DELTACOLLEGIATE
Volume 86 • Issue 9
STUDENT RUN SINCE '61
April 13, 2020
Local homeless shelters Pg. 3 Learn about Ramadan Pg. 4 An open letter to Delta College Pg. 6 Photo by Michael Pieper
2 NEWS
www.deltacollegiate.org
APRIL 13, 2020
Businesses remain open in Bay City’s City Market Jordan Green • Reporter @Jordan_Green6 BAY CITY – The usual hustle and bustle of the City Market has gone quiet as most small business vendors were shut down amidst the stay-at-home order. Out of the 20 local businesses that reside in City Market, four of them remain open to serve the community: That Guy’s BBQ and Grill, That Guy’s Meats, Downtown House of Pizza (DHOP) and GCC Organics – an organic animal product company. City Market is only allowing five customers at a time inside the building to pick up callahead orders from the restaurants. To browse the meat counters, you can check in at City Market’s front door to enter the building. Market manager Becky Hortop says hand sanitizer and social distancing guidelines of six feet have been put in place. Each business is individually owned and rents out a space to sell their products. With a temporary closure, some businesses could be hit hard financially, with mounting bills and paying staff. “We're part of the Small Business Association of Michigan and they've been providing information to us to help the small business owners in regards to looking for the grants and the loans that are available at this time,” says Hortop.
‘That Guy’ is helping out That Guy’s BBQ and Grill and That Guy’s Meats – along with owner Greg Buzzard – are stepping up to the challenge and feeding local essential and frontline employees who are continuing their work despite the coronavirus pandemic. They’re donating meals to local pharmacies, first responders, hospitals, doctor offices and nursing homes. Buzzard says he and his wife drop the food off themselves and have provided more than 500 meals. “Me and my wife decided if this thing was gonna take us out of business, we were gonna bless as many people on the way out as we did coming in,” says Buzzard. Buzzard also owns Replenish, a smoothie,
The City Market at 401 Center Avenue in downtown Bay City, MI. April 9. juice and frozen yogurt bar in City Market. Replenish was temporarily closed as of Thursday, March 26 after sales plummeted from the take-out only restrictions and the loss of needed foot traffic within City Market to support the small businesses. Despite business being slow, the community is doing its job in supporting small business. “The community is really stepping up and helping at least cover payroll and stuff like that,” says Buzzard about That Guy’s BBQ and Grill and That Guy’s Meats. “I mean, we're not making enough to pay all our bills, but I'm able to keep a couple of my full time people still working. That's important to me, because unfortunately I had to lay off at least two or three people already.”
Jordan Green • Reporter
‘Bay City Strong’ Through Facebook, Buzzard is sharing another campaign – to keep local businesses afloat during the pandemic – called Bay City Strong. Branching off the idea from the Runners Athletic Company in Bay City, Shirts, Mugs and More – an Essexville based T-shirt company – is selling Bay City Strong apparel and teaming up with local businesses to give them $13 for every shirt sold. The goal is to reach 1,500 Bay City Strong T-shirts to donate over $14,000 to local businesses. The sales are at 1,130 as of Saturday, April 11, with less than two weeks left to order.
NEWS 3
www.deltacollegiate.org
APRIL 13, 2020
Local homeless shelters adjust to life with coronavirus Bill Badour Reporter @BadourBilly UNIVERSITY CENTER – Homeless people are more likely than others to be infected with COVID-19. “People experiencing unsheltered homelessness [...] may be at risk for infection when there is community spread of COVID-19,” states the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Dan Streeter is the CEO at Rescue Ministries of MidMichigan. Streeter manages the Good Samaritan Rescue Mission in Bay City
and the Saginaw Rescue Mission in Saginaw. “We now have a much more stringent cleaning policy,” says Streeter. “We clean commonly touched objects such as doorknobs and light switches every couple of hours.” Streeter also said that both shelters have started to stagger meal times. This provides an opportunity to clean between meals and have more space between people getting food. “The last thing we’ve done is put a hard cap on the number of people in each building, which is something that we’ve never done before,” says Streeter. “Our Saginaw mission is limited to 175 people and Bay City is
limited to 100 people.” In addition to limited resident numbers, there are also more stringent requirements to be granted access to a bed. “One change that we’ve had to make is before anyone can come in, we have to ask them a few questions outside such as: ‘Have you recently had a cough?’ If they say yes, then we take their temperature. If we feel as though they need to be checked by a doctor before they check in, then we can provide them with transportation to get medical care,” says Streeter. Streeter noted that the building is completely closed to visitors. Aside from no longer accepting used donations, he is also
asking those who donate to the shelter normally to wait until the pandemic passes. As for supplies, Streeter mentioned the shelter is experiencing some shortages, but that gloves and masks were coming in. They also have enough hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies for now, but Streeter acknowledged he was uncertain how long those would last. “Our shelters rely on donations,” says Streeter. “As money gets tighter, people won’t be able to give as much.” A lower amount of donations and a possible increase in homeless populations because of economic struggles increases uncertainty about
being able to provide for everyone who needs help. “One difficulty that we may be facing is that there is a potential wave of homeless people due to economic difficulties,” says Streeter. “If that happens, we would have a larger need of resources like providing more meals.” Streeter made mention of a separate site for those homeless with COVID-19 to stay at, but the date of opening was not available at the time of the Collegiate’s interview. “We greatly appreciate service providers, workers and the county health department that helped prepare us,” says Streeter. “We saw great teamwork within the community.”
