The
Technician bulldogs.kettering.edu/technician
February 2, 2015
By Adam Lecznar Editor-In-Chief
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Volume 120
Issue 1
Remembering Dr. King
It is easy at times to forget the significance of a day like Martin Luther King Day, but it is important to always remember the meaning of days like that to every person in this nation. That was the message behind the Martin Luther King Celebration Show, held on Martin Luther King Day in Kettering University’s McKinnon Theater and hosted by Kettering’s Black Unity Congress. The event’s head planner and president of BUC, Faybiana Walker, worked diligently with Kettering University to ensure this event could take place and remind people of the accomplishments of Dr. King and many others. “This event is for the community to come togethContinued on Page 3
What’s Inside
Photo Courtesy of Black Unity Congress
Dog Days
Photos of Visiting Prospective Students
Staff Profiles 3
Meet the New Technician Staff
Playoff Picture 6
Thoughts on the NFL So Far this Season
Year in Review Talking About Major Events of 2015
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Carnival of Clubs Defending Press Wall Street Winter Edition Rights Journal Speaker By Gabrielle Feeny Copy Editor
By Adam Lecznar Editor-In-Chief
By Adam Lecznar Editor-In-Chief
Kettering’s Carnival of Clubs was held in the Great Court Thursday, January 14th. As many of you may know, this event is generally held during summer term and only summer term. So why have a second one in the winter? According to Debbie Stewart, director of Student Life programs, multiple students had been requesting an additional carnival to remind them of what clubs are available and to get more people involved in them. This was beneficial to some transfer students in particular, who are just now starting their first term at Kettering. Jordan Mayer is one of them. “It’s pretty cool to see everything that’s offered,” she said, “I’m interested in the radio club.” Marcelo Pinto is also a new student and was very eager to list the organizations he planned on joining. “Definitely robotics, Gamers because I know people there… Aerospace looks cool.” Not only did this second carnival aid Kettering’s newcomers, but it also helped the university’s most recently established club get its name out there. Brennen Kunka, founder of the Blacksmithing Guild, is thankful for the recognition the event brought to it. “It’s been in the works for a term and a half now,” he told us. If it hadn’t been for the carnival, he’d have had to have waited until summer term to round up any potential members. Old or new, all clubs seemed happy to have a winter carnival, and hopeful that it would improve membership and member retention. Students should still expect to see the club expo during the summer term.
Today’s world is overflowing with a wealth of information. From advances in technology to extraordinary cases of individual bravery, so many events occur each day that it is impossible for any one person to know of them all. News media does its best to provide people with coverage of the most important issues, but it is not always able to effectively communicate the daily happenings of our world. Because of this, some people and organizations take stances against “the press”. Push-back against the press most often comes from organizations and people of power. These groups will sometimes see the press as “out to get them,” as the press will usually be one of the only groups to ask difficult questions and publish the answers. They are often worried that their motivations or actions will be misrepresented and they will suffer negative repercussions from what is published about them. An example of this type of thinking occurred earlier this year at an organized protest at the University of Missouri. This protest, which was related to the Black Lives Matter movement, successfully incited the university president to resign over lack of response to instances of racial intolerance on the campus. During this protest, which took place in the center of the university campus, a number of reporters and photographers from the university newspaper were confronted by protesters. Students and members of the faculty taking part in the protest acted aggressively toward these reporters, behaving in a threatening manner and going so far as to physically push them away and try to take cameras from
Kettering University’s Cribathon, classroom 2225, was filled with students on Wednesday, January 22, 2016 as yet another speaker arrived on campus to offer his words of wisdom to open minds. This one was a bit different, though. Jeff Bennett, an auto columnist for The Wall Street Journal, brought with him a presentation of the auto industry from the perspective of a person with less of a technical background than usually seen at Kettering, but every bit as informative. Bennett’s presentation, titled “Auto Zone: The Shift to Mobility,” opened with a short introduction of Bennett by Kettering University student Eddie Schodowski, who had worked alongside Kettering’s Student Alumni Council to give Bennett the opportunity to speak to students. The introduction included a short summary of Bennett’s career in journalism, which began with a job covering education for his local newspaper. From then he was introduced to business reporting which led to technology and the auto industry. Since 1999, Bennett has covered the automotive industry, focusing on General Motors but also writing about Fiat-Chrysler and others. “Journalists hate PowerPoints,” Bennett chuckled as he began his presentation. “But for this I threw together a short one. And here I’m going to scout out how we think the auto industry is going.” Bennett’s presentation provided a broad overview of recent technological advancements in automobiles and their impact on how the auto industry operates, such as the phasing out of older technology
