H G U O R H T P I R T A E TAK T S A P S WCC’
VOL. 21, NO. 9 FEBRUARY 16, 2015
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This board game, which walks players throug h Washtenaw Community College ’s history, from a conc ept to the college it is today, can be pl ayed with a just a co in. In turn, each player fli ps the coin. If it is he ads, the player moves forward two spaces; if it is tails, the player moves forward one space. If the player lands on a space with directions, they must follow them. When th e player lands on a blank space, the tu rn is over. The first person to make it to the end wins.
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thousands upon thousands of lives. In this special anniversary edition of The Washtenaw Voice, pages B1 through B8 are dedicated to exploring WCC lore and legends. Remove and unfold this page to play through the college’s fifty years.
1977 - Board of trustees adopts college’s first affirmative action policy, move ahead two spaces.
1983 - Training fa ir he ld fo r la id -off Fo rd workers, lose a turn.
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New Year’s Day 2015 rang in a special time for Washtenaw Community College, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. In January of 1965, Washtenaw County voters approved the creation of a community college, and by September, students were registering for classes. In the last half-century
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– Natalie Wright
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the college has experienced enormous challenges, profound successes and astounding growth. Dedicated, passionate educators and community leaders took an uncertainty, a risk – the concept of a community college – and turned it into an institution that embedded itself deeply in the community and changed
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10 THINGS YOU MISSED AT THE TRUSTEES MEETING
100 YEARS OF BLACK HISTORY CELEBRATION
TRY YOUR HAND AT OUR SPECIAL 50TH ANNIVERSARY CROSSWORD
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The Washtenaw Voice
February 16, 2015
Awesome Campus Jobs Now taking applications for WCC
STUDENT
A
mbassadors
Paid Positions
• Work on campus • Introduce new and potential students to WCC • Lead campus tours and new student orientations • Develop leadership and communication skills “The Spirt of Harriet Tubman” Performance! Leslie McCurdy Performs the story of Harriet Tubman that tells about Tubman’s life, from her early days as a slave to her making history on the Underground Railroad! Where: Towsley Auditorium When: Feb. 18th 2015 6:00 P.M. Tickets: Students $5, Public $10 Free show at noon.
Rachel Barsch rbarsch@wccnet.edu
Blood Drive! Where: The Fitness Center When: Mar. 3rd, 2015 Times: 10:00 A.M.- 4:00 P.M. Donate blood, you could save up to 3 lives! Schedule a visit at www.redcrossblood.org
Museum of AfricanAmerican History Trip! Where: Detroit, MI When: Feb. 20th 2015 10:00 A.M.-5:00 P.M. Tickets: $15 students, Limit 2 per student. Includes lunch at Mongolian BBQ, admission & College-Van Transportation
Go to WCC’s Human Resources website for job listing, more details and application jobs.wccnet.edu The Comic Opera Guild
presents
CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS Alexandria Judkins
ajudkins@wccnet.edu
Find Your Passion! Is it video games? Faith? Political Science? We have a diverse range of clubs, organizations, and honor societies. There are so many ways to get involved!! For info on starting a club stop by the Student Activities Office SC 112 or contact Alexandria Judkins!
SPORTS
Are you a Phi Theta Kappa Member? Interested in getting involved with PTK? Join us at our weekly, Thursday meetings from 3:30 P.M.-5:30 P.M. in TI 240. Learn how to stand out from the crowd! Currently we are brainstorming events for the coming year, come share your ideas with us! Interested in becoming a member? Contact Alexandria Judkins!
Matthew Lucas mflucas@wccnet.edu Softball: We are in need Baseball: Sign-ups continue for of players for softball! We are encouraging students to sign up early to take advantage of the offseason training.
We have set up dates at Advantage Sports to prepare for the upcoming seasons. When you register in the office, more information will be available to you.
baseball! We have many players that are taking part in off-season conditioning for the season! Come join the preparation work! Sign up in the office today!!
Tennis: Tennis will be starting
up on March 16th! It will go on Mondays from 9:00 P.M.-10:00 P.M. at the Chippewa Tennis Club near campus! Registration will go until Friday, March 13th at noon.
A romantic comedy that outran The Mikado in its initial run, Erminie was in professional production for 35 years. This revival is presented in concert form and features a top cast. The story centers on the plight of Erminie,
Flag Football: On
March 18th, we are kicking off the spring intramural season! Help us make it a huge success! Register in the sports office by yourself or with a team!
daughter of a marquis who has pledged her to the son of a noble friend, while she loves another. From there, however, it distinguishes itself from many other shows in the spunkiness of Erminie, the number of comic characters and especially the invention of the two charming bandits Ravannes and Cadeaux. Ravannes is an Errol Flynn type…charming and devilish, while Cadeaux is a bumbling sort whose impersonation of a Baron made a star of the creator of the role.
Bowling: We are taking
sign-ups for our bowling intramural! We will look at numbers on February 13th to determine interest in bowling. Please come in the office to officially register today!
The Revival of the 1885 Hit
Tickets for shows, trips and events are available in the cashier’s office, 2nd floor of the SC building!
Be in the audience as we make the first complete recording!
Saturday, February 28, 8 pm and Sunday, March 1, 3 pm
Towsley Auditorium Washtenaw Community College
FREE ADMISSION
TO ALL WCC STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF General admission tickets (normally $20.00) are available at the door. Simply present your I.D For information, call 734-973-3264
The Washtenaw Voice
NEWS
10 THINGS YOU MISSED AT THE JAN. 27 BOARD OF TRUSTEES MEETING
by Natalie Wright
Editor
1. board elects new officers
At the first convening of the Washtenaw's new board of trustees since November’s election, the trustees elected a new slate of officers. Richard Landau, who said he has served on the board for 15 years, was elected chair. Though Trustee Ruth Hatcher expressed some concern that Landau had missed meetings often in the past, Landau assured her that he would make more time in his position as chair, she said. Diana McKnight-Morton was elected vice chair. Although she was absent for the vote, Landau said he had received her acceptance of the position early that day. Christina Fleming, a new member of the board, was elected secretary, alleviating a concern that no new board members would be elected. Having one of the new members as an officer was an important step towards cooperation among the board, Trustee Dave DeVarti said, because the board has had more turnover this year than at any time in recent history. Fleming is also the first student to serve as an officer of the board, Landau pointed out. Pam Horiszny kept her post as treasurer. “I consider Trustee Horiszny’s acumen and control over the finances of this college second to none,” Landau said.
2. d evarti questions college living wage policy
When the board was asked to approve a list of new hires, DeVarti expressed concern with the $11.14 an hour rate that several support staff employees were making. “I don’t consider that to be a living wage,” he said. “Do we have a living wage policy?” Board Chair Landau said that they would not discuss individual wages at the meeting, adding, “I don’t even know what you mean by a living wage.” Landau suggested that the discussion could come up at the March board retreat, or that the question could be directed to the president at a later time.
3. h atcher expresses concerns over vacant positions
During the discussion over new hires, Hatcher said she was concerned with the number of open positions on campus. “We’re saving money on the back of unfilled positions, which, if they go unfilled, I guess that’s great,” she said. “We’ll make a lot of money.” She asked the administration to provide a list of open and temporarily filled faculty and staff positions.
4. three new deans hired
Among the list of new hires were three new deans, all of whom have held the same positions on an interim basis since they were vacated last spring. Kris Brandemuehl is the dean of Math and Natural Science, Kim Hurns is the dean of Business and Computer Technologies and Brandon Tucker is the dean of Advanced Technologies and Public Service Careers. The search for a dean of health is still ongoing, President Bellanca said.
5. b oard considers new
investment opportunities
See story on A6
6. d evarti proposes televising board meetings
Following through with campaign promises to push for more transparency among the board, DeVarti suggested that the administration pursue options to televise the meetings. More members of the community attend the public meetings than the meetings of the Ann Arbor city council, said DeVarti, a former city council member. There is a clear community interest in the inner workings of the college, he said, and he has received a “strong outpouring of support” from community members with whom he shared his idea. This would be a “fairly major change” to how the board operates, Landau said, although he personally had no objection. Landau suggested the administration research options and present them to the trustees at the March retreat.
7. p rogress made on vpi search
Since Stuart Blacklaw was fired in March 2013, Bill Abernethy has filled the vice president of instruction position on an interim basis. Since then, it has been unclear whether he would eventually be the permanent hire. At the meeting, WCC President Rose Bellanca made the first public announcement regarding a search for a new VPI. She met with faculty union President Maryam Barrie to review hiring firms, she said, and they are focusing on one. “According to the timeline they gave us, we should have the right person in place by May, or at the latest, June,” Bellanca said. However, Barrie said she’s not sure which firm Bellanca was referring to, because she did not believe they had reached a decision.
8. h atcher corrects minutes language, takes stand for faculty union
When the board was asked to approve the minutes of the Nov. 18, Dec. 9 and Dec. 17 meetings, Hatcher raised concern with the way faculty union Maryam Barrie’s speech was summarized in the Nov. 18 minutes. The minutes stated: “The WCCEA believes mutual gains bargaining will not be successful due to distrust in the administration.” Hatcher asked that the minutes be changed to reflect Barrie’s exact language. “Dr. Bellanca, in her remarks at last month’s board of trustees meeting, reported that the union had refused her offer of mutual gains training. That is not accurate,” Barrie said in her Nov. 18 speech. “Our difficulty with this administration is that we are no longer included in the governance of this institution, not that we have encountered problems in negotiations. “Finally, according to the literature she directed us to, mutual gains only works when a climate of trust already exists,” Barrie continued, adding that the faculty did not approve of the administration’s suggestion to hire outside consultants to help with negotiations.
9. foundation scholarships announced
The WCC Foundation provided $230,000 in scholarship funds to 372 students this semester, Trustee Stephen Gill said.
10. f arewells said to long-term employees
The board approved a list of full-time ending employment and took the time to recognize employees who were retiring after many years at the college. Richard Westcott, superintendent of grounds engineering and fleet maintenance retired after 30 years at the college; Gayle Waldrup, secretary to the dean of Math, Science and Health retired after 26 years; Raymond Everet, a building maintenance worker, retired after 18 years; and Leslie Gibson, a recycling technician retired after 17 years.
February 16, 2015
A3
IN BRIEF wcc dental clinic opens The Dental Clinic at Washtenaw began offering treatment to students, faculty and staff on Feb. 3 and will continue on Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning at 8:30 a.m., through April 16. WCC dental students assist
University of Michigan students, under the supervision of community dentists, with the basic dental services offered at the clinic including cleaning and exams, X-Rays, Amalgam (silver) restorations and composite restorations. Those in need
of treatments not available at WCC are referred to other dental professionals. To make an appointment, call 734-973-3332 or stop by the clinic in OE 106. –Natalie Wright
washtenaw enters national eco–friendly competition Through March 28, Washtenaw will be counting bottles and cans and weighing its waste in hopes of beating out more than 600 colleges in the annual RecycleMania competition. The colleges and universities competing track and
report waste figures from Feb. 1-March 28. Winners are chosen in several categories including waste minimization, paper used per person and grand champion. WCC has done well in the waste minimization category in the past, landing in the top ten several years in a row. The
category is judged on the ratio of total recycled materials to total amount of waste (trash and recycling). For more information, visit http://www.recyclemania.org. –Natalie Wright
more than 50 colleges to visit Students interested in transferring to a fouryear college will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from more than 55 schools on Feb. 18 during the Winter Transfer Fair.
