The
Technician bulldogs.kettering.edu/technician
September 9, 2017
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Volume 124
Issue 3
Interview with Dr. Vosejpka, Dean of College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Jordan Mayer Staff Writer Laura Vosejpka is the dean of the newly created College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She has a PhD in Organic Chemistry and has spent 25 years in higher education. Prior to coming to Kettering, she taught physics and organic chemistry at Mid Michigan Community College for 6 years, taught algebra, environmental science, and statistics at Northwood University for 6 years, and many different sections of Chemistry at Alma College for 7 years. She has also worked at Dow doing research projects in biocatalysis, polymer science and glycol ethers and also in the communications department providing execContinued on Page 2
What’s Inside
SWE Award
Alumnus Surprises with Scholarships Sarah Schuch Kettering University Staff As seen in the Bulldog Weekly Mike Riggs ‘76 believes in dreaming big and not letting expectations get in the way of reaching those dreams. He also believes in giving back in big ways. During a Student Alumni Council presentation on Aug.30, 2017, Riggs surprised the students in attendance by spontaneously giving each one of them a $1,000 scholarship. The total $131,000 donation went directly to the students. This isn’t the first time of Riggs’ generous donations to Kettering students. He did the same thing during a presentation in 2014.
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utive communications support for the CTO and the R&D Leadership Team. Dr. Vosejpka was interviewed for the founding dean position in January of this year, though she officially started at the beginning of this term in July. Of her first term she said “It’s been a good start, but I’m having a hard time getting used to the schedule and the way the terms work,” a sentiment which I’m sure many students can relate to when reflecting on their first term here. “It’s hard to be bored” she said laughing. Surprisingly Dr. Vosejpka did not initially go to school for Chemistry. She started her undergrad majoring in English, “But I took a Chemistry class and just kept taking Chemistry classes and I fell in love
Department of Business Opening
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Solar Eclipse
Diversity Day
Various Music Artists Reviews
Women's Lunch Forum
Navardo Henry Staff Writer
Jordan Mayer Staff Writter
Laughter. Fun. Fellowship. These three words describe as best as possible the aura that filled a usually mundane Bj’s café on Thursday August 17, 2017. This atmosphere was created by the sheer number of international students and American nationals who came together in the said location to celebrate Diversity Day. According to Demetri Blackwood, former President of the KU International Club, “Diversity day was conceptualized by the Office of Multicultural Students Initiative in an effort to expose the Kettering University campus to a range of cultures.” The general consensus of the persons in attendance to the event was that this objective was
On August 30, 2017 there was a lunch forum held for all A-Section women students by Betsy Homsher and President McMahan. Dr. Homsher started the forum by welcoming all of the students and acknowledging the good turnout of about 18 women. “Let’s not call it a meeting, let’s call it a conversation," she stated. President McMahan took over and first asked how everyone’s term was going. He commented on how women in STEM programs face many challenges and that one of his goals is to provide access to a great opportunity at Kettering. President McMahan then suggested that all of the women interact with the new dean of the Liberal Arts and Sciences College Laura Vosejpka, as she has experience with the STEM field and could provide helpful insight. One woman spoke up and said that the best part of her term was that she joined a lot of clubs and would be able to move into leadership positions in them. “It’s a lot different than high school where everything was pretty much based off of popularity, here you can do pretty much anything.” Another student spoke up and posed a question. “This is my first term taking 20 credits, why is it expected for someone to take 20 credits and be able to excel in all of their classes?” President McMahan fielded this question and explained: “We don’t presume people should take 20 credits, though we often encourage it. It is common that the high the course load, the lower the average
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The Technician
News
Interview with Dr. Vosejpka Continued from front page with Organic Chemistry.” This led to her graduating with a bachelor’s degree in English and Chemistry from Ohio State University. She also hadn’t intended to go to graduate school until her chemistry advisor told her about options that would allow her to go to school for free. “I loved school, so it was a no brainer” she stated. From there she went on to the University of Wisconsin and received a PhD in Organic Chemistry. “My research was in organomettalic chemistry, specifically the Fischer-Tropsch process of coal gasification and carbon structures.” She did post-doctoral research at the University of Maryland for organometallic chemistry as well. We then talked about her plans for Kettering. “We want to focus on blending the borders between science and liberal arts and learn what the value