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Midland freshman Vanessa Marie Spitzer performs her solo act at Deadwait Records’ Anvil Fest 2 Saturday at the Wesley Foundation, 1600 S. Washington St. Fifteen acts played to say farewell to Midland graduate Erik Nilsson, who has organized music shows every Saturday for the past two years at the Wesley Foundation.
This is the second in a six-part series showcasing ways to have summer fun in Mount Pleasant. Rex and Frank went to Island Park Sunday to get some shade. The dogs were panting in the 90-degree heat as their owners, Mount Pleasant residents Bill Lyons and Melissa Pekee, enjoyed the cooler temperatures given off by the Chippewa River. And they all enjoyed some barbecue, too. “We are very lucky to have this river,” Lyons said. “All these parks have this river.” The Chippewa River runs through Mission Creek Park, Pickens Field, Island Park, Mill Pond Park, Nelson Park and Chipp-a-Waters Park, all in Mount Pleasant. The two have canoed down the Chippewa River before and usually see the same river while sitting across from it, enjoying a nice dinner at the Mountain Town Station Brewing Company and Steakhouse, 506 W. Broadway St. Pekee said they usually go to Chipp-a-Waters Park, but went to Island Park Sunday for the shade of the large trees. Across the river, in the connected Island Park, Wells Warren was driving down the freeway when he saw the sign for the Michigan Vietnam Veterans Memorial and decided to stop to observe Memorial weekend and honor his fallen friends. Park locations on the Chip River Mission Creek Woodland Park, 1458 N. Harris St. Pickens Field, 309 W. Pickard Ave. Island Park, 331 N. Main St. Mill Pond Park, 607 N. Adams St. Nelson Park, 714 W. Broadway St. Chipp-A-Waters Park, 1403 W. High St. “(The memorial is for) the guys that didn’t get the respect they deserved,” Warren said. After stopping, it was back on the road for Warren. For others, it was time to move onto another of Mount Pleasant’s scenic public parks. Island Park is home to the memorial, a skatepark, three softball fields, four volleyball courts, four tennis courts and Timber Town Playscape. “It’s too hot to do anything,” a skateboarder, who goes by the name Primo, said Monday. He was planning to swim in the Chippewa later to get cooled off. Tyler Mills and Jason Assmann from Mount Pleasant High School and Tyler Stegman, from Shepherd High School, said they play basketball at Island Park often. “I’d say (we play) 5-to-10 times a week,” Mills said. Barbecuing is a popular Memorial Day pastime and another opportunity supplied by the parks. “We live downtown and don’t have a backyard, so we come here,” said David Mascho, about himself and Hanna Demerath, both downtown Mount Pleasant residents. He worked to light charcoal for the upcoming barbecue. “We got here early to get a spot,” Mascho said. The area parks are keen to bike riders as well. Pickens Field, Chipp-A-Waters, Mill Pond, Nelson and Island Parks all are connected by a bike trail. “We’re working on expanding that concept with logical trail links,” said Gregory Baderschneider, director of Parks, Building and Grounds for Mount Pleasant. “The riverwalk trail is used by all walks of life,” he said. Baderschneider said the parks budget was just submitted and he expects cuts to be made when the budget is looked at, starting today. He said the parks cost $425,000 a year to operate and his department would request $375,000 for capital projects that would include wetland acquisition, building playground equipment and work on Island Park’s south drive. In the next few years, Baderschneider plans to have a path connecting Chipp-A-Waters Park to the west side of CMU’s campus. The parks are open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m., with alcohol not permitted at Mill Pond Park. Being under the influence of alcohol is prohibited in all parks, as are the use of firecrackers, rockets and fireworks.
Saturday’s wind almost grabs a peace protest sign out of the hands of Clare resident Chris Los during a protest of the Iraq war and the George W. Bush administration on the lawn in front of JC Penney, 2231 S. Mission Road. “We are worried to death that our kids and grandkids will have to pay for this,” said Wise Township resident Gareth D’Haillecourt, left.
