The
Technician bulldogs.kettering.edu/technician
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January, 28, 2017
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Volume 121
Issue 1
KU Global Continues to Expand
By Adam Lecznar Editor-In-Chief Kettering University offers a very good undergraduate education for students who attend the institution. In addition to in-class curriculums, though, the university offers a number of online programs and degrees in an online system called Kettering Global. Launched in July of 2015 with a celebratory luncheon, KU Global offers three degrees. These programs offer Master’s degrees in Operations Management, Engineering Management, and Lean Manufacturing. Soon to be added are Master's degree programs in Business Administration and Supply Chain Management. In addition, five certificate programs are offered through the service. The purpose of KU Global is to offer Distance Learning opportunities through Kettering Uni-
What’s Inside
mented Vice President for Kettering Global Chrittine Wallace. “Now in any eleven-week term, roughly 300 students access KU Global. We have about the same number of students as a Freshman I section of students.”
Photo Courtesy of KetteringCommunications
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Sybil Jacob
Movie Review
Assistant Director
Lunch with Dean Candidate Laura Vosejpka By Jordan Mayer Staff Writer Kettering University is holding interviews for the position of Dean of the College of Sciences and Liberal Arts (CSLA). Dr. James Zhang, who is the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Provost, is currently the interim dean. During our first week of classes, Dr. Laura Vosejpka was on campus interviewing for the position. She has a doctorate in chemistry, has worked at Dow, and has taught at Alma College, Mid Michigan Community College, Northwood University, and the University of Maryland. On Tuesday, Dr. Vosejpka did a lunch presentation to a packed audience of faculty and students that highlighted her ideas for the CSLA, particularly how to integrate Arts and Humanities classes with Engineering classes. The title of her presentation was: “The RE-Integration of Arts and Humanities with STEMM: What, How, and Why”. STEMM is in reference to Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine. Dr. Vosejpka started the presentation with a quote that is summarized from William H. Newell: “Ideal education is a mix of integrative learning and interdisciplinary studies that is well conceived and well grounded.” She was quick to clarify: “We’re not just looking for ways to integrate, but for evidence that it’s effective. To move towards a more integrative style, it’s more of a process that comes from ideas from the faculty that’s surrounded by it.” She used Continued on Page 2
versity to students across the globe. The program started small, but has grown significantly since its inception. It now serves students from 38 states and 7 different countries. “We had 12 students our very first term,” com-
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Nintendo Switch Direct Review
CollegeHumor Visits Kettering
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Takata: Bags of Mandarin Course Hot Air By Khalid Foflonker Editor-In-Chief
By Robert Lyman Distribution Editor Takata has been in the news a lot recently, starting with their recall of a little over three and a half million airbag units in 2013, and more recently with their NHTSA-ordered recall of an additional 42 million cars. A lot of people are obviously greatly concerned about this, especially since most of us don’t know whether Takata made the airbags in our cars. So, which cars are dangerous to drive and what exactly is the problem with the airbags in them? Takata’s airbags can be found in specific models produced by BMW, Buick, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Ford, Honda, Mazda, Nissan, and Toyota, so if you own a vehicle made by one of those companies, you would have received a letter from them if your car has a potentially problematic airbag. The danger is related to the age of the vehicle (and therefore the age of the airbag), so if you’re worried that your car might be at risk but you didn’t get a letter, you will get the letter when the airbag enters the “approaching dangerous age” stage, if your vehicle is at risk at all. If you’re curious about what’s happening to cause the airbags to be unsafe, here’s a short version of how most of the problem airbags work. Inside every airbag module is an inflator. The inflators that are being recalled (the fabric of the actual bags is totally fine) work by creating an explosion of ammonium nitrate gas that rapidly inflates the bag. To do this, an electrical impulse is sent into the inflator, where it rapidly heats ammonium nitrate pellets about the size of an aspirin inside the metal casing. The pellets then explode into ammonium nitrate gas, and this Continued on Page 2
With approximately 1.05 billion speakers and its immense importance in business and technology, it is no wonder that Kettering University has decided to offer Mandarin Chinese as a university language course. Beginning Chinese I, taught by Professor Kevin Fedewa, is a breath of fresh air compared to the usual core course load. As a current student of the course, I can personally attest to its fun yet increasingly challenging nature. When I saw Kettering’s course catalog finally offer a language class, I signed up instantly. While myself and other students expected stereotypes and had doubts at first, it took only a few hours in the classroom to smash our previous convictions. I had been told by many friends and colleagues that it would be too difficult to take a Mandarin course on top of an already full schedule and thesis work. While it is difficult, it is certainly not impossible. As any avid language learner will tell you, you will never regret working hard on a language when you’re fluent. Professor Fedewa gives students the skills they need in CHN 101 to build a strong base in order to continue language learning in the future. I had a unique opportunity to sit down with Professor Fedewa and a few students to ask a few questions in regards to their experience with Mandarin and Kettering University thus far. Having joined our institution roughly six months ago, Professor Fedewa has been solely tasked with the success of many local and international students. In order to reach fluent proficiency levels, Professor Fedewa has had intensive training. He graduated with Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies in Chinese and German from Wisconsin Lutheran College, followed by a Master of Arts in Continued on Page 3
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January 28, 2017
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Announcements KU GLOBAL Continued from Front Page
Courses offered through KU Global span 6-8 weeks and are asynchronous. The courses are taught by real Kettering professors, many of whom have at least 20 years of experience in their fields. Just as with typical Kettering classes, an emphasis is placed on experience and practicality through KU Global. “We say learn today, use tomorrow,” explained Dr. Wallace. “Students are finding that they can take what they learn to work the next day. That was one of our goals.” KU Global is not limited to graduate students. Undergraduate students may sometimes enroll in the courses as juniors or seniors. Looking to the future of the program, Kettering hopes to continue growing KU Global and to that end aims to add Continuous Education classes for Professional Engineers and the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam. Information on KU Global may be obtained in the Kettering University Global Offices on the third floor of Kettering’s Campus Center.
