This is the first time the event has ever been held at Adrian College. MYLCs are usually held at large, Division 1 schools, so AC was very excited about the opportunity to hold the conference. Brit Rowe, a Theta Chi Regional Director, said he wanted to bring the event here for four main reasons. Rowe wanted the event held here because AC has a good chapter, an active alumni base, good facilitates, and for the geographic reasons.

“It was really great having the conference here,” said senior  Derek Rymill. “I really enjoyed seeing all the brothers, alumni, and other chapters come together for this great event.”

The theme for this conference was “Building Better Men.” The idea behind this theme is to build better men by emphasizing creativity, and exploring the creative process to achieve the goal of thinking differently. To help explain this idea, the conference featured keynote speaker and AC alumnus Peter J. Lund ’86. Lund is a member of the Michigan House of Representatives, commissioner of Macomb County, and former regional counselor of the Theta Chi fraternity. He spoke to brothers during a lunch banquet about his personal experiences as a brother and also expressed to undergraduate members what it means to be successful in Theta Chi.

“The best decision I ever made besides marrying my wife was joining Theta Chi,” said Lund.

Lund expressed that when he was young his thoughts about fraternity life came from what he saw in the movie “Animal House,” but he came to realize it is so much more than that. For Lund, being in Theta Chi prepared him for life. Lund’s main message to his brothers is to know that there are many ways to serve our community, and to ask how to make the community a better place.

“A person at that age is looking for someone to turn to for advice,” said Lund. “This conference gave them the opportunity to get advice from the fraternity to help them improve what they’re doing.”

Lund later received an award from his fellow brothers. He was awarded the Citation of Honor, which recognizes his outstanding service to the fraternity.
“Coming back always feels good,” said Lund,.“I love the college, and I love Theta Chi.”

Lund wasn’t the only brother to receive an award. AC alumni, Peter Tomasek ’11, received the Regional E.F. Colley First Runner-Up Award. The Regional E.F. Colley  Award is given to the most outstanding undergraduate member of Theta Chi.

During his time at AC, Tomasek racked up a considerable amount of accomplishments and achievements which contributed to him receiving the award. Tomasek’s idea of changing someone’s life everyday was a perfect example for the MYLC’s “Building Better Men” theme.

The rest of the conference was made up of breakout sessions and roundtable discussions, which helped Theta Chi members learn how to improve their leadership skills. Subjects in the breakout session included learning life skills, building credit the right way, and creating continuous improvement.

“I thought the event went great. Zeta Beta has always been proud to call Adrian College home, and this was a wonderful opportunity to show on a large scale within Theta Chi what a great place this is,” said Theta Chi president and junior Garret Beitelschies. “I cannot be happier with how the event turned out.”

The chapter is currently working on spring semester recruitment and is looking forward to welcoming new members at men’s runouts on Feb. 18.

Throughout that time period, 25% of the profits made went to the GAC and their efforts to make AC a greener place. More specifically, the money is helping the GAC fund hand-dryers for the bathrooms around campus, which will help to avoid wasting paper towel.

“The outcome was actually a lot better than we had hoped for,” said junior and president of GAC, Tyler Chase. “We estimated to get about $125, but we ended up making about $170 at the fundraiser.”

“I wanted to go to Cancun and show my support for the Green Action club because I think what they are doing is really great,” said freshman Emily Kipp, who attended the fundraiser, “I really appreciate the effort they are putting forth to make our campus more environmentally friendly. I think it’s important to try to be ‘green’ because this is our Earth and if we ruin it there’s no going back.”

In the past, the GAC has provided AC with many “go green” opportunities. The GAC is the reason that we see the recycling bins in all of the academic buildings and in Caine.

GAC was started on AC campus in 2009. The group’s main goal was to implement green programs on AC’s campus after noting a lack of environmentally friendly initiatives. The group has been working to further this goal ever since.

They also made it possible for residents in the dorms to recycle. If a resident wants to recycle, they can ask their RA for the green recycling bags. Once the resident’s bags are full, they should take them to their trash room, and plant will separate them out when they collect the trash.

The current executive board of GAC consists of six members. Chase serves as President of the organization, while junior Annie Gigowski serves as Vice President. Senior Sasha Gale acts as Secretary for the group, junior Tara Camper is the groups Treasurer, freshman Adrian Krauss does the Public Relations for the group, and rounding out the Eboard is sophomore Justis Cummings, who serves as Recruitment Chair.

