Nov. 16, 2009
The Digest
What’s Happening at KVCC
What’s below in this edition
Going for No. 1 (Pages 1/2) First impressions (Page 9)
110 and counting (Pages 2/3) Geronimo‘s story (Pages 9-11)
Miller time (Pages 3/4) Vampires (Pages 11/12)
Reading Together (Pages 4-6) How-to for the arts (Page 12)
Our ‗Reading Together‘ (Page 6) GVSU here (Pages 12/13)
Congrats to us (Pages 6/7) Alzheimer‘s ‗doc‘ (Page 13)
Meth‘s perils (Page 7) Our TV star (Pages 13/14)
‗Visit‘ China (Page 8) 131 new PTK’ers (Pages 14/15)
Surplus food? (Page 8) Leonard Jordan (Pages 15/16)
Prep for the holidays (Pages 8/9) Sousa was here (Pages 16/17)
And Finally (Pages 17/18)
☻☻☻☻☻☻
Volleyball champs bid to win national title
A conference championship, a state title and a regional-tournament trophy all in
the same season – that‘s a first for the KVCC women's volleyball team
And is the handwriting on the wall? A first national championship?
That‘s a possibility as the Cougar spikers and setters take their 36-6 record and
head for the Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wis., to compete in the National
Junior College Athletic Association championship tourney Nov. 19-21. With them goes
an eighth ranking nationally.
Here‘s their competition and each team's record:
Kishwaukee College in Illinois (38-4), McHenry County College in Illinois (35-
8), Iowa Lakes Community College (24-20), Des Moines Area Community College, (41-
8), Columbus State Community College in Ohio (41-8), North Platte Community College
in Nebraska (27-14), Hagerstown Community College in Maryland (31-7), Glendale
Community College in Arizona (18-13), Illinois Central College (29-7), Parkland College
in Illinois (38-5), Monroe College in New York (27-2), Cowley County Community
College in Kansas (28-4), Johnson County Community College in Kansas. (25-7), East
Central College in Missouri (24-13), and Catawba Valley Community College in North
Carolina (23-4).
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The Cougars are seeded eighth in the tourney with Illinois Central favored to win.
KVCC‘s opening match is set for 1 p.m. on Thursday against Hagerstown.
Coached by first-year mentor Chad Worthington, the Cougars punched their
tickets for Wisconsin by winning the NJCAA regional tournament in Grand Rapids last
weekend. They knocked out the host school in the opening round, polished off Ohio‘s
Edison Community College in the semifinals, and swept Jackson Community Colleges in
three matches in the finals. They won nine matches in a row in marching to the title.
―What an amazing season we have had,‖ Worthington said. ―The first day of
practice started Aug. 1 with a three-mile run in less than 27 minutes, and it‘s ending with
a trip to the national tournament.
―This year has been defined by doing our best,‖ he said, and when the best has not
been done, we have made corrections to do our best. This is the first team ever to be
regularly seasoned ranked No. 8 in the nation, win a conference, state, and regional title
in volleyball at Kalamazoo Valley.‖
The team will be leaving on Tuesday (Nov. 17) at noon for Wisconsin Dells.
―We are preparing to face any of the other 15 teams,‖ Worthington said. ―We are
looking forward to great competition and an amazing experience.‖
It was the second consecutive state title for KVCC. In Worthington's rookie
season, the Cougars finished conference play with a perfect 14-zip record. When
Worthington was the coach of Kellogg Community College in 2007, he also guided his
team to a perfect mark in conference play.
Team members are:
Kaila Hull of Hanover-Horton High School
Cara Greeley of Kalamazoo Central
Kristina Hawkes of Portage Central
Laura and Madeline McDonnell of Portage Northern
Danielle Abitz of Shoreland Lutheran High School
Hannah Bock of Kalamazoo Central
Kristin Agren of Cadillac High School
Kaitlin Noverr of Portage Northern
Kirby Batterson of Bronson High School
Emily Kesterson of Jackson Western High School.
Callers still needed to remind students to pay tuition
Here's the chance to put the thinking behind the new .edyou brand into play -- the
calling campaign to contact enrolled students who have not yet paid for winter-semester
classes.
It's a creed to live and work by, and it's also a numbers game.
For the fall-semester effort, 6,335 calls were made -- by 72 people! Do the math.
That's one heck of a burden to put on peers and colleagues, especially if you can help,
and most of us at KVCC can help.
If all of us step forward, it will be possible to drastically reduce that burden -- to
as low as one sheet of calls to make per person. That's about 22 for each of us as opposed
to 200-plus for some of us.
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And it works. It's a chance to help prospective students not lose their classes, and
to help the college keep its healthy, vital, ever-growing enrollment. So there is a self-
interest factor at play as well.
Those who have made the calls in past years report that students, their parents,
and friends deeply appreciate the gentle reminder, and the college's caring environment.
A typical effort involves making around 6,000 calls with 80 percent resulting in
students making their payments prior to batch cancellation the following week.
Once again, the calling-campaign organizer is Pat Pojeta, who can be contacted at
extension 7880 or ppojeta@kvcc.edu. The dates are Nov. 30 through Dec. 4.
Volunteers may make their calls during the workday at their work stations. They
will have the full week to complete their calls.
Scripts will be provided with clear, easy-to-follow instructions on how to record
information. These scripts will be delivered to each volunteer the morning of Nov. 30, if
not before.
―Many a volunteer has remarked how fun it is speaking with our students,‖ Pojeta said.