is between integrating STEM with liberal arts and sciences,” she commented. “There’s already a strong liberal arts department at Kettering, our goal is to provide learning experiences unlike the co-op experience.” She listed off opportunities like a sculpture based welding course at the Flint Institute of Arts, along with working on acoustics with the Flint Institute of Music since the university has an acoustics lab. “Finding students who are interested in opportunities like this won’t be a challenge. You guys kind of refuse to stay in a box and you pursue passions outside of your major. It seems like everyone I talk to has passions like this that they pursue outside of school.” She then told me that the President’s vision is multi-faceted students, so they want to create a curriculum that shifts with interests. These views align with her interests outside of work as well. “I’m a self-proclaimed artist at heart, if it involves art I’m probably going to try it, even if I’m not very good at it” she chuckled. “I love to take pictures. Those are all pictures I’ve taken” she said gesturing to the prints in her office. “I’m a certified yoga instructor, I love to paint, I like to travel, though I don’t get to do it as much as I’d like to.” Her favorite places to travel are in Northern regions, she’s been to Alaska and Norway. “The polar regions are particularly interesting to me because you can see how dramatically our climate is affecting these regions. Because living here in Michigan you don’t really notice it firsthand like you do when you see a
skinny polar bear” she said. I asked Dr. Vosejpka what it was like working in both the corporate world of a STEM field and working in academia. “I based my career choices on being a mom. My husband was traveling a lot, so I was the primary parent for my son for a while,” she affirmed. “I actually left my job at Alma College because it was time for my son to start school and I needed to decide if I wanted to enroll him in Alma schools so that he would be closer to me while I was working or if I wanted to enroll him in Midland schools since that’s where our family lived.” From there she and her husband started looking for jobs out of state. It was at this point that Dow called her and asked her if she would be willing to do research for them, which in turn allowed her to get a better handle on her family life. “Corporate America is easier to work in when you’re a mom because when you are sick there are other people that can pick up your slack for a little bit. But when you’re a teacher and you have a sick kid you still have a class that you have to teach and there aren’t really subs for higher education. I was blessed to have a wonderful babysitter that would take care of my son when he was sick, but in general it’s a lot easier to be a mom in corporate America,” she explained. “One of the best paying jobs I ever had was writing speeches for the CTO for Dow, but I was miserable. I work to serve people and in this case I was serving people that didn’t really need to be served.” She concluded by telling me that the academic industry is different, but in different ways than you’d expect. I wanted to end the interview by asking her two personal questions; one was what she felt like her biggest accomplishments were. “There are actually two things, I was the first person in my family to finish college. My mom dropped out of college after her first semester and I don’t think my dad ever finished his two-year degree” she stated. Aside from being the first person in her family to receive a college degree, which is impressive in itself, she was the first one in her family to receive a PhD. “That’s why I enjoyed my time at community college, because I got to meet and work with students that were like me,” she acknowledged. “This is going to sound cheesy, but my most important accomplishment is being a mom. I see all of the potential in my son and it makes me so excited,” she smiled. “He’s going to do 10 times more and go 10 times farther than I ever will.” The last question I asked Dr. Vosejpka was if she had any long term goals. “They change a lot, but I
The
Technician Adam Lecznar
Editor-in-chief
Rebecca Roughton L ayout Editor
Gabrielle Feeny
Copy Editor
Jacob Hankerd
Online Editor
Robert Lyman
Distribution Editor
Staff writers Jordan Mayer Khalid Foflonker Megan Cox Nathan Schleh Navardo Henry Alicia Brown Jerico Markel
Faculty Advisor Christine Levecq Special Thanks To Betsy Homsher & Debbie Stewart
September 9, 2017
think that’s a good thing because the world is changing.” She admitted that it was very difficult to think about leaving teaching to take up an administrative role. “I was talking to one of my friends about it and he said to me “”Why limit yourself to one-on-one impact with students, don’t you think as an administrator you’d be able to influence more people?”” She said that this really opened up her mind to work in the administration. “So right now my long term goals are in admin and to help ground goals from other professors.” She explained that she’s been having meetings with professors to find out what their ideas are and that a lot of them have really great new ideas that could be implemented with the right help. “I also want to work to help young people directly change things.” Dr. Vosejpka is very personable and inviting. I would encourage anyone to speak to her if you get the chance, especially if you have an interest in getting more involved with the Liberal Arts department.