Gale is a first year member of the Green Action Club. “I am really happy that I am a member of the club,” said Gale “I love recycling and keeping the environment clean, and I think the club has a great head start on that for the campus.”

One of the main events that the GAC is planning for this semester is a “Go Green” week, which is likely to happen throughout the week of Saint Patrick’s Day. During the week, bracelets will be handed out in Ritchie as a “pledge to go green,” among other exciting and educational events.

If anyone missed the fundraiser at Cancun, there is a possibility of another fundraiser that will occur during the “Go Green” week.

“We are thinking of partnering up with Re-Bicycle Lenawee and maybe having a raffle to give away a free bicycle. More details to come on that, though,” said Chase.

The GAC meets every Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Alumni Skybox in Caine.

“We’re always looking for new members! The more the merrier! We would like to have everyone participate at the very least by doing their own recycling,” said Chase.

If anyone has any further questions regarding GAC or how to be more environmentally friendly, please contact president Tyler Chase at tchase@adrian.edu.

Members of TAP don’t necessarily have to be theatre majors or minors, but they do need to have ample experience in the art. The group uses a point system in order to assess how much experience each member has, based on what productions they have participated in and their role in each particular show. Students need to be sophomore standing to join TAP. Theatre classes also count towards points for eligibility.

In the beginning of the year, TAP puts on an ice cream social to introduce freshman to their fraternity. The group participates in some improv games to get to know each other better. While some theatre professors attend the event, TAP is the sole host.

Members participate in all aspects of theatre including acting, writing, directing, and working as a crew member backstage.

“I joined TAP because it’s a resume builder and it allowed me to get involved in the things they do on campus and with the community. My favorite part is the one acts,” said junior Alexandra Myers.

Every year TAP puts on one act plays which take place at the beginning of the fall semester. This also serves as TAP’s biggest fundraiser. All members of the organization are required to participate in this event, whether it be selling tickets, acting or actually directing the play.

“This is Theta Alpha Phi’s main way of making money for the year,” said senior Shelley DeHosse. “All [of] the members have to participate somehow and it’s a really great way to show TAP and theatre to the AC campus.”

Another interesting aspect of the one act plays is that the plays themselves are written by students, many of which are members of TAP. The group holds a contest in March where the TAP play-writing committee sits down and picks two plays to be produced the next year.

Aside from the one acts, TAP also puts on an event  in conjunction with the chemistry department where members help a group of Boy Scouts earn their showmanship badge. The Boy Scouts learn things like staging, background of theory, learning how to draw clefts, musical theatre history, and opera history. Not only does this event raise extra funds for TAP, but it also helps the group to get their name out in the community.

Another way TAP strives to maintain a good image in the Adrian community is by working closely with the Croswell. The theatre department borrows a lot of costumes, props, and other theatrical elements from the Croswell, and in return members of TAP sell concessions or usher during their plays.

Junior Emily King serves as president for the group, and junior Ian Hudgens is the vice president. Myers is the secretary, junior Kellie Fisher is the treasurer, and the historian is junior Amber Nethercott. There are also multiple other positions within the organization.

“We’re looking forward to receiving and reading submissions for the annual play writing contest and picking the final shows for next year’s one acts,” said King.

One of the most known activities that TAP partakes in is the “tapping” of new members. Once the group has decided who they will be inducting into their society, they “tap” them and force them to wear themed outfits. Last year, the theme was hats, and this year it was gaudy necklaces. The new member must wear their new accessory to class for a whole week after being “tapped.”

At the end of the year, the juniors of TAP host the “Normies,” which is an award ceremony where they honor all the productions during the year. The juniors plan the theme, decorate for the event, and coordinate costumes.

“I was initiated into TAP during the fall semester of 2010,” said junior Jeff Clark. “It’s been a great opportunity for me in my professional career to have this boost to my resume. I love participating in the one acts and all of the other little events we take part in during the school year.”

For more information about TAP and their upcoming events contact the president at eking@adrian.edu.

Pi Benio, professor of art and design, believes that even students and faculty not interested in art might enjoy the show.

“Both artists’ work have lots of interesting content—comments on the world,” said Benio. “[T]here’s a lot of fodder for thought.”

Benio brought the two artists to Adrian College primarily because their styles focused on developing complex textures on the surfaces of their ceramics, a concept she is working into her Ceramics II class.

“I think [the contrast between their works] is a great teaching tool for students,” Benio said.

After she introduced Freeman to Fisher’s art—and Fisher to Freeman’s art—both men agreed that grouping their work would create ‘good synergy,’” said Benio.

