Dec 8, 2014

Dec. 8, 2014 Vol. 60, Issue 5

Do student surveys really make a difference?

Cellar grand re-opening

Page 4

Page 3

The sharp knife of a short life Makailyn Ellison Agora Staff

Allie Kaiser said that she charishes all of her memories with Lance Joseph, like boating up north.

They say when you fall in love, you crash to the ground and all your bones break, but you don’t notice because of the beautiful person at your side.

Then suddenly they’re gone and everything changes. You’re trying to hold your bones together, but their old clothes don’t work as a cast; they won’t fix the craters in your ribs.

Alexandria Kaiser always knew what the future was going to hold. Then in a split second, her world came crashing down, as she held his arm and watched him take his final breath.

“When I was with my boyfriend, when he was still alive, I had my life planned out. Then everything changed; my whole life was basically taken away from me,” she said, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“So now, I’m by myself and have to re-plan everything.”

Kaiser, known to her friends as Allie, is a 19-yearold student at MCCC who has recently faced the tragedy of losing her boyfriend, Lance Joseph, to a rare cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma, or RMS. “Slowly, over time, we were talking about things, we were planning to get married. We knew we would make those plans,” she said.

Allie’s friends and family have realize the toll this has taken on her.

“Losing Lance was like Allie losing a part of her,” said friend Brianna Haworth.

Lance had battled RMS, a cancer that attacks the muscles, at the age of 3, and had survived. Then he was diagnosed with it again on Feb. 15, 2014.

“A lot of people didn’t know how serious it was and what he was going through. I think people were optimistic because he had it when he was younger and he battled it,” Allie said.

When Lance was diagnosed in February, the can-

cer had already progressed to stage four and was spreading rapidly.

“It spread through his system so fast, we didn’t know what to expect,” Allie said.

Lance had been having extreme back pain and blamed it on lifting something heavy. He had done a lot of physical work and was in great shape, so he thought he had just pulled a muscle in his back.

“One day he called me and told me he had to go to the emergency room. He said, ‘My back is killing me and something just isn’t right,’ ” Allie said.

The doctors took x-rays and found cancer in his spine; he was transferred to the University of Michigan hospital.

In the beginning, his chemotherapy treatment didn’t bother him much. As radiation was added, along with other medications, the pain started getting worse.

Continued on Page 2.

MCCC updates grading scale to include +/Dakota Sherrick Agora Staff

Students at MCCC can expect a change to their grading scale in the near future.

A new grading system has been approved, which would set guidelines for teachers who want to pluses and minuses.

The grading scale starts at a regular “A” (4.0) and goes down to the standard “E” (0.0) Falling on the positive side would change your grade by .3 (a B+ would be a 3.3), while the negative side would change your grade to a .7 (a B- would be a 2.7).

According to Terri Kovach, a Sociology professor and a member of the task force assigned to review the proposal, the individual instructors would choose whether or not to use the new grading system.

“For some instructors, an ‘A’ is a 94 and above. For some instructors, an ‘A’ is a 90 and above,” Kovach said. “Ultimately, whether an instructor uses the plus and minus scale is up to them.”

Further, she said the system will serve as a guide for those instructors who would Grace Yackee, like to use a plus and minus grading scale, VP of Instruction but haven’t previously.

The idea for the grading change was originally presented to the Academic Review Committee by Grace Yackee, the Vice President of Instruction. According to Yackee, the idea was proposed to her by a former nursing student who felt that a modified grading system could give her an edge when applying to bachelor’s programs.

“Even though she had a high GPA, her GPA was equal to students who had lower scores,” Yackee explained.

“I looked at what my colleagues were doing at community colleges in Michigan, and most of them did have a plus/minus system,” Yackee said.

A plus and minus grading scale has actually been in the works for some time now, though this is the first time a definite model has been designed and approved.

Photo by Mika Kotanova

Lake Erie Transit buses pick students up and drop them off in front of the Life Science building.

Long bus routes challenging Getting to campus on time is a struggle for bus-riding students.

Mika Kotanova Agora Staff

MCCC student Julia Sneed does not have the privilege of going straight home after her classes.

“With all the transfers and everything, it takes about an hour and a half,” she said.

The Lake Erie Transit bus schedule has proven inefficient for many students. Students living in downtown Monroe have to ride the bus for about an hour before arriving at the college.

There is no direct route from downtown. Riders have to transfer buses at the Transfer Station

on Telegraph Road to the No. 9 bus. From there, students have to ride the bus through Meadowbrook, Willow Green, and Monroe High School to reach the MCCC’s campus.

This causes students to revolve their schedule around the bus route.

“Next semester, I scheduled my classes a little bit later so I wouldn’t have to get up early for the bus,” Sneed said.

Students with night classes cannot take the bus home because Lake Erie Transit stops bus transportation by 6 p.m. Also, students with early Saturday morning classes have to rely on their own transportation because buses do not start until 10:36 a.m.

“I’ve heard some complaints in the past, but I never realized how serious it was,” said MCCC President Kojo Quartey.

Since Quartey’s arrival at the college, transportation has been on his list of priorities.

“We want to make things as convenient as possible for our students,” he said.

LET used to run buses on a 30-minute schedule, but now is on a 40-minute schedule. Most of the routes were running late, causing this change.

Mark Jagodzinski, LET general manager, said Lake Erie Transit is providing the best service to MCCC students in can.

The process of determining which stops to make depends on the safest ability to make the stops and make the service run time, he said.

Students cannot use Lake Erie Transit’s “dial a ride” to go home from classes because it is only available in Bedford and Frenchtown townships.

Continued on Page 2.

Older students bring new perspective Julia Wells Agora Staff

Community colleges attract students from all walks of life, often ranging in age from 19 to 69, each with their own unique experiences.

Older students can sometimes be the friendliest classmates. They didn’t grow up in an age where everyone texted instead of talked; they’re not afraid to be chatty.

Nearly 1,400 students enrolled this semester are over the age of 21, according to MCCC Registrar Tracy Vogt. Due to the rise in dual-enrolled high school students, the mean age of students has been driven down to 23.

Despite that, older students who may be returning from previous college tries or returning from serving in the military, are still common in classrooms.

These students are often referred to as the “nontraditional” group, many of whom did not attend college right after high school or may be returning

Inside:

after dropping out years ago.

All of them, however, have had a certain amount of life experience that has led them here to MCCC. Joe Neal, 45, is among that age group. Joe had his life planned out after high school, enrolling in Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, to become an architect. He completed one year before learning that his girlfriend was pregnant.

“I made the decision to leave school and get a job and I joined the military,” Joe said. “It was more important to be a father.”

Joe also said that while he loves his children, he would have done things differently, not “stupidly” getting off track. He would have asked for more help from his parents.

Joe spent six years in the military before coming home to help support his children. He and his wife eventually had four more kids. After his wife earned her MBA, Joe got back on track to earn his degree in Architecture.

He was hesitant at first to upset his family’s comfortable routine, but with encouragement from his wife, he enrolled.

Joe almost went to the University of Toledo, but decided on MCCC after learning his daughter was planning to attend the Middle College.

“I’m glad I did because it’s a lot more personal here and having been out of the school system for a while, I think it helped me get acclimated to being a student and studying and being on deadlines,” Joe said.

He also said that even though he is on the same campus as his daughter, he likes to give her space.

His children have been a big influence in his decision to attend school and excel in it.

“I just felt hollow telling them to go to school and achieve their dreams when I hadn’t achieved mine,” Joe said.

Continued on Page 2.

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The Agora

Campus News

December 8, 2014

‘Our relationship changed but our love never did’ Continued from Page 1.

“He knew he was going to die, so he wanted to live life normal. He quit taking the medications and went home,” Allie said.

“He had Hospice come in and take care of him at a point when he couldn’t do things alone. He wanted to be home always; he hated being at the hospital.”

Lance fought as long as he could, until there was no more progress being made, she said.

“Doctors quit prescribing the treatments; they weren’t being progressive and giving him as many options,” she said.

“They pretty much gave us time periods, and I didn’t want to believe it.”

Before Lance died, Allie was a religious person; she believed there was going to be a positive outcome.

“It’s just kind of one of those things where you think it will never happen to you,” Allie said “ “I used to be religious, I was always told to believe in miracles and that’s what I was hoping for, but I don’t so much now.”

Allie holds close to her heart the years she spent with Lance.

“He made me experience more things than I probably ever have in my life,” she said. “He was always adventurous, always up for things. He opened my eyes, he gave me opportunities I wouldn’t have gotten to do with anyone else.”

Throughout the years, they shared many great memories.

“Every summer we went up north during Fourth of July. It was my birthday weekend and he would bring his boat up and we would always go on the lake and wake board and tube,” Allie said.

“He loved being on the boat and he loved to travel so we would always go to different lakes.”

Lance worked hard for everything he had, Allie said.

“That’s what gave us opportunities to go on the boat, to go four-wheeling, go up north to do all these things. He taught me to work really hard for anything I wanted.”

