Fox Times Summer 2016

Fox Times A student–run publication

Summer 2016

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK FACEBOOK.COM/FVTCFOXTIMES Articles can be submitted to fvtcfoxtimes@gmail.com THE DIGITAL VERSION OF THIS PUBLICATION IS AT: issuu.com/foxtimes

CONTENTS

Fox Times | SUMMER 2016

2 From the Editor

4 From the Editor - Happy Version

5 Ask Foxy

6 Cheers and Jeers

7 State should support student expression

9 Club Spotlight 26 Sarah Cradit Interview 28 Nowhere near perfect A Night with Clark Howard

30 32

33

35 54 56

58 60

North vs South Goodbye Cool World; Hello Adulting Be Informed, Be Involved The Body Issue Piper Kerman Interview No relief from Wisconsin’s 565 percent payday loan interest under new rules Your Right to Know Comics by Phil Hands

Advisor

Fox Times Staff Members

Photography

Shannon Gerke Corrigan gerkecor@fvtc.edu

Rich Weber – Editor In Chief William Miller – Layout & Design Editor Ezra Kizewski – Photography Editor Brenda Winkler – Editor of Fun Christiana Coakley Joel Hovell

Gary Brilowske Gary Gawinski Ezra Kizewski Estu Dimas Danang William Miller Rich Weber

Contributors Jen Garrison Crystal Steffek Julie Schmidt Pualine Ho Jimmy Thao

Josh Buckley Heather Brey Diane Drew Rae Derks Conner Thompson

Yolanda Weber Bridgit Bowden Matthew Smith Dustin B. Brown

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F rom The Edit or Orlando Mass Shooting

The original editorial I wrote for this issue is on the next page. This editorial is in response to the recent ridiculously upsetting and ignorant events. My goodness people, I mean, seriously.

Orlando. San Bernandino. Sandy Hook. Columbine.

New York. San Francisco. Hesston. Kalamazoo County. Washington D.C. Fort Hood. Chattanooga.

Oak Creek. Menasha. Charleston. These are just a handful of the cities that have experienced mass shootings in the past thirty-five (35) years. http:// time.com/4368615/orlando-mass-shootings-chart/ http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/12/massshootings-mother-jones-full-data Mass shootings have become a commonplace part of American life. Apple Pie, Baseball, Mass Shootings.

This is what the world thinks of us. Ask any of the international students and they will tell you. This is incredibly sad to me and should be to all of us. I agree with many people; talking heads and politicians alike, it is far past time for “thoughts and prayers” and “moments of silences.” It is time for action.

3) the insane ANTI-Islamic race-baiting that makes US citizens feel like “the enemy within” ready to lash out in defense against a perceived threat.

The best commentary I saw since the Orlando terrorist attack is from the I AM Equal Page. https:// www.facebook.com/iamequal/

5) the AMMO-sexual culture that twist and pervert the 2nd Amendment (at the expense of real human life) in their hysterical fear that the “Government will need to be overthrown· at some point and they need military-grade arms to do it.

“It is not hyperbolic to point the finger of blame at people who stand silently by and allow hate, bigotry, and enmity to drive policy in this country.

The society that creates the Criminals must bear culpability for the crimes they commit, as well.

It is a well-established truth that “we create our own enemies” ... and this Orlando terrorist was home grown in the USA; born, raised, radicalized in the USA. Unlike other conversations related to GLOBAL terror, this particular incident is uniquely American, and America must account for. ...

1) the vitriolic ANTI-Gay religious culture that justifies hate ...

2) the bigoted ANTI-Gay rhetoric that force people into the closet in self-loathing fear of their own safety, future, and wellbeing.

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4) the ignorant ANTI-reason social class that has created a “race to the bottom” mentality for Politicians who fall over themselves to be more ignorant and intolerant that the last guy.

6) the societal refusal to property acknowledge, diagnose, treat, and manage mental illness ... waiting for a crime to happen and then choosing incarceration rather than treatment 7) the apathetic majority that accept the status quo of mass shootings as the “New Normal” and refuse to do anything more than change their profile photo for a few days and post a few inspirational quotes from Gandhi. ... and on and on.

You can choose any/all of these (and the myriad of others not mentioned) that illustrate how America made this Terrorist in our own back yard. If you want to stop terrorism, stop the culture and policies that create terrorists. continued on next page

It seems that human nature wants to BLAME THE OTHERS rather than take a cold hard look at how we created our own mess. The shooting in Orlando is the direct result of AMERICA being AMERICA. If we’re happy with these results ... then keep chanting U.S.A, U.S.A. and claiming to be “the best country on earth.” In the end, we are only proving to the world that America is #1 ... leading the globe in self-delusion and denial.”

out there looking to molest kids, but I haven’t found an instance where it was a Trans person that does it. And Google doesn’t fail me very often. I am more concerned with my daughter going to church and being molested than I am of her using the restroom with a Trans person.

Very powerful and well-articulated. I couldn’t say it better, so I didn’t even try.

So, what is the answer?

Let’s move onto the next bit of idiocy.

Target. Bathrooms. People using the bathroom.

I know a lady who has been “confronted” by “religious” folk in the bathroom since this fake uproar began. Now, she is a heterosexual cisgender person, who happens to have some mannish qualities for a lady. Either way, you can totally tell she is a lady, and she went into the restroom to use it for its intended purpose; to go potty, and hopefully wash her hands.

She didn’t enter the restroom thinking she would have to justify her being there. She didn’t enter the restroom thinking that she might get into a physical altercation because of what someone else thought she might or might not be. She entered the restroom to do #1 or #2, wash her hands, and nothing else.

People have asked me if I’m concerned for my daughter or wife using the restroom. Yes, I am, but I ALWAYS have been. I’m a helicopter Dad and I refuse to apologize for that. There are a lot of creepy people

As for my wife, I pity the fool ignorant enough to mess with her. In fact, I would thoroughly enjoy watching that as it would be entertaining. Plus, she would get to vent some frustrations by stomping a fool into the ground. Now, onto more fun things.

Used with permission

So, if what is considered to be a “normal” person is being confronted in the bathrooms, can you imagine what Trans people are having to go through?

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F rom The Edit or – H appy Version Zero. Well, here we are my friends.

The final issue from Bill and I. Yes, we prolonged it as long as we could.

What a wonderful ride it has been. I am seriously going to miss all of you and the pressure to put out a world class magazine every month. Sigh, guess I might as well get this over with.

In this issue! Finally, I had time to finish a few things, so after a six month wait, Piper Kerman’s interview appears! *applause* Actually I thought I deleted the interview off of my voice recorder. Turns out I had two of them and had simply lost the one with her interview on it.

SGA and club wrap ups. Almost too much to list. With this being the final issue, I couldn’t have asked for better content from students this month. I am very proud of everyone and all of their contributions to the paper. A lot of people have made this publication possible.

Now that Bill and I are done, the Fox Times once again needs someone to handle the InDesign layouts. Bill has saved all of the templates he used, the formatting, the article titles, the new masthead, everything you could possibly need. Right now, layout is a plug and play thing. The bones are there, someone simply needs to put the content in. If any students wish to fulfill the role of Layout & Design Editor, email fvtcfoxtimes@gmail.com or gerkecor@fvtc.edu. If you have any questions regarding the duties within layout, stop into Student Life and talk with Shannon Gerke Corrigan.

There is an existing writing staff. There isn’t an existing photographer, as I fulfilled the photography role. The Fox Times needs editors, more writers (there can never be enough), photographers, and a layout & design person. If the new board has questions, Shannon knows how to find me and I am more than willing to assist in any way necessary. Like I said, we put our blood (papercuts man), sweat (writing is hard), and tears (real men cry) into this paper, and we don’t want to see it fail.

We have been working on this issue for a few months, I wanted to do a swimsuit issue, but was advised against it. Apparently the consensus was that no one wanted to see Bill or Foxy in a swimsuit.

So, what we did is we took photos from as many programs as we could and have built a “body feature” of FVTC. I think everyone will enjoy it. What else is in this one?

Joel writes about an awesome collaborative project among several clubs, sponsored by SGA. No spoilers here, read it and find out! Brenda talks about Mother’s Day, we’ve got recipes, and a whole bunch of other stuff.

Here we are at the end. The cover says it all. Bill and I are riding off into the sunset never to be seen again (at least some people hope so). I will leave you with some fitting lyrics from Willie Nelson.

“Turn out the lights The party’s over They say that All good things must end Look at you, you’re having fun Misery cause for me the party’s over Turn out the lights...”

Rich Out.

F x Times Articles Wanted Do you like what you see within these pages? Then join us. Do you think you can do better? Then get up off your duff and do it. If 4 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | SUMMER 2016

you need article suggestions, let me know.

Email us at fvtcfoxtimes@gmail.com

Submit comments or questions for Foxy at fvtcfoxtimes@gmail.com.

Dear Foxy, Now that Rich and Bill are gone, who do I talk to if I want to work on the Fox Times?

Foxy Fan Hi Foxy Fan! Great question! Shannon Gerke Corrigan is the Advisor for the Fox Times and is the person to chat with. gerkecor@fvtc.edu if you wish to email, or stop into Student Life and chat with her.

Hi Foxy, When you aren’t being Fox Valley Technical College’s best brand ambassador, what do you do for fun?

Dear Foxy, What music do you enjoy listening too? I know that kids today only listen to mind numbing noise. Please tell me you like good music.

Music Critic Hey Critic!

True that home slice! Actually my favorite music now is Hmong Student Union Advisor Koua Thao serenading me with slow jams!

Curious

Fox Times is looking for photographers willing to take random pictures, attend sports events, and attend school events.

Email foxtimes@fvtc.edu if interested!

Used with permission

Hi Curious!

Best brand ambassador huh? Ha ha ha. Oh goodness, no wonder a certain unnamed department hates me. Anyhow, I enjoy long walks on the beach, trying to figure out what I say, and pondering the mysteries of the universe. Like why Justin Bieber is popular.

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Cheers

Jeers

Cheers to all of the Spring Graduates! Congratulations! Now go earn your keep!

Cheers to all of the winners from the SGA Awards Gala! Well deserved!

Bittersweet Cheers to Rich and Bill on their retirement from the Fox Times! The paper won’t be the same!

Cheers to Donald Drumpf (Trump) for making late night TV funny again. My goodness what a never ending wealth of comedic material there.

Cheers to the impending sweeping passage of legalized Marijuana. Never used it nor wanted to. Though the insane amount of tax revenue legalized pot will bring in will pay for an awful lot.

Jeers to Oklahoma and all of the other backwoods Leatherface type states with their 1400’s style laws regarding women, bathrooms, and other such nonsense. What about the economy and jobs? You know, things that actually matter?

Jeers to discrimination of any kind in general. Again, do you have nothing better to do?

Seriously.

Jeers to the 12 foot snake in Thailand that slithered through the plumbing and bit a guy on the toilet. Yes, while he was doing his business.

Jeers to the super delegate nonsense. Make the people’s vote count!

Jeers to the Pastors celebrating the massacre in Orlando. This guy is the most notable of them. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jun/14/roger-jimenez-sacramentopastor-orlando-little-bit/ Jeers to all of the people that resort to violence over the smallest things. “My fries are cold; I’m going to shoot you.” Really people? Really?

