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Student photography exhibited at Royal Oak campus

 Works by students in the photography program at Oakland Community College’s Royal Oak Campus are on exhibit in the campus’s main hallway between B and D Buildings now through Dec. 4.

Admission is open and free to the public.

The exhibit features 61 examples of black and white, color and digital images. Some are for sale.

The exhibit takes place three times a year, or once a term, for a month and features digital and traditional photography from photography classes.

The Royal Oak campus is at 739 South Washington Street at Lincoln (10 ½ Mile Road). Free parking is available in college structures across the street from the campus. To learn more call 248-246-2633.

County Executive Visits Management Class

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson spoke to an OCC management class Monday night, focusing on what it takes to a build a strong, loyal team.

Patterson spoke to a class of 24 students taught by OCC adjunct faculty Cynthia Peterson at the Highland Lakes campus. Peterson is also a county employee—she trains and supports police officers in the technology they use in their jobs.

Brooks, who has been County Executive since 1992, says his team is well recognized and sought after by others around the state and credits them for his continued success.

A good leader is born to lead but is also good at applying life lessons to their work, Patterson told students. Leaders will express their vision, set expectations and “get out of the way” so others can do their job, he said.

“As long as everyone is rowing in the same direction, goals will be reached,” he added.

Patterson spoke about some of his team’s top accomplishments, saying he is most proud of the county’s Emerging Sectors program, whose goal was to bring high-tech, knowledge-based sector jobs to Oakland County. These emerging sectors include healthcare, automotive, robotics and automation, and communications and information technology.

 

In one example, the initiative predicted job growth in healthcare and programs were created to fit this prediction. One in five employees in Oakland County currently has a healthcare-related job. More than 60% of new jobs in Oakland County are in economic sectors identified in Patterson’s Emerging Sectors program.

He concluded by saying that good leaders need to be willing to “plant seeds and let them grow.”

Praising staff is important, he added. “I always credit my staff when it’s time to recognize good work.”

OCC Chancellor Chairs MCCA Presidents Committee

Chancellor Tim Meyer is the new chair of the Presidents Committee of the Michigan Community College Association.

“I am proud to have been chosen to represent my peers in this leadership role,” Dr. Meyer said. “I will work with my peers to advocate for policies that benefit community colleges across the state, representing a unified voice in Lansing to benefit our communities and our students.”

The Michigan Community College Association provides leadership on issues concerning the association’s 28 member colleges, which have a combined total annual enrollment of 473,307. The MCCA provides legislative and government advocacy for its members colleges. Its members benefit from initiatives that leverage the combined efforts of multiple colleges, resulting in more efficient and effective programs.

Dr. Meyer was appointed chairperson of the Presidents Committee this summer and will serve until 2015. The Presidents Committee exchanges ideas on the role of community college’s chief administrators and discusses matters of mutual interest to community college chief administrators.

He is also a member of the association’s Executive Committee. He was appointed to that six-year term in 2011. The Executive Committee of the association is composed of MCCA officers, the Trustees Committee, the Presidents Committee and the association’s immediate past chairperson. The Executive Committee prepares an annual budget for approval by the MCCA’s Board of Directors before the beginning of the fiscal year for which the budget is proposed.  The committee serves as a planning committee for the association and supervises and evaluates the president. 

OCC Women's Volleyball NJCAA D-II National Championship Schedule

The 2013 NJCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Tournament will kick off at Owens Community College near Toledo on Thursday, November 21 in the Student Health and Activities Center.

Sixteen teams from around the country have qualified for this year's Championships. The 2011 champion Cowley County Community College from Arkansas City, Kansas is the tournament's top-seed with an overall record of 31-4. Defending National Champion, Grand Rapids (Mich.) Community College (31-6) will look to repeat as the No. 10 seed.

