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September 23, 2015 Vol. 62, Issue 1

Campus News..............2,3,4 Feature.............................5,7Arts&Entertainment.......6,8

MCCC students get

engaged during

Study AbroadPage 4

Heroin Anonymousmeetings startedin Monroe

Page 5

Caitlyn Jenner helps transgender communitygain acceptance

Page 5

Evan KutzAgora Staff

MCCC’s geothermal heating and cool-ing renovation will take an estimated 18 months.

Work will be primarily done in each of the campuses’ original buildings, leav-ing the Health Education and La-Z-Boy buildings with minor installations.

MCCC will be the first campuswide use of geothermal technology at a community college in the nation.

The renovation project started when the air conditioning chiller died. Evaluating the rest of the heating systems initiated conversations on what should be done overall.

“We kind of doubled the life span on some of them… things only last so long,” said Jack Burns, director of Campus Fa-cilities, referring to the old heating and cooling systems.

“So we really got our money’s worth out of them. It was time for us to replace them.”

This is the first time the college has bor-rowed money for a construction project, Burns said.

For about $12.1 million, the college could have installed a traditional system.

But for $4 million more, the geothermal was seen as the wiser choice with a lifes-pan double the standard system’s, he said.

“We could have gone traditional, but we wouldn’t see the energy savings like we are with the geothermal,” Burns said.

With a new traditional system, the col-lege would likely save $160,000-170,000

a year, he said. But Ameresco, the contractor the school

is working with, guaranteed the college would save at least $200,000 with a geo-thermal system. If the savings fall short of that, the contractor will make up the dif-ference. Burns believes the savings will exceed that amount.

“It was a little bit of an investment—with a big return. We’re very excited about that,” Burns said.

The geothermal equipment will be con-nected to energy meters different than the rest of the campus, with a cheaper rate granted for using this technology. DTE also allowed the Career Technology Cen-

ter geothermal system to be added on this separate meter.

The new geothermal system is expected to last for the next 50 years, with the sav-ings eventually paying for the majority of the project.

The system will require more energy than what’s available, so three new elec-tric transformers will also be installed to satisfy the energy need.

The campus will go from a primar-ily natural gas-based heating and cooling system to a primarily electrical-based sys-tem.

The gas consumption will decline, but the electrical consumption will increase. However, the additional draw will bump MCCC’s energy contract into the next tier, which comes with a cheaper rate, along with the energy savings from using the geothermal technology.

MCCC is among the first institutions in the state of Michigan to take advantage of recent changes in the financing of geo-thermal projects.

The college can switch from a 10-12 year financing plan to a 20-year plan, which helped make the project feasible. The change was proposed to help K-12 institutions, with which MCCC is eco-nomically comparable.

“Our public school system is kind of suffering from lack of funding, especially when it comes to building maintenance,” Burns said.

This fall semester, the culinary corridor See Geothermal, Page 2

Agora photo by Evan Kutz

Jack Burns, director of Campus Facilities, makes a presentation on the renovation schedule.

MCCC renovations scheduled

By Jeff BrownAgora staff

Just about everyone in the world knows that The Late Show with Ste-phen Colbert premiered on Sept. 8.

What many people don’t know is that Colbert came to Monroe in mid-summer to film a promotional video, pseudo-debuting The Late Show.

Three MCCC students, including myself, were interns at MPACT, where the show was produced in downtown Monroe, and had the op-portunity to work with Colbert and the Late Show crew.

“Working with the Late Show was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had,” said MCCC student Taylor Eads. “When Stephen was making jokes on set, everyone in the back room and it made it a much better experience because we were having fun.”

The Late Show visit was a great learning experience for the students, Eads said. Colbert brought much of his staff from the Colbert Report on CBS with him.

It was a surreal experience work-ing with industry veterans like Tom Purcell and Jim Hoskinson, she said.

“Being able to meet and be part of Stephen Colbert coming to Monroe was an amazing experience. Being able to see what goes into a big pro-duction that millions of people are going to see was awesome,” said Randi Griner, another MCCC stu-dent.

While in Monroe, Colbert guest-hosted the MPACT origi-nal show, “Only in Monroe.” The usual hosts, Michelle Bowman and Kaye Lani Rae Rafko Wilson, appeared as guests on their own show.

Then Colbert welcomed Eminem to the show and proceeded to inter-view him. Eminem was promoting the movie Southpaw, which features his new single “Phenomenal.”

Less than two months after his Monroe visit, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert premiered on CBS.

Colbert came out to a standing ovation and an astounding chant of his name on the premier of his show, followed by a heartfelt monologue and the brand new Late Show theme song.

Speaking of the theme song, Jonathan Batiste and Stay Human perform a hip Louisianan jazz num-ber that fits the show and its vibe wonderfully. Kudos to the show for booking great New Orleans talent.

Stephen Colbert shines as the newSee Colbert, Page 2

College attempts to minimize impact on students

Caroline HudsonAgora staff

Enrollment at MCCC continued to drop this semester, reaching levels not seen for 30 years.

In 2014, the headcount at the be-ginning of fall semester was 3,482 students, with 29,571 credit hours. In 2015, it is down to 3,192 stu-dents, an 8.3 percent drop. Credit hours are down to 27,011, an 8.7 percent decrease.

Ten years ago, the headcount was 4,193, and the credit hours taken were 37,136. Enrollment peaked in 2010 at nearly 4,800 students.

Randy Daniels, vice president of Student Information Services, said the college created a task force last year to study the enroll-ment decline and develop a Strate-

gic Enrollment Plan. While the plan is not finalized,

college employees began using some of the recommendations to get students to enroll this semes-ter, Daniels said.

“I can only imagine what our enrollment might be if we had not worked so hard to get students registered,” he said.

MCCC is not the only com-munity college that has dropped in enrollment. According to the Michigan Association of Colle-giate Registrars and Admissions Officers, colleges like Oakland Community College, St. Clair Community College, Kirtland Community College and Kellogg Community College all have dou-ble-digit drops in enrollment this fall.

The only community college in Michigan that increased enroll-ment was Schoolcraft Commu-nity College, up by 4.37 percent. Jackson Community College had no change.

While there is no way to know for sure why enrollment has de-clined, Daniels said its most likely there are a multitude of factors.

“My list includes the economy, population shifts, high school en-rollment changes, and changes in federal financial aid,” he said.

Daniels also said he will be meeting with administrators from Schoolcraft and other community colleges in October and will be discussing enrollment factors with them.

Enrollment down five years in a row

Late Show star and Eminem practice on MPACT studio stage

Colbert in Monroe

“I can only imagine what our enrollment might be if we had not worked so hard to get students registered.”

Randy DanielsVice President for Student

Information Services

Photo courtesay of MPACT MCCC Students Jeff Brown (back, middle), Olivia Baccarelli (front, left), Randi Griner (right of Colbert), and Taylor Eads (front, far right) appear with Stephen Colbert during his visit to MPACT Studio in Mon-

4,5144,6244,723

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3,997

3,760

3,482

3,192

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

4,500

5,000

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

MCCC enrollment drops to below 3,200

2| mcccagora.com • The Agora Campus News September 23, 2015

Evan KutzAgora staff

MCCC’s Strategic plan was laid out during a town hall meeting Sept. 9 in the La-Z-Boy Center.