Jeers to George Zimmerman. Sold the gun used to murder Trayvon Martin at auction for $120,000. It is a piece of American history he said. Wow. Jeers to Donald Drumpf’s (Trump) popularity. Thank you people for proving what the rest of the world thinks of the US. We are the laughingstock of the world because of you.

If you wish to submit a cheer or jeer, send an email to fvtcfoxtimes@gmail.com with cheers and jeers in the subject line.

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Your Right to Know

State should support student expression

by Matthew Smith

Two years ago, the Fond du Lac School District unveiled new guidelines requiring administrative review and approval before the publication of any student media. The reaction by students was swift, democratic and effective.

Within days, they had publicized the change online, presented their case at a school board meeting, appeared on local media, and gathered several thousand signatures on a petition calling for student publications to be returned to the students. Over the next several months, they highlighted the district’s use of these guidelines to block the publication of particular photos and information.

These efforts succeeded. The district agreed to convene a group of student journalists and educators to craft a new policy. By the next school year, the restrictive guidelines were gone.

The passion for the free flow of information and Constitutional rights displayed by these students stands as a prime example of the power of a journalism education based on student responsibility and ownership. But efforts to stifle student speech remain.

Recently, a principal in Chicago censored a story about the school’s new starting time, at one point threatening to kill the publication entirely. Student journalists in Missouri were told they must submit a story about their superintendent’s resignation to the principal for editing. A student journalist in West Bend, Wisconsin, reports being barred from writing about certain topics.

And in many schools, the looming possibility of administrative overreach leads students to censor themselves, back down when challenged, or abandon student publications entirely.

This should not be happening. While schools must maintain an effective learning atmosphere, they do not have the right to suppress information they simply do not like. Court cases have made clear that students maintain their First Amendment rights of free speech at school.

if related to legitimate educational purposes. Many school districts have over-applied this highly subjective standard.

Once a principal is allowed to pre-approve student journalism, it is inevitable that he or she will find things to change to make the expression more “positive” or more aligned with what the principal wants to say. This does not teach journalism or citizenship. It teaches that authority figures—government officials, in the case of public schools—decide what ideas can be discussed.

Since Hazelwood, eight states have passed laws clearly establishing that student publications belong to students, who are themselves responsible for deciding what to publish. North Dakota passed one such law unanimously last year, and more than 20 other states are looking to join them.

These bills, termed New Voices laws, do nothing to limit a school’s ability to prohibit illegal or harmful speech. But they do let students perfect the power of their own voices and explore the benefits of the free flow of information in a democracy.

Students in Wisconsin deserve a New Voices law of their own. The effort to do so here, known as Supporting New Voices of Wisconsin, has been getting media attention and editorial support.

In the next legislative session, we hope state lawmakers will help ensure that the rights of student journalists are clear and that schools are using student publications for student learning, rather than to promote the agenda of government officials.

Your Right to Know is a monthly column distributed by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council (www.wisfoic.org), a nonprofit group dedicated to open government. Matthew Smith, a teacher at Fond du Lac High School, is a coordinator for New Voices of Wisconsin.

Unfortunately, a 1988 U.S. Supreme Court ruling (Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier) established that schools could review and possibly restrain speech

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AA&P Club members participate in “Steps of Change”

by Julie Schmidt

Several members of FVTC’s Addiction Awareness & Prevention Club including Julie Schmidt, Ken Hamberger, Kelly Socha, and Samantha Castro volunteered for “Steps of Change,” an addiction education event hosted by Wisconsin United We CAN on April 9.

Lori Cross Schotten, founder and executive director of Wisconsin United We CAN, shares information on how substances affect our brain chemistry.

Menasha Police Officer Aaron Zemlock talks about addiction and its effects on the community from a law enforcement perspective. Watching someone you love teeter on the line between life and death as they struggle with addiction is one of the most heart-wrenching, helpless, hopeless experiences you can endure. Rather than giving in to that seemingly overwhelming weight, many community members from all walks of life have been inspired to come together, collaborating on ways to educate, advocate and spread the hope of recovery.

Just as the most effective treatments for addiction come at the problem in several different ways, events like “Steps of Change” try to make a difference by presenting information from a wide variety of sources.

Wisconsin United We CAN hosted the free education series at the Menasha Public Library on April 9th, and they brought together parents, police officers, a drug court judge, Probation/Parole agent, and a variety treatment providers, as well as people who are succeeding in recovery. Each shared their unique perspectives on the crisis we are facing.

Several members of FVTC’s Addiction Awareness & Prevention Club also participated in the event, learning from the presentations and handing out information about the AODA program and community resources.

It was an eye-opening day. Those who thought addiction doesn’t affect them learned that substance abusers are 18 times more likely to be involved in criminal activity which, if nothing else, puts a financial burden on society. And while they may think addiction is just about drugs like heroin or crack, Menasha Police Officer Aaron Zemlock pointed out alcohol is the #1 killer. When good people do bad things, alcohol is usually involved, he said.

But heroin and other opiates are killing a lot of people in our area. It’s the worst drug they are dealing with at the moment, Zemlock said. His department is working on a program that would allow addicts to come in, turn over their drugs, and ask for help. He said it will need to be a community effort, though, to make sure there’s enough funding and treatment options available.

Addiction is a chronic, life-threatening disease that needs to be managed in much the same way diabetes is. And it can happen to anyone, not just bad people.

In fact, most drug addicts and alcoholics say they had a “normal upbringing.” Yet addiction seems to be the only disease we judge people harshly for.

Recovery is a process, not a straight line; and sobriety isn’t the same thing as recovery. The drugs and alcohol aren’t the problem—they are the way the person deals with (or escapes) their underlying issues.

Once the addict truly finds recovery and heals, they can maintain sobriety.

Those of us who participated in “Steps of Change” learned what drugs are in the Fox Valley, how they work on the user’s brain, how they impact the user and their loved ones, and what kind of treatment options and resources are available locally. But for me, the mother of a young man who has been close to death many times at the hands of opiates and benzos, the most important message of the day was hope.

Recovery happens.

In the words of one young person who shared their journey, “all it takes is one little spark to get something going.”

We also learned there are so many people willing to share their time and talents to reach out and help those affected by addiction. They are driven to save lives, and they are all just people like you and me.

Officer Zemlock shared the story of two men on an escalator that broke down. They stood there, calling for help. The one remained, waiting for someone else to fix the problem. The other began to climb the now stationary steps. The officer’s point? “Take the initiative. Don’t wait for others to fix it.”

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From the SGA President

Well, here we are at the end of the 2015-2016 Student Government Association term. Our board has disbanded and gone their separate ways. Since this is my final update as SGA President, I want to highlight something very important that ALL STUDENTS need to be concerned with, what SGA accomplished this year and and what SGA accomplished this year.

Student Government/Student Life Budget. Student Segregated Fees comprise the Student Government/ Student Life budget. This typically equals about $1.5-$2 million each academic year. Yes. You read that correctly.

MILLION. Do I have your attention now? Good.

So the seven (7) member executive board oversees approximately a $2 million budget each year. Because that is such a big job, SGA now appoints a five (5) member Finance Committee to comb through the budget, line item by line item and present to the board a fair and balanced budget. The intention of the Finance Committee is to provide full transparency for the funds within the Student Government budget. I believe that we have provided that transparency. We know exactly where every dollar goes, and so should you as the student. YOU pay these fees; YOU should be invested in where they go.

What is a Student Segregated Fee? Great question. From the FVTC Student Handbook that Student Life provides.

“Students taking credit classes at Fox Valley Technical College pay a student segregated fee per credit. The cost for 2015-2016 is $11.55 per credit. The allocation of these fees is the responsibility of the FVTC Student Government Association and is subject to final approval by the FVTC District Board of Trustees. Each year the Student Government Association finances projects, events and student organizations that are of interest to the student body. In addition, a percentage of these fees are allocated to provide services to the college’s Health Services, Security, Student Conduct Office and Employment Connections.”

Please run for SGA office next year. The board needs great, passionate people, and we had that on the two (2) previous boards. If students are to finish and keep the gains we have gotten, the board will need to be even better in the coming years.

Initiatives Student Government brought attention to and are in process of becoming reality.

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Student Government used the 2015-2016 academic year to streamline operations, make much needed amendments to the constitution, and led by example in terms of collaboration with student organizations and the community. Volunteered in the community, encouraged other student organizations to do the same: in 2016 all 50 student organizations have.

Food Plans for students, with the new housing opening up in Fall 2016, it made sense that food plans should become a reality. SGA approached this in October 2015 and put the bug in the administrations ear that students want these.

Last I heard on the issue was that these were in process of becoming reality.

We also mentioned that students were very unhappy with the selections, portion sizes, and prices of the offerings within the cafeteria. If changes to that are to be made, YOU, the student will have to make some noise about it. We were stonewalled when we brought it up. We as a board were very unhappy with the responses we received when we brought up these complaints. Those of you that know me know I don’t do well with being stonewalled.

Nurse Practitioner for students two days per week. Assists all students with minor health issues, free of charge. This is in addition to the Nurse that currently is on campus two days per week. If this is a success, it could become a more permanent more time thing. The health division brought this to us, and it just made sense. Yes, student segregated fees pays for the Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, and the entire health office.

Funded upgrades to security cameras and improvements to the security staff to ensure campus and all inhabitants are safe and secure. SGA and Student Life are focused and dedicated to the well-being AND safety of the students.

Improved processes for student organization fund requests.

Streamlined the process and hopefully made it much easier and simpler to understand.

Focused on improving diversity and inclusion on campus.

There are issues on our campus that need to be addressed and they are. However, in my opinion, students need to be the leaders on this issue. Team up and stand out front with Student Life and Multicultural Student Services (Shannon Gerke Corrigan and Rayon Brown) in combating these things as they appear and ensure FVTC is as inclusive as it can be.

Hosted the first annual end of term Winter Dance/Karaoke.

We had a great turnout and a fantastic time. Hopefully I am invited to the 2016 version, my karaoke skills are sorely needed at FVTC. continued on next page

We did so much more than that as well. But this is getting very long, so I will wrap up with what I wrote on the SGA Facebook Page.

“The 2015-2016 SGA Executive Board’s term has officially ended. It was a wild and fun ride, and I encourage all returning FVTC students to seriously consider running for a position on the board.

For all of the students, thank you for your trust in us.

Thank you for the opportunity to advocate on your behalf, to cheer you on in all of your various endeavors, and for accepting our challenge to service.

Every single student organization participated within the community. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. Students that were not members of any particular student organization participated in the community. The student population at FVTC is awesome.

I heard a lot of amazing feedback from volunteer organizations regarding student turnout and efforts this year. Be proud of that! As an SGA, and I personally, we are damn proud of that for you.

Coakley, Gunther Krause.

We led with integrity, honor, commitment, service, and compassion. Take pride in that my friends, as staff, faculty, and the administration will remember us long after our footsteps have stopped echoing in the halls.

Last, but certainly not least. Thank you to our wonderful Advisor, Shannon Gerke Corrigan. Your commitment to students is second to none. Your compassion for students is exemplary. Your ability to place a boot in some of our tushes when we needed it was awe-inspiring. Also surprising as some of us placed bets you couldn’t get your foot that high... :D Future Student Government Boards are in great hands with you.

