the valley vanguard (vol. 45 no. 21)

Saginaw Valley State University’s student newspaper since 1967Vol. 45 No. 21 valleyvanguardonline.com

news tips/press releases [email protected] newsroom (989) 964-4482 advertising (989) 964-4248 visit us online at valleyvanguardonline.com

VALLEYTHEVValley VanguardMonday, March 18, 2013

Inside A6

More than 135 exhibitors filled the Ryder Center selling crafts such as stained glass, metal art and yard ornaments at the Keepsake Collection Folk Art and Craft Show.

Inside A3

Dozens of students from several faith-based campus organizations spent their spring break abroad on mission trips.

Inside A5

Led by senior catcher Chet LaFave, the baseball team opens GLIAC play at Northwood this Wednesday.

For the second year in a row, students from Tai-wan’s Ming Chuan University will live, study and teach on the SVSU campus this summer.

Building off the trial run study abroad program that brought 43 Ming Chuan students to SVSU last year, a group of 25 Ming Chuan students will arrive in Saginaw this June to takes classes for university credit, in addition to leading a free Mandarin Summer Camp open to middle school, high school and college students.

“Last year was just a test run,” said Carine Yang, assistant to executive director of American Ming Ch-

uan University. “We want to make it official, run an-nually, to bring students here.”

The students who will host the camp come from Ming Chuan’s Department of Teaching Chinese as a Second Language. Many of them have the goal of be-coming Mandarin teachers.

“They are trained students, and this will be an in-ternship for them,” Yang said. “It will be exciting for them.”

The camp runs from July 8 to July 30, 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. The program features a wide range of activities through which stu-dents will learn the Mandarin language and Chinese culture, including singing, drama, calligraphy and more.

“We expect that many of the students will be

from the younger generation, and we will focus on the simple Chinese conversation and writing and song,” Yang said. “We just want them to have fun.”

While Yang said they expect a certain number of younger students, the program will be organized to accommodate learners of all levels this year.

“This year will be different because we will sepa-rate the students according to their level of Chinese proficiency,” she said. “Hopefully, we can get three classes: basic, intermediate and advanced.”

AMCU is working with the College of Education to share information about the camp to local school districts.

“Our goal is to recruit local students aged 12 to college students,” Yang said. “We hope to recruit 40 to 50 students.”

Interested students can download a registration form from amcu.mcu.edu.tw/en or contact Carine Yang at [email protected]. Students can also visit AMCU in the Regional Education Center, Room EA 125.

A four-week summer Mandarin program for SVSU students will also be supported by Ming Chuan University this year. The chair of the honors program, professor of English Elizabeth Rich, gathered a group of 15 honors students to study Mandarin at Ming Ch-uan in late May.

“We hope this will be long term, since AMCU is officially located here,” Yang said. “We hope this serves as a platform for Chinese training and cultural communication.”

Established in 1957, Ming Chuan University is the first and only U.S.-accredited institution in Asia. It became the first Asian institution with a branch in Michigan after American Ming Chuan University was established in SVSU’s Regional Education Center in October.

The relationship between SVSU and Ming Ch-uan was facilitated in large part by President Eric Gil-bertson, Ming Chuan President Chuan Lee and Rob-ert Yien, who served as the vice president of academic affairs for SVSU for more than 20 years and now holds that same title at Ming Chuan.

The American bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki happened nearly 70 years ago, but are still a subject of debate.

Peter Kuznick, associate professor of history at Ameri-can University in Washington, D.C., came to campus to show his documentary, “America and the Atomic Bombing of

Hiroshima and Nagasaki” and discuss the event with students and faculty in attendance.

A renowned scholar of the history of nuclear energy and the Cold War, Kuznick spoke on the issue for last week’s Barstow Humanities Seminar. Kuznick recently collaborated with Oliver Stone on a series of documentaries titled “The Untold History of the United States,” which intend to pro-

vide an unconventional ac-count of some of 20th century history.

Kuznick believes that one of the biggest problems sur-rounding the bombing of Hiro-shima and Nagasaki is the con-tinual emphasis on the “heroic narrative about America’s in-volvement” that deems Ameri-cans as victors and claims that the bombing ultimately saved lives by ending World War

II. Kuznick believes that text-books in high school are teach-ing children today the wrong narrative, leaving out critical information and providing a misconstrued perspective that leads to a false understanding of the brevity of the bombing.

“I want people to get the other perspective,” Kuznick said. “I want people to really think and to question what re-ally happened, from the stand

point of humanities and hu-man decency.”

Kuznick’s ideas question the Truman administration and its decision to officially bomb the two cities.

“We should have avoided the bombing and changed the surrender terms (of Japan),” Kuznick said. “We could have saved many lives. The logic just doesn’t make any sense.”

The need for more biology classes and stop signs were hot topics along with main-taining campus safety in Arbury practice rooms at last Thursday’s President’s Forum.

Students and staff in attendance brought to SVSU President Eric Gilbertson’s attention the need to keep the campus safe and reliable.

Dylan Kosaski, chair of the Student As-sociation Student Concerns Committee and a biology student, said that biology majors are in need of another section of the microbi-ology course offered through their program.

He said that the microbiology course is only offered in the fall semester. So, if a stu-dent misses taking biology 111 A, B or C, or any other prerequisite for the microbiology course, the student could fall drastically be-hind in their program.

Kosaski said that microbiology is a big part of the entrance exams and the GRE. He said that since students normally take grad-uate school entrance exams in their junior year, if they are off-track in their program, they might have to wait an extra year to complete their education as well as be fully prepared for their exams.

“I feel if it were offered in the winter semester as well, it would give students an extra semester to catch up on prerequisites,” he said.

Kosaski plans to begin a petition for an additional section of the class. He will start asking for signatures from premed students after talking to the Dean of the College of Science Engineering & Technology, Deborah Huntley.

“We add classes up until the semester starts,” Gilbertson said. “We drop and add courses all the time. If a critical number of students need (the class), then that is some-thing we should look at.”

Student Association President Ted Goodman also brought up the question of technology fee increases for online courses.

He said that some of the association has noticed in signing up for classes that there is an additional fee associated with those types of classes.

“There are additional costs associated with those courses,” Gilbertson said. “There are additional support costs that go along them. The question we always have to ask with any fee, is who is going to pay for it?”

For example, fees associated with music classes for students who are using an instru-ment can be expensive. Gilbertson said that it would not be reasonable for everyone to have to pay that fee.

“There is no perfect formula. It takes some judgment at every level. Some courses cost more, a lot more,” he said.

Gilbertson said that this is an issue that is looked at every year.

Student Association Allocations Com-mittee Chair Bethany Thrun represented

Vanguard photo | Alyssa EllisPeter Kuznick, associate professor of history at American University, visited SVSU to show his documentary about Hiroshima and World War II.

Courtesy | Carine Yang Students from the Roberts Fellowship Program met with Robert Yien, Ming Chuan vice president of academic affairs, at an informational breakfast to learn about Ming Chuan and Taiwanese culture.

Sister school to visit & host Mandarin camp

‘Peering’ into campus safety, traffic concerns

Debating Hiroshima

By Marie Nesbitt Vanguard Staff Writer

By Justin BrouckaertVanguard Editor-In-Chiief

By Brandy Abraham Vanguard Campus Editor

See MING CHUAN, A2

See HIROSHIMA, A2

See FORUM, A2

Visiting speaker raises questions about World War II atomic bombings

Vanguard photo | Taylor LaPlaceStudents brought thier issues and concerns to President Eric Gilberston at his monthly forum

The Valley Vanguard valleyvanguardonline.com125 Curtiss Hall [email protected]

campus editors Brandy Abraham e-mail [email protected] Rachel Stocki e-mail [email protected] office (989) 964-4482

News coverage continued from page 1

Page A2| Monday, March 18, 2013 | valleyvanguardonline.com | The Valley Vanguard

jumpthe

Police briefs are written according to reports from University Police. These indicate preliminary descriptions of events and not necessarily actual incident.

