Culture
Digital Media Arts Gala 2012 brings prominence to student artists
In one of the most anticipated—and anguishing—days of the year…
A rescue mission for the birds
“Bing, bing,” the alarm sounds, signaling feeding time for a group of baby…
Charity puts up a formal fight against cancer
When Helen Sweet was 9 years old, she lost her best friend, Lisa Costello, to cancer.
Tugg.com brings obscure films to the masses
When Tugg.com co-creator Nicolas Gonda was traveling the world doing…
Sports
Broken clubs, but sturdy dreams
A strong breeze blew over the green as Carl Beniben practiced his putting for…
Reviews
Campus Events
Monday, May 7, Spring and Summer semester begins
Cleary University Visitation
Representatives will be available to answer questions from students interested in transferring from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on the second floor of the Student Center
Tuesday, May 8, Oakland University Visitation
Representatives will be available to answer questions from students interested in transferring from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on the second floor of the Student Center.
Wednesday, May 9, Eastern Michigan University Visitation
Representatives will be available to answer questions from students interested in transferring from 1-5 p.m. on the second floor of the Student Center.
Concordia University Visitation
Representatives will be available to answer questions from students interested in transferring from 1-5 p.m. on the second floor of the Student Center.
Thursday, May 10, Eastern Michigan University Visitation
Representatives will be available to answer questions from students interested in transferring from noon-4 p.m. on the second floor of the Student Center.
Scatterball Thursday
Students interested in a fresh take on dodge ball can meet at the community park behind the Student Center to play from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Friday, May 11, Outdoor Karaoke
Those looking to sing can get their chance from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the community park behind the Student Center.
News
Trustees raise tuition 4.7 percent, but hold line on other fees
After a month-long delay, the Washtenaw Community College Board of Trustees approved an across-the-board increase in tuition rates by 4.7 percent, amounting in a $4 increase for in-district students.
College pulls ’chute on dragway vehicle test
The 521 big block cubic inch engine inside of a Ford Mystic Cobra growls as Auto Services teacher Mike Duff backs the multi-colored beauty out of the garage inside of the OE building.
More than two decades later, graduation still beckons
The 1,797 students applying for graduation this year have all completed their requirements at their own pace, many of them overcoming a vast array of obstacles to get to where they are today. For one in particular, conquering her adversity has been a long time coming.
Summer enrollment down sharply
Enrollment for the 2012 Spring/Summer semester declined by double digits compared to last year
Bellanca reflects on first year, family and WCC
It’s no secret that Washtenaw Community College President Rose Bellanca enjoys her job. Whether she is eating lunch with a group of students, or asking for feedback from the faculty on how to improve the college, Bellanca loves what she does.
When she arrived last August, Bellanca said, she knew the reputation Washtenaw had, but was surprised to experience it first-hand.
Is Congress ‘going postal’ on our mail service?
NORVELL — This little town about 30 miles southwest of Ann Arbor may soon lose a landmark, the village post office.
“The post office is a piece of the fabric of the community,” said Norvell Township Supervisor Adam Ulbin. “People who live in the village all use this post office.”
It would be the end of a long era. Norvell has had a post office for 174 years. Harvey Austin was appointed postmaster in 1838 in a building on what is now called Austin Road. The current post office, one mile further north, was opened in 1943.
News Briefs
Veteran services on campus.
Brittany Powers, a Veterans Administration healthcare representative, will be on campus twice weekly throughout the spring and summer to help veterans enroll in VA health services and answer questions.
She is located on the second floor of the Student Center every Monday from noon-4 p.m. and Wednesday, 9 a.m.-noon. For more information, contact her at Brittany.powers@va.gov.
Parking structure closed until June
Due to remaining construction and minor repairs, the parking structure will be closed until June 10. The structure will reopen June 11. Campus Security will still be located in the structure and can be reached from the sidewalks on the north side of the building.
International Film Festival in A2
The Michigan Theater will host the first Cinetopia International Film Festival May 31-June 3. The festival will feature more than 30 films, a lecture on 3-D films and a special program on 3-D technology. For more information, visit http://michtheater.org/cinetopia.
Security Notes
The following information is reported from redacted incident reports provided by Campus Safety and Security:
Car fire
Campus security officers extinguished a car fire in lot 6 on the afternoon of April 4.
The black, 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix’s engine caught fire due to an internal oil leak, said Jacques Desrosiers, director of Campus Safety and Security.
Larceny
A woman reported to Campus Security at 4:11 p.m. on April 24, complaining that a bag of tools may have been stolen from her car. She had left it on the second floor of the parking structure, unlocked, and returned to find that the items were missing, according to the campus crime log.
Police: parking structure fisticuffs didn’t happen
An alleged assault in the parking structure last month has been deemed unsubstantiated, police said.
Campus Security sent out an alert via broadcast email last week that report, filed on March 27 and the subject of a Page One story in The Voice on April 9, was false.
Director of Campus Safety and Security, Jacques Desrosiers declined further comment on the matter.
In the initial report, a student told police of an attempted car theft and assault, saying he was hit by a lone assailant. Campus security officials told Voice reporters that the student then left campus following the alleged attack and returned with his mother later that evening to file his complaint.
Wildcard
All good things.. Reflecting on our issues
The 2011-12 staff of the Washtenaw Voice, arguably the most decorated college newsroom team in Michigan with first-place General Excellence awards in two statewide contests and a third place Best of Show award at the national college media conference, shares a few memories of their year with the newspaper.
