Jan 27, 2016

Starbucks coming to Monroe

Star Wars, outlined and reviewed

Page 4

Middle College gains accreditation

Page 6 January 27, 2016 Vol. 63, Issue 1

Page 3

Enrollment down, potential cuts loom Emily Lorton Agora Staff

Enrollment is down for the sixth year in a row and if the trend is not reversed, President Kojo Quartey said position or program cuts may be needed.

Quartey said he did not want to dwell on negative issues like possible cuts if enrollment continues to decline. He said he is hopeful the college’s Enrollment Management plan will reverse the slide.

In a letter to school employees, Quartey emphasized the need for all employees to be involved in the future success of the college.

“Ladies and gentlemen, should we not succeed in reversing the enrollment trend and improving our financial situation, we will be compelled to eliminate positions and perhaps programs,” he wrote.

Quartey said decisions on which programs would be cut would not be made until the time came. He said there would be a close review of all programs before final decisions were made.

“Should we not succeed in reversing the enrollment trend and improving our financial situation, we will be compelled to eliminate positions and perhaps programs.”

Kojo Quartey MCCC President For now, the school is still focused on improving enrollment.

“We have a very detailed plan on how to recruit students and keep them in school,” Quartey said.

Winter Semester enrollment is 3,012 students, down from 3,266 a year ago – a 7.8 percent drop.

The enrollment plan involves a student alert system, which relies on professors to notify the college when a student is doing poorly in class.

The student will be offered options for seeking help, such as the Learning Assistance Lab. “It is not about boosting enrollment, but a responsibility to the community,” Quartey said.

Quartey said educating more people in the community is his personal mission.

Students with poor grades or those who have not paid their tuition are dropped from the college.

“Enrollment would not be down if these students were still enrolled,” Quartey said.

Quartey said the low enrollment is due to three things: a better economy, fewer local high school graduates, and competition with four-year institutions.

He said the college’s admission standards have nothing to do with low enrollment.

Second millage attempt coming Evan Kutz Agora Staff

MCCC is likely to place another millage proposal on the ballot in November, according to college President Kojo Quartey.

The specific amount and details of the millage would have to be approved by MCCC’s Board of Trustees.

The college’s first millage proposal in 34 years failed in November of 2014, leading to another tuition increase – 8 percent this year.

Quartey said MCCC is working to engage the community in a discussion about the details of the next millage request.

“Last time, we left many stones unturned; this time, no stones will be unturned,” Quartey said.

The failed levy was a “forever tax,” with the increase never go-

See Enrollment, Page 2

The Force awakens Monroe fans Adam Rayes Agora Staff Most MCCC students are fans of the newest Star Wars movie, but still have a bit of criticism for “The Force Awakens.”

Many watched it within the first week of its debut, and said they enjoyed the film. They were even forgiving of its

similarities to “A New Hope,” the original Star Wars movie.

William Hilliker, a CIS professor, said he expected a movie coming 30 years after the original to target a whole new generation.

“So it’s kind of like a reboot, and it’s nice because there is still a mystery, and I still want to go see the next one,” he said.

ing away. The new proposal will be for a limited amount of time, Quartey said.

The main focus of the millage proposal will be improving facilities and infrastructure, Quartey said. The failed proposal was focused on a variety of operational and facility needs, including keeping tuition low.

If this millage vote is approved, it will allow MCCC to use the money for physical improvements, removing the need to tap other resources, Quartey said. That, in effect, will help avoid tuition increases.

If the 2016 millage fails, more positions and programs will be cut and facility improvements put on hold, Quartey said.

“We would not be able to serve the community like we should,” he said.

Quartey has spent the last

Student Grayson Bacarella agreed that the new version should mirror its predecessors.

“I think it’s reasonable that it did, it’s got to be accessible for a lot of new fans,” he said.

“I wish they took a little more risks and made it a bit more interesting, but I have faith for episode eight that they will do something new.”

Student David Hogan echoed that sentiment.

“I liked it, because A New Hope was ‘a new hope’ - it was the beginning of a new trilogy,” he said. “This is another ‘new hope,’ the beginning of another new trilogy.”

Not everyone was such a fan.

“It had kind of a meager plotline,” said student David Kirkland. “Too much action almost; people were just too blood thirsty.”

“The Force Awakens” introduced a whole new set of characters, leaving fans with new favorites. Hilliker said his favorite was Poe, a rebel pilot.

“He brought the smart-ass attitude of Han Solo back into the movies,” Hilliker said. “I think that personality kind of fits him.”

Hogan said he preferred Finn, the storm trooper who rejected The First Order to help the rebels.

several months meeting with community groups and schools across the county. He said leaders in each township asked what they could do to help.

“I have visited every township to seek support in this millage effort,” he said.

Quartey said he would love to see students getting involved by promoting the millage, going door-to-door to gain supporters – and by voting.

He said that if voters see how much the students themselves care, they may re-evaluate their voting position.

The failure of the millage may have been partly due to Quartey being a fairly new president, he said. He started at the college in the fall of 2013 and the millage was on the ballot in the fall of 2014.

See Millage, Page 2

“All six movies never really had – other than Lando – a strong African American character,” he said. “And then they got Finn, who is kind of like a main character, and I think they are going to do great things with him in the future movies.”

Bacarella’s favorite character was Kylo Ren, the new villain.

“At the beginning of the movie I thought he was kind of bratty, and I can understand why a lot of people felt that way,” he said. “I think he is a pretty strong character in how he wants to emulate Vader…I think that was a really interesting angle to go about creating a villain.”

Students differed in their views of Kylo Ren. “I didn’t like the way that Kylo Ren was portrayed, because he seemed like a whiny little punk,” Hogan said.

“Every time something [bad] happened he threw a tantrum and started destroying everything.”

He said he initially didn’t like the actor chosen to portray Ren, Adam Driver.

“When he pulled the mask off, I was a little disappointed, but I thought about it a little bit more and I think he can do well for the character,” Hogan said.

Nursing program to offer P.N. to R.N. move

Julia Skrobowski Agora Staff

For students desiring to move from practical nurse to registered nurse, MCCC offers a new option.

The college plans to begin a practical-nurse-to-registerednurse completion program as early as May, pending final approval by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing.

There was a lot of behind-thescenes work that went into putting this new program option together and Kimberly Lindquist, dean of the Health Sciences Division and director of nursing, gives a lot of credit to the faculty.

