In the Wadsworth hall lounge, several students were eagerly discussing plans and possibilities while behind them, other students were drawing. Muffins had been baked as snacks. It was a meeting for the fledgling student organization A.R.T., which stands for Art Revolutionizing Tech.
A.R.T. is a student organization dedicated to increasing the level of culture presented and available at Michigan Tech, as well as the creativity and appreciation of art within the student population. In the words of President and co-founder Sarah Piccard, the purpose is to counter the stereotype of boring engineers and “show more of the artistic sides.” Through this, they also hope to create a more friendly and more open campus as well as a greater feeling of community in the halls and academic buildings.
The organization started last fall semester when five students in the Pavlis Institute came together. One of their assignments in the course of their work in Pavlis was to design a sustainable project, and the desire for more art was a common calling to all of them. They created plans for the creation of the organization, and when they were finished they found that they felt strongly enough about the cause to execute the plan. They created a constitution and procured the proper funds, and created A.R.T.
The organization is very new, and as such its current projects are relatively small. Currently, they are in the process of obtaining postal-themed artwork to display near the mailboxes and placing a display case in the Wadsworth Hall lobby and cafeteria. However, these projects are not without challenges; much more planning is needed, as well as art contributions from students.
“We’re looking for people with art that they want to display around campus,” said Public Relations officer and Co-Founder Joe East. A.R.T. States that they have the means to display artwork and are willing to order prints and display artwork with or without name at the wishes of the sender. In return, willing students would be able to have their art displayed and receive visibility and publicity on campus when they otherwise might not be able to.
The criteria for art that is to be displayed is that it is appropriate; the hall or building manager must approve of any artwork. Within those conditions, however, Joe said that the organization is “looking for any art.”
So far, A.R.T. has had some success and some plans that could not be executed. One of the ideas that A.R.T. had was to set up bulletin boards in the cafeteria that anyone could post artwork to.
However, that was dismissed due to difficulties obtaining permission in addition to problems protecting students’ artwork and maintaining the board. However, A.R.T. has also gained some influence; Housing asked the organization to help provide artwork and input for the new residence suites that are in construction behind McNair Hall.
Joe encourages students to join A.R.T. He says that work is on a volunteer basis, and students can expect to get out what they put in. “If dedicated, [students] can do incredible things.” He extends an invitation to everyone to come to a meeting, which are regularly held every other Wednesday in the Wadsworth Cafe at 6:00 PM..

Events for cultural diversity have grown in size and dominance on-campus. Overflowing to the Houghton community, the parades, musical and dining events, performances, speeches, and organizations have given Michigan Tech students and Houghton residents a multitude of opportunities, almost weekly, to engage in a cultural besides their own. The advent of many of these informative and often celebrative events may be due to one of the newest educational opportunities on-campus—The Diversity Minor.
In 2003, faculty and administrators gathered to address the “diversity problem”, namely the low numbers associated with recruiting and retaining diverse students, faculty, and staff on Michigan Tech’s campus. The outcome, initiated three years later, passed through the Department Administration, the University Senate, and then more administration. Michigan Tech’s response to the “diversity problem” is the relatively new Diversity Minor.
Rhetoric from the proposal to the University Senate argued that an inclusion of diversity studies in Michigan Tech students’ curricular options would address the recruit/retain issue as well as provide an opportunity to educate Michigan Tech students about diversity in the United States.
“The faculty, students, and courses in this minor could have a campus-wide impact far greater than just the number of students selecting this minor might suggest. Such a minor could help to improve the climate for underrepresented groups on campus and, thus, could help with recruiting and retaining underrepresented students, faculty, and staff.” –Senate Proposal 15-07 submitted January 2007.
The Diversity Minor offers students a chance to experience and explore diversity in an academic context but some of the additional benefits expected by the Diversity Studies Committee are the “Ripple Effects”. Mainly, the establishment of a committee dedicated to implementing and supporting courses, events, and organizations on-campus that offer students opportunities to venture into an academic discourse in a variety of contemporary topics in U.S. diversity.
One of the cornerstones of the Diversity Minor is the belief that “problems are more often solved by the collective effort of people involved in many smaller initiatives.” An academic approach is not the “one hundred percent solution” and instead the committee will supplement instead of run, replace, or claim jurisdiction over the on-going efforts of cultural groups that have already been well established at Michigan Tech and in the Keweenaw area for many years.
The Diversity Studies Committee has been busy this year already and the opportunities for students to become active and informed about diversity topics and concerns is increasing. A short list of ten activities pursued by the Diversity Studies Committee this year follows:

