Nov 12, 2014

B-ball league follow up

Good turn-out for X- tech

Page 8

Page 7

Nov. 12, 2014 Vol. 60, Issue 4

Despite efforts, millage denied Mariah Tevepaugh Agora staff

MCCC’s first millage request in 34 years has been denied by Monroe County voters.

Voters turned the millage down by a margin of 60.7 percent against to 39.3 percent in support.

MCCC President Kojo Quartey said he was disappointed in both voter turnout and the trend, further saying there is more work to be done.

Quartey wrote in a column in the Monroe News that he is still hopeful.

“However, while we are disappointed

by the results of the millage vote, we remain enthusiastic about what the future holds for MCCC and Monroe County,” he said.

In midsummer, the MCCC Board of Trustees approved putting the 1 mill increase on the ballot; it would have raised $5 million a year for the college.

This money was needed to help keep tuition affordable and maintain the quality of the campus, supporters of the millage maintained.

Quartey said in the column that there will be some issues that will need to be dealt with first.

“We have some key items that we will

be examining immediately, because the college has been offsetting major decreases to its funding streams for more than six years,” he said.

“There are really no more areas left to trim, and our ability to continue to offer high-quality higher education at such an affordable price has been severely challenged.”

However, some students said they either had no idea what the millage was or that they wished they knew more about its purpose.

Student Josh Welly said he wished he could have learned more about the millage.

“I felt I wasn’t a very informed voter,”

he said. “The college could’ve advertised more.”

Another student, Leanna Victor, agreed.

“I wish I would’ve known more about the millage before voting,” she said.

Debbie Baker, a cashier for MCCC, said the defeat could have been because of demographics in Monroe County.

“There are a lot of older people in the county that don’t want their taxes to be raised,” she said.

Student Justin Bruck said he voted, but not for the millage, because he wasn’t a home owner.

“I don’t pay property taxes so I didn’t

feel like I had the right to impose property taxes on others,” he said.

Doug Richter, graphic designer for MCCC, said that even though he is new to MCCC, he could tell that the millage would’ve helped the college.

Monroe County voters also voted for one new member and two incumbents for the MCCC Board of Trustees.

Lynette Dowler, a DTE executive, will be new to the Board of Trustees, and Mary Kay Thayer and William Braunlich are returning members.

Each said they were in support of the millage in a Candidate Forum held at MCCC three weeks ago.

Bachelor’s vs. associate’s degree Students contemplate merits of 2, 4year degrees Shelby Spencer Agora Staff

Students on campus and across the nation are being faced with the choice of an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree.

While bachelor’s degrees have been standard, recent work force needs in technology fields have made higher-paying jobs more accessible with fewer credits.

Students now have to decide whether to get an associate’s degree in a technology field where jobs are currently plentiful, or to pursue a bachelor’s degree and wait for the long-term payoff.

Paul Hedeen dean of the Humanities and Social Science Division, thinks that a bachelor’s degree makes someone a more accomplished human being.

“Those extra two years make you a different person, you know more, you’ve learned more, and you are more equipped to handle everyday challenges,” he said.

“Everyone has to decide what that’s worth.”

Students in technology programs on campus are finding success fast and it Mark Rice uses a Solidworks program in Dean Kerste’s class can be easy to want to jump into the work force and leave the schooling behind.

Design Technology, said that over the ste said.

Employers are hiring students from the summer he had to tell employers to wait “All of the resumes I had from students technology programs faster than they can for the fall semester because he didn’t had already found jobs.” be trained. have any more students to give them.

Automotive professor Don Kehrer also Dean Kerste, professor of Mechanical “There were seven job openings” Ker- said that all of his second-year students

Photo by Shelby Spencer

who are looking for jobs already have them.

Students are being hired at $15 - $20 per hour before even receiving their associate’s degrees.

Hedeen thinks that while a decent paying job may seem attractive, it shouldn’t be enough to stop someone from furthering their education.

“Most young people’s lives aren’t very complicated yet, so they aren’t thinking down the road,” he said.

“That future comes quickly.”

Kehrer said that about half of his automotive students go on to receive their bachelor’s degrees, usually in business to pursue management positions.

Bob Leonard, professor of Product and Process Technology, said that employment from a certificate can often pay for an associate’s degree.

“My opinion is to get students started and working where they are accepted with their certificate and then draw tuition help from their employer to complete their associate of applied science,” he said.

Kerste’s advice to students is to pursue your interests in a tech field, get the certification to find employment, and after paying for your associate’s degree a lot of employers like Roush will pay for the bachelor’s degree later.

Mark Rice is a student of Kerste’s who hasn’t even finished his associate’s degree and is working full time in his field at Automatic Handling as a detailer.

He says that he impressed the company at the interview with his knowledge of engineering practices as well as Solidworks software.

“Overall, I have learned a tremendous amount through the program and am able to go into work and apply practically everything the very next day,” Rice said.

Continued on Page 2

Chemistry cut for nursing students Mariah Tevepaugh Agora staff

Photo by Mariah Tevepaugh

Nursing professor Holly Boylan prepares a mannequin for class.

Inside:

The bad news is prospective nursing students will have one more test before they enter the program.

The good news is they won’t have to take Chemistry.

Starting in January 2015, a new test developed by ATI Nursing Education will be administered to prospective nursing students as a requirement to enter the program for October 2015.

Kimberly Lindquist, dean of Health Sciences, was part of the team that helped come up with the curriculum to fit the test.

“It’s a nursing entrance exam that determines the readiness for college level study,” she said. “It serves as a predictor of success in early nursing programs.”

The decision to add the test followed pressure from the agency that accredits nursing programs, which wanted MCCC to make its nursing program fit in a 5-semester course with 60 credits.

Those 60 credits include both MCCC general education courses and nursing classes. Students who pass the test will no longer be required to take Chemistry before entering the nursing program.

“We looked at other programs and saw that chemistry was not necessary at this level.”

Kim Lindquist Dean, Health Sciences Division According to Lindquist, the test doesn’t include college-level material. It’s composed of 170 multiple choice questions about reading, science, math, and language, and students will have three-anda-half hours to complete the test.

It can be retaken up to three times but students will be charged an $81 fee each time.

If a student has already taken the test from another college, they would not need to retake the test.

According to Lindquist, something needed to be cut to get the program within

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the 60-credit limit.

“It was a hard decision,” Lindquist said, “but we looked at what other programs we’re doing and spoke to our national consultant and it was recommended that chemistry was not necessary at this level to be successful in the course.”

However, Vinnie Maltese, dean of the Math and Science Division, said he is concerned for the students.

Maltese said that even if students don’t need chemistry for the associate’s degree, they would need it for a bachelor’s.

He referred to a student from the 80s who only took math 090. Now the student needs further math courses to complete his bachelor’s of science in Nursing.

“It does nothing but hurt students,” he said. “The burden is going to be on the student to do more in less time.”

MCCC student Julia Wehner will be starting the nursing program next fall.

She said she disagrees with the new test.

“Any other university is still going to want you to take microbiology and chemistry, so you’ll end up paying more money in the long run to take them elsewhere,”

Continued on Page 2

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The Agora

Campus News

New guidelines for transfer students

Shelby Spencer Agora Staff

The MTA agreement has replaced the MACRAO agreement as of this semester.

The MACRAO agreement has been used since 1972 to guide Michigan colleges when they transfer students’ general education credits.

The program replacing MACRAO is the Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA), which was put into action this semester.

The MACRO agreement was driven by the schools using it, and it was optional for Michigan universities..

The MTA agreement was initiated by the legislature and is being used by every college and university in Michigan.

Students who enrolled previous to Fall 2013 have the choice of following either the MACRAO or

MTA, but students enrolled after this semester will be switched to the MTA. The two agreements are very similar, but do have a few minor differences in the courses required.

