August 27, 2018

Volume 83 • Issue #1

August 27, 2018

DELTACOLLEGIATE STUDENT RUN SINCE ‘61

EYE ON ALUMNI — P. 4

FIND OUT HOW THIS DELTA ALUMNA MADE HER WAY TO YOUR TELIVISION

FRUSTRATED FAN — P. 7

WHY THE PRESEASON ISN’T WORTH YOUR TIME

WE MUST PROTECT JOURNALISM! >> PAGE 6

.

2

NEWS

www.deltacollegiate.com

AUGUST 27, 2018

President Goodnow emphasizes relationships in fall address Joe Thornton • Editor-In-Chief

Photo courtesy of Delta College press release

Midland campus headlines latest Delta upgrades Michael Piwowarski • News Editor

UNIVERSITY CENTER - Delta College will soon have a new satellite campus in Midland, as announced in an August press release.

In an Aug. 14 Board of Trustees meeting, the board approved the selection of a site on the block of Ellsworth, Townsend, Buttles and Cronkright.

The new building will be 30,000 square feet and will boast “state-of-the-art” technology. Current plans are to break ground in fall 2019 and open in fall 2020.

The property that has been selected was previously owned by Chemical Bank and the Dow Chemical Company. Both companies donated the property to Delta for use as the site for the new campus.

Total estimate for the construction of the new building is $13 million. More than half of that amount - $7.4 million - has already been awarded for the construction of the new building through

grants from the Dow Chemical Company Foundation, the Dow Corning Foundation and the Herbert H. & Grace A. Dow Foundation.

“Delta College has always been committed to providing local citizens with a college education that’s affordable, the highest quality and easy to access,” Goodnow stated in the press release. “I believe this downtown Midland Center will continue to fulfill that commitment to our communities.”

The new building will replace the current Midland center, which has been hampered with an aging building and infrastructure, as cited by the press release.

Classes are still being offered at the current Midland center, located on 1025 Wheeler St. Aside from the current Midland center, Delta College also operates two other satellite campuses in the Tri-City area: the Ricker Center in Saginaw and the Planetarium in Bay City.

The Ricker Center is also being replaced by a new Saginaw campus, which broke ground earlier this year and is expected to open in Fall 2019.

The Planetarium’s Dome360 Theatre is currently undergoing a renovation with new projectors and is expected to reopen Thursday, Sep. 6, as stated in a Facebook post.

On the morning of Aug. 21, more than 100 Delta College faculty and staff gathered to hear the President’s Fall Address from President Jean Goodnow.

The message was a positive one overall, reflecting on the successes of the past year while establishing goals for the future.

Photo courtesy of Delta College In outlining some successes, Goodnow spoke about the shortcoming that was spoken new Midland Center, with on was the student retention goals to break ground in fall rate. Delta’s retention rate from of 2019 and opening in 2020. fall 2016 to fall 2017 was only Throughout her address, 52 percent. This means nearly Goodnow emphasized the half of the students that were importance of interpersonal enrolled in fall of 2016 elected skills and communication with to not enroll the faculty and staff, with following year, for the overall theme various reasons. being strengthening Overall, the and retaining speech showed relationships.

We are building that Delta is “We are building a culture of in sustainable a culture of communication. condition, but communication. The The actions there is much actions of faculty of faculty and room for growth and staff create staff create moving forward. our culture, and Only time will our culture. we want everyone tell if Goodnow’s — Jean Goodnow bringing energy and goal of increasing creativity to their student retention job,” said Goodnow. will be met.

Instead of referring to Delta as a community college, she stated it is the community’s college, participating actively in the community as employees, interns and volunteers.

The most pertinent

NEWS

www.deltacollegiate.com

AUGUST 27, 2018

Author Julie Carr helps readers face their fears Jennifer Torres • Journalist

Julie Carr is a woman who has seen many sides. Finding a rewarding career to the devastating effects of addiction, she has been able to keep herself afloat. With enough hindsight to carry on, Carr uses her talents to help others. In her book Stop Surviving and Start Thriving, she is helping others to carry their own load in life. Carr dives deep into the emotion of fear and tells her personal story of how her fears stopped her, but also gave her the strength to move on.

