April 3, 2017

Computer lab underused

Page 4

One Book program entertains

MCCC hires Science/Math dean Colorado resident Kevin Cooper returns to home area July 5

Vanessa Ray

“I hope to foster great collaboration between the Math/Science department and the others on campus.”

Web Editor

Kevin Cooper New dean of Science and Mathematics at MCCC there,” Cooper said.

Cooper’s ability to both oversee the Math, Science and

Social Science departments while also teaching one or two courses a semester speaks to his work ethic and dedication.

It is no surprise that he already has plenty of ideas he would like to implement.

For starters, Cooper is hoping to encourage diversity on campus and a collaborative mindset among the departments.

“I hope to foster great collaboration between the Math/ Science department and the others on campus. I value cohesion and want to see a campus community that serves the students. I currently serve on a Diversity & Inclusion committee, so fostering diversity in academics is also a priority of mine,” Cooper said.

See New, Page 2

get off your fat butt!

College’s fitness facility is free, but underused Leigh Cole Agora staff

One of the benefits of attending MCCC is free use of the Fitness Center.

Although gym memberships off-campus cost more than $100 a year, many students still elect to pay the fee, or avoid working out altogether.

This raises two questions: why aren’t there more students using the Fitness Center, and what can MCCC do to encourage more students to use it?

Recent studies indicate the use of fitness gyms among millennials is on the decline nationally – they’re often viewed by millennials as something their parents use.

Other studies indicate millennials have moved on from gyms to group participatory sports and outdoor activities.

According to students and administrators at MCCC, a variety of factors are involved in the decline in usage. They range from hours of operation to decreased funding to admitted laziness.

According to figures provided by Megan McCaffery-Bezeau, the Fitness Center director, use of the center dropped from 6,702 total hours in the 2014-15 school year to 4,556 last year. It’s on target for another decline this year.

None of the students who were interviewed complained about lack of equipment in the center.

The MCCC Fitness Center is equipped

Photo by Vanessa Ray

MCCC fitness center use declines

Photo by Leigh Cole

Statistics courtesy of Megan McCaffery-Bezeau

Photo by Leigh Cole

Left, student Adam Poley poses on the leg lift; above center, students use the treadmills; right, student Matt Mitchell lifts weights; center, chart shows total hourly use of the Fitness Center dropped by 32 percent from 2014 to 2015.

with weight machines, a collection of barbells and an assortment of cardiovascular machines, including elliptical machines.

There are mats for stretching, medicine balls, and other aerobic accessories.

MCCC administrators have taken a variety of steps to improve use of the center.

“One step we took was to place the ID card maker here, so more students would have to visit us,” McCaffery-Bezeau said.

Most students, unless they are enrolled in the Nursing program, never attend classes in the Health Education Building, so it may be a case of out-of-sight, out-of-

mind.

“We were concerned that few knew we were here,” McCaffery-Bezeau said.

Almost all the students interviewed mentioned they have been to the Fitness Center, if only to get their ID card made.

See Fitness, Page 2

There’s life after drug addiction Women’s month speaker overcame horror’s of abuse Vanessa Ray Web Editor

Cheri Peters grew up seeing the type of evil that is normally only heard of in fictionalized horror.

At the end of a week-long celebration of Women’s History Month, Peters encouraged students by showing there can be life after addiction.

Peters was born into a home with a 14-year-old alcoholic mother and a sexually abusive father.

One of her sisters was a meth cook, the other a cocaine addict. Her brother was a violent alcoholic.

Peter’s first attempted suicide when she was 3. At 8, she threw herself off the roof of her house.

At the age of 13, Peters was alone and living on the streets of Los Angeles.

When she was 21, a drug dealer put a gun to her head and demanded money.

Photo by Vanessa Ray

Cheri Peters shares her story of life after addiction for Women’s History Month.

“Please shoot me,” Peters thought.

The dealer didn’t pull the trigger, though.

“I can’t do this anymore,” she decided.

After almost ten years on the street, Peters was 100 pounds, read at a third grade level, and was addicted to heroin.

Inside:

The only place she could think to go was home, and with her family of addicts, that was far from a safe space.

When she walked in the door, her mother was surprised and happy to see her.

“You’ll never believe it Cherie,” her mother said. “I’m back in school!”

Check out The Agora online at

Campus News.....................2-5 Feature....................................6 Opinion....................................7 Arts and Entertainment........8

Page 8

Page 3

April 3, 2017 Vol. 64, Issue 7

MCCC has filled the Dean of Science and Mathematics vacancy that opened up when former Dean Vinnie Maltese retired last fall.

Kevin Cooper, who is currently the Assistant Dean/Instructional Chair of the Math, Science, and Social Studies division at Colorado Mountain College, will be taking over the MCCC position starting July 5, 2017.

Cooper believes his experience as an educator and administrator will be his greatest asset.

“I was a full time faculty member at National American University in Rapid City, South Dakota for ten years, teaching all sorts of math and science courses while

‘Logan’ a moving, powerful movie

www.mcccagora.com “Like” us on

Follow us on

“Oh really,” Peters said. “What are you majoring in?”

“Social work,” her mother said.

Peters asked the crowd if they had ever seen the stories where someone stabs another person 30 to 40 times.

“That’s what I felt like doing,” she said.

“One of this woman’s daughters was cooking meth in her garage. The other was an addict with a porn site. My brother couldn’t go a few hours without shaking due to his alcoholism. I had left home at 13 due to molestation and neglect. What on earth was this woman going to tell people about raising a family because she certainly had not been very good at it?”

“You’ll do great,” Peters told her mom.

“I almost forgot,” her mom said. “This is for you.”

Her mom handed her a manilla envelope and told her to read it.

“But not right now,” her mother said.

“Later.”

All Peters wanted to do was tear up the envelope, but she felt compelled to read what was inside.

See There, Page 2

Bookstore Hours:

Mon - 8 a.m. - 7 p.m.

Tue - Fri: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

LAL/Writing Center: Mon - Thurs: 8 a.m. 7:00 p.m.

Fri: 8 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Sat: 9 a.m- 1:00 p.m.

Serving Monroe County Community College since 1968

Resident tuition frozen Leah Thomas Editor

The MCCC Board of Trustees voted to raise non-resident and out of state/international tuition and freeze resident tuition for the Fall 2017 semester.

At its March 27 meeting, the board also discussed adding a research review board, purchasing a dynamometer, and supporting the Monroe County Bicentennial Alliance.

Board members also recognized a retirement and announced the College Supporter of the Year.

The board agreed to raise nonresident tuition to $190, a $4 increase. Out of state/international tuition was raised to $211.50, a $3.50 increase.

Over the past eight years, tuition has increased 67 percent for non-resident and out of state/ international students.

The tuition rates for residents of Monroe County will remain the same for the first time since 2009.

Tuition remains $107 per billable contact hour.

Board member Mary Kay Thayer was pleased to see the resident rates stay the same.

She said it proves to the community that though the college has a tight budget, it is keeping costs down for students.

The board passed the Human Subjects Institutional Review Board proposal.

Psychology professors Patrick Wise and Melissa Grey were interested in doing some research with human subjects.

“The federal government likes it when we have institutional review boards that actually look at the ethics of their different proposals,” said Jamie DeLeeuw, the coordinator of Institutional Research, Evaluation & Assessment.

Institutional review boards are set up in colleges to prevent ethical abuse in research.

“Having this IRB will allow faculty and students to engage in research endeavors,” DeLeeuw said. “It just allows you to conduct studies on human research from an ethical perspective.”

It will make sure participants are researching voluntarily and have a form of consent, she said.

Class projects and informal student observations will be exempt.

The board agreed to help purchase a dynamometer for the Automotive Engineering, Automotive Service, and other allied programs in the division.

A dynamometer is an instrument that measures the power of output of an engine.

“We are getting a basic turnkey system,” said Peter Coomar, the dean of Applied Science and Engineering Technology Division.

“We add onto it every year.”

He said that the instrument would be able to use it for about 15 years until technology improves and it is no longer usable.

Secretary Aaron Mason said he supports the purchase because it is a major asset to the institution.