Students in Marika Seigel’s HU3629 Grant Writing course have begun the long process of seeking funding for various local organizations and businesses. The class not only details the grant writing process with class readings and exercises, but also offers the students a unique opportunity to get real life job experience.
Community members who needed help from the class presented their ideas, projects, and goals to the students.
The students, in groups, chose who they want to work for, and will be collecting data, budgeting, doing literature reviews and research, and applying for grants on behalf of the client.
At the end of the semester the groups will have written actual grant proposals, intended for submission to foundations.
Local clients include: BHK Child Development Center, HERCULES (Husky Emergency Response Coalition Under Law Enforcement Supervision), KBIC Ojibwa Language Preservation, Copper Harbor Trails Club, Finlandia University’s Fiber and Design program, K-SNAG, and PANK magazine.
With the help of students from this course, two years ago the Copper Country Humane Society was successfully granted money for its spay and neuter program.
The grant, which is renewable, is still a huge asset for the Humane Society. Marika hopes to see more organizations get funding this year.
“The groups this semester are very local and self contained; I’m hoping to see some positive results,” she says. If the groups do not get successful funding, their work will still be greatly appreciated by the organizations.
“The companies can still use the proposals the students have written for future grant applications,” says Marika. “This is a great opportunity for students to get experience working with the real world, which can be trickier than classroom work, and polish their technical writing skills. It’s really great to be able to help out the business – and our community.”

Diners at the Memorial Union Building on Friday, Jan. 29 may have noticed something new happening in the commons area. Two tables set up buffet style with student servers offered students a chance to taste authentic Indian food. For $6 a plate the price was right for two main dishes, bread, fruit salad, and warm spiced chai tea. For the first Friday, the proceeds for the meal, approximately $3 for each plate, will be sent to the Haiti Relief Effort. This isn’t the last that students have seen of this treat either—the tables will be back every Friday offering students another chance to explore palates from different cultures.
The tables were part of the new Khana Khazaana international food booth that will feature a different international menu every Friday. “Khana Khazaana means ‘Food Treasure’ in Indian,” says Sahil Thakkar, one of the international chefs behind Friday’s menu as well as one of the founding members of Khana Khazaana.

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Michigan Poetry Slam competition is this Friday which is sponsored by the Health Options for a Wellness Lifestyle (HOWL), Memorial Union Building (MUB) Board,  and the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE). The event will be open to all and will consist of a variety of poetry forms ranging from spoken word to rap.
According to Google®, the poetry slam was started by a construction worker and poet by the name of Marc Smith between 1984 and 1986.  One of the first influential National Poetry Slam competitions took place in 1990.
The purpose of this event, according to the NSBE, is to raise cultural recognition within the community through art and style by having the opportunity to witness a multitude of performers. Addishiwot Teshome, NSBE publications chair, calls this event  an “opportunity to express your vocal rhymes or just sit back and share in the relaxed yet stimulating atmosphere.”
Contestants will be required to carry out their performances in front of a group of attendees.  Judges will consist of various members within the audience.
The top three contestants chosen will be eligible for cash prizes at the end of the show based on their rank.
Intermittent performances  will also be included within the competition.  These acts will not be judged based on performance.
Previous first place winners include Nicole White,  Lisa Grayson, Crystal Higginbotham, Madie Xiong, and Raj Mohan.  For more information about the winners of the previous poetry slams go to www.doe.mtu.edu.
The competition will be located in the MUB Ballroom and will last from 8:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. and is free of charge. Competitors must submit their work to seaander@mtu.edu by Dec. 1, 2009. For more information regarding the event, you may contact the MUB Board, NSBE, or HOWL by visiting their websites.
See the Poetry Slam’s official poster on 2A. Poster includes  all the necessary information pertaining to the event.

