The Lookout volume 53 Issue 5

LCC gets grant

Oct. 31 - Nov. 13, 2011 Volume 53, Issue 5 www.lcc.edu/lookout

postseason

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thelookout Lansing Community College’s Independent Student Newspaper since 1959

Renovations a reality Gannon, A&S construction plans revealed

Homecoming hype is here Nathan Wilson Associate Editor

Shauna Stocken News Editor Renovations in the Arts and Science Building (A&S) and Gannon Building (GB) on LCC’s main campus are currently in the schematic design phase.

Leaders in the renovation process are J. Alexis Kim, interior designer, and Patrick Calhoun, educational planner for the SHW Group.

Kim and Calhoun led a PowerPoint presentation and discussion on the GB plans in the Administrative Building Oct. 25.

The GB planning meeting was open to anyone who wanted to

comes to Dart

starts

national PAGE 5

The Shrike

Volleyball

Photo by Michael Caterina

Patrick Calhoun of SHW architectural design engineering firm shows concept sketches of how the second floor of the Gannon Building will look when renovations are completed during a town hall meeting Oct. 25.

learn about the renovation process.

The SHW Group stands for Swanson,

Hester and Wilson, three retired architects who started the group, according to Calhoun.

The group is an architectural design and See Renovation, page 2

LCC is following up last year’s successful Homecoming with another week of prizes, free food, basketball games and fun the week of Nov. 14.

Andrew Lathrop, manager of LCC Alumni Relations, said the return of Homecoming at LCC in 2009 lasted one day to see how it would come across.

“It went so well that we decided to make (Homecoming) a week so we could hit the every day students,” Lathrop said.

“We get bigger and better every year.”

Monday, Nov. 14, and

Tuesday, Nov. 15 will jumpstart Homecoming week with the Kickoff Tailgate.

According to Lathrop, the tailgate will include a tent between the Gannon and Arts & Sciences Buildings with free food available for students.

“The purpose of (the tent) is to inform the students about what activities are taking place We d n e s d a y through Saturday,” Lathrop said.

Students will also receive a miniature calendar of Homecoming events, or a “ticket,” which can be used as an entry form in special See Homecoming, page 4

LCC President Knight discusses Oliver Towers situation Dominick Mastrangelo Editor in Chief For the last 10 years, the Oliver Towers property, located directly adjacent to the LCC Library, has been vacant. The City of Lansing announced a proposed land swap deal for the Oliver Towers property with Davenport University in August.

In October, LCC Board of Trustees Chair Larry Meyer, along with other administrators, presented the Lansing City Council with a letter addressed to Mayor Virg Bernero offering $2.52 million for the Oliver Towers property.

Three days later Davenport withdrew from its proposed agreement with the city because the process to acquire

the property had become “too politically charged.”

LCC President Brent Knight sat Knight down with The Lookout Editor in Chief Dominick Mastrangelo Oct. 25 to discuss the

ongoing process the college is involved in regarding the acquisition of the Oliver Towers Property.

D.M: What’s next … what happens next in the process for the college to acquire the Oliver Towers property?

Knight: The Board of Trustees adopted a resolution to offer $2.52 million to purchase the property. That’s the board’s

official action. We have communicated to the city that that was the action of the board.

Our offer is valid currently, although it does have an expiration date of June 30, 2012.

D.M: Does the college’s process to acquire Oliver Towers change given the withdrawal of Davenport?

See Knight, page 2

2 NEWS

Oct. 31 - Nov. 13, 2011 www.lcc.edu/lookout

Knight

City to review LCC’s offer

Continued from page 1

Knight: No. The college has offered a certain amount based on the appraised value of the property. Our offer has not changed.

D.M: Do you think the college’s relationship with the city has been damaged or tainted due to some of the controversy surrounding this property?

Knight: I can only speak on behalf of the college. We think that the city of Lansing is a great place to do business. We remain enthusiastic about the ongoing economic vitality of the city of Lansing and the region. We will continue to work toward any idea that might be helpful.

D.M: There has been a lot of talk about the necessity of this property to LCC. How vital is that property to the future of LCC? Knight: Would anyone consider

Renovations Continued from page 1

engineering firm with an extensive background in creating effective, educational facilities.

“We designed LCC’s University Center, so we had that to add to our experience with the college,” Calhoun said. “We competed against several other well-qualified architectural firms.

Michigan State University as finished? No. Furthermore, do you think they need to grow by 1,000 more students to add to their campus? Probably not. Trees don’t grow to the sky, nor will LCC nor will MSU. There will be changing needs of the community. I am confident that Lansing Community College will build more buildings in the future.

D.M: If LCC were to purchase the Oliver Towers property officially what would the property/ buildings/parking lots be used for?

Knight: If we didn’t purchase this property we would jeopardize the future of the college. We are locked in. We cannot grow in any other direction. There are historic buildings to the west of us. I wouldn’t participate in the demo-

"I think we were selected because of our experiences working on community colleges and working in the state of Michigan. That combination helped us.”

LCC students and staff members who attended the meeting were able to watch the GB design PowerPoint.

In addition, guests could ask questions and gain feedback

lition of historic buildings or the sawing down of trees in Durant Park. The purchasing of this property is in the best interest of both the college and the community.

D.M: A lot of people have been wondering where LCC gets $2.52 million, in cash, to purchase the Oliver Towers property. Where does that cash come from?

Knight: The college-operating budget is $130 million. The question is the relativity of $2.52 million on a $130 million scale. I do not think the expenditure of $2.52 million damages the fiscal health of Lansing Community College.

This is a capital purchase of real estate that has a long life. The board would entertain a number of options on how to pay for the purchasing for the Oliver Towers property. It simply must happen.

from the designers.

“It’s all going to be perspective-based. You’re going to have people that are going to have different opinions,” said Kyle Stanhope, a second-year LCC student. “You’re never going to have agreeable terms speaking from an artist standpoint.”

Calhoun explained during the meeting the renovations to the GB would benefit students over the long term.

“It’s an opportunity for the

The City of Lansing will give LCC’s offer of $2.52 million for the Oliver Towers property a “fair review,” according to Randy Hannan, a spokesperson for Mayor Virg Benero.

“We at the same time think it’s pretty likely that we will end up doing an RFP process sometime after the first of the year,” Hannan said Oct. 27. “Our city council has expressed some interest in an RFP process. I think there is a fairly strong likelihood that we will end up doing that.”

RFP stands for request for proposal. The

GB and its services to completely reinvent student interaction with the college. It’s really reinventing the student experience when they come into the college when they come to register,” Calhoun said.

In the beginning off the vision process for the GB, interior design decisions and enlarged room sizes have been proposed.

The GB will feature modern office furniture from Herman Miller, Inc., according to Kim.

process would be the official act of opening the property up for offers based on its appraised value.

Hannan said if an RFP were to be submitted, LCC would be eligible to participate in that bidding process regardless of its previous offer.

“An RFP is open to anyone who wants to take a crack at it,” Hannan explained. “I think there’s some consternation over the communication between the City of Lansing and LCC … I don’t think there’s been any significant damage done to our relationship, however.”

The GB rooms will be more spacious with the construction of larger student common areas, work areas and work rooms, according to Calhoun.

“Renovating will allow the GB to be the front doors for the campus, to create a cafeteria and an active student space,” Calhoun said. “Hopefully that will be so popular that they will have to kick students out at night when they want to close the building.”

3 NEWS

Oct. 31 - Nov. 13, 2011 www.lcc.edu/lookout

Physical fitness faculty members attend CAHA rally Shauna Stocken and Meagan Beck LCC’s Physical Fitness and Wellness Department (PFW) was among the organizations present at the Union Missionary Baptist Church in Lansing Oct. 19 for the Capital Area Health Alliance (CAHA) healthy lifestyle rally.