See Board, Page 2

Library Hours:

Mon - Thur: 8 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Fri: 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Sat: 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Fitness Center Hours:

Mon - Thurs: 10 a.m. - 7:30 Fri - Sat: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

2| mcccagora.com •

Campus News

The Agora

April 3, 2017

Streaming takes over music scene Apple, Spotify and Amazon fight for control

“I have personalized playlists made for every day, whether I’m going to the gym or it’s raining.”

Kayla Chernoff MCCC student

Selene Avila Agora Staff

2016 brought forth a new leader in how people listen to their favorite songs: streaming music.

In the past year, streaming music has become the biggest revenue source for the music industry, and the forecast does not call for change. Not when it earns Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon – the leaders of this streaming revolution – more than a pretty penny.

Spotify ultimately leads with the largest number of subscribers. Apple Music is trailing closely due to its infused compatibility with the beloved iOS software. Artists’ decisions to sign an exclusive contract on Apple Music has also bolstered their position as Spotify’s biggest competition.

Student Bethany Lupinski had a definite choice on what was her favorite way to listen.

“I love Apple Music because I don’t have to download another app on my phone, I can just open my music,” she said.

“I feel like out of all the top streaming apps, Apple has the option to the most content,” she said, when explaining why she

chose Apple Music. “Some songs can only be found on Apple Music!”

Amazon is the most recent competitor in the streaming race. It’s predicted to become a strong force in 2017.

The cost of subscription is a deciding factor in choosing which app you stream from.

Spotify and Apple are aiming at the millennials and student users.

Both applications offer a four-year discounted subscription option for enrolled college students. The discount is $4.99 per month for a period of four years.

This premium rate is available for the average time it takes to earn a bachelor’s degree. This is half of the normal $9.99 per month that other users pay.

“I never paid for a streaming app until my friend told me about the student discount,” student Alondra Guzman said. “It’s totally worth it. I can listen to everything.”

Some people like to pick songs that go with whatever mood they are in, whereas others prefer to have premade playlist to choose from.

Board approves tuition changes, supports county’s Bicentennial plan

Continued from Page 1

“I have personalized playlists made for every day, whether I’m going to the gym or it’s raining,” said student Kayla Chernoff.

“I use Spotify because I can create as many playlists as I please instead of having to go individually play each song.”

The most prominent problem with streaming music is that you won’t be able to instantly stream music if you don’t have an internet connection. However, most apps have a download feature that allows for on-the-go streaming.

Zach Hodges, a student who is a frequent downloader, had a lot to say about this option.

“For my job I travel a lot, this means I am always on airplane mode or driving hours through a dead zone,” he said. “The instant download ability is so important to me.”

Although Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon are the most-subscribed apps, there are many others that are favored.

“Personally, me and most of my friends pay for SoundCloud,” said student Jenn Gryzwinski, who has been using SoundCloud for two years.

“We really like it because it allows anyone to upload their own music for others to stream.”

It is too early in 2017 to predict who will hold the title of top subscribed music streaming app. But regardless of which app attains the coveted position at the top of the heap, it’s certain that streaming will remain the top revenue source for the music industry for many years to come.

Chair Lynette Dowler read the resolution of the Bicentennial of Monroe County.

The Monroe County Bicentennial Alliance is planning the celebration of Monroe County’s 200-year anniversary.

The board unanimously supported the committee’s efforts.

President Kojo Quartey said the college may host one of the events, but all plans are tentative.

The board recognized the retirement of administrative assistant to the director of the Library Denise Lewis.

Christina Campbell replaced her and began working on March 20.

The board named the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights the College Supporter of the Year award for their support of the millage.

The next MCCC Board of Trustees meeting will be held at the Whitman Center on April 24 at 6 p.m.

Sue Wetzel, vice president for Administration, presents the tuition plan for the 2017-2018 academic year to the board.

Photo by Leah Thomas

Fitness Center offers membership to community Continued from Page 1

This means students can bring friends and family with them to the Fitness Center.

Once the annual fee is paid, the guest will receive an alumni identification card that allows them to use the Fitness Center at any time.

One problem with the program seems to be that very few administrators or students know about it.

In fact, McCaffery-Bezeau admitted she had not heard of it. It was student fitness worker, Zachary Kipp, who explained the Friends of the Alumni program.

“I just knew about it because I have worked here longer than anyone else,” Kipp said.

Josh Meyers, executive director of the MCCC Foundation, confirmed the benefit.

“Yes, it is for anyone to use,” he said.

Mark Hall, director of Admissions and Guidance, said the program was initiated as a recruiting tool.

Students cited two primary reasons they do not use the Fitness Center. One is that the hours of operation are limited, and the second is lack of time.

Some also admitted to being “too lazy” to use the facilities.

“No, I don’t use it. I just don’t have the time,” student Rebecca Butler stated flatly.

Connor Harmon agreed, pointing out that the limited hours make it harder to find time.

“I have used it a few times,” Harmon said. “But it isn’t 24 hours.”

If the Fitness Center is being underutilized, what

The Fitness Center offers a variety of workout equipment.

justification can there be for paying more staff to operate the center for longer hours?

“That is the issue,” agreed Hall.

In the past, MCCC offered advanced physical fitness courses and individual training programs.

The Agora Editor: Leah Thomas Assistant Editor: Joseph Abrams Web Editor: Vanessa Ray Adviser: Dan Shaw Staff: Cheyenne Abel Selene Avilla Leigh Cole Miranda Gardner

Sawyer Jackson James Quick Sarah Worrell

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 Building, (734) 384-4186, agora@monroeccc.edu.

Submissions: The Agora encourages submissions by anyone in the college community, including free-lance articles, opinion columns or letters to the editor.

All submissions must include a name, 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.

It is a member of the Michigan Community College Press Association, the Michigan Press Association, College Media Association, Associated Collegiate Press and the Student Press Law Center.

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

Photo by Leigh Cole

“It probably would help, but we don’t have anyone on staff trained to conduct such classes,” McCafferyBezeau said.

The students who work in the Fitness Center receive training in CPR, first aid, and administrative functions, but they cannot provide fitness or training

advice, she said.

Hall noted that when MCCC offered classes in physical conditioning before, they were not very popular.

“They were worth a credit, but did not contribute to any degrees we have at MCCC, so we no longer have them,” Hall said.

In addition to the weight room, there are other fitness opportunities available to users.

Across the hallway from the gym are basketball and volleyball courts, and two locker rooms with showers.

The Fitness Center offers pick-up volleyball, dodgeball, and basketball leagues, which are ongoing.

In addition, the courts can be reserved for individual games and times.

As the weather improves, there also is a Par Course.

The Par Course extends for two miles on the MCCC campus grounds. The terrain varies from flat and straight stretches to small up-hill climbs.

The course is complete with 18 separate stations, including the start and finish lines.

In between are exercise stations, such as the Achilles stretch, step up, chin up, vault bar, and bench-legraise stations.

Anyone interested in receiving training on the Par Course or reserving a court or joining or creating a new league should contact Megan McCaffery-Bezeau at 734-242-7300, extension 4423.

‘There is always a potential for healing’ Continued from Page 1

The top of the paper had a large red “A” on it, and under the A were the words “Give this to Cherie.”

Cherie read the paper, an assignment from one of her mother’s classes.

In it, Cherie’s mother confessed how she had taken all of her frustrations and anger out on her second child, Cherie.

For the first time in her life, Peters realized that what happened to her when she was younger was not her fault. She was not

born with a problem, which meant she could change. For recovery, Peters found herself moving in with a vegetarian, who believed in healing the body through good foods.

“All I wanted was coffee or soda,” Peters said. “And she would tell me, ‘I have some lentils.’ ” She also encouraged Peters to drink water.

“If you know an addict, then you’ll know there’s nothing we hate more than water.”

She stayed with the vegetarian for a while.

“She had me taking five showers a day

to clean off the drugs that were leaking out through my pores,” Peters said. “She helped me so much.

After she began her recovery, Peters took a literacy program. Then she received her G.E.D. and went to college.

“Though addictions are all different,” Peters said. “They have something in common, a desire to change one’s mood.”

“I want addicts to know that there is always a potential for healing,” she said.

