June 16, 2008



Oct. 12, 2009The DigestWhat’s Happening at KVCCWhat’s below in this edition?? ??? Prison writings (Pages 1/2)? SSC ‘meltdown’ (Pages 13/14)? Foundation trustees (Pages 2/3)? Brown’s raid (Pages 14/15)? Climbing tests (Pages 3/4)? ValleyOne ‘grace’ (Pages 15/16)? College Night (Pages 5/6)? TV show a winner (Pages 16/17)? Wellness checks (Page 7) ? Hospitality training (P-17/18) ? Chemistry Day (Pages 7/8)? Friday-night fun (Pages 18/19)? Wind seminar (Page 8)? Eagle take-off (Pages 19/20)? Recycling ‘blues’ (Page 9)? RC grad No. 1 (Page 20)? Yoga time (Pages 9/10)? City election (Pages 20/21)? Exercise opps (Page 10)? KVCC ‘first’ (Page 21)? ACC hosts ‘Mask’ collector (P-10/11)? E-mail alert (Pages 21/22)? Linda’s landscapes (Pages 11-13)? Walls of ivy (Page 22)? PTK induction (Page 13) ? And Finally (Page 22)??????The rehab power of wordsHow the literary arts can be used to aid in the rehabilitation of current prisoners and ease the transition back into society for former inmates is the theme of a pair of public presentations on Friday (Oct. 16).Poet/author Joseph Bathanti, professor of creative writing at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, will conduct a reading of his written words at 4 p.m. in Anna Whitten Hall and follow that up as the leader of a “Community Conversation” at 6 p.m. in the Immanuel Christian Reformed Church located at 1301 N. Burdick St.Earlier in the day, Bathanti, who has visited prisons for 33 years and engaged inmates in the importance of telling their stories, will be meeting with elected officials, criminal-justice professionals, college students and writing instructors, youth offenders, and the families of those who have spent time in jail. Part of the 4 p.m. program will be readings from the poems written earlier in the day by current and former prisoners.Co-sponsors of Bathanti’s all-day visit to Kalamazoo are the church, Kalamazoo College, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo Valley Community College, and the Michigan Prisoner Re-entry Initiative. Bathanti has published several volumes of poetry and a novel about the prison environment, the “keepers,” and those who are kept. His involvement in criminal justice began in 1976 when he left his hometown of Pittsburgh and traveled to North Carolina as a VISTA volunteer.Assigned to the North Carolina Department of Corrections, he taught and coached inmates, started chapters of Alcoholics Anonymous, coordinated work-release programs, forged parole plans for those on the verge of release, and conducted weekly workshops in creative writing. That led to a teaching position at Central Piedmont Community College and additional inmate interactions at Huntersville Prison.Over three decades, Bathanti has guided scores of workshops in prisons around the nation, in shelters for battered women, in homeless shelters, in soup kitchens, in day-care centers, and in nursing homes -- delivering the same message to all his listeners about “the transformational power of story.” Many of those experiences and encounters shaped the content of his book, “Coventry,” and his poetry that has garnered major national awards. Under the sponsorship of the Michigan Prisoner Re-entry Initiative, Bathanti has spoken at Eastern Michigan University and at the Artist Village in Detroit. Earlier this year, he guest-edited the “Michigan Review of Prisoner Creative Writing,” an anthology of the wordsmithing creations of those behind bars. For more information about the public presentations, call the Rev. Milton Wells, community coordinator for the Michigan Prisoner Re-entry Initiative, at (269) 598-7718. Editor, MPI exec join foundation boardThe editor of the Kalamazoo Gazette and the chief operating officer of MPI Research in Mattawan have been appointed to the Kalamazoo Valley Community College Foundation Board of Trustees.Rebecca Pierce and Bill Harrison will join the 17-member board Oct. 29, replacing Bill Hoenes and Richard Olivanti who have both served the maximum of three three-year terms. Harrison, who joined MPI Research in 1993, is responsible for the daily operations at the business that focuses on the pre-clinical and early-clinical research needs of the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical-device, animal-health and agri-chemical industries. Prior to that, he was director of regulatory affairs and operations at what is now Pharmaco LSR. A graduate of the New Jersey Institute of Technology where he majored in biomedical engineering, Harrison, who also serves on the governing board of MRC Industries, has more than 25 years of experience in contract laboratories. Pierce, an alumna of the University of Michigan who was raised in the Detroit area, was named the Gazette’s first female editor in its 172-year history in August of 2000 and only its fourth editor since 1912.She first came to Kalamazoo as a reporter in 1984, covering education, the courts, and local government. After a short stint at the Bay City Times to gain managerial experience, she returned to Kalamazoo as the daily’s metro editor responsible for local coverage. Other members of the board are Ed Bernard, David Jarl, Albert Little, Michele Marquardt, Catherine Metzler, Jerry Miller, John Saunders, David Tomko, James Weber, T. Kenneth Young, and Carolyn Williams with Dawnanne Corbit serving as chairwoman, Jeff Gardner as vice chairman, Charles Wattles as treasurer and Larry Leuth as secretary. The foundation was established in 1980 to enhance educational opportunities and the learning environment for KVCC students, faculty, staff and affiliated entities. With nearly $8 million in assets, it supports and promotes academic, literary and scientific activities. The KVCC Foundation annually provides more than $300,000 in grants and scholarships. In recent years, it has provided financial assistance to restore, expand and technically upgrade a building in downtown Kalamazoo to become the home of KVCC’s Center for New Media, support the college’s Honors Program that involves an average of 30 to 35 students each academic year, support educational programs at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, upgrade laboratories and the use of technology in the teaching of physics and chemistry, and providing special assistance to minority and non-traditional students who face unique problems when focusing on their educational goals.For more information about the KVCC Foundation and its funding opportunities, contact executive director Steve Doherty at 488-4442. Final tests faced by applicants for wind academyFifteen students headed for Michigan’s Thumb last week to gain a “thumbs-up” acceptance into Kalamazoo Valley Community College’s first-of-its-kind-in-the-nation training academy for technicians who will work on utility-sized turbines clustered on wind farms around the world. It’s part of a win-win agreement between the KVCC Wind Energy Center and the Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port K-12 school district in Huron County that already has a trio of turbines producing electricity for the system.On Tuesday and Wednesday (Oct. 6-7), the 15 sought to pass the final screenings – an ability to work at great heights and in close quarters – by climbing one of the district’s 75-foot, 65-kilowatt turbines that is connected to the state’s energy grid.Those who succeed will be accepted into the 26-week training academy that is based on skill standards established in Germany to produce technicians for entry-level employment working on the giants of the wind-energy industry.A final climbing and close-quarters test to complete the pioneer class of 16 is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 22 on the units located next to the district’s elementary school in Pigeon. The 15 range in age from the late teens to 35 and older. They hail from Kalamazoo, Clarkston, Hartford, Grand Ledge, Marquette, Fenton, Beverly Hills and West Branch in Michigan, from Fort Wayne and Crown Point in Indiana, from Castalia, Ohio, and from Roscoe and Sycamore in Illinois.Three are currently unemployed. The rest are seeking enrollment in the noncredit academy to chart new career paths in an industry that is promising employment opportunities. One is an aeronautical engineer, one is in retail, one is a sales manager, three are