Thank you everyone.

Rich Weber SGA President 2015-2016”

For my fellow SGA Board members, Rae Derks, Estu Danang, Terence Edwards, Megan Kososki, Christiana

SGA Awards Wrap Up Non-Academic Student Organization of the Year Phi Theta Kappa

Foxy Award Mai Yang Sponsored by New North B2B Magazine

Academic Student Organization of the Year Student Nurses Association

Civic Consciousness Award We A.R.E. Sponsored by Thrivent Financial

Oshkosh Student Board Leadership Award Pauline Ho Sponsored by Oshkosh Rotary Club

Advisor of the Year Rick Reid, Phi Theta Kappa

Student Government Association Leadership Award Frank Flores Sponsored by Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce Collaborative Event of the Year Accounting Club, Phi Theta Kappa, We A.R.E. Hygiene Drive for Harbor House

Event of the Year Breakthrough, Catalyst Training Phi Theta Kappa Student Organization of the Year Hmong Student Union Phi Theta Kappa Sponsored by The Volunteer Center

continued on next page

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continued on next page

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Student Nurses Association – Academic Student Organization of the Year

by Jen Garrison and Crystal Steffek

On Tuesday May 2, 2016 the Student Nurses Association (SNA) received the honors of being named Academic Student Organization of the Year during the Student Government Association (SGA) Awards Gala.

This is a great accomplishment for SNA and the organization’s members certainly worked hard to earn this recognition. SNA held several events throughout the school year that allowed students to continue growing and expanding their knowledge so that they can provide better care and be exceptional nurses after graduation.

SNA volunteered at the Fox Cities Marathon where students assisted runners at the finish line by wrapping them in heat shields and walking them to get their completion awards along with a snack and hydration. When runners were experiencing ill effects from the exhaustion of the run, SNA members monitored vitals and got them to the medical tent where additional aide could be given. Students were able to see first-hand how to recognize runners that would require medical help.

SNA members also participated the Special Olympics Polar Plunge and in the medical tent to provide aide for participants of the Special Olympics Flag Football. SNA held a blood drive, participated in two food drives and movie night here on the FVTC campus. SNA held three Study Nights where childcare was provided so that nursing students were able to study for their classes with their classmates as well as network with students from other semesters.

One of SNA’s biggest highlights of the year was their most recently held Bone Marrow Registration Drive on April 19th, where students and faculty had the opportunity to swab their cheeks for a DNA sample to be sent to the National Registry. SNA submitted 70 new potential donors for registration on the National list in only six short hours.

SNA is looking into setting up another Bone Marrow Registration Day during the next school year. Once it has been determined that a match has been found, the donor is contacted to schedule a donation. Over 75% of the time, donation is done similar to giving plasma.

In rare cases where the recipient is critical or a very small child, the donation is done via removal of bone marrow from the hip. This procedure is done while under general anesthetic and is often described as feeling similar to a hard fall. The best part is that this is all done at NO expense to the donor. The donor also gets the satisfaction of helping to save a life.

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The National Bone Marrow Registry offers the option of mailing a cheek swabbing kit to your home where you can swab and send in your own sample. For more information on how to register, go to http://www.deletebloodcancer.org

Medical Assistant Club The Medical Assistant Club is active at the FVTC Riverside Campus in Oshkosh. The Medical Assistant Club currently has fourteen members, meeting the first Monday of the month at 9 a.m.

MA Club has been active selling popcorn and pizza at Karaoke night. This was a blast showing off our singing talents and interacting with others. They have been busy raising money selling candy bars and participating in the Annual Rummage Sale on the Appleton campus.

MA Club has invested the money into purchasing money to purchase fabric. They have spent several

hours making 46 fleece lap blankets for cancer patients. The blankets will be distributed to Oncology Units around the Fox Valley and Oshkosh area. There newest adventure is to make Portal Protectors for seatbelts. Talking to Cancer patients, it was brought to our attention, seatbelts tend to rub on the port that has been put in place. The port covers provide some cushion and comfort for these patients.

MA Club is planning upcoming events as well. The ladies will be assisting with the upcoming Wheelchair Car Wash in May, making the portal protectors, a car wash and brat fry.

Used with permission

by Pualine Ho

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A Solution for Your Low Battery Notification

by Joel Hovell

I’m certain you’re not alone in the fact that since you’ve had a smartphone, you’ve forgotten to recharge the battery at some point. You were unable to recharge because you had forgotten you cord or were away from an outlet if a cord was available. In this connected world of ours, when everyone is expected to be within reach throughout the day, it must be annoying to find yourself limited because your phone died. A piece of you were lost as contact through our most valuable tool for communication was disabled from lack of power.

A solution has been developed to resolve this problem, at least when you’re on the Appleton campus of Fox Valley Technical College. SGA President Rich Weber asked Electronics & Automation Club President Mark Gierach to designing and build a charging station.

Mark then gathered people from the Electronics & Automation Club, the Fab Lab Club, Machine Tool Club, FVTC’s Welding Department, and the company United Plastic Fabricating have committed themselves to produce a phone charging station. The station has been designed to charge 12 phones from popular brands like Apple, Samsung, and Android alongside two tablets for a total of 14 devices at any one time.

The station will be located in Student Life, which is room E137 across from the cafeteria.

Hold on a minute, what if someone attempts to steal my phone or tablet while I’m class as it charges at the station? Built into the station are individual locked compartments, similar to the lockers in the testing center on the second floor. This means you are in control and can spend your time in class without worry. Your education is important to you, don’t waste it because you believe someone might steal your most important communication tool.

Though construction of the phone charging station has begun or will soon begin, the current estimated completion date is set for the middle of May; just as Spring Semester 2016 finals are being issued. I suspect the station will be fully operational before the subsequent summer semester starts, which begins

halfway through June. Depending upon how valuable this one phone charging station is to Fox Valley Technical College, there are plans to build several more if the first is a success. The other stations will be scattered throughout the school, but their exact locations are yet unknown until they are needed.

I mentioned earlier that several people have committed themselves to building the phone charging station. At the time of this writing, the following have participated to bring this project to fruition. SGA President Rich Weber, the man behind the idea to have the phone charging station in Student Life.

From the Electronics & Automation Club, Mark Gierach, Jesse Miller, and Jeremiah Beattie created the overall design for the station. Nate Helm-Quest of the Fab Lab Club helped with the laser cutting of acrylic parts. Steve Paltzer of the Machine Tool Club is writing code to properly cut out the parts made of polypropylene plastic on a CNC machine. Members of the FVTC Welding Department have designed and fabricated the phone charging station base, which is made of steel. The company, United Plastic Fabricating, has provided welding tools and other equipment to make the polypropylene plastic compartments; where the electronic devices will be securely stored.

For those I failed to mention, I congratulate everyone for helping out with a project that not only serves a purpose for FVTC, but for you as individuals. The students involved in building the phone charging station, this proves your time in class has been proven to be a constructive one.

Fox Times is looking for photographers willing to take random pictures, attend sports events, and attend school events.

Email foxtimes@fvtc.edu if interested!

FACEBOOK.COM/FVTCFOXTIMES | 17

Take Pride in Monster Shop

May 5, 2016

OUTDOOR POWER EQUIPMENT & POWER SPORTS TAKE SKILLSUSA BY STORM,

Mr. Dale Drees: Outdoor Power Equipment Advisor

Celebration is in Order Fox Valley Tech!

I am excited as President of Monster Shop Club and standing member of Power Sports Club to announce that Outdoor Power Equipment and Power Sports took SKILLSUSA State competition

by Landslide. As a competitor for the first time, the excitement of competing against other technical colleges in the state as a test of knowledge and skill levels in specific areas really got me excited and nervous. These areas are pertinent to the future technicians in the real shop case situations.

Some of the skills tests dealt with measuring internal and external components as well as testing fuel quality. Each test had a time limit to diagnose, adjust, measure perimeters with points awarded for accuracy, preparedness, appearance, confidence in your evaluations, and most important, professionalism and the ability to compete as a team. As a representative of Monster shop I am very proud and impressed with the results of our efforts as a team of professionals to enter as competitors and exit winners in not only Outdoor Power Technology but also in Motorcycle, Marine, and Speech. As a team, we were concerned about the competition we were about to face.

18 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | SUMMER 2016

Fox Valley Tech has a lot to be proud of. Outdoor Power Equipment / Power Sports brought home 8 medals this year in SKILLSUSA. Outdoor Power Equipment took great honor in taking home all medals in Power Equipment Technology.

Donaven Phillips 1st Place, Chad Holwerda 2nd, Dan Pendergast 3rd, and in the Power Sports competition for Motorcycle Skills, Corey Meyers took 1st, Jon Bornemann 2nd, Marshall White 3rd and in the Marine Arena, Shane Bero took third for the Bronze. This June at SKILLSUSA NATIONALS in Louisville, Kentucky Fox Valley Tech has 5 students who will be competing for National recognition. Along with the SkillsUSA competition, Monster Shop has been busy here at home. OPE has their spring tune-ups and is getting set for finals and Power Sports, well you know everyone wants their motorcycles yesterday. As President of the Monster Shop these students deserve a big shout out for a job well done. If you see these students in and around campus give them the congratulations, they earned for a job well done. Let’s not forget the real reasons our students did so well, our Advisors involved with SkillsUSA for Outdoor Power & Power Sports, Mr. Dale Drees and Mr. Jerry Fischer.

SKILLS USA NATIONALS We in Monster Shop would like to take the time to thank all of our sponsors for their dedication to our programs and competitions to keep striving for professionalism, courteous, and confidence in our knowledge, as future technicians in the Outdoor Power Equipment & Power Sports. Good Job Guys! Good Luck in Nationals

[OUR THANKS] Monster Shop would like to give a special thanks to the spons0rs of not only Power Sports & OPE but SkillsUSA. Thank you Briggs & Stratton, Stihl, John Deere, Toro, Kohler Engines, Snap-on Tools, EETC (Equipment & Engine Training Council), Mercury Marine, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Arctic Cat, Polaris, Kubota, and numerous other area Dealers and Manufacturers who have supplied the technology and equipment to further our future in today’s world as Certified Technicians. A special Thanks Goes to Mr. Dale Drees & Mr. Jerry Fischer for your encouragement and dedication to Monster Shop and your students to Create Respectful and Professional Team of Future Certified Technicians in the great world of Outdoor Power Technology, & Power Sports.

Motorcycle Technology {Medalists}

Thankyou both from all of us here at the MONSTER SHOP Written by: Donaven Phillips, President: Monster Shop……THE WINNING TEAM

Marine Technology

Judging Team> Outdoor Power Technology OPE {Medalist}

FACEBOOK.COM/FVTCFOXTIMES | 19

My NACA Experience!

by Josh Buckley

A few weeks ago I attended the NACA Conference in Madison. Seeing as this was my first time going to NACA I didn’t know what to expect. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget! We were able to see a lot of very talented acts perform and pick who we wanted to come to our school. I was able to make

by Jimmy Thao

National Association for Campus Activities conference gave me a lot of new knowledge. I personally enjoyed the conference because I got to see so many talented people. Everyone there were very strong in their talents and shared what they did in life to make them the person they are today. The only thing that I did not like was that they did not have enough educational sessions for us. The Educational session was one of the best sessions because I learned a lot from it.