New math dean seeks student success Continued from Page 1

In addition to bringing new ideas, Cooper does plan on strengthening the Math and Science department.

“I want to maintain rigor in all math and science courses taught at MCCC. I also desire clear processes and communication within the department, and first and foremost will encourage all the folks I work with to maintain their sense of humor.”

Even though he will miss the natural beauty of Colorado, Cooper jumped at the MCCC opportunity due to his deep roots in the area.

“I was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio and most of my family still resides there,” Cooper

said. “With my parents retiring soon, this was a great chance to be closer to family - even though I will miss the mountains.”

Mr. Cooper earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Meteorology at Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin, and his Master of Science degree in Meteorology at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Although he is currently getting his PhD in Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, Math and Science are just a part of Cooper’s multifaceted life.

“I am an avid bowler and am a part of a men’s league,” Cooper said. “I also like to hike so I will be interested in checking out lo-

cal parks. I love many of the metro parks in Toledo and frequent them when visiting my parents.”

Cooper is happy in regards to what the position means to him professionally, however, he wanted to stress that the most important part of being Dean of Science and Mathematics is working with the students.

“This will be a new chapter in my life and an exciting opportunity to advance my career, so I look forward to this new move,” Cooper said.

“I hope to build trust and honor all person’s viewpoints. My focus is student success and my goal is to serve students. I look forward to being close to family as well.”

April 3, 2017

Campus News

mcccagora.com • The Agora

|3

OBOC events entertain college

One Book kicks off with jazz and Shakespeare Joseph Abrams Assistant Editor

Monroe County’s One Book One Community started with smooth instrumental jazz.

Every year the community chooses a book to read together, and this year’s choice is “Station Eleven.” The OBOC committee plans events throughout the month that relate to the book for members of the community to enjoy.

Station Eleven is a story that takes place after the end of the world as we know it following a deadly plague. The story follows members of a travelling troupe who play music and perform Shakespeare.

To connect with this, the kick-off event this year was a Shakespeare performance. The opening hour, however, was filled with conversation and smooth jazz played live while people enjoyed light refreshments.

The crowd was filled with both community members and college students, some coming for discussion, others for extra credit, but all enjoying the event.

“I’m glad that they’re having this event because it’s nice to learn and talk about the book,” student Marion Martyres said.

“I like what she said, I like hanging out with her, I like the music, this is a really chill environment,” her friend Tristan Rogaczewski said.

After an hour, the audience filed into the Meyer Theater to watch the main attraction, a performance of select scenes of Shakespeare that are closely connected to the book.

The Pigeon Creek Shakespeare Company of Michigan performed the skits.

The traveling theater group primarily performs in Michigan, member Katherine Mayberry said.

Some of the plays performed included

Landfill Harmonic shows power of music Cassidy Maier For the Agora

Photo by Joseph Abrams

Kathleen Bode plays Portia in this scene from Merchant of Venice in which Portia denies and criticizes all her suitors.

scenes from “A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream,” “Henry V,” “The Merchant of Venice,” “King Lear,” “Macbeth,” and “The Tempest.”

During the performance of Merchant of Venice, Kathleen Bode, who played Portia, incorporated members of the audience as suitors for her hand.

One of the viewers was given the part of the Neapolitan prince who was one of

the suitors of Portia.

“Ay, that’s a colt indeed, for he doth nothing but talk of his horse; and he makes it a great appropriation to his own good parts, that he can shoe him himself.

I am much afeard my lady his mother played false with a smith,” Bode said.

“The amount of work put into it is really impressive,” student Daydeon Baron-Galbavi said.

Though some of the students came simply to receive extra credit in their class, that didn’t stop them from enjoying themselves.

“The Shakespeare and theater ties in well with the class,” Jessica Marimpietri said.

Music and garbage have changed the lives of a group of Paraguayan adolescents.

The group, called the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, play instruments made completely out of garbage.

The director, Favio Chavez, began making instruments out of materials found in the landfill that surrounds their homes in the city of Cateura, Paraguay.

Chavez and his students’ journey was featured in the film, Landfill Harmonic.

The movie was shone at the Dundee Library, for the One Book, One Community program on March 21. Monroe Public Schools Librarian Mary Bullard moderated the event.

The film was presented again at the Bedford Branch Library April 2, and will be shown again on the MCCC campus at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 7 in in the A Building.

Chavez began giving music lessons to children to keep them out of the landfill.

This continued quietly until the release of a video clip of the orchestra on the internet.

The clip garnered widespread interest and introduced the Recycled Orchestra to the rest of the world.

People began contacting Chavez to see the group play, which lead to the orchestra’s first public appearance.

They continued to play for audiences and eventually traveled to other countries.

The group was invited to play with major rock bands, including Megadeath and Metallica, and began touring.

Tragedy struck Cateura in 2014 with severe flooding.

Chavez worked to secure housing for the families of his students, who lost their homes. Consequently, the orchestra had to take a break.

When the water receded, people started rebuilding their lives, and the orchestra started to perform again.

Photo by Joseph Abrams

Students and community members sit in the Z building and listen to the instrumental jazz music as they talk about the book and enjoy snacks and drinks.

Panel tackles surviving a global disaster Selene Avila Agora Staff

Learning how to survive a global disaster could mean the difference between life and death.

A panel discussion, entitled “Surviving in a Post-Apocalyptic World,” and featuring experts on survival, was held on March 27 in the La-Z-Boy Center atrium.

The event was part of the One Book One Community schedule of events that aims to promote reading and discussion in the community.

“I think it’s super important to maintain reading skills throughout your life, especially with all the new technology, nothing beats a good book,” said Nicholas DiResta, MCCC student and event attendee.

The conversation provided an opportunity for community participants to ask the panel a range of questions about strategies on survival.

Moral and ethical dilemmas also were a prominent topic of discussion.

Leah Thomas, editor of The Agora, the MCCC student newspaper, moderated the event.

Thomas began by introducing the members of the panel: Bob Dluzen, Judy Dluzen, Mark Hammond, Chase McBee, and Micah Young.

“I think our society would start normal, and then digress to a more primitive society; like the wild-wild west. It’s a really gray area,“ McBee said.

Hammond, director of Emergency

Photo by Vanessa Ray

Mark Hammond, director of Emergency Management for Monroe County, makes a point while Bob Dluzen listens.

Photo by Vanessa Ray

Chase McBee looks pensive as Bob Dluzen speaks about preparing for survival in a post-apocalyptic world.

Management for Monroe County, brought a great deal of public safety knowledge in addition to disaster response.

McBee, a current MCCC student and decorated veteran of the U.S. Army, enlightened the audience with his passion to

prepare for any global disaster.

Young, an MCCC alumnus, is a firearms and protection survivalist connoisseur.

The topic of discussion came from the

book, “Station Eleven,” the 2017 One Book, One Community selection.

The book is set in Michigan following a flu-like pandemic that killed 99 percent of the population.

Members of the panel were asked a series of questions, from the mechanics to the ethics of survival.

Key points prioritized by the panel members included preparation, education, and resourcefulness.

“Plans are nothing, planning is everything,” Young said, quoting former President Dwight D. Eisenhower Hammond shed light on the need for education on survival issues, while Judy Dluzen stressed the importance of stockpiling heirloom varieties of seeds.

“Open-pollenated seeds are what we need, they will continue to grow the same exact produce annually,” she said.

About 75 students and members of the community attended the event.

4| mcccagora.com •

The Agora

Campus News

April 3, 2017

Phi Theta Kappa donates time to charity Honor society members volunteered at Habitat for Humanity Miranda Gardner Staff Member

Phi Theta Kappa members built hope for a family in Monroe County, one brush stroke at a time.

PTK volunteers helped Habitat for Humanity at the organization’s 93rd house.

“We’re building homes, communities, and hope,” Carla Slamiar said.

Slamiar is both the media relations manager at Habitat and a member of MCCC’s chapter of PTK. “At Habitat, we believe everyone deserves a decent place to live,” she said.

PTK adviser Lauren Pillarelli, and members Saqib Noor Peracha, Lily Kozicki, and Miranda Gardner volunteered Saturday, Mar 18.

