Honor BoundA CentrAl MiChigAn University honors ProgrAM student PublicationVolume 16, Issue 1

Fall 2010

Message from the Director

Dire

ctor

Pha

me

Cam

aren

a, P

h.D.

In this issue...

www.cmich.edu/honors

Full table of contents on p. 2

Honors students giving back10

Changes in HON 100 classes12

the CMU honors Program is a nationally-recognized honors program winning seven national awards over the past eight years, including the coveted national honors student of the year Award and six national student publication awards.

Dear friends of the CMU honors Program,It is my privilege to pass along greetings from all of the Honors Program office staff and to introduce this latest edition of our award-winning Honors Program publication. Before you turn to the following pages to learn more about the latest in Honors, I wanted to take a moment to highlight what I have come to appreciate as the strength of our program – the people that are truly committed to helping CMU Honors students aim higher and achieve more meaningfully.

A first special recognition goes to Dr. Jim Hill for his exceptional leadership these past seven years and his efforts to help institutionalize the Honors Program within the CMU community. I would also like to extend a personal thank you to Dr. Hill for his efforts in helping me transition into the director role and his continued support of our Honors Program as a faculty member in the political science department.

A second special acknowledgment goes to Judy Idema, the Associate Director, for all of her tireless efforts on behalf of all of our current students and for her efforts to keep our alumni informed and connected to their CMU Honors roots. To those of you familiar with the behind-the-scenes operations of the Honors office, you will of course recognize that Judy is the heart of all our Honors operations and is most deserving of her selection as a recipient of a 2010 CMU Staff Excellence Award!

Beyond the efforts of the directors with formal leadership duties, however, it is also more clear to me now that the success of our Program really comes from the entire Honors community which includes our students, office staff, Honors faculty, members of our advisory councils, and friends across the University community who believe in the power of an Honors Program to transform student lives for the greater good of all.

In my first semester as director, I have worked very intentionally with the first year class to help set Honors standards and to learn more about who are students are as they enter our program in the beginning. At the same time, I have been working behind the scenes to assess Honors course offerings, reviewing the selection and training of Honors faculty, and revising procedures used in Honors contracts and senior capstone projects. I remain impressed with how much we already do but also recognize that there is more that we could do even better to serve our students and to be effective stewards of the university resources we are given.

In that vein, please know that as we continue to assess where we are now and where we are headed next, I take my responsibility to lead this total community of learners and scholars seriously and welcome your input about priorities and practices that you believe will help us be more effective down the road. Please don’t hesitate to send me an email, give me a call, or get on my calendar for a coffee or lunch chat (my treat) so I can listen and learn as we work to enhance our program.

Cheers,

Phame Camarena, Ph.D Director, Honors Program

Why Honors matters to mei recently received emails from two alums that I had met in the same first year honors seminar many years ago. one was sending me a copy of a journal article that she had co-authored as a Ph.D. student at Clemson University and the other was letting me know that he had completed his law degree and just passed the Bar exam in California.

each email made me smile as i was reminded of who these individuals were when I first met them at CMU - eager and bright with good hearts and an openness to learning and life. each had a general sense of where they were headed but neither could have accurately predicted what they would be doing at this point in life.

it was my pleasure to know and encourage these students in their time at CMU and I am confident that opportunities provided by the honors Program helped them both to achieve more and to choose life paths with meaning. I am also confident that our world will be a better place because of their efforts! this is my hope for all of our honors students.

- Phame

tracy Waters, a 2006 graduate with Child Development and spanish Majors, is working to complete a Ph.D. in international Family and Community studies at Clemson University.

robert Boden, a 2006 graduate with Political science and economics Majors, has just begun a position as a Presidential Management Fellow at the U.s. Department of housing and Urban Development in san Francisco, California.

Honor BoundTable of Contents renovations completed on

the Powers BallroomBy Colin Russell

Political science chairperson rick Kurtz converses with visitors to the oct. 16, 2010, grand opening of the Powers Ballroom. the honors Pro-gram will begin its use of this space with a Charity Ball in February.

Photo by Gabrielle Kromer

the Powers Ballroom, used in the ‘50s and ‘60s

as an event area and a place to have dances and other gatherings, was recently restored.

The ballroom is located on the second floor of Powers Hall, the former CMU student union, now home to the Honors Program, the Leadership Institute and the history department.

The refurbished ballroom is decorated, appropriately, in CMU maroon and gold and boasts one of the best views on campus.

Judy Idema, associate director of the Honors Program said, “The ceiling is the most striking artistic part of the room.” She explained that the room would not be as grand without its repainted, vaulted ceiling.

Powers Hall has changed hands many times since its construction. After its time as a student union, it housed the

music department and later the art department. After the art department vacated the area for space in Wightman Hall, the space was up for grabs.

It was at that point that Honors, Leadership, and History put in their bid for the space. Since that time, there has been much discussion and planning concerning the 2nd floor ballroom, which had been partitioned off and used as classrooms during the previous years.

A few years ago, Honors student Jacqui Coliani created a plan for restoring the ballroom as her Honors Senior Capstone Project. With the model she made and designs she came up with, “Dr. Hill [former director of the Honors Program] led the charge to restore the ballroom”, said Idema.

Soon the project grew larger than the Honors

program could manage. In order for this ballroom to be completed, the Honors Program expanded the project to include other departments.

Associate Vice Provost Claudia Douglas and Pam Gates, dean of the College of Humanities, Behavioral and Social Sciences (CHSBS) took the project under their wings and helped come up with the money to make this dream a reality.

The project was completed earlier this year and will host the upcoming Honors Program Winter Charity Ball on February 18. Future plans include refurbishing the stairway and landing leading up to the ballroom.

However, the ballroom itself isn’t quite complete. Furniture is still needed and Idema said that they are looking for a donor.

Page 4Honors Students in Oaxaca, Mexico•

Page 5Honors art trip to New York City•

National Collegiate Honors Council•

Page 6-7Honors Courses•

Page 8Have you met these Honors students?•

Page 9Honors Faculty of the Year•

Page 10-11First-Year Philanthropy Project•

Page 12-13HON 100, Mentors and the PDP•

Page 14-15Meeting with faculty outside of class•

Page 16-17Senior Capstone Experience•

Page 18How to get involved in Honors•

Page 19Honors Program Philanthropic Society•

honor Bound is a student-produced publication, but story ideas are welcomed from all. if you have a story

you feel should be included in honor Bound, please e-mail details to honors@cmich.edu for consideration.

2

honors students investigate murder mystery

students serve and learn on Beaver island

CSI course on Beaver Island mixes fun, science and pop-culture

Honors students in HON 321B travel to Beaver Island for the first week of summer to learn about and participate in community service

By John G. Phillips

By Megan Gill

in the process of becoming “active citi-zens”, students selected projects that were meaningful to them, including renovations at the island’s biological station.

For the Past two years, the Honors Program has been

sending students to Beaver Island for a week-long service learning course. Through their service proj-ects, students become acquainted with the culture of the island and those who live there.

This past May, students worked in a multitude of capacities, including repainting an outdoor basketball court at the local school and raking leaves for the elderly. In addition, both the community center and the CMU Biological Station had their need for spring maintenance workers satisfied by Honors students. The group was even able to build new displays and relocate a historic net reel for the Marine Museum.

Small groups of students were assigned to lead each project.

“Seeing each individual make the transition from being just one of the class to being a leader of the project” was the best part of the course for Dewitt sophomore Liz Fedewa. “People became so much more passionate about the cause for the day when it was ‘their’ project, and I feel like each project the class completed was done with more personal care and devotion.”

Throughout the week, students worked side-by-side with fac-ulty leaders Shawna Ross, CMU Volunteer Center Coordinator, and Shelly Hinck, Associate Dean of the College of Communication and Fine Arts.

Hinck’s favorite part of teach-ing the course is volunteering with students.

When “you’re engaging in the service together, relationships are

created” she said. “I rediscover my passion for service; I hope students are rediscovering [or] creating a passion for service.”

“As a senior, I did not know anyone else in the class when I signed up, and it ended up being one of the most meaningful experi-ences during my time at CMU” said Brownstone senior Amanda Kuhn.

“[Residents are] so appreciative that we come into the community asking what their greatest needs are. So many people come to the island as takers [rather than] givers” said Ross. “The partners we work with are getting to trust us; they’re giving us more complex projects.”