One of the best educational sessions I went to was Digital Activities and Teamwork. Digital Activities and Teamwork really made students comfortable

20 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | SUMMER 2016

a lot of new friends not only with the group from our campus and the Oshkosh campus, but with people from other schools also. NACA was a conference that I hope I get to attend again, I also hope new students get to experience it as well.

and share their opinions with each other. The other educational session educated me on how to host a good event and meeting. The Educator explained and shared many things that can help out in hosting an event. Like the name of the event and people that should always be involved with the event. It gave me tons of ideas and helped me out a lot when hosting an event. I am fired up for the next NACA or APCA, so I can help make our college a better place that involves every student who comes to Fox Valley Technical College. I would love to do this again and have more people come along with Student Activities Club.

FACEBOOK.COM/FVTCFOXTIMES | 21

What is We A.R.E?

by Heather Brey

Have you heard about the new club on campus that goes by the name of We A.R.E.? If you haven’t; We A.R.E. is a group of students and advisors aiming to raise awareness regarding domestic, emotional and sexual abuse. (Resources regarding violence are also available.) We A.R.E. was the recipient of the Civic Consciousness award at the Student Government Awards Gala held, Tuesday May 3rd, 2016. We A.R.E. along with Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) and the Accounting Club also won the Collaborative Event of the Year award for our collaborative efforts in arranging a successful Hygiene Drive for Harbor House. We would like to send out a special thank-you to Phi Theta Kappa, Accounting Club, and the generous students, and staff of Fox Valley Technical College for making the drive a successful endeavor. Together, we are helping build a stronger school and community!

We A.R.E. is looking for you! New members are always welcome! There is no need to have been a victim of domestic, emotional or sexual abuse to join. We A.R.E. is open to all students! Anyone who has a passion for awareness and would like to join, is at home with We A.R.E. If you are interested in trying us out before joining, you are more than welcome to visit one of our meetings. Meetings are held on Wednesdays (opposite of Student Government Association) at 3:45pm and on SGA weeks, Fridays at 2pm in the student success center. Please “like” us on Facebook.

(Note: Meeting days and/or times may be changed for the fall semester.)

Many of you may have seen Jen Garrison, President and Jackie Miller, Vice President of We A.R.E. selling wreaths in the Commons on Wednesday, April 6th, 2016. The wreath sale is on-going and being done to raise proceeds that will go to provide support to area domestic abuse, sexual assault and gender equality programs. If you did not have a chance to stop by their table but would still like to purchase a wreath, you may do so by speaking with Jen Garrison, Jackie Miller, or sending a message through the We A.R.E. Facebook page. Special orders are still being accepted.

Pricing for a tulle wreath is as follows; small $15.00 each (or 2 for $35.00) and large, $40.00 each. There will also be additional styles of wreaths added in the near future. Please consider purchasing a wreath to help support a good cause.

We A.R.E. would like to share some alarming statistics regarding sexual violence and assault with you. Please be

22 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | SUMMER 2016

part of the change. (The following statistics were taken from NSRVC.org.)

Sexual violence in the U.S. • One in five women and one in 71 men will be raped at some point in their lives. (a) • 46.4% lesbians, 74.9% bisexual women and 43.3% heterosexual women reported sexual violence other than rape during their lifetimes, while 40.2% gay men, 47.4% bisexual men and 20.8% heterosexual men reported sexual violence other than rape during their lifetimes. (p) • Nearly one in 10 women has been raped by an intimate partner in her lifetime, including completed forced penetration, attempted forced penetration or alcohol/ drug-facilitated completed penetration.

• Approximately one in 45 men has been made to penetrate an intimate partner during his lifetime. (b) • 91% of the victims of rape and sexual assault are female, and 9% are male (o) • In eight out of 10 cases of rape, the victim knew the person who sexually assaulted them (l) • 8% of rapes occur while the victim is at work (e) Cost and Impact • Each rape costs approximately $151,423. (d) • Annually, rape costs the U.S. more than any other crime ($127 billion), followed by assault ($93 billion), murder ($71 billion), and drunk driving ($61 billion). (l) • 81% of women and 35% of men report significant shortterm or long-term impacts such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). (a) • Health care is 16% higher for women who were sexually abused as children (m) • Child sexual abuse • One in four girls and one in six boys will be sexually abused before they turn 18 years old. (f) • 34% of people who sexually abuse a child are family members. (n)

• 12.3% of women were age 10 or younger at the time of their first rape/victimization, and 30% of women were between the ages of 11 and 17 (a) • 27.8% of men were age 10 or younger at the time of their first rape/victimization. (a) • More than one-third of women who report being raped before age 18 also experience rape as an adult. (a) • 96% of people who sexually abuse children are male, and 76.8% of people who sexually abuse children are adults. (n) • 325,000 children are at risk of becoming victims of commercial child sexual exploitation each year. (m) • The average age at which girls first become victims of prostitution is 12 to 14 years old, and the average age for boys is 11 to 13 years old. (m) Campus Sexual assault • One in 5 women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college. (i)

• More than 90% of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report the assault. (c) • 63.3% of men at one university who self-reported acts qualifying as rape or attempted rape admitted to committing repeat rapes. (j) Crime reports • Rape is the most under-reported crime; 63% of sexual assaults are not reported to police (o). Only 12% of child sexual abuse is reported to the authorities. (g) • The prevalence of false reporting is between 2% and 10%.

For example, a study of eight U.S. communities, which included 2,059 cases of sexual assault, found a 7.1% rate of false reports. (k) • A study of 136 sexual assault cases in Boston found a 5.9% rate of false reports. (j) • Researchers studied 812 reports of sexual assault from 2000-03 and found a 2.1% rate of false reports. (h)

_________________________________________________________________________________ References

(a) Black, M. C., Basile, K. C., Breiding, M. J., Smith, S .G., Walters, M. L., Merrick, M. T., … Stevens, M. R. (2011). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2010 summary report. Retrieved from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control: http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/ NISVS_Report2010-a.pdf

the National Criminal Justice Reference Service: http://www.ncjrs.gov/ pdffiles1/nij/grants/221153.pdf

(b) Breiding, M. J., Chen J., & Black, M. C. (2014). Intimate Partner Violence in the United States — 2010. Retrieved from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control: http://www.cdc. gov/violenceprevention/pdf/cdc_nisvs_ipv_ report_2013_v17_single_a.pdf

(k) Lonsway, K. A., Archambault, J., & Lisak, D. (2009). False reports: Moving beyond the issue to successfully investigate and prosecute nonstranger sexual assault. The Voice, 3(1), 1-11. Retrieved from the National District Attorneys Association: http://www.ndaa.org/pdf/the_voice_ vol_3_no_1_2009.pdf

(c) Fisher, B., Cullen, F., & Turner, M. (2000). The sexual victimization of college women (NCJ 182369). Retrieved from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/182369.pdf

(l) Miller, T. R., Cohen, M. A., & Wiersema, B. (1996). Victim costs and consequences: A new look (NCJ 155282). Retrieved from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/ victcost.pdf

(d) Delisi, M., Kosloski, A., Sween, M., Hachmeister, E., Moore, M., & Drury, A. (2010). Murder by numbers: Monetary costs imposed by a sample of homicide offenders. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 21, 501-513. doi:10.1080/14789940903564388 (e) Duhart, D. T. (2001). Violence in the workplace, 1993-99. Retrieved from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics: http:// www.bjs.gov/content/ pub/pdf/vw99.pdf (f) Finkelhor, D., Hotaling, G., Lewis, I. A., & Smith, C. (1990). Sexual abuse in a national survey of adult men and women: Prevalence, characteristics and risk factors. Child Abuse & Neglect 14, 19-28. doi:10.1016/0145-2134(90)90077-7 (g) Hanson, R. F., Resnick, H. S., Saunders, B. E., Kilpatrick, D. G., & Best, C. (1999). Factors related to the reporting of childhood rape. Child Abuse and Neglect, 23, 559–569. doi:10.1016/S0145-2134(99)00028-9 (h) Heenan, M., & Murray, S. (2006). Study of reported rapes in Victoria 2000-2003: Summary research report. Retrieved from the State of Victoria (Australia), Department of Human Services: http://www.dhs.vic. gov.au/__data/assets/ pdf_file/0004/644152/StudyofReportedRapes.pdf

(j) Lisak, D., Gardinier, L., Nicksa, S. C., & Cote, A. M. (2010). False allegations of sexual assault: An analysis of ten years of reported cases.

Violence Against Women, 16, 1318-1334. doi:10.1177/1077801210387747

(m) National Coalition to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation.

(2012). National Plan to Prevent the Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children. Retrieved from http://www.preventtogether.org/Resources/ Documents/ NationalPlan2012FINAL.pdf (n) National Sexual Violence Resource Center. (2011). Child sexual abuse prevention: Overview. Retrieved from http://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/ files/Publications_ NSVRC_Overview_Child-sexual-abuse-prevention_0. pdf (o) Rennison, C. A. (2002). Rape and sexual assault: Reporting to police and medical attention, 1992-2000 [NCJ 194530]. Retrieved from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics: http://bjs.ojp. usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/rsarp00.pdf (p) Walters, M.L., Chen J., & Breiding, M.J. (2013). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010 Findings on Victimization by Sexual Orientation. Retrieved from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control: http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/NISVS_SOfindings. pdf

(i) Krebs, C. P., Lindquist, C., Warner, T., Fisher, B., & Martin, S. (2007).

The campus sexual assault (CSA) study: Final report. Retrieved from

FACEBOOK.COM/FVTCFOXTIMES | 23

The Fox Times Journey

by Rick Weber

When Bill and I began the Fox Times was in a shamble, having gone months without an issue as there wasn’t anyone to do the InDesign layout.

I started in January of 2014. I had never heard of Adobe InDesign, let alone worked with it. But I tried to work with it to get the paper out. My goodness, if there is a worse designed software I have yet to find it. Adobe seems to have cornered the market on the user-unfriendly software niche. I played with it for weeks, kind of like a rabid animal playing drums. Sadly, InDesign thwarted my attempts. Enter our knight in shining alabaster, Bill.

Bill began in late February 2014. He had over a dozen years of InDesign experience and whipped out the March issue in a few days. I began attempting to absorb all of Bill’s knowledge as much as I could.

The March, April, and Summer of 2014 issues are very rough. I’m not going to sugar coat it. They are terrible.

If we had enough time, we would pull those down and redo them, or simply combine them into a “Spring 2014” issue. I was new and trying not to rock the boat with the existing Fox Times staff. In hindsight, I should have rocked the boat. Oh well, we all live and learn.

September 2014 was the first issue with just Bill and I. I hadn’t had any time to recruit yet, nor did we know what directions we wanted the paper to go. I had a million thoughts and ideas, if I had 40 staff members we could have gotten to maybe a few of them. Things like taking the archives all the way from the 1960’s and putting them online. That alone is a many months project I just didn’t have time to do.

Another big idea I had and really wished I could have implemented is interviewing local Human Resources Managers and CEO’s for important companies. Why? Let’s imagine you are in an IT field. There happens to be a very large and important IT company in the area. You go and interview the hiring manager for that company.

The interview goes very well, and the hiring manager is impressed with you and your questions.

