Horror movies for Halloween
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One Book One Community book announced
Page 4 Oct. 10, 2016 Vol. 64, Issue 2
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Students help with millage By Leah Thomas Agora editor
Student Gunner Badillo has decided to get involved in the effort to pass the millage. He has walked the streets with President Kojo Quartey for a little over a month, going door-to-door leaving material all over the county, and speaking with anyone he meets. Badillo said it takes time and energy, but the work has immediate impact. He said he can speak to 30 people in ten minutes. “I want the community to be different, and how dare I expect it to be different if I do not want to put the effort in myself,” Badillo said. He is not being compensated for his efforts, but Badillo said he just wants to help his community. “With a productive college, you have a smart community,” he said. Badillo found out about the need for student involvement when Quartey spoke
“My entire career I have worked to try and make a difference in other people’s lives, and this is going to make a difference, not only in the lives of the students on campus but in the lives of individuals in this entire community.” Kojo Quartey President of MCCC about the millage during one of his classes. During a class break, Badillo asked Quartey when he was going out next and Badillo has been helping ever since. He hopes that when students see his involvement, they will want to help too. Students Leslie Austin and Chris Holmes also have gone door-to-door with Quartey. Quartey said usually a group of two or
three people go door-to-door. He said he works about ten to 20 hours a week lobbying for the millage. Since he still has regular hours at the college, he primarily goes door-to-door on weekends. “It’s not my millage, it’s the college millage, but I am the leader of the college,” Quartey said. “I need to lead by example.”
They have finished Milan, Dundee, Maybee, and Raisinville, but they still have twelve more cities to go, although some of them do not have a dense population. In each city, they try to go to businesses, neighborhoods, and senior centers. Businesses include gas stations, bars, and restaurants. They want to target places where many people will see the material. People are picking it up. Quartey said he has gone to a gas station in Maybee three times and every time the material was gone. Quartey also has been attending township meetings. Penny Dorsey, administrative assistant to the president, and Jim Ross, director of Data Processing, cover the meetings he is unable to attend. Several groups have endorsed the college and some have donated money.
See Three, Page 2
Grayson Bacarella elected president Joseph Abrams Agora staff
Grayson Bacarella won the election for president of the MCCC Student Government. Along with Bacarella, the rest of this year’s Student Government council was decided at a Sept. 27 meeting. Joel Spotts is the vice president, Clayton Blackwell is secretary, Javed Peracha, treasurer, Aidan Higgins, liason, and Emily Cornett, historian. There was a heated race this year for the position of president, with each of the candidates argueing they were the best fit for the job. This is Bacarella’s second year in Student Government, after being an active participant in the year prior. Bacarella hopes to use his experiences in to improve his tenure as president. “I think the skills I have learned, I would be the president this group deserves,” Bacarella said. Bacarella also said that he thought the office of president would lead to personal improvement. He said he hoped the position would allow him to develop the skills he learned last year. As for his biggest flaw, Bacarella said he worked too hard. “I tend to overclock myself and put too much on my plate,” he said. After winning the election, Bacarella said that running for this position was not a spur of the moment decision. “I’m very excited, I’ve been interested in this position for a pretty long time, for a couple months now,” he said. “I’ve been talking a lot about it with fellow Student Government members, so I just ran and it worked out.” Bacarella also has the advantage of
Photo by Vanessa Ray
Grayson Bacarella presents reasons why he should be president, as last year’s president, Jessica Ryder, listens.
being good friends with this year’s vice president, Spotts. “Me and Joel are in contact a lot, we
see each other a lot, so we can bounce off ideas and keep track with what’s going on with each other,” Bacarella said.
“And I think that does, in a way, keep us on track.”
See Student Government, Page 2
Agora hosts candidate forum Agora staff
Students and employees can meet the four candidates for the MCCC Board of Trustees at a candidate forum at the college Oct. 19. Three positions are on the Nov. 8 ballot – one four-year term and two six-year terms. Current Trustee Aaron Mason, who was appointed last December, is running unopposed for the fouryear term. Three others are running for the two six-year terms: Dr. Edward Feldman of Monroe, who also was appointed to the board last December, William Bruck of Erie, and Steven Hill of Dundee. The forum is sponsored by The Agora, the student newspaper at MCCC. Leah Thomas, editor of The Agora, will be the moderator for the event. The candidates will be asked questions developed by The Agora staff, as well as questions from the audience. All four candidates have agreed to attend the event, which will be at 7 p.m. in the atrium of the La-ZBoy Center. Two of the positions are open because Feldman and Mason were appointed, and must be elected to retain the seats. The third opening is the seat currently held by Board Chairman Joseph Bellino, who is running for the state House of Representatives in the 17th District. Bruck, a lifelong Monroe resident, is owner of Visiting Angels Monroe, a home health care agency. He also is an active Army Reservist and a journeyman lineman electrician. He graduated from Monroe High School and has a bachelor’s degree from Northland Baptist Bible College, a master’s degree from Columbia Southern University, and training from American Line Builders Apprentice Training. He currently holds the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 3 and served three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also serves as president of the Monroe Aging Consortium Board of Directors. Feldman is a retired Monroe physician. He also was an adjunct instructor in Anatomy and Physiology at MCCC from 2008 to 2010. He has a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University, a master’s degree from the University of
See Agora, Page 2
Orphaned baby squirrels rescued near library By Miranda Gardner Agora staff
Three orphaned baby squirrels were found by MCCC students in front of the library building. Students Ryan Hurd, Ryleigh Byrne, Sarah Worrel, Casey Vanover, and Ryan Clukey were among the many who saw the squirrels Monday, Sept. 19. Clukey and Vanover were leaving their non-verbal speech communication class at 1:50 p.m. when they noticed the commotion. “I saw Ryleigh pointing at one and saw the other trying to get into the school,” Clukey said. “He wanted into the library.” The female squirrel was near the circular centerpiece between the A and C
buildings, and the male squirrel was on the mat in front of the library doors. The male was more social with the students than the female. The male had already walked up to a student, who petted him, before Clukey picked him up. Students named him Chad because he is a college squirrel, Clukey said. “He liked crawling up my left shoulder,” he said. “He liked being up at the top.” Kerry Kamalay, a DNR-licensed animal rehabilitator, agreed to pick up the two baby squirrels that day. She said they were less than 5 weeks old. Kamalay fed the squirrels a rehydration solution before traveling back to To-
ledo. “He nibbled on the ends of my fingers,” Clukey said. “Makes sense for how young they are.” Wednesday morning students Kayla Maddox and Taylor Apker discovered the third orphaned squirrel jumping frantically outside the library doors. Maddox grabbed a brown shipment box from the library to rescue the female squirrel. Both students struggled to grab the bouncing squirrel, which was headed toward the grass, but managed to safely capture and secure it in the box. They took the baby squirrel to class while they awaited Kamalay’s second rescue at MCCC.
Once Kamalay arrived, she said the orphan was very underweight and dehydrated from being abandoned for so long. A couple weeks later, Kamalay gave an update on the baby squirrels. “They’re doing really good,” she said. The last squirrel found calmed down when she was reunited with her brother and sister. “The third female was really shy, but once she realized I wasn’t going to hurt her, I could give her formula,” Kamalay said. The squirrels are on a diet of blackberries, blueberries, corn off the cob, and walnuts. They will be ready for release in two or three weeks, Kamalay said.
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A squirrel nibbles on Ryan Cluky’s hand.
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