Multicultural Medley Art Contest Celebrating Our Diversity

By Elizabeth Kerlikowske
Advisor

Diversity Committee Chair Professor Michelle Wright says, "Diversity should be looked at broadly. It is not just about race. It is about age, taste, geography, height, weight, gender, and more. Diversity contributes to unity. In many ways diversity embraces commonality."

After the contest closes, the judging will take place the next week. Winners and honorable mentions will be notified although the identities of the two big winners will not be revealed until the awards ceremony on February 22, 2012 in the Binda Performing Arts Center. Following will be a reception and an opportunity for audience members to view all the art submitted for the contest.

To enter or ask any questions you may have, go to the website at diversity@kellogg.edu.

~Elizabeth Kerikowske is on the Diversity Committe

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Car charging

by Nick Garrison
Staff Writer

With the consistent raise in oil prices, alternative forms of energy for transportation are becoming more evident in today's society. One is becoming more popular is electricity. For a while there was a small area blocked off in the parking lot by the main steps. I never paid much attention to it but was nothing short of surprised when the construction was done.

Located in the once cautioned taped area is now a charging station for electric cars. (The problem with the charging station is an electric car going to park next to it when that area of the parking lot is usually completely full.) If an electric car is on it's last limb and a gas burning SUV is parked near the charger, where does the electric car go? The nearest gas station, which is at least a mile away from KCC, doesn't have a car charger. Also, I haven't noticed any other locations in Battle Creek with an electric car charger, nor have I witnessed any electric cars.

How long does it take for an electric car to charge? If the cars' battery is completely dead, it will take roughly eight hours to reach a full charge.
While at KCC, I'm sure the student will want to have their vehicle charging while getting educated since the cars have a limited range. For instance, the Nissan LEAF has a range of 73 miles on a full charge. The mileage changes based on the weather, temperature, driving/charging habits, and age of the battery. The mileage could even manage to be much less than 73 miles. Compare that to my eleven year old Chevrolet Cavalier, I can travel roughly 350 miles on one tank of gas.

If a LEAF owner somehow manages to get a parking spot next to the charger, where does the next Nissan LEAF owner go to charge? Now, the LEAF does have a cable that can be used to charge the car, but there is not a location for a student to park next to the school and plug in. If there is, chances are there is already cars parked there. That means someone would have to wait in line to be able to get a charge and wait could be for hours. On the upside, the car is on wheels so someone can simply push it to the next charging station.

Do you think this was a smart expense the school? If students used it, I'd say it would be, but the chances of them having access is slim to none. Electric cars are safe for the environment if you don't think about all the pollution put into the atmosphere during the process of manufacturing and shipping the car. I believe LEAFs will eventually be replaced with hydrogen powered cars along with all the internal combustion cars we've been driving to school. Electric cars will soon be obsolete along with the few car chargers.

~Nick enjoys photography and Journalism

Electric car charger at the Battle Creek campus
photo by Nick Garrison

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Getting Mobile with the Library

By Kelly Frost

Have an iPad, Kindle Flame or other tablet device on your holiday wish list? Want to play with one first? You can at the library! The library has two iPads loaded with apps available for students to check out and use within the library. Staff and faculty can also check one out for one week. The library began checking iPads out in October, and they have been quite popular with over 60 check outs.

An iPad is a flat, handheld device, smaller than a laptop but bigger than a phone. It connects to the internet through wireless signals. There are few buttons and no keyboard—instead it operates through a touch screen. It also runs "apps" or applications which are small programs that can do all sorts of things. There are apps for playing games, reading books, viewing stars, accessing Facebook, , and even creating music. Programmers are constantly writing new programs and finding new ways to use the device.

Publications Coordinator, Penny Rose "used the iPad at a conference to keep in touch with work and home while I was gone. Because it's so small and lightweight it was much more convenient for me to carry around than my laptop." She also "took advantage of the wifi capability of the iPad during the conference sessions to check out highlighted websites and speakers. The social media apps also helped me to follow what other conference goers were posting about the conference."

Students have used the iPads as laptop alternatives in the library, writing papers on them, and saving papers to Google docs or other cloud based services. Several nursing students used an anatomy app to study for a Physiology test. While the iPads have lots of great educational potential--they are also great for playing games, watching YouTube, and reading books.

Some predict that mobile devices, smart phones, tablets, and laptops are the way of the future. One research company, International Data Corporation, predicted that by 2015 more people will be accessing the internet through mobile devices than through desktop computers. This "mobile revolution" may change the way the internet works. But for right now, it means there are lots of great apps available which can make life easier, more productive, and fun. Many apps are available for low or no cost. The library has created a Mobile Research Guide with app reviews and suggestions as well as links to the mobile versions of some of our databases. Check out Mobile Research Guide at http://guides.kellogg.edu or scan the QR code with your mobile device.

