Campus News
Spring Student Art Show
Education brings a family
closer together
Tuition
increase
for the fall
Sexual Assault Awareness
Mosaic-Spring issue
Adjunct faculty dinner
RMTC Heads Northward
Peanut butter, jelly, and
organizational behavior
Celebration Ceremony at EAC
Medical Laboratory Technology de-vampired
Hot happenings in Hastings update
Breaking barriers for non-traditional students
Human trafficking awareness
KCC goes downtown
ART 110 Drawing students exhibit their large-scale
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Spring Student Art Show
Kathryn Barnes (graphic design) Gerald King (animation/video).
Honorable Mention The Spring issue of Mosaic is on the stands. It features art by campus art students, selected by the Art League, and written work selected by the Crude Arts Club. The issue is free, and can be picked up at the all campus sites, in the library, on newspaper racks, and in the English and Art offices.
Pictures are form right to left RMTC Heads Northward Kellogg Community College has recently decided to add an RMTC program in Hastings. In collaboration with the Hastings community and the Hastings High School, KCC is offering a welding course for interested students in Hastings. KCC originally started up RMTC North for students who are dual enrolled in high school who wanted to learn a skilled trade. Since the program has been showing progress, the College has decided to open up the program to people of all ages. With the baby boomer generation nearing retirement, many local factories are about to lose their long time welders due to retirement and would like to have trained people to fill the open positions. The RMTC North planning committee is scheduling an open house for the newly established program and would like anyone interested in welding to join them and see what this new course has to offer. The open house is scheduled for Wednesday, May 16. The committee is considering offering a summercourse, but it will depend on how many people show up to the open house and are interested in taking a summer course. At least ten students are needed. The RMTC North courses will equate to a 25 credit Certificate. Michigan Works is also incollaboration and will be offering some type of financial help withstudents that need support for those who qualify. Also for the students that qualifyKCC financial aid will be available. RMTC north planning committee at the RMTC north welding shop photo courtesy of RMTC program
Medical Laboratory Technology de-vampired Amy Morris, Medical Laboratory Coordinator, wants us to understand that a common misconception about Med Techs and Medical Lab Techs is that all they do is draw blood. In fact, that is a very small part of their jobs and more commonly is not a part of their jobs at all. A successful Medical Laboratory Technician is detail-oriented, a critical thinker and a problem solver in math and science. MLT Instructor/coordinator, Kay Paff detailed the many stages of the Medical laboratory Technology Program. She was enthusiastic about the technology at hand: "You can't run the program without a lab!" One also can't run the program without a chart. According to Paff, 70% of a patient's chart is provided by lab results. The types of information on those charts regularly reveal a wealth of information about patients. MLT Students will have quite the handful as the second year (which takes place in the summer and the fall) will introduce microbiology. Students will learn about different types of antibiotics – and there's a lot to that, according to Paff. The last semester is full time: 40 hours a week for a total of 18 weeks spent in an accredited clinical laboratory. It begins with dealing with real patients under supervision and evolves into dealing with the patients themselves. Paff explains that those in the medical field are becoming more and more capable of measuring tiny D.N.A. It's a whole new program starting this summer in Grand Rapids. And Morris wants "to dispel the vampire myth so often associated with our field and help potential students to realize the rigor of the science that our program teaches." Breaking barriers for non-traditional students The Breaking Traditions award is one that recognizes students who successfully pursue the career path of their choice even when it is a non-traditional choice for their gender. This award has been around for quite a few years, but is most recently making a new appearance on KCC's Battle Creek campus. Jan Karazim, Dean of Occupational Education, made the final decision in choosing the student who would best represent the criteria needed to achieve this honor. This year's award winner is a Paralegal student, Marcus Douglas. Karazim feels that not only will this award reflect the student's hard work and passion for the studies of Paralegal, but also be a shining light to those who may be questioning entering a career field that may not always be represented by their gender. "There are no gender barriers for careers' Breaking Traditions award winners are also serving as role models for other non-traditional students!" Our world needs more people who are passionate about their chosen career fields. When choosing what we want to spend the rest of our lives doing, should we really be hesitating from following our dreams just because there is a social stigma that it's a "girl job" or a "boy job"? The answer is simple, no. Do not let the "social norms" define who the person you would like to be is. Let your dedication and hard work do the talking. ~Ashley Everett is a Public Relations major. KCC goes downtown How many of you saw the moving trucks on campus in the middle of the night this past February? Not Me! Maybe I got ahead of myself a little bit, how many of you knew that the Non-Profit Alliance was on Kellogg Community College Campus? Not me! Better yet, how many of you even know what the Non-Profit Alliance (NPA) is? Not me! All of a sudden my mission became clear, to find out the answer to those burning questions. After all "Inquiring minds want to know." And this was no easy task. On the advice of my new friend, the security guard, I'm off to the Administration Building. Everybody at the administration building was so pleasant and helpful and knew exactly what I was looking for. Not only did I get a name for the mysterious office, I also managed to get an address as well It turns out that a new downtown office was opened in February, 2012. The new location at 15 Capital Ave NE, on the corner of Capital and State St in Battle Creek, will house the Non-Profit Alliance. The Non-Profit Alliance works strictly with other nonprofit organizations. Their main focus is to provide technical support and resources to other non-profit organizations within Calhoun County. They will assist companies with training needs from grant writing to tax requirements to staff management. No problem too big or too small. The NPA was formed in 1995 and was housed in Willard Library before it became a KCC program in 2007 and was housed in the Roll Building. In order to provide greater access and reach more of its community based programs, the office was relocated to the downtown area. According to the mission statement "Non Profit Alliance is dedicated to strengthening the leadership and organizational capacities of nonprofit organizations in Calhoun County to effectively deliver their missions in alignment with priority community needs." We always hear about other non-profits that have done this and have done that. What we don't hear about is the work that is done behind the scenes. This is the work that NPA handles.