Here are the first-round matches for Thursday, November 21:
Match 1 -        #3 - Johnson County (Kan.) vs. #14 - Hagerstown (Md.)     Court 1       9:00 am
Match 2 -        #6 - Glendale (Ariz.) vs. #11 - Des Moines Area (Iowa)       Court 2       9:00 am
Match 3 -        #7 - Catawba Valley (N.C.) vs. #10 - Grand Rapids (Mich.)   Court 1     11:00 am
Match 4 -        #2 - Parkland (Ill.) vs. #15 - Moraine Valley (Ill.)                 Court 2     11:00 am
Match 5 -        #1 - Cowley County (Kan.) vs. #16 - East Central (Mo.)       Court 1       1:00 pm
Match 6 -        #8 - Monroe College (N.Y.) vs. #9 - Central (Neb.)               Court 2        1:00 pm
Match 7 -        #5 - Illinois Central (Ill.) vs. #12 - Southwestern (Iowa)        Court 1        3:00 pm
Match 8 -        #4 - Oakland (Mich.) vs. #13 - South Suburban (Ill.)             Court 2        3:00 pm
Tickets are for sale on the day of the event at the Student Health and Activities Center. 
3-Day Tournament Pass - $35
1-Day Tournament Pass - $15
Children 12-and-under - $5/day
All matches will be streamed for free on NJCAA TV.com
For complete tournament results and information, click here

OCC Creative Team Shines at District Conference

OCC made its mark at the annual National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) District 3 Conference held earlier this month. 
The conference, “Journey to a Brave, New Marketing World,” was organized by Michele Kersten-Hart, OCC’s Manager of Multimedia and Web Services and NCMPR’s District 3 Director. District 3 encompasses Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Ohio. More than 70 people attended the conference.

OCC’S creative team won three awards in the “Printed Publications” category of the conference’s Medallion Awards ceremony, more than any other college in its division. Division B encompasses all colleges with three or more full time marketing and communications staff. OCC won a Silver award for its academic catalog, a Bronze award for its schedule and a Silver award for the music student showcase flier.

Members of the creative team are Manager of Multi Media and Web Services Michele Kersten-Hart, Multi-Media Coordinator Dawn McDonald-Watkins and designers Alan Crouse, Alejandro Herrera and Christine Lasiewicki.

“I am thrilled for our very talented creative team,” Kersten-Hart said. “It was a successful conference for many reasons but especially because of the great work of our graphics team. I’m so proud to lead such a talented team. They made OCC shine at the district conference.”

The conference offered a dozen breakout sessions ranging from creating an integrated marketing plan, writing for the web, to diversifying your digital footprint. 

This is Kersten-Hart’s last year as District 3 Director, a two-year post. Next year, she will be a member of the NCMPR’s Executive Counsel.

NCMPR represents marketing and public relations professionals at community and technical colleges. An affiliate of the American Association of Community Colleges, NCMPR has more than 1,550 members from more than 650 colleges across the United States, Canada and other countries.

Raider Rally Wednesday!

Help send off OCC's women's volleyball team to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II national tournament Nov. 21-23 at Owens Community College in Ohio.
A rally will be held from 10-10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 20 at the Auburn Hills Student Center. The rally is held in conjunction with Student Government and Student Life.

Students will be able to meet volleyball coaches and players before they depart for  Owens Community College in Perrysburg, Ohio. The Raider's first game is at 3 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 21.
 
It will be telecast live on this website: http://www.njcaatv.com/volleyballchamp/.
Follow #occraiders for updates.

 

For this woman, home was Highland Hall

When Merle Hardman read a newspaper article recently about the upcoming demolition of Highland Hall on OCC’s Highland Lakes campus in Waterford, she rushed out to see if she could see it one more time. Hardman lived in the building for two and a half years starting at the age of 5.

Built in 1927, Highland Hall was known as the Oakland County Tuberculosis Sanatorium in its early days, housing patients with the disease. The hospital included a children’s wing.

Hardman (formerly Burgdorf) lost both of her parents to TB. She and an older sister Gabrielle Bates, now 94 and living in Harrison, were also diagnosed with the disease and sent to live in Highland Hall soon after it opened in 1928. Hardman, now 89, lived there until 1930.

