The
Technician
Magazine
Creating Conditions for Success Revamping the Kettering Brand Reaching Students Effectively KSG Election Results
Summer 2013
A Letter from the Editor-in-chief In the last year, Einstein's has opened, bj's is barely recognizable, and more construction continues in the Academic Building to support our new biology programs. The campus, which now stretches down University Avenue to Atwood Stadium, includes properties purchased from the Land Bank in an attempt to beautiful the neighborhood surrounding the school. A master plan for the City of Flint was released during this term, and we all anxiously await one for Kettering, as well. Change, it seems, is continually in the air. We are evolving. This issue is a celebration of that momentum forward. The promises that Dr. McMahan made when he arrived on campus, those that would demolish the status quo, are coming to fruition at an astounding pace. We are all lucky enough to see them and realize that the future of this school, and even this city, is in no small part due to the plans we put into motion here and now. As we recognize change, we must too recognize the parts we play. As the voting figures show (page 14), most students did not vote for representatives to Kettering's Student Senate. When we abandon our right to vote, we will surely receive a government we deserve—not necessarily the one that we want. The Technician, too, has its obligations. As the voice of the student body, it our responsiblity to hold those in power—elected and otehrwise—accountable and disseminate news and other information to students. We are, by no stretch of the imagination, perfect. There is plenty of progress that this paper can make and I certainly hope that it will make. We continue to do our best to provide reporting that presents the facts in a manner that is most impactful to our readership—students, primarily, but also faculty, staff, administrators, and other University stakeholders. It is our civic duty to do nothing less. To help us in that mission, however, we need an engaged audience. When A-section begins again in January, I hope that a renewed vigor and sense of responsiblity accompanies us.
Best wishes,
Matthew White Editor-in-chief
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The Technician Magazine
What’s Inside
The
Technician Magazine
Page 2
Page 9
A Letter from the Editor-in-chief
Reaching Students Effectively
Page 4
Page 10
Creating Conditions for Success Page 5
Formula Focus
In Pictures Page 12
Innovation SuperQuest Page 13
Page 6
News
Constitution Day WKUF Update
Page 7
News
Revamping the Kettering Brand Sigma Nu
Page 8
News
Co-op Program Changes Laser Tag Greek Semi-formal Newest Pearls
Entertainment Star Wars Grand Theft Auto V
Page 14
KSG Election Results
A s s i sta n t Ed ito r K a it l in S ol ove y L ayo u t Ed ito r Chl o e Hau x wel l O n l i n e Ed ito r Er in B oys e D i st r i bu t i o n Ed ito r Br yan B oys e Sta ff Wr it e r s De v in Ar yan Ar i Bud i ono Col l een Chav is Ni c kol a s Jenni ngs R ob er t Hayes R eb ecc a h MacK innon Char l es Manc ino P h oto g r a p h e r Jos eph Ste vens on
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The Technician Staff Page 18
The Daily Bulldog
600 Words Bunchy the Rabid Squirrel Comic
Ca rto o n i st Libbi Stapl e s Facu lt y Advi s o r Dr. Chr ist ine Le vecq Sp e c i a l Th a n k s To B et s y Homsh er T h e Te chni cian Ketter ing’s Stud ent Voi ce
Correction
Photos courtesy of author unless otherwise indicated. Cover photos courtesy of Kettering Communications.
Ed ito r-i n-Ch i e f Matt he w W hite
In the third edition of The Technician, Winter in August was incorrectly attributed to Operations Council. The Technician regrets this mistake and appologizes for any confusion it may have caused.
E-ma i l us at: atec hni c i an@ketter ing.ed u Onl ine at: b u l l d o gs.ket ter i ng.ed u /tec hn i c i an and
issuu.com/t hetec hni c i an © T h e Te ch ni c ia n, 2013
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Creating Conditions for Success
level of competency to continue to tutor. Another addition to the tutor's repertoire are basic pedagogical expectations. Now, tutors are better equipped to teach the material they are aiding students with. One physical change to the tutoring system is the location of night and weekend tutoring hours. Again driven Matthew White by student input, the Academic Success Center moved Monday–Thursday 6–9pm and Sunday tutoring into the Typically, students have thought of the Sunset Room, where a study area replete tutoring services provided by Kettering's with power strips, white boards, and varAcademic Success Center as a way of getting homework done. Dr. Natalie Candela, director of the center, disagrees with this thought process. Rather than finish homework, she says, tutors should give you the tools you need to finish your own homework. Her vision is to create a tutoring program of competent, certified tutors who provide iously-sized tables were placed to faciliconvenient, quality instruction and aide. tate group studying. Mrs. Abbey Kaiser, Dr. Candela, having completed her supplemental learning coordinator with first year at Kettering, is striving to adapt the Academic Success Center, brought to student needs. After hearing a com- tutoring closer to Thompson Hall beplaint that a tutor was unable to teach a cause she often heard students complain topic, Dr. Candela implemented ongoing that tutors were too far away at the end development sessions for tutors, as well of the Academic Building. Bringing tuas mandatory studying. Whereas tutors tors straight into the dorms during those previously covered material they excelled hours would have had a negative effect on at in the classroom, the new program re- studiousness, so a compromise was struck quires tutors to maintain that excellence. by placing those tutors in a very accesTutoring in freshman-level courses meant sible, comfortable location. Rather than some tutors were three years removed individual, one-on-one tutoring, the fofrom topics, which wasted time during cus of the Sunset Room tutoring is more sessions as they re-acquainted themselves group-based, with tutors making rounds, with the material. Now, tutors keep a although Mrs. Kaiser was quick to point study log of the topics they cover in their out that individual tutoring is still very spare time and must remain at a certain much available.