Fire report• At 1 p.m. Monday, March 11, police were

called to Living Center Southwest for a fire alarm. Upon entering, they could smell smoke and in one room a sprinkler had been activated due to a fire in a garbage can. Officers spoke to the resident, who admitted that he had been smoking marijuana and had left the room after depositing the hot ashes in the garbage can. Minor damage was caused to his room and there was some water damage done to his as well as an adjacent room.

Property Damage• At 8:50 p.m. Tuesday, March 12, a

22-year-old nonstudent struck a deer while on Bay Road, causing minor dam-age to her vehicle.

Suspicious activity• At 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 19, a 19-year-

old male student reported that while using the bathroom in Brown Hall, he noticed a hand with a cellphone reach-ing under the stall door attempting to take a picture of him.

• Between 9 and 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, a 19-year-old female student reported that while studying in the library, a 45-year-old male nonstudent ap-proached her and introduced himself to her. He began talking with her and began asking her to come over to where he was. The student became uncom-fortable and he left after she told him she would not. Ten minutes later, he returned and insisted she come over to sit with him. She told him she had to leave and left the library.

Larceny• At 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26, a 21-year-old

Kuznick discussed the Soviet Union’s declaration of war against Japan, which caused the Japanese to make surrender agreements with America and the So-viets in the first place. However, since American troops did drop the two bombs on Japanese cities, the alliance between America and the Soviet Union was affected, which, as Kuznick point-ed out, led to the hostile relations dur-ing the Cold War.

Monika Dix, assistant professor of Japanese language, literature and cul-ture, said the lecture failed to address the differing perspectives that Kuznick believed were so important for today’s youth to be aware of.

“I found it problematic that the film focused exclusively on the Ameri-can perspective of the atomic bomb at-

tacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” Dix said. “The agenda of President Truman was emphasized over and over, but we did not get to hear the voices of the Japanese.

“I don’t think that you can speak of differing perspectives because the emphasis was clearly on America de-stroying Japan as the primary goal, no matter the cost.”

Dix said that she still believed it was important for students to attend the lecture.

“The communication of the expe-riences of Hiroshima and Nagasaki fac-es a major problem: the few remaining atomic bomb survivors are aging rap-idly, and once they pass away, we need new ways to teach future generations about the disaster of nuclear destruc-tion and the importance of peace,” she said. “It is important for our students to realize that the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was not just an isolated tragedy of the past.”

John Baesler, assistant professor of

history, hopes that Kuznick’s argument allowed students to view these mo-ments of time in new and innovative ways, as well as question the presence of nuclear technology in today’s world.

“I hope audience members gained an appreciation of the ‘what ifs’ of history,” said Baesler. “At certain mo-ments we can imagine events taking a different turn if circumstances change only slightly. This is an empowering message because it reminds us that we too can shape history and make a dif-ference.”

“A second important aspect of the talk was the idea that Americans would be well advised to consider how their actions are perceived by others,” he said. “Possession of the nuclear bomb made the United States an, at times, intimidating and frightening presence on the world stage, which is something most Americans do not fully compre-hend.”

Yien facilitated Ming Chuan’s U.S. accreditation following his retirement from SVSU in 2007, and was the first person to sug-gest that an overseas trip to Asia be included in the Rob-erts Fellowship Program, a leadership seminar for SVSU students formed in large part from a generous donation by Donna Roberts, former head of Dow Chemical Co.’s legal department and secretary to the Dow CEO.

A visit to Ming Chuan University is included in the three-week trip that Roberts Fellows make each May.

tour guides during the meeting. She said that tour guides are finding that another stop sign is needed in the Pine Grove Lot, before College Drive, at the intersection.

“When they are giving tours, it is really, really scary for them,” she said. “And that is got a good experi-ence (for prospective students).”

SVSU Police Chief Ron Trep-kowski agreed with the students that another stop sign should be placed there to prevent any unnec-essary incidents.

“As a tour guide, you see things others don’t,” Gilbertson said. “If it is an intersection, there should be a stop sign there.”

Considering campus safety, an SVSU music student who regularly uses the Arbury practice rooms, lo-cated on the second floor, said that some of the practice rooms do not lock and that mirrors located in the room allow outsiders to “peer” into the rooms while students are prac-ticing.

“There are weird ways that the mirrors are set up,” she said.

She requested that the mirrors be put on the doors instead of the wall so outsiders can’t use the mir-rors to peer into the room. She said that this is a regular problem.

Gilbertson said that they will give that area a general safety check to make sure that the doors can lock and in working with music depart-ment staff, perhaps find a better way to hang the practice room mirrors.

policebriefs

valleyvanguardonline.com

The Valley Vanguard

editorial [email protected](989) 964-4482

Justin Brouckaert, editor-in-chiefevan Poirier, design editorBrandy aBraham, campus editorrachel stocki, campus editornoah essenmacher, copy editorchris oliver, sports editortyler Bradley, A&E editorsean dudley, photo editorchris oliver, web editor

professional [email protected](989) 964-4248

katie Zlotecki, business managershannon davis, Advertising Manager

CorreCtions and additionsIf you see an error, please let us know as soon as possible by contacting editor-in-chief Justin Brouckaert at (989) 964-4482 or [email protected]. In addition to printing a correction in our print edition, the online version of the story will reflect the cor-rection.

about usSince 1967, The Valley Vanguard has provided coverage of campus and community happenings to students, faculty, staff and community residents. An online edition of the paper is available at valleyvanguardonline.com and is updated weekly during the fall and winter.

publishingThe Vanguard is published by the students of Saginaw Valley State University weekly in the fall and winter semesters, with one issue published in the summer. Our office is located in Curtiss 125 on the campus of SVSU, at 7400 Bay Road, University Center, MI, 48710.

advertisingAll advertising inquiries should be directed to Shannon Davis at [email protected] or (989) 964-4248.

HIROSHIMAcontinued from A1

MING CHUANcontinued from A1

FORUMcontinued from A1

BECAUSE

WARM MILK IS FOR CHILDREN.

LATE NIGHT HAPPY HOUR SUNDAY – FRIDAY 9 PM – CLOSE

$1 OFF All Tall Drafts

$2 Select Shots

$3 Premium Liquor Specials

$3 Select Appetizers

*Buffalo Wild Wings

® promotes responsible drinking.

2690 TITTABAWASSEE RD.

SAGINAW

989.401.5300

facebook.com/bwwsaginaw

6728 EASTMAN AVE.

MIDLAND

989.633.9464

facebook.com/bwwmidland

4050 WILDER RD.

BAY CITY

989.671.3377

facebook.com/bwwbaycity

BWJ_01475_LNHH_Spring_College_Ad_ValleyVanguard_5.5x5.75_BW.indd 1 1/28/13 12:42 PM

female student reported that her iPod was stolen from her purse while she was in class and did not notice it was gone until she had reached her car.

• At 5:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 22, police received a complaint from Living Center South that money was missing from the Relay for Life jars that had been sitting on the counter in the lobby. An unknown amount of money was taken.

• Between 2 and 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, March

12, a 20-year-old male student reported that while at the Ryder Center, he had placed his clothes inside a locker in the fitness center and returned after work-ing out to find his wallet missing from his pants.