“Rest, fresh air, cod liver oil and sunshine were the only treatments for TB,” Hardman, of White Lake, said recently as she walked through the halls where she remembers getting into trouble as a kid.

Hardman’s tour included her niece Nancy Van Hull (Burgdorf), retired nursing OCC faculty and Hardman's friend Sherrill Sundberg, Interim Highland Lakes Campus President Cynthia Roman and Chief Engineer Ken Reynolds.

Hardman took many photos with a disposable camera, her facial expressions alternating from confusion by the changed surroundings to glee when recognizing a certain window she remembers hanging out of as a kid seeking mischief.

She toured the building’s cafeteria, a basement tunnel she remembers traversing as a kid and the hospital floor where she spent so much time.

“We were all bored to tears,” she chuckled. “There was very little for kids to do. Nurses didn’t allow us out of bed and there was no school or homework.”

“The nuns came out on Saturday and taught catechism,” she added. “I do remember having one book. It was about fruit, bananas, oranges and plums, but that’s it.”

After she left the sanatorium, Hardman went to live with her grandparents, who adopted her. She worked at General Motors for 30 years.

When a cure for TB was found in the 1950s, the patient population at Highland Hall dwindled. In late 1964, the buildings and property were sold to OCC. The 68,741-square foot building had been used for classroom space since then. It closed permanently last year. The college spends $50,000 a year to keep it running and demolishing it will present a cost savings, Roman said. The space will be used as a student commons area.  

“She wanted a brick,” said her niece Van Hull, who attended the tour of Highland Hall with Hardman and whose father Floyd Babcock was the first general manager of the sanatorium. “You can imagine what it must be like as a child to be taken out of your home and sent to an institution. I can’t even imagine the impact. But she is one of the most positive people I have ever known in my life.”

“It was something for her to go through there,” she said of the recent tour. “When she stood there, she did feel it and remember it.”

“She was healthy as a horse her whole life,” Van Hull added. “That’s the amazing thing —she and my aunt both were, and they started their lives in a TB sanatorium.”

Chancellor presides over Detroit Economic Club event

OCC Chancellor, Dr. Timothy R. Meyer, was the Presiding Officer for the Congressional Representative Update at the Detroit Economic Club on November 4.

The mission of Detroit Economic Club (DEC) is to provide a platform for the debate and discussion of the great business, government and social issues of the day.

Guest speakers included The Honorable Sander Levin, Michigan U.S. Congressional Representative Dist. 9 and The Honorable Mike Rogers, Michigan U.S. Congressional Representative Dist. 8 U.S. House of Representatives.

Find What You Need With a Click of the Mouse

Searching the OCC library just got easier.

You can now find books, articles, and more with the stroke of a key. Search Everything, new to OCC this fall, is a seamless way to find almost anything at the OCC Libraries.
 
You can find online and print materials, including:

• Books, videos and other materials available for checkout in the OCC Library Catalog
• Online full-text magazine, newspaper, and journal articles from more than 30 databases
• Ebooks, streaming videos, and images

How do you get there?

Go to the OCC Libraries page here. Scroll to the Search Everything tab and add your search words into the search box. On the next screen, select from as many options as you would like to narrow down your results.   Searches can be limited by format, date, related subjects, OCC location, publication name or database. 

Use Search Everything if:

• You don’t know where to start your research
• You want to go beyond results from your searches in other databases or the Library Catalog
• You would like to see results sorted by relevancy rather than date
• You would like to see an overview of what’s available at OCC
• You would like to search multiple databases at once

Do not use Search Everything if:

• You need more precise results from subject headings in the Library Catalog or databases
• You are searching for a topic covered in a specialized database. For example, some OCC research databases are not included in Search Everything, such as the Wall Street Journal.
• If you are looking for a specific book or article. The Library Catalog is best if you know the book you want, and the OCC Library Journals List is the best place to find a known article.

