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Aug. 26, 2010 Vol. 55, Issue 1

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August 30, 2012 Vol. 56, Issue 11

Tyler Rogoff Agora staff

Enrollment at MCCC is down 10.5 percent from last year, the second year in a row of declining numbers.

There probably are several rea-sons for the drop to about 4,000 students from 4,400 last year, ac-cording to college officials.

“The economy is hopefully taking a turn for the better,” said Tracy Vogt, MCCC registrar.

College enrollment usually increases when the economy is down, because people who lose their jobs often go back to school to learn a new skill.

MCCC enrollment grew each year through the 2008-2010 re-cession, before falling off in 2011 and 2012.

The number of graduates from Monroe County high schools also is down, and some financial aid regulations have been tightened, Vogt said.

“Academic parameters to stay enrolled with financial aid have become more strict,” said Mark Hall, director of Admissions and Guidance Services.

Students are now required to have a high school diploma or a GED to receive financial aid, along with a higher baseline grade point average requirement.

The college also has instituted cut-off scores on placement tests – students are required to score above specified levels on COM-PASS tests to qualify for most college courses.

MCCC has increased recruiting efforts on multiple fronts to try to combat the decline, Hall said.

The amount of trips to campus nights at high schools has been tripled, and MCCC is also attend-ing campus nights out of Monroe county. MCCC is also recruiting the downriver area much heavier than in the past, Hall said.

“We have increased our recruit-ing efforts substantially,” he said.

The number of visits to high schools has also doubled in recent years, he said.

The recruitment area has been expanded to include Lenawee, Wayne, Lucas, and Washtenaw counties. MCCC now has the highest number of graduates from Trenton of any school in Michi-gan, Hall said.

Craig EvansAgora staff

The hot dry summer has been a nightmare for farmers and gar-deners, but it has been perfect weather for growing a new build-ing at MCCC.

When most students left for the summer break, the area between the Life Sciences building and the Health building was nothing more than bare dirt surrounded by caution tape.

Now early arrivers will view the new b u i l d i n g s ’ elegant por-tico roof line curved like a sail in the morning sky-line.

R e m a r k -ably, only four months after the ground-breaking on May 4, the new $17 million Career Technol-ogy Center Building is near the first phase of completion.

The exterior walls have been erected; the polished concrete floors have been laid, and many of the interior walls making classrooms are beginning to take shape this month.

When completed, the 60,000-square-foot facility will house several existing programs now cramped into the East and West Technology buildings. Moving will be Nuclear En-gineering, Welding, Construc-tion, Computer-Aided Drafting, Manufacturing, Quality Assur-ance, Materials Testing, and Au-tomotive Engineering, with its emphasis on hybrid and battery technology.

“The project has moved ahead quickly without any major set-backs,” said Jim Blumberg, MCCC’s Physical Plant director.

Blumberg also serves as the college’s point man for the build-ing project. He said he has been impressed with the general con-tractors on the project.

“Much credit goes to the gen-eral contractors, Walbidge Con-struction of Detroit, for their ex-perience and capacity in moving the project along so quickly,” he said.

Blumberg noted that students will find more than new class-rooms in the building.

“In addition to housing class-rooms for studying state-of-the-art-technologies, the building itself will be a technological showpiece,” Blumberg said.

The building will feature geo-thermal heating and cooling and ambient light, combined with computer controlled climate comfort and lighting, he said.

“The geothermal field is a se-ries of 400-foot wells located immediately east of the build-ing that harness the earth’s natu-ral heating and cooling ability, meaning no additional heating or cooling will be required,” Blum-berg said.

The new building is designed to feature a modular live green roof system, Blumberg said. It

will absorb CO2; create oxygen, provide excellent insulating qual-ities, filter storm water run-off, and extend the life of the under-

lying roof material, he said.“Construction is slated to be

completed and the new building open for class for the fall 2013

term,” Blumberg said. The State of Michigan will fi-

nance half the $17 million cost of construction, with the balance coming from MCCC.

The MCCC Foundation has launched a fund-raising cam-paign to raise the college’s share of the cost.

Joshua Myers, coordinator of Development and External Affairs for MCCC, announced over the summer that La-Z-Boy CEO Kurt Darrow kicked off the fund-raising with a $500,000 donation on behalf of the La-Z- Boy Foundation.

Photo by Ashley Locke

Construction is now taking place on the inside of the new CTC building, located between the Life Science and Health buildings.

2012 ................3,997 2011 ................4,400

2010 ................4,7232009 ................4,6242008 ................4,514

CTC building on schedule Enrollment declines again

For more

photos, see

Page 3A

MCCC enrollment trend

Agora staff

Four MCCC faculty members who are retiring were honored at the college’s annual recognition breakfast Tuesday.

Three of the four took advantage of a college offer for early retirement. The fourth – Bonnie Welniak, assistant professor of Nursing – had already scheduled her retire-ment.

The other three are Cheryl McKay, professor of Ac-counting; Andy Parsons, associate professor of Chemis-try and Biology; and Bonnie Giles, associate professor of Business.

Each of the four retirees were praised by their supervi-sors at the recognition breakfast. Resolutions that will be approved or have been approved by the MCCC Board of Trustees were read. All four retirees were granted profes-sor emeritus status by the resolutions.

Paul Knollman, Business Division dean, read the reso-lution for Bonnie Giles.

“She has been an outstanding employee of the college for 22 years … as a dedicated professor who has devel-oped unique and cutting edge curriculum in the field of

Administrative Office Professional Studies, Business Computer Applications, and Medical Office Coordina-tor,” he said.

Knollman also read the resolution for Cheryl McKay, who taught at MCCC for 35 years.

“She has been a vital and influential member of many college committees including HLC Self-Study teams, standing committees, special task forces, hiring com-mittees, and has guided numerous program reviews at MCCC,” he said.

Vinnie Maltese, Math/Science dean, read the resolution for Andy Parsons, who taught at the college for 28 years.

“He is considered an extraordinary professor by his col-leagues and students as indicated by being named “Teach-er of the Year” in 1992, with numerous previous and sub-sequent nominations,” he said.

Kimberly Lindquist, Health Science dean, read the res-olution for Bonni Welniak, who taught at MCCC for 18 years.

“She has taught and inspired over 1000 nursing gradu-ates, many of whom continue to provide excellent patient care to citizens in the surrounding area hospitals,” she said.

Four retiring faculty members honored Tuesday

Mark Spenosa

Nursing professor Bonnie Welniak gets a hug from Health Science Dean Kimberly Lindquist.

Sandy Kosmyna leaves Whitman Center- Pg. 4

“Construction is slated to be completed and the new building open for class for the fall 2013 term.”Jim BlumbergDirectior of the Physical Plant

Dry summer helped speed construction

Kosch takes over Dining Service- Pg. 2

August 30, 2012 campus news mcccagora.com • The Agora | 2

Ted BossRobin LawsonTyler Rogoff Eric Black

The Agora Editorial

The Agora is published by the students of Monroe County Community College, 1555 S. Raisinville Rd., Mon-roe, MI, 48161. The editorial office is located in Room 202 of the Life Sciences Bldg., (734) 384-4186, agora@mon-roeccc.edu.

Editorial policy: Unsigned editorials represent the ma-jority opinion of The Agora staff. Signed columns rep-resent the opinion of the writer. All letters to the editor must include a signature, address and phone number for verification purposes. The Agora reserves the right to edit for clarity, accuracy, length and libel.