There’s a lot going on in the streets of Downtown Houghton these days, but what about indoors? There are many different stores and restaurants, but one building that’s different from the rest is located at 105 Huron Street. It’s called the Carnegie Museum.
The Carnegie Museum is in the building that used to house the Portage Lake District Library, which is now located directly down the street, on the waterfront. Elise Nelson is the head of the museum. She and a group of citizens came together with the idea of preserving the building. They also wanted to use the building to provide the community with local history of Michigan. The museum opened in the fall of 2006, and displayed primarily historical pictures.
The museum now has a variety of exhibits to offer to people, including the Raphaelli Historical Photo Collection. Raphaelli is a retired Houghton City Police Chief who has donated many pictures to the museum as well as to other businesses in Houghton. It also hosts “The Lake Superior Boys – Civil War Soldiers from the Portage Lake Area,” an exhibit about local men who fought for the Union. Another exhibit is called “Cemeteries of the Copper Country: A Grave Subject.” This exhibit is about active and inactive local cemeteries, with pictures provided by the Houghton Keweenaw County Genealogy Society. The cemeteries shown are both active and inactive. The museum also hosts “Copper Country Gardens,” a display of native plants. The plants are all laminated and hung up on the wall. The museum is also attempting to have a garden of native plants outside.
Throughout the year, the Carnegie Museum also hosts several rotating exhibits. For example, during December, the museum has a gingerbread-house display. Many museum patrons make their own houses and bring them for display, and the museum also displays its own giant gingerbread house. During this event, the museum provides visitors with treats. This December will mark the third year that the museum will host the event.
There are several upcoming events that the museum is working towards. Currently the only thing that is on display downstairs is the “Copper Country Gardens,” but Nelson is hoping that soon they will be able to open the children’s museum that is being worked on downstairs as well. Next year the museum will also host “The story-tellers from the U.P.,” and there will also be an exhibit about the history of beer making, and local breweries.
Nelson says that the museum is really a “community effort.” Anyone who has anything about the history of the area and would like to donate it to the museum is more than welcome to. Most of the exhibits are from people in the area who have a passion for
the local history and wished to share what they had about it.
Everyone is welcome, and admission is free of charge, but donations are encouraged. The museum is open Tuesday from noon to 7 p.m., Thursday from noon to 5 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. For more information visit the museum web site at www.cityofhoughton.com

Monday night at the Rozsa Center, Loung Ung connected with Michigan Tech students and local community members with an exotic humor, firsthand experience of the war stricken lands of Cambodia, and a wealth of knowledge about the ongoing landmine made genocide still occurring in her country today. Pressing the need for landmine removal both in her home country Cambodia and globally, she called on students here at Michigan Tech to invest in the needs of the world today. She encouraged the audience members to be world aware with startling factoids such as landmines causing the death of one person every twenty two minutes worldwide, and that in a period of four years, nearly one third of Cambodia’s population was killed. If you wish to learn more about Loung Ung and her cause, you can visit her website at:

Many people celebrate Halloween with candy and costumes, parties and horror film marathons. This can be seen in cities all over the US, but where did Halloween really come from?
It is believed that Halloween began with a harvest celebration known as Samhain. This celebration went with their new year established on Nov. 1. This transition from summer to winter was thought to be the time when the lines between the world of the dead and the world of the living were blurred together. It was believed that on this night, spirits who had passed in the previous year were able to communicate with the living. On Oct. 31, there were large bonfires built to make sacrifices to the spirits. During this celebration, the Celts wore costumes made of animal heads and skins and attempted to tell each other’s fortunes. Those who were uneasy with the roving spirits dressed as demons and witches to frighten them away.
This ritual was then transitioned when the Romans had conquered much of the Celtic territories.  Roman celebrations of harvest then became intertwined with the Celtic celebration of Samhain. The first was Feralia, which is when the Romans celebrated those who had passed. The next was a festival of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and trees. This has been accepted as one of the orgins of bobbing for apples.
After the fall of the Roman Empire and the influence of Christianity, Pope Gregory IV designated the first of November, All Saints Day. This day was also referenced as All-hallows, which made Oct. 31 All-hallows eve. Trick-or-treating however doesn’t have a direct influence. Historian James Appleyard writes, “Some people would hold parties where ghost stories were told. Following earlier traditions, some would go house to house looking for food.”
In the 1800’s Halloween lost much if its religious overtones and became a community-oriented celebration. This progressed into Halloween, as we know it today. This now commercialized industry is worth nearly $7 billion dollars annually according to The History Channel.

