Washtenaw’s sterling grounds crew gets an early start on summer
 Alan Traxler/Contributor 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 of seasons for this beautification, but WCC’s grounds crew is also hard at work to make the school look its best. “When I see the beautiful tulips starting to come up, I know somebody cares,” said Dorothy Ford, a 62-year-old Ypsilanti resident studying business management. “You can see their heart behind it.” Maintenance and beautifying WCC’s campus falls on the shoulders of the grounds crew year-round. The department is overseen by Facilities Management and its Associate Vice President Damon Flowers. The grounds crew, consisting of 12 full-time and two part-time employees, operates under an annual budget of $1.3 million – covering workers’ pay, tools and mechanical work for the motorized carts driven around campus by workers.
 Dorothy Ford, 62, of Ypsilanti, admires the tulips outside the Student Center. (Adrian Hedden/The Washtenaw Voice) Flowers is certain that the money is worth the effect that an eloquent campus has on visitors and potential students. He ventured that WCC is unique in the amount of undeveloped space on campus. Flowers expects more than 10,000 plants will be given root at WCC this summer. “The appearance of the campus is an extremely high priority. It’s the first impression,” Flowers said. “The grounds are the first thing you see coming onto campus. Compared to Schoolcraft or Wayne County Community College, we have way more natural space than them.” That space is tailored to the college’s wishes in rain or sunshine. Many on the crew take pride in their jobs and especially in perfecting the schools image for visitors. “You do something different every day,” said Harry Doone Jr., a groundskeeper who worked at Washtenaw from 1998 to 2003 and rejoined the team this spring. “We’re trying to button everything up and get it ready. The better it looks, the better we look.” While Doone is busy weeding the afternoon grass around the community park, another groundskeeper has been at work since 4 a.m., picking up trash and removing debris before the day has even started. “It’s rewarding,” said Kelly Johnson, who has worked on the crew for two years this spring. “You get to make the college look pretty. It’s great.” Johnson explained how the crew starts picking up trash at 4 a.m. and continues until about 6 or 7 a.m. when cars start arriving. They then proceed with the various tasks for the day. This season, the work generally consists of weeding and removing dead material, renewing the campus from winter stress. Due to unseasonably warm weather this spring, the grounds crew started its summer efforts earlier than normal, according to Flowers. He is excited that the work will be completed by early May, before Memorial Day. “The warm weather did cause a push,” Flowers said. “We put a lot of efforts into the spring this year.” Flowers applauded the tireless efforts put forth by his groundskeepers. Aware of the intensity of the labor, he maintains that the work is not for everyone. “It takes a certain type of person to work grounds,” Flowers said. “They work in harsh situations. I think we have the right people in those jobs.” Carl Weathers knows it’s the job for him. An outdoorsman his whole life, Weathers wouldn’t have any job, especially one that puts four walls around him. “I enjoy groundskeeping because it’s nice to be outside,” Weathers said. “Even in the winter, it’s better than being indoors.”
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, some out of baby bottles. The mother thought it had the same nutritional value as orange juice. That’s when Tyson Gersh, then a researcher at the clinic, began his mission. “In Detroit, there is a complete disconnect between people and their food,” Gersh said. “It’s like a food desert. Advertisements exploit people who don’t know any better.”
