The
Technician bulldogs.kettering.edu/technician
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August 21, 2013
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Volume 111
Issue 2
Kettering Adds Atwood Stadium By Matthew White Editor-in-chief In an e-mail to the Kettering community on August 13, Dr. Robert McMahan addressed a news story from The Flint Journal that reported Kettering had taken ownership of Atwood Stadium. While the University had been in talks with the City of Flint to receive the 11,000 seat facility, no formal agreement had been reached at that time. Flint Emergency Manager Mike Brown, however, had ordered the property transferred our of the city's ownership. In return for the property, Kettering has agreed to reimburse Flint for the electrical work done to the stadium for this upcoming year (approximately $33,000). Dr. McMahan stated in his letter to the community that the property would have been abandoned otherwise, creating a blight and security concern on the University Avenue corridor. Kettering will work to make the stadium part of campus and host events in coordination with the Flint community. Ending on a hopeful note, Dr. McMahan said the most important thing to take away from the announcement was that "it symbolizes our belief in the future of this city."
What’s Inside
Opinion
KSG goes too far; remembering the past
Zipcars Coming to Kettering
By Matthew White Editor-in-chief
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Photo courtesy of See & be seen.
Student Voices Talking to freshmen about Kettering
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Look at the city's new master plan proposal
See the breakdown of the University budget
ME Welcomes Dr. Diane Peters
By Robert Hayes Staff Writer
This term, the Department of Mechanical Engineering welcomed their newest professor, Dr. Diane Peters. A native of Midland, Michigan, Dr. Peters was familiar with Kettering's reputation for co-op and engineering education long before accepting a teaching position here this year. Following her undergraduate education at Notre Dame, Dr. Peters worked in industry near Chicago, where she took an adjunct teaching position at a local community college. Inspired by this position, Dr. Peters moved Getting around the City of Flint is about to be- to Ann Arbor, entering the University of Michigan come easier. Students without cars will no longer in pursuit of her Ph.D. need to rely on friends or public transportation to Though she is currently teaching statics, Dr. Peters complete grocery runs after Kettering receives deliv- has spent considerable time in industry working in ery of two Zipcars. The vehicles, typically used for the field of dynamic systems and controls, which short-term rental, will be kept behind the dorms was the study of her graduate and postgraduate reand will be available for personal use. search. The link between the physical machine and Becoming a Zipcar member is the first step in get- its control systems have long been of interest to Dr. ting a vehicle. After signing up on the Zipcar website Peters, and she looks forward to continuing her re(www.zipcar.com), students will, for a $25 annual search at Kettering. membership, be able to rent vehicles. Unlike most When not in the classroom, Dr. Peters likes to car rental agencies, Zipcar will rent to anyone over spend time with her two dogs, as well as volunteerthe age of 18. Reservations for vehicles are accepted ing at the Huron Valley Humane Society near her both on the spur of the moment and well in ad- home in Ann Arbor, where she helps needy dogs vance, allowing great flexibility for students. Arriv- find new loving homes. She loves learning new skills, ing at the vehicle at the predetermined time permits including sewing, quilting, woodworking, and most access through a Zipcard, which comes as part of the recently, glassblowing. Prof. Peters feels it is imporregistration process. tant to continue to take classes in new things, so that Vehicles in the Zipcar fleet are identified by ve- she will always remember what it is like to be a stuhicle model and a nickname (e.g. Focus Flapjack). dent, and know what her students experience learning something totally new for the very first time. Continued on the next page
Flint Plans
KU Budget
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President Hosts Town Hall Releases Budget Information By Matthew White Editor-in-chief On the morning of August sixth, Dr. Robert McMahan, President of Kettering University, hosted a town hall for faculty and staff in bj’s Lounge. In a scene reminiscent of the classrooms where they teach, the back rows were filled as the President made his remarks about the casual nature of the meeting, which he hoped would provide a useful way to discuss recent changes in the University. Much like everything on campus, the meeting began with and was punctuated by the mission, vision, values, and pillars. Dr. McMahan talked briefly about the strategic planning process and its ongoing nature. Rather than being shelved until the next strategic plan is undertaken, he said, these statements should serve as a basis for everything we do. Showing that he is not content with the status quo, Dr. McMahan broke long-held secrecy surrounding the University budget and discussed—albeit in broad terms—the University’s current position. This year, Kettering operated within budget and exceeded net operating revenue, coming to a surplus of $130,000. Dr. McMahan also discussed the new bottom-up process for budgeting and allocating money. Administrative policies on routine areas like travel and expenses are also being simplified in an effort to ease common burdens. Continued on page 10
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The Technician
News
August 21, 2013
I2E: Innovation to Entrepreneurship Zipcars Come to Across the University Kettering By Erin Boyse Online Editor In his presentation during lunch on Thursday, August 15, Dr. Massoud Tavakoli outlined Kettering’s plan to increase entrepreneurship and "intrapreneurship" within the university’s curriculum. The idea is to begin with innovation, something that many engineering students are familiar with, and to “graduate engineers [and all students] equipped with an entrepreneurial mindset who will contribute to business success and transform the us workforce.” The plan to accomplish this has been under development for a few years through Kettering’s partnership with keen, the Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network, which includes nineteen universities throughout the us. The biggest change is the upcoming addition of new classes encompassed within the Innovationto-Entrepreneurship Course of Study. These will be two-credit classes offered beginning freshman year and will be similar to a minor. Students who complete this course of study will earn an “Innovation to Entrepreneurship Student Fellow” title on their transcript when they graduate. This is similar to the way the Pre-Med Course of Study works. For those students who create a patented innovation or start their own business through this study will receive recognition at commencement as an “Innovation to Entrepreneurship Scholar.” Some of the classes that are part of this program currently exist and may be modified to ensure that they have the hands-on experience offered by this course of study, such as busn–372 (Innovation and New Ventures) and busn–373 (Intrapreneurship
and Innovation Development). Other classes are not currently offered and are in development, such as inen–401 (Business Model Development) and inen–402 (Prototyping and Commercialization), both which will be taken during a student’s senior year. The i2e vision is to develop students who will see themselves as “capable change agents in the world, who are equipped with a compelling combination of: strong technical skills, admirable work ethics, and an adaptable entrepreneurial mindset.” Tavakoli emphasized that entrepreneurial mindset also consists of an "intrapreneurial" mindset as well, defined as thinking with an entrepreneurial mindset within another business or company. Their mission, or how they will achieve their vision, is to “provide Kettering students with a combination of curricular [classes], co-curricular [co-op], and extra-curricular pathways for developing and practicing an innovation and entrepreneurial mindset that is valuable for diverse careers in large corporations, high-risk start-ups and social enterprises.” This leads to the goals that keen has for students using i2e. They are an entrepreneurial mindset, coupled with engineering thought and action, expressed through professional skills, and founded on character. The current approach during the early phases of this project regarding the faculty and staff have been broad engagement through workshops, course modules, and keen topical grants of which two have already been granted. The focus on students thus far has been through the extracurricular engagement of students through Kettering Entrepreneur Society (kes), Innovation Quest challenges during lunch in the Great Court, and Kettering Impact, which allows Kettering students to pitch their ideas to improve Kettering for a thousand dollar prize. Tavakoli summed up these new ideas for the university with the answer to why this is important for Kettering students: Because technical expertise can become a powerful change agent in the world when it belongs to an entrepreneurially minded engineer, scientist, or business person. Photo courtesy of Kettering Communications
The
Technician Matthew White
Editor-in-chief
Kaitlin Solovey
Assistant Editor
Chloe Hauxwell
L ayout Editor
Tyler Van Eck
Copy Editor
Erin Boyse
Online Editor
Staff writers Devin Aryan Ari Budiono Colleen Chavis Robert Hayes Rebeccah MacKinnon Charles Mancino Kevin Strauch Photographers Joseph Stevenson
Continued from the front page After arriving at the correct vehicle, a driver’s Zipcard can unlock the vehicle during the reservation period by holding it over the reader on the windshield until an audible beep is heard. The keys for the ignition are mounted beneath the dashboard on the right side, never leaving the vehicle.