Making the transition from being a cocky high school senior to becoming a lowly college freshman can sometimes be too much to handle. Luckily for this year’s crop of incoming freshmen, CMU has plenty of student mentors to help them through it. “They make me very comfortable,” said incoming Fraser freshman Chelsea Strzelecki. Tuesday kicked off the summer 2006 CMU student-parent orientation sessions, where parents and students get their first real taste of a college atmosphere. Incoming Rockford freshman Alyssa Blumer agreed with Strzelecki. “(The mentors) are fun and full of energy,” she said. The student mentors released their energy with “Mentortainment” during the students’ lunch Tuesday in the Trout/Calkins Residental Restaurant. “Mentortainment,” coined by student mentors Justin Vacca, Livonia senior and Ashley Urban, Howell senior, consisted of 26 student mentors in a skit. It provided incoming freshmen with first-year advice as well as how to sing CMU’s Fight Song, “The Fighting Chippewas.” “What we’ve heard, you get so much information thrown at you, seeing your mentor on stage is something you remember,” Urban said. Some of that information includes academic program options and degree requirements seminars, where students become familiar with their CMU bulletin, the completion of university forms and processing of their Campus ID. They also have the choice of attending meetings dealing with such subjects as Academic and Tutoring Assistance, the Honors Program, Minority Student Services or the ROTC Program. College advising meetings are also held for the six colleges. Students finish their orientation session with the chance to schedule for their fall semester classes. And they do it all without the help of their parents, who have their own separate tour and class sessions throughout orientation. While some freshmen may be overwhelmed by the information and orientation process, Saginaw freshman Chris Callahan wasn’t. “It’s been a lot less stressful than I thought it would be,” he said. Parents are exposed to the financial aspect of the college experience, including the cost of attendance, scholarships and financial aid and the billing procedures, during their orientation sessions. Family members also are given a tour of the recently renovated Towers Residence Halls. Michelle Howard, director of Academic Advising and Assistance, said planning for the orientation is a year-long process. “You have to be prepared for everything,” Howard said. “Our goal is to make this smooth.” Howard said the involvement is campus-wide in putting on orientation session and includes involvement from Residence Life, the Registrars Office and Career Services. Freshman academic orientation consists of a total of 12 sessions for four weeks on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Around 3,500 to 3,600 incoming freshmen will be touring campus this summer as part of the freshman academic orientation.
Audiences lined up this past weekend for one of the long-awaited releases of the year. “The Da Vinci Code” topped the weekend box office, grossing over $77 million in the U.S. and $224 million worldwide. The clamor for the film was due mostly to the success of the book by Dan Brown, which has sold more than 60.5 million copies. But despite whatever success the film has at the box office, it is being chastised by critics everywhere. “I was looking forward to it,” said Broadcasting and Cinematic Arts Associate Professor Ken Jurkiewicz. “The book seemed like a no-brainer as a thriller but the main problem is Ron Howard is clumsy at building suspense and it made the film very dull.” Howard (“Ransom,” “Apollo 13”) directed “The Da Vinci Code” despite numerous political and technical obstacles, but he tried to cram the entire book into two and a half hours. Tom Hanks (“Forrest Gump”) stars as Robert Langdon, a Harvard professor caught in the middle of a murder investigation inside the Louvre Museum. Clues are left behind that lead Langdon to unravel a religious mystery that has been protected for centuries by a secret society. The film is filled with what seems lecture after lecture, with an occasional chase scene thrown in. “It seemed like the characters were walking speeches,” Jurkiewicz said. “James Bond and Indiana Jones are more credible characters than the ones in this movie.” Fans of the book were somewhat disappointed after viewing the film as well. “Obviously the book was better,” said St. Clair Shores graduate student Tom Delia. “But it’s difficult to put a book like ‘The Da Vinci Code’ into a two and half hour-long movie.” The Catholic Church has been worried not only about the book, but about the movie’s ability to change people’s minds about Christianity. Some in the church have even encouraged boycotting the movie, saying it is a slap in the face to Catholics. But most seem to realize it is just a book or just a movie. “It’s another perspective on the story, that’s all,” Delia said.
Editor’s note: This is the first in a six-part series showcasing ways to have summer fun in Mount Pleasant.
Members of the Mount Pleasant Police Department test their driving skills Tuesday afternoon in lot 33, behind Moore Hall. Officer Ron Langworthy of the Mount Pleasant Police Department instructed five cars on the precision skill course that included evasive steering, serpentine and two backing exercises. “The training is very beneficial to the officers,” Langworthy said, helping to ensure that the officers are prepared in the field. Langworthy has been instructing members of the Mount Pleasant Police Department, Isabella County Sheriff’s Department and Central Michigan University Police since 1996.
In a little more than three months the East Area Residence Halls will be ready to house students.
A drop of water clings to a needle of a pine tree Sunday in Anspach courtyard. Several days of precipitation in the upper Midwest and Northeast soaked CMU’s campus with rain. Rain is expected to continue through this week, according to www.weather.com.