The Agora is a student-managed newspaper that sup-ports a free student press and is a member of the Michi-gan Community College Press Association, the Michigan Collegiate Press Association, the Michigan Press Associa-tion, College Media Advisers, Associated Collegiate Press and the Student Press Law Center.

Story suggestions are welcome. Let us know what you’d like to see in The Agora - it’s your newspaper. E-mail submissions: agora@monroeccc.edu .

EditorNicki KostrzewaAsst. EditorHanna Boulton

AdviserDan Shaw

Staff Members

Nicki KostrzewaAgora Staff

The new redesign of the Mathemat-ics courses at MCCC is entering its first full year this fall.

After a pilot program during Fall 2011, the redesign was fully launched during the Winter 2012 semester.

Classes included in the redesigned are MATH 090 (Basic Mathematics Skills), MATH 092 (Beginning Alge-bra), and MATH 151 (Intermediate Algebra).

The Mathematics faculty has seen the redesign being used successfully at other institutions and wanted to bring it to MCCC, hopefully to see the same rate of success.

The new “Emporium Model” of teaching these classes has removed the traditional lecture and replaces it with computers and computer labora-tories.

Mainly, the students use Notebooks (mini computers) and wifi to access the teaching software, which leads them through the curriculum.

A $310 fee for the computers has caused some controversy among stu-dents.

“I think it’s not worth the money,” said Nick Musulin, a student who re-cently took the class.

“Why spend the money on the net-book when you could put the class online, and let everyone work from home?”

The fees also go toward faculty training and course materials. Because the college must order the course ma-terials ahead of time, the fee is non refundable.

The goal of the redesign was to im-prove the 50 percent completion rate.

For the Winter 2012 semester, 67 percent of the students who took the Basic Mathematics Skills course, stayed with the course until the end of the semester, and did not miss more than five classes, passed the course with either an A or a B.

The figure was 74 percent for Be-ginning Algebra and 84 percent for Intermediate Algebra, according to Vinnie Maltese, dean of the Math/Sci-ence Division.

“I do believe that overall, students are reacting well to the change,” Mal-tese said.

“I have had fewer appointments to address student concerns about the redesigned courses than I had antici-pated,” he said.

“I believe that is due to the outstand-ing job our faculty are doing with ex-plaining and implementing the rede-sign courses.”

Nicki KostrzewaAgora Staff

Kosch Catering and Dining Ser-vices has been chosen to provide food service to the college.

Kosch, located in Rochester, Michigan, has been in business for 31 years and currently serves 40 other clients throughout south-east Michigan and northwest Ohio.

Among their clients is Walsh College.

The Frog Leg Inn decided not to return to MCCC this fall. This in turn led the college in April to start looking for other venders.

The college sent out a request for a food service provider, and received five proposals.

Of the five, three were selected to come to campus for an inter-view.

The food service selection com-mittee members included: Sue Wetzel, Paul Knollman, Kevin

Thomas, Vicki LaValle, Lauren Pillarelli, Tom Ryder, and Jean Ford.

Other services that were inter-viewed were Jesse Emmett and Marc Raymond, along with Kim Cousino.

Kosch was started by brothers Gary and Gordie Kosch, when they opened their first restaurant in 1981.

Throughout the years the com-pany grew; it now offers several industry segments.

One reason Kosch Catering was chosen, according to Jean Ford, MCCC’s director of Auxilliary Services and Purchasing, was its strong commitment to accommo-dating the customer.

They will customize menus based on what the college needs. They also will promote healthy meal choices and there will be a variety of daily menus, Ford said.

One thing Kosch plans to bring

to MCCC is going green. Kosch considers itself a very environ-mently friendly business.

“We care about the environment and know that the students and staff at MCCC do as well,” said Elizabeth Sorge, the culinary sales director.

The second thing Kosch hopes to accomplish is to be customer interactive. They plan to change the menu based on the season and customer feedback.

“They have a lot to offer and will bring some new ideas both in menu choices and marketing. I look forward to working with them,” Ford said.

Kosch took over the cafeteria and catering functions beginning with the first fall semester events.

“The site itself is amazing and I can’t wait to work in this kitchen, meet the students and form rela-tionships with all of you,” Sorge said.

Photo by Chris MehkiKosch Catering, which is replacing the Frog Leg Inn Bistro, has been redecorating in preparation for the fall semester.

Kosch Catering arrives at MCCC

Robin LawsonAgora Staff

Options for acquiring books for classes at MCCC can vary as much as brands of jelly for your peanut butter.

The most obvious option, of course, is purchas-ing books. All books that are required for MCCC courses are available in the college bookstore.

But renting books is an option as well.The MCCC book store offers a website for rent-

ing books at http://monroe.rentsbooks.com.For example, if you purchase new the Anatomy

and Physiology 9th Edition textbook, by Edwin Bartholomew, it will cost $225 in the MCCC book-store.

The same book is $169 used in the bookstore.At monroe.rentsbooks.com, you can rent this

book for $54.07 for a 30-day rental. That means that renting a book for an entire se-

mester brings the price to about the same as the used book.

There are other options for enterprising students, however, such as amazon.com, or www.bookrenter.com.

Bookrenter.com rents the same Anatomy and Physiology book for $55.37 for 125 days.

It’s also available for $49.83 for a 90-day rental, $45.96 for a 60-day rental, and $40.42 for a 30-day rental.

In this situation, you can see the advantage of renting the book instead of buying it for the used price of $169.00.

Bookrenter.com’s 125-day rate, which would cover the entire semester, is a savings of more than $100 from the MCCC bookstore’s used book price.

Another alternative is a search engine like www.campusbooks.com, where you type in your book’s ISBN number and the site will search, display and compare a comprehensive list of options so you can decide what works for you.

Of course, a disadvantage of renting a book is that you do not get to keep it.

Ted BossAgora staff

Chuck Kelly, associate professor of computer information systems, has written a textbook on programming techniques for two-dimensional computer games.

The 438-page book, “Programming 2D Games,” has been published by A K Peters, Ltd./CTC Press.

‘Programming 2D Games’ provides a complete and current introduction into the techniques of pro-gramming different types of games.

Students learn how to incorporate each lesson sequentially into their own game engine to create a complete, original game for the class.

Sprites, collision detection, special graphic ef-fects, animation, text display, sound, game dash-boards, tiled games and network programming are some topics covered in Kelly’s book.

Examples of the programs in each chapter are available at www.programming2dgames.com.

Kelly teaches a number of CIS courses at MCCC, including Computer Programming con-cepts, Computer Science I, Computer Science II, and Java Programming, which are being offered in the Fall Semester.

The cover art for the book was designed by stu-dent Nicholas Wilson, who took on the project at the suggestion of his Photoshop instructor, Cher-iLea Morton.

Morton is an adjunct in the Business Division of MCCC.

MCCC offers nine associate of applied science

degrees and six certificate programs in a variety of CIS areas.

Monroe has a 2+2 CIS transfer degree program agreement with the University of Michigan at Dearborn, and two 2+2 CIS transfer degree pro-gram agreements with Eastern Michigan Univer-sity.

MCCC also has one 3+1 CIS transfer degree program with Siena Heights University.

Photo by Chris Mehki

The MCCC book store was busy during the week that Fall semester classes begin.