• At 12:24 p.m. Monday, March 11, a 19-year-old male student reported that while eating in the Marketplace at Doan, he had left his backpack at the table he was sitting it to get his food and came

back to find it missing. A person was caught on camera taking the bag and police are still looking for him. Minor in Possession

• At 2:15 a.m. Friday, Feb. 22, officers were called to University Village to meet with residential assistants who had called for a loud noise complaint. Alcohol was found and two 18-year-old students as well as three 20-year-old students were

all given an M.I.P.• Smell of Marijuana

• At 6:50 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 28, officers were called to Pine Grove to meet resi-dential assistance because of a strong smell of marijuana. Upon contact, a 21-year-old male student admitted to smoking it and produced marijuana-related paraphernalia, but no marijuana was found.


campus editors Brandy Abraham e-mail [email protected] Rachel Stocki e-mail [email protected] office (989) 964-4482

News and events from on and around campus

The Valley Vanguard | valleyvanguardonline.com | Monday, March 18, 2013 | Page A3

courtyardthe

Event to teach about personal branding for jobs, reputation

The Japanese Culture Club (JCC) is reaching out to more and more students.

Last week, the JCC hosted an event allowing stu-dents to purchase origami, have their name written in Japanese and try on traditional Japanese clothing.

Club President Madison Smith, an international studies senior with an Asian focus, said she was happy with the turnout. People who stopped by were particu-larly excited about the yukatas, which are traditional Japanese festival coats worn during the summer.

“You have to wear (the yukatas) a certain way. There are little things that are just fun facts that we can tell people while we are dressing them up,” she said. “People love the idea of kimonos, people love the idea of different cultures having different types of clothing.”

The event was a fundraiser for the club, which meets weekly and has about 15 regular members. At each meeting, a different aspect of Japanese life is dis-cussed, such as food, history, pop culture, government systems and clothing.

Vice President and international studies junior Lo-rin Davis likes that the club allows students to see Japan in a different light.

“It’s making connections. Japan does have cool, ex-otic things, and it is different, but I also want people to consider similarities. It’s not this alien world that’s out-side of us,” Davis said.

Smith agreed that understanding different cultures is important.

“The Earth is one place. We are one people,” Smith said. “The more we can understand the differences in little places like different countries and different cultures, I think that helps people to realize that there are similari-

ties, they’re not that different from me, or if they are dif-ferent from me, that’s fine, because the Earth is this won-derful, beautiful place where there is so much to learn.”

Smith believes that SVSU is the perfect place for students to grow more with knowledge of other cul-tures.

“The world as it is right now, ever more so than be-fore, is a global community. I think SVSU understands that very well,” Smith said. “We have a pretty big inter-national community, and we have different language courses, and there’s always a push for students and pro-fessors to interact with international students and study abroad.”

Eventually, the JCC would like to reach out to Japa-nese students.

“(We want those students to know) there’s a place they can meet, there’s a place they can feel comfortable, they can give their input, they can talk about their cul-ture,” Davis said.

One notable aspect of the club is that many of its members have a deep love for Japanese culture.

Club member and graphic design sophomore Me-lissa Johnson said the club fit perfectly with her desire to learn more.

“Ever since middle school, I have had a huge in-terest in Japan and Japanese culture. I thought this was my chance to get to know Japan a bit more and expand on my knowledge,” Johnson said. “It’s such a friendly crowd, and you can really connect with people who share the same interests and they just make it a fun ex-perience.”

The JCC’s prevalence on campus has been grow-ing, with more people getting involved and attending their events.

“We have come leaps and bounds in just this last semester,” Smith said.

In the future, the JCC hopes to use the raised funds

to attend a local tea ceremony and perhaps travel to Ann Arbor for events like geisha performances, culture festi-vals and taiko drum shows.

“Our future events revolve around student par-ticipation, campus involvement and hosting and partici-pating in larger events,” Smith said. “Doing things like that as a club and promoting those events to campus, to invite other people to come with us to those things, would be ideal.”

The JCC is also putting on its second film festival, which will be held in Wickes Hall and features differ-ent Japanese movies. The next festival is focused on “Godzilla” movies and will be Saturday, March 23.

Davis said the film festivals serve as another way to

educate attendees.“‘Godzilla’ is a huge franchise in Japan. It’s been

around for years,” she said. “(We want to show) why do we talk about this, why do Americans know about this.”

Smith hopes that ultimately, the club will help reach and educate many people.

“We want to broaden what SVSU students know about Japanese culture and we want students here to know that everything and everyone on the planet is in-terrelated,” she said. “What happens in Japan affects us here, and what happens here affects those in Japan.”

For more information or meeting schedules, con-tact Madison Smith at [email protected] or visit the JCC’s pages on Facebook and OrgSync.

The term “branding” is often used for compa-nies and organizations, but job-seeking students can benefit from a lesson in personal branding, as well.

The White Pine chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) will be host a lunch and learn with a renowned expert on personal branding 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 19 at the Horizons Conference Center in Saginaw.

Hajj Flemings, founder of Brand Camp Univer-sity, is slated to present strategies on how to effective-ly manage personal and organizational brands in a workshop titled, “How to develop, define and build a personal brand (that matters).”

Whether communicating for an organization or applying for a new job, Flemings will show partici-pants how to cut through the clutter of today’s digital economy so that their message is heard and effective. The workshop will focus on how to become a better storyteller, brand ambassador and curator.

“How students portray themselves using social media and other outlets is very important in today’s competitive job market,” said Hilary Gwisdala, pres-ident-elect of the White Pine chapter of PRSA. “This event will provide an excellent opportunity for stu-dents to learn personal branding strategies and tactics to best market themselves to potential employers.”

Flemings’ Brand Camp University is the larg-

est personal branding conference in the Midwest. He also authored “The Brand YU Life: Re-thinking Who You Are Through Personal Brand Management,” and is a BlackEnterprise.com columnist who writes about technology, social media and branding for small business.

Flemings frequents colleges and universities around the nation to speak about personal brand-ing, social media and career development. He also has been featured on WDIV 4 (NBC), Fox 2 News, ESPN.com, BusinessWeek.com and travels nation-ally speaking as a brand strategist enabling personal and business brands to remain relevant. His clients include Walt Disney, Ford Motor Co., Skechers Foot-wear, and the U.S. Department of Defense (Telecom Division).

PRSA is the world’s largest organization for public relations professionals with more than 28,000 professional and student members worldwide. The White Pine chapter of PRSA was chartered in 1988 and serves public relations professionals in the mid-Michigan area, including Bay City, Midland, Mount Pleasant, Saginaw and surrounding areas.

The cost of the event is $20 for students. Reser-vations are required by 3 p.m. March 18. Tickets can be purchased online at http://whitepineprsaperson-albrand.eventbrite.com.

For more information, contact Heather Smith, White Pine PRSA communications chair, at (989) 400-2649 or at [email protected].

Connecting to Japanese culture through education

Mission trips add meaning to spring break

By Lauren WietchyVanguard Staff Writer

By Rachel StockiVanguard Campus Editor

Courtesy | Madison SmithMembers of the Japanese Culture Club sold origami, wrote names in Japanese and allowed people to dress up in traditional Japanese clothing in order to raise funds and promote student awareness.

Dozens of members of SV-SU’s faith-based organizations used spring break this year as an opportunity to travel on mis-sion trips.

Two of SVSU’s Christian campus ministry groups: His House and Standing in the Gap, each took a group of students abroad to help with ministry and construction in impover-ished areas.

Members of Project Sun-set, an organization dedicated to supplying mosquito nets, traveled to Africa to do vari-ous types of work, including working with widows, orphans and people with HIV, as well as making wheelchairs.

Upon returning from the trip, students shared their expe-riences.

Faith Corner is dedicated to covering religious communities on and off campus. It is unbiased, informational and not confined to any singular denomination or reli-gion. Students with questions can contact Marlin Jenkins at [email protected].

