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April 28, 2011 Vol. 55, Issue 9

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GSA hosts Day of Silence - Page 4

Tyler EagleAgora Reporter

The 2011 MCCC Commencement Cer-emony will take place Friday, April 29, at 7 p.m. in H building.

Students Kelly Harness and Constance Huff have been selected as the student speak-ers. Harness will be introduced by faculty member Kathleen Masters and Huff will be introduced by Mark Hall, the director of ad-mission and guidance.

Faculty members Bonnie Boggs and Dr. Joanna Sabo will be reading the names of the students graduating. Dr. Grace Yackee, vice-

president of Instruction, will act as the mis-tress of ceremonies.

While roughly 618 students are graduating, only 191 students are expected to take part in the ceremony.

Dr. David Nixon, MCCC president, has some advice for the graduating students.

“Cherish the good memories about the friends you made, the things you’ve learned; but most importantly, don’t stop thinking about tomorrow,” Nixon said.

Tickets will be needed to get into gradua-tion. Each student received four tickets with their cap and gowns.

Jaymes DluzenAgora Reporter

Tuition at MCCC again will increase $5 per contact hour beginning Fall semester.

The increase was approved Monday by the MCCC Board of Trustees. The board also raised tuition by $5 last fall.

Since 2009, tuition has increased from $67 per credit hour to $77 next fall.

The board also raised tuition for in-state residents who don’t live in Monroe County $8 to $132 per credit hour. Non-state residents will face a $9 increase to $147.

The registration fee also was increased from $25 to

$30.Reaction from students ranged from angry to under-

standing.Kristin Stuecher, who is attending MCCC again next

fall semester, was miffed at not being warned about the increase.

“They didn’t say anything to me about the increase,” Stuecher said. “I wish they would have told us some-thing.”

“If they really need more money from us to provide us learning resources, then it is necessary,” said Student Government member Travis Durkin. “It’s hard to know if it is really necessary, though.”

Commencement set Friday night Board of Trustees approves tuition increase

Nicole BolsterAgora Reporter

Dawn Witmer, a grandmother who came back to school to show her grand-children it is important, came out on top at MCCC’s Honors Night Wednesday.

Witmer won the Faculty Association Outstanding Student Award.

Math professor Mark Naber presented the award to Witmer, who was teary eyed when asked how she felt about receiving the award.

“I was humbled because there were so many other people who deserved the award,” Witmer said.

Witmer is a non-traditional student at MCCC. She is a writing fellow and on the dean’s list for academics.

Naber said she was nominated for the award because she was determined to set an example for her grandkids. She wants them to realize that if grandma can go to college and be successful, so can they.

Cheryl Johnston, professor of Reading and English, won the Outstanding Fac-ulty Award.

Clayton McKenzie, adjunct professor of Biology, won the Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award.

Grace Yackee announced the recipients of the awards for Faculty and Adjunct Faculty. Johnston was close to speachless when she received the award.

“I’m overwhelmed and honored to re-ceive this award. I don’t know what to say. … I’m stunned,” Johnson said.

“This is a great place to teach, the stu-dents are great,” Mckenzie said after he received his award.

The first president of MCCC, Dr. Ronald Campbell, attended the event to award the Dr. Ronald Campell Student Government Award. The award was giv-en to Holly Self, this year’s president of Student Government.

Other awards were:Business Student of the Year: Sarah LarsonThe George Rhodes Writing Fellow Award:

John CollinsTerri McConnaughey Scholarship: Diane HillCarol Kish Scholarship: Jeremy Romanos Outstanding Nursing Student: Danielle

Corne

Spirit of Nursing Award for the US Army/NSNA: Brad Phillips

All-USA Academic Team Nominees: Stepha-nie Dahl and Ricki Spotts

Outstanding Respiratory Therapy Student: Melina Miles

Industrial Technology Award: Products and Process Technology: Robert D. McCoy

Industrial Technology Award:- Construction Management: Scott Atkinson

Industrial Technology Award: Welding Tech-nology: Michael Canupp and Kelly Clark

Excellence in Journalism: Christina Clark and Jeff Papworth

Outstanding Journalism Award: Marissa Beste and Morgan Hofbauer

Freshman Chemistry Award: Travis TrombleyOrganic Chemistry Award: David SarnowskiMASS Mathematics Competition Award:

Travis TrombleyOutstanding Mathematics Student Award:

Chad OrndorfPresident’s Academic Achievement Award:

Andrew Charter, Stephanie Dahl, Veronica Milligan, Qun Roessle, Ricki Spotts, Jayme Wasielewski and Stacey Weber

Outstanding Student Program of the Year: Sophomore Respiratory Therapy Student Club

The Agora begins competition to name the courtyard at the center of campus

Grandmother named top MCCC studentJohnston, McKenzie win faculty awards

Dawn Witmer: Outstanding Student

Cheryl Johnston: Outstanding faculty

Clayton McKenzie, recipient of the Outstanding Adjunt Faculty Award

photo by Kayla Tubbs

photo by Denise Kukwa

There is no official name for the area in the center of campus.

Matthew MullinsAgora Reporter

University of Michigan has the “Diag” and we have the, well, what do we have?

In the middle of the Admissions, Library, Life Sciences and Tech build-ings is a little meeting area with trees and a round walkway.

“I’m not sure what it’s called,” Lind-say Insco, MCCC student said. “It’s not like the college says anything about it.”

The opinion of what the name is var-ies from student to student.

“The Center Piece,” Drew Patterson said.

“We should call it the Square,” MCCC freshman, Ashley Loud-enslager said.

“The Four Corners sounds like a good name,” MCCC freshman Jon Griffis said.

Even David Nixon, the President of MCCC has ideas for what the school could do.

“Personally, I’d like to see a 50 ft. tall Clock Tower... That would be five stories tall, signifying the center of the

campus. It could include a loud speak-er system for “chimes” on the hour,” Nixon, said.

The Agora wants your opinion! What do you want that center walkway to be called?

We will pick the best entry and that will be the unofficial name of the walk-way.

You can submit your story right to the Agora in the L building room 202, or email it to Matthew Mullins at [email protected].

Name this place!

2 THE AGORA Editorial April 28, 2011

EditorMarissa Beste

Assistant EditorTyler Eagle

News EditorMorgan Hofbauer

AdviserDan Shaw

Staff Nicole Bolster Mariah Bruce Christina Clark James Dluzen Matthew Mullins Jeff Papworth Joe Prestia Kayla Tubbs Whitney Patterson

Staff Members

The Agora Editorial Policy

The Agora is published by the students of Monroe County Community College, 1555 S. Raisinville Rd., Monroe, MI, 48161. The editorial office is located in Room 202 of the Life Sciences Bldg., (734) 384-4186, [email protected].