Submissions Policy The Technician encourages any interested students to attend staff meetings. Meetings for Winter 2017 will be each Tuesday 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 9th Tuesday at 6pm. Expected distribution is 10th Monday. Send submissions to atechnician@kettering.edu.
September 9, 2017
News
Alumni Scholarships
Women's Lunch
Continued from front page
Continued from front page
“The last thing I thought I would do is own a truck hauling company. Don’t limit yourself to the avenues you think are out there,” said Riggs, CEO and President of Jack Cooper Holdings Corp. “I don’t ever want to hear how poor you are. You can do anything you want.” Jack Cooper Holdings Corp. is one of the largest car haul companies in North America. The company has grown from 120 employees in 2008 to more than 3,500 today spread across 55 locations all over the world today. But that growth didn’t come without problems and hardships, Riggs told the students. The company had a three year period whey they had to reduce a substantial amount of debt to survive. “What drove that type of persistence is the foundation I formed at Kettering,” Riggs said. “Anticipate the problems. Expect it’s going to be a fist fight. Don’t take what you do for granted. Hard work and dedication are all values I got directly from Kettering.” Mike Riggs '76 Jack Cooper has twice won a "Global Supplier of the Year" award from General Motors, competing against every supplier in GM's worldwide supplier base of almost 25,000. It has also won the Toyota Presidents Award twice. In 2014 Jack Cooper Holdings won the coveted top honor "World Excellence Award" from Ford Motor Company. In 2013 Riggs won the Ernst & Young "Entrepreneur of the Year Award" for the Midwest Region, and he also won the "Global Outstanding Achievement Award" in London from Automotive Supply Chain Magazine. Riggs graduated from Kettering with an Industrial Administration degree and completed his master’s in business administration at Harvard in 1979. Riggs credits his time at Kettering for his preparedness at Harvard and is now creating opportunities for future students to receive the same rigorous and transformational educational experience. Jack Cooper, a family-owned business, focuses on five values to guide the company -- integrity, trust, excellence, responsibility and longevity. Riggs’ daughter, Sarah Amico, Chairman of the Board at Jack Cooper Holdings Corp and the Head of Mergers and Acquisitions, also spoke to the crowded room on the importance of their education and five keys of success. She emphasized a long-term vision, an adaptable strategy, patient persistence, building a good team and steadfast values. Amico also encouraged the students to learn from their mistakes and make them a better person. “Let iron sharpen iron. Let it make you smarter,” Amico said. Riggs admitted that he has experienced failure a few times before owning Jack Cooper but that only further pushed him towards his future goals. “It’s important to get to know the business first. But I decided I didn’t want to work for anybody,” Riggs said. “In 2008 I decided to build the generations business. My best advice to you is to dream big. Don’t give up and build a good team. Don’t let anyone set your limitations.”
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The Technician
grades are. We’ve been trying to find ways to help relieve the pressure. A couple of years ago financial aid only allowed aid for 9 terms, which caused students to start loading up on classes to try and graduate sooner. To help decrease the amount of students that felt the need to do that, we increased the amount of financial aid terms to 10.” He then went on to talk about the expansion that they have been working on with Kettering University Online. With the extension of the online platform he is hoping that it will allow students to take classes during their work term to also cut down on the amount of 20 credit or higher terms. The biggest concern at the forum that was addressed by far was advising. One woman spoke up about her negative advising experiences: “I’m and ME and my first year and a half with advising was great because I did it through the Academic Success Center and they always gave me multiple options to choose from for my upcoming schedules. For this term though I was told that I should be going to the ME department to do my scheduling and my advisor for the ME department only really gave me one option to work with and it wasn’t what I wanted. In the ASC it seemed like the genuinely wanted to help me pick classes that felt right to move forward with, where in the ME department they were just telling me what I should be taking. It wasn’t very personalized at all.” Many women that either are ME’s or had to deal with the ME department agreed with her and chimed in with similar stories. “Advising is on our scope.” President McMahan announced. He then asked if we might benefit from more centralized advising methods. In regards to advising one student brought up new software that’s going to be implemented to help students schedule their classes. Betsy Homsher explained, “What she’s talking about is a program called Advise which is one of two pieces that we are going to be implementing in over the next term.” This software will allow students to view classes that are added and dropped into upcoming semesters. There was more discussion about standardizing the advising process and potentially having it all done through the ASC as well as potentially changing the seniority standard that is in place for registering for classes right now to make classes more available to younger students. Though there are no definite plans to change anything right away, this forum was a good stepping stone into an open line of communication between faculty and students about what they are expecting from Kettering.