―They seem happy to hear from us.‖
As of late Thursday, the number of volunteers had crested 100. Including many
first-timers, here are the ―callers‖ so far:
Lisa Peet, Amy Louallen, Laura Cosby, Gloria Barton-Beery, Sheila White, Lauren
Beresford, Karen Visser, Dick Shilts, Jennie Huff, Gloria Norris, Steve Doherty, Steve
Walman, Tarona Guy, Joyce Zweedyk, Patricia Pallett, Diane Finch, Candy Horton;
Helen Palleschi, Louise Wesseling, Lynne Morrison, Angie Case, Joyce Tamer,
Judy Rose, Teresa Fornoff, Russell Panico, Sheila Eisenhauer, Rose Crawford, Carrol
Targgart, Leona Coleman, Diane Lockwood, Jane Geschwendt, Lynn McLeod;
Nancy Young, LaJoyce Brooks, Sheila Rupert, Amy Triemstra, Jacob Johnson,
Ebba Spyke, Diana Haggerty, Ray Andres, Catie West, Steven Meeks, Stephanie Strong,
Laurie Dykstra, Marcia Shaneyfelt-Niles, Carolyn Brownell, Jim Tinsely, Amber Rees;
Jackie Cantrell, Ike Turner, Rosalie Novara, Chris Robbins, Denise Baker,
Roxanne Bengelink, Carolyn Alford, Darryl Chapman, Patricia Wallace, Karen Phelps,
Kristine Goolby, Nancy Taylor, Ruth Baker, Mary Johnson, Robyn Robinson;
Connie Edlund, Jill Storm, Jim Ratliff, Mark Sloan, Brenda Moncreif, Marie
Rogers, Mike Collins, Gerri Jacobs, Susan Reynolds, Pamela Siegfried, Jackie Zito,
Marylan Hightree, Bonita Bates, Heidi Stevens-Ratti, Janet Alm, Dan Maley;
Nicole Newman, John Holmes, Jack Bley, Jonnie Wilhite, Anora Ackerman, Lois
Baldwin, Maria Buccill, Amanda Matthews, Martha McKay,, Cynthia Schauer, Bruce
Kocher, Sheila Baiers, Bala Balachandran, Francis Granzotto, Harland Fish, Arleigh
Smyrnios, Patrick Conroy, Jaime Robbins, Terry Hutchins, Sue Egan, Pat Pojeta and
Tom Thinnes.
64th graduation is Dec. 20 at Miller
The college’s 64th commencement ceremony is set for Sunday, Dec. 20, in Miller
Auditorium on the Western Michigan University campus.
Those who have been assigned specific roles for the event should report to the
auditorium by 3 p.m., an hour before the program is to begin.
The faculty speaker will be instructor Deborah Bryant. Brittany Nielsen, an
accounting major from Vicksburg, will speak for the graduates. Other faculty members
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involved include Kristin DeKam, Nancy Vendeville, Charissa Oliphant, and Sandy
Barker.
The diploma-day celebration will be telecast live on the Public Media Network’s
Channel 22 in the Charter lineup, and then rebroadcast three more times.
The dates and times will be announced later.
Also scheduled to make remarks is Jeff Patton, chairman of the KVCC Board of
Trustees.
Providing the music from 3 to 3:50 p.m. will be the KVCC Campus Band with
conductor Chris Garrett and Michelle Bauman’s KVCC Choir.
In addition to Marilyn Schlack and Bruce Kocher, also performing roles as part of
the graduation ceremony will be Patricia Niewoonder, Delynne Andres, Carol Orr and
Lois Baldwin.
‘Snow Falling on Cedars’ great Yule gift
Timed to coincide with a fall major exhibit on race booked for the Kalamazoo
Valley Museum, one of the most acclaimed books about prejudice is the Kalamazoo
Public Library‘s 2010 Reading Together selection.
―Snow Falling on Cedars‖ by David Guterson was the winner of the 1995 PEN/-
Faulkner Award for Fiction and the 1996 American Booksellers Association Book of the
Year.
Those looking for a holiday gift that will keep giving months should think about
purchasing a copy of ―Snow Falling on Cedars.‖ It will prepare the reader for Guterson‘s
appearance in Kalamazoo in March and for scores of special events/programs preceding
his local remarks.
―Cedars‖ is set against the backdrop of a courtroom drama in the Pacific
Northwest when a Japanese-American man is charged with the murder of a local
fisherman. It is steeped in the World War II forced internment of these citizens, an
interracial love story, and post-war politics.
KVCC‘s Jim Ratliff is a member of the communitywide committee that makes the
choice of a Reading Together volume.
This year‘s book selection was driven in part by a request from the Race Exhibit
Initiative of Southwest Michigan, which asked the library to choose a book that could
help foster discussions about race in advance of an October 2010 unveiling of the
traveling exhibition ―Race: Are We so Different?‖
The exhibition features photographs, movies and interactive displays — all of
which explore the history of race in America, the biology of race and experiences of
living with race. It will be on display at the m museum from Oct. 2 to Jan. 2, 2011.
―David Guterson does a wonderful job of creating a sense of place in this book,‖
said Lisa Williams, the library‘s coordinator of Reading Together that asks community
members to read the same book in the fall and winter and participate in discussions and
programs designed around the book‘s themes during March and April.
―The writing is very atmospheric,‖ Williams said. ―And he has this gentle way of
building characters without telling you how to feel about them.‖
As was the case with past Reading Together selections, Guterson will come to
Kalamazoo for a presentation on March 17.
A novelist, short-story writer, poet, journalist, and essayist, Guterson earned his
master‘s from the University of Washington, where he studied under the writer Charles
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Johnson. After moving to Bainbridge Island in Puget Sound, Guterson taught English at
the local high school and began writing for Sports Illustrated and Harper‘s magazine.
―What I like about the book is that many people, when they talk about race, focus
on black and white issues,‖ Zarinah El-Amin Naeem, coordinator of the Race Exhibit
Initiative that is housed in Western Michigan University‘s Office of Diversity and
Inclusion, told The Kalamazoo Gazette. ―Because this book brings in a segment of Asian-
Americans, it helps to broaden the discussions by moving it outside of the discussions of
black and white.‖
Naeem said Kalamazoo will be the smallest community to host the exhibition, and
organizers hope that it can ―be a catalyst for social transformation in Kalamazoo and
southwestern Michigan as a whole rather than an exhibit that just comes and goes.‖
Williams said the 24-member Reading Together steering committee already has
been discussing programming, which may include events about internment camps, World
War II and Japanese culture. Naeem also noted there may be a showing of the 1999 film
version of ―Snow Falling on Cedars‖ that starred Ethan Hawke.