The rental fee for Zipcars includes insurance and fuel costs. If the vehicle is low on gas, an included Gas Card allows drivers to fill the tank at no cost to them, albeit through a slightly more difficult process than swiping a personal credit card. Mileage, up to 180 miles per day, is also included in the reservation. Any mileage over that amount is charged at a rate of 45¢ per mile (55¢ in premium vehicles). If users would like to extend the lease of the vehicle, they may do so through the Zipcar mobile application, phone call, or text message—so long as no one else has the vehicle reserved during the times requested. The new transportation option will open up opportunities for many students without vehicles. If the program is a great success, Kettering will have the option of adding more vehicles to its Zipcar fleet to meet the demand. Photos: front cover: a Zipcar in Boston; second page: the Zipcar mobile application. Both courtesy of Zipcar.
Faculty Advisor Christine Levecq Special Thanks To Betsy Homsher Denise Stodola
August 21, 2013
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The Technician
Kettering's Mobile App By Kevin Strauch Technician Staff Student Garrick Brazil is a student currently working on a new and improved version of the Kettering App. He is currently working on the app for his thesis topic because, “I've always wanted to remake the current Kettering app on the market because of the many problems it has... but I won't get into that. There were a lot of features I thought would make my life easier as a student here. Namely, being able to easily access my current grades and schedule have proved extremely useful.” Some of the features include browsing through upcoming events of Kettering and the latest news, a map feature powered by Google Maps api that shows the campus and the area that surrounds the campus. A search feature provides faculty phone number, office, and email address, and also provides student search. There is online and offline search and browse features for Kettering’s library, and the search function works for title, phrase, author, subject, series, or periodical. Results contain title, author, date published, and even how many copies are available. Another feature is the transfer course search, where “you can search by college or course id to see what classes can be transferred into Kettering and what their equivalent is.” The app even has support for Blackboard grades and color coded week-by-week view of your current class schedule. Some planned future features
include: Option to automatically silence phone during class periods, Course scheduler (re-implemented), Final / Midterm / Transcript Grades, Financial Account information, and a Map overlay of nearby businesses. Garrick hopes that the application will be a useful tool for students. He states, “No matter what I will use it (I already do on a daily basis), but it would make the effort I have put into the application much more worth it if has a positive impact on other students as well. I'm also hoping that it sparks collaboration from interested students who want to improve the application or simply have ideas they would like to see added.” Currently he hopes to
have the android application done by the end of the winter of 2014, as nearly all the code is written, but not integrated. The application is and will remain open source. It seems that when the app is complete, students will have a great tool to assist them for all things concerning life at Kettering.
Screenshot of the mobile application is courtesy of Mr. Brazil.
Organization Update Formula Focus By Chaz Mancino Fomula SAE Team Driver packaging and ergonomics. Suspension connecting the uprights to the chassis. Engine packaging. Every vehicle needs designing to decide where everything should go. A Formula sae car is just the same. Already a few months into the new season, the design of the 2014 car has begun. Just like a real car, the formula car must have efficient packaging and design to minimize the amount of material being used and cost, among other things. Like a typical production car, the formula car must protect the driver in case of an accident. Both a typical production and formula car need seatbelts to hold in the driver, but, unlike a typical production car, the formula car has no airbags. Instead, an impact attenuator installed on the bulkhead takes the blow for the driver during a frontal collision while side impacts protect the driver from a side collision. Another similarity is the suspension. Just like a real car, the formula car’s suspension’s main goal is to keep the wheel connected to the chassis. It also uses parts such as control arms and toe links, although it utilizes a double wishbone setup as opposed to the new standard on production cars, the McPherson strut. This gives the formula car more accurate tire control and more tunability. Unlike a typical car, however, the formula car is not designed for carrying at least two passengers and some luggage. Instead, the formula car is designed
for only one occupant, the driver. This allows the formula car to have less weight, and thus a better power-to-weight ratio than most production cars despite having less than 100 horsepower. A testament to that is how the Kettering University Formula sae’s 2013 car could outsprint a C7 Corvette Stringray Z51 to 60 miles per hour, despite having around a 400 horsepower deficit compared to the seventh-gen American muscle machine. In addition to designing the formula car in cad, the formula team is also testing the 2012 and 2013 cars as to test improvements and train more drivers. The improvements on the 2012 and 2013 cars may be mimicked on the 2014 car. At the same time, training more drivers will help pave the way into the future with training more drivers on how to handle the car safely at a competition while behind the wheel. Whether designing or training for the future, the 2014 season is unfolding as the days go by. After the design is done for the 2014 car, building will commence, and then, after the car is built, testing will begin on the 2014 car. The road ahead is a long, winding one, but with a committed team and experience to match, the headlights are on as the horizon comes closer into view.
Make-A-Wish
By Cody Grant realSERVICE Public Relations Chairman
"At Relay For Life events, communities across the globe come together to honor cancer survivors, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against a disease that has already taken too much." Teams will camp around the track and attempt to raise money to help the American Cancer Society fight... well, cancer. Haha. It isn't a laughing matter, however, that doesn't mean the entire Relay For Life is serious. People may think the whole event just seems like work, and I can honestly say: that is definitely not the case. I partook in Relay last year and I had a blast. I also walked a total of four miles; nowhere near what some dedicated walkers or runners had done. Now some of you may wonder what the American Cancer Society is. Cancer.org states that "The American Cancer Society funds groundbreaking research that helps us understand cancer’s causes, determine how best to prevent it, and discover new ways to cure it." We have quite a few teams so far for Kettering's Relay (which is 9th Friday to Saturday and its an all night event). We can always use more teams too, if you and a group of friends want to do more to fight cancer then you can create a team; or if you can't make a team then you can join an already created team. Our goal is to raise 15 thousand dollars. We're partially there but we have a ways to go. In short, come out for relay and come help us fight cancer!
