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<?xml version="1.0"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>The Valley Vanguard</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/</link><description>September 21, 2011</description><language>en-us</language><pubDate>Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:36:34 EST</pubDate><lastBuildDate>Wed, 21 Sep 2011 21:26:20 EDT</lastBuildDate><item><title>We have a new website! (www.ValleyVanguardOnline.com)</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3328</link><description><![CDATA[The Valley Vanguard is proud to announce that we have launched a new website. All of our new issues will be posted on our new website. Any issue published on or before Monday, June 20, 2011 can still be found on this website.<br />
<br />
Our new website address is: www.ValleyVanguardOnline.com]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 21 Sep 2011 21:26:20 EDT</pubDate><guid>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3328</guid></item><item><title>Tuition on rise</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3312</link><description><![CDATA[The budget approved by the Michigan Legislature last month included a 15 percent cut to the higher education budget. The result? Students will now pay 6.9 percent more for their classes during the 2011-2012 academic year.<br />
<br />
The 15 percent reduction in its 2012 fiscal year appropriations amounts to a $4.16 million decrease in state aid.<br />
<br />
A credit hour cost $243.60 last academic year; this fall, it will be $260.50. An SVSU student now will pay $7,185 for 30 credits, up $507 from last year.<br />
<br />
James Muladore,<br />
executive vice president for<br />
Administration &amp; Business<br />
Affairs, said that a tuition<br />
increase between 6 percent and<br />
6.5 percent would make up for<br />
that deficit. Tuition raises are<br />
common every year, often due<br />
to inflation. Muladore said that<br />
the 6.9 percent increase has<br />
many other factors as well.<br />
<br />
 The determination of a<br />
rate increase is based upon<br />
not just the state appropriation<br />
funding level but also<br />
many other factors such as<br />
projected enrollment, and <br />
[are] necessary to support<br />
both the academic mission of<br />
the University and to provide<br />
other essential services to<br />
students and the University<br />
community,  he said.<br />
<br />
Gov. Rick Snyder called<br />
for public universities to keep<br />
their tuition increases below<br />
7.1 percent or risk an additional<br />
5 percent cut.<br />
<br />
Despite the raise, SVSU<br />
is still projected to have<br />
the lowest tuition of any of<br />
Michigan s 15 public four-year<br />
colleges or universities.<br />
<br />
Muladore said that<br />
SVSU manages its financial<br />
affairs  very conservatively, <br />
which has helped the<br />
University avoid drastic budget<br />
adjustments such as staff cuts<br />
and board program cuts.<br />
<br />
 The University has<br />
undertaken many cost saving<br />
or cost avoidance measures to<br />
achieve these results in areas<br />
such as energy conservation<br />
initiatives, collaborative<br />
purchasing arrangements,<br />
debt refinancing, improvement<br />
of various administrative<br />
processes such as registration,<br />
purchasing and human<br />
resource administration,  he<br />
said.<br />
<br />
Even with SVSU s<br />
conservative financial practices,<br />
the University is increasing its<br />
scholarship and financial aid<br />
budget from $800,000 to $10.5<br />
million.<br />
<br />
Muladore said that<br />
SVSU will continue to offer<br />
 quality academic programs<br />
and outstanding facilities<br />
and services to its<br />
students. <br />
<br />
He added that the<br />
University is planning for<br />
the future, especially for<br />
more budget cuts, and is not<br />
expecting state funding to<br />
go back to the levels it was<br />
in the past.<br />
<br />
 It will be prudent in<br />
terms of future planning<br />
to assume continued state<br />
funding constraints over the<br />
next several years, he said.<br />
SVSU s funding has<br />
declined from $4,581<br />
per student in<br />
fiscal year 2001<br />
to $2,665 per<br />
student in fiscal year 2012   a<br />
decrease of $1,916 (-42 percent)<br />
per student.  <br />
<br />
Muladore said Michigan s<br />
taxpayer support for higher<br />
education is in the bottom<br />
ten of all states, and that<br />
declining state support for<br />
higher education correlates<br />
with higher tuition.<br />
<br />
At the time of the<br />
announcement, SVSU was the<br />
fifth school in the state to set<br />
tuition for the year. All have<br />
increased their rates between<br />
6.6 and 7 percent. Michigan<br />
State, along with the 3<br />
campuses of the<br />
University of<br />
Michigan have<br />
since announced<br />
similar<br />
increases as<br />
well.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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up to be a season of firsts.<br />
<br />
With construction taking<br />
place at Wickes Stadium to<br />
add synthetic field turf, a new<br />
scoreboard and lights, the<br />
Cardinals will play all of their<br />
home games at night instead of<br />
the typical noon kickoffs.<br />
<br />
On Oct. 20, Ashland<br />
visits SVSU for a primetime<br />
showdown that will air on CBS<br />
Sports Network. The game is<br />
scheduled to begin at 8 p.m.<br />
and is the first time either one<br />
of the schools will play on<br />
national television.<br />
<br />
 This is a tremendous<br />
honor to be representing<br />
SVSU, the GLIAC and Division<br />
II in this nationally televised<br />
game against Ashland,  said<br />
Mike Watson, SVSU Athletic<br />
Director.  This game will give<br />
us, Ashland and the GLIAC<br />
the opportunity to showcase to<br />
college football fans the high<br />
level of talent that plays in our<br />
schools and conference. <br />
<br />
In a game that could<br />
have GLIAC conference<br />
championship implications,<br />
coach Jim Collins is excited for<br />
the national exposure.<br />
<br />
 Anytime you can play<br />
on television it is a huge deal,<br />
but to be playing a team like<br />
Ashland, a team that has been<br />
one of the premier teams in<br />
the conference the past several<br />
years, makes it that much<br />
bigger of a game,  Collins said.<br />
<br />
The game is one of six<br />
that CBS will broadcast on its<br />
sports network. The others<br />
are Central Washington at<br />
Humboldt State (Sept. 8),<br />
Bloomsburg at Indiana (Sept.<br />
15), Missouri Western State at<br />
Washburn (Sept. 22), Colorado<br />
School of Mines at Colorado<br />
State-Pueblo (Oct. 6), and<br />
Augustana (S.D.) at Minnesota<br />
State-Mankato (Oct. 27).<br />
<br />
SVSU was one of only<br />
three teams in the GLIAC<br />
that didn t have lights in the<br />
stadium. With the addition of<br />
the lights, the Cardinals will<br />
play all five home games and<br />
two of their road games at<br />
night.<br />
<br />
The additions, which<br />
cost SVSU $1.2 million, are<br />
expected to be completed by<br />
Aug. 1. Photos of the work in<br />
progress can be found online at<br />
athletics.svsu.edu.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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the Lady Cardinals last season because of an eye<br />
injury, Jade Fulton wanted to have a big comeback<br />
in 2011.<br />
<br />
 Coming back from an injury last year, I just<br />
wanted to work as hard as I could to get back to<br />
where I was and see how far I could take it,  she<br />
said.<br />
<br />
As it turns out, she was able to take it pretty far.<br />
<br />
Fulton finished the season with 31 wins and<br />
an SVSU individual season record of 426 strikeouts<br />
as she led the Lady Cardinals to the national semifinals<br />
at the Division 2 World Series - the farthest<br />
the Cardinals have ever advanced in softball at the<br />
national level.<br />
<br />
 Every year we put down our list of goals,<br />
and a national championship is always the first<br />
thing that s called out,  Fulton said.  We ve always<br />
strived for it. <br />
<br />
Although the Lady Cardinals just fell short of<br />
that goal by losing to UCSD 2-1 on May 29, their<br />
performance on the national stage topped off an<br />
impressive spring for SVSU athletics.<br />
<br />
Fulton was one of three athletes from the spring<br />
season to garner top conference honors by being<br />
named the 2011 GLIAC  Pitcher of the Year.  She<br />
was joined by senior golfer Nate Kelly, who was<br />
named the 2011 GLIAC Men s Golf  Athlete of the<br />
Year,  and sophomore multi-event track athlete Tyler<br />
Grob, who was named the  Co-Field Athlete of the<br />
Year  at the 2011 Outdoor GLIAC Championships.<br />
<br />
Fulton and Grob also achieved All-American<br />
honors, while Kelly finished the season with a 56th<br />
place finish at the NCAA Midwest/South Central<br />
Super Regional. All three were named the 2011<br />
 Ryder Athlete of the Year  by the SVSU athletic<br />
department.<br />
<br />
Fulton pitched in the last 16 games of the season<br />
for the Lady Cardinals and started every game<br />
during their post-season run, finishing the year with<br />
282 innings pitched, roughly 30 more than MLB<br />
pitcher Roy Halladay, who led the major leagues in<br />
that category during the 2010 season.<br />
<br />
She finishes her career with SVSU career<br />
records in appearances (139), saves (19), strikeouts<br />
(907), and individual season records in saves (8) and<br />
strikeouts (426), assuring herself a spot among the<br />
all-time greats.<br />
<br />
 It s a real honor,  Fulton said of her place in the<br />
record books.  I know there have been a lot of great<br />
pitchers that came before me, and I learned so much<br />
from the best of them. <br />
<br />
A fellow senior, Kelly ended his career with a<br />
big season, maintaining a 72.25 stroke average and<br />
racking up four top-five finishes at tournaments<br />
throughout the season.<br />
<br />
Kelly s biggest competitor might have been<br />
the tough Michigan weather as he and the rest of<br />
the men s golf team faced the harsh conditions of a<br />
messy spring.<br />
<br />
 When you re playing in bad weather, I<br />
believe your attitude becomes significantly more<br />
important,  Kelly said.  The entire spring was a<br />
grind playing through the wind, rain and cold<br />
temperature, but if you can forget about the weather<br />
and focus on your own game, it shouldn t affect you<br />
as much as you might think. <br />
<br />
Kelly s tough-mindedness paid off when he<br />
was named the 2011 GLIAC  Athlete of the Year, <br />
an improvement from his All-GLIAC Second Team<br />
selection in 2010.<br />
<br />
 It s great to be recognized as one of the top<br />
competitors in the GLIAC,  Kelly said,  but at the<br />
same time it would have been more rewarding to be<br />
recognized for team success. <br />
<br />
The final member of the trio, Grob, was also<br />
recognized for individual success: a fourth-place<br />
finish in the decathlon at the NCAA Division 2<br />
national meet. Grob s All-American performance<br />
was an improvement on his fifth-place performance<br />
in the heptathlon at indoor nationals, where he was<br />
SVSU s lone representative.<br />
<br />
Despite competing individually both times,<br />
Grob said that having teammates to accompany him<br />
to outdoor nationals made all the difference.<br />
<br />
 I had a good time at indoor nationals with my<br />
family and friends there,  Grob said.  But with three<br />
other teammates there competing, that was the most<br />
fun trip of my life. <br />
<br />
Grob was accompanied by senior miler Derek<br />
Stone, junior half-miler Alycia Wright, and junior<br />
pole vaulter Elizabeth Willford. Both Wright and<br />
Willford finished in ninth place in their respective<br />
events, just one spot out of All-American position.<br />