mechanics, one is an automotive-glass technician, one is a carpenter, one is in public relations, and the rest are in various fields of electric technology.The inaugural academy begins at the college’s Michigan Technical Education Center (M-TEC) on the Groves Campus on Oct. 26 and concludes May 9. The fee is $12,000. A second academy is booked to start May 17 and applications are still being accepted. Those applicants not accepted into the first session will be carried over to a waiting list for the second. With a pair of privately owned, large wind farms already operating in Huron County, the Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port district received a U. S. Department of Energy grant to purchase three 65-kilowatt turbines that had been refurbished after being phased out of a California-based operation. “But maintenance had always been a challenge,” said Cindy Buckley, director of training and development at the M-TEC, “and the task fell to volunteers in the area because there was inadequate funding to provide trained technicians. Our two instructors (Tom Sutton and Greg Meeuwsen) learned about this while attending a program at Kettering University.”That has led to a partnership for maintenance and educational services between the college and the school district, with the first payoff being the heights and close-quarters test, each of which will be conducted within 45 minutes. In return, Sutton and Meeuwsen, who spent six weeks in Germany in training for their upcoming instructional assignments, are assessing the district’s three turbines and their functioning parts, and will submit a written analysis. The analysis will include identifying what is needed for the turbines to operate effectively. “This assessment will be incorporated into our academy as well and offer a training opportunity down the road,” Buckley said. “Eventually, the 16 will return to The Thumb and start installing the updates on the three turbines that Tom and Greg have identified.”Buckley said the situation at the two large Huron County wind farms, which will number turbines in the hundreds when fully developed, speaks to future employment opportunities. “When maintenance is needed on these big units, work crews have to be shipped in from as far away as Texas. There are few technicians based in Michigan for this kind of work.”The first step to gain access into the next academy is to complete the written application, which can be downloaded at this web site – kvcc.edu/training. Applications can be mailed or faxed to the M-TEC, or dropped off personally. An algebra test is also part of the screening process, along with the results of a medical examination and documented work experience in technical fields. The KVCC Wind Turbine Technician Academy is certified by Bildungszentrum fur Erneuerebare Energien (BZEE). Its English equivalent is “Renewable Energy Education Center.” Located in Husum, Germany, and founded in 2000, BZEE was created and supported by major wind-turbine manufacturers, component makers, and enterprises that provide operation and maintenance services. As wind-energy production increased throughout Europe, the need for high-quality, industry-driven standards emerged. BZEE has become the leading trainer for wind-turbine technicians across Europe. College Night, Transfer Fair here MondayA free, double-header attraction for high school students and their parents looking for a first destination in higher education -- and for current enrollees looking for their next stop -- will be hosted by KVCC’s Texas Township Campus on Monday (Oct. 12).Representatives from nearly 40 colleges and universities will be on campus from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for the “College Transfer Fair” as they offer information about their majors and programs, the availability of scholarships, the transfer of KVCC courses to their institutions, and admissions/registrations requirements and deadlines.That evening, many of those 40 will be joined by representatives from scores of other colleges, universities and training institutions – many of them located in the Midwest and around the nation – for the 2009 edition of “College Night.” From 6:30 to 8 p.m., they will be speaking with juniors and seniors from 40 Southwest Michigan high schools, parents, and currently enrolled students about higher-education opportunities, their programs and campuses. Also scheduled to take part are spokesmen from the armed forces and training providers to detail what’s available at technical schools and how military service can help pay for a college education.Both of these activities are free and open to the public. This marks the 14th consecutive year that KVCC has hosted the annual event designed for high school prospects to take giant strides toward their future in education or technical training. It is co-sponsored by KVCC and Western Michigan University.Part of the evening’s features will be a workshop on the availability of financial aid and the procedures for seeking it at 7 p.m. in the Student Commons Theater. The presenter will be from the KVCC Office of Financial Aid.“College Night” is a “wonderful tool to use in helping students select a college that fits their personal and educational goals,” said Matt Dennis, who is coordinating the event at KVCC as the college’s student-admissions specialist.The 7 p.m. workshop on financial aid will cover the procedures for applying for financial aid and the criteria for receiving financial assistance in attending college. The presentation will discuss scholarships, student loans, and the kind of financial assistance available from the federal and state governments.“The workshop will assist students and parents with the ‘how-to’s’ for receiving financial aid,” said Dennis, who can be contacted at extension 4755 for more information. Among the schools taking part in the three-hour “College Transfer Fair” during the day will be representatives from: WMU, Siena Heights University, Robert B. Miller College in Battle Creek, Olivet College, Concordia University in Wisconsin, Northwood University, Cornerstone University, Northern Michigan University, Davenport University, Michigan Technological University, Ferris State University, Valparaiso University, Grand Valley State University;Michigan State University, Butler University, Calvin College, College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Ball State University, Wayne State University, Eastern Michigan University, Finlandia University in Hancock, Mich., University of Michigan;Holy Cross College in Notre Dame, Ind., University of Findlay in Findlay, Ohio, IUPUI (Indiana/Purdue University at Indianapolis), Central Michigan University, Kaplan University in Davenport, Iowa, Trine (formerly Tri-State) University in Angola, Ind.;Johnson and Wales University in Providence, R. I.,, Saginaw Valley State University, Kalamazoo College, Marygrove College in Detroit, Lawrence Technological University in Southfield;Lake Superior State University, Kuyper College in Grand Rapids, Madonna University in Livonia, Robert Morris University in Chicago, and Kettering University in Flint. Joining with KVCC, here is the roster of participating institutions in “College Night 2009”:Harvard University, Adrian College, Western Michigan University and its College of Engineering and Applied Science and College of Aviation, Hope College;Spring Arbor University, Ball State University, Oakland University, Marygrove College, Madonna University, the University of Michigan, the University of Michigan-Flint; Valparaiso University, Alma College, Michigan State University, Aquinas College, Baker College in Muskegon, Kalamazoo College, Andrews University, Davenport University, Finlandia University, Lake Michigan College, Holy Cross College; Kendall College of Art and Design, Calvin College, Robert M. Miller College, American Academy of Art in Chicago, Hillsdale College, the University of Detroit Mercy;Concordia University in Ann Arbor, College for Creative Studies, St. Mary’s College in South Bend, Kellogg Community College, Ferris State University;Bowling Green State University, Northern Michigan University, Lawrence Technological University, Butler University, Concordia University in Wisconsin; Johnson and Wales University, Grace College in Winona Lake, Ind., Kuyper