The Digest
What’s Happening at KVCC
What’s below in this edition
Turner’s combo (Pages 1/2) ‘Animal Dreams’ (Pages9/10)
Vets club (Page 2)Lennon film (Pages 10-12)
Do you have . . .? (Pages 2/3)‘Empty Bowls’ (Pages 12/13)
Job expo (Pages 3/4)Adam Mellema (Pages 13/14)
Speech contest (Page 4)Kazoo’s builders (Pages14/15)
Donating organs (Pages4/5)40th stickers (Page 15)
Festival of Health (Page 5) Adobe deals (Pages15/16)
Marion Boyer (Pages 5/6)Lead safety (Pages 16/17)
Fun fitness (Page 6)2 for Honors (Page 17)
Effective resumes (Page 6) Recycling (Pages 17/18)
Science careers (Page 7)Spread the word (Pages18/19)
The baths of Rome (Pages 7-9) And Finally (Page 19)
☻☻☻☻☻☻
Faculty member’s combo in museum gig
Wishek, a rock band with North Dakota roots now based in Kalamazoo, is next in the Kalamazoo Valley Museum’s early-2008 schedule of Thursday-night concerts for adult audiences.
The March 13 concert in the Mary Jane Stryker Theater begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5.
One of the three guitarists in the combo is Isaac Turner, a member of the English faculty at the Arcadia Commons Campus. Other members are vocalist Steve Welch, drummer Bob Cummiskey, bassist Aaron Smith, guitarist/singer Emily Hauser. Turner also adds some vocal vibes.
The current fivesome has been together for three years. They crossed paths at Western Michigan University where Turner was teaching English courses and the other four were students majoring in English.
Wishek’s repertoire can date back to rock’s arising in the 1950s and takes in contemporary sounds – sometimes very loud sounds – as well, but the stuff of the early 1980s seems to be the quintet’s forte.
Commented one reviewer: “Remember a time when rock ‘n’ roll was a simple, yet effective and cathartic voice for the masses? Well, clearly Wishek does. In the vein of The Band, The Who and Neil Young, Wishek paints brilliant pictures with strokes of fuzzy, overdriven guitars and a lock-step rhythm section.
“The driving force behind Wishek, Isaac Turner, has a ‘Murderers Row’ of musicians behind him,” the reviewer continued, as the three guitarists “trade barbs of catchy Americana rock. The punk influence is here as well.”
“We’ve made two albums with a third on the way this summer,” Turner said. “We’re pretty loud, but I’m bringing ear plugs for everyone.”
So what is the origin of the group’s name?
“Wishek is my hometown in North Dakota,” Turner said. “I spent 18 years there, and my folks still live there. When I left, I pretty much left for good except for short visits.”
He described Wishek as “an economically depressed town of around 1,000 people. Most are connected to the agriculture industry in some fashion.
But it's home, you know. I miss it a lot, actually.”
Turner said he moved to Kalamazoo in 2003, after living overseas. “I taught myself how to play guitar here and the band sort of formed around that,” he said.“I was nostalgic for my hometown at the time, and the rest is what it is.”
Turner, Hauser and Smith, as members of a group called The Asunders, were booked to perform in the last show at Kraftbrau in downtown Kalamazoo.
The Thursday-evening concert series will continue at the museum with these groups:
♫ April 10 – Gardyloo! Rogue Bassoons, also based in Kalamazoo
♫ May 15 – the Kalamazoo Celtic-music combo of Whiskey Before Breakfast.
More information about events, attractions and tickets is available by checking the museum’s web site at or by calling 373-7990.
Seating is limited in the Stryker theater.
Organizing a structured group for veterans
Two faculty members are leading the way in the formation of a club for students who are veterans of the U.S. armed forces.
Sociology instructor Katherine Ferraro and biology instructor Jack Bley, who served in three branches of the military, have scheduled an organizational meeting.
It is set for Wednesday, March 12, at “1700 hours” in Room 4370 on the Texas Township Campus. “1700 Hours” is military talk for 5 p.m.
The agenda for the first meeting is to outline the club’s purpose and begin the process for adopting bylaws and electing officers.