Yoga Classes Wednesday Nights @ 7:00 p.m. Recreation Center 3rd Floor Free for students, $10 for guests
Zumba Classes Wednesday Nights @ 8:00 p.m. Recreaction Center 3rd Floor
Aerospace Club Monday Nights @ 6:00 p.m. Hougan Lab, Mott Center, 2nd Floor
Kettering Entrepreneur Society Thursdays @ 8:00 KES Room, 5th Floor CC
Dean Candidate
Takata
Continued from Front Page
Continued from Front Page
a Harvard Medical School class “Training the Eye” as an example. Harvard Medical School has been offering this course to their medical students for decades. Students are taken to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts to interpret paintings that are then followed up with the medical correlates. As a result of this, class visual diagnoses have gone up by 40%. This is one of five examples given of different technical classes that have been integrated with arts and humanities. Evergreen College offers another example of an integrated class, called “Watersheds: People, Rivers, and Change in Cascadia”. This class compares water and the people surrounding it in the Cascadia bioregion. You wouldn’t be wrong in assuming this is a biology class, but it is also integrated with economics. It is in fact a sixteen-credit course taught by two professors, one who teaches molecular biology and the other who teaches economics. It draws on public health, civil engineering, ecosystem management, political economy, earth system science, and urban design. To draw her presentation to a close, Dr. Vosejpka stated: “You can’t just have diversity of perspective, you must embrace diversity of perspective. You must embrace change not because what you’re doing now is bad, but because you want to try to do things better.” She then opened the floor for questions. A student asked if she had any plans to bring more humanities classes to Kettering. She replied: “I would love to consider thinking about this if it’s something Kettering would like to do.’ She then attributed her current successes to her communications skills. In the three years she worked for Dow, she was tasked with convincing investors to provide money to the company for their current projects. This required an ability to present the products in a way that the investors could understand, but also didn’t belittle them. She believes soft skills such as this are important for everyone to master. There will potentially be more candidates coming in to present in the future, as the position has not been filled yet.
sudden creation of space between the atoms creates a large amount of pressure, which inflates the airbag. These pellets can potentially be exposed to excess moisture inside the inflator due to a design flaw, which causes them to crumble the same way aspirin does when placed in a cup of water. When the electrical impulse is given to the now powdered form of the pellets, the powder explodes in the same way the pellets do. However, as any physics teacher can tell you, the explosion that takes place inside the inflator is a function of surface area, and the powder has a great deal more surface area than the pellets. The airbags are designed for an explosion of the magnitude produced by the pellets, not by the powder. Because of this, the excess pressure can be too much for the inflator, which will cause it to rupture. The shrapnel created by the ruptured inflator can fly toward the occupants of the front two seats, striking them in the face and torso. It is important to note that this issue has only occurred in vehicles in hot and humid environments using airbags manufactured at a Takata plant in Mexico, and only vehicles in North America have been affected. If you are concerned about the recall, you can log on to airbagrecall.com and enter your VIN (found in the lower driver’s side of the windshield or on a sticker in the driver’s side door) to find out if your vehicle is affected.
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 Ciro Napoletano Jacob Watt Jordan Mayer Khalid Foflonker Megan Cox Nathan Schleh
Faculty Advisor Christine Levecq Special Thanks To Betsy Homsher & Debbie Stewart
Submissions Policy 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.