4 FEATURE
www.deltacollegiate.org
April 13, 2020
Haeley Huggard • Reporter
Left: A prayer rug is your clean, designated spot to pray. Below: Victor the Chinchilla is excited for his first-ever Ramadan.
May Ramadan be generous to you Haeley Huggard Reporter @HaeleyHuggard
SAGINAW – When it comes to holidays, we think about Easter, Thanksgiving or Christmas. But one lesser-known holiday that is also celebrated in America is called Ramadan. Many people don’t know what Ramadan is, or if they have heard of it, they may not know how to celebrate or for how long. Ramadan is a holiday celebrated primarily by Muslims. It is a celebration that consists of prayer, donation, fasting and sharing thanks with loved ones. During this time, children are also given gifts of money or new clothing. To them, it is like Christmas and Thanksgiving combined. The time Ramadan is celebrated each year depends on the position of the moon. This year, Ramadan will begin roughly around April 24. What makes Ramadan different from other holidays – aside from the fact that it is celebrated for an entire month – is that everyone fasts from sunrise to sunset. When fasting happens, you are not allowed to have any food or water until the sun has set. There are apps you can use to help keep track of when those exact times are each day, depending on where you live.
One app that is very helpful to use for prayer times is called alQibla. This app shows the prayer times and allows you to set alarms for each of the times. Pregnant women and small children are not allowed to fast for fear of causing health problems. If a person has any type of health condition that makes fasting dangerous to them, they also are not allowed to fast.
It is also a requirement for women that they do not fast during their monthly menstruation cycle. However, those days missed must be made up any time before the next Ramadan holiday begins. There are a variety of dishes prepared for nighttime meals, some of which are specially made and only eaten during Ramadan. Luqaimat, which is a handmade bread-ball that is dipped in date syrup, is one of those dishes. If you do not have time to cook, you can always order food from a restaurant if they are still open. Typically, during the fasting time (daytime) is
when all the meal prep and cooking takes place. That way, all the food is ready to be eaten after Maghrib prayer time. Maghrib prayer time is the prayer that takes place when the sun goes down. Mofeed Alsadek, an alumni of Saginaw Valley State University, celebrates Ramadan every year. “Fasting is the hardest when the cooking happens, because you are so hungry,” says Alsadek. “You can smell everything.” After fasting and cooking all day, comes the time to “break the fast.” This is the time when everyone gathers and has their first meal of the day, hence the term “breakfast.” Ramadan also serves as a reminder to always be charitable and generous, to give back to your community and help support the less fortunate. Each year, Muslims donate a small portion of their income to charity. The Arabic term for this is “sadaqa,” which, when translated to English, means “charity.” “Ramadan is not just about food,” says Alsadek. “Lots of people end up gaining weight during this time. Why we fast, is because it also helps us understand how the poor people that cannot afford food feel. It is a reminder to be charitable.” Ramadan is a time for learning. Fasting serves as an example of how to teach yourself selfcontrol. “It can be hard to fast at first, if you are not used to it,” says Alsadek. “But after you have completed your first Ramadan, you’ll feel proud of yourself because it’s not easy.”
A&E 5
www.deltacollegiate.org
April 13, 2020
Electronic Media graduate ventures into internet radio Michael Piwowarski News Director @DCMichaelFP
UNIVERSITY CENTER – As country musician George Strait once said: “You know, traditional country music is something that's going to be around forever.” And an alumnus of Delta College’s Electronic Media program is doing his part to keep it around. Mark Grzegorczyk attended school out of interest in television broadcasting, but soon “got hooked” on radio, getting experience as an intern at Delta’s WUCX-FM (Q 90.1) and working at Gladwin country station WGDN-FM (103 Country). Less than a year after graduation, Grzegorczyk took what he learned at Delta and applied it to his new internet radio venture: a country/polka station called Grizzly Radio. “My inspiration for an internet streaming station was more or less a random idea,” says Grzegorczyk. “I had a few internet stations that were inspirations as well as XM radio, but I started looking into what it would take and the idea stuck.” Officially launched to the public in February, Grizzly Radio primarily plays country music from before the 1990s. This format runs from Monday through Saturday, and on Sunday, the station plays polkas all day until midnight. The idea for Grizzly Radio’s format came up when Grzegorczyk’s friend, Dave Carr, reminded him that a lot of people who listen to polkas also listen to classic country. Historically, the polka and country genres have been commonly intermingled,
with polka bands including country songs in their repertoire. One notable example is country superstar Willie Nelson performing with polka legend Jimmy Sturr on the album “The Greatest Hits of Polka!” “So many of my regular country listeners look forward to polka Sundays,” says Grzegorczyk. “In fact, I've had many Sundays that had better listenership than any day playing country. It's just a breath of fresh air.”