Participants, looking for camaraderie, community involvement, and the sharing of experiences, are urged to bring ideas for what the organization should seek to accomplish.
More information is available by contacting Bley at or ferraro at .
In search of . . .artifacts
The Kalamazoo Valley Museum is in the market for “contemporary” artifacts to use in exhibits that demonstrate what life in Southwest Michigan was like in the 1960s and into the 1990s.
Here is what it is looking for in particular:
A used cell phone that does not have to be in workable condition but should “look” in good condition.
A 1960s-vintage “Princess” telephone that is white or ivory. Again, it doesn’t have to be able to function; only to look in good condition.
A G.I. Joe doll in full costume.
“We need the cell phone and the Princess for our ‘Time Pieces’ cases,” said Paula Metzner, assistant director of collections at the museum, “and we thought the college community might be able to help us. We are looking for these items as a permanent donation rather than a temporary loan.”
The G. I. Joe is intended for another exhibit, she said.
Metzner can be contacted at extension 7958 or at .
Employment Expo booked for March 26
The 2008 KVCC Employment Expo on the Texas Township Campus is scheduled for Wednesday, March 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 62 potential employers have signed up so far.
It is a no-cost opportunity for students, KVCC alumni and residents of Southwest Michigan to visit with representatives from area businesses and industries, from health-care organizations, human-service agencies, from manufacturers, the military services and the trades to discuss current and future employment opportunities.
Machining, retail merchandising, sales, law enforcement, manufacturing, welding, engineering, health care, inventory control, recreation and summer camps, delivery services, the construction trades, the military, marketing, finances and banking, computer technology, public safety, hotel management and hospitality, electrical technology, human services, broadcasting, communications, and hospital work will be among the career opportunities in the spotlight.
The representatives will gather in the Student Commons to talk to participants about their organizations, the employment prospects, career opportunities, and the chances for internships and volunteer service, both of which look good on a resume. Past expos have attracted more than 1,000 job seekers. Participants are urged to bring along resumes, a preparedness to be interviewed, and be appropriately attired.
Among the prospective employers who have indicated they will be available in the Commons during the four-hour event are:
Stryker Instruments, Sears Roebuck and Co., Kalamazoo Township Police Department, K & M Machine Fabricating Inc., Wil-Care Nursing Referral Agency Inc,
Kazoo Inc., Dana Corp.;
YMCA Sherman Lake Outdoor Center, FedEx Ground, Kalamazoo Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, AFLAC, Borgess Health Alliance, Modern Woodmen Fraternal Financial Services, Camp Tall Turf, WSI;
Michigan Air National Guard, Advance Employment Service, Educational Community Credit Union, Greenleaf Hospitality Group and Radisson Plaza Hotel & Suites, Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Law Enforcement Division;
Apprenticeships in plumbing, pipe fitting, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, Trillium Staffing Solutions, Kadant Johnson Inc., the U. S. Air Force, the U. S. Army, Western Michigan University Center for Disability Services, WQXC and WZUU, the Allegan Department of Human Resources;
WWMT Channel 3, T-Mobile, the Marine Corps, Cumulus Media, Consumers Credit Union, Elite Marketing Solutions, EmploymentGroup, Friendship Village, Helping Hands Across America, the J. O. Galloup Co., The Kellogg Co., Manpower Professional;
Medical Resource Management, Morton Buildings Inc., New York Life Insurance, Reliv International, Right At Home, State Farm Insurance, Stay Home Companions, The Fountains at Bronson Place, Yerasoft;
Battle Creek Health System, Charter One Bank, Genx Corp., Michigan Indian Employment and Training Services, the Michigan State Police, Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc., Residential Opportunities Inc., SIR Home Improvements, the U.S. Navy, and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
More information is available by calling (269) 488-4272 or going to the college’s web page and clicking on “Employment Expo” at the bottom of the screen.
Making a presidential pitch
Fifteen former and current communications students will give the role of presidential politics a try as part of a speech competition.