~Kelly Frost, a KCC Librarian, User Education/Experience

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Being Human

KCC student Amy Osborne had her multi-media work exhibited at the juried show "Being Human" at Union Street Gallery in Chicago, Illinois (Oct 12-Nov 12).

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PTK inductees start their journey

By Ann Michels
Editor

Aristotle said "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act, but a habit," noted keynote speaker, Catherine Hendler (KCC, VP of Instruction), at the Phi Theta Kappa induction ceremony. She gave recognition to the inductees on November 16, as our best and brightest. Hendler expressed the value of Academic Rigor, the pursuit of deep knowledge and understanding. She said, "Rigor provides students with the opportunity to develop the necessary intellectual habits to navigate complex learning experiences and the world at large. Academic rigor is what helps students find creative paths to resolve problems when they don`t know the answer. "

Hendler, also a biotechnologist, mentioned "Please do not revert to what you may see others do, doing only just enough to get through, and taking the path of less resistance." She adds, "Nurture your intellect, develop, and maintain habits of academic rigor. Stay the course." Valuable advice for the Phi Theta Kappa's' future leaders.

~Ann Michels is 2011-12 PTK president

Advisor Jane Westra prepaes the new inductees
Photo by Nick Garrison

New inductee receives recognition
Photo by Nick Garrison

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KCC Etiquette Dinner

By Adam Coon
Staff writer

On November 17, 2011, Kellogg Community College held class, many classes in fact. But one was very different than your average sit, listen, and leave classes. This was a class on class. Several students were given the opportunity to participate in the annual KCC Etiquette Dinner. When asked why this was being done Terah Zaremba, the director of Academic Advising and Student Life, said students or younger people in general sometimes feel uncomfortable in a formal setting such as a job interview or may not know the proper way to act if taken out to eat with an employer.

The class was to begin at 5, so keeping punctuality in mind I showed up early and many of the students looking their best in suits ties or dresses heels. Looking at myself I realized that an un-tucked button up shirt and khakis may have not been the best choice, especially when coupled with an old pair of dirty chucks. But I suppose that is why I have a press pass, so I put it on and was slightly less out of place.

We were ushered into rooms 108 109 in the Ohm building offered some appetizers, meatballs, sushi, and chicken wings, and told to mingle. I walked around and listened to the conversations while taking some notes, everything from "Do I look ok?" to a friend or "What's your major?" to a stranger seemed to be the go to topics. I mingled and co-existed until I got the chance to ask a few people why they had decided to come. Jason Workman, a robotics and welding major, said he was invited through the Honors Program and saw a good chance to do some networking, since they don't have anything like this at the tech center. Elizabeth Damron, business major, and Sara Hayes, science major, were both invited through the student athlete program and, along with some nudging from their coaches, were just curious and couldn't pass up a free meal.

Shortly after the meet and greet we moved into another room where Elizabeth "Don't Call Me Liz" Kerlikowske began explaining why etiquette is so important and ways to make a good impression. A first impression is everything, from a job interview to meeting a random person most people can decide fairly quickly whether or not they like you. We were told about proper grooming and proper attire, clean clothes, no gum, cover tattoos (if necessary,) to much skin can work against you. "the biggie" if you're in a formal situation is cell phones, turn it off or silent, vibrations can still make a lot of noise. At this point the photographer, Nick Garrison, and I had to leave and cover something else briefly but don't worry, we came back.

We rejoined to group in the quiet dining room for dinner, as we were promised a five course meal I was rather looking forward to this. But in an effort to no longer ostracize myself as the guy who is wearing chucks or the guy who left earlier then came back late I knew I had to remembered what we learned about proper table etiquette. I sat at my table and placed my napkin on my lap, remember to sit up straight with both feet on the floor, wait until everyone has food before you eat, pass food in a counter-clockwise motion, and as was mentioned earlier in the class I refrained from blowing my nose into my napkin. You'd be surprised how often convenience is the anti-etiquette.

The meal was wonderful, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Even though I had assumed that this was going to be the awkward part of the evening where everyone tried their best to be proper, it was fun. If you ever get the chance to come to the Etiquette Dinner I highly recommend it, despite the intimidating name it was a very casual approach to a formal setting. For those of you with who weren't there I leave you Emily Post's six ways to make a good impression because you don't have to be at a formal dinner to make a good impression. Remember these the next time you have a job interview, it will help.