A gardener all his life and former student at Washtenaw Community College, Gersh feared that residents in the city purchase the bulk of their food from gas stations and convenience stores. With a board of seven members, he founded the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative (mufi) in 2011 to foster the acquisition of naturally produced food for a city that he sees starving. “It was humbling to see how much is already in place, but a lot still needs to be done,” Gersh said. “Many community gardens get set up and then sit unused. They are unable to grow into legal non-profits.” mufi plans on not only growing food on the wealth of vacant land surrounding the building, but to strengthen the urban farming movement in Detroit by offering workshops and other resources to inform those interested in what needs to be done and how they can help. Purchasing an apartment building on Brush Street at a Wayne County tax auction in 2011 for $5,000 out of pocket, mufi has until the spring of 2012 been in planning stages. To complete renovations on the Brush Street co-op, Gersh is looking raise $300,000 through donations and fundraising events in the community. “We’re looking at a long-term revitalization of Detroit through urban renewal and we have the resources necessary,” Gersh said. Gersh also enlists the help of volunteers on mufi’s planned work days. On the first workday, he was impressed to see 200 volunteers show up to remove debris and raise garden beds. Gersh maintains about 15 regular volunteers who work on the project around 20-30 hours a week. “It’s a big building and there is a lot that needs to be done,” Gersh said. “It is hard work, but you are contributing to what is going to be a very permanent asset to the community and something that is aesthetically pleasing as a nationally recognized hot spot for sustainable agriculture. We need volunteers.” The building sits near the site of the proposed light rail train linking Ann Arbor to Detroit. Not far out of Detroit’s downtown in the city’s north-end, mufi’s board is optimistic for its potential visibility. “It’s a location that would have a lot of exposure to businesses and employees,” said Darin McLeskey, director of operations. “The north end has not seen the same amount of investment as other neighborhoods near downtown.” When studying for a master’s degree in environmental engineering in 2011, McLeskey realized that he wouldn’t have to go far from his hometown of Pinckney to elicit change. The 21-year-old made a drastic change of plans: he would now stay in Michigan to help solve the food crisis in its biggest city: Detroit. “Going to college, I just wanted to move away,” McLeskey said. “The more I learned about sustainability, I realized that the grass is not always greener on the other side. There are problems in all major cities. I realized I need to stay here and make a difference, utilized my skills here in my own backyard.” According to McLeskey, Gersh’s main concern is for the social implications of the problem and solving it one person at a time. McLeskey believes his duty is to focus on the economics of the organization, planning out the gardens and figuring out the costs associated with mufi’s various installations. “It’s about being more sustainable, economically,” McLeskey said. “We’re just looking to save residents money. It doesn’t make sense to keep going out into the wilderness and constructing things. We’ll end up leaving a path of blight and destruction.” No one on the board is more aware of this blight than mufi’s Director of Development Darnell Adams. The 26-year-old lived in the Motor City all his life and studied urban planning at Michigan State University. He graduated in 2009 and now works as a research analyst for the Detroit City Council. Familiar with the city he grew up in, Adams was excited to hear about mufi from a co-worker at Detroit’s Enrichment Center, where he works part-time. “In Detroit we have a lot of poor nutrition, a lack of fresh fruit and veggies,” Adams said. “We need to allow our community to feed themselves. Now that we have the drive and initiative to pull all the other organizations together, we have a huge vision.” Aside from the Brush Street Co-op, mufi has two other projects in the works. The organization is looking to restore a two-unit greenhouse at Concordia University, pending the school’s merger with Concordia Wisconsin and to partner with Citizens Enriching Rehabilitation through Agriculture (certa) to give patients who’ve suffered severe brain injuries a chance to work on their community as they heal. Parties interested in volunteering at mufi can visit its website at miufi.org and fill out an application to be sent straight to Gersh. Gersh is looking forward to several work days over the summer and is presently taking all comers looking to help.
