Washtenaw Matt Durr
Transcript of Washtenaw Matt Durr
-
8/2/2019 Washtenaw Matt Durr
1/4
James Lewis, a computertechnology and network secu-rity instructor, is not a billion-aire. Yet like an aristocrat, hecollects rare art.
Im a purveyor of high-tech art, Lewis said, looking
at the dierent motherboardsand computer chips that hangin his oce and classroom.
Lewis may know a fewthings about computers, yethe knows that the averagestudent doesnt possess thatknowledge. Thats when thelight bulb, or LED in this case,
went o inside his headWe had some stu
in class about a year agcouldnt aord to getcomputers xed, LewiIt was something as as taking o somethgetting something co their computers. I thinking, lets get th
dents involved and givesome real experience.
From there, the StuHelping Students ComTrauma Unit, a colleccomputer technology anwork safety students wh
B SManaging Editor
After a $2.2 million investment tobuild the Washtenaw Community Col-
lege athletic elds, the soccer eld wasabruptly closed last Monday, just veweeks into the Fall semester.
For Club Sports, athletes participat-ing in soccer or lacrosse both practices
College ocials blamed excessiverain for the eld conditions.
We have had record-setting rainin September. If you play on the eld,it needs time to recover, said DamonFlowers, associate vice president of Fa-cilities Management. So with rain andsaturation, it didnt appear that it wouldbe very viable to continue playing.
While that may be key for the elds
Club Sports.It was a four-day window, said Eri-
ca Lemm, Club Sports coordinator. Weactually made it work pretty quickly.Its not the ideal situation but its work-ing ne.
While Club Sports has the rst op-tion to use the athletic elds, they arerented out to the community if not inuse Since April 1 Club Sports have uti-
Delay o gameNew soccer feld shut down
A Fuqu-StStaff Writer
An assault was reportedn the campus of Washtenaw
ommunity College lastWednesday, but very littlenformation about it was re-eased by the college ocials,eaving some students frus-rated and angry.
A physical assault was re-orted on campus and is un-er investigation. Please staylert, was the message sentut to all employees and stu-ents of WCC around 6 p.m.
Twenty hours later, an-ther update was issued by
WCCs Director of Campusafety and Security Jacques
Desrosiers.The physical assault re-
ported to you on Oct. 5, 2011appears to be an isolated inci-dent and is being handled bythe Washtenaw County Sher-is department, the message
said. I want to assure you thatyour welfare while on campusis very important to the col-lege. Always remember to beaware of your surroundings,
on or o campus.The ambiguous nature of
both of these statements hadmany on campus wonderingwhat happened. And more
importantly, feeling even lesssafe.
I dont feel good aboutit all. Thats putting a vaguestatement out there and get-ting everyone worried, saidJake Goldberg, a 19-year-oldbusiness major from Mont-clair, N.J. You dont know ifthis person goes here or if itssome random person.
Morgan Foreman, 22, fromSuperior Township is an edu-cation major at WCC. She toofeels that the college can domore to inform people.
Assal aler cases more ear and angeMtt Du
Editor
When he chipare down. . .Computer Trauma Uniclub here to help studen
JARED ANGLE THE WASHTENAW VOICE
Let, soccor players on the frst day o drop-in sports last month. Right, a sign is posted the soccer feld to remind athletes that the feld is closed or the season.
'I dont eel goodabout it all. Thatsputting a vaguestatement out thereand getting every-one worried.'
JAKE GOLDBERG19, Business
POINT OF VIEW
ASSUALT CONTINUED A6
COMPUTER CLUB CONT
October 10, 2011 washtenawvoicW C C, A A, M
BAM! POW!DC's "New 52"
in review
WCC Auto Sstudents show off skills for car enthus
Breast CaAwareness M
A screenshot o the message that appeared on the Washtenaw Community College website last Wednesday.
WHERE YOU GET YOUR SCAREThe Voice's guide tolocal haunted houses
-
8/2/2019 Washtenaw Matt Durr
2/4
October 10, 2011 The WashtenawA6 News
834 friends on Facebook? Wow
128 followers onTwitter? Nice.
14 people in your
accounting class?Perfect
Former WashtenawCommunity College Presi-dent Larry Whitworth willreturn to campus on Sun-
day, Oct. 23, when the col-lege renames the Occupa-tional Education building inhis honor.
Im very, very deeplyhonored, said Whitworth,when asked how he feltabout the renaming of thebuilding.