Emily Post's six ways to make a good impression
1. Shake hands when you introduce yourself
2. Sit down after your interviewer invites you to do so
3. Stand up when anyone is introduced to you
4. Say "Thank You" at the beginning, at the end, and once again in a written note
5. Speak clearly and make good eye contact
6. Smile- it shows you are friendly, confident, able to be relaxed and personally in a potentially stressful or intimidating environment.

Sunny Patel considers asking for salt and pepper

photos by Nick Garrison

Practicing the age old ritual of the handshake.

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A generous gift

By Cade Carver
Staff Writer

Overall it's a very exciting opportunity for all involved; Cutsinger raved about Hensley's generosity. "This is by far the biggest scholarship we have." She stressed new students every year would have the chance to earn this scholarship, and Hensley is "interested in turning out high-quality students." President Bona praised Cutsinger on her collaboration with Hensley in developing these very special scholarships.

Battle Creek resident Virginia Hensley has a great passion for education. Along with her sister Margaret, who passed away several years ago, Virginia felt education was the only direction in which her life would take her. It was this love for teaching jobs that led her to Battle Creek. After retirement, she and Margaret took up traveling. Their journeys took them to Europe, Africa, China, Japan, and all 50 U.S. States. Once her sister passed, Virginia settled down close to home.

There is deep admiration for the eighty-eight year old Hensley, who feels that hard-working students should be given great opportunities to help them excel in their careers. The scholarship, which will undoubtedly provide excellent opportunities for high-achieving students, is best summed up by Cutsinger, who, when referring to the generous Hensley, described Hensley's goal as such: "She's interested in changing students' lives. She wants to see that while she's alive."

~ Cade Carver is an independant study student

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Jello food drive

By Roberta Gagnon

This is the fourth year for that our Grahl Center students have held a Jell-O drive to assist with the Feeding Branch County Effort. Last year we raised nearly 3,000 boxes of Jell-O. This year we set a goal of 4,000 boxes by Dec 8th and within 2 weeks we are within 300 boxes of reaching the goal. We kicked off the effort with a Jell-O party on November 8th. Our student worker Rob Rock created an amazing Jell-O castle display to encourage participation --and if we reach the goal I am buying pizza for the students on Dec 8th to thank them for their efforts.

Feeding Branch County is a community wide effort led by two of our instructors Ann Lown and Deb McKinley. They recruit volunteers and donors in the county to provide a Thanksgiving meal and also a Christmas meal to needy families in the area. In addition to donating Jell-O, our Bruins spend hours assisting with the preparation and distribution of the boxes. For more info: http://www.wwmt.com/articles/table-1398613-helping-thanksgiving.html

~Roberta Gagnon is Director of the Grahl Center

Amazed by Jello
photo courtesy of the Grhal Center

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Stress Busters!

By Dylan Patterson
Staff Writer

If the evil forces of stress are causing you trouble, then stop by the Student Center on December 5th or 6th any time between 11am and 1pm. The goal of Stress Busters is to provide KCC Students with appropriate ways to defeat stress and tension.

While attending either of these events, there will be many activities for KCC students to enjoy. Students can learn techniques to reduce stress, stress relaxing activities, advising to go, and strategies to develop study and time management skills. There will also be free ten minute massages and snacks.

If you have any questions about Stress Busters, you can contact the Student Life offices at 269-965-8850 or at studentlife@kellogg.edu

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Who let hippies run PTK?

By Ann Michels
Editor

You would think an honor society would have no time for fun, students studying, thinking, and whatnot. Yet on October 29, the PTK officer team was able to get out of the usual scholarly grind and have a blast. We went to Port Huron's St Clair County Community College for a leadership mini- conference. Felt like forever to get there, anticipation for a fun-filled weekend. Or was it technology, GPS - going positively south (wrong way).

When we arrived at the conference we were able to view the shout-outs. The other chapters were making all of us aware of news and projects. One chapter was planning to sleep outside to see what it is like to be homeless. Another chapter has an anti-bullying project in place, plans for collaboration with high schools showing a video, "It gets better…after high school." We ate lunch, and then it was time to learn something.

We all attended the workshop on 7 Habits of highly effective people, so if you see one of us in the hall, quiz us. Just in case, here`s a hint.
• Be Proactive (Personal Vision)
• Begin with an End in Mind (Personal Leadership)
• Put 1st Things First (Personal Management)
• Think Win/Win (Interpersonal Leadership)
• Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood (Empathic Communication)
• Synergize (Creative Cooperation)
• Sharpen the Saw (Self-Renewal)

There were equally interesting workshops varying in topics (College Fish, Risks with Everyday Technology, Motivational Advice, etc.) filled with Phi Theta Kappans from around Michigan. After the workshops we had free time. It was shopping time in the big city, although we settled on Meijer's. Back at the hotel we all prepared for the dinner hour and the college 50th birthday/Halloween party.