“It’s a high-quality home, we’re not just throwing it together,” Slamiar said. “We are building simple, decent, affordable homes.”

Kozicki and Gardner painted all the door trims on the main floor. Pillarelli, who is co-adiver of PTK, and Peracha painted the main floor walls.

Kozicki and Gardner teamed up, working together to complete the paint job.

“I’m so short and can’t reach the top,”

Kozicki said.

Gardner painted the trim that Kozicki could not reach, and Kozicki helped Gardner finish her door frames.

“The more complex stuff doesn’t happen on-site with the volunteers,” Slamiar said.

PTK is looking for ways to be involved with the community in service opportunities. This was the second time PTK volunteered with Habitat since last year, Slamiar said.

“Most of the building happens with volunteers,” she said. “Habitat is always building something, year-round.”

Habitat in Monroe County was founded in 1995 and since has changed the lives of 121 adults and 197 children, Slamiar said.

“This house we’re working on is almost done,” she said. “The homeowner will be closing on it at the end of April.”

The homeowner, Mary, is 63 years old and living in a two-bedroom trailer with her three grandsons, adopted from foster care.

“At the end of April, when they buy their home, she’ll be able to take in the fourth brother that’s still in foster care,” Slamiar said. “And they’ll each have their own room!”

Habitat is a non-profit, religious-based organization that is always looking for volunteers.

“We make the difference for someone living paycheck to paycheck and might not be able to save for a down payment, but we can help them into home ownership,” Slamiar said.

Anyone interested can call (734) 2432048 or visit the website habitatmonroemi. org for more information.

Photo courtesy of Julia Skaggs

Phi Theta Kappa adviser Lauren Pillarelli donates her time to paint a house for Habitat for Humanity.

One of the best resources on campus often unused James Quick Agora Staff

MCCC’s Regional Computer Technology Center is a wonderful student resource, but one that has seemingly flown under the radar.

“I’ve never been there,” says student Austin Myers.

The RCTC is located in the West Tech Building near the South Drive entrance.

It’s a versatile resource; students can do plenty of useful things there, as lab coordinator Karen Kuhl explains.

“It’s an open lab,” she says. “Any student here can come in and work on homework for their classes, they can do internet research, they can type up papers, they can get assistance if they need help…”

The help includes how to put headers on papers, testing accommodations, troubleshooting with Blackboard, password resets for email and Blackboard, a helping hand in regards to MLA formatting, and assistance with computer classes, some of which are taught by Kuhl and her colleague of 18 years, Rick Hubbert.

“We’ve got a lot of experience,” she says. “We’re pretty knowledgeable. We’re not tutors, but we can assist them.”

Kuhl also cites that group projects can be effectively done in the RCTC, provided the teams work quietly.

The RCTC also has printers, including one that prints in color, that are free to use. However, PowerPoint presentations cannot be printed in color due to the cost

Photo by James Quick

MCCC students use the RCTC computer lab, which is located in the West Tech Building.

involved.

While she may not visit often, student Wendy Edwards appreciates the RCTC.

“I like that it’s quiet,” she says. “I also like that, if I have questions, there’s people up here I can ask. They’ve been very helpful.”

Phi Theta Kappa honors students Leigh Cole Agora Staff

On Tuesday night, the membership of the Tau Omicron Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa grew by 97 new initiates in a recognition ceremony held in the La-Z-Boy Center Meyer Theater.

To be invited into Phi Theta Kappa is a true honor. It is the highest achievement students in a 2 year community college can receive.

Members must has 12 semester hours accumulated and grade point average of 3.5 or above.

The event was hosted by the most illustrious names at MCCC. The evening began with a processional, as the 97 students filed into their seats. At this time, Dr. Kojo A. Quartey, College President, welcomed the students and their guests to begin the evening.

The Master of Ceremonies, Randy Daniels, Vice President of Student and information Services, then introduced the speakers.

Rachel Baker, President of the Tau Omicron Chapter spoke to the students and guests about the meaning and history of Phi Theta Kappa. The meaning of this initiation was wonderfully explained, as well as the significance of the occasion.

At this time, Director of Admissions, Mark Hall and RandwwDaniels conducted the actual initiation. The students individually walked onto the stage to accept

More than that, though, Edwards appreciates the RCTC’s printers.

“I like that it doesn’t cost me anything

Career Expo MCCC students can meet with dozens of employers Barry Kinsey For the Agora

Photo by Tom Ryder

Ashley Klug, Jessica Ryder, Jim Devries, and President Kojo Quartey.

their honors. A brief introduction of the student, their major, and future plans were read aloud to the audience.

These students had every reason to be proud as they received their due recognition. The guest’s cheered and flash photography illuminated the hall.

Finally, after the last initiate was inducted, Dr. Joanna Sabo gave the keynote address. Her speech

was interactive with the audience, informative and Dr. Sabo demonstrated her wit and humor. Judging by the enthusiastic applause at the conclusion, Dr. Sabo’s speech was warmly received.

Dr. Jamie DeLeeuw, Co-Advisor, Phi Theta Kappa, provided the closing remarks.

A reception followed the event in the atrium.

to print things out. That’s a huge factor for me,” she says. “I hope that the college always keeps their copies free. It really does help the students. If I had to pay for all the pages I print, it would cost me a lot of money.”

While the RCTC is a valuable resource to students, what is it that separates it from the nearby library?

“Here we can conduct an interview, so you can talk but you’re not really distracting people that much,” student Connor Harmon says. “It’s more open than the library, I feel. Also, the library is really hot – it’s always so warm in there.

“The computers in here are much nicer than in the library. I don’t know what it is, but it feels like they run slower over there.”

“I think it’s a great alternative to the library if you have your information and just want to study,” Edwards says, also citing the RCTC’s usefulness if the library is either closed or full.

“Sometimes students don’t want to go home or they don’t bring their computer with them,” Kuhl says, “so it’s a good backup.”

The RCTC is open during the winter semester from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday. These hours are in effect until May 1st. The RCTC will be closed all day Friday, April 17.

Further information can be found at www.monroeccc.edu/rctc/.

The seventh annual Career and Opportunity Expo offers students a chance to meet employers.

This free event is for all job seekers. It will be in the H Building on Friday, April 7 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

It is expected to draw 60 plus employers to campus. There will be full-time, parttime and summer employment opportunities available.

Students should dress for success. They cannot overdress unless they wear a tuxedo or evening gown.

They should bring plenty of resumes.

Each attending company will be listed on the website with the positions that they will be interviewing for.

Students can use this information to tailor their resumes to the company and positions that they are interested in.

They should also bring several generic resumes in case they come across a position that they were unaware of.

The college has sample interview questions available in their office to assist stu-

dents with preparation.

Students are also encouraged to visit several employers that they have little or no interest in working for before they approach their top choices. This will help settle nerves and help students get a feel for how the process works.

This year the college expects to have over 60 employers in attendance: Brightside Academy, Clean Tech Inc., Consumers Energy, Designer’s Edge, Detroit Police Department, Detroit Behavioral Institute, Double A Solutions, LLC-Blitz, DTE Energy, Express Employment Professionals, Forge Industrial Staffing, Francis Family YMCA, IHM, IWJATC, Key Realty, Magna T.E.A.M., Systems Michigan Statewide Carpenters & Millwrights, JATF, Michigan Works!, MCETD, ProMedica, Spring Arbor University, State of Michigan Department of Corrections, University of Michigan-Flint, US Security Associates, Walgreens, and Wayne County Sherriff’s Office.

To date these employers have already committed to attend.

For up-to-date information on the Expo and its employers, visit http://www.monroeccc.edu/careerexpo/ or register for the Workforce Development page.

It has a complete list of regional employers that have posted positions with the college.

There also are a variety of tips, podcasts, and articles to assist students with their employment efforts.

Campus News

April 03, 2017

mcccagora.com • The Agora

|5

Student commons or lounging space?

Faculty, staff debate how to use new space outside of L Building

Leah Thomas Editor

The design for the new student space in the L Building is in progress.

The Student Space Task Force, which is the first of many task forces that will assemble for millage projects, met on Feb. 17 to discuss designs for the addition.