“Our department is involved a lot with the community, helping them become healthy and learn new exercise habits and eating habits,” said Amy Stokes, director of Physical Fitness and Wellness at LCC. “We teach a lot of physical fitness activities at LCC, as well as a lot of nutrition and healthy lifestyles classes.”

Stokes said the LCC PFW Department was attending the event to promote the college’s

Photo by Shauna Stocken

Laura Sager from NorthWest Initiative now distributes free bread donated by Panera Bread in Frandor every Thursday at 3 p.m. at 530 W. Ionia, Suite D, Lansing.

new community swimming pool membership opportunities.

“We just started this semester and we are the only pool in the downtown area so that might be appealing to the business and community members and so forth,” Stokes said.

Zonya Foco, bestselling cookbook author and PBS TV host

of Zonya’s Health Bites, was the inspirational keynote speaker for the event.

“Sometimes we are not active because we are so well convened and so about comfort,” Foco said. “We are going to be overcoming those obstacles and realizing how we can beat such diseases as diabetes.”

— Stocken Speaks —

People, you should know On Tuesday, Nov. 8, I will walk through the doors of the Mason City Hall to vote in the 2012 Presidential Election for my very first time.

Every year as my election fantasy pick, I choose a Democratic nominee; this year, however, my alliance has changed.

I have an opinion about everything, and in years past that was my Democratic values.

I now feel like a major hypocrite for harassing my Republican friend for her strong, longrunning Republican beliefs (sorry, Marie).

Current President Barack Obama has not held up to the hype and “change” I thought he would.

What kind of change did he actually create?

Many Americans feel Obama’s health care reform feels more like a system that takes away freedom of one’s own medical care rather than a healthcare plan that serves people’s needs.

The new health care reform benefits those who can’t already afford health insurance; those who meet the requirements pay into the plan with their own personal funds.

Through Obama’s complicated healthcare reform one loses their freedom to decide the medical care they want and are subject to what the government feels people qualify for based on their prior medical history.

Even if a patient has the money to pay for a procedure out of pocket, the new health care reform can deny the patient’s request.

When Obama won the election, I expected maybe too much from him during his time in the White House.

In my opinion, the healthcare plan is only one example of the failure I feel took place throughout Obama’s first years in office.

The healthcare reform is only one aspect of Obama’s presidency that I am disappointed with, but not the sole reason I am “trading teams.”

Every person has the right to vote in America once one reaches the age of 18.

Voting takes place on a secret ballot to protect individual rights, but for the sake of this column, I feel it is necessary to not only tell readers that I am voting Republican, but to say for whom I am voting.

My vote will to to Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the 2011 Republican nominee who previously ran in 2008.

I am not the typical Romney follower, if you will, but I will vote for him and support him based on his past resume.

Besides his experience as a businessman, he has experience running in the presidential campaign for President of the United States.

Romney’s drive will keep him in the race because he knows how it feels to watch his dream of the White House slip away from him.

He not only has the courage to run a second time with the chance of failure, but also has turned that desire to win into what it takes to create actual change for the American people.

Attendees at the event received goodie bags about healthy living. Several booths were set up throughout the church offering pamphlets on how to make healthier choices.

Smoothies, popcorn, Subway kids’ meals and Jimmy John’s subs were among the choices of healthy food given out to event attendees.

Some of the organizations in attendance included Potter Park Zoo, Ingham Regional

Healthcare Foundation, Walgreen’s and NorthWest Initiative.

While pre-registering for the event was not necessary, doing so provided incentives for attendees such as additional chances at winning door prizes.

A membership to LCC’s pool, a signed Mark Dantonio football, gift cards to Kroger and Hall of Fame Café gift cards were some of the prizes that could be won by those who attended

the event.

According to event organizers, this was the first rally held, but they hope to continue helping people in the Lansing area to make healthier choices.

“This is a fantastic organization that has a range of services for people in need,” said Laura Sager, a representative from NorthWest Initiative. “There is a range of services right here in the community where people need them.”

IN BRIEF NEWS

LCC set graduation deadlines and processes for fall Graduation deadlines for fall associate’s degrees and certificates are quickly approaching.

Applications are due Nov. 15 to the Enrollment Services Office in Gannon Building 203 or electronically at www.lcc.edu/admissions/ graduation.

Hard copies of the graduation application are available in the Enrollment Services Office or can be completed on the admissions graduation website.

In order to submit graduation applications, program requirements must be met along with a $25 fee submitted to the Student Finance Office in GB 214.

Requirements differ depending on the program a student is graduating from; whether the application is being submitted for an associate degree or certificate is also taken into consideration.

Associate degrees require the following attachments: a curriculum guide and a signed course substitution and waiver authorization form, if necessary.

Certificates require the following attachments: curriculum guide and certificate Pre-Audit; they must be completed, signed and stamped by the program department.

Additional questions can be answered

by Lori Meyers in the Administration Office at (517) 483-1269.

Students can apply for spring semester financial aid Apply now to receive 2012 spring semester financial aid.

Financial aid can help students receive assistance to pay for the cost of tuition and books.

In order to receive financial aid, an electronic Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application must be submitted no later than Nov. 15.

LCC must receive the FAFSA no later than the Dec. 1. deadline.

Processing time after the electronic FAFSA is completed and submitted takes between 14-21 days.

The Financial Aid Office at LCC can assist students in completing the online application by visiting the STARLAB, located in the Financial Aid Office in GB 203

Check out the new technology for faculty and staff at LCC The LCC Library in the TLC Building on the second floor is now offering second generation iPad tablets for faculty and staff rentals.

The LCC Library has three second generation iPads that LCC faculty and staff members can reserve and checkout.

Checkout for an iPad can be done in the library Monday-Saturday. iPads are allotted to each person for no more than 168 hours at a time.

The iPad should be returned to the library checkout desk. Dropping an iPad off in the library drop off box will result in a $15 fine placed on the library account of the iPod renter.

New application fee for select LCC programs Beginning Nov. 16, students submitting a new admissions application for eight of LCC’s programs will be charged.

The application fee will cost $50.

Programs selected for the application fee include: • Dental Hygienist Program • Diagnostic Medical Sonography • Fire Academy • Mid-Michigan Police Academy • Nursing in all tracks • Paramedic • Radiologic Technology • Surgical Technology For information on the programs selected to be charged, contact Nancy at (517) 483-1254.

4 NEWS

Oct. 31 - Nov. 13, 2011 www.lcc.edu/lookout

Homecoming Continued from page 1

drawings throughout the week.

Wednesday, Nov. 16 will include a pep rally from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the A & S Kennedy Cafeteria.

At the same time as the pep rally, LCC’s Athletic Department will host a contest for students only.

More details will be announced as Homecoming approaches. The TLC Building will feature LCC alumni authors during the ongoing pep rally and gym contest.

“We’re bringing back over 10 of our alumni authors from all over the state and having a book signing and meet and greet with students,” Lathrop said.

Students can earn a checkmark on their ticket from all three locations and turn it in for entry in a drawing for StarCard gift certificates and an eightgigabyte iPod touch.

The Lady Stars’ basketball team will host its first home game of the season against Calvin College in the Gannon Gym at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 16 as part of the Homecoming festivities.

According to Lathrop, LCC TV’s video game

File photos by Michael Caterina

Alumni Relations Manager Andrew Lathrop, above, draws a winner during a 2010 Homecoming basketball game. LCC cheerleaders, at right, root the Stars on during halftime of the game.

show Double Jump will offer a free Mario Kart Wii tournament in the 3D Theatre in GB 131 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17.

