Ice sculpture for the dedication of the ATC building. (Photo by Danielle Ettinger/ Collegiate)

ATC building renamed Winser-Bottrall
By Chyrice Phillips
Collegiate Staff Writer

GRCC honored the Wisner-Bottrall families for their generous support over the years of the Applied Technology Center, by renaming the building Wisner-Bottrall Applied Technology Center.

The dedication served not only as celebration, but as a fundraiser which cost $150 per ticket. 160 donors filled the Applied Technology Center, Thursday October 16, 2008 for the dedication, recognition and celebration of officially naming the Applied Technology Center, Wisner-Bottrall Applied Technology Center.GRCC administrators, faculty, and students expressed the fact that they are proud to have Wisner- Bottrall names, permanently displayed on the campus.

Richard Olsen the Dean of Arts and Sciences said “I am focused when it comes to the students and their learning environment.”

“I appreciate the great opportunities for contribution, which helps us to create a better learning environment for the student.” GRCC student, Maria Mora said. “It is great that these families contribute money to help us with our college and to help us to upgrade and better our technology.”

“This event was prepared with much care and excitement”, said Andy Bowne, Assistant Vice President and Executive Director of GRCC Foundation.

All of the invited guess, donors and faculty members who were invited all wore aprons, brown and beige these aprons are a tradition which started last year when the Secchia institute was named.

The majority of the people tonight are quite wealthy, and some more than others these aprons represent a equalizer stating that no matter what you are wearing from a $300.00 pair of jeans to a $10.00 pair the apron says we are all the same, Andy said. T

he Native American band, Brule’ set the tone at the celebration, by playing family oriented contemporary rock. They will be playing from the atrium, which will fill the entire building and will be the central focus of the night.

The food consisted of tabletop bistro, everything southwestern style including the beverages. Roaming food no sitting down. Secchia Institute for the Culinary Arts students designed the menu, prepared the food, and participated in much of the decorating.

Not only did the students prepare and cook the food they also served the food.

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"The Big Bang" met expectations
By Sam R. King
Collegiate Staff Writer

The Big Bang talent competition met the goals of judges, sponsors, contestants, and the audience on its debut night. Thursday, Oct. 16, host Internio from WSNX took the stage to introduce 12 GRCC student contestants to nine judges and a semi-packed Spectrum Theatre.

The audience, as promised by event Chair Terry Hardaway of the Campus Activities Board, witnessed everything from celebrity impressions to Spanish song. Prizes galore were doled out to the audience by David Van Dyken of the AT&T Prize Patrol, including DVDs, CDs, movie tickets, t-shirts, and 4 tickets to Cedar Point. Contestants were judged in five categories.

Terry Hardaway said, “Time, wow factor, audience approval, and appropriate for audience, were rated on a one to five scale. They received points from one to five. Rehearsal was rated one through ten.”

Time was based on a five minute limit for the performers. Wow factor was rated by how much they wowed the judges. Audience approval was gauged by audience reaction. Appropriate for audience was judged on how well their talent was suited to the GRCC community.

Rehearsal was calculated on how well their performance was planned, thought out, practiced and delivered. The winner of the competition, by 30 points, Shelby Andenno, 17 year old dually enrolled Byron Center High School student, not only received the grand prize of $350, she was also offered a paying job as a direct result of her performance.

Steve VanWagoner, Vice President of Marketing for Celebration Cinema, sponsor and talent judge, said, “It was a lot of fun and the audience was having fun.”

He went on to say, “For a first time event, I thought it was a good turn out. As a sponsor it met our expectations.”

Jay-D from WSNX, talent judge, said, “When I was first asked to be a judge I thought it would be a fun thing to do. The event exceeded my expectations.”

Internio from WSNX, host, said, “I was excited. It was a lot of fun. Everyone was really nice and very professional. It was a great time… a lot of great talent.”

Members of the audience enjoyed it as well.Dan Watkoski, 26 year old GRCC student said, “They were really good performers, I’m really kind of surprised.”

Josh Theil, 19 year old GRCC student said, “I was surprised by all the different talent we have here at GRCC.”

VanWagoner summed the event up by saying, “That’s the key, when you can do an event for the first time and pull it off. Really, it lets you know if it will continue and what direction it will take. It will be well worth the school doing it again, giving it an opportunity to grow and attract even better talent.”

When the night concluded, Hardaway took the stage and said, “See you guys in 2009!”

This left the audience to believe the Big Bang will be an annual event. So what about next year?

When asked if he would host again, Internio said, “If asked, I would love to.”

Jay-D said, “I would like to be a part of the Big Bang next year.”

VanWagoner said, “It’s a growing event that could only get better. We would love to come back next year. It would be nice to be in on the ground floor of an event that, after a few years, everyone wants to be part of.” Hardaway said, “It was a whole lot better than I expected. We almost had a full house.”

He then said, “This was on a trial basis, but we did approve it for next year. Next year will be bigger and a whole lot better.”

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Farewell Skelletones
By Zach Burger
Collegiate Staff Writer

After being one of the most loved, all age’s venues in the state of Michigan for many years, Skelletones has decided to close its doors this January.

