Writing@SVSU 2018–19 Saginaw Valley State University 7400 Bay Road University Center, MI 48710 svsu.edu ©Writing@SVSU 7400 Bay Road University Center, MI 48710 CREDITS Writing@SVSU is funded by the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts & Behavioral Sciences. Editorial Staff Christopher Giroux Associate Professor of English and Writing Center Assistant Director Kimberly Lacey Associate Professor of English Joshua Cianek History Major Elizabeth Kennedy Professional and Technical Writing Major Hannah M. Mose Professional and Technical Writing Major Spencer Myers English Education Major Caroline Sawatzki Electrical & Computer Engineering Major Imari Tetu Professional and Technical Writing Major Layout and Design Tim Inman Director of Marketing Support Office of University Communications Printing SVSU Graphics Center Preface Every morning I receive a word of the day email. For any language lover, the words in these emails are delicious. Even as someone who has devoted a career to language, I’m often surprised by the weight of a single word. Take, for instance, “pareidolia,” or “the tendency to see a specific pattern or meaningful images in random stimulus.”1 That single word encompasses such a powerful memory of time spent in youth staring at the clouds and imagining stories floating across the sky. Each of these daily vocab nuggets is linked by a weekly theme: sometimes the words are connected linguistically while other times the similarities are found in historical events or even cultural movements. These emails recently paid homage to the 50th anniversary of the moon landing with words like “lunule,” the white, crescent shaped area at the bottom of a fingernail.2 Such a word is bound to score you some Jeopardy! or Trivial Pursuit points. I received the daily word email as I was sitting down to draft this introduction. From my perspective, today’s word couldn’t have been a more perfect representation of the task of all the writers collected within these pages: “rocket science.”3 It seems odd to argue for a word so deeply rooted in the sciences to represent a journal about writing. But that’s just it—writing is the ultimate interdisciplinary act. Writing does not happen only in writing courses, but in all areas of study and by using all methods of inquiry. We write to understand, and we read to understand. This isn’t to say that either of those tasks are easy. Anyone who has sat down to begin writing anything might feel like the task is comparable to rocket science. But boy-oh-boy, once that essay, lab report, score, or difficult email is finished, we feel powerful. Our words convey passion. Writing provides the experience of explaining new worlds we have discovered; it is our own little rocket ship. This year’s issue of Writing@SVSU collects exemplary writing from authors across all five colleges on campus, the Great Lakes Bay Region, and from around the country. In what follows, you will find award-winning essays that applaud the outstanding work of SVSU’s student writers. A new addition to this publication includes excerpts from faculty members’ personal research, demonstrating that writing is critical in all disciplines. A sincere thank you to Sharon Opheim, Teresa Stackhouse, Cathy Davis, Tim Inman, and the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts and Behavioral Sciences for making this issue possible. And maybe, just maybe, as you are reading you will find a single word that will cause you to pause, Google it, and be awed by the gravity of language. Dr. Kim Lacey Associate Professor of English Co-Editor, Writing@SVSU 1 Wordsmith. “A.Word.A.Day—pareidolia.” Received by Kim Lacey, 7 Aug. 2019. 2 Wordsmith. “A.Word.A.Day—lunule.” Received by Kim Lacey, 19 July 2019. 3 Wordsmith. “A.Word.A.Day—rocket science.” Received by Kim Lacey, 14 Aug. 2019. Table of Contents Spotlight on… The University Writing Awards “Survival Valley State University,” by Branden Bohling ................................................... 9 “Forgotten Battles and Unforgotten Experiences: The Eighth Michigan Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Secessionville,” by Travis Faustin .............................. 13 “Environmentally Sustainable Voluntourism in Iceland: A Case Study,” by Kellie Rankey .................................................................................................................. 22 “Family Interview and Reflection,’” by Emma Kirsch ..................................................... 36 “The Relationships among Physical Activity, Depression, and Grade Point Average in Disabled College Students” by Lauren Meldrum ................................................. 43 “Playing Nuns,” by Mackenzie Bethune ........................................................................... 48 “Roadside Squirrel with Crabapple and Other Poems,” by Kellie Rankey ....................... 58 “How to Fix Your Makeup after Crying in a Public Bathroom Stall,” by Allison Sterken ................................................................................................ 61 “Motivation Matters: The Intent behind Gossip in Jane Austen’s Persuasion,” by Katherine Manwell ............................................................................................... 64 “Happier Learning Is Better: A Study on the Link between Enjoyment in Literacy and Confidence,” by Nicole Brydon ........................................................................... 70 “gran’s outpatient procedure no. 8,” by Hannah Somalski ............................................... 75 “Classroom Portfolio,” by Shayla Krygier ....................................................................... 76 “Professional Portfolio,” by Emely Williamson ................................................................ 77 “Submissive Women Protagonists in Literature,” by Jayanti Singh ................................ 78 Spotlight on… The National Day on Writing “Sound of a Bullet,” by Nathan Hernandez ....................................................................... 84 “An Excerpt from ‘Ruth,’” by Kaleigh Kuhns .................................................................. 86 “Child,” by Samantha Geffert ........................................................................................... 87 “The Leaking Faucet,” by Rebecca Grable ....................................................................... 88 Spotlight on… Students The College of Arts and Behavioral Sciences, Brianna Meyer ......................................... 90 The College of Business and Management, Danielle Slonac ............................................ 91 The College of Education, Samantha Geffert .................................................................... 92 The College of Health and Human Services, Rebecca Carson .......................................... 94 The College of Science, Engineering and Technology, Trenton Vogel ............................ 95 The Valley Vanguard, Kaitlyn Farley ................................................................................ 97 Cardinal Sins, Mackenzie Bethune ................................................................................... 99 Spotlight on… Faculty “Images and Words: The Relevance of Writing for Artists and Graphic Designers,” by Emily Kelley .................................................................................................. 102 “State-of-the-Art Writing,” by Phillip Hanson ................................................................ 104 “An Excerpt from The Emergence of the U.S. School Steel Band Movement: The Saga of Steel,” by Brandon L. Haskett ........................................................ 107 “An Excerpt from ‘The Impact of Agricultural Land Use Change on Lake Water Quality: Evidence from Iowa,’” by Kevin Meyer ..................... 110 “An Excerpt from Real Writing: One Teacher’s Journey,” by Deborah L. Smith .......................................................................................... 115 “An Excerpt from ‘The Collaboration between Homeless Shelters and Public Libraries in Addressing Homelessness: A Multiple Case Study,” by Mark A. Giesler .................................................... 118 “Thermal Analysis of Rare Earth Grain Refined 4130,” by Robert Tuttle ..................... 121 Spotlight on… The Center for Community Writing “Immolation,” by Bruce Gunther .................................................................................... 128 “Pickles from the Jar,” by Jean Marie Learman .............................................................. 130 “Rescue,” by Deda Kavanagh ......................................................................................... 132 “My Microphone,” by Lorenzo Russey ........................................................................... 133 “My Idea of Love,” by Derrick DePriest ......................................................................... 134 “Home Health Aides—Comic Aides,” by Judy Minster ................................................. 135 “The Time Clock,” by Donald Popielarz ......................................................................... 137 “Work Myth,” by Ben Champagne ................................................................................. 139 “Through the Gate,” by Tracy Deering ........................................................................... 141 Spotlight on… Visiting Writers “How a Single Rosh Hashanah Dinner Sparked 10 Years of Research,” by Devin Murphy ..............................................................................................