Feb. 5, 2014

Page 1

Life

cm

Central Michigan University’s premier news source and student voice since 1919.

WHERE TO EAT The best places to eat on and off of campus

cm-life.com

»PAGE 2B

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 5, 2014 | MOUNT PLEASANT, MICH. | ISSUE NO. 53 VOL. 95

LIFE IN BRIEF STUDENT LIFE

CMU alumnus Ed Currie masters the world’s hottest pepper By Megan Pacer Senior Reporter

When Central Michigan University alumnus Ed Currie began researching peppers for their medical and healing benefits, the idea of earning a Guinness World Record had not entered his mind. As the product of a disease-ridden family and the fast-and-loose culture of the ‘70s and ‘80s, Currie was determined to find a connection between lifestyle choices and the properties of peppers with the likelihood of contracting illnesses such as heart disease and cancer. This endeavor led him down a road of experimentation and success that culminated in his ownership of the world’s hottest pepper to date. An entrepreneur from the beginning, Currie began his collegiate career as a vagabond of sorts, taking odd jobs where he could, valuing his social life over academics. “I bounced from school to school back in the ‘80s,” Currie said. “When I actually got to Central, I began to feel at home.” When he arrived at CMU in 1984, Currie majored in economics while holding several jobs around town including a job at Blackstone Bar in downtown Mount Pleasant, and working sporting events and campus dining. Always finding time for fun, Currie was a member of Greek Life at CMU and did his best to stay plugged in to the social aspects of campus. “Campus life at Central was the best out of all the other schools I went to,” Currie said. Former roommate Mark Butcher of Mount Pleasant met Currie through a mutual friend at Mid-Michigan Community College in the late ‘80s. He described Currie as friendly, personable and someone bound to accomplish whatever he put his mind to. “He was actually one of the nicest guys you could meet,” Butcher said. “It didn’t matter what you did or who you were, he would be friends with you. He could make friends with almost anybody.”

SGA TO PRESENT CPF REFORM TO BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Central Michigan University’s Student Government Association finalized its proposal to raise the Campus Programing Fund to $2 million and is ready to present it to the Board of Trustees Feb. 19. SGA’s executive board distributed 25 copies of the 40-page report, which details the university’s need for the increase in funding, to various offices around campus, such as the Office of Student Life and the Office of the President. Previously, Marie Reimers, SGA student body president, said the proposal was going to be presented to the board by CMU President George Ross, but after discussing the idea with the executive board, SGA chose to present the proposal itself. “We would like to have the university’s input on the proposal, but ultimately this was worked on for students by students so we should be presenting it,” Reimers said.

-Nathan Clark | Student Life Editor

METRO FOURTH-GRADE STUDENT CAUSES SCHOOL LOCKDOWN WITH AIRSOFT GUN

Renaissance Public School Academy was in lockdown Tuesday morning after a fourthgrade student revealed an Airsoft gun. The Isabella County Sheriff’s Department was dispatched to the school, located at 2797 S. Isabella Road, at about 11 a.m. According to Isabella County Sheriff Leo Mioduszewski, the lockdown lasted about 10 minutes before the deputy confirmed the student brought the gun to school. “He was actually showing some of his friends, and then they reported it to the teacher,” Mioduszewski said. “They hadn’t yet confirmed it was an Airsoft weapon. Once the first officer arrived, they noticed it was an Airsoft gun. Then the school went back to business as usual.” The ICSD will submit an informal report to Isabella County Prosecutor Risa Scully. Mioduszewski said it’s up to the prosecutor to seek charges, but he doesn’t think the student committed a crime. “There was no intent. He didn’t bring it there to harm anybody. There were no threats that were made,” Mioduszewski said. “It was a typical Airsoft gun that you see in the store. It’s not considered a weapon.”

From hot to not

Just how hot are Ed Currie’s peppers? Let this Scoville Heat Unit (SHU) pepper thermometer put it into perspective for you.

Police pepper spray 2 million SHU

Carolina Reaper 1.57 million SHU

Habanero

100,000 to 350,000 SHU

2,500 to 10,000 SHU

Siracha

2,680 SHU

-Orrin Shawl | Staff Reporter

LIFE INSIDE

Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

Bossing up: Two CMU alumni lead successful careers »PAGE 3A

499 SHU

Graphics by Kayla Folino | Page Designer

Jalapeño

Opinions differ with ‘bump card’ procedure By Sean Bradley Senior Reporter

Courtesy | puckerbutterpeppercompany.com Ed Currie holds one of his world-record Carolina Reaper peppers by the stem, which looks like the tail of a scorpion.