Lathrop said students don’t need to sign up for the tournament but there will only be room for 24 players, making it firstcome, first-serve.

“We chose that room because there’s a 9-by-16 foot screen so people have the ability to play video games

on a theater-style screen,” Lathrop said. Game Hits Gamestore from Lansing is sponsoring the event, providing prizes for winners.

Nov. 17 will also feature an alumni business panel for students interested in hearing success stories of LCC graduates. The panel will be in TLC 127 from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

According to Lathrop, Homecoming Week will end with a men and women’s basketball double-

header on Saturday, Nov. 19. The Lady Stars will face Henry Ford Community College at 1 p.m. and the men’s game will begin at 3 p.m.

“I want (Homecoming) to get to the point where students are naturally talking about it at student orientation,” Lathrop said.

“Like somehow they heard that there’s a cool Homecoming Week at LCC. So really we’re trying to brand it.”

Police and Public Safety ensures campus is secure Department prepares for all incidents Dominick Mastrangelo Editor in Chief A curtain in LCC’s Dart Auditorium caught fire Oct. 14 during a rehearsal for the LCC music program “Soundscapes.”

The blaze was relatively small and was extinguished within minutes; however, this may not have been possible without the steadfast dedication of LCC’s Police and Public Safety Department (DPS).

Sgt. Rodney Bahl handles many of the daily happenings with the LCC police department. He explained the instance in Dart was one of the many challenges the department faces on a daily basis.

“You can’t plan on things like this happening,” Bahl said. “But you can prepare yourself to be ready when

something like this does happen.”

Bahl said the DPS is always taking suggestions on how to make campus safer for students faculty and staff.

“We can’t do anything without a person reporting issues that they're having,” Bahl said. “We want everyone to feel as safe as possible … a lot of people take night classes … we want people to feel safe at all times.”

Bahl said DPS keeps records of each reported incident. Based on the frequency and locations of such reports, the staff focuses more heavily on some areas of main campus than others.

“There are some shady parts of downtown Lansing, and we’re right here,” LCC freshman Katie Downs said. “I guess I feel safe.

I just have a big fear of being on my own.”

DPS works hand in hand with the LCC Emergency Management and Safety Services Division (EMSS).

LCC Emergency

Management and Safety Services Department is separate from DPS. They are responsible for safety and emergency preparedness skills and procedures for the college as well as training faculty and staff.

“We act like a shield of protection to the campus,” Director of EMSS Paul Pirrotta said. “We are the people who check your fire alarms and sprinkler systems. We protect the college in countless ways.”

Both the EMSS and DPS work very closely with the large number of law enforcement agencies present in the Downtown Lansing area.

“We try to have as much communication with the city of Lansing Police, as well as the state and MSU police,” Bahl said. “We are here to protect and to serve.

We all make that a goal everyday.”

For more information on LCC Police and Public Safety visit www.lcc. edu/police.

5 NEWS

Oct. 31 - Nov. 13, 2011 www.lcc.edu/lookout

Grant promotes smart building technology LCC receives $772,348 from National Science Foundation Shauna Stocken News Editor Lansing Community College announced it was receiving a $772,348 National Science Foundation (NSF) Grant Oct. 18 to educate and train students in smart building technology.

The grant will support Michigan’s green building industry in a program called “Building Smart: New Career Pathways in Building Science,” according to an LCC public press release.

“We look forward to using this money to better the future of Lansing Community College,” President Brent Knight said.

The number of secondary and post-secondary students will increase due to the grant, which is based on educating students in

project-based learning skills in green building industries.

Students will be trained throughout a three-year academic program.

During the program, students will learn how to rebuild existing buildings, making them high performance and more energy efficient.

“The growing force in the focus in the U.S. on green building is not limited to new construction,” said George H. Berghorn, dean of LCC’s Technical Careers Division and principal investigator of the project.

“There is increasing demand by businesses and homeowners to make energy efficiency gains in existing structures.”

Berghorn said often engineering companies and architectural firms do not realize the effect they have on the envi-

LCC President Brent Knight talks during the announcement of the $772,348 National Science Foundation Grant that LCC received to educate and train students in smart building technology.

Photo by Kevin Fowler

ronment.

“There has been such a singular focus on energy generating technologies,” Berghorn said.

“We often lose sight of how much impact we can have through ener-

International Club members gather around a cutout at Uncle John’s Cider Mill in St. Johns as part of a field trip the group took.

Courtesy photo

Club offers diversity

International Club ‘bridges cultural gaps’ Amber Glomb Staff Writer LCC’s International Club holds true to its motto, “Bridges the Cultural Gap,” as the club includes both international and domestic LCC students.

According to former International Club President Carlos Lecaros, the student organization extends far beyond its physical name.

“The International Club is a stress relief from classes, a stress relief from work and a stress relief from sociey,” Lecaros said. “The International Club is a friend, a doctor, and sometimes even family to those students who don’t have

these things in the United States.”

Upon joining the club, international students are given the opportunity to make the transition to the United States easier.

The club has a diverse group of members that international students can relate to.

The international student members are not the only students who benefit from the club.

Domestic students are given the opportunity to experience cultures outside of their own. “(Experiencing other cultures) is by far more than traditional domestic students are exposed to,” said International Club Vice President Tiz-

ita Daniel.

Outside of granting domestic students the chance to experience other cultures, the International Club participates in many different activities.

“Over the last year and a half we went to Chicago, Ford Museum and Uncle John’s Cider Mill,” Daniel said. “We frequently go out for a movie as a group.”

On top of outside activities, the International Club meets every other Friday in GB 262.

Interested students can contact the club advisor Ana Mari Woehr at woehra@lcc.edu or International Club President Charifa Hajase at charifahehase@hotmail.com.

gy efficiency and energy management technologies to control costs and reduce our reliance on nonrenewable energy sources.”

The project is scheduled to begin this fall

and continues until the summer 2014. The programis aimed to meet meet the demand for a skilled workforce in Michigan’s green building industry.

“The college is happy

to be involved in the growing and changing nature of human engineering and science,” Knight said.

Editor in Chief Dominick Mastrangelo contributed to this report.

6 Features

Oct. 31 - Nov. 13, 2011 www.lcc.edu/lookout

LCC alumnus explores acting and publishing Nathan Wilson Associate Editor

I

n addition to being an LCC alumnus, Blake French has made a successful career in modeling, acting and writing.

French began to get involved in local theaters during high school before getting a job at a small company that eventually became AMC, a cable television channel.

“I started getting a lot of press junkets in Chicago doing celebrity interviews,” French explained. “I started working briefly for City Pulse. And I started covering a lot of entertainment, so that was sort of the back door in for me. I was starting to get access and networking through my journalism.”

French also appeared in two episodes of scripted reality show South Beach Tow, produced by Jennifer Lopez. He re-

cently participated as a precision driver in a stunt situation for the movie, Parker, filmed in Florida.

French said one of the highlights of his life was seeing his image on Las Vegas billboards, buses, magazine covers and mall posters as part of a campaign.

“My face was even on the Stratosphere Hotel as you’re walking into the elevator,” French explained.

“That was one of my highlights because of all of the exposure.”

French is also plan- film teacher had expening on being cast in rience in Los Angeles The Science of Cool, a and his acting teacher film centered around worked with American two high actress school M e r y l I decided I wantn e r d s Streep. ed to get back who acCurrentinto the creative cidenly, French side of things. tally disis working cover the with a litscientific formula for erary management firm being cool. in Palm Beach, Fla. “When I first started “I decided I wanted at LCC, I wanted to get to get back into the creinto the directing side,” ative side of things,” French said. “I quickly French said. “Because realized this was not a sometimes when you’re good match … So I re- acting, especially in ally appreciated the fact magazine writing, that I could inexpen- you’re not being cresively narrow things ative. You’re just doing down and focus on oth- what people tell you to er things.” do.”