We had a great time representing KCC as a hippie group at the Halloween party. There were all types of costumes, a tree, a dog, and Eve of the Garden of Adam and Eve. Let`s just say the pictures are worth a thousand words. We decided to wrap up the evening at a reasonable hour. More workshops were planned the following day. Back at the hotel we worked on the Honors Case Study Challenge questions. Although it was 11 o'clock we seemed to still be coherent and logical. After a day of thought, it was time to take advantage of the hotels amenities.

Seven-thirty a.m. came sooner than expected. A huge continental breakfast awaited us. We filled up for another day of classes. After we packed up the van we went back to the conference for the wrap up workshops. We learned a lot in a weekend and will make the best use of the knowledge to help our chapter, Alpha Nu Gta. The biggest lesson, GPS is only a tool, rely on the human mind.

~ Ann Michels is Alpha Nu Eta, Phi Theta Kappa chapter president

Jane Westra, Anna Bennison, Devin Mesvar, Kim Matson, Ann Michels, Amy Osborne
photo by Ann Michels

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KCC wins Regional Marketing Awards

By Nicole Finkbeiner

Kellogg Community College won four Gold Medallion awards at the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations (NCMPR) District 3 Conference on October 25, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. KCC took first in the Outdoor Advertising, Single Print Advertisement, Radio Advertisement, and Nifty and Thrifty categories. The Public Information and Marketing Department developed the outdoor, radio and print ads in cooperation with KCC's advertising agency, BluFish Consulting, LLC. KCC won first place in the Nifty and Thrifty Category for Library bookmarks designed by KCC student, Christopher Rabineau, while he was employed as a Design Intern in the Public Information and Marketing Department.

NCMPR is the only organization of its kind that exclusively represents marketing and public relations professionals at community and technical colleges. As one of the fastest-growing affiliates of the American Association of Community Colleges, NCMPR today has more than 1,500 members from nearly 600 colleges across the United States, Canada and other countries.

NCMPR's prestigious Medallion Awards recognize outstanding achievement in communications at community, junior and technical colleges at the district level. It's the
only competition of its kind that exclusively honors excellence among marketing and PR professionals at two-year colleges. Entry guidelines and deadlines are announced in the annual call for entries. Winners are announced each year at the district conference. Kellogg Community College is in District 3, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada. There were 40 medallion award categories in total, which means KCC placed first place in 10% of the categories.

For more information about Kellogg Community College's Public Information and Marketing Department, please visit www.kellogg.edu/news or call (269) 966-4088.

~Nicole Finkbeiner is the KCC Director of Public Information and Marketing

Chris Rabineau, Kathryn Jarvie, Penny Rose, Nicole Finkbeiner
photo by Kristen Hogan

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Join the discussion: Great Michigan Read!

By Elizabeth Kerlikowske
Advisor

This year's book selected for the Great Michigan Read, a program sponsored by the Michigan Humanities Council, is Kevin Boyle's Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age. The book is about Dr. Ossian Sweet and his wife who move from a predominately black section of Detroit to a "nicer" neighborhood. The events of their first night in residence provide the drama in this text.

Join Michelle Wright, history professor, and Elizabeth Kerlikowske, English professor, on December 8 in room 0-105 for a brief video and discussion of Arc of Justice. Wright has several copies of excerpts from the book, and Kerlikowske has a couple of books that may be borrowed. Reading the book is not a prerequisite to a discussion about race in America.

Boyle charts immigration patterns and traces the development of Detroit and the segregation of fresh immigrants as well as blacks moving from the South. He focusses on the Sweets because they are not representative of urban blacks at the time, and this is part of the problem the white neighbors have with the integration of their neighborhood. The story itself is arresting. Clarence Darrow, the famous lawyer from the Scopes Monkey Trial is called in to help defend Sweet. The book is compelling, and discussions surrounding it have been wide-ranging.

The Great Michigan Read is a free statewide humanities initiative inviting Michiganders to read and participate in book discussions and events in their hometowns. Intended for young adults to senior citizens, the Great Michigan Read aims to make literature more accessible and appealing while also encouraging residents to learn more about their state. The program is presented by the Michigan Humanities Council with support from Meijer and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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