Ross hopes to expand the class experience by becoming involved with the native tribe, as well as with environmental groups.

some classes consist of stuffy lecture halls, the monoto-

nous drone of professors and the occasional napping by sleep-deprived college students, but this summer at the Central Michigan University Biological Station on Beaver Island, a group of 11 Honors students experienced a class that was anything but dull.

Dr. Bradley J. Swanson of the biology department designed and offered HON 321A: “CSI: Beaver Island”, taking procedures shown on the popular television series and giving students hands on experience with a more realistic touch.

“One of the most unrealistic parts of the show is that they have top of the line equipment” said Swanson, “In reality, crime labs are rarely that well-equipped. They also show images based on what looks good for TV rather than what is scientifically accu-rate, the students were able to experi-ence what crime scene investigation is

like in real-time with real science.” Students learned the science

behind techniques such as DNA fingerprinting and hair identification and were able to put those skills to use when they processed a staged crime scene – in the middle of the night.

At the scene, the students “in-vestigated” the crime, collected hair and blood samples along with any other evidence they could find, all while taking meticulous photographic records. That same night they took all their data back to the lab and started analyzing it as investigators would.

“My favorite moment was coming back to the lab and trying to piece our evidence together” said Beverly Hills senior Mackenzie Michals “As a non- science major, I enjoyed being taught the science aspects of the class in ways that were easy to understand and apply to real situations.”

The students were given some time to try to prepare for a mock courtroom setting in which they gave

their ‘expert’ opinions on what the data showed actually happened. The ‘jury’ was comprised of fellow Honors students and professors.

“I really liked the creative license we were given in the trial process” said Hudsonville senior Krista Dornbos “It was a lot of fun to work to-gether as a team and present the case to a jury of our peers.”

Unfortunately, none of the student groups were able to get a conviction, with no group garnering more than five ‘guilty’ votes out of a possible twelve, but that in no way diminished the experience of the class, or the time the 11 students spent as crime scene investigators

3

the city of oaxaca, Mexico, received its 9th

visit from Central Michigan University Honors students earlier this year as part of a service learning program and course called, “HDF 320H: Los Niños de Oaxaca.”

The students left for Mexico May 10 and spent nearly three weeks working at an albergue (children’s shelter) and an after school program for children in a neighbor-hood center.

Some of the work includ-ed teaching children English, spending one on one time with the children and doing physical work, such as fixing a playground structure.

A total of 16 students – including both Honors and non-Honors students from various majors – participated in the experience that some called “life changing.”

The course was offered at both a 3-credit or 6-credit level.

Muskegon senior Honors student Nicole Carlson chose to attend the service-learning trip partially to satisfy three of her Honors credits, but she said the experience was worth more than the aca-demic credit.

“Being immersed in

another culture really interested me. It put into perspective how easy Americans have it and how lucky we are for getting everything handed to us,” she said. “The children there were so thankful to have us.”

Carlson and the other Honors students had to complete an extra project during the trip to inform the group more about Mexico and its people.

Carlson spent her time researching Mexi-can families. She said overall the trip was an eye-opening experience.

The group of students was led and mentored by CMU professors Ed Long and Jeff Angera.

During the trip, a typical day started with break-fast and then the groups went to separate sites with one group volunteering at an or-phanage and the other at the after-school center, according to Angera.

In the evenings, the group would have a seminar and were encouraged to learn more about the Mexican culture.

“We spent a lot of time talking about service learning and how to make a differ-ence, but we also spent a lot of time talking about the experience of children in that culture and how it impacts their lives. For example, many children grow up in poverty and many have cultural expec-tations,” Angera explained.

He said the trip is benefi-cial for all students because

it gets them “questioning everything” and thinking about how to become a global citizen.

“A lot of students are comfortable with academic concepts like the word ‘pov-erty.’ But to actually see it in person challenges students to think in a new and different way, especially about cultural differences,” Angera said.

In addition to volunteer-

ing, the group went on field trips outside of Oaxaca in an effort to experience the culture and history of the region.

For more information about the trip, visit the Office of International Education.

Applications for the 2011 “Los Niños de Oaxaca” service learning program are due Jan. 15, 2011.

honors students make a difference in the lives of orphans in oaxaca, MexicoHDF 320H offers Honors students the chance to help on a global scaleBy Patricia Emenpour

Muskegon senior nicole Carlson plays with two young oaxacan orphans during her trip to Mexico. Carlson was one of 16 students who traveled to oaxaca, Mexico, for three weeks to assist at an a children’s shelter and an after-school program.

Courtesy of Nicole Carlson

Planning to study aBroad in the summer or fall of 2011?

The Honors Program will award

seveN sCHOlarsHips to assist those who are

planning to study abroad.

Pick up an application in Powers 137.

Applications are due feBruary 25. Recipients will be notified of

their acceptance by march 11.4

honors students travel to new york City to study art

CMU honors gathers and exchanges ideas at annual nChC conferenceStaff and students travel to Kansas City, Missouri, for National Collegiate Honors Council conference

By Heather Hillman

By Ben Harris

Ashleigh Kline never thought she would be

viewing a private gallery of Monet paintings - her favorite artist - the week after final exams last spring.

But that is exactly what the Rockford sophomore and four of her fellow Honors classmates were doing during their trip to New York City through ART 484H.

Kline said the class offered her the trip of a lifetime.

“I had never taken an art class. I don’t even know how to draw,” Kline said. “I gained such an appreciation of art from this trip. I can look at a painting now and know what

style it is.”The class was taught

by Jesse Dominguez, an art professor at CMU, who said that the purpose of the trip was to study the art in New York museums and galler-ies, from Impressionism to Contemporary.

The Metropolitan Mu-seum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art and the studio of Paula Heisen in Brooklyn were just a few of the many locations students experi-enced.

“Great art is meant to be experienced first hand; no image in a slide or book can match the execution one experiences in a museum,”

Dominguez said. “It’s good for everyone to get out of the classroom whenever possible; the art can sometimes speak for itself.”

During the week, students would spend their mornings and early afternoons visiting various museums, galleries

and exhibits and then have their evenings free to explore New York City.

Algonac sophomore Kailin Kleintjes took advan-tage of this free time by see-ing a Broadway musical and a comedy show.

“It was really cool to

go to such a big city and be basically on your own, I had to learn how to navigate the subway system,” Kleintjes said. “It was the best trip I ever had in my life. You grow not only cognitively, but it also matures you.”

Courtesy of Jesse Dominguez

honors students visited the solomon r. guggehheim Museum while in new york City. the museum houses art ranging from impressionism to contemporary, and is itself considered beautifully designed.

honors students Kyle Terwillegar and Carissa

Baumgartner accompanied Honors staff members Phame Camarena, Ken Rum-sey, and Judy Idema to the National Collegiate Honors Council Annual Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, from Wednesday, October 20 to Saturday, October 23.

The conference was held to facilitate interaction between Honors Program administrators, faculty and students from around the country.

“Going to a conference like this gives us time to pause and think about what we can do better,” said CMU Honors Program director Phame Camarena.

In small groups, the con-ference delegation attended round table discussions, research presentations, and breakout sessions that were specifically targeted toward

administrators, students and advisors..

“I met a lot of people that gave me valuable infor-mation about the newsletter,” said “Honor Bound” editor and Honors student Kyle Terwillegar, “it was really a great opportunity to network with other administrators and students.”

Part of the value of going to conferences like this is to assess the CMU Honors Pro-gram relative to other honors programs in the country, said Camarena.

Being in the first year with a new director is an ideal time to implement any changes necessary with the program because of the fresh perspective, said Terwillegar.

What struck Honors adviser Ken Rumsey was how CMU’s Honors Program compared to those of larger universities.

“I am surprised at the

amount of resources that some honors programs and colleges have. I think the CMU Honors Program really serves its students well con-sidering the resources we have to offer,” said Rumsey.

Camarena made the com-parison to larger universities as well. Bigger schools en-counter different challenges, such as having large amounts of faculty who are uninter-ested in working with under-graduates, said Camarena.

Terwillegar hopes to use information he gathered from technology and social networking sessions to bring students in the program closer together and distribute information more accessibly.

The Honors Program is preparing for the Mideastern Honors Conference in March, and the staff plans to take another group of students.

To celebrate the opening of the new Powers Ballroom, the Honors Program will be hosting the first...

Friday, February 18 Doors open at 8 p.m.

Flashback to the olden days of the ballroom and be prepared to swing dance at this ‘30s and ‘40s themed ball.