College representatives will be stationed on the second floor of the Student Center from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. To see which colleges and universities will be in attendance, visit http:// www.wccnet.edu/services/
transferresources/visits/. For more information on transferring, contact the Counseling & Career Planning office at 734-6775102 or stop by SC 206. –Natalie Wright
career services job workshops Job search techniques
Interview skills
Resume development
Sessions will provide information on the job search process and how to go about finding the job that is right for you. Learn about various employment resources available to students and alumni. Feb. 17, 1-2:30 p.m. ML 128 Mar. 24, 2-3:30 p.m. ML 128
These workshops are designed to take the jitters out of the interview process. Learn how to prepare for an interview, how to research companies and how to successfully interview using appropriate skills and behaviors. Feb. 16, 11-12:30 p.m. ML 120 Mar. 25 Noon-1:30 p.m. ML 128
Everyone needs a resume. Attend this hands-on workshop to develop a resume that projects a positive image to an employer. The development of a cover letter will also be discussed. Feb. 18, 3-4:30 p.m. ML 128 Mar. 23, 1-2:30 p.m. ML 128 –Paulette Parker
comic opera guild returns to campus The Comic Opera Guild, with their school ID. a sponsored organization George Valenta, a partat Washtenaw Community time faculty member in College, will be presenting the Humanities, Social and the light opera, “Erminie,” Behavioral Sciences departon Feb. 28 and Mar. 1 in ment at WCC, is a board Towsley Auditorium locat- member for the guild and ed in the Morris Lawrence recommended they apply for building. sponsorship from the college. As part of the college’s “Erminie” is the Guild’s third partnership with the group, performance at WCC. WCC students, faculty and The Comic Opera Guild’s staff enjoy free admission mission is to promote comic
opera, operetta and classic musical theater through performance and recording. The guild sells recordings of their shows, because a majority of the shows they perform have no previous recordings. The performance of “Erminie” at WCC will be the guild’s first complete recording of that show. –Sofia Lynch
college re-examines faculty evaluations The faculty evaluation committee began meeting with the administration in January to re-examine how the college evaluates faculty. Last winter semester, The Washtenaw Voice obtained access to the student opinion questionnaires (SOQs) that are filled out by students and used to evaluate instructors. The faculty union’s contract states that these evaluations must be kept confidential, but Michigan’s
Freedom of Information Act defines them as public documents. The union filed a grievance in response to the SOQs’ release. The meetings with the administration could result in “anything from the retention of the current SOQ system to an entirely new evaluation system that could include some proportion of student evaluations, dean observations, peer observations, faculty portfolios, selfevaluations and/or other duties outside of the classroom such
as curriculum and assessment work,” the evaluation committee said in a letter to union members, which asked them to fill out a survey to guide the committee. English instructor and faculty union president Maryam Barrie, biology instructor David Wooten, communications instructor Bonnie Tew and automotive instructor Mike Duff sit on the evaluation committee. –Natalie Wright
mold and asbestos removed from la building After more than half a year of laborious work by the facilities management of Washtenaw Community College, mold and asbestos have been successfully removed from the Crane Liberal Arts and Science building, as of the weekend before classes resumed. According to Damon F l ow e r s, t h e a s s o c iate vice president of Facility Development and Operations, the plan was for this portion of the remediation to be done by this time.
The mold and asbestos to prevent the mold from rewere isolated in the outer pe- turning in the future. As for rimeter of the original portion the next portion of the remeof the building, where the win- diation, some windows, finishdows allowed the moisture in. ing and carpeting need to be All of the classrooms, labs and replaced before the relocated offices in the affected area of classrooms and offices can be the building were relocated returned. to various other parts of cam- “The move was a bigger deal pus during the remediation – than the remediation, quite including Learning Support frankly,” Flowers said. Services and the part-time All relocated rooms should faculty commons, which were be moved back to their original moved to the first floor of the locations by the end of May, Student Center. Flowers said. After the mold remediation, waterproofing was added –Sofia Lynch
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VOICES
February 16, 2015
editorial
Because you asked People have been asking where we’ve been, in the hallways, in our emails and at board of trustee meetings. It is good to know how loud the cries would be on this campus if The Voice were to disappear, but be assured, we’re still here. We were on temporary hiatus, planning for the future. In December, the Voice’s adviser Keith Gave resigned his position and accepted a job writing for Fox Sports Detroit. Since then, administrators have been meeting with the Voice staff as a group and individually to assess the needs of the paper and students currently and moving forward. After weeks of consideration, the Voice staff is getting back to work without an adviser for now. Because the job encompasses so many varied responsibilities, and because it is crucial to find the person with not only the right qualifications, but also the right personality, mores, passion and work ethic, we fully support the administration in holding out for that right person. The right teacher and mentor will make all the difference for the students who inherit the Voice for years down the line. For now, we have no information on when the job
will be posted. In the meantime, the Voice leadership will meet with the editorial board, established by board of trustees policy, on a regular basis. Faculty, students and administrators sit on this board and will provide us with feedback, guidance and advice. We are confident that with the support of the WCC community, the Voice will continue to be a force this year and long into the future. The Voice is an institution, as old as WCC itself. Throughout those 50 years, in much more turbulent times than these, the students, faculty and staff have shown a great understanding of the important role of a free press. Despite disappearing for years at a time, the Voice has risen from the ashes in the past. The student newspaper that began by editorializing about civil rights and Vietnam War protests remains and is still keeping a watchful eye on WCC’s campus, and speaking up with the voice of the students. As long as the readers desire a free press, the Voice isn’t going anywhere.
EDITOR'S NOTE:
Commitment: The First 10 Years of Washtenaw.” The greatest ties to Washtenaw’s past, the archives and the book, tell an amazing history that otherwise would be lost with the people who created it.
A sincere thank you goes out to Bob Phillips and Diana Pacella for their help sorting through the WCC archives, and to those dedicated WCC employees who put together “A Fierce
The Washtenaw Voice
Who stands up for our children lost to guns? PAULETTE PARKER pstanford@wccnet.edu
A 13-year-old girl. Dead. Shot with a rifle while in a house of unsupervised children. An unsecured, unlocked firearm. Ruling: accidental. A loved lets out an excruciating howl in the cold street, illuminated by red-white-and-blue police lights. A 5-year-old boy. Shot in his face while sitting on the floor in his home watching cartoons after a bullet came through the wall. He survived but lost his eye. His home, which should be his sanctuary, may have been targeted. As I sat down to watch the 10 o’clock news as I do every night, I was nauseated, tears welling up in my eyes and ready to turn off the television within the first 30 seconds. Two incidents, one evening. Both in Detroit with approximately 10 miles between them. Stories such as these have become all too familiar and
all too common. This should not be the norm. Carelessness. Retaliation. Whatever the reason, how have we not had enough? Children are supposed to worry about choosing a favorite color. They are supposed to fret over not wanting to eat their vegetables. They are supposed to be learning math, science, English. They are not supposed to be relearning how to walk after a bullet penetrates their spine. They are not supposed to be losing their lives to guns. Where is the outrage? The latter half of 2014 was marked by grand jury decisions, protests, marches and riots. Long-mounting racial tensions reached a boiling point and exploded onto the forefront after the killings of unarmed black men at the hands of white police officers. People worldwide were pissed, fed up, enraged – rightfully so. But when will we be fed up for our babies? Where are the marches? Where are the signs? Where are the protests when our own children are dying in our own backyards? Where is CNN, HLN and
MSNBC; is this not sensational enough? According to The Chicago Reporter, one in every five people murdered in Chicago is 18 or younger. What makes this any less urgent than the tragedies in Ferguson or Staten Island? In May 2014, a 3-year-old Arizona boy found a cocked and loaded semiautomatic weapon while visiting a neighbor’s house with his mother and shot his 18-month-old brother in the head, killing him. That following July, in Inkster, Michigan, Kamiya Gross was outside enjoying a warm summer evening with her father. A man approached, shot her point blank in the right eye then shot her father in the stomach. Her father survived; little Kamiya did not. She was just 10 days shy of her third birthday. A toddler’s life was taken so heinously, so viciously, to “send a message” to her father. How can our ears bear to continue to hear the agonizing wails of mothers as they clutch their chests and collapse? How can we stomach seeing the
vacant expressions of loved ones’ faces as they make desperate pleas for tips to solve these cases? How long will we have to prematurely lower little caskets into the cold ground? We can only imagine the potential that is lost every time a life is gone. These are our future doctors, lawyers, scientists, engineers. As a mother, I empathize with these families, and my heart weeps with them. But this is not a parent thing. This is a human thing. Gun locks and safes need to become the standard to prevent tragic accidents. And we need to have the desire to and be vigilant about taking back our communities from perpetrators of violent crimes. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Well, lives are ending, and I feel it’s time to speak up for those that can’t speak up for themselves. We are our children’s best advocates. If the children are our future, then what kind of future will we have without them?
New year, new broken promises
MARC PARDO | WASHTENAW VOICE
A good day for sunshine On Jan. 17, Gov. Rick Snyder (R-Michigan) took a stand for transparency by signing HB 4001 into law. The bill is the most significant reform to Michigan’s Freedom of Information Act since it was written almost 40 years ago. The reforms set tighter limits on the fees public institutions can charge, establish an appeals process. They also enforce stricter penalties on
institutions that are sluggish in their responses to FOIA requests. Most importantly, Snyder said, the reforms make it clear that those in government are working on behalf of the citizens who should not be discouraged from learning about how the government operates. – Natalie Wright
clarification
In the Dec. 15 issue, the A1 story titled “WCC to eliminate therapist positions” may have suggested that counseling resources available to students on campus were not adequate. Despite the elimination of two
The Washtenaw Voice is produced fortnightly by students of Washtenaw Community College and the views expressed herein will not imply endorsement or approval by the faculty, administration or Board of Trustees of WCC. Student publications are important in establishing and maintaining an atmosphere of free and responsible discussion and in bringing matters of concern and importance to the attention of the campus community. Editorial responsibility for The Voice lies with the students, who will strive for balance, fairness and integrity in their coverage of issues and events while employing the best habits and practices of free inquiry and expression. The Washtenaw Voice does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any of the information or content in advertisements contained in the newspaper or its website, www.washtenawvoice.com, nor the quality of any products, information or other
part-time therapist positions, there are counselors available at Washtenaw to help students with emotional and academic needs. For more information see the letter to the editor on A5.
materials displayed or obtained as a result of an advertisement or any other information or offer in or in connection with the services or products advertised. The Voice welcomes letters to the editor from its readers and will make every effort to publish them. We reserve the right to edit letters for space considerations, and ask that writers limit their comments to no more than 400 words. All letters must include a name and contact information, such as an email address or phone number, so the letters can be verified before they are printed. The Voice is committed to correcting all errors that appear in the newspaper and on its website, just as it is committed to the kind of careful journalism that will minimize the number of errors printed. To report an error of fact that should be corrected, phone 734-677-5405 or email thewashtenawvoice@gmail.com. A copy of each edition of The Washtenaw Voice is free to everyone. Additional copies are available at The Voice newsroom, TI 106, for 25 cents each.
SANAA NAEEM | WASHTENAW VOICE
of hope every year can help keep people driven and out of the realms of seasonal depresSOFIA LYNCH sion that the cold will always snlynch@wccnet.edu bring. And if swearing an empty promise to yourself every year can give you that extra pep in What is it about resolutions your step, more power to you. that people just can’t stick to? But most resolutions are a Better yet, why do people even bigger bite than one can chew. bother? Every New Year’s Day, As far as the most common people promise themselves a resolution – weight loss – goes, resolution and say as they have no one is blaming the quitters. before, “This is going to be my Walking into the gym for the year,” only to throw the prom- first time in months, it’s as if ises out by February, along with the gym rats can sense all the the new weights or nicotine hours you spent molded into gum they swore they’d use. your couch. At the least, this emergence Maybe it’s just paranoia that
Volume 21, No. 9 4800 E. Huron River Dr. TI 106 Ann Arbor, MI 48105 (734) 677-5125 thewashtenawvoice@gmail.com
makes the less active feel so singled out, or maybe it’s the face of bewilderment they wear as they scan the empty machines pondering what in the hell they do that draws eyes to them. It always feels nice for a second, “power-walking” on the treadmill to the beat of “New year, new me” pounding in your head, but by minute 20, that mantra is usually replaced with the overwhelming sounds of heavy breathing. The difference between those who go to the gym and those who don’t is a very thin line. Everyone has those negative body thoughts as they look in the mirror, pinching at their
chub and wishing it away. The difference is that those who do go to the gym somehow find it in themselves to choose the hell of working out over the supreme pleasure of vegging out. And that’s what breaking a New Year’s resolution always comes down to: The want for change is outweighed by the pleasure of old, less strenuous ways. So next year, maybe start smaller, or at least try something more manageable – like spending more time with family, so you don’t feel the shadow of your broken resolutions hanging in the back of your mind all year.