Allie said she had a very loving relationship with Lance.

“We did everything together. Every year we went to the Toledo Zoo lights; we spent every holiday together with both of our families. We even bought a dog together,” she said.

Haworth said Allie’s memories of Lance are what help push her through each day.

“She cherishes the memories that her and Lance had made throughout their relationship, and I think that’s what keeps her going every day. She is truly the strongest person I know,” Haworth said.

Even with the IV’s in his arms and the appearance cancer left on his skin, Allie said her feelings for him never changed.

“Our relationship changed, but our love never did. He was afraid for me to see him how he was, but it never made me love him any less. I didn’t care how he looked or how he was behaving that day.

Overall it never affected our love for each other,” she said.

Through the hardest times, Allie said Lance was known to be a fighter. He never gave up and proved the cliché, “to live every day like it’s your last.”

“He was a strong guy and always honest.

He was a fighter. He fought through it all and

have started to drift and people don’t seem as friendly.

“A lot has changed with groups of friends, relationships,” she said. “When I started dating Lance, all of his friends became my friends, so basically after he had passed away, a lot of friendships changed,” she said.

“A lot of people are there for you in that moment of need, but weeks after he passed away, things and friendships started not being as close.”

Allie is learning to adjust to all the different reactions that people have to her situation.

“A lot of people I don’t even know, know about me and ask how I’m doing and it’s just a different feeling,” she said.

“I was never known in high school or considered to be popular, and now it’s like I could be sitting next to someone, have no idea who they are, and they know everything about me and what I’m going through.

“It’s a weird feeling.”

Allie was used to being with the same circle of friends and is now unwillingly learning to deal with the changes.

“A lot of my friends are all couples, and that’s how we would hangout, so now I’m kind of singled out,” she said.

According to Melissa Grey, an MCCC Psychology professor, when someone

took every opportunity he had,” she said.

Now, Allie is trying to learn how to cope with Lance’s death.

“I do go to therapy, I have a therapist and a psychiatrist. My family is very supportive and I have a close friend, Brianna, who helps me. She always asks me to go out and do things, asks how I’m doing,” Allie said.

“They know when I’m having a bad day and when I want to be left alone.”

Allie said Lance’s death has changed her life in many ways. Her friendships

loses a partner, they often also lose other members of their social group.

“Grief is a special kind of pain, and it is a pain that can be a precious burden,” Grey said.

Over time, the impact of Lance’s death has affected Allie more. Rather than getting better, it seems to be getting worse.

“When it happened, I was almost in a denial. Like it wasn’t real, and now months later, it’s really hitting me,” Allie said.

“I’m not used to not going and doing the things I used to do and not seeing him every day.”

Grey explained it’s very common for people to go through a phase of denial when grieving.

“There’s a famous theorist, Elizabeth Kubler Ross, who popularized the stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance,” Grey said. “They actually don’t occur as stages but as experiences.”

“These don’t take place in steps; it’s possible to go back to any of these experiences at any time,” she said.

Always keeping Lance in her heart, Allie is trying to live her life the best she can.

“A lot of people tell me I should live my life for him, and do things that make me happy,” Allie said.

If nothing else, Allie hopes that people will still consider her as the same person she’s always been. Coping with her boyfriend’s death hasn’t changed her as a person.

“It bothers me when people are constantly bringing it up or talking about it.

I just want to be treated the same.” she said.

“People are almost afraid to talk to me.

I’m not mean; I just would rather people would not be hesitant to talk to me.”

Non-traditional students add variety Continued from Page 1.

When Joe got a B in one of his classes in his second semester, his daughter handed out the same punishment he used on her.

“She said, ‘Dad, let me have your cell phone; if I got a B would you take my cell phone?’

“And I would, because that’s not her best.”

He gave her his phone for the weekend after they agreed he could do better than a B. School always came easy to Joe, but he quickly realized that school was not the same, nor was he.

“That was the hardest thing for me, instead of sitting down and saying ‘I got this,’ it’s like, ‘no, you’ve been removed from this for 20 years; no you don’t have this.’”

Joe has four semesters left to complete at MCCC before transferring to Eastern Michigan University. He feels much better prepared having gone to MCCC first before transferring “I’m getting my confidence back,” Joe said.

Janice Hylinski shared similar challenges when she decided to go back to school. She attempted to earn an associate’s degree when her daughter was 4, but didn’t complete it at that time.

A potential computer aid job coaxed her into finishing her associates’ degree.

She wanted to make herself more marketable to future employers when she had a young child to support.

“Learning how to study again and raising a child, and working part-time, and then going to school part-time, was al-

ways a juggle,” Janice said.

Janice said she wishes she would have done things differently and gone to college right after high school.

“My parents didn’t really encourage that when I was a kid,” Janice said. “It wasn’t really something that you spoke of.”

Janice is currently part of the MCCC support staff, working in the archival section of the library. She is simultaneously pursuing her bachelor’s degree in communications through the Siena Heights program.

She welcomed the advances in technology that some of her peers struggled with when she re-enrolled. Janice described graphic design as one of her passions and hopes to find a career in the field.

“Once we got a computer in our home and they started offering classes, that’s where I gravitated towards,” Janice said.

Janice also found out the benefits of coming back to school at this point in her life, already having raised a child and having some work experience. She wanted to prove to herself that she could achieve this goal.

“As you get older, I think you take it a little bit more seriously,” Janice said.

“Especially when you’re paying for it, as far as what grade you’re going to get, so I think that’s actually an advantage because it’s a little more important to you then.”

Mark Hall, director of Admissions and Guidance, also observes that older students have a certain appreciation for school and an understanding that younger students may not have.

“Usually, older students have a little bit

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.

Editorial policy: Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of The Agora staff. Signed columns represent the opinion of the writer. All letters to the editor must include a signature, address and phone number for verification purposes. The Agora reserves the right to edit for clarity, accuracy, length and libel.

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.

Story suggestions are welcome. Let us know what you’d like to see in The Agora - it’s your newspaper. E-mail submissions: agora@monroeccc. edu .

of students atat MCCC Age ofAgestudents MCCC 2000 1800 1600 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0

1855

1841

F a l l F a l l

1198 1059

388 324

Under 21

21-30

31-40

237 177 41-50

99 81 Over 50

Fall 21 2013 Fall 2014 The number of students under dropped less than other ages because of

more directed motivation because they usually have families,” Hall said.

“They understand the value of time and they want to take care of business.”

Hall sees non-traditional students come through his office daily and does his best to acclimate them into the school system.

He also said that some students who have returned after previously failing to get through college, often come back to be A and B students.

“Non-traditional students usually come in sometimes with a little apprehension because they’ve been out of school,” Hall said.

At age 71, Antoinette Kuzich is usually the oldest person in her classes. She admitted that she sometimes feels out of touch with her classmates.

“I kind of felt out of the loop,” Antoinette said. “They’re just not doing the things I’m doing.”

Antoinette recalled an experience in her speech class where she was asked to give a persuasive speech and she chose the topic of walking for fitness. She worked with her professor to make the speech relatable to the rest of the class.

“The kids aren’t thinking about their health, because they’re all real young,” she said.

Antoinette only takes one class in the Fall and one class in the Winter, and she only sticks to topics that she likes. She even voluntarily takes courses over again if she really liked them.

She also said that she enjoys the atmosphere and the experience of meeting people.

“I like the school because it’s not that big, the teachers have time for you,” she said.

The campus is bigger now, however, than when she first enrolled in classes

at MCCC in 1977. This year will be her eleventh consecutive year of taking classes here.

She worked for Toledo hospitals for 15 years, but has since retired and always wanted to go back to school. She had already earned a degree in medical record technology at Henry Ford Community College.

“Things have really changed a lot,” she said.

She cited the Gay Straight Alliance on campus as something that wouldn’t have happened in her generation, as well as more options being available for women.

“You just didn’t have a lot,” she said.

After Antoinette got married at age 20 and raised her children, she needed a challenge, so she took the risk.

“I was too scared to do it, but I finally took the first step,” she said. “Most of the time kids are nice, very respectful.”

She has even had one class with her grandson, Kameron.

“I wasn’t used to going to school with family,” Kameron said.

He was happy he had somebody he could talk to about the subjects he liked, such as the World History class they shared last year.

“I’d never talked about the subject matter of any class with anyone before,” Kameron said.

“A lot of us want to go in and get out as quick as we can, so I think the age gap was interesting,” he said.

Antoinette said she has no long-term education goals; she attends simply for fun.

“I think no matter how old you get, you should keep learning things,” she said.

“Just because you’re older doesn’t mean you want to turn over and die,”

Students find bus routes inconvenient Continued from Page 1A

That leaves students with LET fixed routes as their only bus transportation.

Students who have disabilities such as wheelchair restricted, difficulty walking, or 60 years or older may use the ETS service which is a door-to-door service.

LET does offer students a $25 monthly student pass. Students can use that pass for an unlimited amount of rides throughout the month.