Williams said response has been positive. ―People say, ‗Oh, I loved that book,‘‖
she said. ―People are looking forward to rereading it, especially with the idea that the
author is going to be here and you can ask him questions and learn what he was thinking
when he was writing this book.‖
Previous “Reading Together” titles were: “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury in
2003; “Nickel and Dimed” by Barbara Ehrenreich in 2004; “The Color of Water” by
James McBride in 2005; “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien in 2006; “The
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Mark Haddon in 2007: “Animal
Dreams” by Barbara Kingsolver in 2008; and New York Times columnist Rick Bragg’s
trio of memoirs this year.
Reading Together invites people of all ages from all walks of life to read and then
discuss important issues raised by a selected book. Thousands of county residents have
participated in seven previous Reading Together programs.
The Kalamazoo Public Library leads Reading Together with the collaboration of
libraries, educational institutions, health and social service agencies, cultural, civic and
religious organizations, businesses, the news media, and local governments throughout
Kalamazoo County.
The Kalamazoo Community Foundation helped the library launch Reading
Together with funding for the first three years with grants from it Better Together
initiative. The library now provides major support for the program. Foundation grants,
gifts and contributions from collaborating organizations make it possible to offer Reading
Together to all of Kalamazoo County.
The book-selection process continues Reading Together’s tradition of democratic
community participation. Community members consider dozens of titles gathered from
last year’s evaluation process, suggested by library patrons, staff, and community leaders,
and recommended by librarians and educators.
Committee members read and discuss the suggested titles with these guidelines in
mind. A good Reading Together book features:
● an author who will come to Kalamazoo during the Reading Together period;
● availability in multiple formats such as large print, audio recording, Spanish;
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● reading level, vocabulary, length, and subject matter that appeals to adults as
well as high school and college students;
● treatment of social issues relevant to our community.
A junior version of Reading Together at KVCC
As part of the ―About Writing‖ series that he organizes each academic year,
English instructor Rob Haight wants to instigate a collegewide ―read‖ that will promote
discussion and dialogue when author Thomas Lynch comes to the Texas Township
Campus March 22—23.
In addition to faculty members in their winter-semester classes , staff and students
are invited to read his book of essays, "Bodies in Motion and at Rest‖ and to take part in
his presentations this spring.
Instructors who are interested in participating next semester should contact
Haight by Dec. 4 with the CRN numbers in which they will use the book.
A group book order will then be placed with the bookstore. Desk copies should
be available to those using the book in January.
Lynch is a funeral director in Milford, Mich. He is author of three books of poems
and a previous book of essays.
Jay Parini has written: ―Lynch brings a vast accumulation of life-and-death
wisdom to the table and he makes connections between art and mortality that reverberate
in the mind. Few readers will walk away from this volume less than stunned and
grateful.‖
"Bodies in Motion and at Rest" was winner of the 2000 Great Lakes Book Award
and was the Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year.
Haight can be contacted at extension 4452 or rhaight@kvcc.edu
Take a bow! College’s United Way drive a winner
KVCC‘s part of the 2009 Greater Kalamazoo United Way (GKUW) campaign
ended up in the victory circle.
Organizer Steve Doherty reports that KVCC employees pledged $38,650, a 3.4-
percent boost over what was raised by the college community in 2009
"Given the economy, the pull from so many other worthy causes that tend to be
on our minds at all times of the year let alone the holidays,‖ Doherty said, ―this is a
wonderful testament to the giving, caring nature of our campus community as a whole.
―I want to personally thank everyone who participated and to those that
considered giving,‖ he said. ―This will be a very meaningful gift to our Greater
Kalamazoo United Way Campaign effort."
The communitywide fund drive was started on Sept. 9 and plans to end Friday
(Nov. 20). This year‘s goal is $9.1 million, which is about what the campaign raised in
2008 as, for the first time in anyone‘s memory, the fund drive fell short of reaching its
goal.
The GKUW supports 60 human-service programs in 42 member agencies, from
Girls on the Run to round-the-clock crisis intervention.
This year‘s campaign theme is again ―Live United,‖ with a tagline of ―Give.
Advocate. Volunteer. Live United.‖
Western Michigan University President John Dunn is the campaign chairman for
2009.
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The supported agencies have a variety of missions, including physical and mental
health, strengthening families and youth, strengthening community, and increasing each
person‘s self-sufficiency.
Together, they deliver services for the growing ranks of the unemployed, the
increasing number of children receiving some kind of food assistance, a homeless
population that is spiking and is 41 percent children, more and more people losing their
health coverage, and a boost among people who are losing their homes.
Among the member agencies are Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Boy Scouts, the
Girl Scouts, the Boys and Girls Club, Comstock Community Center, the Community
Healing Centers, Goodwill Industries, MRC Industries, the Portage Community Center,
the Salvation Army, the YMCA, the YWCA, Senior Services Inc. the Volunteer Center
of Greater Kalamazoo, the Hispanic American Council, Hospice, Ministry with
Community, the Douglass Community Association, Gryphon Place, and Family and
Children Services.
Grammar, meth’s perils, finances are November topics
Instructors should alert their enrollees about the remaining fall-semester events
planned by the Student Success Center that are designed to energize academic
accomplishments.
―Grammar Without Tears‖ is the topic of Lisa Cronkhite-Marks‘ presentation on
Thursday (Nov. 19), at 2 p.m. in the Student Commons Forum. She is the education
specialist in the KVCC Learning Center.