Organized by the KVCC communications faculty, the “Who Wants to Be Our Next President?” competition will culminate with public presentations on Tuesday, April 8, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Student Commons Theater. The top three finishers will share $600 in prize money.
The competition is open to the first dozen students –presently or formerly enrolled in a Communications 101 class -- who submit applications by the March 25 deadline.
Under the theme of “Political Communication,” the participants will identify the candidate of their choice, prepare a three-minute platform statement to introduce their presentation, respond to questions from judges, and provide a one-minute closing statement.
The April 8 “nominating speeches” will be open to students, staff and the public.
“Student speakers can play the role of any one they think would make a great president, including themselves, the major-party or obscure-party candidates,” Conroy said.
The judges will be full- and part-time communications instructors. The prize money, including a $300 top award, comes from the student organization of communications major supervised by instructor Bruce Punches.
Applications are available by contacting instructors Patrick Conroy and Steve Ott.
Organ-donation challenge enrolls 2,275 statewide
KVCC seemed destined to finish in the middle of the pack among the 16 Michigan universities and colleges that took part in “friendly competition” organized by Gift of Life Michigan and the Michigan Department of State to increase the number of registered organ donors.
KVCC’s Alpha Rho Nu Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society took the lead on campus for the 2008 University Challenge.
As the March 3 deadline neared, KVCC had enlisted 75 donors, which placed it ninth in the competition. Leading the way for two-year institutions was Muskegon Community College (MCC) with 379 enlistees. Michigan State University was in first place with 830, followed by Northern Michigan University with 379.
Another level of competition focused on percentage of enrollment. No. 1 was Kettering University with 9.22 percent while MCC was second with 6.7 percent. According to the standings posted on the website, KVCC’s percentage was 0.69, which placed it ninth in that category.
Western Michigan University was fourth with 238 donors, but the percentage of donors based on enrollment was 0.57 – a 10th-place ranking.
KVCC’s total topped the likes of Ferris State University, Lake Superior State University, University of Michigan, Oakland University and Michigan Tech. In the percentage category, it was ahead of EMU, Ferris State, Oakland, Michigan, Michigan Tech, and Saginaw Valley State University as well as WMU.
Fun, games and habits in the name of health
The seventh annual Festival of Health is scheduled for Saturday, March 15, at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum.
From noon to 4 p.m., the free event will feature professionals and representatives from local health organizations presenting information, conducting demonstrations, and providing hands-on activities and health-related games for children that promote healthy habits.
For more information about the Festival of Health, contact Annette Hoppenworth at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, at extension 7990.
Boyer is world, You Tube traveler
When she’s not traveling to the four “corners” of the globe, former KVCC instructor Marion Boyer is still involved in her discipline.
She was commissioned to write the glossary for Bedford/St. Martin’s 2007 text, “Reflect and Relate: An Introduction to Interpersonal Communication,” by Steven McCormick. Of the 300 key terms Boyer defined in the glossary, she also wrote and directed the filming of short video scenes that illustrate 60 of them. These are available to students and instructors online.
Boyer also contributed to a 2008 publication, “Teaching Interpersonal Communication” by Elizabeth Natalle.
Five of Boyer’s scenes – each less than 60 seconds long – are currently on You Tube:
● Algebraic Impressions:
● Low Self-Monitors:
● Self-Serving Bias:
● Emblem:
● Self-Disclosure:
The most recent stamps on Boyer’s passport read Russia, Sweden, China and Japan. She described her climb of Mount Fuji as “a killer.”
The custom publishing house of Bedford/St. Martin’s is the nation’s largest in the production of English textbooks. Also specializing in the humanities, it is a leading publisher of texts for film studies, mass communication, speech communication, media and journalism.
Take your pick for staying fit
Free activities to promote wellness and fitness among faculty, staff and students are under way during winter semester.
All of the drop-in activities are held in Room 6040 that is part of the wellness-and-fitness complex in the Student Commons.
“Core Conditioning” sessions are held on Monday and Wednesday at 1 p.m., while the Friday session runs from 11 to noon.
The Tuesday schedule, according to program manager Blake Glass, is yoga at 11 a.m. and Pilates at noon. Yoga is again in the spotlight on Thursday at 11 a.m.
