

Community book chosenThe vote is in and the book has been chosen for this com-

ing year’s One Book, One Community project. The winning selection is entitled: “The Color of Water – A Black Man’s Tribute to his White Mother” by James McBride.


Head of Security Billy Myers wants stu-dents to be more conscious of their safety when on campus.

Myers, a retired police officer with 33 years as a sheriff ’s deputy under his belt, as well as 15 years at MCCC, feels that a lot of the crime that happens on campus can be avoided.

The crime that seems to grab most stu-dents’ attention is petty theft, which is the stealing of personal property with a value less than $1,000. Laptops seem to be the most commonly stolen item, while iPods and cell phones are less likely targets, ac-cording to Myers.

Most petty thefts that occur can be attrib-uted to negligence on the victim’s part, My-ers said. Leaving cars unlocked or things in plain sight can lead to theft, as well as leav-ing things unattended.

“To some people, things in plain view are fair game. 90 percent of thefts are based on opportunity,” Myers said.

“If you leave it out, someone is going to pick it up,” Myers added.

Since the beginning of the fall semes-ter, there has been one incident of larceny, which occurred in the campus bookstore on September 7. Two suspects were in-volved in the larceny.

One suspect entered the bookstore, moved a book to an empty shelf, and then proceeded to leave the store. A second sus-pect entered the store, picked up the book from the empty shelf and then placed it un-der his shirt.

An employee noticed that the second sus-pect had the book, and, when approached, the second suspect ran toward the parking lot.

While MCCC has not seen violent crime in a long time, there is a lot of car damage reported to the security office, especially cars parked in Lot 7, the lot by the library.

For 2010 fall semester, one incident of car damage has been reported to the col-lege. The incident took place on the Whit-man Campus, where a car was dented while parked in the south lot.

Myers cites the reason for damage to be unintentional, but places blame the negli-gence on the student’s part.

“Everyone is trying to get into that lot. It’s the busiest lot on campus. People are in a hurry to get in the lot and find a space, and that can lead to damages. Sometimes peo-ple don’t realize their car is damaged until later,” Myers said.

The biggest thing Myers would like to emphasize for students is to stay in groups

when on campus after dark. Security tries to be on campus when students are present.

“We’re not here to protect the buildings. We’re here to protect the students; we’re here to protect the staff,” Myers said.

Students are advised to head to their cars right after class is over, and for those stu-dents who are waiting for rides, Myers asks that you wait in buildings, which are open until the last class of the day is over.

Myers also advocates that students con-tact security when someone suspicious looking is on campus.

“Think of safety for your own good. Sometimes people fall into a false sense of security. Why take a chance?” Myers said.

According to Penny Bodell, the adminis-trative assistant to Randy Daniels, there are plans in development to begin posting inci-dent reports on the college website.

Are MCCC students safe?Security chief wants students to be more careful


Head of Security Bill Myers can often be found patrolling the campus in one of the Cam-pus Security vehicles.

6 THE AGORA Campus News October 27, 2010

Darin CursonAgora Reporter

And the results are in!A survey conducted by the Community Col-

lege Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), is designed to provide accurate information about the practice of education in colleges.

The survey also helps institutions decide how to market student learning and other is-sues on campus.

To put it more simply, the survey helps the college figure out what areas need improve-ment.

The CCSSE takes the participating colleges and puts them in a group with other institu-tions with similar data. This adds to the total number of institutions and students participat-ing, which in turn gives out more reliable data.

According to the CCSSE overview:“Student engagement, or the amount of

time and energy students invest in meaning-ful educational practices, is the underlying foundation for CCSSEs work. CCSSEs sur-vey instrument is designed to capture student engagement as a measure of institutional qual-ity.”

The CCSSE has about 658 institutions par-ticipating in the annual surveys.

They then determine whether the institution is small, medium, large, or extra-large, and also if it is urban-serving, suburban-serving or

rural-serving. MCCC falls under the medium size, rural-

serving categories. There are 11 different items that were sur-

veyed, including; gender, age, race, inter-national students, enrollment status, limited English speaking students, educational attain-ment, credit hours earned, grades, external commitments and first-generation status.

