He S the Best (Pages 1/2) the Paper City (Pages 8-10)

What’s below in this edition

 He’s the best (Pages 1/2)‘The Paper City’ (Pages 8-10)

 Science in spotlight (Pages 2/3)Walking our history (Page 11)

 Wordsmith coming (Page 3)Tourism aides (Page 11)

Be well, friends (Page 4)Old cooking oil (Page 12)

 Financial-aid facts (Pages 4/5)C-SPAN stuff (Page 12)

 ‘Adults in Transition’ (Page 5)New sky shows (Pages 12/13)

 Exploring race (Page 6)Prayer Breakfast (Page 14)

 ‘West Side Story’ (Pages 7/8) ‘Ace the Interview’ (Page 14)

 Ink containers (Page 8)Faculty Success Center (P-14)

 And Finally (Pages 14/15)

☻☻☻☻☻☻

Charlie is No. 1 in the nation

KVCC’s David “Charlie” Fuller is the best in the nation at what he does, according to a national institute dedicated to automotive-service excellence.

The lab manager for the college’s program in automotive technology has been selected as the “L1 Master Technician of the Year” by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) and will be so honored at the organization’s board of directors meeting on Nov. 17 in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Fuller, who has been at KVCC for a dozen years and launched the college’s academy program for training automotive technicians, was selected No. 1 in the nation based on his scores on certification tests that assess knowledge of the various systems that keep a vehicle on the road in tip-top shape. Fuller’s master-technician award is sponsored by Motor Age Training, an offshoot of the national publication.

Fuller, a 1980 graduate of Portage Central High School, received the brunt of his technical training at Denver Automotive and Diesel College and dabbled in the mechanics of aviation at Colorado Aero Tech. He added to his resume in training sessions at Nissan, BMW, Ford and Mitsubishi manufacturing complexes.

Fuller has converted a pick-up truck to run on compressed natural gas and organized KVCC’s observance of Odyssey Day, a national focus on the need to promote alternative fuels and forms of transportation.

“Being an auto tech makes you proficient at many trades,” said Fuller, who passed all of the eight fields of ASE certification, along with “master,” “L1” and “F1” advanced engine-performance certifications. “When a pipe fitter, electrician, heating-and-ventilation tech or mechanical engineer has car trouble, they generally call an auto tech.

“When an auto tech has an electrical, plumbing, HVAC or fabrication issue,” he said, “we just fix it.”

Commented fellow automotive instructor Ron Hofman:

“This is a huge honor for Charlie and KVCC. There are more than 400,000 ASE-certified technicians nationwide with thousands of others who wish they could make the grade. ASE certification separates technicians from mechanics.

“The testing process is intense and only those dedicated to their field will pass,” Hofman said. “After eight regular tests and one advanced test, you will have the honor of being ‘master certified.’ At that point you are one of the best. This announcement has identified Charlie as the best of the best.”

Fuller and his wife, Renee, are the parents of four grown children. One granddaughter completes the immediate family.

Incorporated in 1972 and based in Virginia, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence was established as a non-profit organization to help improve the quality of automotive service and repair through the voluntary testing and certification of automotive technicians and parts specialists.

For Chemistry Day, the science of theater is the star

A theatrical show with the wonders of chemistry as the stars, “safe” explosions, and how this branch of science comes into play in the cleanup of oil spills will be part of the Kalamazoo Valley Museum’s 24thannual Chemistry Day on Saturday, Oct. 16.

From noon to 4 p.m., families can observe the mysteries, miracles and marvels of this branch of science through 20 hands-on experiments, demonstrations and speakers.

Co-sponsored by the Kalamazoo Section of the American Chemical Society to celebrate National Chemistry Week, the free yearly event is staged with the assistance of chemists from industry and education.

New to this year’s attractions will be demonstrations about the chemistry of the various kinds of fog in the Mary Jane Stryker Theater. Complementing the theatrical theme will be chemists showing participants what goes into the making of stage paint and mock blood.

“Pyromania” will take attendees outside the museum to experience theatrical explosions that are made safe through chemistry.

Other demonstrations are titled “Dancing Milk,” “How Do Glow Sticks Work?,” “Measuring Temperature Using Colors,” “Insta-Snow,” “Crystal Balls,” “Collecting the Sun’s Heat,” “The Ionic Pickle,” and “Elec-Drinks.”

The smorgasbord of hands-on science activities for learners of all ages to sample also offers teachers the opportunity to collect free information and materials for their classrooms.

For more information about Chemistry Day at the museum, call Annette Hoppenworth at extension 7995.

‘About Writing’ brings back author Wade Rouse

With one of his latest works described as something like “David Sedaris meets Dave Berry,” Saugatuck-based writer Wade Rouse will make a return visit to KVCC to launch the 2010-11 “About Writing” series.

He’ll be on the Texas Township Campus for a 10 a.m. craft talk on Thursday, Nov. 4, in the Student Commons and do a reading later that day at 1:30 p.m.