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February 2, 2016
The Technician
Announcements New Staff Profiles
Wall Street Journal Continued from Front Page
Megan Cox
like CD players in standard interior packages and BMW’s use of Lyft as advertisement and endorsement of its vehicles. “We are seeing for the first time in the auto industry this talk of cars thinking around mobility,” Bennett elaborated. “How do people move around?” The main idea behind the presentation was to show how the automobile industry is shifting away from older models of doing business and focusing on the consumers. While the past focus was on a sleek car design, today’s consumers want more features. As such, new technologies and new companies are stepping up to meet that demand, challenging established automakers like the Big Three. “Who would have thought Google would be in the auto market?” Bennett asked. “It’s all about this shift in the auto industry.” Bennett sought to communicate the trends he saw in automotive manufacturing, specifically how it is blending with new developments in wireless technology, vehicle communication, and the advent of high-tech companies in the market like Google and Tesla. An important message was what these changes mean for young engineering students like the ones at Kettering. “If you’re in a supplier industry, branch out. Working in the auto industry today does not mean working for automakers. This [technology] isn’t being produced at GM. The industry is looking for folks with your background,” Bennett explained, highlighting the need of tech companies to find people who know how to produce vehicles. “In the end it all has to be packaged nice. People still want nice cars.” Bennett tied this idea into one of the other main points of his presentation. He cited Scott McNealy, who in 1998 said that automakers needed to “make the car a server on wheels.” Long before anyone in the auto industry even began to think about add-
Jacob Hankerd
L ayout Editor
Online Editor
Gabrielle Feeny
Copy Editor
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Submissions Policy
The
Technician Adam Lecznar
Editor-in-chief
Bryan Boyse
Distribution Editor
Staff writers Ciro Napoletano
Faculty Advisor Christine Levecq Special Thanks To Betsy Homsher
The Technician encourages any interested students to attend staff meetings. Meetings for Winter 2016 will be each Monday and Thursday over the lunch hour in The Technician office, located on the 3rd floor of the Campus Center above the Sunrise Café. Student submissions are encouraged and will be published if their material is in the public interest. Submissions or letters to the editor from faculty and administrative entities will be published if space is available. The Technician reserves the right to edit any and all submissions for brevity and clarity. Anonymous submissions are rarely published and will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Individuals wishing to publish anonymously should consult the Editor-in-chief. The deadline for the upcoming issue of The Technician is 6th Tuesday at 6pm. Expected distribution is 7th Monday. Send submissions to atechnician@kettering.edu.
February 2, 2016
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The Technician
Campus News
Wall Street Journal Continued from Page 2
Members of the Alpha Esquires stand on the stage of Kettering's McKinnon theater during their performance for Black Unity Congress' Martin Luther King Celebration Show.
MLK Day Continued from Front Page er and celebrate in honor of Dr. King and everyone that marched with him,” Walker declared. “The event represents our appreciation for Dr. King's accomplishments.” The event was open to the entire community of Flint, and received advertisement across the campuses of Kettering University and the University of Michigan Flint. The event flyer was also shared on Facebook. “There was one at the Flint Public Library today,” explained Stephanie Jones, Kettering University’s Assistant Director of Multicultural Student Initiatives, as she recalled any similar events held in Flint. “That one is usually held every year.” Jones worked closely with Walker to plan and execute the event. The show featured performances by three groups: the Alpha Esquires of the University of Michigan Flint, Flint’s Mama Sol, and Jasmine Mans, which performed for the audience after opening remarks by Walker, describing Dr. King’s accomplishments and accolades. “BUC’s Executive Board members decided on which performers were suitable for the event,” Walker related. “We wanted the event to be a celebration, not a discussion. We plan on making this an annual event.” The Alpha Esquires performed in place of the Theta Tau chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, a chapter of the fraternity of which Dr. King was a member. Alpha Phi Alpha is a Greek fraternity for black men, which also mentors high school students, the Alpha Esquires. For this event, these Alpha Esquires, all from Flint area high schools, performed a routine that had been specifically prepared for it, called Alpha Esquires First Talent Collective. The Alpha Esquires and other performers tailored their performances toward Dr. King’s message. “If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl,” proclaimed one Alpha Esquire performer during his routine. “Don’t Quit.” Jones summed up the show by stating, “We just think it’s important to remember the legacy of Dr.