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August 21, 2013
The Technician
Technology Leap Motion
By Ari Budiono Technician Staff In a world where technology has surrounded us day in and day out, many wonder when we will be able to use technology like John Anderson from Minority Report or like the famous Tony Stark from Iron Man. These characters are able to bring the computer to life and actually be able to control them without using a mouse or even typing a word; it just takes a pinch, grab, pan, or throw to control the interface of the computers. Using computers away from the screen has always been something of science fiction, but like everything with technology, there have been advances to bring us closer to make Iron Man a reality. Ever since computers had a graphical user interface (gui), the use of keyboards and an analog pointing device (i.e. mice, trackball, track pads) have always seemed to limit the things that we want to be able to do with the computer. In recent years, there have been some devices, such as touchscreens and touchpads that allow the use of intuitive gestures. With the release of the Wii controller, PlayStation Move, and Microsoft’s Kinect in 2009, a small step into gesture control was made in the gaming world. Especially with the Kinect, it was the first time that human interaction without a physical controller was possible. The Kinect was designed to be a motion sensing device as an extension for playing Xbox 360 video games. Using a webcam with a resolution of 640 by 480 pixels and an infrared depth sensor, the Kinect was able to use the position and the movement of a person to control various aspects of the game. However, there were some problem with Kinect that limited the effectiveness and accuracy of determining the positions of the player. For example, when using the Kinect, there are times where the system would not be able to register people that were overlapping or on the edge of the payable area, and this was compounded when there was too much ambient light from a living room windows, for example. Even through all of these problems, Kinect sales
greatly surpasses the estimations that Microsoft created before they released the device, as there were 8 million units sold during its first 60 days on the market. The public reception of the device was fairly positive, but there were still many flaws that had to be worked upon to reach true gesture control. To solve this problem, a small group of engineers in California created their own product that could change how people will use their computers every day. This small business, called OcuSpec, sought to create an affordable and accurate Kinect for computer
users. In 2011, they started a Kickstarter fundraiser for the cause and eventually raised over 40 million for the development and production of the device. In May 21, 2012, the crowd sourced product called “Leap Motion” was announced to the public. The Leap motion was first advertised to be an affordable Kinect for computer, but it soon developed its own niche. Many developers envisioned this device being used with their games or drafting programs in conjunction with the typical keyboard and mouse. The Leap Motion even caught the eye of Autodesk, who created a Leap Motion plug-in for their modeling and animation program Maya. The great interest in the Leap Motion was part of the fact that it would be released to the public with a price tag of $80, something that the Kinect for Windows was not able accomplish ($250). The other reason that developers were interested with this device is that the great accuracy of the device; it was advertised to be accurate to 0.01 mm and able to recognize over 10 fingers at that level of accuracy,
which was unheard of for a device that was as small as a pack of gum. For those that preordered the Leap Motion, the device arrived on doorsteps on July 22, 2013, the same day that the Airspace Store (the exclusive app store for the Leap Motion) was launched. For anyone that did not preorder the device, the Leap was also sold at Best Buy locations all over the US starting July 28th. For some, the Leap Motion is another step to make Minority Report and Iron Man a reality, while for others, it is just another peripheral to extend their use in various programs. However, there is still one glaring hole that limits the Leap Motion’s abilities at the moment, and that is the fact that there are still only a few applications that are able to utilize the Leap’s functions. There are some applications, such as Touchless for Windows/Mac or Gamewave, that allow the Leap Motion to be used in almost all applications. For example, Touchless for Windows use the Leap Motion to simulate a touch screen with pressure sensitivity. This means that users with Windows 8, for example, will be able to use the “Modern ui” applications as if their computer had a touchscreen. While there is a learning curve on using a virtual touchscreen in the air, the practicality and performance of the device are undeniable. At the moment, the limitation of the Leap Motion is just the interest of developers to integrate it with their programs. Adoption of the Leap has been shown to have some promise with larger companies, as shown by Corel and Autodesk integrating the Leap Motion with their own products. There have also been partnerships between the creators of the Leap Motion and PC brands such as Asus and hp. There truly has been a strong interest and user base for the Leap Motion, for as of August 12, 2013, Leap Motion is celebrating their first 1 million application downloads from the Airspace Store since its retail exactly 3 weeks before. The journey to better gesture computing has been difficult, but the Leap Motion may be a step in the right direction. Picture of the controller courtesy of Leap Motion
Gaming Xbox One is Self-Aware By Devin Aryan Technician Staff “The Red Ring of Death” plagued many Xbox 360 owners when the 7th generation console first became available. Named so due to the red ring of light showing around the power button, the ring was indicative of the console having failed, and not being useable again. Microsoft never truly revealed what caused this plague, though one popular theory was that the issue was caused due to the system overheating.
With the Xbox One release looming overhead, Microsoft has revealed that the Xbox One will be “self-aware”. This means that the console will be monitoring its own temperature, and will be reacting as the temperature increases or decreases by turning fans on and off. Microsoft went one step further, though, just in case the fans are not enough, and gave the console the ability to reduce its own performance to aid in the cooling function. “We had a little less flexibility with the 360,” says the General Manager of Console Development Leo
del Castillo. “If we couldn't dissipate the heat, there wasn't a whole lot of leverage we could pull to keep the heat from being generated, so we had a limited amount of time before it just shut down. Xbox One can actually dial it back to a lower power state – so low, in fact, that it can operate in a mode that uses virtually no air flow." It is unclear if this new ability is a response to The Red Ring of Death, but it is a nice feature, and will definitely aid Microsoft in the fight to stay alive for the 8th generation.
August 21, 2013
By Robert Hayes Automotive Editor One hundred and fifty years ago last month, one of the automotive industry’s most famous sons was born. The son of an Irish immigrant farmer in Dearborn Michigan, Henry Ford would go on to redefine America’s industrial landscape, and found a company that still exists today, operating in nearly every country around the globe. To celebrate his birth, the Ford Motor Company and The Henry Ford Estate hosted a ceremony on Saturday July 27 at Henry and Clara Ford’s Fair Lane estate in Dearborn. The event was attended by two of Henry’s great-grandsons, Ford Motor Company Executive Chairman, William Clay “Bill” Ford, Jr., as well as Edsel Ford II, a member of the Board of Directors, as well as state and local dignitaries.