Do you still prefer the old library catalogue?

The classic Find Books/Library Catalog is still available to you.
Separate databases can also still be searched from the Find Articles/Databases page. 

How can I learn more?  

Watch a video demonstration by clicking here.

Noah's Ark - A Play about the Assassination of JFK

Inspired by activist, theologian, writer James Douglass' book "JFK and the Unspeakable: Why he Died and Why it Matters," Noah's Ark sails the rough waters of the Kennedy presidency -- its Bay of Pigs, the summit with Khrushchev in Vienna, a line in the sand in Berlin, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the prelude to Vietnam -- to reveal the depths and shallows of humanity, drama, fears, and passion at the heart of these world events.
 
The reading of Noah's Ark at Oakland Community College on November 8 occurs in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the JFK assassination. Royal Oak, Michigan is one of seven cities where readings of Noah's Ark readings will take place in November, including New York City; Erie, Pennsylvania;  Pittsburgh, Pa; Birmingham, Alabama; Glen Falls, New  York; and Dallas, Texas, where actor Martin Sheen will participate.

The president is dead and Colonel Benson, the consummate military White House insider, is tortured by the thought that he may have been unwittingly complicit in the assassination.

Determined to redeem himself, Benson journeys into his past, where he must confirm or deny his loyalties, patriotism, and faithfulness. Has he betrayed his values? Can he live in peace with his choices?

About Ginny Cunningham: As a founding member of the Pittsburgh Public Theatre Playwrights in 1995, Pittsburgh native Ginny Cunningham wrote a series of ten-minute and one-act plays before undertaking the full length On Earth a Little Space, which was featured in City Theatre's Four x Four new play festival at the Hamburg Theater in 2001. While maintaining a career as a communications consultant to non-profits throughout the U.S., as well as free lance magazine and newspaper writing, Cunningham continued to churn out plays. Mere Woman, the third in a series of plays that dramatized the lives of Catholic nuns who challenged sexist and racist practices in their Church and society, has had multiple readings in the Pittsburgh region. Noah's Ark has been in development for three years. Cunningham resides in Pittsburgh with her husband Pat Fenton.

Do not miss a reading of Noah's Arc featuring OCC faculty, staff and students at at 7:30 p.m., Friday, November 8, at the Royal Oak Campus Theatre.

The play is preceded by a 4 p.m. lecture by JFK assassination expert James Douglass, author of JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters. Douglass will explain his belief that JFK was murdered due to the change in his position on the Cold War and increasing support for peace in the world.

Tickets for both events may be purchased online by clicking here and between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. at OCC’s Royal Oak Campus Bookstore.

 

The Star of the Dead Guy

Ljubica Gavrilovska stars in the OCC theater production of “The Dead Guy,” a play written by Eric Coble and directed by Dennis North to be shown at 8 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, and 23.

The International Academy graduate, 23, of Oxford, joined the college’s theater program in the summer of 2013 to study theater production. She is one of three students employed as a theater technician at the Smith Theater, setting up production for music concerts, lectures and plays. In September, at the suggestion of a friend, she auditioned for the lead. Ljubica is also enrolled in voice and directing classes this fall at OCC.

What is The Dead Guy about?
The Dead Guy is a reality show where a contestant gets to spend $1 million over seven days. A camera man follows his every move and broadcasts his adventures on national television. For hard-luck Eldon Phelps, the deal is irresistible. But there’s a twist at the end that the audience determines. 

What role do you play and do you share any personality traits with her?
I play a TV producer named Gina Yaweth. She’s a shark who is very in charge and in control. In the play, she controls every single aspect of the TV show, who is cast, what is shot and where. She’s very manipulative and not very nice. Unfortunately, she acts in such a way that everyone does what she asks. She’s relatable and likeable. She is kind of mean but you still like her. I would like to say that I’m nothing like her. I’m a goofy theater kid. She’s pretty opposite from me.