Carr is a successful motivational speaker and says that all successful people have to work hard for what they have and overcome fear. So how do these successful people overcome their fear?

“They don’t let fear control them [or] override. [They] take calculated strategic risk,” says Carr.

She says that most people are not aware of their true fear. As a result, they aren’t able to go through the process necessary to alleviate fear. Here is Carr’s strategy for breaking free from fear.

First breaking down what is the fear? What is it specifically about the situation that is so scary?

she had been in blind misery for too Next, rate it on a scale from long. Afraid to face her sadness and one to ten. How bad is it and is it anger, she eventually turned to drugs something a person can survive? as an escape. After hitting rock bottom, After figuring out these questions, next Carr was determined to stay sober. is to strategize for the worst case scenarios.

“I think what happened for me was Carr uses these strategies to help her get that the pain of not being the person out of her comfort zone and gain a sense that I wanted to be became of control over the situation. greater than my immediate Julie Carr’s favorite quote pain I was feeling… you just is by Eleanor Roosevelt who have to let it hurt,” says Carr. said: “Do something every The pain of Through her struggles, day that scares you.”

Carr recognized that radically She loves this motto for the not being the accepting the fact that life was message it sends individuals. person that I going to be hard for a while According to Carr, individuals wanted to be gave her the confidence she should exercise their courage became greater needed to face her fears. in the same way they would a than my Today, Carr is accomplishing muscle. If people keep pushing immediate pain. her dreams as a female the boundaries on their fears, — Julie Carr entrepreneur. In her book “Stop they’ll become more fearless Surviving and Start Thriving” in time. For Carr, fear isn’t Carr lays out a blueprint for those all bad. Fear can also operate wanting to succeed in all areas of as an incentive and believes life. She believes her journey gave comfort leads to complacency. her the real life experience and hopes that Carr knows how hard it can be to admit to fears and face problems. Over ten years by telling her story she will inspire others. ago, Carr finally had to face the fact that she needed coping with addiction.

In her book, she recognized that

The anchor store struggle continues Michael Piwowarski • News Editor

BAY CITY — The Bon-Ton — which operated 267 stores in the U.S. under various brands as of Q3 2016 — announced back in April that they would liquidate and close all of their stores, including the Younkers department store chain. By the end of August, the Younkers locations at the Bay City Town Center and the Midland Mall will be shuttered permanently.

Severin Rumon, an employee at the Bay City Younkers store who has worked there for two years, is not surprised with this turn of events.

“While the Bay City location itself was successful, it was the mismanagement in the company’s leadership positions that was ultimately the corporation’s undoing. When Bon-Ton bought Younkers and a few other name plates, they did so on a loan and were never able to reconcile more than the interest payments, if that,” says Rumon.

Both of these malls have already lost anchor stores over the past few years. Sears closed both its Bay City and Midland locations in 2015 and 2016, respectively. The Target in Bay City closed in 2015 while the Midland

Mall’s JCPenney closed in 2017.

Shopping malls are faced with an interesting challenge as of late, having to not only fill vacant tenant spaces, but also keep their business model relevant in an age of online shopping.

The Bay City Mall changed its name to the Bay City Town Center last year as part of an effort to rebrand themselves and adapt to changing shopping trends. Half of the vacant Sears is occupied

by Ollie’s Bargain Outlet. The shopping center replaced its food court with a PetSmart, which opened in February this year.

According to an August 16 press release, Big R Stores — an Illinois-based farm supply retailer — has finalized its purchase of the former Target and will open its first Michigan location there in Q1 2019. “[The change to] Town Center seems to so far be a smart decision by the owners,” says Rumon. “The stores they brought in — PetSmart and Ollie’s — have definitely done well to increase their business. If they continue to bring in other large, recognizable stores then I think our mall could stay not only operational, but also profitable for quite some time.”

As for the Midland Mall, owner CBL & Associate Properties had gone through foreclosure after defaulting on a $31.9 million loan, and in June 2018 sold the property to Kohan Retail Investment.

According to MLive.com, the new owners plan on adding national retailers and entertainment options to the mall, including a new movie theater.

Of course, time will tell if making such changes will improve prospects for these shopping malls in the long term.