King, to remember and celebrate this day and the accomplishments of not just African Americans, but people all around the world.” In addition to this event, Kettering hosted two other significant events on Martin Luther King Day. The first was an annual philanthropy event planned by Greek Life Coordinator Myra Lumpkin in which students made blankets to be donated to children’s hospitals. This event was held in the lobby of Thompson Hall, where dorm residents and members of the Greek Community could work together to keep children warm. Finally, Kettering hosted its winter 2016 Dog Days event on Martin Luther King Day. This made sense because many students in all levels of learning had the day off from school. During this event, prospective students were given tours of the Kettering campus and provided lunch. There was also a large gathering in the International Room where students could talk to faculty members of different academic departments and see many of the different clubs on campus. Even though there were no classes at Kettering on Martin Luther King Day, the campus was buzzing with activity as people took the time to remember Dr. King, perform service for the community, and promote Kettering to high school students.
ing computer components to cars and making them capable of communicating with other devices, McNealy envisioned what consumers would want from their vehicles. Today those sort of ideas are the norm in the auto industry. “You should have some kind of awareness of the industry. Keep it on your radar,” Bennett advised students. “What [technology] you see on the fringes may come back one day.” During part of his presentation, Bennett also provided the people in attendance an explanation of his line of work, and how he gets his information as a journalist, likening the process to gathering string. “[ Journalists] talk with CEOs during auto shows,” Bennett said, describing the rings of people which would circle CEOs and lead engineers to get comments during auto shows. After his presentation ended, Bennett opened the floor to guests who had any questions. A number of people asked his thoughts on current issues and trends being seen in the auto industry. Right before the speaking session was ended, Eddie Schodowski once again thanked Bennett for coming and many guests greeted and thanked him as they left. The opportunity to listen to someone outside of engineering fields come and speak provided members of the Kettering Community a special look at what the auto industry seems to be doing, and what it means for them. Seeing aspects of the auto industry and other manufacturing sectors in this light is incredibly important for engineering students. As such, we at the Technician would also like to thank Mr. Bennett for bringing his journalistic perspective of the auto industry to Kettering.
Wall Street Journal Auto Columnist Jeff Bennett presents on the future of the Auto Industry on Wednesday, January 20, 2016..
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The Technician
Through The Camera Lens
February 2, 2016
Top: Prospective Kettering Students gather in the International Room of Kettering University's Campus Center building. Guests were given the opportunity to visit booths showcasing different Academic Departments and Student Organizations. Current students and guests were also provided lunch catered by Ketterin Dining Services. Middle: Guests to Kettering University's Dog Days event listen in BJ's Lounge as the core principles of Kettering are presented to them. Bottom: Prospective students and their parents register for Kettering's Dog Day's event in the Great Court of the Campus Center. The days activities included tours of the campus, informational sessions, and the opportunity to meet with faculty members to get information about different departments.
February 23 2016
The Technician
Kettering In Pictures
Top Left: Prospective students get a tour of the Lego Lab in Kettering University's Academic Building. There guests got to see a glimpse of the work Kettering IME students do to maximize efficiency on an assembly line. Top Right: Kettering University Student Dereck Gee, a member of Kettering's Physics Club, demonstrates centrifugal force using a rope and bicycle wheel during Kettering's Dog Days event. Bottom: Current Kettering students and members of the Flint community participated in making blankets to donate to area child hospitals on Martin Luther King Day. The service opportunity was one of a series that are held throughout each academic term.