What is your background in theater?
I have been performing since I was four. Initially I trained as a dancer and musician (piano and vocal; later, guitar), I discovered my true passion in high school in theatre. As a junior I portrayed Golde in "Fiddler on the Roof" and followed the next year as Amneris in "AIDA", where I also tried my hand in directing. I started college at Boston University, where I become involved in more technical aspects of theater—producing specifically.

What did you do while at BU?
I started at Boston University as an International Relations major, with a minor in French. I then changed to English, minoring in theater. Then I decided to get a full on theater degree. At BU, I was very involved in student theater. I was involved in all aspects of it -- producing, marketing, advertising, budgets for shows, hair and makeup, costumes, all background stuff. I never had the chance to get on the stage when I was there. I came back home to attend OCC. I decided to stay here. I was hired to work in as theater support. I have worked on lectures, music shows, and now I got the lead role in this play, which is kind of daunting but it’s mostly exciting and new.  

Were you interested in theater before college?
In high school, I never thought of it as a legitimate option. I was involved in forensics and drama, choir and band. I was really into performance and arts. It most certainly started in high school.

What do you see in your future?
I plan to graduate in December with an Associate’s in Theatre. I love Michigan and it is my home but I do want to go to New York City. I do like producing and would enjoy doing that sometime in the future, but my main focus now is acting. That may change, but bringing characters to life and walking in their world for that short time is something I absolutely love and don’t want to give up any time soon. So for me, that’s what the future holds.

Tickets are for sale now for “The Dead Guy.” Faculty and staff receive two complimentary tickets for all Smith Theatre productions at the college’s Orchard Ridge campus. General admission is $8. Students and seniors, 60 and over, pay $5. The curtain rises for all performances at 8 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at the OCC Raiders Store or at the Smith Theatre Box Office on the day of the performance. Tickets may also be reserved in advance by calling 248-522-3666. For more information on the array of theatre courses offered, check out the theatre website.

English? Check. Now off to pursue the rest of his dreams

Laith Arabi had completed two years toward an engineering degree in his native Syria before he, his mother and two brothers were forced to flee to the United States a year and a half ago.

Arabi wished to continue school right away after arriving in the U.S., but the English language was a challenge.

“I took an English placement test at OCC and I could barely write a paragraph,” said Arabi, 21, of West Bloomfield.

Arabi enrolled in a course known as the Bridge Course at OCC, which is designed for students who are ready to learn English but are not quite ready for English as Second Language credit classes.

The 15-week, six-hour a week, course offers instruction in reading, writing, listening, speaking, and English grammar and vocabulary. Bridge classes are offered in Farmington Hills, Royal Oak and Southfield campuses. The fee is $300.

“I can write five pages now, easily,” Arabi said. “The conversation class was so much fun for me. It gave me confidence to speak English out loud.”

Following successful completion of the Bridge Course, students can enroll in ESL classes.
Arabi completed the ESL program this summer and is now enrolled in college level academic classes to start pursuing his dream - medical school.

“Laith’s progress is typical of students who enroll in Bridge classes,” said Orchard Ridge campus ESL Department Chair Michael Khirallah, Ph.D. “Within five semesters, he went from zero level to writing multi-page essays.”
 
For more information on OCC’s Bridge Classes, contact esl@oaklandcc.edu, (248) 341-2231 or visit https://www.oaklandcc.edu/ESL/.

50 years later, conspiracy theories remain

OCC faculty Michael Vollbach, M.S., and Ron Burda, J.D., have taught a popular JFK assassination course at OCC for two decades. They are the force behind a JFK Speaker Series to take place Oct. 25 and Nov. 8 in commemoration of the 50^th anniversary of the assassination. We spent time with them recently to learn more about their fascination with the end of Camelot. 

How did you start teaching the class?