Washtenaw golfers impress recruiters, despite short game struggles
A strong breeze blew over the green as Carl Beniben practiced his putting for Washtenaw Community College’s Club Sports golf team. As the gusts blew harder and harder, his bag leaned tenuously into the spring air. It tottered in the wind until slipping into the grass – snapping the shaft of Beniben’s driver. His team was set to challenge Cleary University the next day. Beniben adapted and played through the tournament, unphased. Hitting his drives with a 3-iron at 235 yards into the wind, Beniben was able shoot a 90, 10 strokes out of first place. He was quickly approached by Cleary golf coaches looking to sign the 25-year-old business major from Dexter to their roster. The WCC team beat Cleary in the tournament, to remain undefeated with three wins. “My precision impressed them,” Beniben said. “My short game kinda let me down, but that can be worked on. I’m not trying to crush the ball.” Beniben ultimately passed on offers from Cleary. He hopes to transfer into a higher level of competition than Cleary could offer, such as Ferris State University. However, Randy Norris, Beniben’s Washtenaw teammate, embraced Cleary as he was offered two years of fully paid tuition to golf. He’ll enroll this fall. The 24-year-old from Ann Arbor admits to struggling on the green, but was able to excite coaches from Cleary with his drive and approach shots. His drives averaged 310 yards. After a season of practicing around his course load at WCC, studying business management along with a full-time job, Norris is ready to move on. “I was fortunate enough to play at WCC. I impressed the coaches at the tournament (against Cleary),” he said. “I hit the ball long off the tee, but my touch has gotten much better. There’s not a whole lot of time to practice with work, but whenever I get a spare half-hour it’s practice, practice, practice.” After golfing throughout high school and at St. Clair County Community College, Norris was offered a scholarship to play at Concordia University, but still could not afford tuition. Having found a more convenient avenue for his talents at WCC, his sights are now set on joining the National Golf Association’s Hooters Tour after college. To Norris, the tour signifies a stepping stone into the national level. “People around me have more confidence in me making it than I do,” Norris said. “I guess it’s about conquering my own self-confidence. Thank you to WCC for giving me this opportunity.” Norris attributed his success and that of his teammates to the teachings of coach Jason Towler. Towler works closely with players at their weekly practices at Ypsilanti’s Eagle Crest Resort, critiquing their swings at first on the driving range and then in the course itself. “We’ve been good from the start,” Towler said. “Everyone loves golf. It was hard to pick a team. We had a huge turnout. This season we’ve really got back to the fundamentals, the basics, and we’ve been doing amazing against the bigger schools. These guys don’t give up.”
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. Which makes her walk across the stage to get her Medical Office Assistant certificate that much more satisfying. Lynoa McKnight took her first class at Washtenaw Community College in 1989, and her path to graduation has been fraught with pitfalls. “It was a long road, but I’m finally completing,” McKnight said. “I’ll just be glad when the day comes.” The daughter of Diana McKnight-Morton, the vice chair of WCC’s Board of Trustees, McKnight had been dabbling in communications at Washtenaw before leaving the school for the workforce in 1990. She worked at Bally Total Fitness in Ann Arbor until her son was born in 1994. With a sick father, suffering from diabetes, and a new son struggling with autism, McKnight felt she had too much responsibility to her family – so her return to WCC would have to wait. “I had lost interest and focus,” McKnight said. “I was still young, and I became discouraged. She (her mother) said ‘We need to get you a better job.’” Despite health problems in her family and a busy schedule starting at TCF Bank in 1999, McKnight had always been encouraged by her mother that WCC was the place for her. “She’s been a real trooper,” McKnight-Morton said. “She’s dedicated and very conscientious about getting her work done. She’s had some roadblocks, but she’s persevered through.” After losing her job to downsizing at TCF in 2008, McKnight spent the next three years unemployed. As she began to find herself again, her time off soon gave way to a return to WCC, where she began studying to become a medical assistant. “I just said ‘This would be a great opportunity to go back to school,’” McKnight said. “The break really helped me realize that I should go there. My mom pushed me to look at other opportunities in different fields.” Inspired by the very health concerns in her family that had once prevented her from continuing her education two decades earlier, McKnight chose to study medicine. And when she started anew at Washtenaw, her mother begged her to finish before McKnight-Morton’s tenure on the board concluded. But the trustee wasn’t alone in the push for her daughter’s academic success. Dean of Student Life, Arnett Chisholm, a counselor when McKnight began in 1989, worked with her throughout her academic career. Chisholm was a family friend who came highly recommended, and right away he identified an issue and admonished McKnight to slow down. With a pattern of high level success in some of her classes and low scores in others, Chisholm recommended a more deliberate pace. “This repeat cycle told me that she’s not a bad student. She always had the intention to finish her degree,” Chisholm said. “We paced a study schedule and got her with instructors that I felt were best for her learning style. Seeing her success gave her the confidence to continue.” Over the past few years, McKnight and Chisholm have found success in their efforts. Wary of school at first, McKnight is now proud to say that her certificate is now within grasp. “I was kinda scared,” McKnight said. “I’ve had a hard time learning, and I was psyching myself out worrying if I could do it, who would watch my son. But then I just buckled myself down. I did this for myself, but I really did it for (her mother) and Arnett.” She knows she owes them, too. “If I needed anything,” she said, “they had it for me.” And so did Washtenaw Community College.