Proceeds will be donated to Women’s Aid services to assist victims of sexual assault

Tickets are $12 or two for $20. Ticket are now on sale in Powers 104. Be sure to get yours quick as supplies are limited! Cash only,

please. Honors students may bring 1 non-Honors guest.

Winter Charity Ball

5

Among the sPecial topics courses offered

through the Honors Program this fall one class seems to jump off the page. HON 321A: Dark and Handsome certainly turned a few heads when listed in the course bulletin.

Dark and Handsome was a course that examined dual-ity in literature and movies. It scrutinized the multiple aspects of one person or one character.

The class blended psy-chology and philosophy with classic literature. Students applied the basic principles of Freud to the works of William Blake and examined Robert Louis Stevenson un-der the ideas of Carl Jung.

The class was composed of only 12 students who engaged in weekly discus-sions after reading a selection focused on one aspect of duality.

“I’ve never had a class where you have three hours of sitting in a circle and just throwing ideas around,” said sophomore Kailin Kleintjes. “But now I love it!”

Dr. William Wandless taught this gripping and fas-cinating special topics course with a fresh perspective.

After reading “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll

and Mr. Hyde,” Dr. Wand-less had the students partake in a mock trial of Dr. Jekyll to determine whether or not he was responsible for Mr. Hyde’s actions.

Each student played a dif-ferent role in the trial. Some were actual characters from the book while others were

lawyers or magistrates. The trial allowed the students to examine the different aspects of the human psyche.

“I really enjoyed the mock trial,” said junior Rachel Radecki. “It was a more interesting way to go over the material. I thought acting out the different roles was more

beneficial to our understand-ing of the characters than a discussion would have been.”

The course also allowed students the freedom to ex-plain their own ideas and per-ceptions of duality in terms of modern fictional works. In student-led discussions the phenomenon “Fight Club” is

examined in terms of the two different portrayals of the one main character.

HON 321A: Dark and Handsome is only one of the many special topics courses focused on blending modern ideas with classic literature and themes.

HON321A addresses duality in literature and film

new honors grant Writing Course helps students advance their research interests and assist the community

“Dark and Handsome” group discussions focus on multiple sides of charactersBy Kelsey Whing

By Amy Crockett

several honors students furthered their field of study

and helped the community through research and other projects this fall in HON 321B: Introduction to Grant Writing.

This course was offered as an Honors seminar for the first time in the fall semester. It allowed students to work with CMU faculty and com-munity organizations to write a grant, or several grants, on the topic of their choosing, said HON 321B professor Dr. Ronald Primeau.

Taking a grant writing class not only “gives you the upper hand in applying for jobs,” said Washington

Township junior Rachel Thomas, it also “gives you the opportunity to research things you are passionate about.”

Thomas said she had been work-ing on a grant for celebrating literacy at CMU and in the Mount Pleasant community during March, which is reading month.

Williamston junior Zach Frenzel worked on a grant that focuses on using deciduous tree leaves as an alter-native fuel to heat homes, he said. He plans to submit this grant proposal to the Environmental Protection Agency.

“I like the openness and selection of the topic,” said Frenzel. “You find

something you want to write a grant on and roll with it.”

Other students’ projects included writing grants to help the homeless, to benefit the local Art Reach program, and to support Breckenridge Com-munity Schools’ music program, said Primeau.

The Honors Program plans to bring the course back for a second run next fall.

The class is designed for students who are going into a field that requires extensive research or writing, said Primeau. Students had to sign up for the course already having an idea of what project they wanted to work on

and who they wanted to work with, he said.

The class met once a week for three hours, said Primeau. Half of that time is spent in a computer lab doing research and writing, while the other half is spent revising and having round table discussions, he said.

The round table discussions were helpful, said Saginaw junior Sarah Naples, because they provide a lot of feedback and networking connections.

Primeau said that since many of the students are very involved on campus and in the community, the discussions foster “a lot of collabora-tive help” among the students.

Dr. William Wandless (far right) participates in the hon 321A: “Dark and handsome” group discussion with his students. the course, which often features group discussions as seen above, explores how characters in film and literature can have multiple aspects to their personality.

Photo by Kaitlyn Klimasz

6

honors seminar explores violence

PrePAring For the FUtUreHON 321C challenges students to reconsider the definition of violence

HON 102S exposes Honors students to the world of graduate school

By Brittany MouzourakisBy Catey Traylor

Which societal forces cause violence to ensue

among the general public? What role does popular media play in perpetuating violence?

Nine Honors students explored these central ques-tions in HON 321C: War and Peace in the Tapestry of Everyday Life. This special topics Honors course, taught by anthropologist Daniel Pugh, coupled contemporary film with engaging group discussions on the underlying themes of violence in a small seminar-style course.

“It is a lot of fun to look at these films and see how they are relating to our class discussions, as well as how they convey violence to the masses,” said Battle Creek senior Suzanne Compton, a student in the seminar.

The topic of violence is quite broad, but subject matter covered in this course ranged from ethnic violence in Sri Lanka to gang violence in the United States. The vast array of topics covered in this course helped students understand the delicate un-derpinnings of the fabric of violence.

“I hope that understand-ing why people do terrible things is a step toward pre-venting some of these things from happening in the future,” said Pugh.

Students of this course were also challenged to reconsider their preconceived notions by redefining their definition of violence. It is customary to think of violence as solely murder and war, but HON 321C offered new explanations, said Compton.

“I’ve learned that things such as poor medical care that causes the deaths of thou-sands of children each year is also a form of violence that isn’t really thought of very often,” she said.

Even though this topic is complex and often disturb-ing to study, Honors students obtained a fairly sophisticated understanding of the multi-layered topic of violence said Pugh. Yet, the real learning took place in the thought-pro-voking and insightful discus-sions among the students.

“I feel very fortunate to be able to teach a course like this with such an engaged group of students,” Pugh said.

Designed to ease worries of over stressed

graduate school applicants, the HON102S seminar is a preparatory course offered for Honors students inter-ested in applying to graduate school.

From test-taking strategies to financial aid as-sistance, students were given numerous opportunities for success in graduate school through the HON102S seminar.

“The class exposed the students to a variety of the hoops they must jump through for admittance,” said Biology Professor Brad Swanson, instructor of the seminar.

Since the course covered so many topics, numerous professors specializing in the topics at hand were brought in to give lectures, providing students with the best resources available to them.

“While this meant that the students had a different instructor for each session of the course, it also meant

that they received the best advice possible on each topic,” Swanson said.

Ultimately aimed at pre-paring students for the ‘real world’ of graduate school, topics discussed in class included standardized test taking, financial aid advice, applications and interviews, study abroad opportuni-ties, personal financing, and internships. This broad coverage of many aspects of graduate school puts Honors students applying to graduate school at ease when preparing for the next step in education.

“There is no doubt in my mind that the informa-tion that came from the per-sonal experience of speakers has put me a step ahead of other students applying for similar positions,” Junior Killian Richeson said.

Because the course is fairly new, Swanson has dis-tributed surveys reviewing the material covered in the course, the manner in which the course was taught, and other aspects of the course

in order to get feedback from the students.

“I think that the course was a success but am look-ing forward to the evalu-ations by the students to determine how the course should be modified for future offerings,” Swanson said.

Already met with posi-tive reviews, it seems that the HON102S seminar is a rather popular and very ben-eficial course for students considering graduate school.

“I was pleased the most by the willingness of the speakers who came in and gave a portion of their time to help us to become suc-cessful in our chosen fields,” Richeson said.

Broad topics, useful information, and professors passionate about help-ing students are all factors which contributed to the success of the HON102S seminar, increasing its likeli-hood to be included in the curriculum for semesters to come.

honors graduates~ Winter 2010 ~

Michelle AldridgeCarissa BaumgartnerMatthew Brancaleone

stephanie ChilcoteKristen Cole

Andrea CookDaniel Machue

tiffany MakowskiKate Pifer

Matthew robinsonsarah schradersarah segerson

leslie skieraPatrick sweeneyrobert WattersMarisa Whitbey

shawn Witte

7

honors stUDents?Have you met these

honors involvements: honors Program Philanthropic society, hon 100 Mentor, study abroad

camPus involvements: Club running @ CMU, tutoring, iM tennis

favorite honors course: hon 321M: sex and Death and hon 321t: irish Dramatic experience

favorite honors event(s): the soup Bowl Charity event put on by hPPs and the honors Program talent show!

favorite food: “Pasta, stir fry, hamburgers, and pretty much anything home-cooked and delicious. i’m a foodie.”

favorite sPorts: “March Madness Basketball!”

favorite music artists: tom Petty, the Beatles, erin McCarley and one-hit-wonders from the ‘80s

favorite movies: star Wars, indiana Jones, Back to the Future, Pirates of the Caribbean, Mission Impossible, sappy girly chick flicks

interesting fact aBout you: “i like the smell of new tennis balls and pretending i’m in a music video when i listen to my iPod. i’m also probably going to be a crazy cat lady when i grow up.”