Diversity Day Continued from front page achieved. According to Dictionary.com, Diversity is defined as the inclusion of individuals representing more than one national origin, color, religion, socioeconomic stratum, sexual orientation, etc. This definition perfectly embodies the demography of the persons that were present at the event. The event saw Jamaican, German, Hispanic, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Hindi, Black and White people all existing in the same place, all laughing, all having fun, all together. On the day of the event members from societies such as NSBE, BUC, SHPE and IC as well as nonmembers of these societies came out in their numbers to socialize and of course enjoy the culturally diverse variety of food provided by the above mentioned clubs and societies. As with every successful event, there were a number of noteworthy organizers for this event, The Office of Multicultural Students Initiative and the Presidents of NSBE, BUC, SHPE and IC were some of the main organizers of this event. They were assisted by volunteers who were Kettering students, such as Multicultural Reps Timo Budiono and Paris Scales.
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The Technician
through the camera lens
September 9, 2017
Top: Attendees at the 2017 Donors & Scholars Luncheon. This event celebrated individuals who help support students at the university. Middle: Women of the Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority host a spaghetti dinner for guests and raised over $1000. Bottom: University students help rejuvenate a local house by removing peeling paint and adding a new coat
Photos courtesy of Kettering University
September 9, 2017
The Technician
around campus
Top: Students volunteer to fill water cups for the annual Flint Crim Race. Middle: President McMahan entertains students visiting the President's house for the senior barbecue Bottom: The B-Section Sigma Chi is awarded with the J. Dwight Peterson Significant Chapter Gold Award. They are recognized as the fourth best Sigma Chi chapter out of more than 240 nation chapters.
Photos courtesy of Kettering University
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Solar Eclipse 2017
September 9, 2017
On August 21, 2017, Kettering University experienced the solar eclipse with 82% totality. These photos capture the various ways members of the school experienced this rare occurrence with welding helmets, pin-point viewers, and eclipse glasses.
September 9, 2017
The Technician
Solar Eclipse 2017
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Dr. Diane Peters Recognized at SWE Conference Pardeep Toor Kettering Staff As Seen in Bulldog Weekly Dr. Diane Peters, Mechanical Engineering, earned the “Outstanding Faculty Advisor” award at the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) annual awards program on August 22. The award recognizes Peters’ leadership on campus as she mentors engineers in the Kettering chapter of SWE for both A- and B-sections. Lezlie Koch ‘19, Mechanical Engineering major and A-Section SWE President, nominated Peters for the prestigious award. Diane Peters“I nominated Dr. Peters because of her passion for SWE and how active she is within the sections,” Koch said. “She is always pushing the section to grow and not only be more active on campus but also on a national level.” In 2016, Peters was also named a SWE Fellow, which recognizes SWE members for their continuous service to the advancement of women in the engineering profession. She received the honor for blending academic excellence with industry experience, for creativity that excites and challenges students and for reminding women engineers of all ages to reach back and inspire the next generation. Peters also serves as a faculty advisor on Koch’s thesis committee and has helped facilitate her growth professionally on campus and as an engineer in her co-op position at The Dow Chemical Company. Peters is also currently engaged in a three-year National Science Foundation funded project evaluating collegiate engineering education and is an advisor for the AutoDrive team that was selected to participate in an international autonomous vehicle competition by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). “Dr. Peters is very passionate about anything she gets involved with,” Koch said.