Having to be on the bus for a lengthy amount of time causes a delay in students’ daily schedules.

“Since the bus route takes so long, I had to push my work schedule back an hour to make up for the time,” said MCCC student Aleesha Colpaert.

Bus routes are not the only issue LET has. There have been some reports of quality issues inside the buses.

“If you sit in certain seats, the roof will leak on you if it is raining,” Colpaert said.

One possible solution to get students to and from campus faster is having a bus run straight from downtown instead of using the transfer station.

“When looking at the route structure, it just isn’t feasible to run a bus directly from downtown out to the college,” Jagodzinski said.

“That would be ideal for the students, it’s just not ideal for the operation of the buses.”

For right now, running a bus directly to the college from downtown is out of the question, Jagodzinski said.

Another potential solution is rerouting the No. 9 bus to go directly to the college instead of through the trailer parks. Having the college be the first stop could save students time.

“It is certainly something that we can look at,” Jagodzinski said.

Students wanting to voice their opinion about LET buses can contact Mark J. Jagodzinski, LET general manager, at mjag@letbus. com

Campus News

December 8, 2014

mcccagora.com • The Agora

|3

Photo by Shelby Spencer

At a panel discussion on campus, military veterans discuss their experience in the service with students and faculty. (from left) Eric Honomichl, Dan Maciejewski, Chris Tibai, David Pacheco, Jusin Van Volkenburg

MCCC veterans discuss experience Shelby Spencer Agora staff

A group of MCCC students who are veterans shed light on civilian questions during a recent panel discussion.

Five veterans met with 10 students and faculty members to discuss what military life is like and to give advice to anyone looking to join the military.

The idea for the panel came from the Student Veteran Association, which meets weekly on campus.

They wanted to have a program for students who were considering joining the military, to tell them about the process and experiences other than what people see on TV. All of the panel members had their own reasons for joining, but all agreed that anyone going into the military needs to think long and hard about it.

David Pacheco joined the Army as a gateway to new experiences.

“I wanted to get out of the area, see different parts of the country or different parts of the world. I wanted to be a part of

something bigger than myself,” he said.

Joining the military is a big commitment and not something to take lightly.

Dan Maciejewski, of the Army reserves, said to make sure you have the right motives.

“If your sole motivation for joining is the money you get for school, fill out the FAFSA and pick a new profession,” he said.

Eric Honomichl, a veteran of the Marines, said that joining the military takes a lot of soul searching. He said anyone considering the service should know why they want to join, because once you do, it is your top priority.

“Your spouse, significant other, and kid come second; the service comes first,” he said.

Army vet Justin Van Volkenburg agreed, saying the military is not just a nine-to-five job, but a lifestyle.

Once someone decides that they want to join, they should meet with a recruiter.

Maciejewski recommended bringing a list of questions to the recruiter. On that

list of questions should be some you already know the answer to. If the recruiter answers the questions correctly, they are more likely to be trustworthy.

He also said to make sure you get the job and any details of your service career in a contract, to make sure you actually get what you are promised.

Choosing what job to do in the military can be crucial to the rest of your life.

Maciejewski said that someone enlisting should make sure that what they do in the service can translate into a civilian job when they get out.

When it comes to getting accepted into the military, the rules have changed over the years. It is now less about how many people the military needs and instead based more on the qualifications of those recruited, said Chris Tibai, a veteran of the Navy and Marines.

Maciejewski talked about the advantages and disadvantages of being in the Army Reserves while going to school.

Recruits are told there will be two weeks of training during the summer and one weekend per month, which should be

easy to maintain. However, those times aren’t always set in stone.

For example, Maciejewski’s two weeks of “summer” training is actually happening in February, which will affect his class schedule. His weekend trainings are two-and-a-half hours away, so he often has to leave class early.

“Is it fair? Absolutely not,” he said.

“But it’s life.”

The veterans also shared what has been hard since returning to civilian life.

Honomichl said he doesn’t feel as close to his blood relatives as he did to his fellow Marines.

“I knew that they would risk life and limb to bring me home,” he said.

Pacheco said that it was hard to break out of the strict routine. He was used to always being busy, and when he had free time, he didn’t know what to do with it.

Van Volkenburg said that he has a hidden sense of paranoia, and he has a hard time not over-analyzing any situation he encounters in civilian life.

“I want to relax and let it go, but it’s

Student Gov’t gives back

Middle College expands

Mitch Perkins Agora Staff

Many soldiers spend Christmas overseas defending their country, student government wants to show their appreciation.

MCCC Student Government is accepting donations of snacks and personal hygiene items such as beef jerky, sunflower seeds, deodorant, and Chap Stick.

Spearheading the effort is Student Government member Daniel Maciejewski.

“The credit goes to Shelby, our president. It was her idea and it snowballed into an actual event,” Maciejewski said.

The boxes will be in both the A and L Buildings until Dec.15. Once the items have been collected they will be packaged and sent overseas to support those members of the military from Monroe County.

“It will go to every single branch, from every family that has a deployed member from Monroe County, and is currently in Afghanistan,” Maciejewski said.

Members of the MCCC Student Veteran Organization spoke at a panel on campus on Wednesday, Dec. 3. Each member talked about the significance of receiving a package from back home.

“It’s a message that someone out there is thinking about you,” said David Pacheco, an Army veteran.

A drive was held earlier this year to send care packages and those donations filled approximately one large box. Maciejewskihopes this drive will fill anywhere from three to five boxes and the best way to accomplish this goal is through awareness about this event.

“It would be awesome if the professors could tell their students about this project,” Maciejewski said.

hard to let go of the hard front,” he said.

Maciejewski explained how being in the Reserves can be harder than being active duty, because he has to constantly flip the switch on and off from military to civilian life.

He also explained his different perspective on life since joining the military.

“All of the problems going on in the world, and people are complaining that their soy latte is cold,” he said.

There was a sense of brotherhood between all of the panel members. Even though they did not serve together, they all mentioned that they still would have each other’s backs.

“It doesn’t matter if we hated the cold, the wet, the mud, or the lack of sleep, we’ve embraced the suck,” Van Volkenburg said.

Maciejewski said that in his military experience, he has made the best friends that he will ever have.

“We are all a part of the big, dysfunctional family of the U.S. military,” Honomichl said.

Shelby Spencer Agora Staff

Photo by Shelby Spencer

Ribbons for Chelsea

Monroe County is still searching for Chelsea Bruck. The Community has hung purple ribbons to show support for the family and the on-going search. GSA hung 25 ribbons on posts along the perimeter drive of campus to show the support of the MCCC campus community.

Monroe County Middle College will be expanding its curriculum.

There are plans to add STEM — Science, Technology, Engineering, Math — programs to the middle college.

The middle college has so far only offered programs in the health science field, but beginning Fall of 2015 the new programs will be available.

MCMC principal Robert Krueger said a group of business and community leaders have been meeting for a few years to discuss area needs.

“One area that was identified is the need for more and better trained individuals in the STEM areas,” he said.

Students are admitted to the middle college through an application process.

Applications will be available on Feb. 2 and once completed they are due by Friday, Feb. 27.

Students begin middle college in the ninth grade and graduate with a high school diploma as well as an associate’s degree or 60 transferrable college credits.

The Cellar celebrates grand re-opening Mitch Perkins Agora Staff

Photo by Mitch Perkins

Now that the Cellar is re-opened students have their hang out spot back for cards games and pool.

Student government is hosting a Cellar grand-opening party.

After months of construction and repair, The Cellar is finally open again.

Tuesday Dec. 9 from 11a.m. to 3p.m. there will be music and food provided by student government.

Tacos and water will be available for $1 and there will be music by Brett Wiscons.

There will also be drawings for three $10 Taco Bell gift cards, a $25 Sunoco gas card, and a large box of Whitman’s chocolate.

The student lounge on campus was closed during reconstruction after a pipe burst last year.

Water damaged was dealt with last winter with a temporary solution.

The foundation was repaired and hard wood flooring replaced the old tile.

Now that The Cellar has reopened students Kenny Ray and Brent Borcsani now have their hang out spot back.

“It looks nicer than it did last year,” Ray said.

The renovations just came to a close in the past week with less than a month left in the semester.

“I don’t know why they waited until fall to do the renovations instead of over the summer,” Borcsani said.

The Cellar, which is home to the Student Government office, can be entered through the A building lobby near the bookstore.

The relaxed environment offers couches, pool tables, ping pong tables, and televisions for students to enjoy.

The Cellar is open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m to 8 p.m and on Fridays until 1:00 p.m.

4 | mcccagora.com •

The Agora

Campus News

December 8, 2014

Adjunct professors: What is fair?

Stevie Pipis Agora Staff

Nearly half the courses at MCCC are taught by adjunct professors, who face a variety of challenges ranging from low pay to lack of office space.

Adjunct professors handle 45 percent of instruction at MCCC, according to Grace Yackee, Vice President of Instruction.

The Modern Language Association (MLA) recommends paying adjunct professors $7,230 for a standard 3-credit-hour course. This recommendation is based on a full-time workload of 3 courses per semester.