Robin LawsonAgora Staff

Yes, it is free.MCCC has a fitness Center right here on campus,

ready for your use and enjoyment.Why should a student use this facility? “First of all, it is free for enrolled students,” said

Karen Turner, Fitness Center supervisor.For alumni of MCCC, the cost is $50 per year,

she said:“Also, for reasons of typical health, for your heart,

to keep your weight down and to avoid the dreaded freshman fifteen puonds, and to reduce stress,” she continued.

Turner said the construction of the new Technol-ogy Center should greatly increase use of the Fitness Center because it closes the gap between the Health building and the rest of the campus.

In the past, she said, many students did not come into the center because they weren’t aware of it, unless they were in the Health building for other classes.

This fall, the Fitness Center will be organizing an intramural basketball league on Fridays from noon untill 4 p.m. The first meeting will be Oct. 5.

The Fitness Center fall hours are Monday- Thurs-day, 10 a.m to 7:30 p.m, and Friday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m

Photo by Ted Boss

Kyle Poley, an MCCC student who works in the fitness center, lifts weights in the center.

Math classes redesigned to use computers

Professor finishes textbook

Fitness Center underutilized

Renting books saves cash

August 30, 2012 features mcccagora.com • The Agora | 3

Movin’ on up!

A hot, dry summer allowed construction workers to get ahead of schedule on the new Career Technology Center going up be-tween the Health and Life Science buildings.Top: A worker builds a wall in the hallway that will make its way through the new CTC building.Top right: Construction continues on the large overhang that will lead into the building.Clockwise, from right: - A view of the inside of the portico roof, just as you enter the building.- Floors and wall dividers are put into place to make classrooms. - Finishing touches are being placed on the outside of the build-ing.- Materials are being transported and organized behind the building.- Construction materials wait to be put to use.

Photos by Ashley Locke

August 30, 2012 campus news mcccagora.com • The Agora | 4

Agora staff

MCCC’s decision to close the Whitman Center during spring and summer semesters is getting opposition in southern Monroe County.

In an effort to save the college money in this struggling economy, the MCCC Board of Trustees in June made the decision to close the center during the summer, beginning next year.

The decision was opposed by one board member at the time, and now community members are working to reverse the decision.

“This is really stupid,” vented a frustrat-ed Mary Kay Thayer, secretary of MCCC’s Board of Trustees, who has noted on several occasions that she is the only board member from the southern part of Monroe County.

Thayer said she had been getting phone calls from students concerned about the Whit-man Center being closed for spring and sum-mer semesters.

“People struggle from south county to get to the main campus,” Thayer said.

Thayer isn’t the only person with con-nections to MCCC letting their thoughts be known. Former director of the Whitman Cen-ter, Judith Hamburg, is leading an effort to push back against this decision.

According to Bedford Now, a weekly newspaper in Bedford, Mrs. Hamburg and her eight-person committee are planning on rallying businesses and organizations to pro-mote the center to be open all year- round.

“The Whitman Center is an integral part of the Bedford community,” Mrs. Hamburg told Bedford Now. “The purpose of the center was to have access to the area.”

Two MCCC students, Amanda Seromik and Alice Dewey, along with Dewey’s hus-band, David, were also present at the June board meeting to voice their protest of the

closure. Alice Dewey read a letter written by an-

other student, Katie Macaro, who could not make it to the meeting.

All three offered comments after leaving the meeting.

“It would certainly be a loss for all the peo-ple involved if it closes,” Alice Dewey said.

“I really think this school should be think-ing of expanding it, not closing it,” David Dewey said.

“All of my credits transfer to Owens Community College. I would highly consider transferring there if the Whitman Center was closed during the spring and summer,” Se-Se-romik said.

“I’m really pleased to have it re-evaluated in the fall,” Mrs. Thayer told the Monroe Eve-ning News. “However, there are not as many classes that will be taught there in the fall.”

Thayer attributed the declining enrollment figures at the Whitman Center in part on deci-sions made by MCCC in previous years to cut down or eliminate many of the general educa-tion classes that were previously taught at the center, particularly Biology.

“Biology was a big one. It was always filled,” Thayer said.

MCCC stopped teaching Biology at the Whitman Center after the Fall 2011 semester,

when three of the four sections were canceled due to low enrollment.

“I’m looking at being student centered. We should be taking our classes to students,” Thayer said. “Sometimes you have to spend money to make money.”

Several board members expressed their opinions, still stressing the college’s expens-es.

“This year’s budget is very tight,” said MCCC’s Vice President of Administration, Sue Wetzel, citing a decline in revenue and projections that the decline will continue.

“We’ve really had to look at this from a different perspective,” said MCCC President David Nixon. “We’re recommending some difficult decisions.”

“We’re not talking about locking the doors” said Board of Trustees Vice Chair Bill Braun-lich, referring to the decision to close the Whitman Center only during the spring and summer semesters.

“It’s a very modest change.”“We either lay off people or cut services,”

Bacarella said.“I obviously don’t have support on what

I’m talking about,” Thayer said.“You don’t understand the long commute

many south county students face coming to the main campus,” said Thayer.

She estimated it cost a typical student from the southern part of Monroe County $15 in gas to reach MCCC’s main campus.

MCCC’s Vice President of Instruction Grace Yackee cited a cost analysis done by MCCC that found in the unlikely event that none of the students that attended classes at the Whitman Center chose to at-tend classes at the main campus, MCCC would still save upwards of $15,000 by closing Whitman during spring and sum-mer semesters.

(Agora staff reporters Taylor Pinson and Hannah Boulton contributed to this story).

Autumn JacksonAgora staff

The Whitman Center is starting fall se-mester without a director.

Sandy Kosmyna, director of the Whit-man Center for seven years, resigned over the summer to take a position with the University of Toledo.

Grace Yackee, MCCC’s vice president of Instruction, announced Kosmyna’s resignation in an e-mail to MCCC faculty and staff.

“Since March of 2005, Sandy has served as the director of the Whitman Center in Bedford Township, and has been instrumental in student recruitment efforts and expansion of student services at Whitman,” Yackee said.

Kosmyna lives in Bedford and knows the significance the Whitman Center holds in the community.

She said one of her main goals in di-recting the Whitman Center was giving it a campus feel despite its size and loca-tion.

“Bringing displays and speakers to campus, through funding by The Foun-dation at MCCC, gave students and the community a broader view of the world,” she said.

As center director, Kosmyna had many roles.

She served as a student advisor, a re-cruiter and an operations manager, while also creating and implementing Lifelong

Learning classes and summer camps held at Whitman Center. She served as the MCCC representative at the Source in Toledo, and as a trustee for the Bedford Business Association.

“I was instrumental in acquiring eve-ning security, tutoring, a television for the student lounge, an electronic kiosk, and upgrades in technology for all class-rooms,” she said.

Kosmyna also was the founder and president of the Lake Erie Higher Edu-cation Consortium, an organization that helps colleges collaborate on recruitment efforts.

She said it was important to her to al-ways put students and their education first.

“Students always knew that they could walk in and ask me a question or voice a concern. Students were my number one priority,” she said.

The position of Whitman Center direc-tor will not be filled immediately, accord-ing to another e-mail to faculty and staff from Yackee.

“Instead, the college will be review-ing all activities at the Whitman Center through fall 2012 and subsequently make a determination regarding the position,” she said. “In the interim, several Instruc-tional and Student Services area admin-istrators will be at Whitman to help with daily operations.”

Kosmyna said she thinks the position should be filled.

“I hope that a new director who shares my passion to maintain a center in South County will be hired,” she said.