By Marlin Jenkins Vanguard Staff Writer

Beth KochElementary education senior

“(The most ful-filling/valuable thing about the trip was) being able to give up our spring break and serve this family and know that we gave them a house.”

Kaylee WittockBusiness management/marketing freshman

“(The most ful-filling thing about the trip was) the fact that, when we go, we’re not only changing the lives of the family we built a home for, but our hearts are changing, too. … we all felt God there and we all knew that we had changed immense-ly and that what we did is going to show God’s grace not only to this family but to everyone in the neighborhood.”

Jordan KillopBiology senior

“The most valu-able aspect of this trip … was finding a di-rection. … All of the worship music was in creole and we were given books to try to sing along, (and) it was a powerful experience to see all of these peo-ple worshipping the same God - the same faith but a different language … I felt like I could fit right in. I felt immediately at home.”

Kacie LenewayMath education junior

“It was really cool just to see God reveal himself and to see what a unity we could have with other people of God despite language bar-riers, cultural barriers, and all of that. … One of the most fulfilling things about the trip was getting to work with the people there and getting to play with the children and show them love.”

Sarah LewanNursing sophomore

“(The most worthwhile thing about the trip was) being able to love the person in front of us, and not worry about all the other stuff that was going on, but fo-cus on the person we were helping at that moment.”

Kelly LarnerBiology junior

“I felt as though I was serv-ing my purpose on this planet. I felt like I was follow-ing God’s call and just getting to love and serve people. … I really learned how to love better. The Gabonese know what they’re doing. They know how to love and just give (love) out to peo-ple.”

His House - Juarez, Mexico Standing in the Gap - Port-au-Prince, Haiti Project Sunset - Libreville, Gabon, Africa

The Valley Vanguard is looking for your

HELP!

The Valley Vanguard is looking for your

HELP!

What kind of deals or coupons do YOU want to see?

What kind of companies would YOU like to seeadvertise in The Valley Vanguard?

Email us your suggestions at [email protected] can also message us on Facebook or tweet us @SVVanguardNews.

editor-in-chief Justin Brouckaert office (989) 964-4482 e-mail [email protected]

Page A4| Monday, March 18, 2013 | valleyvanguardonline.com | The Valley Vanguard

opinion


Editorial Cartoon

Rashad Baiyasi is a physics and chemistry senior and the Vanguard’s cartoonist. Reach him at [email protected].

I want to be a novelist. Really badly.

The only problem is that I have nothing

productive to show from this ridiculous, but optimistic dream. There are a million ways for me to fail.

Sometimes I get so wrapped up in what I haven’t achieved that I overlook all of the small, but important steps I’ve taken during the last couple years to develop my dream. From my surprisingly serious story ideas in childhood to my current agenda of trying to balance my creative writing with more pro-fessional writing, I’ve realized that I’ve come a long way.

I think that all writers have a point where they look at their most early work and either cringe or are just stricken with confusion. I’m hit with a bit of both reactions. I’ve already ac-cepted that I was going to share some of my horrible ideas this week, so let me give you one of my weirdest from childhood.

It was called “Jail”. Why? I’m not sure. But that’s what is written at the top of the dated page, so I guess that’s what I have to call it. This story was about a cop who kills this crimi-nal and sends him to hell. This criminal went on to kill the devil, take his place, and return to earth to seek revenge on the cop you took his life.

Goodness. What a strange idea for a sixth-grader who de-

cides to commit to a story for the first time. At first I was embar-rassed by the goofy premise, but the more I thought about it, I can see the beginnings of what I try to do in my current stories. For one, I’m pretty sure the concept hasn’t been done before. Second, I can see how even when I was younger I wanted to break some new ground. One of my main goals as a writer has always been to create something that hasn’t been thought up before.

The older I became, the less motivation I felt. I’m not sure why, but it could have been be-cause I just couldn’t comprehend anything I had written obtaining approval from anyone halfway literate. Fast forward to my second year at SVSU, I realize I hadn’t sat down and seriously wrote in too long. My roommate suggested I apply at the Van-guard and I got the job.

This job has not only helped me develop more professional writing techniques, but it has also helped with my creative endeavors as well. Dealing with deadlines has helped me write more often and more efficiently. When I have a good idea or think of a good way to write some-thing, I immediately type it out no matter what I’m doing. This is something I started to do once I begun to have articles due every week. Being forced to write for my job helps motivate me to continue to write more outside of work. I would even say that I have two distinct paths I want to explore through my future fiction.

I’m extremely interested in situations where a person is trapped, either physically or metaphorically, in one place for the entire narrative. Initial ideas are simple, but I try to figure out the most unsettling of them all to turn into a story that will trigger something in the audience.

A struggling couple driving in the middle of the night on an

unknown dirt road. After a long bout of verbal fighting they real-ize the road has been going no-where for too long and they are quickly running out of gas. They turn around to go back to the last station, but the road continues to be endless the opposite way until they are forced to continue the seemingly endless journey on foot.

What if there was an inmate on death row who had spent the last agonizing year alone, in soli-tary confinement, and at the last moment emotionally accepted his death. The next day the court turns his case over because of a technicality and he is free for the first time in years.

I’m also trying to improve my use of dialogue. I feel as if language, especially the informal discourse that happens between two people is unique to each person and says a lot about their characters without me necessar-ily having to spell them out for the reader.

One story idea that I have been playing around with for some time now is as simple as they come. I want to write a story that is completely dia-logue; just two people at a diner talking, and keep it fascinating throughout. It sounds easy, but it is not.

In the end, this is really just me half explaining my writing process and half me trying to get out in the open that dreams are not going to happen over night. There is no way that I am going to be able to publish a novel by next week and see it in Barnes and Noble by the end of the month. But every time I see my name in the paper, at least I know I’m heading in the right direction.

Campus BeatLooking to the past important for future novelists

By Matt OstranderVanguard Columnist

Matt Ostrander is a secondary education junior. Reach him at [email protected].

Forty-eight days. Readers, there are 48 days until this semester ends. If you are a student, there may be even fewer, depending

on how your finals shake out. If you are a graduating student, you have 59 days — fifty-nine days! — until graduation. But perhaps you are not counting.

A funny thing happens to college students in the two months between spring break and the end of the semester. Maybe you’re moving a bit slower. Maybe you’re looking at the calendar and staring at the long, unforgiving month of April. There is little respite for college students in April. April is worse than October.

Maybe you’re getting bitter about the term “home stretch.” Maybe you’re a former runner who knows how long that home stretch can be. Maybe you hate home stretches because you know there’s nothing short about the last 50 meters of a 5K.

Readers, it’s only March, but we should talk about April. What are you going to do about April? And don’t underestimate March, either. March will stay longer than you wish. March will make you uncomfortable.

Readers, you should take care of yourselves, and not just in the fruits and vegetables kind of way. Remember what

a night off can do. Remember that rest can bring clarity. Remember that rest can bring renewal. Reader, remember that your girlfriend would really like to watch a movie with you. Remember that no one else will schedule rest for you.

Readers, remember that the worst thing that can happen to you is only failure, and remember that failure creates opportunity for incredible growth. Remember that you are allowed — expected, even — to fail. Does this makes it less frightening? Remember that you will, indeed, fail. You will fail many times, in fact, and it will rarely kill you. Readers, I hope you remember this, especially in April. I always think of failure in April.

Readers, remember the reasons we put pressure on ourselves. Remember that you don’t HAVE to do anything. You WANT to do things, readers, so many things. I know this. If you find yourself overcome by malaise, then you have to know why. This is essential. Malaise fears nothing more than insight.

So, readers, why are you here? Why do you do it? That answer will carry you through March, through April, through May and beyond. It should excite you. You can surf a long ways on that answer. (I am allowed to use surfing metaphors in March.)