According to adjunct.chronicle.com, adjunct professors at University of Toledo make between $2,200 - $2,250 per class; at Lourdes University adjuncts make between $1,680 - $1,820 per class; and at Owens Community College Toledo adjuncts make between $1,500 - $1,800 per class.

MCCC is not on the site, but according to Yackee, the average pay for an adjunct per contact hour is $40, or about $3,000 per course.

“We pay below average on the low end, but about average on the high end of the scale,” Yackee said.

The pay scale for adjuncts at MCCC starts with new instructors with less than a bachelor’s degree, who make $27.82 per contact hour, or about $2,100 for a 3-credit course. It goes as high as $44.13 per contact hour, or about $3,300 per course, for professors with nine semesters of service and a master’s degree.

Vinnie Maltese, dean of the Science/Mathematics Division, said MCCC also gives adjuncts a small amount of pension credit.

“The MLA guideline is a fair wage,” Maltese said.

He said MCCC does as much as it can for adjunct professors, but is limited by the budget in order to keep costs down and tuition low.

Sometimes adjuncts have to leave the college to accept a better job at another college.

Chelsea Lonsdale was an adjunct English Comp professor at MCCC in the spring and summer semesters. She left MCCC for a job at Eastern Michigan University for the fall and winter semester.

Lonsdale said that EMU pays a salary per course that accounts for 7 - 10 hours a weel. This gives her payment for things like lesson planning, grading, and meeting with students.

She said she spends about 5 - 10 hours a week lesson planning or grading.

According to Lonsdale, MCCC has no payment for time spent working outside of class hours.

“There is an adjunct teachers union at EMU,” Lonsdale said.

According to Mark Bergmooser, ������������������������ a communications professor and head of the MCCC Faculty Association, there is no adjunct union at MCCC. He said they would be stronger if they were to unionize. but there is not much talk of the adjuncts forming a union, he said.

“There was some talk in the past, but not a whole lot,” Bermooser said.

Lonsdale said that if the pay was better, she would want to teach at MCCC. “I miss being there,” she said.

According to her, MCCC provided computers in the classroom, while Eastern does not. At EMU, she has to provide her own device. She said the computers in the class were helpful.

Lonsdale also said that MCCC was a very welcoming and collaborative place.

Tim Curry, an adjunct speech professor at MCCC, said he doesn’t have a problem with the rate of pay he gets from MCCC. According to Curry it’s a fair rate. He said he has turned down job offers that would have interfered with teaching at MCCC. He agreed that the lack of office space makes it tough trying to meet with students. His office hours

“From the start of summer break to the present, I’ve spent 300 hours preparing for class.”

Peter Erdman Adjunct instructor are limited to before and after class.

“It’s really challenging,” he said.

There is a small teachers’ lounge in the C building, where Curry teaches.

According to Bergmooser, the lounge is also used to store paper and it’s where the copy machine is located.

“The teachers’ lounge is not accommodating,” Curry said.

“There’s space for adjuncts here, but it’s not their space,” Bergmooser said.

Since the faculty lounge has the copy machine, people are in and out. A private meeting with a student could be interrupted.

There also is an adjunct office in the L building, but it is one small room for the adjuncts to share, Maltese said.

Michael Taylor, a Metrology adjunct at MCCC, said that he usually doesn’t have a problem meeting with students.

Taylor teaches in the Metrology Lab in the CTC building on campus.

The Metrology Lab is open for Taylor to use outside of class, making it easier to schedule meetings with students.

Taylor has worked in a Metrology Lab at Fermi for 27 years.

“I think it’d be hard to live on the adjunct pay,”

Taylor said.

Taylor said he doesn’t teach for the money, but because he enjoys interacting with students. He said that the rate of pay is fair at MCCC. “It’s great to have the ability to pass on knowledge in a field where six colleges in Michigan offer it,” he said.

Peter Erdman has been an adjunct at MCCC for 15 years, and has never felt that additional space was necessary.

According to him, the rate of pay is fair, and he likes what he does.

Erdman teaches Business and various Computer subjects, and from the start of summer break until the middle of November, he said he has spent 300 hours preparing for class.

He said that MCCC is a top-notch school, and that it has always tried to do what’s best for the students.

Mitchell Steils, an adjunct at MCCC for 4-5 years, has turned down jobs from other places.

He teaches social work classes in the evenings.

Steils said that he arrives an hour before his class, and stays 30 - 45 minutes after class to meet with students.

He said it is a challenge meeting with students, since he only teaches one class at night, and many students go to school or work full time.

Steils said that he provides students with several email addresses and a cell number so they can get a hold of him.

“So far, no one has abused that,” he said.

Steils is a former MCCC student, and said he feels a responsibility to give back to the community.

Steils is a social worker for the Monroe County ISD and he loves his job.

“We have highly qualified and committed adjuncts,” Yackee said.

According to Yackee, ����������������������������������� adjuncts make up the majority of the faculty in some areas. Eighty percent of the English Comp teachers are adjuncts, she said.

Photo by Mariah Tevepaugh

Seven of the dancers practice an opening act for MCCC’s Holiday Showcase.

MCCC’s Holiday Showcase for all ages to enjoy Photo by Mariah Tevepaugh

Dancer Madison Tallerico practices in the Meyer theater for the Holiday Showcase.

MCCC’s Holiday Showcase will be presented Wednesday, Dec. 10, at 6:30 p.m. in the Meyer Theater. Tap, ballet, contemporary, theatre, jazz and ballroom dancers will be performing. Tickets will be sold for $3. The Holiday Showcase is presented by MCCC’s Destination Dance School, with choreography by Kellie Lajiness. Also performing will be MCCC’s Inside Out Dance Ensemble and junior company, and Destination Tap Collective Adults and Teens. There will be 34 performers age 4-adult. Santa Claus also is expected to participate.

Evaluations valued by faculty Julia Grzywinski Agora

The semester is coming to a close, which means finals, all-nighters, and instructor evaluations.

At the end of every semester, students are requested to fill out forms that evaluate their instructors. These evaluations ask students questions based on a Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree criteria.

This is the one time in the semester where students can truly, and anonymously, verbalize their opinion about the instruction they received over the sixteen week course.

Although these evaluations are valuable to the instructors, some students do not think they are worth the time.

“I personally think that they are a waste of time,” student Ryan Ericson said. “I doubt the teachers even look at them, and if they do, they probably don’t care about what we have to say.”

However, other students think that they are a valuable part of the learning process.

“I like filling them out, it gives us a chance to voice our opinion, and give feedback to the teachers,” student Shelby Baker said. “Whether they agree with what we have to say or not, they still have to read it.”

Faculty and administrators agree that the evaluations are valuable and taken seriously.

William McCloskey, professor of English, said he likes reading them.

“I enjoy seeing what the students have to say,” he said.

After students fill out the evaluations, they are turned into the division offices. They are reviewed by the deans, then handed out to the professors after the semester is over and grades are turned in.

Vinnie Maltese, dean of the Science/Mathematics Division, said every evaluation that is placed in the sealed envelopes is reviewed by him before being given to the professors.

Crime Report

If students make an issue with a professor or instructor known on their evaluation, it does not go unnoticed.

“I look them over, if there is anything that is of any kind of concern, I will meet with the faculty member to address the issue,” Maltese said.

Comments that students make on the evaluations also do not go under the radar, Maltese said. These comments and suggestions are what makes the evaluations so valuable and important to the instructors.

McCloskey even keeps them for reference.

“I have every evaluation I have received since the winter of 1994,” McCloskey said. “I think students have a right to their opinion, and sometimes these evaluations are the only voice they have.”

Comments from students help instructors make necessary changes to the course curriculum, McCloskey said. If students continuously complain about a certain assignment, or trait of the instructor, they will make a conscious effort to address and fix the issue.

“I have changed things that I’ve read, plays that I’ve read, stories and novels, as long as I know that I can get the same point across with others,” McCloskey said.

According to Maltese, there is no system to quantify the information. Although the college has considered using an online system, that would have its faults, too.

“We have discussed doing them electronically, but when you do it that way a lot of them don’t get done. The way we do them now, we are sure to capture the students who are present in class that day,” Maltese said.

Maltese emphasized the importance and value of students’ opinions and feedback.

“We have made a lot of changes based on input from the students.

It’s a very valuable tool. It’s valuable for me as a dean, and just as or maybe even more valuable for faculty to get that feedback,” said Matlese, “I think that the evaluations are essential.”

Jaclyn Young Agora

A theft of property incident and a hit and run accident have been reported by Campus Security.

The theft occurred at the Hurd Road welding site.

On Oct. 3, while class was in session at the Hurd Road welding site, items valued at more than $100 were re-

ported missing.

Two sets of grounding and electrode holders made of lead, two spools of welding wire, a microwave oven, and a coffee pot were missing from the site.

The accident occurred on Oct. 22, in the parking lot behind the C building.