The event was intended to be a celebration of the life of the automotive mogul, as well as a milestone in the preservation of Henry and Clara Ford’s historic Fair Lane estate, which has been closed to the public for two years and is about to undergo extensive renovations. At the dedication, the estate’s current trustees, the University of Michigan - Dearborn, which is co-located with the estate, transferred ownership of the house and grounds to the same governing body as the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores. During the event, which drew a crowd of nearly three thousand visitors, tours were offered of the 1,300 acre estate and 31,000 square foot house originally designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the American Prairie style before a trip to Europe inspired Henry and Clara to hire additional architects to add strong English manor house cues to the design before construction began. A gathering of classic Ford Motor Company vehicles produced during Henry’s life was on display in the house’s garage, including the oldest surviving Ford vehicle, a 1903 Model A, a 1906 Ford Model N, a pre-1920 Fordson tractor,
The Technician
Automotive
Page 5
Henry Ford
a 1934 Ford Phaeton V-8, and a World War II Ford GPW, Ford’s rival to Willys-Overland’s Jeep, and more. Members of the Ford family were present to share stories passed down through the generations about the family patriarch, and other festivities were held to commemorate his impact on the Dearborn and the world. Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863 in what would become today’s Dearborn, on a farm owned by his father William, an immigrant from County Cork, Ireland. Despite his father’s wishes, Henry never took over the family farm, opting to move to Detroit at the age of sixteen to pursue an apprenticeship as a machinist, eventually joining the Edison Illuminating Company in 1891, where he quickly rose through the ranks to become Chief Engineer. In 1896, he took his love of internal combustion engines to the next level when he constructed what he called the “quadricycle,” a four-wheeled vehicle powered by a gasoline engine. It was at this time that the thirty-three year old Ford met Thomas Edison in a meeting of company managers, and became inspired by Edison’s praise of his quadricycle to pursue a career in the then fledgling automobile industry. He soon resigned to start his own company, though later in life would develop a strong friendship with Edison. On August 5, 1899, Ford founded the Detroit Automobile Company with the then mayor of Detroit, William Maybury. The company was not a success, and after struggling to produce just twenty vehicles, the company folded in January 1901. This failure did not stop Ford’s ambition, and less than a year later on November 3, 1901, the Henry Ford Company was born, but its success was short lived. By March, Henry found himself at odds with the financial backers of the joint venture, and negotiated his departure, taking his name with him. The backers of the company quickly hired engineer Henry M. Leland to liquidate the company, but Leland, seeing the value of the equipment and assets already assembled, convinced the owners to rename the company and continue production. The reorganized company was named the Cadillac Motor Company, and was acquired by Billy Durant’s General Motors in 1909. Despite the formidable setback of two failed ventures, Ford’s entrepreneurial spirit was still strong, and on July 16, 1903, today’s Ford Motor Company was born in a small garage on Bagley Street in Southwest Detroit. However, the company was soon struggling, and by the end of July the company had just $250 in the bank and was on the edge of insolvency. Salvation for the company came on July 13, 1903 when $1,350 in deposits for three Ford Model A (not to be confused with the legendary 1927 Model A) vehicles arrived. Of these three orders, one was placed by a Iowa dairyman named Herbert McNary, who paid $850 for chassis No. 30. This, the oldest surviving Ford Motor Company vehicle, was the Model A displayed at the celebration. The car returned to the Ford family last year, when Bill Ford purchased the vehicle at auction for $264,000. It has since made appearances at this year’s North American Interna-
tional Auto Show, and other events celebrating the sesquicentennial of the elder Ford’s birth. Henry Ford led the company until 1919, when he turned over control to his only son, Edsel. Under Edsel’s leadership, the company modernized, and became a formidable force in World War II arms production, helping in no small part Detroit’s reputation as the “Arsenal of Democracy.” Edsel’s health was not strong, however, and by 1943 he had passed away to stomach cancer. The seventy-eight year old Ford took the reins of the company again until 1945, when he turned the company over to his grandson, Henry Ford II. Henry died at the age of 83 of a cerebral hemorrhage at Fair Lane on April 7, 1947. His impact on the community was demonstrated during his funeral service, when an estimated 5,000 visitors per hour filed past his coffin at the public visitation held at Greenfield Village, the 240 acre outdoor historical museum Henry founded in Dearborn in 1929. During his funeral at the Episcopal Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Detroit, the crowd overwhelmed the church’s seating capacity, with twenty thousand people standing outside in the cold spring rain to pay their respects.
To celebrate the life and impact of such a man, the State of Michigan presented Bill and Edsel Ford with a copy of Governor Rick Snyder’s order declaring July 30, 2013 as “Henry Ford Day” in the state, as well as copies of state House and Senate resolutions honoring the legacy of Henry Ford, presented by members of Dearborn’s state congressional delegation. Further commemorative events are planned across the country throughout the remainder of this year.
Photos, from left to right: the 1903 Ford Model A; the 1934 Ford V-8 Phaeton; Edsel Ford II and William Clay Ford, Jr. receiving Henry Ford Day resolution from the Michigan House of Representatives. Photos of cars are courtesy of Mr. Hayes, the remaining photo is courtesy of Ford Motor Company.
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August 21, 2013
The Technician
Opinion It's All About the Money
By David Richelson
Kettering University offers unique experiences to students. For instance, the promotional posters around Kettering show us our overwhelming female population and the Thesis Office teaches us that the business world is filled with restrictions, bureaucracy, and missing deadlines. Now we have one more experience that will put you “massively ahead of the game”. Ksg Student Senate funded event “Christmas in August”. Why? Because we can. Do we honestly miss Christmas that much, that we need a second one? The event will feature a snow machine, because of reasons. Do that many people miss the snow that they can’t wait until winter? The Student Senate has a constitution that empowers them to act as a liaison between various parties and the student body, approve resolutions, and approve clubs. Why do they need to make snow in the summer as an event? Every club on campus gets $20 per member per term if they turn in their attendance sheets. Do you
know how much ksg bodies gets? Operations, Finance, and Senate all get $25 per term. I’m sure it’s for the good of the student body. They need the extra food to make all of those hard decisions. It seems like such a small point. Who cares right? I care, because that’s my tuition money going to feed them. If you want your tuition money to be spent on the general student body, instead of the 33 on ksg, then I urge you to make a platform, run for office on senate, finance, or operations council, and make a difference. Historically not many people vote, let’s give them someone worth voting for.
Submissions Policy The Technician encourages any interested students to attend staff meetings, held each Tuesday and Friday 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 8th Wednesday at 6pm. Expected distribution is 9th Tuesday. Send submissions to atechnician@kettering.edu. An edition of The μTechnician is published every week on Tuesday. Submissions for content are due by each Monday at midnight, and event notices are due by Tuesday afternoon. Again, submissions may be sent to atechnician@kettering.edu.
On Preservation and Parking By Robert Hayes This month, Andreas Apostolopoulos, the Toronto-based owner of the 113 year old State Savings Bank building in Downtown Detroit petitioned the Detroit Historic District Planning Commission for the unthinkable: permission to tear down the building and replace it with a parking garage. The structure, designed by McKim, Mead & White, is one of Detroit’s finest examples of BeauxArts architecture and our only work by the firm, one of the period’s most famous. It sits on a preeminent place in Detroit’s Financial District, and is listed in on the National Register for Historic Places, as well as being a Michigan State Historic Site and a Detroit Local Historic District. None of these facts stopped the building’s owner from requesting permission to destroy this irreplaceable piece of history in the name of parking. This struggle is not new to the city. In 1977, the Michigan Theatre, a 1925 vintage Renaissance Revival style theater was gutted and a three-story parking garage built inside it. Today, people can park underneath the gutted beauty of the theater’s auditorium and grand lobby. In 1999, the twenty nine story former flagship store of the J.L. Hudson Company, once the second-largest store in the world, was imploded and replaced with a nondescript underground parking garage.
To hear the developer speak, attached parking is essential to any building, and the only solution to the parking dilemma is to raze such architectural gems as the State Savings Bank to accommodate workers in neighboring buildings. Reality, on the other hand, tells a different story. Within a twoblock radius of the building in question, currently sit more than six thousand parking spaces. In fact, the future of the city that put the world into automobiles is being stymied by those very automobiles. Currently, Downtown Detroit is home to 55 parking garages and 163 surface parking lots, accounting for a staggering 39.2% of the city’s 7.2 square mile downtown core. Some blocks consist entirely of desolate expanses of concrete surface parking. Not only do these lots not generate sustainable tax revenues for the city, they prevent redevelopment, and are symptoms themselves of a larger problem - cities designed solely for automobiles cannot survive. Of Downtown Detroit’s approximately 71,000 parking spaces await the downtown’s 80,000 daytime workers for one simple reason: a staggering 95% of downtown workers commute to work by car. For a city that came to fame as the home of the automobile industry, this may not seem surprising, but it was not always the case. Detroit once was home to an elaborate public transportation system that at its peak included 910 streetcars running on twenty lines throughout the city. Change came with the construction of expressways, which in addition to connecting the city to its suburbs, completely isolated Downtown Detroit
from the city itself. Surrounded by an elaborate ring of five expressways, Detroit’s core is built for the automobile. The streetcar networks of old are gone, replaced only with a network of busses independent from the suburbs, which are served by a bus network of their own. As the city’s core begins to grow again, driven by the relocation of major employers from the suburbs, such as Quicken Loans and Blue Cross Blue Shield, the growth of existing institutions like Wayne State University and the Detroit Medical Center, and the redevelopment of historic landmarks into new retail, residential, and commercial space, it is critical that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. Such landmarks as the State Savings Bank can now find new uses that preserve their irreplaceable historic charms thanks to historic preservation tax credits. Luckily, the Historic District Commission saw the light. The plan to demolish the State Savings Bank was unanimously denied, with the Commission noting that the developer met none of the criteria to demolish the building. Over 750 letters were sent to the Commission in defense of the building by members of the community, and at the hearing, the State Savings Bank was saved from demolition. But the fight between preservation and parking is not over. Until communities are designed with residents, not automobiles, in mind, no piece of our architectural heritage can be truly considered safe.
