Solicitors on Campus?

Trent from Jimmy John's

Maybe you have noticed solicitors on Washtenaw campus or maybe you have not. Take Trent here from Jimmy John’s who was stationed outside the overhang between the GM and the LA building today.

Trent was handing out free sandwiches and menus to passersby and from the looks of it, he was getting many takers.

On other occasions the US Military was soliciting WCC students in the Student Center with “surveys.” There was a guy in a low-key Military uniform in front of the Student Center as people walked in the door. They are there a lot.

Unless you really looked you could not tell he was from the miliary. Is this a special uniform for military recruitment spies?

I asked him what he was doing on campus and he said that he was with the Navy.

I then asked if he was recruiting and he said he was just taking surveys, which is really code for soft sell recruiting.

Now,  both Jimmy John’s and the Military are regulars on campus. Representatives from the Military have been on campus for both Welcome Days, and Transfer Day and Career Day. 

Jimmy John’s is a regular for Welcome days as well and they are here all of the time making delivers.

Turkey Sandwich

So why are these groups both sneaking on campus to grab some extra pitch time with WCC students?

Now I really don’t have an issue with these two groups in general.

The real issue is having outside businesses/groups solicit students without permission.

The deal is that groups need to reserve a table with Student Activities in order to solicit to students.

“If they are walking around campus and are not at a table, they do not have permission,” said Liz Elliott of Student Activities.

So far soliciting has not got out of hand, but if not kept in check, WCC could be like the mall where students will have to dodge perfume sprays and folks trying to get us to change our cell phone service.

I say that if you do not have permission to be here, then you should not be here.

Are they trespassing?

At the time of this posting, I could not get an answer from campus security, but I will update this post tomorrow.

Update: I talked with Jeffrey Shoemaker, Supervisor of Campus Safety and Security at WCC.

He said that WCC campus is considered public, so technically they (solicitors) would not be considered trespassing, but he noted that if students/staff complained about the behavior of a solicitor, they would ask them to leave.

During the fall term, non-students were hanging out in the Student Center and their were several complaints, so security did step in.

Both the Military representive in the Student Center and Jimmy John’s are low-key, so there may have not been a complaint about them, but I still feel that allowing solicitors on campus creates a slippy slope for more groups to come on campus to market to WCC students once they know they will not be prevented from doing so.

Bang for the buck chart

Gov. Snyder has been pushing his budget as a fair and economically smart thing to do to get Michigan’s economy going again.

His budget which raises taxing on the poor and lowers unemployment benefits from 26 weeks to 20 will do the opposite.

At the same time Snyder is giving a $1.8 billion tax to businesses.

The chart above shows how much stimulis bang for the buck, various programs provide. Almost last on the list is corporate tax cuts. For every dollar spent (or lost in tax revenue), we get back $.30 in economic stimulis.

At the top are food stamps (or say money for the poor) and unemployment benefits.

Infrastructure (can anyone say pot holes) takes in $1.56 in economic stimulis on the dollar.

So what does the genius nerd do the minute he gets in office?

He spends $1.8 billion, so he can lose $.70 on ever dollar spent.

We might get better odds taking our money to the casino in Detroit.

Washtenaw Community College’s Autobody program Shelby GT500

Here is a video of the kick ass car that the WCC Autobody program made.

WCC’s New President Search Committee is still searching

Three candidates were in the running for WCC president, but the search committee wanted to find more candidates. The current president of WCC Larry Whitworth has been in the position for 13 years.

The next president may have the job for 10-15 years, so the committee wants to make sure we get the right person for the job.

Washtenaw Community College reopens search for new president after conducting interviews, by Kyle Feldscher, Ann Arbor.com

The search for the next president of the Washtenaw Community College is being reopened after the college’s board of trustees interviewed three candidates earlier this month, an official said today.

Pam Horiszny, chair of the WCC Board of Trustees, said trustees simply felt they hadn’t yet found the right fit for the college. She said trustees wanted to insure that they make the best decision.

Occupational Education Building Lobby: A Study Pub Again

WCC student enjoying the OE lounge

Off the beaten path so to speak is the Occupational Education Building. Unless you have a class in one of the technical majors that has classes in the building, most students probably have not venture into the OE.

For some time, the lobby area was empty because of the construction, but it now has a fully furnished lounge and study area that is nice and inviting to students who want a place to eat their lunch and study that is less crowded than the Student Center.

Sabina, a Secondary Education major said she used to come to the OE lobby a lot before the construction started.

“Now that it is all done, it is really nice,” said Sabrina.

The lobby has comfortable chairs and side tables and a bunch of taller tables to sit and meet with friends over lunch.

And on rainy days, the OE lobby provides the perfect lookout for those waiting for the bus.

Fun Fashion at WCC

Some times you walk by someone in the Student Center and you just have to know their story. This was one of those times.

Meet Beni. He is a Network Security major who happens to also fancy walking around campus with funny ears/horns/antenna on his head.

“I found them in a box,” said Beni.