Ezra Bell and other Student Success Center staffers are continuing their ―What It
Takes to be Successful‖ series on Wednesday (Nov. 18) in the Student Commons Forum
from 2 to 4 p.m.
The sessions focus on classroom expectations and roles, the effective
management of time, test-taking tips, how to arrange for a smooth transfer to a four-year
university, and job-searching advice.
A workshop specifically targeting the application and transfer procedures is slated
for Thursday (Nov. 19) at 1 p.m.
Providing details about the process and the potential for transfer scholarships will
be counselor Gerri Jacobs and Robyn Robinson, office specialist in the Transfer Resource
Center.
A second month-long round of ―Career and Coffee Roundtable‖ discussions has
begun with the next session slated for Wednesday (Nov. 18) at 12:30 p.m. in the Students
Commons Forum.
To have students register or get more information, call extension 4123.
A workshop on finances and financial stability is booked for Monday (Nov. 16) at
1 p.m. in the Student Forum.
Students can have their resumes evaluated or learn the basics for preparing an
effective resume on Tuesday (Nov. 17) at 11:30 a.m. in the Student Commons Forum.
―What You Don‘t Know About Meth that Could Shock/Kill You‖ is the topic for
a substance-abuse presentation set for Monday, Nov. 23, at 11 a.m. in the Student
Commons Forum.
A Southwest Michigan police officer will be shedding light about the debilitating
effects on this cheap-to-make-but-costly-to-use drug.
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China next in KVCC’s ‘tour’
Perspectives on the evolving nation that is China will be offered by instructor
Theo Sypris on Tuesday (Nov. 17) at 6 p.m. in the Student Commons Forum.
Part of the ongoing series of presentations about countries around the world by
the KVCC program in international studies, each one is free and open to the public.
Sypris has led teams of faculty from community colleges on tours of China. He likes to
say that the national bird is the ―crane‖ -- actually the building crane because there is so
much development under way as China quickly moves to a market economy.
At 3.7 million square miles, China is slightly larger than the United States. While
the U. S. population has recently crested 300 million, China is home to 1.5 billion, or 20
percent of the Earth‘s population.
It borders 13 countries while two major rivers, the Yellow and the Yangtze, flow
through it. The major cities are Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing. If Kalamazoo was in
China, it would be regarded as a village, and a rather small one at that.
While the Chinese Communist Party governs the nation, local units of
government flex fairly broad powers, especially with regards to business incentives, and
each is very competitive with the other.
China‘s major natural resources are coal, iron, petroleum and copper. Mining and
the indiscriminate use of those resources are credited with a poor air quality in some
parts.
Prime exports are food products, minerals, textiles, apparel, furniture, cell phones,
laptop computers and – now – automobile and automotive parts. Its auto industry is now
the fastest-growing in the world.
Some 85 of the top 100 companies in the world have a presence in China because
the middle class – by Chinese standards – is growing. The market economy is bringing
significant hikes in compensation of workers. For example, a job that paid $5 per month
is now $100 a month.
The people practice Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism, with relatively small
numbers labeled as Muslims and Christians. While Mandarin is the prime language, there
are 150 dialects. English is now required in each school.
Bring that surplus food to campus
For the holiday season from Thanksgiving through Christmas, the college is
coordinating a food-collection effort for Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes.
Faculty, staff and students can donate canned and bottled foods, along with
edibles that are packaged and unopened, all of which will be distributed by the agency to
needy Kalamazoo-area residents.
Donations may be made in Room 4220 in the Student Commons, in a receptacle
near the faculty offices, and in the Student Success Center.
More information is available from Mary Johnson, student activities and
programs coordinator, at extension 4182 or mjohnson@kvcc.edu.
Be proactive by exercising before the holiday feasts
With the caveat that the yoga offering might wind up with the great speckled dodo
on the extinct species list, the Wellness and Fitness Center‘s line-up of free activities to
promote vitality and good health among KVCC employees is continuing for the fall
semester through Dec. 23.
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It‘s your chance to pare off a few pounds before the holiday food orgies.
―Yoga is reaching a do-or-die stage,‖ advises Blake Glass. ―It has been moved to
prime time at noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but needs a boost in attendance to
survive.
―Another new wrinkle,‖ he said, ―is the addition of 6:45 a.m. sessions for those
who want to use adrenalin rather than caffeine to get them going in the morning.‖
Joining that new addition is fitness cycling on Fridays, and a Saturday open swim
for students and employees.
Here is the lineup for faculty, staff and enrolled students:
Monday – morning workout from 6:45 to 7:40 a.m.; swimming from 11 a.m. to
1:30 p.m.; and total body conditioning, 1 to 1:55 p.m.
Tuesday – swimming from 7 to 8:30 a.m. and yoga from noon to 12:55.
Wednesday – morning workout from 6:45 to 7:40 a.m.; swimming from 11 a.m.
to 1:30 p.m.; and total body conditioning from 1 to 1:55 p.m.
Thursday – swimming from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.. and yoga from noon to 12:55
p.m.
Friday – morning workout from 6:45 to 7:40 a.m.; swimming from 11 a.m. to
1:30 p.m.; fitness cycling from 11:30 a.m. to 12:25 p.m.; and total body conditioning
from 1 to 1:55 p.m.
Saturday -- swimming from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Except for the obvious site for swimming, these exercise opportunities will be
based in Room 6040 in the Student Commons.
Those first impressions last, especially in job interviews
Making a good impression at a job interview and the proper attire for getting the
hire are the doubleheader topics at a workshop for students later this month.
Leading the discussion during “Impression Management” on Tuesday (Nov. 17)
at 1 p.m. in the Student Commons Lyceum will be Pamela Siegfried, the life resources
coordinator for the KVCC Student Success Center. She will be joined by career adviser
Karen Steeno van Staveren.