January 28, 2017
Mandarin Course Continued from Front Page Chinese from Valparaiso University in Indiana. In addition to schooling, he has participated in many prestigious language programs that have taken him around the globe. With regards to teaching experience, Professor Fedewa has taught extensively in South Korea, Beijing, and the United States. As of late, he has joined us from last teaching third-year Chinese at Michigan State University. He is also working towards a second degree in applied linguistics. Currently, he is with us at Kettering University in charge of a technical English course for incoming IEP (Individualized Education Program) delegates here on short-term professional development programs, and serves as the director of Kettering’s new English as a Second Language program. I had the chance to ask Professor Fedewa about the biggest misconceptions that he has heard over the years with regards to teaching Mandarin. The most frequent blurbs he’s heard are “Chinese is impossible” and “can’t I just purchase Rosetta Stone and learn that way”. Fedewa explains that, while he has seen many Americans who have conquered Chinese, he has yet to meet someone who has done so via Rosetta Stone. Chinese is not impossible and he is living proof of it. While the language learning never stops with a second language, the difficulty eases. He remarks that language learning is never easy, and we really don’t recall the difficulty posed to us whilst learning our first language when we were two years old. There are no shortcuts. Throughout the duration of the CHN 101 course, students will develop quite a strong base. The goal of the course is to arm students with an arsenal of practical language and cultural skills ready for immediate use. Students will be able to recognize and produce the Chinese Phonetic System, about 600 of the most common words, and will have the ability to write around 200 of the most common Chinese characters. The course has a focus on real world navigation, and offers a plethora of real life scenarios that students will be able to navigate through in Mandarin. Students will be able to greet friends, coworkers, and professors; give short formal self-introductions; introduce someone else; ask about times, dates, and locations; buy things like train tickets; and ask about and give personal information. If you are looking for a class next term that you would like to challenge yourself with while at the same time increasing your portfolio of skills and are not shy of hard work, myself as well as many other students highly recommend the Mandarin course. The small class size gives language learning that personal touch. Professor Fedewa also does an incredible job keeping students engaged and calm. The course grading is developed around participation
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Campus News and actual language learning of the aforementioned scenarios rather than tough language tests. The only complaint I have is the 6 pm to 8 pm time slot we currently have. Eddie Schodowski, Senior, provided me with a few comments and feedback on his experience thus far. Schodowski says, “Not learning Mandarin is too big of a risk to take.” Schodowski is concerned with the amount of jobs moving to the Chinese markets and the growing market. Eddie is also pleased with the willingness of Chinese international students to support him whilst he is learning the language. Senior Dillon Frost stated that his motivation behind taking the course was his interest in a course that wasn’t math or science related. Frost hopes to have the ability to hold a basic conversation with a native speaker by the end of the term. If any students are interested in taking the newly offered Mandarin course, it will be available next term. We hope in the future to see more language learning programs available at Kettering University.
Kettering Changes By Megan Cox Staff Writter Over the course of the Fall 2016 term, several changes occurred either here on campus or within the city of Flint that people may or may not know about. One of these changes is primarily directed at students living in Thompson Hall; however, offcampus students are sometimes affected as well. For those students who have not noticed, Thompson Hall residents no longer need to check their mailboxes on a regular basis for mail. Instead, a new system has been implemented where students will receive an email informing them that they have mail to pick up and they simply have to come to the front desk of the Residence Hall to claim it. This mail retrieval system is similar to the way students would get packages and other larger orders. Due to the fact that most residents would forget to check their mailboxes, resulting in the build-up of letters and other post throughout the term and even after it ended, this new system has proven to be much more efficient. Residents who are notified of mail waiting for them at the front desk are able to pick it up whenever the desk is open and have one week to get it before it is returned to sender. This new system is not a replacement for package pickups in the Academic Building; students still need to go there for larger deliveries. Another change on campus is the transition from physical time cards to electronic ones. All employees are now required to turn in hours via the Banner Self-Service website which can be found under MyKettering on the university homepage. Similar to the time cards that students used to have to sub-
mit, they are required to turn in their hours online every other week. Kettering University is also now a stop for the Flint Trolley, which was started on January 12th of this year. Other stops include University of Michigan-Flint, City Hall, and the Farmer’s Market. This is not only a good way for residents of Flint to travel around the city, but it is also a convenient resource that can be used to view the various restaurants and cultural sites that downtown Flint has. The Trolley seats about 27 people and is free to ride. It runs from 4:00 pm to midnight Thursdays and Fridays, and from 11:00 am to midnight on Saturdays. Currently, the Flint Trolley’s stop location here at Kettering is across from the Mott Building at Bluff Street and Chevrolet Ave; however, it is in the process of being changed to the back of Thompson Hall for convenience reasons. One loop around the route takes approximately 30 minutes.