Kosmyna said she would like to be re-membered most for the informative dis-plays in the Whitman Center.

The displays have included topics rang-ing from human trafficking and AIDS to the Holocaust and environmental safety.

Kosmyna’s new job at the University of Toledo will be in the College of Adult and Lifelong Learning.

She said she chose this position be-cause her favorite part of working at the Whitman Center was “helping students formulate and move forward with their goals through advising.”

Kosmyna resigns as director of Whitman Center

Photo by Autumn Jackson

Sandy Kosmyna stands in front of the “Baseball: Across A Divided Society” display, one of the many exhibits that she brought to the Whitman Center. at the Whitman campus.

Whitman closed spring, summer“People struggle from south county to get to the main campus.”Mary Kay Thayer

Member MCCCC Board of Trustees

Agora photo

MCCC’s Child Care Center recently became available to the public and is now accepting applications for fall.

Agora staff

MCCC has begun to market its child care services to the community, but will no longer keep the center open the entire year.

Currently there are 33 chil-dren signed up for this upcom-ing semester, fewer than a third of the capacity.

Last year at this time, there were 45 children enrolled.

“Right now the plan is to close it for spring and summer,” said Randy Daniels, MCCC’s Vice President of Student and Information Services.

Citing low enrollment and high cost, the decision was one of several cost cutting measures aimed at balancing the college’s 2012-2013 budget.

The closure will take effect next year. It could save the col-lege as much as $80,000 a year, Vice President of Administra-tion Sue Wetzel estimated dur-

ing the budget discussions.MCCC will continue to pro-

vide the service for the fall and winter semesters and intends to work on marketing the center better – reaching beyond the historic client base of students and employees.

According to Daniels, the program is underused even dur-ing the busier fall and winter semesters.

The college has been reach-ing out to clients through many

different marketing techniques; email, radio time, billboards, and signs, Daniels said.

Signs have been placed along Raisinville Road advertising the Child Care Center, and an ad for the center is prominently placed on the college website’s home page.

“It’s currently only at about of a third of its capacity,” Daniels said. “We’re going to try to beef that up.”

College intends to market child care center

The Whitman Center is located at 7777 Lewis Ave. in Temperance.

Bedford group working to reverse decision

“It’s currently only at about of a third of its ca-pacity. We’re going to try to beef that up.”

Randy DanielVice President of Student Services

August 30, 2012 mcccagora.com • The Agora | 5 campus news

Eric BlackAgora staff

Michigan Gov� �ic� �n��� �ic� �n��der made a stop at MCCC over the summer during a series of statewide town hall meetings� The MCCC meeting, which was held in at the La�Z�Bo� Center, lasted just under an hour and saw a variet� of topics brought up, including education spending, Michigan’s recover�, and the proposed International bridge�

The governor, who fielded questions selected from the audi�ence, was as�ed, “Wh� are teach�ers being attac�ed,” a claim he vehementl� denied�

“The teachers are not the issue; however, the educational s�s�tem needs reform,” �n�der said� “Onl� 17 percent of �ids to�da� are college�read�� That’s a troubling figure,” he added.

“We also as�ed for a lower cut in education spending than al�most any other field. We’re also increasing spending for educa�tion on the budget compared to last �ear, but ever�one has to make sacrifices.”

�n�der faced some bac�lash from local protestors, who criti�cized his decreases on public spending for schools and health care as well as the proposed In�ternational Bridge deal between Canada and Michigan�

One sign said, “Forget the bridge� We want health care�”

However, Canada will finance the bridge and ta�e on all of the liabilit� while Michigan is al�lowed to have equal control and operations, according to �o� Norton, Canada’s general consul stationed in Detroit, who joined �n�der at the town hall�

The project could bring up $550 million in federal highwa� revenue to use on Michigan’s roads and construction efforts, Norton said�

“Canada is not proposing to pa� for �our health care,” he said, in response to the protester’s sign�

The proposed bridge, which requires zero Michigan tax pa�er mone�, would also increase trade with Canada from $63 billion to $70 billion, Norton said�

Along with the bridge and edu�cation spending, the governor made note of the Career Tech�nolog� building being built on campus�

“The CTC building is ver� ex�citing to me; it’s a great opportu�nit� to help train more people for s�illed trades,” he said� “There is a definite need for more welders and people in that area�”

Snyder visits MCCC for town hall meeting

Ted BossAgora staff

�tudent government will set its own agenda for the 2012�2013 school �ear, according to Tom �ider, the advisor to the �tudent Government at MCCC�

“Each �ear, �tudent Government is different,” ��der said�

“I don’t dictate what events and activities the students do� I feel that �tudent Government needs to be a stu�dent run organization and I allow each group to pic� and choose their own ac�tivities�

Last �ear’s vice president, Chris Holmes, said �tudent Government did a good job representing communit� in�volvement last �ear�

“This �ear I thin� we could focus more on events that foster interactive involvement from the student bod�,” Holmes said�

He said he thought the Famil� Fun Night and the �weet Hearts Ball were the most memorable events of last �ear�

“Famil� Fun Night brought togeth�er over 1,000 people, and The Ball was enticingl� elegant,” he said�

��der said he won’t �now the direc�tion of this �ear’s student government until after the group elects its leaders in late��eptember�

“It is reall� up to the new and return�ing members to decide what direction the� want to ta�e things for the �ear,” he said�

Holmes said he also supports more

movie nights� “Our movie nights draw big

crowds,” he said�“Our members also support com�

munit� involvement b� hosting �ed Cross Blood Drives and collaborating with the �alvation Arm�, as well as the organization God Wor�s to promote communit� prosperit�,” Holmes said�

��der said he expects another great �ear and is loo�ing forward to wor�ing with another group of students�

“I have a great love and passion for �tudent Government and I just hope that we can continue to do events li�e the Welcome Bac� BBQ, noon con�certs, dances, movie nights and some communit� service activities,” he said�

One of the issues li�el� to be on the agenda this �ear is a “�pirit �oc�,” which was proposed b� last �ear’s �tu�dent Government and is winding its wa� through the approval process�

The concept was approved in April b� the Campus Development Commit�tee, and next goes to the MCCC cabi�net for approval�

Then �tudent Government leaders will wor� with the Maintenance De�partment to find a location for the rock.

People interested in �tudent Govern�ment can contact Tom ��der at 384�4201 or tr�der@monroeccc�edu� The first Student Government meeting will be at 12:30 p�m� �ept� 18 in the Cellar of the A building�

Officers will be elected the following wee��

Student Government picks its own agenda

Student Government sponsored last year’s Welcome Back Barbe-cue.The event took place in the court-yard next to the Lay-Z-Boy Center. Those who attended enjoyed good food, music, and the com-pany of their fellow students and faculty. This year’s barbecue will be Tues-day, Sept. 11 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the lawn east of the La-Z-Boy Center.

Another event sponsored by Stu-dent Government, along with other clubs, was the Halloween Bash in the Cellar.During this event, Student Govern-ment hosted a costume contest in which the participants had to have a dance off in order to place.