The works displayed in the Valade Gallery were chosen because of their unusual surface textures (hence the name of the show) as well as the continuity with the other pieces in their series.

“He works in a series,” senior Mary Selden said, “which means he starts out with an idea and continues to work with it as it shifts in each piece. Similar elements get repeated but changed as he goes along. As you follow the series, you can see his ideas grow.

“His work is really impressive because I thought he used a mold and that’s why his work was so perfectly rendered. But to find out he did it by hand, combining hand-building and throwing, made me appreciate his skill and work more.”

Sophomore Meredith Maniscalco agrees with Selden.

“For someone of his age, starting as late in his life as he did, his work is amazing,” she said.

Fisher’s work seems to be just as well appreciated, if not as well understood. Maniscalco enjoys his images and decorating technique.

“A lot of his pieces are really basic and his images enhance his work,” Benio said.

Selden says that she “doesn’t know too much about his work and process, so I’m looking forward to his artist talk.”

Fisher will be on campus Feb. 7 at 3:30 p.m. to demonstrate his techniques. This will be followed by an artist talk at 6:30 p.m.

Benio had originally discovered Fisher’s work in a couple of national magazines before seeing a show in person. Freeman, on the other hand, has been a stable figure in the area and is “really connected” to AC, said Benio.

After Freeman retired, he moved near Adrian and took a few community clay classes and college classes in ceramics before building a studio for himself in his house.

Both artists began their careers as businessmen.  At his artist talk, Freeman told students and faculty he had always had an interest in art, but decided not to pursue it in college because he didn’t think there was any money in it. Fisher’s artistic career, in contrast, stemmed from his advertising career.

For more information about either artists’ life and art, please visit their websites: jamesfreemanstudio.com (Freeman) and frankjamesfisher.com (Fisher).

Not only is this restaurant unique because it is located on campus, but it is also located directly above the ice rink in the Arrington Ice Arena.

Inside the restaurant, customers can overlook the ice through large windows while enjoying their meals, and during the games, the windows are opened, so customers can really be part of the action.

While the name, World of Wings, gives the impression that the restaurant is for wings enthusiasts, WOW offers quite a variety of foods to customers. They also sell quesadillas, sandwiches and wraps, burgers, salads, and desserts. They are also known for their homemade sauces, which are served with the wings among other entrees. The restaurant anticipates having their liquor license in just a few short weeks.

Winston Grant is the manager of WOW and is currently pursuing his culinary degree. His previous experience in restaurant management includes co-owning a Jamaican restaurant and serving as a food and beverage manager for Marriott hotels.

“It’s really great working with the college environment, but as a waitress, tips are not that good,” said freshman Iana Peck, who is a waitress at WOW. “I love the crowd though. Right now, it’s mostly students, but we get a pretty good amount of people from the community, too.”

WOW is open Sundays through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. The most popular times to dine at WOW, according to Peck, are during the hockey games, and during the regular dinner rush from about five to nine. Students can use their dining dollars or Bulldog bucks for their bill and gratuity, and staff and faculty can use their department charge number.

“So far, the most popular menu item has been quesadillas with just chicken and cheese in them,” said Peck.

Junior Daniel Steinkopf has already been to The World of Wings Café eight times since the opening this semester.

“My favorite thing to get is the fried pickles and wings with thai chili sauce,” said Steinkopf.

Even though WOW has technically already been open to the public, they will be having a week-long grand opening celebration starting on Jan. 30 and ending with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Feb. 3. This celebration will include a “Wing Bowl” which is an AC students-only wing eating contest. There will also be opportunities for food specials, free giveaways during the week, and the chance for up to 25 people to win free wings for a full year.

Peck anticipates that business will pick up even more after the official grand opening, as much of the Adrian community doesn’t know the restaurant is open.
“I think it [WOW] most definitely adds to the campus,” said Steinkopf. “The atmosphere of the bar, the ability to use dining dollars, and the chance to watch the hockey games is just awesome. I would definitely recommend it to others.”

Junior Caroline Szczytko tried WOW for the first time last Friday.

“I tried fried pickles one time, and I really loved them, so that’s what made me want to go to WOW. It’s definitely my favorite item on the menu,” said Szczytko. “It’s a cute and cozy and warm atmosphere, and I like being able to eat good food with my friends while watching the AC hockey games.”