Buffalo Wild Wings, Jimmy John's Gift Cards By Rebecca Roughton Layout Editor What is the first breaking of light after a storm, or the long-awaited sight of land after being at sea, compared to the joy of eating some hot, delicious wings or sandwiches? To some, they’d take the cards over anything any day. For these folk, Kettering has some great news: Buffalo Wild Wings and Jimmy John’s gift cards are now available for purchase in the C-Store for $18 BJ Bucks. Buying and using the gift cards couldn’t be any easier. Simply ask the kind cashier at the C-Store if you may have a card of your choosing, and, assuming they haven’t sold out of these golden tickets, it should be in your hands in a matter of moments. While the gift cards cost $18 in BJ Bucks, people paying with US Dollars will need to pay the increase as usual when buying things at the C-Store, which comes out to $20. It’s not just the cards that have a relative easeof-access; it can be only a matter of minutes until you’ve got your next delicious meal in your hands. The nearest Jimmy John’s is on North Grand Traverse Street, which is just left off of University Avenue after going east on it for about a mile, meaning that it’s only a fifteen minute walk to the shop. Of course, because Jimmy John’s prides itself on being “freaky fast,” a trip to and from the shop should take about a half an hour, and only ten minutes via car. In addition, it’s possible to use the gift cards on a delivery order, which while it will cost more, is great for a busy student who doesn’t have time to go out for meals. Buffalo Wild Wings is also roughly fifteen minutes away, though to get there you’ll probably want a car. The restaurant is on the west side of Linden road, which is off to the right on Miller Road or to Continued on Page 6
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Gift Cards Continued from Page 3 the left off of Corunna Road. Service is usually fairly quick, so for a sit down meal, one can expect to get in and out in about an hour to an hour and a half. Buffalo Wild Wings also has a takeout option for any students who would like to get their food and get on the road. $20 will just about get the largest size of wings, though be prepared to pay for tax and tip, and a little extra for traditional wings. Don’t forget about Traditional Tuesday and Boneless Thursday promotions as well, which can almost half the price per wing! Meanwhile, at Jimmy John’s, with their subs sandwiches costing about $7 with a drink, $20 will get just about three usages. Club sandwiches will cost a touch more, and delivery will add onto that with fees (included in the price) and a tip (not included). When asked their opinions on the new cards, students had an overwhelmingly positive reaction. Michael Macdonald, a Sophomore 2 with a meal plan, shared his thoughts: “I think they are a good idea to allow the students here to get a different variety of food, without having to spend any of their personal money that they might need for other essentials, like rent after school.” Another student who can utilize BJ Bucks, Kyle Colby, said that “they are a welcome addition to the BJ Bucks economy and provide a nice alternative for those that are less inclined to spend at BJ’s and the C-Store.” However, it wasn’t just students with meal plans that found these cards to be very nifty. Brant Henry, a student without BJ Bucks, stated that “it’s a great deal for people who have BJ Bucks and a great convenience for [other] people.” “It might be worth trying to buy BJ Bucks to get discounts at the restaurants,” said Hunter Gooch, who was very surprised about the development. Students’ concerns with the lack of food diversity on and around campus has existed for quite some time. Because of this, many students have expressed their approval of the gift cards, which seem to be a slight remedy to this issue. To some, discounting the extra middleman (the C-Store), it’s practically equivalent to the inclusion of Einstein's across the road. However, the distance is still a slight concern. “I think it’s a step in the right direction,” said Hunter Gooch. He agrees that the options do help, but would like to see more restaurants “within walking distance.” Some attentive students noticed an interesting, theoretical possibility with the gift cards. To encourage students to purchase BJ Bucks, Kettering doesn’t sell them one-for-one with dollars. Instead, it’s a 1.1:1 dollars-to-BJ Bucks ratio, meaning that the $20 gift cards, which are sold for 18 BJ Bucks, only cost about $16.36, so the buyer receives $3.54 for “free.” Suppose then that a cunning student decided to sell each gift card for $19. This would leave the purchaser happy that they somewhat earned a dollar, due to the gift card being worth $20 but only costing $19. The seller would then net a profit of $2.54. Theoretically, with infinitely many BJ Bucks, and infinitely many people who want gift cards, the
News seller could make infinite money, which just so happens to be enough to pay off college loans. Imagine graduating debt free because people like wings and sandwiches. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like that will be an option any time soon. In addition to there being a limited number of gift cards to be sold, food plans being limited to just one, and the university probably not liking the idea of extorting them to power a gift card-resale business, who wants to be the person who bought up all of the gift cards in the store? Thankfully, this leaves some for the rest of us. While they won’t make you a millionaire, the new gift cards for Buffalo Wild Wings and Jimmy John’s are a sure hit. With the cards’ convenience and restaurants’ nearby destinations, just about anyone can enjoy these. If you’re feeling like taking a short stroll up University for a sandwich for lunch, or want to get out with some friends and see what sport games are going on, pick one up at the C-Store today!
Grill Club Update By Robert Lyman Distribution Editor Your club leadership is graduating. Your club is popular. You don’t want it to fall into oblivion. What do you do? Find some students to take up the mantle, of course. Once you’ve found people to take over for you, all you need to do is give them the tools to keep things going and explain what they’ll have to do to be successful. Easy-peasy. What happened to Grill Club? Was it ever truly dead, or just dormant? Contrary to popular belief, Grill Club was never actually “dead”, though we did go two terms without having a budget to speak of. This was in no way entirely the fault of either the old or the new leadership: a lot of things went sideways in those two terms. But now, with all the paperwork constraints eased and the budgeting conflicts resolved, A-Section’s Grill Club has a budget and a meeting place. We’re back in action. Join us on Tuesday nights at 6pm in McKeachie Pavilion for food and friends.