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One of the more surprising changes compared to year prior is advising for Mechanical Engineering students, which new comes through the Academic Success Center for freshman and sophomore students. After a survey regarding advising found that most students derived no benefit from it and saw it merely as a bureaucratic sign-off, the Academic Success Center began piloting a new, holistic advising session. Rather than limiting discussion to course selection once per term, the process begins before the term even starts, meeting with students over Skype and getting to know incoming students. While faculty members take nonteaching terms, the Academic Success Center staff do not, providing at least one permanent option for advice. During the in-term meeting, students discuss academic progress, coop experiences, and other interests and concerns with their advisors. Based on this information, advisors can help identify academic distress before it becomes a problem, provide interest inventory assessments if a student is thinking about changing majors, or contact the appropriate departments to enable students to make better course selection. The entire process of course selection can be in the office, making the process more about the student than the bureaucracy. Dr. Canedela emphasizes this is just the beginning of changes which create a better academic environment for students. She encourages students facing problems to discuss them with her.
Formula Focus Chaz Mancino
Everyone knows that Kettering University is a small university. However, its Formula sae team is even smaller, especially when competing against teams with double the members and a budget ten times more than what the Kettering University Formula sae has. What is a testament to engineering genius is the result of working hard inside of the classroom and outside in the workplace, giving the Formula team the ability to create a moving masterpiece without throwing money at it. The ability to create a track day champ with a minimal budget was shown this after this past season when the Formula team went from a ho-hum competitor to being ranked 42nd in the world out of 500 teams. Another testament to the team’s performance is a first place finish in fuel
efficiency at all three venues that they went to, which included sae Michigan, Formula North, and sae Lincoln. Out of all of the competitions in the world, sae
Michigan held at Michigan International Speedway is by far the largest with teams all around the world competing to take home the gold. Another impressive finish was the first place in the business report at sae Lincoln. With that, Formula sae is not only about building a fast car, but it is about making a balance between performance, cost, and the ability to sell the car. Building a car is one thing, but needing the ability to sell it to a panel of judges puts it on a whole other level. There is direct competition, such as other teams, and indirect competition such as cars like the Mazda Miata and Mini Copper. This means that the Formula car must be both fast and able to dance with cars much bigger and powerful than it. In other words, a car built by college students must theoretically compete with cars that have been produced by companies that have made cars for decades. Although some team members walk into the garage with a headful of wisdom about designing and machining, most members walk in with only knowing what a drill is. After spending a career at Kettering University, those members that walk out of the garage are experienced with designing skills and machining skill to match. Turning heads everywhere with new ideas and in-
Formula Focus novations while still in college, Formula sae team members go on to redesign the very industry that got them to love engineering in the first place. Whether it is in the world of racing or designing the next powerful v8, Formula sae members make their mark on the world. What may seem like a Cinderella story from know-
ing practically nothing to having the skills to design, build, and race a car is possible with the Formula sae team. With uphill battles such as a low budget, small team, and Kettering University’s demanding schedule, this past season’s performance was nothing short of amazing. A handmade car that does not fall apart during testing or during an endurance run is awe-inspiring, but to complete three endurance runs while moving drastically up in world ranking is nearly unbelievable. Add that to winning key categories at the each competition and one has a recipe for success. While the 2013 season may have brought many great changes to the team, 2014 is looking even better. With design well on its way and build season about to commence, the upcoming season has started in at full blast. Just like last year, new ideas have sprouted and will grow into a cornucopia of great things to come. Sit down, buckle up, and prepare for the liftoff of another great season.
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Constitution Day 2013 Devin Aryan Tuesday, September 17, was Constitution Day. As with other publicly-funded universities, Kettering was mandated to hold an event celebrating the anniversary of our Constitution. Kettering Student Government hosted the event during the lunch hour. They brought two very decorative and festive trays of cupcakes with red, white, and blue frosting. In addition they held a Constitution Trivia competition. The competition had simple rules. A question was asked, the different teams all wrote their answers down, with each correct answer winning a point. The competition was hot, too, with two of the competing teams in a neck-and-neck race. The four teams participating were George W. Bush, The Reaganites, George H. W. Bush, and Team 2. The two teams battling it out for the win were George W. Bush and Team 2. As the competition reached the final, Bonus Question, worth 10 points, George W. Bush was only one point ahead of Team 2. The Bonus question had the teams write down the Preamble, word for word, and a team would only get points if they matched the entire Preamble word for word, no mistakes. As the teams made their submissions, everyone other than Team 2 was ruled out for clearly not matching. In a nail-biting conclusion, Team 2 forgot to include one line “of the United States.” Everything else was correct, but the omission of that one line cost them the game, and George W. Bush won. Their prize a gift card to split amongst themselves.