The MTA requires more science and a higher math course than the MACRAO, but it requires fewer humanities and social science courses.

There is also more leniency with composition courses; some communications courses can be taken instead of Comp II. Mark Hall, MCCC director of Admissions, said that one isn’t necessarily better than the other, it just depends on where the student is transferring and what their major is.

He also advises everyone to fulfil the MTA requirements for future use if possible.

“Once you get it done, it will always be there,” he said.

November 12, 2014

At A Glance: MACRAO to MTA Old MACRAO Required:

New MTA Requires:

• English (6 credit hours) - English Comp I and II. • Science & Math (8 credit hours) - At least MATH 151.

- One lab science.

• Social Science (8 credit hours) - Courses from at least two different subject areas.

• Humanities (8 credit hours) - Courses from at least two different subject areas.

• English (6 credit hours) - English Comp I. - English Comp II or a Communications course.

• Science & Math (12 credit hours) - One course above MATH 151.

- At least two science courses from different subject areas; one must be a lab science.

• Social Science (6 credit hours) - Courses from at least two different subject areas.

• Humanities (6 credit hours) - Courses from at least two different subject areas.

Professor comments on Ottawa shooting Julia Grzywinski Agora Staff

On Wednesday, Oct. 21, Ottawa entered a state of panic and lockdown as a gunman opened fire in Canada’s capital.

Around 9:50 a.m., emergency operating systems were overwhelmed with frantic calls claiming open gunfire at the National War Memorial, and soon after the Parliament Building.

Callers described the assailant as a man wearing a scarf, black clothing, dark haired, and carrying a rifle. At first there were believed to have been multiple shooters, but it was soon learned there was only one.

The scenes on TV must have seemed familiar to a group of MCCC students who visited Ottawa with professor Joanna Sabo in 2010.

The assailant was later identified as Michael Zehaf-Bideau, who, after converting to Islam, changed his name from Michael Joseph Hall. He had a criminal history of robbery and drug possession.

Zehaf-Bideau began his attack at the National War Memorial, where he shot Cpl. Nathan Cirollo, who was guarding the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Cpl. Cirollo was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Zehaf-Bideau then made his way into the Parliament building.

Shots rang out as workers and

Photo provided by Joanna Sabo

MCCC professor Joanna Sabo, far left, with a group of MCCC students visiting Parliament buildings in Ottawa, Canada in 2010.

tourists found cover and hiding.

After minutes of open gunfire, the assailant was killed by Parliaments’s 58-year-old sergeant-atarms, Kevin Vickers.

Craig Scott, a Parliament member later tweeted “MPs, and Hill staff owe their safety, even lives, to Sergeant-at-arms Kevin Vickers, who shot attacker just outside of the MPs’ caucus rooms.”

After hours of lockdown, the area was cleared and the thousands of trapped citizens, employees, and tourists were allowed to return home.

The Islamic State extremist group ISIS was claiming praise and threatening other attacks via twitter. However, it is still unclear as to who planned the attack.

Sabo, a professor of political

science at MCCC, said that it still remains unclear as to who or what group planned the attack, but that many groups want attention, and to do so will claim any type of link.

“It could be related to ISIS, it could be related to some other extreme Islamic cause, or it could be some other group that’s completely unrelated to either of those. We just don’t know yet,” Sabo said.

How it happend was another unanswered question about the attack. How was an man able to enter the National War Memorial carrying a rifle, open fire, then proceed to enter the Parliament Building with such ease?

“My thoughts are that Canada has had a bit of a false sense of security because they many times chose not to get involved in controversial international issues,”

Sabo said.

She then explained her experience with Canada’s security.

“There was more security in 2010 to go see the Statue of Liberty than there was to get into the Parliament Building,” she said about her trip to Ottawa with a group of students in 2010.

The group of MCCC students were at a World War I memorial at the Parliament Building, and the lack of security was shocking, Sabo said.

“There was a barricade, but there was nothing protecting their Prime Minister,” she said.

The lack of security in Ottawa may have been a contributing factor to why the attack occurred.

The capital was not secure, and the attack proved that they are just as vulnerable as other countries.

There are still many pieces of information that are missing, and investigations are still pending surrounding the attack itself and Zehaf-Bideau.

The recent talk of ISIS has many nations on edge, and it does not appear that this will end anytime soon. This attack is just another example that all countries are vulnerable to terrorism, and that the issue is not something that will go away overnight.

“No matter how many terrorist groups we eliminate or bring down, there are always more forming in someone’s basement.”

Which degree is worth the money?

Continued from Page 1

When he first began in the Mechanical Design Technology program, he planned on transferring to the University of Toledo for his bachelor’s degree, but with his job offering experience, his plans have changed.

“Between my classes at MCCC and my fellow co-workers at AHI, I feel like I am in a good position to soak up as much knowledge from them as I can and not pursue my bachelor’s degree,” Rice said.

“Yes, the diploma would be nice on top of my associate’s, but nothing beats real world experience, and that is why I have decided to forgo the bachelor’s at

this time.”

Siena Heights University Director Julie Edwards thinks that while the two-year programs are valuable, the four-year bachelor’s is sometimes necessary.

“Two-year degrees are valuable; most students who complete them find jobs quickly,” she said.

“Students get their bachelor’s from Siena Heights University when they are going for management positions that require four-year schooling.”

All of the technology degrees on campus are transferable.

Hedeen maintains that all kids of students are well served by a bachelor’s de-

gree.

There are programs such as culinary, nursing, and technology that can lead to a career after an associate’s degree, but he thinks employers will continue to expect more.

“Expecting two years of schooling to be sufficient is hasty,” he said.

“Someone with an associate’s in nursing is going to be managed by a nurse with a bachelor’s degree.”

He thinks there are very few career paths these days where a bachelor’s degree wouldn’t be worth the money spent on it.

Hedeen said he knows of the excep-

tions but also knows that they are rare.

“Ordinary people, with ordinary intelligence, who have ordinary luck, need credentials to open doors,” he said.

Hedeen said a major reason to pursue a bachelor’s degree is to show employers you are able to.

He recalls that one of his first jobs came from an employer interviewing college graduates with bachelor’s degrees simply because the degree showed that they had persistence.

Hedeen said that a bachelor’s degree is a standard measurement of being educated. He expects that someday that measurement will increase to a master’s

ATI test eliminates chemistry

The Agora Co-Editors: Shelby Spencer Mariah Tevepaugh Adviser: Dan Shaw Staff Jake Adams Jeff Brown Stevie Pipis Julia Wells Makailyn Ellison Julia Grzywinski Mika Kotanova Eugene Kutz Mitch Perkins Dakota Sherrick Jaclyn Young Darryl White Editorial Policy The Agora is published by the students of Monroe County Community College, 1555 S. Raisinville Rd., Monroe, MI, 48161. The editorial office is located in Room 202 of the Life Sciences Bldg., (734) 384-4186, agora@ monroeccc.edu.

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The Agora is a student-managed newspaper that supports a free student press and is a member of the Michigan Community College Press Association, the Michigan Collegiate Press Association, the Michigan Press Association, College Media Advisers, Associated Collegiate Press and the Student Press Law Center.

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degree.

David Rizo, mechanical engineering manager at Automatic Handling Inc., has a two-year degree.

He knows that a bachelor’s degree may not be necessary to get a career in a great company, but it will help someone to work their way up.

“In my opinion, if an individual has the opportunity and means to further their education, they should definitely do so,” he said.

“Education is not the only determining factor in obtaining a job, but it definitely influences and opens doors.”

Continued from page 1

Photos by Mika Kotanova

Student Government members held Pink Out Day for breast cancer aweness and had a bake sale to raise money for breast cancer research.