The Technician
News Department of Business Management Ribbon Cutting
September 9, 2017
Opinion: The Next 1000 Years of Literacy
Jerico Markel Staff Writer
Eddie Schodowski Submission Writer These past weeks have found me rather busy, but Pulled from Medium I did get a chance to witness the ribbon cutting for - The Age of Information has contributed to tothe new department of Business Management and day’s incredible economic abundance and quality of it was an interesting sight to behold. Roughly 80 life people gathered in the hall of the fourth floor and, - None of these benefits, however, would have much to my surprise, a decent number of them hapbeen possible without a universal baseline of literacy pened to be staff that came over from the University - e.g., you can’t use email if you can’t read or write of Flint Michigan just to witness the event. - This is a relatively recent standard, and worth Aside from the occasional screech from the sound looking into system (hard to keep microphone and speakers far - What had to be done to ensure everyone was litapart in a 10ft wide hallway) Dr. McMahan graced erate? us all with his usual witty remarks, and even men- What was the history of literacy? tioned that the new department’s digi- In 1,000 years, what will make us say, “I can’t betal sign was extremely flashy. lieve they were illiterate in X, Y, and Z”? The actual cutting of the ribbon took - If we look back 1,000 years ago to 1017, the sciena minute, partly for pictures and partly tific method hadn’t even been formalized yet due to Dr. McMahan adopting a comic - The chances that we are illiterate in a major pose with the scissors, and then we were method of enabling thought in 2017 is hidden, but in. The interior of the new department very high is more spacious than it appears from - What is the next form of literacy we can stanthe outside (I actually knew this beforedardize to enable several other technological revoluhand due to a “self-guided” tour I took tions like the Age of Information? after they laid the carpet down) so there - If we can uncover that — or invent it — then we were no problems in accommodating can look back at our lives in 2017 and be disappointeveryone. ed at how bad we had it Being the sugar addict that I am I grabbed a cup of lemonade and then https://medium.com/@EddieSchod/the-next-1made a beeline for the cake. While get000-years-of-literacy-ef06288fd4fd ting cake I chanced across the bucket of free pens and discovered, much to my delight, that they chose a model that I favored in my early years of Kettering but had long since run out of. I swiped two and made off with my cake, wishing our newest department all the best. Kettering has grown since my freshman year. Back when I first arrived the bookstore was still a thing and D-spaces unheard of. I like the change I’ve seen. I like the President that interacts with the students. If you ever get a chance to speak with Dr. McMahan you should ask him about what changes he has in mind for the future. This recent ribbon cutting wasn’t the first mark of change happening on campus and it certainly won’t be the last. Continued on Page 5
September 9, 2017
The Technician
Opinion
Opinion: Perceived Knowledge and the VIX Eddie Schodowski Submission Writer Pulled from Medium - As our perceived knowledge grows, so does our perceived understanding - It’s important to fight this illusion - Real knowledge growth does not happen by reading a couple articles (or worse, a couple headlines) - Real knowledge comes through genuine and deliberate strain of the mind to understand something far beyond your current capabilities (e.g., think of Michael Burry in The Big Short asking his employee to look at all of the houses and mortgages in an area in person) and beyond your currently formed belief systems - Because anyone can write an article today (just like I’m doing right now), perceived knowledge has grown faster than real knowledge - What makes up the difference? - Volatile, rapid decision making rooted in folly disguised as understanding - When money is behind this type of decision making in the stock market, the volatility of a market capitalization is rooted in folly - Even more complex than that, however, is that an observer effect complicates the matter - If decisions rooted in folly cause a market capitalization to go down, and the observation of this downturn also causes behavior that otherwise wouldn’t happen (like even more selling), then markets will not be efficient as they could be - Why does this matter? - If perceived understanding, folly, and observer effects provoke faulty action, then the opportunity cost is lack of investment in the long term (where we expect to live for the rest of humanity) - This may be why we haven’t seen a Bell Labs or Xerox PARC in so long - If we haven’t had the willingness/energy/time to learn difficult to learn things, the opportunity cost may be not allocating investment that could discover several tools on the scale of importance of the transistor - I expect the VIX to become more volatile itself - Until we invent ways to incentivize and align reading with decision-making, we can’t get economic growth up to the level that it will need to be to serve the growing world population - We need to reinvent — or add a new layer onto — reading itself (a human invention that we are far removed from) - What happens if we don’t? - While people will try to preserve their capital loss, they will actually be causing major harm to their own wellbeing and quality of life https://medium.com/@EddieSchod/perceivedknowledge-and-the-vix-4dc80837c19e