A total number of 596 students turned in us-able surveys for MCCC.

A brief summary of the results:Gender: There are 20 percent more females

than males on campus.Age: With the range being 18 to 65 years

old, ninety percent are between 18 to 39 years old, seventy one percent are 18 to 24 years old

Race: 89 percent of students are Caucasian, 2 percent Hispanic/Latino/Spanish, 2 percent African American, and 1 percent Asian.

International Students: 2 percent of students said they are international students.

Enrollment Status: 26 percent of students are attending part-time, whereas 74 percent attend full-time.

Limited English Speaking Students: 1.6 per-cent of students don’t speak English as a first language.

Educational Attainment: 78 percent of stu-dents start college here and 73 percent show their highest level of education is a high

school diploma or GED.Credit Hours Earned: 41 percent of stu-

dents have less than 15 credit hours while 17 percent have completed at least, if not more than 15 credit hours.

Grades: 38 percent of students said they have earned grades of B+ or higher. 3 percent said to have earned grades of C- or lower.

External Commitments: 54 percent of stu-dents work 21 or more hours per week, 78 per-cent spend 1 to 5 hours commuting to class.

First-Generation Status: 43 percent of students said their parents haven’t earned more than a high school diploma and never had college experience.

The information given by this survey gives MCCC help when it comes to knowing who attends the institution and how to market to the specific target group.


MCCC has kicked off the first round of the tenth an-nual Student Mathematics League Competition.

The nation-wide compe-tition, hosted by the Ameri-can Mathematical Associa-tion of Two-Year Colleges, offers a winning prize of a $3,000 scholarship to be used at a 4-year transfer in-stitution.

All students who have not yet received a two-year de-gree or higher are eligible to enter and students can still enter until Oct. 30.

The competition began in 1970 at Nassau Community College in New York and MCCC has participated since

Fall semester of 2000. An MCCC student has finished as high as 3rd in the state.

The competition is split into two rounds, one in the Fall semester and the other in the Winter semester. The students with the best over-all scores from both rounds will win the scholarship.

The MCCC Math and Science Society sponsors an additional award for the MCCC student who scores the highest overall. In the past, awards have been cash prizes of $200-$250.

The winners will be an-nounced before the end of the Winter semester, and scores for the first round will be available in Novem-ber.

Chase DowlerAgora Reporter

Republican candidate Rick Snyder is running for governor with the campaign slogan, “one tough nerd.”

Snyder is a venture capitalist who graduated with three degrees from the University of Michigan at age 23. His career eventually led him to be president of Gate-way Computer Co.

His campaign is largely based on being “The Job Creator.” He was appointed in 1999 by Gov-ernor Engler as first chair of the Michigan Economic Develop-ment Corp.

Democrat candidate Virg Ber-nero is in his fifth year as mayor of Lansing, Michigan’s sixth largest city. He has been called “America’s Angriest Mayor” by CNN for his fiery rhetoric.

Bernero emphasizes his role in erasing Lansing’s $40 million dollar budget deficit without in-creasing taxes and says he can do the same thing on the state level.U.S. House of Representatives, 15th District

Democrat John D. Dingell is seeking his record setting 29th term as congressman. He was first elected when his father, John D. Dingell Sr., died in 1955. The Dingell’s have held the 15th con-gressional district since 1933.

One of the best known laws written by Dingell is the Clean Air Act of 1990.

Dingell was appointed Chair-man Emeritus on the House En-ergy and Commerce Committee in 2009. He has used this title to keep health insurance reform, climate change, and food safety legislation moving through the lawmaking process.

Dr. Rob Steele, a cardiologist who operates a private practice in Washtenaw County, is the Republican candidate trying to take down Dingell’s empire. He has been a member of the Heri-tage Foundation for over twenty years, and is a lifetime member of the NRA.

Dr. Steele’s long career in the medical field gives him firsthand experience to deal with healt care reform. The doctor, who has performed over 15,000 cardiac catheterization procedures, is riding the wave of the Tea Par-ty movement. Steele’ opposes the level of federal spending that has been occurring.