Student Gov’t happenings

Photos courtesy of Student Government

Student Government had a Halloween Bash which featured costumes, music, food, and haunted rooms.

she said.

Lindquist said she still advises students to take the science course at MCCC if they are pursuing further education.

“We would love to require students to take it, but we have to work within the standards of criteria that we have and there is just not enough space for that at this level,” she said.

Student Jacob Gonyea said that he agrees with eliminating the course from the program.

“I would say it’s a good idea because a lot of practicing nurses I’ve talked to, in the long run, say they don’t apply it to their job,” he said.

Lindquist said that every decision that’s been made has been made in the best interest of students.

“I’m so proud of our nursing students,” she said. “I have nothing to complain about when it comes to our students.”

Lindquist said the accreditation agency is forcing the changes.

“What we had before was working so well, we didn’t have the

pressure from the accreditation agency to make any changes, so it kind of goes back to that philosophy, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” she said. “Well now the standards have changed.”

She also said that the entrance exam test is not unusual; in fact, it’s almost unusual that MCCC didn’t offer it before.

“We’re probably slow to adopt this testing,” she said.

“Some students are surprised to find out that we haven’t been using one and not surprised that we’re going to that.”

Wehner said she thinks the test doesn’t seem necessary.

“The test seems almost redundant to me, because students already have to take the ACT, which is supposed to help see where somewhere is in their education,” she said.

Lindquist said that for now there will be both tests, but there is a chance in the future that one will be dropped.

“All of the decisions that are related to the curriculum come from the faculty,” she said.

Campus News

November 12, 2014

mcccagora.com • The Agora

|3

MCCC welcomes new professors Photos by Jaclyn Young

New Chemistry Professor Michael Fuertes said his passion for chemistry shows in his teaching.

Chemistry professor brings energy, enthusiasm Jaclyn Young Agora staff

Wander the halls of the L building at 11 a.m. on Monday or Wednesday and you might stumble upon a class taught by Michael Fuertes.

Fuertes, a new Chemistry professor, said that he is enjoying his time here at MCCC. “I have no complaints because I am doing what I love to do,” he said.

Before arriving at the college at the beginning of Fall semester, Fuertes taught and researched for nine years at Texas Tech University. Before that he was a graduate student at Michigan State University.

“I kind of miss getting my hands wet with chemicals,” he said.

Fuertes added that while he misses research, his true passion is for teaching.

When he was researching at Michigan State and at Texas Tech, his focus was mainly on organic synthesis, which is building molecules by combining different chemicals.

“The challenge of the research, I think, is what’s so addictive about it,” Fuertes said.

He said that in research you have more failures than successes, but that is part of the learning experience.

“It’s those few moments of success that always bring you back to the laboratory,” he said.

He emphasized that students don’t learn well by memorization, rather through trial and error.

“When you learn something through practice, it gets ingrained into your head, and that’s how I want you to approach chemistry,” Fuertes said.

He said that one of his main goals while teaching here is to show students that science is fun.

“Part of my goal here at MCCC is to educate students that chemistry is not just for those who want to go into medicine,” Fuertes said.

Fuertes said that he first realized he was passionate about chemistry when he was a junior in college.

Fuertes emphasizes his open door policy.

He entered graduate school thinking about going to med school, but loved research and teaching so much that he never looked back.

Fuertes said that while college is the time to get a good education, it is also the time to start discovering passions.

“I encourage students to try different areas at the outset if they can, and sooner or later they are just going to find a subject that they truly love,” he said.

Fuertes said when students try new things and discover that they are good at something, they will become passionate about it.

He said it started for him when he realized that he was good at chemistry; that’s when he decided to pursue it as a career.

Creating an interest in chemistry might create demand for alternative chemistry courses, he said.

“If we could get the demand and the enrollment that we need for a special topics course in chemistry, I would love to teach that,” Fuertes said.

Fuertes said that he works to generate interest in his classrooms.

“Part of what makes me an effective teacher is just bringing that energy into the classroom. I love the whole subject of chemistry and it shows in my teaching,” he said.

Students in his classes notice how passionate he is about chemistry.

One student who noticed his passion for chemistry was Cara Hudge.

“He’s my favorite teacher this semester because you can tell he’s really into what he’s teaching,” she said.

She and another student, Christian

Hartford, said they both would definitely take more of his classes.

Fuertes said that teachers are almost like salespeople, and that if a salesperson is trying to sell a watch to you, they have to be energetic about the watch.

“If my goal is to promote interest in chemistry, I have to be really excited about it,” Fuertes said.

Fuertes said that being approachable is another way of generating interest.

“I don’t want students to be afraid to come to me and ask questions when they need it,” he said.

“I always tell my students that my door is always open to them for anything.”

He said that because of the small class sizes, he can get to know all of his students, and he is not afraid to ask them if they are struggling.

Hudge also noticed this aspect about Fuertes.

“He’ll explain everything like three different ways, and go over something four times to make sure everybody gets it,” she said.

Fuertes said that at Texas Tech, a classroom of 200 to 300 people was not uncommon. The smaller classes at MCCC make it easier for him to teach one-onone.

Hudge said that is what she likes about his class.

“He said he came from Texas Tech, and I really feel like I have a university teacher in front of me in like a classroom of 25 kids,” she said.

Fuertes also said that one of the many ways he makes chemistry engaging is by making real world connections to the classroom.

“The biggest question that a student might have is why do I need to take chemistry?” he said.

Fuertes answered that question by saying that chemistry has connections with everyday life.

We all love having our smartphones, laptops, and tablets, he said, but these things run on batteries.

A battery is just stored energy that is released with chemicals, Fuertes said.

Fuertes makes a point in his classes to make sure every student understands.

“Wouldn’t that be kind of cool to learn exactly how a battery works?” he said.

Fuertes said that it is okay when an experiment fails, because you have to fail a couple of times before you can succeed.

“It’s all about being positive. I think as instructors we have to always be encouraging regardless of how well or how poorly a student is doing in class,” he said.

Criminal Justice professor has unusual background Mariah Tevepaugh Agora staff

Heiks tries to incorporate her work experience into her teaching.

New professor Deminique Heiks has an unusual background for a criminal justice professor.

Heiks graduated with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Kent State University.

After working in the field as a TV journalist, she found a love for criminal justice.

She then went to University of Toledo for graduate school.

According to Paul Hedeen, dean of the Humanities and Social Sciences Division, her devotion to criminal justice was one reason she was hired.

“She was very drawn to the field,” he said. “We were very impressed that she was so drawn to the field that she would leave another viable career and come back to criminal justice.”

While she was at UT, she worked as a graduate assistant and teacher’s assistant.

She said her experience at UT helped her realize she wanted to teach at some point in her life.

She said that when she saw the position open at MCCC, she couldn’t believe it.

“I thought, this is just too good of an opportunity to pass up,” Heiks said.

She said her other work experience has helped her teach criminal justice.

“Every job I’ve ever had, even though it seems I’ve had a lot of diverse experiences, I find that I take something from all of them and I’m able to bring it here to help me,” she said.

After graduating from UT with a master’s degree in Criminal Justice, she worked in a re-entry program for criminal offenders and in a homeless shelter.

Part of her job in the re-entry program was to help ex-convicts get back into the community.

Hedeen said this was a different work his-

Photos by Mariah Tevepaugh

Criminal Justice professor Deminique Heiks discusses different scenarios with student Josh MacBay

tory than usual, which caught his attention.

“She had a strong background in service work,” he said, “rather than the police academy.”

She said her experience trying to help exconvicts has helped her with students who are unsure of what they would like to do professionally.

“I would talk to the ex-offenders and say, hey, what is working for you, what didn’t work for you,” she said.

Students have different kinds of barriers to overcome than criminals, however.

“I have a whole new set of puzzle pieces to fit together,” she said.