The issue with that interview comes out and you hand deliver copies to the hiring manager. Fast forward to graduation and you are targeting that employer. When the hiring manager comes across your resume/cover letter, they remember your name and how great the interview was. You get moved to the head of the pile based on that alone.

24 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | SUMMER 2016

Does it guarantee you a job? Of course not. However, what it does do is ensure that the person hiring will remember you and probably has spoken of you or showed upper management the interview demonstrating how impressive you are. Sadly, I couldn’t get enough people to do that.

That is the biggest regret of my time running the paper.

Are there other things I wish I could have accomplished with the Fox Times? Of course. Though being the best college newspaper/magazine in the state of Wisconsin, if not the entire United States I suppose can soothe those wounds. People from other schools and even professional papers have told us how awesome the Fox Times is.

We worked our tails off and it showed, people noticed not just in Appleton but throughout the world. The Fox Times is now read in 20 countries every month.

EVERY SINGLE MONTH. Yeah.

People have asked me if I will miss the paper. Yes, I will.

We feel as though we have just now hit our stride, we have found our niche and are seeing views and reads grow exponentially. After two and a half years we know who and what we are. Our processes are in place and effective.

It is a shame we have to let it go, but the next board has everything they need to hit the ground running.

Feedback is coming from a lot of different avenues. Heck, even legislators have read the Fox Times and said how much they enjoyed it. That surprised me quite a bit, as Foxy isn’t known for pulling punches with his irreverent political commentary. Foxy has also been known to be a tad sassy to readers that don’t agree with him either. Oh well, Foxy isn’t for everyone’s palette and we are alright with that and so is Foxy.

That is the journey. I look forward to reading about the next board’s journey.

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Sarah Cradit Interview, May 2016

by Rich Weber

Recently I had the pleasure of chatting with one of my favorite people and (shameless plug! #sorrynotsorry) USA Today bestselling author Sarah Cradit! Since Sarah and I have had so much fun in prior chats, I felt that she would be the perfect final author chat of my Fox Times career. And per her usual brilliance, Sarah did not disappoint.

From her Amazon Author page: Sarah is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Paranormal Southern Gothic series, The House of Crimson & Clover, born of her combined passion for New Orleans, family sagas, and the mysterious complexity of human nature. Her work has been described as rich, emotive, and highly dimensional.

An unabashed geek, Sarah enjoys studying subjects like the Plantagenet and Ptolemaic dynasties, and settling debates on provocative Tolkien topics such as why the Great Eagles are not Gandalf’s personal taxi service. Passionate about travel, Sarah has visited over twenty countries collecting sparks of inspiration (though New Orleans is where her heart rests). She’s a self-professed expert at crafting original songs to sing to her very patient pets, and a seasoned professional at finding ways to humiliate herself (bonus points if it happens in public).

When at home in Oregon, her husband and best friend, James, is very kind about indulging her love of fast German cars and expensive lattes.

Connect with Sarah: Official Website: http://www.sarahmcradit.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ houseofcrimsonandclover Google +: google.com/+SarahMCradit Twitter: @thewritersarah Ladies and gentleman, I present to you my final author chat.

My friend, Sarah Cradit.

FT-In the three years (Yes, it has been that long!) since our first interview, what has changed for you author wise? Life wise?

Sarah – Has it really been three years? That seems impossible to me. I suppose that is one learning in this journey: How fast time flies. Life-wise, not much has changed. I have more travel under my belt, and a new puppy (a pug named Queen Melian, or “Miss Mellie”). We have also taken our teenage niece in, as of a year ago, and are raising her.

In hindsight, that may actually be quite a bit.

In the area of writing, much more has changed. I’ve doubled

26 | FVTC STUDENT PUBLICATION | SUMMER 2016

my list of titles, I’ve expanded the series into audio, and have begun to explore work outside of The House of Crimson & Clover for the first time. Three years ago I had hopes to turn this into a business but lacked a strong vision and now I have a five-year plan and have met my objectives for the last two years.

And I’ve been on the USA Today Bestseller’s list twice, which is two more times than I ever expected.

A couple of my titles have been #1 Bestsellers on Amazon, Nook, and Kobo as well. Sometimes it feels surreal.

Have any of the main characters in your books been based on real people? Other than me of course. We all know I am Nicolas Deschanel.

Hah! Of course, you being Nicolas Deschanel is no great secret. :P Not really. I pick up on things from people I know and people I witness out in the world, and sometimes those traits or tics make it into a character. I do try not to base characters on people I know because when I write, I write someone who is wholly my creation. I want to keep my characters separate from the real, tangible world around me.

When I write, I escape into a universe of my own creation and if too much of the real world creeps in, the work loses some of its magic. The magic is what fuels the creativity.

Aside from time management (balancing a full-time job and family) what has been the biggest challenge of writing a series, especially one the size and complexity of C&C. And what has been the biggest reward?

Not letting it go completely off the rails. Not to pick on George R.R. Martin, but even he will admit with a series as complex as his, he had struggled to reign it in sometimes.

It can be a challenging balance to figure out which characters I can let sit for the time being, and which require the spotlight… and whether the absence of one or more characters for a spell will cause reader frustration. In the end, I follow where the story leads, and try not to over-think it.

The biggest reward is probably looking at the body of work that I’ve created and realizing I did that. Writing is often rewarding, but the truth is, it can also be incredibly painful at times. The process of creating is as much about sweat and grief as it is crafting and blossoming. And as with anything painful, when we can see our creation, or in this case, the sum total of all my efforts in the form of what I should probably now begin calling a saga, the pain disappears and what’s left is a feeling of tremendous accomplishment. It also reminds me to stop from time to time and celebrate.

In 2014 we talked about the challenges facing the Independent Publishing industry. You specifically mentioned “Reputation. That people still view indie publishing as having a stigma.” Has anything changed in your opinion since then? If not, why not? What new challenges have appeared since then?

We’ve come a long way since then, I believe. When you look at the New York Times list and half the slots are independent authors, and many of the top earners in the industry selfpublish, that says a lot. And more and more now, the reading audience is seeing these success stories and realizing it’s not a consolation prize to publish your own work. Almost all of the independent authors I know choose to self-publish because of the benefits. I’m among those that continue to self-publish by choice.

On the flip side, with the advent of the Kindle Unlimited program, and some of the “get rich quick” schemes associated (Google it- it’s a sad state of affairs for publishing), that reputation for flimsy material with a lack of edits is rearing its head again. All anyone can do who is serious about the craft is continue to produce the best work we can, at the best quality we can. I’ve learned to tune out the noise.

It started in a conversation Becket and I had at Eric Shaw Quinn’s book release party in New Orleans last October. I mentioned it, he said he had been thinking the same thing, and it spiraled (see what I did there?) from that point into hours of phone calls and brainstorming emails.

I have control issues in most aspects of my life (I can admit it), so, even though it was initially my idea, I was understandably nervous about the process. If you follow the Meyers Briggs idea of personality types, Becket and I are both INTPs, and so we both like to drive. But we’ve found we play off each other’s strengths incredibly well. Once we start talking, it’s as if both of our muses come to life and start bantering. It’s an amazing thing, and I’m so grateful we discovered this synergy. We have ten books planned, and are on the second now, so we have a long and exciting road ahead.

I am also an intp. How long did it take you to understand your sarcastic ability was above and beyond everyone else? Have you been able to restrain that side of your personality?

LOL!!

I’ll take that as a no. Me either. People are so sensitive...

Is there a book tour in the near future?

I pretty much figure people will get it or they won’t

No book tour, but I will be signing at Passion in Portland on September 10th in Portland, Oregon. I also have a few events lined up for 2017, including one in Seattle and possibly New Orleans.

Apparently people here don’t. I am unappreciated in my own time.

You have begun experimenting with audiobooks. How is that process working out for you and will it continue?

What is it like being a USA Today best-selling author? Are you vacationing with Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, and Anne Rice on Richard Branson’s yacht?

It’s been tougher for me than I expected, because—and I learned this only through this process—I am not an audiobook listener. I could have guessed that, I suppose, by the fact that I’d only listened to two of them in my whole life. Mainly it comes down to the way I retain informationwhich is by being hands on, or doing. Secondarily, reading.

I have no attention span for listening (music makes a great background tool for writing, for that reason). So, trying to determine whether this or that narrator was the right fit, or had the right vocal inflections or cadence was genuinely tough. But I’ve been working with two different narrators and between them I’ll have the entire series in audio, hopefully, by the end of 2016 or very early 2017. Which is great, because I’ve discovered a whole new audience who only consume books via audio and now I can reach them as well.

Exactly as it was before I had the title, actually! Still waiting for the Branson invite, but I’m hopeful it was lost in the mail.

I read this comment by you and was floored by the obviousness of it. “The universe’s moral compass isn’t consistent and so neither is ours.” Could you expand upon this?

The idea of a moral code is very much a product of mankind, and varies by society, region, class, and any number of other designations. It varies from one house to the next. Our universe was not designed with a singular moral compass, and why would it be, really? Everything we have createdour laws, our system of beliefs- came from men. I’ve always been fascinated with the idea that good and bad is defined by a moral code, and yet, everyone’s moral compass is tuned differently. An example my father and I used to banter around is Tony Soprano and his mob world. They lived by a code that is very different from ours, but they all agreed it was the code they must live by to be a functional society.

Does simply adhering to the established code make you good? Does my opinion that their code is immoral make it bad? Who defines good and bad, and is there a definitive source? Truly, there can’t be. I could debate this for days, but what makes this argument so fun is the ambiguity and almost cyclical nature of any discussion attempted on the topic. I love to explore this in writing.

You have a new book coming out co-authored by Becket, The Bee in the Golden Spiral. How did that come about and how different was the process for you having another author in the “kitchen”?

What is next for you? President? Queen of the world?

If you ask my husband, he would assure you I already believe I’m Queen of the World.

I have the next few House of Crimson & Clover books on the horizon, but beyond that, I’m working on a new series that will consume a lot of my creative energy. I don’t want to say too much, but it will be a combination historical fiction/ horror effort and may end up being another long series, like HoCC. I also have a King Arthur inspired historical fantasy I’ve been mulling over, and a couple of standalone stories brewing. And, as you mentioned, my project with Becket.

In other words: No rest for the wicked!

Thank you!

No, thank you! The pleasure was all mine.

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Nowhere near perfect

by Anonymous

I will admit I am nowhere near perfect. In fact, I am too sensitive, too outspoken and I often make mistakes. I wear my heart on my sleeve and doing that, often results in getting hurt and/or stepped on by the people I trust. As much of a fault as each of those qualities are, they are blessings that make me, me. I will not be ashamed of who I am nor will I allow people to take my kindness away because they choose to act unkindly towards me.

fit in, the girl who is “too thin”, the guy wearing the ragged clothing, or the coworker who is “too fat”.

Stop justifying your superiority and try to see their struggles, before you so quickly decide what they should or shouldn’t “do”, “be”, or “act like”. Were those people really put on this earth simply to please you?

Would you appreciate the same criticism if tables were turned? What if you were the one who felt like you should be sitting alone?

