LIFE CENTRAL MICHIGAN
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friday, feb. 13, 2015 | MOUNT PLEASANT, MICH. | ISSUE NO. 57 VOL. 96
A look at bullying through the eyes of the aggressor »PAGE 5A
Race to save lives: CMU promotes organ donation Michigan universities support organ donor registry through Gift of Life Campus Challenge By Derek Brueck Staff Reporter
April Lucas was nearing graduation, earning a masters degree in Hospitality Services Administration from Central Michigan University
when she suffered a brain aneurism. The Macomb graduate student died in 2011 at the age of 23. Her family made the decision to donate her organs. That choice saved lives. “She would have been happy to
see the lives that she saved,” said Washington sophomore Derek Lucassian, Lucas’ cousin. Lucassian, who at the time of his cousin’s death was in high school, saw the impact of organ donation. “After seeing the good in which organ donation can do, it strengthened my beliefs about donation,” Lucassian said. Already a registered organ donor at the time of his cousin’s
death, Lucassian said organ donation continues to play a major role in his life today. Throughout the last month he helped organize the 12th Annual Gift of Life Campus Challenge. Michigan schools compete to sign up the most people to the Michigan Organ Donor Registry. CMU is ranked third for the number of students registered. The schools competing against
CMU this year are Wayne State University, Northern Michigan University, Michigan State University, Eastern Michigan University, Sienna Heights University and Calvin College. The campus challenge hands out two trophies to the winners for the most students registered and the most registered per capita. The Honors Health Service Society is helping organize the w Donation | 2A
MADE IN MOUNT PLEASANT
Graduate student films crime drama using students, city By Paige Sheffield Staff Reporter
One of the biggest challenges Grant Pichla faced during graduate school was finding a public place to bring a gun. A former graduate student in the Broadcast and Cinematic Arts program at Central Michigan University, Pichla directed “Niner” before he graduated in May 2014. The crime drama, which was written by Eric Dickson, will be shown at 1 p.m. Feb. 15 in the Charles V. Park Library Auditorium as part of the Central Michigan International Film Festival. Pichla had to notify the police when filming a scene with fake guns for his feature-length movie. “You can’t just go out into a parking lot and start waving a gun around,” Pichla said. Pichla didn’t want just a horror movie or a romantic comedy — he thought they would be too shallow. Instead, he wanted a drama with suspense because those are the kinds of movies he likes to watch. His film is about an offbeat detective who must choose between pursuing a murder investigation or saving his reputation in a court case where he is being framed. Pichla said the themes of the film are “making a few wrongs in order to make a right, the effects of guilt and revenge and choosing between what is legal and what is just.” Creating the film was an interesting experience, he said, because many of the people who helped with the film were CMU students. Kevin Neil Smith, a fellow graduate student at the time, worked with Pichla and produced the film. Smith said Pichla told him “I’m going to make a movie,” so Smith agreed to help. “The nice thing about being at a university is that the people who are volunteering to help you have a passion for it and are eager to
Courtesy Photo | Grant Pichla With the help of CMU students, graduate student Grant Pichla directs the crime drama “Niner” written by Eric Dickson. The film will be shown as a part of the Central Michigan International Film Festival.
Courtesy Photo | Grant Pichla One of the scenes from the student directed film “Niner” was filmed in Mount Pleasant’s own The Bird Bar and Grill.
learn,” Pichla said. Many people think the biggest challenges of making an independent film are money and resources. For Pichla it was managing time. The people working on the film had jobs and classes during
production, so it was difficult to find the time to work on the film. Pichla had to be conscious of the cast’s other commitments. Smith said it was difficult to figure out when people would be available for scenes which require four to 20 people, and plan the
Courtesy Photo | Grant Pichla A scene from the film “Niner.” Pichla said scenes involving guns had to be cleared with local law enforcement.
locations ahead of time. “In the end, you learn to trust that it will all work out, but you also learn to have backup plans just in case,” he said. Deciding where to film was based on convenience and what the script required. Pichla said he
always looked in Mount Pleasant first. “One of the biggest things I learned is that we have a very nice community,” he said. “Kevin and I constantly talked about how w IFF | 4A
Parent advocates for use of medical marijuana Hall of Fame alumnus
returns for Black History Month speech
By Conner Emery Staff Reporter
Logan Hagen was told he had six months to live. Logan was diagnosed with leukemia in April 2009. Despite going through multiple chemotherapy and radiation treatments, the cancer relapsed in 2011, 2013 and 2014. “It was absolutely terrifying that he was not responding to any of the treatment,” said Logan’s mother Kim Hagen. After a relapse in 2014, doctors informed Kim they had run out of options. Her son only had months to live, doctors predicted. “I felt that there was no hope left for my son,” Hagen said. Hagen and Shane Burnett, Logan’s caretaker, spoke at an event sponsored by the registered student organization, Students Advocates for the Medical and Responsible use of Cannabis, about how he was treated with dosages
By Grant Lefaive Staff Reporter
Courtesy Photo | Manny Estrada Shane Burnett, Logan Hagen’s caretaker, spoke Wednesday at an event sponsored by the registered student organization, Students Advocates for the Medical and Responsible use of Cannabis.
of cannabis to relieve the symptoms of leukemia. SAMRC is a registered student organization that holds events and meetings to educate students on the positive influences of medical Marijuana use and why it should be legalized. The group meets 9 p.m.
Wednesday in Moore Hall Room 105. Ian Elliot, president of SAMRC, and other members first met Logan at a conference in Chicago. Elliot is proud of Logan’s story and is thankful it was shared with the rest of CMU. w SAMRC | 2A
Instead of standing, Walter Beach insisted on sitting down to address students and faculty as equals. “I don’t like the format of talking down to people,” Beach said. “I’m a man of no special rank, that’s how I view myself, and I appreciate this chance to share my experiences with you.” The 1959 graduate returned to his alma mater Thursday to speak with students about his experiences being a black athlete during the Civil Rights era. Beach played for Central Michigan University football under Kenneth “Wild Bill” Kelly — the same Kelly who is half the namesake of Kelly/ Shorts stadium — who faced
discrimination for his inclusion of black players. Once while on the road, Kelly and the team slept on the bus because Walter Beach Beach was not allowed into the hotel where they planned to stay. “Central Michigan was the first place I felt like I was just a human being, not a black man,” Beach said. “It was a freeing environment for me.” At CMU, Beach set records during his four-year career, including single season and career rushing, receptions and w BROWN | 2A