“As a division here, and as nurses, we recognize that there is a need for some type of pathway for academic progression—for the

Inside:

P.N. to pursue the R.N.,” Lindquist said. “They [the faculty] did all the leg-work, and they put it all together in a very timely manner.

They worked very hard to make sure that the option is evidencebased.”

Lindquist said the option is designed to assist licensed practical nurses to become registered nurses by transitioning into the Associate of Applied Science degree in nursing program offered

by MCCC. It has already been approved by the college’s internal review structure and by the Michigan Board of Nursing. The college is hopeful that it will receive ACEN approval by March. If the option is not approved by that time, entry into the program will be delayed until 2017.

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“It’s important that people know that it’s been approved by our own curriculum committee. It’s been approved by the Michigan Board of Nursing, but as an accredited program with the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, it’s important that we get their approval,” Lindquist said.

Lindquist does not anticipate issues from the ACEN, but the division won’t know with certainty until she has heard back from them.

General feedback regarding the new program option has been positive and encouraging.

“There’s a significant interest within the student body population, but in addition to that is the interest and the encouragement from our employers,” Lindquist said.

Lindquist said the idea was first introduced to the division’s advisory committee last May. She said the next day their phones started blowing up with students seeking information about when this new option would be going into effect.

The Health Sciences Division planned an information session covering application requirements and the plan of study from 5-6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 27, in Room 165 of the Health Building.

Lindquist said that after meeting non-nursing prerequisite and general education requirements, accepted students can enroll in two P.N. to R.N. transition courses that will be offered during the Spring and Summer semesters.

Once completed, P.N. to R.N. students may transition into the traditional R.N. program and

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complete the Associate of Applied Science in Nursing degree the following Fall and Winter semesters.

“Essentially, once admitted, the program will take one calendar year to complete,” Lindquist said.

For those students interested in this new program option, the first application deadline has been set for Monday, March 14 — pending final ACEN approval.

Lindquist said the college plans to accept a pilot group of about eight students to begin the first P.N. to R.N. transition course during the Spring 2016 semester, which begins in May. Upon completion, a student will be eligible to apply for a license to practice as a registered nurse and to take the National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse (NCLE-RN) examination.

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“We recognize there is a need for some type of pathway for academic progression - for the P.N. to pursue the R.N.” Kimberly Lindquist Dean of Health Sciences, Director of Nursing

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Enrollment dropping Continued from Page 1 He also said some students who do decide to go to college may decide a four-year institution is a better choice – but are encouraged to start here.

MCCC is now targeting not only high school students, but also adult students.

“We ensure that everyone in the county has access to an education,” Quartey said.

MCCC would like to offer more online, hybrid, weekend, and advanced classes as well, he said.

Instead of taking the full 15 weeks, the advanced classes would allow the student to spend more time in the classroom, decreasing the length of the course.

He also noted that many people do not realize their employers

have reimbursed tuition programs. If more employees took advantage of this opportunity, enrollment would rise, Quartey said.

The president should not be the only one recruiting; all staff and faculty also should, he said.

“Everybody should be a recruiter; we should be talking about it wherever we go,” Quartey said.

He expects the faculty to get involved, doing recruiting on their own.

For example, whichever field of study a professor is teaching, he would like them to reach out to the local high schools and discuss the program options with students interested in that field.

The biggest thing is to be innovative, he said.

Second millage planned Continued from Page 1 He also said the effort to communicate the importance of the millage was mostly limited to the city of Monroe – where a majority of voters supported the millage.

There were not enough phone calls and door-to-door visits in other townships, he said.

“If the millage fails, we might not be able to serve as many students as we would like, which

could affect enrollment,” he said.

This is referring to resources like the Learning Assistance Lab, he said. If the college cannot improve these resources, it might drive away students who seek additional academic help.

Quartey said that he and others at the college are remaining positive that the downward enrollment trend will be reversed and the millage will be successful.

HVAC renovation back on track Evan Kutz Agora Staff

The HVAC renovation across MCCC is back on track now that financing has been secured.

This major geothermal renovation project was to be financed by Bank of America, but Key Bank and Sterling Bank and Trust are now jointly financing instead, since they are better fit to handle the 15-year, $17 million loan.

MB&T was at one point in talks to help, but believed MCCC would benefit from going through Key and Sterling alone, as they could sponsor more of the project than they initially estimated, according to Jack Burns, Director of Campus Planning and Facilities.

The final financing remains within the approved budget, Burns said He said securing the financing took some time because of the complex nature of the loan, citing the large amount of paperwork and the fact that it took many people to work together to see it finalized.

“The credit goes primarily to Sue Wetzel, our VP of Administration, who worked incredibly long and hard on that portion of the project,” Burns said.

“After all, securing a loan for that amount of money isn’t as simple as purchasing a new car.

There are way more moving parts to deal with.”

Soon this spring, people may spot the drilling rigs as they work on creating a well field, which is currently being cleared, and some boiler rooms will begin testing the new geothermal HVAC technology.

There will be a temporary air cooler rented again for this sum-

mer, yet this is still financially within the approved project budget, Burns said.

“You never know what you’ll run into,” Burns said “But we plan as well as we can.

Things happen but there’s nothing we can’t overcome.”

Work will begin on buildings about a week after winter semester ends. East and West Technology buildings will be shut down for new HVAC installations.

Temporary offices will be prepared in advance for faculty.

The work scheduled for the corridor between the culinary facilities in the A building has been pushed back, which only means it will now be completed when the rest of the building sees its HVAC installments.

Burns said he’s excited to see the project begin taking off.

“It will be a very busy spring and summer around here for us,” he said.

Burns expects each portion of the renovation to be totally complete by mid-October this year.

At that time, MCCC will be 100 percent relying on the new geothermal system for heating

Co-Editors: Jacob Adams Evan Kutz Adviser: Dan Shaw Staff: Shaylie Calvin Emily Lorton

Justin Pawlowski Agora Staff

Student government has begun planning events for MCCC’s winter semester.

According to Student Government president Jessica Ryder, there are plenty of upcoming events we can look forward to.

“So far, Student Government has been busy planning events for this semester,” she said.

This year’s Sweetheart ball, themed “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”, is currently being planned. The date isn’t set in stone, but the ball should be held in March, as was last year’s ball, the “Gala at Gatsby’s”, which was held at the Crystal Gardens in Southgate. The venue for this year’s Sweetheart ball is still being decided.

MCCC’s yearly Family Fun Night will be held April 15th. Family Fun Night is an inexpensive event sponsored by Student Government. In the past, the admission fee has been only $1. Last year’s

Mika Kotanova Justin Pawlowski Adam Reyes

Brandi Reifsnider Julia Skrobowski Julia Toniolo

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event had games, magic shows, face paint and many other fun activities for the family to enjoy.

