Tax Return Time is Here! So is Help! By Sara Liptak

Mother Charged in Violent Crime By Bronson Peshlakai

Spring’s Helpers Are Here By Alley Rehner

Being a student at a community college has more benefits than not. If you’re part-time, or even a full-time student who is also working a part-time or full time job outside of school, you’re more than likely to have a lot on your plate. No matter the age of the student, his/her time elapsed at Tri-C, or their current GPA, managing important financial needs can be a hassle for a student in college.

As a student who attends a community college, there is much to be offered to help better assist you and make your time management more bearable. Tri-C is currently offering FREE personal income tax filing

services at all four campuses this year. This service has bee done in the past, and the outcome has been tremendous.

Found on the Tri-C’s website, an online article from 2011 stated “each year, millions of dollars in refunds go unclaimed by individuals filing tax returns,” said Maria J. Thompson, a Community Consultant for PNC Community Development Banking. “We look forward to again helping to efficiently deliver tax refunds to local families and communities most in need.” Even two years later Tri-C still continues to help their students best as they can with filing taxes.Continued on Page 6

Photo by Sara Liptak

Courtesy of sxc.hu

Twenty-year-old Camilia Terry, a Tri-C paralegal student last term, gained national coverage after she was charged with the murder of her 3-year-old son, Emilliano. On Nov. 25, Terry made a frantic 9-1-1 call saying her son was miss-ing at Kossuth Park on Cleveland's east side. Emilliano was found dead at a gar-bage transfer site one day later wrapped in several garbage bags. Medical examin-ers said he died of a blunt force trauma to the head which caused a skull fracture.

Terry pleaded not guilty to charges of aggravated murder, felonious assault, endangering children, tampering with evidence, making false alarms and of-fenses against a human corpse. On March

26 at 1:30 p.m., Terry has another pretrial conference with Judge Janet Burnside at the Justice Center.

In recent court actions, the pre-trial is in a discovery stage, and the state prosecutors have requested Terry have no contact with her other child who is six years old. Their was a motion for Terry to undergo psychiatric evaluation. She has stated to other media organizations that Emilliano's death was an accident.

Terry faces life imprisonment if found guilty of the murder charges. The Voice was the first news organi-zation connecting Terry as being a Tri-C student.To read more, go to www.cccvoice.com.

Camila Terry

Classes have begun again this semester at all Tri-C campuses, and the tutoring centers are all open for the extra academic support of all students. Tutors, who are also teachers at Tri-C, are found in the Learning Centers. They are eager to assist any students with questions or extra homework help. From basic courses such as Math and English, to Accounting and Sign Language, there are tutors available throughout the week, except for Sundays.

“I really liked how there is a specific tutor for each subject, but also there are so many tutors that you are able to find the right one for your specific learning capabilities,” student Venay Reid said, commenting on her experience with the testing center. The times vary by tutor, however, there are enough time variations to fit any student’s busy schedule. The general tutoring hours for all campuses are 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday and

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. For cur-rently enrolled Tri-C students there is also Smarthinking.com for online tutor-ing help. From submitting a question to scheduling a personal session with one of the live e-structors, all services are avail-able through the Student Services tab on my.tri-cspace.com.

For assessments, make-ups and eLearn-ing course tests, the Testing Centers are available. English and math assessments Continued on Page 4

Fans Fan the Flames of RacismPage 2

The Future of Print?Page 7

THE VOICESTUDENT PUBLICATION OF CUYAHOGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE

ISSUE NO. 7, VOL. XV * * ESTABLISHED 1963 * * MArcH 4, 2013

Go to cccvoice.com

Page 2

Life as a Tri-C student can be hectic. Many students have other obligations outside of the classroom such as work, family and many other life issues that come with being a human being. One very important thing every human should have is enough sleep for optimum health. Nine hours is the amount of sleep a person should have each and every night, but in today’s world sleep is sometimes overlooked as important. Enough sleep each night has count-less benefits! But lets’ change it up and see what the lack of sleep does to a person’s weight. Maybe a warning might help more than positive rein-forcement in this case.