Stolas Review Joshua Hemmesch Submission Writer In the early first quarter of 2017, Stolas released the very sought-after SelfTitled album. Fans were excited, and a tour was immediately announced to support the album. The new release was the first to feature the original drummer of the band, Carlo Marquez, as the lead vocalist as well as drummer. This album was almost three years after the past release in 2014. This three-year time period allowed for a lot of growth by the members of the band. Due to this, the vocal content broached tough topics, and the change in lyricism allowed for a more adult content. The content of the album can be analyzed to show that not only may a band write music they connect with, but they may also write social commentary pieces. Many artists do this, but Stolas has seemed to masterfully craft this album and tuned the lyrics to be the best possible. Within the first two songs of the album, Carlo has already challenged greed and criminality. In the song “Bellwhether,” Carlo mentions the wealthy and the observed cruelty of the wealthy to the poor. He states: “A constant begging for wanting and greed, they couldn’t make themselves happy; So they conjured together sinister objectives to strategize their plans.” Carlo is making a statement regarding the wealthy and observable power that the wealthy possess in modern America. This song has a powerful message and sends it home with a slam dunk. Lyrically, his growth is astounding and allows for a message like this to be sent with passion and a bang
Photos courtesy of newnoisemagizine.com and progarchives.com
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rather than a whimper. Later in the album, the song “Anecdoche” comments on the political atmosphere of America. Carlo discusses the lack of listening that the average politician has for their fellow members. He criticizes the use of social media to push forward ideas. The listener receives a strong message regarding the state of the average politician. Though a strong song instrumentally, the lyricism does not push the message as fiercely as the other songs discussed. Near the end of the album, the song “Pacesetter” sets the tone for the final two songs of the album. “Pacesetter” is another song critiquing the political atmosphere of the United States. In the song, he comments on the ability of a politician to step on everyone and everything that they need to so that they may be elected or reelected. The song overall has almost a haunting tone regarding the state of America. Carlo sets forth to send another strong message to the listener and grabs their attention with flashy instrumentation. Overall, the album is a very strong addition to the band’s discography. Carlo and the other members push forward strong social commentary regarding many topics, while simultaneously providing a very strong and appealing listening experience. The album is a very satisfying experience from beginning to end, and allows for much interpretation regarding the meaning of many different songs. Each song has a different meaning, and Carlo leaves it up to the listener to discover the true meaning within themselves.
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Caravan Palace Review
September 9, 2017
The Technician
Music Reviews
Timothy Loftis Submission Writer On July 16th a French band called Caravan Palace came to play at Saint Andrew’s Hall in Detroit. This band is a mixture of past swing music and modern electronic music branded “Electro Swing”. The band formed and released their first album in 2008, reaching number 11 on the record chart in Switzerland, Belgium, and France. The band performs all of its music in English, with only a few in French, but a lot of their music is non-vocal-centric and doesn’t need to be understood to be enjoyed. It brings to the modern age big band music in a whole new way, bridging a gap between music from 1930 and today. The band brings not only the sound but also the style, with the entire band dressing in the fashion of the ‘30s as well, causing the crowds coming to see them to do the same. This is a band that produces great alternative music, but in concert, they also provide an atmosphere making the music feel like an event rather than just something to be heard. Many popular indie bands come to Detroit; it is rare that there isn’t a live concert being advertised for a famous yet small band somewhere about. This was the last concert the band was playing in the U.S., and I was excited that I was able to go to it and also that it was so close by. I go to concerts in Detroit quite often, and in particular I usually go to Saint Andrew’s Hall, having become quite fond of the venue, even though it is rather small and the drinks are far overpriced. The small venue quickly filled up with many 20 somethings, many dressed in a style more representative of 1930 rather than of 2017, all excited for what was to come. The most interesting was a very peculiar fellow dressed in a full unicorn onesie; this made the event even funnier as, even though they were strange, everyone seemed to embrace it. Everyone there seemed to be more excited than could be possible expected, crowding the stage and enjoying their drinks, cheering for the band to come on stage. As the band entered, they immediately went into song, playing their more popular “Lone Digger.” The lights immediately swapped over to colored
(Sandy) Alex G: An American Idol
strobe lights, fog machines came on, and while still playing, the band started to dance. Their style is something akin to a modern 30s, their music making modern the old, showing that everything including music comes and goes in cycles of style. Members of the crowd started dancing as well; some of them were just flailing drunks, but others seeming to almost professionally swing dance. The show was seemingly electric; no one seemed to grow tired, just becoming more energized by the music. The performance was astoundingly good, the mixture of electrical instruments and old big band created a scene like someone from the 1930s imaging what the future could look like, minus unicorn man. Synthesizers mixed with saxophones, flutes, violins, and electric keyboards, and the concert was also a show perfectly mixing audio and visuals. After the show ended, the crowd cheered “Encore” and the band obliged, finishing with their song “Comics,” driving the crowd into one last frenzy of dance and cheer. With the mixture of the style of the band and the people, it felt like more than a concert, feeling closer to something like the Michigan renaissance festival where almost everyone wears a costume not because they have to, but because they want to. The only complaint I have is that I didn’t get to smoke a cigar while listening.