By Ted BossAgora staff

MCCC students will join the rest of the count�, state and nation this fall electing a new set of leaders�

�tudents will get a chance to vote for candidates for offices ranging from the MCCC Board of Trustees to President of the United �tates�

Four �ears ago, students across the countr� voted in large numbers for Barac� Obama, helping him become the first black president. This year, he faces stiff opposition from a man with Michi�gan ties, former Massachusetts Gov� Mitt �omne��

�omne�, son of former Michigan Gov� George �omne�, grew up in the Detroit suburbs before going on to a successful business career, which included a stint leading the 2002 Winter Ol�mpics�

The Michigan �epublican Part� opened its office at 40 S. Monroe St. in downtown Monroe in Jul�, �ic�ing off the 2012 campaign�

Bobb� �chosta�, chairman of the Michigan �epublican Part�, said Michi�gan is read� to vote �epublican�

“�emember, we’re the underdog, we have to wor� harder and �noc� on more doors and win from the counties and grass�roots level up,” �chosta� told sup�porters�

The part� is loo�ing for volunteers to help re�elect �ep� Dale Zorn, ��Ida, and to elect former Congressman Pete Hoe�s�tra to replace U��� �en� Debbie �tabenow�

�chosta� also said there is a good chance Gov� �omne� will visit Monroe following the part�’s national convention in Tampa, Fla�

The Democratic Part� has a perma�nent location at 106 West Front �treet in downtown Monroe� The part� chairman is Bobbie Lambert; the phone number is 734� 243�4485 �

Local Democrats on the ballot this fall include Kurt Has�ell, running for Con�gress in the 7th District, which now in�cludes Monroe Count�� U��� �ep John Dingell was redistricted out of Monroe Count�� He now is in the 12th District, which is mostl� Downriver Detroit� Has�ell is tr�ing to unseat incumbent Tim

Walberg�Other Democrats on the ballot include

Larr� Crider, who is opposing �tate �ep� Dale Zorn in the 56th District, and Bill La�Vo�, who is running for the state House in the 17th District, which includes Monroe�

Here are some of the contested races students will find on the ballot Nov. 6:

PresidentMitt �omne�(�) v� Barrac� Obama (D)

U.S. Senate Debbie �tabenow (D) v� Pete Hoe�stra

(�)State Rep. District 17

Bill LeVo� (D) v� Ann �ossio (�)State Rep. District 56

Larr� Krider (D) v� Dale Zorn (�)U.S. House, District 7

Kurt Has�ell (D) v� Tim Walberg

ASH TOWNSHIP�upervisor �obin L� Carmac� (D) v�

Terrence W� Wic�enheiser (�)

BEDFORD TOWNSHIP Trustees: (4 seats) Nanc� Tienvieri (�)

Paul Pirrone (�) Jeffer� Zin� (�) �ic� �teiner (�) Larr� O’Dell (D) �� Mar� Ellsworth (D)

Par� Board: (5 seats) �all� Dunn (�) Garnet Francis (�) Connie Velliquette (D) John Mohr (D) �obert H��� Bom�ea (D) Joan �choc�man (D) Kathr�n �cha�fer (D)

BERLIN TOWNSHIP �upervisor: �ichard L� �eed (D) v� Al�

len �mith (�)Trustees: (4 seats) �obert D� Masserant

(D) Karl �eaume (D) Marvin J� �eaume (D) Jerr� Tomlinson (D) Jim Miller (�)

DUNDEE TOWNSHIP Trustees: (2 seats) �ollo Juc�ette (�)

Tom Win�leman (�) Maril�n Larson (D) Gar� Lazette (D)

EXETER TOWNSHIP

Trustees: (2 seats) Leonard A� Kern�o (D) Thomas W� Boggs (D)

FRENCHTOWN TOWNSHIP Trustees: (4 seats) Jac� Lindquist �r�

(D) Kraig Yoas (D) Hedwig Kaufman (D) Donald Lingar (D)

Constable: (2 seats) Thomas Hoffman (D) Thomas Jen�ins (D)

HURON TOWNSHIP �upervisor: Tom Chiles (D) David A�

Glaab (�) Treasurer: Linda �pangler (D) Gar�

Conle� (�) Trustees: (4 seats) ��P� Lill� (D) Donna

Mendr�sa (D) Larr� O’Kelle� (D) Mar�lene Krause (D) Andrew Lazere (�) Wal�ter McCurd� (�) Michael �tach (�)

IDA TOWNSHIP Trustees: (2 seats) Elmer J� Bowman

(�) �and� �tanifer (D) Constable: (1 seat) Gar� Charter (�)

John Wood (D)

LASALLE TOWNSHIP �upervisor: Peter W� Demra� (�) Tim

De�loover (D) Treasurer: Julie Du�ocher (�) �haron

E� �chreiner (D) Trustees: (2 seats) Thomas Larr� �ut�

ledge (D) L�le H� Curle� (D) David J� Anteau (�)

LONDON TOWNSHIP �upervisor: Larr� Lee (�) Barbara J�

Henle� (D) Trustees: (2 seats) William H� Eadd�

(D) Lero� Zies�e (D)

MILAN TOWNSHIP�upervisor: Phil Heath (D) David P�

Witt�op (�)

MONROE TOWNSHIP Trustees: (4 seats) William Hec� Jr� (D)

�ichard Janssens (D) Amber Pancone (D) �ichard Wilson (D) ��an Timine� (�)

RAISINVILLE TOWNSHIP Trustees: (2 seats) �obert Obers�i (�)

Keith Henderson (D)

SUMMERFIELD TOWNSHIP �upervisor: Kevin �oland Iott (�)

�ichard Garst (�) John �� Chandler (D) Cler�: Tamm� Bleash�a (�) Jamie

Dean (�) Trud� Goodin (D) Zelda Lucas (D)

Treasurer: Joan E� Wiederhold (�) Le�anne Goodin (D)

Trustees: (2 seats) Dale Wagen�necht (�) Gar� A� Missler (�) Tamm� Y� Har�baugh (D)

WHITEFORD TOWNSHIP Cler�: Angela Christensen (�) Patricia

Nide� (D) Trustee: (2 seats) Donald �ahloff (�)

Bernice Heidelberg (D) Christine Hauser (�) Kipp Van Tassel (�)

Constable: (2 seats) Daniel Bris�e� (D) Doug Bulmer (�)

MONROE COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Trustees: (2 seats) James DeVries, Jeffre� E� Grodi, Marjorie A� Knabusch Kreps, Michael Me�er�

Students could make a difference in fall election

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder spoke at MCCC during a summer series of town hall meetings.

Barrack Obama Mitt Romney

August 30, 2012 features mcccagora.com • The Agora | 6

Native Americans gathered at MCCC in June for a traditional Pow-Wow. Spon-sored by the Turtle Island Dream Keepers Native American Organization, the

event was held June 23-24 in and around the Health Building. Above: During the opening procession, flag bearers parade in a ceremonial

circle in the gymnasium of the Health Building, to the beat of drummers Buzz-ing Eagle and Brown Hawk. The honor guard was provided by the All Nations

Veterans Council.Right, Jefferson Ballew, the head male dancer during the Pow Wow, performs a

ceremonial dance. Below: A variety of Native American merchandise was available at booths set

up outside and inside the Health Building.

Agora photos by Ted Boss

Briefly: Dunbar Road closed for first 3-4 weeks of semester

Dunbar Road, one of the main roads to MCCC, will be closed for resurfacing for the first 3-4 weeks of the semester.

The Monroe County Road Commission planned to begin the work on Aug. 27. It recommends stu-dents and employees use M-50, rather than Dunbar, to get to Raisinville Road.

Joe Verkennes, MCCC director of Marketing, an-nounced the road closure to students and employ-ees via e-mails, posting on the college Web site, as well as the college’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

Verkennes said he would keep students and em-ployees updated on the construction schedule.