French said the classHe explained most of es LCC offered and his inspiration comes its teachers were very while taking walks on helpful. the beach.

“LCC hires really “One of the best things good, solid professors,” you can tell someone in French said. “So I was the entertainment inable to explore some dustry is … when you different career options don’t have time for a and limit my career day job, you’re on the choices.” right path,” French He recalled that his said.

“

Courtesy photo

LCC alumnus Blake French is starring in the upcoming film, The Stranger, and is planning on being cast in The Science of Cool.

One of French’s coming projects cludes a film in velopment titled

upindeThe

Stranger, in which he will act as a model who is secretly a serial killer.

”

7 SPORTS

Oct. 31 - Nov. 13, 2011 www.lcc.edu/lookout — A New York State of Mind —

A night to remember Spartan’s photo finish revives editor’s spirit

Photos by Michael Caterina

Sophomore Lindsey Limonoff and freshman Danielle Morris go up for a block during the Stars’ 3-1 (25-11, 25-17, 17-25, 25-21) loss to KVCC Oct. 20.

Spikers end regular season above .500 Ben Doane Sports Writer The regular season ended for the Stars’ volleyball team on Tuesday, Oct. 25 with a loss against Kellogg Community College.

The women from Kellogg took three straight sets to win the match. The set scores were 25-18, 25-15 and 25-22.

The Stars ended the regular season with an overall record of 16-14 and a conference record of 6-8. LCC placed fifth out of eight teams in the Western Conference of the NJCAA. “We ended up fifth in the conference, which isn’t where we hoped we would finish,” LCC Coach Stephen May said. “But I will take most of the blame for that, being a first-year college coach.”

The Stars were nearly as successful on the road as they were at home season. They finished with a 3-4 home record and a 3-5 road record. The women fared best on neutral

The evening of Saturday, Oct. 22 might have been the greatest night of my life.

I have made a habit of attending every Michigan State University home football game the past two seasons.

However, a conflict with my work schedule that night left me peering over a cubical at the Lansing State Journal, anxiously watching the Spartans take on the (at the time) sixth-ranked Wisconsin Badgers.

Thankfully my shift at the Journal was over by the time the teams headed into the locker rooms at halftime. It would be pretty accurate to say I did not obey the speed limit on my way home.

As I walked in the door to my apartment in East Lansing’s Cedar Village, I felt fairly confident with Sparty’s lead.

The Spartan’s special teams had put them up big at the half, 23-14.

“Did you see that blocked kick?” My roommate asked me as I took my coat off and turned the volume up on my television.

“Which one??” I joyfully replied.

After falling in the hole 14-0 to start the game, the Spartan defense buckled down.

They did not allow another score in the first

Freshman Kate Witaszck digs a ball during the Stars’ 3-1 loss to KVCC Oct. 20.

courts; they had a record of 10-5 in those games.

Conference tournament play began on Friday, Oct. 28 and the playoffs will begin the first weekend of No-

vember. The Stars will have a week between the conference tournament and the playoffs to prepare for their first-round opponent, which was unknown as of Oct. 25.

- Compiled by Amber Glomb

half.

However, the Wisconsin offense possessed some of the rawest talent in the Big Ten. The Badgers were not going down without a fight.

When MSU senior quarterback Kirk Cousins hooked up with star receiver Keshawn Martin, the Spartans took a 31-17 lead. I figured I would take a shower and order some pizza.

By the time the Gumby’s pizza had arrived, the game was tied. The last thing on my mind was Pokey Sticks.

Wisconsin quarterback and Heisman candidate Russell Wilson had led the Badgers from 14 points down in the fourth quarter to tie the game with 1:26 left on a to two-yard touchdown pass to Montee Ball.

As far as I was concerned, we were doomed. The Badgers had all the momentum.

If the game were to go to overtime, many

people in the stadium would have been bracing themselves to watch their beloved Spartans come up short.

They never got the chance. On the last play of a game that was, without a doubt, the best I’ve seen in my life, Kirk Cousins somehow, someway, connected with fellow senior Keith Nichol on a 44-yard “Hail Mary” touchdown pass to give the Spartans a 37-31 victory. The entire city of East Lansing lost its mind.

By this point there were roughly 15 people in my apartment.

We all couldn’t believe what we had seen. After a couple looks on instant replay, the call was ruled a successful touchdown and the Spartans had knocked off the Wisconsin Badgers. Again.

Couches were burned, intersections were blocked off and the fight song was sang loud and clear all down Grand River Avenue. It was magical.

That’s about the last thing I remember. Destiny: that is the only word for this team.

I still am not very sure how this all happened.

But I can say without a doubt that night was a perfect representation of everything I love about MSU. Go Green.

8 SPORTS

Oct. 31 - Nov. 13, 2011 www.lcc.edu/lookout

Lady ballers ready for winning season Six sophomores, four freshmen fuel team Dominick Mastrangelo Sports Editor

File photo by Michael Caterina

Returing sophomore Denay Kelly puts up a shot during a 2010-11 game against Kellogg Community College in the Gannon Gymnasium.

For LCC Coach Ervin Brunson, this year’s women’s basketball team is unique compared to the Lady Stars he has coached in the past.

“I have a couple different types of girls this year,” Brunson said. “I have some (girls) that will require some more patience … These girls are fresh out of high school.

“However I have some girls that have taken to the way we do things here very quickly. It’s a very diverse team we’re putting together.”

The team will begin its season Wednesday, Nov. 17 at home vs. Calvin College.

Brunson has been coaching women’s basketball at LCC for 17 years.

This year he took his team down to Toledo, Ohio, to compete in a variety of scrimmage games.

“We won three out of the four games we played in Toledo,” Brunson said. “We’re seeing some really positive things early.”

The Lady Stars have six returning

sophomores this year and only four freshmen.

“We’re just going to take the season one game at a time,” sophomore point guard Denay Kelly said. “It’s a good feeling to be playing with so many of my teammates from last year … We’ve already got some chemistry going in.”

Kelly will likely be the leader of the Stars this year, Brunson said.

And rightfully so.

Kelly averaged 12.5 points per game in the 2010-11 regular season along with recording 56 steals.

“We’re going to look to her to do some big things for us this year,” Brunson said.

Not to be forgotten, however, is the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed flair the four freshmen bring to the team.

“I guess you could say I have a little bit of a chip on my shoulder,” said freshman Carli Reid, who played her high school basketball at Waverly High School. “I want to eventually be starting every game but I know that’s going to take hard work. “ The Lady Stars have 13 home games scheduled this year. They hope to take home a win in all of them.

“I know we will win here,” Reid said. “That’s what LCC is all about.”

9

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Oct. 31 - Nov. 13, 2011

www.lcc.edu/lookout

LCC concert showcases musical diversity Kaitlin Lutz A&E Editor Many different and unique sounds filled Dart Auditorium Oct. 23 during the entertaining production of Soundscapes.

Despite the lack of a curtain, the crew was able to keep things running smoothly, said Molly Cryderman-Weber, music faculty.

“Our stage manager, Lisa Whiting-Dobson, was great,” Cryderman-Weber said. “I think she was part of the reason everything ran so smoothly. She was such a great stage manager.”

First to enter the stage was the percussion ensemble directed by LCC faculty member Beth Lewis. The piece they played, called “Lost Souls,” was a great start to the afternoon of music.