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Education brings a family closer together On top of the challenge of being back in the classroom after thirty years, Rita and her eldest daughter took a few classes together. "Well, honestly, it was a little humbling for both of us." Rita concluded. Michelle and Rita took a physical geography and a political science class together. Rita found that she needed some freshening up; however, she found that there were areas of their political science class where she was stronger than her daughter. "My daughters and I have totally different study habits," Rita explained of the generation gap. "I'm more focused because I'm an older student." Tuition increase for the fall With the Spring semester rushing to an end, surely the thought of returning for Fall is far from the minds of KCC students. Paying for the semester is even more distant. However, with an increase in tuition cost coming in the fall, give me your undivided attention for a few moments. The KCC Board of Trustees has approved a 2.3% increase in tuition for the Fall semester. Luckily, if you've been keeping track of your student loans and tuition costs, you'll realize that this is a very small increase. The increase for most students is around $15-$20, unless you're one of the few students who are not residents. Out of state, and international students gain a substantial increase. Because 2.3% of $700 (8 credit hours for a resident) is much smaller than $1,550 (8 credit hours for an out of state student). With roughly 80% of the students attending KCC being part-time students (less than 14 credit hours per semester), the increase is even smaller to those attending full-time. The total revenue for the school would be around $150,000 per semester if all factors remain as they are. There is no telling where this money will go, but with so many new renovations and maintenance issues rising, the choice is obvious. Though if you see a new Maserati Gran Turismo X6 around campus, I'd say the driver got a pretty hefty bonus. So whether you're a full time student trying to reach for the stars or a part-time student aiming for something closer to home, the tuition increase should not discourage you from attending KCC. Sexual Assault Awareness Many college students do not quite see what the national debt has to do with them. First, before addressing the deficit, people have to understand how it accumulated. There are multiple reasons that the debt has increased so dramatically over the past several years. It has increased mainly due to Bush Era tax cuts, health care entitlement, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the recession, and lastly Obama's stimulus package. The tax cuts lowered governmental money through federal taxes on top of increased spending in our wars against terrorism. When that is coupled with the health care entitlements and Obama's recent stimulus package, it equals an unparalleled amount of debt. Someone in the United States is sexually assaulted every 2 minutes. If that sounds alarming, sexual assaults have actually decreased since 1993. Meaning rape has decreased by 60% in the last 13 years. The prosecuting rates for sexual assault and rape crimes are what makes me mad. 54% of rapes/sexual assaults were not reported according to statistics over the past five years. Out of 100 rapes, 46 get reported to the police, 12 lead to an arrest, 9 get prosecuted, 5 lead to a felony conviction, and only 3 will spend even a single day in prison. The other 97 will walk free!!! Think about those scary facts before you judge someone for not wanting to report their rape. Plus the victim/survivor has to face not only their rapist, but a jury, a judge and the public. (www.rainn.org) Ever since I can remember I was physically, mentally and sexually abused by family members mostly. I was told that I was a mistake; my mom would listen as I was being raped, and my brothers would turn up their music so they didn't have to hear me crying. Eventually I learned no one cared, so why should I, so I started dissociating. The whole time it was happening to me, I was being manipulated into silence. It was just how much I was being manipulated I didn't realize. I thought by my silence of not pressing charges I was protecting others from being raped and abused, even into adulthood I believed this lie. Last year I saw one of my little cousins with a broken jaw and that's when it hit me everything they told me has been a lie. Revictimization, something you don't hear much about but I think it is very important to educate people about. Women who've been sexually assaulted before the age of 18 are twice as likely to report being raped as adults. Many survivors as adults will find themselves in a relationship or situation that is abusive or dangerous. I worked in a department where I was the only female and a male in the department thought it was ok to grab and touch me. The other guys would make inappropriate comments and they told me when I started what happens in that department stays in that department and they all have each others back. I thought I was doing something to deserve this or show that it was ok. Since it happened as a child and now it was happening again. It took others standing up for me, males, to prove to me that I didn't deserve this and it wasn't my fault and I needed to stand up for myself and the next woman who was going to be in my position. I would love to say that my attackers are in prison, but that would not be true and would be giving false hope to others who've been attacked. I struggle daily with having to look over my shoulder when I go in public, but I am not letting that hold me back. They are not in control