Jack Burns, director of Campus Planning and Facilities, oversees the task force. The committee is composed of two architects, two interior designers, and students, staff, and professors who frequent the L Building.

During their meeting, they decided to refer to the space as a student commons rather than a student lounge.

“This is an academic building, it’s not a student union,” Biology professor and task force member Tracy Rayl said.

She thinks the term commons reminds students that although the space is for their comfort, it is also designed for studying.

“We are thinking of it as more of a student commons as opposed to simply a lounge, due to the multiple programmatic solutions this area will provide,” Burns said.

Tom Ryder, a task force member and the Campus Community Events/Student Activities coordinator, said one solution is simply having a place for students to go.

“Student lounge and student commons has a different meaning to each member on the committee. Some members of the committee see this more as a study area, while other see it as a more social area. I think the space will lend itself to both,” he said.

Ryder said everyone had different ideas on how the place should look.

“Many ideas were tossed around including student study spaces, comfortable furniture, television, plug-in spaces/ charging spaces for electronics, high and low tables and additional seating areas for

Photo by Vanessa Ray

This is the area that will be transformed into a new student space - for studying, relaxing and socializing.

students,” he said.

Rayl said the space will be furnished with different types of seating. There will be individual chairs with side tables and booths.

“We also talked about having some enclosed rooms, maybe three or four,” she said.

The private rooms will encourage open discussion, collaboration, and group work.

Geoscience professor and task force

member Lisa Scarpelli said the rooms might have whiteboards and monitors.

The monitors would be available for building and practicing presentations.

“There is really nowhere to do that. Our library doesn’t really have stuff like that,” Scarpelli said.

She also mentioned that they might incorporate a science theme into the space.

Ryder is excited to have an open space for students to hang out.

“I think students need social spaces in

every building. A place to congregate after class, grab a pop and socialize with their friends. This space gives them the opportunity to do that, plus a space to study if they choose to do so,” Ryder said.

Scarpelli said there is no comfortable place to sit between classes, so she is happy they are providing that space.

“I have seen students out on those benches where they sit on the floor so that they have something to put their books on,” she said.

She said the one table in the building

for students to sit at is always occupied, so they knew there was a need.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Rayl said. “I’m just happy that students on this side of campus will have an academic study space that they can utilize.”

Burns said he is in the process of setting up the next meeting to review the architectural design proposal.

“The task force will review the design and offer feedback, which then the architect will incorporate into the final construction documents,” he said.

HVAC heating system goes online mid-April Leah Thomas Editor

The HVAC project is focused on the main building pumps for the A and C Buildings and East and West Tech.

The connections from the well field to the main pumps are complete.

“The main pumps have all been connected and successfully passed their initial startup and pressure/flow testing,” said Jack Burns, the director of Campus Planning and Facilities.

Burns said all the new equipment and electronic controls are being integrated into the new web-based front-end system.

The old boilers were left in the C Build-

ing basement to keep proper heating over the winter.

"Now that it is spring, it is time for us to finish the job and make the final conections to the new system and dump the old boilers and chiller lines," Burns said.

In the past, Burns switched from heating to cooling around April 15, but he will be moving the switch up a few days to accommodate the remaining work.

Burns said it will take about four weeks to take out the boilers and finish the project.

Since the project involves demolition, there will be pedestrian traffic changes in the C Building.

Starting April 3, the east corridor in the

Student Government plans for ping-pong tournament and more

basement will be closed.

The Little Theater can only be accessed through the backstage, using the door near the stairwell on the north side.

The Information System offices will be open except for C-15 and C-16.

Burns said there will be temporary walls built to keep the work area and building occupants safe.

The construction crews will be as considerate as possible with the level of noise they create, Burns said.

"We will try to be as accommodating as possible, but there are no guarantees that your classroom will not be moved to another building for the remainder of the semester," Burns said. "For this possibility, I

Joseph Abrams Assistant Editor

If you’ve ever wanted to defeat your president, now’s your chance.

Student Government has planned a sequel to last year’s Kojo Ping-Pong Beatdown. It is planned to take place April 11-13 from noon to 1:45 p.m. in the cafeteria.

The event was discussed at the latest Student Government meeting. Other upcoming events on the agenda were Family Fun Night and an initiative to add more colorful plants to the campus.

“We move the ping-pong tables up to the cafeteria for the tournament, so the lunchroom can have some enter-

tainment while they eat,” ping-pong event coordinator Jeff Revard said.

The event includes students, faculty, and anyone who enters, including President Kojo Quartey himself.

The competition will be a tournament, with prizes available for first, second, and third place. First place prizes will include a prestigious golden paddle trophy.

“I will literally just go grab a pingpong paddle, grab golden spray paint, and golden spray paint it,” Revard said.

In addition to Kojo’s Ping-Pong Beatdown, Student Government discussed plans for the upcoming Family Fun Night event.

The event will be April 21 from 6 to

apologize in advance."

At the MCCC Board of Trustees meeting on March 27, Sue Wetzel, vice president of Administration, said the first part of the project will go online in April.

“Our goal is to have the new geothermal system up and running by then, at least for the A Building, East/West Tech, and the CLRC, handling both the heating and cooling by that time as well,” Burns said.

The L Building still needs to undergo HVAC renovations. It will be added to the system before the Fall 2017 Semester.

“Jack is giddy with excitement,” Wetzel said.

“It is very exciting to be in the boiler houses,” she said. “You see the $16 mil8:30 p.m., and the cost of entrance will be $1.

There are plans for games, facepainting, a photo booth, door prizes for both children and adults, and more.

“We do have Tinker-Bell, Snow White, and Belle coming. Firetrucks are all set to come,” Student Government adviser Tom Ryder said. “Respiratory therapy is taking care of concessions. We will spend some money on balloons, helium, that sort of thing.”

The family friendly event is open to everyone. Students are welcome to bring friends, kids, siblings, parents, or just about anyone who’d like to have a nice night.

“We do adult-type baskets too, we do kids and adults, because it’s a fam-

lion, and it’s just phenomenal.”

“We are cutting edge. There isn’t another community college in the country that’s going to heat and cool the majority of their campus this way.”

The college is trying to find a national publication that will write about the project.

“It’s really noteworthy, and we should all be really proud of it,” Wetzel said.

“Scared of the debt, but proud of the project.”

The college is going to stage an event with president Kojo Quartey in one of the boiler houses to celebrate the system going live.

ily event,” Ryder said.

Also discussed at the meeting were plans to add new plants to the landscaping around campus to help bring the school some more color.

“We also decided to do some campus improvement for this event," Clayton Blackwell said. "We need to find out who is kind of in charge of campus landscaping plans so we can talk with them so we can discuss maybe some plants that we can add to pre-existing gardens, just to add pops of color.”

The plans are in the initial phases, and the members of the committee must first find out the process for adding plants, Blackwell said.

MASS plants seeds for Earth Day celebration 200 cups of seeds growing in L Building Miranda Gardner Staff Member

The Math and Science Society plotted to save the planet on March 24 for Earth Day. “We planted approximately 200 paper cups of sunflower seeds,” Kathleen Shepherd, professor of Mathematics, said.

The sunflowers are growing in the LifeScience Building greenhouse and are expected to sprout in time for the county-wide Earth Day event.

The Earth Expo will be April 8 in the H building and will feature exhibits promoting the protection of our planet and community.

“MASS will have children’s activities,” Shepherd said. “If all goes well, we’ll have nice-sized plants to hand out.”

More information can be found on greenmonroecounty.com.

According to NASA, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere measure 405.61 parts

“ The sunflowers are symbolic for growth, production, and food.”

Mark Naber Professor of Mathematics per million as of February 2017.

Carbon dioxide is a heat-trapping gas known to be released through deforestation, burning fossil fuels, and natural processes like respiration.

“The sunflowers are symbolic for growth, production, and food,” Mark Naber, professor of Mathematics, said. “It’ll take CO2 out of the atmosphere.”

They also provide food for the birds and bees that will pollinate other flowers in the community, while releasing oxygen into the atmosphere.

Photo by Miranda Gardner

The sunflower seeds have already began to germinate in the greenhouse next to the L Building.