The ensemble also did a creative piece using basketballs to create different rhythms.

Cryderman-Weber performed in both percussion

Photos Kevin Fowler

A trombone players, above, uses a mute during an LCC Jazz Band rehearsal Oct. 12.

Members of the LCC Concert Choir, right, sing during a rehearsal for Soundscapes, which was held in Dart Auditorium Oct. 23.

Review pieces during the event.

As a faculty member, Cryderman-Weber said, “It’s always fun to play.”

The concert choir did an excellent job and I loved listening and watching them sing their last song

called “Little David, Play on your Harp.” I could tell that each choir member really got into the song.

The LanSwingers Vocal Pop & Jazz Ensemble, directed by Bill Bastian, gave an inspiring soulful performance with its songs “Melba’s Blues” and “Ngiculela-Es Una Historia–I

IN BRIEF Arts & Entertainment

Rock will compete against rap in Battle of the Bands LCC’s American Marketing Association presents its 4th Annual Rock vs. Rap Battle of the Bands Nov. 16 at 9 p.m. at Mac’s Bar 2700 East Michigan Ave. Admission is $10 at the door.

Buy used books and more at the Big Book Bash The big book Bash, Nov. 4-12, is LCC Library’s annual used material sale. Materials include books, movies, music, software and games.

Money raised at the event will go to the LCC Library.

LCC students and staff will receive half off all items for sale when they present their StarCard, Nov. 4-6.

All items will be 10 cents each on Wednesday, Nov. 9.

On Friday, Nov. 11, bring a paper grocery bag and pay $2 for as many paperback books that will fit inside a bag.

For more information, contact Victoria Meadows at meadowv@lcc.edu or call (517) 483-1648.

Walk through art galleries in Old Town first Sunday of the month Visit art galleries in the Lansing area the first Sunday of every month as the galleries host opening receptions for new art exhibits. The next Sunday gallery walk is Nov. 6.

Give Old Town holiday spirit Get Old Town ready for the holidays by helping decorate the streets, Nov. 13, from 12 - 3 p.m.

For more information, email Kelly Idzikowski at kelly@oldtownmainstreet. org.

Am Singing.”

The experimental music ensemble performed a vocal and instrumental improvisation. Ensemble members, directed by Cesar Potes made different noises and sounds, some using instruments and others their voices.

“What they did to cre-

ate that piece was … a number of improvisation exercises in class,” Cryderman-Weber said. “Then they create(d) as a group throughout the semester a piece based on those improvisations exercises.”

Their performance was, I have to admit, a bit odd at times. Then there were points when they each burst out in laughter – that was pretty entertaining.

One of my favorite parts of the concert was the Jazz Ensemble directed by Jonathon Gewirtz. They saved the best for last. The ensemble gave a wonderful performance showcas-

ing the talents of different individual musicians.

They also played the song “Beyond the Sea” with guest singer Gino Federici.

“Gino … is one of our music majors and it was fun to see him,” Cryderman-Weber said. “He’s been a performer in Vegas for the last couple of decades. So he has a great way with the crowd, and it was a lot of fun to see him do his thing on stage.”

Soundscapes showcased well the hard work and effort put in by musicians, and the talent the Music Program at LCC has to offer.

10 A&E

Oct. 31 - Nov. 13, 2011 www.lcc.edu/lookout

Manipulating the beauty of insanity

Actor Spotlight

Amber Glomb Staff Writer LCC’s rendition of the psychodrama play The Shrike by Joseph Kramm first exposes its elements to the public beginning on Friday, Nov. 4.

These elements begin with Jim Downs, played

by LCC student Michael Banghart. Downs has been admitted into a state hospital after a failed attempt to commit suicide.

The play opens in a hospital with the audience having a vague idea of what is going on.

“The audience has to find out why he’s seen in the hospital, who he is, and what’s going to happen to him there,” said Ken Beachler, who plays Dr. Schlesinger .

The Shrike will have five performances at Dart Auditorium.

These performances are Friday, Nov. 4 at 8 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 5 at 8 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 6 at 2 p.m., Friday, Nov. 11 at 8 p.m. and the final show is on Saturday, Nov. 12 at

Ken Beachler

Michael Banghart

Photo by Courtney Baker

Michael Banghart (center) as Jim Downs is consoled by his wife Beth Martin (right) as his doctor, Ken Beachler (left) watches on in a scene from The Shrike.

8 p.m. Each performance is $5 for students, seniors, LCC faculty or alumni.

General admission is $10.

The casting of The Shrike was not limited to LCC students. LCC alumni are also cast as characters in the play.

According to Beachler, this is so LCC students can gain something from experienced actors. LCC

Hocus-focus

alumni can gain from the energy the students bring to the play.

“Everyone is a new adventure, so this will be like nothing you’ve ever seen before,” Beachler said.

With expectations running high, the cast feels as if the show will be a hit.

“It’s been a collaboration of a lot of people put-

ting in a lot of time for something that has really struck me personally as a script and I think that we are conveying it very well,” Banghart said. “It’s going to be an amazing show.”

Tickets can be purchased at the door in advance by going to www. artslansing.org or by calling (517) 372-0945.

-Compiled by Amber Glomb

Find the right dance class Classes to visit: Beginning Ballet with Vickie Diebold: Mon. & Wed., 8:10 - 9:30 a.m. in Gannon Building 372 Beginning Ballet with Roberta Otten: Tue. & Thu., 12:10 – 1:30 p.m. in Gannon Building 372 Beginning Ballet with Elzbieta Alabuszew-Kutek: Tue. & Thu., 7:40 – 9 p.m. in Gannon Building 372 Beginning Modern Dance with Roberta Otten: Tue. & Thu., 10:10 – 11:30 a.m. in Gannon Building372

This week’s puzzle is sponsored by:

Role in The Shrike: Jim Downs Favorite Actors: Edward Norton and Hugh Laurie Favorite Movie: Chum Scrubber Favorite Play: Wicked Favorite Previous Role Played: Teach in The American Buffalo or Ellard in The Foreigner Favorite Part of Acting: Creating something out of thin air Pre-Performance Ritual: Physical, body and voice warm-up Most Embarrassing moment while acting: Destroyed the stage in front of crowd How to recover from a mess-up: Keep breathing and listening

Role in The Shrike: Dr. Schlesinger Favorite Actor: Kenneth Branagh Favorite Movie: Dances with Wolves Favorite Play: Sweeny Todd Favorite Previous Role Played: Malvolio in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night Favorite Part of Acting: The “pretend” factor Pre-Performance Ritual: The warm-up Most Embarrassing moment while acting: Sliding on stage on wet spots How to recover from mess-ups: Keep talking

Beginning Jazz with Vickie Diebold: Mon. & Wed., 12:10 – 1:30 p.m. in Gannon Building 372 Beginning Tap with D’onna Jacot: Mon. & Wed., 10:10 – 11:30 a.m. in Gannon Building 372 Intermediate Ballet with Elzbieta Alabuszew-Kutek: Tue. & Thu., 5:40 – 7:30 p.m. in Gannon Building 372

Kaitlin Lutz A&E Editor The LCC Communication, Media and the Arts Department is hosting Dance Visitation Week Nov. 14-17 for any student who wants to learn more about the dance classes offered at LCC. Classes that are available for students to check include beginning ballet, modern dance, jazz and tap and intermediate ballet.

“Dance Visitation Week is a chance for people to come in and see what dance is all about here,” said Vickie Diebold, lead dance faculty at LCC. Diebold has been teaching dance for approximately 30 years and has been dancing even longer.