Noontime concerts and karaoke in the cafeteria should become more frequent over the next few months. The first karaoke event of the semester will be held Wednesday, January 27th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm.

A dorm room raffle is in the works for the last week in March.

Its purpose is to raise money for a scholarship. Additional details are soon to come.

A human trafficking awareness campaign is being planned for an undecided date.

In addition to Jessica Ryder as Student Government president, officers include: Cole McNew as vice president, Alyssa Turgeon as secretary, Miyuki Zerke as treasurer, Caitlyn Davies as Historian, and Molly Siedlecki as Liaison.

Student Government meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month in the cellar of the administration building.

Last year’s gala was held at the Crystal Gardens. The venue for this year’s event hasn’t been named.

The panel of speakers included, from left to right, Timothy Lusch, Jim Devries, Robin West Smith and Edmond La Clair.

MCCC hosts panel on terrorism For the Agora

Jack Burns, director of Campus Planning & Facilities

January 27, 2016

Student Govt prepping new events

Marina Aguilera

The Agora

Jeff Brown

Campus News

The inevitable tension between terrorism and democracy was discussed last month at an MCCC panel discussion.

The panel, which was part of MCCC’s Current Affairs and Diversity Monthly Series, gave students and community members the opportunity to ask questions on the topic.

Panelists included Margret Ba-

carella, James DeVries, Edmund La Clair, Timothy Lusch, Joanna Sabo, Robin West Smith, and Benjamin Tallerico.

“We are not fighting a war about terrorism, we are creating it,” La Clair said.

The panelists discussed issues regarding terrorism in democratic nations and the Middle East.

“You are more likely to be killed by a television falling on you than a Muslim,” La Clair added.

“One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom,” Bacarella said.

This viewpoint may seem surprising, but many terrorists do not see themselves as a terrorists, they see themselves as freedom fighters.

Comments made by Donald Trump regarding sending immigrants back to their countries was discussed by the panelists.

“We are a nation of immigrants.

We do not ban people based on

where they’re from,” DeVries said.

Several members of the audience asked questions.

“What can our country do to solve the issue of violence and try to create peace,” an audience member asked.

“We have one thing that the rest of the world does not, they come here for a reason: liberty,” Bacarella said.

An audience member asks a question to the panelists.

Photos by Marina Aguilera

Briefs

Monroe grad elected MIT class president Jonathon Brown, a 2015 graduate of MCCC’s Upward Bound program and a direct college student, has been elected freshmen class president at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Brown, who was one of the most highly recruited graduates ever at Monroe High School, was elected president of the 1,100 member class of 2019 at MIT At Monroe High School, Brown held a number of leadership roles, but this is the first time he has been elected class president.

He was a member of student council, National Honor Society President, Upward Bound Student of the Year, and captain of the MHS Wrestling Team.

Brown had offers from eight major universities before choosing MIT. He will serve as president during his freshmen year.

Brown is studying mathematics and astrophysics while at MIT.

DTE endorses college

A film crew from Los Angeles spent numerous days shooting the college campus for a DTE Energy commercial.

“I know that it caused some disruption without much notice, but it appears the result was well worth it,” said Joe Verkennes, director of marketing.

The Career Technology Center is featured in the commercial and gains endorsements from DTE.

Self-defense class offered

Master Mark Bergmooser will be hosting a two hour self -defense seminar geared specifically to women.

The class will show women how to recognize threatening situations, methods on how to respond, and how to gather the confidence to fight back.

Women will learn basic techniques such as basic punches, kicks, and strikes.

The defense seminar will be held Mar. 31 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

For more information or to register, please call the Office of Lifelong Learning at (734) 384-4127 or visit us in the La-Z-Boy Center, room 286.

Math Den hours set The Math Den hours are Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. It is closed Tuesday and Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. for MATH 157. The Math Den offers tutors to help students struggling in any math course.

Aesop’s Fables coming

Nationally acclaimed puppeteer and storyteller Jim West will bring “Aesop’s Fables” to life for children in a show set for Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. in the La-Z-Boy Center.

The show will run one hour in length, and is recommended for grades K-4.

West will bring The Stag at the Pool, The Tortoise and the Hare, The Fox and the Grapes, The Wind and the Sun, and The

Lion and the Mouse to life through large and colorful puppets. The audience will meet Aesop himself, in his Greek toga, with his dog, Moral, by his side.

For more info, go to www.theaterworksusa.org.

Tickets are $5 for general admission.

They can be purchased online at www. monroeccc.edu/theater or by calling (734) 384-4272. They will also be available at the door.

Business, Safety expo hosted

A Business and Industry Safety expo will be hosted by MCCC for the first time.

It will be held in the La-Z-Boy Center on Tuesday, Feb. 23, from 10:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.

There will be vendor booths showcasing the latest in industrial safety equipment and services.

It will feature a lunch at 11:30 a.m. with keynote speaker Nella Davis-Ray, program director, Consultation Education and Training Division, Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Individuals pay $15 to attend, which also includes lunch.

The cost for a vendor booth is $25 and includes lunch for up to two representatives.

To register to attend the Safety Expo, or to secure a booth space, contact Barry Kinsey, director of workforce development, at (734) 384-4124 or bkinsey@monroeccc.edu.

Campus News

January 27, 2016

mcccagora.com • The Agora

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Middle College gaining accreditation Emily Lorton Agora Staff

The Monroe County Middle College may be the first early middle college to be recommended for accreditation by AdvancED, the largest school accreditation agency in the U.S. “The label of being accredited means that as a school we are functioning effectively, that we regularly review our practices, and are planning for the future,” said Robert Krueger, principal of Monroe County Middle College.

Krueger said he knows of no other middle colleges that have been accredited by AdvancED. The process takes about a year to complete, Krueger said.

“At a macro level, when people hear the term ‘accredited’, they think it must be a good program.

But at a micro level, it just means that our program is making constant improvements,” Krueger said.

The main topics AdvancED evaluated are leadership, instruction, teaching and learning, resources, and continuous improvements.

“It was a very reflective process,” Krueger said.

The middle college had to show evidence as to what it is doing to make changes and what it can do to get better.

Eight members of AdvancED visited the middle college on Oct. 5 and 6.

He said the first day they came to ask Krueger questions and to see evidence of the program.

The second day, two members returned and did classroom observations, along with student and teacher interviews.

