K E L L O G G C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E

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December 2013K E L L O G G C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E

The TextbookDilemma... Pg 3

Corpses andCockroaches... Pg 6

The Dark Side of Campus... Pg 11

Veteran'sReflections... Pg 7

The Hunger Games...Pg 12

Paralegal Program: discontinued

Johnathan HoganStaff Writer

This year will be the last that Kellogg Community College will be running its Paralegal program. The decision to discontinue the program was made before the school year began. Professor Susan McCabe, the paralegal program coordinator, said she came to the decision following a decline in enrollment. McCabe sent a letter out to students on August 6, explaining the situation and her decision. “Last month, we at Kellogg Community College made a difficult decision that affects our Paralegal Pro-gram. Influenced by forces beyond our control, we de-cided to discontinue the program after the 2013-2014 academic year,” the letter read. McCabe cited several reasons for the decision, in-cluding a drop in the number of students enrolling, a decline in the number of students who complete the program, and the growing cost of the program itself. “The college has to look at that and say ‘Is this eco-nomical?’” McCabe said, “When things are hard to do, you have to do the right thing.” Students currently enrolled in the program will have until next fall to complete their required Paralegal cours-es. Students will then have ten years to complete their General Education requirements and graduate with their paralegal degree. McCabe said that most of the stu-dents should be able to graduate. Another major reason McCabe cited for the drop in student enrollment was the 2008 economic crisis which caused a decline in the number of jobs available locally.

“As the economy has gotten tougher, law firms have strug-gled,” McCabe said. As local jobs have moved or disappeared, students have had less incentive to study as a paralegal, thus causing a de-cline in student enrollment. Desiree Belote, a student in the Paralegal Program, is expecting to graduate this se-mester and has been fortunate in her job prospects. “I have been very lucky in that regard,” she said. Belote was able to find an internship last semester in her hometown of Hillsdale, Mich-igan. She is already a part-time employee, and hopes to make the jump to full-time after graduating. “I am loving what I do and know that if it were not for this program I would not be doing something that makes me so happy,” she said. Belote also stated she was sad to see the program go. “I am sad to see that the program is ending, it has done so much for me and it is too bad that it won't be there for others.” The effects of the discontinuation of the Paralegal Program stretch beyond students. Stacey Lott, an attor-ney who works as a sole practitioner and who special-izes in Estate Planning and Elder Law, has previously looked to KCC when hiring paralegals. Like Belote, Lott

has been lucky with the state of the economy. While she knows lawyers who have struggled, her business has in-creased as a result of the times. Following the economic crisis, Lott had more clients coming in looking for help managing their estate and preparing for retirement. “That’s why I’m so busy,” Lott said. “Everyone is afraid of losing their money.” As the workload grew,

Sleevi takes a breakT.J. TaylorStaff Writer

Cancer is the second-biggest killer in the U.S. Most peo-ple know someone who has been affected by it, yet when one gets the news, it always throws them for a loop. Tim Sleevi got just that when he was diagnosed with stage-three lung cancer in late October. Sleevi, the Fesehnfeld Center's Director for 15 years, began his medical leave on November 11. This will be his first leave of absence since he began working for KCC. A smoker of 40 years himself, Sleevi stresses the dan-gers of smoking and what it can mean for your health. "70% of smokers are diagnosed at stage three,” Sleevi sighed. He admits that he has dodged a few bullets over the years, referring to a case of bladder cancer he had about ten years ago and a minor heart attack he suffered only a few years ago. On a more positive note, Sleevi would also like to tell everyone that he is "very, very appreciative of the well-wishes and prayers of the staff and students." Sleevi's doctors want to take an aggressive approach to the cancer and try to knock it out before it spreads, it cur-

rently only occupies his left lung, and becomes more dan-gerous. This means that Sleevi will be going through radia-tion treatment every day for six weeks. He is prepared to attempt to conquer this disease with these appointments,

but he knows they will decrease his energy levels. Sleevi hopes to return by next semester and is treat-ing his leave as a hiatus, not a goodbye. His plan has been