Lack of sleep negatively af-fects the heart, weight, and mind. When the sun vanishes under the horizon and darkness arrives, the sleep hormone Melatonin is slowly released. Melatonin tells the brain it is time for our bodies to relax in order to sleep. When we are asleep, Melatonin works as antioxidants to help fight off illness and strengthen our immune system. Sleeping in complete darkness is wise since light interferes with Melatonin causing one to awaken during the night. For those people who have trouble fall-ing asleep, it’s because their levels of Melatonin aren’t as high and to help release more, I suggest dimming the lights 30-1 hour before sleep, (a lamp in the corner of the room is perfect)

also no artificial lights the likes of electronics or television. Taking artificial Melatonin (sleeping pills) that is in sleeping pills are destruc-tive because that sends messages to your brain saying it doesn’t have to produce it’s own Melatonin so even-tually, those taking sleeping pills will fall dependent on them (Which is not only unnatural, but expensive!).

How Little Sleep Affects Weight:Ever feel stressed after a night of

little sleep? Lack of sleep increases the stress hormone called Cortisol. The increase of stress triggers an increase in appetite which is detrimental to weight management and weight loss. There is a small cycle to lack of sleep and dealing with weight trouble:1. Cortisol increases2. Appetite increases3. Body has trouble metabolizing carbs4. Blood sugar levels rise5. Insulin increases6. Resulting in sending signals to the body

to store the unused energy into fat.

Thxis cycle, if repeated consis-tently, greatly increases the risk for acquiring diabetes and obesity.

To maintain a healthy weight: eating healthy, exercising, and sleep-ing are the three magic factors. No more excuses for not hitting the hay, because if you haven’t already, it’s time to put health first for the first time in your life. Like they say, “Health is Wealth.” Get some rest.

Dorathy’s Digest Health & Nutrition Advice By Dorathy Stranski

Fans Fan the Flames of Racism By Larry Remar

2

Sleep Helps Maintain a Healthy Weight!

When they were alive, singer James Brown and Senator Robert F. Kennedy always referred to Martin Luther King Jr. as America’s greatest friend. As we remember and celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., what I would like to see us as students, faculty, staff, is that we take this friendship that has been given to us freely, humbly, for us now to truly embrace it. We should remember what he stood for in our academic as well as in our personal lives.

According to Proverbs 18: 24, “A friend will stick closer than brother.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. indeed became that friend to not only African Americans but instead, he was a friend to all humanity. Whether it was fighting for jobs on behalf of poor Caucasian and African Americans, or speaking up for those innocent lives lost in the Vietnam War, Dr. King was looked upon as a true friend to all who were in need.

He fought for the equal treatment of all humankind despite being beaten, locked up in jail, stabbed, and talked about and lied on. He was so committed to that friendship that he decided to walk a five day fifty-four mile journey in order for me to be able to vote for the first African-American President. He was so committed to non-violence that he sacrificed his own life to violence.

Today, we continue to celebrate his life and his life work. Yes, it is good that we take the time out each year in our

communities to honor him in music, poetry, and dance.

As a community, we must respect and honor him by remembering his friendship. By practicing this we can overcome gun violence in our schools and communities.

King once said, “It is no longer a choice between violence and nonviolence in this world; it’s nonviolence or nonexistence.” As we take time this year to celebrate the dream, let us keep in mind as well as in our hearts the true reality of his friendship. Only a friend would have fought and laid down his life for us to realize our dreams.

"He fought for the equal treatment of all humankind despite being beaten, locked up in jail, stabbed, and talked about and lied on."

Erin Fisher’s article, Being Othered: My Experience in Race Relations, pub-lished in November 5, 2012 issue of The Voice really triggered a spark in me. Her reflection, insightful and well written, touches on an important and vital topic that is continuously evolving yet needs constant readdressing. If we ever expect to see true racial equality and equal rights for all people it needs to mean just that – all people. “Hearing of the experiences of African Americans, His-panics, Latino’s and Asians, has made me think more critically about race,” Fischer wrote. “I now understand just how the intense racial history in our country still echo’s in our institutions to this day.”

Powerful quote, not only for what it says, but also what it doesn’t. Sadly, one ethnic group is clearly missing even as we’re reminded of it everywhere we look. To connect the dots to this point one needs to look no farther than another quote, directly above Fischer’s on page seven, attributed to a different Tri-C stu-

dent: “ I originally wanted to be a baseball player for the Cleveland Indians!”