College, Olivet College, Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio, Lake Forest College, Grand Valley State University, Loyola University; Siena Heights University, the Michigan Career and Technical Institute near Plainwell, Saginaw Valley State University, Thomas Cooley Law School in Lansing, Tiffin University in Ohio, Robert Morris University;Southwestern Michigan College, The College of Wooster, the University of Toledo, Michigan Technological University, Lake Superior State University; Central Michigan University, University of Evansville, Great Lakes Christian College, Illinois Institute of Technology, Kettering University;Manchester College, Muskegon Community College, Rockford College in Illinois, Eastern Michigan University, Trine University, Northwood University; Grace Bible College in Grand Rapids, Cornerstone University, Purdue University, the Purdue University College of Technology in South Bend, Indiana Tech, ITT Technical Institute in Grand Rapids;Glen Oaks Community College, Cottey College in Kalamazoo, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terra Haute, Ind., Wayne State University, and Wabash College.Among the military organizations scheduled to take part are: the Michigan Air National Guard, the Air Force, the Navy, and WMU’s ROTC program. A representative of the Kalamazoo Community Foundation will also be on hand to share details about available scholarships, while Citibank will also have a presence.Wellness screenings at Texas Township CampusSue Avery, a registered nurse who is the wellness coach and coordinator for Holtyn and Associates, is conducting free wellness screenings and counseling on the Texas Township Campus through Oct. 30 for full-time KVCC employees and their spouses who are both either new to the college’s program or continuing participants.KVCC’ers and spouses can book their own 30-minute appointments through their own computer instead of making a telephone call. This can be done by going to the Holtyn website: and following the directions. Avery shifted to the main campus on Oct. 7, and here is the schedule:Monday (Oct. 12) – 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.Oct. 19 – 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.Oct. 21 – 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.Oct. 22 – 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.Oct. 23 – 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.Oct. 26 – 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.Oct. 27 – 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.Oct. 29 – 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.Oct. 30 – 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.While payoffs in the past have focused on one’s personal and individual health, it is now starting to pay off in the pay checks of employees.The one-on-one appointments include a glucose analysis, an HDL and cholesterol evaluation, a blood-pressure check, a body-composition reading, an assessment of cardio-respiratory fitness, an overall health survey, an individual fitness assessment, and a personal consultation.The 30-minute screenings can be done on work time. For more information, contact Blake Glass, manager of the college’s Employee Wellness Program, at extension 4177 or bglass@kvcc.edu or Avery at (269) 267-3712 or savery@. She can be contacted for assistance in enrolling in the wellness program for the first time and in registering spouses. All full-time staff, faculty and administrators – and their spouses -- are encouraged to sign up for this college-sponsored program, even if previous screenings had not identified any health risks.Participants should wear comfortable, loosely fitting clothing. Short-sleeve tops are recommended. Fasting is not required, but it is advised not to consume caffeinated beverages two hours prior to the assessment and to refrain from smoking.The testing is paid for by the college.“Our employee-wellness program has been successful in helping to control health-care costs for the college and in assisting staff members achieve their personal goals,” Glass said. “We are hoping for a record number of fulltime employees to take advantage of this service. Hopefully, more participation will mean dollar savings in the long run.” For Chemistry Day, it’s elemental, my dear watchersThe periodic table of elements is the focus of the Kalamazoo Valley Museum’s 23nd annual Chemistry Day on Saturday, Oct. 17.From noon to 4 p.m., families can observe the mysteries, miracles and marvels of this branch of science through more than 20 hands-on experiments, demonstrations and speakers. Co-sponsored by the Kalamazoo Section of the American Chemical Society to celebrate National Chemistry Week, the free yearly event is staged with the assistance of chemists from industry and education. In addition to the favorites from past observances of Chemistry Day, some of the activities will complement the nationally touring exhibit on the third floor -- “GENOME: The Secret of How Life Works” – that is booked for the downtown-Kalamazoo museum through Jan. 10. Safe Halloween on Oct. 31 is also being themed to complement the intent of the exhibit. The smorgasbord of hands-on science activities for learners of all ages to sample also offers teachers the opportunity to collect free information and materials for their classrooms. For more information about Chemistry Day at the museum, call Annette Hoppenworth at extension 7995.Evening seminar on wind turbines at M-TECKalamazoo Valley Community College’s experience in planning, installing and commissioning a wind turbine will fill an evening seminar on Wednesday (Oct. 14) at the M-TEC.“So You Want to Install a Wind Turbine?” will run from 6 to 9 p.m. on the Groves Campus. The fee is $99.The three-hour case study is sponsored by the KVCC Wind Energy Center and will be presented by James DeHaven, vice president for economic and business development.It is targeted for businesses, educational entities, and community organizations that are considering the installation of a commercial-sized wind turbine, similar to the 145-foot, 50-kilowatt unit now in operation at the west end of the college’s nearby Texas Township Campus. Prospective turbine investors should consider a variety of topics regarding the process and procedures for converting wind into electrical energy, and DeHaven will cover them all: ● Wind resources in Michigan● The best site for a wind turbine● Potential neighborhood issues● How to use the electricity that is produced by a wind turbine● Zoning requirements● Site preparation and the installation process● Components for a successful wind-energy projectTime willing, seminar participants will be able to inspect the college’s wind turbine that was erected in late January and is designed to provide from 10 to 15 percent of the energy needed to power the technical wing on campus. For more information, to download a flier, or to register online, visit the M-TEC’s website at . Click on “Training” and then “Current Offerings.” Blue containers spur green initiative Southwest Michigan landfills have some new friends – members of four KVCC student organizations who want us to stop throwing away stuff that can be reused.Leaders from the Phi Theta Kappa and PeaceJam chapters on campus have joined forces with Recycle Now! and the college’s program in international studies to guide the activities of an implementation arm they have named the KVCC Active Green Committee.Working in conjunction with the college’s facilities division, they have located 15 blue, triple-holed recycling bins – 12 on the Texas Township Campus, one in the Center for New Media, one in the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, and one in Anna Whitten Hall. Involved are PTK chapter president Mike Waldschmidt, Recycle Now’s top two officers Thomas Henley and Casey James, and Korin Seals of PeaceJam.Working as a team and beginning with the fall semester, each organization has taken responsibility for collection areas and for the storage of the recyclables. Any revenues generated will be plowed back into the program and other “green” efforts envisioned by the committee, such as replacing paper towels in restrooms with warm-air machines and toilets that use less water. On the main campus -- from the gymnasium to the Student Commons to the technical wing to the computer lab to the food-service area -- plastic bottles, glass products, metal containers and paper can be deposited and salvaged.Waldschmidt, a graduate of Bangor High School majoring in business administration, said his PTK chapter’s participation stemmed from the national organization’s agenda to promote “green” actions in communities.