State Senate, 17th DistrictDemocrat John Spencer stresses that jobs are his top priority. He

is a first-time politician as he campaigns for a seat in the state senate.Spencer is the president of Great Lakes Metal Finishing. He is a for-

mer UAW member who has a passion for manufacturing. He believes that in order to turn the economy around we need to produce better goods, which will create more jobs.

Incumbent republican Randy Richardville is seeking his second term as state senator. Before being elected senator, Richardville served

three terms in the state House of Representatives.He considers himself uniquely qualified for the job because he has

experience in both business and legislative practices. He previously worked for the City of Monroe as Economic Development Director, giving him experience dealing with the local economy.

State House of Representatives, 56th DistrictRepublican Dale Zorn is campaigning for a position as State Rep-

resentative. He has a history of working for the community. Zorn has been a county commissioner since 1991. He is a pro-life supporter who says he believes in the U.S. Constitution.

Incumbent Democrat State Rep. Kate Ebli is determined to bring jobs created by renewable energy to the area. She is a strong believer in

the Second Amendment and is also pro-life. Ebli wants to put an end to the import of Canadian garbage.

State House of Representatives, 55th DistrictRick Olson is the Republican candidate for the 55th District State

Rep. seat. Graduating from Stanford Law School in 1978, he has put years of service in the private sector. This includes five years as an Agricultural Economist.

Democrat Mike Smith is campaigning to be elected State Repre-sentative. With a degree in Social Science from Monroe County Com-munity College, Smith began his career as a Child Care Worker at the Monroe County Youth Center. He now holds a seat on the Bedford Public Schools Board of Education.

MCCC participates in survey Mathematics League Competition begins for college students

2010 campaign heats upChase DowlerAgora Reporter

Heads were butted and dis-agreements were clarified Oct. 20 in a congressional debate at MCCC’s Meyer Theater.

Congressman John D. Ding-ell (D-Dearborn) and Republi-can challenger Dr. Rob Steele answered questions from local residents.

The debate was the only one to take place between the two candidates. A crowd gathering outside the La-Z-Boy Center a half hour before the doors opened is a testament to the public’s level of interest.

The curtain slid open reveal-ing Rep. Dingell on the left, and Dr. Steele on the right. MCCC President David Nixon sat between them and moder-ated the debate.

During Dingell’s opening re-marks, he emphasized his de-sire to protect Social Security, the economy and Medicare.

“I’ll fight hard for you as I always have,” Dingell said.

Dingell has been the congressman from the 15th Congressional District for 55 years.

Steele’s opening statement was an attempt to negate Dingell’s years of experience in politics.

“I’ve never been in politics,” Steele said. “Career politicians don’t know how to spend their own money, they spend yours.”

Education was one of many topics where they stated their differences.

Dingell said he favored federal support of educational funding for the states.

“This country needs to spend more time, effort, energy, and money on education,” Dingell said.

Steele said his method of reforming the education system would not be to spend more money on it, but to encourage more effective schools.

The federal government’s role in the health-care system was one of the questions that came from the public.

Steele mentioned his graduation from medical school in 1981, and the private practice he has operated since then. He said he does not like how the health-care bill

deals with malpractice issues, which he said is the current system’s largest flaw.

“We need to repeal the health-care bill,” Steele said.

Dingell’s response brought an outburst from audience members, who had been in-structed to hold applause until the end of the debate.

“I have the firm belief that health care is a right, not a privilege. And I believe we waited too long,” Dingell said.

Social Security was the last of the twelve questions asked. Dingell supported keeping the current system going in order to save retirees their dignity. Steele said there is a problem with the current system, and pinned the blame on Dingell’s voting record.

Throughout the debate, Steele’s support-ers were more vocal. As the curtain closed, a chant started from the audience, “Rob Steele, Rob Steele.”

Steele said he is not a Tea Party candidate, but his campaign volunteers are highly mo-tivated and energetic.