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WKUF Update Summer 2013 From WKUF Kettering’s very own student run radio station, wkuf-lp 94.3 fm has been particularly busy during the summer 2013 school term. In addition to attending
Night Breakfast this upcoming week. As per tradition, wkuf also hosted their traditional campus wide Open Mic/Karaoke night to showcase the musical talents of Kettering’s students. In addition to university sponsored events, the station has also been greatly involved with the surrounding Flint community. wkuf was the official radio station of Dropfest, broadcasting over 9 hours of the electronic music festival held annually in downtown Flint. When the crim ran through town, the station’s mobile cart was outside the ab cheering on the participants. And wkuf even made an appearance at Flint’s Back to the Bricks. All in all, the students of wkuf had a rocking summer term and fully intend to keep that rolling in winter 2014.
weekly meetings and djing their individual radio shows, the students involved in wkuf have also provided music at over 17 various events. Throughout the term wkuf has been represented on campus at all the Dog Days events, the True Kettering barbecue, the Carnival of Clubs, the rec center lock-in at freshmen Orientation, the lite dance, ksg’s Snowfest in August, Family Day, the Kettering Kickoff Robotic CompePhotos courtesy of tition, all 16 hours of Relay for Life, and Kettering Communications intend to make an appearance at Late
Revamping the Kettering Brand Ari Budiono Beginning this year, there have been many changes in how Kettering has been displaying its vision to the students and the rest of the community, as shown, for example, by the “True Kettering” banner on the side of the Mott building. This was all part of a new strategy of communicating the vision Kettering had, starting with the “True Kettering” internal vision that started this year. As described by Kip Darcy, Vice President of Marketing, Communications, and Enrollment, it has been all part of a rehash of oldprinciples presented in such a way that will appeal to prospective students. This rehash or revamping of the Kettering brand is a work in process that must factor in how different groups perceive the ideals of Kettering. Starting last summer, faculty and staff have slowly started living the True Kettering standards of “Mission”, “Values”, and “Vision”. All of this culminated with True Kettering artwork to show how perceive how the mission would be along with their key initiatives. There were many discovery sessions in the winter of 2012-2013 to see how the Board of Trustees, faculty, community members, and alumni perceive Kettering. This has been done, in part, with corporations, such as Moxie, to assist with finding the ideal marketing strategy. A secondary component of the revamp is campaign based work and is part of the brand refresh. It mainly focused on how new students think about Kettering while refreshing the older campaigns of “Think Differently” and “Perfect Fit”. Some of the outcomes of revamping of
Provost Revamping Simpson On thethe Kettering Future Brand of Kettering
the Kettering brand are a refreshed logo, a slight modification to the shade of the official school colors, and a discussion on existing things that may change be modified to have a presentation more in line with the new vision, such as the school mascot, General Determination. There are many different things to consider during the process, as the layout of promotional materials and the vision of Kettering can greatly change how a prospective student views Kettering. One notable improvement can be found in the changes made to the prospective students’ page on the Kettering website. It was altered with the goal of better informing prospective students about the great things that Kettering has to offer. This is an ongoing process that will take a couple years to show an end product, but this is all done to help ensure that the things that are being changed are for the better. Some of the changes that are taking place will be revealed in October as Kettering unveils one of its worst kept secrets.
Sigma Nu
Brothers of Sigma Nu The Knights of Sigma Nu have kept very busy during the Summer 2013 term. We began our term participating in the formal recruitment with the rest of the Greek community which commenced 2nd Monday and lasted through 5th Friday. We are pleased to report that at this date we have recruited 7 men interested in becoming Knights of Sigma Nu. During first week, we volunteered our time for Habitat for Humanity by building picnic tables as a collective Greek community on campus. We have also done our best to give back to the greater Flint community, participating in the Kettering University Relay for Life which benefits the American Cancer Society, and we raised over $1,400 for the relay. We also volunteered during the Crim Festival of Races to help the competitors with the registration process. We are very proud to support the campus and the greater Flint community and to do our part in making a brighter future for Kettering and Flint.
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Co-op Program Changes Chloe Hauxwell Many sophomore students became aware of the changes to the co-op program when they were scheduled for a mandatory “Work Term Reflection” class. All employed sophomore students were required to take the 1 ½ hour class to receive credit for the Spring 2013 work term. Each class was led by a faculty member, usually Dr. Jackie El-Sayed, Vice President of Academic Affairs, a co-op educator, and an upperclassman student. This class is part of a larger change to the co-op program, which was discussed with El-Sayed, who is now in charge of co-op. The co-op office used to be under the admissions office, but is now under the Provost’s office. This is an important change, as the office, and cooperative education in general, is now being run as an academic program. The point is education, and this change in goal has made other changes necessary as well. The coop managers have been renamed co-op educators; their workload has also been lessened, so that they can focus on more than just incoming and unemployed students, but on all students getting a good education out of their work terms. There are other changes coming to the co-op program as well. The reflection class was required for all students of sophomore class standing, and will soon be required for all students coming back from a work term. Work templates are also being piloted with a group of stu-
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dents currently; the goal is for all students to have a plan for their work terms in the coming terms. The templates would allow for a shared understanding between students, the companies, and the co-op educator, and should help to fix problems students have with inappropriate work assignments. The co-op program is also working on online modules to be used in guiding student learning over a work term. They are current in a pilot phase. There will also be other options for students for their work terms. Some students will receive “On-campus skills development.” This is a program being developed to get students ready for coop in 1 term. Felix Beda, an experiential learning coordinator, is in charge of this program, and works with the faculty to prepare students for the work place. Other options that are being worked on are Service Learning, Entrepreneurship, and Undergraduate Research. These changes are being done in coordination with the Academic Resource Center to better integrate bring previously-disparate programs into the core of the educational philosophy at Kettering. By working horizontally to bring in the right resources to aid students and vertically to create a seamless educational process, it is hoped that students will receive more value out of their experiential education component, instead of treating it merely as work experience.
