WESTERN HERALD S ERVING W ESTERN M ICHIGAN U NIVERSITY
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YOU
Brian filters through his backpack in hot pursuit of a pen. He finds a blindfold, a whistle and an old tool for a futon he sold a year ago. “My life is usually mixed up,” the 21-year-old said. Brian Celusnak, pursuing a dual master’s degree in Orientation and Mobility for Adults and Vision Rehabilitation Teaching, is partially blind and was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at 11 years old. He’s enrolled for 12 credits as a master’s student, twice as any classes needed to be considered fulltime in the graduate program. Oh yeah, and he’s a comedian. “I like hearing people laugh,” he said. “If they don’t, it’s just awkwward. Once they start to laugh, they feel at ease.” His hearing isn’t super sensitive, it’s just more tuned in, he said. His favorite hearing hobby is listening to rappers like Lil’ Wayne and Lil’ Jon. “All the little people,” he said. Suggest people to be featured in our WMYou feature at newseditor@westernherald.com.
Poll
LAST
WEEK’S
What will you spend the most money on this Semester? a) Textbooks (62%) b) Parking Pass (23%) c) Parking Tickets (15%) d) Supplies (0%) THIS WEEK’S
What was your favorite part of Bronco Bash?
a) The Bands b) The Free Stuff c) The RSO’s d) The Rain
To submit an answer go to www.westernherald.com
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M ONDAY , S EPTEMBER 12, 2011 V OL . 96 I SSUE 3
Broncos beat the rain Storm doesn’t stop Friday’s festivities By Kassie Charnley Staff Reporter A little rain didn’t scare away the students of Western Michigan University as they received and took in all that Prepared for rain, performers from Bronco was made available to them at this year’s Bronco Bash. The Bash 2011 managed to stay dry to entertain 31st annual kick-off event of the school year shined on, even though the weather did not, allowing students to listen to fans on Friday, Sept. 9. live bands while gathering freebies and prizes from clubs and organizations around campus as well as from businesses around Kalamazoo News editor for the Western Herald, Erin Gignac, said that students were putting the most recent issue of the WestKevin Martini / Western Herald ern Herald to good use as she and fellow reporters handWill Anderson, frontman of Paraed the newspaper out to students as they passed Western chute, of Charlottesville, Va. perHerald’s booth at Bronco Bash. “We were hoping students forms at Bronco Bash on Friday, would read the issue, but once it started raining, students began using them as umbrellas, which is good too I guess!” Sept. 9. Gignac said. The usual free handouts of fliers, tote bags, pens, and coupons was of interest to Mindy Dunn, a junior majoring in Family Studies, but she said the flash mob, a sudden act or performance done by a group of people in public, was her favorite part of Bronco Bash this year, hands down. “I really enjoyed watching the flash mob because a lot of my friends were in it. They all looked like they had a lot of fun doing it, and it definitely puts a message out to new students, showing Kevin Martini / Western Herald that it can and is fun to get involved at WMU,” Dunn said. Danielle Percy, Bridget Dooler, Dunn also said that Bronco Bash is a good way to introduce Benjamin Ayer, Ashlee Daraban students to the different registered student organizations, or and Trever Walters work the booth RSOs around campus and helps not only the freshmen, but Kallie Strazdas / Western Herald others as well get acquainted with the area. for WMU’s Peace Center at Bronco President Dunn came dressed for the Bash on Friday, Sept. 9. See Bronco Bash See more photos at www.westernherald.com. weather to Bronco Bash on Friday, Sept. 9. Page 2 Kevin Martini / Western Herald
WMU welcomes Center for the Humanities By Laura Levin Staff Reporter On Oct. 5, WMU welcomes its very first Center for the Humanities. An effort that took several years to form, now provides students, staff, and faculty to put together and discuss some of today’s current social and political issues. “Several years ago, I headed an effort to start a humanities center. There was energy and interest but the time wasn’t right,” said Katherine Joslin, Founding Director of the University Center for the Humanities. Although the timing was not right, years later three new professors wanted to take the steps necessary to form a Center for the Humanities at WMU, in conjunction with Joslin. The Center for the Humanities turned from an idea into a reality. “Two years ago, three new professors—Blain Auer in comparative religion, Lofton Durham in theatre history, and Natalio Ohanna in Span-