Burda: OCC’s Royal Oak campus offers special topics history classes and the topic changes every semester. There was a class on assassinations of the 1960s that covered Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy and Malcolm X. In 1992, while a part-time faculty at Orchard Ridge, I was asked to be a guest lecturer on Lee Harvey Oswald on whether his rights were violated. In 1993, the 30th anniversary of the JFK assassination, the 1960s assassinations class was changed to focus on JFK. I took over for one of the instructors who decided to not continue teaching that year. Mike was added as a co-instructor in 2002. We have taught it together ever since.  

Is the 50^th anniversary sparking renewed interest in the JFK assassination?

Vollbach: The class has always filled up and there is limited seating. There is obviously strong interest now because of the anniversary and the newly released Tom Hanks’ movie “Parkland,” which supports the single bullet theory. It is based on the theory that Lee Harvey Oswald is the only one. By the way, the majority of the U.S. population supports that there was a conspiracy.

Tell us about your class. Why and how do you teach it?

Burda: The shooting was a watershed moment in our history. It was the first time in 60 years that a president was assassinated. There were three days of funeral processions. Coverage on TV was 24-7, which was unusual at the time. Then, Oswald himself was assassinated on live television. Those images were just burned in your subconscious. A lot of our students are very removed from this, though we do sometimes get people in class who remember where they were the day JFK was shot.

During the first part of the class we talk about the presidency and what was happening at that time in history. We talk about who JFK was and some of the transitions he went through. He started as a Cold Warrior. Towards 1963, he wanted to withdraw from Vietnam. He wanted a détente from the Soviet Union. He gave a significant speech at American University where he talks about peace that some believe was the nail in his coffin.

Vollbach: We then launch into a mock trial where we assume Oswald survives and he is put on trial for murder. Witness testimony goes on for four weeks. Students are assigned parts and they get to act like a jury and vote at the end of the class. We have a list of witnesses that they role play and they also cross examine each other. Occasionally, we have a surprise witness. We draft people within the college, a former dean will play someone and my wife once came in as Fidel Castro’s lover. We have witnesses give important testimony we have culled from the Warren Commission or from books. In past semesters we’ve had Lee Harvey Oswald testify on his own behalf as a surprise witness. Students then deliberate in class.  Just like a jury, we elect someone to be the foreperson. We don’t require them to be unanimous or we’d be there for six weeks.

 
Burda: It’s a perfect trial. There are no lawyers involved!

What do you remember about the JFK assassination?

Vollbach: I was only a year and a month old when JFK was murdered. It marked my life. He was the first Catholic president; my grandmother gave me the official photograph of JFK and hung it on my bed. The picture hangs in my office right now.

Burda: I was in the 6^th grade. I remember someone came into our class between 1 and 1:30 and told us JFK had died. They let us go home early. We were shocked. I remember watching the funeral on TV. Then on Sunday morning, we watched Lee Harvey Oswald get killed on national TV. He was being transferred from the Dallas police department where they were holding him without bond. Police were escorting him six or seven blocks. Jack Ruby came out from the crowd of reporters and police, stuck a pistol in Oswald’s stomach and pulled the trigger on national TV. It was such a shock to see that. As were the images of the children at the funeral…Jackie Kennedy takes to Caroline to the coffin and she kisses the coffin. Those images are just burned in your mind, very much like 9/11.

What fascinates you about this story?

Vollbach: The JFK assassination and the neatly tied package that the Warren Commission gave us, the single shooter conclusion and ‘look how fast we caught him,’ it was just too easy to accept. It doesn’t take a long time to describe to students what happened. Once you give them the evidence that’s out there, they see he couldn’t have been the only shooter. There are several theorists out there who believe Oswald didn’t have anything to do with it.

What can you tell us about the speakers coming to lecture series?

Vollbach: Cyril Wecht is on TV a lot. CNN uses him when they cover high profile deaths. He’s been consulted on Elvis, Anna Nicole Smith and her son Daniel, Lacy Petersen and JonBenet Ramsey. He is the go-to expert. He was born in 1931. He has done over 14,000 medical autopsies. He teaches and has his own institute. Ron and I, in true JFK geekdom, will be attending his institute for a 50^th anniversary conference. They are bringing some heavy weight authors we’ve both read and we have our students read.