Heiks said she loves it when students come to her for help.

“I feel like at MCCC I have the ability to do that one-on-one time with them, that I believe is important in helping them be

successful.

“I know what they want to do, so I try to talk about those things.”

Heiks is currently teaching five classes, all required for the Criminal Justice major: Intro to Law Enforcement, Juvenile Delinquency, Police Administration and Organization, and Intro to Corrections.

Heiks said her favorite is her Juvenile Delinquency class due to her strong background and because she finds people are more open and willing to fix the system when it comes to kids.

“In Ohio, I am on the governor’s Council on Juvenile Justice, so I’m able to bring a lot of that into it,” she said.

Heiks said it’s because of her drive that she is so drawn to criminal justice.

“I think that I am a very passionate person, so when I find something that I love, I

go all in,” Heiks said.

Outside of work, she said she loves to ride her family horse, Dixie.

“I go every weekend and practice, I go to a show about once a year now,” she said.

Heiks also said she likes to be involved in the art scene in Toledo.

“When I find time, I either go home and ride or try to do some cool things in downtown Toledo,” she said.

However, since she began at MCCC, Heiks said she’s staying busy.

“I grade a lot — that’s become my new hobby,” she said.

Heiks said she is excited to learn more about MCCC and is looking forward to the upcoming years.

“I think that we have a really great program and in the future I would only like to enhance it,” she said.

4 | mcccagora.com •

The Agora

Campus News

November 12, 2014

Experts explain the Ebola crisis MCCC professors unravel the myths and legends surrounding the virus

By Eugene Kutz Agora staff

The Ebola epidemic has been misrepresented by the media, according to MCCC Biology professors Maris Fonseca and Philip Wahr.

MCCC President Kojo Quartey began an Oct. 27 forum by expressing his frustration with the use of the term “West Africa” when referring to the countries effected by the Ebola virus.

He emphasized that three countries have most of the Ebola cases out of the fifteen that make up the region.

“I called my travel agent just two weeks ago, and I said, ‘I want to take a trip to Ghana, I want to go down and see my mom for Christmas,” Quartey said.

“She said, ‘Why would you want to do that with all of this Ebola?’ ” Quartey said there is not a single case of Ebola in Ghana, where he was raised and his family still lives.

“Stop demonizing those West Africans,” he said.

Fonseca explained the basic science of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). She walked through the main properties of viruses, what they are, and how they spread.

She said viruses are everywhere in the world.

“The vast majority have very little effect on our well-being and health,” she said.

Viruses are like sidecars on a motorcycle, dependent on the main mode of transportation to function, Fonseca suggested. A virus needs a cell to propagate; it’s unable to survive without life.

“Viruses infect all living things,” she explained.

Different categories of viruses infect bacteria, animals (capable of crossing species, like Ebola), fungus, and plants, she said.

Ebola is believed to come from bushmeat handling and consumption, including the meat of fruit bats. The disease spreads within impoverished communities where food consumption of this type is taking place.

It can then be transmitted to social workers coming to aid the victims. This has been the case for most of the patients receiving treatment in the U.S. “A virus’s ability to infect an individual is like a lock and key system,” Fonseca said.

“Contraction depends on the immune system and the body’s ability to defend against it.”

There are a several ways that viruses are spread, Fonseca said: direct contact, droplet transmission, contaminated food or water, or the bite of an insect.

Ebola, however, is not transmitted via insect bites, water or food contaminated with the virus, or

through the air.

However, airborne should not be confused with close proximity, Fonseca said. That is considered to be within three feet around an infected person, where coughing or sneezing can expel the virus into the air and spread to those near.

The Ebola virus itself can survive on surfaces for several hours or days in something like blood, she said. An infected person’s body fluids are capable of transmitting the virus to others, but only once symptoms have already begun showing.

“Most of the time we don’t notice when we touch our faces, but that can happen,” Fonseca said.

If a cut on your skin was exposed to the skin of an infected person, there is a chance the sweat on their skin can transmit the virus through the person’s cut. This applies to even micro cuts, which may not be as easily noticed, she said.

Bedding and living spaces of people who are infected can be contaminated and are quarantined and cleaned.

Like many viruses, EVD can spread more quickly when symptoms get worse.

“The more sick you are, the more you are contagious,” Fonseca said.

EVD is not contagious during the incubation period, she said.

“You need to have had some close contact with an Ebola virus disease patient, and that means that they’re showing symptoms.”

Fonseca explained that organizations are working with local

“You need to have had some close contact with an Ebola virus disease patient, and that means that they’re showing symptoms.”

Maris Fonseca Biology professor authorities and health care personel to establish isolation and treatment wards. The lack of facilities has been one of the main factors in its spread, as some patients have been turned away because there is no room to treat them.

She said several groups are involved, including Doctors without Borders, the CDC, the World Health Organization, and the Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network.

In his part of the discussion, Wahr shed light on what the virus itself is like, and how the symptoms effect those who have contracted EVD.

Briefs MCCC schedules Native American Month events

Three events are planned in November to celebrate Native American Month.

Chief Billy Friend of the Wyandotte Nation from Oklahoma will be on campus Wednesday, Nov. 12, to discuss issues faced by Native Americans. His talk will be at 3:30 p.m. in rooms A-173a-d.

Dr. Lani Van Eck, a cultural anthropologist who cofounded Wounded Knee: The Museum in Wall, S.D., will present “Massacre at Wounded Knee Creek,” at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, in the Dining Room of the A Building.

Van Eck has conducted research with the Lakota people on Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota since the museum opened in 2003. She has worked with the only surviving great-grandson of the legendary Lakota leader, Sitting Bull, to create a biography called “Sitting Bull: His Life and Legacy” in 2009.

A panel discussion on the challenges facing Native Americans was held Tuesday, Nov. 11.

Writing Center expands to tutoring in reading

The MCCC Writing Center is adding a new program, tutoring students in reading skills in addition to writing.

Professor Tim Dillon, Writing Center adviser, announced the new program in a flier distributed throughout campus.

Photos by Chelsea Bateson

MCCC Biology professors Maris Fonseca, above, and Philip Wahr, left, explain how Ebola is transmitted and how it effects the human body.

Wahr said the Ebola virus causes a hemorrhagic fever, which is why you see external bleeding associated with the disease. Ebola is one of several hemorrhagic fevers that are virally induced.

The problem with Ebola, he said, is that unlike most similar viruses, patients often do not recover.

There are five different strains of the Ebola virus seen in humans; the deadliest and most common is the Zaire strain, he said.

Wahr explained that blood tests, which directly confirm the existence of the virus within the body, are used to diagnose Ebola.

The Ebola virus disease is extremely rare, is hard to get, and can be contained, Wahr said.

There are a number of signs and symptoms that will appear if you’ve been exposed to the virus.

“We have created this program because students have expressed their frustrations with reading textbooks and understanding other course-related reading materials,” Dillon said in an email to faculty.

He said the Writing Center has five writing fellows who have completed training as reading tutors and plans to add a few more in Winter Semester.

Students can make an appointment to meet with a writing fellow by calling 734-384-4167 or stopping by the Writing Center in C-218.

Chilli Cook-off planned Wednesday, Nov. 13

The fifth annual Soup & Chili Cook-off will be Thursday, Nov. 13, in the A Building Dining Room from noon to 1 p.m.

The event is planned to help raise money for the Mary Mosingo Cobb Scholarship fund.

Veterans Day celebrated

Veterans Day was celebrated at MCCC on Nov. 11 by placing a wreath by the Potter’s Field marker on campus, which identifies Veteran, Ezra Younglove (1771-1867).

Mr. Younglove was a War of 1812 Veteran and won a Gold Medal for Service on the ship Niagara during the Battle of Lake Erie.