• Illustration by Piper Wood

3

Making strides to preserve democracy at Delta Joe Thorton • Editor-In-Chief

Voting is often considered to be the cornerstone of democracy and a right that has been fought for throughout the history of our country. So, why aren’t you voting? For those who want to become more involved politically but don’t know where to start, Delta is taking steps to make sure you can become an active and informed voter. Leading up to the general election on Nov. 6, various events are being held on campus to ensure Delta students and faculty can go vote with full confidence!

Some of the events include a voter registration drive on Sept. 17-19 in the Delta Library and a dialogue on marijuana legalization on Oct. 18 from 2-4 p.m. Additionally, faculty members will lead discussions on various topics that will appear on the ballot come election day to ensure confidence in Delta voters.

The topics of these faculty discussions can be found below: ■

Professor Elizabeth Ullrich, Michigan’s U.S. senate race on Sep. 19 at noon in S105

■

Professor Tom Boudrot, Michigan’s governor race on Sep. 24 at 1 p.m. in N007

■

Professor Lisa Lawrason, Ballot initiative to end gerrymandering on Oct. 8 at 10 a.m. in N007

■

Professor Bob Moore, Michigan’s state legislative races on Oct. 17 with time and place to be determined

■

Professor Ryan Petersen, Judicial elections in Michigan on Oct. 25 at 11 a.m. in N007

■

Professor Kim Klein, Ballot initiative to legalize marijuana on Oct. 30 at 11 a.m. in N007

4

COLLEGIATE LIFE

www.deltacollegiate.com

AUGUST 27, 2018

Eye on Alumni | Ashlyn Hill, WNEM TV-5 anchor Surviving

a semester at Delta

Jaylie Dice • Photo Editor

It’s the first week back and for many Delta students, and it seems like the workload is never-ending. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Ashlyn Hill is living proof of that. Ashlyn began as a broadcasting student at Delta where she earned her associates degree in Electronic Media Broadcasting before moving on to Central Michigan University to obtain her bachelors in Broadcast and Cinematic Arts. Now she is a member of the WNEM news team.

Joe Thornton • Editor-In-Chief

This fall semester will inevitably mark the inauguration of some brighteyed, bushy-tailed students as they begin their college journey. Although many people at Delta are well aware of what it takes to survive a semester here, this article is my best effort to level the playing field and make new students aware of what I’ve come to know going into my second year. These are the necessities to not only survive, but thrive throughout your time spent at Delta College.

What job title do you currently hold at WNEM? I wear a couple of hats over at WNEM. I am a news anchor which entails a lot of writing, a lot of editing and a lot of research into the stories that are going into the rundown. I’m also a Multimedia Journalist (MMJ) meaning I am going out with my own camera, my own tripod, shooting my own story, my own b-roll, interviewing people, writing my own story and then editing it. I’m in charge of it from point A to point B. As morning anchor, what are the responsibilities of your job?

Copyediting and writing. I wish it was something glamorous like hair and makeup, but no I get in and I grind. Especially on the weekends because there’s only two of us writing the show. There’s one producer, and it’s a two hour show so they basically have the rundown filled. Then I come in, copy edit and make sure everything makes sense. I also make sure it’s written the way I would say it. That is the majority of getting ready for the show.

Does your work relate to any experiences or studies you had in college?

Everything. The news package classes, the performance classes and specifically the technical classes where you learn to man your camera and do your own editing. I do that everyday so everything I learned in college literally applies to my job. I can’t stress enough, do it in school while you can. I’m very glad I went to school in this, because it’s a direct reflection of what I’m doing everyday. There actually was a News Producing class that I didn’t take. I really wish I would have just so I’d have a better understanding of producing, coding and writing rundowns.

Did you always want to work in the television broadcasting industry?

Yes, I always knew that this is what I wanted to do. I grew up in the area, right on Sanford Lake outside of Midland. When I had gone to Delta, I was already a bit of a townie since I had grown up watching WNEM. As part of my school assignments, I was interviewing Sam, job-shadowing Katie, and now I’m an anchor myself. It’s just a wonderful thing to go from student to the actual profession.