<br />
 I m happy, obviously, that I did take fourth, <br />
Grob said,  But I m a little disappointed that I left<br />
some things on the track and have to wait 360 someodd<br />
days until next year. <br />
<br />
Fulton, Kelly and Grob were all honored with<br />
the 2011  Ryder Athlete of the Year  award, the most<br />
prestigious Cardinal athletic award offered at SVSU.<br />
Presented to the top male and female Cardinal<br />
athlete annually, the honor is one that Fulton feels is<br />
the most important of all her accolades in 2011.<br />
<br />
 It s nice to know that the whole department<br />
is behind you and sees how much work you put<br />
in your four years there,  Fulton said.  I love our<br />
whole department; they did so much for me while<br />
I was there, so it was really ...]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:42:21 EDT</pubDate><guid>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3326</guid></item><item><title>Glass sculptures decorate Gardens</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3325</link><description><![CDATA[This summer, art takes us outdoors.<br />
<br />
At Dow Gardens,  Art in the Garden<br />
2011  features glass sculptures by Craig<br />
Mitchell Smith, an artist who has received<br />
national recognition.<br />
<br />
His sculptures, based off of the flowers,<br />
trees and water-life in the park, use thousands<br />
of glass pieces to imitate the look of painted<br />
brush strokes.<br />
<br />
The sculptures are scattered around<br />
the park amidst the flowers and trees of the<br />
garden. They are included in all five sections<br />
of the park: Stream Walk, Estate Garden,<br />
Color Garden, Pineside, and Exploration and<br />
Children s Garden.<br />
<br />
One example is  Making a Splash,  a<br />
sculpture that looks like water is spurting up<br />
out of the pond. Another one,  The Weeping<br />
Willow,  mimics the weeping willow tree it is<br />
installed in front of.<br />
<br />
There are 22 sculptures. Every Sunday at<br />
1 p.m. through July, another one is installed<br />
by Smith.<br />
<br />
But the art is not the only interesting<br />
thing about the gardens. Each section has<br />
something new to explore.<br />
<br />
Start out in the Stream Walk and see the<br />
waterfall that helps keep the pond clean by<br />
spilling 750 gallons of water a minute. Then<br />
follow the stream to the red bridge that will<br />
take you to the Estate Garden.<br />
<br />
The Estate Garden features a perennial<br />
garden, herb garden and jungle walk.<br />
<br />
In the Color Garden, tackle the yew maze<br />
and see the annual and perennial displays.<br />
<br />
At Pineside, find a little reminder of<br />
SVSU. A duplicate of the Leaping Gazelle<br />
(found at SVSU s fountain) looks over the<br />
reflection pool.<br />
<br />
There is also an overlook to see the Allen<br />
B. Dow Home and Studio. This has a unique<br />
structure and is partly underwater. Allen B.<br />
Dow (the architect) also helped structure the<br />
garden. His father, the founder of the garden,<br />
is Herbert Dow who founded Dow Chemical<br />
Co.<br />
<br />
Lastly, the Exploration and Children s<br />
Garden has a garden for the kids where they<br />
can water the flowers, play in the playhouses,<br />
create castles in the sandbox or blow giant<br />
bubbles at the bubble table.<br />
<br />
There is also a trial garden for gardeners<br />
to experiment with different plants and<br />
flowers to see how well they grow in the<br />
Michigan climate.<br />
<br />
During the visit, also expect to see<br />
rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, ducks and<br />
birds. <br />
<br />
The best part is that admission for the<br />
whole day is only $1 with a student I.D. You<br />
can also purchase an annual admission card<br />
for $10 good for the garden year-round.<br />
<br />
At dusk this Friday, June 24, Dow<br />
Gardens will host outdoor movie night. You<br />
can bring lawn chairs and sit in the gardens<br />
to watch  Date Night. <br />
<br />
There are also folk music events this<br />
summer. See dowgardens.org for specific<br />
dates and times.<br />
<br />
Dow Gardens is located on Eastman<br />
Avenue in Midland and is open 9 a.m. to 8:30<br />
p.m. every day in the summer.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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} catch(err) {}]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:39:04 EDT</pubDate><guid>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3325</guid></item><item><title> SUDS  musical brings good,  clean  fun</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3324</link><description><![CDATA[For many, summer is used<br />
to re-energize for the ensuing<br />
fall semester. For theater<br />
professor Ric Roberts and his<br />
musical comedy cast, summer<br />
is just another opportunity to<br />
perfect their craft.<br />
<br />
Roberts and the theater<br />
department haven t taken<br />
time off for summer in seven<br />
years. He said SVSU is the<br />
only local theater that is not in<br />
the  dark  in the spring and<br />
summer months.<br />
<br />
This summer s play is<br />
called,  SUDS: The Rocking<br />
60s Musical Opera. <br />
<br />
Opening night is<br />
Tuesday, July 26, in the Black<br />
Box Theatre. SUDS runs from<br />
July 26-31. All shows start at<br />
7:30 p.m. except for Sunday,<br />
July 31, which starts at 3 p.m.<br />
<br />
The play is about a young<br />
teenage girl and two guardian<br />
angels who come to help her<br />
find true love.<br />
<br />
It stars Amanda Mueller<br />
in her last major production<br />
at SVSU, as well as Emily<br />
Simmermacher, Katrina<br />
Robinson and Cameron<br />
Thorp.<br />
<br />
Roberts explained some<br />
of the rationale for having a<br />
mostly female cast.<br />
<br />
 The theater department<br />
is female heavy right now, <br />
he said.  So working with a<br />
75 percent female cast worked<br />
for our students. <br />
<br />
The cast has already had<br />
two read-throughs and is<br />
doing voice rehearsals with<br />
musical director and SVSU<br />
alumnus Jeremiah Kraniak.<br />
<br />
The show is in SVSU s<br />
Black Box Theater, which<br />
has arena style seating and<br />
only about 100 seats, but<br />
offers audience members a<br />
much closer view of the stage<br />
compared with a traditional<br />
theater.<br />
<br />
Many summer musicals<br />
selected by Roberts have older<br />
music, which may explain<br />
why many of the audience<br />
members are older adults and<br />
senior citizens.<br />
<br />
The play features 55 songs<br />
from the 1960s, and Roberts<br />
is confident that this  sweet,<br />
gentle, [and] humorous <br />
show will be entertaining for<br />
the audience.<br />
<br />
 I always try to find<br />
new musicals to produce in<br />
the summer,  Roberts said.<br />
 We have a limited audience<br />
available, so giving them<br />
something they haven t seen<br />
before increases attendance. <br />
<br />
The play is not the only<br />
thing the theater department<br />
is putting on this summer.<br />
Next week starts the 15th<br />
annual fine arts day camp.<br />
<br />
At the camp, attendees,<br />
who range from third to<br />
nineth grade, will be schooled<br />
in theater skill sets, such as<br />
improv and musical theater.<br />
<br />
Also, Roberts and Dr.<br />
Erickson are each directing a<br />
one-act play in early July, and<br />
both plays are Christopher<br />
Durang parodies of Tennessee<br />
Williams  classic plays.<br />
<br />
Roberts  fall load won t<br />
let up either. Aside from the<br />
department looking for an<br />
assistant theater professor,<br />
and being  in the middle <br />
of what Roberts says is  [the<br />
department s] largest growth<br />
period in its history,  he is<br />
directing two plays.<br />
<br />
In October, he is directing<br />
the children s play,  Wiley<br />
and the Hairy Man,  by Suzan<br />
Zeder.<br />
<br />
In December, he and<br />
professor Dave Rzeszutek<br />
are co-directing their second<br />
annual Christmas show,<br />
 A 1940 s Radio Play: It s A<br />
Wonderful Life. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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some refreshing cold summer drinks! For those 21 and<br />
older, try the Peach Sangria or the Spitball. Either way<br />
you choose to make it, with or without alcohol, feel free to<br />
customize these drinks with the flavors you enjoy.<br />
<br />
Jello Milkshake<br />
<br />
For a simple and fast cool down, try this delicious flavor of<br />
childhood.<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
<br />
- 4 cups milk<br />
<br />
- 1 package (3 oz.) Jello gelatin (your choice of flavor)<br />
<br />
-   cup icecream<br />
<br />
To Make:<br />
<br />
Combine milk, Jello gelatin, and ice cream and blend in a blender<br />
until smooth. Or soften ice cream and shake vigorously in a sealed<br />
pitcher until smooth. Yields four servings.<br />
<br />
Peach Sangria (Alcoholic)<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
<br />
- 2 cups White Zinfandel<br />
<br />
- 12 fl oz Peach Nectar (found in the international foods<br />
aisle at Meijer)<br />
<br />
- 1 cup Lemon-Lime Soda<br />
<br />
- Your choice of fruit (peaches, oranges, limes, grapes, etc.)<br />
<br />
- 3 oz Half and Half<br />
<br />
To Make:<br />
<br />
Mix the White Zinfandel, peach nectar, and lemon-lime soda. Add<br />
fruit and ice. Garnish the rims of the glasses with fruit. Serve chilled over<br />
ice. Yields 4 servings. For an extra kick, add a little Peach Schnapps. For a<br />
different flavor, try different kinds of nectar (mango, pineapple, apricot,<br />
etc.) or different wine.<br />
<br />
Spitball (Alcoholic)<br />
<br />
While the name may put you off, this spitball is a tasty sour drink.<br />
Vary the flavor with different flavored vodkas, or switch it up with<br />
whiskey or rum.<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
<br />
- Apple flavored vodka<br />
<br />
- Sweet and Sour<br />
<br />
- Lime Slices<br />
<br />
- Your choice of fruit (peaches, oranges, limes, grapes, etc.)<br />
<br />
- 3 oz Half and Half<br />
<br />
To Make:<br />
<br />
Combine vodka and sweet and sour in blender. Blend for a few<br />
seconds. This will make the drink foam. Serve over ice and garnish<br />
glasses with lime slices. Yields 3-4 servings.<br />
<br />
Strawberry Banana Smoothie<br />
<br />
Ingredients:<br />
<br />
- 8 -10 sliced strawberries<br />
<br />
- 1 sliced banana<br />
<br />
- 1 cup of yogurt (your choice of flavor)<br />
<br />
- Your choice of fruit juice (apple and orange work well)<br />
<br />
- Ice<br />
<br />
To Make:<br />
<br />
In a blender, combine strawberries, banana, and yogurt. Add a small<br />
amount of juice (about   cup) and a few ice cubes. Blend until smooth.<br />
Add more ice to make it thicker, or add more juice to thin it out. Yields 2-3<br />
servings. (Hint: A day ahead of time, peel and slice bananas and freeze.<br />
Frozen bananas will make the smoothie thicker so you don t have to use<br />
as much ice.) For a different flavor, experiment with other fruits.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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} catch(err) {}]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:35:58 EDT</pubDate><guid>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3323</guid></item><item><title>Opinions open a stream of ideas</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3322</link><description><![CDATA[Shortly after receiving my first<br />
ever opinion article this week, I<br />
talked to our editor-in-chief to<br />
narrow my focus and to figure<br />
out which of my many opinions should<br />
take precedence above the rest and<br />
be circulated in op-ed form to the<br />
Vanguard s readership.<br />
<br />
To Toni s credit, she did offer me<br />
advice for which I m grateful, but how<br />
beneficial it has been to my choice of<br />
topic is certainly up for debate. She said<br />