“The Alpha Rho Nu members are excited about improving campus recycling efforts,” he said, “and mobilizing student awareness of environment impact. Personally, I strongly believe this will be a great step toward reducing waste at KVCC.”James, who grew up in New Orleans, chose to attend her father’s alma mater, Western Michigan University, which pointed her toward taking classes in the sciences at KVCC. As a military science minor, she would like to pursue a career as a veterinarian in the Army. Henley spearheaded the establishment of Recycle Now! about two years ago “because I couldn’t find a place to recycle my drink bottle one day.”When the international studies major approached KVCC President Marilyn Schlack about his dilemma, she told him that the PTK chapter and PeaceJam shared his concern. The collaboration followed and the college gave its full support. Breathe out, breathe inYoga breathing techniques will be explained and demonstrated Thursday, Oct. 29, workshop in the Student Commons Forum.Free and open to the public, it will begin at 11 a.m. and run to 12:30 p.m.Leading the session will be Renu Sharma, a certified instructor in “pranayama” (yogic breathing techniques). Sharma is an occupational therapist.She will explain how proper breathing can improve a person’s physical, emotional and mental health, beat back invasions by diseases, and increase a person’s positive energy by reliving daily stress.Participants can learn to meditate and cultivate an awareness to promote a sense of peace, joy and happiness. The concept is to decrease personal stress through yogic breathing. Exercise, wellness opportunities availableWith the caveat that the yoga offering might wind up with the great speckled dodo on the extinct species list, the Wellness and Fitness Center’s line-up of free activities to promote vitality and good health among KVCC employees is under way for the fall semester. Now that you’ve pared off a few pounds so that you looked good in your bermudas and swimming togs, you can stay that way into the fall and winter because of this full regimen of drop-in exercise opportunities that runs through Dec. 23.“Yoga is reaching a do-or-die stage,” advises Blake Glass. “It has been moved to prime time at noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but needs a boost in attendance to survive. “Another new wrinkle,” he said, “is the addition of 6:45 a.m. sessions for those who want to use adrenalin rather than caffeine to get them going in the morning.”Joining that new addition is fitness cycling on Fridays, and a Saturday open swim for students and employees. Here is the lineup for faculty, staff and enrolled students:Monday – morning workout from 6:45 to 7:40 a.m.; swimming from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; and total body conditioning, 1 to 1:55 p.m.Tuesday – swimming from 7 to 8:30 a.m. and yoga from noon to 12:55.Wednesday – morning workout from 6:45 to 7:40 a.m.; swimming from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; and total body conditioning from 1 to 1:55 p.m.Thursday – swimming from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.. and yoga from noon to 12:55 p.m.Friday – morning workout from 6:45 to 7:40 a.m.; swimming from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; fitness cycling from 11:30 a.m. to 12:25 p.m.; and total body conditioning from 1 to 1:55 p.m.Saturday -- swimming from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.Except for the obvious site for swimming, these exercise opportunities will be based in Room 6040 in the Student Commons. ACC to host ‘Spirit of the Mask’ collector on FridayYou could learn a lot by ignoring the advice in Jim Croce’s lyrics and pulling “the mask off the old Lone Ranger,” but so much more insight is possible by experiencing a mask and the culture it represents than seeing who is behind it. That’s the idea behind “Spirit of the Mask,” a 95-item collection that will be viewable in the Kalamazoo Valley Museum’s first-floor gallery from Saturday, Oct. 17, through Feb. 14. It is the work of Carla Hanson who realized that masks and “masking” were special the first time she dressed for Halloween in her hometown of Waterville, Kan. After taking anthropology classes at Kansas State University and meeting people from other cultures, she purchased her first ethnic mask, soon to be followed by many more. Her collection now numbers in the hundreds, representing more than 40 countries and many Native American nations. She will speak about her collection and travels at a free presentation set for 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, in the Mary Jane Stryker Theater. Even before that, Hanson will kick off the Arcadia Commons Cultural Understanding group’s 2009-10 series of presentations on Friday (Oct. 16) with a discussion for faculty, students and staff from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in the museum. Refreshments will be served.Masks have been used in diverse cultures on every continent except for Australia. They are composed of natural and man-made materials mask-makers usually find locally. While some are intricately decorated and some are very rudimentary or abstract, others can be lifelike as evidenced in Hanson’s collection. Masks are ceremonial or theatrical, with functions ranging from entreaties for worldly interventions on the part of a deity or ancestral spirit, to assertions of social control to advance a particular culture’s mores. Masks can serve a singular purpose in a specific celebration, but often they are used for multiple functions. Healing, fertility, and good fortune are a few examples of masking themes. Mask wearers traditionally are nearly exclusively men, even when female characters are depicted. “The masking traditions can teach us how these cultures deal with their lives and their environment,” Hanson says. “While masks traditionally have specific purposes, they are so beautiful and powerful that they can be appreciated as works of art as well.” Among the masks that are part of the Kalamazoo exhibit are those originating on five continents from indigenous people in more than 50 countries, including Bali, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Nigeria, India, Brazil, Bolivia, Germany, the Ivory Coast, New Guinea, Mexico, Mali, New Guinea, Zaire, Russia, Sweden, Holland and Switzerland. Masks from a dozen Native American tribes are also included. They range in age from 10 to 60 years old, and are made from such materials as palm froth, root dye, stains, wood, papier-m?ché, polychrome, cloth, leather, natural pigments, and white clay.“Masks tell stories,” said Elspeth Inglis, the museum’s assistant director. “They don’t hide them.”To help tell those stories, the museum is working with the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency (K-RESA) and will host workshops for teachers of social studies in the sixth and seventh grades. Both “Spirit of the Mask” and the upstairs exhibit -- the nationally touring “GENOME: The Secret of How Life Works”— will be used as instructional resources that assist in the study of human migration. Leading the workshops will be a pair of assistant professors of anthropology at Western Michigan University, Kristina Wirtz and Jacqueline Eng. These sessions will be held on two consecutive Mondays – Nov. 2 and Nov. 9. Contact K-RESA to register. Additional details are available by calling the museum at (269) 373-7965 and on the K-RESA web site. Rzoska’s landscapes on display through OctoberLinda Rzoska’s digital paintings of the Irish landscape, inspired by 10 visits to the culture-rich country, are on display in the KVCC Center for New Media through the November Art Hop. Rzoska’s impressions capture what she has seen and experienced in Ireland by guiding KVCC students to Ireland over the last seven years.While Rzoska, a new-media instructor and now program coordinator at the center, has led KVCC contingents to Burren on Ireland’s west coast overlooking Galway Bay since 2000, her digital paintings on exhibit were the result of a 2009 winter-semester sabbatical that took her to Poland and The Netherlands (each for two weeks), and finally back to Ireland for a seven-week period.Her repeated visits there and eventually the sabbatical stemmed from a question she asked herself – if she could do anything that she wanted, what would it be? The answer – teach art in Ireland. A bit of googling on the Internet connected her to the Burren College of Art, which led to the excursions under the aegis of the KVCC-based Midwest Institute for International/Intercultural Education as well as an artist-in-residence appointment. Why Ireland?