August 21, 2013
The Technician
Heard On The Streets
Page 7
After giving the freshmen a few weeks to adjust to college life, The Technician editor Chloe Hauxwell went to Thompson Hall to ask some questions. Seven freshmen gave insight on their reasons for coming here and what they like about Kettering.
Janel Jackson
Colette Umbach
Freshman, Industrial Engineering How did you hear about Kettering? First team What aspect(s) of Kettering made you want to come here? The co-op program What is your favorite thing about the school? The awesome people
Freshman, Computer Engineering How did you hear about Kettering? My father works with Kettering co-ops What aspect(s) of Kettering made you want to come here? Lite What is your favorite thing about the school? The residence hall and all the awesome people
Rose Joynt Freshman, Mechanical Engineering/Engineering Physics
Eric Kasper
How did you hear about Kettering? First What aspect(s) of Kettering made you want to come here? The small campus and co-op program What is your favorite thing about the school? The interesting classes and social life
Freshman, Chemical Engineering How did you hear about Kettering? A high school friend What aspect(s) of Kettering made you want to come here? The co-op program What is your favorite thing about the school? The small classes and small campus
Andrew Moehring Freshman, Mechanical Engineering How did you hear about Kettering? Alumni father figures What aspect(s) of Kettering made you want to come here? The co-op program and technical focus What is your favorite thing about the school? The awesome people
James Richardson
Eli Ward Freshman, Bio-Chemistry How did you hear about Kettering? School function What aspect(s) of Kettering made you want to come here? Early lab access and the co-op program What is your favorite thing about the school? The professors
Freshman, Mechanical Engineering How did you hear about Kettering? E-mail from Kettering What aspect(s) of Kettering made you want to come here? The co-op program What is your favorite thing about the school? Freedom in scheduling
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The Technician
In Pictures
August 21, 2013
Now that term is back in full swing, lots of events are happening on campus From top: • Dog Days invites prospective freshman to come see Kettering and everything it has to offer. • To show that Greeks are involved in their community, ifc held a picnic bench building event. The resulting tables were donated to Habitat for Humanity. • After a massive upgrade of Campus Safety's capabilities, Mayor Dayne Walling joins the Kettering community is the grand opening of the new information center.
Photos are courtesy of Kettering Communication
August 21, 2013
Top, clockwise: • Getting a co-op job is an essential part of the Kettering program. • Luckily for students, lots of employers showed up for the summer career fair. • Demonstrating their connections to the industry and the future, Kettering hosted an alternative energy car fair in the Pool. • As part of the Innovation Challenge, students work to build the tallest structure using three decks of cards. The prize for winning is $100.
Photos are courtesy of Kettering Communication
The Technician
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August 21, 2013
The Technician
News Ford Focus Comes to Kettering
By Robert Hayes Technician Staff
This month, Kettering’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering received a new set of wheels: a 2012 Ford Focus Electric courtesy of the Ford Motor Company. The new ride will be available for graduate and undergraduate research within the department through the Applied Power Electronics Lab, led by Assistant Professor Dr. Kevin Bai. The Focus Electric is a battery electric version of Ford’s popular compact hatchback, and comes equipped with a 107 kw permanent magnet electric motor and draws its power from a 23 kwh lithium ion battery pack that when fully charged delivers a 76 mile range. Full charge comes in three and a half hours when connected to a 240v outlet thanks to a 6.6 kw on-board charger. Photos courtesy of Kettering Communications
President Hosts Town Hall Continued from the front page Dr. McMahan then broke down income, showing that 73% of it comes from undergraduate tuition. This is in contrast to other comparable schools, which typically have large endowments to draw out of. Rose-Hulman, for instance, receives only 40% of its income through undergraduate tuition. Sue Davies, Vice President of University Advancement, assured faculty and staff that Kettering is sharing information with schools like Rose-Hulman to advance both schools. The total breakdown of income by percent can be seen in the accompanying graph. Moving from income to expenditures, Dr. McMahan showed the breakdown of a roughly 60 million dollar budget. There, compensation and benefits for employees accounted for slightly over two-thirds of all expenses. Debt services, the repayments the University makes on its outstanding obligations, accounts for slightly under four percent of the total budget. As with income, the accompanying graph shows breakdown by percent. Since the University’s income was greater than its expenses, a portion of the surplus will be allocated to the cash reserves held by Kettering. Dr. McMahan said that keep these reserves healthy, as they are now, is critical to prevent triggering repayment on our debt. The other portion of the revenue will be reinvested in the University. Some of it was allocated by the Board of Trustees to the endowment, currently around 70 million dollars. The rest will be distributed to the departments for one-time needs like new equipment. Dr. McMahan said half of all departments had responded to his request for feedback on new purchases. As for budgeting in the future, Dr. McMahan informed faculty and staff that the FY 13/14 budget had been approved by the Board of Trustees in June. The University is also moving toward a multi-year
model of budgeting, rather than the current yearby-year one. As part of these changes, performance reviews for faculty and staff are being reinstated. A hot topic at the meeting was Kettering Dining Services, which drew some criticism for cost but wide praise for the services offered. Making comments about the student outcry to change, Dr. McMahan urged faculty to be receptive of the changes and support the administration in their effort to have first-class capabilities on campus. Staff members questioned the prices of options, but were informed by the director of Kettering Dining Services that lead time contributed greatly to increased cost. Given advance warning, kds can offer better meals and cheaper prices compared to last-minute demands. Dr. McMahan also urged those in attendance to avoid the name "Sodexo" in talking about kds. When asked about the presence of Sodexo branding across campus, Nicholas Moorehead, General Manager for Kettering Dining Services, said that while branding was kept to a minimum, Kettering Dining Services is ultimately Sodexo. He also admitted to weaknesses in communication about the food services change, which are being corrected going forward. Alumni relationships have historically been difficult for Kettering, in large part because of the General Motors Institute history. More than 400 alumni came back to campus to celebrate Professor Bell's 200th consecutive teaching term. Alumni also contributed more than $1.5 million towards The Professor Reg Bell Endowment, supporting scholarships in Chemistry, Biology, and Bio-Chemistry. The University's fall campaign raised over $110,000, and gift commitments for this year sit at $7,007,114.69 versus $2,226,820.34 last year. The University has also contracted with Marts & Lundy for the capital campaign.
