Meeting Sheds Light on Power Outage Go on with Their Two-Year Degrees Perform Well in Business
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November 13, 2008 Vol. XXV No. 7 one copy FREE NORTHWESTERN MICHIGAN COLLEGE WHITE PINEWe hew to the line/ let the chips fall where they may Election results BLACKOUT MEETING in new NMC board member The NMC Board of Trustees will welcome new member Susan Sheldon to the board after the November 4 election. Sheldon, the director of in vestment, trust and retirement services at Northwestern Bank, has helped with NMC fundrais ing efforts in the past. She hopes her fiscal expertise will help NMC face the challenges provided by current state and federal econom ic issues. “I am really excited to serve at this capacity,” said Sheldon. “I’m really looking forward to it... I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and help.” Returning to the board is K. Ross Childs, a retired adminis trator for Grand Traverse County. “We have one of the best com munity colleges,” said Childs. He believes the faculty has contributed to that just as much as the students have. “[NMC transfer students] per form in the top ten of all trans fer students,” he said. “Those who Meeting sheds light on power outage go on with their two-year degrees perform well in business. It’s a President Nelson apologizes in afternoon Q & A great place for students to come NORA STONE for two years.” I Press A&E Editor NMC President Tim Nelson and other while speaking to the group. Many students were frustrated over Online registration college officials stood before East Hall dorm “The first thing was to make certain what they felt was an insufficient amount residents Tuesday evening to address criticism you had a safe place to sleep. The State of of information they were receiving. Dorm open for students about the college’s handling of a nearly 12- Michigan is safe, heated, there are lots of residents were repeatedly told that power bunks and light.” would be back online “soon,” when the Online registration for the hour-long power outage on Saturday, Nov. 8. By 5:30 p.m. on Saturday evening - hour Another suggestion was to find hotel blackout actually lasted over twelve hours. spring and summer semesters seven of the blackout - college officials were rooms for the night, but the only place This “lack of communication” was strongly opened on Monday, November with enough room available was the Grand criticized by some students at the meeting. 10. Classes ranging from business scrambling over where and how to safely house East Hall dorm residents for the night. Traverse Resort. With about 200 people “If our leadership can’t communicate in to oceanography will be offered, a time of crisis, why don’t we examine our with something for everyone. To One solution that was floated included living in East Hall, the cost to the college leadership if they don’t know what they’re register online, visit www.nmc. moving them to the training ship State of would have been high. “We didn’t [decide] not to put people in doing?” asked student Antony Giese. edu/webregistration. First-year Michigan, which was met with objections a [hotel] room because it cost money,” said Students were told to grab what they students are required to register from students. “Nobody wanted to sleep on the boat,” Nelson. needed for an overnight — clothes, books, with a counselor starting Novem Some weren’t buying it: “They claim it medication — from their dorm rooms, set ber 17. Make an appointment by said Betty Luigs, a student at the Tuesday to close at 7 p.m. Students were sent to the calling the Counseling Center at night meeting in the lower level of West Hall. wasn’t money, but everything’s about money,” President Nelson touched on the issue said student Erica Kunkel. Oleson Center, where, according to attendees 231.995.1040. • See "POWER OUTAGE" on page 2 STAR PARTIES WHAT IN THE...? P6 ? pn November 13, 2008 NEWS o? on campus WHITE PINE PRESS CHAIRWAY TO HEAVEN "POWER OUTAGE" continued of the meeting, their sense of frustration grew. In fact, the people in charge didn’t have ariy more information than the students affected by the power outage. “I was being told, ‘two hours, two hours,’ ” said Jennifer Metcalf, coordinator of housing. “The people calling me didn’t know either.” “Jen was doing her best but getting the brunt of the frustration,” commented Luigs. “We look to her for answers. The fact that she wasn’t informed shows a lack of organization.” President Nelson addressed the communication issue as well. “Nobody was lying to you,” he emphatically reassured the students. “We make decisions based on the information we have at hand. I apologize for the inconvenience, [but] I don’t apologize for the decisions we made to keep you safe... We