The OE building renova-tion was one of the last ma-
jor projects that Whitworthsaw to completion beforeleaving oce in August af-ter 13 years on the job. The$13.7 million project wasclose to Whitworths heart;he was a major supporter ofthe occupational educationprograms during his tenure
at WCC.The ceremony will be by
invite only from 2-3 p.m.,
when the actual ribbonting will occur. The bing will then be open tpublic from 3-4 p.m., wthere will be self-gutours of the facility andulty and students will b
hand to help show o of the new additioneach department.
Refreshments wilserved, and all are invit
Whitworth to be honoredin OE re-naming ceremony
Ma DEditor
WhitWo
ording to Damon Flowers,ssociate vice president of Fa-ilities Management.
Any time a renovation isnderway, the water pressure
will drop as it is re-routed,lowers said. In these cases,
he Oce of Fire Safety, a na-onal re prevention asso-iation, has put that renovateduilding under a re watch.
Seven months ago, thegency ordered a 24-hour re
watch be in place for the build-ng, citing its low water pres-ure as a cause for concern.
Yet the problem is noth-ng new, by a long shot, and isairly common with all new orenovated buildings, Flowersaid.
Its not that we dont havere-suppression systems, or
hat they dont work, we justave a lower water pressure,lowers said.
The colleges re-suppres-on systems were initially de-gned for a certain density of
water, Flowers said. The calcu-ation of that density depends
n everything from the diam-ter of the pipes or the number
of sprinkler heads on a system.When a new system is put
in place, like a new subdivi-sion or in the colleges case,brand new buildings those
variables change completely.A change in water density inturn makes for a lower waterpressure.
Initially, the buildings weremanufactured without certainmeasures to accommodatethese changes, causing an issue
40 years in the making.Had the buildings been
designed correctly, to accom-modate the pressure, thiswould be non-issue, Flowerssaid. When we renovated theHenry S. Landau Building, wehad to replace the entire resuppression system because itwas inadequate.
The reason the buildingswere purposely built to accom-modate lower pressure was be-cause the college originally hadone source for its water: theCity of Ann Arbor, and morespecically the Washtenaw
Avenue and U.S. 23 pipeline.This is where the true wa-
ter pressure ineciency lies,
according to Flowers.When the college was built,
Ann Arbor Township had notyet been established. After thetownship had been establishedand took control of the line,which is still fed by the city,the township mandated thatbecause the pipe was old therewould need to be another lineput in that feeds the college.
The old Washtenaw Ave-nue-U.S. 23 line would thenonly feed water through at arate of 65 percent PSI, due
to various breaks within thatmain line over years of wear,tear and high water pressure.
From there the collegerequested that the line bebumped up to 95 percent PSIto adequately feed all the sys-tems properly, Flowers said.The request was denied.
They told us it wasnt go-ing to happen because the pipewas old, he said. Any breakwould be at the expense of thecollege.
A higher-pressure watersystem would eliminate all of
WCCs water woes.Meantime, multiple valves
and vaults have been put un-derground to slow down the
water pressure to ensure thatmain breaks do not occur,
Flowers said.More recently, the 24-hour
watch, which required at leastone person to be present inthe building at all times to lit-erally watch for re, has beendropped to an hourly watch.
The reason: the collegesproposal for a new water pres-sure pump house that willensure that water pressurestays at the appropriate levelof around 50 PSI, according to
Flowers.That pump has been ap-
proved by the WCC Board ofTrustees, and is slated for com-pletion by the end of the year.
Our campus is supposedo be a safe place. When weome here, we should feelafe, Foreman said. TheyWCC ocials) need to let usnow details and if I want tonow about it, I should be ableo nd out.
Finding out what exactlyappened during the assaultas those inquiring minds run-ing in circles.
According to the Washt-naw County Sheris De-artment, the assault was stillnder investigation, but the
ncident was not violent in na-ure and investigators are try-ng to determine whether orot an actual assault even oc-
curred.We havent gured out if
an assault happened or not,said Derrick Johnson directorof community engagement
There have been some in-consistencies in the stories asto when the incident happenedand where, as questioning hascontinued, which has delayed
the investigation.That information wasnt
released until 2 p.m. on Thurs-day, leaving students in thedark for nearly an entire day.
I would like more detailsabout what happened, saidJennifer McMillan, 18, from
Ann Arbor, a liberal arts ma-jor. Its denitely concerning,considering I walk alone to mycar after class.
Other students were not asconcerned about the incident.
Im sure if I was on campusI would be more worried aboutwhere it was, said Jill Bourbo-nais, 18, an undecided majorfrom Hartland.