I’m a pretty social guy, so live shows are the closest I can get to talking to people from all over, playing what they want to hear. - Mark Grzegorczyk
Behind the scenes, the setup was a lengthy process, with all the microphones, sound boards, hardware, software and a computer required to run everything. As Grzegorczyk puts it, “you really don't realize how much you've researched 'till you're running it.” “My friend Ryan, whom I met at Delta, was a major part in it too,” says Grzegorczyk. “When he found out I was trying to start an internet station, he came in and helped put most of it together. I call him my engineer because he is crazy smart with all this stuff.” After all the software was set up and everything was put together, and the licensing to play the
music was set up via SOCAN, Grzegorczyk’s station went “on the air” in late November 2019, a few months before its official public launch in 2020. “Overall maintenance now isn't that bad,” says Grzegorczyk. “The largest hurdle was learning how to use all of the software. When it comes to low-cost software, I would say you get what you pay for. In terms of user friendliness, of course.” Grizzly Radio is ad free and is on the air 24/7, playing a constantly running, randomized playlist of music from Grzegorczyk’s library. For polka Sunday, he will load up a polka playlist which is shuffled randomly. On several occasions, Grzegorczyk will get behind the microphone and host a live show, taking listener requests. “I do request shows whenever I want a break, really, so no specific schedule,” says Grzegorczyk. “The majority of my time spent in the studio is adding new music, and it can be a drag and tiring. I'm a pretty social guy, so live shows are the closest I can get to talking to people from all over, playing what they want to hear.” Current plans are to continue with the current no-interruption format and to gain more listeners, as well as expand the station’s social media base. For anyone else who may be interested in starting their own internet radio station, Grzegorczyk says it’s important to find your best fit. “Find a genre/style that no one else is doing,” says Grzegorczyk. “I partially failed at that, because you can find other internet stations that play classic country and others that play polka. Also, get as many techy friends as possible.” Although Grizzly Radio is free to listen to, Grzegorczyk accepts donations on the station’s website via PayPal. Listeners are encouraged to donate so that the station can remain operational and ad-free. In addition to their web presence, Grizzly Radio currently has a Facebook page, which can be followed for updates. Photos courtesy of Mark Grzegorczyk
Left: The Grizzly Radio Studio. Below: The Grizzly Radio Logo.
6 OPINION
www.deltacollegiate.org
APRIL 13, 2020
AN OPEN LETTER TO DELTA COLLEGE
Photo courtesy of Zack Bolen. Zack Bolen • Collegiate Corespondant Hello, I am not having a good experience as an online learner. I am at Delta to fulfill my math requirements at SVSU (Saginaw Valley State University). Before I came here, my plan was to teach myself the math I needed and test out of most of the math classes. What I learned from trying to learn math on my own was that it is impossible to learn math, for me, outside of a classroom environment. Now I am no longer allowed to be in a classroom to learn math. It is not my math teacher's fault. She is doing everything she can to help us. With this same teacher, I have taken several math classes, beginning in the spring/summer of 2019. I
ended those classes with a B or better. I got a 64% on my most recent math test. The first test in this class I got a 90%. You've taken a good student and wing-clipped him. I was obliged to take this test in my own home and to choose not to cheat to remedy this situation, which I am sure the majority of my fellow classmates are just cheating, and I suspect you won't hear a peep from them. I have a wonderful math teacher. We’ve been taken out of the environment we are successful in. However, no alternative has been provided, in my opinion, that satisfies the obligation this institution has to both my teacher and me. Instead, the burden has fallen on the teachers to suddenly pull a new class from a hat mid-semester while simultaneously taking away their resources. The burden lies with the administrators at
Delta to provide students and teachers with real alternatives. Instead of solutions, all I seem to get is lip service from blanket emails from administrators that have no idea what is going on but are certainly enjoying their own paid time off amid a worldwide pandemic. I even got one that helpfully suggested that I meet with the students from my class to form a study group in the library; just a complete anachronism today. How are disadvantaged individuals expected to stay in contact with their classes? It is assumed every student and faculty has at home: a modern computer, PDF/ image conversion software, the knowledge to use such programs, HD scanner, HD video capture device, printer, constant high speed internet access and a place in their home away from distractions with proper work surfaces to take tests at home. Everyone I know, including myself, is lacking at least one of those requirements for online learning but no attempt has been made by the school, that I am aware of, to provide any of these materials to students or faculty. The options you've given are: an extended credit/no credit deadline and the incomplete option, which is for some reason incompatible with the credit/no