ourselves such as Predator where one person has unlimited shots and 30 lives and the rest have 100 shots and 5 lives, Hunger Games where each person gets 1 life and 20 shots, and Fight Club (I'm not really supposed to talk about it but . . .) where we form a circle around two people, two people to a fight, one fight a time, etc.. Have a game idea? Let us know! Join us next term for an incredible night.
Greek Semiformal Joseph Stevenson This was the second year of the semiformal and awards dinner event, having replaced the simpler awards ceremony in 2012. Encouraging attendance of a representative from each greek chapter on campus, the event is open to all initiated Greeks as well as potential new members. The event traditionally begins with opening remarks and a short amount of time for socializing and photography, followed by dinner and chapter awards. The award presentation is followed by music provided by a dj, dancing, and continued socializing before departure.
Newest Pearls Rahel Medhanie, ASA
Alpha Sigma Alpha is pleased to announce the Pearl Class of 2014: • Kayla Carol • Cara Metevier • Melina Stathopoulos • Maria Haefner David Richelson, Club President • Katie Esch Laser Tag Club is the number 1 most • Katelyn Starr under appreciated club on campus. We • Mary Mrdjenovic have so much fun we don't know what to • Tiffany King do with it all. We play regular Laser Tag, We look forward to adding these wonin addition to games that we've invented derful ladies to our sisterhood!
Laser Tag
Reaching Students Effectively Matthew White Communication is the heart of our everyday lives as students, but the ways in which we go about it are very different from the ways in which we have been conditioned to think about it. On September 9, Miss Elazabith McLean gave a presentation entitled "Kettering Communications: How to Reach Students Through Effective Advertising and Marketing." Stemming from her experience in student and faculty settings, she had identified a lack of knowledge surrounding ways that students get information. While she admits that Kettering students are unique and unconventional, she also believed that students were rational and knew exactly how they wanted to consume information. Gathering information from 109 students who had answered her survey on Blackboard and through Facebook, Miss McLean spent her own time forming a picture of how students most often communicated and identified failed methods. Given six choices, students reported getting most of their information through word of mouth (77%), followed by mass e-mails (75%), Facebook (65%), the current students page of the Kettering website (54%), The Technician (35%), and finally flyers (30%). Additional comments noted that banners in the Great Court were sometimes useful. Again prompted with those six op-
tions, students were asked which sources they did not utilize. The Technician took top place (65.9%), with flyers (63.5%), the current students page (37.7%), Facebook (23.5%), and mass e-mails and word of mouth (both 16.5%) falling in roughly the opposite order in which they are often relied. Most students have some online presence, and the results are fairly unsurprising. When asked which outlet they check daily, every student who answered the question replied with Facebook. Twitter came in second with 21.8% of students visiting daily, and LinkedIn at 9.2%. No students visited MySpace daily. Mass e-mails were a contentious topic among students. 51% of students surveyed said that they always read mass e-mails, while 44% said they sometimes would, and a further 5% promptly ignored them all. Commentary on this question noted that lengthy e-mails were more often ignored, as too were repetitive e-mails. One student's response was particularly pointed—"[D]o I really need 6 emails telling to to [sic] make sure my insurance form is complete, my tuition is paid on time, that B section is having a cook out etc." Over work term, 89% of students admitted to reading their e-mail, but infrequently. One student remarked that it was during work term that they were most likely to read long e-mails sent out by the school. The type of information also affected the response students had to it. Most students (86%) wanted to know about major changes to campus (such as graduation), as well as messages from Dr. McMahan and changes to budgets, tuition, etc. (both 77%). All-campus events like homecoming were slightly less important (70%) and club events were narrowly in the majority (56%). Most students did
Reaching Students Effectively not care about ksg information or volunteering opportunities (both 38%) and messages from vice presidents (36%). When asked for their free input about the best and worst methods of communication, students were overwhelmingly in favor of e-mail, with word of mouth, banners in the Great Court, radio, and large presentation signs all receiving fairly positive feedback. There was contention over the use of Facebook, The Technician, the current students page, and flyers. Most students disliked having to read an e-mail attachment or long e-mails, using Twitter or Pinterest, and receiving phone calls. Some of the partial short essay responses Miss McLean received were included in her presentation. Remarks like "The more words involved the less likely I am to read the entire message" and "Email works... I just can't stand how I get so many reminders about paying tuition, insurance even though I took care of that week ago" capture the essence of the student's dilemma—information that is irrelevant displacing potentially important things. Students feedback was overwhelmingly in favor of creating directed e-mails, so that off-section students would not receive e-mails, nor would changes to upper-level courses be blasted to everyone in the entire department. Miss McLean hopes that with the addition of new staff members, the University will take these lessons and implement them at an institutional level. For students, she emphasizes a variety of media for advertising, noting not everyone uses each medium. Creativity is also helpful, noting the Student Alumni Council's large poster boards and recent use of playing cards to attract an audience to listen to a Las Vegas-based ceo.