Michigan Milk Settlement
farmers for prematurely slaughtering cows and driving up the cost of milk and other dairy products. This lawsuit was placed on a dairy lobbying group National Milk Producers Federation and the industry cooperatives Land O’ Lakes, Dairy Farmers of America, Agrimark, and DairyLea Cooperative. More than 500,000 cows were killed in a “herd retirement program” that was overseen by a trade group called Cooperatives Working Together (CWT). This all occurred between 2003 and 2010. What “herd retirement” entailed was herds of cattle bought by the cooperatives that came from primarily small farms being led to early slaughter. As a result of this, the amount of raw milk being produced was limited, which drove up the prices of all dairy products. Though CWT has denied that this was the intent of the herd retirement program, there was a study done that shows how this program benefited them. Dr. Scott Brown of the University of Missouri conducted the study and calculated that the 500,000 cows slaughtered decreased the nation’s supply by about 10 billion pounds of milk, or 1.2 billion gallons of it. This created a $10 billion revenue for the cooperatives, as it more than doubled the price of raw milk from 2007-2010. The deadline for claims was January 31st. The settlement is for $52 million and it applies to anyone living in Michigan, Arizona, California, Kansas, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Nintendo Switch Direct Review By Nathan Schleh Staff Writter Nintendo’s new long-rumored console has finally unveiled itself in its entirety, showing off new features and games for the Nintendo Switch. Ever since its announcement over three months ago, people have been waiting anxiously for more details on the Switch, theorizing in anticipation for the Nintendo Switch Direct back on the 11th. And today, that information is finally here. For those of you who might not know yet, the Switch is Nintendo’s new handheld/home console hybrid, the successor to both the Wii U and 3DS. This console has three ways to play: on the TV, with the console connected to the TV through a console
By Jordan Mayer Distribution Editor You might have seen this post floating around Facebook or seen it on Mlive, but if you’ve purchased milk since 2003, you could have been eligible to receive some money. While it sounds strange, this is completely true. The reason behind this is due to an antitrust class action lawsuit that was placed against dairy Courtesy of www.medicalnewstoday.com
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Nintendo Switch Direct Review Continued from Page 6 base; in tablet mode, where the console comes out of the base and shows off its built-in screen; and in handheld mode, where the new controllers, called Joy-Cons, slide onto the sides of the console which can then be taken and played anywhere. The best part comes with the fact that the controller is separated into two sides -- just slide it off the screen and then you have two controllers, allowing you to play with a friend anytime, anywhere. Starting off the Nintendo Direct, Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima answered the question weighing most heavily on everyone: what is the release date and price? Well it seems we won't have to wait long, because the switch will hit stores worldwide on March 3rd, with a fixed price of $299.99. Nintendo also fulfilled fans’ wishes by making it region-free and providing online services… at a price. The system gets more modern updates by giving a “capture button” to the controllers, allowing you to instantly capture screenshots and footage at the press of a button, then share it with friends on social media. The real surprise from this direct was the new features within the controllers themselves. Nintendo boasts the ability of their new feature called HD rumble, claiming that you’ll be able to shake the controller and feel as though you’re shaking a glass of water with a known amount of ice cubes in it. The second ability in the controllers is a new kind of infrared sensor; located within the right joy-con, they say it can tell what hand motion you are making in front of it -- for instance, whether you’re going rock, paper, or scissors, as well as how far away your hand is from the controller. “With these new sensing and vibration technologies, the Joy-Con itself boasts an expressiveness that invites the player to pick up the controller,” said Nintendo in the direct, saying that with it, there are new possibilities for games, made as innovative, and somewhat confusing, as only Nintendo could think of. And of course, no console launch would be complete without games to play on it. Many of the titles announced bring an excitement for the games to come, even if their release date is a ways off. The first two showed off were 1-2 Switch, a showcase of
Courtesy of blogs.nvidia
minigames meant to exhibit the new abilities of the controller, not dissimilar from Wii Sports and Wii Play, as well as a new competitive fighting game, ARMS. ARMS is a boxing-style game, with characters with long, extendable arms capable of attacking and defending from across the arena. This allows for fighting that's different from what you would get in Wii games, with motion gyros in both the Joy-Con controllers allowing for precise movement within the game. This enables you to curve your punches and essentially “fake-out” your opponent, who can also dodge your attack by dashing to the left or right. The next games Nintendo announced were a sequel to Nintendo’s new shooter game, Splatoon, called Splatoon 2, and an updated version of Mario Kart 8 that comes with new characters, items, and an added proper battle mode, called Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Many other games were announced, including a new Xenoblade title, new projects from Square Enix, Skyrim Special Edition, as well as the previously announced The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Of all these games, one which stars Nintendo’s mascot stood out to many people. A new Super Mario game, made in the style of classic 3D games like Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine, has been announced, taking Mario to new worlds and environments with an enhanced moveset and a new adventure to have. Super Mario Odyssey, as it’s named, will take Mario around the world to new places, like a New York-like city, deep within rainforests, and even to a remote sandy desert, all to do what he’s always done: stop Bowser and save Princess Peach. Of course, no announcement is without its problems, and people have found many things to complain about. The thing that has upset many people is the pricing of the console. At the launch price of $300, it still comes in at a higher price than the current retail value of both the PS4 and the Xbox One. In addition to that, the accessories aren’t cheap either. With the price of the controllers coming in at $80 for a pair, an extra dock, which is basically just USBs and an HDMI cord, being $90, and a pro controller at $70, people are questioning Nintendo’s decision to sell them that way, especially when having a mostly lackluster launch lineup consisting of Breath of the Wild, 1-2 Switch, Just Dance 2017, Binding of Isaac, and Skylanders: Imaginators. 1-2 Switch is specifically being criticized for being the only “killer app” at launch, with all other games being released on at least one other console. Many consider it the Switch’s version of Wii Sports, except it’s being sold at full price for a collection of approximately 20 minigames, which might last you 5 minutes each according to critics. With the largest title for the Switch being Super Mario Odyssey, coming out at Holiday 2017, many people
are worried about the console's launch titles and longevity, and in turn, its fate over the coming years in terms of third-party support and meaningful games. That, however, can only be decided on March 3rd with the console’s release, so keep a lookout for the review.