credit option. Other colleges and universities have offered that these classes can be taken again at a later date at no cost to the student if they are disappointed with their grade at the end. What prevents Delta from offering this generous safety net to well meaning students that don't deserve to be given crude ultimatums? Please do not tell me "we're all in this together," because in my experience, I am on my own. Rallying cries of this nature are placation for plebeians so we don't question the omnipresent disparities in this ill-conceived system. I have my doubts this letter will be read or responded to. And I have even more extreme doubts that any measurable change will result from this letter. I expect I'll get ground into the gears of the bureaucracy while those with the authority to act hide behind their office and the anonymity of regulations. Unfortunately, I suspect no one person will ever be held accountable for the lapse in pedagogy. As a student, I struggle to even put a name or a face to the intangible authority that dictates these decisions with far reaching effects that weigh heavily in my heart and the heart of my teacher. But I wonder, do these decisions weigh heavy on your heart One thing is certain: y'all collected your money at the start of the semester and y’all are keepin' that money. Good day.
SPORTS 7
www.deltacollegiate.org
APRIL 13, 2020
Delta College softball and baseball players react to season cancellation Kelvin Butler Reporter @KelvinButler19 Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all spring college sports have been cancelled and all athletes were granted an extra year of eligibility. But still, especially in the junior colleges where most of the sophomores will still be transferring, these last seasons were cut extremely short. Several players share their feelings. Delta College baseball players Andrew Gauthier (No. 24 outfielder) and Garrett Sheridan (No. 35 righthanded pitcher) were disappointed. “It sucks,” says Gauthier. “We had a really really good team and could have made major noise. The whole team is devastated, but this setback will make us stronger in the long run.” “It’s a frustrating feeling because we had a special group of guys and we’ve put in work since we came in August,” says Sheridan. “I think there’s two ways people can look at it. We either grew a lot and learned a lot to be even better next year, or you did all that work for nothing.” “Upset,” says Halle Reed, Delta College softball player (No. 14, outfielder). “We were going to be so good this year and go so far. But we got back from Florida and had like two days of practice and then it just stopped and it’s canceled.” Luckily, this season wasn’t the last for Sheridan, Reed and Gauthier, with them being freshmen or staying at Delta until they get their degrees. But sadly for softball player Peyton Hubel (No. 23, utility), she will be transferring to Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) to continue studying occupational therapy. She’s undecided on whether they will continue to play softball.
Photo by Laura Ornelas
Peyton Hubel, 23, utility. “I think, as a team, we can all agree that not having this season is devastating,” says Hubel. “The unexpected ending took us all by surprise, especially since we were all so excited to see what we were going to accomplish.” Softball player Lorraina
Kelly (No. 12, outfielder) is a social work major who will be transferring to SVSU. She is undecided on whether she will continue to play the sport “What happened with this season is something I never thought I would experience,”
says Kelly. “When I found out about the season, I couldn’t believe it; I actually still can’t. It hurt, and still does. We cried a lot. But at the end of the day, I know that it is for our best interest and everyone around us.”
Safe Shopping
Written and Illustrated by Lindsay Lang
DISCLAIMER
Since 1961, the Delta Collegiate has been written and produced by Delta students for students without any input or oversight by administration. The paper does not represent the views of Delta College, its faculty, staff or administration. Stories are selected by the student staff members to bring reliable information and entertainment to our readers.
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BAY CITY – The Delta College Planetarium is offering virtual learning experiences through numerous platforms including social media, a podcast and a new video series. “The Planetarium may be temporarily closed, but there are many ways to connect with the universe,” says Mike Murray, astronomer and manager of the Delta College Planetarium. Murray mentioned a new hashtag series aptly titled #LookUpHere, which will be published across the Planetarium’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. It will provide students, or anyone interested, with information on what you can “see in the sky, hot topics, space news [and] even activities for kids and families.” The planetarium offers access to resources from nationally recognized institutions such as NASA, museums and STEM groups. Murray said that his team is choosing what things seem most interesting and captivating to share. Delta’s WUCX-FM (Q 90.1) hosts a weekly podcast by Murray, available online, titled “Backyard Astronomer.” There are videos covering the current night sky, including the upcoming appearance of Comet ATLAS, available on the Planetarium’s YouTube channel. Interested astronomers and non-astronomers alike can find this information, and more, at delta.edu/planet.