Editorial policy: Unsigned editorials represent the major-ity opinion of The Agora staff. Signed columns represent the opinion of the writer. All letters to the editor must include a signature, address and phone number for verification pur-poses. The Agora reserves the right to edit for clarity, accu-racy, length and libel.

The Agora is a student-managed newspaper that supports a free student press and is a member of the Michigan Com-munity College Press Association, the Michigan Collegiate Press Association, the Michigan Press Association, College Media Advisers, Associated Collegiate Press and the Student Press Law Center.

Story suggestions are welcome. Let us know what you’d like to see in The Agora - it’s your newspaper.

Submissions of stories or photos also are welcome. E-mail them to [email protected] or bring them to our office.

Nicole BolsterAgora Reporter

Many women have been deal-ing with husbands, sons, and boy-friends leaving them to join the military.

My boyfriend recently left for the Marine Corps. It is a lot harder to deal with than many people think. I am going to give some advice on how to survive a significant other leaving for the military.

The best thing to do is to stay busy. If you stay busy, the time will go by faster and you won’t be thinking about how much you miss him all the time.

Write as many letters as you can. Even though he is not there with you, when you write letters it feels like you are talking to him.

Although the letters are for him, it helps you because it feels like you are still communicating with him. He will really enjoy re-ceiving the letters, too.

It can help to talk with other people who are in the same situ-ation. There are chat rooms that consist of people in the same situ-ation as you.

Many of the people you will

encounter in your daily life will not know what you are go-ing through, so being able to talk to someone who is going through the same thing really helps.

Keeping a calendar is help-ful as well. I have a count-down on my calendar until he comes home, so I can cross off each day. This helps because it makes me feel like I am work-ing toward being able to see him and it’s nice to see the days get crossed off.

Try not to be selfish and stay positive. I know it’s hard not to blame him for leaving you and not being able to talk to him, but you have to remember that he is doing this for our country. He is doing this for every American, not just you.

He is becoming a respectful and proud man because of this, so if you look at the big picture, it won’t make you mad at him but proud of him. This will help you stay positive.

Don’t think of the worst and try not to mope around about it. Keep busy and write letters and the time will go by fast.

Community college education can compete

Advice on being a military girlfriend

Photo courtesy of Nicole Bolster

Agora reporter Nicole Bolster and her boyfriend Matt Pitcher must now make contact from miles away since he joined the Marine Corps.

Community colleges always have faced the question – do stu-dents get as good a start on their college education as they would at four-year universities?

It’s a natural concern. After all, Monroe County Community College doesn’t have ivy-colored walls, famous lecturers, or Greek letters on big houses. There’s no championship football team.

What we do have is small class-es with professors who concen-trate on teaching, not research. We have hands-on opportunities to learn and one-on-one feedback.

As advi-sor to The Agora, I watch as s t u d e n t s c o m b i n e classroom instruction with prac-tice on the newspaper and web-

site, growing as journalists before my eyes.

They start out hardly under-standing what constitutes news, let alone how to write a news sto-

ry. Two years later, they’re well on their way to careers as journal-ists, writing solid news stories, sometimes on complicated topics.

When Asia Rapai took Intro to Journalism in the fall of 2008, she had no particular interest in journalism. She knew she liked to write and thought a journal-ism course would be fun. Her first story read more like an essay for a creative writing class.

Earlier this month, Asia was named editor-in-chief of the BG News, the student newspaper at Bowling Green State University, for the 2011-2012 school year.

That’s an amazing honor for a transfer student. Asia graduated last spring as MCCC’s Student of the Year, along with an armful of community college journalism awards.

But I’m sure she had doubts when she walked into the BG News for the first time in Septem-ber. Would she be able to compete with students who had attended Bowling Green for their first two years?

Her selection as editor of Bowl-ing Green’s student newspaper just seven months later answered those questions. Bowling Green has 300 journalism majors in a nationally ranked journalism pro-gram.

No one at MCCC is surprised

at Asia’s success after transfer-ring. She was a special student at MCCC, combining discipline, hard work and a sharp mind.

But she’s not that unusual. Lots of MCCC students go on to suc-ceed at four-year universities – and at impressive careers. She is just doing it in a more visible way.

Asia’s success should serve as an inspiration for all Monroe County residents.

They can send their sons and daughters to MCCC, confident they will leave two years later prepared to succeed at a four-year university.

Members of The Agora staff also got a recent reminder that MCCC students compete well

against their counterparts.During the same week that Asia

Rapai was selected to lead the BG News, Agora Editor Marissa Beste was named Student Jour-nalist of the Year by the Michigan Community College Press Asso-ciation.

Marissa and the rest of The Agora staff competed against stu-dent journalists from much larger community colleges – some with as many as 30,000 students. Marissa won five awards; over-all nine Agora staffers won 18 awards.

Ironically, advisers of the stu-dent newspapers at Michigan community colleges have been arguing over whether to divide the competition into two divi-

sions – so small community col-leges could compete against each other, rather than in the same di-vision as the larger schools.

Competing against community colleges like Washtenaw, Lansing and Grand Rapids, all with many times more students, The Agora staffers held their own, and their editor won the top individual award.

As they walked out of the con-ference, their heads were held high. There was no doubt in their minds they were getting a college education that competed with the best, anywhere.

(Dan Shaw is an assistant pro-fessor of Journalism at MCCC and adviser to The Agora.)

Asia Rapai will be editor-in-chief of the BG News at Bowling Green next fall.

Over the last few years, in light of all of the coun-try’s financial troubles, there has been increasing interest and concern amongst Americans regarding the actions and policies of the United States’ central bank, the Federal Reserve.

Oddly enough, many (if not most) people are not really sure what the Fed (Federal Reserve) is, what it does, and why its recent activity has been so detri-mental to the economy.

In order to answer these questions, we have no choice but to take a closer look.

A central bank is an institution that holds and lends assets and mon-ies of other banks, large and small. The Fed is the banks’ bank. It sets inter-est rates, discount win-dows, and (most impor-tantly) issues and distributes currency. Ultimately, the Fed is supposed to help regulate market changes and banking transactions to maintain economic sta-bility.

After two failed attempts at central banking from 1791-1811, and from 1816-1836 - the current ver-sion of the Fed was established in 1913.

The first attempt was a federalist measure strongly supported by Alexander Hamilton, and fiercely op-posed by Thomas Jefferson.

“I believe that banking institutions are more dan-gerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs,” Jefferson said.