According to a witness, at 10:45 a.m. an older model,

dark green Intrepid was seen backing out of a parking space and into an older, blue Focus behind it.

The driver stopped for a minute, but then drove away without leaving any kind of contact information.

The witness told the reporting officer that here was a hole in the rear bumper of the Ford Focus.

Millage denied; what’s next?

Mariah Tevepaugh Agora staff

Since the college’s millage request was denied by voters, MCCC leaders are now looking at alternative options.

President Kojo Quartey is leading the effort to come up with a plan.

“Tuition is probably going to to have to increase to make ends meet, there are some new and innovative programs we probably can not start, we will still have technological challenges, and there are some facilities we still have to defer maintaince,” Quartey said.

Suzanne Wetzel, vice president for Administration, said there are now limitations on the college’s ability to address those needs.

“With the defeat of the millage, all of these competing topics will need to be addressed within a context of limited resources,” she said.

Wetzel said that even though the millage was denied, the college will still operate under a balanced budget. The current budget for the 2014-15 school year was created without the millage.

Quartey said that decisions about cuts in programs will be primarily based on data.

However, he said that decisions also will take into effect the community’s needs.

“It’s not all about dollars and cents when it comes to decisions,” Quartey said.

He said there have been some concerns expressed about whether employee layoffs will be needed, but it’s more likely that positions will not be filled.

“There are faculty who left positions, and now we can’t replace those positions,” he said.

A few days after the election defeat, Quartey sent an email to employees reassuring them that layoffs would not be needed.

“While there will have to be some reorganization, there are no planned layoffs,” he said.

Although the millage was denied, 60.7% to 39.3%, Quartey said he has not lost hope.

He referred to an analogy of asking someone for food. If you are being fed for years and one day you ask for more and your provider denies you more, that doesn’t make them a bad person or that they won’t give it to you in the future.

He went on to say that it took 15 years to get MCCC’s last millage approved.

Quartey said he doesn’t have doubt about MCCC’s future success.

“We’ve been here for 50 years, I see us being here for 50 x 50 x 50, to the twentieth power more,” he said. “I have to have a positive attitude; I’m a person of faith. We’ll be okay.”

A&E

December 8, 2014

mcccagora.com • The Agora

|5

Looking for ideas for holiday gifts?

Go big, or small, or an adventure, or just your time...

Julia Grzywinski Agora staff

The holiday season is officially upon us, and for all of those frantically searching for the perfect gift for your significant other, look no further.

Shopping for a boyfriend or girlfriend is almost never a simple task. What if they never wear that sweatshirt you spent hours searching for, or what if the shoes you bought for them don’t fit?

For starters, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Ask what they want. Do they prefer silver or gold? What size do they wear?

What is their favorite restaurant? Where is their favorite place to shop?

Ask as many questions as you can.

This may hint at what you are planning on buying them, but it’s better to slightly ruin the surprise and get them something they like, than it is to buy them something they don’t like at all.

For those of you with an endless budget: Go big or go home, right? Well, maybe that’s not quite the case, but grand gestures are never frowned upon.

The one place you can never go wrong, and also one of the most common gifts during this lovely season, is jewelry.

This is the type of present that will impress if you have only been together for a short amount of time, and will be a reminder of your affection for someone who you have been with for longer.

Remember that although the hearts and infinity signs might be trendy, they are also a bit overdone.

Try to be unique. So your significant other likes elephants? How about an elephant necklace, or a bracelet charm?

Find something that reminds you of them: a certain shape, animal, flower, or even a nice color.

Keep in mind, most girls will never turn down anything that comes out of a Tiffany Blue box with white ribbon.

For those who are prepared to spend nights laying on the couch watching your significant other obsess over virtual violence and nonfictional missions, buying a new gaming system is one way to go.

Not only will this get you major brownie points, it will also give you a few minutes, or hours, of time apart to do your own thing.

It is also something that can be used more often than a nice tie.

Is your partner always running late? Try getting them on track with a new watch.

Not only are they professional, and useful, they can also be gifted to both men and women.

If you’re looking to buy your special guy a nice watch this year, check out something by Fossil or even Rolex. For the girls, Michael Kors, Marc Jacobs, or Kate Spade are some names you should keep in mind, or anything sparkly.

If you want to save a few dollars, try the counters at Macy’s, Nordstrom, or even TJ Maxx; they will have all of the designer names for a marked down price.

If you want to stray away from the common and typical gifts this year, try something that doesn’t involve buying material items.

Is your significant other filled with wanderlust, or always looking for some type of adventure? Take them on a road

1001 gift ideas for Christmas (Okay, not really, but dozens, anyway) trip for a weekend.

Take a train or even drive to Chicago, and experience all that the city has to offer.

Spend a weekend up north in the UP and take in the beauty of the winter wonderland that we call Michigan.

It’s always good to get away for a few days, and any adventure-seeker will love an excuse to take a few days away from their Netflix binging and see all the beauty a road trip can bring between two people.

Not only will this be an experience you will always remember, it is also a very romantic gesture sure to make any adventure-loving partner happy.

Sure, large and romantic gestures might leave your significant other swooning and bragging about your bank-breaking generosity, but it is not the only route to take this holiday season.

To my fellow minimum wage laborers out there who cannot afford designer jewelry watches, and $300 gaming systems, there are still plenty of options left. Have no fear!

For those normal college students foraging for bottles to return for a few extra dollars this season: Try to aim for simple, yet meaningful.

Concerts, for smaller groups, are typically less expensive, and always a great experience. It is an atmosphere that is sure to bring about a great time, and the countdown leading up to the day will have you and your significant other excited and give you both something to look forward to while struggling through your busy schedules.

Is your boyfriend or girlfriend a sports fanatic? Lucky for you, we live within a reasonable driving distance to some of the most exciting sports arenas around.

Sure, for those of us on a budget, Monday Night Football tickets might be out of the picture, but Red Wings, Walleye, and Pistons ticket are almost always available.

To save your credit score, you might not be able to get front row seating or up-

“Whether you are on a budget or are willing to spend whatever you can, remember that the most special thing to give someone you love this season is, time.” per level suites, but any seat in the Joe or the Huntington Center is a good seat, no matter the cost.

Perhaps you are looking for something a little more personal or unique to give your significant other this season.

A gift that will never go out of style is the classic mixtape. You can make your significant other’s holiday extra special with this simple, and cheap gift.

You can find blank CDs for fairly low prices at any store with an electronics or office department. Add on silly love songs, the song you two danced to at a wedding or high school dance, or a song

that reminds you of them for any reason.

If you want to go the extra mile, write a note to put inside the case that says the reason you chose every song. It will add a special touch to your gift, and make it more personal and unique than just your average couple’s playlist.

Sometimes gifts aren’t necessary.

Sometimes all your partner really wants is some time with you.

Plan an evening that you can both take off from work and other responsibilities and do every type of Winter or Christmas activity the area has to offer.

Drive to Campus Martius in downtown Detroit and go ice skating. Visit the bakery near Greektown, and maybe even make a stop at your favorite restaurant.

If you are unfamiliar with the area, Lafayette Coney Island, and Pizza Papalis are a couple of “must tries.”

A simple intimate night out may be all you and your partner really need and want this season.

Feeling crafty? Try some “Do It Yourself” ideas. Remember to be creative, and don’t worry about being cheesy, it’s endearing.

Is your boyfriend or girlfriend going away next semester? Write them “Open When” Letters. These are letters that are placed in envelopes written for specific times.

For example: Open When: You are sad, happy, stressed, cannot sleep, etc. This is a gift that will keep on giving until the letters run out, and something that is thoughtful, and pretty inexpensive.

Are the two of you always struggling

to figure out something to do for Date Night? Make a Date Night Jar. Buy a sealable jar, and some popsicle sticks. Write date ideas on the popsicle sticks, and when you are struggling to pick something to do, draw a stick and your date is picked for you.

If these ideas don’t spark any creative flame, try looking on Pinterest, or any other crafting website. They are sure to give you great, inexpensive, and meaningful gift ideas.

Still have no idea what to get that special someone this year? Well, you can never go wrong with gift cards.

Don’t be generic and just throw one in an envelope and call it a done deal. Try out the “Gift Card Tree.”

Get gift cards from your significant other’s favorite stores, restaurants, salons, coffee shops, and anything else you can think of. Arrange them in a tree formation, and TA DAH! You have just given them anything they want, without having to actually figure out what to buy them.

Whether you are on a budget or are willing to spend whatever you can, remember that the most special thing to give someone you love this season is, time.

Sure, a nice necklace, video game, or small road trip might be a nice plus, but material items are not the only important thing about this time of year.

Maybe there is no such thing as the “perfect gift,” but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to do something special for the one you love this holiday season.

Black Friday encroaching on Thanksgiving is ... ... a terrible, disgusting, obnoxious trend

By Julia Wells Agora staff

For many of us, the holiday season means a time of jubilation with family and food.

For others, it’s just another work day.

“Pretty much just another day in paradise,” Jesse Cadaret said to describe his workday on Thanksgiving.