While Bourbonais wasntoverly concerned about the is-sue, others in the community
are on edge.A string of sexual and phys-
ical assaults have recently hitthe downtown Ann Arbor areaand residents have been cau-tioned to be on high alert at alltimes. WCC has encouragedall sta and students to followthese same guidelines.
Several telephone calls tothe Campus Safety and Secu-rity oce went unreturned.
ime.Of that time, from July
1 to Aug. 19, the soccer eldwas used from 9 a.m. to 4
.m., Monday through Fridayy local community socceramps renting the facility,ccording to Patrick Downey,onference services man-ger.
For Peter Leshkevich,irector of Student Devel-pment and Activities, this
s just a growing pain for
he new elds and the Clubports program.
The eld has been get-ing quite a bit of play, morehan it did in past semesters,eshkevich said. With theew Club Sports program,
ts in an infancy stage so were trying to learn as we go.
The soccer eld is just one ofthose circumstances.
With the quick-changingweather in Michigan thistime of year, when its dif-cult to accurately forecasta frost, grounds personnelneeded a one- to two-weekwindow with no play to allowthe seed to germinate beforefreezing temperatures hit.
The drainage on the eldsdidnt help either.
We have a lot of clay onthis campus just generally,Flowers said. Clay is not a
soil material that drains verywell. Rain plus clay equals amuddy mess.
For now, plans are to moveboth soccer teams to Com-munity Park for practicesand reschedule soccer eldsin nearby facilities for games.
We are working on plan-
ning ahead for next year toschedule some of the main-tenance in, Leshkevich said.
Meanwhile, administra-tors will meet next week toschedule a maintenance planin advance to avoid anothershort season. Intramuralsoccer has been postponeduntil next semester. And thelacrosse team practice is be-ing moved to the out eldsof the baseball and softballeld.
We are trying to balancethose two areas out so they
dont get the extreme wearand tear that the soccer eldgot, Leshkevich said.
Although an opening datefor spring hasnt been deter-mined, Flowers suspects thesoccer eld will be back forplay in the end of April or thebeginning of May. JARED ANGLE THE WASHTEN
Lacrosse players practice on the soccer feld. The soccer feld was abruptly closed last week.
SSUALT FROM A1
THLETIC FIELDS FROM A1
E FIRE WATCH FROM A1
JARED ANGLE THE WASHTENAW VOICE
The OE building has several fre extingush-ers set up in the hallway.
99 percenters Occupy Ann Arbor
-
8/2/2019 Washtenaw Matt Durr
3/4
Novmbr 7, 2011 voiWashtenaw Cunt Cee, Ann A, Mhan
Few people can say they havep yr of ir lif i fr- land just by raising their right
d d rig o, b m d om of U.S.
Armed Forces have been doing ic 1775.
Soldiers returning fromWorld War II had the dicult
ask of building Americas in-rastructure and strengthen-g coomy ill crippld byhe Great Depression. Journalist
Tom Brokaw referred to them ashe Greatest Generation. Todayseterans are challenged with argglig coomy d ligr-ng stigmas of returning homerom o poplr r.
I dont think its quite theame, its a lot dierent now,aid Robert Nelson, a 24-year-ld librl r rfr d
should go to war or stay in ourol d b iolioi. No,
more than ever, were in a strong-ly unpopular conict, Nelsonid. Tr r ill lo of dif-ferent stigmas that come alongwith being in the military, likeo gy r gig job b-cause people think theyre crazyor bl.
Ive heard that a coupletimes, especially with all the talkabout traumatic brain injury andpost-traumatic stress disorder(PSTD) g rpord. Orgeneration is stigmatized in a dif-fr y.
Matthew Keller, a 26-year-old crimil jic mjor fromDexter, sees more dierences imilrii.
I think back then people had
mor lov for Amric, idof i grdfr grio.Maybe because of the digitalage its a lot dierent. Back then,
l f d
buddies in the barracks living allaround you. I kind of miss that
stu. In the civilian world wedo v oo my frid liv-ing around you. Thats kind hardo xpli o popl.
Stark served in the U.S. Armyfor v yr d dploydo Irq d Afgi.
Rrig World Wr II v-erans were welcomed home withop rm d orror ywitnessed were swept under therug. Todays veterans have thesame emotional scars to dealwith and receive a slightly dif-fr lcom.
For r copl moafter I got out, I was depressedconstantly because it almost feltlike I didnt have a purpose at im, id Nlo. I ook
some time to readjust and get outof the house. Ever since then ev-ryig b pry orml.