ish—noticed we didn’t have a humanities center, and they went to Provost Tim Greene to get his support to put one together. I was called in, and we formed an advisory board of ten faculty members who all helped build the Center,” said Joslin. Joslin said having an education in humanities allows students to develop a well-rounded understanding of our cultural, political, and social issues of today. It also allows us to apply this knowledge to everyday life, and to further educate others. “Humanities education has value for students beyond training for a single job or profession. Humanities courses teach students how to read well, write effectively, and think critically about the significant issues of our time. These skills actually make students more successful in competing for jobs and, especially, for moving from one job to another, as the economy is increasing demanding of our workforce,” said Joslin. Blain Auer, Assistant Professor of Islamic
Studies in the Department of Comparative Religion, said humanities provide the fundamental intellectual resources for exploring global literacy, critical thinking, diversity and inclusion. “The mission of the University Center for the Humanities is to challenge cultural, professional, political, professional and intellectual landscapes for the creation and dissemination of original knowledge on the human cultural and social condition across space and time, through research, interpretation, and debate in the realm of ideas,” said Auer. The center provides a place for a large variety of people to voice their opinion, and share their knowledge with one ananother. When topics of such importance are heavily discussed, it opens up and stimulates people’s minds. “The humanities deal with questions that are interdisciplinary and can’t be answered by any one discipline or any one department in the University,” said Joslin. See Humanities
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WMU student coordinators plan 2011 Bronco Bash By Kassie Charnley At his year’s Bronco Bash, student coordinators have been working very hard to make the 31st annual welcome back festival a successful event for WMU students. Jim Stano, Matt Vargo, and Molly Weiner are the Bronco Bash coordinators for this year’s event. Each of them have been busy these past few months getting everything in order for the event that kicks off the school year – the event that most WMU students look forward to, as it includes live bands, prizes, giveaways, and food. All three of 2011’s Bronco Bash coordinators are eager to see how Bronco Bash will turn out this year. They worked together over the summer to plan this event for the students of WMU, while they each had their own tasks to handle for the event. Each student coordinator took the time to discuss exactly what they did on the job as individuals who have helped plan out the welcome back fun-filled event of the year known as Bronco Bash. Stano, Vargo, and Weiner were all willing to inform students of their tasks in order to give them an idea of just how much hard work was put into this event. Jim Stano, a senior Vocal Music Education major, is in charge of coordinating the artwork for posters, postcards, and promotional items. “This year, our promotional items included buttons, chapstick, hacky sacks, and sunglasses. I also created advertisements for newspaper and artwork for logistical aspects of Bronco Bash, such as the map and directional signs for the event,” Stano said. “Each of us usually work four or five-hour days,” Stano said. “The workload varies throughout the summer depending on the projects that need to be done. We try to have our promotional items by June for orientation, so the first couple of weeks were busy for me.”
Stano said that he receives anywhere between five and 10 phone calls a day, and an average of six or seven emails a day, all depending on the work week, what was needed, who had questions, etc. For him, the telephone is used more often, as a means for asking general questions about the upcoming event. Matt Vargo, a junior studying Organizational Communication and Philosophy, is equally as busy as Stano, but handles the tasks of recruiting volunteers, working with food vendors and contracted groups, and organizing the Green Team, which are the volunteers responsible for reducing trash waste at Bronco Bash. In his set 18 hour workweek, the time spent in the Bronco Bash office, located in the Student Organization Center in the Bernhard Center, all varied on how busy his schedule was. Vargo has been busy this past month working with over 100 volunteers who will be working throughout the day of the event. He said that without the hard work of the volunteers, Bronco Bash would not be able to run as smoothly as expected. Vargo has answered many phone calls and sent out even more emails concerning schedules, dates, and times in order to make sure that each of the volunteers that he has recruited has been trained properly for what they need to do come the day of Bronco Bash. Vargo has enjoyed the time that he has spent making Bronco Bash 2011 a successful event. He has also enjoyed working alongside Jim and Molly. “I always have fun with my co-coordinators. They are two amazing individuals and great to work with,” Vargo said. “Jim and I have both lost our name tag, had to order another, and then found our lost name tags! Molly for some reason has not lost her name tag, so I like to hide it, which I don’t think she See Coordinators appreciates.
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