When the days begin to grow longer and spring air moistens the breeze coursing between buildings of Ann Arbor’s downtown, no area bustles with more activity and foot traffic than the bazars down on Main Street. “Ann Arbor is a really pretty town and Main Street is a great place to walk around,” said Audrey Garrett, a 24-year old resident. “Even if you don’t have a plan, it’s great to just wander around finding something to do. There are always people playing music and artwork to look at, and it’s nice to be able to sit outside at the restaurants.” Among Garrett’s favorite spots to take in the allure of Main Street, the Jolly Pumpkin sits near the corner of Liberty and Main, like many restaurants in the area, it offers a wealth of street-side seating for the impending warm-weather crowds. Traffic is heavy, but the sidewalks are even busier as citizens are out in flock to the numerous shops and restaurants, looking to further a pleasant day out. Others are headed to work, a tragedy in such lovely weather on one of America’s most renowned main streets. But they all have one thing in common: they walk. Peggy Lynch, a lawyer for Masco Corp., resides in the neighborhoods that generously outline downtown. She was glad when the weather took a turn for the warmth, now free to travel by foot throughout her hometown. “I really like the walkability and the fact that there are little neighborhood businesses that I can walk to from my own home,” Lynch said. “It’s a nice little downtown and the key reason I live here.” Lynch also appreciates a strong sense of community from the local business on Main Street. When people come down on Main Street and spend money, they are supporting the city itself, she noted. A man from Denver, Joe Sokolowski, was found with a video camera enjoying the sights and taking in Main Street’s bustling atmosphere. The 58-year-old automotive service worker was in town for his niece’s graduation and feels optimistic as he watches the metropolis come to life. Sokolowski said he visits Ann Arbor about every five years and that he is glad to see very little change over the years. “They’ve kept it together really well. You can still see some 70s influence in the architecture,” Sokolowski said. “It stands out as holding its age.” The longevity of Main Street’s look and its thriving business sector leaves a sense of economic optimism for Sokolowski to take back to Denver. “I wouldn’t say it’s vibrant, but it is comfortable,” he said. “It feels like things are on the up-swing economically. It’s a nice time.”
Ryan White, a 22-year-old resident of Ann Arbor has attributed the city as his hometown his entire life. After traveling across Europe and many other parts of the world with his wife who is from Russia, the account executive never forgot the Main Street of his home.
“The sounds of the street, being downtown, and the aromas are soothing in their own right,” White said. “I’ve been all around the world, seen all different scenes and Ann Arbor’s got something special. It’s got that big city feel with small town qualities you couldn’t find anywhere else.” Another passerby, Robin Sefton has lived in Ann Arbor since 1969. In the 40-plus years of her residence, the 42-year-old employee at the local Hands on Museum feels like she is around friends, soaking in the sidewalk rays on a sunny afternoon. “I feel safe in this downtown,” Sefton said. “I don’t always feel that in other cities. I would say it’s a friendly town, especially downtown.” Looking for a luxurious meal or drink? Hoping to catch a show or take a video home to watch? No matter what you plan to take from Ann Arbor’s Main Street, The Voice has got you covered. We elected to spotlight a few of the most renowned spots on the street so that you’ll know where go this summer when your travels take you down on Main Street.