Students eager for the release of the latest video game juggernaut might want to pick up a summer job and start saving money. Sony’s Playstation 3 video game console will retail at $499 for its lowest-priced unit, company executives announced last week at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), an annual video game industry trade show, in Los Angeles. The PS3, set to launch Nov. 17, will feature a 20-gigabyte hard drive in the $499 version. A $599 version also will be available and feature a 60-gigabyte hard drive, as well as some additional features. Phil Harrison, president of Sony Computer Entertainment’s Worldwide Studios, said in a Detroit Free Press article he doesn’t think the PS3’s high cost will be an issue. “I think that price and value have always been two different things,” Harrison said. “The PlayStation 3 is now set free. We’ve kind of released it to the world and it’s now clearly defined in the minds of the consumer.” The lowest-priced PS3 still is $100 more than the most expensive version of Microsoft’s Xbox 360, however, and that high price already is turning off some gamers. The Xbox 360 was released last year. “The PS3’s graphics look great, but who has a TV to use them?” said Justin Pepper, Lapeer senior. “For 600 bucks, what could it possibly do that makes it better than PS2?” Novi freshman Rich Bronson said he can’t afford a PS3. “I don’t plan on getting one unless I come into a huge sum of money,” Bronson said. “The number one market for video games is 18- to 24-year-old males. That audience can’t afford $600 for a recreational toy.” Also featured at the show was Nintendo’s new console system, the Wii (pronounced “We”), formerly named “Revolution.” The Wii drew crowds with its innovative controller, which looks like a television remote control, but is motion-sensitive. Players interact with games by moving the controller in the air. If playing a tennis game, for example, the player would hit the ball by swinging the controller like a tennis racket in time with what he or she sees on the screen. “(The controller) kind of scares me,” Bronson said. “But so did the Nintendo 64 controller (which featured a small joystick), and I got used to that pretty quick.” Nintendo hasn’t released a definite price or launch date, but numerous Web sites have reported a price of less than $300. Nintendo also announced 27 games would be available for the Wii when it launches, which the company said would be sometime in the fourth quarter of 2006.
SHEPHERD—Carey Hammel went to his hometown Saturday for something to do before the most stressful week of the semester.
More than 1,800 high school students in colorful clothes expressed their appreciation for foreign culture Friday afternoon. Foreign Language Day, a collaboration of more than 45 mid-Michigan high schools, showcased the French, German, and Spanish languages and cultures. “We’re glad to see programs extending within the high schools,” said Patti K. Cotter, the event’s coordinator and administrative coordinator for the foreign languages, literatures and cultures department. Spanish dancing, the most popular of the three categories, took place in Warriner Hall’s Plachta Auditorium, while French and German events were in Pearce Hall. An awards ceremony took place in Plachta Auditorium where winners were announced and then reperformed their winning routines. Kingsley High School won the Spanish category with the tango, East Jordan High School won the German category with their rendition of a German dance and Essexville Garber High School won the French category with the cancan. Meghan Hugh, a high school junior from Garber, and her team had been practicing for the event since November, often during their lunch periods and Sunday afternoons. “It benefits us to learn about other cultures. It can help us in everything we do,” she said. “It’s cool that we can come here and show everyone how hard we have been working.” First place winners in each category received plaques and second and third place winners got certificates. Bay City sophomore Matt Reckinger was a volunteer judge for the competition. “Everyone had a different style,” he said. “Some were traditional – others were more modern. Other groups were just a normal dance to French music. It’s hard to judge based on that.” Along with cultural song and dance competitions, poetry readings, skits and interpretive readings displays were built. Student displays took a step further than the usual paper mache and included screw guns and lumber. “It was like they were building a house,” Cotter said. “We’ve never had anything that intense in previous years.” CMU hosts the 34-year-old event to let students showcase what they have learned and recruit them to the university. Cotter said she sees a bright future for the annual event. “People’s reactions were very positive and people want to come back,” she said. “We will continue to do this as long as it is positively perceived.”
Anthony Posler was excited when he saw the line for free pizza Sunday night in the Charles V. Park Library. “I was glad because I hadn’t eaten anything all night and then I walked in here,” the Marshall senior said. The free pizza was part of Finals Focus, a week of nightly prize drawings and giveaways, that included a semester of free textbooks. The event takes place throughout the week at the Park library and Student Activity Center. Greenville senior Kristen Hansen attended the event at the library. “We kind of planned our studying around it,” she said. “Free books would be nice.” Sunday night was home to other test apprehension events as well. To help students prepare for exams, Elizabeth Meadows, associate psychology professor and director of the Trauma and Anxiety Disorders Clinic, organized a test anxiety workshop Sunday night in the Bovee University Center’s Isabella Room. “(Students) don’t have to be really stressed and anxious about exams,” she said. “There are things they can do about it.” Three graduate students presented information on different areas of coping with test anxiety. Ludington graduate student Jessica Sobanski taught the workshop attendees how to retrain their breathing by focusing on breathing from their diaphragms. “(It) teaches you to breathe at a rate and depth that is optional for you,” she said. Students with additional questions or problems can contact the Trauma and Anxiety Disorders Clinic in the Health Professions Building.
