September/October 2011
Extras Assemble By Ron Sabol For those of you who have ever wondered what it would be like to participate in the filming of a Hollywood action movie, this is the story for you. I recently partook in the filming of a major motion picture up in Cleveland. The confidentiality agreement I signed forbids me from discussing anything that has to do with the movie itself, but not about the overall experience. It started with a casting call near Cleveland in which, over the course of 2 days, over 25,000 people auditioned at the Holiday Inn in Independence. This was in the middle of July, and I, along with thousands of others, was standing in line for several hours just to be considered for an extra part in the film. I waited nearly a month before finally getting the phone call that let me know that they wanted me in Cleveland at the end of August to start shooting a specific scene. I felt a sense of accomplishment that they chose me to be part of a group of 2,000 people that were hand-picked by casting directors out of a possible 25,000. It was pretty special. This was also a paying gig. The casting company paid all of the extras $80 for 8 hours of work, and anything over 8 hours a night was considered overtime. This was excellent that many extra roles are nonInconsidering This Issue paying these days. Meet the Staff 2 I worked for three days under the city lights and the SustainaWhat? 3 moonlight of Cleveland, OH. Each afternoon I would Tribute toatOur Heroes arrive atAwardrobe 4:00 p.m., be on-set by 8:30 4 and work throughout the evening into the early hours What’s New in The School 6 of the morning; ultimately I would be back in my car A Note from Your 6:00 Student 7 and driving home around a.m.Gov. Needless to say, they were some long nights. The thing that surprised True Essence 8 me the most though was the amount of down-time there was between shots that involved the extras. 1
I would literally sit for hours before hearing the call for me and dozens of others to go to set. To be honest, most of the time was spent sitting and waiting to go on-set. You never think about things like that when you watch movies. The time spent on-set, however, was quite memorable. It was amazing to see all of the crew that it takes to shoot, literally, what will be a scene that will take up no more than 5 or so minutes on the screen. The assistant director had to get every person in the right spot to start the shot, and when a take was over we all would return to our “first position.” The average number of takes we would do for certain shots couldn’t have been under 10. It seemed tedious at times, but the experience as a whole was incredible. Regardless of how much down-time there was, or how monotonous things appeared at times, I made some amazing new friends during my three days in Cleveland. I met people who shared my passion and overall love for movies and movie-making. The crew and the cast (those I were able to meet) were great to work with and treated all 2,000 extras very well. And by the way, the name of the movie being shot was “Group Hug.” This, of course, is the code name for the future 2012 summer blockbuster: “The Avengers!”
In This Issue Extras Assemble Meet the Staff The True Essence Walks around Campus Remembering 9/11 A Note from Student Gov’t To Serve as a Model
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Meet the Staff of Stark Voices Editor Christopher M. Usner is a Technical Communication major and has been studying at Stark State since the spring of 2007. He served as the Assistant Editor for the Stark Voices last semester. He works as an IT professional and possesses an associate’s degree in Computer Information Systems and several relevant certifications. After graduation, he plans to study communications at Kent Stark. His hobbies include hiking, bicycling, and photography. His wife Molly is also a Communications major at Stark State and their daughter Lilly just started Kindergarten.
Staff Writer Ron Sabol is a Technical Communications major here at Stark State. He is set to graduate with his associate’s degree in January. He currently has two books in the works, based on his life experiences, which he hopes to have completed by the summer of 2013. Ron will be dedicating all of his work that appears in the Stark Voices to his father, Karl, who passed away on September 10, 2011.
Staff Writer Lori Seccombe-Frase is a returning student at Stark State, and is currently completing her final year at Stark State. She received her first associate’s degree in Business Management-Sales and Marketing in 1987. Lori is now majoring in Human and Social Service with the Gerontology option, will graduate in May 2012, and wishes to obtain employment with a hospice to which she currently volunteers her time. She is serving as the student government president. Lori lives in Hartville with her husband of 23 years and their 3 children. Kaleigh, her oldest daughter, is currently attending SSC with her. Lori is grateful to be able to express her passion for writing by contributing to Stark Voices.