EDITOR
Natalie Wright
nkwright@wccnet.edu
MANAGING EDITOR NEWS EDITOR
EJ Stout
emjstout@gmail.com
Paulette Parker
pstanford@wccnet.edu
FEATURES EDITOR
Sofia Lynch
snlynch@wccnet.edu
ONLINE EDITOR
Colleen Mulder-Seward cmulderseward@wccnet.edu
STAFF WRITERS
M. M. Donaldson Erin Fedeson Taylor Robinson
mmorrisdonaldson@wccnet.edu efedeson@wccnet.edu taelrobinson@wccnet.edu
GRAPHIC DESIGNERS
Erik Morris Ben Ellsworth
delocuro@gmail.com benjellsworth@gmail.com
CARTOONIST
Sanaa Naeem
sanaeem@wccnet.edu
COPY EDITOR
Nina Di Mauro
CONTRIBUTORS
Harrison Fischer Myisha Kinberg Marc Pardo
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Becky Alliston
ealliston@wccnet.edu
VOICES
The Washtenaw Voice
interviews by taylor robinson, staff writer photos by harrison fischer, videographer
M . M .DONALDSON mmorrisdonaldson@wccnet.edu
MARC PARDO | WASHTENAW VOICE
alleviate or change any emotional status until the addition of fat and sugar. Hence lies the side effect of weight gain from extra calories that are forgotten to be counted with the daily caloric intake. With so much chocolate marketed in small and cute portions, a Snickers Fun Size could hardly be a problem. Perhaps what researchers should be studying is how chocolate in small pieces clouds mathematical reasoning, allowing people to think three Snickers Fun Size is not the same as eating a regular size Snickers Bar, which it is. What is really needed is a long-term psychological mood elevator with no side effects. For several decades, research has shown that exercise causes the body to release endorphins such as dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin, the biochemicals that regulate mood. Numerous published studies have shown that exercise does lower depression, but to what extent is being debated. Most recently in the Journal of American Medicine Association, Gary Cooney with the Royal Edinburgh Hospital and his colleagues compiled data from multiple studies to define the link. Researcher James Blumenthal from Duke University Medical Center responded in a letter to the editor, stating that exercise lowers depression at a greater rate than what the Cooney meta-analysis concluded. Furthermore, research published in the American Journal of Prevention Medicine (2013) by George Mammen and Guy Faulkner at the University of Toronto postulate that exercise may minimize future depression. Clinical depression is a serious condition that requires professional care. For less serious, occasional moody days, a little chocolate can be a nice treat, but exercise can be beneficial physically as well as psychologically with no side effects. M. M. Donaldson has a Bachelor of Science in family and community services from Michigan State University, and has several years’ experience with nutrition issues affecting infants through older adults.
letter to the editor
Full-time counselors are on campus and here to help Full-time licensed professional counselors (LPCs) have been part of the WCC landscape for many years and have a multifaceted skill set providing counseling services to students on a regular basis. All LPCs in Counseling and Career Planning, the Student Resource & Women’s Center and divisional counselors strive to provide the very best wellness care, assisting students to meet their academic needs. Since 1988, LPCs have been recognized in the state of Michigan as mental health clinicians through the counselor licensure law and are regulated by federal and state laws that define our scope of practice. At WCC we are also trained in confidential reporting, participate in Psychological Emergency Procedure (PEP or At-Risk Team) assisting students in crisis, and we will play a primary role in the upcoming Behavioral Intervention Team. All counselors at WCC are committed to assisting students in achieving academic and personal success. We understand that life gets complicated at times and various issues can impact students’ academic success. Full-time WCC counselors are available to meet with students on an individual basis to provide personal counseling services for a variety of concerns. From time to time, counselors make appropriate community referrals to best suit student needs.
A5
If you could meet any black figure, well known or not, who would it be?
THE WEIGHT OF CHOCOLATE
Nestled between two high chocolate holidays, Christmas and Valentine’s Day, reports of a chocolate shortage loom like a huge gray cloud. Indeed, climate and diseased crops have decreased the key commodity ingredient of chocolate confectionaries, but the largest factor in this shortage is demand outpacing the world supply of cocoa products. Americans love chocolate. According to a 2014 report by the World Cocoa Foundation, the U.S. imported more than $1 billion of cocoa products in 2011. This news of a shortage could be terrible timing when the northern hemisphere is also in its winter season, giving rise to Seasonal Affect Disorder and winter blahs. Conspiracy theorists may have already discussed the possibilities of chocolate becoming a controlled substance or the cost becoming so prohibitive that people would have to choose between chocolate or food. This plagues many who rely on pharmaceutical interventions and is not a far stretch of the imagination as scientific studies have discussed self-medicating with chocolate. The psychoactive properties of cocoa were studied by Adam Drewnowski while working at the University of Michigan in the 1980s. He concluded the psychological effects had more to do with the combination of fat and sugar used to cut the cocoa. A psychological high was documented in “chocolate addicts” by Marion Hetherington and Jennie Macdiarmid at the University of Dundee in a couple of their studies, but the mood elevation melted as quickly as the chocolate physically did in the mouth. There is no doubt that chocolate makes people happy, but Gordon Parker, from the University of New South Wales, and his colleagues concluded that chocolate is not an antidepressant in a study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders in 2006. There is little to gain trying to convince people that chocolate is not an antidepressant when it gives so much joy. But as with most psychotropic substances, there are side effects. Drewnowski, who now works for Washington State University, and other researchers have found pure cocoa did not
February 16, 2015
mission of the college
»O ur college strives to make a positive difference in people’s lives through accessible and excellent educational programs and services. » We provide a caring, open-door teaching and learning environment. » We provide excellent teaching, counseling and support services. » We reach out to people who have limited income or other barriers to success. » We enable people to progress in their academic and career pursuits. » We work in partnership with the communities we serve. We are all in support of the college’s mission statement. We attempt to serve our students using the outlying principles listed above. We hope that your academic semester is off to a good start. Please know that we are here to support you. –Pat Taylor, LPC, dean of support services and student advocacy –John Rinke, LPC, director of student support services –Debra Guerrero, LPC, director of learning support services –Liz Orbits, LPC, manager of the Student Resource & Women’s Center and International Student Center –Kim Groce, LPC, divisional counselor –Sue Travis, LPC, divisional counselor –Jim Bauer, LPC, counselor
“I would like to meet Martin Luther King Jr. I wouldn’t really ask him anything in particular, but I would take all the information he could give. He was a smart man. We just read an article about him in class. I read a letter from Birmingham jail. The article was about how he was in jail and the how the U.S. was treating black people wrongly.” Antonio Williams, 26, Ypsilanti, business
“I would say Harriet Tubman. When I was a little girl I did a report on her. I think it was fourth grade. I read a book about her and I just thought that she was such an inspirational woman. I would just want to meet her. She was obviously so strong. I know when she was older she did some public speaking about her life. I think it would be so cool to hear her talk about what she went through.” Emily Freeland, 21, Blissfield, nutrition
“I would say that there are a lot of war veterans that we don’t always acknowledge that I would like to meet. I have a friend in the Marine Corps and he’s given me a lot of stories about commanding officers. They seem like wonderful people. So, I would like to meet the servicemen who have held all kinds of positions.” Brandon Harris, 20, Belleville, general education
“I would want to meet Muhammad Ali. I would ask him how he felt about the government. What pushed him to stay in the boxing ring?” Rayshawn Johnson, 21, Detroit, music engineering and production
“I would like to meet the author of ‘Their Eyes Were Watching God,’ Zora Neale Hurston. The main character was mixed so I liked the fact that she was torn between two interpretations. People interpreted her in two different ways. It’s about this girl in the 1900s in a small village and how she is confronted with traditional values versus modern values. I’d also like to see the Harlem Renaissance and would like to hang out at jazz clubs.” Carly Cash, 20, Ann Arbor, Asian studies
“I’d want to meet Jackie Robinson. I’m a huge baseball fan and he was the first one to break the barrier. I’d just want to ask him ‘How’d you do it, man?” Ronald Schroeder, 22, Ann Arbor, general education
See more answers on A7
Transfer friendly. Employer desired. n Future-focused business curriculum n Courses offered evenings, weekends, online, and on campus n Credits for work/life experience and military training n Expert, industry-experienced faculty n Small class sizes
Apply Today! www.northwood.edu 800.622.9000
A6
NEWS
February 16, 2015
The Washtenaw Voice
christina fleming
From “techie” to trustee Newly elected WCC board of trustee member Christina Fleming, left, with her husband William and daughter Athena.Fleming embraced technology from an early age, and hopes to utilize that experience in her new role serving the college. EJ STOUT | WASHTENAW VOICE
the second in a series of trustee profiles by SOFIA LYNCH
Features Editor
Christina Fleming, one of three new members on Washtenaw Community College’s board of trustees and recently elected board secretary, traces her love of technology back to her high school days in Frankenmuth. When she was about 13, with an interest in Atari and computer games, Fleming’s father had her build her own computers from bare-bones parts. Since then, technology has been a significant driving force in Fleming’s life. After graduating from the University of Michigan in 1997 with two Bachelor of Arts degrees in classical archeology and sociology, Fleming went
on to work at a local nonprofit, the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, as a help desk technician for nine years. She continued making a career of her technological experience as a data administrator at Kramer-Triad and later worked for central informational technology services at the University of Michigan, managing campus domain computers. Afterward, Fleming decided to take a break from her career to go WCC to earn her certificate in web development. “After college, that kind of sustained me for a while in my career, but I was really coming back for skills,” Fleming said. Fleming took a few courses with Jason Withrow, a WCC Internet professional
instructor. Withrow was eventually approached by Keith Gave, former adviser of The Washtenaw Voice, who was seeking recommendations for a new web editor for the newspaper. When Gave approached him, Withrow suggested that Fleming would be a perfect fit for the position. “There’s not all that many students that I would recommend to work at The Voice,” Withrow said. “You need someone who is self motivated and competent and who can push the envelope, and I think Christina is all of those things.” Fleming described receiving her position on The Voice as a “stroke of luck,” since the position came along just as her
WCC BLOOD DRIVE WHEN: Tuesday, March 3 WHERE: WCC’s Health and Fitness Center TIME: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT: QUESTIONS: http://www.redcrossblood.org and Contact Rachel Barsch at use sponsor code: WCC13. Walk- rbarsch@wccnet.edu ins also accepted
wcc trustees to vote on changes to investment policy The Washtenaw Community College board of trustees had its first reading of an amendment to board policy 6020, pertaining to permissible investments for the college’s funds at the January board meeting. In January, the Michigan Community College Act was revised to reflect changes related to permissible investments as a result of legislation proposed, drafted and supported by Washtenaw’s Chief Financial Officer Bill Johnson and Director of Government Relations Jason Morgan. Previously, the act allowed investments in bonds, bills or
notes only of the U.S. Treasury or the State of Michigan; the modifications allow for community colleges to invest their money in local governments, municipalities, school districts and other qualified, local investments to attain higher rates of return. Local investments can yield a differential of 1-1.5 percent higher, Johnson said. In addition to changes in the types of investments allowed, further investment policy structure was added to reflect the overall intent of WCC investment goals and related guidelines to insure that WCC administration
achieves these overarching goals. Investments must meet certain allocation guidelines. The target percentage of our investments locally is 35 percent of our funds. All investment-grade bonds must have a credit rating of BBBor better, with a maturity of 10 years or less. Short-term investments require an A- or better rating, with an initial maturity of 3-12 months. “In the end it’s about making it fit right for us,” Johnson said. –Paulette Parker
funds for school were dwindling. “With working for the paper, she felt like she was finally being heard,” said William Fleming, her husband of over 10 years. Her husband noted that writing opinion pieces for The Voice helped build her confidence to speak out on the issues she cares about. “She was very passionate about ... things that have happened at Washtenaw and with The Voice,” William said. “She felt that there was this strong need for reform in a lot of areas. She saw that this was an opportunity to work towards change.” And that passion was, ultimately, reflected in her decision to run for trustee in November’s elections. “I’ve always kind of wanted to do something that was for
Michigan high school students will no longer take the American College Testing (ACT) standardized test for free. The Michigan Department of Education planned to sign a three-year, $17 million contract with the Scholastic Aptitude
Test (SAT), the state announced on Jan. 7. In 2016, schools will start providing the SAT to junior students. Students will still have the option to take the ACT, but will have to pay for it out of pocket and take the test
by TAYLOR ROBINSON
Pumping through the veins of the human body are approximately 10 pints of blood. Dr. John Rinke, director of support services at Washtenaw Community College, lost eight pints in the early spring of 1981. In the early 80s, Rinke was a very busy man. He was balancing being a full-time student, teaching, a new house, and a newborn baby. Although it was an exciting time, it was also stressful. Due to poor diet and stress, Rinke was rushed to the emergency room after tearing the lining of
his stomach. If not for gracious blood donors, Rinke may not be serving WCC today. Because of that day, Rinke has donated over three gallons of blood since 1982. “I had to give back,” Rinke said. “It saved my life.” According to the American Red Cross website, 38 percent of people in the United States are eligible to donate. Yet, only 10 percent actually do. WCC holds two blood drives per semester, organized by coordinator of student activities, Rachel Barsch. “It seems like such a small thing, but one pint can actually save up to three lives and that’s amazing” Barsch said.
“Why don’t more people do it?” Between the years of 2006 and 2014, the highest number of pints collected in a single drive was 124. WCC currently has over 1300 students. If every eligible person attempted to donate blood, multiply that by three. That’s how many lives could be saved in exchange for about an hour of someone’s time. The next WCC blood drive will be held on Tuesday Mar. 3 in the Health and Fitness center. Participants will receive snacks and shirt after donation. Appointments can be made through the American Red Cross website.
ARE YOU ELIGIBLE TO DONATE?
5 TIPS BEFORE YOU DONATE BLOOD
5 TIPS AFTER YOU DONATE BLOOD
Staff Writer
some who attempt to donate blood are turned away for various reasons. in order to be eligible to donate, you must: >>
>>
outside of school. Soon after the announcement, the ACT launched an appeal, but educators are preparing for the SAT to take over next year. –Myisha Kinberg
lapidary arts – as well as a mother and wife. Christina also has a passion for helping special needs students, said Pam Pasley, her mother-in-law. “She is the mother of a special needs child, my granddaughter Athena,” Pasley said. “And it’s not easy to raise a special needs child.” In her campaigning for the board, Fleming promised to be a voice for special needs students, who often have little voice in such forums, she said. “She has been a wonderful daughter-in-law, a terrific mother to my precious granddaughter and very good wife to my precious son,” Pasley continued, “She has a lot on her platter, but she’s done so well with it all.”