to me,  Just write about whatever you<br />
want. <br />
<br />
That wasn t the only thing she<br />
said. There was something about<br />
how awesome funk music is and how<br />
terrible disco music is in comparison.<br />
In retrospect, this may have been her<br />
subtly, or unwittingly, slipping me a<br />
potential opinion for me to expound<br />
upon. Or, it may have been fate in one of<br />
its rare, compassionate moods giving a<br />
desperate staff writer strapped for ideas<br />
something solid.<br />
<br />
But really, who wants to read<br />
an article explaining the differences<br />
between the musical genres of disco<br />
and funk while simultaneously making<br />
the argument that disco sucks (clearly<br />
it s  dead  for a reason) and explaining<br />
why KC and the Sunshine Band, a<br />
group that had its heyday in the  70s<br />
delivering a signature blend of funk<br />
and disco in hits such as  That s the<br />
Way (I Like It),   (Shake, Shake, Shake)<br />
Shake Your Booty,   I m Your Boogie<br />
Man, and  Get Down Tonight,  in<br />
fact, does not suck? Although,  (Shake,<br />
Shake, Shake) Shake Your Booty  is<br />
pretty obnoxious.<br />
<br />
Maybe it s because  shake  is one<br />
of those words with so many possible<br />
meanings in various contexts (i.e.<br />
milkshakes, handshakes, shaking a can<br />
of spray paint, to shake a leg, etc.) when<br />
it s repeated over and over,  Shake,<br />
shake, shake . . . Shake, shake, shake, <br />
comes to mean nothing, a pointless<br />
syllable of human speech, much sooner<br />
than other words might.<br />
<br />
Or maybe it s because the song uses<br />
the word  shake  something like 86<br />
times. Although, I m sure it sounded<br />
awesome to the coked-out frequenters<br />
of Studio 54 in their highly flammable<br />
polyester leisure suits, doing the Hustle.<br />
<br />
What I was getting at before that<br />
digression is how that in her advice<br />
to  write about whatever [I] want, <br />
Toni opened a floodgate of possibilities<br />
that overwhelmed me and made it<br />
quite difficult for me to articulate any<br />
particular opinion. Instead of standing<br />
in the middle of a stream teaming<br />
with migrating salmon on their way<br />
to reproduce and waiting patiently for<br />
one of them to jump into my grizzly<br />
bear mouth, I stand upright on my<br />
hind legs, contemplating the ideas<br />
running past me and wondering<br />
why my opinion of how these fish<br />
taste deserves to be validated, massproduced<br />
and circulated in a weekly<br />
Alaskan newsletter anymore than how<br />
the same fish taste to another grizzly<br />
bear. Why am I, this grizzly, sitting at a<br />
desk in front of a cobwebbed typewriter,<br />
clawing away, able to place my opinion<br />
so easily into print form and be paid to<br />
do so?<br />
<br />
Why do I deserve this opportunity<br />
more than anyone else? What gives me<br />
the right?<br />
<br />
You want my opinion? I m out of<br />
words.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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} catch(err) {}]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:32:05 EDT</pubDate><guid>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3322</guid></item><item><title>My life on a microchip? No thanks</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3321</link><description><![CDATA[Let s face it: technology<br />
has taken over. We spend<br />
countless hours in front of<br />
our computer screens social<br />
networking, doing homework, doing<br />
real work, playing games and keeping<br />
entertained. I work on a computer<br />
at least eight hours a day, followed<br />
by a few more hours programming,<br />
streaming Netflix to my TV and<br />
flipping through digital ebooks. As<br />
much as I love classic entertainment<br />
elements of entertainment of my old<br />
records, my paperback books and<br />
my typewriter, there is no escaping<br />
the fact that soon our entire lives and<br />
everything that defines us will exist on<br />
a microchip.<br />
<br />
Dr. Gordon Moore, founder of<br />
Intel Corp., predicted back in 1965<br />
that every 18 months, the number<br />
of transistors that can be placed<br />
inexpensively on an integrated circuit<br />
will double. So what does this mean?<br />
About every two years, all of our<br />
technology becomes twice as powerful<br />
and half the size and cost.<br />
<br />
As our performance, network<br />
and storage capabilities improve,<br />
technologists will find ways to digitize<br />
even more aspects of our lives. We ve<br />
already begun placing our media<br />
onto computers in the form of audio,<br />
movies and books. That is only the<br />
beginning.<br />
<br />
Keep in mind other assets of<br />
ours are also spread throughout the<br />
Internet, including financial data,<br />
copyrighted materials, geolocation<br />
data, etc. Other assets of our lives<br />
compiled in server farms (data storage<br />
networks) are the countless pages<br />
of profiling information about us.<br />
Anyone with a Netflix, Facebook, or<br />
Twitter account can already witness<br />
this phenomena of information<br />
collection.<br />
<br />
Take, for example, the suggested<br />
movies and TV shows that you receive<br />
on Netflix, the perfectly chosen<br />
websites and advertisement deals that<br />
pop up on Facebook or the suggested<br />
followers on Twitter (yes, even our<br />
computers are even telling us whom<br />
to be friends with). These suggestions<br />
are all formed using algorithms that<br />
output data about you based on input<br />
you give, including things you  Like, <br />
interests in your Facebook profile,<br />
locations you travel to and sites you<br />
visit.<br />
<br />
All of these assets mentioned<br />
thus far make up something I like to<br />
call our digital personality, a version<br />
of ourselves defined by what we do<br />
on our computers and throughout the<br />
Internet.<br />
<br />
Inevitable improvements in our<br />
technology will not only influence the<br />
way information about us is collected<br />
and stored, but also how we reach and<br />
interact with that information. These<br />
assets of our digital personality will<br />
no doubt be stored out of our hands in<br />
the Cloud. For those of you wondering<br />
what the Cloud is, it s nothing more<br />
than a series of interconnected data<br />
servers that will communicate, compile<br />
and process all of our information so<br />
that we can reach it and interact with<br />
it from anywhere at any time. Don t<br />
become caught up in the imaginary<br />
concept that the Cloud is this invisible<br />
floating bunch of information out in<br />
cyberspace. Just like the Internet, the<br />
Cloud is actually a physically existing<br />
entity that resides somewhere on<br />
the planet in the form of networked<br />
servers.<br />
<br />
Speaking of the Internet, if<br />
you re one of the Vanguard s online<br />
readers, you probably waited for that<br />
little circular progress icon to spin as<br />
this page loaded. Anyone who has<br />
used a computer can relate to that.<br />
Imagine a world where information<br />
arrives instantaneously. Just think, the<br />
microsecond you click your mouse,<br />
information loads. That s what you<br />
can expect from future processors<br />
and networks. No more waiting for<br />
programs and web pages to process<br />
information: It will all happen in the<br />
blink of an eye.<br />
<br />
To many of you, this probably<br />
sounds cool. We will have our own<br />
virtual existence, incredible mobile<br />
devices and light speed Internet<br />
connections to access data anywhere<br />
and unimaginable processing power.<br />
<br />
But for those of you who put all<br />
of this together and said,  Whoa, wait<br />
a minute, that s not necessarily all a<br />
good thing,  thank you for paying<br />
attention. There are people out there<br />
who aren t just using technology to<br />
check Facebook and listen to music:<br />
they are out there to steal your<br />
financial data and make your world a<br />
living nightmare.<br />
<br />
Malicious attackers, not to be<br />
confused with ethical hackers, will also<br />
gain all the technological advantages,<br />
including improved abilities to rob<br />
us blind and completely destroy our<br />
digital existence.<br />
<br />
In the eyes of a computer security<br />
professional, placing all of our assets<br />
online is the worst possible thing<br />
we can do. There is no telling what<br />
this information could be used for.<br />
It s already bad enough that we are<br />
blasted with ads and spam email<br />
based on our existing online profiles,<br />
but we want to place our entire virtual<br />
lives at stake? No thanks, I ll pass.<br />
<br />
Hopefully you understand why<br />
I like my records, paperback books,<br />
and my typewriter so much. It s<br />
pretty difficult to maliciously attack a<br />
typewriter.<br />
<br />
]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:31:01 EDT</pubDate><guid>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3321</guid></item><item><title>Real dads not seen on TV</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3320</link><description><![CDATA[On a rainy Sunday morning<br />
in May, I drove more than<br />
an hour out to a small<br />
church in Sanilac for the<br />
morning service. I asked the greeter at<br />
the door for an extra bulletin, something<br />
I could tuck away to remember this special<br />
day. I made my way down the aisle<br />
to the pew where my father sat with his<br />
sisters, who drove hours from different<br />
parts of the state to be with us. Their<br />
presence among the regular congregation<br />
of about 30 members made the<br />
assembly seem larger than usual.<br />
<br />
After the scripture reading, sermon<br />
and hymns, my father was called<br />
forward. Before the assembled members<br />
of the branch, the elders of the church<br />
ordained him to the office of Priest. I<br />
remember being particularly proud of<br />
my father just then; he had felt a calling<br />
for this responsibility to the church and<br />
acted on it. More than that, he lives the<br />
values and beliefs that he stands for in<br />
his new office. I ve always known him<br />
to be a man of integrity, someone who<br />
adheres to his code of values.<br />
<br />
On Father s Day, I thought about<br />
how fortunate I was to grow up with<br />
the father I have. He and my mother<br />
were high school sweethearts and have<br />
been married for 36 years. Raising<br />
five children together must have been<br />
difficult, but we could tell that he put<br />
his family first. Even with the stress<br />
and financial pressures that came with<br />
a large family, my father was always<br />
hopeful, hard-working and above all,<br />
honest. He stuck by us and provided for<br />
us. I never got the feeling that he was<br />
a good father because he felt he had to<br />
be, but rather because he wanted to be.<br />
By making good choices in his own life,<br />
he set a positive example for us children<br />
early on.<br />
<br />
When I think of fathers, I think of<br />
men like my dad: the devoted family<br />
men, the men who coach their children s<br />
T-ball teams, attend parent-teacher<br />
conferences and firmly but patiently<br />
discipline their children. In everyday<br />
interactions we often take for granted,<br />
they re the good role models. Our homes<br />
and communities are full of fathers like<br />
these, but if we accept the narrative<br />
about fatherhood as presented in<br />
the images and stories circulating<br />
in our culture, we could<br />
be convinced otherwise.<br />
<br />
In the news headlines<br />
of late, we tend to see fathers<br />
who don t give us such good<br />
examples: Arnold Schwarzenegger,<br />
John Edwards and<br />
the now infamous Anthony<br />
Weiner, just to name a few.<br />
Schwarzenegger fathered a<br />
child with an employee while<br />
still married to Maria Shriver.<br />