“I have Irish ancestry,” said Rzoska, who joined the KVCC faculty in 2000 after 23 years as an illustrator and graphic designer. “I have always been fascinated with Irish literature, history, folklore, art and Celtic spirituality. There is a connection for me and the country’s landscapes, and it’s why I always wanted to go there.”For centuries, that part of Ireland has been a source of inspiration for all genre of artists — poets, novelists, painters, sculptors, musicians and playwrights, and now for Rzoska. The Burren College of Art is on the grounds of a 16th-century castle. Known as “The Stony Place,” Burren is home to a wealth of archeological and monuments that includes megalithic tombs, medieval castles and abandoned abbeys.From an abbey built in 1194 to a 9th -century ring fort built of stone to a 6,000-year-old tomb to cliffs that plunge 700 feet to the Atlantic to the coastal limestone region known as Black Head, it has been an important part of Ireland’s legend for artistic creativity. Rzoska said she sought the sabbatical and the short break from teaching to regain what she construed as her lost artistic soul. She thought she was “losing touch with the artist within me.” To regain that touch, she used graphite drawings, photos and videos of what she saw, and from those sources created her digital paintings. Believing that western civilization has basically lost the spiritual and cultural relationship with nature’s landscapes, Rzoska said the essence of her digital paintings is “to honor all the living things that exist in every aspect of the landscape. Often I portray this life in human form in order to relay the precious and beautiful qualities of all life.”Also gaining insights from the writings of author Terry Tempest Williams who has spoken at KVCC on two occasions, Rzoska staged a pair of one-person shows in The Netherlands and Ireland during her sabbatical, including being the subject of a news article in a Dutch newspaper headlined “Digital Romantics from Linda Rzoska.” While in Poland, she visited the remnants of the Stutthof Concentration Camp that was established near Gdansk that was established in the fall of 1939 and was the scene of the extermination of Polish intellectuals and Jews. “One cannot visit a place like this,” she said, “without being significantly undone. My view of humanity has been forever changed.” Rzoska garnered some coverage in The Kalamazoo Gazette’s “Ticket” tabloid that previewed the October Art Hop.She told report Simon Thalmann that the creations stemmed from her interest in nature and spirituality. She described them as being “something about the sense of place or the personality of the landscape, and how important that is to people, to the human race, to the world.”She said that in contemporary times in a modern culture, “we have a tendency to move so fast that we really don’t notice it, and we’ve kind of lost touch with that. My sabbatical gave me the opportunity to spend a lot of time just immersing myself in the landscape. PTK chapter installation slated for Oct. 18The academic, professional and networking benefits of being a member of Phi Theta Kappa will start when the newest members are inducted into the KVCC chapter at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, in the Dale Lake Auditorium. The KVCC chapter of the national academic honorary for two-year colleges held open houses last week to attract potential members. To be eligible, students must carry a 3.5 grade-point average, be enrolled in 12 credit hours of classes, and be seeking a two-year degree. Among the benefits of PTK affiliation are the potential for receiving scholarships for transferring to a four-year university, the opportunity for community service, taking part in intellectual activities, developing leadership skills, and building a network of contacts. In recent years, the local chapter has taken part in highway clean-up activities through the Michigan Department of Transportation and in a statewide competition to donate organs for transplants.Biology instructor Cynthia Schauer is the chapter adviser. The installation ceremony is open to the public. Easing stress, identity theft, job hunt October topics Instructors should alert their enrollees about the events planned by the Student Success Center that are designed to energize academic accomplishments. “Mid-Semester Meltdown,” set for Wednesday (Oct. 14) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in rooms 4370-80 off of the Texas Township Campus cafeteria, targets students who might be feeling some anxieties and tension as the fall semester advances. Participants will learn how to minimize stress and maximize healthy living through nutrition, exercise and tension-relief techniques. Food and prizes will be part of the attraction, according to LaJoyce Brooks, success advocate coordinator. Career adviser Diane Finch has launched a month-long series of “Career and Coffee Roundtable” discussions on consecutive Tuesdays in October from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the Student Commons Forum.With each session limited to 30 students, Finch is addressing these topics during the coffee-chat series:Oct. 13: “Get Prepared.”Oct. 20: “Develop a Plan.”Oct. 27: “Implement Your Pursuit.”To have students register or get more information, contact Finch at extension 4123.Planned for this week in the Student Commons are:a presentation on “Identity Theft” at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday (Oct. 15).a workshop on finding employment on Thursday (Oct. 15) at 1:30 p.m. and a repeat on Monday, Oct. 19, at 11 a.m. How to overcome math and testing anxieties is slated on Oct. 21 in the Student Commons from 2 to 4 p.m. – with a repeat session on Oct. 22 -- and a panel discussion on globalization issues is booked for Oct. 21 from 4 to 6 p.m. at the same location.John Brown’s 1859 raid has Kalamazoo angleThe Southwest Michigan connection to one of the pre-Civil War maelstroms that mirrored the nation’s seething and firebrand viewpoints about slavery is next in the Kalamazoo Valley Museum’s 2009-10 edition of “Sunday Series” presentations. “John Brown’s Harpers Ferry Raid: The Surprising Kalamazoo Connection” is the Oct. 11 program by curator Tom Dietz . Slated for 1:30 p.m. in the Mary Jane Stryker Theater, all of the programs are free and open to the public. On Oct. 16, 1859, Brown staged his famous raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Va. His hopes to instigate a general uprising of slaves across the southern states failed to materialize. He and his small band of supporters were quickly captured by federal troops. They were tried for treason and most were hanged within a few months of the raid.“Brown’s raid stirred conflicting emotions in the North among abolitionists and those willing to tolerate slavery,” Dietz says. “In the South, the raid was seen as a sign of general northern hostility toward slavery.”Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry was publicized by one of his supporters, James V. Redpath, an author and reporter, in “The Public Life of Captain John Brown.” The book was published shortly after Brown’s execution. Born in England, Redpath had moved to Martin Township in Allegan County while a teenager in the mid-1840s. He began his journalistic career working as a printer and occasional reporter for The Kalamazoo Telegraph in the early 1850s. He then moved to Detroit and on to New York. His work took him into the South where he wrote about slavery and later to Kansas where he met Brown.Dietz will review the life and career of Redpath, whom he described as “a radical journalist.” Redpath later organized the Boston Lyceum Bureau that became the Redpath Chautauqua agency. The Chautauqua was popular in the 19th century, bringing scientific, literary, and other cultural programs to small cities and communities especially in the Midwest.Here are the upcoming “Sunday Series” programs: “Kalamazoo Cemeteries” – Oct. 25“Newspaper Wars in Early Kalamazoo: The 19th Century Story” – Nov. 8“Where the Streets Got Their Names: The Sequel” – Dec. 13“The Making of the Paper City” – Jan. 10“Welcome to the Hotel Kalamazoo: Kalamazoo’s Early Hospitality Industry” – Jan. 24.For further information, contact Dietz at extension 7984.Dietz’s initial presentation about the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the city of Kalamazoo in 1884 garnered some press coverage in The Kalamazoo Gazette. The 1909 celebration warranted the scheduling of special trains to bring in tourists from around the Midwest.The former village was filled with horse-drawn, floral-covered floats. Some of the animals got spooked when new-fangled contraptions – now called cars – were driven near the staging area. The final parade in the seven-day celebration spanned three miles in length.Part of the 25th anniversary was the popular election of a “king” and “queen” to reign over the jubilee. Reminiscent of stuffing the ballot boxes in the election of baseball players for the annual All-Star Game, there was a bit of that in Kalamazoo in 1909. The “winner” was a fellow named Bill Nye, who made his living as a “city scavenger” by cleaning out outhouses and chamber pots. But the “city fathers,” fearing some kind of embarrassment because of rigged voting, voided the “election” and proclaimed Edwin De Yeo, the former village’s last president, as “king.” “He (Nye) felt so hurt, so injured,” Dietz said, “that he went home and committed suicide.”ValleyOne Card ‘grace period’ ends WednesdayThe ValleyOne Card Era is well under way at KVCC, but time is a-wastin’ to become part of it this semester.KVCC has contracted with HigherOne, a student-established, for-students-only financial institution that promotes itself as student-friendly. But friendship, like communications, is a two-way street, and students – particularly those who receive financial aid in its various shapes and forms – must activate that friendship.The Valley/HigherOne partnership allows students to have their refund checks electronically and directly deposited into their personal checking or savings accounts. It’s safer and quicker. No more mailed checks – at least that’s the theory and the hoped-for result.Any student who qualifies for financial aid and is registered for classes at KVCC receives a ValleyOne card, and they were mailed this summer.Mary Lawrence, assistant controller at KVCC, reports that 8,000 of the college’s enrollment receive some form of financial aid. As of recently, the good news is that 58 percent of those students (more than 4,200) have activated their cards, which will be in effect as long as they are enrolled at KVCC.But there is still a bit of time for the other 42 percent to get on board with most of them stating that they never received any kind of card or notification in the mail. There are two possible responses for that: the address that the college has for the student is not his/her true address and is inaccurate.The student, wrongly assuming it was a piece of junk mail, tossed it.Normally, that would be the end of the story and students would be facing a $20 charge to get a new ValleyOne card.But HigherOne, a national banking service headquartered in New Haven, Conn., and currently serving some 300 schools nationwide, has given KVCC a 30-day grace period for all eligible KVCC students to get themselves aligned with this time-saving opportunity. The grace period concludes on Wednesday (Oct. 14). Financial-aid students were scheduled to receive their payments Friday (Oct. 2) after the drop-add deadline.Staff from KVCC Financial Services were available in Room 4540 on the Texas Township Campus through Friday (Oct. 9) to help the cardless by either giving the computer savvy some easy-to-follow printed directions or by guiding the not-so-savvy through a step-by-step process. “When students qualify for financial aid,” Lawrence said, “they receive an e-mail from the college via the VIP portal. There are two more e-mail directives that are sent later as reminders of what they should do. “The key,” she said, “is that students must – must – have a current address. It is mandatory. All of this is fairly easy to accomplish. We encourage all students to verify their address information at kvcc.edu, ‘My Current Address.’ Directions on how to update their address are also available at this site.”HigherOne offers choices as well. A student can sign up for a direct deposit into his/her personal, existing account, or the student can open a HigherOne account. The result is that the ValleyOne card thus becomes either a credit card or a debit card. But, she says, these are banking decisions that must be made by the individual student. HigherOne is providing ATMs at pay-station offices on the Texas Township and Arcadia Commons campuses. So what happens if the financial-aid student does nothing? There is a default to a traditional paper check after a 21-day period. “A student’s ValleyOne card is good for as long as she/he is a KVCC student,” Lawrence said. “The card does not have to be renewed each semester.”Students who receive a “ValleyOne” card can log onto . Questions can also be answered by calling 1-877-305-3978.Chemistry instructor wins award for TV showKVCC chemistry instructor Kim De Clercq has won a Midwest-based award from the Alliance for Community Media for her “The Chemical Kim Science Show” that is aired regularly on one of the Public Media Network’s five local channels. The Philo Award is named for Philo T. Farnsworth, regarded as the father of modern television and who, in 1922 as a 16 year old, revealed his scientific concepts for an all-electric TV system. Farnsworth went on to establish an electronics laboratory in Fort Wayne where he turned his blueprints into reality by inventing the first receiving tube for television transmissions. The Central States Region (Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky) of the Alliance for Community Media presents Philos to those who continue to refine the medium’s technology and who promote the use of television in their communities.The awards ceremony is scheduled for the Central States Region’s fall conference slated for Friday (Oct. 16) in Strongsville, Ohio, near Cleveland. De Clercq, who plans to attend the conference, has also become a regular fixture on the “Take Five & Company” segment on WZZM-TV. Her “Chemical Kim” segments feature “fun” hands-on activities designed to spark interest in the sciences in children. Producers of the segment, which airs weekdays at 9 a.m. on Grand Rapids’ Channel 13, have booked her for Friday shows on Oct. 16, Nov. 6, Nov. 20, Dec. 4 and Dec. 19. De Clercq took her concept to the airwaves initially by producing a series of radio spots -- “The Chemical Kim Science Minute” -- about interesting scientific facts, events and history for WKDS-FM, the 250-watt station that operates out of the Public Media Network (formerly the Community Access Center) in downtown Kalamazoo and is licensed through the Kalamazoo Public Schools. That evolved into “The Chemical Kim Science Show” for PMN on the Charter cable system. The “kitchen-science” show is aimed at youngsters. Assisting her in the weekly shows are “scientists” who attend fifth-, sixth-, seventh-, eighth- and ninth-grades in local schools. The radio station, which is located at 89.9 on the FM dial, is part of the Education for Employment programs in radio and television broadcasting. De Clercq delivers “a quick, entertaining, educational and informative science lesson” in each one-minute spot similar to the “Earth & Sky Segments” that are aired regionally on WAKV based in Plainwell. De Clercq earned a bachelor’s in chemistry in 1991 from Michigan Technological University in Houghton, and added a master’s in teaching chemistry from Central Michigan University in August of 1996. In addition to her classroom work at KVCC, she has served as a chemistry