Toni Smith-Holmes, owner of Toni's Dance Studio, meows and prowls around on stage Saturday evening with her lost kitten during a dance recital in Warriner Hall's Plachta Auditorium. Toni's Dance Studio has been in Mount Pleasant for 30 years and instructs more than 150 students per year.
Many off-campus businesses will be able to provide some relaxation for students preparing for final examinations. “Take a study break to clear your head and come out and play some golf,” said Terri Sommerville, manager of Riverwood Resort, 1313 E. Broomfield Road. “Get in touch with nature and it might help you study better.” Sommerville said the resort is offering some specials this weekend on golf and bowling. “We have some coupon specials out for golf,” she said. The coupon special lets two people walk nine holes for the price of one. “Two people can play for $14 (Monday through Friday) and two people can play for $18 (Friday through Sunday),” she said. “Just mention the ad.” Specials on bowling also are available, she said. “We’re open for happy hour at 4 (p.m.) on Thursday and Friday for bowling,” she said. “After 4 o’ clock, games are $2.75 a game and pitcher specials are $2 a pitcher.” The driving range, putt-putt course and pro-shop is available at The Golf Center, 2280 E. Broomfield Road, for those interested in golfing without walking. Chuck Johnson, an employee at The Golf Center, said there will be a deal for the putt-putt course. “It costs $3 a piece for putt-putt,” the Ortonville senior said. “Normally, it’s like six bucks, so that’s cool.” Buckets of golf balls for the range are $5 and $7, he said. The center will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. for putt-putt and from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on the range, Johnson said. Other area businesses offer a little more up-close-and-personal relief. Loosen Up Massage Therapy, 600 E. Broadway St. Suite 111, is running a special through May 5 for a free half-hour massage with the purchase of a half-hour. Thursday and Friday give the perfect chance to experience the two day spas Mount Pleasant has to offer. Ambiance Salon and Day Spa, located at 714 E. Wisconsin St., is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Waterworks Salon and Spa, 502 W. Broadway St., is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday. B-Tan, 1620 S. Mission, has a way for students to get a tan before they leave for summer vacation. “People can come in and get a UV-free tan, called Mind Mist,” said Kara Daly, Romeo sophomore and B-Tan employee. “Right now you can do it for 20 bucks.”
Davison senior Jacob McCarthy said this year’s Gentle Friday festivities at Warriner Mall were to his liking.
Eagle senior April Honsowitz discusses her research with Michigan State Rep. John Stewart, R-Plymouth, during Posters at the Capitol Tuesday in the Capitol Building’s Rotunda in Lansing. This photograph originally appeared in Wednesday’s edition. The cutline incorrectly identified Honsowitz and Stewart. We regret the error.
University President Michael Rao is all about CMU from the time he gets up in the morning until late in the evening.
The lights dimmed in Rose Arena before bursting on when each band of the 2006 Virgin College Mega Tour took the stage.
CMU faculty members got a public thank you from CMU officials Wednesday. Staff members were treated to an afternoon of games, prizes and food at the first-ever Faculty and Staff Appreciation Picnic at Warriner Mall. President Michael Rao and Rich Morrison, associate vice president of public relations and marketing, came up with the idea, saying faculty appreciation is long overdue. “We put this together to say ‘thank you,’” Rao said. Dorr senior Becky Howe helped plan the event to thank the faculty and staff for their support. “It’s through JRN 556 public relations seminar class,” she said. “Through the class we organize one big event and this is the event my group has chosen to do.” Rao applauded professors for forging ahead in their teachings despite the university having to cut more than $30 million this year. Mark Lagerwey, director of publications for public relations and marketing, said it was a perfect day for the picnic, and it was nice to see students involved. “That’s a credit and testimony to what CMU is all about,” he said. “Participation of students, faculty and staff all working together.” Rao also extended his thanks to associate journalism professor Jim Wojcik for organizing the picnic. “He was nice enough to lend us his class,” he said. “I’m very grateful to them.” The prizes given away were a big hit at the picnic. Tracy Holt, administrative clerk for Student Life, won a Soaring Eagle package donated by the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, which included a free night’s stay at the casino, dinner at the Water Lily restaurant and money to gamble with – a package valued at more than $300. “We have two drawings,” Howe said. “It’s all covered by donations.” Academic Adviser Kay Shirley won the second big prize of free season football tickets and free parking. Other small raffle prizes included prizes from Gatorade, free bowling, golf clubs and gift certificates to Rite Aid Pharmacies, 117 N. Mission St. There were nearly 1,500 who attended the Wednesday picnic.