Darnell Gardner

Brittany spencer

honors involvements: honors Program Freshman Philanthropy Project

for the isabella Community soup Kitchen

camPus involvements: Central Beat on Modern rock 91.5, english language

institute’s Conversation Partner Program, MAC scholars, lem tucker scholar, study Abroad

favorite honors course: eng 201h

favorite food: ice cream

favorite music artists: Björk, Bright eyes, Circa survive

favorite movies: the shining, there Will Be Blood

interesting fact aBout you: “i can ride a unicycle.”

class standing: senior

major: health Fitness

minor: Athletic Coaching

class standing: sophomore

majors: Political science,

Journalism

Photo by Emily Williams

Photo by Emily Williams

8

Honors Professors of the Year2009-2010

William Saltarelli Kevin CorbettBy Beth Kiurski By Brett McMahon

incorPorating enthusiasm into his teachings has never been

an issue for Dr. Kevin Corbett of the broadcast and cinematic arts department. Most simply put, he loves his job.

It seems it wasn’t difficult for his Honors students to notice this about him, either.

Corbett was recognized as the Honors Professor of the Year for the 2009-2010 school year and was given an award at the Honors Graduation, Recognition Program and Awards Ceremony in May 2010.

“I was very pleasantly surprised and humbled simply to have been nominated,” he said recalling his initial response to the news.

Corbett attributed his enthusi-asm in the classroom as the reason he was nominated and won the award.

“I think students recognize and appreciate the fact that I genuinely love what I’m doing,” he said. “I think students appreciate enthusi-asm, and it’s easy to be enthusiastic when you love your work.”

Some of the Honors courses he has taught in the past include “History and Appreciation of the Cinema” and “The Rise and Fall of American Independent

Cinema”, and he is teaching an Honors seminar entitled “Sex and Love in the American Cinema” this semester.

Additionally, Corbett oversaw three Honors Senior Capstone Ex-periences this past academic year.

Kevin Terpstra, a Grand Rap-ids junior and former student of Corbett’s said his approach in the classroom helped him learn more effectively.

“I think what helped me get so in to the class and excited for each meeting was Corbett’s own excitement,” he said. “He would give us the information we needed and then add his own opinion about a certain filmmaker or style. It’s refreshing to get a professor’s actual opinion on something I’m so passionate about.”

Students like these are the reasons that initially interested Corbett in becoming an Honors faculty member.

“I wanted to get involved because I recognize that Honors students are the brightest of the bright,” he said. “It’s a pleasure working with intelligent, motivated and organized students, and I’ve found that most Honors students are all of the above.”

each year cmu honors students are encouraged to nomi-

nate one professor to be awarded the distinction of Honors Professor of the Year. Last year, Dr. Saltarelli, of the school of Health Sciences, received this prestigious award.

There are a number of reasons why Saltarelli was the faculty member chosen for this award, including his teaching style.

“He is very engaging and kept us interested, he allowed us to work by ourselves and was always there to help us whenever we needed.” said West Bloomfield sophomore Stepha-nie McConkie, who took HSC 214H: “Human Anatomy” with Saltarelli.

In addition to offering an Honors section of HSC 214 each spring, Sal-tarelli is also active in advising Hon-ors Senior Capstone Experiences. He advised two projects during the 2009-2010 academic year and over a dozen in all. Otsego sophomore Justin Mendoza thinks that Saltarelli is an amazing professor for a differ-ent reason.

“He treats students like real people, not just students.” Mendoza

said. This is hard to find on a college campus this big, so when it is found, it needs not be taken for granted.

Other former students have de-scribed Saltarelli as “personable and challenging, but also very caring,” and also that he “knows what he is talking about and tries to make things more interesting with real-life experiences.”

One might think that Saltarelli was an honors student himself in his years at college. “Not even close. I was a mediocre undergrad at best.” Saltarelli said. You can tell how far he has come since his undergraduate days. He is now an award-winning Honors professor, teaching some of the brightest kids things that they will take with them for the rest of their lives.

Students should have the op-portunity to experience Saltarelli’s rewarding courses. He teaches a number of classes in health sciences from “Human Anatomy” to “Work Physiology.” Any teacher who has earned such an honorable award is worthy of a students time and is sure to challenge ideals thought to be true, even beyond the classroom.

Photo by Emily Brouwer

Photo by Emily Brouwer

9

First-yeAr honors students rolled up

their sleeves this fall to raise funds for the American Red Cross Mobile Food Pantry.

All money raised by the students was donated to the Mobile Food Pantry, which currently feeds 300 to 450 families

every two weeks, as part of the annual Honors Program Freshman Philanthropy Project. Their contributions will help pay for several mobile food pantries to distribute food to Isabella County’s neediest residents.

“Some of the biggest

issues in Isabella county are hunger, homelessness and poverty,” said Judy Idema, associate director of the Honors Program. “We chose the food pantry because the students can see the fruits of their labor.”

Honors students in each of five classes were

MUCh is eXPeCteD”“To whom much is given,

in addition to assisting in the distribution of food at the mobile food pantries, hon 100B students organized fund-raisers in small groups to fund the project. various fund-raisers that were held included a 5K run, collecting pop cans, a spin-the-wheel contest and selling customizable cutouts.

First-year honors students make a difference in the local community as part of introductory honors courses

hunger in mid-michigan(stAtistiCs FroM the MiD-MiChigAn FooD BAnK)

Courtesy of Ellen Meinickie

Courtesy of Ashley Popp

Photo by Malorie Urda

Photo by Tamika Hawkins

Continued on next page

By Helen Collins

More than 58,300 people receive emergency • food each year through the Mid-Michigan Food Bank (1,115 people per week)

More than 28% of those recipients are children•

7.6 million pounds of food were distributed • by the Mid-Michigan Food Bank in 2009

10

grand total raised:

$12,586 “to WhoM MUCh is given, much is expect-

ed.” It is the motto embla-zoned on the shirts of the 2010 Honors Freshmen and the mission they collectively set out to achieve this fall.

The Honors Program Centralis freshman class gen-erated over $4,750 for the lo-cal American Red Cross Mo-bile Food Pantry by hosting a silent auction on Wednesday, October 28 in the University Center Rotunda.

The effort was part of the Honors Program’s an-nual Freshman Philanthropy Project.

“The Red Cross Mobile Food Pantry is a truly great service to the Isabella County community,” said Port Austin freshman Caitlin Homrich, who was the leader of one of the service groups. “I think it’s a good opportunity for Honors Students to start their involvement here at CMU.”

Approximately 300 prod-ucts and services were auc-tioned off ranging from op-era tickets to iPods and from quilts to baby clothes. Some groups collected services from businesses, such as massages, and other people offered up jewelry and hand-made art work.

“I’m sure I can speak for the entire Honors Program in saying that we are extremely grateful for the help the com-munity has given us through-out the project,” Homrich said. “It’s a great project, and

the people and businesses of Mt. Pleasant only made it better.”

Jennifer Messing, a Ruth sophomore who was part of the auction last year, attended this year’s auction.

“I remember how chal-lenging it was last year to get quality donations from the businesses,” she said, “so it was nice to see that they were able to get such a good se-lection of products and ser-vices.”

Collecting all the items was difficult but the class had much success; the over-all profit earned was $4,700. “The businesses responded very generously to support our cause, and we actually collected beyond our initial goal,” said Pittsford fresh-man, Patricia Poling, another group leader. “The project was very time consuming, but I had a lot of fun step-ping out of my comfort zone to collect donations for the philanthropy.”

In addition to the auc-tion, the Honors class also spent a day volunteering at an American Red Cross Mobile Food Pantry alongside Com-munity Compassion Network volunteers.

“I think it is a great proj-ect because it gave me the chance to raise money for a good cause while reaching out to the community and getting to know Mount Pleas-ant,” said Poling.