Ready to give?
>>
sat replaces act in michigan schools
the community, something local,” Christina said. She wanted to “volunteer in some way that was meaningful – go big or go home kind of thing.” A self-described techie, Christina believes her extensive technology background will be a major benefit in her role on the board. “I have a lot of experience with technology,” Christina said. “And that’s not going away. We’re always going to have technology.” She looks forward to helping the board make budgetary decisions, especially on new technologies. And though she’s spent most of her life working in technology, Christina is also a passionate artist – enjoying oil painting, toll painting, ceramics and
eigh at least 110 pounds W Be in good general health and feel well Be at least 17 years old or have parental consent
even if you meet all three of those requirements, you cannot donate blood if you:
ave low iron or vitamin H levels >> Are currently or have recently been sick >> Have gotten a tattoo or piercing in the last 12 months from a non-regulated entity (See redcrossblood.org for more information) >> Have been outside of the U.S. or Canada in the last three years (further questions will be addressed) >> You have had major surgery within the last six months or pregnancy within the last six weeks Source: The American Red Cross >>
1. maintain a healthy iron level
E ating iron-rich foods, such as spinach, raisins, red meats, beans, fish, poultry and iron-fortified cereals can keep you at a healthy level.
2. hydrate
rink an extra 16 ounces D of water or other nonalcoholic fluids.
3. sleep
I t’s crucial to get a good night’s sleep before donating. Your body needs to be well rested.
4. eat healthy
I t’s important to eat a healthy meal before the donation and to avoid fatty foods.
5. identify yourself
ake sure to bring two M forms of identification to donate blood. A driver’s license, passport, donor card and student I.D. are all acceptable. Source: The American Red Cross
1. continue to hydrate
rink an extra 32 ounces D of liquids and avoid alcohol for 24 hours.
2. rest
void any heavy lifting and A vigorous exercise for the rest of the day. Lie down if you experience dizziness or lightheadedness.
3. clean up
Remove the wrap bandage (if you have one) within the next hour. Wash the area with soap and water to avoid skin irritation.
4. stay protected
Keep a Band-Aid on for the next several hours.
5. c ontact the red cross with concerns
Call the American Red Cross at 1-866-236-3276 to report health information that you forgot to share, or if there are any problems and you need medical care after giving blood. Source: The American Red Cross
NEWS
The Washtenaw Voice
February 16, 2015
A7
100 years of celebrating black history by TAYLOR ROBINSON
Staff Writer
For the last 100 years, the United States has celebrated black history during the month of February. However, it hasn’t always been known as Black History Month. In 1915, two school teachers from Washington D.C. would change the way African American history and culture was viewed. Carter G. Woodson and William B. Hartgrove attended the national celebration of the Lincoln Jubilee, which also marked 50 years since the Emancipation. After the event, the two men held a meeting focused on creating an organization that recognized the significant contributions to society that African Americans had made. They formed an organization called the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). This year, the group celebrates their centennial with
a dedication to the founders. In 1926, Woodson originally established the holiday as Negro History week. Since then, the week has progressed into a monthlong celebration, but why choose February? Abraham Lincoln, the president in office when slavery was abolished, was born on Feb. 12, 1809. The first African American to hold a high U.S. government rank was Frederick Douglass. He was a former slave and a strong believer in human rights. Douglass was born on Feb. 14, 1818. Other events have occurred throughout the month of February that add to the celebration, such as the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1809. Since 1976, the celebration of black history has extended throughout the entire month of February instead of just the second week.
If you could meet any black figure, well known or not, who would it be? interviews by taylor robinson, staff writer photos by harrison fischer, videographer “Oh man, oh man, there are so many of them. Mine would have to be Denzel Washington. Obviously he’s a wonderful actor. I’d also want to meet Morgan Freeman. Each of them have complete opposite views of Black History Month. Morgan Freeman doesn’t believe in it. He believes that there shouldn’t be one month to celebrate African Americans because there’s not one month that celebrates other nations of people. He sees that it’s not needed in any community and exploits the negativity. But, Denzel thinks of it completely differently. He thinks it enriches our culture and how we came to be. One of the positive questions I would ask them would be how they got to this point in their life about African Americans … My view is neutral. I don’t agree with it or disagree. I see views from both ends and that’s why I stated them both. It’s true, not many people know a lot of African American history… It’s enriching history. Any history can be enriching but African American culture is just kind of a whole world of its own. But, you can say that about any culture.” Steven Wade, 22, Ypsilanti, nursing
“I would like to meet musicians, especially those from the Louisiana area where there was a large movement for music. For me, it was large part of what helped with the rights movement because everyone listens to music, if they listen to the same music, it can bring people together.”
See more answers on A5
Elizabeth Jenkins, 20, Canton, anthropology
Hours: Monday – Friday: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday: 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. info@marygrove.edu (313) 927-1240 Office of Admissions 8425 West McNichols Road Detroit, Michigan 48221-2599 www.marygrove.edu
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5 unknown facts
about black heroes 1. Martin Luther King Jr. King certainly left his mark when he was assassinated on Apr. 4, 1968. An avid social activist and Baptist minister, he led the U.S. Civil Rights Movement throughout the later years of the 1960s until his death. You might not know: King was a big fan of Star Trek and a big fan of Nichelle Nichols, an African American actress who played a lieutenant on the USS Enterprise. Nichols’ role was one of the first in which a black actress portrayed a character other than a servant. When she considered leaving the series, King personally reached out to her and urged her to stay.
2. Rosa Parks In the winter of 1955, Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man. She was arrested, but as a result, helped to create an event, the Montgomery bus boycott, a catalyst to the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. You might not know: In a 1995 interview with Parks, she cleared up a some widely held misconceptions. Her story is often told with her sitting in the front of the bus. She was actually sitting in the “black section,” which was toward the back of the bus. When all of the seats reserved for white people were taken, that’s when Parks was asked to stand up. Many also believe that she claimed her feet hurt. Instead, she simply stated that she “did feel determined to take this as an opportunity to let it be known that I did not want to be treated in that manner and that people have endured it far too long.”
3. Louis Armstrong Armstrong, also referred to as the “the Great Satchmo” or “the Father of Jazz,” was mostly known for singing and playing trumpet. In the late ‘60s, he released one of his greatest hits, “What a Wonderful World.” You might not know: His home, located in Queens, New York, was deemed a national landmark in 1977. Today, it is also a museum.
4. Harriet Tubman One of the famous “conductors” for the Underground Railroad, Tubman helped at least 300 slaves journey to their freedom. She made 19 trips from the North to South to rescue as many people as she could. You might not know: Tubman gained notoriety among many “conductors” on the railroad because she was so successful. “I can say one thing most other conductors can’t say,” she said. “I never ran my train off the tracks, and I never lost a single passenger.” Slaveholders offered a $40,000 award to anyone who captured Tubman.
5. Jackie Robinson At the age of 28, Robinson became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball. He received the Rookie of the Year award in 1947. You might not know: Although Robinson shined when he played baseball, he partook in a few other sports during his college years. When attending the University of California Los Angeles, Robinson became the first student to have letters in four different sports in one season. In addition to baseball, he played basketball, football and was a long jumper in track and field.
Explore
5 overlooked african-
americans to celebrate 1. Hattie McDaniel In 1940, McDaniel made waves on the big screen when she became the first African American woman to win an Academy Award for her performance in “Gone With the Wind.” Ironically, she sat at a blacks-only table during the Oscar event. In her acting career, McDaniel appeared in more than 300 films during the ‘30s and ‘40s, though she was only credited for about 80. She was also the first black woman to sing on the radio in the U.S.
2. George Crum In 1953, Crum, a chef of Native American and African-American descent, stumbled into history when he attempted to satisfy a fussy customer at Moon Lake Lodge Resort in Saratoga Springs, New York. After the customer complained that his french fries were too thick, Crum made an order cut so thin that it became a new dish all together. Later on, Crum opened his own restaurant, and his invention became known as the potato chip.
3. James “Cool Papa” Bell Although Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play Major League Baseball, he was not the first to get the chance. In 1951, Bell received the offer to play in the big leagues. Already 48 years old, Bell turned down the position. Bell is regarded as one of the fastest baseball players in history. His career began in 1922 and lasted for more than 25 years. Bell once stole 175 bases in a 200-game season, according to the “Baseball Library.”
4. Elizabeth “Bessie” Coleman When Coleman could not gain admission to any American flight schools because she was a black woman, she did not let her dreams of becoming a pilot subside. She taught herself French and moved to France, where, in just seven months, she received her license from the Caudron Brother’s School of Aviation in 1922. She was the first African American to hold an international pilot license. When she returned to the U.S., her career specialized in parachuting and aerial stunts. In 1926, at the young age of 34, her life abruptly ended during an accident that occurred during an aerial show rehearsal.
5. Madam C.J. Walker After enduring many hardships at a young age, Walker became the first African-American female millionaire. Widowed at the age of 20, Walker started working with her four brothers at a barbershop. Overcome with a scalp condition that caused her to start losing her hair, she invented a product that would thicken her hair and wallet. After trying several homemade concoctions, she found a cure to her hair loss and dubbed it Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH EVENTS AT WCC THE SPIRIT OF HARRIET TUBMAN
WHEN: Wednesday, Feb. 18, noon-6 p.m. WHERE: WCC, ML Building, Towsley Auditorium PRICE: Noon show – free; 6 p.m. show – $5 for students, faculty and staff, $10 for the public
THE OTHER TRADITION OF RACE RELATIONS: HISTORY OF INTERRACIAL COOPERATION
Richard Thomas, a Michigan State University history professor, will be leading a discussion about dispelling racial segregation. WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 19, 11:30 a.m. WHERE: LA 375 PRICE: Free
Schedule a tour so you can find out if Marygrove College is the school for you!
C O L L E G E While you’re here you’ll also have the opportunity to meet with Financial Aid and Academic Advisors.
2/5/15 8:59 AM
VOL. 21, NO. 9 - FEBRUARY 16, 2015
A HISTORY OF OPEN DOORS
The ‘Gateless Gateway’, designed by former WCC faculty member and artist Paul Zenian, was dedicated in May 1982. The sculpture symbolizes the school’s commitment to serve as ‘an open door’ to education to those from all walks of life. WCC ARCHIVES | COURTESY PHOTO
by NATALIE WRIGHT
Editor
Every day, thousands of students pass through the shadow of the “Gateless Gateway” statue, most oblivious to it’s meaning. The statue represents Washtenaw Community College’s open-door policy, which was central to the college’s original mission of serving the populations that were falling through the cracks in the education system. This open door policy, a “fierce commitment” from the college’s founders, and the formative environment of the 1960s and ‘70s shaped WCC into the institution it is today.
A unique mission
As the baby boomers came of age in the 1960s, they shattered the traditions of their parents and grandparents. No social norm was safe. Civil rights, women’s liberation and
the antiwar movement were all in full swing. Drug culture and the sexual revolution were spreading. “These were exciting times, depressing times, a time for great creativity and a time of great anxiety,” former WCC President Larry Whitworth wrote in “A Fierce Commitment” (“AFC”), which chronicles the first 10 years of the college. “It is during this time that the community college and the community college movement were born,” Whitworth wrote. As citizens of Washtenaw County considered the possibility of a community college, critics argued that Michigan, which already had 10 four-year colleges and universities, and Washtenaw County, which had three, did not need any more higher education institutions. “We had to carve our own niche. That was a tall order,” WCC’s first president, David Ponitz said in “AFC.”
But Washtenaw was not alone. Across the country, community colleges were springing up, and many shared the same mission – to offer what fouryear colleges could not. They found their identities by filling in the educational gaps in their communities, serving populations that may not have the opportunity to attend four-year colleges. High school graduates who did not have the grades or finances to attend four-year colleges, adults, already in careers, who needed to sharpen their skill sets and those who needed second chances could all find a place at a community college. The new, two-year institutions focused on occupational and vocational programs, preparing students to transfer to four-year colleges, developmental and remedial courses, non-credit and continuing adult education courses and community service. “It’s a remarkable place to
have wedged between these two monster universities, where you can fail a little bit … You can fail; you can explore; you can find, and maybe even get a job,” said Ruth Hatcher, a WCC trustee who began teaching English at the college in 1979.