of me anymore! My advice to fellow survivors is to surround yourself with those who've been in your shoes. You may feel alone, I know because I've been there and still feel there sometimes. Going to group therapy with people who have had similar experiences has been the most validating thing for me, because they know how everyone treats you, they have similar feelings, they can give you insight into what you might want to try. The best advice comes from someone who's been there. It is horrible to feel like you're alone in this world but when you're able to identify with someone else it opens your world to healing you didn't think was possible. National Sexual Assault Hotline 1-800-656-HOPE Adjunct faculty dinner The Kellogg Community College Adjunct Faculty Dinner was held on Friday, March 13, 2012 at the Holiday Inn in Battle Creek. Dr. Dennis Bona opened the evening with a warm welcome to all in attendance and Dr. Kevin Rabineau and Jan Karazim had the honor of presenting the awards. The Outstanding Adjunct Arts and Sciences Award was presented to Charles (Chuck) Newman. Chuck teaches a diverse range of courses in the Social Science Department. The Outstanding Adjunct Career and Occupational Education Award was presented to Steven Frisbie. Steve teaches Emergency Medical Services courses at KCC. Tammy Douglas, Director of Learning Technologies, shared information with all of the staffabout the new Adjunct Faculty Team Site and Holly McKee ended the evening with opportunities to win Meijer gas cards! The 2012 Outstanding Adjunct Award Recipients are from right to left: Outstanding Adjunct Arts & Sciences Award – Charles (Chuck) Newman, Outstanding Adjunct Career & Occupational Education Award – Steven Frisbie photo by Jamie Bishop Peanut butter, jelly, and organizational behavior What makes a great management class? An exercise in the process steps to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, obviously. The evening class was divided into four teams. Each team was to compile a list of steps to create a sandwich. New this semester, adjunct professor Brady Smith was willing to actually follow the steps in creation. Bravo to team 3 for suggesting to go across hall to the rest room & wash his hands. The sandwich task required from fourteen up to twenty-three steps to success. It was team 2 that gave the best advice, (step 13)bring together by placing straight out side to side with bread in each hand and end up putting each side together over top of yourhead as hard as possible, (step 14) yell and scream saying, "This is Sparta." At least, the final step from all the teams; ENJOY!
photo by Ann Michels Celebration Ceremony at EAC On April 13, 2012, a ceremony was held at the Eastern Academic Center in Albion. The title for the ceremony was called, "Building a Bridge to Success: The Opportunity School." The Opportunity School is a partnership between Marshall Public Schools and Kellogg Community College. Eight students from Marshall Alternative High School gave testimonials about their journey from procrastinating about school and feeling completely hopeless to now being a successful high school student with a promising future. First semester, students can take a course focused on college readiness as well as study skills. Second semester, students can take two college classes with support from counselors and tutors. Third semester, students can take three college courses per semester until they finish their high school diplomas. Key people who were in attendance were Dr. Randy Davis, Superintendent of Marshall Public Schools, Bob Vaught, Principal of Marshall Alternative High School, and Dr. Dennis Bona, President of Kellogg Community College. For more information about The Opportunity School, contact Marshall Alternative High School Director, Bob Vaught at 517-629-7549 or bvaught@marshall.k12.mi.us. For more information about the Kellogg Community College Eastern Academic Center, contact Director Colin McCaleb at 517-485-3500 or mccalebc@kellogg.edu. Hot happenings in Hastings update In the last issue of The Bruin I reported about Vickie Sleevi, the teacher who threw tea on the two fighting students. At the time of the deadline there was no conclusion to the case. Now that it's a month later, I checked back in with KCC Fehsenfeld Administrator Tim Sleevi to see how the case has progressed. Just after the incident occurred, Mrs. Sleevi was placed on paid administrative leave one day. Despite no charges being filed, Mrs. Sleevi had to obtain legal counsel and was ultimately made to accept two days of unpaid administrative leave. Ultimately, the incident cost the family in excess of $1,000. Mrs. Sleevi was also given a letter of reprimand. Mrs. Sleevi formally met with the Hastings School Board in an effort to rescind the letter in her file, which might be construed as negative by a future employer. As of the publication date final results are pending. Human trafficking awareness On behalf of Healthy Choices Leadership Organization's we would like to thank all of those who attended the workshop on Human Trafficking on April 12, 2012. ART 110 Drawing students exhibit their large-scale
ART 110 Drawing students exhibit their large-scale "Text Portraits" at 17 West Michigan Ave., downtown Battle Creek. The art will be on display for the upcoming Spring Into The Arts event on May 14. From left to right: Jeremy Gray, Jennifer Pratley, instructor Vicki VanAmeyden, Julie Fuller, Brittiany Velez, Tara Schumacher, Kristy Towery, Samantha Benton, Tracy Johnson, Larry Moore, Jonathon Raiford, Rick Curtis, and Joshua Pitchure. photo courtesy of Vicki VanAmeyden |

Elizabeth Kerlikowske



Cade Carver
Ashley Everett
Lacy Janousek

Luke Edwards 