Unlike those who use others to make themselves feel stronger, better or part of an “elite” group, I try see the good in just about everyone, even you. I am willing to try to pick people up when they are down. I want to be the one who makes a difference in people’s lives, who is remembered for being there to offer a hand when someone falls. I see their kindness and do not look at their momentary weakness as a fault but rather, their humanity shining through. Instead of stepping on people or shunning them while they trudge through some of the most trying times in their lives; I try to pick them up by showing them they are beautiful and worth something, even when wounded.

While, it’s easy to group together and pick at others, it’s much harder to be the one who stands up for what is right. Be the one who picks people up, rather than belittling them when they are already feeling down.

Go ahead and judge what I’m going through all you want; I truly hope that you never have to walk in my shoes. It is okay to try and erase me; in the end I’ll still be seen for who I am, and you, for who you are. I accept the position of being tossed aside because I do not support your agenda(s).

Think about this message the next time you quickly judge the girl that was crying because she doesn’t

I will try to learn from the experience; become a stronger, and better person. If I fail, at least my failures will be made with good intentions. Can you say that about yours? Be the part of the change to end BULLYING today!

“A Night with Clark Howard”

by Diane Drew

Ok, I admit it, I am a huge Clark Howard fan. When I heard he was coming to the Fox Cities I jumped on the opportunity for tickets. On May 19th, “A Night with Clark Howard,” was held at the Kimberly High School Auditorium, and Clark did not disappoint.

So, what do you do? Clark Howard recommended that we safeguard our passwords, review our statements, and monitor our accounts regularly. Where possible, have a two-step identity process to enable accessing your accounts.

Clark Howard revealed cost saving tips on wide variety of purchases such as: cable, internet, cell phone plans, and travel. He also raised the alert flag for consumers to be very proactive when it comes to protecting yourself from identity theft. He shared a shocking statistic that 50% of Americans, within the last twelve months, were victims of identity theft or had their identity information compromised through data breaches!

Where do you go for help if you are a victim of identity theft? A good resource is www.identitytheft.gov which provides you with a step by step action plan.

NFCC consumer credit counseling services, such as F.I.S.C., have counselors available to help you. You are able to connect with F.I.S.C. at www.fisc-cccs.org. If you are a student you have this resource available, for free, at the Financial Wellness Center at FVTC.

Identity theft has been the fastest growing crime in America for several years now. I recently read an article which indicated that there are two kinds of people; those that know that there identity information was compromised; and those that are not aware that there identity information was compromised.

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If you missed Clark Howard, you can still explore his consumer tips at www.ClarkHoward.com.

What Fox Valley Technical College Means to Me Let me just start by saying, if you would have asked me 5 years ago where I’d be right now I would have NEVER said in college! I definitely did not think I’d be writing an article for the school newspaper but here I am. Now, did I deep down inside want to go, yeah, maybe one day, but “one day” seemed like more of a daydream than an actual commitment to be made. Which brings me to my next question. How do you know you are in the right place at the right time?

For many students beginning college is a nerve wracking experience, for me it was absolutely terrifying. I had been out of school for over 18 years and risked everything to give school a try, including our financial security since I was the main breadwinner. January 5th, 2013 we moved to Appleton Wisconsin. My “someday” was finally happening and I vowed to achieve higher than my mediocre 2.8 high school When I walked into Fox Valley Technical College in February 2013 to take my Accuplacer testing I was petrified. I hadn’t taken a “school” test since January of 1995 and remember thinking the worst case scenario would be to take some refresher courses.

I’m sure you can imagine my delight when the results came back and I passed what I needed for my program. I even excelled in a couple of areas! I’m sure some of you are thinking “so what?” but to me this was everything! That day became the first building block that paved my future. I began my college education with amazing feelings of accomplishment and pride and have been lucky enough to re-live those moments throughout my educational career.

Fox Valley Technical College offers students more than simply an education.

Of course, you have to go the extra mile and involve yourself in one of the many clubs, groups, or organizations on campus.

Feelings of achievement, pride, and respect are things I would have NEVER thought I’d walk away with. Yet I do on a consistent basis.

The networking capabilities and relationship opportunities that Fox Valley Technical College offers are endless. I take pride in representing an educational facility that has a vested interest in me and my story. I’m not saying every moment has been “gravy” because there were times I have considered giving up. I have gone through a plethora of hard knocks while attending school, but what makes this college so much different is I haven’t had to go through them alone. Whether it’s fellow students, instructors, or other support staff, someone is always rooting for me and that positive energy goes such a long way.

I’d like to thank each and every member of the Fox Valley Technical College team for leading by example and making my first college encounter amazing! I couldn’t have asked for a more positive and intricately woven experience between a college, students, and the community. Fox Valley Technical College has given me a support system I never thought possible, and I’m proud to say: “I’m a student of Fox Valley Technical College!”

Used with permission

by Heather Brey

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North vs South

by Conner Thompson

So a lot of people have asked me this question, “What are some of the differences between the North and South? What makes me some kind of expert, you may ask? I’m from the heart of Louisiana. I moved here about a year and a half ago.

I feel like I have some authority in giving an informed opinion about the differences in the two. I lived in the small town of Jena in LaSalle Parish, in the central area of Louisiana for 19 years. Before coming here I was almost exclusively exposed to the stereotypical southerners you hear about on the news. A lot of it is pretty true I have to admit, but for every accurate stereotype you hear of there are plenty of things we have heard about the “Yankees.”

I spoke with some of my friends about what they think of when I “Southerner.” Here are some of their responses.

The weather is much hotter, sweet tea, they are still pissed about losing the civil war, they are a bitter people, their family trees don’t fork, and they are all racist.

I’d be lying if I said I haven’t heard all of these before, but not all of them are completely true. I’ll start by defending them from the top down.

As far as the weather it is much warmer. Last December I visited my family and it was around eighty degrees for the whole week. I enjoyed the nice change, as it was very cold in Wisconsin.

On the subject of sweet tea, this is a trademark drink in the south. As with a lot of foods I have tried here they have a very big lack of seasonings. I haven’t eaten at many places during my stay in Wisconsin that I didn’t wish for a little more flavor or it being just a little more spicy.

When it comes to the Civil War no one I know cares what happened. I have heard of people who are upset about what happened though. This is a very hit or miss kind of topic for people. They either are either very passionate about it or don’t care at all.

Not everyone is outspoken and has their face in a camera so everyone in the country hears what they have to say.

A lot of my friends and family are not even on the same spectrum of what people think about the south.

From my perspective there aren’t many people who have a strong enough opinion about hot topic issues in the news that they will argue you into the ground about it.

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To keep this relatively current I do know a ton of people from my small home town of Jena, Louisiana, in LaSalle Parish, who were very big supporters of Donald Trump. From what I have seen, yes, they are a part of the “Let’s make America great again” campaign. Which doesn’t make sense to me as those same people are the ones who will fight you if you say that America isn’t already the greatest place in the world. Go figure, they want it to be better but can’t admit that we do have problems.

One of the most shocking things with my move here has been with the food, and the absolutely shocking lack of flavor in most foods. It blows my mind as to what some of the places around the area try to pass of as spicy or a flavorful dish. I didn’t think it was possible for something like KFC to be worse (and yes I do mean worse, KFC is a pretty bad chicken place in my opinion compared to our other options) but it is honestly.

One other complaint is with the fact that I love hot wings and the only place I can get them is Buffalo Wild Wings. I mean come on, the place is tacky as hell and their wings are awful. That being said maybe I’m being too harsh on the fact that there’s no good chicken or spices.

What we do have here in the North is cheese, and you guys have it in spades. Before I moved here I kid you not I only knew of Kraft singles and sometimes mozzarella as an acceptable form of cheese. Now it almost makes me sick thinking about all of the Kraft slices I’ve had over the years.

This topic I’m not going to skate around as much as I see the local news talk about it, and that’s the supposed racism that is said to be so rampant in the south. I’m not going to defend everyone, because there are certainly some of the most bigoted people I’ve ever met from my own home town.

Everyone there finds it so much easier to joke about things I would be crucified for if I said here.

There are plenty of people who will say they have some kind of opinion about another’s race, but those same people will say things like – “Yeah I don’t like those people at all, they give everyone around them a bad name, but you know that one guy down the road is great. Really stands out.”

There are dozens of examples of this I have come across in my lifetime. Compare this to what I see people here do, and I would prefer them to be open about their racism (my own opinion). I haven’t seen as

many cases as down south, but the caliber of racism is similar.

The only real difference is the fact that here it is a very passive aggressive racism from what I have seen.

Again I want to clarify this is just my opinion from what I’ve seen of real racism and what I saw during my stay here. Back handed comments, not looking at someone when walking down the street, or other things that probably don’t seem very upsetting. I think this has something to do with my next topic.

People here are very bad at talking about how they feel. I have a pretty good analogy about what the difference in people expressing themselves here and back home are. Here when someone is upset with another person they generally will not express how they feel right away and let it build up. Aging like a fine wine until just the right (or sometimes wrong) moment to pour it out. Down south people will bust

their bottle right after getting offended and try to shove the broken bottle in your neck. This may seem very drastic and sometimes seems like we overreact to things, but honestly it makes friendships much closer.

My friends back home would head butt me in the middle of lunch if we did something to offend each other, but it was so we didn’t hold any grudges in the future. It made our friendship stronger to understand what was and was not acceptable. Here it feels like I’m trying to walk around on eggshells 24/7 so I don’t hurt someone’s feelings, they smile at me, and bring it up a week later as they explode on me.

Fox Times is looking for photographers willing to take random pictures, attend sports events, and attend school events.

Email foxtimes@fvtc.edu if interested!

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Goodbye Cool World; Hello Adulting

by Yolanda Weber

It’s hard to say goodbye but alas I must. I have to adult now. My time at the Tech has taught me many things and not just what I want to be when I grow up. LOL. Things like how to be more open about opportunities and what I am capable of doing. I met some incredible people who I now call my friends. My instructors were wonderful and pushed me to be better than I thought I could be.

I didn’t meet anyone that was “out to get me”. I have heard that phrase a lot, especially over in the Health Sim building. My main response? Bull****. Put in the effort, the staff and faculty will meet you half way, but YOU have to make time and study and do your best. I have had ups and downs, failed a couple classes (my own fault) and had a tough summer with a few deaths and very stressed about things in my life. But thru it all, my family and friends kept me going, sane and reassured me that it was going to be ok.

I was also privileged to be a College Ambassador.

This role has helped me be more vocal and able to talk in front of people without getting nervous. I thought I was able to do this before, now I have the courage to talk in front of a room full of people and not feel like I am shaking and too quiet. I encourage you all to do some kind of activity in school as well. And no, none of us has time, make time. It is well worth it. Join a student organization, be an ambassador, run for office. These are great opportunities to practice what you learn in class.

So again, thank you to everyone that has been in my life regardless of role. I couldn’t have done it without you and your encouragement.

A big thank you for my husband Rich and daughter Victoria for being there. I love you to infinity and beyond.

Yolanda Weber

Used with permission

To the instructors I have met and had the pleasure of being in their classes, I can’t thank you enough for helping me thru the semesters. I couldn’t have done it without your encouragement. I wish I could name you all but then that would take up a whole page. Advisors and councilors that have helped me with my career path, thank you. With their help, I was able to get thru

the semesters by having someone to talk to and helping me decide what to do as well.