WOW is still in the process of hiring new servers. If you are interested in applying, go to the restaurant and pick up an application from the hostess station. For more information about WOW or other campus dining, please contact Tim McLaughlin, general manager of Sodexo, at 517-264-4127 or tmclaughlin@adrian.edu.

The Motif cast consists of 23 members, seven of which are Adrian College alumni. The seven Adrian alumni are Becky Ditto, Penelope (Penny) Hallas, Jessica Kobel, Ashely Laabs, Tom Pavlovich, and the two founders of the show, Eric Swanson and Gerianne Ditto. Almost the entire cast holds some sort of musical degree. Most have musical theater degrees, but some have degrees in music education and some just have minors in music. Others are well-versed in music and have a vast experience in the field.

The group started off the night with a group number of “Aquarius” from the  musical “Hair”. There were six group numbers throughout the night and two songs that broke the cast up into the “Motif Gentlemen” and the “Motif Ladies.” The rest of the numbers were individual numbers that showcased the many talents of the cast.
“I had a blast,” said freshman Jessica Whelan. “It is a shame that more people didn’t come.”

Even though there was a small turn out for the event (about 25 people total in the audience), it was still a huge success. Everyone that went to the event raved about how fantastic the performers were and how much fun they had as an audience. One audience member, Mark Hyre, had actually worked Swanson.

“I loved the show. I’ve been in a show with Eric before and I loved it. You can tell that the entire cast really puts their heart into it,” said Hyre. “They are totally committed. It’s completely heartfelt, and you can tell it’s their purpose in life [to perform].”

The show ended with the big musical number “You Can’t Stop the Beat” from “Hairspray,” in which Swanson came out dressed as John Travolta’s character from the movie version of “Hairspray.”

The cast then did their encore of “Let The Sunshine In” also from “Hair.” During this song, the cast jumped off the stage, danced down the aisles of the auditorium, and encouraged the audience to stand up, clap, and sing along. After the performance, the cast held a meet and greet with audience members in the lobby of Dawson.

Audience members could talk to the performers as well as have their pictures taken with them. The audience and performers had a great time.

“I had a lot of fun,” said freshman Mia Gladieux. “It was very well put together.”

Motif is based out of Detroit. They tour the state doing performances. For further information on Motif and their music,  check out musicofmotif.com or look up Motif (musician/group) on Facebook. To contact Motif for scheduling an event, email Swanson at esswanson@gmail.com or Gerianne at gditto@gmail.com. For group rates and quotes, email musicofmotif@gmail.com.

The group is for anyone going into a health care-related career. PHPS helps members apply to graduate schools and other schools that can help them further their education. The club is also a place for students to come together and discuss what they have learned and help others if they are struggling in an area of study.

The organization gives students the opportunity to be around people with the same or similar career interests and to share information that might be helpful later down the road. Also, the group provides information to those who are curious about health-related careers, but maybe aren’t quite ready to commit themselves to the field.

The PHPS provides many opportunities to its members. It hosts a number of speakers, lecturers, and trips to help the students learn. For the past three years, the group has hosted a trip to Nicaragua. The students raise money by applying for scholarships, selling T-shirts, amd bracelets, and various other forms of fundraising.

The trip lasts two weeks, and during those two weeks students are getting hands-on learning in treating patients. Nicaragua is the second-poorest country in the Western hemisphere, so the aid and medical attention from the students is greatly appreciated.

“I went the first year the trip was offered,” said senior Emily Engel. “I loved it so much that I went back on my own time and helped out again.”

The group also participates in many local events. Each year the group helps out with the blood drives that are held on campus. They also participate in the Gift of Life Competition. The competition puts colleges and universities in the state of Michigan against each other in an effort to get people to sign up to be organ donors.

Currently, AC is ranked sixth in the competition. Michigan State and Calvin College are currently the front runners.

Last year, AC won the competition. To help AC increase its standings, and hopefully win for a second year in a row, students can sign up to be an organ donor every Monday and Wednesday at the PHPS table in Ritchie during lunch. For more information on organ donation, students can visit the table in Ritchie or go to www.giftoflifemichigan.org. If you would still like to help out, but don’t want to be an organ donor, you can contact your local Red Cross.

The PHPS provides students with the necessary tools to not only choose the right health care path for them, but also help them find places to further their education.

“There are literally hundreds of different health careers,” said PHPS advisor Marcia Boynton. “The Pre-Health Professions Society and the Institute for Health Studies collaborate on educating AC students about many more areas of interest than just pre-med/pre-dent and pre-vet.”