Finally, readers, let’s try to spice things up. Let’s get weird in March and April. If you’re started to feel like you’re trudging through your weeks, then try to do things a little bit differently. Surprise yourself. If you are growing tired, for example, of writing newspaper editorials each week, then you should probably try something different instead. You should experiment.

Readers, this is only an example. Let’s conqueror malaise. Let’s not count

down — it’s too easy to count down. Let’s be active and sharp and well-rested and inspired. Let’s get weird. Let’s take ideas and run with them. Let’s run fast. We are not alone on this home stretch.

Vanguard VisionSome thoughts on surviving March, April, May & beyond

EditorialColumn

PoliciesLetters may be edited for content, grammar and length. Letters containing abusive content will not be published. Letters should be sent to The Valley Vanguard and no other publication.

Letters for publication must be no longer than 350 words. Students writing letters must include their major and class standing. All others must provide a title or job description.

We do not publish open letters, news releases, public postings or notices of any kind.

Justin Brouckaert, editor-in-chiefBrian Hlavaty, adviserBrandy Abraham, Campus EditorTyler Bradley, A&E EditorChris Oliver, Sports editorNoah Essenmacher, Copy editor

Editorial Board, March 2013

Permanent memBers

Editorial board meetings take place Sunday evenings during the fall and winter semesters.

University students, faculty and staff are encouraged to share their views with the Vanguard.

meeting times

tHe vanguard vision The Vision is written by the vanguard editor-in-chief in collaboration with the newspaper’s adviser and editorial staff.

columns and commentaries Columns and commentaries do not represent the views of the Vanguard staff. Opinions are solely those of the individual.

How to suBmit

letters and oP-ed PoliciestHe valley vanguard

lettersSend letters to [email protected] or visit our submission form at valleyvanguardonline.com.

oP-edWe accept op-eds from faculty and staff on any topic. Interested parties should e-mail editor-in-chief Justin Brouckaert at [email protected] to arrange an op-ed.

RELIGIOUS COUNSELING

Christian counseling/Life coaching - Relationships, stress, addiction, more. Call Larry Hoard B.A. 989-842-3982. christianlifecoaching.net.

RELIGIOUS COUNSELINGChristian counseling/Life coaching - Relationships, stress, addiction, more. Call Larry Hoard B.A. 989-842-3982. christianlifecoaching.net.

This is the area where we

please send a 350-word letter to

[email protected]

If there is a story, column or issue you would like to comment on,

letters to the editor.publish

{}

Visit valleyvanguardonline.com for more opinion articles:

“A few tips on tipping etiquette: How, when and why to tip”By Hannah Meyer

“Glasses or contacts?: Viewing eyewear through the lens of professionalism”By Brandy Abraham

By Justin BrouckaertVanguard Editor-in-Chief

sports editor Chris Oliver office (989) 964-2629 e-mail [email protected]

Page A5 | Monday, March 18, 2013 | valleyvanguardonline.com | The Valley Vanguard

sports


Batters ready to slam into GLIAC BASEBALL

Men’s Baseball•Wednesday,March20,@Northwood

University,2p.m.,Midland•Wednesday,March20,@Northwood

University,4p.m.,Midland•Saturday,March23,@Ashland

University,1p.m.,Ashland,OH•Saturday,March23,@Ashland

University,3p.m.,Ashland,OH•Sunday,March24,@Ashland

University,12p.m.,Ashland,OH

Women’s Softball•Thursday,March21,vs.WestLiberty,2

p.m.,UniversityCenter•Thursday,March21,vs.WestLiberty,

4p.m.,UniversityCenter•Friday,March22,vs.WestLiberty,12

p.m.,UniversityCenter•Friday,March22,vs.WestLiberty,2

p.m.,UniversityCenter•Saturday,March23,@LakeErie,1

p.m.,Painesville,OH•Saturday,March23,@LakeErie,3

p.m.,Painesville,OH•Sunday,March24,@WalshUniversity,

12p.m.,NorthCanton,OH•Sunday,March24,@WalshUniversity,

2p.m.,NorthCanton,OH

Golf•Saturday,March23,TheCardinal

SpringInvitational,Florence,Ky.•Sunday,March24,TheCardinalSpring

Invitational,Florence,Ky.

sportsbriefs

By Joey OliverVanguard Staff Writer

SOFTBALL

By Chris OliverVanguard Sports Editor

Individual efforts shine through rocky start

Upon returning to Michigan, the men’s base-ball team is looking to work the fundamentals to improve and compete for a conference title.

Following a spring trip to Florida that ended with a 2-8 record, the men’s baseball team is hoping to cut down on the mistakes and hit its way into contention in the GLIAC.

Senior catcher Chet LaFave believes the team has the tools and just needs to work out some mi-nor kinks.

“The Florida trip was a little disappointing because of the way in which we lost,” LaFave said. “We dropped our first three games in the last in-ning.

“We’d be in the lead and there’d be an error that cost us or we’d have the bases loaded with less than two outs and just couldn’t capitalize.”

Coming into the season, the team was expect-ing to take a trip to South Carolina to help gear up for the rest of the season. Due to weather, the trip was canceled, and LaFave believes that had a lot to do with how the team played in Florida

“We were hoping to kind of use the South Carolina trip as sort of a spring training to work out all of the jitters and kinks going into the season,” LaFave said. “But going forward, we can kind of look at Florida as our training trip and look ahead to conference play.”

So far LaFave has helped anchor the middle of the lineup for the Cardinals, hitting .308 with one home run and four runs batted in. Senior third baseman Andy Orr has hit .273 so far this season with seven runs driven in.

Fellow senior and right fielder Kyle O’Boyle has struggled so far this season, batting .167 and driving in one run. The offensive potential of the team is a big reason for the expectations LaFave has this season.

“Our lineup, from top to bottom has the po-tential to really shine this season,” he said. “Our middle of the lineup with me, Andy (Orr) and Kyle (O’Boyle) should hopefully provide some leader-ship to the younger guys and drive in runs to help keep the pressure off the pitching and the rest of the team.

“As long as everyone can approach every at bat with the right mindset and every game, we should be in good shape.”

LaFave also has high hopes for his own pro-duction on the team.

“My goals for this season beyond bringing home a ring is to leave a positive mark on the program before I graduate,” LaFave said. “With so many younger guys on the team who will be taking over, I’d love for them to taste a bit of success and continue the tradition going forward.

“I just really want to be a leader this season.”With the number of talented underclassmen on

the team, LaFave said he expects the Cardinals to

continue winning after he leaves.“If I can leave on a winning note and these

young, talented guys can keep it up, I think they can have themselves a great four-year run,” he said. “Being a part of the start of something great like

that would be amazing.The Cardinals will kick off their GLIAC sched-

ule in-state on Wednesday, March 20, when they travel to Northwood University.

The softball team’s spring break may have been warm and sunny, but it also con-sisted of a lot of hard work.

SVSU’s trip to Kissimmee Fla., is over. The team returned to Michigan after posting a 4-10 record in spring ball and finished on an off note by losing its final six contests.

First-year head coach Todd Buckingham said that his team had a lot of positives on its trip regardless of its record.

“Our record does not indicate the type of team that I feel we’re going to be,” he said. “I feel like we’re very young and we did ac-complish some good things in Florida, and I think that we can take the lessons that we learned from Florida and apply them to the

rest of the season.”Buckingham also said that he expects

his team to be in the thick of things once the season begins.

“I truly think that we will be prepared for our GLIAC schedule and that we can still make an impact in the conference,” he said.

As a team, the Cardinals batted .221, as opposed to a batting average against of over .300. SVSU had an on-base percentage under .300 while slugging just .301.