 

James W. Douglass is the author of JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters. The book advances the theory that, horrified by the specter of nuclear war (in part because of his experience with the Cuban Missile Crisis), JFK gradually turned away from Cold War beliefs, and this is directly responsible for his death.

Playwright Ginny Cunningham wrote a one-act play based on Douglass’s book. Actor Martin Sheen assembled a cast to do a similar dramatic reading to take place in Dallas on November 21, the eve of the 50^th anniversary of the JFK assassination.

Who do you think assassinated JFK?

Vollbach: We are conspiracy theorists. I walked into the course in 1993 as a lone gunman theorist and I taught that way. Today I teach it totally different. There is so much knowledge. And these are facts, not opinions. Hospital surgeons that took JFK’s body noted that there was wound entry in his throat, which shows there would have had to be a shooter in front, not behind. They reported this to newspaper reporters and to the White House. He was shot near his temple in the front of his head. Those Parkland hospital surgeons then recanted what they said. The Texas School Book Depository, where the Warren Commission said Oswald did all the shooting from the sixth floor window, is behind. The shot that exploded this head came from the front. I’m a hunter. I know what happens to an animal when it’s shot and the response to the body. Every time I watch footage of the JFK shooting, it sends chills up my spine and reaffirms in my head that there was shooter in front of John Kennedy.    
 

Vollbach: Something about Ron Burda that you need to know. Our OCC library has the best holdings of JFK literature in Southeast Michigan, not including Ron Burda’s personal library. Ron Burda has more books and films about this topic that he probably shouldn’t even have because they’ve been taken off the market. He’s lucky he’s a lawyer.

About the lecture series: OCC is commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the John F. Kennedy assassination with a lecture series that features presentations by JFK expert forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht on Oct. 25, and author James Douglass and playwright Ginny Cunningham on Nov. 8. Both events are at the college’s Royal Oak campus, 739 S. Washington Ave. Tickets may be purchased here and between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. at OCC’s Royal Oak Campus bookstore. Limit four tickets per customer.

Ron Burda is a divorce, criminal defense, estate and trust and will attorney from St. Clair Shores. He has been a part-time faculty at OCC since 1983, teaching history since 1993. His courses have included social science, mass media, and gerontology law.

Mike Vollbach has a Bachelor’s in History, a Master’s in History and Master’s in Geography. He is the author of “The Genesis of Urban Centers in the Ancient World.” He attended Muskegon Community College, the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University.   

 

Poetry Saves Lives

OCC invites you to the poetry festival "Poetry Saves Lives" from 12-3:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 16, in Room G240 of the Auburn Hills campus, 2900 Featherstone Road. The event features four accomplished poets who will give readings, followed by workshops and then a student open mic. The event is open and free but pre-registration is required. Email Studentlife@oaklandcc.edu to register.

A portion of the poets' fees were sponsored by Poets & Writers, a national organization for the promotion of the literary arts. The OCC Writers Block student organization will be selling festival T-shirts for $20 and buttons for $3 at the event to benefit InsideOut Literary Arts, a writing program for children in Detroit. Click here, for more information. 

Featured poets:

Airea “Dee” Matthews:

She is a Cave Canem and Callaloo fellow, a Pushcart Prize nominee, and is currently a Zell Postgraduate Poetry Fellowship recipient at the University of Michigan where she earned her MFA. She resides in Detroit with her husband and four children, and is currently working on her first full-length poetry collection.