Edwards has been accused<br />
of using campaign funds to<br />
support his mistress and<br />
her child. Weiner resigned in<br />
disgrace after lying to the<br />
press, his constituents and his<br />
family about graphic pictures<br />
and chats surfaced on the Web<br />
just as news surfaced that his<br />
wife was pregnant. Each of<br />
these men, while professing to<br />
be dedicated to their families,<br />
made choices quite to the<br />
contrary.<br />
<br />
When I read these stories in the<br />
news, I think first about the effect on<br />
the families, particularly on the sons<br />
and daughters. Weiner s disgrace is a<br />
lesson that will live longer than our<br />
short-term fascination with his scandal,<br />
thanks to the Internet. Years from<br />
now, when Weiner s children are old<br />
enough to understand his choices (and<br />
their consequences,) what will they<br />
think about their father? How will they<br />
react when they see their father s lewd<br />
pictures and chats in online archives<br />
or blogs? Surely a father that teaches<br />
a child virtue by example is a better<br />
leader than a father who teaches a child<br />
virtue by the lesson of his failings.<br />
<br />
Television and movies also present<br />
poor models of fatherhood. Programs<br />
tend to portray fathers as impulsive,<br />
dim-witted and childish, ala Homer<br />
Simpson of  The Simpsons  and Peter<br />
Griffin of  Family Guy. <br />
<br />
Prime-time sitcoms also make<br />
fathers a comic figure, often in the dark<br />
about important matters in the home<br />
and the predicable punchline of the<br />
joke. In addition, TV dramas often depict<br />
them in the clich s of the absent father,<br />
the deadbeat dad, the neglector, the addict<br />
or the abuser. While family-oriented<br />
programming appears to present a more<br />
positive view of fathers, these men are<br />
often two-dimensional, undeveloped<br />
characters brought in at the end of<br />
an episode to deliver the moral of the<br />
story.<br />
<br />
These poor representations of<br />
fatherhood in our culture are dangerous<br />
and can perpetuate lower standards for<br />
fatherhood if we accept them to be the<br />
norm. And when we re exposed to the<br />
negative images long and often enough,<br />
it s difficult to imagine that they are not<br />
true of the fathers we know.<br />
<br />
The next time we re presented with<br />
a negative stereotype about fathers,<br />
we should question just how well that<br />
stereotype really represents the fathers<br />
we know. Rather than taking in more<br />
coverage of the Weiner show or sitting<br />
through another tired rerun of  Family<br />
Guy,  we should spend more time filling<br />
our consciousness with positive images<br />
of fatherhood that better represent the<br />
men most of...]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:27:11 EDT</pubDate><guid>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3320</guid></item><item><title>Tuition increases risk stunted growth of students and their future success</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3319</link><description><![CDATA[Last week, the SVSU Board<br />
of Control voted to increase<br />
tuition by 6.9 percent for<br />
the upcoming school year.<br />
The Vanguard understands that the<br />
increase is necessary to allow the<br />
University to continue providing<br />
quality education and services to<br />
students, but we question the forces<br />
in the state that make the increase<br />
necessary.<br />
<br />
In speaking with James<br />
Muladore, we learned that the state of<br />
Michigan has decreased its funding<br />
to SVSU by 42 percent since 2001. We<br />
wonder where this money has gone.<br />
We do not necessarily understand the<br />
complexities of a tough economy, but<br />
we do understand the burden we face<br />
as students in continued cuts.<br />
<br />
Muladore also said that he does<br />
not expect funding from the state to<br />
return to the levels it was in 2001.<br />
This expectation is worrisome for us.<br />
College expenses are difficult enough<br />
as is; students who attend college<br />
need to keep up with the costs not<br />
only for school, but they also have<br />
to pay for the rising prices of living<br />
expenses like food and gas. We feel<br />
that the difficulties we face in college<br />
will help us grow as productive<br />
citizens of society, but these are<br />
difficulties no one should have to face<br />
in the name of an education.<br />
<br />
We also ask if it s fair to cut<br />
funding to students at all levels of<br />
education. We are caught in a vicious<br />
cycle. Michigan needs an educated<br />
work force to have a successful<br />
economy, but the state s economic<br />
situation apparently does not<br />
allow students to receive a quality<br />
education without the risk of debt.<br />
Students are taught as early as grade<br />
school and middle school that going<br />
to college will help them be successful<br />
in life. But what happens when they<br />
aren t able to afford college as part of<br />
a growing gap between those who can<br />
and cannot afford to receive a degree?<br />
<br />
We worry that tuition increases<br />
will become the norm. If this is<br />
something that students should<br />
expect in the course of their<br />
education, they risk getting into a<br />
cycle of debt that could feel difficult<br />
to climb out of. We feel that it s<br />
impossible to start fresh after<br />
graduation with thousands of dollars<br />
of debt for a piece of paper that<br />
exemplifies four or more years of hard<br />
work.<br />
<br />
Some expressed a feeling<br />
of abandonment by the state of<br />
Michigan. One said that it feels like<br />
we ve continually been ignored<br />
and that we re being blocked from<br />
reaching any sort of success after<br />
college. While this may not be the<br />
intention of those working in our<br />
state government, it s a feeling that<br />
we share as a result of continued<br />
cuts to education and the increased<br />
difficulties we face in making ends<br />
meet while in school.<br />
<br />
Despite this, we commend SVSU<br />
for increasing its scholarships and<br />
financial aid to $10.5 million. It s<br />
a showing of commitment to us as<br />
students and for our future. We hope<br />
that the state of Michigan will follow<br />
its example, and soon.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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} catch(err) {}]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:25:42 EDT</pubDate><guid>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3319</guid></item><item><title>Summer camps: above the grade</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3318</link><description><![CDATA[Saginaw Valley might look<br />
more like munchkin land than a<br />
college campus for the next month<br />
as a variety of academic and athletic<br />
departments sponsor summer camps<br />
for elementary, middle and high<br />
school students.<br />
<br />
The athletic department is<br />
offering clinics for six different sports,<br />
allowing area high school students<br />
the chance to compete against athletes<br />
from other schools that they would<br />
normally play.<br />
<br />
For those wishing to pursue the<br />
fine arts, there are several camps in<br />
June and July.<br />
<br />
Tracy Thiel, student coordinator<br />
for the Cardinals  Creativity Camp,<br />
describes her camp as  a place for<br />
creative writers to come and write<br />
and meet other creative writers who<br />
are just as excited about writing as<br />
they are. <br />
<br />
Participants in the camp will<br />
have opportunities to explore<br />
buildings around campus, including<br />
the Marshall M. Fredricks Sculpture<br />
Museum, in search of inspiration.<br />
<br />
The creative writing camp<br />
participants are not the only group<br />
of young learners in the Fredricks<br />
museum this summer. The museum<br />
is sponsoring its annual art camps<br />
where students can come and express<br />
their creativity through drawing and<br />
painting.<br />
<br />
Not far from the museum, other<br />
youngsters will learn the ins and outs<br />
of stage performance from the SVSU<br />
faculty and students at the fine arts/<br />
youth theatre camp.<br />
<br />
Two camps are offered by the<br />
SVSU Regional Math and Science<br />
Center: The Science and Mathematics<br />
Extravaganza for Kids (SMEK) and<br />
the Science, Technology, Engineering<br />
and Mathematics (STEM) camp.<br />
Both provide young students the<br />
opportunity to do what their favorite<br />
TV characters do: play with robots,<br />
investigate crime scenes, build a<br />
rocket and work with chemicals,<br />
all while learning math and science<br />
skills.<br />
<br />
Tamara Barrientos, the director of<br />
the Center, says that the camps  offer<br />
an enrichment experience so that even<br />
students who may not like math and<br />
science can still have a great time. <br />
<br />
Another camp offered is offered<br />
by the Literacy Center, the Summer<br />
Literacy Clinics. There are 12 sessions<br />
spread throughout the summer that<br />
offer students the opportunity to<br />
increase their proficiency in reading,<br />
writing and math. These clinics let<br />
students achieve and improve through<br />
working in small groups with a tutor.<br />
<br />
According to Kristin Corneilius,<br />
assistant director of the SVSU Literacy<br />
Center, the camp appeals to a wide<br />
range of students.<br />
<br />
 We work with students who<br />
are struggling, on grade level, or<br />
advanced,  Corneilius said.  On<br />
average, our students who attend<br />
the reading clinic make about a half<br />
a year to a full year s reading gain<br />
during the 12 sessions. Our math and<br />
writing students also see significant<br />
gains. <br />
<br />
For more information on<br />
volunteering for a summer camp,<br />
visit the SVSU website.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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} catch(err) {}]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jun 2011 22:27:55 EDT</pubDate><guid>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3318</guid></item><item><title>The first rule of book club is...</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3317</link><description><![CDATA[You don t talk about book club.<br />
<br />
I m just kidding, of course,<br />
since many students have turned<br />
into tabookworms who talk about<br />
what they read this summer. Some<br />
are continuing a series, some are<br />
rekindling a long lost love with a<br />
title read years ago and others are<br />
choosing something entirely new.<br />
<br />
As a fellow bookworm, I ve<br />
also chosen some books by Chuck<br />
Palahniuk, one being  Rant,  the<br />
story of a small town teen who runs<br />
an infamous demolition derby in the<br />
big city. In the end, his adventure<br />
gets him killed in a car crash, but his<br />
legend lives on through his friends<br />
stories.<br />
<br />
Another book I m reading is<br />
 Blink  by Malcolm Gladwell, a<br />
psychological look at the splitsecond<br />
decisions we make every day.<br />
Gladwell breaks down how accurate<br />
we actually may be in our snap<br />
judgment. This is a real page turner<br />
if you re into psychology.<br />
<br />
Also on my list is a book of Edgar<br />
Allan Poe s short stories and poems.<br />
The language is just incredible.<br />
<br />
I have a stack of programming<br />
manuals on my desk as well, but I<br />
won t bore you with the details.<br />
<br />
With a nine-to-five job and my<br />
leisurely reading routine, I don t get<br />
much page-turning done. But for<br />
some students, like art and history<br />
Emily Sovey, the pages turn much<br />
faster.<br />
<br />
Her reading list includes  The<br />
Graveyard Book  by Neil Gaiman,<br />
 Art Kills  by Eric Van Lustbader<br />
and  The Lost Symbol  by Dan<br />
Brown.<br />
<br />