They will prepare participants to make a good “first impression” in a job
interview. Appropriate business dress and “soft skills” will be demonstrated and
discussed.
Students will also have the opportunity to meet with representatives from retail
stores and community agencies that can help them secure the clothing necessary to make
that solid impression.
For more information, call the center’s Career and Student Employment Services
unit at extension 4272. Door prizes will be part of the attraction.
Geronimo, Wounded Knee Thursday features
Two episodes of the five-part 2009 American Experience series on PBS, “We
Shall Remain – America Through Native Eyes,” will be shown at KVCC on Thursday,
(Nov. 19).
The Native American perspectives on the who and why of the legendary
Geronimo and on what happened at Wounded Knee will be presented at 12:30 p.m. in the
Student Commons Forum. Both of the showings are free and open to the public.
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―Most people think of the United States as a country of immigrants,‖ said Sharon
Grimberg, an executive producer of ―We Shall Remain,‖ ―when actually there‘s a big
story there about the original inhabits of this country and their interaction with those
immigrants.
―We wanted to move away from either the idea that Native Americans were just
hapless victims or ferocious savages,‖ she said. ―We wanted to tell stories about Native
Americans‘ role in their own history, their own often ingenious and diverse ways of
resisting what turned out to be awful challenges‖ to the very existence of their culture.
In February of 1909, the indomitable Chiricahua Apache medicine man Geronimo
lay on his deathbed. He summoned his nephew to his side, whispering, ―I should never
have surrendered. I should have fought until I was the last man alive.‖
It was an admission of regret from a man whose insistent pursuit of military
resistance in the face of overwhelming odds confounded not only his Mexican and
American enemies, but many of his fellow Apaches as well.
Born around 1820, Geronimo grew into a leading warrior and healer. But after his
tribe was relocated to an Arizona reservation in 1872, he became a focus of the fury of
terrified white settlers, and of the growing tensions that divided Apaches struggling to
survive under almost unendurable pressures.
To angry whites, Geronimo became the archfiend, perpetrator of unspeakable
savage cruelties.
To his supporters, he remained the embodiment of proud resistance, the upholder
of the old Chiricahua ways.
To other Apaches, especially those who had come to see the white man‘s path as
the only viable road, Geronimo was a stubborn troublemaker, unbalanced by his
unquenchable thirst for vengeance, whose actions needlessly brought the enemy‘s wrath
down on his own people.
At a time when surrender to the reservation and acceptance of the white man‘s
civilization seemed to be the Indians‘ only realistic options, Geronimo and his tiny band
of Chiricahuas fought on. The final holdouts, they became the last Native American
fighting force to capitulate formally to the government of the United States.
On the night of Feb. 27, 1973, 54 cars rolled, horns blaring, into a small hamlet on
the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Within hours, some 200 Oglala Lakota and American
Indian Movement (AIM) activists had seized the few major buildings in town and police
had cordoned off the area. The occupation of Wounded Knee had begun.
Demanding redress for grievances—some going back more than 100 years—the
protesters captured the world's attention for 71 gripping days.
With heavily armed federal troops tightening a cordon around meagerly supplied,
cold, hungry Indians, the event invited media comparisons with the massacre of Indian
men, women, and children at Wounded Knee almost a century earlier.
In telling the story of this iconic moment, the final episode of ―We Shall Remain‖
examines the broad political and economic forces that led to the emergence of AIM in the
late 1960s as well as the immediate events—a murder and an apparent miscarriage of
justice—that triggered the takeover.
Though the federal government failed to make good on many of the promises that
ended the siege, the event succeeded in bringing the desperate conditions of Indian
reservation life to the nation's attention. Perhaps even more important, it proved that
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despite centuries of encroachment, warfare, and neglect, Indians remained a vital force in
the life of America.
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Vampire flick is Friday-the-13 attraction in Stryker
The Nov. 13 attraction for "Friday Night Highlights" programming at the
Kalamazoo Valley Museum is the Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt movie, ―Interview With the
Vampire.‖
Tickets are $3 for the 6:30 p.m. showing in the Mary Jane Stryker Theater.
The museum will stay with Hollywood on Nov. 20 with "Miracle on 34th Street," a 1947
flick to kick off the holiday season.
Each of the "Friday Night Highlights" billings is actually a doubleheader because
also planned for each evening is an 8:30 p.m. showing of the planetarium show featuring
the music of U2. That, too, has a $3 admission fee.
With a laser-light show in full color streaming across the planetarium's 50-foot
dome, the 35-minute production will feature the classic hits of the Dublin, Ireland, combo
that has earned 22 Grammys, sold 146 million albums, and warranted induction into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in its first year of eligibility.
The 1994 film, which co-stars Antonio Banderas and Christian Slater, is based on
Anne Rice's 1976 best-selling novel about the origins of a centuries-old vampire.
Set in modern-day San Francisco, a reporter interviews a man who claims to be a
vampire and tells the story of his past.
His tale begins in Louisiana in 1791, when he was 24 and suffering from a death
wish after the loss of his wife and child. The vampire played by Cruise offers him a
chance to be reborn and proceeds to turn him into a bloodsucker.
Taught how to live as a vampire, he rebels against hurting humans, drinking
animal blood instead. But he finally succumbs and kills his faithful housemaid. He tries
to kill himself by setting fire to his house, but the mentor vampire rescues him and they
flee.
In New Orleans, he gives in to his bloodlust again, and bites a young girl whom
the mentor transforms into a vampire "daughter" to maintain their relationship. As 30
years pass, she becomes a sadistic killer. When she realizes she will live forever but
never grow up, she becomes furious with the mentor. The duo plot to kill him, think they
are successful, and travel to Paris in 1870.
In the French capital, they encounter more vampires, explore the origins of this
"breed," victimize more humans, and take in more blood than the Red Cross.
The interviewee also realizes he is something of a unique vampire because he
possesses the soul of a human. Along the way, his "daughter" is burned to ashes by
sunlight and he returns to New Orleans where he finds that his mentor has survived.