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February 2, 2016
The Technician
News
NFL: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly By Jacob Hankerd Online Editor Ciro Napoletano Staff Writer Throughout this year’s intense season, there are many feats to be recognized. From childish tantrums to the MVP conversation, there was no shortage of stories. Preparing to round out this year are the conference championship week match ups between the Denver Broncos at New England Patriots, and the Arizona Cardinals at the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers will take home field advantage as well as New England. These 1-seed vs. 2-seed bouts are expected to be highly contended games that are sure to be exciting. All of these teams got where they are due to a stellar defense and explosive offences. Three of these offenses are powered by the top 3 players in MVP contention: Cam Newton (Panthers), Tom Brady (Patriots), and Carson Palmer (Cardinals), ranked 1, 2, and 3 respectively by popular opinion. Our personal Super Bowl picks are the Cardinals vs. Patriots (Ciro) and Cardinals vs. Broncos ( Jacob), but with teams like these facing off, you can never be certain who will come out on top. A little closer to home, and a little farther from the playoffs, the Lions created a stir this season, but not because of their on-field performances. With a 7-9 season, they certainly weren’t at their worst, but continued to fail to live up to their potential, as with their playoff run in the 2014 season. However, big changes have been made to the franchise, and there is again reason for hope. A new General Manager has taken over, as well as an Offensive Coordinator, Offensive Line Coach, and more. The Lions may also face the departure of the best wide receiver in the team's history as Calvin Johnson, a superstar in the league and possible Hall of Fame player, is contemplating retiring from the game at the age of 30 (coincidentally, the same age Barry Sanders retired at), after playing 9 seasons in the league. Johnson (#81) has been battling many lower body injuries during the last few seasons, although he had 1,214 receiving yards this past one, which is amazing for the average player. Calvin is not living up to the expectations that many fans set for him and many are beginning to wonder if he will ever return to his old form or if the toll the game is putting on his body is beginning to be too much for him to further his career. While there are many great players in the league, there are also those who
consistently let down their fans, on or off of the field. A headliner this season was often the rookie phenom from two years ago: Odell Beckham Jr. of the New York Giants. From a seemingly constant string of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties to the controversy surrounding his altercations with the Panthers star Cornerback Josh Norman, there were plenty of reasons for us to shake our heads. It is always sad to see, as with Beckham Jr., a young star with possibly the most pure talent in recent memory, continuously put his career in jeopardy due to his inflated ego and child-like fits of rage. In a similar manner, but more off the field, Johnny Manziel, quarterback of the Cleveland Browns, is plagued by his inability to shift from the party life of a college athlete to the life of a mature, professional player. His reputation is negative, and he puts his career at risk continuously because of his lack of judgement. Many players with his level of talent have been released for this kind of misconduct, and many believe the Browns will follow a similar path in regards to Manziel. This has been the good, the bad, and the ugly with the NFL this season, and we’ll see you next time when we discuss the same with regards to the NBA.
Top Right: Odell Becham Jr. of the New York Giants became headline news after he and Josh Norman of the Carolina Panthers repeatedly fought each other during an NFL game between the two teams. Lower Left: The Detroit Lions, amid other changes to management and coaching, may have to deal with soon losing prolific receiver Calvin Johnson, who has been incredibly potent for the team throughout his tenure in Detroit.
February 2, 2016
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The Technician
News 2015: A Year In Review
By Megan Cox Layout Editor 2015 was a year to remember. From Hotline Bling to the legalization of same sex-marriage in all 50 states, last year had it all; the good, the bad, and the irrelevant were all covered. In this article, we’re going to take a trip down memory lane, so sit back, relax, and let’s smile (or cringe) together. Some of the most popular (though unimportant) trends of last year revolved around a black and blue (white and gold?) dress. Remember that? While initially this dress seemed cool, we can all agree that it got annoying pretty quickly. Another trend in 2015 was the increasing use of emojis. This led to Oxford Dictionary naming their word of the year “Face with Tears of Joy”, which isn’t really a word, but an actual emoji. That’s right, an emoji was the word of the year…because why not? The “Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge” was also made and became popular last year. For those of you who don’t know, that was where people used various ways to plump up their lips in hopes of imitating Kylie Jenner’s. Due to its harmful side effects, this challenge was put to a stop, and people soon discovered that a good lip liner would have to suffice. In the movie industry, records were broken with Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens, which made over $800 million in the box office in the US alone. Similarly, Jurassic World was also a large hit and made over $650 million. Other popular releases included Mockingjay Part II, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, Ant-Man, and Fifty Shades of Grey.