“I don’t get to eat a big turkey dinner,” he said.

Jesse instead spent his holiday making customers’ food orders and cleaning the restaurant. Jesse works at a McDonald’s located inside of a Pilot Truck Stop.

He received his normal wages, even though he was working on a national holiday.

Retail stores are not the only businesses cashing in on the holiday. Select locations of Applebees, McDonalds, Burger King, and Pizza Hut were all open for the holiday.

Black Friday has become widely known as the official start to the holiday shopping season, and retailers have noticed.

The new tradition of Black Friday shopping means that businesses are opening earlier to maximize their profit, encroaching on the Thanksgiving holiday.

Major corporations like Target, Walmart, and Best Buy opened their doors as early as 5 p.m on Thanksgiving night.

Black Friday shoppers and holiday traditionalists alike have come together in a rather loud public outcry, claiming that Black Friday should stay on Friday and back off their holiday.

Many are upset at the notion of a company “forcing” their employees to work on a national holiday.

‘For me, it is a mandatory shift, but I do also get paid holiday pay so I don’t mind,” said student Drake Pillette.

Pillette currently works at a Floral City Beverage plant, but he remembers his previous Black Friday experience working retail.

“Working behind a counter ringing people out all day long, with lines that you can’t even see the end of, is terrible,” he said.

“It definitely made me realize I did not want to work retail, on that day, ever again.”

Though Pillette doesn’t mind working the holiday, he feels sympathy for those do. “ I don’t believe it’s fair for employees to have to work on Thanksgiving, more so for the employees that have to cut back on enjoying this holiday with their family because they have a 6 p.m shift,” Pillette said.

Former MCCC student David Rousello thinks that if shoppers communicate to the stores that they don’t want to shop on Thanksgiving, the stores will hear them.

“If the companies make a ton of extra money, then it will assuredly become a thing for years to come. If nobody goes and shops and it flops, then the companies will probably back off for awhile.”

Rousello worked on Thanksgiving as part of Walmart’s security detail.

“I don’t mind that Walmart is open, because it gives an opportunity to workers that don’t celebrate Thanksgiving or don’t have families to pick up hours, but I disagree with it being touted as Black Friday, because now it’s all-hands-on-deck regardless of if you have family or not.”

Interstate travel centers are among the many businesses open on Thanksgiving.

Though growth had been predicted, retail sales for the four-day weekend dropped 11 percent from last year, according to the New York Times. It is unclear whether the drop was due to social protest or economic status, according to the Times.

The Times also speculated that since retailers are starting their sales earlier than ever and extending them into the holiday season, consumers are not tempted to shop the holiday weekend for the discounts.

With decreasing sales and bad publicity surrounding the infamous shopping day, Black Friday may prove to be just a passing trend.

... none of your business, anyway This is an example of society’s current favorite trend of being offended for other people. The majority of the outcry I have seen, is not from employees who have to work on Thanksgiving themselves, but of opinionated people who like to take on every crisis on as their own.

“Those poor employees,” they say in unison.

“Everyone should be with their families that day.” These people may have good intentions in hoping everyone has a traditional holiday. But that is just not the reality for everyone in the country.

It is closed-minded to think that everyone should celebrate the same way you do. These employees may have familial issues, may not believe in the holiday, or just prefer to work when they can.

No matter the circumstances, it’s just not anybody else’s business how a worker (or shopper) spends their holiday. Just like it is nobody else’s business if someone chooses to boycott a company for their own social beliefs, or if they choose to be a consumer on a holiday.

Different cultural beliefs, customs, and traditions are what have always made this country great. So I fear that this may turn into a case of “whichever group is the loudest will get their way.”

It shouldn’t have to be this way. Every group’s lifestyle should be respected (within reason), due to our basic right to “The Pursuit of Happiness.”

The point is, let’s not shut the whole town down just because you think it’s the right way to go about things. It’s not. It’s just your way.

6| mcccagora.com •

A&E

The Agora

December 8, 2014

Readers say ‘Yes Please’ to Poehler’s honest new memoir

By Julia Wells Agora Staff

At 43, actress, writer, and all around female extraordinaire, Amy Poehler has penned a memoir.

Poehler’s Yes Please graces bookshelves with other womanly powerhouses including Lena Dunham, Mindy Kaling, and Tina Fey, spoiling us in the girl-power role models genre.

Poehler ’s spirit and signature happy humor shines Amy Poehler through the pages. Her honesty about even the most grim (her past drug use) and embarrassing (her awkward first date with John Stamos) of details shows her willingness to bare all in an effort to be relatable. Although I’m not sure how many of us can relate to having a first date with Uncle Jesse.

Her confessions about how hard it is to write a memoir only show her perfectionism. She knew her fans deserved a good book and it’s evident that she tried hard to give that to us. Her writing style may not be in everyone’s taste; the book includes several lists and unconventional pages, but this is her book, dammit! She could make it anything she wanted it to be and she succeeded.

The stories she shares are where the joy of the book lies, not how she writes them. Sadly, there is no Tina Fey cameo, but Seth Meyers penned a sweet chapter which leaves readers wishing we all could be friends with Amy. Poehler is equally as candid about her famous friends as she is about herself, so if you’re a Parks and Recreation fan, hoping to learn that the cast sits on set and soaks up each others’ awesomeness, here’s your chance. Thanks to this chapter, readers learn that Aubrey Plaza used to work as an NBC page and made up

the facts she shared on her tours.

Here’s hoping that becomes a Parks and Rec. spinoff.

Poehler confesses that she fangirled when Rob Lowe joined her show, writing, “The scene where Sodapop comes out of the shower in The Outsiders was a very important moment in my adolescence.” Us too, Amy. Us too.

These anecdotes are both informative and endearing, painting the picture of the Parks cast that we hoped would exist. Between Poehler’s slap-happy humor and stories from behind-the-scenes of Saturday Night Live (which indeed confirm that working at SNL is the dream job), Amy gives compassionate advice, such as, “It’s easier to be brave when you’re not alone,” Confirming that no matter how lost we may feel, we might just turn out okay after all, because Amy Poehler said so.

She hits home for this 20-year-old college journalist when she writes, “I think we should stop asking people in their 20s what they ‘want to do’ and start asking them what they don’t want to do.”

Yes Please doesn’t feel like another celebrity’s desperate attempt to seem like a regularJoe for their brand. It’s not a book that screams “Guys, look how awkward I am!” Poehler seems completely genuine in reminding us that despite occupations, we are not all that different. Even celebrities who are constantly being groomed, touched up, and praised, still battle with inner demons poking at their self-esteem.

The chapters in which she boasts about her adorable offspring and describes her adventures as a mom could warm even the coldest of hearts. If you’re seeking to delve into Poehler’s personal life and find answers about her split from Will Arnett, the comedy divorce felt around the world, Poehler remains surprisingly tight-lipped.

Don’t feel too bad for her, though.

She makes sure to let us know she has moved on with Comedy Central favorite Nick Kroll. When Amy Poehler is happy, we all are.

December’s hot releases Dec. 9

– Destiny Expansion I: The Dark Below (Xbox One, PS4, 360, PS3) - Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams (PS4) - Juju (PS3, 360, PC) - Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris (PS4, Xbox One, PC) - The Old Republic: Shadow of Revan Expansion (PC) - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (3DS) - Star Wars: The Old Republic - Shadow of Revan (PC)

Dec. 11

- The Talos Principle (PC)

Dec. 12

- Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams (Xbox One) - Halo: Spartan Strike (PC, Windows Phone)

Dec. 16

- Elite Dangerous (PC) - Guilty Gear Xrd Sign (PS4, PS3)

Dec. 29

- Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta (Xbox One)

Dragon Age Inquisition hit and miss

By Jeff Brown Agora Staff

I was adventuring along the stormy and rocky coast of Thedas when I happened upon a dragon fighting a giant.

That was just one of the many breathtaking moments that I experienced in Dragon Age: Inquisition.

What makes Dragon Age: Inquisition so special is that it doesn’t matter if you’re having a long philosophical conversation with a brutal horned man with a tendency to drink, micromanaging a kingdom, saving the world from bloodthirsty madmen, or gathering herbs to plant in your castles gardens you’ll always feel intrigued, engaged, and entertained.

Many fans of the Dragon Age series were not happy about the way the second game turned out, it seems like BioWare listened to the fans and Inquisition is a direct response to those criticisms. For starters, instead of focusing on the political intrigues of mages and Templars, Inquisition focuses on a problem and an antagonist that puts the entire world in peril. Unlike Dragon Age II, the player can be any race in the dragon age universe including Human, Dwarf, Elf and for the first time Qunari.

In Dragon Age II the player rarely left the city of Kirkwall;

now there are multiple openworld areas to explore around the world.

What really matters when you’re playing a game is if it’s actually fun to play. Dragon Age Inquisition takes the slower tactical PC-RPG combat system from Dragon Age: Origins and the fast paced, flashy ninja style combat from Dragon Age II and combines them. This results in a fun and tactical way of playing the game. On top of that Dragon Age Inquisition uses a robust character customization system with dozens of abilities per class that adds to the gameplay.