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Photos clockwise from top: • Part of the Kettering experience is painting General Determination at least once—Fye students here pose after their attempt • Laura Peters and Drew Jackson perform at wkuf's open mic night • Tylor Schramski cuts a rug at the Greek semi-formal • Mrs. Shari Luck tries out a hovercraft built for the fye talent show Photos courtesy of Kettering Communications.
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In Pictures
Photos clockwise from top left: • Michael Cox attempts to glide across the parking lot on top of a hovercraft as part of Innovation Quest • Mallika Wadhawan plays in the ASA v. Alpha Phi A Tourney Flag Football game • Todd Turfe, Maria Goodpaster, and Amber Coe pose for a photo after presenting the first-ever professional practice thesis project Photos courtesy of Kettering Communications.
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Innovation SuperQuest
ued throughout the last of the matches, with Mike as the driving force behind the Devils. They reached the final round, not a loss to their name. Up against them was their biggest rival of the term, Team 414, who Bobby Crumley had won the weekly Innovation Quest On a campus, not actually that far twice and was now at the start line eyeing away, were five teams, each eagerly await- them down. They looked at each other, the friendliing the chance to prove their superiority. The Aviators, with their throne of a est contempt ever exuded by two teams. hovercraft; 414 with their pointed arrow; Both teams took off with the Devils bethe steel-plated Chaz-Manian Devils contrasting with the bi-layer particle board of Team 44, with All for One rounding it out. Each team, as eager to showcase their beast as the next, lined up and checked their craft for a final once-over. First up were the Aviators, seeking to fly straight to victory. The family team of Erin, Bryan and father Dan Boyse, were up against Team 44 and easily took first, with Erin coasting to an easy victory, her brother running behind. More teams, more races, more intenhind, but it is merely the Devil teasing sity unfolded as the day went on. Each the enemy team. The steel plated monteam lined up with their competitor, ster picked up speed, outpacing 414. 414 checked their connections, and did all started to reach their stride, doing their they could to ensure victory. best to stick with the Devils. Never more The Boyse team of Aviators made it to than a hovercraft length behind, they do face off against the Chaz-Manian Devils, all they can to push ahead. with more hype than if the Lions made it They race to the finish, the closest to the Super Bowl. match of the day. The Chaz-Manian The steel plate started slow, but so did Devils reach the finish at what seems like Erin on her throne. The Aviators took a a hundred miles an hour and plow into small lead, only to see it fade away like a score keeper Bob Crumley, too excited spider web under a flame as they slowly about their victory to care. twisted and convoluted their direcThe first victor of the Kettering Univertion. Taking no time to send their con- sity Innovation SuperQuest is the Chazdolences for the enemy’s turn of events, Manian Devils! They won the most exthe Chaz-Manian Devils with Mike Cox cellent prize of $500 to be split between as the driver surged forward, and gave the three of them, and we will be sure to the Aviators their first loss. This contin- see them next term.
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This Innovation Quest is one of many put on throughout the term. Thanks to the kertn Foundation, this quest is put on every week in the Great Court on Wednesday. Each week, teams of any size compete in a variety of challenges for a prize of $100. Challenges range anywhere from an egg drop with parachute, to quadrocopters swinging in and out of hula hoops and landing on platforms, to towers built with paying cards or gumdrops and toothpicks. Teams get just a half hour to build their contraptions, devices or structures. Introduced this term, however, was the brand new Innovation SuperQuest. Dreamed up by Alex Bush and Dr. Massoud Tavakoli, with help from Gerry Kozlowski and Bob Crumley, this endeavor was created. It was an idea for an epic quest which would challenge the best of the best in an all-out innovation battle. Several ideas were thrown around, when finally the idea for a hovercraft battle was presented. The idea grew and formed to what finally was demonstrated on Wednesday, September 18. Teams got several weeks to design and build their craft. Any materials and any resources were allowed. This was meant to be the epitome of innovation for the students. After all, it’s not all about winning some money. The main idea is to foster growth of ideas and the entrepreneurship mentality in students. If you have any interest in being a part of the Innovation Quest, either as a student manager or as a participant, keep your eyes out for the Winter 2014 Quests, as they will be making a return! You can contact Dr. Tavakoli of the me department for more information. Photo courtesy of Kettering Communications
More Star Wars than You Can Handle Devin Aryan
the same way it did for Marvel as well. The real question is how well this will all pan out. Rasulo said that the plan starts with a very strong Episode vii release, with Episode vii needing to be a very good movie to get fans of the series and newcomers to be happy with the change from Lucasfilms to Disney. With J.J. Abrams as the director, who has had great success with the two recent Star Trek movies, Episode vii will probably do well, and that is all Disney needs to boost the franchise to where they want it to go. Only time will tell how bleak or bright the future of Star Wars is. Fans are both excited, and weary, of any possibly change Disney could make to the canon universe. Hopefully the alterations will not be too drastic, but no one can know for sure, yet.