In 1913 the Federal Reserve Act was passed in response to a series of banking panics. In charge of drafting the bill was Republican Senator Nelson Aldrich. Coincidentally enough, Aldrich had close ties to rich bankers such as John D. Rockefeller, who was Aldrich’s son-in-law.

Originally the Fed was to issue elastic currency, which is more or less a supply of currency that can be

contracted (removed) or expanded (added to) as a meth-od of fighting economic downturns, in the form of Fed-eral Reserve notes based on the nation’s gold reserve.

In 1945, in an effort to rebuild the world monetary system during the closing years of World War II, 730 delegates met from around the world, setting up the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and creating a system where the U.S. dollar would become the ba-sis for the exchange rate for currencies worldwide. This was done in an effort to simplify international trade. This resulted in giving the dollar the status of “world reserve currency.”

This system would suffice for the next 25 years, but by 1970, trouble was on the horizon. With an outpour of gold from the U.S. and the irresponsible printing of the dollar, international confidence in the U.S. dollar had declined greatly. The U.S. dol-lar would remain the core world reserve currency, but due to its inflation and erratic exchange rates, it could no longer be pegged to the price of gold. This would mark the end of the previous system, and the beginning of our current system of fiat currency, which is a system where paper money is no longer based on gold, but on the government promise of its market value.

This new power of elastic currency based on gov-ernment promise has been a quick treatment for many funding problems since, but has facilitated the financial mess that the United States is in today. Wars that we otherwise could not have afforded have been financed by this system. Social programs that we could not have afforded have been funded by this system.

Most of America would probably never become aware of the unjust power of the Fed had it not been for the financial crisis we are currently in. People were saying, “Why does AIG deserve to get bailed out? If I file bankruptcy, nobody bails me out!”

During the last several years of Alan Greenspan’s tenure as the Fed’s chairman, he set the interest rate near zero. Greenspan believed that this would en-courage liquidity, but it gave large firms the oppor-tunity to borrow from the Fed irresponsibly.

Game on.When a law known as the Glass-Steagall Act,

which forbid investment banks to own or “hold” commercial banking entities, was repealed by con-gress in 1999, Pandora’s Box began to open, and the stage was set for what would become one of the worst financial crises in U.S. history.

Banks began giving out loans to people who could not afford to pay them back. Predatory lend-ing caused the value of homes to rise fictitiously, and created what is known as a bubble. These mort-gages were repackaged, then traded on the mar-ket as “mortgage-backed securities.” Investment companies encouraged investors to buy into these investment vehicles by guaranteeing solid returns and deemed these securities as AAA-rated. The re-ality of the situation was the AAA-rated investments were actually toxic and high risk.

Finally, in 2008 the bubble began to burst. Bor-rowers started defaulting on their loans, and all those so-called AAA-rated investments were worthless. The stock market began to crumble as investor con-fidence declined. Giant firms such as Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, Fannie May, Freddie Mac, and AIG were in bankruptcy.

Check.Then something interesting happened. See, one

of the Fed’s purposes is to act as a lender of last resort. This creates a loophole where large firms can invest irresponsibly because they are deemed “too big to fail.” Then U.S. Secretary of Treasury Henry Paulson used fear tactics to pass hundreds of billions of dollars in bailouts in the form of TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program). AIG was bailed out (amongst others).

Checkmate. Some companies even profited from both the col-

lapse and the bailout, most notably investment firm Goldman-Sachs (counterparts in trading toxic assets with AIG. They then made bets against those invest-ments for a profit, and received a ton of money from the TARP).

Maybe it’s just me, but the fact that Paulson was CEO of Goldman-Sachs before his tenure as Secretary of Treasury is a wee bit unnerving. Also, Obama-ap-pointed Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner was instrumental (along with Paulson and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke), in giving away the bailouts.

Prior to public concern, Bernanke publicly assert-ed that the markets were stable and assured people not to worry. After the bailouts were approved, Ber-nanke then requested the injection of money into the banking system to ensure liquidity, and continues Greenspan’s tradition of low interest rates.

When asked at a congressional hearing where and how the TARP money was distributed, Bernanke ar-rogantly retorted, “None of your business.” Techni-

cally, Bernanke was correct. According to the Fed-eral Reserve Act the Fed does not have to disclose many of its internal dealings, even under audit. This is because the Fed is not technically part of the U.S. government. Although it is supposed to be subject to Congressional oversight, it is a private-government hybrid, and uses this position to facilitate its secrecy. Only in the last few months has the Fed been forced by the Supreme Court to release partial information of TARP’s distribution.

So where does all this money come from, consid-ering our national debt has reached an all-time high? It comes from thin air, almost literally. The Fed re-quests that the mint produces and sells it currency for pennies on the dollar, then revalues the currency at face value. This money (both material and elec-tronic) is then used and distributed as the Fed sees fit. The dollar is inflated, and therefore devalued.

This use of elastic currency causes the little bit of savings that most Americans have to become worth even less. Prices rise, especially as production slows, and commodities like oil and food become more expensive. This would not be so bad if wages kept up with the inflationary curve, but they have be-come stagnant. Through this mechanism, as the old saying goes, “The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.” Wars are funded with this fiat currency, and the money is re-circulated into the military-indus-trial complex. All of this fuels the alarming statistic that 99 percent of wealth in America is aggregated into the top 1 percent of its population.

Although the problem can be diagnosed, the search for a cure continues. The actions of the Treasury department and the Federal Reserve have shown that the power of few can be retained at the expense of many without morality being at all con-sidered. Considering that the faces and policies that facilitated this disaster remain the same, a silver lin-ing is out of view. Injections of more disease cannot make a sick patient better.

I hope that Jefferson was wrong. I pray that in-between switching stations from Dancing with the Stars to American Idol, Americans will start to wake up, before his prediction becomes a reality more so than it already has.

The symptoms of our current system are only be-ginning to bear the rotten fruit from the toxic fer-tilizer used to facilitate its own influence. If this spoiled fruit is what America is having for breakfast, what’s on the menu for lunch? As for dinner, well…we might just have to go hungry.

Joe PrestiaAgora Reporter

Wake up students: The Fed has too much power

MCCPA winners:Marissa Beste

First Place, Student Journalist of the Year; First Place, Headline Writing (tie); Second Place, Front Page Design; Second Place, In-Depth News Story (with Andrew Hoppert); Third Place, Informa-tional Graphic (with Andrew Hoppert); Honorable Mention, Personality Profile.

Marissa Beste

Dan ShawAgora Adviser

Tyler EagleFirst Place, Personality Profile;

First Place, Feature Story; Third Place, Feature Photo.

Morgan HofbauerFirst Place, Headline Writing

(tie); Third Place, Column\Com-mentary Serious; Honorable Men-tion, Critical Review (with Danny Shaw).