One of the tale's twists is that the interviewee decides that he wants to be
transformed to experience what it is truly like to be a vampire. Another is that the
vampire mentor ends up granting the wish.
―Miracle on 34th Street‖ stars Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O‘Hara, John Payne and
Natalie Wood at her child-actress best. In supporting roles are William Frawley, who
went on to ―I Love Lucy‖ fame, and Gene Lockhart, the real-life father to the woman
who played the mother in the TV series, ―Lassie.‖
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It is an amazingly cheerful, heartwarming and uplifting fable about an elderly
fellow who is hired by a department store to ―play‖ Santa Claus. He soon claims to be
the real St. Nick.
The 94-minute film is a clever and charming blend of humor and pathos with a
holiday message for folks of all ages. Like ―It‘s a Wonderful Life,‖ ―Miracle‖ has stood
the test of time as a Christmas classic this is as enduring as the holiday season itself.
Gwenn won an Academy Award as best supporting actor in his role as Kris
Kringle. It was also nominated for ―Best Picture of the Year,‖ but the Oscar went to
Gregory Peck‘s ―Gentleman‘s Agreement‖ about anti-Semitism.
Here is the rest of the ―Friday Night Highlights‖ schedule that includes more
movies and concerts by local combos:
Dec. 4: A free concert by the Kalamazoo Mandolin and Guitar Orchestra.
Dec. 11: Carmea, the trio that won the 2009 Fretboard Festival play-in
competition at the museum.
Dec. 18: The 2002 movie "8 Crazy Nights."
Jan. 8: Music by Belfast Gin.
Jan. 15, 22 and 29: The movies "Cutting Edge,‖ "Miracle," and ―Cool
Runnings,‖ respectively.
5th Festival of Arts is how-to attraction
Kalamazoo-area artisans and craftsmen will demonstrate how they create from
metal, glass, wood, paint, fibers and other media when the Kalamazoo Valley Museum
hosts the fifth Festival of Arts on Saturday (Nov. 14) from noon to 4 p.m.
Susan Bombardt and Jennifer DiGiuseppe from the West Michigan Glass Society
will be demonstrating glass-bead making.
Woodcarver Patrick Smith, whose shop is in the Park Trade Center, will have all
of his tools on display and demonstrating wood carving.
Holly Fisher, owner of the Smartshop, will bring a portable anvil. Visitors can
help crank the wheel that will keep the fire hot and allow Fisher to bend metal into all
kinds of shapes.
The local Weavers Guild will be demonstrating carding, spinning and weaving.
According to Ellen Colston, visitors "will see the whole process, from raw wood to
finished item."
Visitors will also be able to try their hand at creating tube sculptures, collage hats,
embossing cards, color saturated butterflies, and making tissue-paper lanterns.
For more information, call 373-7990.
Grand Valley here Wednesday for on-site admission
Following in the long-standing footsteps of Western Michigan University, Grand
Valley State University will hold its first On-Site Admission event on Wednesday (Nov.
18) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Student Commons Theater.
KVCC students will have an opportunity to meet with GVSU admissions
personnel and will be given an admissions decision on the spot. Also, a financial-aid
representative will be on hand to answer questions.
Appointments are available in half-hour slots, and can be made in the Transfer
Resource Center office (Room 1364) or by calling Robyn Robinson at extension 4779.
Students should bring the following items to their appointment:
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* GVSU application that is available online or in the Transfer Resource Center
office.
* $30 application fee.
* official transcripts from all colleges attended.
If students have completed less than 30 semester credits, GVSU will also need the
following:
* official high school transcripts.
* ACT scores.
Alzheimer’s, depression in ‘doc’ spotlight
As the nationally touring exhibition about genomes continues its stay at the
Kalamazoo Valley Museum, the Saturday showings of PBS documentaries are focusing
on mental, medical and physical maladies that affect humanity.
The free showings in the Mary Jane Stryker Theater are timed for 1 p.m. and 3
p.m.
The Nov. 21 doubleheader features the Emmy-winning “The Forgetting: A
Portrait of Alzheimer’s,” followed by the “Out of the Shadows” episode on depression.
―Forgetting‖ takes a dramatic, compassionate, all-encompassing look at the
growing epidemic of Alzheimer‘s disease. Based on David Shenk's best-selling book, the
90-minute, 2004 documentary weaves together the history and biology of the disease, the
intense real-world experiences of Alzheimer's patients and caregivers, he race to find a
cure, and the latest scientific findings.
―Depression‖ premiered in May 2008 and reported that many Americans are
keeping an important, possibly deadly secret.
The National Institute of Mental Health reports that approximately 18.8 million
American adults have a depressive disorder. The disease is not discriminating, seeping
into all age, race, gender, and socioeconomic groups. Depression stalls careers, strains
relationships, and sometimes ends lives.
So if this many people are living with the disease, why the silence? The PBS
project explored the disease's complex terrain, offering a comprehensive and timely
examination of this devastating disorder.
By weaving together the science and treatment of depression with intimate
portrayals of families and individuals coping with its wide-ranging effects, the film raises
awareness and eliminates the stigma surrounding this prevalent disease, underscoring the
fact that whether we are battling it in our families, our workplaces, or in our own minds,
depression touches everyone.
The final double feature of the calendar year is set for Dec. 12 with ―Fat: What
No One Is Telling You‖ and ―The Medicated Child.‖
Instructor shows marvels of chemistry on Channel 13
KVCC chemistry instructor Kim De Clercq, who has become a regular fixture on
the ―Take Five & Company‖ segment on WZZM-TV, has three more air-time stints
through the end of the calendar year.
Her ―Chemical Kim‖ episodes feature ―fun‖ hands-on activities designed to spark
interest in the sciences in children. Producers of the segment, which airs weekdays at 9
a.m. on Grand Rapids‘ Channel 13, have booked her for Friday shows on Nov. 20, Dec. 4
and Dec. 19.