■

Photo courtesy of Ashlyn Hill

Delta College alumna Ashlyn Hill now works as a morning news anchor for WNEM TV-5.

Why did you decide to work for WNEM? Or what led you to your job at WNEM? I was juggling a lot of part time jobs before I got here as a full time worker. At the time, I was still living in Midland so I was close to the station. I kept applying and finally got a meeting with the news director and everything just kind of fell into place. It had a lot to do with the proximity of the location, and the fact that I have grown up watching this station. I knew it well so I felt that it could be a good fit.

Before joining WNEM, you were a host for the Great Lakes Loons Baseball club and the Flint Firebirds Hockey Team.

Did you ever feel it was difficult working in Sports Journalism as a woman?

What a great question, especially now when everything is so in the public eye. Sexual harassment allegations are all over the news as of right now, and it’s a big deal. As a female in a male-driven industry, it can be tough. Of course it’s tough. There’s that added pressure as a girl to prove yourself and not seem like an airhead or any of those other stereotypes. If it’s truly what you are into and what you plan on doing, you will always prevail. You just have to be brave.

CHECK OUT THE FULL INTERVIEW AT WWW.DELTACOLLEGIATE.COM

Bring a pillow and a blanket. Your car is going to be your best friend for some much needed naps between classes. Gas isn’t super cheap currently, and sometimes it just makes more sense to take a short snooze rather than make the trek home.

■

Earbuds are a must.

You’re going to want all types of different sounds to sponsor your studies, and the only way (or most considerate way) to listen is with earbuds. It doesn’t hurt to pair a Spotify premium membership with those earbuds for only $5 a month, you won’t regret it.

■

You’ll need to have chargers on you at all times for all of your electronics! I can not stress this enough. Have your laptop charger and phone chargers on deck, that way you never have to worry about your battery dying as you’re toiling away at assignments. If you have to borrow a charger once, it’s understandable, but no one wants to hang around the person always trying to bum a charger.

• Illustration by Piper Wood

■

A favorite place to frequent for coffee lovers, Coffee & More provides punch cards as a loyalty program. If you’re not a coffee drinker, make sure you’re strapped with your favorite form of caffeine. If that doesn’t suit your fancy, at least make sure you are always carrying a water bottle.

Delta has tons of water fountains that push out ice cold water. Hydration is essential when classes begin to bleed you dry.

■

This last item isn’t tangible, but I’d say it’s the most important on the list. It may sound cheesy or corny, but you need a good attitude. It is essential to come onto campus with a willingness to converse and talk to others, as that’s the only way you can get to know new people. Many students don’t prioritize socializing on campus and have a mentality of getting in, taking classes and getting out. The experience is much more enriching when you immerse yourself entirely by getting involved in clubs, organizations and on-campus activities.

Overall, this semester is going to be whatever you make it to be. If you keep these items with you, in addition to keeping your head on straight, this semester should be a breeze. Study hard and I wish all of you newbies good luck!

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

www.deltacollegiate.com

AUGUST 27, 2018

5

Festival brings chalk art to downtown Bay City Jaylie Dice • Photo Editor

An attendance of more than 3,000 people from the Tri-Cities gathered along historic Water and 3rd street on Aug.18 to watch local artists compete at the 9th annual Chalk Walk Art Festival. Bringing recognition to the amazing artists of our community, it gave youth and adults alike a chance to put their talent on display and compete for prizes ranging from art supply gift baskets to the chance of winning $500! The competition was split into three categories for judges and the attendees to vote in: Adult, Youth and People’s Choice. Afterward, the public was provided with chalk in designated free spaces to draw their own creations.

Musicians such as Ben Goddard and Sarah Schingeck entertained attendees throughout the day and finished the night on a high note with the illustrious local band, Barbarossa Brothers.

— Adult Competition: ■ 1st place was awarded to Patrick Humphreys and Cameron Humphreys, creators of space #37 depicting an abstract animal mural.

Jaylie Dice • Photo Editor

9th annual Bay City Chalk Walk draws spectators to view artists’ colorful sidewalk creations.

—Youth Competition: ■ 1st place was awarded to Sydney Peck, creator of space #19 depicting an airborne blue bird with lively pink and purple highlights.