Andrew HoppertSecond Place, In-Depth News Story (with Marissa Beste); Third Place, Informational Graphic (with Marissa Beste).

Dylan GallagherThird Place, Editorial CartoonThe Agora StaffThird Place, Overall Page Design

Jeff PapworthHonorable Mention, Sports ColumnChristina ClarkHonorable Mention, Feature StoryChase DowlerHonorable Mention, Sports Fea-ture.Ashley LeTourneauHonorable Mention, Best Use of Photos.

April 28, 2011 Campus News THE AGORA 3Mike LaroyFor the Agora

MCCC’s new technology center is not scheduled to begin construction until July, but a bevy of people got their first glimpse of what the new technology center would look like, as well as what it would offer.

“A lot of paperwork needs to be com-pleted at the state and local level,” Peter Coomar, dean of the Industrial Technol-ogy Division, said.

“It should take 14 months from start of project to finish.”

The 71,300-square foot facility, which will take approximately $17 million to construct, will include many classes. Ten of them were on display during the X-Tech event on Wednesday April 20.

“A state of the art facility that will pre-pare residents of the region and county in particular for the 21st century jobs,” Coomar said.

“This is a long-anticipated need, not a

want.” During the four-hour open house, at-

tendees were encouraged to do things such as weld various metals, draw with the CAD (computer aided-design) equip-ment, and run certain state-of-the-art ma-chine tools.

In the product and process technology classroom, every person who stopped by to see what Professor Bob Leonard and his class were doing was given a keychain made by students.

DTE Energy was also on hand at the X-Tech event. They provided information for people that are interested in a career in nuclear engineering technology.

An outline regarding the new nuclear engineering program was made available to people who attended.

The outline included classes that ac-cumulated to a total number of 68 credit hours over five semesters – an average of over 13.5 credit hours per semester.

“All existing programs including new ones in the area of Green Construction,

Alternative Energy, Nuclear Engineering Technology, Automotive Service and En-

gineering,” Coomar said.

X-Tech features look at tech center

Morgan HofbauerAgora Reporter

Not much else can put the edge on a resume like a study abroad program – but there are so many options.

One option, run through the MCCC International Studies program, is the study abroad trip every two years, which includes three weeks overseas and three weeks in class on campus for six college credits.

The spring 2011 study abroad trip will include stays in Austria, Hungary, Po-land, and the Czech Republic. The group will leave May 10 and return May 30.

“The students are going to see a lot,” said Joanna Sabo, club advisor. “Post-communism, growth in capitalism, growth in productivity, and people there are generally happy but they do have economies that are struggling.”

There is no information yet regarding the 2013 study abroad trip.

Another option to study abroad for a longer duration would be finding an exchange program. One such program, Youth for Understanding, is located on the MCCC campus.

One perk to using an exchange pro-gram is the guided assistance that comes with it.

Megan McCaffery-Bezeau is the YFU coordinator at MCCC, who coordinates the living, transportation, and class ar-rangements for the students.

“If there’s help that they need with changing a class or a bus schedule, they can come to me. I can help them,” she said.

McCaffery-Bezeau wouldn’t be able to get an American MCCC student through to another country, but she can be of as-sistance. For those interested, please call (734) 384-4258.

“They could contact me and I could obviously get them in the right direction, with the right people,” she said.

Joanna Sabo said she can also give students various options. For those inter-ested, please call (734) 384-4297.

There are currently four exchange stu-dents at MCCC through YFU, and they are all here for different reasons.

Axel Missirliu, from Paris, described studying abroad as an opportunity to open your mind.

“It’s the point of the whole thing,” he said. “Let’s go somewhere else, do something else, learn something else, from other people. It’s been a really fun experience.”

Joo-Young Baek, from Seoul, South Korea, said one reason behind her deci-sion was to gain independence from her home and family.

“In my home, my parents always take care of me, and they protect me,” she said. “I just want some change, or some-thing new, and somewhere else where I don’t know anybody.”

Studying abroad is also a great way to hone a foreign language, which is one of the reasons why Domien Schepers, from Alcan, Belgium, told YFU he wanted to study in the U.S.

“I wanted to improve my English so

I wanted to go to a country where they speak English, and the United Kingdom was a little too close for me, so I decided to go a little farther.”

Joo-Young said the experience has overall improved her language skill as well, although it was difficult at first.

“I have to speak English to survive,” she said. “It is easier [now] than when I first came here. I learned English since I was in third grade, but I just know how to read and write.”

In January, another South Korean stu-dent arrived at the college, giving Joo-Young a native tongue to speak with. Eunjung Bae temporarily goes by her Americanized name, Grace.

There are some downsides to using an exchange program, however.

McCaffery-Bezeau said her greatest challenge is to find a host family to take in a student for a whole year. The volun-teer families are diverse, which can make the cultural transition easy or difficult on the students.

“This is my first time that I live with someone else, not my family; so at first it was not easy to adapt to new circum-stance, not as comfortable as my house, but they are very nice to me,” Joo-Young said.

Axel lives with host-parents and a younger host-brother and he said every-one gets along. Living in a house with other people was the only way to learn

the American lifestyle, Axel said.“You learn how American people re-

ally live. You really get to know how it works out,” he said. “I really love it. There’s no difficulty at all.”

In comparison to a large host family, Domien lives with just one man.

“It is not like a traditional host family, so that’s different, but it’s going really good,” he said. “Sometimes it’s really hard to miss your friends and family. You have to make the best out of it.”

Another downfall to YFU is that class-es at MCCC won’t transfer back to a student’s home country. Because of that, students have a sort of freedom to pick what classes to take.

“I’m going to med school when I get back to France,” Axel said. “Whatever I do here will not be brought back, so I take fun classes. I took theater, and some mass media stuff; that’s what I’m inter-ested in, and then stuff that will be useful in my life, like I took a speech class too.”

Other students will take classes that re-late to their major, like Joo-Young.

“I take classes I would like to major, like elementary education. This is what I want to study. Or like health class,” she said.

One universal difficulty when studying abroad is finding a welcoming group of friends.

“Making friends and getting to know people, it’s just so weird because most

people already have their friends and their group of people that they hang out with,” Domien said.

Homesickness is another issue that for-eign exchange students face. Joo-Young said it’s been hard without her family.

“I miss them a lot. I want to go home, but now the spring comes, there are only a few months left, so I will make the most of it.”

Most of the students agreed, however, that leaving Michigan in June will be more difficult than when they left their home countries.

“When I left Belgium I could say I’ll be back in a year. When I leave here I’ll have to say I might be back someday,” Domien said.