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De Clercq took her concept to the airwaves initially by producing a series of radio
spots -- ―The Chemical Kim Science Minute‖ -- about interesting scientific facts, events
and history for WKDS-FM, the 250-watt station that operates out of the Public Media
Network (formerly the Community Access Center) in downtown Kalamazoo and is
licensed through the Kalamazoo Public Schools.
That evolved into ―The Chemical Kim Science Show‖ for PMN on the Charter
cable system. The ―kitchen-science‖ show is aimed at youngsters. Assisting her in the
weekly shows are ―scientists‖ who attend fifth-, sixth-, seventh-, eighth- and ninth-grades
in local schools. It recently won a top award from the Alliance for Community Media.
The radio station, which is located at 89.9 on the FM dial, is part of the Education
for Employment programs in radio and television broadcasting. De Clercq delivers ―a
quick, entertaining, educational and informative science lesson‖ in each one-minute spot
similar to the ―Earth & Sky Segments‖ that are aired regionally on WAKV based in
Plainwell.
PTK adds 131 members to its KVCC chapter
The academic, professional and networking benefits of being a member of Phi
Theta Kappa have started for the 131 new members who were inducted into the KVCC
chapter last month in the Dale Lake Auditorium.
To be eligible, students must carry a 3.5 grade-point average, be enrolled in 12
credit hours of classes, and be seeking a two-year degree.
Among the benefits of PTK affiliation are the potential for receiving scholarships
for transferring to a four-year university, the opportunity for community service, taking
part in intellectual activities, developing leadership skills, and building a network of
contacts.
In recent years, the local chapter – now 450 members strong -- has taken part in
highway clean-up activities through the Michigan Department of Transportation and in a
statewide competition to donate organs for transplants.
Biology instructor Cynthia Schauer is the chapter adviser. The installation
ceremony was open to the public. Among the speakers was KVCC communications
instructor Jacob Arndt.
By home town, here are the new inductees:
Allegan: Daniel Byers, Melissa Rodriguez, and Mary Stayman-Schenk.
Bangor: Westley Kalinowski.
Battle Creek: Sarah Erskine.
Byron Center: Nicholas VanDeRoer.
Decatur: Jennifer Hafez.
Delton: Gregory Labo, Evelyn Schut, and Kirsten Smith.
Galesburg: Thomas Case, Katrina Roberts, and Kelsey Sims.
Gobles: Alvin Dunn and Sarah Paff.
Hopkins: Danielle Knuth.
Jackson: Y-Lan Nguyen.
Jenison: Doug Snoeyink.
Kalamazoo: Dale Abbott, Hannah Ailes, Sarah Brickey, Christine A. Brown,
Janice Bruce, Kyle Carlson, Kyle Chipman, Nathan Christensen, Brendan Cleary, Kelsey
Darlington, Jaime Dingledine, Zachary Dziuban, Sara Echenique, Irmantas Gluosnis,
Justin Goodrich, Bronwyn Haltom, Jeremy Hembree, Kate Hines, Tina Hole;
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Lurinda Hoogstraten, Sarah Hooley, Elizabeth Lampen, Brian Little, Qizhi Liu,
Raymond Martin, Jessica Mastenbrook, Travis Mazer, William McNair II, Sheila Meeth,
Kylie Merrow, Bethany Moxon, Sean Murphy, Joshua Newhouse, Samantha O‘Dell, Eric
Okoth, Angela Parmelee, Scott Reynolds, Tiffany Rich, Sarah Ridenour;
Samantha Sanford, Kelly Short, Christy Singleton, Brandy Skelton, Christopher
Smith, Rachel Smith, Peter Swikoski, Cynthia Switzer, Nam-Chi Tai, Jennifer Trites,
Brian Venema, Jennifer Verne, Carrie Waruszewski, Katie Webster, Marjorie Weir,
Richard Wescott, Danielle Wiggins, Kyle Williams, April Worden, and Nazeer Zerka.
Lawton: Mark Lull, Jennifer Nondorf, Alexander Opoku, Lauren Puttkammer,
and Tiffany Raynes.
Martin: Elizabeth Tant.
Mattawan: Brittany Aukerman and Kyler Flood.
Mendon: Molly Adams.
Nashville: Matthew Keeler.
Otsego: Natasha Clark, Phillip Pearson, and Jacob Zuiderveen.
Parchment: Michael George and Lisa Jasensky.
Paw Paw: Hannah Baldus, Caitlin Flickinger, Amanda Osbon, and Amy Soule.
Plainwell: Jacquelynn Dufour, Autumn Gilbert, and Joshua Stephens.
Portage: Sharon Anderson, Ariel Brook, Kelly Brown, Chad Crane, Daniel Flack,
Lindsey Henderson, Robin Koenig, Pamela Larson, Deborah Newhouse, Jennifer Perotti,
Leanne Reardon, Rachael Smith, Benita Terry, Andrea VanNess, Angela VanTuyl, and
James Weakland III.
Richland: Cassandra Anderson, Maria Kirch, Leah Olson, and Jaime Rehfeld.
Schoolcraft: Renee Salmen.
Scotts: Diane Felicijan,
Shelbyville: Joseph Bouchard.
Three Rivers: Tiffany Hudson.
Vicksburg: Jessica Brockman, Carol Gillis, Stephanie Miller, Jennifer Myers, Joni
Nichols, and Samantha Rouse.
Watervliet: Carla Baldwin.
Wayland: Angela Case.
Jordan gets Veterans Day salute on national web page
KVCC‘s Leonard Jordan, who will be marking his 90th birthday on Dec. 5, is
currently part of the Veterans Day salute on the web page of the National Junior College
Athletic Association.