Also discussed were the October visit by the High-er Learning Commission and the new geothermal renovations

President Kojo Quartey laid out his vision for the college in the years to come. The plan took the last two years to complete, Quartey said.

“This is a year of implementation,” he said. “We have a new vision and a new mission—and the mis-sion is much more global.”

According to the plan, priorities have become stra-tegic initiatives, with what Quartey referred to as measurable objectives.

Collaboration is one of the strategic initiatives, Quartey said. He mentioned working with high schools, Monroe County Business Development

Corp., as well as local companies, nonprofits, United Way and the March of Dimes.

“Whoever in this community we’ll be working with to move the institution and the entire commu-nity forward,” Quartey said.

Grace Yackee, vice president of Instruction, de-scribed the expectations of the HLC team during their Oct. 19-20 accreditation visit.

Yackee said this as a midterm review to evaluate how the college has done on improving five criteria required for accreditation. Part of this process is a comprehensive review, covering the college’s mis-sion, ethics and responsible behavior, quality and evaluation of education programs, and planning, she said.

A day and half will be used to evaluate the five criteria for accreditation. Yackee clarified that this is a comprehensive review — not as targeted as the HLC’s focused visit three years ago.

Jack Burns, director of Campus Planning and Fa-cilities, broke down the timeline for the HVAC ren-ovations and explained what the campus will gain

from the commitment to efficient energy. Burns said the focus will be on inconveniencing

the students as little as possible. He said faculty and staff will be inconvenienced, but efforts will be made to make sure that daily courses are not disrupted.

Three phases to the HVAC renovations will take place simultaneously, so that each part is complete in time for the new system to operate.

The return on the investment of this new energy system is going to come with the savings it will pro-vide each year, Burns said. He said it stood out as the best option among other routes.

The system is built to be reliable for the next 50 years, and is similar to what is already installed on campus at the CTC building, he said.

Some asbestos was used when the campus was built, so absestos removal will be part of the process.

The work is scheduled to be done by the Fall Se-mester of 2016.

Evan KutzAgora staff

Siena Heights and The Foundation sponsored The Constitution in Action: Celebrating Constitution Day Sept. 17.

The event was held in the Meyer The-ater on the often-neglected holiday (also known as Citizenship Day).

The guest speaker was Christopher Murray, chief judge pro tem of the state Court of Appeals. He gave a brief over-view of the ratification and implementa-tion of the monumental document.

He described the issues he sees with court decisions in recent years, arguing that the power of state government has been compromised by the federal courts.

He argued that when a controversial decision is enacted nationwide by the courts, it interferes with the democratic process. He specifically mentioned the Supreme Court’s decision to recognize homosexual marriage across all 50 states.

“It depends on what side of the fence you’re on,” Murray said. “The public opinion is changing.”

He cited Michigan’s 2004 Proposal 4-2 that made it unconstitutional for the state to recognize, or perform, same-sex mar-riages or even civil unions.

In the spring of 2014, a federal judge ruled Michigan’s ban as unconstitutional, although this was later suspended. Eight months later, the United States Court of

Appeals overturned the lower court, stat-ing:

“When the courts do not let the people resolve new social issues like this one, they perpetuate the idea that the heroes in these change events are judges and law-yers. Better in this instance, we think, to allow change through the customary po-litical processes, in which the people, gay and straight alike, become the heroes of their own stories by meeting each other not as adversaries in a court system but as fellow citizens seeking to resolve a new social issue in a fair-minded way.”

“If you’re against gay marriage in Michigan, and everyone votes in favor of having gay marriage, okay fine.

“I think most people would say ‘If that’s the will of the people then that’s the will of the people.’ If you don’t like it move to a state that doesn’t allow it,” Murray said, receiving audience applause.

Murray said that when the Supreme Court tells us that we have to “accept” gay marriage, it brings into question where the power really belongs.

If there is no specific ruling on an issue in the Constitution, then it should be left to states to decide what should be lawful or unlawful, he said.

MCCC Political Science professor Jo-anna Sabo countered that historically the Supreme Court has used the ambiguity of the Constitution for broader interpreta-tions. She maintains this is why the Con-

stitution has remained effective for over two centuries.

Murray also expressed how he thinks one should act when performing duties that conflict with religious beliefs. He described his frequent experiences where minors under the age of 16 seeking an abortion can secretly come to court with a lawyer to ask for the court’s permission to have an abortion without informing their parents.

“Well, I’m Catholic so, you know,” he paused. “I didn’t even know this process existed when I became a judge.”

When asking himself what he would do, Murray said he didn’t have much choice.

“Well, that’s my job. I have to apply the law that’s there. And I had other judges, a judge who is a colleague of mine, who absolutely refused―wouldn’t let them in the door.”

MCCC students performed a skit which depicted a female couple standing in line to receive a marriage license.

The clerk in this performance refused to process the license, stating her religious beliefs prevented her from performing her duty.

The couple returned with a court order, an attorney and a police officer. The clerk was arrested and the deputy clerk took her place and finally enabled the couple their right to be married.

Racism in America: When will it end?

Photo by Evan Kutz

A reanactment of a homosexual couple trying to receive a marriage license at The Constitution in Action event.

Judge says court interferes with state rights

Strategic plan ready for implementation“This is a year

of implementa-tion. We have a new vision and a new mis-sion — and the mission is much more global.”

Kojo QuarteyMCCC President

The Agora

The Agora is published by the students of Monroe County Community Col-lege, 1555 S. Raisinville Rd., Monroe, MI, 48161. The editorial office is located in Room 202 of the Life Sciences Building, (734) 384-4186, agora@monroeccc.edu.

Editorial policy: Unsigned editorials represent the majority opinion of The Ag-ora staff. Signed columns represent the opinion of the writer. All letters to the editor must include a signature, address and phone number for verification pur-poses. The Agora reserves the right to edit for clarity, accuracy, length, and libel.

The Agora is a student-managed newspaper that supports a free student press and is a member of the Michigan Community College Press Association, the Michigan Collegiate Press Association, the Michigan Press Association, Col-lege Media Advisers, Associated Collegiate Press and the Student Press Law Center.

Story suggestions are welcome. Let us know what you would like to see in The Agora - it’s your newspaper. Email submissions: agora@monroeccc.edu.

Assistant Editor: Evan Kutz

Adviser:Dan Shaw

Jeff BrownShaylie CalvinCherie Farley

Caroline HudsonMika Kotanova

Emily LortonJulia Toniolo

Editorial Policy

Continued from Page 1host of the Late Show. Unlike his former show on Comedy Central, the Colbert Report, he isn’t play-ing the role of an ultra-conserva-tive news anchor.