For the same reason, Axel said he’s sure he’ll be devastated to leave Michi-gan.

McCaffery-Bezeau said that while the YFU program is expensive, it costs more for a student to come on their own. How-ever, coming alone is possible.

MCCC student Valerie Biwa, from Na-mibia, Africa, obtained a student Visa to return to Michigan. Valerie’s family once lived in Flat Rock, so she had college ex-perience at MCCC before.

“I got the opportunity to come back,” she said. “You are never too old to learn, so I gave up everything and came back here. I have to stay for a few years be-cause I am on a student visa, not a cul-tural exchange program, so I have to, you know, finish my two years for my associ-ates.”

One perk to using a student visa is the freedom to pick the location and college. Valerie was able to select MCCC, in comparison to the YFU students.

“I liked the college; it’s small and more intimate, not like a huge college or uni-versity,” she said. “Here it’s small and more intimate and you get more atten-tion. You are able to grasp stuff more.”

The universal issue of homesickness will always persist though, whether trav-eling is done independently or through a program. Valerie said she often misses her mom.

On her second trip to the U.S., how-ever, she has learned some techniques to stay in touch with her family, such as frequent phone calls and Skype.

“I talk to my mom every week. I know they’re far away, but when I talk to them on the phone, it’s just like they’re in an-other city,” she said.

There are many options to study abroad and the benefits are obvious, said Sabo.

“Absolutely employers are looking for a global experience,” she said. “Colleges like NYU and Duke University now re-quire a study abroad component to grad-uate.”

Aside from an improved resume, the cultural experience is beneficial. Joo-Young sounded sure of herself when she said, “this one year experience will make me a different, more better person.”

For more information or options re-garding studying abroad, visit www.studyabroad.com.

Cultural differencesIt’s hard to notice what others would consider oddities in your own

culture, but step into another country and be prepared for culture shock.Three of the foreign students at MCCC noticed several dif-

ferences from life in their country to that in the U.S.Driving

“In Paris there’s no way, no point in driving. And here everything is based around a car. You can sit in your car all day,” said Axel Missirliu from France, where a driver’s license costs around $1,000.Independence

“I think Americans are more individual, more independent,” said Joo-Young Baek from South Korea. “College students are really independent, work for their own money. We work in Korea too, but it’s not that necessary.”Religion

“I’m from a family that is not very religious at all, and France is a secular government,” Axel said. “It’s completely forbidden to have a cross or anything that shows any religion at all, it’s completely forbidden by the law, so you keep your religion to yourself, you don’t share it very much.”Government

“[The U.S.] is really different government-wise,” said Domein Schepers from Belgium. “For example, education is paid by the government for us, so it goes a lot easier,” he said. “But we have to pay a lot more in taxes, so we’re still paying for our education, of course.”Firearm policy

“In France there are no guns,” Axel said. “You’re not allowed to have a gun in any way. And here everybody is having guns.”Activity

“I used to live in the big city, so crowded, so many people,” Joo-Young said. “Here in Monroe it is not that crowded, it is peaceful. And I like it here because it is peaceful and quiet. Some people say it’s boring, but I like it.”High school

“Everybody in high school [here] tells me, ‘we don’t learn anything in high school,’” Axel said. “I think that’s sad. Maybe they need some challenges and they don’t get it. I worked from 8 to 5 every day during the week.”

Photo by Tyler Eagle

Andy Dryer explained how the auto tech program’s dynamometer worked by spin-ning the wheels of the car during acceleration.

Security IncidentsThere were four reported trou-

bles with subjects on campus.There were two reported medi-

cal emergencies.

Calendar of Events• Commencment

Ceremony – April 29• Last Day of Winter Classes –

April 30• ‘Collage Concert’ – 2:30 p.m.

and 7:30 p.m. May 1 in the Meyer Theater

• Grades Due from Faculty by 4:30 p.m. – May 2

• Grades Available via WebPAL after 12 p.m. – May 5

Opportunities available for studying abroad

Matthew MullinsAgora Reporter

MCCC officials are still looking into arming security guards.

“I’m just investigating the op-tions for that,” Randy Daniels, Vice President of Student and in-formation services said.

In January, officials discussed the possibility of arming guards.

College security is relevant not only for student safety, but also be-cause politicians often visit.

“What happened with that politi-cian in Tucson, we have politicians on our campus all the time,” Dan-iels said.

The security force cannot arrest or open fire on any suspect. The most they can do is call 911.

“We have a non-engaging secu-rity force, “Daniels said.

“They are not to engage in any-thing unless there is bodily harm or threat.”

Despite the lack of an armed security force on campus, there is little crime at MCCC, Daniels said.

“I’d say we are a very safe cam-pus,” Daniels said.

“Even in the parking lot we do not have a high rate of crime.”

MCCC doesn’t solely rely on their security guards to enforce the law around campus.

“We also work very closely with the sheriff’s department and the state police,” Daniels said.

There are always scares on days like April 20, which is the anniver-sary of the Columbine shootings.

College security forces raise their awareness on days like these, to help prevent this from happen-ing elsewhere.

“Our security force is well in tune with the rise in security lev-els,” Daniels said.

There are many ways for the school to reach out to the students in case of an emergency, including the AlertNow system.

“AlertNow gives us a warning in a variety of ways,” Daniels said.

Daniels, who also heads security related problems, said he is very intent on keeping this a safe place to attend.

“We are trying to do all that we can to deter crime,” Daniels said. “We have enjoyed a very safe campus.”

MCCC still considering arming guards

MCCC studentdies suddenlyAgora Staff

Philip Michael Halstead, a student at MCCC, unexpectedly died of natural causes on Friday, April 22 in the emergency room at Toledo Hosipital.

According to his obituary in The Monroe Evening News, Hal-stead enjoyed playing his guitar, hunting and playing Frisbee golf.

He attended services at St. Mary’s Catholic Church and also at Redeemer Fellowship Church.

He is a 2007 graduate of Ida High School. He was a resident of Temperence, MI.

Memorial contributions may be made to the S.E. Michigan chapter of “Young Life.”

The address for “Young Life” is P.O. Box 94 Ida, MI 48140.

Photo by Morgan Hofbauer

Domien Schepers (left) from Belgium and Joo-Young Baek (right) from South Korea sit in the lobby outside of the library.

4 THE AGORA Campus News April 28, 2011

Tyler EagleAgora Reporter

Members of MCCC’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) silenced themselves on Friday, April 15 in a demonstration to raise awareness of bully-ing.

The demonstration, known as the Day of Si-lence, took place in the A building outside of the Admissions Office. Several club members tied an array of colorful bandanas around their mouths to symbolize their vow of silence and also passed out literature to those who stopped by their booth.