■

2nd place was awarded to Katy Hamiltion, Yolandie Lohrmann, Randi Foordalton and Lauren Klett, creators of space #18 depicting a camera with a vibrant tie dye splashed film background.

■

2nd place was awarded to Paige Smith, creator of space #39 depicting a beloved Disney classic mural of “Alice in Wonderland” as Alice walks through the portal into wonderland.

■

3rd place was awarded to Alexis Kole, creator of space #24 depicting cartoon art of a girl applying makeup to her pet chicken.

■

3rd place was award to Ty Reyes and Nico Reyes, creators of space #47 depicting a vivid cartoon mural of the video game, “Cuphead.”

—People’s Choice was awarded to Faith Serio and Shelia Serio, creators of space #14 depicting a phenomenal realistic depiction of a goldfish jumping from it’s bowl.

To view all the chalk art competition winners and their corresponding murals, visit the “Chalk Walk Art Festival” Facebook page.

6

OPINION

www.deltacollegiate.com

AUGUST 27, 2018

We must protect journalism — Our View — Recently, in response to President Trump’s continued jabs at the news media, more than 300 newspapers have banded together to create a statement in response, defending journalism and the free press. This effort was started by the Boston Globe earlier this month, with more and more newspapers from across the country jumping on board. Each participating newspaper published an editorial about this subject on the same day: Aug. 16, 2018.

Although this effort has received a strong following, it has also drawn a fair amount of criticism. The San Francisco Chronicle, for example, published an editorial explaining why they wouldn’t be joining the hundreds of publications in this organized effort, stating that “our silence on Thursday is testament to our commitment to [defend the freedom of the press] in our own way, on our own timetable.” The Chronicle also pointed out that it would give Trump reason to argue that this effort is collusion of the “fake news media.” In addition, Commentary Magazine’s John Podhoretz tweeted on Aug. 16: “Can you imagine anything more

OPINION COUNTRY SUCKS! Kelly Winters • Journalist

We get it. Your dog died, your girlfriend cheated and now all you have is your beer and your truck. Tragic. But does this unfortunate chain of events really need to be expressed through an entire musical genre? Country music is by far the worst musical genre for much more than the fact that it all sounds the same.

I’ll get all of the low blow, easy shots out of the way right off the bat by saying that country music is repetitive, depressing and extremely predictable. But to break that down further, country music has no diversity.

Whenever an unwarranted, new country song slips into my ears for the first time, I feel as if I’ve already heard it a million times before. For anyone that likes

boring than reading 350 coordinated newspapers in any organized, coordinated editorials? Signed, a former editorial page effort to publish editorials like the Boston editor.” President Trump Globe, nor do we have himself has taken to plans to do so. At the Twitter to denounce same time, we the Boston feel obligated Globe’s effort to defend our as “collusion.” freedom of We, the the press, as collective staff we are not of the Delta “enemies of Collegiate, feel the people.” that it is our duty Rather, we as journalists to are seekers find the truth and of truth. speak it freely.

Journalism As is indicated forces those in our mission in power to be statement (page 8),, held accountable, we strive to provide because we the a voice to the Delta people have a community, with right to know “assertive, factual and the truth. transparent We seek reporting.” to inform, We are not because joining we the people • Illustration by Piper Wood with other have a right

country music at first, I can’t imagine that they would for very long before getting bored of it.

Even if you don’t initially hate the overall sound of country music and can get past the repetitive sounds, how can anyone bear listening to the same three stories being told in every song? Everything in country can be summarized pretty shortly: beer, guns, girls, trucks, a loyal dog and you can’t forget about ‘Murica. It’s astonishing that some of these bigger country artists haven’t racked up a history of lawsuits for unintentionally stealing other artists’ work.

There are two types of people in the world: those who like diverse, quality music and those who listen to country. Many argue that country is classic and doesn’t need to be changed, but every old car — or should I say pickup truck — needs a tuneup from time to time. So take your stale beer and lifted 4x4 pickup and keep listening to that playlist of the same song by seven different artists, because even though it’s wrong, country

to be informed.

As individual members of the Delta Collegiate, we all have different political views and different opinions on various subjects, but we are united in purpose.