“Sometimes it’s a little intimidating to know what a class is all about or to sign up for a class,” Diebold said. “It’s also kind of hard to know what level maybe to place yourself in so we open all the classes up you can come in and see.”

Diebold mentioned that some teachers allow visitors to participate in class.

According to Diebold, any ques-

tions students have about a particular dance style will be answered after attending and/or participating in a class.

“Maybe you’ve always wanted to take modern dance, but you don’t know what modern dance is, so you go watch it,” Diebold suggested.

For more information on dance classes at LCC, contact the Communication, Media and the Arts Department at (517) 483-1564.

11 A&E

Oct. 31 - Nov. 13, 2011 www.lcc.edu/lookout

Show brings a twist to fairytales Kaitlin Lutz A&E Editor Remember those fairytales you read as a kid? The ones with Snow White, Prince Charming, the evil witch and more?

Remember how they always had happy endings?

Such happy endings have vanished in the new television series Once Upon a Time, (NBC, Sundays at 8) when the fairytales become reality.

This show has everything from a Prince Charming (Joshua Dallas) reviving Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) with a kiss, to an evil queen (Lana Parrilla) who is out to ruin the happiness of everyone’s life.

The show starts out like any good ole’ fairy tale. Prince Charming rescues Snow White and just as they are about to say their “I do’s,” in walks the evil queen who threatens to bring a curse on everyone.

When Snow White becomes pregnant,

Photo courtesy of blackmannrobin.com

Slapstick comedy fails to impress Lee Rumler Staff Writer Photo courtesy of poptower.com

she finds out that their only hope is in her daughter.

Sounds cheesy, I know, but the script actually works.

The show flips back and forth from fairytale land to reality in the opening show.

The characters have all been sent to a place where there are no more happy endings– our world.

Once there, they no longer remember anything about who they are.

Their only hope of being rescued is in Emma, Snow White’s daughter.

On Emma’s 28th birthday, her 10-yearold son comes to find her after she gave him up for adoption.

He has a book full of fairytales and tells her they are all true and she is in them. She understandably doesn’t believe him.

He even lives in a town called Story Brook, Maine. This is anything but ironic be-

cause that is where all these characters have been sent to.

Somehow this kid knows his book of fairy tales is more than just make believe.

Even more, he believes his birth mom is the “savior ” these stories allude to.

Sounds a bit farfetched, but I still enjoyed the show.

Once Upon a Time brings a nice twist to the oh-so-cheesy and familiar fairytales that we know.

Deus Ex revolutionizes gaming Nathan Wilson Associate Editor Deus Ex: Human Revolutions is one of the few games that creates a multifaceted, ethical dilemma with so many titillating layers.

It paints a brilliant scenario wherein the world has made explosive progress in technology, more specifically, biotechnology and cybernetic human augmentation.

The plot revolves around a conspiracy that begs more questions with every piece of the puzzle you assemble.

As security specialist Adam Jensen, it is your mission to investigate the terrorist attacks against biotech

Photo courtesy of deusex.wikia.com

corporation Sarif Industries.

Augmentation presents an excellent opportunity to customize your abilities, including a cloaking system that renders you invisible by bending light, immunity to toxic gases, and of course, blades in your arms.

Human Revolutions also depicts a convinc-

ing wave of prejudice against humans enhanced with technology.

Should humanity ever have the chance to integrate technology with their bodies, I can imagine a new breed of prejudice arising.

After all, humanity has an extraordinary talent for obsessing over our differences and discriminating against each other.

In the game, human augmentation has transformed into a hot button, political issue due to its lack of regulation and accelerated rate of progress.

Everything from sleazy politicians, anti-augmentation coalitions, criminal syndicates and domestic terrorists will intervene in your path.

Human Revolutions features a rich, inspir-

ing soundtrack that melds perfectly with the dark atmosphere.

Visually, Human Revolutions is astounding, portraying a culture combining elements of Renaissance and cyberpunk.

Choice is a vital aspect of the game that can drastically affect the outcome of your journey.

The only flaw was the gameplay felt repetitive at times, and I wanted to see more locations explored besides Detroit, China and Montreal.

It was tedious being stuck in the same regions instead of expanding the world and unlocking new locations.

I would have cherished the opportunity to install an assault rifle in my arm.

Ever since I first saw Rowan Atkinson in Rat Race, I’ve wanted to like him. And after watching his latest movie, Johnny English Reborn, I’m still stuck wanting.

Something about Rowan Atkinson just screams, “I’m hilarious.” I’m pretty sure it’s his face.

And even beyond that funny mug, he’s a talented actor in his own brand, which I take as a sort of an older slapstick, closer to Charlie Chaplin and The Three Stooges than most modern variations.

Yet despite his obvious comedic talent, I’ve never found myself actually enjoying one of his movies for the entire movie.

I guess maybe I’m just not one for physical slapstick comedy.

It can work to supplement a good character, but when the comedic value of a movie rests solely upon physical slapstick, it comes off as a bit shallow.

On top of the shallowness, some of the ridiculousness seemed a bit too forced.

Specifically, in an early scene, Atkinson pretended to pet a cat far too dramatically and for far too long for comfort.

I actually started fidgeting in my seat over how awkward the scene looked.

I understand that the exaggerated over-

reactions are part of Atkinson’s characters, but I’d like to see them toned down a bit.

Because, if it weren’t for a few painfully awkward scenes, I’d have really enjoyed the movie.

If it weren’t for a few painfully forced comedic habits, Atkinson would probably be one of my favorite actors.

That being said, Johnny English Reborn definitely had its good parts.

I’ve always been a fan of spy movies. Adding comedy to that genre has spawned some of my favorite movies to date (Austin Powers and Get Smart come to mind.)

Every time English gets in a fight, expect the best. His fighting style is not only admirably effective but also wonderfully amusing.

The wheelchair scene was one of the most; no, it was the most epic and hilarious chase scene I’ve watched to date.

And the romance that blossoms halfway through the movie was just the right balance of blissfully cute and remarkably odd.

It was perfect for Mr. English.

Johnny English Reborn was a pretty good movie with its fair share of letdowns. If you’re a fan of Atkinson, by all means, see it.

However, if you’re as big of a fan of physical slapstick as I am, you might want to skip it.

12 Features

Oct. 31 - Nov. 13, 2011 www.lcc.edu/lookout

LCC alumnus to debut horror film in Philippines Nathan Wilson Associate Editor

L

CC alumnus DJ Perry has many specialties in the entertainment industry: writing, acting and producing. He also serves as co-owner of Collective Development Inc., a motion picture company based in Lansing.

Starring in approximately 30 to 40 films, Perry has explored everything from family faith films (Figure in the Forest and Book of Ruth, Journey of Faith), Lionsgate westerns (Dean Teaster’s Ghost Town), documentaries (OUTSIDE THE WIRE, The Forgotten Children of Afghanistan) and horror films (Darkest Night and The 8th Plague).

“LCC offered me the next steps to explore something that I was sincerely passionate about,” Perry said. “LCC gave me the first basic tools I could use to turn my passion into a career.

“I am a business artist and I think that Business of Art is a class that should be taught.

You can find art classes, but why not require classes in how to build a career.”

According to Perry, he began to explore film at Sexton High School when he created MTV style and Saturday

Night Live types of shows for friends and family. Thus, he spent much of his time during high school writing scripts, planning shoot dates and gathering help.

Currently, Perry is preparing for the theatrical premiere of the psychological horror film Darkest Night, which was shot in the Philippines.

According to the national media of the Philippines, Perry is the first American to shoot on a Filipino film production.

Courtesy photos

LCC alumnus DJ Perry is starring in the upcoming film Darkest Night, which will be released in 2012 in the United States.