6| mcccagora.com •

The Agora

Feature

April 3, 2017

A Student’s best friend MCCC students love their four-legged pals Agora Staff

Sarah Worrell

MCCC students light up with enthusiasm when asked about their furry family members.

Many were more than happy to show off pictures of their beloved pets.

Taylor Apker, a current writing fellow, talks about her two canines, Callie, a Lhasa Apso, and Daisy, a German Wirehaired Pointer.

“People say Daisy looks like a rat but I think she looks kind of cute,” she says. “She could probably do puppy parkour if she tried.

“Callie understands commands but she just doesn’t care so she just ignores everyone.”

Grayson Bacarella, President of Student Government, has a white dog named Lucy and two cats.

“The black one is named Kako and the brown striped one is named Tiger. I know it’s

boring; my sister named him when she was three.”

Alyssa Keller opens up about her six-year old husky.

“Koda is a little baby honestly. He refuses to eat his food unless my mom sits on the ground and feeds him with a spoon.”

Nicole Sisk shares her experience with rescuing from the Humane Society.

“I got Milo from the shelter for my husband when he was a puppy, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” she says.

“We suspect he’s a mix of black Labrador and Irish Setter.

“Even though we don’t actually know what breed he is, he brings us happiness we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.”

She encourages everyone to check out their local shelter if they are considering adding another member to the family.

Clockwise from top left. Alyssa Keller’s dog Koda, Grayson Bacarella’s dog Lucy, Bacarella’s cat Kako, Taylor Apker’s dog Daisy, Apker’s dog Callie, Nicole Sisk’s dog Milo, Emily VanCamp’s cat Alaska, and Bacarella’s cat Tiger.

Briefs

State of the College scheduled MCCC president Kojo Quartey is presenting the State of the College Address April 11.

Quartey will cover the status of the Maintenance and Improvement Millage and updates on MCCC’s newest partnerships and strategic alliances.

The event is at the Monroe Bank & Trust headquarters in the 4 Floor Assembly Room. The building is located at 10 Washington St. in downtown Monroe and the address will be from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

This event is free and open to the public.

MCCC hosts March for Babies

MCCC is hosting the 2017 Monroe County March for Babies.

Annette Kiebler and Ann Gerweck, co-chairs of the MCCC team, are looking for people interested in donating or walking in the quest to help newborn babies and their families.

The walk is May 7 on the MCCC campus.

Follow this link for registration or donation for the MCCC Team in the March for Babies: https:// www.marchforbabies.org/Fundraising/Team?teamI d=574610&teamEventId=2729924&.

Pop tab, eyeglass effort ongoing

Student government is going to continue collecting pop tabs and glasses through the end of April.

Pop tabs are going to the Ronald McDonald House and glasses are being donated for the Lion’s Club. Anyone can drop off donations at the collection points around campus or to Tom Ryder.

Easter week food donation drive

The Community Service Club will be collecting non-perishable food for Oak of Righteousness Church from April 3-11.

A donation box will be available in the Financial Aid office.

Artist Sharon Bladholm will present a lecture at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, in Room A173.

Visiting artist plans April 5 talk

MCCC is hosting a lecture and display in April by fine artist Sharon Bladholm, who synthesizes art, science, nature and conservation in her work.

Bladholm has expertise in a variety of disciplines, including cast glass, bronze, and ceramic in the sculptural realm, as well as stained glass, printmaking and works on paper.

The lecture will be at 5:30 p.m. April 5 in Room 173b of the Administration Buidling.

In addition, Bladholm’s work will be on public display from April 3-30 in the MCCC Library.

Both the lecture and the display are free and open to the public.

Samples of Bladholm’s work can be found on her website at www.sharonbladholm.com.

The recurring theme in Bladholm’s work is the interface of people with the natural world, integrating the sciences of anthropology with biology and botany from the plant world.

Her lecture will bring together art, science, nature

and conservation topics while showing diverse images of her art.

She will also discuss her participation as artist on scientific expeditions to isolated areas of South America and other remote areas.

ally earn $54,000 or less, persons with disabilities, and/or limited English speaking taxpayers, who need assistance preparing their own tax returns can get help by visiting www.monroeccc.edu/taxassist/ These services are ending on April 7.

Easter Basket donations sought

The annual MCCC Easter Basket campaign is upon us.

Baskets will be distributed to 54 children that represent 27 families in the Head Start program.

Donation boxes have been placed around campus, accepting individually wrapped candy, chocolate bunnies, age appropriate toys, books, coloring books, crayons, bubbles, stuffed animals, sidewalk chalk, etc.

Collection boxes will be out through Wednesday, April 5.

Anyone interested in more specific information for donations should contact Jack Burns, the director of Campus Planning and Facilities.

Cash donations are also welcome and can be dropped off at the switchboard.

Emergency response class set

The Frenchtown Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is offering a weekend-long certification class.

The 20-hour CERT Basic class is April 7-9 and anyone 18 or older can sign up at www.FrenchtownCERT.com.

This class is free and trains people to be prepared for a variety of incidents from injuries to disasters or hazards.

Students leave the class with a certificate, disaster preparedness kit, and the hands-on knowledge needed to keep themselves, their families, and communities safe.

VITA services ending soon

People with low to moderate income, who gener-

A performance of The Man-Beast will be at 7 p.m.

Tuesday, April 4, in the Meyer Theater.

Man-Beast performance April 4

Students in Introduction to Humanities are sponsoring a performance of “The Man-Beast,” performed live by the Roustabout Theatre Troupe.

It will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 4, in the La-ZBoy Meyer Theater.

“The Man-Beast” is a Gothic drama set in the 1800s, when the wilds of France were stalked by a fearsome creature. Over three years, the Beast of Gévaudan claimed over 100 victims.

Then, an outcast forester killed a hideous wolflike creature and presented its corpse to King Louis for a rich reward. However, the story he told may not have been the entire truth. He certainly didn’t mention a strange woods-witch and her involvement in his great hunt.

Opinion

April 3, 2017

mcccagora.com • The Agora

|7

Christianity in journalism can be beneficial Leah Thomas

Online articles

Editor

Many college journalism students are struggling to balance their faith and field of study.

At the Spring National College Media Convention in New York, I attended a session titled “Christian in the Newsroom.”

The session attracted about two dozen Christians, who wanted to know how other Christians were faring in their newsrooms.

During the hour-long session, students shared stories of their experiences in journalism.

One student said he felt like he was hiding a part of himself because his peers didn’t want to discuss religion.

A Christian photographer said she was having trouble balancing her coverage.

She said in New York she often covered events that opposed her beliefs. She wants to cover an event that parallels her faith to justify the attention she gave to other events.

Another student said she felt that if she revealed her faith to her peers, she would automatically be labeled a Trump supporter, which would bring a host of unwanted criticism.

Many students agreed that they experienced skepticism from secular journalism students when they revealed their Christian identity. They felt their credibility questioned.

Journalists are encouraged to keep their political beliefs undisclosed, but do the same rules apply to religion?

Are Christian journalists being asked to check their faith at the door before entering the newsroom?

I think most people would say no to these questions, but the reality is that religious conversation in the newsroom brings strife.

There are Christians at the Washington Post, USA Today, New York Times and Huffington Post staff, so Christians can excel in journalism.

McCandlish Philips, a New York Times reporter, did it. He revealed that a highranking Ku Klux Klan leader was Jewish.

His death in 2013 sparked a conversation among journalists about faith in the

“God, Satan and The Media,”

by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof.

“Newsroom religion: Is there a dearth of religious journalists in the nation’s newsrooms?” By Deseret News reporter Matthew Brown.

“The Problem with the Press, Part 1: Religion,” by Carl Cannon.

“God in the Newsroom: The New York Times Discovers Evangelicals,” by National Review writer Rod Dreher.

“Why newspapers need to hire more Christians,” by Matt Lewis.

Photos by Joseph Abrams

Ten members of The Agora staff were among 1,500 students who attended the College Media National Convention in New York.

newsroom.

Russ Pulliam, a WORLD News Group board member, met Phillips in the 1970s while working for the Associated Press in New York City. Pulliam said Phillips intertwined his faith into every story.