He also reports that open swimming is available Monday through Friday from 11:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.
Glass, who can be contacted at extension 4177, said that personal training consultations and instruction are also available to all employees. To arrange an appointment, contact Shelia Rupert at extension 4538.
Effective resumes, cover letters, vision creating
There is more to success at the college level than what happens in the classroom and how well a student does.
Other factors can play a role in whether college ends up as a satisfactory experience.
With that in mind, the Student Success Center is presenting a series of workshops during the winter semester to focus on the barriers to success and what resources are available to help students make their way.
The free sessions are being held in the Student Commons. All students are welcome
Refreshments are part of the attraction to learn about life resources and how to avoid the every-day barriers that can negatively impact on academic success.
Here’s the schedule:
“Resumes and Cover Letters That Get Attention” on Tuesday, March 11, at 11:30 a.m. and again on Monday, March 19, at 4 p.m. Representatives of the employment services section of the KVCC Student Success Center will make the presentations.
“Create a Vision for the Future” on Thursday, March 13, at 1 p.m. with Western Michigan University’s Sean Pepin.
“Job Fair 911” on Tuesday, March 25, at 10 a.m. This session is designed to prepare students in how to make solid first impressions when they take part in the 2008 Employment Expo on March 26, set for the Student Commons from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The workshops will continue through the latter part of April.
For more information, call Pamela Siegfried at extension 4825 or Diane Vandenberg at extension 4755.
Crossing ‘Bridges’ to science careers
Instructors should be alerting their minority students about taking advantage of an opportunity to sample careers in science this summer.
Seven KVCC students earned $11 an hour for a 30-hour work week as undergraduate research assistants last summer. They were part of a 13-student contingent taking part in the 2006-07 National Institutes of Health’s “Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program” through the Western Michigan University Department of Biological Sciences.
The program liaisons at KVCC are chemistry instructors Robert Sutton and Charissa Oliphant.
In addition to the 30 hours of experience that will pay $10 per hour this coming spring and summer, students can also be assigned up to 15 hours per week during the academic year. Applications can be submitted now for the next installment of the program. The deadline is April 30.
More application information and directions are available by contacting Sutton at extension 4175 or or Oliphant at extension 4402 or .
The mission of “Bridges” is to offer minorities enrolled in community colleges the opportunity to relevantly explore scientific fields, enhance their academic accomplishments in science courses, and smooth the path toward a degree in a science field at a four-year university.
Taking part in this kind of endeavor teaches higher-order thinking skills, which is an important component of anyone’s education.
“Bridges,” which promotes institutional collaborations between community colleges and four-year universities, is a function of the National Institute of General Medical Studies, one of the National Institutes of Health.
In addition to KVCC, taking part in the NIH Michigan Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program at WMU are Grand Rapids Community College, Henry Ford Community College, Kellogg Community College, and Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor. The WMU experience focuses on careers as biomedical and behavioral scientists who would spend their working years seeking the causes of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, mental illness, and other biologically impacted maladies.
“Bridges” seeks to nurture minority students to consider careers in these fields because of the growing need for trained scientists in one of the fastest-growing industries in the U. S. economy. Similar programs in Michigan are based at Wayne State University and the Van Andel Research Institute in Grand Rapids.
While KVCC has been involved several years, last summer’s contingent included: Jealyn Foston of Cassopolis; Ruben Galvan, an international student living in Kalamazoo; Martin and Carmen Kuchta, who were both home-schooled; Jerbor Nelson, a graduate of Portage Central High School; Delicia Powell, an alumna of Kalamazoo Central High School; and Matthew Watson, a Comstock High School graduate.
The other six students hailed from Grand Rapids, Henry Ford (four), and Lake Michigan. All participants wrapped up their assistantships by creating posters on the research they pursued.
Rome’s amazing public baths in spotlight
Complementing the Kalamazoo Valley Museum’s current nationally touring exhibition about the wonders and miracles of constructing complicated edifices is a Sunday documentary series profiling some of the planet’s most amazing engineering and architectural projects.