 The Graveyard Book  is about<br />
an unusual boy raised by ghosts and<br />
werewolves in a cemetery trying to<br />
adapt to a world outside the gates.<br />
<br />
 Art Kills  is about Tess, art<br />
consultant who witnesses the murder<br />
of an art dealer over the ownership<br />
of a very rare piece of art. Tess then<br />
fights through the unfolding plot<br />
as the heroine out to set everything<br />
straight.<br />
<br />
 The Lost Symbol,  the sequel<br />
to  The Da Vinci Code,  is packed<br />
with secret codes and mysteries for<br />
protagonist Robert Langdon to solve.<br />
When his mentor is kidnapped, he<br />
must unravel a mysterious invitation<br />
to find the truth behind the crime.<br />
<br />
Sovey s summer reading list<br />
spans about a half dozen other books<br />
as well.<br />
<br />
Another book lover is English<br />
senior Ashley Swarts, who is reading<br />
 The House at Riverton  by Kate<br />
Morton. The story involves an<br />
older woman named Grace who<br />
lives an assisted living home.<br />
Grace looks back on her life in<br />
service as a maid at Riverton and<br />
significant life events, including<br />
those that include a secret she s<br />
kept her whole life.<br />
<br />
Swarts is also reading<br />
Stephen King s  It,  which tells<br />
the story of a group of friends and<br />
their fight to destroy the  It  that<br />
terrorizes their hometown every<br />
few decades.<br />
<br />
She said that it s been on her<br />
bookshelf for a while and she wanted<br />
to give  It  a try since King novels<br />
seem like good summer reads.<br />
<br />
Her list ends with a few rereads<br />
she pulled from her shelf for a<br />
second time, Carlos Ruiz Zaphon s<br />
 The Shadow of the Wind  and its<br />
prequel  The Angels Game. <br />
<br />
 The Angel s Game  precedes<br />
 The Shadow of the Wind  and tells<br />
the story of David Martin and the<br />
mysterious person who asks David<br />
to write a book.<br />
<br />
My advice to fellow students<br />
would be to find a title and become<br />
lost in the literature.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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} catch(err) {}]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jun 2011 22:26:35 EDT</pubDate><guid>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3317</guid></item><item><title>Beat the Heat</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3316</link><description><![CDATA[Now that it is time<br />
to sport a bathing suit<br />
instead of a snowsuit,<br />
you should still be aware<br />
of some of the dangers<br />
that come with summer.<br />
<br />
These dangers may<br />
not be obvious but can<br />
be preventable if you<br />
know how to prepare for<br />
them.<br />
<br />
James Knight, a<br />
physician s assistant at<br />
Bangor Medical Center<br />
offered some tips to help<br />
beat the heat:<br />
<br />
STAY HYDRATED<br />
<br />
Make sure to drink plenty of water. The<br />
Mayo Clinic, a group of nonprofit medical care<br />
facilities located across the nation, recommends<br />
eight 8-ounce glasses every day.<br />
<br />
 On a hot day, hydration is more important<br />
than a set standard,  Knight said.  Just drink<br />
based on the heat and your level of activity. <br />
<br />
He added that alcohol should be completely<br />
avoided on hot days because it can cause<br />
dehydration.<br />
<br />
DONT BE TOO HOT TO HANDLE<br />
<br />
Heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heat<br />
stroke are all serious conditions that come from<br />
inadequate water or salt intake.<br />
<br />
Knight said that heat cramps can occur by<br />
themselves or as a symptom of heat exhaustion<br />
and heat stroke.<br />
<br />
Other symptoms of heat exhaustion<br />
are fatigue, dizziness, nausea, headache,<br />
clamminess and high heart rate.<br />
<br />
Heat strokes are the same as exhaustion<br />
except instead of being clammy, the skin is hot<br />
and sweating has stopped.<br />
<br />
Knight said that if any of these symptoms<br />
are observed, the person should be moved to<br />
a cool spot and given sips of salt water or a<br />
sports drink. If it is thought to be heat stroke, the<br />
person should also be covered in a wet blanket.<br />
<br />
NOW THE SPARKS ARE FLYING<br />
<br />
With hot weather comes<br />
thunderstorms that are often forecasted<br />
but can pop up with little warning.<br />
<br />
Wind and lightning are the two<br />
biggest dangers with thunderstorms.<br />
The National Weather Service<br />
recommends staying in a sturdy<br />
structure when a storm begins.<br />
<br />
If caught in the storm while driving<br />
and visibility is low, pull over and wait<br />
until it passes.<br />
<br />
If there are signs of a tornado while<br />
driving, find a sturdy structure. If this<br />
isn t possible, the Service says to avoid<br />
overpasses, as these can be dangerous<br />
in a tornado. Instead, buckle yourself<br />
into your car or lie in a low spot while<br />
covering your head.<br />
<br />
ALWAYS USE<br />
SUN PROTECTION<br />
<br />
Wearing sunscreen is one of<br />
the most important things you can<br />
do during the summer, according to<br />
Knight.<br />
<br />
 SPF 50 is the absolute lowest that<br />
is effective, and it should be reapplied<br />
multiple times,  he said. Many people<br />
love to tan, but  if you tan, you fail. <br />
<br />
 People under 30 who tan have a<br />
rate of skin cancer of 75 percent. <br />
<br />
Knight added that it s important<br />
to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes<br />
from UV rays and to wear sunscreen on<br />
cloudy days.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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} catch(err) {}]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jun 2011 22:24:48 EDT</pubDate><guid>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3316</guid></item><item><title>Dick Thompson retires from retirement</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3315</link><description><![CDATA[If Barbara Streisand and<br />
Michael Jordan can come out of<br />
retirement, so can SVSU s Dick<br />
Thompson.<br />
<br />
This summer, Thompson<br />
returns to the ombudsman position<br />
filled by Burk Foster three years<br />
ago after Thompson s retirement.<br />
Foster retired at the end of the<br />
Winter 2011 semester.<br />
<br />
Thompson was initially<br />
rumored to return as an adviser<br />
to Student Association, though<br />
University Spokesman J.J. Boehm<br />
later clarified that in addition to<br />
being SA adviser, Thompson would<br />
also fill the post of ombudsman.<br />
<br />
Thompson said he had been<br />
planning to come back since<br />
mid-January. Though retired, he<br />
remained up to date on campus<br />
affairs by keeping in touch<br />
with President Eric Gilbertson.<br />
Gilbertson mentioned Foster was<br />
going to retire when the two saw<br />
each other during last winter break,<br />
but it was Thompson who took the<br />
initiative to  throw my hat in the<br />
ring  and offer his services to the<br />
University.<br />
<br />
Thompson said in the past he<br />
never imagined he would return to<br />
SVSU, but despite enjoying his free<br />
time and  miss[ing] the students, <br />
a desire to return ultimately led<br />
him to follow his own advice and<br />
come back to the office.<br />
<br />
 Sometimes in life we wring<br />
our hands instead of acting on<br />
things. Instead of not acting upon<br />
[a desire to do something], you<br />
need to make a good, conscious<br />
decision  if you think it s right  <br />
do it.  he said.<br />
<br />
Even though Thompson<br />
thought he would never return,<br />
he remained open to changing his<br />
future plans.<br />
<br />
 If you don t think things are<br />
going to change in your life you re<br />
going to be unprepared,  he said.<br />
<br />
Thompson was a 38-year<br />
employee of SVSU when he retired,<br />
having been originally hired to work<br />
as an admissions representative.<br />
He held other positions such<br />
as assistant registrar, registrar,<br />
executive director of admissions,<br />
dean of students affairs. He also<br />
worked for campus life. He was a<br />
leader of the effort that started up<br />
the ombudsman position about five<br />
years ago. The ombudsman helps<br />
students with problems, conflicts<br />
or concerns.<br />
<br />
Thompson mentioned the<br />
advantage of his age for the<br />
position.<br />
<br />
 I am getting to be an old dog, <br />
he said.  There will be a time when<br />
[my job] is someone else s work. <br />
<br />
He doesn t have a time table<br />
set for when he will return to<br />
retirement, but he realizes that this<br />
second stint will come to an end.<br />
<br />
Thompson s return to the<br />
ombudsman position  feels right <br />
to him, and he looks forward to the<br />
opportunity to be involved again in<br />
academia.<br />
<br />
 I ve been around education<br />
for a long time, and it is something<br />
I enjoy a lot,  he said.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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} catch(err) {}]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jun 2011 22:17:44 EDT</pubDate><guid>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3315</guid></item><item><title>Board of Control approves increases for faculty, students</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3314</link><description><![CDATA[SVSU students and faculty can expect<br />
major changes in the fall as a result of the<br />
most Board of Control meeting.<br />
<br />
Agenda topics included faculty<br />
promotions, salary increases and tuition.<br />
<br />
Sixteen promotions were approved at<br />
the meeting. Three were promoted to the<br />
level of professor, 11 were promoted to the<br />
level of associate professor and two were<br />
promoted to the level of assistant professor.<br />
<br />
To be promoted, faculty members<br />
go through a review process with<br />
recommendations sent to Robert Lane, the<br />
Faculty Association president and political<br />
science professor.<br />
<br />
Lane s recommendations are then<br />
sent to President Eric Gilbertson and the<br />
Professional Practice Committee before<br />
being voted on by the Board of Control.<br />
<br />
Salary increases for faculty were also<br />
on the agenda. Faculty will receive a 1.5<br />
percent increase this year with a 2.5 percent<br />
increase each year for two years after that.<br />
<br />
The contract between the University<br />
and the Faculty Association was also<br />
renewed to last until 2014.<br />
<br />
The board agreed on and unanimously<br />
passed a tuition increase of 6.9 percent.<br />
Gilbertson said that an increase was<br />
necessary to provide students with a<br />
quality experience at SVSU (For more<br />
information on the tuition increase, see<br />
 Tuition on rise  above ).<br />
<br />
 I wish tuition were zero, but to<br />
provide students with what they want and<br />
need is impossible without it,  he said.<br />
<br />
Ted Goodman, Student Association<br />
(SA) president, said that students are aware<br />
of the challenges that come with the tough<br />
economy and that SA will work with the<br />
university  to ensure...students are getting<br />
a value for their money. <br />
<br />
With the state budget cutting 15<br />
percent of its funding to higher education<br />
institutions, universities around Michigan<br />
are raising the price of attending college.<br />
Gilbertson said that SVSU will still have the<br />
lowest tuition rate in the state.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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} catch(err) {}]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jun 2011 22:16:31 EDT</pubDate><guid>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3314</guid></item><item><title>Construction brings new opportunities</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3313</link><description><![CDATA[New and returning Cardinals<br />