can question the decisions people made. I’m telling you how we made them and what we’re trying to learn from that.” Safety was a more worrisome issue for some than for others. Nick Buchannon, resident of East Hall and a type one diabetic, was one of the students gathered at the Oleson Center, where there was nowhere to store his insulin. “Insulin doesn’t work well when it’s warm, so I could have ended up in the hospital. And I packed my bags in the dark, so it was hard for me to find it [in my room],” said Buchannon. The administration tried to provide food for the displaced students, but “it wasn’t really food,” said Buchannon. “It was chips and pop, which would be bad for [my diabetes]. I feel I should be GETTING TO THE TOP Several NMC students stood baffled in the lower level of reimbursed for the hotel room I had to get.” West Hall on Saturday, November 2 in front of a pyramid of tables of chairs that had “I think it would have been a smarter decision to move us mysteriously appeared overnight. somewhere else,” said Luigs. Victor Draine, East Hall RA, felt the Tuesday night meeting was productive. “I’m thankful they answered [our] questions,” he said. “It was frustrating to be in the dark for so long - both in terms of light and of knowledge.” Election roundup A run down on the results of last Tuesday's election: NORTHWESTERN MICHIGAN COLLEGE President/Vice President: Barack Obama/Joe Biden (D) WHITE PINE PRESS U.S. Senate: Carl Levin (D) U.S. House, 4th Congressional District: . Dave Camp (R) EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Allison Peters State House, 104th District: Wayne Schmidt (R) MANAGING EDITOR Abraham Morrison FEATURES EDITOR Erin Bernhard State Proposal 1 (Medical Marijuana): Yes A&E EDITOR Nora Stone ADVERTISING MANAGER Christy Gray State Proposal 2 (Stem Cell Research): Yes ISSUE WRITERS Richard Derenzy, Emily Morgan, Calvin Maison, Jake Erway Michigan Supreme Court: Diane Hathaway COLUMNISTS Jerry Dobek, Tom Auch PHOTOGRAPHERS Kayleigh Marlin, Stephanie Ders- State Board of Education: Scott Jenkins (R) cheid, Candace Gladfelter PRODUCTION MANAGER Lidia Dart Richard Zeile (R) GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Emily Kane, Nora Stone, Elizabeth Henley Grand Traverse County Board of COPY EDITOR Whitney Duque Commissioners: PROOFREADER Diane Bair District 1: Bruce Hooper (R) DESIGN ADVISER Joan Richmond District 2: Larry Inman (R) FACULTY ADVISER Michael Anderson District 5: Ross Richardson (D) District 7: Christine Maxbauer (R) District 8: Larry Fleis (R) White Pine Press | NEWSROOM 231.995 1173 District 9: Addison Wheelock, Jr. (R) welcomes comments, DISTRIBUTION 231 995.1526 suggestions, ideas for ADVERTISING 231 995.1347 NMC Board of Trustees: news stories and FAX 231.995.2110 calendar items. I EMAIL whitepinepress@gmaib K. Ross Childs Bill Myers Susan Sheldon Printed by Morning Star Publishing and distributed free. Printed on 1OO% recycled paper A/ V 11 November 13, 2008 NEWSQQ WHITE PINE PRESS on campus Vz Students speak out The fight against racism is far from over on ticketing ABRAHAM MORRISON i RICHARD DERENZY Press Managing Editor ■ Press Staff Writer I made it officially two years I am a poor college stu a So it was late outside without my sticker now. I’ve dent. I can’t afford to pay and someone [expletive] probably acquired over 12, 13 $ 15 for over a month, and up their parking, and tickets. When you add all that that means it goes up to they parked on the line, money up, that’s quite a bit of $30. So I ended up pay so I had to park on the money, but it seems like they ing $45 for my two tick line. The next morning, are a little bit edgy. I’m very ets, and that was like my I had a parking ticket. upset. I’ve thought about it entire month’s allowance, I am very upset. I don’t and yeah, okay, I didn’t get the and I haven’t gotten any have any money, and I’m sticker, but I have got way too money from allowance Barack Obama broke through the barriers of racial prejudice in not paying my [exple many tickets. I’ve gotten three since then, so I’ve been American to become the first African American elected President of tive] ticket. )) in a day, like, two at a time, like living off of 5 bucks for the United States. However, a plethora of online communities pro they have seen tickets in my car the entire school year so * * LOIS JONES moting ideologies of white pride and racial purity are working tire and they still give me a ticket. )) far. It’s not going so well. s ' first-year student lessly to keep those barriers up. Those organizations, along with the 26 active hate groups that JIMMY OLSON, MATTHEW MONLEY exist in Michigan alone are a sobering reminder that prejudice is still second-year student first-year student alive and well in the America.