Open doors
Central to WCC’s mission of serving underserved populations in it’s community, was the college’s policy to accept any student with a desire to learn, regardless of past education, age, gender or race. This open door policy brought an incredibly diverse set of students to campus. The college enrolled dropouts from universities across the state, Vietnam veterans, single mothers, high school dropouts looking for a second chance, factory workers hoping to learn new skills and students from the federal correctional institution in Milan and the
women’s prison in Ypsilanti. “I remember when I had students in my class who didn’t know how to read,” Hatcher said. “It was an opportunity for me to help them go in the right direction. “After they started having more rules and regulations, my classes were more like honors classes, and we could go better and further, but I miss those folks that couldn’t read and were motivated to learn. Now they’re put in a reading class, and OK, maybe that’s better, but I’m from that old school, where this was a magical place,” she said. “It was magical for ESL students. After Vietnam, it was magical for soldiers.” WCC’s open doors were flooded with students, eager to further their educations. When registration opened in September 1966, enrollment was more than double what administrators had predicted. More than 1,200 students took classes the first fall semester,
and by winter more than 1,500 had enrolled. Next fall enrollment nearly doubled to 2,394. Faculty and administrators had to search for extra space to hold classes. Eventually the Ann Arbor Public Library, the YMCA and several churches in the community all hosted WCC students. “Many of WCC’s new students were the first in their families to go college,” former speech instructor Char Hanson said in “AFC.” “They probably wouldn’t have ventured to Eastern, almost certainly wouldn’t have enrolled in Michigan, but when the school came to them, they knocked on its doors, and WCC changed the course of many lives.”
‘A fierce commitment’ As President Ponitz and the college’s first administrators searched for teachers for the new college, many assumed
See OPEN DOOR, Page B2
B2
FLIPSIDE 50th ANNIVERSARY
February 16, 2015
The Washtenaw Voice
35 years later, she’s still going strong
WCC dance instructor uses the arts to break down barriers
WCC student-turned-teacher Gayle Martin, right, dances at one of the college’s community picnics. ‘A FIERCE COMMITMENT’ | COURTESY PHOTO
by PAULETTE PARKER
News Editor
The beat of a hip-hop track pulsates through the hardwood floor. Arms and legs move methodically under the bright lights, mimicked by reflections on the mirrored walls. In the dance studio in Washtenaw Community College’s Morris Lawrence building, dancers’ emotions emanate from their bodies. Leading the class is WCC’s resident triple-threat: Gayle Martin, who has taught dance at the college for 35 years – since she was 15. Fair skin, blonde hair and blue eyes, her personality projects through the roof. Her ebullient laugh reverberates through the room. Her beaming grin is magnetic. Her aura is warm and welcoming. “I’m an Ann Arbor-ite,” Martin said, born to hardworking, upper-middle class, social parents. Among numerous accomplishments, her mother, Shirley D. Martin, was a founding administrator of the WCC nursing program. Christmas, church on Sundays, visiting family in St. Louis, years as a student at St. Paul Lutheran elementary school – Martin’s traditional upbringing makes up her fondest memories.
OPEN DOOR, From B1 they would be seeking candidates holding doctorate degrees, because WCC was located among so many educational institutions, but WCC’s founders had something else in mind. “Our priority was to find people who could really connect with our students,” Ponitz said in “AFC.” “We developed a hiring profile for our faculty members – which is where the phrase ‘A fierce commitment’ came into play. There was a shortage of teachers in those days, but we still focused on finding the best people, people with real world experience as well as good teaching skills, people who cared about students and shared our vision.” Dennis Bila, a WCC math instructor, who started at the college in 1969, said that the college’s success is due in large part to great leadership in those early years. “They hired great staff at all levels,” Bila said. “Now that doesn’t just happen. People have to have that as part of their mission, and that starts
Friday nights with a phonograph were a ritual in the Martin home. “Every Friday night, (my parents) would be home,” Martin said. “They would put on the record player, and they would dance (and sing).” “It’s always been around me,” she said. “There was always creating, always music, always dancing.” At the age of three, Martin knew she would be a performer. “I got the bug,” she said. She began with studying Cecchetti ballet. She performed in studios and on stages, but in a time when a prima ballerina was relegated to a certain mold, she faced challenges. “Back in those days, if you had too much bosom or too much behind, they didn’t consider that you were going to be able to become a prima ballerina,” Martin said. “Well, look at the top-three prima ballerinas now.” At the age of 15, she was asked to take classes at the University of Michigan. Through that experience, she had a revelation. “That’s when I realized there’s African-American dance; there’s Congolese dance; there’s tap; there’s modern. I don’t have to be a prima ballerina,” Martin said. “So at 15 I said, ‘This is a done deal. I can
Martin teaches hip-hop choreography that students say ‘will kick your butt.’ PAULETTE PARKER | WASHTENAW VOICE
do this.’” There was no turning back. Her parent’s opinions were mixed. “My dad always said, ‘Do what you love. Money will come later,’” Martin recalled. “My mother? No. She was more practical,” she laughed. Martin was drawn to the arts because it provided her “soulful enjoyment,” she said, and she never had any interest in sitting behind a desk. “Singing is a wonderful way to let go of everything. Acting, you can be on stage, and you can be anybody you want to for 30 to 45 minutes. You can be different people,” Martin said. “You can dance a different way. You can let the music move you in a different manner, and each time is different.” Another motivating factor in her pursuit of the arts was not seeing anyone like herself while growing up. As an African-American albino, Martin has endured discrimination and misunderstanding. How she has handled adversity has shaped who she is today, she said. “Being an albino, there’s a very fine line, as far as I’m concerned, that you walk because you’re not really accepted,” Martin said. Although she has often dealt with ignorant, negative
portrayals of albinos in the media and has even been mistaken as Caucasian, she takes it all in stride. “You can go through life being very angry, because every day there’s always something stupid said to you, or you can find humor in everything that happens,” Martin said. “I choose to find the humor in it.” At 14 years old, Martin was seen in a talent contest by renowned WCC musician, Morris Lawrence, for whom the Morris Lawrence building is named. “He asked my father if I could come dance with the WCC Jazz Orchestra,” Martin said. Her father agreed. By 15 years old, Martin began substitute teaching at WCC, and by 17, she was teaching a class of her own. “I didn’t say how old I was in class.” She chuckled. “I don’t know how Morris did it, but he did.” After graduating high school, she officially enrolled at WCC in preparation to transfer to the University of Michigan. The grounds were barer than they are now. Apple trees paved the path to temporary buildings that housed the arts department. Where there were fields, parking lots now sit. And it was a time of great diversity, Martin said. “Not only in the color-wise,
but age-wise,” she said. “There were people coming back to school, people taking classes because they wanted to hone up on what they already knew.” Students could take a class more than twice, allowing them to perfect their crafts. WCC music instructor and musician John E. Lawrence l e a r n e d u n d e r Mo r r i s Lawrence’s guidance alongside Martin. The two still perform together. “He not only is a guitarist, he’s an artist,” Martin said. “He mastered his guitar not over a two-semester or a year thing. It was years.” Studying at the University of Michigan, Martin met and befriended her long-time colleague, WCC dance instructor, Noonie Anderson. Martin was an undergrad, Anderson, a graduate student. “It’s funny, because we were in school together, and we came to Washtenaw and ended up working together, and it’s been the dynamic duo ever since we’ve been there,” Anderson said. She was awestruck when she first witnessed Martin perform. “She performed in a musical that Morris Lawrence had written, and I remember thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, that young woman is incredible,’” Anderson said.
Martin remains as passionate as she ever was, Anderson said. “Teenage Gayle was equally as energetic and effervescent and creative as she is now,” she said. “She still has that same sort of contagious energy.” There has never been competition between the two artists, and their relationship has extended beyond the boundaries of WCC, Anderson said. “Our families are very close. Not only are we family within the WCC connection, but we’re family outside,” Anderson said. “I kiddingly say, it’s probably one of the best relationships I’ve had outside my marriage.” As Martin dances alongside her students during her class, she weaves her way through the room. Her manner is encouraging. “Can’t” and “won’t” are words she doesn’t accept. “Just because you’re new to whatever form it is, I push you,” Martin said. “I don’t accept, ‘I can’t,’ because you’ve never tried it, so how do you know?” WCC culinary and hospitality management major, Ashley Bedwell, 25, of Superior Township, is in her second semester of Martin’s hip-hop dance class. “Her choreography is amazing, and it will kick your butt,”
which voters had given them funds to do. Ignoring the fact that most community colleges were taking two to four years to establish, the founders pushed forward, opening that fall – in only 100 days. There was a sense of urgency, Pontiz said, because there was so much need in the community. To make this possible, the administration developed “the undulating cone.” “It was a pyramid-style form of management, with the board and president at the apex. It was undulating because decisions traveled up and down and across. It wasn’t a rigid system,” Andy Ford, who was the director of the Technical & Industrial division at the time, said in “AFC.” “We were intellectually and pragmatically 100 dAys movers and doers. We had to When the first employees be if we were going to get the were hired, they had to put that college up and running in such “fierce commitment” mentality a short span of time.” to the test. “One of the things that In the spring of 1966, the strikes me about the beginning new administration and trust- of the school was that it never ees had a decision to make: occurred to us that we couldn’t They could open the follow- make it work, even though none ing fall, or wait another year, of us had ever done this before,”
former English instructor Edith Croake said in “AFC.” With passionate teachers who were led by the “fierce commitment” mentality crowded in the close quarters of the college’s temporary Willow Run campus, this communication system functioned well. “It was kind of fun,” Bila said. “We were all crowded together so we got to know each other very well.”
Ponitz described driving home from a meeting one night and seeing smoke in the distance. He thought the college was burning, but it turned out that the Ypsilanti dump was just burning dried Christmas trees. “It was a symptom of the times that my first thought was that the campus had been torched,” Ponitz said. Several times, bombs were lobbed into WCC offices, luckily never going off, and countless times, the college received bomb threats. Angry black students, associated with Panther groups in Detroit, would bring shotguns and Molotov cocktails in their cars. But sometimes, the employees were the ones on the picket lines. In 1979, there was a faculty strike that Hatcher described as “nasty.” “It was a serious strike – people barricading so that supplies couldn’t get it, so that part timers couldn’t get it. The place was shut down,” Hatcher said. “There were car nudgings … people got hurt.” “We had people go to jail,” said Bila, who was the faculty union president at the time.
“There was some violence on the line.” The faculty and the administration couldn’t agree on much of anything, Bila said. “Community colleges were still relatively new, so it was a high school model. The faculties in the college weren’t given much in the way of determination of the curriculum or whatnot,” Bila said. “There was a lot of distrust on both sides. But the faculty and administration eventually reached a consensus and the faculty got back to work. As with every challenge that faced WCC in its formative years, the employees’ “fierce commitment” to the mission of the college and the students and community that it served, carried WCC forward. Today, the college has grown ten-fold, serving more than 12,000 students every semester. While few of the founders are still around, their legacy lasts in the mission of the college and those who still have the “fairy dust” on them.
from the top.” The philosophy applied to positions in all areas of the college, he said. “If you look at the grounds, for example, you’ll notice they’re as well kept as any institution around,” Bila said. Because the concept of community colleges was so new, the employees who first came to work for WCC took a big risk. “These people left solid jobs … when no one knew if it was going to work or not,” Hatcher said. “It was a true act of faith in what education is about. The “pioneers,” she said, were amazing people who sacrificed a lot for the vision of what WCC could be. “I know it’s hard to keep a pioneer spirit going,” she added. “I have some of that fairy dust on me from them.”
And the rest was history
As WCC continued to grow, so did the obstacles that faced it. The ‘60s and ‘70s were a turbulent time, and as students erupted in protest on a regular basis, and rioters burned down Detroit, those who cared about the college felt a strong responsibility to protect it. “We suffered from our share of traumas,” Ponitz said in “AFC.” “Several times during the days of the riots, when Detroit was burning, Dave Pollock and I linked arms with folks from the Willow Run area – black and white – and we stood armin-arm all night, afraid that the campus would be torched.”
See MARTIN, Page B7
Additional reporting by Sofia Lynch and Taylor Robinson
The Washtenaw Voice
FLIPSIDE 50th ANNIVERSARY
February 16, 2015
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How WCC came to be by NATALIE WRIGHT
Editor
June 30, 1962 COUNTY DEMONSTRATES NEED FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE After Washtenaw County voters rejected a proposal for a technical high school in the late 1950s, the Ann Arbor board of education told the Chamber of Commerce Education Committee that there was a need in Ann Arbor for a community college that could provide vocational training. However, community colleges were a very new concept at the time, and few were sure of exactly
Jan. 3, 1965 While heavy snow led to a low voter turnout on Jan. 3, 1965, one-fourth of the 72,000 registered voters in Washtenaw County made it to the polls
what role one might play. The Education Committee was hesitant and decided it would be best to involve the community in the discussion. It asked University of Michigan professor Raymond Young to conduct a survey starting on June 30, 1962. The Chelsea Milling Company provided the $10,000 needed to carry out the Citizen’s
Although the board of trustees had received applications from all around the country for the college’s first presidency, several trustees felt the ideal candidate had not applied of his own accord, and they set about convincing him. David Ponitz was working as superintendent of schools for Freeport Illinois and president of the town’s new small community college. The 32-year-old held a bachelor’s and master’s degree from U-M and a doctorate from Harvard University.
training.” The survey found that finances were the biggest barrier between high school seniors and college. Fifteen percent of high school seniors surveyed said they were not planning on college, but would reconsider if more money was made available to them. Another 18 percent said they would have continued their education if
finances were not a problem. Three different populations would be served by a community college, the commission said: Recent high school graduates who lacked skills or finances to attend a four-year institution; adults, already in careers who needed to improve their skills or learn new skills; and “late bloomers” who hadn’t pursued their education and needed a second chance.