Instead, what you get is Ste-phen. His passion and charisma is palpable; he is both funny and charming in the best ways possi-ble, though some of his jokes did fall flat with me.

During the first week of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, there were guests ranging from George Clooney to Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla.

Colbert has the best interview-ing skills in the business. He is fast, funny, and always on point.

My biggest criticism of the in-terview portion of the show is that they seem very abrupt. Just when a conversation starts, it seems like

they end. This isn’t a criticism of Stephen Colbert’s interviewing skills, but more a criticism of the format. There just isn’t enough time on network television be-tween the intrusive commercials to have a full interview.

If you want to watch the full in-terviews, however, you can visit The Late Show’s YouTube Chan-nel. That’s nice, but doesn’t really solve the problem.

Finally, like any other Late Show, it ends with a musical per-formance by a special Guest.

Overall, Colbert is a great addi-tion to the “Late Night Wars.”

With his sense of humor and outstanding interviewing skills, he is the perfect fit.

You can watch the Late Show with Stephen Colbert Monday Through Friday at 11:35 pm on CBS.

Colbert visits Monroe

Continued from Page 1(between Cuisine 1300 and the kitchens) in the Administration building will be under work, but still open to traffic.

Workers will be pulling ceil-ings, adding new ductwork, then placing new ceilings and lighting. The north hall in the Administration building (where the president’s office is located) will be closed completely for 5-8 weeks while ductwork is completed.

Staff based in this wing will be relocated to as of yet unde-termined temporary offices, perhaps using available space in the La-Z-Boy Center or the rooms in the 170s in the south wing of the Administration building.

During the winter semester, the north corridor of the Life Sciences building will see some work, pos-sibly closing sections of that area as well, which may temporarily displace some math courses.

The Campbell building’s base ment also will see renovation during the winter semester.

Shortly before the Spring semester begins, the East and West Technology buildings will be closed down, during an esti-mated eight weeks of work.

Most of the work will be in hallways and corridors, which need extensive retrofitting. All courses located in these areas will be relocated to currently undetermined rooms elsewhere on campus.

Since work will be done on ceilings, the light fixtures in those locations will be replaced with LED bulbs, which are also coming to the rest of campus.

“Most people won’t notice, but those with trained eyes will be able to tell that they’re not fluorescent,” Burns said.

What will be noticed by MCCC once all exterior and interior lights on campus make the switch to LED are energy savings. That will come later, after the HVAC renovations, when other phases of the sus-tainability initiative begin.

Plans include the lighting overhaul and replacing older doors and windows with new ones that hold a better seal.

Times during semester breaks and holidays weekends will be used to take buildings offline completely so that final connec-tions can be made, Burns said.

When classes resume, the buildings will be up and run-ning so that regular access will be available.

Burns said the needs of stu-dents and staff are the basis for planning of construction. The goal is to be the least obstruc-tive to students as possible.

“It’s going to be 18 months of pure headache for us, but in the end it’ll be a really great thing,” Burns said.

Throughout this period, work will be going on in the mechani-cal spaces, largely unnoticed by most students and employees. Even the outdoor pipe laying will be done so no parking lots will be affected, Burns said.

The mechanical rooms will have their old air handling units replaced with new ones. The three boiler houses will become chiller houses, opening room to be used for storing geothermal equipment.

The field behind the solar panels east of campus will be used to drill the 270, 4-foot deep wells necessary for the water-based geothermal sys-tem. The water in a closed-loop system, so it is never “used up.”

The wells are buried under the field, which was never suitable for building construction, mak-ing it possible to use the land as a parking lot or athletic space.

The new systems will be inter-net connected, so when some-thing needs adjusted, operators will use tablets to make changes from anywhere on campus.

“That’s the difference be-tween the technology we had in 1968 when the campus was built and the technology in 2015,” Burns said.

In the shoulder months of the year, when weather is inconsis-tent, the buildings will be capa-ble of sharing their controlled air.

If one building is warmer than it needs to be and another is colder, they can feed each other through this looped system.

“It’s incredibly cool technol-ogy,” Burns said. “I can’t wait to show everybody just how amazing it is.”

Geothermal project

Editor: Jacob Adams

Staff:

Evan KutzAgora staff

MCCC held a forum over the summer titled “The Confederate Flag: A Symbol of Oppression?”

Panel members discussed the nation’s feelings toward the infa-mous flag.

College President Kojo Quartey moderated a panel of three — MCCC student Michael Sexton, community member Sel-ma Rankin, and MCCC Board of Trustees member and former his-tory professor Jim DeVries.

Sexton’s family is from the south and he has lived in black neighborhoods most of his life. He said he believes the Confed-erate flag has many meanings to people — that the South stood for the importance of family and neighborly kindness.

Some Southerners feel that the Confederate flag doesn’t rep-resent slavery and segregation,

but that it stands for family and southern heritage. However, most Americans seem to favor removal of the flag.

Rankin said he saw several trucks with Confederate flags in Monroe. It only takes a down-town Monroe stroll along the River Raisin to spot one — usual-ly on a mast in the bed of a raised pickup truck with questionable muffler integrity.

“Those people who’ve got those flags on the back of their vehicles—they didn’t go to Viet-nam. They didn’t put their life on the line,” Rankin said. “This is 2015—we should be past that flag.”

The church shooting in Charles-ton was a catalyst for the display of the flag, not only in Monroe but across parts of the Midwest. For many parts of the South, the fever never left.

“Are we safe in church or any sanctuary?” Quartey asked. “It appears we are not safe anywhere in this day and age.”

As an usher at his church, Quartey said that temples should be a safe refuge for all. He admit-ted, as a black American, he does not turn his back to the entrances of buildings while inside.

Rankin said what happened in Charleston could also happen in Monroe. He congratulated

MCCC for electing a black presi-dent.

In 1962, long after most South-ern states had removed Confeder-ate flags from statehouses, South Carolina placed one on the capi-tol grounds, which DeVries said was a direct protest against the Civil Rights movement.

The question now, DeVries says, is how symbols change over time.

With easy access to firearms in America, especially compared to other developed nations, in tan-dem with the associated attitudes of taking matters into one’s own hands, violent tragedies are part of the fabric we’ve woven for our post 9/11 generation., DeVries

said.“Cultures have normal ways of

going crazy,” DeVries said, “And we have a gun culture.”

During the panel, which was held in the cafeteria, middle col-lege students filled the room.

Quartey addressed the youths with an offer for some free ad-vice: if ever he is pulled over by police, he said, he puts his hands on the dashboard.

“Yes sir officer, no sir, yes sir — I try to obey the rules and reg-ulations at the best of my ability. If you get stopped, folks, don’t talk back to the police, they are an authority figure. Free advice, it may save your life—especially if you’re black.”

Photo by Evan KutzAttendees listen to panelists speak during Confederate Flag forum.

September 23, 2015 Campus News mcccagora.com • The Agora | 3

Julia TonioloAgora staff

The 90-degree weather didn’t stop Monroe County Community College students from en-joying the 2015 Back-to-School Barbecue.