After the visit, the only suggestion from AdvancED were for the administration to better communicate with parents.

Krueger said the school has set up its own Facebook and Twitter pages to help get information out to students and parents faster.

Emails are constantly sent with updates regarding upcoming events or news. Krueger also has created a newsletter template to help circulate information.

“The middle college will be accredited once the AdvancED has

Photos by Emily Lorton

STEM students work together to create the winning mousetrap car out of Legos.

Group members wondering they could do to improve their car.

its next board meeting,” Krueger said.

The Monroe County Middle College is currently in its seventh year.

The enrollment when the school opened in 2009 was 38 students.

As of 2016, the school has 270 students, Krueger reported.

Students construct mousetrap car.

The initial reception from MCCC professors was not very welcoming, Krueger said.

“Now, the reaction is quite the opposite,” Krueger said.

Krueger said he receives positive feedback from professors; they even contact him with information about a class his students

might be interested in.

The overall acceptance rate of professors has improved.

“Our college readiness has gotten so much better over the last two to three years,” Krueger said.

“The freshman and sophomores learn how to read the college catalog and learn the resources avail-

able to them around the campus,” he said.

Krueger said he is proud of the gradual college load and the success of his students.

The students take one college class their sophomore year and gradually increase the number of classes he or she takes as the years

go on.

He said middle college teachers take a syllabus from a particular college class and structure their class accordingly.

“This is so the students are prepared and know or at least have had an introduction to the course work they will be doing in later years,” he said.

A new edition to the middle college is the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) program.

Students can choose between taking Introduction to STEM or Anatomy and Physiology.

Amanda Himes, STEM teacher at Monroe County Middle College, said this is a problem-based class in which the students are given a real world problem and need to work together to solve it.

“The kids are always so excited and engaged during class,” Himes said.

“I like being actively involved with the students to help them solve problems.”

Krueger added the middle college is in the works of creating a second year program for STEM, Krueger said.

“I’m glad they put an alternative method to the medical field,” said Austin Kiphmiller, first year student of the Monroe County Middle College STEM program.

The students really enjoy the hands-on aspect of STEM and how much fun it is.

“My favorite part is having tons of fun while learning how to be creative,” Julia Hatfield, 14, said.

“I love the teacher; love the class, what’s not to love?”

“All the students take responsibly and this class is a way to teach responsibility to the students because they have to be independent,” Himes said.

“I would much rather come to school now,” said Kennedy Orlandi, first year student of the Monroe County Middle College STEM program.

Information nights for the upcoming 2016-2017 school year will be held on Jan. 27 in Z257 at the La-Z-Boy Center.

The other information night will be held Jan. 20 in the Bedford community library.

Marching for Peace College celebrates MLK with march, diversity fair

Julia Toniolo Agora Staff

President Quartey leads marchers to the diversity fair from the Computer Technology Center.

About 15 people walked from the Career Technolgy Center to the Administration building Monday, Jan. 18, in a Peace March to honor the memory of Martin Luther King.

Temperatures hovered around 15 degrees, with the wind chill about zero, when the marchers left the warmth of the Careet Technology Center.

MCCC celebrated with the Peace March as well as a Diversity Fair located in the Administration building.

After the march, college President Kojo Quartey talked about the importance of celebrating Martin Luther King Day and the Diversity Fair at MCCC. “This nation is as great as it is because of our diversity, because people came from all parts of the world to become part of this great nation. And through diversity, we bring about unity,” Quartey said.

“This is an event where we have the Muslims here, we have the Native Americans, we have African American culture, we have the Gay Straight Alliance here, so this is a way of showing that we are all one.”

Profile shows mix of students who attended MCCC in 2015 Julia Toniolo Agora Staff

The 2015 Monroe County Community College Student Profile reveals enrollment at MCCC continued to decline for a fifth year.

The Fall 2015 headcount was 3,482 which is 8.3 percent less than Fall 2014. Credit hours also decreased by 8.7 percent.

Data from the Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers showed that compared to the other Michigan community colleges MCCC’s enrollment decline was slightly higher than the average 5.2 percent.

Most of the students enrolled at MCCC are part-time students.

Part-Time students make up 67.6 percent of the population and the other 32.4 percent is full-time students.

The Student Profile also shows the demographics of students such as age.

Students under the age of 20 make up 43.3

percent of students enrolled at MCCC. Students 20-24 make up another 30 percent and ages 2529 make up 10.1 percent. Students ages 30 and up make up 16 percent.

In the same section the profile includes information on ethnicity.

According the the information provided 84.5 percent of the schools population is caucasian.

Hispanics and African Americans are tied at 2.7 percent. All other reported ethnicities make up less than one percent of the colleges population. The last 8.4 percent is not reported.

The last page of the Student Profile contains information of the cities with enrollment of 9 or more students.

Monroe leads with 37.7 percent of enrollment. Next is Temperance with 9.4 percent, followed by Newport with 6.8 percent. Carleton with 5.4 percent

Workers at the diversity fair show off their items.

172

Carleton Dundee

129

Erie

70

Flat Rock

49

Ida

114

La Salle

70

Lambertville

101

Maybee

54

Monroe

1203

Newport

216

Ottawa Lake

55

Petersburg

113

Temperance

301

Toledo

82

Trenton

61 0

200

400

600

800

Chart shows which high schools students attending MCCC come from.

1000

1200

1400

4 | mcccagora.com •

Features

The Agora

January 27, 2016

Inside the life of professor Melissa Grey

Nicole Wilson Agora Staff

Melissa Grey is a psychology professor at MCCC, but to understand who she is you have to go beyond her profession.

Grey teaches courses like General Psychology, Psychology of Personality and Adjustment, and Social Psychology at MCCC. Before MCCC, she taught at Eastern Michigan University and University of Michigan Flint.

Grey said her interest in psychology probably started at home. She remembers listening to her parents and relatives dissect issues.

“My parents would often get together with my aunts and talk about a family problem or a social problem, and they would get sort of analytical about it,” she said.

“They would try to construct stories of how people got to be where they are. In some ways, that’s similar to trying to figure out all the factors that might contribute to a behavior in psychology.”

Grey began to realize that psychology could be a career for her in high school.

“I don’t think I knew I wanted to be a psychologist, or really thought about it, until I was somewhere in the middle of high school. I don’t know if I knew about psychology much before then,” she said.

Before she considered psychology as a career, Grey was just another little girl with a dream….the dream of being a secretary.

“When I was really little, the first job I remember ever wanting was I wanted to be a secretary,” she said.