Despite some of its struggles as a team, SVSU featured some good individual perfor-mances in the Rebel Spring games.

Sophomore infielder Amanda Kimes was on fire in spring ball. She batted .324 while leading the team in hits with 11. She also posted an on-base percentage of .361 while slugging .382. Kimes also chipped in five RBIs.

Kimes said that regardless of its spring record the team is a talented bunch.

“We didn’t win as many games as we would have liked in Florida but we showed very promising signs for a great season,” she said. “We have a lot of talent defensively, offensively, and pitching-wise, and when we pull these three aspects of the game together we are a force to be reckoned with.”

The Cardinals offensive showing this spring was inconsistent. At one point they scored nine runs in one game, yet they were shut out twice.

Kimes said that the team needs to im-prove on its timely hitting.

“In our previous games we got a lot of hits and got people on base but our problem is that we left them on base,” she said. “We just have string our hits together to score runs.”

There were other impressive individual performances for the Cards. Senior outfielder Samantha Sutton swiped six bags in spring ball without being caught. Additionally, ju-nior infielder Lindsay Hayward hit two home runs while posting an on-base percentage of .400.

SVSU was supposed to begin its season Saturday against Concordia, but its double-header was canceled due to issues getting its field ready.

The Cardinals will instead open their season Thursday, March 21 against West Lib-erty. They will play a doubleheader on Thurs-day before playing another doubleheader, also against West Liberty, the following day.

The Lady Cardinals entered the season with mild expectations after having not reached the playoffs since 2007. Their 2012-2013 campaign opened some eyes as the team not only reached the playoffs, but turned things around from a 6-20 record a year ago.

The team finished with a 13-13 regular sea-son mark before losing in the quarterfinals of the GLIAC tournament. They finished with an 11-11 conference record while going 8-6 at home and 5-8 on the road.

Head coach Jamie Pewinski is in her second year as coach of the Lady Cards. She credited the season’s success to the players’ dedication to improve.

“The 2012-2013 season was a great step in the right direction for the program,” she said. “We have a great group of student-athletes who are eager to be successful and they worked hard this season to do just that.”

Going forward, Pewinski emphasized the importance of the success her team had this past season.

“It was a rather historical season in the fact that we won a lot more games than the program is used to and had some individual success in the process,” she said.

“We are proud of what we did this year and the experience we gained and look forward to having a great postseason and summer to improve our individual games, so that we can build upon the success of this season.”

SVSU came into this season with an abun-dance of youth. Of the 11 players on the team, six were freshmen and an additional two were sophomores.

“We thought going 13-13 (11-11) would be a great season for this team, because of its youth and inexperience,” she said. “Our goal all year was to split each weekend and then hope that there would be a few weekends we would sweep.

“For the most part, we did exactly what we had hoped for,” she said. “For me, one of the

best stats is that for any team we played twice we only got swept by Michigan Tech, Wayne State and Findlay, but we were able to adjust with every other team and get a season split.”

With so much youth on the roster, making the playoffs was a great learning experience and one that the team hopes to experience again.

“Getting into the playoffs is always big, be-cause it’s just added experience,” she said. “We won some big games down the stretch to get into the tournament, so it showed we weren’t ready to quit and we kept fighting, which is what needs to happen to make the playoffs.

“We showed we could play on the road and under pressure and we learned the value of continuing to improve and how important each possession is,” she said. “There was not a sce-nario we faced that was too big for these kids.”

The Lady Cardinals had several outstand-ing individual performances throughout the year.

Emily Wendling turned in a great first season. The freshman forward finished in the GLIAC top-10 in points per game (15), rebounds

per game (8.1) and field goal percentage (53.1). Another freshman forward, Katelyn Car-

riere, also played an important role for the team early on. She averaged over 30 minutes a game, more than any of the other players.

Sophomore forward Samantha Zirzow made more than 50 percent of her field goals, joining Wendling as a member of the GLIAC top-10 in field goal percentage.

The Cardinals will be returning 10 of their 11 players for next year. Expectations will be higher than they were before this year, but Pewinski says her team will work hard and will embrace the expectations.

“No one from the outside will ever be able to put more pressure or set higher expectations then we will have for ourselves,” she said. “For the next few months, we will work solely on our individual improvement and getting stronger.

“Now it’s just about improving and getting more depth to the roster.”

Successful season raises bar for returning startersWOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Vanguard file photo

Senior catcher Chet LaFave led SVSU with a .308 batting average on the Florida trip. He added four RBIs while posting a team-best .419 on-base percentage and slugging .500 on eight hits.

Spring Trip Leaderboard

Player Average (Min. 15 at bats) Runs Batted In Slugging Percentage On Base Percentage

ChetLaFave .308 4 .500 .419BradSchalk .306 2 .389 .390NikoGonzalez .292 3 .333 .346AndyOrr .273 7 .364 .368ChrisPerkovich .265 8 .353 .286MichaelCraig .235 2 .265 .235RyanHotmer .235 6 .324 .297DylinEschenburg .167 1 .200 .167KyleO’Boyle .167 1 .226 .278

By Joey OliverVanguard Staff Writer


A&E Editor Tyler Bradley officE (989) 964-4482 E-mAil [email protected]

Page A6 | Monday, March 18, 2013 | valleyvanguardonline.com | The Valley Vanguard

a e&

Some of the Midwest’s talented artists and crafters gathered together to craft up profits Sat-urday.

An annual destination for more than 2,000 people, the Keepsake Collection Folk Art and Craft Shows hosted its 8th spring show in the O’Neill Arena.

More than 135 exhibitors featured pur-chasable items such as stained glass, metal art, wooden yard ornaments and clothing.

Leslie Needham, a full-time exhibitor and organizer, said the event is growing in atten-dance every year, despite low numbers of stu-dents from the university.

She said the event has had a steady number of exhibitors each year it has been hosted at the university.

According to Needham, the six-hour show

reaches peak attendance between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Needham said there is a great selection of vendors that include those who sell for a retire-ment income and those who sell full time.

Buyers come from as far away as Clarkston and Ann Arbor, according to Needham.

Two exhibitors, she said, traveled from the Upper Peninsula for the show.

To Needham, the venue at the university is perfect because of its wide-open spaces.

“My favorite thing is getting to see the di-versity of what people are making and how they are marking it,” Needham said.

One exhibitor at the show sold custom neon signs along with pre-made signs that included the SVSU Cardinal logo, Michigan-based sports teams logos and nautical-themed works.

Rick Jacobs of Houghton Lake has worked with neon signs in his custom vinyl and neon-sign shop for 30 years.

Each piece, which runs between $225 to

$245, is made by firing and bending a tube that is filled with gas that produces the light.

Jacobs, who started doing craft shows last year, said neon signs are a dying business, but he likes the colors and craftsmanship that goes with it.

According to Jacobs, LED lighting has taken over a lot of outdoor lighting.

Another exhibitor sold baked goods to give back to the Saginaw community.

Altrusa, derived from the word “altruism,” is an international organization that focuses on leadership and promoting literacy. The Saginaw chapter sold about 60 varieties of baked goods that raises between $800 to $1,000 annually.

“Because it’s collective and all members help out, it probably took each member a few days to bake everything,” member Beth Bauer said.

Bauer said all the money raised at the show goes towards putting on programs throughout the year.

Last year, the chapter gave a book to each baby born in a hospital during the month of April.

The chapter also is hosting an adult team spelling bee Wednesday, May 1, where members of a business or organization will compete. All profits will go toward Books for Breakfast, the Read Association of Saginaw County and the LIteracy Council of Saginaw County.

The Keepsake Collection Craft Show will return to the university Saturday, Oct. 6.

Other upcoming shows will occur Saturday, March 23, at West Intermediate School in Mount Pleasant; June 7 and 8 at Green Acres Plaza on State in Saginaw Township; and several dates from June through September at Zehnder Park in Frankenmuth.