He also admitted to voting for Dingell in the past.

Ron Allen, a specialty steel consultant from Taylor, attended the debate with a Pro-Life advocacy group.

“I have great respect for Dingell, but he puts his politics before faith,” Allen said.

Questions not asked live were forwarded to each campaign after the debate.

The Monroe County Intermediate School District and TK Productions videotaped the event on behalf of the college. The video is available on the college’s Web site, www.monroeccc.edu.

Dingell, Steele debate in Meyer Theater


MCCC Student Government members Lorrie Mayzlin, Holly Self and Nathan Lyke pose with Republican Party candidate Rob Steele. Self, who is Student Government president, was mistress of ceremonies for the event.


Democratic Party incumbent John Dingell talks with Dan Gonyea, a reporter for National Public Radio.

Candidatesvie for seats across state

“Student engagement, or the amount of time and en-ergy students invest in mean-ingful educational practices, is the underlying foundation for CCSSEs work.”

CCSSE overview

Witches sighted around MCCC’s campusCommunity Players perform “The Crucible”

October 27, 2010 A&E THE AGORA 7


Screams and accusations of witchcraft flew across the Meyer Theatre during the Monroe Community Players’ performance.

The Players took on “The Crucible,” a dramati-zation of the Salem witch trials, an event riddled with betrayal and hypocrisy. The performances took place on Oct. 1, 2, and 3.

The play stars a gang of girls who have obtained the power of the town, and a small group trying to put an end to the insanity.

As wives and mothers are arrested one by one, the court’s and the church’s involvement merely makes the situation worse, and soon all voice of reason has been sent to jail or hanged.

MCCC students Alex Carone and Ashley Pow-ers portrayed two of the teenage tyrants.

Carone played one of the lead roles of Abigail Williams, the leader of the pack and the lynchpin of the girls’ power.

Carone described her character as conniving, smart and good at lying.

“This was a fun character to play because she’s a villain and I’ve never really gotten a chance to play a part like that before,” she said.

Powers has a similarly evil character, Mercy Lewis, who is described in the script as a sly, wicked girl.

“She is really aggressive, a very mean sort of person,” Powers said. “I don’t think I’m that mean in real life so it was really fun to be someone that was.”

The two laughed.“I guess we’re probably supposed to say some-

thing like, ‘it was a crisis of conscience,’ but no,

they were fun [to portray],” Carone said. “Then we’re offstage and we’re us again.”

The character of John Proctor stands in opposi-tion to the town’s corruption. Throughout all four of the play’s acts, he fights to talk sense into the leaders of Salem and reveal the girls as liars.

Powers said she likes the character of John Proctor because despite some problems, he’s still a good person.

“One of the main things about the show is that even though you make mistakes, hopefully, even-tually you’ll make the right decision in something that’s difficult,” she said. “That’s what I really like about it.”

Powers said she has been a fan of “The Cru-cible” since she saw it performed live in Toledo several years ago.

“When you read it it’s one thing, but when you see it live it just brings it to you really well, and that’s when I fell in love with it,” she said.

As for Carone, she not only knew of the play but said she had imagined herself portraying Abigail.

Carone said the performance really came to-gether, even after some line issues at dress re-hearsal.

“The audience is really a part of the show,” she said. “They’re almost another character that you have to have the feel of, and you can’t have that until the show.”

The Monroe Community Players have two more shows for the 2010 year; Ruby’s Redneck Wedding to be performed at LaRoy’s Hall on Nov. 13, and A Christmas Story on Dec. 3, 4 and 5 at the Players Place.

In 2011 they will be performing The Lion in Winter and The Wizard of Oz.

Jeff PapworthAgora Reporter

NBA fans clamoring to get their hands on NBA 2K11 will finally get a chance to play as the newly aligned Miami Heat that was orchestrated by Heat GM Pat Riley.

A batch of historic teams that gamers will be al-lowed to play as for the first time is anticipated. Most notably will be ten Chicago Bulls teams from different years that Michael Jordan was a part of.

Michael Jordan has not been in an NBA game since 2004, while many other retired players have. Jordan is on the cover of this year’s game.