MCCC kicked off the new academic year with the barbecue on Tuesday, Sept. 8. The event is designed to give new and returning students a chance to mingle and learn more about the MCCC campus.

A variety of student clubs and other organiza-tions had tables at the barbecue to recruit new members.

New student Jaclyn Kiley, 18, joined the Inter-national Studies Club.

“I heard about International Studies Club in

Political Science so I joined, but I think the bar-becue is a good idea because I don’t know about any other clubs,” Kiley said.

Returning student Joyce Cutliff also joined the International Studies Club.

“I’d like to get more involved this semester,” Cutliff said.

The barbecue is sponsored by Student Govern-ment. Its members served hot dogs, hamburgers, veggie burgers, chips and soft drinks, and passed out frisbees.

Returning student Andrew Williams, 24, said he’s looking forward to the semester.

“I’m excited for this semester because if I get good grades, I’ll transfer to Wayne State,” Wil-liams said.

Students have hot time at Back-to-School event

Vice President Randy Daniels checks out a shirt at the Siena Heights table.

Picnic tables were set up on the lawn east of the La-Z-Boy Center.

Sydney BegemonAgora staff

MCCC Student Government will elect new officers on Tues-day, Sept. 29.

The meeting will be at 12:30 p.m., in the Cellar of the Admin-istration Building.

Six students will be elected for the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Liaison, and Historian.

Students considering running

for President include Cole Mc-New, Caitlyn Davies, and Jes-sica Ryder.

Tom Ryder, adviser to Stu-dent Government, said he’s looking forward to the new year.

“Student Government had a great year last year,” Ryder said. “Last year’s group was a very strong group that bonded very quickly. They completed over 50 events and activities, including some large events like the Sweet-

heart Ball and Family Fun Night.” Returning members say they

would like to keep the amount of events around 50, or even more, while also maintaining the quality of the events.

The group is talking about bringing back Family Fun Night, the Sweetheart Ball, blood drives, and Habitat for Humanity events this year.

“We have 20 returning mem-bers this year, so I think it will be

another strong year,” Ryder said.In addition to the returning

members are 15 new students who are considering joining.

“I am excited for an oppor-tunity to meet new people. A friend of mine really enjoyed Student Government and got me to join,” said new member Emily Cornett.

Student Government started off the year with the annual Back-to-School Barbeque.

The committee as a whole be-lieves that the barbeque was a huge success.

Hundreds of people attended to learn about the many clubs MCCC offers, like the Interna-tional Studies Club and Gay-Straight Alliance, who had tables at the barbecue.

Local businesses also set up tables to welcome back students, including Monroe Bank & Trust and Buffalo Wild Wings.

Student Government ready to elect officers

Students check out the materials at the International Studies table.

“We have 20 return-ing mem-

bers this year, so I

think it will be another

strong year.”

Tom Ryder Student Activities

Coordinator

Agora photos by Julia Toniolo

Middle College Students Kathleen Conner and Alyssa Keller enjoy the Back-to-School Barbecue.

4 | mcccagora.com • The Agora September 23, 2015 Campus News

By Mika KotanovaAgora staff

Another summer has passed, and another group of MCCC study abroad students went to Eu-rope.

About 75 students in two groups visited 12 cities in eight countries over a span of 18 days.

But this year’s trip had some-thing the other years did not – two wedding proposals.

MCCC student Jacob Goins proposed to long-time girlfriend Kelly Reaume in a gondola on the canals of Venice, Italy.

And Joshua Lewis proposed to his girlfriend, Avery DeSloover, at sunset by the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

Goins and Reaume lived a block away from each other for years and even attended the same mid-dle school. But they didn’t meet until a mutual friend had a going-away party on April 5, 2011.

“He swears he tried to talk to me before and that I gave him dirty looks,” Reaume said.

“Obviously, I don’t remember any of that.”

Since the party, the couple have been dating for almost four-and-a-half years. They count the day they met as their anniversary date.

“He never officially asked me out at any point,” Reaume said.

Reaume was excited to be trav-eling to Venice during the 2015 Study Abroad trip. While on a gondola ride through the Grand

Canal, Goins popped the question.She said yes.“I had mentioned how cool it

would be if he proposed in Ven-ice, but then he shot the idea down with a lot of valid reasons,” she said.

Lewis and DeSloover were wit-nesses, sharing the gondola ride. It turns out, everyone on the trip knew about his plans to propose.

“I was totally oblivious,” Reau-me said.

The couple plans on having the wedding on Aug. 20, 2016.

Lewis and DeSloover met at Redeemer Fellowship Church and have been dating for two years, but Lewis has known he was go-ing to propose for a year.

The couple went for a walk near

the Eiffel Tower, where Lewis planned to propose at sunset.

“I thought I was going to be re-ally smooth, but when the moment came, I got nervous,” Lewis said.

“My arms and legs were shak-ing, and I was stumbling over my words, even though I was nearly certain she would say yes.”

The big day is set for June 4, 2016.

English professor Bill McClos-key, who was one of the leaders of the trip, thought the proposals added a nice touch.

He said he had a great time with students, who all enjoyed the ex-tra romantic touch.

“They were all very good about keeping the proposals a secret,” he said.

Romance in the air on MCCC Europe trip

Kelly Reaume’s and Jake Goins’ gondola heads into Venice’s Grand Canal, moments before the proposal.

Back on dry land, Kelly Reaume and Jake Goins show off her new ring.

Photos by Dan Shaw

Joshua Lewis went to one knee to propose to Avery DeSloover at sunset at the the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

By Shaylie CalvinAgora Staff

Donald Trump — yay or nay?Trump has been causing con-

troversy since he entered the 2016 presidential campaign back in June.

Trump is good at many things but not a political candidate, ac-cording to some MCCC students.

Trump makes fun of everyone who is different and is very racist, MCCC student Carabeth Perkins said.

“He’s an actor, not a politician,” Perkins said. “He should really stay out of politics.”

Trump formally announced his candidacy for the Republican Party on June 16, 2015. He has emphasized a platform of making America great again - sometimes using controversial methods.

For example, Trump wants to end border crossings from Mexi-co.

“I love the Mexican people, but Mexico is not our friend. They’re killing us at the border and they’re killing us on our jobs and trade. FIGHT,” he said.

He says he would build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“I will build a great wall — and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me — and I’ll build them very inexpensively.”

“I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words,” he said.

He also does not want illegal immigrants coming to America pregnant and having their chil-dren here, making it easier to stay in our country. He calls those “an-chor babies.”

Trump wants to protect our Sec-ond Amendment, and he says he wants to create jobs.

“I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created,”

he said.He also says he wants better

health care for Americans. He does not agree with Obamacare.

“We have a disaster called ‘The Big Lie:’ Obamacare….Deduct-

ibles are through the roof. You have to get hit by a tractor — liter-ally, a tractor — to use it,” Trump said.