“I really liked stapling things and typing things, and I would play on the typewriter; this was before computers. I liked organization. I would write fake memos to my family.”

Her childhood began in mid-Michigan, halfway between Flint and Lansing. She was born to Sandra and Robert Grey, and has an older brother, Aaron. Although she was born in Flint, her family moved to a rural area when she was very young.

The peaceful home allowed for a happy childhood, Grey said. Her father, Robert, worked at GM for at least 30 years, but was let go and had to look for other work.

Her mother, Sandra, worked as a receptionist and in retail, and was a bank teller for a long time.

They would go on camping trips and

Professor Melissa Grey wanted to be a secretary when she was a littile girl, but ended up with a degree in clinical psychology.

spend time with extended family.

“I think I had a pretty good childhood.

I grew up with my mom, my dad, and my brother and we were a pretty happy family. Pretty supportive and warm and we did fun things together,” Grey said.

Her brother, Aaron, who is 3½ years older than her, was like any other sibling growing up.

“He was old enough to be significantly smarter than me. It took me a while to figure out how to defend myself appropriately against him,” Grey said.

Her brother did show a protective side.

“If somebody was picking on me at school, he was 3½ years older and much taller and would say something to the person. So I knew he cared about me, even if he teased me a lot,” Grey said.

Grey’s imagination was a key playmate when she was younger, especially in the wooded area behind her childhood home.

“I read a lot when I was a kid, just for

fun, and so I would imagine being in lots of other places,” she said, “There were no kids around where I grew up, and so I would often wish that I lived in a city or a town.”

Grey described the forest behind her home that served as a canopy beneath the tall pine trees.

“I had like a whole enchanted fairyland back there,” she said.

As busy as she is, Grey said she wants children, but it’s not something she feels the need to do now.

“I don’t feel like it’s important to me to have my own biological children, but I would like to foster kids,” she said.

“I’d also like to be really well prepared for it and I would like to be home more often if I’m going to do that.”

Everyone has things that makes them feel uncomfortable, but Grey’s is a bit different - not being able to help someone that she cares about is what bothers her

most.

“One thing that tends to make me uncomfortable is when people close to me have problems or a need that either I can’t help with, or they won’t let me help with.

So that sense of, like, I don’t have control over the situation, or there’s nothing I can do, that sort of helpless feeling. I do not enjoy that,” Grey said.

Grey’s goal for the students who take her classes is a simple one – to help them gain skills that they can use later in life.

“I think most of the time my main goal is to help people develop skills so that they can know what they want, or need to know.”

Grey says that psychology can help people understand things that they’re interested in. This can encourage them to figure out more than what they thought they could.

“They can become much better consumers and users of that information and

then have better lives, hopefully,” Grey said.

Grey is busy on campus outside of class. She is co-adviser of two clubs, the Psychology Interest Group (PIG), and the Gay Straight Alliance, (GSA).

One of her colleagues, Tyra Rosinski, a support liaison for the Information Systems Department, said that one thing no one else would know about Grey is that she likes to wear crazy socks.

“She has a pleasant and determined demeanor that reflects in all she does on campus, from being a voice of LGBTQ issues in panel discussions, to being the co-adviser of two clubs,” Rosinski said.

Grey’s colleague, Psychology professor Patrick Wise, said her wicked sarcasm is something that will zing you every time.

“She can be wickedly sarcastic. She can at times with her deadpan delivery zing you more than you’d think you could be zinged,” Wise said.

One of the courses that Grey teaches, Psychology of Personality and Adjustment, is learning about yourself as a person.

Grey has worked as a clinical psychologist. The training process she went through has helped her in her work, diagnosing some with mental disorders.

“I am a clinical psychologist, so some of my training and my work life has been in meeting people who have questions or concerns about their mental health and diagnosing mental health conditions,” Grey said.

Grey has been at MCCC four years.

“I was really excited when I got this job. I had gone on several interviews; I had a couple of offers I wasn’t really certain about,” she said.

“Then when I got word that I could be hired here, and they were offering me the position, I was genuinely really excited.”

Wise described his impression of Grey when he met her.

“My first impression of her during the hiring process was intelligent, well spoken,” he said.

Wise said Grey was at ease with herself and the interview. She projected a sense of genuineness.

“Sometimes, when people come into a new situation, they try very carefully to match what’s socially expected, so it may come off as a little artificial,” he said.

“Melissa did not come off that way; she came off as being, this is who she really is.”

One Book asks for WWII letters home Dan Shaw

Agora Adviser

I asked my mother recently if I could see the letters my father wrote home from World War II. “Sorry,” she said. “I finally got tired of moving them around and threw them away.”

“Oh, no. Why didn’t you give them to me?”

“I didn’t know you wanted them.”

I would have wanted them, I told her. I can only imagine the stories they would tell.

My father was in one of the eastern-most units, barreling across Germany to meet the Soviets as the war came to an end. He had proposed to my mother before he left for Europe; they agreed not to marry until he returned.

You can imagine the love that was expressed in those letters. I could hear the melancholy in my mother’s voice as she talked about them.

The novel chosen for this year’s One Book, One Community program is set in World War II, and it includes graphic descriptions of how the war affected two young people – a German boy and a French girl.

It’s one of those books you don’t want to put down.

You’ve immersed yourself in the lives of young Marie-Laure, the blind girl who fled Paris with her father, and Werner, the nerdy German boy who was forced to fight for his country. Their stories are your story; you’re on the edge of your seat as their fates hang in the balance.

We can’t transport ourselves back to France in 1944. But through the novel, “All the Light We Cannot See,” we can relive the alternating horror and tenderness that author Anthony Doerr weaves into his pages.

And perhaps there’s a way we can visit scenes from World War II, through the eyes of our parents and grandparents who fought on the plains and

mountains of Europe and the islands and high seas of the Pacific.

Many Monroe County families have letters from World War II tucked away in boxes in the attic, pasted into albums and folded in bureau drawers.

Individually, they may seem ordinary or mundane to family members. But collectively, they could form a mosaic of memories that would make a significant addition to our perspectives on war in general and WWII in particular.

The Monroe County Museum, The Monroe News and Monroe County Community College are asking you to share your letters with the One Book program.

We promise we’ll take good care of them. If your family is willing to donate them to the museum, they will become part of the museum’s permanent collection, safeguarded for posterity. If you would rather keep the letters, we’ll scan them for use in the exhibit, and return them to you.