In another e-mail, he said the construction won’t affect students and employees traveling from the west, because the Dunbar-Raisinville intersection itself won’t be closed.

Upward Bound gets grant; expands to Airport High

MCCC has been awarded $2.5 million over five years to continue and expand its Upward Bound Program.

The grants will allow the college to continue sup-porting at-risk students from Monroe High School and add a new program for Airport High School students, according to Anthony Quinn, director of the college’s Upward Bound program.

The federal Upward Bound Program is designed to help students improve their pre-college and col-lege performance. It serves high school students from low-income families and from families in which neither parent holds a bachelor’s degree.

MCCC will receive $500,000 each year for five years, which will be used to serve 110 students per year. Half of the money will go to continuing MCCC’s already-established Upward Bound part-nership at Monroe High School, which began in 2007 and serves 50 students a year. The other half will establish an Upward Bound partnership with Airport High School in Carleton that will serve 60 students per year.

Former MCCC welding professor Andy Burke dies

Andrew Burke, a former MCCC professor who retired in 2009, died last week in Port Orange, Florida.

Professor Burke, an associate professor of Weld-

ing Technology, was given the status of professor emeritus when he retired.

During his 28 years at the college, he was in-volved in the development of the welding curricu-lum and was a member of the American Welding Society.

In an e-mail to college employees, Grace Yack-ee, vice president of Instruction, said condolences could be sent to his spouse, Tina Burke, at 706 Central Park Blvd, Port Orange, FL 32127, or at tandyaburke@yahoo.com.

Web, database coordinator Beth Waldvogel wins award

Beth Waldvogel, coordinator of Web & Database Services in the Institutional Advancement Depart-ment, is the summer winner of the Enriching Lives Performance Award.

Her talent and hard work were noted by the em-ployees of the department who nominated her.

“Beth is a very talented web designer and a very hard worker. She is devoted to making sure that information disseminated on the website is cor-nated on the website is cor-rect,” nominators said.

“Beth does a tremendous job maintaining the College’s website as a valuable tool for our stu-dents, staff, and community. In this era of instant communication, she is always willing to do what-

ever it takes to make sure that updates are made to keep information flowing – whether it’s during work, while she is at home, or at some odd hour of the day or weekend.”

Math/Science Dean Maltese taking 6-month sabbatical

The MCCC Board of Trustees approved a sab-batical for Vinnie Maltese, dean of the Science/Math Division, from September 16, 2012 to March15, 2013.

In addition to his Science/Math role, Maltese has been serving as interim dean of the Humanities/So-cial Sciences Division for three years.

He has been Math/Science dean since 2006 and before that served for 6 years as a member of the math faculty.

Tornado, fire drills planned for two days in September

Tornado and fire drills will be held in MCCC buildings on two Mondays in September.

Maintenance foreman Jeff VanSlambrouck an-nounced the tornado and fire drill dates for the en-tire school year, so faculty could plan exams and other special classes around the dates.

The first tornado drills will be Monday, Sept. 10, at 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on the main campus, and 11 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. at the Whitman Center.

The first fire drills will be Monday, Sept. 17, at 8:15 a.m. in the Life Science building, followed by Administration, 8:45 a.m.; East Tech, 9 a.m., West Tech, 9:15 a.m.; C building, 10 a.m.; La-Z-Boy Center, 10:30 a.m.; Health, 11 a.m.; and Whitman, 12:30 p.m.

Other fire drills during fall semester will be Tues-day, Oct. 16, Wednesday, Nov. 14, and Thursday, Dec. 6.

Three exchange students at MCCC for fall semester

MCCC is hosting three exchnage students this semester - two new and one returning from winter semester.

Here is how Megan McCafferyu-Bezeau, MCCC’s Youth For Understanding coordinator, described the three students in an e-mail.

Zhuoyan Tan, who perfers to be called Iris, is a 17-year-old girl from China who plans to spend two years at MCCC. She is interested in taking a variety of classes and hopes to become a teacher someday.

Sasa Gavric is a 19-year-old male from The Netherlands who plans to spend one year at MCCC and wants to study journalism and commuication.

He enjoys playing many sports but particularly soccer.In addition to Dutch and English, Sasa also speaks Serbo-Croatian.

Hwi-Ram Jeong is a 21-year-old male from South Korea who arrived at MCCC in January and is studying journalism and mass media.

He enjoys playing the piano and saxophone and demonstrating taekwondo.

Information meetings planned for Study Abroad trip to Spain Four more informational meetings will be held

early in Fall Semester for students interested in the May 2013 Study Abroad trip to Spain and Portugal.

The trip is scheduled to begin in Lisbon, Portu-gal, about May 15, 2013. The group, expected to be about 30 students and three faculty members, will then travel through southern Spain, visiteing cities like Cordoba, Seville, Granada, Toledo and Madrid.

The final week of the 18-day trip will be spent in Barcelona on Spain’s northeast coast.

The times and locations of the informational meetings will be announced next week.

Look for posters around campus for more infor-mation, or contact Journalism professor Dan Shaw at 734-384-4296 or deshaw@monroeccc.edu.

Agora photo by Ted Boss

MCCC student Lezlee Downing, a member of Student Government, was among the students and college employees who maintained a booth at the Monroe County Fair during the first week of August.

Pow-Wow comes to MCCC

Native Americans celebrate their heritage

August 30, 2012 arts and entertainment mcccagora.com • The Agora | 7

By Robin LawsonAgora staff

Students beware: They are coming.Credit companies are aggressively mar-

keting credit cards to college students.Their campaigns usually consists of

three parts: the draw, the pitch and the ego-boosting close, according to the 2012 Consumers Union, the nonprofit publish-er of Consumer Reports.

The draw is often a colorful tent placed strategically on campus property or at popular entertainment or sporting events.

Brightly colored t-shirts and caps, trav-el mugs and water bottles, along with all kinds of other fun “gifts” are given out just for signing up.

They get you to fill out an application, but tell you not to get your hopes up be-cause most students are not accepted.

Next comes the pitch. They tell you all the benefits you get with their card and how your life will be so much better. They point to statements on the applica-tion as they talk, giving you the impres-sion that you needn’t read it as they’ve just pointed out everything important.

Last comes the ego-boosting close. A surprised look comes over the sales per-son’s face as they excitedly tell you the great news — you qualify!

How about that? And if you’re the least bit apprehensive, they reassure you with the magic words, “You can always can-cel.”

No more having to aks Mom and Dad for money — now you’ve got your own card; you’re a grown-up.

It is at this point that the dizziness in your head prevents you from feeling that one foot has just slipped into — the Cred-it Card Trap.

Now comes the part you didn’t see coming: The Trap itself.

If you’re adult enough to get a card, be adult enough to read the fine print. You may find hidden fees. There may be an application fee of $35 which you owe only if you accept the card— and you just did.

There could also a $25 fee for activat-ing the card, which you will do by calling the number on the back.

There might be an annual fee of $55 or more.

All of these go on your first bill and your credit limit for a first time card hold-er may only be $300. You’re up to $115 and you haven’t even charged the first penny.

Let’s say you’re dedicated to being very wise and not charging much. May-be, to break it in you use the card to pay for lunch, just to celebrate, charging $6.

Now we’re up to $121 and you didn’t realize you even owed the $115.