instructor at Delta College in Michigan and a grad assistant at CMU. She also taught science and math at Nouvel Catholic Central High School in Saginaw where she also coached track and cross country. Her background also includes working as an environmental chemist. “Take Five & Company,” tri-hosted by WZZM staffers Tara Kuhnlein, Stephanie Webb and Catherine Behrendt, provides viewers with “live, local life-style features.”14-week hospitality training on tap at M-TECA training program for those in supervisory positions in the hospitality industry has been scheduled to begin in November as the M-TEC of KVCC continues to plan for a third edition of an academy designed to prepare employees for entry-level jobs in that field.The 14-week, every-Monday course will run from Nov. 2 through Feb. 15 at the M-TEC, located on KVCC’s Groves Campus off of 9th Street along I-94. The fee is $980. Each Monday-night session will run from 6 to 10 p.m.The instructor will be Scott Swope, who has 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry and has guided the two previous academies to train entry-level workers.Additional information is available by contacting Lesa Strausbaugh, KVCC’s director of career academies, at (269) 353-1289 or lstrausbaugh@kvcc.edu. She’s also the contact for Hospitality Academy III in which enrollment is limited to 15.“The ‘Hospitality Supervisor Training’ program examines the skills and best practices in the operation of a lodging property,” she said, “and prepares enrollees for the Certified Hospitality Supervisor (CHS) exam with the American Hotel & Lodging Association.”In 56 hours of training, they will learn everything from managing the employee cycle (recruiting, hiring, training, discipline, and separation), to proper documentation techniques, safety and loss prevention, and the principals of “yield management.” “This training is designed to enhance the skills of all hospitality professionals,” Strausbaugh said, “from the up-and-coming associate looking to forge ahead with his or her career, to the experienced hospitality professionals looking for an opportunity to study their craft.”Those who complete the program can take the CHS exam. Information about this aspect and registration instructions on line are available via the M-TEC of KVCC’s web site at .‘Philadelphia,’ U2 are ‘Friday Night Highlights’ treatsThe new "Friday Night Highlights" programming at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum shifts to the silver screen and a showing of the film that earned Tom Hanks his first Academy Award. Booked for Oct. 9 in the Mary Jane Stryker Theater at 6:30 p.m. is the Hanks-Denzel Washington 1993 movie, "Philadelphia." It co-stars Joanne Woodward, Jason Robards, Antonio Banderas, and Mary Steenburgen. Admission is $3 It was inspired by the story of Geoffrey Bowers, an attorney who in 1987 sued the law firm of Baker & McKenzie for unfair dismissal in one of the first AIDS discrimination cases.Hanks’ character, a senior associate at the largest corporate law firm in Philadelphia, hides his homosexuality and the fact he has AIDS from the other members of the firm. On the day he is assigned the firm's newest and most important case, one of the partners notices a small lesion on his forehead. A mix-up in the filing of important paperwork in court results in his dismissal even though the deadline was met. Hanks believes that someone deliberately hid his paperwork to give the firm an excuse to fire him, and that the firing is actually as a result of his diagnosis with AIDS. Seeking an attorney to take his case, Hanks meets with Washington’s character whom at first is homophobic and refuses to take him as a client. Washington later changes his mind and a courtroom drama ensues. Hanks won the 1993 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in “Philadelphia.” During his acceptance speech, he revealed that his high school drama teacher was gay. The revelation inspired the 1997 film “In & Out,” starring Kevin Kline as an English literature teacher who is outed by a former student. Hanks.won his second Best Actor Academy Award for his role in “Forrest Gump,” becoming only the second actor to have accomplished the feat of winning back-to-back Best Actor Oscars. Spencer Tracy was the first, winning in 1937-38. It could have easily been three in a row for “Cast Away,” but Hanks was edged by Russell Crowe for “Gladiator.” Each of the "Friday Night Highlights" billings will actually be a doubleheader because also planned for each evening is a 8:30 p.m. showing of the planetarium show featuring the music of U2. That, too, has a $3 admission fee. With a laser-light show in full color streaming across the planetarium's 50-foot dome, the 35-minute production will feature the classic hits of the Dublin, Ireland, combo that has earned 22 Grammys, sold 146 million albums, and warranted induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in its first year of eligibility. The Oct. 16 attraction in the Mary Jane Stryker Theater is the Celtic and folk music by String Cheese. Tickets are $5 for the 6:30 p.m. concert.The Ann Arbor-based duo, which performed at the recent Kalamazoo Irish Festival, features Ali Haraburda on cello and piano and fiddler/guitarist Diana Ladio. Their sound is described as the “fresh fusion of traditional Celtic sounds and young rock-influenced rhythms, putting a young, modern spin on one of music's oldest genres." Commented one reviewer: “With their feel-good melodies and foot-stomping, rock-influenced rhythms, these girls have put a fresh, enticing spin on Celtic music.”When not performing, the twosome can be found in classrooms throughout Michigan where they introduce alternative styles of music to string programs in high schools and middle schools and extolling the virtues of non-classical music in the music education of youth. Here is the rest of the “Friday Night Highlights” schedule that includes more movies and concerts by local combos:Oct. 23: The 2004 version of "The Phantom of the Opera."Oct. 30: "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein," a 1948 comedy as part of Halloween 2009.Nov. 6: Hoot Owls and the group's style of bluegrass and country music.Nov. 13: The 2008 film "Twilight."Nov. 20: "Miracle on 34th Street," a 1948 flick to kick off the holiday season.Dec. 4: A free concert by the Kalamazoo Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra.Dec. 11: Carmea, the trio that won the 2009 Fretboard Festival play-in competition at the museum.Dec. 18: The 2002 movie "8 Crazy Nights."Jan. 8: Music by Belfast Gin.Jan. 15, 22 and 29: The movies "Cutting Edge,” "Miracle," and “Cool Runnings,” respectively.Oct. 18 last day to see eagle exhibit in Three Rivers Two KVCC retirees are among those who have orchestrated an exhibit, now on display in Three Rivers, that focuses on the United States’ connection to the eagle.Paul Millikan, a pioneer faculty member in history, and Patricia DeHaan, former admissions coordinator for the college’s health programs, are among the five collectors who provided memorabilia for “The American Eagle: Icon and Symbol” that is on display through Sunday, Oct. 18, in the Carnegie Center for the Arts, located at 107 N. Main in Three Rivers. DeHaan’s husband, Paul, taught history at KVCC on a part-time basis. Interviewed for an article in The Kalamazoo Gazette, Millikan said: “It started out as a symbol, but it has become an icon. There are an awful lot of businesses, for example, that have an eagle in the design of their logo or in their name. It gives a kind of instant, not only recognition, but endorsement.” As a symbol, the eagle threads through the historical tapestry of the nation. The lunar module that landed man on the moon was named “Eagle.” One sad irony is that Americans of all stripes and persuasions nearly caused the extinction of some species of eagles because of rampant, unwarranted shootings. While the collectors have 450 pieces of art and memorabilia in their respective eagle holdings, about 200 – many of them dating back to the early 1800 – are on display during the two months. Millikan said the eagle has evolved into a symbol of freedom in the United States “because when you think about it, there’s nothing much more free than an eagle that can soar to elevations so far you can’t even