We’ll use the letters to create an exhibit at the museum, which also will be shared with the community through the pages of the Monroe News (and its website), The Agora, and at various One Book events.

The idea of asking for letters from World War II comes from a “companion read” that we’ve added to this year’s One Book program. In addition to Doerr’s book, we’re suggesting participants read, “A Thousand Letters Home,” by Teresa Irish, which is based on her father’s World War II letters.

Our goal will be to share a treasure trove of memories with Monroe County residents, both today as part of the One Book program, and forever as a museum exhibit.

I can’t get my father’s letters back. But perhaps I can capture something close to the same memories by reading letters written by other soldiers, sailors and airmen who served their country fighting for the cause of freedom in World War II. (Dan Shaw is a Journalism professor at MCCC and a member of the One Book, One Community Committee.)

How to donate your letters You can drop your letters off at the Monroe County Museum, 126 South Monroe Street, on Thursday afternoons through February.

To make an appointment for another time, or to have someone from the museum pick them up at your house, call Caitlyn Riehle, Curator of Collections, at 734-240-7780.

About the One Book project The One Book, One Community of Monroe County Committee has chosen 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “All the Light We Cannot See,” by Anthony Doerr, as this year’s featured book.

“Doerr’s novel transports readers to World War II in Europe. Through detailed and engaging storytelling, readers enter the world of Marie Laure, a blind girl who lives in Paris with her father, and Werner, a German boy who learns to build and fix radios.

When the Germans invade Paris, Marie Laure and her father are forced to flee to the Brittany coast. Meanwhile, Werner is forced into the Nazi war machine, where his radio knowledge is used to hunt down resistance fighters.

Doerr’s story illuminates the world of both young protagonists and shows us how, against all odds, people can survive and maintain their humanity.

A series of community events planned around the themes in “All the Light We Cannot See” will run from March 14 to April 9.

Students have mixed thoughts about Starbucks arrival

Julia Toniolo Agora Staff

As construction continues for Starbucks, MCCC students are weighing in on the arrival of another coffee stop in Monroe.

Student Hope Trowbridge likes Starbucks, but prefers one of the other coffee chains in Monroe.

“I like Starbucks. It’s a little too strong, so I prefer Tim Hortons, but I still like it,” Trowbridge said.

Student Darian Branham says she may go to Starbucks to get some coffee before classes when it opens.

“I think I’ll try it out since I go to school here and I’m probably going to be pretty tired, like I usually am,” Branham said. “It would be a good place to stop by to get some energy.”

Branham hasn’t been to many of the other coffee places in Monroe, but mentions a positive experience at Monroe’s Biggby.

“I’ve been to Biggby a couple times, I went there before my dance recital and it was a good time,” Branham said.

Student Carli Congioloso dislikes Starbucks and prefers going to other places in Monroe for coffee.

“I personally think Starbucks is overpriced and it tastes burnt. I prefer Dunkin Donuts or Tim Hortons,” Congioloso said.

Starbucks will be located on the corner of Telegraph and Mall road.

Student Erika Kunkeli said Starbucks employees move too fast to make the drinks, compared to other coffee businesses.

“It isn’t as good as Tim Hortons because Tim Hortons takes their time with their coffees and Starbucks rushes it through,” Kunkeli said.

Starbucks will have plenty of competition when it opens.

The business will compete with Dunkin Donuts, Tim Hortons, Biggby, Agua Dulce, and Panera Bread as the coffee wars continue.

Biggby Store Manager Tiffany Scott doesn’t think the arrival of Starbucks will affect Biggby’s business.

“We’ve got a loyal customer base who’ve already expressed their views on the matter. They don’t just come to Biggby for our vast selection of specialty beverages, they come for our customer service,” Scott said.

The new Starbucks will be located on the corner of Telegraph Road and Mall Road and will have a drive-thru for easy access for customers.

Scott thinks the drive-thru may make some competition when the store first opens.

“I’m sure Starbucks will get a lot of attention initially. Perhaps we’ll even lose a few customers to the convenience of a drive-thru,” Scott said.

No date has been set for when Starbucks will open.

Opinion

January 27, 2016

mcccagora.com • The Agora

|5

Politics of a poisoned city: Flint’s water crisis Adam Rayes Agora Staff

Photo By Andrew Jameson

A bridge over the Flint River, where the emergency manager chose to get Flint’s water supply, leading to water quality issues.

An extremely long story made very short: Snyder’s administration finally made a statement of admittance and apology on Dec. 29, 2015: “I know many Flint citizens are angry and want more than an apology. That’s why I’m taking the actions today to ensure a culture of openness and trust.

We’ve already allocated $10 million to test the water, distribute water filters, and help in other ways.”

The $1 million to $2 million saved in 2014 turned into $10 million now to clean up the mess (Not including the estimated $1.5 billion needed to permanently solve the problem).

As you may recall, the switch was performed under Flint Emergency Manager Darnell Earley’s orders. So, the question remains: Why was this allowed to happen?

MCCC’s Political Science professor Joanna Sabo offered her assessment.

“When you put an emergency financial manager in charge of a city, especially one as large as Flint, you are taking the control away from the people of the city and you are giving it to managers who are hired by the governor’s office,” she said.

“So it’s a little bit difficult for accountability to occur, because you have one person who is making decisions and doing a lot of these things to try and fix the city, but you don’t have a lot of people giving input. So there are a lot of singleminded decisions that came down and I think the governor has apologized for some of those.”

Sabo said emergency managers are used when a city is mismanaged by its elected officials.

“The state takes them over and ap-

ENGINEERS, ARCHITECTS, SCIENTISTS, AND VISIONARIES.

By now most of America knows about the Flint water crisis — when it started, how it happened, and the response (or lack thereof) by the Snyder administration.

What needs to be discussed now, from a political standpoint, is why it happened and what happens next.

First a quick recap of the events that led to the current situation.

On April 25, 2014 Flint, under the supervision of Emergency Manager Darnell Earley, officially switched from using the Detroit pipeline to the Flint River as a water source. A press release from that time dismisses concerns over the safety of the water.

“To dispel myths and promote the truth about the Flint River and its viability as a residential water source, there have been numerous studies and tests conducted on its water by several different independent organizations… Flint water is safe to drink.” — Press Release dated April 25, 2014 The switch was made to save some money — and it did, around $1 million to $2 million, according to emails released

by Gov. Rick Snyder recently.

But that money was only saved temporarily. In October of that year, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) released a response to a Flint advisory to boil water, claiming that cold weather, aging pipes, and the city’s population decline were responsible for the advisory.