For more information on PHPS, contact Boynton at mboynton@adrian.edu. Students can also contact Engel, president of the club, at eengel@adrian.edu.

For more information on the Institute for Health Studies please visit the office which is located at 204 Peelle Hall or call 517-265-5161 ext. 4079. You can also check out the Adrian College Institute for Health Studies Facebook page for more information on both the Institute for Health and the PHPS.

 
The dancers ask various boys around campus to participate in the dance every year, and the group choreographs a different themed routine. The dancers themselves are in charge of creating the theme and coordinating the dance moves.

Each dancer was escorted out onto the middle of the floor by their partner before the dance began.

This year the theme was Michael Bublé featuring music by the artist. The girls all wore plain black dresses and the boys wore jeans with a button-up shirt and a tie. Bublé’s featured songs were “Haven’t Met You Yet,” “Save the Last Dance for Me,” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”

 
The ladies started the dance performing by themselves, and then the boys joined them for some swing dance moves complete with kicks and lifts. Then, the boys got to show off their moves, with some of the participants doing acrobatics. By the end, the crowd was cheering and clapping with enthusiasm.

ACDT will continue to perform throughout the semester and plans to continue the co-ed dance in years to come.

For more information on the dance team, contact the head coach, Angie Sword, at asword@adrian.edu.

C.A.N. hosted comedian Roy Woods, Jr. on Nov. 16 in Caine Student Center. After a online contest, senior Joe Van Geison (above) won the opportunity to open for Woods. Junior Delaney Andrews took second place and acted as MC for the show. (Photo by Cheri Anderson)

On Nov. 16 at 8 p.m., Adrian’s Campus Activities Network hosted renowned comedian Roy Wood, Jr.

Wood has been seen on “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson,” “The Late Show with David Letterman,” “Last Comic Standing,” “The Bob and Tom Comedy Tour,” “The Conan O’Brien Show” and he has appeared several times on Comedy Central.

The event started off with MC and junior Delaney Andrews who came in second place in C.A.N.’s comedian contest to be the opening act for Wood. Senior Joe Van Geison was the winner. He won by having the most ‘likes’ on his audition video that was posted on the C.A.N. comedian event contest page on Facebook.

Before the event started, audience members had a chance to go online and “attend” the event on Facebook, in order to be entered into a raffle for Wal-Mart gift cards of varying amounts.

Andrews and Van Geison both did a variety of jokes. Andrews included jokes about common pickup lines that don’t work on anyone, but can be heard at college parties all over the country.

Van Geison’s jokes included the awkward moment when you sneeze and everyone says “bless you.”

(Photo by Sarah Ramirez)

Andrews entertained the crowd with her jokes for roughly 10 minutes; Van Geison for 20. Both received prizes for coming in first and second place, respectively.

After the opening act and half of the raffle drawings, Roy Wood, Jr. took the stage.

Wood hails from Birmingham, Alabama and went to college at Florida A & M, where he studied journalism. He got his start in comedy by going to neighboring college Florida State’s comedy nights. After he graduated college, in 2001, he had a hard time getting into journalism, so he pursued comedy instead and he has had a very successful career since.

C.A.N. first approached Wood about the idea of performing at AC when they saw him at a college conference that showcased comedians.

“It was a very well put together show. It was one of the best that I’ve been to,” said Wood. “The crowd had a great energy. It’s nice that the college and student body are so supportive of new comics. It’s great to see a school that appreciates the art of comedy. If I had the chance, I would come back tomorrow.”

Everyone in the audience enjoyed Wood’s wide variety of jokes. His jokes were varied and included topics like getting ripped off at textbook buyback during college, Facebook, immigrants, Wal-mart and sports.

(Photo by Cheri Anderson)

“I thought he was really funny. Some of his jokes were a bit crude and racist, but other than that he was hilarious,” said junior Julianna Whiteman.

After the event, Wood stayed for a few minutes to sign autographs and to talk to fans, then he had to leave quickly to be back in Birmingham for a show the next day.

“The show went very well,” said senior and C.A.N. president Shelby Pushies. “Everyone responded well and it was a great event.”

For more information on C.A.N. or upcoming C.A.N. events, visit the Student Activities Office on the second floor of Caine.

C.A.N. meetings are held every Monday at 8:30 p.m. in Hickman Boardroom.

For more information on Roy Wood Jr. you can follow him on Twitter @roywoodjr or check his website at www.roywoodjr.com for upcoming tour dates and information.