The college also is collecting items to be donated to the organization, Military Families of Monroe County (MFMC), which sends donations to deployed troops from Monroe County. A dropbox will be located next to the ATM in the Student Services/Administration Building.

An information table of Veteran’s resources, including suggested ways that we can support Veterans/soldiers, will be located in the hallway in front

Its incubation period is twentyone days, but you may show symptoms from two days to two weeks after exposure.

Exposed individuals are not contagious until a fever begins, which in order to be considered for Ebola must be above 101.5 degrees,.

“Once you start showing symptoms, you show a lot of symptoms rapidly,” he said.

In addition to fever, accompanying symptoms effect your GI tract. This makes it difficult to tell whether someone has Ebola rather than common influenza.

A less common symptom of EVD is small bruises, which look like small red pinpricks or rashes on the skin, because of blood vessels’ inability to keep blood inside the vein. This can lead to flaking of skin on the bruised sites.

Most bleeding, however, occurs within the GI tract, so bloody stools or vomit are the most common symptoms.

People do sometimes suffer bleeding from nearly any mucus membrane surface, such as the eyes, ears, or nose, late in the progression of the disease.

“Typically six to 16 days after symptoms is when death occurs. If you’re going to get better, you’re going to get better in about this same time frame,” Wahr said.

The virus itself does not cause death directly, he said. Rather, death is caused by the extreme drop in blood pressure and subsequent state of shock the body will go into. Ebola targets the body’s immune system, much like Typhoid and other illnesses.

“It’s not actually the virus itself that is killing you, it’s your body’s response to the virus that is actually causing the death,” Wahr said.

The body’s own defense becomes over-stimulated, causing the immune system to basically kill you, he said.

Wahr explained the various functions of white blood cells and the way they attack anything that is not supposed to be inside of you. He mentioned antibodies that the immune system can create to target the virus, which is why survivors of the disease can donate their blood to patients battling EVD. In closing, Wahr mentioned vaccines that are being developed.

They are in different stages of development, but none are ready for human trials.

The two professors also took questions from the audience. Adjunct professor Margie Bacarella asked about the success rate of blood transfusions and experimental drugs such as ZMapp, which focuses on antibodies made in the bodies of survivors of the disease.

Wahr said there is not enough data at this point to know. He explained the disease is rare, so it will take time for these studies to start drawing conclusions.

of Admissions.

SG collecting tabs for Ronald’s House again

Student Government is again collecting pop tabs to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House.

Collection centers will be located throughout campus through the end of April.

The Ronald McDonald House is the “homeaway-from-home” for families who travel far from home and spend several weeks or months to get treatment for their seriously ill or injured children.

Drama Club names officers

MCCC Drama Club adviser Kellie Lajiness announced the club’s 2014-2015 officers.

President will be Brendan Mason; vice president, Phil Zaborowski; secretary, Brianna Morgan; and treasurer, Johathan Mohn.

“I appreciate the enthusiasm that these terrific individuals will bring to the Drama Club this year,” Lajiness said. “Current plans are in the making for a talent showcase, play, and workshop.”

Country music tribute coming

A tribute show based on perhaps the greatest country music super group in history, The Highwaymen —Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings — is coming to MCCC at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 22.

“The Highwaymen Live: A Musical Tribute” allows fans to relive the worldwide sensation of “outlaw” country’s three biggest stars.

The 90-minute show in the La-Z-Boy Center is full of honkytonk hits like “Ring of Fire,” “Theme

“Once you’ve had the disease, you start making those antibodies to it, so somebody who recovered from it should still have those antibodies – antibodies we know are still in these patients for at least ten years,” he said.

Fonseca reminded the audience that other viruses are more of a problem in the U.S. than Ebola.

“You are way more likely to get the flu than Ebola, so get your flu shots!” she said.

After the panel discussion, Fonseca said the Ebola crisis isn’t likely to disappear.

“It’s hard to predict. I don’t think the outbreak is going to end

“It’s not actually the virus itself that is killing you, it’s your body’s response to the virus that is actually causing the death.”

Philip Wahr Biology professor any time soon, unfortunately.”

Wahr blamed the media for the general public’s lack of knowledge of Ebola.

“There’s a lot of misinformation being propagated out there by the media. The media is not helping,” he said.

He said it’s unlikely that Ebola will become a serious problem in the U.S. “Sure, there’s going to be a few, but they’re not going to spread any more than the last one did.

And frankly, the only reason the last one did is because one hospital in Texas was not prepared.

I don’t think at the next hospital that’s going to be an issue.

“It’s easily contained if you know what you’re doing.”

from the Dukes of Hazard,” “On the Road Again,” “Whiskey River,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” and “Good Hearted Woman.” Fans will watch in amazement as one hit after another is sung just as if the original band were performing.

Tickets are $27. VIP seating is $37. They can be purchased on the Web at www.monroeccc.edu/ theater, in person at the Cashier’s Office in the A Building or via phone by calling the MCCC Ticket Hotline at (734) 384-4272.

MCCC students attend political issues convention

MCCC students got the chance to let legislators know which political issues they care about at the annual Michigan Student Political Issues Convention.

On Oct 31, over 40 MCCC students attended the convention at Henry Ford Community College.

Debbie Dingell, who was recently elected to take over her husband’s Congressional seat, was a keynote speaker.

Informational sessions on controversial topics such as, gay marriage, immigration reform, and marijuana legalization were offered.

Students ended the convention by participating in a mock election.

Club selling fun pasta

The International Studies Club is selling pasta to raise money for club activities.

The unique, fun-shaped pastas are available to buy online at https://www.funpastafundraising. com/shop/monroe-county-community-college.

The pasta makes affordable and fun Christmas gifts, according to adviser Joanna Sabo.

A&E

November 12, 2014

mcccagora.com • The Agora

|5

Writers challenged, inspired by NaNoWriMo Julia Wells Agora Staff

November celebrates different themes such as “No-Shave November” and the offical start to the holiday season.

But for writers it marks the start of NaNoWriMo, the month where they will diligently attempt to complete a 50,000 word novella.

NaNoWriMo stands for National Novella Writing Month and it is celebrated by writers all over the world, connected by the Internet.

The project asks writers to begin their work on Nov 1 and to complete at least 50,000 words of a novel by midnight on Nov 30. That averages 1,667 words a day. Writers can create completely fictional stories or write a fanfiction.

Beginning in 1999 with 21 participants, NaNo WriMo had 310,095 official participants in 2013, according to its website. Writers don’t have to register on nanowrimo.org to participate, but the site offers conversations with other budding writers through over 50 forums.

Once a writer completes a novel at the end of the month, they can then enter it in competitions for prizes or publishing opportunities.

NaNoWriMo has no age restrictions so students of any grade can participate. MCCC student Katie Smith is taking on this venture to challenge herself as a writer.

“I just want to see if I can make the rough draft of a 30,000 word thing,” Smith said. “I want to push myself to write four pages a day.”

Smith attends both MCCC and Eastern Michigan University as well as working a part time job. After attempting once before, she is choosing a smaller goal than the “official” rules require and wants to average about 900 words a day. Smith doesn’t have much of a plan to meet her goal, other than to write.

“Write anywhere. Have something to write with anywhere. Inspiration strikes anytime, even if it’s just to jot down ideas,” she said.

Smith is unsure of the kind of novel she wants to write and is considering writing a fanfiction about the fictional character, Harry Potter.

“The nice thing about a fanfic is there’s already a plot and you just place a character,” she said.

Smith may also create her own novella featuring a stream of consciousness literary style. She cites Sylvia Plath and James Joyce’s Araby as inspiration, as well as the 1999 YA novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

“I want to write a book like that, that people can relate to,” she said.

Writing is an outlet for Smith, an English major, to release her thoughts.