should expect to see several<br />
changes around campus from this<br />
summer s construction.<br />
<br />
Costing nearly $14 million,<br />
the expanded dining and athletic<br />
facilities are to keep up with<br />
student demand.<br />
<br />
Students will see The<br />
Marketplace at Doan in the fall<br />
semester in place of the RFoC.<br />
<br />
Following renovations, the<br />
eatery will feature a state-of-theart<br />
Mongolian grill, a brick oven<br />
for a new pizza station, a new tray<br />
collecting system and additional<br />
seating.<br />
<br />
The Marketplace at Doan will<br />
also move into the former Cardinal<br />
Cage space as part of its additional<br />
seating.<br />
<br />
Jason Wolverton, marketing<br />
manager for Dining Services, said<br />
that the Marketplace at Doan was<br />
the original name for the RFoC.<br />
<br />
 The RFoC was actually just a<br />
trademark name by Aramark, but<br />
we decided to go with a name that<br />
represented freshness and quality, <br />
he said.<br />
<br />
Barnes &amp; Noble recently<br />
moved from the Rotunda to Curtiss<br />
Hall. The Student Life Center,<br />
which was next to the Independent<br />
Bank, will move into the former<br />
Barnes &amp; Noble location.<br />
Jeremy Frye, the assistant<br />
manager at Barnes &amp; Noble, said<br />
the change is beneficial for the<br />
store s overall mood.<br />
<br />
 The new Barnes &amp; Noble has<br />
an atmosphere that will give more<br />
of a feel that a college bookstore<br />
should have,  he said.<br />
<br />
The installation of the<br />
boulevard at the Bay Road entrance<br />
will add scenery for students as<br />
they come into campus.<br />
<br />
President Eric Gilbertson and<br />
Stephen Hocquard, assistant vice<br />
president of Campus Facilities, said<br />
even though the boulevard will add<br />
more<br />
scenery for students, safety was the<br />
primary reason for its installation.<br />
 The boulevard was installed<br />
as a safety precaution for students<br />
and guests to make it obvious<br />
that there is a right turn on Bay, <br />
Hocquard said.<br />
<br />
The Ryder Center construction<br />
that began near the end of winter<br />
semester will be complete at the<br />
beginning of the fall semester.<br />
<br />
An expansion of the athletic<br />
facilities and a second floor<br />
addition will allow more room of<br />
students to exercise.<br />
<br />
Hocquard hopes students will<br />
be satisfied with the additional<br />
room in the Ryder Center.<br />
<br />
 I think that it would be a pretty good surprise to the<br />
students as it will give them<br />
more space to play,  he said.<br />
<br />
New diving boards and a<br />
new score board will be added<br />
to the pool area in the Ryder<br />
Center. This will allow SVSU to<br />
become a site for regional high<br />
school competitions.<br />
<br />
The last major upgrade<br />
is taking place inside Wickes<br />
Stadium. New lighting will be<br />
installed, allowing SVSU to host<br />
night games, including one that<br />
will be nationally televised at<br />
8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20 against<br />
Ashland University. The turf,<br />
which Gilbertson said has not<br />
been replaced in 12 years, also<br />
will be replaced.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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} catch(err) {}]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jun 2011 22:15:10 EDT</pubDate><guid>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3313</guid></item><item><title>McIlvenna hands  Sins  spotlight over to Krueger</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3301</link><description><![CDATA[For history and creative writing senior Ray Deeren, writing a<br />
poem is a piece of cake.<br />
<br />
Deeren wrote a poem two hours before the Cardinal Sins poetry<br />
slam earlier this semester, memorized it, performed it and won the<br />
slam that same night.<br />
<br />
Deeren read his poem entitled,  A Work in Progress,  at Monday s<br />
Cardinal Sins winter 2011 post publication reception held in the Roberta<br />
Allen Reading Room.<br />
<br />
Twenty-nine SVSU artists and writers were acknowledged for<br />
their contributions to the second issue of the 30th edition of Cardinal<br />
Sins.<br />
<br />
Cardinal Sins is a magazine published each semester that grants<br />
SVSU students, faculty, staff and alumni to have their art and literature<br />
published.<br />
<br />
Hidden talents were discovered for writers, including Deeren.<br />
<br />
 I am really a fiction writer and don t consider myself a poet, <br />
Deeren said.  Poetry is just something I dabble in but was lucky<br />
enough to win and be published. <br />
<br />
The magazine is divided into the following categories: black and<br />
white artwork and photography, color artwork and photography, flash<br />
fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry and short fiction.<br />
<br />
Winning artwork was displayed in a PowerPoint presentation<br />
followed by Cardinal Sins winners who read their selected poetry and<br />
short stories.<br />
<br />
Peter Brian Barry, philosophy professor and Sins faculty adviser,<br />
said he was thrilled with this semester s publication.<br />
<br />
 Cardinal Sins received a record number of submissions this<br />
semester and the judging cycle was more competitive than ever<br />
before,  Barry said.<br />
<br />
The reception marked a time of transition as current editor and<br />
professional and technical writing senior Kirsten McIlvenna handed<br />
over the editorial role to literature senior Emily Krueger.<br />
<br />
 I am so excited for the fall, but a little scared at the same time, <br />
Krueger said.  Kirsten has done a great job and I have big shoes to fill,<br />
but I am looking forward to it very much. <br />
<br />
McIlvenna has been on the Sins staff for three years. She said she<br />
was proud to see all of the changes in Cardinal Sins during the last<br />
semester run smoothly.<br />
<br />
 Cardinal Sins was the first thing I got involved in at SVSU and<br />
has opened so many doors for me including the opportunity to be the<br />
editor of this publication,  she said.<br />
<br />
McIlvenna also thanked the staff and those who submitted to the<br />
magazine.<br />
<br />
 Putting together Cardinal Sins can be a lot of work, but it is very<br />
worth it in the end,  McIlvenna said.<br />
<br />
Deeren emphasized the benefits of the magazine.<br />
<br />
 Cardinal Sins is a place for our artistic community to express<br />
themselves,  Deeren said.  Aside from a resume building point of<br />
view, Cardinal Sins is a stage for all kinds of art that you wouldn t think<br />
would come from a mid-Michigan school. <br />
<br />
International studies junior Christopher Sweet was published for<br />
the first time in the Cardinal Sins fall issue. Sweet s poem in the winter<br />
issue,  Non-Indian Resident,  was the winner of the poetry category.<br />
<br />
 I am a self-taught linguist in Indian and Punjabi and am very<br />
influenced by their culture,  Sweet said.  I generally write fiction, but I<br />
just set my mind to write this poem and liked what came out. <br />
<br />
Cardinal Sins creative writing senior Josh Crummer has had a piece<br />
published in every issue for the past four semesters.<br />
<br />
Crummer will apply to graduate school for the fall, and Cardinal<br />
Sins will be used as a key point of his writing portfolio.<br />
<br />
 Many people dabble into poetry, but only the top ten percent of<br />
poets make it as a career,  Crummer said.  Poetry is like a sport. You<br />
have to work at it, learn to edit it; poetry eventually becomes part of<br />
your life. <br />
<br />
Creative writing sophomore Marlin Jenkins had two poems<br />
published in this edition of Cardinal Sins. Jenkins will join the Cardinal<br />
Sins staff in the fall.<br />
<br />
 Cardinal Sins represents the best of the best we have to offer at<br />
SVSU and is something to be proud of as a student body,  Jenkins said.<br />
 My goal is to be published in every issue I can. <br />
<br />
Those interested in joining the Cardinal Sins staff are encouraged<br />
to contact Barry.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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} catch(err) {}]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 00:26:19 EDT</pubDate><guid>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3301</guid></item><item><title>Club lets members jump feet first into water sports</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3310</link><description><![CDATA[A thousand percent increase. Thats what the SVSU Water ski and wakeboard team has had to deal with.<br />
The team, starting with 2 members in its 208 founding now boasts 22 members. <br />
<br />
Competing in the midwest region, the team is a part of Midwest Collegiate Athletics. Norm DeDecker, one of the group leaders, is a business management junior and ranked 25th in the region for water skiing. <br />
<br />
The competitions are held at ski sites and man-made lakes. These tournaments consist of a three-event water skiing competition. <br />
<br />
The first event is slalom water skiing using one or two skis while navigating around buoys at a variety of speeds. The second event is trick water skiing, which is performed on a trick ski or wakeboard and the participant is given 20 seconds to perform. The last event is the jump. This is where skiers attempt to go the furthest distance after passing over a 5-foot jump ramp. <br />
<br />
 It s an underappreciated sport that needs more credit,  DeDecker said. <br />
<br />
Fall tournaments are located throughout the Midwest on most weekends in September and October. Co-ed teams compete for regional titles with competition from universities such as Michigan State, University of Michigan, Grand Valley State University, Purdue and Miami University. <br />
<br />
The water ski and wakeboard Team practices during the summer in preparation for fall tournaments.  Co-founder of the group, Jason Sugden, opens up his private ski lake for team members to practice in July and August.  Located 25 minutes away, this helps new members improve before the start of tournaments in September while also providing a convenient location.<br />
<br />
 We just get together on weekends, ski and have a good time,  DeDecker said. <br />
<br />
Sugden is also ranked in the top ten among skiers in the midwest. <br />
<br />
In addition to functioning as an RSO which promotes waterskiing and wakeboarding, the team has also gained status as a club sport, supported by campus recreation. <br />
<br />
 Our goal is to teach everyone how to learn how to ski,  DeDecker said. <br />
<br />
The RSO is looking for more female skiers to help create a larger coed group for Fall 2011. Only five of the 22 members are female.<br />
<br />
 The girls team is very easy to compete in,  DeDecker said.<br />
<br />
Besides tournaments on weekends, the water ski and wakeboard team attends a winter conference held for schools competing in the region. Participating schools take turns hosting the conference, which features seminars by professional wakeboarders and skiers. <br />
<br />
The team hopes to increase the size of the group to better compete with larger universities.  All teams compete with other full-time undergrad and graduate students from other Midwest colleges. <br />
<br />
 Anyone can join,  said DeDecker,  no matter their skill level.  <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 00:23:29 EDT</pubDate><guid>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3310</guid></item><item><title>Marketing class helps nonprofit organization</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3309</link><description><![CDATA[When people are cooped up in a nursing home with no friends or family nearby, the least they might ask for is a greeting card to brighten their day. The Touch A Life Foundation based out of Flushing is looking to do just that.&#8232;Established in 2002, Touch A Life is 501 C3 community-based, nonprofit organization that works primarily with the elderly. The foundation sends greeting cards to the elderly in adult foster care homes, convalescent homes and assisted living homes who don t receive phone calls, visitors or mail. &#8232;Touch A Life founders Karen Coulter and Leesa LaCroix hired Gary Clark's organization and administration class to improve their business operations. <br />