MCCC’s Day of Silence was part of a nation-al campaign by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and was one of several colleges and high schools to take part. The Day of Silence was contrived to bring at-tention to harassment against teens for their sexuality.

Mandi Davis, secretary of the GSA, took part in the demonstration and felt that it was impor-tant to get her message out to other MCCC stu-dents.

“We’re trying to show you we’re tired of the bullying,” Davis said.

Davis wants more people to take the time to educate themselves on how similar gay and bi-sexual people are to straight people.

“We want you guys to understand that yes,

we have attractions to the same sex or even both sexes. But we’re really a human being just try-ing to live like a straight person,” Davis said.

“Day of Silence to me is very important, es-pecially with hearing about all the teen suicides that have come from bullying against the LGBT community. Why bully someone? If you don’t have something nice to say, then just ignore them or get to know them before you judge them. That could be one life you could save,” Davis said.

Davis said she thought some people who stopped by the booth were opposed to the mes-sage, but didn’t let it deter her from her goal.

“I could see some people were like coming by and looking being like ‘oh, they’re doing that day of silence.’ I just stood there and stood proud and tall. I am taking a stand against bul-lying,” Davis said.

Kimberly Ruttenberg, the GSA treasurer, said she was also proud to take part in the event.

“Its our right to have this day and the freedom

to express ourselves in public,” she said. Davis feels that the event had a very deep

meaning and that it also served as a reminder of teens who have committed suicide because of bullying.

“We are honoring those who have fallen or who have taken their own life because of bully-ing,” Davis said.

“To me it was powerful, knowing that I knew that any of us that took part in the event got our word out by being silent.”

Morgan HofbauerAgora Reporter

Clubs and programs at MCCC are trying to make a global impact, and you can take part.

From the recent Japanese crisis to the ongoing is-sue of starvation and poverty, MCCC students and employees are creating easy ways for others to make a difference as well.

International Studies Club:Money raised for hunger

The International Studies Club on campus re-cently took donations to combat hunger and poverty through the Heifer International organization.

Through Heifer International, donations can pur-chase and send livestock to struggling towns. To promote self-sufficiency and group progress, each family must agree to give one of the animal’s off-spring to another needy family.

“It’s about getting a whole village off its feet,” said Joanna Sabo, advisor of the International Stud-ies club. “You don’t just plop a cow there and you’re done.”

The club was able to send chicks last year through their fundraising. This year they will be able to send either two sheep or a water buffalo with the approxi-mate $300 raised.

The Heifer International catalog includes 26 dif-ferent options, ranging from $20 for a flock of chicks, geese, or ducks, to a $10,000 donation to-wards livestock development.

Sabo said that the club will continue to promote Heifer International every year. Donations can be made at any time and will be saved for the next year’s purchase.

For more information on the International Studies club or to make a donation, contact Sabo at [email protected], or by phone at (734) 384-4297. For more information on the organization, visit www.heifer.org.

Newman Club:Survivor speaks of genocide

The Newman Club invited a survivor of the Dar-fur genocide and Sudan civil war to speak at the col-lege April 14 in an attempt to raise awareness.

Abubakar, who goes by his first name only, told a group of nearly 100 people his firsthand experience of Sudan life – being arrested, interrogated, tortured, and nearly killed by his own government.

This same government has caused the deaths of an estimated 400,000 people and the displacement

of another estimated 2.5 million people.

To read Abubakar’s story, visit www.mccca-gora.com/Sudan-survi-vor-speaks/.

The Newman Club is a Catholic group on campus that promotes the justice and teach-ing of Jesus Christ. The club has focused on hu-manitarian issues and social justice.

“Within the last cou-ple of years, the events have had a social jus-tice theme,” said Mark Bergmooser, one of the co-advisors of the club.

“The intent I guess was to do social awareness type things, from homelessness to hunger to even global events.”

Last October the club invited another survivor of Sudan to speak at the college, named Jacob Atem. To read Atem’s story, visit www.mcccagora.com/features/lost-boy-of-sudan-speaks-at-mccc/.

Abubakar said the first step in helping the issue is to raise awareness in yourself and in others.

In terms of aid, Sudan refugee camps are desper-ate for assistance. For more information on the Dar-fur issue and how to help, visit www.savedarfur.org.

SME Club:Aid manufactured for Japan

Several members from the Society of Mathemat-ics and Engineers Club designed a way to aid Japan.

Shortly after the tsunami hit, students thought to create metal cut-outs of Japan using the manufactur-ing machinery. With a magnet glued to the back, the students sold these pieces for $4 to fund-raise for Red Cross aid to Japan.

Club advisor and instructor of Product and Pro-

cess Technology Bob Leonard said he usually puts CNN on before his classes start and discusses news briefly with his students, which sparked the idea.

“We started talking about doing something for them because not only did they deal with the tsu-nami and the earthquake, they’re dealing with after-shocks and a nuclear crisis,” Leonard said.

Jake Roach and Steven Kodysh have done most of the work on the project and can sometimes be found selling the magnets in the A building.

“It’s nice to be able to contribute to something,” Roach said. “People are completely out of homes and they need our help as much as anybody else does.”

For more information on the SME Club or to pur-chase a magnet, contact Leonard at [email protected] or by phone at (734) 384-4114.

Do somethingAdditional help is needed and can be offered off

campus for a variety of issues.For ideas and information, visit www.dosome-

thing.org. Joanna Sabo suggested contacting the Red Cross or even local churches for volunteer or donation opportunities.

“You can get involved in the International Stud-ies Club here on campus,” Sabo said. “There are also mission trips; there are alternative spring break trips.”

Sabo said even a few dollars sent to an organiza-tion such as Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch can help. She once donated $50, which bought $450 worth of food.

“People don’t realize that with our cost of living, five dollars might mean fifty dollars overseas,” Sabo said. “It pays to just start small.”

In addition, donations are often tax deductable.As for the projects on campus, support has been

gained through students, faculty and staff alike. MCCC President Dr. David Nixon purchased a Ja-pan magnet from the SME club, and gave support to the various clubs for making a difference.

“I commend MCCC faculty and staff who are leading global awareness discussions on cam-pus,” Nixon said. “The learning objective in all of this conversation is for students to realize personal growth by associating with people and cultures dif-ferent from them.”

How MCCC makes a difference

Photo by Morgan Hofbauer

Abubakar, a survivor of the Sudan conflict, told MCCC students about his story.

Photo by Morgan Hofbauer

MCCC student Jake Roach is one of several students in the Product and Process Technology program who is making metal cut-out magnets of Japan to sell. The proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross.