see it. It has that wild kind of freedom.”The exhibit is free and open to the public. Respiratory-care grad earns national awardFor the second time in three years, a KVCC graduate of the respiratory-therapy program already practicing his profession has received a major cash award relating to his studies.Jason Ramsey, who earned his degree earlier this year and is now working at the Borgess Medical Center, has won the American Respiratory Care (ARC) Foundation’s Dr. William W. Burgin Jr. Education Recognition Award that brings up to a $2,500 cash prize, a certificate of recognition, and registration to attend the 55th annual American Association for Respiratory Care’s international congress slated for Dec. 5-8 in San Antonio.Ramsey joins Michael Hess, a May 2006 graduate now working at Bronson Methodist Hospital who received the Burgin that year, becoming the first KVCC student so honored, according to Al Moss, who heads the college’s program in respiratory therapy “We have all students in our capstone course complete a literature-review research project,” Moss said. He suggests that all students submit their papers to the ARC Foundation’s annual slate of awards, especially the Burgin that is open to second-year students enrolled in an accredited respiratory-care program leading to an associate degree. Ramsey, as did Hess, followed up on that advice and, in December, will be heading for TexasKVCC links to upcoming Kalamazoo electionThe 17-member field of candidates in the 2009 Kalamazoo City Commission election slated for Nov. 3 has at least one KVCC connection.The reigning mayor, Bobby Hopewell, is seeking another two-year term on the commission. He is a graduate of the college’s paramedic and emergency medical technology programs. In the city of Kalamazoo’s truly unique form of municipal election, all candidates run for seven two-year terms on the city commission. The top vote-getter is mayor and the runner-up is vice mayor. Also on the Nov. 3 city ballot is a referendum on an ordinance that was twice unanimously adopted by the commission. Each action spurred petition drives by those who oppose the concept. Now it will be up to city voters. They will decided whether an amendment to a city ordinance – which outlaws discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender individuals in employment, housing and access to public accommodations – will stand and remain in effect. It would be a civil infraction to deny housing, jobs or public accommodations to people based upon their sexual preference or gender identity.A citizens group has formed to oppose the amendment and urge a “no” vote on the issue. It is called the Kalamazoo Citizens Voting No to Special Rights Discrimination. On its 23-member board is KVCC math instructor Daniel Cunningham in his role with the Greater Faith Empowerment Center. Other members include the Rev. Louis Felton of the Galilee Baptist Church, former State Rep. Jack Hoogendyk, a Kalamazoo City Commission candidate, and two current members of the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners. Asha Khazad, who lives in the Edison Neighborhood, had announced his candidacy for the Kalamazoo commission, but did not file nominating petitions. He first ran for a seat on the commission in 1965 under the name of Gimli Khazad. He was born John J. Pilaar. He has been enrolled in KVCC’s program in computer information systems. A ‘first’ for a KVCC political science studentFor the first time in its 41-year history, the Michigan Conference of Political Scientists is awarding one of its Best Research Paper Awards to a KVCC student.Kara Bujak, a former out-of-state enrollee at KVCC and an English major now living in Kalamazoo, has been selected for the annual award designated for a student at a two-year college.According to instructor Kevin Dockerty, Bujak wrote the paper for his Arcadia Commons Campus class in American government during the 2009 winter semester.It is titled "The Fat Tax: Using Economic Policy to Reverse the Obesity Epidemic." Here is the conference's description of the award: "The Michigan Conference of Political Scientists Undergraduate Paper Award is awarded annually to the author of the best undergraduate paper submitted to meet the requirements of an undergraduate political science course taught in the state of Michigan.”The candidates are nominated by the instructors who are teaching the respective course. An award is also designated for four-year college or university students.Bujak is slated to receive a $200 cash award at the 41st annual gathering of Michigan political scientists that will convene on Thursday and Friday (Oct. 15-16) at the Delta College Planetarium and Learning Center near Bay City. The 2007 conference was co-hosted by KVCC and Western Michigan University. Dockerty said that Bujak’s paper argues for the implementation of a federal "fat tax," a tax on unhealthy food and beverage items. Her research indicates that a minor additional tax on unhealthy food items such as candy, cookies, potato chips, soda pop and other snack foods would encourage greater nutrition and health from consumers. She contends the tax revenue could then be used to offset the higher prices of healthy food items. The research indicates that where the costs of junk food were equal to those of healthy foods, consumption of healthier foods increased. She points to several states that already have implemented some form of a “fat tax” and shows how that money is used for health services.Warning: E-mail can be L-mail, as in libel Surfing the Internet and the worldwide webs of the planet can be as invigorating for the mind as riding Hawaii's Bonzai Pipeline is for the body, but there is potential for peril in what you communicate.E-mail is publishing and broadcasting in the broadest definitions of those terms. As such, E-mail is subject to the laws of libel that restrain newspapers and television news. In other words, the E in e-mail can stand for “evidence.”When you communicate via E-mail, it just doesn't zip out into cyber space and is lost forever. It can be captured, saved, printed, and distributed to somebody who may not like what you are communicating.Case in point:When a surfing college professor learned via E-mail that a group of colleagues were bound for London and were looking for reasonable housing while there, he read some of the suggestions coming in from all over the world. He E-mailed his comments, urging them not to stay at a certain hostelry for various reasons. When that hostelry read the assessment, it contacted a law firm that demanded an E-mail apology, or else.What this all means goes back to what your parents used to advise: If you can't say something nice about somebody or something, don't say anything at all. . .especially via E-mail. And, if you don’t want to see it in print, don’t keyboard it on to your screen. Baron makes East Campus walls barrenDick Baron, who served as KVCC’s deans of business and the Arcadia Commons Campus, is keeping busy these days at another campus. He is the chairman of the Friends of Historic East Campus, a citizens group that advocates for the revitalization of that part of Western Michigan University.One of its most recent activities was a concentrated effort to rip the vines of ivy off of the hallowed buildings because the vegetation can possibly damage the bricks and mortar. And the organization had the green light to rip off the green from preservationists. And finally. . .When Pfizer bought Pharmacia & Upjohn, did the corporate folks know that two-thirds of the world’s eggplant is grown in New Jersey?A cat has 32 muscles in each ear. Tigers have striped skin as well as striped fur.When the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers play a home football game, the stadium becomes the third largest city in the state.Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.It’s impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. (Don’t try this at home!)The microwave was invented when a researcher walked by a radar tube and the chocolate bar in his pocket melted.The average person falls asleep in seven minutes, unless, of course, they are reading the latest edition of The Digest. Then they fall asleep almost immediately.?????? ................
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