<br />
 The clients must pay for student expenses involved in the projects,  Clark said.  My classes have been given a total of $184,000 to perform these projects since I began teaching. <br />
<br />
Clark s classes have worked on 117 client-financed projects since 1992.<br />
<br />
Clark said that Touch A Life originally provided the class $1,000 to cover expenses, but through student fundraising efforts, the class will be giving Touch a Life a total of $1,600 back.<br />
<br />
 I was very pleased that we were able to help Touch A Life, not only by giving ideas for future strategies to improve their business, but also by giving them the funds to send cards to 24 more senior citizens living in a nursing or assisted living home,  Clark said. <br />
<br />
Touch A Life is run by charging an annual fee of $25 to  adopt a grandparent.  With this donation, the foundation will send one personalized greeting card per month to an elderly person. <br />
<br />
Recipients will also receive cards for their birthday and holidays. Accounting junior Jacci Davis said that the cards are sent to remind the elderly that they are still thought of and loved, even if their family and friends cannot visit.  "Touch A Life wants each and every person in a home to feel special and remembered," Davis said. <br />
<br />
Clark s class has taken donations from people who are willing to  adopt a grandparent.  The class has also organized fundraisers for foundation at Bob Evan's, Bennigan's, Damon's, Panda Express and Buffalo Wild Wings.<br />
<br />
Business management junior Jessica Ignash said the restaurant fundraisers have gone well.<br />
 It feels good to donate to a worthwhile cause where we can see where the money is actually going to,  she said.  It makes me feel good to be able to know that we are making a difference for these elderly people. <br />
<br />
Students in Clark s class will create a large binder report that is submitted to the client at the end of the semester. The report contains original research, evaluations and recommendations to help the clients succeed in their business.<br />
<br />
The class recommended making major changes to the Touch a Life website and creating an online payment option for customers. <br />
<br />
General business junior Margeaux Appold said that she recommended clients invest some of their fundraising into taking a computer class and learning to become better versed in writing proper business emails. <br />
<br />
  As a class, we have interviewed directors of nursing and convalescent homes regarding the cards they receive from the Touch A Life organization, prepared new tag lines and logos for Touch A Life and prepared a new brochure,  she said. <br />
<br />
Accounting junior Josh Brown said that Touch A Life was an ideal client for the class.<br />
<br />
 Touch A Life is a small company with a great cause, but they lacked knowledge in the field of business,  Brown said.   Since the class overall has minimal background knowledge, we were able to learn along the way and help Touch A Life with the knowledge we gained. <br />
<br />
Clark said that students who take his classes will develop the soft skills they need to succeed in the workplace.<br />
 Skills learned include teamwork, team building, critical thinking, analytical thinking, written and oral communication, reflective thinking, as well as the ability to deal with ambiguity, uncertainty and unstructured situations,  he said. <br />
<br />
Marketing senior Emily King said that Clark is one of the most dedicated professors she has ever come across and appreciates that she has the opportunity to learn from real-world experiences.<br />
<br />
 Clark understands that lecturing is not teaching, and if you want your students to learn something, then don't talk at them,  King said.  Clark has also taught me the importance of not only becoming a great leader, but a great follower. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-...]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 00:21:39 EDT</pubDate><guid>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3309</guid></item><item><title>RSOs get more space with Curtiss Hall construction</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3308</link><description><![CDATA[With the construction in Curtiss Hall this semester, students can look forward to more space for registered student organization (RSO) meetings this fall. <br />
<br />
Kim Brandimore, Director of Student Life, said these additions will give students options when scheduling on-campus events. <br />
<br />
 It will spread our student action in a much broader way and make it feel even more like a college campus,  she said.<br />
<br />
Rooms such as the Student Activities Room, Alumni Lounge and the Roberta Allen Reading Room are used for most RSO events. Brandimore said that more space in the additions might provide less competition for use of these rooms.<br />
<br />
 We have over 133 RSOs and most have weekly meetings,  she said. <br />
<br />
With more than 100 classrooms being used for meetings, she said that privacy is a key reason for many RSOs use of smaller classrooms in Brown Hall and in Science East. <br />
<br />
All room requests begin in the Student Life Center, so Brandimore sees and understands the need and competition for extra space.<br />
<br />
 We just don t want all the fun to happen in the Student Life Center,  she said. <br />
<br />
RSOs that use classrooms outside of the Doan Building and the Student Life Center must go through the Conference and Events Center to hold a room. With construction lasting into the summer, students will have the option in the fall to request rooms in Curtiss Hall s first and second floor classrooms.<br />
<br />
The Conference and Events Center, located on the second floor of Curtiss, also fills room requests for group meetings involving the community, like the Saginaw and Bay area chapter of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). <br />
<br />
Mary Walk, assistant director of Conference and Events, said that the office wants to accommodate all groups that come in.<br />
<br />
 We try to use the space well,  she said. <br />
<br />
Events open to the public are often in the Rhea Miller Recital Hall in Curtiss or the Roberta Allen Reading Room in the Zahnow Library. These public events are also coordinated through the Conference Events Center. <br />
<br />
Walk said that she suggests RSOs looking to request a room should be flexible with the date and time of the event and to request early.<br />
<br />
She also said that the office will work to find the perfect place for what RSOs need.<br />
<br />
 We try to find the right room for that activity,  Walk said. <br />
<br />
Some groups such as Student Association and Program Board utilize rooms with open windows, like the Alumni Lounge, to promote the group to passersby. Brandimore said that the choice of these rooms is an attempt to interest students in the RSO.<br />
<br />
 They are trying to encourage people to attend,  she said. <br />
<br />
With the University bookstore moving from the Doan Building to Curtiss Hall for the fall semester, in addition to a new coffee shop, more students will be in Curtiss than in previous years. <br />
<br />
 It should bring Curtiss Hall to life and will really lend space to give more space to RSOs,  Brandimore said.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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} catch(err) {}]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 00:19:51 EDT</pubDate><guid>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3308</guid></item><item><title>Changes coming to GRE this fall</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3307</link><description><![CDATA[For some, the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is a nightmare. For others, it s the golden pass to a bright and shining future. In reality, it s a little bit of both. <br />
<br />
Beginning in the fall 2011 semester, the GRE General Test will be revised. <br />
<br />
According to the official GRE website, students can expect changes to include new types of questions in the verbal reasoning and quantitative sections.<br />
<br />
Sections of the General Test currently include verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, critical thinking and analytical writing skills. Each section is graded on an 800-point scale.<br />
<br />
For students deciding to go to graduate school after their undergraduate studies, graduate schools will require a score from the GRE, which is completed electronically. <br />
<br />
There are also GRE Subject Area tests that can be taken, but not all graduate programs require these tests. Applicants will find that many prospective institutions will request scores on the general test. <br />
<br />
Since programs differ in requirements, students are advised to check for application requirements from their respective universities.<br />
<br />
For those planning to take the exam, professor of English Elizabeth Rich said that she advises students to be mindful of the time between taking the test and sending out the graduate school application. <br />
<br />
 Because most programs require the GRE, it is good to complete it before or as near as possible to one's application submission,  Rich said. <br />
<br />
Students should plan to take the current version of the test if they need scores before November.<br />
If students don t need scores until after November, they are advised to take the new version of the test because universities will begin to follow the revised edition.<br />
<br />
Rich, the chair of the English department, said that studying for the GRE involves a large amount of time and practice.<br />
<br />
She said other students have mentioned that  taking a year to prepare, a little each day, is a far better practice than cramming in the last couple of months before the exam. <br />
<br />
Assistant professor of English Daniel Cook said that preparing to take the test will help students succeed in the testing room.  <br />
<br />
 It s a very beatable test, depending on how willing you are to completely throw yourself into the preparation process,  he said. <br />
<br />
Students who walk into the testing room on the day of the exam not knowing what to expect can see their scores suffer.<br />
<br />
Cook said that he recommends students spend several months reading from different sources such as GRE study booklets and taking practice examinations from publishers such as Princeton, Kaplan and Barron. <br />
<br />
 Eventually, if you re very methodical, you ll start to anticipate the patterns that tend to assert themselves on the test,  he said.  You ll develop a more extensive vocabulary and become a much faster reader. <br />
<br />
Mastering the GRE can show graduate universities and prospective employers the work ethic of a student. Even though it is an important test, Cook said that students shouldn t despair or see the test as an end all, be all. <br />
<br />
 You have to allow yourself not to be locked up when you take the test,  he said.<br />
<br />
SVSU English alumnus Elyse Vigiletti took the GRE in 2008. To study for the test, Vigiletti said that she spent the summer before taking the test getting used to the test s format. <br />
<br />
 Kaplan's GRE vocabulary flashcards were hands-down the most useful thing I used,  she said.  I also used the Barron GRE prep book, which was accessible, practical and included some software so I could familiarize myself with the GRE computer-adaptive testing interface. <br />
<br />
She said that the biggest piece of advice from her experience is to be confident in your abilities.<br />
 You can t give the test too much power as a measure of your talent, intelligence or competence,  she said.  Do your best, but don't internalize it. <br />