The Ark 316 South Main Street World renowned for the variety of acoustic musical acts to pass through its doors, The Ark sits on Main Street as the largest non-profit venue in town. With daily performances planned all summer, The Ark is a place to consider for the lover of live music. The Chop House 322 South Main Street A classy take on the steak house, The Chop House boasts a large dining hall and a menu specializing in prime-cut, USDA-certified beef. A decorated establishment, The Chop House reigned as the sole recipient of Wine Spectator Magazine’s Award of Excellence from 1994 to 2003 and won Main Street Venture’s President’s Award in 2011. There are four locations nationally, with restaurants in Maryland and West Virginia as well as one in Grand Rapids. The Heidelberg 215 North Main Street A German-inspired pub and card hall, this restaurant is preferred for its wealth of international, especially German ales and spirits. With three different establishments within its walls the Heidelberg has something for everyone. Drinkers can mosey into The Rathskellar for a multi-tap and other drink options, those looking to dine on traditional German fair should try the Alpine Dining Room and those looking to test lady luck can be found in the Heidelburg’s poker room. Vault of Midnight 219 South Main Street Offering a vast array of comics and videos, Vault of Midnight is a one-stop-shop for mediaphiles throughout Ann Arbor. It’s newly opened Ultralounge plays host to numerous rock concerts and movie screenings in the Vault’s basement. The Real Seafood Company 341 South Main Street Providing locals with authentic, New England seafood since 1975, The Real Seafood Company boasts a vast array of fresh catches, printing a new menu weekly to adhere to the tides of its prized seafood and respected fisherman. The restaurant maintains close relationships with the experts that provide their delicacies, inspecting the New England facilities and having the fisherman inspect the restaurant’s kitchen to maintain the highest standards in seafood. Jolly Pumpkin 311 South Main Street A local favorite for Ann Arborites looking for a tasty meal and nightcap, Jolly Pumpkin has been facilitating merriment on Main Street for a little more than two years. Despite its green status in the local bar scene, Jolly Pumpkin has an in-house micro-brew that commands the attention of even the most season craft beer drinker. They even craft their own spirits in-house.
 A group of Health and Fitness Center members begin waiting as early as 4:30 a.m. for the doors to open. (Adrian Hedden/The Washtenaw Voice) Before the first stretch of a day’s education is even a twinkle in the eye of most students, Jim Coleman of Ann Arbor and his friends are wide awake and raring to go. Meeting in front of the Health and Fitness Center, preempting the gym’s 5 a.m. opening, Coleman’s band of exercise aficionados are ready to attack the weight machines, treadmills, swimming pools and other facilities offered at the HFC. As the sun is just beginning to warm the morning air, members of the group are chuckling at their own dedication to early morning fitness. “We have empty lives,” Coleman said. “This fills that great big void. It’s a loosely knit group that meets about five days a week.” Approaching the HFC already dressed in swimming trunks and sandals, Coleman is one of the later arrivals at 4:50 a.m. The group typically begins congregating around 4:30 a.m. in numbers varying from small bands of six to larger congregations of more than 20, according to security officer David Cluverhouse, who typically monitors the opening of the HFC’s doors each morning. “Some days, there’s a half a dozen by five, other days, you’ll find 20-something people just waiting to get in the door,” Culverhouse said. “Some people keep those New Year’s resolutions and some don’t.” Linda Perry, operations manager at the HFC, is happy to accommodate such commitments. The group has been readily served at the wee hours of the morning since the facility’s opening in 2008. “They’re here at the crack of dawn,” Perry said. “Here without fail regardless of the weather. Most of them are early risers and have positions that require them to be places early in the day. They want to get their workouts out of the way.” Over the years, as the gang’s daybreak patronage has continued, a familiarity has been established that Perry and her crew have grown to cherish. “They’re mostly regulars,” Perry said. “We pretty much know them by name. It’s absolutely a good thing; we’re happy to have people come this early.” Steadfastly waiting for staff at the HFC to grant them access to the amenities, many members of the group are shy about speaking of their workout habit, only offering first names to Voice reporters. A patron from Plymouth who introduced herself as Char has been a customer of the HFC since the beginning in 2008. She is proud of the camaraderie that has been built through the meetings under the day-commencing sunrise. “It’s a little group, but we’ve become great friends over the years,” Char said. A Dexter patron, Mary, uses the center on a daily basis, and when a recent broken stepper machine was replaced on March 21, she rejoiced although slightly indigent at how long her routine had lacked that necessary piece of equipment. “We’ve been missing our steppers for a long time,” Mary said. “It’s about time they were replaced.” While often embarrassed by the self-professed obsessive nature of the group, Mary encourages others to join up with her friends outside the HFC entrance to exercise before the sun has risen. “It’s wide open,” she said. “Come on in; it’s a great group.”