“They do remember me from ‘Space Jam,’ but not from basketball,” Jordan told ESPN. “So I felt like this would be a good opportunity to kind of expose them to that.”

NBA 2K11 devoted a mode of the game to Jordan, called the “Jordan Challenge,” which gives gamers the chance to replay ten of the greatest moments in Jordan’s career; from his 63-point game against the Boston Celtics in 1986 to his final game as a Bull in the 1998 NBA Finals.

The presentation of the game is impressive. The game starts by putting the gamer right into game one of the NBA Finals in 1991, which was the first sea-son Jordan won a championship.

If 2K sports would have gone the extra mile, they could have made the presentation exceptional. They could have had 90s music playing when introducing players. Players also may have enjoyed the NBA on NBC format.

NCAA Basketball 10 used CBS and ESPN Col-lege Hoops presentation, and it gave it a feel of actu-ally watching a game.

Gamers will enjoy the commentary in the game. For some sports games that is a major downfall. Usually, the commentary consists of just filling in the blank with “‘Player’ is having a good game,” but in the games Jordan plays in they talk about the past performances from players in that year’s NBA Play-offs. Also, in regular games they go into detail for some players.

The button scheme does take some getting used to, especially for people who are used to playing NBA Live. And while the graphics look good, there were not many improvements from last year’s version.

The cut scenes also get annoying very quickly, but luckily the game allows players to turn them off. The online modes are improved, but they still need work. They continue to have problems with their servers.

One of the most irritating things I find on EA Sports NBA series is nowhere to be found on NBA 2K11, and that is the consistent fouls that are called throughout the game. The game does not allow play-ers to hack anyone by any means, but the gameplay is so smooth that it does not put gamers in awkward positions where players are getting fouls.

Many fans, including myself, have stuck with the prestigious EA Sports brand and played NBA Live, now known as “NBA Elite,” but as the years have progressed, 2K Sports’ NBA game has taken over the top spot for NBA video games. The delay on the release of NBA Elite seems to show that.

Marissa BesteAgora Reporter

The Beatles returned Monroe to the 1960s Friday night.

No, not the real Beatles. The Stars of Beatlemania, an internationally renowned group of performers who imitate the Beatles with their style, clothing, and, of course, their music.

“I loved it; they were really good,” Newport resident Debbie Smith said.

Smith attended the concert with her husband, daughter and mother. During the con-cert, Smith and daughter An-gie held up colorful signs with the names of their favorite Beatles and favorite Beatles’ songs.

“I like Paul,” Angie said.According to Smith, her

mother Carol Irvin is to blame for her love of The Beatles.

“I grew up with them,” Ir-vin said about The Beatles. “I didn’t know it would cause this, though,” she said with a smile, referring to her daughter’s and grand-daughter’s enthusiasm for The Beatles.

The concert began with a video that included clips of the Kennedys in the early 1960s and transitioned into the beginning of The Beatles’ popularity, which occurred around the same time.

The Stars of Beatlemania began to play their first song as an imitation of The Beatles’ performance on the Ed Sullivan Show. The performers were dressed in suits identical to the ones The Beatles often wore at performances early in their career, and particular-ly in their Ed Sullivan Show performance.

The opening song was “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” followed by “Please Please Me.”

Paul McCartney, portrayed by Alan LeBoeuf, greeted the crowd.

“These songs are all sing-along, no need to be shy,” LeBoeuf said.

The audience, which filled up about three-quarters of the Meyer Theater, whistled and screamed for the performers as they played.

Next, the stars played “Do You Want to Know a Se-cret,” “This Boy,” and “I Saw Her Standing There,” which were all hits from The Beatles’ early career.

The Stars of Beatlemania imitated The Beatles from their accents to their onstage characteristics and humor. The group has performed all over the world, and even play the original Gretch, Ricken-backer and Hofner guitars through the same Vox amplifiers The Beatles used.

The group took a brief break to change costumes for the next part of The Beatles’ career, while an-other short video played.