There is a plethora of quests and activities to complete while you’re exploring massive open world zones. Because of the size and diversity of these zones, I often found myself spending multiple hours playing just to complete the simplest of quests.

If you play this game you will be spending hours upon hours doing quests. I completed the game with over 50 hours of ingame time and I still have an overwhelming amount of quests to complete.

As you adventure and build your army more characters join forces with you to help. Of the nine characters I felt that three of them really stole the spotlight: Iron Bull, the Qunari leader of a small mercenary company, Blackwall a Grey Warden that’s

Dragon Age: Inquisition is an amazing game that should be experienced by anyone who is looking for a long and immersive RPG. lost contact with the rest of his order, and Varric the Dwarf who is the only character to reprise his role as a party member from previous games.

Visually, Dragon Age: Inquisition isn’t the best looking game you’ll see this year, but that’s not to say it’s bad. Environments are beautiful and your party members look particularly good. Spells and abilities always have flashy and stylish effects that look impressive. The animations of every character seems unnaturally masculine. It looks like BioWare made a single set of animations focused on a male character and just copied and pasted to every character in the game.

During my play through there were a few bugs and glitches that I encountered, but nothing game-breaking. The most severe is a dialogue glitch. On rare occasions while having conversations with characters in game, they will stop talking and the camera will stay there

The time is

and watch them stare into your soul. This will continue until you mash the skip dialogue button to a point where they want to continue the conversation, which was a shame the two or three times this happened to me. There were also a few times when my player character got stuck in a jumping animation and he floated around the world until I entered combat or jumped again this was more amusing than anything.

Multiplayer can be fun at times, but mostly it feels like a not–as-fun version of the Mass Effect 3 multiplayer. Instead of surviving waves of enemies, you have to fight your way through multi-layered dungeons filled with enemies.

What’s really disappointing about this is that the only way to heal is to use potions, but there’s a catch; once you use them they are gone forever. That means that you have to use the gold that you earn to buy more health potions in-between games. It’s annoyingly time consuming to save enough money to buy the treasure chests that have a chance of giving you something valuable like stronger weapons or armor.

Dragon Age: Inquisition is an amazing game that should be experienced by anyone who is looking for a long and immersive RPG.

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Campus News

December 8, 2014

mcccagora.com • The Agora

|7

Long-time janitor missed by many Keith Gerweck retires after 25 years at MCCC Eugene Kutz Agora staff

As Keith Gerweck walked into the room, it was immediately obvious he was accom� modating his knees.

This was Gerweck’s second day in the fi� nal week of his career as a janitor at MCCC. Gerweck took his time settling into his chair — this is a forced retirement, on ad� vice from his doctor because of a possible fourth knee surgery.

For students and employees at MCCC, Gerweck has been a consistent, smiling presence in the college’s hallways for 25 years.

“Keith was always willing to help, always smiling,” said Suzanne Wetzel, MCCC’s vice president of Administration “He made you feel good about working with him.”

Brain Rorke, maintenance foreman and long time coworker, said Gerweck has al� ways been a team player.

“What I always remember with Keith was that he was always willing to put others before himself,” Rorke said.

Gerweck, who has been married for 38 years and has one daughter, retired at the end of November.

He took the job of custodian 25 years ago, planning to work his way up to boiler op� erator. By the time the position was offered to him, he was content with his custodial duties, which offered the day shift.

“I like working five days a week on days,” he said.

So Gerweck has more or less maintained the same position throughout his career at MCCC. Before joining the college staff, he worked as a maintenance ������������������������������ laborer ������������������ for a fac� tory in the county.

“I’ve taken some college since I’ve been here. But I wasn’t the best English student and all, and I didn’t need it for this job.”

A lifetime Monroe resident, Gerweck has never lived outside of the county.

“Farthest I’ve lived from where I was born was seven miles,” he said.

Gerweck has been struggling with pain for the last two years due to his knee prob� lems and three surgeries.

“There’s been a lot of days where I go home and I can’t hardly move,” he said.

Gerweck said interacting with students is a pleasant part of his job.

“I have enjoyed the student body.” he said. “We were once told everybody is our customer, from the students, the staff, the faculty, we’re to service all of them, and I’ve enjoyed doing it all.”

He said most MCCC students are courte� ous and behave well.

“In high school, you’d see the bathroom stalls graffitied. But by the time they get here, they want to be here,” he said.

Gerweck also has worked at the Whitman Center.

“It’s more laid back there, but I think they think they’re kind of discriminated on,” he said.

Gerweck noted that the college had six more maintenance workers when he first started than it has now, and five buildings have been added.

“Right now, we’re way understaffed,” he said. “They didn’t fill a position… and we need them, we need them bad. And we’re afraid come this winter, that we’re not going to be able to keep up.”

The snow and issues associated with it will be their first priority, “Safety is first, and this fall, we haven’t been able to keep up with what needs to be done. When the snow falls, we’re really not going to be able to keep up,” Gerweck said.

He explained that the previous physi� cal plant director, who was very good with graphs and figures, estimated they needed

Photo by Eugene Kutz

Custodian Keith Gerweck, who retired last month after 25 years at MCCC, seemed to always be smiling. three additional employees to keep up with the work.

Gerweck siad that if the millage increase had been approved in the November elec� tion, the college planned to hire additional custodians.

He said the custodians work well to� gether, which helps them accomplish a lot of work.

“This has been a very good place to work.

We’ve got good people. There’s been ups and downs, but the majority is pretty much up. We have an excellent crew in our depart� ment, and pretty much we all get along,” he said.

Jack Burns was hired last year as MCCC’s new director of Campus Planning & Facili� ties.

“Keith always has a smiling face, he is very pleasant with everybody, he always seems to know what people need,” Burns said.

He said when the campus has a room res� ervation and they realize they need some� thing done, Gerweck often already has done it.

“He just has that kind of uncanny knack to do that kind of thing,” Burns said.

Gerweck is third highest among the maintenance staff for years worked, but he doesn’t let the young ones handle all of the tough stuff.

“We all work hard. In the last year, the guys have tried to take care of me. They’ve tried to keep me off ladders and stuff,” he

Briefs Chinese Writing exhibit on display in the library The MCCC Library and the International Study Club are sponsoring a “History of Chinese Writ� ing” exhibit in the library.

The exhibit was developed by the Midwest Insti� tute for International and Intercultural Education.

A brochure with more information about the ex� hibit is available in the library.

The exhibit will be at MCCC until Jan. 24, 2015.

Auditions set for MCCC’s annual Collage Concert Auditions for a Collage Concert will be held on Monday, Jan. 5 from 6-9 p.m. in the La-Z-Boy Center.

The concert, called “MC5 x 5,” will be hosted

by MCCC’s College/Community Symphony Band and Agora Chorale. The concert will be Sunday, Feb. 22, in the La-Z-Boy Center.

It will feature a variety of local musical talent in a fast-paced, multi-stage format. There will be two performances, each about 90 minutes, at 2:30 and

said.

Gerweck said many people have made his time at MCCC enjoyable, but he men� tioned Rorke, Frank Davis, Dale Parker, and Sue Hoffer.

“They’re the ones we’ve counted on for years,” he said.

Gerweck said he is going to miss his work, especially setting up for events.

“I do enjoy that. I get to try to figure out what someone else needs on these permits.

What they put down is not always what they really want,” he explained.

He said people have joked with him that once he retires he needs to work at a grocery store as a greeter, because he’s always say� ing hello to everybody.

“I’m one of a kind, thank God. I’ve al� ways been kind of full of it. I’m a jokester,” he laughed.

He said he thinks the janitors sometimes know more about what’s going on than fac� ulty or others, because a lot of times people talk to them.

“There’s a lot of secrets that we’ve kept over the years,” he said.

“I’ve had a lot of people in tears tell me what’s going on. And I kind of use my hu� mor to try to make things better. If it’s some� thing that you can do, I can tell them who to go to miss the red tape. I’ve enjoyed that.”

He has always preferred working on days, even though it’s not the most popular shift among custodians.

“It was almost a job that they forced you to take, and I loved it,” he said.

Days suited Gerweck’s family life, and he took as many day shifts as he could, swap� ping with other custodians to get the other� wise unwanted shifts.

“Working days, everybody’s your boss,” he said.

Gerweck said the top executives at the college usually have been easy to work with.

“There’s been times when I’ve been in trouble because someone wanted me to jump and I couldn’t. But normally the high� er position they are, the easier they are to work with,” he said.

He praised current MCCC President Kojo Quartey.

“He’s very personable, he walks into classrooms,” Gerweck laughed.

He said some professors don’t appreciate that, but he expressed his admiration for the new president.

Gerweck added that in the past, college administrators seemed to be more pointed outward at the community. He said Quartey has turned the attention back to the students and the men and women who work here.