Back to our mission statement: “A moral imperative to our mission is to ensure the prompt reporting of facts and events as they become available to our staff.” For whom? We don’t do it for any particular political ideology, and not for any specific individual’s ideals - though our individual staff members will share their own opinions here from time to time.

“Our mission is to provide a voice to the Delta College campus and community;” in other words, you, the people who are reading this page. We are here to serve you, the people of our local community, with the best and most factual reporting we can do, in our own unique way.

No matter the consequences, at the end of the day our duty is clear: speak the truth, inform the public. As a staff of journalists - or journalists in training, as the case may be - this is our goal and we will fulfill this promise as long as we continue printing pages.

Delta’s Vanity: Lashing Out The place for beauty, fashion, and health. Live life beautifully.

Victoria Perez • Journalist

Women have found yet another beauty trend in the world, only this trend is way more expensive than contouring or winging eyeliner. It can cost up to a hundred dollars or more. The trend is eyelash extensions.

Are people actually willing to pay so much money for longer lashes that only last about two weeks before needing a refill?

“I love the way eyelash extensions look. I would get them if they weren’t so much money for both the initial process and then following up for fill ins,” said Laura Tanner of Saginaw.

So, what exactly are eyelash extensions anyway?

Basically, a professional will apply individual eyelashes, either synthetic or mink, to every single one of your real lashes. This will create a false lash strip appearance without the lash strip itself.

Lash extensions can give the extra added volume to your lashes that anyone could ask for. The plus side is not having to cover them in mascara and wash it off at night. It also makes for a quicker routine in the morning. No more sticky glue or false lashes being tacked onto your eyes.

“I think the trend with extensions is so popular because social media and these beauty companies, like Younique, advertise beautiful, long and full lashes and make women feel like they have to buy their product. I have bought into the commercials and Younique mascaras and have found some that I really, really like for one eighth of the price of extensions,” Tanner added.

Is this eyelash extension trend worth the hype?

“I think eyelash extensions are gorgeous.

Personally, after looking into them I wouldn’t get them. They cost a lot for a very temporary product and they’re too expensive to keep up with,” said Alexis Trevino, a Saginaw native.

The trend is most certainly an expensive one.

But the benefits can be well worth it, depending on how much money you’re willing to cough up for the precious price of beauty. It’s also what’s popular in the beauty world right now.

“I think the trend comes from how eyelashes can make or break any makeup look. Having extensions means not having to take time to apply adhesive ones. Also, having eyelash extensions can make a ‘natural look’ even better. I think if you can afford it, it’s definitely worth it. It’s a beauty statement and it looks great,” Trevino added to her statement.

SPORTS

www.deltacollegiate.com

AUGUST 27, 2018

7

High expectations hinder athletes on and off the court Joe Thornton • Editor-In-Chief

In Western society, money is often construed to be a harbinger for happiness. If you just made a little more money, you’d be a little happier; if you had that nicer car, all your troubles would fade. NBA star Demar DeRozan would say otherwise. DeRozan has recently spoken out about his struggles coping with depression.

When telling friends and family about his mental illness, DeRozan reportedly was misunderstood. Everyone figured that since he had money (DeRozan is set to make more than $27 million in the 2018-2019 season) he could somehow buy happiness. Contrary to the capitalist culture, DeRozan shared his opinion on those who think more money will solve every problem.

“I wish everyone in the world was rich, so they could realize money isn’t everything,” Derozan stated per ESPN.

Derozan has put himself at the center of a discussion regarding the mental health of athletes. In an industry where performance is heavily contingent on physical health, mental health is an afterthought.

Another star athlete speaking actively about mental illness in the NBA is Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Love has suffered with anxiety issues throughout his career, to the point where reports state he once endured a panic attack before a game. In an industry where there are such high expectations to perform well in every competition, we can only imagine how high tensions are for Love and his fellow athletes.

What does this mean for the NBA and other athletes in the sports arena moving forward? How is the industry going to accommodate these employees as they cope with their illnesses? Will the number of games be called into question? The rigors of an 82 game season with such high physical demand can put unimaginable wear on the mind as well.

Hopefully, as pressure grows and more athletes speak out, the NBA will have no choice but to make a change and protect these athletes just as much mentally as they do physically.