“When I write, it’s for me and how I view the world,” Smith said. “I want my book to be an organic living thing, I want it to help someone out.”

While Smith is participating in NaNoWriMo casually, she may have aspirations to publish depending on if she enjoys her own novella.

Adjunct professor Scott McCloskey uses NaNoWriMo as an assignment for his Advanced Placement English classes at Monroe High School.

He encourages his students to write ten pages a day for the month, without worrying about revisions.

“It lets students realize that they shouldn’t be so critical during the rough draft stages of the creative process,” McCloskey said. “Quite frankly they don’t have time.”

“I love the advice that I heard somewhere: the rough draft is not about getting it right; it’s about getting it written. NaNoWriMo lets students experience that first hand,” he said.

McCloskey also believes that the project helps his students gain a respect for writers and an ap-

Library Write-In Meetings

Bring your laptop to work on your novella project from 3-5 p.m in the company of other writers. Snacks will be provided.

• Nov 12 Ellis and Bedford Branch • Nov 19 Ellis and Bedford Branch • Nov 26 Ellis preciation for literature.

“Another benefit is the appreciation that can grow from seeing and experiencing how difficult a job it really is to craft a narrative,” he said. “ I can watch a basketball player and say, wow, he is really good, but I have no idea how good, until I, on some level, pick up a ball and try to do the layup myself.”

Though he hasn’t finished every year, McCloskey started writing his own novellas to understand what he was asking his students to do.

“I thought it was a bit cruel to assign the project without doing it myself too.” McCloskey said.

COD returns bigger, better New game Jeff Brown Agora Staff

It’s that time of year again. The leaves change colors and fall to the ground, the weather starts to get cold, the anticipation of the madness of the holiday season, and of course, the annual Call of Duty game comes out.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is the eleventh game in the main installments of the franchise, and it goes a long way to reinvigorate the franchise.

Advanced Warfare was developed by SledgeHammer Games, an all new studio formed by the former leads of Visceral Games Studio, and with the new talent comes the biggest and most successful departure from what’s expected in a Call of Duty game.

Advanced Warfare’s story is fun but predictable, graphics are outstanding and new gameplay mechanics are fun and add verticality and speed to what has been a very stagnant formula for the past few years.

The story takes place in the near future and follows a soldier named Mitchel. Through personal loss (which should not be spoiled), he is contracted to fight for a private military contractor known as Atlas. Atlas is known for its advancements in military technologies and has the largest standing military in the world.

It’s all pretty standard and the story follows your standard evil PMC that tries to take over the world. It’s like a Michael Bay movie with better writing.

Where the story really shines, however, is in the performances by the actors, most notably Kevin Spacey, who plays Johnathan Irons, the founder and President of Atlas.

Irons speaks with unwavering conviction and is the kind of bad guy you just can’t get enough of. Troy Baker plays Mitchel and unsurprisingly does a fine job playing the protagonist, a dangerous and loyal soldier who after a personal loss joins the Atlas Corporation.

SledgeHammer games used an all new graphics engine and motion capture technology for this iteration of Call of Duty and the visuals are beautiful.

During the cut scenes, it was uncanny and sometimes uncomfortable how life-like the character models were. Kevin Spacey looks exactly like Kevin Spacey and Troy Baker looks like Troy Baker. It’s remarkable how far the visuals have advanced since last year’s Ghosts. Pores, hairs, and creases in skin are all there and rendered in considerable detail.

This is still a Call of Duty game, however, and the short 6-8 hour campaign consists of long hallways filled with cover and scripted enemy encounters. What the campaign does different, however, is it puts you in scenarios that there are more than one way to tackle.

This gives the mostly linear campaign a sense of freedom and power that you should feel when playing a game with a ton of action and explosions.

The biggest gameplay change in Advanced Warfare is the addition of the Exo suit. This is a metal Exo-skeleton that gives the player character supernatural strength and the ability to double jump and dodge. This is exactly what the series needed in order to rejuvenate lapsed fans.

The Exo suit makes multiplayer matches a whole lot of fun. Jumping around boosting from roof top to roof top, dodging around corners to fall on unsuspecting foes is a blast. The weapons feel just as good as any other Call of Duty game.

They create a class feature as robust as ever and sport the Pick 13 system, an expansion of Black Ops 2’s Pick 10. You can have 13 things equipped. It doesn’t matter what, as long as you pick 13 or less.

For players who don’t usually stay alive long enough to get any meaningful kill streak rewards, this means dropping some of those to get extra perks or attachments for weapons.

When editing your class, you can try out different weapons directly from the menu. At the press of a button you will seamlessly go into a virtual firing range with no load time between screens.

Just like in past iterations, you unlock new weapons, gadgets, and abilities through leveling up. Now, on top of that, just for playing the game the player can unlock supply drops that are essentially booster packs of weapons and armor skins, each with specific rarity. These are mostly cosmetic, but sometimes you will find weapons that have different stats than their stock counterparts.

The third mode in Advanced Warfare is called Exo Survival Mode. It’s a four-player cooperative round based survival mode. Each round adds different or more challenging enemies and some rounds give you an optional objective to complete to earn extra rewards.

One moment you’re fighting attack drones, the next you’ll be defusing bombs set across the map. It’s a satisfying mixture of offensive and defensive objectives that keep the roundbased survival from getting stale. You play until the whole team dies; after 25 rounds the waves reset, but boost the challenge considerably.

With the addition of the Exo suit, the outstanding performances by Kevin Spacey and Troy Baker in the predictable but enjoyable story, and the action packed multiplayer, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is the most ambitious title in the franchise for quite some time.

If you’re a lapsed fan looking for a good time to come back, this is it. This is still a Call of Duty game, however, and if you’ve never been a fan of the series, Advanced Warfare doesn’t do much to change your mind.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

This game was reviewed on an Xbox One.

Game release dates for November November 11 - Assassin’s Creed Rogue (Xbox 360, PS3) November 11 - Assassin’s Creed Unity (Xbox One, PS4, PC) November 11 - Digimon: All-Star Rumble (360, PS3) November 11 - Halo: The Master Chief Collection (Xbox One) November 11 - Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham (Xbox One, 360, PS4, PS3, Wii U, Vita, 3DS, PC) November 11 - Minecraft (Vita - Retail) November 11 - Retro City Rampage DX (PS4, PS3, VIta) November 11 - Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (Wii U) November 11 - Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal (3DS) November 11 - Ring Run Circus (Vita) November 11 - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Danger Of The Ooze (3DS) November 11 - Tetris Ultimate (3DS) November 11 - Tropico 5 (360) November 12 - Amphora (PC) November 13 - A World of Keflings (Wii U) November 13 - Shadows: Heretic Kingdoms (PC) November 13 - Tengami (Wii U) November 13 - World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor (PC) November 14 - Emergency 5 (PC)

November 14 - Pure Pool (Xbox One) November 14 - This War of Mine (PC) November 18 - Adventure Time: The Secret of the Nameless Kingdom (3DS) November 18 - Dragon Age: Inquisition (Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3, PC) November 18 - Escape Dead Island (360, PS3, PC) November 18 - Far Cry 4 (Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3, PC) November 18 - Grand Theft Auto V (Xbox One, PS4) November 18 - LittleBigPlanet 3 (PS4, PS3) November 18 - Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (360, PS3) November 18 - Minecraft (Xbox One - Retail) November 18 - Never Alone (Xbox One, PS4, PC) November 18 - Watch Dogs (Wii U) November 18 - WWE 2K15 (Xbox One, PS4) November 21 - Pokémon Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby (3DS) November 21 - Super Smash Bros. (Wii U) November 25 - Akiba’s Trip: Undead and Undressed (PS4) November 25 - Geometry Wars 3 (Xbox One, 360, PS4, PS3, PC) November 25 - Penguins of Madagascar (Wii U, 3DS) November 25 - Persona Q (3DS)

brings color, zeal Jeff Brown Agora Staff

Sunset Overdrive is one of the most colorful, smart and unflappably fun and unique games to come out in a long time.