As part of the hon 100: “introduction to honors” experience, honors students were given the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of some of the isabella County community’s neediest residents. through learning about the problem of hunger in isabella County and small group fund-raisers and large group efforts, first-year students were able to transform themselves in order to transform the world around them.

divided into groups of four or five. Each team set a fundraising goal of $200 and worked together to plan, organize and implement fundraisers to meet their goal.

Andrew Haubenstricker of Frankenmuth said his group held a 5K run that earned $200.

“It kind of feels nice to know that we did it, we didn’t just help someone else to do it,” said Haubenstricker.

Centralis Scholarship recipients have been contacting local businesses soliciting donated items for a silent auction held

every year in the Bovee University Center. The Honors Program Silent Auction consists of nearly 300 items, from game tickets to baskets donated by family members of the students.

Students also volunteered in groups to work at the food pantry. All six HON 100 classes of approximately 40 students each scheduled a day in which all members of the class work unloading boxes of food to be distributed to local families who need it. Students also helped to distribute the food.

“Those who have participated can attest

to the fact that you cannot unload 15,000 pounds of food or more, organize it, distribute it, and deliver to the cars of 375 or more households without a lot of volunteer support,” said Sue Wroblewski, director of the Community Compassion Network.

Students have reported the Philanthropy project as being an overall positive experience.

Kristina Graham of St. Clair Shore said her group held a date auction and spaghetti dinner that raised over $200 dollars.

“I do think it is worthwhile, just because we are so lucky for everything we have, and it’s great to help share that with others who are less fortunate,” said Graham.

Courtesy of Chelsea Antcliff

Courtesy of Shelby King

First-year Centralis students raise over $4,700 for charity at the annual honors Program silent AuctionBy Laura Eickhoff

Photo by Tamika Hawkins

Photo by Tamika Hawkins

11

Mentors aim to add more meaning to hon 100 experienceBy Patrick Sweeney

same class, new looKHON 100 changes include new projects

and a final letter gradeBy Anna McNeill

MaKing changes for the greater good and

expanding knowledge are key components of the Central Michigan University Honors Program.

Over the past couple of years the program itself has made some adjustments to its introductory class, HON 100, to help the new members ac-climate to their new surround-ings, as well as expanding the knowledge of how the class can best be run.

There are many new things going on with the HON 100 class. One change is that this year the class is being taught by both the director of Honors Phame Camarena, and associ-ate director Judy Idema.

“Although coordination between two people is always a little challenging, I am abso-lutely thrilled that all 250 first year students in our programs are getting to meet and know both the director and associate director in more meaningful way.” Said Camarena, “As the Director, it is very important to me that all students in our pro-grams see me as approachable and someone that is available as a resource to them. I hope that all of the students in HON 100 sections this year can see that.”

The classroom also has a few more helpful faces due to the new changes.

“It had been about five years since we employed men-tors in the course and with bigger class sizes this year we felt it necessary to bring them back,” Said Idema, “so far, the response has been positive.”

“Mentors are responsible for 9-20 students. They meet with students outside class, provide guidance on course assignments, assist in course discussions, and serve as a resource to the freshmen.”

Camarena has similar views on the helpfulness of bringing the mentors back to the HON 100 classrooms.

“Judy and I have agreed that we could not do the kinds of creative out-of-class projects we have running this semester without the assistance of the mentors. I think that once stu-dents have seen how important the classroom mentors can be, that they will be more likely to apply in the years to come.”

Mentoring had the poten-tial to grow into a common in-class resource and has been proving itself a helpful tool this year in the HON 100 classes.

“I think the role of the mentor will only get stronger over time and I appreciate this group’s effort to work with us while we define their role. The addition of mentors for each section also ensures that students get more direction

and support for all of the class activities – especially those that occur outside of the regular class time,” said Camarena.

Last year the HON 100 class moved from a one credit hour, credit/no credit course, to a three credit class. This year it counted for a letter grade.

“Students have told us that for the amount of work completed in HON 100 they really feel it is worthy of a letter grade versus just credit/no credit. Also, it just made sense when we moved from one credit to three credit that a letter grade replace the credit/no credit option,” said Idema. “Students asked for this change and we listened.”

Only time will tell if these adjustments will stick or need to be adjusted again in the fu-ture for the benefit of the class.

“We will most certainly be reviewing everything we have done this semester and will be gathering significant feedback from the HON 100 students and mentors before deciding how to precede next year.” Camarena said, “My goal is that most students see HON 100 as a useful introduction to the life of the university, the life of the mind, and the Honors Program. I am committed to working with this class until we get it right!”

“the honors Program should be focused on pro-

viding students with meaningful experiences.” That’s Director Phame Camarena’s vision for the program. So he and Judy Idema decided to incorporate upper-class Honors students into the introductory HON 100 course to serve as student men-tors, with the belief that the ex-perience would make the course more meaningful to both fresh-men and mentors.

The class is intended to make students step out of their comfort zones and gain new perspectives on college and life. However, with over 250 students enrolled in six sections of the course, Phame and Judy felt that they would be unable to provide each student with enough expe-riences and individual attention to facilitate that goal.

That’s where the student mentors come in. Each men-tor is assigned between ten and twenty students with whom they will interact and bond through-out the semester. The mentors work individually with each stu-dent creating activities that will satisfy the class requirements and that both the mentor and student feel will be meaningful and enlightening.

The mentors also act as peer advisors, counseling students on typical first-year issues such as class scheduling, choosing a major, and interacting with pro-fessors.

Mentors play a crucial role in bridging the gap between the course goals and the specific ac-tivities the students do to meet these goals, said Camarena.

“The course couldn’t work with-out the mentors,”

Each student must complete a Personal Development Plan, consisting of eight separate ac-tivities designed to provide meaningful experiences. Mentor Ashley Esparza, a senior from Florida, accompanied a group to the Detroit Opera House to watch the opera “The Mikado” and helped them train for a 5K run. Mentor Dani Rossman of Grand Blanc helped a student with a fear of needles to donate blood.

“I really enjoy it,” said Rossman. “It’s been a great ex-perience for both students and mentors.”

And that’s exactly the re-sponse Dr. Camarena was hop-ing for.

“Keep in mind this program was developed for the benefit of both students and mentors,” he said. “Students often get too occupied with course work and GPA, but to really grow, they need to step out of the box. I hope that this program helps the mentors to grow and challenge themselves, as well as their stu-dents.”

“I wish we’d had this pro-gram when I was a freshman,” remarked Esparza. “It feels like the work we’re doing is paying off.”

At the end of the term, the students will evaluate their men-tors and provide feedback on the course.

“I feel confident the evalu-ations will be positive,” said Phame, “and that we’ll be able to make the program even better next year.”

mentors:Amy Casadysarah Cavenaughlaura eickhoffAshley esparzalindsey Fortonheather hillmanstephanie JaczkowskiAdrienne linskeylauren McCartneysarah naplessamantha PaszkiewiczDanielle rossmanBrittany spencerDanika stoneKyle terwillegarKayli trustyBreanna Wardelizabeth Zelinski

honors director Dr. Phame Camarena addresses hon 100 students during the first class period regarding transformative learning and challenging themselves, which would be themes throughout the semester.

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Personal Development Plan aims to promote meaningful thought about life in and out of the classroom settingBy Natalie Hollabaugh

Meaningful challenges for students included such activities as signing up for an Alternative Weekend volunteer experience (left) or experiencing religious services other than their own, as sarah Clark and gabby Kromer did (middle).

students also made meaningful choices to raise awareness for homelessness and hunger by sleeping in a cardboard box for a night (top), challenge their fears by completing CMU’s high ropes course and rock climbing wall (above), and experience new foods and beverages with the director of the honors Program, Dr. Phame Camarena (below).

As part of the project, students were encouraged to interact with professors out of class, including philosophy professor Dr. John Wright (left). students not only challenged their minds in class, but also their bodies through such activities as yoga (right).

Choosing to not Know your grade for a course? Giv-

ing up Facebook? Going to the opera? It is safe to say that these are not the typical actions of a college freshman

Honors freshmen in HON 100 are all challenging themselves to jump out of their comfort zones and try these new and different things, among many other mean-ingful activities, with the Personal Development Project (PDP).

Led by new Honors Program director, Dr. Phame Camarena and guided by mentors who have been through the process, students are choosing to extend themselves in a variety of ways.

From choosing activities that “alter the habitual self ” and by changing contexts, students are beginning their freshmen year do-ing things that may make them uncomfortable, and that represent a

meaningful challenge. Choosing to challenge oneself can be rewarding in the end though.