He also focuses on defense.“Our military has to be strength-

ened. Our vets have to be taken care of. We have to end Obam-acare, and we have to make our country great again, and I will do that.”

There is never a dull moment in a debate with Trump present. At the second Republican debate, on Sept. 16, Trump couldn’t resist insulting people.

“Rand Paul shouldn’t even be on this stage,” Trump said, a ref-erence to Paul’s low polling num-bers.

Trump also defended his criti-cism of Jeb Bush for speaking Spanish on the campaign trail.

“This is a country we speak English — not Spanish,” Trump said.

MCCC student Julia Navarre said Trump thinks he can fix all of our problems with money. So-ciety should not be run solely by wealthy people, she said.

Trump definitely thinks of him-

self as part of the wealthy class.“I am very rich,” he often says.“I think he’s doing it for social

media attention,” Navarre said.A few students said that they do

not pay much attention to politics but still had a few words to say about Trump.

“From what I’ve seen, he’s kind of an idiot,” student Brynn Stolisov said.

“I don’t like how he says im-migrants can’t come over; it just doesn’t seem right,” student Nico Garcia said.

One student had a different opinion on Donald Trump.

“I think he’s kind of a wild card, which may or may not be a good thing,” Caitlynn Jones said.

Trump has his own idea of how things will end.

“Anyone who thinks my story is anywhere near over is sadly mistaken,” Trump said.

Students react to Trump presidential bid

Creative Commons photo courtesy of Michael Vadon

MCCC students don’t seem to be impressed by Donald Trump’s style.

MCCC group crushes community’s grapesBy Julia TonioloAgora staff

The MCCC Bacchus Society held its second annual “Community Crush” Sept. 20 in the West Technology building.

Area grape growers were invited to bring their own grapes to be crushed while they waited. The Culinary Club provided refreshments and food available for purchase, in-cluding hotdogs, hamburgers, and chips.

The Bacchus Society crushed and destemmed the grapes and even checked the sugar levels, using a refractometer. The refractometer measures the degree of sweetness in the wine, using a system that measures in levels of brix.

Culinary Arts Instructor Kevin Thomas explained how winemakers use refractometers to pick their grapes at the optimum time.

He said brix levels can predict the percent of alcohol the juice will produce if it’s made into wine.

“Generally, the amount of brix in your juice, if you take half of that quantity, that’s how much alcohol by volume you’ll end up with when the wine is produced,” Thomas said.

People arrived with buckets of grapes and left with buckets of must, or very thick grape juice, they could use for jelly, juice, or wine.

Agora photos by Julia Toniolo

Grapes are poured into the “crusher/destemmer,” known as “The Beast.” Grapes wait for their turn to be destemmed and crushed.

September 23, 2015 Features mcccagora.com • The Agora | 5

Fighting Heroin

A group of former addicts offer 12 steps to recovery at two Monroe locations

By Emily LortonAgora staff

Seven former heroin addicts have started Heroin Anonymous meetings at two locations in Monroe County.

They have come together to help current addicts learn to live sober.

“Heroin Anonymous is a place where someone can go so they don’t feel alone,” said Jeremy, one of the organizers, who asked that his last name not be included.

According to Jeremy, the meetings provide a place for addicts to relate to one another, giving them a sense of hope.

When addicts see fellow users overcome the same situation, it gives them hope that they can overcome it also, he said.

The Heroin Anonymous organizers also host ac-tivities outside of the meetings.

This allows the addicts to feel a sense of support and gets them away from being around old friends.

It shows them they do not need their old habits to have a good time, said Nikki, another of the organiz-ers, who are referred to as chairpersons.

“I need to keep connected,” Nikki said. “Someone reached out to help me so I feel like it’s my respon-sibility to help someone else; it allows me to give back.”

Someone can get addicted to substances by simply feeling bad about themselves, Jeremy said.

Having something wrong on the inside leads them to turn to a substance to try to get away from those negative feelings.

“Choosing to use was a bad decision. Getting started was mainly peer pressure, then after that it became a habit and I couldn’t stop,” Ronnie, a for-mer heroin user, said.

He said he knew he had hit rock bottom when he lost his car and job, and went to jail for six months.

Ronnie said he realized that he needed help stop-ping, and he could not do it alone.

“Jeremy has been the most influential person throughout my journey,” Ronnie said.

The hardest part of the program for him was writ-ing everything down on paper.

He knew that going back to his old habits would not help anything; he wanted to live a more positive life.

Heroin Anonymous uses the “Guide to the Twelve Steps” in its meetings.

The goal is to get through the steps as quickly as possible.

“The faster they get through it, the faster they get sober,” Nikki said.

Step one is being able to admit that they have no power over the addiction.

Without admission of defeat, there is little desire to complete the remaining steps.

According to Jeremy, the addicts must come to be-lieve that there is a higher power.

Heroin Anonymous is not a spiritual program. However, they must find a power higher than them-selves to trust in, Nikki said.

This power could be called anything they wish, such as God, Buddha, or the Universe.

“I turned to God to let him tell me how to live my life. I do His will, not my will,” Jeremy said.

Another step taken in the beginning of the program is to pick a sponsor, so the addict has someone to contact for support immediately.

“A sponsor is someone who goes through the pro-cess with the addict,” Nikki said.

Being a sponsor means providing support

through personal contact and phone calls, help-ing track their process, and meeting their men-tees every week.

“An important part of the program is for the addict to reflect on his or her day at the end of the night, “Jeremy said.

They should look back and recall the moments where they may have lied, harmed, or wronged another individual. After doing this, they should begin to amend their mistakes.

Making amends helps the addicts feel better and helps them become their best self, according to Nikki.

Steps 10, 11, and 12, are the last steps of the program.

Former addicts must continue doing these steps to help them stay sober.

These three steps are basically constant reflec-tion of wrongdoings throughout the day, believ-ing in the higher power to work through them, and to help others suffering from the same dis-ease.

Once a former addict is sober, there are many ways they can continue to stay sober.

“A former addict can become involved in Her-oin Anonymous as a chairperson or sponsor,” Nikki said.

There are six sober living houses in Monroe County.

In these houses, heroin users can live with oth-ers who are also sober and plan to stay that way.

These homes give the former addicts rules and guidelines to follow, such as a curfew and drug testing, to make sure they are staying sober, Jer-emy said.

Nikki said heroin strikes people from all walks of life.

“It’s important to know that addiction doesn’t have a face, this disease can affect anyone, even successful people,” she said.

She feels it is important for addicts to seek help on their own.

The Heroin Anonymous meetings are not ad-vertised. If a person wants to fight their addic-tion, they will seek out help.

The MCCC Admissions Office does not offer drug counseling.

If a student is suffering from drug or substance abuse, the counselors refer the student to outside agencies to receive help, according to Mark Hall, director of Admissions and Guidance Services.