Photos courtesy of meetup.com
Sreeman Kota Submission Writer “Yeah, right here is probably good,” my friend, Cam, urges me to park on the side of the road. He doesn't seem so sure of himself, but I park there anyway. A parking ticket is the last thing to stop us from seeing the physical representation of our life as American teenagers in concert form. As we navigate the streets of Detroit, a loose dog sprints past us. We pay it no mind as we see the neon glowing letters of “EL CLUB” in cursive just up ahead. Two condescending bouncers and a bar full of hipsters from Grand Rapids later, we find ourselves in the courtyard. Conversation buzzes all around as we find a spot to sit down. We kill the next couple of hours smoking cigarettes, while we wait for the rest of our friends, and the main artist of the night, (Sandy) Alex G. Carpool-by-carpool, they finally show up. After what seemed like eternity, we finally hear the magic words: “Alright, ladies and gentlemen, that's all we got for tonight. Next up, is Alex G!” Scattered applause, and intermission music blares through the P.A. (Sandy) Alex G is a musician who has taken over the indie rock scene. His moniker comes from his birth name, which is Alex Giannascoli, and from the character in his songs from whose perspective he writes. His most recent album, Rocket, is primarily comprised of two genres, experimental and country. Country is inherently an American genre of music. It emerged in the Southern regions of America in the 1920s. The interesting thing about the album is that he hasn't written country songs before, but when he did, it came out very naturally. Alex G's songwriting is usually in the perspective of Sandy. This can be found in the song “Proud”. It is a twangy country piece that's about longing, and a desire to be of a better character, mixed with a certain feeling of respect for people of a better character than himself. The performance of “Proud” will be the main focus of this review. “Proud” is interesting to think about in the context of American culture. AmeriContinued on Page 11
September 9, 2017
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Music Reviews (Sandy) Alex G Review
Crack Up Review
Continued from page 10 can culture has many ideals—liberty, individualism, equality, democracy, and unity. Music is also a part of culture. The three ideals that are most prevalent in American music is liberty, unity and individuality, since it is an expression of self, but it is still unifying in the sense that it brings together all sorts of different people into one culture. “Proud” is an embodiment of true individualism in the sense that Sandy wants to better himself, and align himself more with the person he is speaking to, no matter what the flaws of this person are. They are at liberty to be the person that they want to be: “Doesn't matter what they say, they ain't worth a dollar in change”. When (Sandy) Alex G performed this song in El Club, the crowd's reaction was almost like a physical representation of the song's lyrics. The crowd were unified in their pride towards (Sandy) Alex G. Everyone who was there were also clearly devoted fans who wanted to align themselves with his character. This performance also happened pretty quickly after the release of Rocket, so anything that he played that was off that album (like “Proud”) had very good reception. American performances have a unifying feature of crowd involvement. The energy is in two parts: the artist's and the crowd's. So when Alex G was playing his songs, the crowd was singing along, and for some of the songs, moshing. When the crowd all sang along the lyrics to “Proud”, it heavily emphasized the ideal of American unity in individuality. Though Alex G's m u s i c goes every which way in terms of the genre it hits, its purpose remains very fixed. One can conclude that his music intends to hit listeners with a sense of connection. His presence on stage is adorned with self-confidence, and a general awareness for what he is doing, and who he's playing for. In its celebration of diversity and individuality, the night he played in El Club was a physical manifestation of American culture.