Beni says that he loves Washtenaw. He transferred from Eastern Michigan University from the nursing program.

He felt that Emu was too big. He came from a town where his high school had a few hundred students. The some 20,000 at Eastern was a culture shock.

“It [WCC] is more down home,” he said. ” And it is cheaper.”

Sandwich and a Cookie

Displayed on a bed of ice with a dramatic light shining through and a neon open signed sits Garrett’s lunch time sandwich offerings.

Today was BLT’s with in house made bread, chicken with pita and tuna salad.

The cost is $5.00 which included a $1 coupon for the Sweet Spot, the student room bake shop open from 12:00-1:00 Tues-Thurs.

Their is usually no line at Garrett’s sandwich bar and you are supporting your fellow WCC culinary students by choosing the over other food concessions.

 

Be the Match: Bone Marrow Donor Registry

Filling out a form and rubbing a Q-tip on the inside of your cheek is all you need to do to register as a bone marrow donor.

Knut Hill and his wife and son and Student Activity staff were in the Student Center on March 14-16 registering Washtenaw Community College students and staff to be bone marrow donors.

Hill said they he was excited about the turn out.

“We were hoping to get 50 people to sign up,” said Hill.

The total number was 102.

Hill was there in part to support his wife’s mother Margy Davis who was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) . She is currently looking for a matching bone marrow donor and the hope is that one of the people who registered at WCC will be a match.

Along with finding a match for Margy, they are also advocating bone marrow registry through Be the Match, an organization that helps connect patients with donors.

Garretts After Dark: Dinner and a Movie

One of the best entertainment deals at Washtenaw Community College is Dinner and Movie. For $15, you get dinner for two at Garrett’s Restaurant (located in the Student Center) Friday night dinners and two movie passes to Quality 16 theaters.

There was a full house of 43 dinners last Friday with many taking the Dinner and Movie offer. Tickets for Dinner and Movie are available at the cashier counter on the second floor of the Student Center.

The meals at Garrett’s are based on a theme. Last Friday’s theme was an all vegetarian meal, which included a vegan offering. The meals come with rolls/bread, an appetizer, choice of soup or salad, an entree and dessert.

Garret’s Friday night service also offers a variety of beverage service with some nights featuring wine, beer or specialty alcoholic beverage.

They do not offer alcohol every night, however. On vegetarian night, Garret’s featured a table side tea service and they will be featuring smoothies on another night this semester.

Seating for the Friday night service begins at 5:30pm. The cost is around $15 per person. Cash, check, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover Card are accepted. There is an additional cost of $4.95 for the beverage tasting. Reservations are encouraged, and you can call 734-973-3592 to reserve a table. Upcoming dinners include:

* March 11: Vegetarian menu with tea tasting
* March 18: St. Patrick’s Day beer tasting
* March 25: Catch of the day with fruit smoothie tasting
* April 1: Southwestern celebration with margarita tasting
* April 8: Spring into summer with BBQ and beer tasting

Here is a run down of the meal:

Waldorf Salad

Broccoli Soup

Hummus w/pita Appetizer

Tea Service

Entrees

Lasagna with wild mushrooms

Spinach Pie w/green beans

Paneer Cheese w/Indian spiced sauce over rice

Thai Coconut Curry Tofu over rice (vegan)

Dessert

Trio Of creme burlee

Apple Tart with ice cream

Rice Pudding

Ice Cream(Blueberry)

They offered nine different varieties of ice cream including blueberry, vanilla, chocolate, green tea, pistachio, strawberry…

No Break for a Dancing Fool

Walk into the Morris Lawrence Building on the Washtenaw Community College campus and you may see David Daly, WCC’s resident dancing fool.

Daly can be seen improvising tap dance moves with accompanying music being played on his IPad. He taps in his Converse All Star sneakers instead of the formal black shoes with steal tips, but you can still hear the rhythmic tap beat coming off of his feet.

Like most other weeks, Daly, a Math and Science and a Music Production major, spent his spring break dancing. He practices 15 hours a week on a variety of dance forms.

“I do B-boy (break dancing) and street tap competitions,” said Daly. “I am working on combining tap and B-boy.”

Daly jokes about his strategy to win competitions.

“The key is to make a move look as hard as possible,” said Daly.

Daly shows what he means by getting on the floor and executing a move where he is holds up his body in a horizontal handstand. He then takes this move to another level by holding up his entire body weight for a few seconds with one hand.

“It can be about attitude and getting into a competitors face,” said Daly about winning at B-boy. “But usually the person with the best moves will win the battle.”

When Daly is not practicing or competing, he is teaching dance classes.

“I teach ballroom and swing dance,” said Daly.

He is new to tap dancing and holds the people who do the traditional Irish tap dancing in high regard.

“It is crazy what those people do,” said Daly. “It is mid-evil the way those folks practice.”

Tap dancing did not come easy to Daly. He has been at it for a few years and he only now feels like he is starting to get it. He has been through a number of dance classes at WCC including a Broadway style tap dancing.

For more information about WCC’s Dance program go to School of Music and Performing Arts.