Despite a sea of parking lots sprawled across Washtenaw Community College’s campus and a four-level structure erected this year to house vehicles, WCC’s 131 handicap parking spots have been breached. Alvaro Medina, a 56-year-old business major from Ann Arbor has been frustrated with able-bodied motorists parking in the more conveniently located handicap spots. “Everybody should have a special sticker to prove it is you because some people are cheating,” Medina said. The most common threat to the sanctity of handicap parking, according to Director of Campus Safety and Security Jacques Desrosiers, is the use of legitimate handicap-registered vehicles by drivers without any physical health complications. “Our biggest problem with handicap parking is young people who borrow cars from possibly a grandparent for the convenience of using the spots,” Desrosiers said. “That’s a little selfish.” Despite implications of morality, or lack thereof, when parking in handicap spots to save time, many students brazenly insist on taking these liberties anyway. A female student in clear violation of the rule was confrontational when speaking with Voice reporters. Unfriendly and annoyed, she would provide no personal information as she sat defiantly studying in her Suzuki atop and between the blue lines painted in the asphalt. “I don’t have time to find a spot,” said the violator. “Please go so I can do my homework.” Desrosiers asserts that CSS routinely patrols the lots, searching for any of the multitude of violations to policies in place. Although handicap parking violations aren’t the most common of infractions, Desrosiers says his team does not take them lightly. “If we see it, we will enforce it and write a ticket,” Desrosiers said. “We’ll generally look around the dash board to see if they have any tags or stickers.” When issuing a ticket, CSS officers file it to the local court system immediately for processing. In Ann Arbor, the fine for parking in a handicap parking spot is $125, according a2.gov. The fine also increases depending on the time after the ticket is issued. Leaving tracking and punishment to the judicial institutions depending on what county the car is registered to. “We take it right to the court,” Desrosiers said. But the problem still remains, according to some students. “There clearly is a need for more – and closer – handicapped parking,” handicapped student Kate Conat wrote in an email to a Voice reporter. “I love being a student at WCC and enjoy most of my classes immensely, but just getting to and from them can be a real test of endurance.” Conat said she feels there isn’t enough handicapped parking close enough to some of the buildings. “The three that seem to me to be hardest to get to are the Student Center, the Gunder Myran building and the Crane Liberal Arts and Science building,” she added. “Generally speaking, I’ve been able to find handicapped parking at both the Business Education and Technology and Industrial buildings. As SC, GM and LA are three of the busiest areas of campus, however, the lack of close handicapped parking for these buildings creates a true hardship.” Eastern Michigan University takes care of handicap parking misuse a little differently. Sporting a larger campus and more lots, campus police at EMU require that handicap drivers register with the university to make tracking of improper tag-use less difficult. There are 117 students registered for free handicap parking of the more than 20,000 enrolled at EMU this year. “I have written hundreds of tickets for misuse or fraudulent use of H-tags,” said an EMU campus police officer, Donna Carcone “I don’t think the students know how serious it is. It makes my job easier when EMU issues handicap tags, because the student has been validated.” According to Carcone, violators can be fined up to $500 and be sentenced to 30 days in jail. Although WCC’s security officers are on the case as well and out in full force to stop the abuse of handicap parking spaces, students whose conditions beg the use of such spots continue to find themselves trolling the lots in search of adequately close parking. “I feel I got lucky today,” said a registered handicap driver and nursing major Doug Etcher, 32, of Ann Arbor, as he exited his vehicle in one of the specially marked spaces. “Usually I have to drive around to find a (handicap) spot.” But school administrators are certain they have done everything possible for handicap drivers. Director of Facilities Management Damon Flowers told Voice reporters that the campus is actually lush with the sectioned-off spots, but admits that their placement is not always ideal. “The school has plenty of handicapped parking spaces,” Flowers said. “They might not be where everyone would like them, but we have more than enough.” Flowers points to lax guidelines from the government and the fluidity of lot layout at WCC making it difficult to assign adequate H-spots to certain buildings. The only lot specifically tailored to a building on campus sits across Huron River Drive at the Health and Fitness Center. “By law, building codes and the Americans with Disabilities Act, handicapped parking spaces are close to buildings,” Flowers said. “But there’s really nothing that talks about where they should be located by elevation.” The number of handicapped parking spots is determined by how many plots of land are in use and what they are being used for. There is no finite number of parking spaces required based on the building. According to Flowers, the college uses a formula to determine the number of regular parking spaces needed. Roughly, 278 square feet of campus building equals one parking space. “If this place was a McDonalds, the regulation would tell us exactly how many spaces were required,” Flowers said. Flowers suggested moving handicap spots from the third floor of the parking structure down to its ground-level where seven already reside. *Voice staff writer Nathan Clark contributed to this report
After a series of focus-group sessions throughout the community, Washtenaw Community College officials came to an alarming conclusion: The college has an image problem. For too many students considering college as an option, WCC doesn’t exist, according to one local school principal.