After the dark and serious resistance series and the stale bro-shooter fuse, it’s nice to see Insomniac Games make a game that has you bouncing off awnings, grinding on telephone wires and shooting ridiculously awesome weapons in a world filled with color and personality.

The game takes place after an energy drink is distributed and accidentally turns the citizens of Sunset City into crazy energy drink infused zombies called “OD’s.” This naturally causes the apocalypse or as it is known in the game, the “Awsomepocolypse.”

During the players 10-12 hour adventure, they will play as an unnamed hero, a social outcast that finds his/her place in the world only after the world ends. On your adventure through Sunset City, you will encounter new characters that will help you try and complete the ultimate goal of escaping from Sunset City. Throughout the journey you’ll run into a pusillanimous group of nerds, a tyrannical Boy Scout troupe, some crazed LARP-ers, and many more.

The player can customize the hero to his or her liking and at any point in the game if you decide you want to mix things up, you can completely change everything about your hero, including gender, face, body type, hair, and costume.

The game is presented through a punk rock aesthetic and everything about the writing and design has a derisive and sarcastic tone to it. The colors pop, the character models are fun and cartoony and the game has an attitude that would make Buzz Osborne proud. So much, in fact, that King Buzzo himself, the guitarist and vocalist of the Melvins, is a featured character in the game. If that’s not punk rock enough for you, then I’m not sure what is.

Playing Sunset Overdrive is about always being in motion. This is great because traveling across Sunset City at break-neck speeds is by far the highlight of this game. The way that the player character seamlessly grinds, bounces, and runs around the environment is nothing short of brilliant.

The only issue that I had with it was that it took a few hours to get an air dash technique and for the traversal to finally click. After that it was smooth sailing.

After you understand the movement, the combat becomes a breeze.

The hero has the ability to use a plethora of different weapons, each with its own unique look and handling. These weapons range from a standard revolver to a gun that shoots vinyl records that bounce off of enemies to hit multiple targets, to cannon that shoot explosive teddy bears.

As you progress through the game, the player character will unlock special abilities called “Amps” that will allow him/her to, well… Use magic, I suppose. Each time you get a new amp, you are thrown into a defense mission where you have to survive and make sure the machine that is producing the amp isn’t destroyed by the horde of OD that are attracted to it.

Where Sunset Overdrive could use some polish or a design overhaul is in the multiplayer. This doesn’t mean that it’s not fun, and on paper the eight player cooperative action sounds spectacular.

In Chaos Squad you and seven other players complete several small challenges that lead to a bigger defend-the-VATS-style mission like in the story mode. This was great for the first few times through, but by the fifth or sixth time playing, the missions started to get repetitive and boring.

If you’re sick of the serious toned grey games that have taken over the shelves at your local game store, or you’re just looking for a great game to play on your Xbox One, this is the game for you. The beautiful city, the wacky weapons, superb movement, and a story that doesn’t take itself seriously all add up to make one of the most fun and unique games of the year that shouldn’t be missed by anyone.

6| mcccagora.com •

Campus News

The Agora

November 12, 2014

Photo by Mika Kotanova

The writing center’s poetry night was full of costumes and originallity. Songs were sung, poems were read and even translated.

Poetry night full of characters Mika Kotanova Agora Staff

Photo by Mika Kotanova

WAC advisor Tim Dillion starts off poetry night by reciting “The Hallow Men” by T.S. Elliot.

Students filled the Little Theater for a night of poetry and storytelling.

The Writing Center decided to change the name of the event to “All Hallow’s Eve Open Mic” this year to try to get more involvement from students and faculty.

Twenty-five storytellers took the stage.

Some read from their favorite author, while others recited their original writing.

Staff of the Writing Center handed out apple cider and donuts for a small donation.

Tim Dillon, Writing Center coordinator, started off the poetic night with “The Hollow Men” by T.S. Elliot.

Student Tyler Boes wore a mask while reciting “Lies” by Anonymous.

“Incorporating my mask made the poem come alive,” he said.

While others told their poems and stories, Joe Laurell decided to play an original song on guitar.

He wrote the song “This is Real” a while back and has made several changes to it.

Peter Coomar, Dean of Applied Science and Engineering Technology, recited a poem in his mother tongue, Bengali, and then translated it.

The poem is titled “Agni” and was composed by the 1913 Nobel Prize winner in literature and first Asian to win the prize, Rabindranath Tagore.

The night concluded with a Halloween costume contest.

Stephanie Guyor won for her 50’s outfit and received a $20 dollar gift certificate to the MCCC bookstore.

The Writing Center staff has not yet decided the winner for the original story competition.

The time is

Photo by Mika Kotanova

ASET Dean Peter Coomar reads and translates from Bengali.

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Sports

November 12, 2014

mcccagora.com • The Agora

|7

Basketball: a way of life MCCC VP Suzanne Wetzel’s two boys playing college ball Mitchell Perkins Agora staff

The locker room is almost cold, as the smell of sweat lingers in the air. Each player engages in their pregame rituals as they prepare for another home game.

Some players stretch by the lockers, trying to stay loose before having to charge out on to the court. Most of the players have their head phones in, trying to block out the world around them, determined stares on their faces.

Keenan paces the locker room, bouncing up and down.

“I’m feeling forty tonight, boys,” he says to his teammates as he anxiously awaits Coach Windham’s arrival in the locker room.

Each game is approached with a feeling of anxiety. Is tonight the night Kennan will break the school record for points in a game? He has come so close so many times, scoring above thirty points on multiple occasions. But the school record continued to slip his grasp.

Fast forward two years. The Falcons take the court on a cool February night, the players looking to their captain to lead them to another victory.

Though the falcons still have a Wetzel on the court, it is now Torin’s turn to lead his team into battle.

Shot after shot falls for the All-State forward till the record is his. After racking up 42 points, a standing ovation ensues as he walks off the court.

His father, a coach on the bench, greets him with a look of admiration. His mother, in the stands, cheers for the son she has watched become the player he is today.

Basketball is more than just a sport to the Wetzel family, it is a building block for so much more.

Bob Wetzel, a partner at the Godfroy, Wetzel, and Horkey law firm, and Sue Wetzel, MCCC’s vice president of Administration, are the proud parents of three young men. Two of them, Keenan and Torin, compete at the collegiate level in the sport they love, basketball.

The Wetzels have always been a big part of their sons’ basketball careers, whether it was coaching them from the bench or cheering them on from the sideline.

Mr. Wetzel coached his sons from a young age through the high school level.

He worked hard to improve every aspect

“I’ve learned to push myself past my comfort zone to be the best I can be and I think that’s a great life trait.”

Torin Wetzel Ashland University

Photo courtesy of Suzanne Wetzel

The Wetzel family, from left to right: Suzanne, Keenan, Torin, Blaine and Bob Wetzel.

of their game, and pushed them to be better players on and off the court.

“I know how I was, I was way on the side of seeing every mistake they made, holding them to a higher standard,” Mr. Wetzel said.

The path of being a coach who wants to make sure things are done correctly and simultaneously being a parent who wants their child to succeed is separated by a fine line. Keenan and Torin had similar experiences growing up with a parent coach.

“At times I probably didn’t like it, but I know I am a lot better player and person because of it,” Torin said.

“Having my dad as a coach growing up was certainly a reason I am where I am today,” Keenan said.

Mr. Wetzel is no longer coaching his sons from the bench and this gives him the experience of watching from the sidelines with Mrs. Wetzel at his side. This opportunity gives him a new perspective with a chance to be a fan.