A black and white commercial for Anacin, a pain reliever, played first, which brought laughter from the audience. Clips from student protests, jazz fes-tivals, and old movies that mentioned The Beatles played as well, which indicated that The Beatles had become a household name due to their popularity.

The group came out dressed in black turtlenecks and pants and played “Day Tripper,” “She’s a Wom-an,” “In My Life,” “Taxman,” “Yesterday,” and “Got To Get You Into My Life,” which all came out in the mid-60s.

“I’d like to say on behalf of the boys and myself that it’s great to be here in beautiful Monroe, Michi-gan,” LeBouef- as-McCartney said to cheers and screams from the audience.

The performers took another break to change into their next costumes while another video began. The video portrayed the later 1960s, when the hippie subculture peaked.

It was no surprise when the band came out next wearing elaborate costumes identical to those The Beatles wore for their Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album; the first album where they experi-mented with the psychedelic rock style in 1967.

The group played “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” “Hello, Good-bye,” “Penny Lane,” and “A Day in the Life.”

Another video played while the group changed costumes. The video showed clips of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as the news of their as-sassinations, which served to introduce the next part of The Beatles’ career — in 1968.

The Stars of Beatlemania came out in their final cos-tumes to play “Revolution.”

The group wore identical clothing to The Beatles’ Abbey Road album, which was released in 1969. They played “Get Back” and “Come Together,” when LeBoeuf-as-McCartney spoke again.

He gave a word of thanks to those who made the night possible, and spoke of the “lovely” hotel they were staying in.

“The towels were so fluffy I couldn’t close my suitcase,” he joked.

Next, David Brighton, who portrayed George Harrison, played “Something.” James Irizarry as John Lennon played Lennon’s post-Beatles hit, “Imagine,” and LeBoeuf played “Hey Jude,” getting the crowd involved.

The group thanked the audience and walked off-stage; a standing ovation brought the performers out again for another song, “Twist and Shout.” The au-dience danced and clapped along.

After the show, the men from The Stars of Beatle-mania came out to greet fans, including the Smiths.

“So who broke up the band?” Mark Smith asked the group.

“It was my fault, my head went like this,” LeB-oeuf joked, holding up his hands to pretend he was McCartney, who was rumored to have contributed to The Beatles’ split partly because of a big ego.

The men talked about what it’s like to become a Beatle, particularly how it took a lot of work and studying to become the fab four.

“I used to be a mailman—this is much better,” Joe Bologna, who played Beatle drummer Ringo Starr, said with a big smile.

Beatlemania

A screenshot of the new NBA 2K11 video game, released on Oct. 5.

Photo courtesy of 2K Sports

NBA 2K11 good, not great

‘Come Together’at Meyer Theater

Photo Courtesy of MCCC

Clockwise, from top left: Angie and Debbie Smith show their Beatle support. Above: James Irizarry por-trays John Lennon at the keyboard. Bottom: The ‘Fab Four’ have fun onstage. Left: Irizarry-as-Lennon plays “Imagine” on the keyboard.

Photo by Denise KukwaPhoto by Marissa Beste

Photo by Marissa Beste

8 THE AGORA Sports October 27, 2010

Jeff PapworthAgora Reporter

The MCCC volleyball club felt like they had some things they could improve on after their first tournament of the season.

They came out with a record of three losses and one tie.

“We did alright for our first time,” Amber Huber said. “We could have done better.”

It was also MCCC head coach Scott Barbe’s first game at the helm.

The main thing he learned from

his team is they need to work on their communication. Most of his players agreed with his as-sessment.

The team seemed to embrace Barbe as a coach.

“He’s quiet, but he’s a very good coach, he always pushes us to do better,“ Amber Huber Said.

“I like him a lot, he’s a good coach and everyone really gets along with him.” Rachel Cousino said.

The player that has stepped up as a leader is captain, Candace

Salliote.“She is an amazing hitter, she’s

a very good volleyball player,” Huber said.

Another player Barbe said that has stepped into their role as a captain is Leigh Toeppe

Amelia Contreras is a player that is that seems to have made the biggest sacrifice by playing out of position.