According to darkestnightmovie.com, the film was inspired by events that occurred Nov. 1, 2003, in an isolated place in the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia.

A Chinese family held a gathering there to celebrate Chinese New Year and the following day, the locals only found the ruins of their wealthy mansion and no sign of the family. “(Darkest Night) is about an American brought to his soon-to-be-wife’s home at Christmas to meet her tra-

ditional family,” Perry explained. “You want to talk about a real nightmare before Christmas. This is a groundbreaking mix of East meets West filmmaking and I think audiences will dig it.”

Perry also explained the importance of education in his career.

“LCC played a very vital role in my career and I’m going to tell it to you straight,” Perry said. “I come from a family that always pushed education and, thankfully, reading was something I’ve

always loved … I’ve always excelled and been good at what I truly enjoy.”

Perry said his favorite part of working in the film industry is the artists he works with and the places he travels.

“Movies are created by a small army of artists,” Perry said. “They all love their craft and when they are brought together in this controlled chaos, a film is born.”

According to Perry, Darkest Night will head for release in America in 2012. For more information about Perry’s work, visit http://cdiproductions.com/.

13 DISTRACTIONS

www.lcc.edu/lookout

SUDOKU 5

2

4 7 2 3 9

6

8

4

6

9

Movie Star Crossword

9 7 6 4

Oct. 31 - Nov. 13, 2011

3 9 8 8

3

6

5 1 7

5

7

ACROSS

3

7 4

1

5

2 4 7

1. Star of “Truman Show” 6. Inquire 9. Scientist’s office 12. Play 13 .Caesar’s twelve 14. Pub serving 15. Singing voice 16. Type of partnership 17. Scrap 18. Opp. of false 20. Molten rock 22. “Oh __!” (two wds.)

25. Bar 26. Pair 27. Gets larger 29. Not front or back 31. Surface to air

missile 32. Asian country 36. Microscopic 39. Cunning 40. Star of “Braveheart” 43. Disastrous 45. Excite 46. Family fight 47. Nothing 48. Promissory note 50. Heathen gods 54. Furniture wood 55. Opp. of SSW 56. Bottoms of shoes 57. Spots 58. Hair stuff 59. Make a present of

DOWN 1. Central daylight time 2. Is 3. Fled 4. Display emotions 5. Herb 6. Shaft 7. Perch 8. Cruise’s wife 9. One of the Florida Keys 10. Remember the __!

11. Started 19. At the same time 21. Ditto 22. Disks 23. French “yes” 24. Modern 25. Jew

28. Reservoir 30. Compass point 33. Chinese seasoning 34. Boxer Muhammad 35. Big Apple (abbr.)

37. Touching with the toe 38. Star of “Top Gun” 40. City 41. Book by Homer 42. Resists 44. Annex (2 wds.)

46. Gas 49. Less than two 51. Aged 52. MGM’s Lion 53. Opp. of 55 Across

Vincent Mata Who Wants Soup?

Do you draw cartoons? Bring them to The Lookout and we may publish them.

Published work earns the cartoonist a $10 gift certificate to Gibson’s Book Store!

14 OPINION

Oct. 31 - Nov. 13, 2011 www.lcc.edu/lookout

— The Kollected Klutz —

— Ben There, Doane That —

My 30-day endeavor

A for America, not for apathy

You can hear the clock ticking and you find yourself staring at a blank word document.

Do you tap your fingers nervously, trying in vain to think of what to write, or continue on daydreaming of all the endless ways to bring the page to life?

When it comes to writing a research paper, the first description is normally true for me, but when I am placed with endless possibilities my hands cannot type the words fast enough.

I say this because November is National Novel Writing Month, also known as NaNoWriMo. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write a 50,000-word novel by the end of November.

The 50,000 words is in no way a perfectly edited, finished novel, but the framework for a great one.

Whatever happened to "We the people," to the promises of justice, promotion of general welfare and the securing of liberty for not only us, but also for generations to come?

In today’s world of politics, the most important thing to politicians is to win over the vote of supporters of their party with complete disregard for the long term.

It is almost as if voters are perpetually stuck in this "what have you done for me lately" state of mind.

I say it is a time for reform, not of the government, but of the voters' ideas instead.

If the current trends were to continue, our children and grandchildren will live in a world where state employees such as police officers and teachers, people who work for the betterment of all the citizens of this country, will be retiring with no benefits and left to fend for themselves. This is not

Authoring a novel is something high on my bucket list. That is why I have chosen to participate in NaNoWriMo. So this year I have decided to spend an entire “30 days and nights (of) literary abandon,” as the program describes the month of writing.

I have in years past attempted writing my own novel during this time, but have subsequently failed.

I think the idea of actually writing a novel in a month was more of a novelty and fun idea in the past years so I tended to lose heart after a week into the

month.

But this time I am determined not to give up. Even if I don’t get to the 50,000-word mark by the end of the month, I want to come away from this experience knowing that I tried my best and, more importantly, didn’t give up.

This next month is going to be filled with drama (hopefully more on the pages I write than in real life), laughter, maybe even some tears and plenty of late nights.

I hope when this is finished I will still have my sanity intact, but who knows. This could be a great social experiment.

Maybe I can write a book about my endeavors to write a book in 30 days and craziness that ensues.

I think I already have an idea for my second novel. Now to figure out an idea for this first novel I will be writing.

just. I think something needs to be done as soon as possible.

Stop hiding behind your computer screens.

The reason why there is a system of democracy in this country is so your voice can be heard.

Stop blaming the politicians for not having your ideals and start voting for the ones who do.

When the 2012 Election Day arrives (nov. 8), I challenge you as fellow Americans to not only vote yourself, but invite your friends and family, even your neighbors to vote as well.

The only thing that sickens me more than igno-

rance is apathy — people who inform themselves but choose to do nothing with their knowledge.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “So much attention is paid to the aggressive sins, such as violence and cruelty and greed with all their tragic effects, that too little attention is paid to the passive sins, such as apathy and laziness, which in the long run can have a more devastating effect.”

I believe in our current society where people can’t find it in themselves to get up off the couch to cast a vote, that has been proven to be true to a disappointingly scary extent.

This is a call to action America to stop simply watching the news and talking about how your choice of a candidate could do better. Go vote for that candidate instead.

In the ever so philosophical words of Mahatma Gandhi “Be the change you want to see in the world."

— ‘I am invincible!’ —

America's empty threats A potential act of war

by Iran was thwarted with the arrest of Manssor Arbabsiar, an Iranian-American who claimed to be directed by officials within Iran.

The Department of Justice has charged “factions of the Iranian government” with attempting to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the U.S. by detonating a bomb in a Washington D.C. restaurant.

Other conspirators are still at large in Iran, including Gholam Shakuri, who serves as a special unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guard.

I speculate that Iran may have intended to disrupt ties between America and Saudi Arabia, a valuable ally against terrorists. After all, why would they target a Saudi Arabian ambassador on U.S. soil?

Naturally, Iran denounces the terror plot as propaganda. Well, that's typical. Everything is propaganda to Iran; the Holocaust never happened, 9/11 was an inside job, its nuclear program is peaceful, the typical theories of lunatic.

This plot is just an-

other offense in a long line of disturbing events taking place in Iran, particularly its nuclear program.

According to The New York Times, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Yukiya Amano, doesn’t want to go public with explosive evidence about the development of nucleararmed missiles in Iran because his inspectors will be ejected from that country. Wonderful.

What purpose does the IAEA serve if its administrators are terrified to report violations of nuclear power?

I wonder how many more sanctions we will attempt to throw at Iran before it's too late.