Rouse, author of “At Least in the City Someone Would Hear Me Scream,” spoke on campus last October about his third book under the auspices of the KVCC English Department.

All of the “About Writing” events are free and open to the public.

Here are the remaining bookings:

Patricia Clark, poet in residence at Grand Valley State University, next Feb. 17.

U. S. Poet Laureate Kay Ryan for a two-day visit on March 23-24.

“Some English faculty members are having their students reading Ryan’s ‘The Best of It: New and Selected Poems” to promote dialogue and discussion at her presentations,” says “About Writing” organizer Rob Haight. “If faculty from other disciplines want to add the book to a class or classes, they can e-mail me to join the group.”

Haight said Ryan’s poet-laureate project was to promote her chosen form of literary creativity at two-year colleges. Her background includes teaching developmental writing at a two-year college in California.

Rouse’s journey is that of a small-town boy raised in the Ozarks who dreams of the vigor and energy of big-city life. He takes that trip, first to Chicago and then to St. Louis, tires of life in public relations and designer fashions by the age of 40, and yearns for a return to his roots of a simpler life, which took him to Saugatuck where the Kalamazoo River empties into Lake Michigan as the Midwest’s version of Cape Cod.

As urban life ground into Rouse’s spirit and emotions, he began to have “a growing appreciation for what I had run from.”

He recalled his grandmother quoting passages from Henry David Thoreau’s “Walden,” instilling a deep reverence for nature.

He soon realized he was no longer “an arch urbanite, sneering at those stuck in the sticks, doomed to doing the same thing day in and day out.”

After purchasing a log cabin on a five-acre wooded parcel, Rouse decided to embark on his own version of Thoreau on Walden Pond.

He went cold turkey, quite his big-city job three years ago and sampled the rustic life. His experiences are chronicled in the book he will discuss on campus..

“I cannot imagine being anywhere else and being this happy,” he told The Holland Sentinel. “These places have heartbeats you don’t find that much anymore.”

Rouse’s other books are "Confessions of a Prep School Mommy Handler” and "America's Boy," both critically-acclaimed memoirs.

He was also a contributing writer to the humorous-essay collection on working in retail, “The Customer Is Always Wrong.”

1st wellness, health expo booked for Oct. 20

KVCC students, faculty and staff who want to climb aboard the health, wellness and fitness bandwagon that is sweeping the nation are invited to a free event Wednesday, Oct. 20.

The first Wellness and Health Expo will feature a variety of activities and presentations designed to promote personal fitness, nutritional eating and a commitment to exercise from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Student Commons on the Texas Township Campus.

The expo will introduce participants to local options and opportunities for a fit lifestyle that can increase a person’s employability and enhance success in academics and workforce training for students.

In addition to vendor tables staffed by representatives of fitness centers, health-food stores, spiritual centers, sleep center, hearing centers, and the first-ever Kalamazoo Marathon that is on the horizon, the Wellness and Health Expo will feature demonstrations of zumba, yoga, belly dancing, weight training and other forms of exercise.

One of the booths will be staffed by KVCC Student Success Center advocates and focus on whether people are stressed out. Visitors can take a survey to determine stress levels and take home tips on how to ease life’s tensions.

Primer on financial aid set Oct. 20 at Douglass

What a community college has to offer and how this form of higher education can enhance a person’s life are the themes of a series of workshops scheduled for the 2010-11 academic year and beyond.

Free, targeted for prospective students of all ages and parents, and hosted by the Douglass Community Association at 1000 W. Paterson St., each 90-minute session will be presented by Kalamazoo Valley Community College personnel. Each Wednesday presentation begins at 4 p.m.

The various forms of financial aid at the federal, state and local levels, the availability of grants, loans and scholarships, and who is eligible will be addressed at the workshop set for Oct. 20.

“While the Kalamazoo Promise is a marvelous incentive for college in that it pays the tuition and/or mandatory fees of Kalamazoo Public Schools graduates to any one of Michigan’s 43 state universities and community colleges,” said Bruce Kocher, KVCC’s vice president for academic services, “there are other costs – such as books -- that are incurred in pursuit of higher education.

“The Oct. 20 educational seminar will address that aspect for KPS graduates,” Kocher said, “and will be an opportunity for other prospective students outside of the Kalamazoo district to gain a sense and some perspectives on how they can finance their dreams for higher education and job training.”

Here is the schedule for the rest of the workshop topics:

• Nov. 17 – KVCC’s Student Success Center, what it is and how it works with students to insure that they reach their educational or work-training goals. Complementing this 4 p.m. presentation will be overviews of the special services provided students and how the center, which will move into space in the Texas Township Campus’s new wing in mid-November, links students to the community resources they might need to reach their goals.
• Dec. 15 --- Writing resumes and cover letters.
• Jan. 19, 2011 – Making decisions on what career path to take.
• Feb. 16 – KVCC’s Transfer Resource Center and Focus Program that eases the transition of students into programs at four-year universities and colleges.
• March 16 – The college’s new ExpressWays program that was launched with the fall semester and its job-prepping venture in operation at the Northside Association for Community Development.
• April 20 – A repeat of the workshop on financial aid.
• May 20 – The impact of good nutrition and healthy lifestyles on learning.
• June 15 – Setting goals and what it takes to be successful.
• July 20 – The Kalamazoo Valley Museum, which is governed by KVCC, and its value as a learning resource.
• Aug. 17 – An overview of the college’s Arcadia Commons Campus in downtown Kalamazoo.
• Sept. 21 – An overview of the college’s Texas Township Campus.