Enrollment is forever a topic of great concern, and yet again the numbers look better than the year before. In 2012-2013, the freshman class number 458 students, which was 8% higher than the goal established by Kip Darcy, Vice President of Marketing, Communications, and Enrollment. For the 20132014 school year, the class is expected to be significantly in excess of the 450 student target. Since Kettering accepts applicants up until the last B-section term in April, numbers are not set until then. However, as of the meeting, 423 people had active deposits to enter the freshman class compared to just 349 the year before (a 21% increase). 218 of those were current A-section students. A part of that increase is due to out-of-state admissions, which were also 21% higher, and international students, who now number at 33. The Oxford Virtual Academy, the online arm of Oxford Community Schools, has established a partnership with Kettering University. Kettering provides a Genesee County-based site for the nonvirtual portion of the education. Several staff and faculty members mentioned that their children were enrolled in the school and taking advantage of Kettering's resources all ready. Other topics mentioned briefly included the Staff fundrive, which saw giving up 12% (36% to 48%). Dr. McMahan said the number was a key indicator for external foundations looking at the health of Kettering.
August 21, 2013
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The Technician
University Expenses Debt Services, 3.9% Other, 10.3% Compensation & Benefits, 67.6%
Contracted Services, 6.0% Travel, 1.2% Maintenance, 2.8%
Utilities, 5.3%
Supplies, 2.4%
University Income Endowment, 4.7%
Gifts, 1.6% Other, 3.7%
Auxillary, 7.6% Tuition & Fees, 82.4%
All information came from slides presented by Dr. McMahan. In expenses, Other is a catch-all category for expenses that, by themselves, do not make up a significant portion of the budget. In income, Auxillary refers to income from business outside of Kettering's core focus (education), like food service.
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The Technician
City of Flint Master Plan
August 21, 2013
Imagine Flint Comprehensive Plan • Transportation & Mobility Plan
By Matthew White Editor-in-chief
Division of Land
R iv er
Rather than treat the entire city as a homogenous Imagine Flint Compr entity, Image Flint breaks the city down into eleven different place types (the descriptions are taken very St rsle a e batim from the plan): K St St 3rd 1st t Traditional Neighborhood S St 4th 2nd The Traditional Neighborhood area where deSt 5th 21 tached single family homes are the primary land use. Mixed Residential t rt S Cou Mixed Residential areas consists of a mix of unit 21 t types, including single-family detached, singlerill C Car St 6th family-attached residences (townhomes, rowhomes, St 7th etc.) and multi-family buildings. 69 Neighborhood Center A Neighborhood Center on the other hand, is an 2010 Street Improvement area that serves as an anchor of commercial and soRemaining One-way Street cial activity for the neighborhoods that adjoin it. City Corridor A City Corridor is an area of the City that acThe conversion of remaining commodates a wide range of commercial and instial Roads Roadway Jurisdiction Mobility and access Being a motor vehicle streets city, Flint has an astonishto two-way traffic could roads provide direct access The City owns and maintains most tutional uses strung along a major roadway. Retail, One-way to Twohave significant positive impacts acent land uses and are ing road system—more than 550 miles worth. The of the surface roads within the way Restoration service, and employment related uses typically prefor the Downtown, including y located in residential areas. municipal boundaries. Three of the challenges all of these roads Several logistical streets in Downtown Flint of repairing greater navigability to local desroads often allow on-street major edge roads – Carpenter, dominate along city corridors, with structures oriare one-way However, putsstreets. the city on a 122-year maintenance tinations and businesses,program slower ng and permit relatively unreClio, and Center – are a shared ented toward the roadway. this is generally unwarranted given travel speedsisthat support pedesed access. TheImagine posted speed responsibility Flint has six main between themes:Flint and their on current which wholly impracthe low(given traffic volumes those rate), trian safety, and increased use of on local roads is typically 25 Downtown Genesee County. Hemphill Road streets. The City should con- certain This traffic circle in Buffalo, NY demonstrates how complex intersections can manage trafficeach flow and community character. • Social Equity & Stainability tical. Removing side streets andHowever, consolidaton-street parking. is shared with the City of Burton. There is only one Downtown. It is a unique place sider the conversion of one-way should analyzedwould based • Reshaping the Economy ing miniature blocks intoinstance normal citybeblocks MDOT operates the three streets to two-way, similar to the representing the most densely developed area withon the following considerations: interstates and also provides the • Quality of Life save the city some effort. improvements completed in 2010 City with funding for the two state in Flint. The downtown’s foundation is a core of on Grand Traverse Street,on Kearsley regardon the overall circulation s alignment/ • AdaptingImportant tohighways Changeinconsiderations Following the 2010• Impact improvements thatIntersection reFlint – Dort Highway Street, and 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th mixed-use buildings, some exceeding 15-stories in pattern of traffic in the DowntheCorunna installation an effective• Youth ingand Road. of traffic circles moved one-way restrictions on some downtown Reconfiguration town area. Streets. with multi-family residential, institutional, traffic flow• andCivic Lifeinclude: Due to height, Flint’s varying grid pattern streets (see map above), the• Relationship new master plan proposto adjacent one-way and office uses located above ground floor retail and at street intersecpairs that mayAs alsothe needcity toand benodiagonal streets, there are es converting the remaining streets. commercial uses. • Traffic volumes of intersection converted. s can improvehow complex several services intersection where streets longer the traffic character. it used to, the one-way streets demonstrates intersections can manage traffic flow andhas community streets and the number of lanes University Avenue Core • Access to local businesses, desticapacity by do not directly align. This results cause unnecessary trouble without benefit. nations, or any activity centers. necessary to accommodate that The Institutional [sic] Core is also a high intensity educe injuries inthe potentially hazardous moveA reduction in traffic also reduces the for • Transit access andneed circulation flow district adjacent to Downtown to 90%. They ments for vehicles, pedestrian and Flint, where major for routes and around the four-lane roadways throughout theincity. The master ardIntersection alignment/ institutions, such as a Hurley Medical Center and Downtown, including access to • Availability of land to accommo- plan would convert these through , emissions and cyclists. a process called the MTA Transit Center on East ircles Reconfiguration Kettering University form the central component. date the roundabout allow for the 2ndaccommodating Street. "road dieting" into a more conCommerce & Employment Due to Flint’s varying grid pattern Opportunities for alignment or Center and related figuration for bikers, pedestrians, and mass transit • Education as traffic circles are Traditional intersection conflict points: A Commerce andidentiEmployment Center on the andoptions. diagonal streets, there are known as roundreconfiguration should be Traffic circles (otherwise introduced to a region for the 32 vehicle-to-vehicle, 24 vehicle-toon other hand, is around one large, fied in order to accomplish or or a cluster of smallseveral intersection where streets pedestrian first time abouts) have also been proposed as a way to make anes employment-related light indusuce the number following goals: uses, including 1) Directly aligning side str do intersections not directlysafer align. resultsand bikers. more oferthe forThis pedestrians • Adjacent land uses and the types eclethat trial, research, and office. conflict points in potentially hazardous moveof traffic they generate (i.e. large • Directly align sideCenter streets that Production and the number ments for vehicles, pedestrian and trucks serving an industrial area) intersect or arterial. 