“The most challenging thing about HON 100 so far has been learning to think outside the box,” said Nashville freshman Amanda Erwin.

By giving out free hugs (she is deathly afraid of them), giving up Facebook for a week, experiencing the Wayside and preparing to attend a Middle Eastern culture event, Er-win will be doing things she would have never considered without the course.

“I feel as if my brain is already being stretched in entirely new ways,” said Erwin.

Grand Blanc sophomore Laura Eickhoff who is a mentor for the course, took HON 100 as a freshman and has experience with the PDP as well. There are students who are “definitely trying to push

themselves and get all they can out of the project,” said Eickhoff.

The Personal Development Plan has been successful and well received since it was implemented here. Starting off the college ca-reer by trying something different can lead to even more new experi-ences throughout college. “It [the PDP] has shown me how different everybody is but that, no matter how many things they’ve already tried, there’s still something more they can still do or experience,” said Eickhoff. This is something Eickhoff will definitely take into her future.

“HON 100 really emphasizes the importance of original thought and creativity,” said Erwin.

Original thought and creativity are two qualities that can certainly make a difference in a college ca-reer, not to mention time saved from avoiding Facebook.

Photo by Tamika HawkinsCourtesy of Sarah Clark

Courtesy of Beth Kiurski

Courtesy of Callie Anderson

Courtesy of Andrea Henk

Courtesy of Andrea Henk

13

With an extensive Knowledge of the Holocaust, professor

Alan Jacobs gave insight into present-day genocide through the lens of the Holocaust when he visited with Honors students in September.

Honors students had two oppor-tunities to meet with Jacobs on Sept. 21 and 22 for a discussion over dinner in Fresh Food on Campus and at Grand Traverse Pie Company, respec-tively. Jacobs spoke about his personal experience of visiting Auschwitz for the first time when he was a young child. The visit impacted him in such a way that he was determined to under-stand the reasoning behind genocide.

Students were urged to be aware of the current genocide in today’s world. Jacobs wanted to be sure that his research of the Holocaust would be used to stop the current genocide and prevent the practice from happen-ing again. Jacobs believes that genera-tion Y is capable of doing just that.

Jacobs, who also gave a presenta-tion on campus Sept. 23, wanted to meet with students on a more per-sonal level while he was here for the reason that students are the future.

“(He) wanted most of all to meet with students in small groups and talk with them about their concerns as well as to share his experiences,” said Eng-lish professor Ron Primeau, who was involved in bringing Jacobs to campus. “His dinners and coffee hours with

students were part of his desire to get to know students.”

Honors students found the expe-rience to be enlightening and left more knowledgeable of the past and present injustices.

“My reaction from the experience was a positive one,” said Naperville, Ill., first-year student Mikaela Kolany. “He brought the Holocaust to life and more importantly, he related it to cur-rent issues like Rwanda and Darfur,” said Kolany

Kolany’s experience is one that the Honors Program director Phame Camarena hopes to replicate through similar opportunities.

“ I remain concerned that too many CMU students are focused on celebrity rather than substance so I am grateful when our students get to meet someone like Alan and are hopefully encouraged to think about their own life goals and ambitions in more con-structive ways,” said Camarena.

Jacobs is a retired psychologist, professional photographer, and editor of Ideas Journal. Jacobs is known for his photographs of firemen in Chicago and his virtual tour of Auschwitz as well as his expertise on the Holocaust. But Jacobs has also researched the psychological reasons for genocide in hopes of being able to put an end to the genocide that is still seen in today’s world.

honors students meet for lunch with holocaust expert to discuss social justice and genocide issuesBy Kayli Trusty

Courtesy of Mikeala Kolany

honors students met with professor Alan Jacobs (center) in the Fresh Food on Campus dining commons sept. 22 to discuss how research on the holocaust can potentially be used to stop and/or prevent current and future genocides.

Pictured above are (l-r) ryan Maurer, Chelsea sharp, David tjalsma, Jordan Kroll and Justin Wagoner with accounting professors robert Bromley and Phillip Kintzele after a discussion over pizza at Bromley’s home.

many students thinK it is out of the ordinary to talk

to professors outside the classroom. However, professors are a source of knowledge whether it is in current events or the topic of interest in their teaching.

On September 24, 2010, a group of Honors students met with profes-sor Robert Bromley of the economics department and his wife at their home on Lake Isabella for a conversation and some pizza. Many different current events, public opinions and topics came up in discussion, many – but not all – of which were related to economics and business.

Professor Bromley encouraged the idea of conversation outside the classroom.

“It is very helpful to be aware of what our students are concerned about and what they think,” he said. “Our academic community works best when there is a robust dialog about issues fac-ing our society today. As ‘iron sharpens iron’ we become better scholars when our ideas are challenged and we think them through.”

I personally support Professor Bro-mley’s opinion because we can compare experiences and thoughts since both are from different generations and have different viewpoints on life. I find this as a strong asset in society, because any col-lege student that can hold a conversation to keep the interest of both the professor and the student himself/herself would be working toward a successful lifestyle.

There are many benefits for a student on CMU’s campus to speak to professors outside of the classroom. I have personally found that it helps to fos-ter a growing relationship with a ‘mentor’.

This could be from your area of interest or just a professor that you have met through various other school functions.

Many professors are also willing to help students achieve the qualifications needed for the future. This is apparent in the benefit of having a network of refer-ences in the future for a student searching for a job. Also, you can gain from knowl-edge and experiences by just talking to professors. This could be about anything, and usually if you have a question about something they could help you come up with the most sensible option.

However, a majority of college students disagree with the opinion that I believe in and think that professors are just for the classroom. Some students think that only ‘teacher’s pets’ have conversations outside the classroom with professors. This supports the stereotype that teachers are for the classroom and some say teachers do not have a ‘life outside of the classroom’.

Some students are intimidated by professors and are afraid to seek out their counsel and wisdom. As evidenced by professor Bromley hosting a group of Honors students at his home, profes-sors are often willing to develop these relationships with their students.

“It may not be possible [to meet with all students on campus],” Professor Bromley said, “but I would advise all stu-dents to visit their professors outside of class. When we take the initiative and seek out the opinions or experiences of others we get more out of our education.”

So students, go take the initiative and seek out the knowledge and discus-sions that are out there. It is up to the individual to help themselves not others to help the individual.

Point of view

The value of out-of-class interaction with professors

By Justin Wagoner

14

staff excellence Award presented to honors Associate

Director Judy idema

Honors Program Award Winners 2009-2010

Honors students see theatre and technology in Wagner’s “Das Rheingold”

Honors students travel to Detroit Opera House to see “The Mikado”

By Nicole Schram By Kaitlyn Germain

steP out of your norm- This was one of

the statements with which new Honors Program Director Dr. Phame Camerena challenged the students in Introduction to Honors this year.

In the spirit of Cam-erena’s challenge nine Honors students met with professor of communication and dra-matic arts Dr. Lauren Mc-Connell, and junior Honors mentor Kyle Terwillegar at Celebration Cinemas to view a live broadcast of Das Rheingold at the Metropoli-tan Opera House directed by Robert Lepage and con-ducted by James Levine, on Saturday October 9, 2010.

As students would find out, this particular opera by Richard Wagner is based on the same Nordic myths as J. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. It tells the struggles of Norse gods as they battle with Giants and a dwarf with a bad attitude for the ring of power and their right to live.

Like most operas Das Rheingold isn’t performed in English, rather in German providing “a great way to get some insight into a different culture as you hear another language being [sung],” said Gladwin freshman, Anna McNeill.

The experience as a whole did more than just provide insight into another culture. “I was most fasci-nated with the technology behind Das Rheingold’s set and design,” said Ossineke freshmen Amberly Dziensin-ski - reasonably so as director Robert Lepage spent nearly $17 million on the moving, motion and sound detecting stage for Das Rheingold. “It put a creative modern flair on a classic opera.”

“The opera challenges the motives and goals of soci-ety, groups, and even the indi-vidual, including myself. This experience reemphasized this power struggle, dually teaching me about the world

and myself, while also teach-ing me about the format and beauty of the Opera. Wagner was a genius,” said Honors freshman Amanda Erwin of Nashville Michigan.

The event was more than just the viewing of this extra modern twist on a modern German opera; it also in-cluded a “highly intellectual” discussion held by Dr. McCo-nnell, said Leigh.