Last year Disney bought Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion, which netted them everything Star Wars. Soon after the purchase, Disney made it known that they had plans to release a Star Wars film every year, starting in 2015. Among these films are Episodes vii, viii, and ix. But once the third trilogy is completed, what will they do? Or even between those major titles, what movies will hit theaters? Well an answer has possibly come to light. Recently, Variety interviewed Jay Rasulo, Co. cfo for Walt Disney, who had much to say about Star Wars. Calling the franchise an “evergreen property”, he claimed that “the sky’s the limit” for what they could do with the franchise. When Devin Aryan asked about the movies, it was revealed Grand Theft Auto v hit shelves on that origin stories might come to the big screen. The in between movies would fea- Tuesday, September 17, and the hit reture origin stories for some of the charac- ally packed a punch. Exploding onto the ters, the most likely ones being Han Solo, scene, the game had received nothing but Yoda, and possibly Boba Fett. Rasulo also revealed plans to push Star Wars into the international realm. Lucasfilms, being a tiny company in comparison to Disney, had mainly focused on U.S.-based products and licensing. Disney has plans to travel across both oceans, hitting Europe and Asia. In addition, Disney plans to push Star Wars into other merchandise categories in much
Grand Theft Auto V Potential
More Star Wars than You Can Handle praise from critics prior to launch. This craze was so great, in fact, that the game had already made more money from preorders than the cost of production, giving Rockstar, the company that made the game, some profit before the game was even released. The rabid excitement is like wildfire, with the sales being projected to hit 14 million units by the end of the month. Michael Pachter, a Wedbush analyst, feels that the game could generate upwards of 1.4 billion dollars. Colin Sebastian, an analyst for rw Baird, claims that the game could reach the $1 billion mark by the end of the month, though that would require every person who purchases the game to buy it new, and not used. Either way, those numbers are huge pocket boosts for Rockstar, who should be feeling pretty good about their game. Having revolutionized the way sandbox, open world games play with Grand Theft Auto iii, the series has seen nothing but praise for some time from gamers, and it is beginning to sound like Grand Theft Auto v might just revolutionize the genre yet again. Whether the game is revolutionary or not, though, the game is doing tremendously well, and is definitely a product that serious gamers should all check out. Photo from Wikipedia
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KSG Election Winners President Ryan Neph What can be improved? All exceptional things accompany positive change. Kettering University, a school of highly respectable prestige, is no exception to this rule. Although it is the responsibility of the University administration to tend to the continuation of our school as one of the leading engineering educators in the country, it is an absolute necessity that change and growth be fostered. We have already seen President McMahan subscribe to this understanding. Under this new leadership I am developing a process by which the student body may decide upon an improvement to the school, research the implications, and propose the idea to the administration.
Vice President Evan Tucker What can be improved? A Vice President is traditionally responsible for the internal operations of an organization. This is an area of KSG that I see as the foundation for the success of the organization. Without a sturdy structure for representatives to follow,
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The Technician Magazine
the group can never get off the ground. I plan to investigate all branches of KSG, ensuring that all of its members are truly representative of student interest and concerns.
takes time if you take the right steps and wanting to move forward with it. People say that the city of flint is bad and say going to Kettering is not worth than my safety, if we can improve our community and spreading the word that Kettering is Administrator a great school and that campus safety and Hunter Casbeer flint police office patrolling around our What can be improved? school and we use the buddy system then There is always we can show that we are safe at school. room for improve- I want to get more students involved in ment and I would community services and get there ideas like to be a part of out for help and make Kettering even making this place stronger. better than it was George McAllan before. Kettering What can improved? University is a uniI believe that involvement in school versity that has a sponsored activities can be significantly different way of functioning with any improved at Kettering. I want to make other university around this nation. strides to motivate the student body to From personal experience after serving be more involved by having fun, wella year on KSG, I think communication advertised events. with the student body has been a little weak in many areas. If we find ways to Sophomore improve that area where students are Representatives more in tune and listen to what the leading bodies of the university are saying and Jacob Oliver doing, then I think there can at least be What can be improved? One thing I an understanding if not an appreciation would like to for the things KSG does here on campus. see improved at Junior Representatives Kettering is a betDaniella Mayoral ter relation with What can be improved? surrounding colWhat I think leges. Kettering is can be improved a relatively small at Kettering is school and could benefit from more inthe community teractions with the surrounding colleges. in and around Combined community service events, Kettering. Yes social events, and resources could greatly this is big but it improve our college experience.
Charlie Swett What can be improved? One thing that I think Kettering could improve upon is its involvement in the Flint community. I believe Kettering could help tremendously in the Flint community and help students feel a part of it. This could be done by holding more community service project that involve cleaning and maintenance of different areas of Flint.