GSA speaks out with silence

Photo courtesy of Mandi Davis, Secretary of MCCC GSA

MCCC President Dr. David Nixon stands with Gay-Straight Alliance members Ashley Locke, Brandon VanBelle, Mandi Davis, and Kimberly Rutten-berg to raise awareness of bullying through silence.

Joshua Meyers to join MCCC staffJoshua Meyers is the new coordinator of developmental

and external affairs, beginning May 9.Meyers will coordinate fundraising activities and assist in

the college’s external relations program.Since 2005, Meyers served as field representative to U.S.

Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn.He was named the 2010 MCCC supporter of the year.

Three new faculty members hiredThree new faculty members were approved Monday

night by the MCCC Board of Trustees.Dr. Maris Fonseca is the new associate professor of Bi-

ology. Fonseca earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in bacteriology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

She has taught biology at other community colleges and universities, in addition to considerable work experience.

Dr. Melissa Grey is the new assistant professor of psy-chology. She holds Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Science degrees in clinical psychology from Eastern Mich-igan University.

She has taught a variety of psychology courses.Edmund La Clair is the new assistant professor of His-

tory. La Clair has earned a Master of Arts in history from Central Michigan University, as well as 53 graduate semes-ter hours in history at Wayne State University beyond his master’s degree.

He has taught a variety of history courses at the commu-nity college and university level.

Nursing program reaccreditedThe associate degree in nursing program received reac-

creditation status April 20 by the National League for Nurs-ing Accreditation Commission.

A few conditions accompanied the accreditation, which will result in another visit by the commission in 2013.

March of Dimes to be heldA March of Dimes will be held at Sterling State Park

Sunday, May 1, and about 50 MCCC support staff will be attending.

Registration will begin at 11 a.m., followed by the open-ing ceremony at 11:40. The walk will begin at noon.

Class repeat policy approvedThe MCCC Board of Trustees Monday approved a limit

of three times that students can repeat a course.The procedure passed through the Academic Review

Committee before being presented to the Board.Here is the text of the new policy:“Students are allowed to attempt the same course no

more than three times. Each course in which the student has received a grade, pass/fail credit, or audit will count as one attempt.”

MCCC furthers social networkingThe college has joined Twitter in addition to Facebook.

To follow MCCC, go to www.twitter.com/monroeccc.

Briefly:

Visit: www.mcccagora.com/media to see a video of Mandi Davis sharing her opinion on the Day of Si-lence.

“It’s our right to have this day and the freedom to express our-selves in public.”

Kimberly RuttenbergTreasurer of MCCC GSA

April 28, 2011 Campus News THE AGORA 5

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Jaymes DluzenAgora Reporter

Discussions on faith, family, education and race filled the La-Z-Boy atrium on Tuesday, April 12.

The Agora, MCCC’s student newspaper, hosted a panel discussion titled “Education, Faith and Fami-ly” as part of the One Book, One Community events.

The questions and discussion centered around the strong faith, family, and education references in this year’s One Book, One Community novel, “The Color of Water” by James McBride. Panelists shared their opinions of these themes and incorporated their own stories into the discussion.

The panelists for the discussion included Tinola Mayfield-Guerrero, adjunct professor of Sociology at MCCC; Sanford Stein, a history professor at the college; Vuncia Council, coordinator of The Learn-ing Bank Network for Monroe County; and Rahwae

Shuman, adjunct professor of Anatomy and Physiol-ogy at MCCC.

The master of ceremonies for the event was Ma-rissa Beste, editor of The Agora.

The reactions from the crowd were positive and constructive, ranging from first time panel attendees

to English professors. “I’ve never attended a panel before,” said Brian

Pearch, “I hope to learn more about James Mc-Bride, and he definitely overcame a lot”.

Pearch was a first time observer for a panel dis-cussion. He attended because of the extra credit that was offered for his class.

Penny Dorcey-Naber, assistant to the Dean of Hu-manities/Social Sciences, was also in attendance, selling copies of “The Color of Water.”

“I expect a thoughtful discourse of the various themes of ‘The Color of Water,’” Dorcey-Naber said.

“ We’re at our best when we tap into the common humanity,” Stein said.

Throughout the evening, the panelists answered questions on the various themes. Many of the ques-tions evoked emotional and intellectual answers.

Mayfield-Guerrero said she thought the panel was the right thing to do.

“It was absolutely necessary,” said Mayfield-Guerrero. “You want to have these different per-spectives.”

Several audience members said the panel discus-sion was a great place to learn about different race, family and religion issues.

Council said she thought the diversity of the panelists helped make the discussion relevant. She related the panel discussion to what McBride went through.

“The diversity of the panelists reflects what he had to deal with,” she said.

“It was absolutely terrific,” said Cheryl Johnston, assistant professor of English and reading.

“It touched on all the themes of the book, and we had an excellent group of people to talk about it.”

Mariah BruceAgora Reporter

Bestselling author James McBride spoke to a packed house at the Meyer Theater in the La-Z-Boy Center Tuesday, April 4.

“I liked him,” said Lauryn Dempsey, a student at MCCC. “He was really funny.”

She attended the speech because McBride’s mem-oir, “The Color of Water,” is one of her favorite books and also because she received extra credit in one of her classes.

She said she now plans on reading another novel written by McBride, “Miracle at St. Anna.”

During the event, which was part of the One Book, One Community program, McBride spoke candidly on a number of topics, including the process of writ-ing “The Color of Water.”

“Writing is the act of continual failure,” he said. “You keep going, and eventually something will catch fire.”

McBride also encouraged students to keep trying and aim high, even when times are tough.

“The problem with students like yourselves, from places like Monroe, isn’t that you’re not smart

enough,” he said. “It’s that you don’t think high enough.”

One point McBride wanted to drive home was that if he could be successful, anyone could be.

“When I was in school, I never did anything that would indicate the fantastic success you see before you,” he joked.

“Don’t believe the hype. There’s nothing I’ve done that you can’t do,” he added.

People can be successful no matter where they come from, he believes.

“They ain’t no smarter than you in New York.”Possibly the biggest point McBride made was

that hate and discrimination do not do anyone any good.

“Don’t listen to the hate. It’s going to do nothing but tie you down,” he said.

“We’re all just human beings trying to get through another day.”

McBride concluded by taking several questions from audience members. A book signing was held in the atrium after the event.

“The Color of Water” is available for sale at the MCCC bookstore.

‘Color of Water’ author speaks at MCCC

Photo by Whitney Patterson

One of the messages James McBride, author of “The Color of Water,” told to the audience April 4 was to always “aim higher, even when times are tough.”

“It was absolutely terrific. It touched on all the themes of the book, and we had an excellent group of people to talk about it.”