I’m astounded by the way the origi-nal inhabitants of the Western Hemi-sphere continue to be overlooked and misunderstood. Chief Wahoo and the team name Indians not only misrepre-sent American Indian people, they are also assaults on the principles of justice because they smother tribal sovereignty with a thick layer of mass-media stereo-typing and disrespect.

When Little Black Sambo offended African Americans and the Frito Bandito offended Mexican Americans, those ste-reotypical labels, which provided no mir-ror of reality, were ultimately eradicated. American Indians are offended by Chief Wahoo and the ream name and so these too should be eliminated. Why then, in the name of human rights, do we keep justify-ing a human wrong by accepting these blatantly racist insults into our culture?

A vast number of sports fans and professional athletes, including many of

African and Mexican decent, support this racist attitude by wearing clothing, hats, and uniforms emblazoned with these insensitive and demeaning images while showing no support for the Native community. How soon we forget.

American Indians are being reduced by these characterizations to an unrealis-tic, fictional, cartoon-like, status and are rapidly becoming a forgotten race. When I question how we forget about them we we see Chief Wahoo and the Indian name everywhere we look, I find we for-get about them because we do see these racist images everywhere we look.

By accepting the name and logo we dehumanize a race of people by diminish-ing their existence, thus perpetuating the myths and stereotypes that all the real Indians are dead and gone. Every time we see Chief Wahoo we’re staring racism right in the face because racism is staring right back at us. This fictional character is so deeply entrenched in our lives that it’s difficult for us to recognize.

Another example: Washington Red Skins. This is clearly another acidic, racial slap in the face to the American Indian people: to be referred to by a supposed skin color? If the Cleveland Browns chose to rename the team the Cleveland Brownskins I’m certain we’d experience a decidedly different reac-tion. It would certainly put racism in sports and the media onto a different playing field. Flagrant foul flags would be flying everywhere.

What if the team stretched it to see how far the public would allow it to go? A shiny, new Wahoo-like logo complete with similar animated embellishments: big nose, thick lips and a huge, silly buck-toothed grin. Yank out the feather, replace it with an afro hairstyle, repaint the skin a neon- bright, deep shade of brown and voila, Cleveland can now proudly boast of being the first major metropolitan city to honor two ethnicities at the same time.

Tell us what you think! To read the full article, visit www.cccvoice.com.

Remembering and Living For a Friend By J.C. Robinson

Courtesy of flickr cc

Math for everyone By Tallis G. Munroe

Math problems that involve seemingly disparate areas of mathematics are fun and entertaining to solve. When finished, they belong on your refrigerator, so that others can admire your work!

I came across a geometry problem in a gentle math book called “Teaching Mathematics Vocabulary in Context” by Miki Murray. Her main idea is that students often have difficulty solving math problems because they do not understand the language of mathematics. The author introduces a word problem that a student of hers had difficulty doing because he did not understand what “two legs” referred to in a pair of similar right triangles. The legs of the smaller triangle are 5 cm and 6 cm in length. The length of its hypotenuse is not given. The hypotenuse or the longest side of a right triangle is opposite the 90 degree angle or the right angle. The other angles may be of any degree as long as the sum of the three interior angles adds up to 180 degrees. The area of the larger triangle

is 135 cm2. What are the lengths of the legs of the larger triangle? Here is a picture of the problem. It is not drawn to scale.

Hmmm, I thought, I can’t use the * theorem of Pythagoras (Greek mathematician 570 BCE to 495 BCE) since not enough information is given. So, I wrote down what I knew to be true. First, each triangle is half a rectangle, so multiplying the respective legs together would give me the area of the corresponding rectangle.

Second, the area of the larger triangle is 135 cm2, which means that the area of its corresponding rectangle is 270 cm2.

And, then I saw the solution. The prime factorization of 270 is (2) (3) (3) (3) (5). I need to combine these factors in such a way so that the products are in proportion to the legs of the smaller triangle - then, I would have the correct lengths of the legs of the larger triangle. Let’s see what happens.

The equation [(5) (3)] [(3) (3) (2)] =270 simplifies to (15) (18) =270 cm2, and 270 cm2 divided by 2 equals 135 cm2. The answer must be expressed in units squared since we are calculating in two dimensions.