Bck , rrig omt l i id K ll
Nh CkSta Writer
VETERANSboth new and old face many of the same challenges;
still, theyd do it all again
Details remain sketchy on xl l occrrdat Washtenaw CommunityCollg o Oc. 4 i irllof Lgg Ar bildig 10:30 .m. Hovr, -dents and faculty wonder whatexactly happened, ocials at
WCC are remaining quiet on i.
Ac cor din g to Jac qu esDesrosiers, the director ofCampus Safety and Security,the case is still under inves-tigation by the WashtenawCoy Sri Dprm,so he was unable to speak aboutwhat may or may not have hap-pd mo fr com-pli ld.
Although the case cannotbe discussed, students say theywould still like to know the na-r of ppd.
I would rather be informedo I ko goig oaround campus, said RachelLofgren, an 18-year-old nurs-ing student from Howell. Theydont have to name names, but
om or of oriy oldy ppd.On Oct.14, Steven Hardy,
the vice president of admin-irio d c WCC,released a statement attempt-ig o clrify iio, b mil d o lig o situation. Rather, it attempt-ed to explain why the collegedidnt notify students soon-er about the incident. In themil, Hrdy id col-lg old ly rr o
o id of fy, comes to informing thp d i did o cr xiy.
Desrosiers said that lege is ne tuning the pof alerting the campucid ivolvig ir
Repeated calls tWashtenaw County SDepartment went unretUil ivigor dwhat they feel happened
ocials are striving to nate a panic based on som my o b riood.
In my 28 years ofa cop, some reported did occr, Droi
These sorts of situcan be tricky for campcurity departments any
Its a judgment cmake an initial judgmeand go from there, saNmi, irim l of Pblic Sfy EMichigan Universityfc of yo v o yo dl iYo v o ig i oo iformio yo
Regardless of thetion, WCC students feshould be updated in atimely manner on theress of crimes reporteo cmp.
If theyre going to p oic, y d o us about what happeneBeverly Ramirez, 44, aing student from YpsJ l ko if caught, or are they str.
Camps sexa
assalt nderinvestigationCollege ofcials stay mum on iss
M DuEditor
Washtenaw CommunityCollege is saluting students,faculty, and staff who haveserved or are serving in theU.S. military to commemo-rate Veterans Day.
Hosted in the StudentCenters cafeteria onThursday, Nov. 10 from12:45-1:45 p.m., the recep-tion will include photos pre-sented as a Wall of Famesubmitted along with a briefsummary, by veterans andtheir families. All those oncampus are invited to viewthe presentation duringthe day.
The reception will fol-low a luncheon for theveterans and those serv-ing, funded by StudentActivities, at Garretts, 11:30a.m. Veterans can reservetheir seats ahead of timeby emailing Rachel Barsch,the Events Coordinator,
at [email protected] is limited. Photosand written summariesmust be sent to Barsch forinclusion as well.
Items for the troops
WCC HONORS VETERANS
SEXUAL ASSAULT ALERT TIMELIOct. 4, 10:30 a.m.A sexual assault is reported to campus security at Washtenaw Comm
College. The location o the assault was in LA stairwell C and was dscribed as sexual oense orcible in Campus Security docume
Oct. 5, 6 p.m.A mass text message was sent out to students and ac-ulty, saying: A physical assault was reported on campu
RICHARD ELSOM COURTESY PHOTOWCC student Richard Elsom (right) providing overwatch security from a rooftop in Mosul, Iraq, in 2005.
U-M bac to Sweet 16?
T Wolvri r grig p foror bkbll o, b c
y rp l yr cc? Abrkdo of o xpc. B5
Tearin p Milan Dragway
WCC d-bil vicl bloy ld i drg rcig, ilr g bid l dc for r im. B1
Hit te snooze btton?Yov j b dd -xpcd dy o. Ho do yo ll im? The Voice giv yo 100y o pd yor o dy. A8
-
8/2/2019 Washtenaw Matt Durr
4/4
2012 Michigan Community College Press Association JudgingForm
Place of award: NONE
First Place Second Place Third Place Honorable Mention
Category: First Amendment Reporting
Headline/title of entry: Worthless Alert Notice
JUDGES NOTE: There were actually 2 articles + an editorial submitted noneof which are titled Worthless Alert Notice. I chose to judge the editorial.
Contestants name: Matt Durr
College name: The Washtenaw Voice
Judges comments: This was a very good editorial, appropriately critical of whatoccurred and laying out a number of issues/concerns. What would have reallybeen helpful would have been for the writer to lay out what they think SHOULDhave been done, or how a similar incident should be handled in the future.