Since losing touch after their college days, Butcher had been seeking to catch up with Currie for some time when he heard of his Guinness World Record award. While initially shocked, Butcher said it was not surprising that Currie would be met with great success. It was during his collegiate career that Currie’s fascination with peppers first began. Determined to find an alternative solution to diseases such as cancer and heart disease, he began to study the properties and health benefits of peppers with vigor. Currie noted during his studies that populations in indigenous areas boasted relatively low cases of disease, and the common denominator throughout all of them was the consumption of particularly spicy peppers.

THE FIRE RISES

After graduation, Currie immediately entered the financial industry, making extra money on the side by owning various restaurants and bars. Eventually he put his economics degree to use at First Union Bank in South Carolina, where he moved to in 2001. By this time, Currie had accumulated numerous pepper specimens, working on his research in every spare moment he had. “I had quite a collection of peppers from around the world,” Currie said. “I’d come home and I’d work until 11 or 12 at night doing peppers.” Finally, after 33 years of devotion to his hobby, Currie and his wife Linda decided it was time to make the pepper business his fulltime career. By selling his product through the PuckerButt Pepper Company, Currie was able to support his livelihood while continuing his efforts with medical research. It was around this time in his life when Currie realized his modifications to the peppers in the name of good health were actually making them astoundingly hot and spicy. The notion of creating the world’s hottest pepper was now a conceivable reality. “It wasn’t a conscious decision,” Currie said. “We were raising peppers to see if we could get health benefits out of it.”

SIZZLING WITH SUCCESS

On Nov. 14, Currie received an email from Guinness that would change his life forever. “I thought to myself ‘Oh God, what did I do this time?’” Currie said. “I dropped to my knees. Literally, I was sobbing with joy.” Currie had just been informed he was the new owner of the hottest pepper in the world, his very own “Smokin’ Ed’s Carolina Reaper.” According to an article published by the Associated Press, the heat of the pepper was measured in Scoville Heat Units, or SHU. The article notes that Currie’s winning batch of pepw PEPPERS | 2A

Rising Rayson: Freshman point guard emerges as playmaker on men’s basketball team »PAGE 8A

Andrew Derry thought he was fully prepared to enroll in a neurophysiology class last fall. Even after receiving a bump card to obtain a spot in the course, the Rogers City senior was denied entry into the class. The professor was not willing to negotiate. “(The professor) said just because I didn’t have the Mammalian Physiology class, he didn’t feel I was prepared for the course,” Derry said. “I have taken other physiology classes and the chemistry that was required for the class.” Drop/add cards, commonly known as bump cards, grant approval to students to obtain a seat in a course they might not be qualified for or for special circumstances, such as internships, said Karen Hutslar, a Central Michigan University registrar. “It’s special approval from the department authorizing a student into a course to either override a capacity or a prerequisite or a course that needs special authorization,” she said. Leigh Orf, head of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, said faculty often sign the bump cards, bypassing the head of the department. However, the bump card system requires the signature of the head of the department before the student can take to the course. “Typically, the chair has the final say,” he said. “I trust the faculty. I don’t ask to see them and I’ve never heard w BUMP CARDS | 2A

Student from MMCC died from heart condition By Katherine Ranzenberger Senior Reporter

A autopsy report revealed a genetic disorder was the cause of a Mid-Michigan Community College student’s death in October at The Village of Bluegrass. Matthew Vandercook, a Monroe-native and MMCC student, was found dead in his room by his roommates. He suffered from a previously unknown genetic condition called Long QT Syndrome. Vandercook was living with three Central Michigan University students at the time of his death. Long QT syndrome causes the heart to beat erratically, and can cause sudden death, according to the Mayo Clinic website. “He was always a healthy kid, but I could never get him to go to the doctor,” said Donald Vandercook, Matthew’s father and detective at the Monroe County Sheriff ’s Department. “I’ve dealt with this stuff all my career, but when it happens to you, it’s unexpected.” The pathologist who did the autopsy also found a small tumor on a heart valve, Donald said. Matthew was a three-sport athlete throughout high school, and the genetic heart condition was never apparent through football, baseball and basketball, Donald said. He made the all-region team his senior year for football. Matthew’s roommates found his body on Oct. 15. w VANDERCOOK | 2A

Join us for an OPEN HOUSE for CMU Students! ALL NEW

SATURDAY & SUNDAY

Central Park Apartments

or call

(248) 408-4020 for a private showing

Feb ...............8th & 9th Feb .......... 15th & 16th Feb .........22nd & 23rd 9am-3pm each day!

Visit www.cmu4lease.com for more information

1308 E. Gaylord St.

LAUNDRY

BATHROOM

LIVING ROOM

KITCHEN


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.