The discussion, which took place in her home after the conclusion of the show, ranged from Das Rheingold itself to Opera history and Dr. McConnell’s operatic background.

“I learned a lot about op-era by sitting down and talk-ing with everyone who went,” said McNeill.

“Opera is a wonderful, passionate place to spend some of your time. I don’t think many students realize how fun and interesting go-ing to the opera can be,” said McConnell.

An AFternoon At the oPerA

how many students have been to an opera?

How about an operetta? How many students actually know what an operetta is? These are all good questions, and the answer turns out to be not many.

The HON 100 class was invit-ed to attend Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Mikado” at the Detroit Op-era House to expand their artistic horizons. The trip consisted of an early morning departure, some stops for food, lovely entertain-ment, and a time to chat and re-flect with Dr. Lauren McConnell.

In addition to the opera they attended a pre-show lecture that was given by an opera enthusiast. The pre-show lecture contained different sections of the opera, and some sections of arias sung by Joan Sutherland.

“Opera and operettas were new to most of the students,” said McConnell. “I think they had some trouble relating to the form, but were glad nevertheless to have had the opportunity to see the show.”

Even though most college students have not attended an op-era or an operetta, this was a fan-tastic opportunity for the students who went. Today the media taints entertainment, and this is an ex-perience that shows young people that there is more to entertain-ment than corrupt celebrities, said freshman Kristina Graham.

“Today entertainment is so focused on celebrities and what they do wrong,” she said. “Be-cause I went to this, now I know a different kind of music and en-tertainment, and it was actually interesting.”

The opera itself, Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Mikado”, is a satire of British politics and institutions, covered up by being set in Ja-pan. It is a comical opera about a Japanese man who runs away, dis-guised as a musician, to escape a terrible marriage. He soon falls in love with a young woman, the only problem being that her guardian is in love with her as well, and both are convinced they are going to marry her.

academic excellence award

Kelan Hlavaty

director’s awardJenna BrusieSarah NaplesKyle Smith

Danielle RossmanKyle Terwillegar

outstanding senior Project Proposal

Kristen ColeDerek Freyman

Rachel Vert

outstanding senior Project

Katie ChichesterMariah Hansen

Lacy Wiley

alumni scholarshipBlaise Badynee

Alison Beckman

outstanding student service awardRebecca Pilon

honors alumni service awardBryan Wieferich

(‘02)

honors Professors of the year

Dr. Kevin CorbettDr. William Saltarelli

These individuals were recognized at the Honors Graduation, Recognition

Program and Awards Ceremony in May of 2010.

15

Congratulations to Judy Idema, Associate Director of the CMU Honors and Centralis Scholarship Programs,

who was recently named a CMU Staff Excellence Award Recipient. The honors are bestowed on employees

who demonstrate commitment to and support of the university’s service excellence values – care, knowledge,

availability and follow-through – as well as the university’s commitment to diversity.

Placing the CapstoneHonors Senior Capstone Experience spotlight

Blaise Badynee studied how high school Spanish

textbooks taught the mean-ing of the word por differ-ently than it is used by native speakers in her Honors Re-search project.

“Language variation is not being shown in text-books,” she said. All nine of the books she studied did not mention that the word en is an existing way to convey the same meaning as por.

The Westland senior also used her paper for her McNair Scholars research project. She presented her findings at the fall McNair research symposium, which took place Friday, October 1, in the Park Library audi-torium.

“I spent the summer up here doing my project,” Ba-dynee said. “It was nice to have a draft done before ev-eryone else.”

She got the idea for the project from Dr. Catherine Hicks-Kennard, who was her professor in an Honors contracted section of ENG 375: “Introduction to Lin-guistics.”

The two of them met once a week for nearly an entire semester in order to choose a research topic. Once they did, Dr. Hicks-Kennard suggested that Badynee write her proposal.

Badynee has had some difficulties with writing her paper, which is 27 pages and counting. She had to start

over on it at one point be-cause of misinformation in her research. Despite this disappointing setback, she remains optimistic and con-fident about her project.

“It will be a success when it’s done,” Badynee said.

She will receive her de-gree in secondary education, majoring in Spanish and double-minoring in ESL (English as a second lan-guage) and leadership when she graduates from CMU in May, with further plans of going to graduate school to get a Ph.D. in second lan-guage acquisition.

Badynee chose her topic because of her career path and of her passion for the language.

“Ever since I was two, I was interested in Spanish,” she said. At that age, she had started to teach herself the language.

Badynee wants a Ph.D., but she does not want to teach at the college level.

“I need to play games, sing songs, and [do] other fun stuff,” she said.

The experience of con-ducting her research will help Badynee with her stud-ies after CMU by providing a writing sample for her appli-cations to graduate schools. The first on her list is Ohio State University.

The advice Badynee would offer to other Hon-ors students looking to start their senior projects?

“Do preliminary re-search,” she said. She advises this in order to maintain ac-curacy within the informa-tion being investigated.

Anyone who is interest-ed in Badynee’s Honors Se-nior Project can view videos about it by searching “Blaise Badynee” on iTunes U.

two seniors incorPorated their passion for interior

design into their Honors Se-nior Capstone Experience by exploring the correlation be-tween visual cues and number of falls annually at assisted liv-ing facilities in Michigan.

Adam Pastuzyn from Midland and Jenaye Chew from East Jordan have teamed up with associate professor of interior design Jeanneane Wood-Nartzer to pursue an extensive study of elderly care facilities.

Wood-Nartzer, who has always had an interest in de-sign for special user groups, was eager to have Pastuzyn and Chew’s collaboration in her research.

“They are both hard work-ers, with a desire to apply what they learn and a motivation to explore new things,” Wood-Nartzer said. “Their passion only intensified mine.”

The research consists of looking at the number of vi-sual clues, such as lighting, handrails on the wall and color differentiation on door frames, and comparing them to the amount of falls in the living facility. In their hypothesis, the team believes that the more sensory cues present, the less falls that will occur.

This project aims to deter-mine easy and effective ways to increase care in assisted liv-ing facilities.

“As the baby boom popu-lation ages, they are demand-ing better designed places when they become dependent on others,” Pastuzyn said. “It is important to not only make them attractive, but safe as well.”

Through their research, Pastuzyn and Chew hope to improve the living standards for anyone who will ever need to live in an assisted living fa-cility. They want to emphasize the importance a physical en-vironment has on a day to day basis.

“I’m a designer and I didn’t even realize what an impact these things have on elderly adults,” Chew said. “This project is an eye opener to how design really affects us as we age.”

The pair is focusing on 15 living facilities in the Lower Peninsula. They will continue their research with a hope of having a long-term impact in the community.

Pastuzyn and Chew plan to develop their work into a manuscript for a journal, where others will be able to use and apply the information. This will provide an effective guide in designing living facili-ties in the future.

“The work of these tal-ented individuals has poten-tial to have a far-reach impact in the future,” said Wood-Nartzer.

Blaise Badynee“Why do teachers Always Want you to talk like People Don’t?”: A study of Prescriptive spanish grammar and its Use by native speakers

Adam Pastuzyn and Jenaye Chew“A review of Assisted living Facilities”

By Cecilia Erwin

By Odille Parker

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third/junior year fourth/senior year

1st semester 1st semester2nd semester 2nd semester

your senior Project proposal is due by the end of the second semester of your third/junior year

your Completed senior Project is due by the end of the first semester of your fourth/senior year.

senior caPstone exPerience timeline

Student name Title Advisor

Chelsea BakerThe Role of p38 MAP Kinase in Drosophila

melanogaster Cold HardeningJonathan Kelty

Biology

Cody BartowImpact of a Diversity Course on Implicit and Explicit

Sexual Orientation AttitudesBryan Gibson

Psychology

Nicholas BiteLiving the present without forgetting the past: Argentine

cinema after the dictatorship (1976-1983)Alejandra RengifoForeign Language

Casey BooyingaThe Role of New Media in 2010 House Campaigns:

How Gender Affects New Medias’ Role in a Candidates’ Campaign

Christopher OwensPolitical Science

Suzanne ComptonGod and Country: Religious and Cultural Biases in

Early European Exploration into the EastDavid Rutherford

History

Stephanie FettingUnderstanding the Influence of Cognitive Demand on the Presence of Normal Disfluences’ Within the