That must change, WCC administrators vowed after getting an earful in the December and January sessions. “It became apparent that to the school districts, the superintendents, the principals that Washtenaw does not have a presence in those schools,” said Linda Blakey, associate vice president of Student Services. “I was sitting in one of those sessions and a principal said to me: ‘You don’t exist in our schools. Even the military has a presence. You guys are like, not there.’ We need to address this lack of presence.” As part of a new strategic initiative, administrators are looking to re-tool the college’s marketing program to better connect with traditional students coming from high school, hoping to establish WCC as a more viable option. “WCC is not often even on the radar,” Blakey said. “We need some sort of marketing push.” Blakey is excited about the college releasing a publication similar to WCC’s “Career Focus,” entitled: “College Focus.” This magazine would be geared towards high school seniors in the midst of making decisions regarding higher education, according to Blakey. She also looks forward to a possible alumni campaign to inform potential students of past successes had at WCC. She even mentioned another publication featuring stories about successful alumni: “Alumni Focus.” Their stories could even be told on bus signage, she added. “When people have had a positive experience, they want to talk about it,” Blakey said. “The point is to make the community, as a whole, aware of the classes and services we offer, so that you can get an affordable, quality education.” Interim Marketing Director Wendy Lawson explained that past pushes have been primarily to promote how the college can fill certain jobs with its academic and vocational programs. She believes students coming in from high schools have been ignored in the shuffle for job placement and that a campaign focusing on enrollment is now necessary and imminent. “In the past, we have only advertised specific programs,” Lawson said. “To be honest, we haven’t done a campaign based on enrollment like this.” Lawson looks to President Rose Bellanca as having led the charge this year toward better interactivity with possible customers of the college. “We have a new president who is very engaged in the community,” Lawson said. “She is very interested in creating partnerships and being the community college for the community.” Trustee Richard Landau is convinced that the college must now deploy more fashionable and communicative means of reaching future students via multiple forms of media. “What we’re looking for is trying to speak more directly with potential constituents,” Landau said. “And in a way that encourages them that WCC is a first choice.” Landau charged the college to be more aggressive in bringing in new students and contended that the days of relying on recommendations from guidance counselors be brought to an end. “From billboards to social media, we need things that speak more directly to people rather than relying on other schools’ administrators to tout us,” Landau said. “It’s time that we tout ourselves. Sometimes, the best way to get a kid on the bus is to take his hand.” Lawson intends to take that hand on as many platforms as possible, even turning over social media efforts to select, interested “student ambassadors.” “We will use Facebook, tweeting and blogs for this,” Lawson said. “Our ambassadors will be tweeting and blogging about their experiences to create a good image for the college.” To other administrators, an evolving marketing campaign follows an ever-shifting tide of student inclinations and will continue to evolve over time. “As the demographics change, so do their interests,” said Board of Trustees Chair Pamela Horiszny. “Things tend to get stale. Sometimes you have to shake things up.”
Club Sports’ top pitcher signed to Cornerstone University
 Chris King Washtenaw Community College’s Club Sports program is sending its first prospect into university play this year. Right-handed pitcher, Chris King, 21, of Grand Ledge, signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Cornerstone University earlier this Spring-season. He still has four years of eligibility since WCC’s recreational leagues run unsanctioned by any intercollegiate athletic organizations.