Step 1: We admitted we were powerless over heroin – that our lives had become unmanageable. Step 2: We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

Step 3: We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him. Step 4: We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Step 5: We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Step 6: We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Step 7: We humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

Step 8: We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all. Step 9: We made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Step 10: We continued to take personal inventory and when were wrong promptly admitted it. Step 11: We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. Step 12: Having a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to heroin addicts, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Meeting locationsThe Heroin Anonymous meetings

are held at the Salvation Army Harbor Light Center, 3250 N. Monroe St., Monroe, at 7 p.m. Sundays, and at Oaks of Righteousness Christian Church, 1018 E 2nd St, Monroe, at 4 p.m. Saturdays.

Guide to the Twelve Steps

By Julia TonioloAgora staff

Caitlyn Jenner’s transition this year has brought positive publicity to the transgender community.

The former Olympian began her tran-sition with her interview as Bruce Jenner with Diane Sawyer on April 24, talking about gender identity.

This was her last interview as Bruce Jenner.

Since the interview Caitlyn debuted her transition in the July issue of Vanity Fair, titled “Call me Cait.”

Jenner’s reality television series pre-miered July 26. It gives viewers a first-hand look into her life as a transgender woman as she seeks her “new normal.”

After the Diane Sawyer interview, two other transgender television shows premiered — “Transparent” and “I Am Jazz. “

Caitlyn Jenner’s transition has become the voice of the transgender community and helped spread awareness.

Former MCCC student Zander Morin, 18, formerly known as Samantha Morin, began his transition in March. Morin says Jenner’s transition has helped the transgender community.

“I got to see people’s responses to her transition and it helps because she’s fa-mous and everyone knows about it now, whether they like it or not.

“I don’t have to explain it to people now,” Morin said.

MCCC Gay-Straight Alliance mem-bers Ally Schyllander and Gabriel Trejo

talked about Jenner’s role in the trans-gender community.

“Her transition had a huge impact on members of the transgender community and even in Monroe County,” Trejo said.

“I think that Caitlyn Jenner has defi-nitely become the face of the transgender community as of right now. I think she will not only effect the transgender com-munity, but also the LGBT.”

“I think that before Caitlyn’s transi-

tion, the community didn’t really have a face and they were like the forgotten part of the LGBT,” Schyllander said.

Caitlyn Jenner’s transition appears to have made people more accepting of the transgender community. Statistics have shown exceptionally high suicide rates, thought most likely to be because of the criticism towards the transgender com-munity.

MCCC GSA members talked about the importance of spreading awareness.

“I think this is very important for peo-ple who may be struggling with this per-sonally to be able to go ahead to transi-tions themselves,” Schyllander said.

“I think it’s very important to spread awareness because without that we have ignorance,” Trejo said.

Before Jenner’s transition, the trans-gender community didn’t have much spotlight in the media. Morin said he learned about the transgender commu-nity through a research paper.

“Last fall, I did a research paper on the transgender community and I don’t know if I started it because I thought I was transgender at the time, but the more I looked into it, the more I realized it was me,” Morin said.

Through all the positive publicity, there were many negative comments to-ward Jenner’s transition, including some people who said the Olympic medals should be taken away from her.

“At that point in her life, she identified as a man,” Trejo said. “I don’t think it’s fair for people to be able to take those away from her because regardless she earned them.”

The media coverage of the issue will surely help many who struggle with gen-der identity, Schyllander said.

“The role that she’s playing right now is very crucial because no celebrity has transitioned as publicly as her.”

Jenner’s transition inspires students

Agora photo by Julio Toniolo

Former MCCC student Zander Morin says Jenner’s transition has helped him explain the transgender process.

Caitlyn Jenner, shown here in a dramatic, full-length dress, left her life as Bruce Jenner behind following an interview with Diane Sawyer on April 24. During her life as Bruce, Jenner was heralded as the world’s greatest athlete, winner of the decathlon at the 1976 Olympics and world record holder in the event.

Famous athlete becomes face of transgender movement

6 | mcccagora.com • The Agora September 23, 2015 Arts&Entertainment

Monroe hosts third annual Comic-ConMika KotanovaAgora Staff

Monroe Comic-Con promises this year’s third annual Comic-Con will be its biggest year yet.

The 2015 Monroe Comic-Con will be held at The Monroe Multi-Sports Complex on Saturday October 3rd with over 125 tables and 2 floors of entertainment.

This year’s event will include special guests such as Mighty Morphin’ Red Power Ranger and Blue Zeo Ranger, Steve Cardenas, and Red Time Force Power Ranger, Jason Faunt.

Also, actor Eugene Clark will make an ap-pearance. Clark is best known for his work in Land of the Dead as “Big Daddy.”

Comic guests Marvel and DC artists Arvell Jones, Jason Moore, Tony Gray, Scott Rose-ma with special guest writer Bill Messner-Loebs who had memorable runs in DC’s The Flash, Wonder Woman and The Maxx will be at the event as well.

The fun filled day will include a cosplay contest, panels, a live dj, and face painting.

Monroe Comic-Con is still looking for vol-unteers, if interested contact Monroe Comic-

Con through their facebook page. The family friendly event will kick off at

10 a.m. and conclude at 7 p.m.. Presale ticket holders will be let in a half an hour early at

9:30 a.m. Tickets are available at monro-ecomic-con.com for only five dollars.

photo credit courtesy of Monroe Comic-Con

Various characters from cult hit series will be making appearances at Monroe Comic-Con.

Power Rangers to attend convention

Finish your bachelor’s degree on the MCCC Campus!Siena Heights University has a degree completion center right here on campus!

Undergraduate classes available in:

• Accounting

• Bachelor of Applied Science

• Business Administration

• Criminal Justice

• Multidisciplinary Studies

• Professional Communication

• Psychology

• RN to BSN

CONTACT US TODAY!Phone: (734) 384-4133Email: monroe@sienaheights.eduStop by our office located in L-112

www.sienaheights.edu/mccc

Jeff BrownAgora Staff

The fall season of gaming is here and your life savings is dwin-dling due to the overload of holi-day blockbusters.

September kicked us off with great titles such as Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and Destiny: The Taken King. Octo-ber is shaping up to be an exciting month for gaming as well.

The highlights for the month are the long anticipated Halo 5 and the return of the intrument simula-tion genre with Rock Band 4 and Guitar Hero Live.

But don’t forget the niche titles from Japan – Disgaea 5 and Tales of Zestiria.