The longtime KVCC advocate and volunteer assistant men‘s basketball coach
served in the Army from April of 1942 through June of 1946. He attained the rank of
second lieutenant in the 92nd Infantry Division of the 371st Infantry Regiment, serving at
Fort Huachuca in Arizona and in Italy during World War II.
KVCC Athletic Director Dick Shilts reports that Jordan has been taking classes at
KVCC for almost 20 years, the same length of time he has helped as a volunteer assistant
in the men's basketball program.
“Known for his outgoing kindness and genuine caring attitude,” Shilts said,
“Leonard has endeared himself to KVCC staff and students with his positive outlook.
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“From his days as a student at Knoxville College to his competition against many
of the original Harlem Globetrotters,” Shilts said, “Leonard has exuded a friendly spirit
that has enabled him to become liked and respected by all those he meets.”
Here is the web-page link: www.njcaa.org/veterans/
Sarah Bernhardt, Sousa performed at Academy of Music
The origins, glories and demise of the Academy of Music are the November
installment of the Kalamazoo Valley Museum‘s TV show.
Featuring Tom Dietz, the curator of research at the museum, the episode will be
aired by the Public Media Network (formerly the Community Access Center) on Channel
22 on the Charter cable system at 7 p.m. on Sundays, 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, 6:30 p.m.
on Fridays, and 11 a.m. on Saturdays.
On Monday, May 8, 1882, Kalamazoo‘s elite gathered in anxious anticipation for
the dedication of the village‘s first performing-arts center. Dressed in their finest, the
cream of Kalamazoo society, joined by visitors from Three Rivers, Battle Creek, and
Chicago, filled the auditorium‘s 1,250 seats. The evening‘s highlight was the popular
drama, ―Virginius, the Roman Father,‖ featuring the nationally acclaimed star of the late
19th century stage, John McCullough.
The Academy of Music was designed as Kalamazoo‘s first grand performing-arts
center. Its construction was coordinated by a group of prominent businessmen, including
future U.S. Sen. Francis Stockbridge and local building contractor Frederick Bush, who
organized the Kalamazoo Opera House Company in March 1881. Their goal was to build
a first-rate facility for not less than $30,000. The final cost, however, exceeded $60,000.
Their incentive for the venture was, in part at least, dissatisfaction with the
village‘s existing facility, Union Hall. Located at Michigan and Portage streets, the hall
had been built in 1865-66.
It was a typical performance space for the time. Seating was on benches, all on
the same level, so that the patrons on the back benches often had their view blocked.
Audience members sipped beverages of their choice and frequently voiced their pleasure
or displeasure with a performance.
Francis Chase, the proprietor of Union Hall, was unwilling to see his facility
overtaken by the proposed new auditorium. When the organizers of the Kalamazoo Opera
House neglected to file the necessary legal paperwork, Chase changed the name of Union
Hall to Opera House. He made other superficial improvements in the fall of 1881 in an
effort to keep his audience from being lured to the new facility then under construction
several blocks to the west.
Meanwhile, the Kalamazoo Opera House Co. renamed its new facility the
Academy of Music. The chosen site was on the east side of Rose Street across from the
Kalamazoo County Courthouse. The construction committee hired the famous Chicago
architect, Dankmar Adler, to design the facility.
Built of red brick and Ohio sandstone, the academy was three stories. The interior
featured hand-carved cherry woodwork, plush seating, and the finest silk draperies. A
nine-foot chandelier with 100 gas lights hung from the ceiling while another 300 gas jets
provided ample lighting.
For the next several decades, the Academy of Music was the jewel of the local
cultural scene. Such luminaries of the American stage as Sarah Bernhardt and the
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Barrymore family appeared with touring Broadway plays. John Philip Sousa and Victor
Herbert performed with their bands.
The academy also hosted special events. In 1890, the seats were removed, a
temporary floor installed, and a gala charity ball was held in the auditorium. It also
hosted boxing matches and even a performance by trained show horses.
In March 1897, an exciting new technology was introduced there. A
demonstration of Thomas Edison‘s Vitascope, an early motion-picture technology, drew
an enthusiastic crowd but foreshadowed the decline of live professional theater in
Kalamazoo.
Within 20 years, W. S. Butterfield took over the management of the academy,
adding it to his national theater chain. The Regent Theatre, as it was re-named, offered
silent movies and vaudeville acts.
On June 6, 1930, students from State High School at Western State Teachers
College staged the play ―Come Seven.‖ It was the last production for the old Academy of
Music.
Four days later, a major fire -- possibly arson -- broke out and destroyed the
theater. The front of the building, which housed several stores and offices, survived. In
1967, that portion of the structure was demolished to make room for the Industrial State
Bank (now the Comerica Bank building).
And finally. . .
Here’s why men seem to be more happy-go-lucky than women.
They never have to mess around with their last name.
The garage is all theirs.
Wedding plans take care of themselves.
Chocolate is just another snack.
They can be president.
They can never be pregnant.
They can wear a white T-shirt to a water park. As a matter of fact, they
don’t have to wear any kind of a shirt at a water park.
Auto mechanics tell them the truth.
The world is their urinal.
They never have to drive to another gas-station restroom because this
one is just too icky.
They don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
Same work, more pay.
Wrinkles add character.
Wedding dress -- $5, 000; tux rental -- $100.
New shoes never cause cuts or blisters, or mangle their feet.
Telephone conversations are over in 30 seconds.
A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase or less.
They can open their own jars.
They get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
If someone forgets to invite them, that person can still be a friend.
Their underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
They almost never have strap problems in public.
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They are unable to see wrinkles in their clothes.
Everything on their face stays its original color.
The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
They only have to shave their face and neck.
They can play with toys all their life.
One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons.
They can wear shorts no matter how their legs look.
They can 'do' their nails with a pocket knife.
They have freedom of choice concerning growing a moustache.
They can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on Dec. 24 in 25
minutes.
☻☻☻☻☻☻
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