75a collectorCenters Production represent some of the comestrian conflict mmocyclists. munity’s largest employers ds. Traffic circles • Coordination of signals in other • Create perpendicular intersec- and mainly consist of industrial uses that ered at major areas of the network to manageOpportunities for alignment or tions intense that enhance visibility and generate excessive noise, re flow into the trafficpoints: circle ughout the City, safety.traffic or other nuisances, and need to be separated Traditional intersection conflict reconfiguration should be identithe from less intense residential and commercial areas nalysis is needed 32 vehicle-to-vehicle, 24 vehicle-to• Consolidate the number of roadfied in order to accomplish one or pedestrian Green Innovation viability at each way segments intersecting at our more of the following goals: 1) Directly aligning side streetsexist 2 Green Innovation where a variety of innovanear one location. types tive solutions have been used to repurpose largely large • Directly align side streets that • Increase theareas spacing between vacant of the City, primarily for uses related to area) intersections that cannot beenvironmental sustainability, intersect collector arterial. Traffic acircle conflictor points: local food production, 8 vehicle-to-vehicle, 8 vehicle-toconsolidated. Imagine Flint Comprehensive Plan • Transportation & Mobility Plan alternative energy, and other locally based “green” other • Create perpendicular intersecpedestrian initiatives anage tions that enhance visibility and 3) Consolidating excess ro Green Neighborhood safety. Bicycle and Pedestrian Road Diet A Green Neighborhood is an area where previ• Consolidate the number of roadously vacant or underutilized properties have been way segments intersecting at our repurposed to create a low-density, residential near one location. neighborhood with a significant amount of land dedicated to green uses such as community gardens, • Increase the spacing between • Draft For Review small-scale urban agriculture, and small open space intersections that cannot be Traffic circle conflict points: areas. If future investment and development should 8 vehicle-to-vehicle, 8 vehicle-toconsolidated. occur, it is possible for a Green Neighborhood to pedestrian Landscaped Dedicated Dedicated Landscaped transition to aroadway Traditional Neighborhood. Basic On-Street Center On-Street Basic 3) Consolidating excess segments 4 Curbside On-Street Travel Lane Travel Lane On-Street Curbside Sidewalk Parking Turn Lane Parking Sidewalk Parkway Bike Path Bike Path Parkway Community Open Space Flin
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In 1920, the City of Flint conducted its first master planning exercise. Forty years the restored city ad2010later, conversions two-way traffic flow on some Downtown opted the current master plan, Streets which had Remaining big plans (orange). one-way streets (blue) should be considered for for a city that was growing around a two-way bustling trafficGenrestoration. eral Motors-based economy. Fifty-three years later, the city, never the metropolis it had planned to be, has presented a new master plan proposal. Brought before the city council last week and open for public comment now, "Image Flint," a 174-page comprehensive plan for the next twenty years and beyond, sets the stage for large changes in the way the City of Flint will function and better serve residents into the future. Over the next two pages, The Technician will break down the plan and comment on big changes.
Roadways
Guiding Principles
Transit Road Diet
August 21, 2013
Page Imagine Flint Comprehensive Plan • Housing & Neighborhoods Plan 13
The Technician
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Being a keystone in the University Avenue Core and a driving force behind the University Avenue Corridor Coalition, Kettering has a veritable role to play in its own neighborhood. While the city waits for Kettering to finish its own master planning process, it does recognize the efforts the school has made to expand and reinvest in the surrounding neighborhood by buying 25 tax-foreclosed properties and expressing interest in a further 70.
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ated inventory plan that deserveFoundation some attention: er Flint, and twenty-seven commuthe Community of hoods and local nity groups to work together on Greater Flint, and 27 community toproject. greenfields ing conditions • Restoring brownfield lots this City staff held three groups to perform a housing conthe effective trainings with the groups using ditions assessment. This groundblight elimina- • Repairing sidewalks a modified ranking system (1-5 level assessment provides an the investment • Switching street lights to led lampsfrom Data Driven scale) derived analysis of the general condition of . Detroit, and the Genesee County housing throughout the city, and • within Brining grocery and food options into the city Land Bank. Participants were individual neighborhoods. required to rank The conditions assessment was a • Increasing police and fire staffing every residential parcel within their boundaries, foundational step for data gather• ing Removing and either dangerous dams good (1), fair (2), poor (3), related to theinefficient Master Plan or sub-standard (4), including all and should be updated every two • years Investing in Bishop International Airport vacant lots (VL) as well. to help guide decision making processes regarding long term housing projects such as demoliCity-wide Statistics Thetion, proposal comment new builds, remains and rehabilita-open to In allpublic 52,095 residential parcels tion. The inventory will also allow were assessed. Of those, 11,333 untiltheOctober 15. to track City and itsPlan partners (22%) were vacantPlan lots, and Imagine Flint Comprehensive • Housing & Neighborhoods stabilization progress within each 40,762 (78%) contained a residenneighborhood planning area. tial structure. 25,957 (50%) were rated “good”, while 9,192 (18%) were rated “fair”. 2,840 (6%) were rated “poor”, while the remaining 2,774 (5%) are considered “substandard”.
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assessment Procedure ORHOOD Housing Conditions City staff partnered with As part of the Master Plan are various other changes discussed in the the mENt There Community Foundation of Greatprocess, City staff partnered with
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$10,000 to $20,000 Analysis performed in conjunction with Genesee County Land Bank
According to Imagine Flint, there are 52,095 residential parcels in the City of Flint. 78% contained houses, apartment buildings, or some other residential structure. Only half of those were considered to be in good quality, with 11% ranked at poor or substandard. 22% of all residential lots (11,333) were vacant. map of current housing conditions is seen The following figure indicates marketAConditions housing values based on average When combined with an underabove, with the lightest shade for "good," stepping State Equalized Value (SEV) for standing of housing conditions down to "good/fair," "fair/poor, " and single family finally residential"poor/ housing and vacancy, housing value and units. SEV is generally the equivastructurally deficient." other market data provide an lent of about half of market value. accurate picture of neighborhood The State Equalized Value average Areas withfor an housing average SEVvalbelow quality. Market data also provide $10,000 are generally below ues is about $10,000. A significant portion of homesthe a means of quantitative benchaverage for the City of Flint as a marking and assessing progress in fall under that level, as shown in the whole, whilelightest areas with color an averareas targeted for investment and age SEV greater $10,000 are at right. Slightly darker homes fall in thethan$10,000 stabilization. greater than average for the City to $20,000 average. The darkest areas have housing of Flint as a whole. State Equalized Value and other similar marketsev averages above $20,000. driven data should be inventoried Based on information about homeowners and and assessed on a biennial basis in those renting, Flint does not currently provide conjunction with a city-wide housing conditions assessment. enough rental options. 43% of Flint residents rent, but only 23% of all residences are apartment buildings. Part of the master plan is to create more spaces for non-property owning residents.