“I never been a center before, but I’m trying,” Amelia Contreras said. “We don’t really have a cen-ter and I think I’m capable of it.”

Barbe said the hardest working player is Amber Huber.

“She’s always coming in early and trying to stay after practice,” Barbe said. “She’s really trying to work on her entire game.”

The players have high goals for the season. They hope to win at least one tournament.

The players also had individual things they need to work on to help the team.

“I need to work on servicing and just communication,” Rachel Cousino said.

“Be more consistent with set-ting and making sure I’m getting the ball out to each and every player,” Amelia Contreras said.

The tournament has given Barbe the opportunity to know what the team needs to improve on.

“Were going to work a lot on communication. Were going to do a lot of control drills and a lot of situation drills,” Barbe said.

Another area Barbe said he had to work on is “piece them all to-gether.”

The MCCC volleyball club has many future plans.

In November, they are going to start playing in a league that will be on Wednesday nights and it will be played at MCCC’s gym.

They play teams in the Monroe and Toledo area. The teams con-sist of ex-college players.

Barbe said he will play club

teams only in tournaments. He does not know the exact day, but the team plans on playing one in November and plans to enter a tournament almost every month

until April or May.Barbe wants to get the girls to

have a winning attitude with a program in its infancy.

“Getting them high expecta-

tions as far as what we want as a club team and what we want hopefully as a future actual vol-leyball college team,” Barbe said.

Darin CursonAgora Reporter

Coming off a successful inaugural season, the Huskie bowling club has gained a new head coach and four new members.

New head coach Kevin Greer is confident in his new team and how they will do this season.

The club currently consists of six members; Iam Saum, Brad Asbury, Devin Kachar, Jeremy Pidgeon, Nicole Kachar, and Nicole Kinney.

The Huskies are one of sixty six teams in the American Heartland Intercollegiate Bowling Conference, which is currently holding a five event tournament.

Dayton was the first of the five events that the club competed in. “We are a mixed team competing in the men’s division,” says head

coach Kevin Greer, “it’s a tough battle against the guys, but we are holding our own.”

The Huskies placed 36th out of forty three teams in Dayton.“Spares are very important and that is where we struggled in Dayton.

The oil pattern on the lanes break down quickly with the number of games that these meets bowl in a nine hour day,” Greer said.

With a new head coach, the club has high hopes for how they will place in they’re conference.

“Our goal is to be in the top 20 of the AHIBC, we’ve got a way to go

but the next two meets are at home,” states Greer. “We are confident that home court advantage will give us an edge.”

The next event that the club will be participating in is the Northwest Ohio University Invitational on Oct. 23 in Lima, Ohio. Shortly after that, the Huskies will be host for a two tournament weekend on Nov. 6 and 7 at Nortel Lanes.

Anyone who is interested in competitive bowling is welcome to join. To get more information about the club, e-mail [email protected].

Volleyball club learns from loss

Agora photo by Jeff Papworth

Volleyball club member Rachel Cousino bumps a ball during practice.

Agora photo by Jeff Papworth

Amelia Contreras (left) and Amber Huber at practice.

Photo courtesy of

Devin and Nicole Kachar are members of MCCC’s bowling club.

“We are a mixed team competing in the men’s division. It’s a tough battle against the guys, but we are holding our own.” Kevin Greer

Huskie bowling club coach

New bowling coach confident in team

Photos by Ashley Locke

MCCC’s “The Great Pumpkin Pursuit” 5K run and walk took place Oct. 23 on campus. The run was in memory of Marilyn Shroeder, a physical therapist who cared for many residents throughout Monroe County. Proceeds from the run will go towards endowing a scholarship in her name. Clockwise, from bottom left: A woman completes the race with a smile. Top left: The race starter and MCCC trustee Linda Lauer speak to the runners. Left: A runner heads to the finish line first. Top: The runners take off at the start of the race.Some t-shirts from the race are still available; those interested in purchasing one (or more) can buy them for $10 each in the Advancement office.

10-27-2010

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