Mark Leech a.k.a. Mirf, the owner of Skelletones, had a goal for the popular local music venue when he started it. The goal was to stick around for about ten years, and then move on to a new idea or plan after that.

Over the years, it succeeded in becoming a very popular and respected all ages venue. But sadly, the ten-year marker is growing closer by the day and it’s about time to shut the doors. As far as his plans following the end of Skelletones, Mirf’s not quite sure of what he’ll be doing yet, but you can rest assured, he has plenty of ideas bouncing around in his head.

“It’s really up in the air right now,” Mirf said. “I plan to speak full-time, and I’d like to write some books.”

Speaking in front of live audiences is something Mirf is familiar with. He has traveled the country speaking to numerous groups of people in public schools, businesses, and prisons to name a few. In his speeches, he does speak of Christian values for the fact that he is a Christian himself, but “80% is of the content is encouraging people,” said Mirf.

Skelletones started as an idea back in the 90’s when Mirf was talking with a friend. At the time, he was in a hardcore band, which played every weekend at different venues around the area, promoting their band’s music and their beliefs. Sometimes, they were known to be somewhat outspoken, according to Mirf.

“We liked to think of ourselves as weekend warriors,” Mirf said.

According to Mirf, being a Christian was being involved in every day life with the people around you. In his case, he surrounded himself of with a bunch of teenage kids every week.

“I wanted Skelletones to provide a place for kids to hang out and stay off the streets,” said Mirf. “I’d rather have kids hanging out here, watching local bands, than have those same kids out partying and making bad decisions with their friends.”

With that, he went on to open the doors of Skelletones, and it grew into a successful local venue bringing in local and national acts from across the country. Skelletones has received a number of awards throughout its years.

For four years in a row, 2005 through 2008, Skelletones received the honor of being rated the number one all ages venue in Michigan by The Detroit Free Press. In 2006, George W. Bush presented Skelletones with a Presidential Certificate of Excellence for Restoration after extensive work to make the venue able to hold the growing crowds showing up for concerts held every weekend.

Even though, Skelletones has fallen into new ownership, it will be opening back up as The Mix Tape Venue after the final day of the venue.

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Everything is Jazz: Fall Concert
By Zach Burger
Collegiate Staff Writer

Shades of Blue and the Jazz Orchestra warmed the room last Tuesday night as the two GRCC jazz ensembles took the floor for their first concert of the year.

Both groups have had to step up to the challenge this year with a lack of experienced members, but the audience was clearly not disappointed with the show by their thunderous applauses. From the cool melodies of Shades of Blue to the punchy, brass performance by the Jazz Orchestra, the music made you feel like you were sitting down at a table in an old jazz bar in downtown Chicago.

“They’re a wonderful community of people learning this skill, learning the tradition of Shades of Blue,” said Duane Davis, Shades of Blue director. “They’re learning an art form that is at least a hundred years old… and it requires the artist to bring the inside out in the most raw, sometimes ugly, place while being honest to those listening.”

According to Davis, this is the first concert and it’s not the hardest music they will be performing, yet it’s not the easiest either. As the year progresses, the skill level of the music will be stepped up.

“I love the music because there’s a sort of blood connection between everyone singing,” said Chris Dupont, guitarist for Shades. “We’re able to jam, if you will, sort of party with the music.”

Jazz Orchestra director, Michael Gillan, had a very similar take on his group. Most of them are freshman, who are not as experienced as groups in the past, but each group has their own identity, according to Gillan.

“Bands change every year,” said Gillan. “It just depends on who walks through this door.” Despite the young groups, both directors are confident that they will grow together and become tighter throughout the year.

“Come back for next semesters jazz night, and you’ll hear a big improvement,” said Gillan.

As the night came to close, the sweet-sounding tunes echoed throughout the music hall with the voices of a pleased audience. The spirits of everyone there seemed to have been magically raised compared to the hushed voices of the curious crowd before the music started.

Davis made a point at the very beginning of the concert that was strangely apparent afterward. “Everything is jazz.”

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Christian Film Industry
By Rebekah Young
Opinion Editor

Earning $83.8 million during its opening weekend, “The Passion of The Christ” gave American audiences and Hollywood insiders their first glimpse at the impact of Christian-themed films.Now, four years later, the question is, has it made any difference?

“Hollywood doesn’t seem to pay much attention, if any, to faith-based crowds,” said Jeff Kellog, former Vice President of GRCC’s InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IVCF).

Though Gibson’s foray into the religious film industry targeted those viewers specifically, Kellog cited that “most of Hollywood laughed at it until it became the number one at the box office.”

Micah Merck, President of IVCF, disagrees. “Saying Hollywood has failed to create a family-friendly and religious balance is not giving them fair credit,” said Merck. “Hollywood is Hollywood. They have given Christians and families fair chance. Have they done a good job? No, I don’t believe they have.”

The success of “Passion” indicated a possible market for Christian films. According to Kellog, this market exists because “Christian films tend to be the only way for an adult to see an entertaining movie that doesn’t go against some or all of their principles.”