Maybe Obama can invite President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

over for tea in his misguided attempts at reaching out to terrorist havens. I'm sure a few friendly handshakes and smiles will convince Iran to drop its nuclear ambitions and obsession with annihilating Israel.

For God’s sake, sanction the Central Bank of Iran and black list any country or company engaged in business with it.

You have to draw the line at a certain point, not pussyfoot around with rhetoric condemning Iran until you are suddenly confronted by a rogue nation with total disregard for human life.

I do not wish to engage in another war, but I'm afraid Iran is working closer to provoking a conflict between us, especially with the plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian ambassador and blow up Saudi and Israeli embassies in D.C., Buenos Aires and Argentina.

I predict we will be involved in a war with Iran within at least the next 10 years.

In fact, I'm truly beginning to fear that Iran wants a war.

15 Opinion

Oct. 31 - Nov. 13, 2011 www.lcc.edu/lookout — In Our Own Words —

LCC is changing just like everything else Change. It’s something everything needs. We as a campus community are doing this everyday.

But we as a staff have noticed a recent trend in the planning of Lansing Community College’s future.

There are some major renovations planned for LCC’s main campus in the next few years.

The Gannon and Arts & Sciences buildings are probably the two most heavily used buildings on campus.

Both of these buildings are all but set to go under major renovations in the coming semesters.

The building that houses our newspaper office has changed.

The Mackinaw Building is a term that is new to us this fall

semester.

We’ve heard rumors of our office being relocated as well. We want to make it clear we look forward to being involved in the changes coming to this college in the near future.

Many of these renovations cost a large amount of money.

The college is committing our tuition dollars to the benefit of

future students of LCC. As always we will be here to report every step of every process these changes entail.

If you would like to share your opinion on the changes coming to the college, please feel free to write us a letter. This affects all of us. This is your newspaper, if any voice should be heard it should be yours.

— For What It’s Worth —

Write a Letter to the

Editor

Policies: all letters should be 200 words or less and signed with a name, address (email or otherwise) and phone number. The Lookout reserves the right to edit letters for grammar, spelling, length and clarity.

Mail: 1000 – The Lookout Lansing Community College P.O. box 40010 Lansing, MI 489401-7210 Email: mastrand@mail.lcc.edu Fax: (517) 483-1290 The Lookout is the independent, biweekly student newspaper of Lansing Community College. All opinion/editorial articles are the sole opinion of the writer and may not reflect the views of the staff, students, faculty and college as a whole.

Opinion/editorial articles may or may not be located exclusively on editorial pages and may appear on news, sports and arts & entertainment pages.

- The Lookout Staff

the lookout Dominick Mastrangelo

Nathan Wilson

Kaitlin Lutz

Editor in Chief mastrand@mail.lcc.edu

Associate Editor wilso162@mail.lcc.edu

A&E Editor lutzk3@mail.lcc.edu

Kelly Lehtonen

Shauna Stocken

Michael Caterina

News Editor stockens@mail.lcc.edu

Photo Editor cater2@mail.lcc.edu

Advertising Manager swansok4@mail.lcc.edu

Amber Glomb

Ben Doane

Larry Hook

Staff Writer glomba@mail.lcc.edu

Sports Writer doaneb@mail.lcc.edu

Adviser hookl@lcc.edu

Memories of LCC past As LCC officials discuss plans to renovate the Gannon and A & S buildings, I think back to the way the college looked when I attended it as a student in the early 1980s.

I attended Lansing Community College from 1979 to 1983, and earned my associate’s degree on Dec. 11, 1983. I worked as sports editor of The Lookout from the fall of 1981 to the spring of 1983.

Recently I was looking through old editions of The Lookout and a 1983 advertisement stirred some pleasant memories for me. It was an ad for Corky’s Restaurant, which was located on the corner of Shiawassee Street and Capitol Avenue.

That same building is now the headquarters for Gibson’s Bookstore.

I remember spending my free hours between classes eating

ham sandwiches and drinking shakes at Corky’s. And I fondly remember playing pinball and video games at Corky’s during the golden age of arcade games, when Pac-Man and Space Invaders were all the rage.

I can remember people sitting on blankets and studying in the sunshine on the lawn where the TLC Building now stands. That corner almost looked like a city park in those days.

I recall sitting through government class in Old Central (where the University

Center is now located) and listening to Prof.

James McClure’s interesting lectures. I also remember the very slow elevator in that old, creaky building.

I remember when the LCC radio station was located right across the hall from The Lookout office in the SPS Building, which recently had its named changed to the Mackinaw Building.

Though LCC is changing, growing and improving in the present, it is fun to recall the good old days at the college.

If you would like to look through old editions of The Lookout to see what LCC was like in yesteryear, stop into our office in room 208 of the SPS, er, Mackinaw Building.

Larry Hook has been adviser of The Lookout since 2004. He may be reached at 517-483-1291 or hookl@lcc.edu.

Classified Advertising APARTMENT FOR RENT 1238 Turner St., Lansing. One mile from downtown LCC campus in Old Town. One bedroom, $550 per month. Price includes air conditioning, parking, washer and dryer. No smoking, no pets.

Second floor. Intercom, off-street parking and secure urban living.

Free internet. Contact Lori Fischer at 517-490-7090.

NASCAR MEMORABILIA Two brand new Dale Earnhardt Jr. hats, $7 each. Ten commemorative miniature racecars from the Michigan International Speedways from 2005 to 2009, all brand new and in box, $5 each. Buy both hats and all the cars for $45! Call 517-483-1291 daytime.

PREMIER LCC HOUSING: Newly renovated apartments offered by Capitol Management, just 50 feet from LCC. Other locations available only a block or two from Downtown LCC campus. One- to four-bedroom units with prices from $545 to $1,200. Includes parking and most utilities. Pet friendly! Also available: additional secure parking for students for $65 a month. No need rush to class when you can reliably park 50 feet from campus, Only 40 spaces available! Call: 517-2045550 or 517-515-8968.

PLACE YOUR AD HERE Advertising in The Lookout’s classified section is inexpensive and effective.

Cost is just $8.50 for 20 words or less.

Additional words are 50 cents. Call 483-1295 to place an ad.

16 LAST LOOK

Oct. 31 - Nov. 13, 2011 www.lcc.edu/lookout

Photos by Michael Caterina

Donna Roy in town from Houston, and Jim Williams of Howell hold up signs at the corner of Capitol Avenue and Kalamazoo Street at Reutter Park in downtown Lansing Oct. 22 to protest the distribution of wealth in the United States. Members of the “Occupy Lansing” protest have been camping out at the park since early October.

Protesters ‘Occupy Lansing’ with music Michael Caterina Photo Editor Members of the “Occupy Lansing” movement set up camp at Reutter Park in downtown Lansing during the week of Oct. 10 before the rally at the State Capitol Oct. 15.

The group invited bands to perform at the park Oct. 22 as part of the SolidaritySaturday event.

The movement is part of the nationwide peaceful protest, “Occupy Wallstreet,” where people have camped out in cities all over the U.S. to express their disagreement with the distribution of wealth in the nation.

According to OccupyLansing.US, the official website of the local protest, the participants in Lansing agree with the stance of the nationwide movement.

“We stand in solidarity with the movement at Wall Street and others around the world.” the statement on the website says.

“We are here to stay until a more just, equitable system manifests itself for the 99 percent of Americans who so desperately need it now. We are strong, we are peaceful, we are united. We are Occupy Lansing.”

Members of the Flint native band QUESTion, above, perform during Solidarity Saturday in Reutter Park in downtown Lansing Oct. 22.

Protesters, right, relax and display signs while bands play at the event.