Speech of Young Adults

Suzanne WoodsCommunication Disorders

Lindsey FortonSo What?: An In-Depth Analysis of What it Means

to Be A First-Generation PhD GraduatePhame Camarena

Human Environmental Studies

Elissa HoffmanAn Analysis of Architecture in the Latin American

Third World Country of PuruCathy Ganoe

Human Environmental Studies

Mary KlenkFacebook and Public Relations

in Higher EducationElina Erzikova

Journalism

Lauren McCartneyStability Bias in Adolescents’

Memory-Overestimating Memory and Underestimating Learning

Roger VanhornPsychology

Brittany MouzourakisWind Turbine Technology: Feasibility and

Application in Union Township

Thomas RohrerCollege of Humanities and Social

and Behavioral Sciences

Nicholas ParkinsonMyofascial Release via Foam Roller Technique and

its Effects on Lower Body Muscular PowerRene Shingles

Physical Education and Sport

John PhillipsEvolution and Biogeography of the Anolis humilis

Lizard Species ComplexKirsten Nicholson

Biology

Sarah RenaudPortrayal of Gender and Family Life in American

Television Situation Comedies from the 1950s to the Present

Mary SenterSociology

Emily RuckerBefore the Ballot: Evaluating Programs that

Encourage Women to Run for OfficeCherie StrachanPolitical Science

Emily TurbiakA Fraud Analysis: A Review of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Accounting and Auditing

Enforcement Releases

Thomas WeirichSchool of Accounting

Rebecca WalthersThe Effect of Therapeutic Hourseback Riding on an

Adult with Muscular DystrophyMary Lou Schilling

Recreation, Parks and Leisure Services

What are Honors Students working on?Below is a sampling of Honors senior projects worked on in the 2010-2011 academic year.

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hoW CAn i get involveD?The Honors Program offers many ways to

become active within the program, on campus and in the community

honors Program PhilantrhoPic

society events are currently

being planned in small committees. any student

interested in getting involved with planning an event

should contact Judy idema at idema1jk@cmich.edu.

honors outreach networK

H.O.N. meets every other Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. in powers 136 to discuss volunteer opportunities

and social events. Contact president Kyle smith at smith13k@cmich.edu

honor Bound Honor Bound will be looking

for writers, photographers and story ideas for the spring semester. if you are interested in contributing to this student-

run publication, please contact Kyle Terwillegar at

terwi1ka@cmich.edu

hon 100 mentors The Honors program will be accepting applications this spring from students who are interested in becoming

a mentor for HON 100: “introduction to Honors”. Details will be announced

early in the spring semester.

honors talent show

any student who has a special talent is encouraged to share it with the Honors community

at the Honors program Talent show on Thursday, March 24. Contact Judy idema for more

information at idema1jk@cmich.edu.

claude s. larZelere trivia challenge students are encouraged

to participate in the annual team-trivia challenge on

Friday, February 25. sign up your team of four in powers 104 by Tuesday, February 15.

the cmu honors Program encourages

students to seek out opportunities to make a difference on campus and in the local community, a goal that the Honors Outreach Network is founded upon.

Members of the Honors Outreach Network, or H.O.N., work in small groups on a variety of local charity projects and plan social events for Honors students.

During the fall semester, H.O.N. worked with the Isabella County Commission on Aging to rake leaves for elderly members of the Mount Pleasant community. They also volunteered at a local animal shelter by playing with kittens and made Thanksgiving cards for the elderly.

They also planned a pancake dinner for Honors students during exam week.

Although the groups focus is on community service, it is also a way for Honors students to meet one another.

“We hope to do more community service projects as a group this year so that we can get to know each other better,” said Holly junior

Amy Crockett, who is the H.O.N. fundraising chairperson.

Later in the year, the group will volunteer as ushers, box office staff and custodial help at the Broadway Theater’s production of The Christmas Carol.

“H.O.N. has allowed me to accomplish a vast majority of the community service hours that are required as part of the Honors Protocol,” said DeWitt Senior Kyle Smith, who serves as H.O.N. President.

As part of the Honors Protocol, students are required to do 120 hours of community service, and H.O.N. is one way students can reach and exceed this goal.

H.O.N. holds biweekly meetings to help members learn about individual volunteer opportunities in the local community and keep them up to date on the group’s future events. H.O.N. members need not be members of the Honors Program, and new members are always welcome. For more information, please contact Kyle Smith at smith13k@cmich.edu.

honors outreach network By Danielle Rossman

honors Program Philantrhopic society

By Sarah Donnetti

it is the goal of the Honors Program that

for Honors students, working towards the greater good is not exclu-sive from their Honors identities. One Honors student organization – the Honors Program Philan-thropic Society (HPPS) – is aiming to meet that goal and continuing its busy schedule in helping the university community and beyond.

In November HPPS held a pajama drive to benefit the Salvation Army. Participants each donated $10, which went toward purchasing pajamas, stuffed animals, ornaments and cards for underprivileged children in Isabella County. An event was held to create care packages from those materials.

Next semester plans are already underway for projects such as volun-teering at a local nursing home, volunteering with secondary schools to encourage quality educa-tion and provide informa-tion about college, and a clothes and supplies drive for underprivileged or-phans in Oaxaca, Mexico.

In addition, the Soci-ety will hold the inaugural Winter Charity Ball in the newly-renovated Powers

Hall Ballroom on Febru-ary 18 to benefit Women’s Aid Service. Committee co-chair Dani Rossman said that the Honors Ball is a “great way for Honors students to socialize outside their academic classes,” while at the same time contributing to a worthy cause.

The final major event of the year sponsored by HPPS will be a carnival in April held to benefit local at-risk children.

The Honors Program Philanthropic Society con-sists of approximately 35 members and 8-12 people are assigned to each com-mittee. Those interested in seeking more informa-tion or joining the Society should contact Judy Idema (idema1jk@cmich.edu or 989-774-2093).

Established in Fall 2008, the Honors Pro-gram Philanthropic Soci-ety is an organization that seeks to “plan and imple-ment large-scale commu-nity service projects for the Honors Community at CMU and the surrounding community,” according to its official website. Some of its past activities have included a hunger aware-ness strike, Soup Bowls for Charity and Project Linus.

18

The Honors community provided holiday cheer and warmth to 50+

underprivileged children with the annual Pajamas for Charity event

spreading the holiday cheer

More than 50 Honors students, faculty and staff gathered Friday, November 19 to help spread holiday cheer to local children who themselves may not

get their fair share by assembling packages of new pajamas, holiday cards, ornaments, and stuffed animals to be delivered to underprivileged children

in isabella County. The event was sponsored by the Honors program philan-thropic society partnering with the local salvation army unit.

in total, more than 50 packages were put together for age groups ranging from infants to adolescents.

pizza and pop were provided for all participants, and such holiday mov-ies as “rudolph the red-Nosed reindeer” and “The polar express” were

shown for their enjoyment. a holiday trivia contest was also held while people wrapped and made cards.

Brittany spencer (left) and Becky Markel display their ornament and card creations.

Participants at the honors Program Philanthropic society’s annual Pajamas for Charity event put together more than 50 packages of pajamas, holiday cards, ornaments and stuffed animals to be delivered to underprivileged children in isabella County.

Megan gill (left) packages her gift, while Jordan rife (above) is excited about her gift.

Join honors on facebookcentral michigan university honors ProgramThis is the official page for students in the Honors Program to stay connected with one other and with the program. Be sure to “Like” this page to get important updates, event listings and other content will be listed on this page.

central michigan university honors and centralis alumni groupThis group is a way for all graduates of the CMU Honors Program to stay in touch. It is officially sponsored by the CMU Honors Program.

BrAnD neW

like Join group 19

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage

P A I DMt. Pleasant, MI 48859

Permit No. 93

Honor Bound Staff

EditorKyle Terwillegar

WritersHelen CollinsAmy CrockettSarah DonnettiLaura Eickhoff

Patricia EmenpourCecelia Erwin

Kaitlyn GermainMegan GillBen Harris

Heather HillmanNatalie Hollabaugh

Beth KiurskiBrett McMahon

Brittney MouzourakisOdille ParkerJohn Phillips

Danielle RossmanColin Russell

Nicole SchramPatrick Sweeney

Catey TraylorKayli Trusty

Justin WagonerKelsey Whing

PhotographersEmily Brouwer

Tamika HawkinsKaitlin KlimaszGabby KromerMalorie Urda

Emily Williams

Central Michigan UniversityPowers 104

Mount Pleasant, MI

Phone: (989)774-3902Fax: (989)774-2335

www.cmich.edu/honors