CollegeHumor Visits Kettering By Rebecca Roughton Layout Editor What was that? Were there sounds of joy in the Academic Building? On a Thursday? Yes, it’s true, there were reports of laughter on the Third Floor of the Academic Building on Thursday, January 12th coming from the Theater. That’s because CollegeHumor Live performed at 8:00 pm, featuring comedians Ester Steinberg, Moses Storm, and Mike Recine. The event was hosted by fellow comedian Brian Park. The performance is the second appearance CollegeHumor has given at Kettering. It featured four performers over the course of two hours rattling off a whole host of jokes and anecdotes for the crowd’s enjoyment. First was the host of the show, Brian Park. To quote his website, www.brianparkcomedy. com, “Park is a New York based comedian, writer and actor. He currently tours with the "College Humor Live!" stand up show, which he also hosts every month at the UCB Theater.” Park studied at UCB Theater, however as he shared during the show, he initially studied to be a doctor. Second came Ester Steinberg, who started comedy in high school and continued into college at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, according to her website www.estersteinberg.com. She has television presence as well, as she starred in Oxygen’s show Funny Girls and currently has her own comedy, Smoking Whitefish, in development for ABC. Moses Storm is most known for his part in the movie Unfriended, a horror film revolving around high school students on a haunted Skype call that gained notoriety in 2014. He has also appeared in Back to Christmas and The 4 to 9ers. Finally, Mike Recine came on stage. According to his website, www.markrecine. com, “he’s performed stand-up on Conan, written for the MTV Video Music Awards, performed as a New Face in the Montreal Just for Laughs Festival, and been nominated for Time Out New York’s Joke of the Year.” The content of the show had various different jokes, though many of the comedians chose to make fun of elements about themselves. Brian Park, an Asian man, began the first bit of the show joking around with negative stereotypes against Asian people. Ester Steinberg surprised many by impersonating a caricature of a Jewish person. However, jokes weren’t just directed at stereotypes of minorities, as when Moses Storm took the stage, he described him-
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Through The Camera Lens
January 28, 2017
Top: Students work on their FIRST Robotics robot during Kettering Kickoff January 7, 2017. Bottom: Prospective students and parents listen to a welcoming presentation in BJs Diner during the Dog Days celebration January 16th.
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Kettering In Pictures
Top: President McMahan begins his speech to an eager crowd and more about True Kettering January 23, 2017. Bottom: As apart of Throw Back Thursday, Kettering University reminisces with photos of past lab work.
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News
CollegeHumor Visits Kettering Continued from Page 6 self in third person as someone who looks “ticklish” and similar to a “stuck-up white snob.” Between the four, it felt like everyone could enjoy some part of the show. The show had everything: long, enthralling stories, quick, short one-liners, self-deprecating jokes, teasing of the audience, and more. Overall, the performance was received fairly well from the crowd. Despite the theater only being about 60% full, the group often filled the theater with laughter after every punch line. Hunter Gooch, a junior, shared that he felt “like it was a welcome relief of laughter and comedy- kind of a nice break from everyday school life. It was nice to see an organization that’s known across the country come to this university and perform.” When asked about some of the points he enjoyed, Gooch indicated that “The outlandish experiences” were what caught his attention, referencing the blanket story shared by Moses Storm, which seemed to be a highlight for many students. Michael Macdonald, a sophomore, praised the show saying that “there were some talented comedians there… overall, a great show, [I] would probably go back.” When asked about which performer the students enjoyed the most, many stated that their favorite was Moses Storm, the third comedian to perform, though they enjoyed much from the others as well. Junior Kevin Katz shared that he “thought Storm delivered the best set of the comedians. He had [the most] command over the audience [because] his set applied to college students, especially Kettering Students.” Much of Storm’s act consisted of topics that were relatively universal with the crowd, so the entire audience was able to connect with them. Some students did note that there were some points that didn’t shine as brightly as others. Hunter Gooch explained that he felt “like some of the jokes they were telling weren’t all that relatable, which is why there were mixed feelings.” Considering the crowd was roughly 80% male, which is fairly typical for the university, this isn’t entirely surprising, and could definitely explain why a few jokes related to women didn’t stir the crowd as much as others. “[Ester Steinberg] had a good set, but she didn’t appeal to the audience as much,” Kevin Katz shared. “She had a lot of ‘Jewish jokes’ that may have resonated better in New York, but it’s not something that a lot of people are totally aware of here.” One part that was a bit unintentionally humorous because of the relatability issue was when the crowd was asked “how many of you have worked in a restaurant,” which as a typical, entry-level job, one would likely expect a group of 18-21-year-olds to have at least one. However, absolutely nobody in the crowd raised their hand. The joke was played off well, but the theme of the majority of the crowd obviously not being able to really engage in certain ways was felt periodically throughout the evening. A similar sentiment was shared with Kevin Katz, who explained that “the last set was a little more racy, which while
it might not be my favorite kind of comedy, still hit well.” This is likely due to some of the jokes being about things such as murdering people with Down syndrome. However, despite this, he continued that it “didn’t detract from the CollegeHumor performance as a whole.” All in all, the show went down as a success. Kevin Katz shared that he’d “like Kettering to have more events like this in the future, and to see a higher turnout at these events [because] Mckinnon may have been half full.” With two successful CollegeHumor shows under its belt, Kettering University seems to have a good thing going with the comedy troupe. With the overall experience being quite positive as several students noted, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Kettering scheduled a similar event in the future. Until then, keep an eye out for any more events, you’ll never know what’s in store.