Coach Brian Moeglin wrote letters about the pitcher to several schools last year after King recovered from reconstructive surgery on his left ankle eight months prior to the first pitch of 2011. In the three years that King pitched varsity for Grand Ledge High, he was undefeated with 15 victories. “He sold himself with the way he played and his hustle,” Moeglin said. “He’s got a live arm. I’m sure they’ll use him as a starter.” Redshirting at Concordia prior to his WCC tenure, King broke a bone and tore every ligament in his ankle playing basketball in 2011. He was studying at WCC when he noticed flyers from Club Sports, encouraging interested students to play ball. “He had a defeated attitude at first,” Moeglin said. “But he came out here, he saw the competition and that’s when he realized: ‘I can play.’” Moeglin was impressed by King’s aggression on the mound and his team spirit. “He has a nice curve and a lot of movement on his fastball; he throws hard and he throws strikes,” Moeglin said. “He works well with the defense.” According to Moeglin, King comes to practice when his schedule allows, assisting and joining in drills to help the team and stay in shape before his first season of university-level competition. King’s coach believes he will succeed in more than just baseball at Cornerstone. “School has always come first for him,” Moeglin said. Director of Club Sports, Erica Lemm toiled with King at furthering his studies in sports management while he was at WCC. She sees King as the quintessential success story to come out of Club Sports, her first player signed to a university. “He truly is the student-athlete,” Lemm said. “He’s an excellent team player and very teachable.” King believes Cornerstone is the right place to further his abilities on and off the field. He feels a connection, both athletically and internally to the Grand Rapids school and its Golden Eagles. “I look forward to the opportunity to continue my education at a four-year school,” King said. “And spiritually, to represent God through baseball.” King will be given a scholarship of $2,000 a year to play at Cornerstone. If he plays well, he believes the school will grant him more funds to continue. A lover of baseball his whole life, King looks forward to a life steeped in the sport. “I would just like to work in baseball, even in ticket sales,” King said. “Just to be around it. I love the game.”
Over the past few months, a high school student from here in Ann Arbor has been crusading to lower the rating of a film called “Bully.” Katy Butler, of Greenhills High, has argued that despite being strewn with graphic dialogue and violent subject matter, the film must be seen by her and her peers with or without parental consent. Butler cites that the nature of the film addresses the travesty of adolescent harassment by a young student’s classmates and is thus more topical and relevant to her age group than any other. Quickly garnering media attention for her aggressive, large-scale petitioning, Butler has made claims that every child should see this film. Anyone could see the movie at will if not for the “R” rating that its “f-bombs” have earned. Accompanied by a parent or guardian over 18, children can always be taken to R-rated films and have been able to since the ratings were implemented. It’s nice to think of children being brought to a highly artistic albeit adult-themed movie by their parents, and of them explaining the graphic nature. We love to picture them hoping to cultivate their offspring into adult personalities that are well-adjusted to the horrors of the modern world through years of sensitive exposure and cautious conversation. Why then does Butler seem to think that this will not happen with “Bully?” Why does she want students to take it upon themselves to see the film and take for granted that they will not duplicate the behavior but learn from it? Because she knows she is out of options. The truth is that parents don’t take their children to see films like this, hoping to derive some life lesson. In the age of the media blitz that is the Internet and the growing distance its obsessive use has created between families, the aforementioned communication sadly does not exist. Indifference in the family is alive and well – and rampant. Parents simply throw their hands up when met with the complexities of Facebook and YouTube on top of their own difficulties relating to a generation they seem to have less and less in common with as time goes on. So the rating gets changed and kids are left to educate themselves on right and wrong and the horrible impact bullying can have on their peers. My parents taught me this: no name-calling, no teasing. I resisted at first, but they stayed strong. I resorted to calling them names, but they never gave up being my friends and mentors. True, I still enjoy a good rib here and there, but I know where the border between sanity and “too far” lays. It started with my parents. Now that the rating of “Bully” has been changed, children are to parent themselves in theaters as they watch. They are all they have left in this desert of parental apathy. I’m glad they get to see it and talk amongst each other, but parents need to re-evaluate what this could mean for future generations. As the Motion Picture Association of America, one of the most secret and powerful parental advisory commissions has been brought into question by this lone teenager, parents must ask why? Why has their power been stripped? What have they lost? Answer these questions, suck up your pride and request your kid be your “friend” on Facebook, or rather ask them how it works. It might change your relationship from provider to teacher and prevent the impending childhood anarchy that your “cool” and disturbingly removed parenting may very well cause.
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