<br />
Students who are interested in signing up for the GRE are encouraged to visit the test s website for testing dates and locations.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 00:17:26 EDT</pubDate><guid>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3307</guid></item><item><title>Fulton s 19th win leads to weekend series split</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3306</link><description><![CDATA[Senior pitcher Jade<br />
Fulton made one mistake<br />
against Northwood.<br />
<br />
It ended up costing<br />
her in a 1-0 loss to the<br />
Timberwolves.<br />
<br />
On her delivery of a<br />
pitch in the second inning,<br />
Fulton hit her hip on the<br />
follow through, causing<br />
the ball to stay up in the<br />
zone. Northwood s Stacey<br />
Klonowski took advantage, hitting a solohome<br />
run.<br />
<br />
The Cardinals gave up just three hits in<br />
the loss.<br />
<br />
 Our offense is a little bit of a concern<br />
considering Jade has four 1-0 losses, <br />
interim coach Tim Rousse said.  Sometimes<br />
I think the girls just assume that Jade is<br />
going to pitch a shutout. We have to have a<br />
better mindset than that. <br />
<br />
SVSU finished the game with only three<br />
hits.<br />
<br />
 It leaves a little bit of a sour taste in<br />
your mouth when you have a pitcher that<br />
goes out and pitches such a great game but<br />
still ends up with the loss,  Rousse said.<br />
 It s tough to swallow. <br />
<br />
The Cardinals made up for the lack of<br />
offense in the nightcap, coming away with<br />
a 4-1 win.<br />
<br />
With sophomore pitcher Alexa Gehrls<br />
struggling to find the strike zone, Fulton<br />
pitched the final five innings to earn her<br />
19th win of the season.<br />
<br />
 She s the best player in the GLIAC, <br />
Rousse said of Fulton.  She s a horse that<br />
runs every single day.<br />
<br />
 Her abilities allow me to do different<br />
things in the starting lineup. It really is a<br />
luxury. <br />
<br />
Junior utility player Natalie Wellman<br />
went 2-2 with two RBI and a walk.<br />
<br />
 It was nice to be able to come back and<br />
get the split,  Rousse said.<br />
<br />
While Rousse didn t hesitate to relieve<br />
Gehrls, Northwood didn t have the same<br />
approach with its starting pitcher. Despite a<br />
high pitch count from starter Megan Eddy,<br />
the Timberwolves kept the pitcher in the<br />
game. Eddy allowed six hits and three runs<br />
in four innings.<br />
<br />
Fulton allowed three hits for SVSU. She<br />
struck out 18 batters on the day.<br />
<br />
With four games remaining in the<br />
regular season, the Cardinals are 30-12.<br />
They return to the diamond Friday, April<br />
29, at home against Grand Valley State. First<br />
pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.<br />
<br />
 We just need to improve our offense<br />
and I think we ll be a real solid team,  Rousse<br />
said.  We definitely have the pitching to go<br />
a long way. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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} catch(err) {}]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 00:14:00 EDT</pubDate><guid>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3306</guid></item><item><title>Visiting scholar talks sports</title><link>http://www.svsu.edu/vanguard/stories/3305</link><description><![CDATA[Having authored three books and many<br />
articles on the subject of sport, Andrei Markovits is<br />
considered a noted expert on the development of<br />
global sports cultures.<br />
<br />
However, as Markovits admitted during his<br />
speech,  The Global and Local in Sports,  there is<br />
still at least one sport that he is not yet an expert on:<br />
Quidditch.<br />
<br />
 I thought it was a joke,  said Markovits, who<br />
learned about the game s rising popularity through<br />
one of his students at the University of Michigan.<br />
<br />
After watching a match of Quidditch, the game<br />
played in J.K. Rowlings s  Harry Potter  series,<br />
on the Ann Arbor campus along with 50-60 other<br />
viewers, Markovits was intrigued.<br />
<br />
 I couldn t believe it,  he said.  Already<br />
they have an organization and rules. I was totally<br />
fascinated by it. <br />
<br />
Markovits s comments on Quidditch and other<br />
rising sports around the world were only part of the<br />
speech he presented to students and faculty last week<br />
at Curtiss Hall. The lecture, presented by the Barstow<br />
Humanities Seminar, discussed the development of<br />
sport and the effects that it has in the modern day,<br />
both locally and globally.<br />
<br />
In his speech, Markovits attempted to  delineate<br />
the three stages of sports development,  beginning<br />
with the very beginning of sport.<br />
<br />
 Regardless of the culture, all societies have<br />
engaged in some sort of  play,   Markovits said.<br />
 These sports [and] these cultures [were] the first<br />
kinds of globalization. <br />
<br />
In the second stage, Markovits said that there<br />
was a progression from  play  and  game  to<br />
 sport,  using the early development of soccer clubs<br />
in England as an example.<br />
<br />
In the last stage, Markovits talked about a<br />
sporting world that now includes men and women,<br />
as well as the globalization of sports and rivalries<br />
that were once local.<br />
<br />
 There is some cross-fertilization,  Markovits<br />
said.  There are some Americans who know about<br />
Arsenal vs. Tottenham, and there are some Brits that<br />
know about Ohio State vs. Michigan. <br />
<br />
After the speech Markovits sold and signed<br />
copies of his latest book,  Gaming the World: How<br />
Sports Are Reshaping Global Politics and Culture. <br />
<br />
Markovits said that his inspiration for writing<br />
the book came from the  interest, passion and<br />
knowledge  of sport that he has developed.<br />
<br />
 It s something that is immensely part of my<br />
daily life,  Markovits said.  It s just a certain kind of<br />
observation of a phenomenon that is obvious news<br />
to billions of people. <br />
<br />
Several students stayed after the speech to talk<br />
to Markovits and purchase books.<br />
<br />
 I thought it was very interesting to hear how we<br />
developed into what is sport nowadays,  said math<br />
education junior Jason Wise.  To hear how it came<br />
from just a game people played to all the rules and<br />
regulations they have now was kind of interesting. <br />
<br />
But Wise, who plays goalie for the SVSU soccer<br />
team, was able to take more away from the event<br />
than just that knowledge.<br />
<br />
 He s a huge Manchester United fan and<br />
wanted to know how the Arsenal game went,  Wise<br />
said.  He said,  If you give me the good news that<br />
Arsenal didn t win, you get a free book. <br />
<br />
 I told him Arsenal tied 3-3 and I ended up<br />
getting a free book out of it. <br />
<br />
Theatre major Raheem Saltmarshall also<br />
enjoyed hearing about the history of sport.<br />
<br />
 I didn t know what was going on with women s<br />
sports back in the 1980s when Germany didn t allow<br />
women to play soccer, or in America where women<br />
weren t allowed to play basketball,  Saltmarshall<br />
said.  I learned a lot, and I m glad I came. <br />
<br />
Markovits said that he wanted to  open eyes <br />
and show students and faculty the  long-lasting<br />
connections  in sports across the globe.<br />
<br />
 Today, everybody is in some sort of organized<br />
play,  Markovits said.  The content is different, but<br />
the context is actually completely identical.<br />
<br />
 Maybe in 100 years, we ll all be playing a silly<br />
game called Quidditch. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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spurts this spring.<br />
<br />
Nate Kelly s ability to shoot low<br />
scores has not.<br />
<br />
The senior advanced to the Super<br />
Regional, scheduled May 2 through May<br />
4, to cap off an unusual four-year career.<br />
<br />
Under coach Joe Vogl s system,<br />
freshmen generally don t play in fear of<br />
wasting a year of eligibility if one has a<br />
bad tournament. In Kelly s case, Vogl just<br />
couldn t keep him out of the lineup.<br />
<br />
 When I took over as coach in the<br />
spring of Nate s freshman season, I played<br />
him in some tournaments,  Vogl said.<br />
 He s never been out of the lineup since. <br />
<br />
While SVSU finished 12th in its region<br />
and failed to qualify for the Super Regional<br />
as a top-10 seed, Kelly s 74.2 average was<br />
enough to send him to Cherry Blossom<br />
Country Club.<br />
<br />
 It s been a banner year for Nate, <br />
Vogl said.  No matter if it s good or bad<br />
weather, he shows up to play.<br />
<br />
 That s what you want out of your<br />
No. 1 player. <br />
<br />
With snow accumulations well into<br />
the month of April, SVSU was unable to<br />
establish any sort of practice routine. Vogl<br />
said that was a big cause for the Cardinals<br />
falling from the No. 4 seed in the fall to the<br />
No. 12 seed.<br />
<br />
 The weather has been a huge<br />
disadvantage,  Vogl said.  We were just<br />
able to get out to Bay City Country Club a<br />
week and a half ago for the first time.<br />
<br />
 It s just been terrible golf weather. <br />
<br />
The weather forced the team to<br />
practice indoors at Kokomo s and off the<br />
Saginaw Golf Centre   something Vogl<br />
doesn t prefer.<br />
<br />
When you hit behind the ball on<br />
grass, you hit a fat shot,  he said.  When<br />
you do the same thing on a mat, you don t<br />
get the same effect. It s not very realistic. <br />
<br />
The Cardinals took their annual<br />
spring trip to Florida in March to get<br />
prepared for the season. However, the<br />
golf conditions they played under didn t<br />
match the extreme temperatures they had<br />
to play in when they returned.<br />
<br />
 I m thinking next year our spring<br />
trip will be to Alaska to get us prepared<br />
for the weather here,  Vogl joked.<br />
<br />
Despite not making it to the Super<br />
Regionals, Vogl wasn t too disappointed<br />
in SVSU s overall performance. Two poor<br />
rounds came back to haunt the Cardinals.<br />
<br />
Vogl blamed a first round of 330 at<br />
Cherry Blossom and the final nine holes<br />
at Otter Creek Golf Course in which no<br />
Cardinal could break 40.<br />
<br />
 There is such a small gap between<br />
finishing between 5-15 in the region,  Vogl<br />
said.  It all comes down to a couple shots<br />
per round.<br />
<br />
 You hate to look back on only a<br />
round or two costing you a spot, but those<br />
two really hurt us. <br />
<br />
Along with Kelly, senior Mike Horn<br />
battled through tough conditions with<br />
success. Horn was named the GLIAC<br />
men s golf  Athlete of the Week  earlier<br />
this season.<br />
<br />
 It s terrific from an individual<br />
standpoint to be able to<br />
look back on your career<br />
and have the award, <br />
Vogl said.  It s also great<br />
for SVSU to get that<br />
exposure. <br />
<br />
With the graduation<br />
of Kelly and Horn, the<br />
Cardinals will turn<br />
to their lone senior,<br />
Troy Quenneville,<br />
for leadership. An<br />
experienced nucleus of<br />
six underclassmen also<br />
returns.<br />
<br />
 A lot of our success will depend on<br />
how Troy brings his game,  Vogl said.<br />
<br />
With the return of his sons,<br />
sophomores Drew and Dustin, along with<br />
sophomore Eric Gandy, freshman Adam<br />
Hansen and sophomore Kreg Sherman,<br />
Vogl said the future is promising.<br />
<br />
 We have quite a bit of experience<br />
coming back,  Vogl said.  A lot of it<br />
depends on how hard the guys work over<br />
the summer.<br />
<br />
 The summer is so crucial to<br />
improving. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
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