Kettering Expands Residence Life, Hires Assistant Director By Adam Lecznar Editor-In-Chief Kettering University has expanded its faculty pool in recent history. Multiple staff have joined academic departments and other key functions such as Kettering Admission. Late last summer, too, a staff member was added to the Residence Life at Kettering University. Sybil Jacob was hired in September 2016 as the new Assistant Director of Residence Life at Kettering. A 2014 Central Michigan University graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication concentrated in Management and Leadership, and a Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration, Jacob worked as a Resident Assistant and an advisor while attending university. The self-proclaimed Detroit enthusiast grew up in Macomb County on 8 Mile and Gratiot, and saw many issues with the education system that in part led her to her career choice. “I’m a Detroiter, but I left Detroit because of the school system,” explained Ms. Jacob, who claimed to be very selective in her job search. “I wanted something smaller and focused. I was looking for an institution like Kettering. I looked for a school that developed local industry.” Looking for a place where she could find flexibility and strong student interaction, Ms. Jacob found Kettering through the Women in Housing Network. There she saw the opportunity to give back to
January, 28, 2017
the community through higher education. Still, she insists what drew her here were the students. “Meeting with students was the big push for me to come here,” she commented, recalling her meetings with Resident Assistants during the interview process. At Kettering, and in higher education in general, she saw the opportunity to work with young people who were professionals yet still had wondrous dreams for the future. Once hired to Kettering, she brought the ideals she’d developed through her education with her to Flint. A participant in MASC (Michigan Association of Student Council), she recalled summer events which brought her and hundreds of other students together for programming and personal development. It was there that she learned the importance of community building, especially to make sure no one felt like they didn’t belong. “I want students to be able to see the impact Kettering has on them, as well as the impact they have on Kettering,” described Ms. Jacob. “You are the institution.” Ms. Jacob has been hard at work to achieve this goal since her hiring. Now living in Thompson Hall with students, she works under Katie Bosio, the Director of Residence Life. There she manages work study in the hall, has reorganized the Front Desk, has restructured Thompson Hall’s mailing system, and is assisting in the training and selection of new RA candidates. On a grander scale, she looks to improve the student culture of Kettering. “We’re trying to build a culture here,” she said, referencing the school spirit she felt at Central Michigan. “We’re building on what is here at Kettering.” To that end, Ms. Jacob has worked to figure out student perception of Kettering’s culture. She has begun adding structure and intent to residence hall programs, and is focused on making the Front Desk of Thompson Hall a welcoming station that exudes a sense of community. She emphasizes that this is important not just for current students, but also to ensure that prospective students who are taking tours of the campus recognize the environment at Kettering. “We are the first people prospective students meet who aren’t admissions counselors,” she emphasized, referring to Residence Life Staff. Part of her initiative also involves establishing what she calls “Paw Pride,” a Kettering version of her alma mater’s slogan “Fire Up Chips!” In the future, Ms. Jacob hopes to advance in the field of higher education administration by eventually becoming a Dean of Students.
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News SpaceX Irridium-1 Mission Launch By Rebecca Roughton Layout Editor On January 14th, SpaceX, the privately own space program, launched Falcon 9 to deliver 10 satellites into orbit for Iridium, a company specializing in satellite and mobile voice communications. According to SpaceX’s website, www.spacex.com, the launch began in the morning around 10 am in California. Liftoff completed without a hitch in the plan. Less than two minutes later, the second stage of the rocket began. From this, the ship landed on a drone ship landing station named “Just Read The Instructions.” Finally, the ship released the ten satellites, which have all begun successfully circling the Earth at low-orbit. The Falcon 9, the rocket that delivered the satellites, is unique in a number of ways. To start off, it is the first rocket completely developed in the 21st century, according to SpaceX’s website. Additionally, despite its impressive accomplishments, it only requires two stages, which minimizes potential failure due to the risks involved with multi-staged launches. Falcon 9 first launched in 2012. Despite the majority of the engineers at Kettering being involved in grounded projects, several students expressed excitement over the launch. “I am very interested in SpaceX and their continued rocketeering” says Conner Wallace, a Sophomore 2. He continued on to share that he was pleased with the recent developments of SpaceX’s activity, and has high hopes for the rocket. Many of the students participating in Aerospace Club watched in awe as the ship launched as well. SpaceX plans on sending out another 60 satellites for Iridium in a similar manner in the upcoming months. These satellites, which are intended to cover the Earth’s entire surface at any given moment, will allow numerous devices to be able to receive and send data around the world. Hopefully, the success of this launch indicates future successes for the Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, since this trip was out of this world! If you have any more interest in the launch or SpaceX, be sure to visit their website at www.spacex. com.