The image to the right shows many of the social, political, civil and economic trends seen in 2015. It pays homage to incredible people who passed away and reminds us of important events and movements that defined the year. In it we can see the changes that took place, and wonder what the future might hold for us.
As far as the rest of entertainment goes, there is much to talk about. As of last year, the popular video-sharing site, YouTube, turned 10 years old. Directioners across the world watched in shock as One Direction became two directions when Zayn Malik announced he was leaving the group. After 4 years of silence, Adele returned to music with her new album “25”, stealing the top spot on music charts with her hit single “Hello”. In the summer, we all learned to “whip and nae nae” with “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” by Silentó. Olympic gold medalist, Bruce Jenner, also known as the father of Kendall and Kylie Jenner, made headlines when she made her transformation to Caitlyn Jenner. And of course, no one can forget when Steve Harvey surprised the world by misnaming the winner of the Miss Universe Pageant on live television. In the way of sports, 2015 was a good year for some teams and not so good for others. During the AFC Championship game between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts, there was controversy when it was discovered that 11 out of the 12 footballs used were deflated. Also, the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT ) had a good 2015 season when they won the World Cup in their defeat against Japan. Ronda Rousey was a spotlight with her rapid climb from KO after KO, leading to her ultimate fall when her jaw was broken by Holly Holm in one of the biggest upsets in sports history. There were also plenty of events that happened around the country and world. Pope Francis visited
Kettering Greek Life 2016 Service Saturday Schedule All Events Will Begin at 9:00 A.M in Kettering University's Great Court
Saturday, February 27 Saturday, March 12 Saturday, April 9 Saturday, May 14 Saturday, June 11 Saturday, July 9 Saturday, August 13 Saturday, September 10 Saturday, October 1 Saturday, November 12 the United States for the first time in September, making him the 4th pope to visit America. NASA’s New Horizon’s space craft which was launched in 2006 completed its first-ever flyby of Pluto in the summer. Attacks on Paris late last year united the world against terrorism. Beijing was chosen to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, making it the first city to host both the summer and winter Olympics. In September, Queen Elizabeth became the longestserving queen in history. This past year was a roller coaster of events. Filled with ups and downs, we can only wonder what 2016 has in store. The above image shows a shot from Google's annual "Year In Search " video. These videos seek to show what people searched for on the internet through the course of a year. 2015's year in search features many highlights of the refugee crisis and equality movements in the US. It can be watched at this web address: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7o7R5BgWDY
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The Technician
February 2, 2016
Letter From Editor: Building Our Community nearly any topic, so long as they do not violate our Constitution. We at the Technician have experienced a large The importance of having a strong community turnover in staff recently, and as such have a pool of cannot be understated. For any group, the most efless-experienced staff than in previous terms. Howficient and effective projects come to fruition when ever, we will still strive to provide regular editions people are able to easily interact and share ideas. By of our publication to the Kettering Community. creating a community environment, each individual This will involve a revisitation of some of our procewithin that community is able to better reach their dures, but more importantly it will require our staff full potential. to establish strong rapports with other club presiWe at the Technician strive to assist in the facilidents and faculty members. I will thusly be sending tation of a strong community at Kettering, one of periodic emails to club presidents reminding them the pillars of the university's message. We do so by sharing the news of the university and its students with any parties willing to listen. Kettering itself strives to create a community environment conducive to education and leadership. What we call the Kettering Community encompasses all students, faculty, administrators, and stakeholders of the university. We work closely with all members of this community to help different areas communicate through journalistic media and open forums. For example, we allow and encourage student submission articles related to By Adam Lecznar Editor In Chief
of upcoming editions and opportunities for article submissions. Cooperation and interdependency create greater opportunities for student organizations to grow and thrive. We at the Technician wish to see each of these organizations reach its full potential, as does KSG and the university as a whole. We hope to set a precedent within our organization to maintain strong bonds and help facilitate that sort of success. We see ourselves as a member of a larger community, and so wish to contribute to it. We hope others will do the same, helping us and helping one another.