“This culture is visually stimulated and entertained,” said Merck of the movie industry.

He said people take movies way too seriously, often to the point of imitating characters and actors.

“Christian movies create a good balance for those who rely on movies for their library of reality,” he said.

Since the $371.8 million earnings of Gibson’s blockbuster, other production companies have since tried to repeat the achievement to varying levels of success. New Line Cinema released the big budget film “The Nativity Story” in 2005, which went on to earn a total gross revenue of $37.6 million.

Walt Disney released two installments of “The Chronicles of Narnia” in 2005 and 2008. The first, “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe” grossed $291.7 million, while its sequel, “Prince Caspian” earned $141 million. 20th Century Fox joined in, creating a religiously themed division called Fox Faith, which has released several straight-to-DVD films.

“A few years ago, 89 percent of Americans claimed to be religious in some way,” said Kellogg.

This statistic may be lower today, but even with a reduced, more “conservative estimate of 45 percent of Americans that are religious, that’s a good market by anyone’s ideal.” “Yes, there is a market for family-friendly and religious films,” said Merck. “People get bored real quick over similar themes and need a whole variety to renew their visual entertainment.”

In 2008, many small, independently made Christian films have replaced the big budget attempts for reaching spiritual viewers. The Billy Graham biopic, entitled “Billy: The Early Years,” and Ben Stein’s documentary “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” are some of the religious-toned films offered to moviegoers so far this year. The latter, a film promoting intelligent design, was named as the number one documentary of 2008 with over 1 million viewers in theaters.

The small Christian film that has earned the most headlines, however, is the family drama “Fireproof.” The film centers on the struggle of a firefighter trying to salvage a marriage on the brink of divorce. Made by an all-volunteer cast of 1,200 people for a production cost of $500,000, “Fireproof” was released in 839 theaters on Sept. 26.Opening with $6.8 million, it placed at No. 4. It has earned $20.6 million so far with all proceeds going to charity. “

Some common conceptions are that Christian films are low budget, boring and otherwise uninteresting,” said Kellog. “While it’s true that the films are low budget because Christian producers lack the funding Hollywood has, the misnomers of these movies produced being boring and uninteresting are falsehoods that most people don’t care to investigate the legitimacy of.”

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Facebook ... a distraction?
By Kyle A. Kiekintveld
Collegiate Staff Writer

It is a familiar sight, a student sitting in the back of the class plugging away on their laptop. They are checking the latest news on the social networking site Facebook.

The constant tap of the keys is distracting you from any hope of learning.

"I get distracted if they are sitting in front of me in class, I find myself looking at their pictures, or if they are typing really loudly." Annetta Sheldon, a GRCC Elementary Education student said.

"I've even had it where two kids in my class were chatting in Facebook and the teacher didn't even notice." Sheldon said.

"If your in class and your there to learn then being on Facebook is a problem." Frank Conner, Professor of Psychology at GRCC said.

Sheldon said she did not have any professors who have banned laptops, explaining that she did not think it would be possible given the fact that some students may have disabilities preventing them from taking notes by hand for long periods of time.

"I make it clear if their using it for non-class room purposes they need to turn their laptop off." Conner said.

While Facebook can be distracting in the classroom their isn’t any real discussion about blocking the site with a filter on the GRCC network, nor is their any real movement to ban laptops on campus.

According to Conner some professors do not allow laptops at all. Conner allows laptops because he uses Blackboard and allows students to download the PowerPoints for his lectures.

One of the features of Facebook is the ability to create groups, to discuss keep in contact with groups of your friends. Some of these groups can contain hundreds of thousands or even millions of people.

Scott Sanders, a 19 year old Marketing student from Austin Peay State University started the Facebook group, 'Petition Against the New Facebook', a group with well over a million and a half members. The groups' purpose is to try to convince Facebook to switch back to an older layout style. These groups can be powerful tools.

"I actually think that they (Facebook) are learning from my group and the others." Sanders said. "It seems like they took the 'do first, ask forgiveness later' approach. They made the layout change, then they received all the negative feedback, and plan on making some changes based on that feedback."

These groups can be more versatile than just trying to sway opinion about issues such as the Facebook layout change.

"I'm on Facebook more now that school started because I'm on a study group on Facebook." Annetta Sheldon said.

Sheldon mentions how it is far easier to check Facebook to see when her group meets than to try to keep in contact with several different people over the phone.

It is much easier for them to post a date and time change on Facebook. Professor Conner agrees, saying that social networking sites can be a valuable resource for learning. Especially for college students who want to keep in contact with each other for group work.

He warns, however, that Facebook has an addictive quality. People often feel the need to connect with more and more people.

"Whats the level of commitment if its digital?" Conner asked.

He cautions about people who portray themselves differently on social networking sites than in real life. People often say things online they would never say off Facebook. They also post pictures they would not want everyone to see.

"I don't think students understand the scope of Facebook. Once a picture is posted in a digital world its their forever. You can't get it back." Conner said.

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