Cheryl JohnstonAssistant professor of English and reading

James McBride tells students to ‘aim high’

Panel discusses One Book, One Community novel

6 THE AGORA Features April 28, 2011

Morgan HofbauerAgora Reporter

An earthquake, tsunami, nuclear crisis, and more than 400 aftershock quakes over 5.0 magnitude – now Japan, and the world, face yet an-other danger: radiation.

Radioactive material, in greater levels than previously thought, has leaked from the stricken Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant every day since April 5, said data released from the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan on Saturday, April 23.

Reactor unit 1 has released 154 terabecquerels per day nearly every day of April, the data said. One terabecquerel is one trillion becquerels.

The Fukushima crisis has been rated a maximum level 7 in severity on the international nuclear event scale, the same rating as the 1986 Chernobyl event.

The nuclear complex, containing six reactors units, was dealt several blows over March. For more information on how the crisis happened, visit www.mcccagora.com/features/crisis-evolved/.

Reactor units 1, 3, and 4 suffered hydrogen explosions early in the crisis that tore through parts of the roof. Reactor unit 2 suffered an ex-plosion that ripped through the inner containment vessel.

About 67,500 tons of radioactive water have accumulated at the plant, the utility firm estimates. Some of the water has leaked into the Pacific Ocean.

Radiation spreadThe company that owns the nuclear complex, Tokyo Electric Power

Co., known as TEPCO, said on Thursday that the radioactive water that leaked for six days into the ocean contained 20,000 times the annual allowable limit for the plant, amounting to 520 tons.

On April 4, TEPCO began dumping 11,500 tons of water with low levels of radioactive iodine into the Pacific Ocean to free space in stor-age tanks for more toxic water.

The water released had up to 500 times the legal limit for radiation, while the water then stored had about 10,000 times the limit.

In the beginning of the crisis, radioactive materials were first de-tected in eastern Russia on March 14 and the west coast of the U.S. on March 16.

According to several experts, the levels were magnitudes lower than anything hazardous, the Associated Press reported.

Traces of radiation have even reached the southern hemisphere, ac-cording to the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nucle-ar-Test-Ban Treaty Organization.

The risk associated with idiodine-131 contamination in Europe is no

longer “negligible,” said CRIIRAD, a French research body on radio-activity. Pregnant women and infants in France and Europe have been advised to avoid “risky behavior,” like consuming fresh milk or veg-etables with large leaves.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission estimated an acceptable level of radiation at 100 millirem a year. The Environmental Protection Agency set a standard of no more than 15 millirem per single site or

source.A chest x-ray gives about 1 to 2 millrem to the whole body. Physical

symptoms don’t usually appear until the body has reached 100 rem, or 100,000 millirem, in a single dose.

Levels over 100 microsieverts, or 10 millirem, per hour have been measured at four locations less than two miles from the plant, accord-ing to Kyodo News.

The Japan health ministry released a list of 99 different kinds of food found with radiation, including milk, leafy vegetables and fish.

The 12-mile evacuation zone was widened on Friday to include sev-eral other towns with high exposure. The change added about 10,500 people to the 70,000 to 80,000 already evacuated.

TEPCO is paying $600 million to 50,000 of the evacuees.A citizen’s group from Fukushima said that small amounts of radio-

active iodine were discovered in the breast milk of four women living east or northeast of Tokyo. The highest sample was from an 8-month-old baby’s mother, at 981 picocuries, or 36 becquerels per kilogram.

The government of Japan has made no radiation safety limit for breast milk consumed by infants under one-year-old, but for tap water the limit of toxicity is 100 becquerels per kilogram.

Resolving the issueTEPCO announced April 16 that they aim to bring damaged reactors

to a stable condition called a cold shutdown in six to nine months, end-ing the crisis, the Kyodo News reported.

The utility said it would need three months to steadily reduce radia-tion and another three to six months for radioactive emissions to be controlled.

Fixing the crippled reactors is now at a standstill.TEPCO sent robots into reactor units 1, 2, and 3 and they discovered

that radiation levels are too high for workers to enter. The data obtained found levels to be between 4 and 57 millisieverts per hour.

The government recently changed the ceiling on allowed exposure for workers from 100 to 250 millisieverts. Even with the new amount, workers could only spend about four and a half hours in the No. 3 reac-tor before they reached the 250 millisieverts ceiling.

The heat and humidity limit time even further.Repair crews would only be able to stay in reactor units 1 and 2

for 50 minutes and 15 to 20 minutes respectively due to the heat and humidity, a professor from Shinshu University told the Mainichi Daily News on Wednesday.

The company, however, has not released a change in its 6 to 9 month goal.,

Japan faces new dangers, strugglesRadiation spreading, 6 to 9 months before problem to be resolved

To view an interactive timeline of nuclear ac-cidents, visit:

www.dipity.com/mhof-bauer/nuclear-acci-dents

Photo courtesy of Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention

Water in the four unstable reactors at Fukushima has boiled and precipitated, leaving fuel rods exposed to the air. This infrared photo shows the accumulation of heat in reactor units 2, 1, 4, and 3.

Joe PrestiaAgora Reporter

As the 2010-2011 school year nears its end, area high school students are con-sidering dual enrollment as a possible option for next fall.

Students who dual enroll are getting a head start into life after high school educationally, financially, and experien-tially.

“Students get to experience college while still in high school, plus the state pays for their classes while a student is dual enrolled,” said Sandy Kosmyna, Director of the Whitman Center.

Grant Morgan, a student in attendance at the April 21 Dual Enrollment Event

from Bedford High School, was excited about the opportunity.

“I think dual enrollment is a good thing because of the free college credits, and it will help me make decisions about school in the future,” Morgan said.

There are 19 different classes at MCCC available to students wishing to dual enroll, mostly in areas of study such as welding, computer information systems, and electronics.

Credits earned for these courses will count towards students’ degrees at MCCC after high school, and are also transferrable to most universities and other colleges.

According to Kosmyna, the annual number of high school students who are dual enrolled is about 200, out of about 400 who apply.

Dual-enroll students can get a head start

Photo by Joe Prestia

High school student Grant Morgan, with his mother Sue Morgan, attended the duel enrollment informational night hosted at the Whitman Center. Director of the Cen-ter Sandy Kosmyna, (right) answered their questions.

Pinking the Town

Photo courtesy of Cheryl McKay, MCCC professor of Accounting

About 25 MCCC accounting students helped with the Susan G. Komen Detroit Race for the Cure by decorating over 100 pink ribbons to hang along the raceway. Adviser Cheryl McKay said many students dedicated their ribbons to someone they lost to breast cancer.

Whitman Center holds event to help

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