Feature
December 15, 2006
AGORA
7
Students seek beer pong title Kirk Stoner Page Editor
Everyone has heard of the Major League Baseball World Series, the World Series of Poker and there is even a World Series of Video Games. One competition you may not have heard of is the World Series of Beer Pong (WSOBP). This competition is a five day event, held in Mesquite, NV just outside Las Vegas in the Oasis Resort & Casino. There is a $20,000 grand prize for the championship team. Each team has two players and they compete in a series of games against other teams from across the country. Two students from Monroe County Community College (MCCC) will be making the trip to Nevada this January to try their hand in the WSOBP. Lester Marks and Dave Spence have been looking forward to this event for a while now. “Right now we’ve been practicing two to three days a week, but once the school semester is over we are going to practice everyday leading up to the day we leave for the tournament.” Marks said. The two have played beer pong for
a while now and have gained a lot of experience through the years. “We always win a lot games around here and are usually running the table for awhile.” Marks said. The practice has paid of and now they think they’re ready for the big time in Nevada. Marks and Spence can expect some tough competition when they get to Nevada. Last year’s WSOBP champion came from Ann Arbor, so the two hope to bring the championship back to Michigan. The two chose “Pandemonium ‘07” as their team name. One thing is for sure, if they win the WSOBP championship, pandemonium will occur between the Monroe beer pong faithful. After three days of competitive beer pong, Marks and Spence expect to be tired and a little hung over. According to them, though, a WSOBP championship title, a $20,000 grand prize and all the fame that comes with it, can cure any hangover. For more information about beer pong and next years WSOBP visit www.bpong.com. Please remember: all WSOBP participants must be 21 year of age or older to enter.
Agora Photo Courtesy of Lester Marks
Lester Marks (right) and Dave Spence practice their beer pong skills to tune up for the World Series of Beer Pong. Marks and Spence plan on continuing training as soon as the fall semester is completed.
Students pay tribute to professors Kristen Booth Copy Editor
College students around campus have seen teachers across campus wearing red shirts, especially on Mondays and Thursdays. This is because that professors at Monroe County Community College (MCCC) are now making a statement. They are demonstrating to the students that they are giving us the best education and doing so without a contract. During this time, students have begun being informed on what is happening at MCCC regarding the teacher’s contract. Many students feel the
desire to help their teachers in some way. Teachers play a large role in helping their students find the career that is best suited for them. MCCC has excellent teachers who have gone above and beyond the call of being a teacher. Jessica Winger, MCCC sophomore, is behind the teachers completely on the issue.
“I am standing with the teachers 100% because if the college does not agree on a contract, they will begin to lose great teachers,” she said. And for most students at MCCC, if you ask them if they have a teacher that has made a difference in their life,
they would answer immediately with a name. For Angie Underdahl, freshman at MCCC, there have been two teachers who have made a difference in her academic career. “Dawn White, an English 151 professor, would stay after class and help me with any questions or problems I had. She was always smiling and very friendly,” Underdahl said. Underdahl goes onto say that Dr. Joanna Sabo, political science professor, was also an amazing teacher. “Dr. Sabo made class fun and interesting. She opened me up to the political aspects that affect me on a day
to day basis. She inspired me to vote in the election,” she said. Since the teachers started going public with the contract, students are beginning to realize that their input is needed. Ellen Wolfe, a student at MCCC, is standing behind the teachers. “They deserve to be paid worthy of their qualifications and the work they put into teaching. I stand with them,” she said. Wolfe has also had a professor that made a difference in her life, Jack Staas, professor of psychology. “He put psychology to work when
the students did not even realize it. He would spend time helping students and he would extend a project due date if something came up and you were unable to finish in time,” she said. Many students at MCCC are now wondering what is going to happen. They have seen the signs, shirts and buttons and are standing with the teachers and they have many thanks for the work that the professor’s at MCCC put in. Without the teachers, Monroe would not be the college it is today.
Local holiday festivities Bethany Younglove Page Editor
Agora photo by Tonya Huffman
Vermin invades Agora
The Agora room, L-202 was taken over by a mouse on December 9, 2006. He was found endulging in a bag of chips around 10am and hasn’t been spotted since.
Winter break is upon us, which means more free time. No more papers, no more homework, no more class time. Now, there are days filled with sweet nothingness, at least until January 12, when the winter semester begins again. What are you going to fill your days with? Shopping? Holiday baking? Parties? Maybe nothing comes to mind. Well, here is a list of the many activities around the Monroe area that may help inspire your mind. There are always dozens of holiday movies on the TV guide menu, and if life is too busy to watch them at the scheduled time, the Monroe County Library System has a wide selection to choose from. According to the Detroit Free Press, some of the most popular Christmas classics are “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “A Christmas Story,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” and Dr. Seuss’s “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” The new movie “Happy Feet” is playing in the IMAX theatre at the Henry Ford Museum right now and for those who would like a more religious themed movie, “The Nativity Story,” now in theaters, re-tells the story of the Christ child. The Monroe Evening News gave a list of events taking place during the holiday season. The Lights Before Christmas at the Toledo Zoo is one of the many holiday favorites in our area. Last year, the Toledo Zoo had hundreds of visitor who came to the event. At the Lucas County Recre-
ation Center, the Children’s Wonderland is set up for all to see. Both of these events are running from now through December 31. For those closer to the Detroit area, there is ice skating downtown at the Campus Martius Park. Holiday Nights in Greenfield Village is another great experience of the season, which is open from 6:30-10:00 p.m. Dec. 1517 and 19-23. Tickets are available through www.henryford.org. Another beautiful sight is the Wayne County LightFest. It is a four and a half mile drive through a light show with nearly one million lights. This drive goes down Hines Dr., starting at Merriman Rd. in Westland.
The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) and the Toledo Museum of Art are always offering special exhibits, some of which students can view for free with their student I.D. card. The DIA is currently running an exhibit called Anne Leibovitz- American Music now through Jan. 7. The Toledo Art Museum also has two exhibits currently running: In Stabiano: Exploring the Ancient Seaside Villas of the Roman Elite, running through Jan. 28, and The End of Mortality and Rememberance, running through Jan. 14. These exhibits allow people to learn about the many different views and concepts of death and the afterlife; as portrayed throughout time and in different cultures.
Agora Photo by Bethany Younglove