The leg lengths fifteen (15) and eighteen (18) seem to work, but we need to check our work. Since the triangles are similar, the corresponding lengths should have the same ratio. And, yes, they are equivalent fractions: five divided by six (5/6) equals fifteen divided by eighteen (15/18). If you multiply 5/6 by a form of one (1) or (3/3) then you will get 15/18. Pythagoras would be proud, and next time we will discuss the famous theorem named after him.

It pays to be a sleuth when solving a math problem. Write down what you know to be true and solve from there!

Tallis George Munro is a math advocate. He can be reached at georgemunro.tallis@gmail.com

3

Photo by Kristie King and edited by Sonya Valantasis

Are you a born leader? Student Government may be the place for you.

“Be ready to serve and work hard,” said Richard Larkin Jr., Student Government Vice President at East, who is responsible for clubs and working hand in hand with the president. Larkin, who plans to become a traveling nurse, said that student government has helped him to trust and better work within a group. It also helps him to see that basic issues and needs are being met for his fellow students.

Director of Student Life and Athletics at East, Rita McKinley, said that the best student senator is one who is committed to the college’s missions and students’ success. McKinley also serves as adviser for student government.

“It requires approximately 10 hours per week, which includes maintaining office hours in order to meet with fellow students to hear their issues of concern, attend the campus Student Government weekly meeting, serve on campus and/or college wide communities and plan and implement special events and fundraising activities for

the student body,” McKinley said. “Students who served in this capacity have increased their willingness to get involved in campus activities, gained effective leadership skills, improved their communication skills, completed their associate degree and transferred to a four-year college or university where they have completed their baccalaureate and master’s degree,”

The term is one year, from June 1 to May 31. Each campus elects it’s own members of Student Government. The Eastern campus currently has six senators, a president and vice president. Students must be currently enrolled to run and are allowed to serve three years in student government. Once elected, all members must be enrolled in a minimum of six credit hours, and maintain a 2.50 accumulative grade point average.

If you are thinking about participating in student government, stop by the Student Government office to talk with the current members and pick up a nominating petition form in the Student Life office, ELA 115. Forms must be submitted no later than Friday, March 8, 2013.

Looking for a Few Good People By Jennifer Nelson

S e N A T e S P o T L i G H T

RacheL ShoRtSenator-at-Large 2012-13 216.987.2441 eMail: rachelshort001@acad.tri-c.edu hometown: Richmond Heights,oH

age: 33

Majors: Nursing

Why did you join Student Government? I strongly believe that getting involved gives you the opportunity to attack various issues and make your school a better place. My interest in the Student Govern-ment was not only a means to network with people who share similar interests in meeting the needs of our peers, but I felt this was also a great way to improve my leadership skills, overall professional development and build good relationships with people while having fun.

What do you want students to know about you?Well besides being in love with photography, good food and playing sports/games, it’s important that people know that I'm approachable and genuine. If there is an issue, personal or school-related, that you would like to privately dis-cuss, you have a non-judgmental listening ear in me. Venting is healthy, especially when the person on the other end is sincere and able to be objective.

How long have you been in office? This is my first year, second semester.

What are your student government goals? My goals are pretty much equivalent to my reasons for joining the Student Gov-ernment. I hope to make positive changes for our students and develop life-long relationships with good people. Hopefully, I will also help implement ways to involve more students via fun and engaging activities like poetry slams, talent shows and dances. We shall see...

East Student Government meets at 2:30 p.m. every other Thursday in Room 100, East Education Center. Everyone is welcome to attend.

4

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are mandatory to determine the courses for which a student may register. Each test requires one to two hours of test preparation with the completed sample test questions given to the Assessment Center before taking the placement tests. The assessments may require one to two hours to complete, so it is best to come in two hours or more before the center’s closing time. For make-up tests, an appointment is not necessary. Adequate time to complete the exam is again advised. Students must bring photo identification, a Tri-C photo ID is preferred, when coming to the testing center. Students will also have to provide

their teachers name, course name, course number and test number.

The hours for assessments and testing at East, Metro, West and West-shore campuses are Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and assessments are to begin no later than 5:30 p.m. On Friday the center is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and assessments are to begin no later than 11:30 a.m. For the Brunswick University Center testing hours call 216-987-3877 and for Corporate College West testing hours call 216-987-5888. The eLearning Course testing dates for all campuses are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on specific dates.