VOTERS ESTABLISH WASHTENAW COMMUNITY COLLEGE and set the wheels in motion for the creation of Washtenaw Community College. On the ballot, voters were asked to approve the
The first WCC board of trustees. Clockwise from top left: Edward Adams, Evart Ardis, Richard Creal, Kenneth Yourd, Ralph Wenrich and Samuel Harmon. ‘A FIERCE COMMITMENT’ | COURTESY PHOTO
Aug. 13, 1965
S u r v e y o f Wa s h t e n a w County Community College Possibilities. In September, the results of the survey and the committee’s recommendations were announced. They stated that there was a “demonstrated demand by county youth and employers for a post-high school program offering technical and semiprofessional occupational
establishment of a community college and to agree to a onequarter-per million tax levy. The results were a resounding approval, with 11,109 voters in favor and 5,085 opposed. Voters also chose six of 38 candidates for the college’s first board of trustees. They faced a difficult decision, as the candidates were very highly qualified across the board, with 17 having experience in education. On Election Night, officials announced that Samuel Harmon, Evart Ardis, Ralph Wenrich, Edward Adams Jr., Richard Creal and Elvira Vogel had been elected. However, two days later, they announced that there had been errors in the count, and that Kenneth Yourd had actually won the sixth seat, not Vogel. Surprisingly, Anthony Procassini, who had been chairman of the Education
Committee that spearheaded efforts to create the college, lost by just five votes, but he was elected to the board the following year. The board was highly qualified and diverse. Harmon, who earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering from U-M, owned a company called Sensor Dynamic. Ardis was director of the U-M Bureau of Appointments and Occupational Education, and previously worked as the superintendent of Ypsilanti public schools. Wenrich was chairman of the Department of Vocational Education and Practical Arts at U-M and previously worked as associate state superintendent of Public Instruction and state director of Vocational Education. Adams was the president of the National Bank & Trust
Company of Ann Arbor. Creal was a known figure in the Ann Arbor public school scene, with a master’s degree in school administration and supervision from U-M. Yourd was the assistant dean to the U-M Medical School. He also served as vice president and treasurer of the National Educational Television and Radio Center in Ann Arbor. In a 1982 interview with WCC history instructor Flavia Reps, Ardis reflected on the board’s diversity. “The board had a lot of different points of view and that fact became evident as we grappled with all the crucial decisions that had to be made immediately,” Ardis said. “The board was committed to a lot of openness. They felt that it would give the institution credibility if the people felt it was truly their college.”
WCC TRUSTEES APPOINT COLLEGE’S FIRST PRESIDENT When Ponitz called Ardis, an old colleague from U-M, Ardis tried to convince him to apply for the WCC presidency. “I wasn’t sure that made sense,” Ponitz said years later. “I worried that some people would want to replicate the University of Michigan’s programs, and I felt that any new college would have to be really different in order to meet the needs of people whose needs weren’t being met by the University of Michigan or Eastern Michigan University.”
Ponitz traveled to Ann Arbor to talk to the board, though he was still reluctant. “It was an exciting idea, but daunting,” he said. “At that point, the college possessed not a pencil or piece of paper.” And Ponitz wasn’t the only one with hesitations. “I was the lone holdout for a while,” Harmon said. “It was clear that he was very, very competitive, but not clear if he would have a passion for the population I was most concerned with.” So Harmon drove to Illinois
to meet with Ponitz. “Both of us persuaded each other that we had the same vision of what this college should and could become,” Harmon said. “I became Dave’s greatest supporter, while he became one of my greatest friends.” On Aug. 13, 1965, the board announced that Ponitz would be WCC’s first president. Soon after Ponitz spoke to a reporter from The Ann Arbor News. “I am here because this appears to be one of the finest Dave Ponitz was elected as the challenges in education,” he college’s first president in 1965. WCC ARCHIVES | COURTESY PHOTO said.
Summer 1966 WCC FINDS TEMPORARY LOCATION AT WILLOW RUN VILLAGE In May 1966, Ponitz and the trustees decided that classes would begin that fall, giving them only 100 days to create the college.
This meant that WCC would need to search for both a temporary location and a permanent location, as well as faculty, administrators, staff
St. Alexis Hall served as the shipping, receiving and storage building for WCC’s first three years. WCC ARCHIVES | COURTESY PHOTO
and students. Dave Pollock, one of the college’s first administrators, was tasked with finding a temporary site. When Pollock visited Willow Run Village – the community built for bomber plant workers during World War II – he thought the place was entirely unsuitable. “I walked around the school, saw the broken windows and overgrown site, then go into the car and said, ‘There is no way this place is appropriate,’” Pollock said. “I would later have to eat those words.” Ponitz did not approve of the site either, but there was
nothing else they had seen that would work, he said. Willow Run offered two things that the other sites didn’t, Ponitz said: The college could be self-contained there, and the location was close to two low-income neighborhoods that would be served well by the college. State officials inspected and approved the location for one year, although the college would remain there for three. Buildings in the village were fixed up and adapted to suit the colleges needs. Foster School, which was built to educate the children of bomber plant employees during WWII, became the new College Hall,
where most of the general studies and occupational studies classes would be held. A former firehouse, which had been transformed into a meat market in the years since, would house the administrator’s offices. Employees joked that this was where one could find the “meatheads” on campus. A ten-minute walk from College Hall, an old bowling alley became counseling and faculty offices and a library. Later, as the college grew, several corrugated steel Quonset huts and other temporary structures were used for offices, classrooms, a bookstore and a daycare center.
Sept. 15, 1966 WASHTENAW COMMUNITY COLLEGE OPENS REGISTRATION Voters had given WCC enough money to spend a year planning before opening the college, but the trustees and President Ponitz decided to use those funds to buy equipment to start occupational programs. They pulled together all of the pieces for the college in just 100 days and were prepared to launch 72 classes in the first semester. Fifty full-time faculty were hired from all across the country, and 1,207 students enrolled for classes that fall.
Left: After only 100 days to prepare, the college opened with 1,207 students.
‘A FIERCE COMMITMENT’ | COURTESY PHOTO Above: Students of all ages flocked to the new college setting. WCC ARCHIVES | COURTESY PHOTO
Source: ‘A Fierce Commitment: The First 10 Years of Washtenaw Community College’
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A ‘Gateway’ to education
THE TWO STEEL MONOLITHS TOWER OVER THE COURTYARD IN FRONT OF THE STUDENT CENTER, MAKING A COMMANDING FIRST IMPRESSION TO ALL WHO ENTER WASHTENAW COMMUNITY COLLEGE. TWENTY-TWO FEET HIGH AND WEIGHING A COMBINED 14 TONS, THE TWO STRUCTURES SEEM TO BARELY PROP EACH OTHER UP, BUT THEY ARE ACTUALLY STRUCTURALLY INDEPENDENT. THE SCULPTURE, DUBBED THE “GATELESS GATEWAY” WAS DESIGNED BY FORMER WCC ART INSTRUCTOR PAUL ZENIAN IN 1982 TO REPRESENT WCC’S OPEN DOOR POLICY, AND WAS DEDICATED TO THE CITIZENS OF WASHTENAW COUNTY, WHO, IN 1965, CREATED
AN OPEN DOOR TO LEARNING FOR STUDENTS FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE, ZENIAN SAID AT THE INSTALLATION’S DEDICATION ON MAY 16, 1982. WHILE THE SCULPTURE WAS DESIGNED WITH THE OPEN DOOR PHILOSOPHY IN MIND, IT CAN HAVE MANY DIFFERENT MEANINGS, ZENIAN SAID. “FOR SOME, IT WILL SUGGEST THE OPEN DOOR; FOR OTHERS, THE IDEA OF INTERACTION OF STRENGTH AND BALANCE,” SAID THE PROGRAMS HANDED OUT AT THE DEDICATION CEREMONY. IT IS ALSO DESIGNED TO LINK THE ADJOINING BUILDINGS TO ALLUDE TO THE COMBINATION OF PROGRAMS AND PEOPLE THAT MAKE UP THE
COLLEGE. THE MEANING OF THE SCULPTURE IS NOT INTENDED TO BE OBVIOUS, THE PROGRAM SAID. “IT REALLY SHOULD BE DISCOVERED BY EACH INDIVIDUAL THROUGH PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH IT,” SAID GUNDER MYRAN, WCC’S PRESIDENT AT THE TIME. “FOR EXAMPLE, ONE CAN WALK THROUGH THE SCULPTURE UPON ENTERING THE CAMPUS AND ENVISION IT AS AN OPEN DOOR OF LEARNING OPPORTUNITY AND WALK BACK THROUGH IT UPON LEAVING AND ENVISION IT AS A PORTAL TO GREATER FULFILLMENT IN LIFE.”
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TODAY, WCC STUDENTS CAN PURSUE MORE THAN 100 DIFFERENT ASSOCIATE DEGREE AND CERTIFICATE PROGRAMS, AND CHOOSE FROM MORE THAN 1,500 CREDIT AND NON-CREDIT CLASSES. IN 1965, THE SELECTION WAS MUCH MORE LIMITED, THOUGH FOR A NEW COLLEGE, THE OFFERINGS WERE QUITE SUBSTANTIAL AT THE TIME. IN THE FIRST YEARS, THE COLLEGE OFFERED A HEALTH SCIENCES PROGRAM, DENTAL ASSISTANT PROGRAM, AND CLASSES HELPED STUDENTS BECOME OFFICE ADMINISTRATORS, MEDICAL SECRETARIES, X-RAY TECHNICIANS, AUTO MECHANICS, AUTO BODY REPAIRMEN AND WELDERS. CLASSES ALSO TAUGHT DRAFTING, ELECTRONICS, MECHANICAL TECHNOLOGIES AND ACCOUNTING. – NATALIE WRIGHT
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IN ITS 50 YEARS, WASHTENAW COMMUNITY COLLEGE HAS BEEN LED BY FOUR PRESIDENTS. DAVID PONITZ, LEFT, WAS HIRED JUST A FEW MONTHS BEFORE THE COLLEGE OPENED IN 1965 AND SERVED UNTIL 1974. GUNDER MYRAN, SECOND TO LEFT, TOOK OVER IN 1975 AND SERVED THROUGH 1998. LARRY WHITWORTH WAS HIRED IN 1998 AND STAYED AT THE COLLEGE UNTIL 2011. IN 2011, PRESIDENT ROSE BELLANCA BECAME THE COLLEGE’S FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT AND SHE STILL HOLDS THE POSITION TODAY.
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FLIPSIDE 50th ANNIVERSARY
February 16, 2015
The Washtenaw Voice
r o f e c a voi s e s s a the m WASHTENAW’S STUDENT PUBLICATION, THE VOICE, WAS ESTABLISHED IN WCC’S FIRST YEAR, AND WAS KNOWN FOR ADDRESSING THE DIFFICULT ISSUES OF THE DAY. IT CONTINUED PUBLICATION THROUGH 1980, AND THEN WENT ON A 14-YEAR HIATUS, RESUMING PUBLICATION IN 1990.
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MARTIN, From B2 Bedwell laughed. “Her choreography challenges us to do things we didn’t know our bodies could do.” Martin jokes that she’s also a counselor to her students. “I treat them like they’re my kids,” Martin said. “I don’t care if you’re 80, you’re still my kid.” She feels that dance is like therapy, and her students concur. “Gayle can take you on your worst day, and turn it around and make you completely happy that day,” said nursing major, Sheena Riley, 28, of Romulus. “Just seeing her face, she’s just positive energy at all times.” “She truly listens, and she truly cares,” Anderson said. Laughter echoes throughout the dance studio. The humor Martin has used to sail through rough waters in life is the same humor she carries into her classes. “She makes us laugh all the time, which makes the class more fun,” said WTMC student, Maya Koziol, 16, of Ann Arbor. “It’s more laid back; it doesn’t feel like it’s serious.” In 2012, Martin started the Rare Paragon Gem dance
company. She doesn’t believe dance is limited to a certain body type, age or dance background and trains students to become the dancers they’ve always wanted to be. “A lot of people have told me they couldn’t because of how they looked or where they were in life or whatever,” Martin said. “I don’t believe it.” Martin has never shied away from a challenge, and has taught students with Downs Syndrome, some who spoke different languages and three students who were deaf. “I’m waiting for someone to come in there, who is brave enough, who is blind,” Martin said. “I can’t wait. I want it to happen because it’s possible.” “It’s amazing that she can have total beginners and advanced students all in one class and still be able to challenge every single person,” Riley said. “She makes it a safe, comfortable place for everybody.” When Martin isn’t working, she continues dancing. Volunteering her time at the Children’s Creative Center in Ann Arbor, she teaches dance to preschoolers, and teaches praise dancing at two churches.