PARKS AND REC
The city of Ann Arbor is full of fun and interesting things for college students to do during the summer. Unfortunately, some of these activities are costly and cannot be done every day. For students who are looking for fun and free…
Summertime fun in ypsilanti
Over the summer there is plenty to do and see at the Riverside Arts Center in Ypsilanti. Between the Theater, Gallery, Russian Ballet Studio and Yes Yoga there should be plenty of drama, moving, stretching and dancing through the summer.
SDA plans slate of summer activities
Throughout the Student Center renovation and the Spring and Summer semesters, Student Activities plans to continue business as usual, with the exception of the weekly events like Make it Take it Mondays, Trivia Tuesdays and Where’s Waldo Wednesdays.
Art abounds, get cultured this summer
With a sloped economy making a summer job notoriously difficult to find, it is safe to assume many of us will find this summer to be filled with free-time. Instead of wasting that time on…
Hollywood reloads for Busy Summer Season
As the weather gets warmer, the sun blazing down upon the Earth now until the late hours of the evening, Hollywood and movie theaters are heating up as well.
The IMAX experience
The advent of 3D filmmaking has become a plague upon my local movie theater.
‘Batman’ marketing goes viral; breaks out in Ann Arbor
After a grueling wait for fans “The Dark Knight Rises” campaign kicked off into full gear on April 30 with a series of Bat graffiti placed stealthily in hundreds of locations around the globe—including Ann Arbor.
Oh Captain, my Captain: A salute to the man behind The Voice
Walk into the newsroom of The Washtenaw Voice, and one of the first people likely to greet you might be Keith Gave, adviser to the newspaper.
When he tells one of the stories from his glory days as a roving reporter, the image that might come to mind is that of a loud, smoke-filled newsroom full of reporters tap-tapping away at typewriters and working the phones trying to meet copy deadlines.
Tune up for a musical summer
Summertime, and the music is…everywhere.
It’s that time again, when concert promoters target seasonal audiences and put out the best tours and festivals of the year. This summer is no exception with a wide variety of musicians visiting the state of Michigan.
Student-led urban farming initiative to bring sustainability to Detroit’s north end
A mother with six small children visited the University of Michigan’s School of Dentistry at a Detroit’s Women and Infant Children office, and all of them were drinking Faygo orange pop…
Washtenaw’s sterling grounds crew gets an early start on summer
As the Sun’s summer rays begin to warm Washtenaw’s campus, the natural beauty of the college comes alive. Students can thank the changing…
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Opinion
Saying thanks to those who matter most
It may sound like a cliché, but does it seem like this year has passed quicker than others?
For us here at The Washtenaw Voice, the 2011-12 school year has been an interesting and in some cases brief one. We started this year with a group of roughly 10 employees that were tasked with putting together 18 issues of the newspaper, each with at least 16 pages of content. Journalists are no math experts, but by our count that leaves us with at least 288 pages of content to produce during the year.
For dreams that came true, thank you, WCC
Where do I even begin to recap my time at Washtenaw Community College and more importantly, my time with The Washtenaw Voice? The first word that comes to mind is: unbelievable.
Voice roars with 52 awards in statewide newspaper contest (UPDATED)
MT. PLEASANT – The Washtenaw Voice walked off with an unprecedented 52 awards, including first in General Excellence (best overall) at the annual Michigan Community College Press Associations conference.
In 30 categories judged, The Voice took 14 firsts; seven seconds; 12 thirds; and 9 honorable mentions in various newswriting, photography, design and multimedia categories.
Voice Box
Unless Congress acts, the interest rate on student loans is set to double on July 1, going from 3.4 to 6.8 percent. The Voice asked students how they feel about the increase and how it afects them.
“Didn’t Obama take over so banks wouldn’t control the interest rates? I’ve had loans before and never had a problem. I guess that’s one more thing Obama has screwed up.” GREGG GILLESPIE, 53, Ann Arbor, Computer Networking
“There should be a way of keeping the interest rate low because education is so important. It’s really sad that it’s getting so expensive to go to school. Thankfully, I don’t need any more financial aid.” CHARLES STEWART, 48, Ann Arbor, Math Science
“I don’t like it. I take out student loans be- cause I need them. I just got started going to school. They’re asking us for more money we don’t have.” KEONTAY TAYLOR, 22, Ypsilanti, Nursing
“The interest rate shouldn’t be raised. They’re making it more difficult to pay off loans. The higher interest rate will affect people’s deci- sion to go to school.” DENEE BROOKS, 41, Ypsilanti, Applied Science Alumni
“It’s not fair to increase the burden on young students who need loans. The higher cost will discourage people from going to school.” HARVEY SEARL, 22, Willis, Liberal Art Transfer
“The higher rates will make it harder to go to school. I’m not using financial aid right now, but what will it be like when I need to use it. I have a low-paying job.” JOHNNIE BARAJAS, 20, Westland, Journalism
“The government has to do what they have to do. I don’t like hearing that the interest rates are going up, but I understand.” CAMERON WILSON, 20, Ypsilanti, Secondary Education
“Raising the rate is a bad idea. It will discour- age people from getting loans. The higher rates mean it might take longer for students to pay them off. Their student loans will end up following them for the rest of their lives.” TOM DOCHODA, 18, Ann Arbor, Math Science
Street Voice
Street Voice is a one-time student publication by The Washtenaw Voice that examines homelessness in Washtenaw County.
Download the print version [PDF - 24 Megabytes]
View the Street Voice section of washtenawvoice.com to read the articles online.