Release dates for this jam-packed month are as follows:

October 6 - Dengeki Bunko: Fight-ing Climax (PS3, Vita)

October 6 - Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance (PS4)

October 6 - Elite Dangerous (Xbox One)

October 6 - Read Only Memories (PC, Mac, Linux)

October 6 - Ride (Xbox One, PS4) October 6 - Rock Band 4 (Xbox

One, PS4) October 6 - Transformers: Devasta-

tion (Xbox One, 360, PS4, PS3, PC) October 9 - Chibi-Robo Zip Lash

(3DS) October 9 - Civilization: Beyond

Earth - Rising Tide Expansion (PC, Mac, Linux)

October 9 - Uncharted: The Na-than Drake Collection (PS4)

October 13 - Atelier Arland Trilogy (PS3)

October 13 - Dragon Quest He-roes (PS4)

October 13 - Grand Ages: Me-dieval (PS4)

October 13 - The Talos Prin-ciple (PS4)

October 13 - Wasteland 2 (Xbox One, PS4)

October 16 - Yoshi’s Woolly World (Wii U)

October 20 - Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden (3DS)

October 20 - Guitar Hero Live (Xbox One, 360, PS4, PS3, Wii U)

October 20 - Tales of Zestiria (PS4, PS3, PC)

October 22 - Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water (Wii U)

October 23 - Assassin’s Creed Syndicate (Xbox One, PS4)

October 23 - The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes (3DS)

October 27 - Halo 5: Guardians (Xbox One)

October 27 - WWE 2K16 (Xbox One, 360, PS4, PS3)

October 30 - The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth (OC)

October 31 - Bulb Boy (PC, Mac)

October video games include Halo 5

September 23, 2015 Features mcccagora.com • The Agora | 7

Is vaping a safe alternative to smoking?

By Cherie FarleyAgora staff

Is vape a good escape from the slope of cigarette smoke?

Monroe area residents who vape seem to agree that vaping is a great decision that helped them stray from cigarette smoking.

“I only vape a couple times a day,” former MCCC student Tate Beumel explains with relief.

“Breath smells better, taste is better, sick and runny nose less, heart and chest feels better, no more hack-ing loogies, no more painful dry mouth in the morn-ing.”

Vape Escape owner Bill Amato emphasizes how much vaping helped his co-owner, Chris Goodman.

Goodman smoked for 27 years and was being checked for lung cancer when she tried a vaporizer for the first time.

“Chris vaped once and quit smoking eight years ago. Hasn’t touched another cigarette since,” Amato said.

Amato said there are no studies proving vaping is harmful.

“The FDA said there is no harm in second-hand vapor,” he said.

The FDA website, however, mentions cases of second-hand irritation or harm. But it is not fully ad-dressed because the FDA is still researching and has no regulations on e-cigarettes yet.

Because they have no authority to cover the prod-uct, the FDA website says, they are trying to extend the policy on products they can cover.

“FDA has issued a proposed rule that would extend the agency’s tobacco authority to cover additional products that meet the legal definition of a tobacco product, such as e-cigarettes,” the website reads.

There were reports of non-user effects reported to the FDA, according to the Med Scape website. Twenty-one people reported respiratory irritation, eye irritation, sore throat, headache, nausea, and diz-

ziness, and eight people reported burns or wounds from explosion.

The FDA also reported that more research is under way on the product. The FDA is organizing a work-shop to gather scientific information and the focus will be to determine the impact of e-cigarettes on health.

Vape Escape owner Amato says he has never re-ceived any health complaints.

The FDA notes that illnesses reported to be caused by e-cigarettes, such as pneumonia, congestive heart failure, disorientation, seizures, hypotension, and other health problems, could be related to pre-exist-ing conditions or due to other causes.

Randy Daniels, MCCC’s vice president for Stu-dent Services, provided MCCC’s policy on e-ciga-rettes and vaporizers but declined to discuss it. The policy states:

“Smoking and the use of all tobacco products is prohibited at the College, and is subject to all appli-cable laws, including Federal and State ‘clean air’ acts. This tobacco-free policy prohibits the use of all tobacco products and includes use of all devices intended to simulate smoking, including electronic cigarettes and other similar types of devices.”

Some students, including former smoker and va-porizer user Andrew Swaro, think the policy should allow vaporizer use on campus.

“I don’t think it’s harmful. It’s just water vapor that comes out,” he said.

MCCC student Alexis Frank says vaping should be allowed on campus, as long as it is not in class.

“Less of an issue than cigarettes, as long as some-one isn’t pulling it out in class,” she said. “I don’t want to be trying to concentrate and see smoke tricks.”

Even some students who have asthma and are bothered by cigarette smoke do not find electronic cigarettes and vaporizers a problem.

Jaclyn Kiley is an occasional vaporizer user. “I have asthma and cigarette smoke bothers me,

but e-cigs never have. Unless you’re blowing it in someone’s face, the nicotine in them shouldn’t be a problem.”

Student Carabeth Perkins says that although elec-tronic cigarettes and vaporizers may be less harmful than cigarettes, but that doesn’t make them safe.

“I feel like anything you inhale is probably bad for your body,” she said.

Although vaping as a replacement to cigarettes is becoming more popular, smoking is a never-ending struggle. Former vaporizer user Kaitlyn Mayes end-ed up going back to cigarettes.

“I tried it out for a few weeks, maybe a few months it helped for a short while, but then I went back to cigarettes because the feel and taste wasn’t the same as a cigarette.” Kaitlyn Mayes said.

Andrew Swaro makes it clear that even though he stopped smoking in January it’s hard to get cigarettes off his mind.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about a ciga-rette.”

Some MCCC students think college should allow e-cigarettes

Agora photo by Cherie Farley

These bottles of vaping liquid are on display at Vapor Matrix, 302 N Telegraph Road.

By Jacob AdamsAgora staff

Tinder. OkCupid. Match. These are the ways we meet others. Everyone has used them, and most of

us actively use them. But it raises some good questions. When did we move away from face-to-face interaction.

And furthermore, why?When was the last time you asked

someone on a date, or someone asked you on a date, that you met in public? Someone you’d never met previously?

The answer for some is probably, “never.” Just a decade ago, it was the norm.

You may even think that it would be downright weird for someone to strike up a conversation with you in public, much less ask you on a date.

But why is this? What makes us hide behind our

screens? Not only in dating, but with any interaction?

First and foremost, I feel that online interaction helps to remove the “guess-ing game.”

If someone doesn’t respond, you know they aren’t interested. You don’t need to wonder. And on the other hand, if they do respond, you know there is at least an interest in talking more.

This is key to the new way of meeting people. You don’t really have to wonder.

Next, and coming off the previous point, there is little to fear by “putting yourself out there.” You can hide behind your screen.

Ask any one of your friends to go talk to a stranger, or ask them on a date, and the likely response will be “no way!” or something similar.

The technology available to us helps to alleviate this fear because it is easi-er to send a message than to approach someone in person. It’s scary to talk to someone new, and doing it online makes it easier.

Another factor in the equation is that

not only is it scary to talk to new peo-ple, but by doing it online, we can hide the things about ourselves that make it scary.

Our own flaws can be hidden. Take a picture from a certain angle,

use a filter, or just don’t tell them you have 15 cats and only shower twice a week.

All of these self-proclaimed flaws are easily hidden, and that makes us much more confident when “putting ourselves out there.”

But aside from just dating, even our regular interactions with others have moved online.

Instead of making the trip to a friend’s house, we may just text, or skype. And

we’re satisfied with it. We’re able to be in constant communication with others via our handy smartphones.

Take school dances as an example of the trend. They’ve fallen off in popu-larity over the past decade, to the point many high schools only have homecom-ing and prom dances. Some just prom.