Photo by Marrista Stubbs

SPRiNG Continued from Page 1

the Life An editorial Cartoon by James Stubbs

Be a change agent! By Casie em

"Much of what ends up in dumpsters and garbage cans across the campuses of Tri-C can be recycled."

Reduce, Reuse, RecYcLe at tri-c! By Jeremy Hopkins

tri-c’s Xtreme Fitness club By Casie em

Courtesy of flickrcc

One must meet eligibility requirements to have their taxes filed at Tri-C, which are screened for the Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit. In order to qualify for this, stated on a Tax Release update sent out by the college on January 28, taxpayers much have a 2012 earned income of less than $60,000 and must be fling a simple return.

What to bring to your free income tax filing session? • -A current photo I.D.

• -Social Security card (one for each, if you have a child on the return).

• -Your prior year tax returns, W2 and 1099 income statements.

• -Child care expense statements and providers I.D. number (if applicable to you).

• -Form 1099-INT for any checking or savings accounts, as well as bank account and routing numbers for a direct deposit refund.

...(If you’re filing jointly, must both be present if e-filing).

These service are being offered at all four locations on a walk-in assistance on a first-come, first-served basis. Important times and dates for these services:• Metro Campus, Saturdays, February

2-March 30 (except for March 16), from 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. in the TLC Room 155.

• Western Campus, Fridays and Saturdays, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., now until April 6 in room WSS G280. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m.

• Eastern Campus, (a prior scheduled appointment is necessary), now until April 4. Contact Jin Chen at 216-987-2402 to make an appointment at Eastern Campus.

Take advantage of this great offer at Tri-C, and save yourself time and money along the way! For more information on the tax preparation services at Tri-C, contact Linda Muren at 216-987-5288.

Looking to take part in making a change on campus or in the community? Tri-C is the first community college in the United States to implement Sustained Dialogue. Representatives from each Tri-C campus including student activities, student affairs and deans have been working collaboratively together with Global Issues Resource Center and the Office of Diversity to develop this initiative at Tri-C.

The Sustained Dialogue Campus Network is a tool used for creating safe spaces on college campuses to address divisive issues. Students can gain skills on active listening, appreciating diversity, strategic planning and much more. There are several opportunities for student participation ranging from serving as a

moderator or a participant. Throughout the semester, weekly

one hour sessions with a group of 8–12 students facilitated by two trained student moderators, engage in critical issues of intercultural communication, diversity and other issues of social division in depth and then propose college and campus-wide methods of addressing related conflicts. Some of the exploring topics include ageism, racism, ableism, heterosexism and more.

If you’re interested in learning more, information can be found on the Tri-C Sustained Dialogue page on the campus website or you can contact Dr. Susan Lohwater, 216-987-5044, susan.lohwater@tri-c.edu.

All around campus, monumental changes have quietly happened. This change has improved efficiency and saved us money. It is just one step towards our goal of diverting 50% of our waste from landfills by 2025, but it is an important step in our recycling campaign.

“Waste is a resource out of place,” says Dave November of the Sustainability offices of Cuyahoga Community College. It is “things we are discarding that have not yet been made useful.” In fact, much of what ends up in dumpsters and garbage cans across the campuses of Tri-C can be recycled. This change of the blue bins around campus has been a change to what is called “single stream collection,” meaning that one bin can now take all of the items we recycle.

This is just one aspect of the familiar mantra: “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle”. This change reduced not only the number of bags going to the recycling plant, but also our costs by requiring fewer visits by our vendor. These bins are also conveniently placed near regular trash bins, giving you an easier choice of where to dispose of something.

Previously, we were required to pre-separate the material, choosing to deposit it in an appropriate bin. Mr. November stated that this was creating extra work, since both the collection bins of paper products and the bottles and can products go to the same place, where they get sorted on the same production line. Currently, not everything can be recycled. Items that contained food, coffee cups, and napkins are just some of the examples of items we cannot place into the blue bins. Find the full list of

what the blue bins can and cannot take at www.tri-c.edu/sustainability.

We even recycle yard waste. Hospitality Management at Metro and Plant Science and Technology at East have a partnership going for composting yard and plant waste. Even our food service vendor, Aramark, has been getting into the process, weighing “back of restaurant” waste, reducing trash costs and adding compost material.