“The switch over to use Flint water has spurred most of the controversy and contention. The DEQ and DCH feel that some in Flint are taking the very sensitive issue of children’s exposure to lead and trying to turn it into political football” — an email dated Sept. 25, 2015, from the governor’s chief of staff.

Tensions began to rise over time, as residents of Flint began to experience foul smells and rashes coming from the water.

People began carrying jugs of brown water to meetings.

“Given the very high lead levels found at one home, and the preflushing happening in Flint, I’m worried that the whole town may have much higher lead levels than the compliance results indicated, since they are using preflushing ahead of their compliance sampling” — a memo from EPA expert Miguel Del Toral in February 2015 which basically stated that the state was testing in a way which could severely understate the levels of lead in the water.

“It appears DEQ staffers have essentially downplayed or ignored warning signs from EPA’s water expert, Miguel Del Toral… his email dated 2 months earlier on Feb. 27, to Jennifer Crooks and Mike Prysby, seems to lay out exactly what has come to pass…” — internal memo dated October 18, 2015

Possible is everything.

“I know many Flint citizens are angry and want more than an apology. That’s why I’m taking the actions today to ensure a culture of openness and trust.

We’ve already allocated $10 million to test the water, distribute water filters, and help in other ways.”

— Gov. Rick Snyder points a manager to run the affairs of the city,” she said.

“If there is a mayor, that person is no longer in charge, if there is a city manager they are no longer in charge. And then the emergency financial manager can hire staff, he can hire within the city, he can hire private consultants to try to make some tough decisions to get the city out of debt and being able to take care of itself again.”

In theory it makes sense. A bad local government gets replaced by good “emergency manager,” until the locals are ready to take care of themselves again.

But, there are still problems.

“Unfortunately, sometimes you have people coming in with no knowledge of the community, or the city that they are assigned to,” Sabo said. “Or there are some political favors that are made and then mistakes are made — that’s what happened with Flint.”

The emergency manager system can tear at the very fabric of our democracy.

“I’ve never been in favor of the emergency financial manager process.” Dr. Sabo said “I believe that democracy starts at the

local level; whether it’s a school board or a city, or any place that has a problem. If their elected officials get that city into a dire situation, the city has to deal with it and the citizens should have to deal with it. Then they learn to pay better attention to who they elect.”

So the $1.5 billion, city poisoning mistake happened all because of an anti-democratic law that gave one man unlimited power. Please tell us this doesn’t happen often.

“It’s a law in Michigan that has been challenged by a few cities. Detroit’s been under one, Pontiac has been under one, Flint has been under one… there have been other cities that have met similar fates,” Sabo said.

That isn’t promising but remember, this all traces back to the top. The emergency manager law was passed by Gov. Snyder himself, who will likely not be returning to politics anytime soon.

“Rick Snyder is trying to leave on a positive note, I have a little inside knowledge on this, and I will tell you that he’s pulling the financial manager, or at least there’s a rumor — I have to say it’s a rumor, that he’s pulling the financial manager from

Pontiac, so he can show that Pontiac was a success story. They’re ready to stand on their feet again. So he might use that on his way out to say ‘Look, it doesn’t always work so bad, it works over here.’ …

I think any further ambitions in politics are dashed for him, I really do,” she said So there’s some good news. But, all of you asking for Snyder’s arrest may want to put down your pitchforks.

“He may be able to be sued as a person,” Sabo said. “I don’t think he can face criminal charges at this point.

“If there was a cover up, and there’s been an allusion to that, that’s a different story. If there was something hidden or something illegal, or fraudulent, then yes.”

She said enough isn’t known about the details of what Synder and his aides knew and when they knew it to determine whether there was fraud involved.

“Obviously, the decision was made to try to save some money, but, they ignored people’s complaints and that I think is a problem,” Sabo said.

“I just don’t think we can go and say criminal at this point. I think there is ignorance, lack of qualification, bad decision making, but you find that not just in government but in industries too.” #arrestgovsnyder may need to be put on hold until someone checks a few law books. However, considering the recent issues of race that have been cropping up all over America, and the fact that Flint is 57 percent African American, there have to some be racial implications. Right?

Dr. Sabo doesn’t think so.

“I mean, I could be wrong, but there’s obviously people who want to say, ‘If this was a white community, they would have been listened to more. They would have been treated better,’” she said.

“I believe that’s possible, but I don’t think that what happened in Flint should be turned into an argument about race issues.”

When it comes to a national level, Sabo said she doesn’t see it being used as more than an arguing point for Democrats.

“I think it’s going to be used in this upcoming election, and then it’s going to fizzle out,” Sabo said.

I think the issue here is an anti-democratic law was passed and gave the wrong people too much power. Political ego led to a city of poisoned children. The whole point of democracy is to avoid situations like this.

Snyder’s use of emergency managers limits democracy, which is not ok.

Unfortunately, between #arrestgovsnyder and Democrats using this incident for political gain and not much else, I worry that the lessons that needed to be learned are being ignored.

Let’s hope whoever’s next in the governor’s chair gets rid of the emergency manager system — before something like this happens again.

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6 | mcccagora.com •

Arts&Entertainment

The Agora

Star Wars: A New Hope Awakens

Adam Rayes Agora Staff

I hadn’t watched the original Star Wars trilogy until 2013 but when I did I was blown away.

It was an incredible trilogy that transcended time and was an amazing experience despite the fact that I had the twist of Darth Vader being Luke’s father spoiled for me long ago, on a playground far, far away.

So, how does “The Force Awakens” hold up? It’s quite clear that J.J. Abrams was attempting to retain the feeling of the original trilogy and does so successfully most of the time.

Abrams has made his love of Star Wars clear, both in interviews and in his previous work.

This is the movie he was destined to make, which leaves the movie dripping with an obvious love of the original trilogy. This is the movie’s greatest strength and its greatest weakness, especially considering how much it mirrors the events of “A New Hope”.

Abrams, in keeping with Star Wars tradition, cast mostly unknown actors in the lead roles, to great success. Seeing the characters we all know and love such as Han Solo (Harrison Ford)

and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) mesh well with new characters Finn (John Boyega) and Rey (Daisy Ridley) is a beautiful and hopeful sight.

The fact that the new main characters are a man of color and a female doesn’t feel like a shameless gimmick is a testament to both the quality of the movie’s writing and acting. The characters are well put together and feel like real, living, breathing people.

The movie shows how to bring about emotion through action, without sacrificing epic moments.

Every action sequence is breathtaking, brutal, and emotional.