For more information go to keepsakecollec-tionshows.com

artbriefs

Woodblock Prints• Japanese woodblock prints are on display in the University Art

Gallery through April 14. For hours go to www.svsu.edu/artgallery/

galleryopenhours

World’s Fairs Lecture• At 4 p.m. Monday, March 18, in the Rhea Miller Recital Hall, Susan

J. Bandes will discuss the lost remnants of American World’s Fairs.

Sins Poetry Slam• At 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 20, in the Student Life Center

Program Room, Cardinal Sins will host its winter poetry slam.

Winner gets published in the winter edition of the literary and fine

arts magazine.

Game Night• At 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 20, in the Alumni Lounge, Delta

Sigma Pi will host a game night with games such as Spoons,

Apples to Apples, Dance Central and Black OPs II.

The Hobbit• At 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Thursday, March 21, and at 8 p.m., Sunday,

March 24. in the Thompson Student Activities Room, Valley Nights

will show the film “The Hobbit.” Free.

Tea with Mussolini• At 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 22, in C100, Valley Film Society will show

the film “Tea with Mussolini.” Membership required: $25 Regular

and $5 SVSU Student.

Drag Show•At 8:00 p.m. Friday, March 22, in the Thompson Student Activities

Room, Living Proud will host its sixth annual drag show. Tickets will

be sold at the door and pre-sale via tabling or emailing ajvatter@

svsu.edu. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Home and Garden Show• From 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, March 22, in the O’Neill Arena,

the Home Builders’ Association of Saginaw will host a home and

garden show.

Godzilla Film Marathon• At 6 p.m. Saturday, March 23, in in Wickes 115, the Japanese Cul-

ture Club will show the films “Godzilla,” “Godzilla 2000: Millennium”

and “Godzilla: Final Wars.”

This Is 40• At 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Saturday, March 23, in the Thompson Stu-

dent Activities Room, Valley Nights will show the film “This is 40.”

Senior Recital• At 4 p.m. Sunday, March 24, in the Rhea Miller Recital Hall,

Amanda Lewis will perform her senior recital.

Keepsake crafts create crowdsBy Tyler BradleyVanguard A& E Editor

Vanguard photo | Amelia BrownPeople browse through the 135 exhibitors selling products at this year’s spring Keepsake Arts and Crafts Show on Saturday. Event organizers said the event draws in more than 2,000 people annually.

Vanguard photo | Amelia BrownA guest examines purses sold at the craft show. Products also include wood and metal creations, baked goods and clothing.

newreleases

The 20/20 Experience

Category: Music

Release: Tuesday, March 19

Artist: Justin Timberlake

Genre: Pop

Utopia EP

Category: Music


Artist: Kerli

Genre: Pop

Gears of War: Judgment

Category: Video game


Publisher: Microsoft Studios

Platform: Xbox 360

Genre: Third-person shooter

The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct



Publisher: Activision

Platform: Microsoft Windows, Xbox 3560, Wii U, Playstation 3

Genre: First-person shooter

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity


Release: Sunday, March 24

Publisher: Microsoft Studios

Platform: Nintendo 3DS

Genre: Dungeon crawler

Olympus Has Fallen

Category: Film

Release: Friday, March 22

Director: Antoine Fuqua

Starring: Gerard Butler, Morgan Freeman

Genre: Action-thriller

Love and Honor

Category: Film


Director: Danny Mooney

Starring: Liam Hemsworth, Austin Stowell

Genre: Romantic drama

InAPPropriate Comedy

Category: Film


Director: Vince Offer

Starring: Rob Schneider, Lindsay Lohan

Genre: Comedy


The Valley Vanguard | valleyvanguardonline.com | Monday, March 18, 2013 | Page A7

a e&

A&E Editor Tyler Bradley officE (989) 964-4482 E-mAil [email protected]

In his article “5 Reasons The Greatest Movie Villain Ever is a ‘Good’ Witch,” David Dietle of Cracked.com identifies Glinda of the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” as both the orchestrator of Dorothy’s unnecessary visit to the Emerald City and as being primarily responsible for the misfortune that befalls Dorothy while on her journey to see the Wizard and the additional errand of murder-ing the Wicked Witch of the East.

Dietle writes, “When Dorothy and friends return to the Emerald City as heroes, we find out that the entire fi-asco could have ended the moment Glinda put the ruby slippers on Dorothy . . . we think it’s pretty convenient that by the end of the movie . . . both chief rivals of the so-called ‘Good Witch’ (are) dead.”

Similarly, in “Oz the Great and Powerful,” a prequel to the 1939 film, the plot’s most despicable villain is not readily apparent as such because no one cowers in his presence and he has no green skin or warts.

He is the protagonist for which the film is named.Whereas the deceitful Glinda’s willingness to al-

low Dorothy to act as a proxy assassin receives only a sideways glance in “The Wizard of Oz,” the true villainy of “Oz the Great and Powerful” originates in Oz him-

self (James Franco), his offenses and their repercussions forming the movie’s main arc.

Oscar Diggs, aka Oz, is a magician because every traveling circus needs a magician. Along with his bril-liant talents as a performer come the expected and nearly obligatory vices.

So what are they? Alcohol? Gambling? Narcotics?As it turns out, Oz is a bit of a philanderer, his go-to

pickup move being the gift of a dime-store music box to his potential romantic partner accompanied with an im-provised spiel about how it once belonged to his grand-mother who died during a war, any war, really.

And it is just this particular vice that sets his journey in motion, providing the impetus for his departure from Kansas and his arrival at the land with which he shares his name.

Secondly, Oz’s wickedness is not confined to a sin-gle vice, fortunately. Being the consummate performer, he has several. Along with his appetite for company of the opposite sex is his greed for material wealth.

A short while after arriving in Oz, Oz’s money-grubbing nature is aggravated when he is shown the riches that will be inherited by the next king of the Em-erald City.

The long-standing prophesy that a wizard who falls from the sky and has the same name as the land of Oz will be the next king and the tremendous wealth that ac-company the position are enough incentive for Oz.

Per the request of the keeper of the Emerald City, Oz must kill the Wicked Witch before ascending to his place as king, so, with dollar signs in his eyes and his knowing that he is not a wizard, he sets out to kill the Wicked Witch.

As the plot develops, the viewer witnesses the ef-fects of Oz’s desperate lusting. It proves to be the reason for the presence of true evil in Oz, augmenting the in-nocuous brand of malevolence that previously resided there to one that takes no prisoners, one that thirsts for the blood of the innocent and in the wake of spilling it may sleep soundly.

Now, all that sounds well and good as far as plots go, I suppose, but in application “Oz the Great and Pow-erful” disappoints in places.

While the movie is visually stunning, Oz’s transfor-mation into a virtuous man worthy of kingship by the movie’s end did not seem to arrive naturally and there-fore was not compelling.

Also, Mila Kunis’ performance as Theodora was well-fitted in the beginning, but she seemed more petu-lant than sinister by the arrival of the movie’s climax.Courtesy | dailyfreepress.com

Theater sophomore Mykaela Hopps is making a name for her-self with her passion, making ap-pearances in a number of produc-tions.

The daughter of Gary and Ma-ribeth Hopps, Mykaela was born in Bay City on April 20, 1993. Even at a young age, the actress gravitated toward the world of theater.

“I was always very theatrical as a child,” Hopps said. “When I was really young, I used to make my family sit in the living room while I performed interpretive dances with made up languages. We even had flashlight spotlights to go along with them.”

Hopps continued to explore theatrics all throughout her child-hood. In third grade, she enrolled in dance. It wasn’t until sixth grade, however, that the actress took on her first roll in “Children of Eden.”