Let’s just say you got your card on the first of June, your billing date could be around the 28th of each month, making your due date approximately the July 22.

Sounds like a lot of time. But when you get your first invoice, you’ve got about 3½ weeks to make the payment. And it’s not $6, it’s $121!

You call the credit card company and they reassure you that you need only make the minimum payment of $20.

Whew! You can handle that. They tell you the truth, but not the whole truth. Be-cause, remember?...you’re a grown up, it was your responsibility to read the con-tract, the fine print.

You mail your payment on time. Ac-cording to your calculations, $121 minus $20 leave a balance of $101. Okay, you’ll pay it off a little at a time and everything will be okay.

Then you get your second invoice. Now, there is an interest charge added of $30.55. Student credit cards carry inter-est rates from 7 percent up to 28 percent and most are on the high side.

Now we’re up to $131.55. Even if you don’t make any more charges, if you are only able to pay the minimum payment each month, with more interest charges it won’t be long before you open an invoice to find a $75 over-the-limit fee.

Not because you charged anything, but because all the interest charges now put you over your $300 credit limit. If you keep on this way, it just gets you deeper and deeper in debt.

You remember the sales person’s words: “You can always cancel.”

You call to cancel and are told that, if you do, the entire balance will be due at once and if you do not pay, you will be reported to all three credit agencies and turned over to the company’s “legal” de-partment, which is where no one trained in legalities works; they’re all collection

experts. Now you get it? They never lie, they just tell half-truths.

According to a 2005 study published by Nellie Mae, a student loan company, an estimated 76 percent of undergradu-ates carry at least one credit card, and 56 percent reported obtaining their first credit card at the age of 18.

The average outstanding balance on undergraduate credit cards was $2,169, and 79 percent of undergraduate credit card holders regularly carry a balance, ac-cording to the study.

Good credit can open doors for things like renting an apartment, getting a loan for a car, or even buying a house.

Bad credit can put even the most basic essentials out of reach and make bor-rowing money more expensive, or in the

worst case, impossible.A mistake you make when you are 18

will stay on your credit report until you are 25.

Some students report receiving literally hundreds of credit card offers each year, according to a survey by the USPIRG.

Some states have placed restrictions on how credit cards can be marketed at pub-lic colleges and universities.

With financing from the Ford Foun-dation, USPIRG has begun a national campaign urging schools to adopt some common-sense principles that would help keep students from the “opportunities” of falling into the Credit Card Trap.

According to a 2010 report in the Wall Stree Journal, even if you make your pay-ments on time for many years, missing

even one payment can result in a high late fee and a drastically raised interest rate, which makes you look less credit worthy.

If you started with a credit card limit of $300 at 29 percent interest and after a year are up to $1,000 credit limit at 11 percent interest, credit companies see you as more credit worthy.

But if your limit goes down or your interest goes up, it displays you as less credit worthy.

In 2008, USPIRG found that students are using their credit cards at alarming rates. They reported that 76 percent of students visited the tent tables when they were on campus, 66 percent said they had at least one card already, 24 percent con-fessed they were paying late fees and in-terest payments, 15 percent said they also paid over-the-limit fees, and 6 percent

reported their card had been canceled for non-payment.

This study surveyed over 1,500 stu-dents at 40 schools and universities in 14 states.

You may live at home now, but after you start your career, you will want to get into a good apartment complex and even-tually buy your own house.

Building up your credit in your college years will open the doors to do just that.

Many apartment complexes waive the security deposit for applicants with good credit. Car companies lower interest rates and require lower down payments with good credit, saving you hundreds of dol-lars.

Protect your credit. It’s in your own best interest.

Buyer beware of credit card traps 20 tips for winning the credit gameTip 1: Beware of easy credit of-

fers. If it sounds too good to be true...you know the rest.

Tip 2: Don’t let the sales person rush you. Believe me, this offer will still be here later.

Tip 3: Realize that credit card companies are the only ones to benefit from this deal, even though the salesman uses a well prac-ticed speech to make you believe this is all for your benefit.

Tip 4: Read everything first be-fore making any decision.

Tip 5: If you aren’t ready for a credit card, take the free gift, but decline the card. Tell them the in-terest is too high. Walk away.

Tip 6: Ask questions before sign-ing on the dotted line. What are all the fees associated with this card? Make the sales person di-vulge them all. But just in case ... do read the fine print!

Tip 7: Not all Credit Card Compa-nies are created equal. Compare them. Don’t take the first offer that comes along.

Tip 8: If a card has a $29 a year annual fee, which will be due on your first bill, then budget yourself accordingly. Don’t charge anything until you pay your first bill of $29, if that’s all you can afford, and pay it early just to make sure the pay-ment posts before the due date.

Tip 9: Only charge what you can afford. If you feel you can afford about $40 per month, charge only $40 each month and make sure to pay it off on time to avoid inter-est charges.

Tip 10: Use the card for necessi-ties if you can’t afford to splurge. Buy the book you need that your student loan or grant didn’t cover. Get more supplies. Because if you pay only the minimum payment due each month on a $1,000 bal-ance with an 18% APR (Annual Percentage Rate), by some esti-mates you’ll spend seven years and an additional $1,731 in inter-est to pay back what you owe.

Tip 11: Look for a card with a low APR and either no annual fee or a very low one.

Tip 12: Make sure you pay your other bills on time, too. Some cred-it card companies will raise your interest rate even if you always pay your credit card bill on time and in full. That’s because they take into account your bill-paying history with other creditors. If you fall be-hind on your other bills, your credit card interest rate could rise.

Tip 13: Check out the 2012 Con-sumer Reports article about the best and worst credit cards, based on feedback from 36,000 Con-sumer Reports readers. The web-site is www.consumerreports.org.

Tip 14: Never take cash ad-vances. The interest rate on cash advances is generally higher than the interest rate charged on pur-chases made with the card. When you make your credit card pay-ments, the card issuer will apply your payments to the lowest inter-est rate items first, allowing the debt to mount on the higher inter-est rate items, such as cash ad-vances. If the company sends you

“checks” for cash advances, tear them into many pieces and throw them away.

Tip 15: If you manage your credit card online, be sure to set up email alerts that keep you in-formed. Many card issuers allow you to set up alerts that tell you when a payment is due, or when you are close to or exceed your credit limit. With your busy school and/or work schedules, time flies. Put your due dates on your wall calender and LOOK AT IT; pick one day each week to go over bills.

Tip 16: Never, never loan anyone your card, no matter what. And just as important, don’t use your card as a loan to pay for some-thing for someone else, especially if they get to keep the receipt.

Tip 17: Keep things simple by carrying only one credit card. If you must have a credit card, one is all you need to build a good credit profile of on-time payments.

Tip 18: After making on-time payments for 6 months, ask the credit card company to lower your interest rate.

Tip 19: Get educated about credit. Visit Consumer’s Union’s website creditcardreform.org.

Tip 20: This is perhaps the most important tip of all: If you get into credit card trouble, get help. Don’t be afraid to ask a family member for help. A little bit of help now can save you a lot of grief in the future. You can also contact a consumer counseling agency in your area to get advice. Learn more at www.nfcc.org.

Nearly half of America’s college stu-dents are at schools that encourage stu-dents to use credit cards.

WJBK Fox News in Detroit reported recently “that as many as 900 colleges are pushing students into using payment cards that carry hefty costs, sometimes even to get their financial aid money.”