Staff Writer Angela Williams is a very loud and outgoing person, and everyone that knows her would tell you the same thing. She is currently enrolled in the Technical Communications program at Stark State College, and plans to graduate this January. After graduation, she plans on going to Kent Stark to finish a Bachelor's in Communications. She hopes to someday want work as a pharmaceutical sales representative.
Advisors Elizabeth Modarelli and Nicole Herrera are members of Stark State’s English Department faculty.
Contact Us: starkvoices@starkstate.edu http://www.starkstate.edu/starkvoices Stark Voices c/o Elizabeth Modarelli or Nicole Herrera Stark State College 6200 Frank Avenue North Canton, OH 44720
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The True Essence
Walks around Campus
By Christopher M. Usner
By Angela Williams
Women of the World: “A Photographic Journey of New Americans in the Mahoning Valley.” Opened on Saturday, September 24th 2011 at the Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor and will be on display through October.
As many of you have probably noticed, we have a lot going on at Stark State. The campus is expanding and two of the newest additions the new buildings.
The exhibit is the brain-child of Youngstown State University professor Rosemary D’Apolito. Photographs by Stark State’s very own Maria Bleahu are on display at this exhibit. Maria is the head of the video department here at Stark State, a former YSU student and a “Women of the World” herself. Maria, her mother, and siblings came to the United States from Romania when she was three. She’s also a great professor. Maria was quoted as saying, “I wanted to capture their essence”, in regards to the 18 women featured in the exhibit, all of whom have emigrated to the U.S. from nations around the globe. Likewise, Emma Lazarus, an American Jewish poet who never lost sight of her families’ roots, wanted to do the same when she wrote the sonnet “The New Colossus in 1883.”
In the K building, there is a feeding room for new mothers called the “Nursing Mother’s Room”. The room has three different chairs that are blocked by walls for privacy. Also in the K building is a social room. We have thousands of people attending this school, and they are scattered everywhere. People are noisy where they shouldn’t be, like in the quiet study areas. To fix this problem, administration is putting a social room in every building. These rooms are available for students who want to talk or hang out. Yellow signs mark the doors of these social rooms. Now, students don’t need to hang out in the hall way and be noisy, distracting students and faculty members. They can courteously use the social rooms. The new vending machines in this building have credit card readers. So if you do not have cash, you can use your card, but be careful because if you walk away without hitting the end button, anyone can use it. Take advantage of all these new facilities that have been provided for you. If you see something new and have a question, just ask!
The sonnet boldly proclaims, “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” Many including myself would tell you both Maria and Emma were successful in there endeavors. However, it is my belief that the true essence captured in both instances was that of the artist rather than the subjects. 3 3
Remembering 9/11
I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER “Watching the raw footage on TV and feeling such sorrow and pain. God bless their families.” - Erica Jordan, 24. I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER “The show of patriotism.” - Anthony Shields, 40. I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER “The feeling of horror and dread that afternoon after getting home and seeing what was happening.” - Kelli Henderhan, 25. I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER “Where I was ten years ago. I was in the 7th grade in Lit. Class when the first plane hit the World Trade Center! I will never forget what happened that day when terrorists attacked America! For the courageous men and women who sacrificed their lives to help save others and for the families who lost loved ones. This day will always be a part of our hearts and lives.” – Rachelle Rushton.
I WILL NEVER FORGET “The faces on TV.” - Joel Rogers, 20. I WILL NEVER FORGET “The dramatic images of the towers on the large-screen TV in the Diebold cafeteria.” Paul Barans. I WILL NEVER FORGET “The men and women who gave their lives to save others.” And, “the hurt that you can still see, in those that were there and survived.” Kay Wuske, 46. I WILL NEVER FORGET “Seeing the second plane hit, worrying about my Dad because he was flying on a business trip.” Alex Kuzmik, 21. I WILL NEVER FORGET “The look on my teachers face when she turned on the TV and informed us of what was happening.” - Sarah Huff, 20. I WILL NEVER FORGET “The images on TV.” - Mark Yoder, 21.