KSG Election Winners Zach Goodman can definitely change this, by setting up What can be improved? an event (once a term) in the great court Based on some conversations I have or in the Pool consisting of Student body had with other students and some of my elected representatives and the students own personal experiences I can say that who can come up to their representative inconsistencies in the residence hall air and tell them what they think needs to be conditioning and water temperature are improved. a concern. I plan to attend the next meet- Jerry Brown-Lacy ing on Wednesday in hopes of seeing what What can be improved? I will be able to do with regards to this. One of the As far as other things, I am open to the issues I bestudent body and will be taking all suglieve can be gestions and inputs they have. Whatever improved at they think needs improvement, needs Kettering is improvement. that so many
Multicultural Freshman Representatives Representatives Ninad Ahmed What can be improved? As a freshman, I cannot say I recognize every aspect of how Kettering University operates, but I can identify problems that Freshman students face. From problems with “Ernie’s” to challenges in chem/ chem lab courses. Through ideal communication the conditions of student life could be improved. Voting this term can most politely be described as apathetic. Out of 956 eligible voters, only 175 ballots were cast— 18.3%. By class, only 10.4% of freshmen voted, 18.6% of sophomores, and 25.3% of juniors. There are no accurate figures on seniors because no one ran for a senior representative seat. The Technician also requested breakdowns by candidate, as is usually published, but was denied that information by Ms. Deborah Stewart, Director of Student Life.
Muhammad Ahsan Ghias What can be improved? One of the essential improvements that we need is to improve the communication between the representatives and students. A lot of students feel that they only communicate with their representatives when the representative comes to them to get the Nomination Signature Sheet signed, which totally ruins the purpose of being a representative. I think we
decisions are made that have a severe impact on students and they do not find out about them until they are impacted negatively. I want to improve the communication between students and administration by speaking to administrators and passing information between them and students so there is better understanding of the changes that are forthcoming.
Ballots Cast
Freshmen Sophomores Juniors Seniors
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The Technician Staff
Matthew White is the Editor-in-chief of The Technician. He joined the paper as a freshman, quickly moving up the ranks as Layout Editor and Assistant Editor. Under his early direction, the paper took on a more professional appearance and as Editor-in-chief, he intends to carry that professionalism throughout the organization.
Kaitlin Solovey is currently the Assistant Editor of The Technician. She enjoys most slacking-related activities such as not working, not writing articles, and occasionally forgetting meetings. She is however, a very devoted member of The Technician staff, and she wrote this term's Daily Bulldog, so you should read that instead of this, because it's a lot more interesting.
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Chloe Hauxwell may be the Layout Editor, but her unenviable jobs include attending Activities Council meetings for The Technician, soliciting content from student organizations, and ordering food for meetings. She is, on top of it all, a regular contributor of news.
Erin Boyse has the title of Online Editor, but she wears many other hats. She is in charge of advertising (and has hence given herself the title of Advertising Manager) and also assists with editing articles, layout, and T-shirt creation. She makes the beautiful banners that hang in the Great Court from time to time.
Bryan Boyse very recently joined The Technician to take on the role of Distribution Editor. The Technician Magazine
Rebeccah MacKinnon is our resident bi-sectional staff member. While she is on co-op in the summer and thus cannot bring her usual level of enthusiasm to the newsroom, she assists in the editing process as needed and regularly contributes her "Bunchy the Rabid Squirrel" mini-murder mysteries, to the delight of squirrel lovers everywhere.
Devin Aryan is a Technician staff member that does nothing useful whatsoever. He sits around and eats all the food, wasting space and air. He’s a Chemical Engineer that needs to be disposed off. You might see him lounging around, playing video games, and eating someone else’s food.
The Technician Staff
Robert Hayes is a graduating senior who has written for The Technician since starting at Kettering in Summer 2009. He has served as Editor-in-chief and Online Editor, as well as contributing a regular automotive column for the past four years. Torn originally between business and history degrees, he instead opted to pursue a Mechanical Engineering degree due to a lifelong obsession with cars and the automotive industry.
Colleen Chavis does the crossword and takes up space. She is a lovely human being.
Joseph Stevenson is a junior, and a topnotch photographer for The Technician. His work usually graces the center spread of the newspaper.
Ari Budiono is a freshman just making his foray into The Technician this term. His primary focus thus far has been his technology column.
Charles (Chaz) Mancino is currently enrolled in his Sophomore I term here at Kettering University. He has spread his wings in multiple areas, engaging in activities both in and outside of the classroom. During the day hours, he can be spotted learning furiously in his classes while night hours cause him to become a racecar-building, homeworkdevouring, blog-writing machine. Being an active member in the Formula sae team, Firebirds Club, and The Technician, among others, Chaz still finds time to star in his own blog at the Life at Kettering page in addition to selling Kettering to prospective students as a tour guide. He can occasionally be seen running throughout campus as to the keep the stress monster at bay. All of his articles this term regarded the Formula sae teams's success this previous season and the experience that the team gives to its members.
Libbi Staples is The Technician's resident cartoonist. Nickolas Jennings is a reporter for The Technician who moves between A and B sections, contributing content along the way.