Even though both Mr. and Mrs. Wetzel work full time jobs, they take advantage of their flexibility in their schedules. They work long nights and weekends in order to make it to both Torin and Keenan’s games as much as possible. They are their sons’ biggest fans.

“It would be tough to look back in five years and say, ‘boy we wish we would have arranged our schedules better and worked a little harder so we could have

seen them play more’,” Mr. Wetzel said.

Mrs. Wetzel’s biggest project over the past few years as the VP of Administration was the construction of MCCC’s new Career Technology Center.

“I managed the construction of that building,” Mrs. Wetzel said. “I was involved in every meeting that had to do with building the building.”

Making it to as many of her sons’ games as she could while managing this construction was a balancing act in itself.

Keenan, the middle son, is a red-shirt senior playing at Michigan State University. After attending his first year of college at Valparaiso University, he transferred to MSU and became a walk-on player on the varsity basketball team.

“I loved Valpo. I loved the people there and made some really good friends there.

But I grew up a Michigan State fan, I am obviously from Michigan, and have always wanted to play basketball at the highest level I could,” Keenan said.

“So when I was presented with the chance to do so, it was too good to pass up.”

After three years of competing for his spot on the team, Keenan was finally rewarded this year with a scholarship.

“My experience at MSU has been a very quick and memorable one. It feels like just yesterday I was invited to be on the team. The scholarship was always a goal of mine and to reach that goal in my last year was amazing,” he said.

Though basketball is an immense part of Keenan’s life, his real passion is in the film industry. For the past year he has been working tirelessly on writing, producing, and directing his own film, “The Cager,” which stars former MSU basketball player, Delvon Roe. This is the story of a young man who played at the collegiate level and had his basketball career cut short by injury. This movie tells the story of his life after basketball and his adjustment to this change in his life.

“For the inspiration, it was a life full of basketball experiences and human experience I tried to write into one short film.

It was not based on one person’s life, but rather people in general that struggle with life changing ways,” Keenan said.

Keenan has had the opportunity to play with some very talented Michigan State teams over the past few years. The team has played in the NCAA tournament all three years. Mr. and Mrs. Wetzel were able to travel to these games, which were played all over the country.

“In the NCAA tournament, they played in Madison Square Garden, so it fulfilled one of my dreams: going to the mecca of basketball,” Mr. Wetzel said.

Torin, the youngest of the three brothers, began his college career spending his first two years as a member of the basketball team at West Liberty University while studying journalism.

Keeping with the family tradition, this

year Torin made the decision to transfer to Ashland University in Ohio.

“My transfer was mostly based on me wanting to be closer to home and more involved with my family. They just get to be more involved in my life now and vice versa,” Torin said.

To add to this major change in his life Torin made a tough decision, like many college students do, and changed his major. Many students go into college thinking they have an idea of what they want to do for the rest of their life but do not realize just what that career entails.

“I made the change because after a full year of journalism courses, I felt as though I was still missing something and didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would,” he said.

“Exercise science has been a field that I’ve always been interested in. I’ve been through a lot physically in terms of injuries and other things and that really started my interest in the field.”

Torin may be a basketball player at heart, but he knows that the real world does not always cater to every athlete’s dream. A future outside of basketball is what lies in wait for Torin, but playing the sport he loves has already given him so much more.

“Hard work is a great trait I’ve learned from basketball and it just speaks for itself.

“I’ve learned to push myself past my comfort zone to be the best I can be and I think that’s a great life trait,” Torin said.

Both Torin and Keenan see their futures outside of the game of basketball just like they always have. With two of her sons having already graduated, Mrs. Wetzel knows the importance of a degree. But with Blaine, the oldest brother, and Keenan having already graduated they did not understand why their parents would be so ecstatic around the time of graduation.

“They both were just like ‘Well we always knew we were going to graduate from college, there wasn’t a way that we couldn’t graduate from college,’ ” Mrs. Wetzel said.

Basketball has been a lifelong journey for both Torin and Keenan. The lessons they have learned will carry on in so many other aspects of life. But they both know that basketball is just a stepping stone to bigger and better things.

“Basketball doesn’t define Keenan or Torin. It is something that they have a gift for and are very good at. They have also dedicated a lot of time, and effort, blood, sweat, and tears,” Mrs. Wetzel said.

“But they are both very clear about the person they are, what their career goals are, and I am really proud of them for that.”

The scholarship was always a goal of mine and to reach that goal in my last year was amazing.”

Keenan Wetzel Michigan State University

Team One beats Rainbow Warriors for first win Team Two remains unbeaten after five Mitchell Perkins Agora staff

Team One pulled together its first win of the Intramural Basketball League, beating the Rainbow Warriors in week 5 to bring an end to a four-game losing streak.

Many players from Team 1 returned in week 5 from injury and other obligations to help lead the team to victory.

Josh Czarniowski, MCCC student, got the opportunity to help his team after a 2-week absence.

“I was coming into the game cold, I Name Points didn’t get to play at per game all to warm up this week,” Czarniowski Bill Gill 32.8 said.

James Dean 22.4 But the 18-point performance from Travis 19.8 Czamiowski was atBoggs tributed to the team’s ability to get out and Jason 16.4 run in the open court, Brooks “I went out there Gabe Deal 16.4 and had fun just running all over. I’ve been conditioning a lot lately and I run just about every day, so that probably helped,” Czarniowski said.

Through week five there still remains only one unbeaten team. Team 2 remains atop the leader board, winning all but one of its games by a double digit margin.

The season is nearing its end, with the playoffs scheduled for Nov. 21.

Photo by Mitchell Perkins

Jacob Skaggs scores a basket on Bill Gill in a game between Team 2 and Team 3. Team Two got the win to remain unbeaten.

8 | mcccagora.com • Campus News X-Tech event attracts interested community The Agora

November 12, 2014

Jake Adams Agora Staff

MCCC hosted the “X-tech” event in the Career Technology Center to showcase the opportunities students who attend classes there will have.

The recently built CTC building was on display for the public.

The event consisted of multiple exhibits, each focused on an aspect of the career training offered there. Some of the events focused on fields such as Robotics, Welding, and Nuclear Engineering.

Cameron Albring, administrative assistant for the Applied Science & Engineering Technology Division, said she defined the event as a “Career Exploration Event.”

“This event helps students get hands-on demonstrations. We’re increasing awareness of the skill trades,” she said.

Peter Coomar, dean of the ASET Division, said the event was designed to help “raise awareness for the CTC building.”

Hundreds attended the event, ranging from students and parents to county residents who just wanted to check out the new building.

Kyle Flemming, a community resident, said he was curious.

“I wanted to see how the technology moved and worked,” he said.“I’m interested in robotics.”

During the event, college President Kojo Quartey gave a speech via Skype in the CTC building’s foyer. The speech centered on the importance of a good education.

“It holds the welders, but it’s also pretty cool for Halloween” Welding instructor Ed Baltrip said.

Hope Smith shows X-tech visitors how to control the robotic arm.

Participants could retrieve candy with a robot arm.

Instructor Perry Tsipis shows a student how to operate a machine.

Welding students demonstrated at X-tech.

Photos

by Shelby Spencer

Roush showed off its custom truck outside the CTC.

Sparks were flying in the CTC during the X-TECH event.

President Kojo Quartey gave a speech via Skype.

What are your next steps?

You can finish your bachelor’s degree on the MCCC Campus!

Siena Heights University has a degree completion center right here on campus!

Undergraduate classes available in: • Accounting • Bachelor of Applied Science • Business Administration • Criminal Justice • Multidisciplinary Studies • Professional Communication • Psychology • RN to BSN

CONTACT US TODAY!

Phone: (734) 384-4133 Email: monroe@sienaheights.edu Web: www.sienaheights.edu/mccc Stop by our office located in L-221

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