CLASSIFIEDS
Once she tucks away her dancing shoes, she wants to be remembered by her students as someone that inspired them to give to others, to share with others, to be the best person they can be and to be totally honest and truthful about who they are. “You should not be ashamed of anything that has happened because it made up who you are today,” Martin said. “Never give up. Things may not always work out the way you planned it, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not going to work.” “Washtenaw is really lucky to have her,” Bedwell said. “She’s the coolest lady I have ever met; I really believe that.” “I have the utmost respect for her, and I truly know how lucky I have been to have her as a colleague for all these years,” Anderson said. Although she has been teaching since she was 15, Martin does not foresee retirement anywhere in the near future. “I truly believe that my last breath will be either singing in a microphone or on a dance floor,” Martin said. “As long as I can move, I’ll be doing it.”
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Send ads to thewashtenawvoice@gmail.com Note: Deadline for the March 9 issue is Tuesday, March 3 at 5 p.m.
S E R V I CE S VOLUNTEER TUTORS: Washtenaw Literacy needs volunteers to tutor adults in basic reading, writing, math and English as a Second Language. Help change lives – one word at a time! Contact info@washtenawliteracy.org or call 734-879-1320. NEED HEALTH CARE? Are you between the ages of 12–22? Contact the Corner Health Center at 734-4843600 or visit online at: www.cornerhealth.org.
H E L P WA NTE D WAIT STAFF: Michigan Catering is looking for student wait staff who are able to interact with guests, work as a team, and manage time efficiently – all with a positive attitude. Shifts in can be anytime between the hours of 5 a.m. and 3 a.m., depending on your availability. The starting pay is $3.40 per hour plus tips. Tips are automatically paid by the event sponsor and average $6-$7 per hour, making the
typical rate about $9.40-$10.40 per hour. Apply online at http://jobs.studentlife. umich.edu/; send an email to: workforus@ umich.edu; or at 734-615-6759. DINING STAFF: Michigan Dining is looking for students who enjoy working with people and want to be a part of a team. Flexible schedule, promotional opportunities, and a fun social environment. Starting wage: $9 per hour with a free meal with a three-hour shift. To apply, visit http://jobs.studentlife.umich. edu/; send an email to: workforus@umich. edu; or call 734-615-6759. SNOW REMOVAL: Help wanted with our sidewalk crews using snow blowers available in Ann Arbor starting at $15- $18 per hour. Driver’s license required. Phone 734-663-3343 between 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. or fax resume to 734-663-4509. DIRECT SUPPORT STAFF: Seeking caring compassionate individuals for all shifts to provide services for adults with developmental disabilities and mental illnesses in their own homes in the Ann Arbor/Dexter area. Services include, but
Looking for help? Post your free help wanted ads in The Voice.
are not limited to, passing medications, providing personal care, socializing, transporting, cooking, and cleaning. Must be available to work weekends and holidays, have a valid Michigan driver’s license, reliable transportation and pass a criminal history check. No experience required. This is an excellent opportunity to learn new skills and make a major difference in someone’s life. Phone Lindsay at 734485-1722 weekdays from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., or FAX resume to 734-485-4230. HEAD START TEACHER: Lincoln Park is looking for teachers with at least a BA in Early Childhood Education or a BA with course work equivalent to a major relating to Early Childhood Education and experience teaching preschool age children. Documented experiences working with persons of various, racial, ethnic, social and cultural backgrounds. Ability to communicate in English with or without accommodations. Must also have good physical mobility, good understanding of common childhood behavior problems and appropriate interventions. Must have
2. This is the official name of the answer to question 8 6. What is the name of the on-campus daycare? 10. Many of the soldiers from this war came to WCC when they returned home 13. This unique communication style worked was developed in WCC’s first years 15. Trustee Harmon drove here to meet with a candidate for WCC president and discuss their visions for the school” 16. WCC math instructor Dennis Bila credited the college’s success to a great staff and this 17. This student population increased from 23.4 percent in 1969 to 46 percent in 1976 18. The statue outside the Student Center symbolizes this WCC policy 19. WCC will kick off its anniversary celebration in this month 21. A 1962 county survey found that this was the biggest barrier between high school seniors and college
Most of the answers ca n be found somew here in this issue !
the ability to appropriately handle crisis situations. Work hours are 37.5 hours per week to be determined by site leader. Phone 734-785-7700 weekdays from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. G S R P E A R LY C H I L D H O O D SPECIALIST: Looking for specialist to coordinate, monitor, and evaluate the educational services for all GSRP classrooms and provide staff with training and assistance to implement the High Scope and/ or Creative Curriculum. Master’s degree in early childhood education, child development or other related field with ZA/ ZS endorsement required. Five or more years of relevant job experience and specific professional development required. Two years GSRP experienced preferred. Work hours are 37.5 hours per week for 48 weeks. Phone 734-785-7700 weekdays from 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Below is a sample of recent employment want ads which have been posted with WCC Career Services. Students are invited to read these ads and to contact Career Services to find out how to apply for the openings. Career Services is located in ML 104. For more information, phone 734677-5155, email careers@wccnet.edu, or visit www.wccnet.edu/careerconnection/. Career Services will now be having office hours in the Counseling Center on the second floor of the Student Center building, on the following dates and times: Feb. 18 – 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; March 4 – 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; March 18 – 10 a.m.-3
DOWN
1. The book that chronicles the first 10 years of WCC 2. This many WCC presidents have had buildings named after them 3. WCC’s official colors are green, gold and what? 4. Despite only planning on one year, the college spent this many years at the Willow Run site 5. When enrollment grew faster than space, some WCC students attended classes here 6. Due to a miscount, this woman was told she won a seat on the original board of trustees, but she lost it a few days later 7. After the decision was made to begin classes in the fall of 1966, how many days did the founders have to establish the college? 8. Michigan already had 10 of these when WCC opened 9. This apple orchard originally sat on the grounds of WCC’s current campus 10. Of the 38 candidates who ran for the first board of trustees, 17 of them had experience in this 11. This was the college’s original mascot 12. T his milling company funded the Citizen’s Survey of Washtenaw Community College Possibilities in 1962 13. He was chairman of the education committee and lost a board seat by just five votes, but was elected the following year 14. WCC trustee refers to the college’s founders as these 20. The original board of trustees had this many members 21. This many full-time faculty members were originally hired to work at the college
p.m.; April 1 – 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; April 15 – 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; April 29 – 10 a.m.-3 p.m. If you are interested in meeting with a Career Services advisor while they are in Counseling, please contact Career Services to set up an appointment. HELP DESK ANALYST: Seeking a help desk professional to provide phone support assisting with remote technology upgrades to their company systems. Must have two or more years of experience/ proficient with Windows7/XP. FITNESS ATTENDANT: Seeking individual responsible for minor maintenance, cleaning and daily upkeep of the Fitness Center. Respond to patron concerns or complaints and forward information to appropriate supervisor. AUTOMOTIVE MECHANIC: The job consists of removal and installation of vehicle interiors, powertrain, fuel and braking systems. Provide mechanical support for all team builds. BEHAVIOR TECHNICIAN (ABA): The Behavior Technician is responsible for providing intensive applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy to clients with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other developmental disabilities. Therapy will be implemented in a center-based environment. Behavior Technicians will primarily work with the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), while also interacting and consulting with other medical therapists. DRIVER SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE: Responsible for
15,000+ calls daily from drivers. Responsible for getting drivers from pickup to delivery and helping with every problem in between. HELP DESK REPRESENTATIVE: Assist team members with a variety of software and hardware concerns. Serves as a primary support contact for all numerous locations. Utilizes departmental database for tracking and monitoring resolution of user requests. Communicates with vendors to request service, research products and make purchasing recommendations. LINUX (PYTHON) DEVELOPER: Design, develop and implement software solutions according to SDLC methodology and department standards. Assist in designing and documenting solutions, participate in code reviews, perform unit testing, and evaluate solutions prior to release. PAT I E N T S E RV I C E R E P : Determine need for and obtains authorization for treatment/procedures, and assignment of benefits required. Provides informa¬tion to patients concerning regulatory requirements. REGISTERED D E N TA L ASSISTANT. Must have 3-5 years of experience working in a dental office; orthodontic assisting experience helpful. Must have great time management skills and be X-ray certified. Must know how to follow OSHA protocol and have experience using Dentrix software.
B8
FLIPSIDE 50th ANNIVERSARY
February 16, 2015
The Washtenaw Voice
College plans yearlong celebration for 50th anniversary by NATALIE WRIGHT
Editor
Washtenaw has big plans to celebrate this milestone year, which will begin in September and last through September 2016. “Celebrating the anniversary over two years gives us the opportunity to recognize both the year Washtenaw County voted to establish WCC, 1965, and the year the college first held classes, 1966,” said Janet Hawkins, associate director of public affairs. Hawkins has been planning the year’s celebrations since 2013, she said. While formal celebrations won’t kick off until the fall, Hawkins hopes to launch a blog in late May, featuring archive photos, interviews with former employees and students, testimonials and a calendar of events for the year. “I’m really excited about getting reacquainted with some of the retirees, former employees and definitely some former students,” Hawkins said, adding that in the interviews she has done so far, she has been happy to hear how positive interviewees memories are about the college. “I am excited about welcoming all of these people back to campus to see how we’ve grown and evolved over the years, to hear more of those stories about the campus in the early years and to be the facilitator who is bringing all of this together,” Hawkins said. There is also some talk of establishing a WCC volunteer corps, Hawkins said, which is really just a way of recognizing the volunteerism already taking place at the college. The events planned for next year include:
FREE COLLEGE DAY
ANNIVERSARY KICKOFF
Saturday, March 5, 2016
Saturday, Sept. 26
A day of free learning for community members, this event offers the chance to get to know WCC from the students’ perspective. Community members are invited to come to campus and learn from WCC instructors about a variety of topics.
Playing off the concept of Free College Day, which the college has done in the past, this event will open up the entire campus for community members to explore. Faculty and staff will teach free, specially designed courses to community members. Hawkins said she hopes to have a class representing each academic area and building on campus. The event will also incorporate the annual Cars & Bikes On Campus show, where students and community members show off their rides and compete for prizes.
HOMECOMING Saturday, Sept. 24, 2016 Fifty years after Washtenaw opened its doors for classes, the college will celebrate homecoming, welcoming back WCC alumni, retirees, former employees and the community at large.
50TH ANNIVERSARY GALA Early February 2016
ANYONE WITH IDEAS FOR HOW THE COLLEGE CAN CELEBRATE ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY CAN EMAIL JANET HAWKINS AT JHAWKINS@WCCNET.EDU.
The gala will take the place of the annual Mardi Gras fundraiser for WCC Foundation scholarships. This event will be more formal than Mardi Gras, Hawkins said, and will “celebrate the past and present, with an eye toward the future.”
WCC Presents
The
Blast Past Match from the
THENNOW
VS
“The Frosted Fogey” Fall 1966
“The Upstart Ankle-bitter” Fall 2014
1,207
12,170
Students
Students
WCC First 10 years (in headcount)
3000 2500
11,500
Full time
2000 1500
11,000
Part time
1000 500
10,500
Total
Total 2007
10,000
1975
1974
1973
1972
1971
1970
1969
1968
1967
1966
0
past 8 years (in headcount)
12,000
2014
3500
enrollment
12,500
2013
4000
13,000
2012
4500
WCC
13,500
enrollment
5000
2011
5500
14,000
2010
6000
14,500
2009
6500
2008
7000
WCC Tuition
200 190 180 170 160 150 140 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
(in dollar Per Credit Hour) In-District Out of District
2015
2010
2005
2000
1995
1990
1985
1980
1975
1970
1965
Out of State
FLIPSIDE Vol. 21, No. 9 — February 16, 2015
Elisabeth Thoburn carefully paints her design on a bogolan, a mud cloth, at the Bogolan Galerie Soroble in Seguo, Mali in 2013. ELISABETH THOBURN | COURTESY PHOTO
NEAR FAR
WCC partnerships allow students to explore gateways to new cities and cultures
Seasoned world traveler takes students on a trip without leaving the classroom by Erin Fedeson
Staff Writer
Washtenaw Community College instructor Elisabeth Thoburn holds a passion for imparting the significance of other cultures in her students. “There’s a layer in book learning, but getting the handson experience is extremely important,” said Thoburn, a humanities instructor from Pinckney. Thoburn, a native of Germany, has been traveling for 40 years – since she was 16. At 19, during summer break, she hitchhiked with a friend from their hometown of Dresden, Germany to Bulgaria – more than a 1,000-mile trek. Thoburn moved to the United States in 1985 when she married. When she was younger, she never kept a list of the places she had been, but in 2007, she decided she wanted to start documenting her travels. She started a travel blog, which her son helped her set up, and has documented her travels to North Korea, Japan, Mali, France, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Iran, Dubai, Syria, Lebanon, and Pakistan.