Dr. Christine Levecq is an assistant professor of Liberal Studies and the The Technician’s faculty advisor. She is an invaluable part of the organization and provides support both at an individual and group level. The Technician thanks her for her dedication.
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The Daily Bulldog “All the news that’s fit to print, some that isn’t, and more besides”
All This in Only 600 Words? By Kaitlin Solovey Investigative Journalist
on Earth did we ever get around without
them. Then, one thing did: Snowfest!
them? Clearly, most students do not have
Snowfest was such an awesome event
This reporter is not sure that it is pos- their own cars on campus. No, everyone that no one even went. Students just sible to write only six hundred words wants to spend upwards of seven dol- could not handle the awesomeness preabout how much Kettering has changed lars an hour to drive around a painfully sented to them. There was a snow main the past semester. So much has hap- red Ford instead of their own car, which chine, gingerbread house building, and pened! Stand back, emu; as of this term, only costs as much as gas. Last time this even a gift-wrapping competition! Who we are all true kettering, especially reporter checked, gas is not seven dollars would not want to participate in those the students in nsbe, who won the Ket- an hour, so win! Students are absolutely in August? Even better, the Bell Tower tering Cup. So, let us bleed school pride thrilled to pay that extra money because would even play Christmas music at ceras we take a moment to remember every- they have never-ending piles of money in tain times for the entire week! It was just thing that has happened this term. Who could forget the True Kettering
their closets.
an all around fabulous event. There was
With all that closet money students,
so much to do and so much excitement
picnic? It was so full of enthusiasm, life, why would students do anything other and painfully yellow t-shirts, all to make than buy Kettering Dining Service food
during that wonderful week, it is really no wonder that no one went. It was too
sure that students know that they are anytime they want to eat something on much excitement to handle. True Kettering, just like Eastern Michi- campus? Certainly there are still places So, to conclude, a lot has happened at gan University students are truemu . where students are allowed to eat their Kettering this term. It is no longer just What would Kettering do without a slo- own food on campus and clubs are not Kettering, but #TrueKettering! With gan that sounds like a longer version of required to use kds yet; however, why that as the school slogan and their Zipanother school’s? Kettering would just would anyone not purchase all their food cars, monopolized food service, and unbe another slogan-less school with no
from kds? It is not significantly more
seasonal holiday gatherings, Kettering
way to make prospective students feel like
expensive than other options; even if it
students can finally feel like there is a pur-
they could find a sense of belonging here.
were, the never-ending piles of money in pose in life. For one, this reporter cannot
What kind of awful existence would that
students’ closets would make paying the wait to see what new snow-filled events
be? It would be just horrible.
difference feasible. The only reason not
will be planned next summer to remind
to eat at Kettering Dining Services all the
us that school is more than just academ-
Horrible is also a good word to describe our existence before Zipcars on campus. Upon their announcement, everyone was
time is that it would just be inconvenient. ics; it is painfully bright t-shirts as well. With all of these awesome things hap- Go #ku!
just so excited to create an account that pening around campus this term, it does the Zipcar website almost crashed! How not seem like anything could top any
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The Technician Magazine
• A satirical imprint of The Technician •
The Daily Bulldog
Bunchy the Rabid Squirrel By Rebeccah MacKinnon Investigative Reporter
Comic
By Libbi Staples bing quietly. "I was in the banner room across the hall when I heard Robert
Bunchy, the rabid squirrel, got a frantic
shouting over the music. I can't believe I call from Erin, Online Editor of a fantas- didn't hear anything—you'd think with tic publication. "Bunchy, we need your those horrible head injuries that I would help! Our Editor-in-chief
have heard something,
is dead!" As a great fan of
an argument or a hit or
the paper's hard hitting
something. All I know is
journalism and mini mur-
that he was fine when I
der mystery series, Bunchy
left an hour ago."
hurried to the scene.
Erin, the Online Edi-
Most of the paper's
tor who called Bunchy,
editorial staff was circled
seemed to be in shock.
around
Editor-in-chief
"I can't believe he's
Matthew's body. His head
gone... It was just yes-
laid in a pool of blood to
terday when he asked me to meet him up the left of the main desk, which had a cor- here. He said he had good news about the ner coated in blood. It was easy to see the staff for next semester, that I got the posifatal wound near his left temple. After getting over the gruesome scene,
tion I wanted. I just... I can't believe it." After speaking with all of the parties
Bunchy started questioning the staff to
and a quick examination of the victim's find out what happened. He collected the backpack, Bunchy busted out his handfollowing witness statements. cuffs and arrested the murderer. Who Robert, the former eic, was holding
killed the Editor-in-chief ?
a bloody plaid shirt in one hand. "I was the one that found him. There was just so
Editor's note: In reality, I'm still alive. much blood everywhere. I tried to stop All events herein portrayed are entirely ficthe bleeding with my shirt, but the blood tional in nature and in no way represent puddle just kept getting bigger. He was the actual ongoings of The Technician. For mumbling, but the only thing I could un- the answer, go online to bulldogs.kettering. derstand was the word 'comma'. Even on his death bed, Matt was editing." Kaitlin, the Assistant Editor, was sob-
edu/technician. Photo courtesy of FunnyJunk.com
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