“I’d rather try and not remem-ber that play, to be honest. I played a storyteller and I was on stage and singing my lines the entire show.”

Despite this show, Hopps later got to perform in roles that she thoroughly enjoyed. The first major role that she remembered performing in was Margot in “The Diary of Anne Frank.” This role al-lowed her to expand her horizons as an actress.

“I had to cry on stage, which was big for me,” she said. “I just had to be in the moment, and feel what Margot would’ve been feel-ing, which helped a lot.”

It wasn’t until the actress was 16 that she officially decided to pursue as a career after high school. It all came down to a deci-sion between her two biggest pas-sions: art and theater. In the end, Hopps went with a theater major with a minor in art, as she would have to opportunity to work with art in theater.

Over Hopps’ career so far, a few productions in particular have stood out for her. Some of these include “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Arsenic & Old Lace,” “Road to Mecca” and this season’s “Buried Child” by Sam Shepard.

In “Buried Child,” the ac-tress took on the demanding role of Halie, a wife in her mid-sixties

with a deep, dark secret that threat-ens to tear apart her family.

Over the next few months, she will audition in the spring for roles in next semester’s “The Produc-ers,” directed by Ric Roberts; “It’s All In the Timing,” by Dave Rz-eszutek; and “Sylvia,” by Tommy Wedge.

Though Hopps has been in her fair share of theatrical productions, she’s taken a lot of inspiration from actresses on the silver screen, both dramatic and comedic.

“Meryl Streep is an obvious one,” Hopps said. “I also love Kris-tin Wiig, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Aubrey Plaza.”

She said they have their own unique styles and can play a vari-ety of characters, especially Streep.

“They all have their own personal way of making people laugh,” she said. “It’s also really inspiring because it’s really hard to be a respected female comedian in times like these.”

The act of teaching students how to ad-vance in reading is constantly being changed by technology and future teachers need to evolve along with it.

Frank Serafini, who is an award-winning children’s author and a past elementary school teacher, spoke on the developing methods of teaching that are needed to keep up with so-cietal advances. Serafini was brought to SVSU through the Saginaw Bay Writing Project, which is celebrating its 20th year anniversary.

His presentation, entitled “Reading/Writ-ing/Thinking; Making Vital Connections,” fo-cused on the changing field of teaching, reading and writing.

One of his most important messages was that everyone reads in different ways and that there is not one method that should be con-sidered the best. He emphasized that with the growing technological field, the ways books are read will be growing, too, especially through more interactive texts.

“The texts we are reading today are not the

texts of our parents,” Serafini said. “The strate-gies we need to make sense of these multimodal texts are different than the strategies we would use to analyze basic written language.”

A big portion of his presentation focused on how the meaning is in the message in modern literature. This deals with fonts and visual de-signs that parallel the book’s message or even purposefully contradict what the story is say-ing. This not only inspires new material from authors, but it also evolves the way literature is analyzed and processed.

If the way of interpreting the message is changing, then the questions come up of wheth-er the literary cannon should change as well.

“There’s new ways to access the new can-on,” Serafini said. “Like you can access any Shakespeare play for free online. But I’ve al-ways thought that the literary canon needed to be revised. I think that we need to read widely. That means authors of color, authors of different cultures, from different perspectives.”

During one point in Serafini’s presentation, he used the example of Hansel and Gretel to show how different presentations of the story could change the reader’s response and possibly even the meaning of the text itself. He showed

the audience several different interpretations of the fairy tale, including a goofier children’s ver-sion, a more realistic depiction and even an ef-fectively creepy version geared towards mature readers.

Marilyn Brooks, assistant director of the Saginaw Bay Writing Project, helped bring Se-rafini to SVSU and believes in his approach to teaching. Brooks, along with the rest of the Writ-ing Project, was happy to have the speaker help them celebrate their 20 years of existence.

“I just got to meet Serafini and there are many things that make him an interesting per-son,” Brooks said. “One, he is an academician, which means he knows how to do research. He’s a research-based practitioner. He’s also very practical. While he gives the you technical way to change instruction, he presents it in a way where you find yourself saying, ‘I can do that!’”

Scholars like Serafini are integral to any col-lege’s academic progression, since students are able to see presenters from far away share their views on teaching and any other type of topic.

“I think that one of the functions of a uni-versity should be to be a center for academic discussion,” Brooks said. “To promote scholarly discourse. That’s something students some-

times miss, but we do value these presentation. There are people who come to talk about sci-ences, history or politics. We just love bringing knowledgeable people to our campus.”

Serafini also chose to discuss how he broke into the business of writing children’s books. His initial ideas were turned down, but he con-tinued to try.

“My children’s books came about from my time as a photographer,” Serafini said. “I had submitted some photographs to a publisher and they didn’t like my ideas for the books but they loved my photography. So my pictures actually got me my first contract.”

His advice to any aspiring writers is to do research and find other writers who are in simi-lar situations. Research and knowledge is key.

“Right now, the children’s lit market is hard to break into,” Serafini said. “I got lucky. If you are thinking about writing children’s books, go to the ‘Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ online. It’s a great place to find local writing group or to learn about who’s accepting manuscripts.”

Vanguard photo | Alyssa EllisTheater sophomore Mykaela Hopps has starred in productions such as “Buried Child” and plans to audition for several more in the upcoming months.

Theater student Hopps into the spotlight

Technology influencing childens’ books

Oz: The visually stunning and not compelling

By Landon DefeverVanguard Staff Writer

By Matt OstranderVanguard Columnist

Tim Windy is an English literature and creative writing senior and Vanguard reviewer. Reach him at [email protected].

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL

DIRECTOR: SAM RAIMISTARRING: JAMES FRANCO, MICHELLE WILLIAMSRELEASED: MARCH 8, 2013

ARTIST PROFILE

advertising manager Shannon Davis office (989) 964-4248 e-mail [email protected]

| Monday, March 18, 2013 | valleyvanguardonline.com | The Valley Vanguard

advertisement


PLACEMENTPlease contact our advertising manager, Shannon Davis

PHONE (989) 964 4248E-MAIL [email protected] 125 Curtiss Hall

RATESSTUDENTS $1 per lineEVERYONE ELSE $2 per line

SUBMISSIONS one week before publicationCANCELLATIONS three days before publication

DEADLINES

GRAMMAR AND SPELLINGClassifieds are screened, but not copy edited. Please review spelling and grammar before submitting

ACCURACYThe Vanguard cannot verify the claims of any ad and cannot be held responsible for false or misleading information

ERRORSMisprinting will be repaid with a free inser-tion in the next issue

PAYMENTcash acceptedcheck acceptedMake checks out to The Valley Vanguard

POLICIES

Classified

Racism.

Gender bias.

Religious bigotry.

Pregnancy discriminationis equally wrong—and illegal.

Feminists for Life believes that womenshould not feel forced to sacrifi ce their

children for an education or a career.

Stand up for women. Join us now.

feministsforlife.org© 2011. Feminists for Life of America. All rights reserved.

Refuse to Choose.® Women Deserve Better.®

$Do you have strong communication skills?

Are you looking to make some extra money

for those summer trips or make your resume

stand out?

The Vally Vanguard is looking for an advertisement representative to assistwith advertising sales for the remainderof the school year.

Representative will be paid by commission,and students returning for the 2013-2014school yearwill have an opportunity or advancement that brings additional income.

New Representatives will be briefed and trained prior to starting.

Interested students may contact editor-in-chief Justin Brouckaert at [email protected].

Vanguard graphic | Logan Mooney

Erica will you honor me in being my date to the Red Carnation Ball!?

“A Night to Come, A Night to Last”

the valley vanguard (vol. 45 no. 21)

Documents