Upon perusal, I found an entertaining movement dubbed as “Critical Mass”. In such a seemingly unorganized event, a cluster of bike riders gather and ride an almost random bike route through a city to clog traffic and “reclaim” the road. I suppose this might result when riding a bike to work or school becomes too mundane, but perhaps the action of bicycle commuting is not speaking loud enough to the single loaded motor vehicles with capacities of five to seven people. So, more drastic and entertaining measures are taken. A variant of this movement, so charmingly named “Critical Ass”, is carried through in a similar manner, but with only underwear on each biker’s body. Ah, the shock factor to attract attention only makes the uproar better and more effective. You can read more about these happenings at www.criticalmass.wikia.com
There is some possibility that events of this nature may turn people off to bike riders and cause anger, but this is exactly why these sort of “protests” occur. The point is to attract attention to problems that we can fix by taking individual action. Deciding to take time to commute on a bicycle means better planned commutes. Or perhaps not taking our privilege of motor vehicles for granted we would ride with friends instead of having five passenger cars with one individual transported in each.
In a more general sense, extreme movements by mostly younger adults may disgust and appall others in their community and country. But, more activity will spark the change so desired by the so called protestors. Without uproar, there is no change.
Trouble comes in when trying to decide is the change for the better. What is good? How do we define and decide good? Well, having common ethic, principles and values to reflect off of would bring more consensus. Now, being in a state of constant change is more than unhealthy. We cannot try to uproot what makes us human. I am under the impression that such gatherings exhibiting a common idea is attempting to bond those individuals involved and return others to a realization. As we become more transfixed in our technology, we forget we have legs and arms. As Christianity becomes more huddled in a corner so do the ethics we were once founded upon. We cannot blindly shoo away ethic without replacing it.
Actions such as the Critical Mass event speak louder than words. They suggest that we are an ever-changing species. Changes often happen without thought of the repercussions. The gatherings are attempting to gather those of common ethic and strong opinion. These movements create a trend, a feeling of bonding. More of us should be willing to act individually and combine efforts with those like-minded for the common good.
Here we loop back to the question, “What is common good?” This is the point where we should all consider this question very seriously and enlighten ourselves in myths, values, religions, history and self inspection, especially if our education ignores these things as the American education system often does.
And what can we, as college students, teachers, and workers do for the common good? Can we set aside the idea that we are only in a school system to get a degree and make money? There is excellent opportunity in any university or college setting to put forth efforts to enlighten ourselves and others. We have opportunity to try and make the world a better place, one person, one community at a time.

Beginning Friday, Oct 2, Family Weekend will be in full swing. Parents and families of Michigan Tech students will be visiting from the midwest around the country to get a glimpse at what the campus and the community have to offer.
To start off the weekend, Friday, parents are invited to attend class with their students. Following class, Jane Nordberg will present “The History of Winter Carnival” in Dow 641 at 4 p.m. This free presentation will outline how the tradition got started and how it has changed since then. Later, broomball exhibition games and trial are scheduled at the MacInnes Ice Arena to show parents what broomball is all about and to give them a chance to try it out. Meanwhile, “Bandarama,” a concert and a Family Weekend tradition featuring the Superior Wind Symphony, Pep Band, and Jazz Lab Band, will be held at the Rozsa Center. Immediately following the concert, there will be a chance to meet with Michigan Tech faculty, staff and administration at a meet and greet, which will take place in the lower lobby and newly opened art gallery in the Rozsa Center. This will also feature an art exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service entitled “The Dancer Within.” Other Friday night activities include Filmboard’s showing of Disney/Pixar’s “UP” and free Student Activities Comedy Series (SACS) Comedian Adam Ace who is performing at 10 pm in the MUB ballroom.
On Saturday, there are tours scheduled all over the Copper Country, including a chair lift color tour at Mont Ripley, a Hungarian Falls hike, a Sturgeon River paddling trip, and Quincy Mine tours throughout the afternoon. In the evening, the Michigan Tech hockey team will kick of the season with their first exhibition game against Ryerson University. The Michigan Tech Mom and Dad of the Year, a title received by student nominations, will be announced at intermission, as well as the 2009 Homecoming Court. If theater is more your forte, The Reduced Shakespeare Company will perform “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged),” a comedy based on short summaries of Shakespeare’s works, on the Rozsa Center stage.
Family Weekend will wrap up on Sunday, with the Keweenaw Brunch, held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. There will still be opportunity take a quick tour of the Copper Country, as some tours will be scheduled through the afternoon.
For more information, visit the Family Weekend website at www.familyweekend.mtu.edu.