Sigma Chi Remembers Christopher M. LaFayette Submitted By Sigma Chi Obituary Courtesy of Casterline Funeral Home Christopher M. LaFayette, age 24, of Seattle, WA, formerly of Northville, passed away on January 12, 2017. He was born July 6, 1992; son of Martin J. and Connie K. (nee Twomey) LaFayette, and brother of Caroline M. LaFayette. Christopher graduated from Northville High School; Class of 2010. During high school, he was Captain of the Swim Team, served on Student Congress, and was a member of National Honor Society. Following graduation, he attended Kettering University in Flint graduating in 2015 with an Industrial Engineering Degree. While attending Kettering, he was the Founder and President of the Plastics Engineering Club, a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity, involved in student government, and inducted into the Robot Society. Christopher moved to Seattle in October 2015 to begin a career he loved as a Business Intelligence Engineer for Amazon Headquarters. Christopher enjoyed the outdoors; especially playing disc golf, hiking and snowboarding. He was a Michigan Football fan and always had a great time tailgating at the games. Christopher liked to travel; his destinations often took him to spend time with family and friends. His favorite trips included Traverse City each summer with friends, snowboarding in the Upper Peninsula, and visiting family and friends in Arizona and California. He was very social and philosophical; he loved deep conversations and sharing his thoughts on the world with others. Christopher was an exceptional young man; he loved his family and friends and will be deeply missed by all who knew him. Christopher is survived by his loving parents, Martin and Connie LaFayette; his sister, Caroline; his grandmother, Barbara Twomey; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. He was preceded in death by his grandfather Gerald J. Twomey, and his grandparents William S. and Margaret E. LaFayette.
A photo of Lafayette submitted the Sigma Chi fraternity.
Sing Review By Jacob Hankerd OnlineEditor College students are very often compared to children, and when it comes to the movies they watch, this is only exemplified. Sing is a movie that was written for a younger audience anywhere from 3-9 years old, but is popular among a much broader spectrum of ages. The movie begins with the character development of Buster Moon, a six-year-old koala visiting the theater and finding his “first love”. He falls in love with theater as he watches an opera great, Nana Noodleman. Through the hard work of his father, he is one day able to purchase the exact theater he was in when he became so inspired, and from there the story truly takes off. Flash forward and we are at “present day” where Moon now struggles to pay the bills and is searching for a way to make ends meet. As can be predicted, Buster comes up with a far-fetched idea that ends up being our plot driver: a musical competition. The show is given a prize amount of $1000 ($65 of which Buster has not accounted for), and Buster assigns his one-eyed iguana secretary, Matilda Crawley, to create the fliers that will spread the word. Being extremely old (and half blind), one can only expect Miss Crawley to somehow make a mistake that will play a large roll in moving the story forward. She rushes to make the fliers, and in her hurry acciden-
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Domestic News
Courtesy of ABC News
January, 28, 2017
Top: A view of the crowd at President Trump's inauguration. Bottom: Donald Trump swearing in upon his Bible surrounded by his family.
Courtesy of ABC News
January, 28, 2017
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Domestic News
Courtesy of www.usatoday.com
Top: Michelle Obama, President Bill and Hillary Clinton, President Bush Junior pictured in the crowd at Trump's inauguration. Bottom: Women protesting at the Women's March in Washington, DC 0n the day following President Trump's inauguration .
Courtesy of Elle
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Entertainment
KenKen Goal of the Game: The goal is to fill in the entirety of the grid with numbers such that no numbers are repeated in any row or column, like Sudoku. In addition, however, all of the numbers inputted must equal the target number using the cage's operation. The thick outlight around individual squares indicates a cage. At the top-left corner of the cage, there is a number, called the target number, and a mathematical operation. All of the numbers within the cage must combine together to equal this target number by using the operation (addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division). This puzzle requires the numbers 1-5 in every row and column. The numbers cannot be repeated across a row or column, but there may be repeats in a cage, as long as they are not on the same row or column.
Sing Review Continued from Page 6 tally loses her eye! It bounces on the zero key many times before rolling away, so she prints the fliers while chasing her eye, unaware of the mistake they hold. Following this, in classic movie progression, Miss Crawley’s fan proceeds to blow all the printer fliers out of the window, with Buster Moon being none the wiser to the trouble that awaited him. Now we transition to meeting each of the characters who will make this musical movie the hit that it is. We meet Rosita, a housewife that takes care of 25 kids. Then there is Johnny, a teenage gorilla living in the crime world of his father while desperately wishing he could break free and be a singer. Next there is Mike the mouse, who has a small body but a huge voice, singing classics from the era of Sinatra. In contrast to Mike is Meena, a meek elephant teenager too shy to even go through with her original audition. The last of the contestants is Ash, a punk
rock porcupine singer who was a duet with her boyfriend, but got chosen as a solo act. As can be expected from any feel-good movie, every character has their own unique battle they’re fighting, and deals with their problems in different ways throughout the movie. This movie does a good job expanding on each individual character’s development, and following their progressions throughout. However, the movie also went with very stereotypical settings for each character in relation to their background stories, and while it worked, it is always nice to see a movie that tries to put a little more effort into character development. Overall, this was a great movie that accomplished exactly what you expected and wanted it to when you bought your ticket. It had ups and downs, but in the end, you left with that happy feel-good attitude you were longing for.
January, 28, 2017