With constant and easy methods of communication available at all times, it just isn’t necessary for students to get interaction outside of school.

A friend of mine told me recently that he’d met someone — in person.

They struck up a conversation and re-ally hit it off, but it was the first time that had ever happened to him.

He went on to disclose that every

one of their conversations, as they pro-gressed through their relationship, had been through text.

Sure, they had went on dates, but the tough conversations, the ones where you fear judgement or rejection, hap-pened online.

We live in an age of near limitless possibility. Thoughts like curing cancer or AIDS, replacing damaged limbs with robotic ones, or going to Mars, seem right around the corner.

We can learn at an exponential rate unprecedented to any previous genera-tion. Just ask Google.

But in this age of lightning fast com-munication, are we losing our connec-tion to others?

We’re more connected, but less. The same goes for online dating. We have more options, and less to fear, but we’re losing the ability to connect in the real world.

I don’t know about you, but I may try a little offline dating next time.

Next time, why not try dating offline?“You may even think that it would be downright weird

for someone to strike up a conversation with you in public, much less ask you on a date. But why is this? What makes us hide behind our screens?”

8 | mcccagora.com • The Agora Arts&Entertainment September 23, 2015

Emily LortonAgora staff

Tom Ryder, the campus community events coordinator, says he works with many agents, takes input from others, and looks at many videos to select the performers for the Meyer Theater.

Tickets to the Meyer Theater can be purchased on the Monroe County Community College website, MCCC cashier office, or at the door if the event is not sold out.

Most events do require a ticket; however, tickets for MCCC band and choir concerts are free.

Students can get $2 off their ticket if purchased the day before the event.

If the show is not sold out, students can get a ticket for up to half-off 30 minutes before the show starts.

To purchase tickets online or to view the events, visit http://www.monroeccc.edu/theater/events.htm.

Oct. 9 - The Lightning ThiefBeing the prime suspect when Zeus’s master lightning bolt is stolen,

Percy Jackson must find the true thief within ten days and restore peace to Mount Olympus. In his journey he must come to terms with his fa-ther who abandoned him, solve the riddle of the Oracle, and discover a treachery that is more powerful than the gods. Adapted from the book “The Lightning Thief” by Rick Riordan. Tickets, $5. Starts at 9 p.m.

Oct. 17 - Twintastic

Twins, Anthony and Eddie Edwards, impersonate major stars includ-ing Barbra Streis and, Cher, Bette Midler, Billy Joel, Ray Charles, Neil Diamond, and Elton John, complete with costumes and live singing. Reserved seating, $23; VIP seating, $33. Starts at 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 26 - Band and Chorale Concert

Don’t miss the first show of the season from the College’s band and chorale. The Community Symphony Band is directed by Mark Felder; The Agora Chorale is directed by Cathy Brodie. General admission, free. Starts at 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 13 - Jimmy Bluffett:

A Tribute to Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer BandJimmy Bluffet is a live-on-stage tribute to the legendary Jimmy Buf-

fet and the Coral Refeer Band. The conga lines, beach-like props, and the amazing look and vocals of Larry Pearson as Jimmy Buffet will have you convinced you are in Margaritaville. The event starts at 5 p.m. starting with a Bluffett pre-party in the atrium of the La-Z-Boy Center complete with music, margaritas and munchies. Reserved seating, $25; VIP seating, $35. Starts at 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 5 - Lovin’ SpoonfulThe 1960s rock folk revival band, Lovin’ Spoonful, had some of the

most iconic songs. With eight top selling albums they ruled the radio with Top 10 hits such as “Do You Believe in Magic,” “Summer in the City,” and “Daydream.” Reserved seating, $30; VIP seating, $40. Starts at 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 8 - Agora Chorale Concert Tickets for the Agora Chorale Concert are free. Begins at 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 14 - Symphony Band ConcertTickets for the Symphony Band Concert are free. The event begins

at 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 11 - MCCC’s Prelude Children’s ChorusTickets for MCCC’s Prelude Children’s Chorus are free. The event

begins at 7:30 p.m.

Jan. 23 - Classic Albums Live: Led Zeppelin IIClassic Albums Live Concerts recreate the music you used to rock

out to in your room. This show is a rendition of Led Zeppelin’s 1969 album Led Zeppelin II. Reserved seating, $27; VIP seating, $37. Starts at 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 5 - AesopA young boy finds himself in Aesop’s world. When all the animals

come to life, they help Elliot on his quest for discovery and get back before the school day ends. Elliot learns that if you believe in yourself you can overcome any obstacle that comes your way. General admis-sion, $5. Starts at 7 p.m.

Feb. 13 - The Little Big Gig!Monroe County’s award winning Black History Month Blues Series

brings you the finest blues and roots music performed by regionally and nationally known artists. General admission, free. Doors open at 1 p.m.; starts at 2 p.m.

Feb. 20 - Comedian C. Willi MylesC. Willi Myles tells non-offensive jokes and talks about everyday ob-

stacles and makes them funny by adding humor. Performing across the U.S and more, his career highlights include being on national televi-sion and performing at the Apollo Theater in New York City. Known as “America’s Everyday Comedian” Myles’ down to earth routine gives you comedy at its finest. Reserved seating, $15; VIP seating, $25. Starts at 7:30 p.m.

March 19 - Late Night Catechism Join Sister as she anwers questions such as “Why isn’t Easter the

same day every year like Christmas?” or “Will my bunny go to Heav-en?”. Late Night Catechism tells the origin of the Easter bunny, Easter eggs, Easter bonnets, and those tasty Easter peeps. Sister will answer questions about Heaven, pets, and the significance of the little Easter chicks! Reserved seating, $20; VIP seating, $30. Starts at 7:30 p.m.

April 2, 3 - Antiques in April Come on out to MCCC’s 15th annual Antiques in April Show and

Sale to see a display of high-quality antiques and collectibles from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Located in the Health Education Building. General Admission, $3. Hours are 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. April 2 and 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. April 3.

April 16,17 - America’s Favorite Past Times MCCC’s Inside Out Dance Ensemble and Director Kellie Lajiness

pay homage to America’s favorite past times. This performance will be an invigorating glimpse into the time-honored traditions and events that rally our spirits to a common ground. Reserved seating, $14. Starts at 7:30 p.m. on April 16 and at 3 p.m. on April 17.

May 2 - Symphony Band ConcertTickets for the Symphony Band Concert are free. The event begins

at 7:30 p.m.

May 3 - Agora Chorale ConcertTickets for the Agora Chorale Concert are free. The event begins at

7:30 p.m.

May 9 - MCCC’s Prelude Children’s ChorusTickets for MCCC’s Prelude Children’s Chorus are free. The event

begins at 7 p.m.

The Lovin’ Spoonful played some of the most iconic folk rock songs of the 1960s. This revival of the band will perform at the Meyer Theater on Dec. 5.Photos provided by the MCCC Marketing Department.

Meyer theater showcases variety of talent