The push right now is to keep it simple, which is the same reason Mr. November gives behind accepting plastic bottles and not other plastics. He has not ruled out later plastic collection, but all plastic does not recycle equally. This is just the first step, though. Mr. November stated that there are several other projects going on, including LEED certification for energy efficient building construction at East and Metro, with more in process now. Even switching from plastic to metal silverware, adding solar or wind power generators, and reducing waste and consumption even more are being considered.

The next big thing is looking at the urban farm and locally grown produce, and to improve energy efficiency even more. While recycling one plastic bottle saves enough energy to power a 60 watt bulb for three hours, recycling just 100 cans can power your bedroom for three weeks, according to www.dosomething.org. And we are participating in a challenge with other colleges and universities across the country for the next month in the RecycleMania Tournament. Figures are reported weekly, so we can track just how much improvement we make.

If you would like more information check out the website noted previously, and/or contact Dave November at david.november@tri-c.edu to see how you can help out at your campus.

Did you know a fitness club existed at Tri-C? The Xtreme Fitness & Wellness club started about three years ago in fall 2010. “It started as mean for students in the Sport and Exercise Studies program to reach out and practice the skills they learn as well as help fellow students attain better health and provide a support system for all persons seeking to be more active and share their passion!” says club advisor Christine Phillips.

With over 50 members, the club is not entirely devoted to just fitness fanatics. You can be at any fitness level to join. The club is dedicated to raising awareness of the benefits of physical activity, increasing knowledge of the risks of being inactive, encouraging participation in activities that foster wellness and performance goals. “We are here to help you get healthy, stronger

and better.” said Phillips. What kind of events can you

expect to see from them? Expect to see all kinds of events including: hiking, zumbathons, educational speakers, participation in local sports events and so much more! Free yoga and meditation sessions are offered courtesy of the club led by Christine Phillips. There’s no need to worry because equipment is supplied. Yoga sessions are on Thursdays from 3-3:50p.m in room A140. Meditation sessions are on Tuesdays 3-3:30p.m in room A140.

If you’re interested in being part of the club, you can contact Tony Ruvolo, anthony.ruvolo001@acad.tri-c.edu or Christine Phillips, christine.phillips@tri-c.edu. The club meets Wednesdays at 3:00p.m in room A139.

West S e c t i o n

TAXeS Continued from Page 1

6

Courtesy of flickr cc

Photo by Kristie King

Photo by Kristie King

corey Rider editor

Jennifer Nelson Staff Writer

alley Rehner Contributing Writer

allan Stubbs Contributing Writer

James Stubbs Cartoonist

Marrista Stubbs Photography

Sarah Szweda Adviser

Sara Liptak editor

Michael ciprian Associate editor

casie em Managing editor

erin Fischer Staff Writer Jeremy hopkins Staff Writer

Sonya Valantasis Photo editor

Kristie King Photographer

Stacey Renner Adviser

the Voice STAFF LiSTiNG No. SeVeN, VoL. XV • MARCH 4, 2013

Portia Booker editor & Photographer

Bronson Peshlakai Associate editor

tallis Munro Math Tutor & Contributing Writer

Larry Remar Contributing Writer

Jc Robinson Staff Writer

Felicia Jackson Photographer

Jack haganMedia Coordinator

Melissa Swafford Adviser

MetRo StaFF (216) 987-4231

WeSt StaFF (216) 987-5530

eaSt StaFF (216) 987-2344

The Future

of Print?

By Jeremy Hopkins

7

What Are You Missing • Check us out Online!

“There is no medium as good as a paper,” Mr. John Kerezy, Assistant Professor of Journalism and Mass Communications at the Western Campus of Cuyahoga Community College, emphatically states. Whole-heartedly, he believes newspapers “will always be around,” even if the business model behind them changes. News is covered by reporters in a variety of companies, although most are employed by a news service or paper. A publication either pays wages directly, or pays for those services.

We all know the economy has not been friendly. “The economic model of the news companies only generates about 20% of their income” from the circulation of papers, according to Mr. Kerezy. The rest of their income is from a variety of sources, including advertising. He points out the Germans have a law in place that any revenue

from links to the news story online goes to the originating parties, while America is set up so that the revenue goes to the search engine that routed you to the article. Here, a portion of your tuition helps pay for The Voice, keeping the cost to print under just 70 cents per issue.