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The Technician
Arts & Lifestyle
August 21, 2013
The Anime Corner Ranma ½ By Mark Gellis Guest Contributor Once upon a time, there was a perfectly normal young man named Ranma Saotome who studied martial arts with his father. He had dedicated himself to becoming a great martial artist. When his father learned of a mystical training ground in China, dotted with lovely springs, they both knew it was a perfect location where they could continue their studies. Unfortunately, Ranma’s father had neglected to learn very much about the mystical training ground. Among other things, he had not learned that the various springs were cursed. Most of them were the site of some tragic drowning and anyone who fell into one of these springs was cursed as a result. When splashed with cold water, they take on the form of the person or creature whose tragic death had created the curse in the first place. Only by being splashed with warm water could they restore, and only temporarily, their original form. All this has taken place before the story actually starts. The first time we meet Ranma, he has already fallen into one of the cursed springs. We do not even know Ranma is cursed because Ranma looks like a perfectly normal teenage girl, but she is arguing with a panda as she walks towards some unknown destination in the rain, which makes us suspect that something might be amiss. Suffice that
Ranma transforms into a beautiful girl when he gets splashed with cold water. His father, more or less fortunate depending on how one looks at it, gets turned into a panda. Things do not improve for Ranma when he and his father finally reach their destination, the home and dojo of Genma Saotome's old friend, fellow martial artist Soun Tendo. It is now that Ranma learns his father and Tendo long ago agreed that Ranma would someday marry one of Tendo's three daughters. Tendo has no sons and was afraid there would be no one to inherit his dojo, the Anything Goes Martial Arts School. The two older sisters, Kasumi and Nabiki, quickly foist Ranma off on the youngest daughter, Akane. Akane is actually not a bad match for Ranma because she too is a dedicated martial artist, but neither is very happy about the idea of an arranged marriage. It does not help that Ranma is currently a girl. It really does not help that Ranma is a girl and has larger breasts than Akane does. Nor does it help when Ranma takes a hot bath, is turned back into a boy, but is unable to explain things before he is discovered in the bath by Akane, who does not realize he is Ranma and assumes he is an intruder and a pervert. Much screaming and throwing of heavy objects ensues. And this, as the saying goes, is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. The curse is finally explained to the Tendo family, but this is not the end of Ranma’s tribulations. He
and his father decide to stay for an extended period with the Tendos, and Ranma starts attending school with Akane. As her betrothed, he now has to deal with the rich and pompous Tatewaki Kuno (who has a crush on Akane and so hates Ranma but falls in love with his female form because he does not know they are the same person) and his equally loopy sister Kodachi (who promptly falls in love with Ranma). To make matters worse, as if such a thing were possible, it not long before various people from Ranma’s past start showing up. This includes the Chinese Amazon Shampoo, who, for reasons too complicated to explain here, is trying to kill the female version of Ranma but also wants to marry the male version. Since Ranma has very little control over when he changes form—it can be anything from rain to getting knocked into a pool by accident—he often finds himself rapidly shifting between being an object of desire and a target of death threats. Bob Hope is reputed to have said that the essence of comedy is a man in trouble. That is not a bad way to describe Ranma ½. Ranma is constantly in trouble (and it is often his own fault) and most of the show is very funny. Ranma ½ is one of the classic anime series; it is one of the shows that introduced Americans to anime. Kettering University library has a copy of the first (and probably the best) season of Ranma ½. Do yourself a favor someday and give it a try.
Review of La Azteca as the seating area is rather small and plain. How- to keep in mind while ordering, as you may decide By Erin Boyse ever, this is more than made up for by the quality to choose something that will still taste good when Online Editor and quantity of the food. reheated the following day. The food pictured is the taco salad La Azteca Taco House is located less which was ordered. This seemed like an than a mile from campus at 1902 W almost unreasonable amount of food Court St. It may not look like much which could have been shared amongst from the outside, but the food is exmore than one person. The plate was piled cellent. They have all the options you high, causing the delicious mixture to be would expect from a typical Mexican difficult to eat as it kept falling off of the restaurant and the food is reasonably plate. Still, the slight inconvenience while priced. eating was insignificant due to the freshThey have both a lunch and dinner ness of the lettuce and tomatoes and the menu, with lunch about $5 and dinner delicious taste of the ground beef. options for around $10. Some of the Also ordered were beef enchiladas, lunch items include enchiladas, tostawhich arrived with mouthwatering rice, das, burritos, tamales, quesadillas, an obrefried beans, salad, and a small taco. Alviously tacos. They also have some other though it was way too much food for one options; for anyone not in the mood for person to eat alone, the whole meal was Mexican, they also serve hamburgers, absolutely delectable. wings, and French fries. There is even If you are looking for some excellent a kids menu if you happen to be with Mexican food, La Azteca is definitely someone under the age of 10. somewhere you will want to check out. You can eat in or order take-out and The best part of the experience of eating there is the staff are very friendly. The wait time to receive that the portion sizes are huge. You will most likely your food while eating at the restaurant is not long, need to take the leftovers home with you, meaning although this may depend on the time and day you that you are actually getting two meals for the price visit. The atmosphere left something to be desired, of one. This may actually be something you want Photo courtesy of Miss Boyse
August 21, 2013
Puzzles & Comics
The Cubicle Life of the Common Co-op Time Management By Libbi Staples Cartoonist
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The Technician
Bunchy Just Desserts By Rebeccah MacKinnon Technician Staff Bunchy, the rabid squirrel, got a phone call just as he was sitting down for his afternoon tea and nut cupcakes. It was Allaya, summoning him to yet another crime scene. Looking mournfully at his snack, Bunchy scampered on down to the crime scene, which he was shocked to find was the very same Santa Monica, California bakery from which he bought his cupcake. Sandhya, the baking assistant, was face down in a vat of Chloe’s famous vanilla bean butter cream frosting. According to the coroner, cause of death was asphyxiation, likely brought on by anaphylactic shock. Ms. Emma was lactose intolerant, meaning she was allergic to dairy. Chloe Coscarelli, the bakery’s owner, was extremely distraught. Bunchy got the following statement from her: Sandhya was alone in the bakery last night, prepping for the next morning. She must have tripped and landed in the butter cream. I don’t know what I’ll do without her! She was right there beside me and kept me grounded after my initial burst of popularity in the cupcake world. After interviewing the owner, Bunchy took his assistant aside. “This was no accident,” he said. “This was murder.” What made Bunchy suspect foul play? Editor's Note: The entire situation presented is fictional and in no way represents the character of any individuals mentioned. If you think that you know the answer to this edition's Bunchy puzzle, then e-mail us at atechnician@ kettering.edu. The answer to this puzzle will be published in the third edition along with another mystery. Answer to "Orchestrating a Murder": Elias, an American, would not have known that the song being played was "God Save the Queen" unless he was in attendance. An American would associate that melody with "My Country 'Tis of Thee." Congratulations to Perry Adkins for being the first to submit the correct answer!
xkcd Anti-Glass "Why don't you just point it at their eye directly?" "What is this, 2007?"
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Crossword
August 21, 2013
The Technician On the Topic of Movies By Colleen Chavis
Across 1. Jimmy Stewart, in a wheelchair, with binoculars (2 words) 4. Animated interpretation of classical music 5. 1st word: "a soft, moist, shapeless mass of matter"; 2nd word: a fabrication or invention 7. Features the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man 13. Heart of Darkness set in the Vietnam War (2 words) 14. "We all need mirrors to remind ourselves who we are. I'm no different." 16. "I was hiding under your porch because I love you." 17. Journey to P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney (2 words) 18. Set in a world with rodents of unusual size (3 words) Down 2. Includes a cathartic attack on office equipment (2 words) 3. Adventures of a trash compactor 6. Keaton, McManus, Fenster, Hockney, Verbal (3 words) 8. Based on The Scarlet Letter (2 words) 9. Lots of spotted puppies 10. ____ deadly sins 11. A ____ retires replicants (2 words) 12. "You're gonna need a bigger boat." 15. Continuation of Firefly
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