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A Note from Your Student Government President By Lori Seccombe-Frase Do you know what Student Government is and why it is important that we have one? Student Government is a group of students elected by students to represent the interests and opinions of the student body in an official capacity. We participate in shared governance and strategic planning here at Stark State. We help students understand their rights, responsibilities and privileges. We also work to promote and initiate activities of interests to the student body such as Spring Fling, Interclub Council and our open forums. You can help us by getting involved in student activities such as clubs and student organizations. I will be writing a note for each issue of the Stark Voices and look forward to hearing from many of you soon.
Pictured: Lori Frase – President, Charles Hughes Jr. – Vice President, Heather Boli – Treasurer, & Mahogany Coward – Secretary. Photo by: Mike Ihrig
So without further ado, welcome new and returning students to the 2011-2012 school year: Your student government has started this semester off with a busy schedule. We have recently completed a fundraiser in honor of the ten year anniversary of 9/11. All proceeds raised are being used to put together a care package for a former Stark State student and his platoon that was deployed to Afghanistan on September 11. This care package will be shipped out in the coming months with our thoughts and prayers for a safe return of all members of the armed forces. Thank you to all who donated! A student forum was assembled earlier this month to explain the new direct deposit policy, attendance and the standards of academic progress at the college. Though turnout was very low, the information and questions answered helped the students who attended better understand the processes the college is implementing. Student forums will be scheduled monthly with a different topic of interest each month. Some of the upcoming topics will be the digital library and the learning centers, training on using a graphing calculator, sustainability/green initiatives on campus, registering voters along with election information and candidate biographies. If there is a topic of interest you would like to discuss at a forum please email the student government association at: studentgovernment@starkstate.edu
If you have any comments, suggestions, concerns or even criticisms, about Stark State or this paper, please let us know by contacting us at: starkvoices@starkstate.edu. Because ultimately, this isn’t our paper; it’s your paper. The Stark Voices. 6 5
To Serve as a Model By Christopher M. Usner I sincerely look forward to the day when that can be said of Stark State in the areas of sustainability and green technology.
During a recent interview, Stephanie Smith, Coordinator of Stark State’s Sustainability Task Force, spent about 45 minutes defining sustainability. She explained that while sustainability is directly related to reducing our waste and recycling, it is really so much more.
And we are off to a great start by adhering to strict requirements for LEED Certification on all our new buildings. Such as the North Academic building which, “Requires no potable water and returns only She went on to clarify her point by explaining that clean water, via rain barrel, a rain garden bioswale sustainability here at Stark State was also about and a biofiltration system.” setting an example, fostering the growth of local businesses and stimulating the local economy. All In addition to LEED Certification on new buildings, of this was in addition to dozens of other things we have developed courses in Wind Turbine not mentioned in this article. Maintenance, Fuel Cell Technology, and Fundamental Building Basics for Green But to try and understand it all a little better Technologies. We have also begun the integration of simply remember, we as an institution need to sustainability into our everyday curriculum because, know who we are, where we are going, and although our campus is a keystone in Stark County, realize that on our way there the decisions we our graduates can serve as keystones throughout the make affect all of Stark County and the world. surrounding area. Although we are off to a great start, many challenges lie in the road ahead. But we all can do our part to help. For information on going green check out the “No institutions in modern society are better Sustainability Task Force’s Green Tips at:
equipped to catalyze the necessary transition to a sustainable world than colleges and universities. They have access to the leaders of today and the leaders of tomorrow.”
http://www.starkstate.edu/green/tips http://www.starkstate.edu/green/taskforce
‐David Orr, Oberlin College Higher Education in a Warming World: The Business Case for Climate Leadership on Campus National Wildlife Federation
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