While she travels, Thoburn dedicates four hours to her blog. She takes between 50 and 300 photographs a day, and uses travel guides to help her write. She enjoys sharing her photos with her students, and they say that they take a lot away from sharing in her experiences. “It’s never boring,” Emily Freeman, 21, a student studying nutrition, of Blissfield, said. Seeing pictures of Thoburn meant more, Freeman explained, because they were proof she was really there. Ann Farrah met Thoburn when she took her art history class at WCC after retiring from a career as a psychologist. She still visits Thoburn’s blog frequently. What impressed Farrah was Thoburn’s ability to tie her personal experience with the culture and people, which adds a dimension to the subject matter in a way Farrah has not seen before. “Teaching is an art. Few can teach it,” said Farrah. Next, Thoburn will travel to Indonesia, she said. She is also offering a noncredit class this spring called Armchair Travels: Japan.
by ERIN FEDESON
Staff Writer
armchair travels: japan WHAT: Non-credit WCC course COST: $123.00 DURATION: March 5-April 9 WHEN: Thursdays, 6-8 p.m. Registration closes March 5
college that is a AHA consortia member, said Julie Morrison, Washtenaw’s executive director of institutional effectiveness, planning and accreditation. Becoming a consortia member in 2012 gave WCC privileges, Morrison explained. One privilege is the opportunity for faculty to create customized study abroad programs at the AHA sites. Another privilege is the access to scholarships to fund the study abroad trips. Morrison assists WCC faculty in putting together study abroad programs, which can be done for any discipline, she said. Last summer, photography instructor Terry Abrams took a group of students to Morocco to explore the country through their lenses, and radiography instructor James Skufis and anthropology instructor Christopher Barrett took students to Peru to examine mummies. “We’ll see where we go next year,” Morrison said.
As mid-winter break approaches, many are thinking about traveling to warmer climates – whether they’ll actually be doing it or not. But for students interested in a more extended getaway, and learning opportunities abroad, Washtenaw offers a wide range of study abroad options that take students on adventures across the globe. Two study abroad programs are available for students – Modern Languages Studies Abroad (MLSA) and the AHA International program. The MLSA program sends students to San Jose, Costa Rica, and Madrid, Spain. Most students choose to go to Costa Rica because it is the least expensive, explained foreign language instructor and study abroad adviser Juan Redondo. The AHA International program, run by the University of Oregon, offers opportunities to study in countries including For more information Germany, Italy, China, England, on study abroad programs France and Spain. available at WCC, see the WCC is the only community chart on page C3.
Left, Four Toureg nomads sit on the dunes of the Sahara Desert. Right, WCC photography student Morgan Jennings, 20, of Hartland dons a headscarf in the Sahara Desert LARRY HAUPTMAN | COURTESY PHOTOS
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PAGE FLIPSIDE TITLE
February 16, 2015
The Washtenaw Voice
15 years of ‘bone boot camp’ by ERIN FEDESON
Staff Writer
‘Mummy Quest’ sounds like the name of a bargain bin video game, but for some Washtenaw Community College students it is a real-life adventure. Last summer, a group of radiography and anthropology students traveled to Peru to X-ray, research and catalogue mummies. This May another group of students will take the trip. Last year’s group shared their findings at Free College Day in October in a presentation titled “Mummy Quest: Seeking the Past Lives and Cultures of Peru.” Radiography instructor James Skufis gave an overview of the trip and explained the forensic imaging his students took. Anthropology instructor Christopher Barrett and his students shared their specific research projects, which focused on the Roca Verde and Chiribaya Baja, two ancient populations in the Osmore River Valley. Barrett’s research focused on the stress the individuals experienced, which could be determined by their teeth. Carly Slank, 24, presented her research on the sexual dimorphism and the talus of the two populations. “I thought (the trip) was a good opportunity to further my education and future career and to help me get into
graduate school,” said Slank, who now attends Eastern Michigan University. Both Slank and Barrett hope to present their research at Central State’s Anthropology Society conference this upcoming April. Prior to the trip, both groups of students must complete classes that prepare them for the work – RAD 290: International Studies in Radiography and ANTRO 165: Bioarchaeology and Anthropology of Peru. Barrett described his class as a “bone boot camp.” First, Barrett explained, students learn the parts of the skeleton and learn how to take bone measurements. Next, they learn how to document the teeth, which help determine the individual’s age. Finally, they learn about pathology, determining if there is anything odd about the bones, such as if the individual suffered arthritis. Although this was the first year students from the two programs traveled together, radiography students have been making the trek for 15 years. Jerry Baker, WCC emeritus faculty, initiated WCC’s involvement in the trip to Peru in 2000 at a radiography conference. There, a University of Arkansas professor talked about his work X-raying mummies in Peru and invited the others to get involved. Baker approached WCC’s president at the time, Larry Whitworth,
asking if he could participate. Whitworth told Baker to go for it. Four years later, Baker dined with Sonia Gullien, an archeologist and director of Centro Mallqui, the bio-anthropology center in Peru. Gullien is a native of Peru as well as a University of Michigan alumnus. Gullien told Baker she was impressed by WCC’s quality of work and invited the college to make the trip. “We’re the only community college that goes down there,” Baker explained. He recalled a trip where the group encountered students from Stanford and Yale doing doctorate research. They were shocked there were community college students doing this level of work, Baker said. In 2006, Baker invited Skufis, who is the clinical coordinator of the Radiography and CT programs, to travel to Peru. He taught Skufis the ropes before asking him to take over coordinating the project. That same year, Baker retired, but he has continued his involvement as an advisor who travels down to Peru. Seven years later, Skufis invited Barrett, who was a new faculty member in the Anthropology department at the time, to join him on the Peru trip. The next trip will begin on May 24 and end on June 14. Preparation classes begin on May 11.
WCC students Brandon Harris and Liz Jenkins arrange vertebra recovered from a burial for further study. JIM SKUFIS | COURTESY PHOTO
WHAT:
interested in joining the mummy quest?
Anthropology 164: Bioarchaeology and Anthropology of Peru and Radiology 290: International Studies in Radiology WHEN: M ay 11-May 20 (classes) and May 24-June 14 (work in Peru) WHERE: WCC and Centro Mallqui, Peru HOW MUCH: $ 5,100 (includes tuition, airfare, housing, food). Course fees and in-country fees are paid separately. MORE INFO: Contact Christopher Barrett at ckbarrett@wccnet.edu or Jim Skufis at jskufis@wccnet.edu
Clockwise from top left: Dancers stroll through the streets during a parade festival in Ollantatambo, Peru. Tourists walk along the terraces constructed by the Incas at the Machu Picchu ruins. WCC students dress in the traditional garb of the Andean people in front of the gate at Centro Mallqui, Peru. WCC students Carly Slank, Julian Chase, Chelsea Parraghi, Kellie Palumbo and Ryan Garnes conquer the climb to the Machu Picchu ruins. Reproduction artwork of the Chiribaya people, representing hummingbirds, hangs on the walls of the research center at Centro Mallqui, which means ‘Center of the Mummies.’ JIM SKUFIS | COURTESY PHOTOS
PAGE FLIPSIDE TITLE
The Washtenaw Voice
February 16, 2015
C3
Terry Abrams aims his camera at the oncoming sandstorm during a photography stop at the Ziz Gorges in route to the Sahara Desert. LARRY
Snapshots in the sand
HAUPTMAN | COURTESY PHOTO
WCC students travel to Morocco to document the culture and the, sometimes dangerous, desert by ERIN FEDESON
Staff Writer
Sand darkened the skies near the Ziz Gorges in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco. The sandstorm whirled towards a group of Washtenaw Community College students and faculty taking pictures. Their guide, Omar Chouiyakh, yelled “Get on the bus!” and the students ran in the opposite direction, eager to take photos of the swirling sands, said Larry Hauptman, a 69-year-old WCC student from Ann Arbor. The guide called out again, “No, no, this way!” Morgan Jennings recalled. But the students didn’t listen. “We’re not there to be on the safe side. We’re there for the pictures,” said Jennings, 20, of Hartland. But while some students were fearless, others heeded the guides warnings. “It wasn’t too intimidating, but I could tell others were freaking out,” said Brad Roberts, 19, a science and photography student. After a few photographs, the group hustled onto the bus. The sandstorm raced behind them before it obscured the road as Bouchama, their bus driver, drove. “It was almost like driving in
really thick fog, but it was sand particles in the air,” Kimberly Borecki-Troiano, 34, of Ypsilanti said. The WCC photography students found themselves in Morocco last May through a trip organized by photography instructor Terry Abrams. The students spent 11 days traveling throughout the country, capturing its stories in their images. They visited sites all around Morocco including Casablanca; the Hassan II mosque; the Roman ruins at Volubillis; the Saadian tombs; the Erfoud area, known for its nearly one million date palm trees; the Todra Gorges; the Kasbah of Ait Ben Haddou, the location of several iconic movies; and many other sites throughout their travels in Morocco. The class, PHO 105, only requires one prerequisite: Intro to Photography, so it attracts students at all different stages of life and photography careers. Hauptman had traveled previously to South Africa, and decided to explore a different part of the continent. Jennings rearranged her fall semester to take the prerequisite so that she could go on the trip. Roberts’ photography career “took off” when his parents gave him a camera when he was 15. Borecki-Troiano thought the trip would be a
marriage between her love to travel and her desire to take photographs. While their life paths were different, these WCC students shared in the sandstorm experience. Three WCC photography instructors – Jennifer Baker, Donald Werthmann and Abrams – take turns traveling with groups of students abroad each year. “If I take enough students, maybe those who come back from the trips will bring back enough of the culture that America will adopt it into its own culture,” said Abrams, who lived in Europe for 13 years in the 1970s and ‘80s, teaching photography workshops for off-duty military personnel. Abrams has also taught workshops for the past 10 years all around the U.S. and Europe. Abrams wants his students to understand there are places outside the U.S. worthy of experiencing, he said, and he hopes those who travel with him will develop tolerance and understanding of a culture that is different from their own, and learn to enjoy those differences. And after experiencing two sandstorms, the WCC students clearly learned something about Morocco and its people. Therefore, he led the latest photography class study
abroad to Morocco on his rotation where they experienced the power of the sandstorm, not once, but twice. After the first sandstorm dissipated, the group drove on to a village where they took four-wheelers 20 miles into the Sahara Desert to spend the night out in a traditional Toureg nomad encampment. Once they dropped off their gear, the group walked out to the dunes for pictures in the late afternoon sunlight. It was out in the dunes when the second sandstorm struck. “They wear the headscarves for a reason,” Borecki-Troiano said. “The entire desert can be in your lungs if you’re not careful.” She added, laughing. “We were kind of clueless.” “I was a little panicked as I couldn’t breathe or see,” Jennings admitted during the second sandstorm. She had a visual of the encampment, but the sand made it challenging to walk. A Toureg nomad went over to Jennings and wrapped a headscarf around her head so it covered her ears, mouth and nose. Jennings put on her sunglasses. She felt better after these changes as she could breathe and see. “The desert is more unique in the bad weather than in the good weather,” Jennings said, so it made for interesting photos.
wcc study abroad programs
Left: WCC photography student Morgan Jennings, 20, of Hartland, takes a picture of the Hassan II mosque in Casablanca, Morocco. TERRY ABRAMS | COURTESY PHOTO. Top: Toureg nomads and WCC students ride camels across sand dunes in a quest to take pictures of the sunrise. BRAD ROBERTS | COURTESY PHOTO. Bottom: With the Atlas Mountains of Morocco behind them, WCC travelers take a group selfie. TERRY ABRAMS | COURTESY PHOTO
Country
City
Course Language(s)
Specializations
Argentina
Rosario
Spanish & English
Spanish Language, Culture & Business
Austria
Vienna
English
Cross-Border Interviewing & Story Development Musical & Cultural Immersion
France
Angers
French & English
French Language & Culture International Business & Marketing
Germany
Berlin
German & English
German Language & Culture
Ghana
Accra
English, Twi in higher levels
Global Health, Development & Service Learning
Greece
Athens
Greek & English
Greek Language Humanities, Poetry Revolution of the Mind: Greek Culture from the Classical Age to Christianity Cinema Studies
Ireland
Dublin
English
Italy
Macerata
English
Italian Language & Culture
Italy
Siena
Italian & English
Italian Language, Food & Culture Pre-Business Social Media & Marketing Studio Art
Morocco
Fes
Arabic
Arabic Language & Culture
Spain
Oviedo
Spanish & English
Advanced Spanish Literature Hispanic Heritage Spanish Language & Culture: History & Soccer
Spain
Segovia
Spanish & English
Border Interviewing & Story Development Spanish Language & Culture
United Kingdom
London
English
Communication Humanities Social Movements & Spirituality
Easter Island
Rapa Nui
English
Summer Research & Changing Perspectives
For more information email Juan Redondo at maiyo@wccnet.edu
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