“I know for a number of younger Christians in journalism, he was a friend who gave us guidance,” Pulliam recalled. “He could go write a story and he would bring biblical principles to bear in it, and in such a subtle way. And The New York Times editors would love it.”

If Christians have proven themselves in the newsroom, why are conservative college students hesitant to pursue the field?

“Many of them are brought up without a respect for the role that journalism is meant to play in our culture,” journalist, author, and professor Terry Mattingly said.

Emily Cornett, left center, and Agora Editor Leah Thomas, right center, sit in on the keynote speaker.

Fear of feminism People misunderstand the meaning of the word Vanessa Ray Web Editor

On a particularly warm October evening almost 15 years ago, one of my closest friends asked me if I considered myself a feminist.

“Of course not,” I said, puzzled by her question. “You’ve see how much pink is in my room.”

Fast forward to current day, and being a feminist is as much a part of me as my Czech heritage.

Not that I wasn’t a feminist 15 years ago. I’ve actually been one pretty much all my life.

Starting at 7, when I wrote an angry letter to the station that cancelled Silver Hawks, my favorite show at the time, due to its strong female superhero.

Then there was the time my volleyball teammates and I engaged in a sitin. We had to end our practices early so the visiting boy’s team could use our locker room.

Of course, the boys got to practice the whole time because, when a women’s team came to our school, we had to share a locker room.

We were told the reason for this was because “we aren’t as competitive.”

Ugh. Considering I have lived my entire life as a woman with autonomy who never questioned my ability to do whatever men could do, I often wonder why I spent so much of my life resistant to the label.

Though feminism itself is incredibly complex, the best way to define

it is as the “the social, economic and political equality of the sexes.”

To me, it boils down to choice and opportunity.

I loathe the way society shames women for choosing to do what they want. Whether that be chastising a stay-at-home mother or telling women who choose to wear hijab they’re “oppressed.”

Anyway, back to my fear of the “fword.”

At one point, I had bought into the narrative that feminists are just angry man-haters.

Though there are some angry manhaters who call themselves feminists, there is nothing feminist about hating the opposite sex.

In fact, feminism works to help men. Toxic masculinity rigidly defines what it means to be a man. How many men hold in their feelings for fear of looking like (gasp!) a girl?

Thanks to the “Rape is Rape” campaign launched by the Feminist Majority Foundation, the definition of rape was changed to include men.

The old definition of “carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will,” meant that according to law, men could not be the victims of rape.

I could write an entire article on the ways in which feminism helps men.

Guys, it’s good for you.

I truly believe that most people who say they “hate” feminism just do not understand it. Yes, there are men (and women!) who truly hate women, but I believe they are rare.

“If you don’t have an appreciation for that, it’s hard to know what you can do about it. It’s hard to call a newsroom to accuracy and fairness if you basically hate journalism.”

“Though few, there are Christian journalists who have risen to the top. If Christians want to be journalists, they can. Christians can balance faith and journalism; it just takes thick skin and endurance. ” Carl Cannon, Washington editor of RealClearPolitics, wrote in his first installment of “The Problem with the Press” that the ratio of Christians in America to Christians in the newsroom is not equivalent.

“Although the number fluctuates, some 40 percent of the American people describe themselves as evangelical Christians. Yet in traditional U.S. news organizations, print or broadcast, such believers are a rarity,” Cannon wrote.

Former New York Post columnist Rod Dreher said his newsroom executive thought the newsroom should mirror the area’s race-gender-ethnicity demographic. He told her that it was more important that the newsroom represent the diversity of belief and experience in the city.

He said there are various racial and ethnic backgrounds, but everyone attended the same journalism schools and was likeminded.

The newsroom should never be comfortable. It is a place of constant challenge and questions. If everyone agrees, the newsroom is probably missing a perspective.

“Evangelicals should make an outcry for diversity,” Mattingly said. “I’m not talking about affirmative action, but a call for bringing people with different life experiences into the newsroom.

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof recognized disgust for Christianity in the newsroom.

“Liberal critiques sometimes seem not just filled with outrage at evangelicalbacked policies, which is fair, but also to have a sneering tone about conservative Christianity itself. Such mockery of religious faith is inexcusable,” he wrote in his opinion piece “God, Satan and The Media.”

Christianity may be mocked, but it is vital. Matt Lewis, a columnist at The Daily Beast, said there should be diversity of faith in the newsroom in his opinion piece published by The Week.

“Media outlets who want to understand America should at least have a few journalists hanging around who share – or at least, aren’t hostile to – the Christian faith,” he said.

He goes on to say many do, and they benefit for it. Christians bring attention to stories other journalists overlook, he said.

Though it may not be appreciated at first, Christians can find respect in the newsroom.

“When I speak to classes of Evangelical college journalists, I tell them that yes, they will face prejudice in newsrooms.

But journalism is not a field for shrinking violets and people afraid to have their feelings hurt,” Dreher said.

“But if you prove your mettle as a writer and reporter, you will win the respect of your peers, and open their minds. In my experience, the bias against religious conservatives in newsrooms is mostly a matter of ignorance, not outright malice.”

Though few, there are Christian journalists who have risen to the top. If Christians want to be journalists, they can.

Christians can balance faith and journalism; it just takes thick skin and endurance.

Two of the conference’s keynote speakers, Ann Shoket, left, and Joanne Lippman, right, talk about being a woman in the journalism field.

8| mcccagora.com •

The Agora

Arts & Entertainment

April 3, 2017

The Mutant Condition

"Logan" is a powerful, moving piece about one of comics' favorite sons Sawyer Jackson Agora Staff

Superhero movies are at their peak now, and in this age of sprawling, interconnected movie universes is missing something: the end.

Free from the constraints of setting up the next film in the franchise or worrying if an actor doesn’t want to return to the role, “Logan” is allowed to intimately examine and provide closure for this iconic character in a way that has never been done before.

The film boasts the high-octane, bloody action that audiences expect from a Wolverine story, but at its core, this is a thematically-rich character drama about Logan as a man, a weapon, and a hero. It’s about honoring the character, his rich history, and Hugh Jackman’s legendary performance. The beloved mutant couldn’t ask for a better send-off than this.

The story is set in the year 2029. The X-Men are no more. Mutants are a dying race. Logan (Hugh Jackman) lives beyond the Mexico border just barely scraping by as a limo driver and as the caregiver of the now-senile Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart). The X-Men’s former leader’s telepathic powers have given way to a degenerative brain disease that triggers deadly seizures.

Logan himself is not healing the way he used to. He just wants to make enough money to buy a boat so he and Charles can get away from the world and live out the rest of their days in solitude. He also carries around an adamantium bullet, to end it all when the time is right.

However, those plans are put on hold when he comes into contact with a young girl named Laura (Dafne Keen), who is a mutant with abilities very much like his.

Laura is being pursued by an enigmatic corporation that sees her as a liability that needs to be terminated.

With nowhere to turn, Logan, alongside Xavier, must escort Laura across the United States to a safe haven called “Eden,” a place she read about in an X-Men comic book.

While “Logan” probably won’t end up being a game-changer for comic book movies, I can see it carving out a unique space in this ever-expanding superhero landscape.

Not tied down to continuity (though to be fair, the continuity of the “X-Men” is a confusing mess at the best of times) or burdened by rating guidelines, the film is free to show off the version of Wolverine that fans have wanted to see for years.

When his claws come out and he goes berserk, it’s brutal, bloody, gory, and most of all, it hurts. Thankfully, director/co-writer James Mangold doesn’t go the easy route and cater to audience bloodlust.

It may have awesome action beats and bloody carnage, but violence is portrayed as something you should always hope to never encounter or commit.

Logan is a man whose life has been consumed by violence. He was transformed with the intent of making the perfect killing machine. He’s watched countless friends and loved ones die. Death and violence are dark, ever-present specters that shadow him wherever he goes.

Killing is an act that leaves its mark and not even Logan can heal from it.

The film is based on superhero comics, but its heart lies in the Western genre. Wolverine and the XMen have fallen into myth. Like most protagonists

in Westerns, Logan is a loner. A man long-forgotten by the world he once helped shape. In response, he wants nothing to do with the world, either.