Each character’s emotional state and goals are laid out with every shot, strike, and grimace. These sequences told me more about some characters than dialogue ever could.

Not to say that the dialogue is lacking in any way, but, it’s nothing to write home about either. It sufficiently fits the world and characters with some decent humor thrown in. Yes, you read that right, good humor in Star Wars. (Spoilers Ahead) It’s now 30 years after “Return of the Jedi” and a new dark force, called the First Order, has risen from the ashes of the now defunct

evil empire. The story begins on the planet Jakku, where one of the rebellion’s best pilots, Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac) is there to retrieve a map that leads to Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) at the behest of the rebellion’s leader, General Leia (Carrie Fisher).

Upon receiving the map, he hides it in his trusty (and adorable) droid BB-8. Poe is quite epically

captured by the film’s main villain Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), in a raid/ massacre on the village, sending BB-8 on the run.

Soon after, we meet Rey (Daisy Ridley) and then see Ren interrogate Poe, discovering that BB-8 has the map. Then Stormtrooper FN-2187 (John Boyega) is introduced, a conflicted soldier who decides to desert after witnessing

the horrors his commrades carried out on Jakku. He bravely chooses to help Poe escape.

In the ensuing chase the pair are forced to crash land on Jakku, where Poe disappears, leading Finn (the new name Poe gave FN-2187 before they crashed) to believe he is dead. Finn ends up meeting Rey and BB-8, and they end up having to run from the First Order by using the Millennium Falcon, which is then captured by a freighter owned

by Han and Chewie that so happened to be in the area and scanning for the Falcon.

A strong suspension of disbelief is required to follow all of the coincidences that occur in Star Wars, and “The Force Awakens” is no different. It does get difficult when you see how similar it is to “A New Hope” BB-8’s hidden map may as well be R2D2’s hidden plans for the Death Star, Starkiller base is just a bigger Death Star (“There is always a way to blow these things up.”Han), Rey’s expert flying mirrors Luke’s, Poe may as well be this generation’s Han, and the rebels are still a small force fighting the big bad.

To a number of fans, the fact that the main plot points were taken wholesale from Episode 4 is

Top ten games released in 2015 Adam Rayes Agora Staff

Putting together a list of “best” games for 2015 is much harder than expected. So, here are my top 10 games of 2015.

10. “Undertale” - Developer: Toby Fox Publisher: Toby Fox To understand this strange creation, you have to play it. “Undertale” belongs on this list because of its unique premise, world, characters, and its cultural significance. Most gamers would strongly recommend this short experience.

9. “Cities Skylines” - Developer: Colossal Order Publisher: Paradox Interactive “Cities Skylines” is what the most recent “SimCity” should have been. A fun, offline experience with surprising depth. “Skylines” is the ultimate city building game and is a must own for fans of the old “SimCity.”

8. “Fallout 4” - Developer: Bethesda Game Studios Publisher: Zenimax Media

“Fallout 4” is a great game. It has a well written story, fun characters, and great gunplay. However, “Fallout 4” is a terrible “Fallout” game. It sacrifices the idea of player agency and roleplay present in previous installments for shooting and base building.

7. “Rainbow 6” Siege - Developer: Ubisoft Montreal Publisher: Ubisoft I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this game.

“Siege” is a game about working with a team, carefully considering your options, and properly carrying out a tactical defense or attack. The tense action of this game leads to such unbridled satisfaction when it goes right, I had to put it on this list.

6. “Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain” - Developer: Kojima Productions Publisher: Konami “Metal Gear Solid 5” is a wonderful game made in a bad environment. The game’s lackluster third act and a large number of micro transactions for the multiplayer component are a result of the internal war happening between the game’s creator Hideo Kojima and his publisher Konami. Because of this, the game is held back from its full potential, but it is

still a fantastic work of art.

5. “Bloodborne” - Developer: From Software Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment “Bloodborne” is an incredible experience that combines horror with difficulty. Behind every corner is a terrifying creatures that makes you consider each move because any move could be your last. The difficulty is the kind that helps you learn from your mistakes, and makes you eager to try again.

4. “Until Dawn” - Developer: Supermassive Games Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment “Until Dawn” has no right to be as good as it is.

Nearly every attempt made by developers to combine the cinematic nature of movies with the player agency of games has failed. However, where others fail, “Until Dawn” succeeds. Using the horror tropes of a teen slasher flick and the unique and tense premise of working to keep the main cast alive until dawn, this sleeper hit is one of the best games of this year.

3. “Soma” - Developer: Frictional Games Publisher: Frictional Games “Soma” is a horror game that takes place in an

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January 27, 2016

a disappointment, and at the worst is an indictment of the entire new trilogy being destined to suck.

While this is an understandable criticism, I don’t believe it is entirely accurate. The parallels aren’t to the movie’s detriment, but instead its benefit. While the main plot points are the same, it’s everything in between that makes this movie great. Finn, for example, completely rocks the boat by being unlike anyone we have seen in Star Wars. Rey follows a similar storyline to Luke, although their characters couldn’t be more different.

I choose to believe the mirror this movie holds to Episode 4 is a set up for something completely new in 2017 when we get Episode 8. If the next episode mirrors “The Empire Strikes Back,” I’ll be severely disappointed.

“The Force Awakens” is a great Sci-Fi movie in its own right, with great characters, mostly well written dialogue, incredible acting, awesome set pieces, and a good enough beginning for a new trilogy. A good reintroduction to old fans and a perfect entry point for the new ones, Episode 7 is a mostly utilitarian entry in the franchise, but one that is absolutely worth watching.

abandoned Sci-Fi underwater research facility. Without spoiling anything, this game’s terrifying creatures and world forces you to ask yourself what it means to be human, and it will put your answer to the test.

2. “Rocket League” - Developer: Psyonix Publisher: Psyonix Playing soccer with cars that have rocket boosters.

Need I say more? Yes? Long story short, “Rocket League” came out of nowhere, with the unique, incredibly fun, and addicting premise of playing a fast paced game of soccer with otherworldly physics and rocket powered cars.

1. “The Witcher 3” - Developer: CD Projeckt RED Publisher: CD Projeckt The best game of 2015 is “The Witcher 3”. With over 200 Game of the Year awards won, I am in no way alone in saying this. “The Witcher’s” excellent, tactical, and customizable gameplay only adds to its excellent world, characters, and story. This is how games should be, a world and story you truly care about and the agency to directly affect both. The “Witcher 3” is, without a doubt, the best of 2015.