Tim Sleevi in his office. photo by T. J. Taylor

Professor Susan McCabe photo by Simon Thalmann

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December 2013 3CAMPUS NEWS

The textbook dilemmaBob PsalmondsStaff Writer

You’ve registered for the next semester’s classes. It’s time to get the textbooks list-ed in the posted course description. For those with monies available through the school due to scholarships, grants, and loans, this simply means walking into the Bruin Bookstore. Your only issue might be that the books not in stock due to un-der ordering (a frequent occurrence), it’s backordered or you’ve waited so long to purchase it that the books were sent back. Timing issues aside, even art or photogra-phy items can be quickly acquired. Long wait for the counter over, it’s all deducted from your funds and you’re ready for the first day of class. For those students not on the instant monies program, it takes a little more re-search, ingenuity, and even luck. Googling the words “College Textbooks” can get you almost twelve million options. Due to time constraints, most students go to the big four: Barnes and Nobles, Amazon, Chegg, and Ebay. Through the services and options vary somewhat, all are more than willing to hook the student up with his required resources...for a price. This is usually lower than the Bruin bookstore and can vary depending on the book and option selected. First, you can just buy the textbook. Like

all online financial actions, this will nor-mally take a charge card and waiting until it shows up on your doorstep. The new books are close to retail prices but many online merchants offer a discount to pre-ferred members and/or college students. An education is not cheap and books are a big chunk of the student’s costs. The nice thing is that once the class is over and you decide not to keep the book for fu-ture review, it can be put back out on the market or sold to these same businesses to get money for the next round of text-books (or, even better, study pizza). One student did note that she netted $40 for the textbook when she sold it online over the on-campus bookstore’s offer of $10, so the effort to find another buyer might be worth it. A textbook you have to have but will likely never look at again could be rented instead. Chegg and Amazon are good ones for that option. It’s much cheaper and works the same as buying the text outright. Save the box it came in since re-turning it that way covers the postage. If you like to highlight the important stuff, go ahead. Most places have no problem with the student getting the most out of their textbooks. The options out there are pretty long for finding the right book at the best price. Doing a little research before clicking the purchase icon could mean saving enough to get a few of the

course additional items listed in the syllabus, as most photography and art students can identify with. Another option grow-ing in popularity is Etextbooks. Go online, find the correct title and edition, purchase the paperless computer ver-sion, and get to reading. With the new wave of technology that seems to expand by the sec-ond, this may become the preferred book form of college professors and students alike. The advantage’s include price, speed of delivery (mere seconds compared to FedEX/snail mail), and all the extra ap-plications. One art professor, Brad Poer, predicted digital will become the norm within the next ten years. Poer felt having the videos and mu-sic applications being so readily available a fantastic idea. His one negative thought was that most students will not put the Etextbook up on their digital shelf for re-view later on. Eric Petty, a computer guru and vice president of the Geek Club, uses only this

option and has said more than once that the world’s vast treasure of knowledge is only a google search away. Since it’s less environmentally destructive, the two just might be right. A google search of your own will pro-vide more ideas and options available to you. Some readers will always opt for the solid feel of a book. Others have left that archaic system behind as they surf the elec-tronic waves. Either way, be smart and re-search before buying or renting the required resources. It could save you a lot of cash.

Hundreds of dollars worth of textbooks photo by Lacy Janousek

continued from page 1 Lott began searching for assistance and hired Amanda Young, a KCC student who graduated in 2011, who received a call from Lott the same day she gradu-ated. Shortly after, Young’s friend and fel-low student Davena Shute was also hired. “I wanted to know I was hiring some-

one who knew what to expect,” Lott said. “When you get really good help, your business takes off.” When asked in an in-terview what she planned to do should her business require another paralegal, Lott looked down and shook her head. “I don’t know.”

Paralegal Program: discontinued

Written by: Miranda O'Neil, Selias Pittman, Kara Minick, and Amanda Montgomery

Lite 105 students and instructor, Rose Swartz, held court in the Grahl center lobby from 12 to 2 p.m. on October 31, 2013 for a Literature themed Halloween party. Students dressed as famous poets and authors and shared excerpts, facts, and anecdotes from their characters. Stu-dents walked through hallways and class-es while sharing candy and information. Some highlights of the party were Kara Minick dressed up as Granny Weatherall, a character from Katherine Anne Porter’s “The Jilting of Granny Weatherall.”Granny Weatherall won the costume contest and also displayed some

Creative twist on midtermuncharacteristic dance moves. Bran-don Larned did a spot-on impression of Hunter S. Thompson. While Kurt Buerle impersonated Sammy from John Up-dike’s “A & P.” Minick, with Subway gift card in hand, declared this “the best Mid-term…ever.” Students were graded on their cos-tume efforts, participation, excerpts, and knowledge. Selias Pittman, who arrived in full regalia as Paul Laurence Dunbar, enthusiastically shared the poem “We Wear The Mask” while wearing a glitter-ing Mardi Gras Mask. Pittman said “It was very exciting to learn about the poets and authors in such a fun and interesting way.” Be prepared next year for more Hal-loween Festivities!

the BridgeACADEMIC SUPPORT DEPARTMENT

FREE learning support center

Come see us! Ohm Information Technology Center, Upper Level, Room 207

Instructor Rose Swartz as Emily Dickensen and Selias Pithman as Paul Lawrence Duhbar