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Be Informed, Be Involved

by Rae Derks

One of the great things about the college experience is that there is so much more to school than education. Whether it’s a four-year university or a two-year technical college, students are offered the opportunity to participate in activities, clubs, and organizations in addition to their classes. In most cases, such opportunities give students the chance to better themselves as people, as active learners, and as members of society. Participating in groups and activities outside of the classroom creates friendships and can assist in networking with individuals who share common interests, which is why studies show that college students who are involved also perform better academically.

As a student at Fox Valley Technical College, I saw firsthand the positive results that being a part of extracurricular activities can provide. Being more on the introverted side, I often find it hard in many situations to meet new people and make connections. That quickly changed after I joined Collegiate DECA, and was elected Treasurer of the Student Government Association. In both organizations, I got to develop my skills as a leader, and make meaningful connections with other students and faculty I may not have crossed paths with otherwise.

myself. I was given the opportunity to make the college experience for others more fun, more meaningful, and more memorable. Through that, I got to see a lot of amazing teamwork and collaboration between individual students and student organizations. It didn’t take a lot of searching to see that the students at Fox Valley Technical College had immense potential and talent, no matter their program.

The events put on by student organizations, the volunteer work, and the community service hours put in were astounding, and I am so glad that I was able to see what FVTC students were capable of.

My message to current and future college students is a simple one: be informed and be involved. There are so many great events to attend and clubs to join, no matter what your interests. Support your fellow students, talk to someone new, and keep yourself busy, because there is more to learn than just what is taught in the classroom.

Even if making friends was not something I was looking to do, I also learned a lot about leadership, and about

Secure your freedom from college debt Serve part-time in the Guard, and you’ll be eligible for at least four financial benefits to help pay for school.

(We’re talking thousands of dollars.)

Plus, join the ROTC program, and you’re eligible for even more benefits, and you’ll graduate as an officer with officer-level pay ($$$).

Used with permission

Full-time school. Part-time service.

And a future without loads of debt.

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Programs and Benefits Subject to Change

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An FVTC and Goodwill/FISC Partnership

Want financial

peace of mind?

Discover options to make your money go further!

Many responsible students go through financial challenges. We can help you make informed decisions and take control of your finances. It’s confidential and free. Get assistance with: • budgeting • using credit wisely • managing debt • credit reports We offer a variety of services to meet the individual needs of each student. Options include one-on-one counseling and regularly scheduled group workshops. Feel free to call or stop by Room E121 at FVTC’s Appleton Campus if you have a question or would like to schedule an appointment.

Located at: Fox Valley Technical College Counseling Services — Room E121 1825 N. Bluemound Drive, Appleton (920) 735-4855 Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday-Tuesday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Friday

www.fvtc.edu/financialwellness

The Workshops: “Build and Keep a Good Credit Score” Your credit score affects your interest rate on loans, your insurance premiums, and even your ability to secure some jobs. This workshop takes the mystery out of credit scores.

“Planning for Financial Freedom” A budget is a proven way to help you gain control over money, manage debt, and meet monthly expenses. This workshop explains how to build a practical budget that really works.

“Credit Tricks and Traps” Used wisely, credit can help us live richer lives. But if we overuse credit, debt can build up and feel unmanageable.

This workshop explains, how to make credit work for you, avoid credit traps, and reduce debt.

To register, call (920) 735-4855 or stop in Counseling Services.

The FISC Counselor helps you:

• Understand financial options open to you • Reduce financial stress • Develoop a plan to make the most of your money • Manage debt and use credit wisely

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Supported by a grant from the Basic Needs Giving Partnership Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region.

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Fox Times: The Body Issue

Over the course of many months the Fox Times staff and I prowled the halls and buildings of FVTC taking pictures of students. We caught them in action, learning what they will be doing when they leave here and are working in their fields. We thank everyone who participated, we appreciate it.

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What Makes You Different from Other Graduates?

We can help you develop skills that will change how you view the world. The educational experiences we offer will prepare you for today’s global workforce. We help develop skills to give you a competitive advantage in your career or career search. ¿Hablas español?

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

Czy mówisz po polsku?

Travel with FVTC to Ireland, Panama, Jamaica, and Germany

Earn elective credits as you expand your world view and immerse yourself in study abroad, or language immersion programs. Choose from 8-14 day programs or longer. For more information, contact Aaron Gorenc: gorenc@fvtc.edu.

NEW Certificate — Intercultural Relations — By earning this certificate, you will

develop intercultural skills – a demand in today’s global business environment. Explore the impact of culture on work behavior, and advance your knowledge and understanding of other cultures.

Parlez vous français?

日本語が話せますか。

Did you know that FVTC offers 12 world languages and you can earn elective credit? Find our spring 2016 schedule at: www.fvtc.edu/Global (Some online language options are also available.)

Você fala português?

Вы говорите по-русски?

Experience the World with Fox Valley Technical College www.fvtc.edu/Global Contact us: Globaled@fvtc.edu | 920-735-4810 | G130 Follow us on Twitter: @FVTCGlobalEd

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by Rich Weber

Last October it was my pleasure to sit down for a few minutes and speak with Orange is the New Black author Piper Kerman before her Student Life: Speaker Series event at Fox Valley Technical College. We discussed a number of things regarding the book, the Netflix series, and her role as a prison reform advocate since her release.

For those of you who may not know who Piper Kerman is, here is an excerpt from her bio on her website.

“Piper Kerman is the author of the memoir “Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison” from Spiegel & Grau. The book has been adapted by Jenji Kohan into an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning original series for Netflix.

Piper works with Spitfire Strategies as a communications consultant with nonprofits, philanthropies, and other organizations working in the public interest. She is a frequent invited speaker to students of law, criminology, gender and women’s studies, sociology, and creative writing, and also to groups that include the American Correctional Association’s Disproportionate Minority Confinement Task Force, federal probation officers, public defenders, justice reform advocates and volunteers, book clubs, and formerly and currently incarcerated people.”

Connect with Piper on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Piper and also check out her website, http://piperkerman.com. *Unfortunately, due to technical issues with the voice recorder I was using only four (4) questions and answers were recorded.* Fox Times – What are your thoughts on prison reform in general?

Piper – My thoughts on prison reform in the broadest sense is that we have to work to have fewer Americans in prison or jail. We have a huge swath of people who are currently confined whether they are in jail or in prison, and people are in jail or prison often for very different reasons. People who are not violent, who have not committed violent crimes and may be a danger to themselves in some ways but not a danger to public safety in the truest sense.

Problems like substance abuse and mental illness are not resolvable in prisons or jail. In fact, prisons and jails make some of those problems worse. Especially mental illness.

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We really have got to focus on putting fewer people in prison/jail in the first place. We also have to work on thinking long and hard on about how if we have prisons/jail how they can be rehabilitative, because American prisons/jails are not. They are very punitive.

So we can definitely check that box. Oftentimes people are coming out in worse shape than they went in.

Coming out less able to be productive members of society than when they went in. And that should concern everybody as essentially we are shoveling tax dollars into a bonfire.

I currently live in Ohio and I work in 2 state prisons there teaching non-fiction writing.

I teach in a Men’s medium security prison and 1 of the 2 women’s prison. Some of my students have been convicted of things like non-violent drug offenses and some of them have been convicted of more serious offenses. The rationale of putting people who have relied on violence or who have acted to victimize people into places which are really defined by dominance and violence which is really inherent to what a prison/jail is is sort of the threat or promise of violence is really a dubious question in the first place if we want those people to do things differently. Which doesn’t mean we shouldn’t hold people accountable when they hurt others, because we definitely should. We need to have a significant reimagining of what we expect out of a prison/jail.

Hard to change things when it’s the same environment that they are coming from.

Yeah! People are going home to many of the self-same problems/situations/circumstances that contributed to them being incarcerated in the first place. Substance abuse, cycles of violence between intimates, if those things are waiting for you at the gates then we have accomplished very little by incarcerating somebody.

You have spoken before Congress regarding solitary confinement and women prisoners. What was that like, and do you feel it made a difference?

I was honored to be called by the subcommittee of the judiciary committee which focuses on the constitution, human rights, and civil rights. Solitary confinement is a very serious problem in this country. There are an estimated 80,000 people in solitary confinement. There are people being released directly to the streets from solitary confinement which is a shocking threat to public safety.

That should never happen, but it does happen in many, many places. Long term solitary confinement is considered by many people to be torture, that kind of isolation is the harshest penalty we have in this country other than the penalty of death and there is 80k people subjected to it, sometimes for years and years. It’s important those people are literally the most hidden people in our society. They aren’t just hidden in a prison/jail they are buried in a hole.

So it is important to me personally to speak on this issue.

I think some of the issues that affect women in solitary confinement are disproportionate instances of mental health and illness and more female prisoners are mentally ill than male prisoners. Solitary confinement is also used as a silencing tool against female prisoners that are being abused/victimized while they are incarcerated. That may also happen to a male prisoner but it is particularly likely to happen to a female prisoner.

I was also called by senator Ron Johnson’s Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs to talk about the Federal Bureau of Prisons specifically. That committee’s charge is to look at government efficiency and effectiveness. When we look at the bureau of prisons, like most correctional systems we see incredibly high recidivism rates which you can certainly label a failure of a government agency. Often these things get framed as individual failure but we have to look at the fact that we aren’t getting a very good return on our tax dollars when we are spending so much on incarceration.

The WPA (Women’s Prison Association) of which you serve on the board, has been operating Justice Home, (Op-Ed, NY Times, 8-13-13) whose stated goal is to keep convicted women at home with their families, rather than serving time behind bars. It states on the website that it is the first of its kind in New York. Where else are they trying it? What are the results?

Justice Home has been up and running for two years now and I believe it has been an unqualified success. How it works is this; a woman is convicted or pleads guilty of a crime and is looking at a minimum of a year in prison and with the agreement of the judge and prosecuting district attorney “not just a few months in a place like Rikers Island which, by the way, is not a nice place to be.” A woman facing a more significant sentence, if the two law enforcement professionals agree, she is able to stay home.

They are held accountable, monitored, and they get whatever help and assistance that are necessary for her and her family.

Which might be mental healthcare, substance abuse care, parenting skills, job training, there are different things that different people need. The program costs about $17,000 a year, in New York state is costs at least $60,000 a year to incarcerate someone.

An example: If you consider that a woman has two (2) children who might go into the foster care system, that annual cost could easily reach $130,000 for taxpayers including her incarceration.

When you consider again that women, two-thirds (2/3) of women are convicted of non-violent offenses, i.e. drug crimes or property crimes, and you start to weigh the cost-

benefit analysis. $130,000 is a lot bigger than $17,000.

Now, of course you also have to think about justice and whatever harm the person has caused to the victim, if their crime has a victim. But, you have to start to say maybe we need more Justice Home and fewer jail cells.

The GEO Group (1984) and Corrections Corporation of America (1983) are the two largest for profit prison companies. In your opinion, how much of the blame rests with the for profit prison system for the increase in incarceration rates and length of sentencing in the past thirty (30) years?

The existence and the rise of the small handful of private corporations which are prison profiteers, they operate a prison for a state or government. Sometimes they own the prisons they operate. They contract usually through state governments they do also run a lot of immigrant detention centers for the federal government. When it comes to incarcerating Americans they contract through state governments and they require, yes REQUIRE a ninety (90) percent bed guarantee. Which means that the state government guarantees that corporation that they will be keeping those beds full or the state government must pay penalties on that contract.