Joseph Emmendorfer Submission Writer In their third album, released after a 6-year hiatus, American folk group Fleet Foxes has taken a drastic turn away from their traditional style. The natural themes and soaring harmonies of their eponymous debut are gone, along with the hopeful themes of their ironically named Sophomore album, Helplessness Blues. Crack-Up represents a dive into much more dark and introspective themes of personal conflict and social ills. This is immediately apparent on the opening of the first track of the album, “I Am All That I Need”. The track begins with lead singer Robin Pecknold quietly mumbling the track title, followed by “And I’ll be ‘till I’m through”. This verse introduces the listener to some of the themes of the album: loneliness, friendship, and introspection. The friendship in question is between Pecknold and bandmate Skyler Skjelset. Friends since childhood, the two had a major falling out during the band’s hiatus, and this album gives insight into the split and the long and difficult process of healing it. In “I Should See Memphis”, Pecknold compares this state to two historical figures, saying he is “Like Cassius in Rome / Or in Kinshasa”. The first Cassius famously betrayed the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar, while the second line refers to Cassius Clay (Muhammed Ali) and his famous “Rumble in the Jungle” with George Foreman. This, along with references to First Manassas and Appomattox, reveals the feelings of conflict and betrayal between the two friends. Though this relationship is eventually repaired, it Photos courtesy of luckynumbermusic.com and pitchfork.com
clearly leaves a lasting impact on Pecknold. Crack-Up also serves as a vehicle for the band’s social commentary. In their previous albums, Fleet Foxes stayed away from these themes almost entirely, focusing instead on much more personal topics, such as finding happiness and meaning in their own lives. In contrast, this album turns a magnifying glass onto issues that the band, and especially Pecknold, thinks are plaguing American society. The first example of this is on “Cassius,” a song about the shooting of Alton Sterling by Baton Rouge police officers. The event deeply affected Pecknold, and he attended marches and protests in support of the late Sterling. In remembering him, Pecknold sings of “A wife, a son, a son, a son and a daughter”, a heart-breaking reminder of Sterling’s family. He also criticizes the police, referencing “Useless sirens” and “guns for hire.” The social commentary continues on “Naiads, Cassadies”. Pecknold himself describes the song as about the “relationship between men and women” and the lyrics reveal the nature of said relationship. The opening line asks the questions “Who stole the life from you / who turned you so against you”, making light of the fact that women in today’s society often have their lives “stolen” by the male-dominated culture, while societal pressures and advertising can lead to feelings of self-loathing. The song ends on a more inspiring note, telling the listener that they’re not “adrift” or “a gift”. This says that women are in control of their own lives, and that they belong to no one else. Musically, the album is extremely dense and can be difficult to appreciate fully on the first listen. Multiple styles, instruments, and tempos collide for a composition that is somewhat daunting. However, after a few listens, the layers and complexity of the album become part of its beauty. While Crack-Up is arguably Fleet Foxes’ most inaccessible album to date, it can also be called their best. The quality of the music and production, along with the powerful lyrics and themes, combine to form a powerful return of Fleet Foxes.
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The Technician
Art American Life in Poetry: Column 6 By Ted Kooser, U.S. Poet Laureate I've lived in the country for thirty years and during that time my wife and I have hit four deer. All of them leapt away over the nearest fence, unharmed, leaving our cars with hundreds of dollars' worth of damage. But, hey, the deer lived. The deer in this father-daughter poem also happily survives. It's by Kevin Casey, who lives in Maine, and is from his book And Waking . . . from Bottom Dog Press.
Driving West through Somerset County The sun climbed the rigging of a mackerel sky, with me and my daughter following west, and then the sudden, thick lashed, chestnut eye of that poor deer, flashed as we collided. Busted bumper, her bounding toward the pines— clean-limbed, light, and sapling-sound, she vanished. Stopping on the shoulder, I dreaded what damage my own poor dear and her thick-lashed, chestnut eyes had suffered, struck by their shared innocence and that awful force; but her beaming face, sunflower-broad, was filled by this thrill, with her eager as the deer that the day might move along, and the sun—without looking down—should keep to its climbing.
American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation (www.poetryfoundation.org), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2016 by Kevin Casey, “Driving West through Somerset County,” from And Waking . . . , (Bottom Dog Press, 2016). Poem reprinted by permission of Kevin Casey and the publisher. Introduction copyright ©2017 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction’s author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.
September 9, 2017