Colleges and banks rake in millions from the fees, often through secretive deals in apparent violation of federal law, according to a report by The Asso-ciated Press.

Nearly half of higher-education stu-dents, — more than 9 million students — attend schools that have deals with financial companies, according to the AP report.

“Now bank middlemen are making out like bandits using campus cards to siphon off millions of student loan dollars,” says Rich Williams, the lead

author of a report by the United States Public Interest Group.

“Programs like Higher One shift the cost of handing out financial aid money from universities, which no longer have to print and mail checks to fee-paying students.”

Mario Parker-Milligan, a 23-year-old student body president at Lane Com-munity College in Eugene, Oregon, realized in less than a semester that he was paying way too many fees to High-er One, the company hired by his col-lege to pay out students’ financial aid on debit cards.

The extra fees were incurred by using the card and from ATM fees when with-drawing cash.

“The school presented this option as a faster, cheaper way for the college to get the students their money,” Parker-Milligan said.

“It may be cheaper for the college, but it’s not cheaper for the students.”

Higher One founder and Chief Oper-ating Officer Miles Lasater defended his company against charges of excessive fees, according to an Associated Press report.

“We are commited to providing good value accounts that are designed for col-lege students,” he said, adding that its the responsibility of students to under-stand the company’s fee list when they sign up for an account.

In other words, it’s your fault if you don’t read the fine print before you sign.

Lasater also cited a study commis-sioned by Higher One that found that the median fees charged to each of the 2 million students with Higher One ac-counts totaled $49 annually.

However, Higher One charges $50 if an account is overdrawn for more than

45 days, $10 per month if the student stops using their account for six months, $29 to $38 for overdrawing an account with a recurring bill payment and 50 cents each time the student uses a PIN instead of a signature system at a retail store.

Higher One currently has agreements with 520 campuses that enroll more than 4.3 million students, about one-fifth of the students enrolled in colleges nationwide, according to the USPIRG report.

Higher One isn’t the only company making deals with universities.

Under its contract with Huntington Bank, Ohio State University will receive $25 million over 15 years, plus another $100 million in loans and investments for the neighborhoods around campus.

Florida State receives a portion of ev-ery ATM fee paid by a student.

Some colleges push students to use cards

By Nicki KostrzewaAgora editor

Let me just say something, if there is one thing in the world that I am not a fan of, it’s rap music.

I just never got into the beats or the lyrics most artists used. It just wasn’t for me. However, after find-ing the youtube band Dumbfoun-dead, I can actually say that I like

one rap song! The song is entitled “Are We

There Yet.” It talks about a wom-an’s hard struggle to bring her fam-ily to the United States for a better life, then of two teens who are fall-ing in love, and the last segment

is when the artist asks himself, “Is now the time to think, I am there?”

I know it sounds cheesy, but it is a very different way to look on rap.

Use your words to inspire. Music was made to sound beauti-

ful and elegant, not trashy and out of tune.

Thank goodness that rap is start-ing to take a turn for the better.

Finally, a rap song for meReview

Momma had a dream, but she gave it up for meAnd my sister raising kids, man that ain’t a cup of teaNow she ain’t have no cheese, but took us to Chuck E. CheeseSomewhat of a G, living life so sucka freeTold her what I want to be, she was cooler than the breezeSupportive as a beam, cause I knew she had believedIf it were up to me, she’d be treated like a queenThe life of luxury, filled with shiny pretty thingsNow I was only three when she brought me to the StatesMy sister only one, crossing borders wasn’t safeWhat she did was very brave, I think about it everydayFrom Argentina to Mexico, and finally LAYes, she made it really far, someone give her an applauseGot herself a job, an apartment and a carBut the struggle isn’t over so I keep doing my partStraight spittin’ out them bars that’ll get us to the stars

Tell me momma, are we there yet?Jonathan Park

mcccagora.com • The Agora 8August 30,

2012sports

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Ted BossAgora Staff

Monroe High graduate Audie Cole intercepted two passes for touchdowns in the Minnesota Vi-kings second preseason game.

The first interception was for 20 yards, and the second interception came in Buffalo’s very next pos-session for 30 yards.

“He seems like one of those guys who maybe has a knack for making the big play,” said Leslie Fraizer, Vikings head coach.

Both interceptions were in the fourth quarter, extending the Vi-kings lead and helping them defeat the Buffalo Bills 36-14.

“I was just in the right place at

the right time,” Cole told the Mon-roe Evening News, when asked about his performance against the Bills.

A native of Monroe, Cole gradu-ated in 2007 with four letters in sports his senior year.

He lettered in football all four years for Monroe High at the quar-terback position, three of those years as the starter. He also played on defense.

Cole was recruited by North Carolina State to play the line-backer position and recorded 176 tackles for them.

Cole was drafted 210th overall in the seventh round by the Min-nesota Vikings.

Ted BossAgora Staff

Fans speak of Matt Stafford and Calvin Johnson when they consider the critical keys to the Detroit Lions future.

But what they are overlooking is the need for a great running back like what Mikel Leshoure is expected to be.

I don’t care if it’s Leshoure, Smith or Best, but someone needs to be a threat running the ball, and Leshoure is the best choice.

Best would be a good choice also, but he is prone to concus-sions. Running backs and con-

cussions are not compatible, and once a back has had more than one, their futures are sketchy at best.

Smith is also accident prone and fragile, so it is up to Leshoure to be what they cannot: A durable back that can get the tough yards when they need them.

Leshoure injured himself in training camp last year and did not get any playing time his first season.

This not only crippled Le-shoure, but it also hindered the Lions, who were unable to pro-duce yards when they were need-ed most.

That’s why Leshoure is so valuable to this year’s game plan.

Coach Jim Schwartz said that he is capable of getting the “tough yards,” and that is why they drafted him. This should give them something they didn’t have the second half of the 2011 season: the threat of a running game.

No one is more important to what happens to the Lions than Stafford, who threw for more than 5,000 yards, and Johnson, who had a great year receiving. But Leshoure can take the pres-sure off of Stafford by getting the tough yards Stafford had to gain with his arm last season.

Detroit was 5-1 when Best was in the lineup, and was 5-6 with-out him. Best gave the Lions the edge they needed and will need to again this season.

I believe that coach Schwartz will have to look at Mikel Le-shoure to help the team and be exceptional on and off the field.

Our first look at Leshoure was in game three of the preseason, where he had six runs for a total of one yard.

Let’s hope when he is able to play in the third game of the reg-ular season — following a two-game suspension for substance abuse — he is able to perform at a higher level.

Cole “in time”

Week 01:

Cleveland Browns @ De-troit Lions — Loss: 19-17

Team LeadersPassing: S. Hill 83Rushing: J. Bell 89Receiving: C. Johnson 39

Week 02:

Detroit Lions @ Baltimore Ravens — Win: 27 - 12

Team LeadersPassing: M. Stafford 184 Rushing: S. Green 92 Receiving: C. Johnson 111

Week 03:

Detroit Lions @ Oakland Raiders - Loss: 20-31

Team LeadersPassing: Moore 87Rushing: Williams 22Receiving: Long 43

Week 04 :

Buffalo Bills, Thursday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m.Home: Ford FieldTV: ABC

Lions quarterback Matt Stafford throws to Calvin Johnson in training camp.

Lions need strong Leshoure; hope for shot at playoffs

Former Monroe High School star Audie Cole now wears the uniform of the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL.

Monroe grad making most of his chance at the NFL

Lions preason schedule and results