“All of these workshops are open to the public,” Kocher said. “These amount to an outreach to the Southwest Michigan community as a way to let people know what a community college has to offer and what is available.”

Whitten hosts next ‘Adults in Transition’ session

Adults who are facing career changes, downsizing by their employers, and other situations resulting in job layoffs are invited to a comprehensive, evening seminar at Kalamazoo Valley Community College’s Arcadia Commons Campus.

“Adults in Transition – Moving Forward " is slated to begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 27, in Anna Whitten Hall in downtown Kalamazoo and run to 8:30. It is free and open to the public.

Because the number of participants is limited, pre-registration is required at or by calling (269) 373-7864.

Among the seminar sessions will be strategies for re-entering the job market, how to budget personal finances during tough economic times, and the college’s “Strengths” program that helps students identify their top themes of talent and assists them in developing those traits to enhance educational and employment success.

The speakers will include: Julie Vance, staffing manager for Accountemps and Robert Half International; Sandy Derby of Derby Financial and Associations; and Ken Barr Jr., director of student strengths development at KVCC.

Jointly sponsoring “Adults in Transition – Moving Forward ” are KVCC’s Office of Prior Learning Assessment and the Office of Career Student Employment Services. Both are under the umbrella of the college’s Student Success Center.

Participants will be able to sit in on all three presentations that are planned to begin at 6:20, 7 and 7:40 p.m. In additional to handouts of community resource materials, there will be a 10-minute wrap-up session.

For more information, contact Diane Finch, career and employment adviser at Anna Whitten Hall, at extension 7864 or at .

Documentaries complement race exhibit

Documentaries that focus on the sociological and behavioral aspects of the human phenomenon known as race are being shown at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum in conjunction with the local stay of a nationally touring exhibit.

Visitors can enhance their experience of sampling “Race: Are We So Different” in the third-floor gallery through Jan. 2 with free screenings of acclaimed PBS documentaries in the Mary Jane Stryker Theater.

First in line on Sunday, Oct. 17, at 2 p.m. is “Race: The Power of an Illusion,” a three-part series that probed race in society, science and history. The production will be repeated on Dec. 11.

Questioning the idea of race as biology, the series suggests that such a belief in race is no more sound than believing that the sun revolves around the earth.

The division of people into distinct categories—“white,” “black,” “yellow,” or “red” —has become so widely accepted and so deeply rooted in the human psyche that most people would not think to question its veracity.

This three-hour documentary tackles the theory of race by subverting the idea of race as biology, tracing the idea back to its origin in the 19th century.

This basically is the thrust of the third-floor exhibit.

The segment on “The Difference Between Us” examines the contemporary sciences -- including genetics -- that challenges common-sense assumptions that human beings can be bundled into three or four fundamentally different groups according to their physical traits.

“The Story We Tell” episodetraces the roots of the race concept in North America.

It also explores the 19th-century science that legitimated it, and how it came to be held so fiercely in the western imagination.

The episode illustrates how race served to rationalize, even justify, American social inequalities as "natural."

“The House We Live In” explores how race resides not in nature but in politics, economics and culture. It reveals how social institutions "make" race by disproportionately channeling resources, power, status and wealth to white people.

Slated to start on Saturday, Oct. 23, are showings of “Matters of Race,” the four-part, four-hour PBS documentary that discusses the "architecture" of race relations in the United States, and their relationship to political power and social standing.

The miniseries consists of six separate short films about racial issues, with subject matter ranging from the influx of Hispanics in the American minority pool and the ongoing tribulations of Native Americans and Hawaiians.

Titles of these films include “The Divide,”“Race Is/Race Ain't,”“We're Still Here,” and “Tomorrow's America.”

Here’s the schedule of double-header showings, each to begin at 2 p.m. in the Stryker Theater:

• Saturday, Oct. 23: “The Divide” and “Race Is/Race Ain’t.”
• Saturday, Nov. 20: “We’re Still Here” and “Tomorrow’s America.”
• Sunday, Nov. 21: “The Divide” and “Race Is/Race Ain’t.”
• Sunday, Dec. 19: “We’re Still Here” and “Tomorrow’s America.”

‘West Side Story,’ jazz trio next Friday highlights

The Kalamazoo Valley Museum is again the place to be on Friday nights in downtown Kalamazoo.

The “Friday Night Highlights” series, with its bookings of classic movies, concerts, Art Hop events, and laser-light planetarium shows, has begun its 2010-11 series. The Art Hop events are free.