Everyone can see pretty clearly that there is a really bad incentive being established when we allow profit to be at the heart of a public safety decision. My personal opinion is the private prison corporations simply shouldn’t exist.

Anytime we think about the fact that the United States has the largest prison population in the world; the largest prison population in recorded human history, when you build something that big lots of people start to draw benefit from it. Right?

Private prison corporations are the most obvious of the profiteers, but you also have to think about other considerations like Corizon Healthcare and there is also a small handful of correctional healthcare corporations which are private corporations that again are contracted through state government to provide healthcare and they provide very, very, sub-standard healthcare.

We find unquestionably that those very basic and frankly constitutional considerations around providing adequate healthcare are better provided by state workers and not by private corporations. Many people have died unnecessary deaths under the care of corporations like Corizon Healthcare.

We can talk about Aramark, we’ve all eaten their food at the stadium. When they can’t sell that food at the stadium or to a public school system any longer that food then ends up being sold back again to the taxpayers in the form of prison food.

There is a lot of different private considerations that draw a lot of benefit from all of these people we are putting into prison.

Piper, thank you very much for speaking with me I appreciate it.

You are welcome, it was my pleasure, thank you.

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No relief from Wisconsin’s 565 percent payday loan interest under new rules ‘We need better laws,’ says struggling borrower; Wisconsin is one of eight states with no cap on high-interest loans

by Bridgit Bowden, Wisconsin Public Radio

In 2014, hunger drove Michelle Warne of Green Bay to take out a loan from a local Check ‘n Go. “I had no food in the house at all,” she said. “I just couldn’t take any more.”

Over the next two years, the retiree paid off that loan.

But she took out a second loan, which she has not paid off completely. That led to more borrowing earlier this year — $401 — plus $338 to pay off the outstanding balance. According to her truth-in-lending statement, paying off this $740 will cost Warne $983 in interest and fees over 18 months.

Warne’s annual interest rate on her so-called installment loan was 143 percent. That is a relatively low rate compared to payday loans, or small amounts of money borrowed at high interest rates for 90 days or less.

Bridgit Bowden, Wisconsin Public Radio The Check ‘n Go store where Michelle Warne took out loans is about three

blocks from her house in Green Bay. According to the Wisconsin Department of In 2015, the average annual interest rate on payday Financial Institutions, there were 93,740 payday loans made in 2015 — a sharp loans in Wisconsin was nearly four times as high: 565 drop from previous years. State lawmakers changed the definition of payday percent, according the state Department of Financial loans in 2011.

Institutions. A consumer borrowing $400 at that rate such loans are being reported to the state, former DFI would pay $556 in interest alone over about three months.

Secretary Peter Bildsten said.

There could also be additional fees.

Wisconsin is one of just eight states that has no cap on annual interest for payday loans; the others are Nevada, Utah, Delaware, Ohio, Idaho, South Dakota and Texas.

Payday loan reforms proposed last week by the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would not affect maximum interest rates, which can be set by states but not the CFPB, the federal agency that focuses on ensuring fairness in borrowing for consumers.

“We need better laws,” said Warne, 73. “Because when they have something like this, they will take advantage of anybody who is poor.”

Warne never applied for a standard personal loan, even though some banks and credit unions offer them at a fraction of the interest rate she paid. She was positive a bank would not lend to her, she said, because her only income is her Social Security retirement.

“They wouldn’t give me a loan,” Warne said. “Nobody would.”

According to the DFI annual reports, there were 255,177 payday loans made in the state in 2011. Since then, the numbers have steadily declined: In 2015, just 93,740 loans were made.

But numbers after 2011 likely understate the volume of short-term, high-interest borrowing. That is because of a change in the state payday lending law that means fewer

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Questionable reporting In 2011, Republican state legislators and Gov. Scott Walker changed the definition of payday loan to include only those made for 90 days or less. High-interest loans for 91 days or more — often called installment loans — are not subject to state payday loan laws.

Because of that loophole, Bildsten said, “The data that we have to gather at DFI and then report on an annual basis to the Legislature is almost inconsequential.”

State Rep. Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, agreed. The annual DFI report, he said, “is severely underestimating the loan volume.”

Hintz, a member of the Assembly’s Finance Committee, said it is likely many borrowers are actually taking out installment loans that are not reported to the state. Payday lenders can offer both short-term payday loans and longerterm borrowing that also may carry high interest and fees.

“If you go to a payday loan store, there’s a sign in the window that says ‘payday loan,’ ” Hintz said. “But the reality is, if you need more than $200 or $250, they’re going to steer you to what really is an installment loan.”

There are probably “thousands” of high-interest installment loans that are being issued but not reported, said Stacia Conneely, a consumer lawyer with Legal Action of Wisconsin, which provides free legal services to low-income

individuals. The lack of reporting, she said, creates a problem for policymakers.

“It’s hard for legislators to know what’s happening so that they can understand what’s happening to their constituents,” she said.

DFI spokesman George Althoff confirmed that some loans are not reported under payday loan statutes.

Between July 2011 and December 2015, DFI received 308 complaints about payday lenders. The department responded with 20 enforcement actions.

Althoff said while “DFI makes every effort to determine if a violation of the payday lending law has occurred,” some of the complaints were about activities or companies not regulated under that law, including loans for 91 days or more.

In many cases, Althoff said, DFI worked with lenders to resolve the problem short of enforcement. One of them was a complaint from an unnamed consumer who had eight outstanding loans.

“I’ve been struggling to pay off payday loans and it’s a cycle I can’t break,” the complainant said.

DFI found that the lender was unlicensed, and the department asked the company to stop lending and refund all of the money the complainant had paid.

Much-anticipated federal rules On June 2, the federal CFPB, a regulatory agency created by the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010, proposed rules that would seek to end payday loan “debt traps.” One of the goals of Dodd-Frank is to protect Americans from “unfair, abusive financial practices.”

The new rules would require certain lenders to verify borrowers’ ability to pay their loans back. Net income, debt obligations and living expenses would have to be considered before lenders could make a payday loan.

But under the law, the CFPB cannot cap interest on payday loans. So unless state-level regulations change, Wisconsin consumers will likely continue to face astronomically high interest rates.

According to a 2012 study by the Pew Charitable Trusts, “How much borrowers spend on loans depends heavily on the fees permitted by their state.” Consumers in Wisconsin and other states with no rate caps pay the highest prices in the country for payday loans, according to Pew, a nonprofit dedicated to using knowledge to solve “today’s most challenging problems.”

Bildsten said a “hodgepodge” of state laws governs such lending. According to Pew, some states have no payday lending and some have strict interest rate caps. But, said Bildsten, “Wisconsin is about the most open state in the country.”

Quik Cash payday loan stores across Wisconsin and many others nationwide, said further regulation of licensed payday lenders will encourage borrowers to seek loans from illegal sources.

“With the absence of highly regulated, licensed lenders in the marketplace, the CFPB proposed rules would push consumers to unlicensed illegal lenders,” he said.

The proposed rules also have been criticized for possibly driving consumers to longer-term installment loans, where interest could pile up even more.

Nick Bourke, director of the small-dollar loans project at the Pew Charitable Trusts, wrote that the proposal could accelerate “the general shift toward installment loans that consumers pay off over a period of months instead of weeks.”

Said Hintz: “Knowing the industry, my guess is we’re going to see more products morph into more dangerous, more high-cost, long-term loans.”

Alternative solutions Consumer advocates and payday lenders alike agree on one thing: Consumers sometimes need fast access to small amounts of credit.

“In this sense the payday lenders are correct — they are filling a need. They are giving credit,” said Barbara Sella, associate director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, which weighs in on public policy issues of interest to the Church.

But, Sella said, alternative credit solutions from nonprofits or credit unions would be better than payday loans, she said.

“I think that we could come up with organizations that are not making money off of this and are taking in any profit and reinvesting it to help more people,” Sella said.

For now, Warne said she has no way to pay off her loan. She has made one payment of $101, but has no plans to pay any more on her debt, which with principal, interest and fees will cost her $1,723.

Warne’s only income is a monthly $763 Social Security check.

Warne said she would “never” borrow from a payday lender again, adding, “I wish I would have read the fine print.”

Bridgit Bowden is Wisconsin Public Radio’s Mike Simonson Memorial Investigative Reporting Fellow who is embedded in the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism’s newsroom during her fellowship. The nonprofit Center (www.WisconsinWatch.org) collaborates with Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television, other news media and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by the Center do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.

Some in the industry, however, believe the proposed rules could do more harm than good. Darrin Andersen, chief operating officer of QC Holdings Inc., which operates seven

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Your Right to Know

Ruling restores access to accident report data

by Dustin B. Brown

A Wisconsin court of appeals has finally put to rest some of the questions over what information must be withheld under the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act, or DPPA. Its recent decision ends years of confusion in a way that squares with the state’s traditions of openness—and with common sense.

The DPPA was enacted more than two decades ago to restrict the release of personal information from DMV records. It was never meant to prevent police from releasing basic information in accident reports and other law-enforcement records.

But that was how the law was interpreted in much of Wisconsin. In recent years, following a federal court ruling in an Illinois case, concerns over liability have led some law enforcement agencies to heavily redact (black out) reports before releasing them—limiting their news value and hampering public oversight of police.

In its May 10 decision, Wisconsin’s 3rd District Court of Appeals held that accident reports need not be redacted to comply with the DPPA, because state law expressly mandates their disclosure. Personal information obtained from other sources and merely verified with DMV records may also be released.

I was one of the attorneys, along with Bob Dreps, who represented a newspaper that filed the lawsuit that led to this ruling. The case was brought by the New Richmond News against the city of New Richmond.

on parking tickets was allowed because the police department used the information in carrying out its functions—one of the 14 “permissible uses.”

Reason should also win out in Wisconsin, although this may not happen right away. Whereas the court of appeals ruled accident reports must always be accessible, it also concluded that personal information obtained from DMV records and incorporated into incident reports can only be disclosed if doing so serves a function of the police department—a question the case was remanded to the circuit court to resolve.

The public has a legitimate right to law enforcement records, which are of little value if scrubbed of names and addresses. How can the public know if laws are enforced equally and appropriately if the identities of the people involved are obscured?

Ideally, the common-sense approach adopted by the court of appeals will serve as a blueprint for addressing the questions that remain—without further litigation.

Your Right to Know is a monthly column distributed by the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council (www.wisfoic.org), a nonprofit group dedicated to open government. Dustin Brown is an attorney at Godfrey & Kahn, S.C.

But then, in 2012, the village of Palatine, Illinois, was threatened with liability for printing vehicle owners’ personal information—obtained from DMV records— on parking tickets placed on car windshields. The Palatine case caused some police departments in Wisconsin to start redacting records, prompting the New Richmond News to file suit.

In the end, reason won out in Palatine. The courts ultimately ruled that disclosing personal information

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Used with permission

Congress passed the DPPA in 1994 after a television actress was murdered by a stalker who obtained her home address from a local DMV. The law’s intent is clear: DMVs, with their vast repositories of personal information, cannot disclose that data except for one of 14 “permissible uses.” The same restrictions apply to other agencies that use DMV data.

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