In fact, his initial instinct when the Reavers first come to collect Laura is to abandon her to fend for herself and get Xavier and himself far from danger.

He knows doing the right thing would be to protect Laura at all costs, but he’s been down this road before. Everybody he gets close to dies violently. He’s without purpose, hope, and love.

It’s a testament to Hugh Jackman’s performance

that we are always on Logan’s side, even when he is making selfish decisions. Though he’s been playing this character over the course of 17 years and nine movies, it feels like Jackman is able to dig deeper into this role than he ever has before.

He never saw Wolverine as merely a platform to catapult himself to bigger and better projects. He’s made it clear he genuinely loves this character and is forever grateful for putting him on the map.

If "Logan" had come out 10 years ago, or with another actor in the role, I don’t believe “Logan” would

have had quite the impact it does. Wolverine belongs to Jackman, and he gives the role everything it deserves and then some.

Though Jackman is more than capable of carrying the film on his shoulders, his co-stars also hold their own. This is Charles Xavier as we’ve never seen him before, and Patrick Stewart is clearly having a blast in this role. He’s older, bitter, and unfiltered.

He was a significant figure in the push for mutant rights, and without his school, his X-Men, and his life’s work, he’s become almost as world-weary as Logan. But he sees a glimmer of hope in Laura that it takes Logan too long to notice. He gets one moment halfway through the film, which I won’t spoil here, that is so emotionally heartbreaking that it stands as some of the best work this veteran actor has accomplished.

The real revelation here, however, is Dafne Keen as Laura. Finding good child actors is hard, but finding great ones is rare. Laura is silent for most of the film, and despite her young age, Keen is up for such a monumental task. It’s difficult for some actors to convey emotions with just facial expressions, but she pulls it off effortlessly.

On top of that, Laura is just an amazing character. Quiet, compassionate, and adorable, yet in equal measure feral and even more badass than Logan.

The film is so reliant on the relationship between Logan and Laura that if a lesser actor had gotten the part, the whole picture could have gone off the rails.

Thankfully, the creative team found a young actress more than capable of going toe-to-toe with Jackman.

From what I’ve gathered, there was pressure from the studio to make Laura older as teen actors are more experienced and can work longer hours, but Mangold and company wisely stuck to their guns.

Laura may be dangerous in her own right, but she’s still a child, which makes the journey to get her to safety all the more critical. It’s not just about saving a little girl, it’s about preserving what little remains of mutantkind.

Superhero stories are about protecting those who can’t protect themselves. While stories about superpowered beings fighting other super-powered beings are cool and have their place, the humanity can easily get lost in the scuffle.

“Logan” is not concerned with taking down the megalomaniacal villain or stopping a world-ending cataclysm as much as it is concerned with our main character doing his best to make sure this child doesn’t go down the same cycle of violence he did.

That’s the most vital lesson a parent can impart on their child. To make sure they go on to live a healthy, peaceful life. To hope they will embody the best of their parents and none of the bad. To learn from their mistakes and become better than they ever could.

Before he comes into contact with Laura, Logan is adrift, and no longer the man he used to be. All it takes is a young girl to remind him of the hero he once was and still has the power to be: Wolverine.

If “Logan” truly is Jackman’s swan song in this role, then he’s going out on a high note. There will inevitably be other actors who take up the mantle in the future, but Jackman’s Wolverine was the best there was at what he did.

What he did will remain forever legendary.

Final Rating: 9 out of 10

Soulless Corporate Drones

"The Belko Experiment" tries and fails to present satirical social commentary Sawyer Jackson Agora Staff

No matter what movie you see this year, you’ll at least be able to say, “Well, it was more pleasant than ‘The Belko Experiment’.”

A shockingly dull and cheap-looking film, “The Belko Experiment” is a horrific endeavor wrapped up in disgusting nihilism that is nowhere near as clever as it thinks it is. Not since “The Purge” has satirical cinema felt so idiotic and unnecessary.

“The Belko Experiment” is a film that wants to make you think and laugh, but all it will end up doing is making you wish you could get home to take a shower as quickly as possible so you can wash away the abhorrent stench it leaves in its wake.

It may only be March, but “The Belko Experiment” has a legitimate shot at being the worst film of 2017.

Set in an obviously CGI office building in Bogotá, Colombia, owned by the titular Belko Industries, the hapless employees go about their day business as usual.

Then the building enters a lockdown and a voice over the intercom tells the 80 people inside that in two hours 30 of them must die or 60 of them will be killed at random. Initially, the employees shrug it off as a prank, but when several people’s heads start exploding, it becomes a fight for survival as one faction desperately tries to find a way out through non-violent methods, while another decides to do whatever it takes to survive.

From this plot description, you’d think that “The Belko Experiment” is an intense, tightly-paced thriller that never lets up. However, before we get to the crassly insensitive bloodshed, the film spends its first half clumsily setting up its characters, who have no discernible personalities other than broad generalizations like “everyman lead,” “love interest,” or “bad guy,” or just small idiosyncrasies that amount to nothing.

For example, it’s established early on one of the characters has an ant farm full

of fire ants at his desk. You would think that this would come back up again later, perhaps someone would meet their end by these tiny insects.

No, it’s shown once and never mentioned or seen again.

But even with such one-dimensional characters comprising the cast, it doesn’t stop the killing from being less stomachchurning.

From the halfway mark to the end, “The Belko Experiment” is a sickening exercise in depraved, savage violence. If you’re idea of a good time at the movies isn’t to watch innocent people beg and weep for their lives before being violently murdered, then this isn’t for you. I can imagine this film’s fans rushing to defend it as satire, however, that doesn’t make it good satire.

I understand what kind of message director Greg McLean (“Wolf Creek”) and writer/producer James Gunn (“Guardians of the Galaxy”) were going for.

When the chips are down, civilized people will revert to their basic instincts to ensure their own survival. But the thing is we’ve seen this premise done before and in much better films, so it’s not like this is a novel idea.

Speaking of films with similar premises, “The Belko Experiment” will make you appreciate how films like “Battle Royale” and “The Hunger Games” executed this concept far better. Those films had clearly-defined worlds and characters who you could care for amidst their terrible predicaments.

This film, on the other hand, is the exact opposite.

I couldn’t tell you why any of these people would work for a shady corporation set in the outskirts of Colombia.

I couldn’t tell what Belko Industries’ actual industry was – it’s frustratingly vague and given little to no explanation.

When the main villain’s motivation is revealed at the end, it was so nonsensical that I can imagine professional social sci-

Just imagine if “The Hungers Games” was set in a school or college campus instead of the wilderness. There would be a massive public outcry with critics accusing the creative team of exploiting actual school shootings.

We live in a world where people have been shot, stabbed, and blown up in schools, movie theaters, churches, clubs, and yes, even offices.

If you want to know if McLean and Gunn care at all about being sensitive of real-life tragedies, there is a scene where people with children under the age of 18 are put on one side of the room while people over the age of 60 are put on the other side. All the individuals over 60 get down on their knees, facing the wall with their hands behind their heads as they are shot, execution style, in the back of their heads.

This entire scene absolutely reeks of Holocaust undertones, and no amount of ironic, diegetic music can change that.

This is an ugly, ugly film. There is no problem with graphic violence on screen but it at least has to have a purpose or be entertaining. “The Belko Experiment” accomplishes neither of those things.

Its attempts at humor fall so flat that nobody in my audience laughed once. Not once.

It wants to be a satire on office culture and a commentary on human nature, but both fall flat on their pretentious faces.

This film did not make me laugh. It did not make me think. It did not frighten me.

All it did was make me wish I was watching something else instead of wasting my time watching this vile dreck.

This is an embarrassment for everyone involved and made worse for its groaninducing sequel-bait ending. I shudder at the mere thought of this becoming a franchise.

If it doesn’t, then I’ll have more faith in humanity than the filmmakers ever could. entists laughing at its stupidity.

What the filmmakers behind "The Hun-

ger Games" had the good sense to do was set the film's death arena in a forest.

Final Rating: 1 out of 10