“His hands are tied because of the mon� ey,” Gerweck said, adding that he believes Kojo’s heart is in the right place.

He said he has usually felt supported by the people he worked with and worked for.

“I felt very appreciated by the students

and the staff,” he said.

Perhaps it’s unusual for a janitor to leave such a wide impression upon a community.

“I hope I’m remembered,” he said with a smile.

“People I see down the halls will go out of their way to talk to me, to say hello,” he said.

“I’ve always looked at it this way: If I’m the first person they see, if I can make them feel at ease, it makes it better for every� body.”

Gerweck said he will occasionally come by to say hello to friends he has made at MCCC. Those at the top of the administration and those whom he passed in the halls were the ones who he appreciated the most.

Those who worked in between weren’t always as enjoyable to work with.

“A lot of times, it’s the people without a lot of power that cause the most problems,” he said. “They’re insecure.”

Gerweck said he wanted to send a mes� sage to students to be careful this winter when coming and going from the parking lots during snow storms.

“When we’re plowing snow, they ought to realize, we can’t see everything,” he said.

He tells a story about a particularly cold and windy day when he grabbed an emer� gency blanket for a board member.

“I did what I thought was needed: she was in a dress and it was cold and windy, so I went and got an emergency blanket,” he said.

He said his coworkers teased him about it.

“They couldn’t believe I did it; I couldn’t believe I wouldn’t do it!” he said.

With his love for working and riding his motorcycle, as well as his family and friends, Gerweck has his retirement laid out.

He said he makes furniture for friends and relatives, never charging but simply giving them away. He enjoys creating the different works and it makes him happy to bless others with them.

“I work on stuff all the time,” he said.

Next summer, he plans on seeing the United States from a motorcycle. His wife says one month; he says two.

For the last few years he’s gone on trips for a week or so at a time.

“I ride weekends, nights, to work,” he said.

He’s tried going out to the Badlands twice, but was turned around because of bad weather. He has been down to the Smoky Mountains a number of times.

“We look for the curvy roads,” he laughed.

His bike is a Victory Cross Country, full dress.

They’re similar to the big Harley’s, but claim to be the true American bike, with the majority of parts made in the U.S., includ� ing Flint and Cleveland.

Gerweck likes that it is American-made and sourced near our area.

“I get a lot of people looking at it, because it’s a little bit more space-age looking than the Harley,” he said.

“I’ve got a patch that says, ‘Old coot on scoot’,” he laughed — Gerweck will be 60 shortly.

Wetzel said she worked with Gerweck to on the organization of a bike rally to raise money for charity.

“Working that project with Keith was re� ally fun; it’s a fond memory. It was a big community service endeavor, helping to plan this big bike rally,” she said.

“We worked on a lot of events on cam� pus, we worked on a lot of setups,”she said.

“He’s always making sure the setup was correct, and was great at following through and following up on that kind of stuff.”

Wetzel said Gerweck would drop any� thing to assist you, and that he truly em� braces the service mentality, understanding what it means and why it’s important.

“It’s easy to get caught up in daily life, but Keith was never bothered by anything,” she said.

7:30 p.m.

Appointments are required for auditions. They can be made by calling Tom Ryder, MCCC events coordinator, at 734-384-4201 or at tryder@mon� roeccc.edu.

According to band director Mark Felder, the col� lage concert concept brings together a variety of musical fabrics and textures. It is a unique presen� tation of the arts that is a study in antithesis, calling for rapid juxtaposition of musical styles and forms without the interruption of applause.

Alumni association looking for three new directors MCCC’s Alumni Association Board of Directors is accepting applications to fill three vacant posi� tions.

The Alumni Association works collaboratively with the the MCCC Board of Trustees, The Foun� dation at Monroe County Community College, staff, students and the community in providing support to the mission and educational objectives of MCCC. Meetings are held on the third Monday of the months of January, March, May, July, September and November at 5:30 p.m.

All current, annual and/or lifetime members of the Alumni Association are eligible for Board of Directors.

Persons interested in serving on the board should

Agora photo

Cleaning the building was one of the last steps in the work on the Life Science Building. Reconstruction of the roof of the building began at the beginning of Fall Semester. The building was cleaned with high pressure water during the last week of November.

submit a brief letter of interest to Ramona Fisher, coordinator of annual giving and alumni affairs, at rfisher@monroeccc.edu or the MCCC Alumni Of� fice, 1555 S. Raisinville Rd., Monroe, MI 48161.

The letter should state: • Why you wish to join the Alumni Association Board of Directors

• What characteristics you have that will make you a good candidate for this position • Current contact information For more information about the MCCC Alumni Association, contact the Alumni Office at (734) 384-4177 or visit its website at www.monroeccc. edu/alumni.

8 | mcccagora.com •

The Agora

Campus News

December 8, 2014

Drama Club relaunches with Open Mic Jaclyn Young Agora Staff

There were fewer people than expected at the Drama Club’s Open Mic Night, but that didn’t stop the club members from enjoying themselves.

Phillip Zaborowski is the vice president of the Drama Club.

“We’re just trying to get news out there that we’re back in action,” he said.

The Drama Club had been around for a long time, but did not generate enough interest to remain active on campus.

“There’s been about a two-year break where the club hasn’t been active,” Zaborowski said.

This year, the club started to gain interest again.

“We’re just putting the club back together, so we’re kind of doing things on the fly,” Za-

borowski said.

This event didn’t have had many participants, but that did not stop the club from having a good time.

Club secretary, Bri Morgan sang “Where Are You Christmas?” Kyle Guatz played violin, and eventually the whole group sang “Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer.”

The club raised money for Paula’s House, a local women’s shelter.

Zaborowski said that at some point there will be an acting workshop for those interested in acting, Eventually the club hopes to put on a play.

Club meetings are every other Wednesday in the Little Theatre in the C building. There will be information about when the first meeting of winter semester will occur.

Photo by Jaclyn Young

Kyle Gautz plays a fiddle tune for the crowd at the Drama Club’s first event of the year, an Open Mic Night in the cafeteria.

Website created for STEM students

By Mitch Perkins Agora staff

The Math/Science Division has created a new website for students interested in STEM careers.

“STEM advising was something we felt very strongly about,” said Tracy Rayl, assistant professor of Biology.

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The STEM@MCCC website is a resource designed to help students with STEM careers.

STEM@MCCC was a collaberation of 19 MCCC professors, led by Rayl.

“The 19 of us came together and did this on our own time because we thought this was an important resource for our students,” she said.

STEM@MCCC has an interactive calendar that tells students when STEM activities and events take place.

There are links to scholarship information, and a link to the Occupational Information Network.

So call me maybe...not

Shelby Spencer Agora staff

The new “STEM@MCCC website is located at www.monroeccc.edu/STEM.

STEM@MCCC can also help students make connections to summer internships and employment opportunities.

The website also includes profiles of students who have graduated from the STEM program at MCCC and are working in their desired fields.

“I have a list of questions that I ask them like, ‘Why did you go to MCCC, and how prepared were you to transfer to a 4-year university?’” Rayl said.

Students can visit STEM@ MCCC by going to www.monroeccc.edu/STEM or by going to the MCCC homepage and clicking the permanent icon located on the right side of the page, or a link under academics.

Information was sent to all high school students in the county to raise awareness of STEM@ MCCC so parents and students could use it to help decide where they want to continue their education.

The general consensus on campus is that cell service is terrible, from Metro PCS to Sprint.

Both students and employees struggle when calls are dropped inside buildings.

“Without being connected to the WIFI, I have nothing,” student Leesa Knapp said.

She has Sprint and says that because of the lack of service, her cell phone battery dies quickly because it’s constantly searching for a signal.

Students and employees are often seen standing outside campus buildings, trying to make phone calls.

Student Sarah Kaiser said that her Sprint cell phone gets “semi-decent” service upstairs in the C building.

Students seem to be most satisfied with service from Verizon on campus.

“For the most part, it’s pretty good,” Jesse Stanford said about his Verizon service.

Dustin Childs, who also has Verizon, said that his service is pretty good except in the basement of the C building.

Trevor Ludwig, however, says his bad service from Metro PCS affects his college life.

There have been several occasions when he

hasn’t received messages.

“It’s pretty bad because if anyone needs to get ahold of me, I don’t get their calls or texts,” he said.

David Dudley, of AT&T, said that its service has the fewest dropped calls in the nation, at less than 1 percent.

He said that bad service inside of campus building could have to do with reception blockers put in near the school, or the materials that the school buildings are made from.

Store Manager Kaitlyn Brost said there is an AT&T tower on South Custer that should have no problem reaching campus.

She said that the only time there might be a service issue is during county fair time, when the towers get overloaded.

A sales rep at Verizon said tht they have the best coverage in Monroe County.

He said that they don’t receive complaints about their service on the MCCC campus, but also that no service provider can guarantee cell service inside of buildings.

“Our towers work through line of sight,” he said.

He also said that if a Verizon customer is having an issue, they can call Verizon and have a tech sent out to test the service area.

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

www.sienaheights.edu