Still, Mr. Kerezy is a strong supporter of journalism. He states that the newspapers perform a “vital watchdog role” in society, with people assigned to cover the important beats topics. Unlike the major media networks that assign several stories to someone daily, a reporter at a newspaper can be cover that beat exclusively. The way newspapers allocate reporting resources allows “deep thinking on a topic, and the ability to see the bigger picture.” Kerezy pointed out that during the Cuyahoga County corruption scandal, the Plain Dealer had two full time reporters assigned to that topic alone.

“The biggest impact to the world that

the Plain Dealer has had recently was the Cuyahoga County corruption scandal,” agrees Mr. Roger Perona. He should know, since he is the Senior Vice President of Circulation of Product Distribution at the Plain Dealer. This is not simply hubris speaking; the Plain Dealer is the 19th largest paper in the United States, according to an October 2012 report by the Associated Press. These are great results, but they highlight the original question, as they had been fourth largest in 2008. Mr. Perona is quick to point out, though, that the real challenge of the newspapers is “to produce many different products […] that people want.” After all, “the core competency is the gathering and dissemination” of information. “Delivery is not the core competence.” Perona stated.

Mr. Perona stresses that the newspapers, and the parent companies controlling them, have to keep pace with

the new platforms out there. They are “constantly evolving,” requiring investment to offer the news in formats that people are demanding. News articles that are found in the Plain Dealer are also found online www.cleveland.com.

Mr. Kerezy concurs that all papers have been influenced by technology. “It’s a matter of platform convergence, when the consumer controlled content necessitates news articles in formats that the consumer today wants,” Kerezy stated. He evoked the third of his four Timeless Truths when asked about the necessity of papers offering their content online: “when you can’t beat them, join them.” (For the other three, you will need to take his Journalism and Mass Communication 1011 course, available this summer at West, Metro, and Brunswick.)

As for the future of print? Based off what I’ve seen, that’s entirely in our hands.

Spring 2013 Commencement Isn’t Far Away! By erin Fischer

Courtesy of flickr cc

Graduation can be a bittersweet experience; on one side of the spectrum, you are moving on to a new phase of life, full of opportunities to grow, but on the other side, you are leaving behind your friends, teachers and school. It’s a time of change and with change comes the chance for reflection. Reflecting back on your mistakes, achievements, regrets and triumphs can help you to assess yourself and give you the tools to do even better the next time around.

Many will be graduating from Tri-C this spring on May 16. Some are going on to start new careers while others are moving ahead to four-year universities where they’ll complete their higher education degree. Here at The Voice, our beloved Editor-in-Chief, Sara Liptak will be graduating from Tri-C in May with her

Associate of Arts. She has given a fresh perspective to the paper and I have found her to be a joy to work with. She’s smart, ambitious and a real go-getter. I sat down with her to discuss her experience at Tri-C and her plan for the future. Erin: How long have you been at Tri-C?

Sara: Since the fall of 2010.

Erin: What next steps are you planning to take after graduation?

Sara: After I graduate in May, I’m going to take the summer off and then go to CSU in the fall of 2013 for their journalism program.

Erin: What resources enabled you to graduate at Tri-C?

Sara: All of the variety of classes that they offer here at Tri-C have a wide range of

knowledge for your transcript. Also, all of the extra-curricular activities that Tri-C offers and the wide range of programs.

Erin: What motivated you to complete your degree

Sara: Seeing how close I was getting and seeing my credit hours go up after every semester. I knew I wasn’t here for laughs and giggles, I was here to start my future.

Erin: What are you going to miss the most about Tri-C?

Sara: Probably how close the drive is from my home! But also my friends, some teachers and the being a part of the newspaper, but I am so excited to move on.

Erin: How would you rate your overall experience at Tri-C?

Sara: My overall experience was great. I came here right out high school and I don’t regret a bit of it. If I was to go a four-year college right from high school I’d be floating in debt right now.

Erin: Do you feel like your counselor helped you in the graduation process?

Sara: I think it could have been better. I honestly think that Tri-C puts out enough notification for dates and deadlines, but I think they could be more precise with scheduling specific students with specific counselors. I had to go and find my own counselor after going through five or six (that weren’t good matches), and I finally found one, Allen Pavlish, who is an Adjunct Faculty Counselor. He helped me petition to graduate. Overall though, if you need to get something done they’ll take care of it for you.