• Illustration by Piper Wood

Frustrated Fan: Don’t tell me football is back Joe Thornton • Editor-In-Chief

Sweet, sweet football. It’s been far too long, hasn’t it? I’ve missed you dearly, filling my Saturdays and Sundays with anxiety, excitement and a smorgasbord of other emotions. As the start draws ever closer, I can’t help but become more annoyed with it all — the constant advertisements on Instagram and Twitter saying that “football is back” or telling me to tune in to a game.

They neglect to mention that this isn’t a real game.

It’s a preseason game.

Blech. Can we give it a rest?

Can we just acknowledge the fact that nobody cares about the preseason? It is a sad excuse for anything reminiscent of regular season football and it means nothing at all. I get it, there are a lot of rookie quarterbacks this year. We all want to see how they perform, but jeez, there is no reason to bombard social media with disclaimers for preseason football.

I think the proof of how little the preseason matters is demonstrated by the 2017 Cleveland Browns. Although their performance over the past two years generally shouldn’t serve as an example for anything, I’ll make an exception in this instance. The 2017 preseason record for the Browns was an undefeated 4-0. How amazing!

All aboard the Browns hypetrain, right? Except that it didn’t at all translate to regular season success. In fact, the team managed to lose every game throughout the entirety of the 2017-2018 season.

Even though I understand how important it is to get the players into a football mindset, there are better ways to do so. More and more teams are moving toward joint practices, where two NFL teams will meet to compete against one another on a practice field. This essentially eliminates the

need for any type of preseason.

While I may have my own personal grievances with the preseason, I understand it has some upside.

For the fans who love attending games, the cost of attendance is much cheaper than it would be for a regular season. You still get that same football vibe and you get the chance to watch professional athletes.

However, these benefits don’t outweigh the cost. The rigors of four additional games before the regular season begins increases the risk of injury substantially.

These players aren’t being paid to perform in the preseason, they’re being paid to do well in the regular season. As a result, most of the large names in the NFL don’t even perform in the preseason. They sit on the sideline or play for a predetermined amount of plays, often very few. The preseason isn’t worth their time as players, and frankly isn’t worth the time to the viewers either. For those who believe it is worth their time, it’s there for their viewing.

So, NFL, stop trying to convince me that the preseason matters! It doesn’t, and bombarding my feed about it won’t make it matter any more.

Most of the large names in the league sit out for the preseason since they don’t want to risk the injury. If they’re not willing to risk injury, why would I risk my time to watch? The answer is that I won’t. Maybe hold off on social media bombs until the regular season kickoff on Sept. 6. Until then, I’ll be waiting with anticipation to see some real football and warding off any spam in my feeds about the preseason.

Yours truly, A Frustrated Fan

COLLEGIATE MISSION STATEMENT

The Delta Collegiate’s mission is to provide a voice to the Delta College campus and community through assertive, factual and transparent reporting. A moral imperative to our mission is to ensure the prompt reporting of facts and events as they become available to our staff. Additionally, we pride ourselves on the passion, personality and professionalism our staff possess within their coverage. Our outlet aims to entertain and inform those who indulge themselves with our content while offering unique perspectives as a student-run news organization.

COLLEGIATE STAFF

MEET THE STAFF

Joe Thornton Michael Piwowarski Cody Wiedenbein Michael Pieper Jaylie Dice

Editor-In-Chief News Editor Chief Designer Video Editor Photo Editor

Kelly Winters Robynn Verhaghe Ryan Reichard Jennifer Torres Piper Wood

Multimedia Reporter Page Designer Journalist Journalist Illustrator

Crystal McMorris

Advisor

Kimberly Wells

Broadcast Advisor

COLLEGIATE 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.

• Joe Thornton is the Editor-in-Chief for the Collegiate from Saginaw. He is working toward a bachelor’s degree in economics and plans to transfer to the University of Michigan. His hobbies include watching sports, hanging out with friends, and reading about finance.

FOLLOW US @DELTACOLLEGIATE CONTACT US AT:

deltacollegiate@gmail.com

•

(989) 686-9337

•

Office A-220

•

www.deltacollegiate.com