Sean Thomas Dougherty:

He is the author or editor of 13 books including the forthcoming All I Ask for Is Longing: New and Selected Poems 1994-2014 (BOA Editions), Scything Grace (2013 Etruscan Press), Sasha Sings the Laundry on the Line (2010 BOA Editions) and Broken Hallelujahs (2007 BOA Editions). His awards include two PA Council for the Arts Fellowships in poetry and a Fulbright Lectureship for poetry to the Balkans. Known for his electrifying performances, he has performed at hundreds of venues, universities and festivals across North America and Europe including the Lollapalooza Music Festival, the Detroit Art Festival, the South Carolina Literary Festival, the Old Dominion University Literary Festival, Carnegie Mellon University, The University of Maine, Sarah Lawrence College and more. His work has also been read on PBS radio in Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Rochester and Cleveland. Sean currently works in a pool hall, and gives readings around the country.
 

Jamaal May:
A poet, editor, and educator from Detroit, where he taught poetry in public schools and worked as a freelance audio engineer and touring performer. He is the author of Hum (Alice James Books, Nov 2013), winner of the Beatrice Hawley Award, and two poetry chapbooks (The God Engine and The Whetting of Teeth). His poems have been published widely in journals such as POETRY, Ploughshares, The Believer, Kenyon Review, Gulf Coast, and New England Review. Honors include the 2011-13 Stadler Fellowship from The Stadler Center for Poetry at Bucknell University, the 2013 Indiana Review Poetry Prize, and scholarships and fellowships from Bread Loaf Writers Conference, Cave Canem and Callaloo. He teaches in the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program.

Peter Markus:
He is the author of a novel, Bob, or Man on Boat, as well as three books of short fiction: Good, Brother, The Singing Fish, and We Make Mud. His stories have appeared widely in such magazines as Chicago Review, Denver Quarterly, Black Warrior Review, Northwest Review, Massachusetts Review, Puerto del Sol, Quarterly West, etc. He was named a Kresge Arts in Detroit fellow in Literary Arts in 2012 and teaches as a poet-in-the-schools with the InsideOut Literary Arts Project of Detroit. A new book of fiction, The Fish and the Not Fish, is forthcoming in the Fall of 2014 from Dzanc Books.

 

OCC Hosts Transgender Forum

Oakland Community College is hosting a Transgender Forum from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Friday, October 11 at the Smith Theater, 27055 Orchard Lake Road in Farmington Hills.

The event will include a clip of the documentary “Trans,” followed by a panel of community members who identify as transgender or are a transgender ally.
Panelists Arlene Kish, Rachel Crandall, Colt Stacer, Mykell Price and Judith Kovach will discuss issues facing the transgender community, including relationships, dating, transitioning at school and work, discrimination in various institutions of society, and how to be an ally. They will also discuss implications for changes to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), which last year eliminated the word disorder to describe transgender individuals.

“The goal of this event is to make OCC and the local community more educated on the matter so we can be more inclusive,” says Michelle Fether-Samtouni, M.A., chair of the college’s Committee for Diversity and Inclusion, one of the event’s sponsors. 

Fether-Samtouni is a member of the sociology faculty at the Auburn Hills campus and faculty advisor to Q-FLAG, the student group for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and intersex (LGBTQQI) community and straight allies.

The event is sponsored by the Committee for Diversity and Inclusion and Students, Staff, Administrators & Faculty for Equality (S.A.F.E.) on Campus.

The Professional Development and Training Center (PDTC) is offering 1 SDU for attendance. For more information, email Michelle Fether-Samtouni at mdsamtou@oaklandcc.edu.

Resources:

Trans, the documentary:

http://www.transthemovie.com/
 

OCC transgender forum details:

https://www.oaklandcc.edu/Posters/TrangenderForum.pdf

Additional statistics, definitions and resources can be found on the GLAAD website. GLAAD is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media advocacy organization.

See your counselor! Have a plan!

Did you know that you can work with a counselor to create an educational plan? A plan will help you stay on track to earn your degree or transfer. Now is a perfect time to see a counselor for a customized guide. Registration for winter will begin in November and class schedules will be online in mid-October. Please call any campus counseling office to schedule an appointment.

Auburn Hills: 248-232-4350

Highland Lakes: 248-942-3050

Orchard Ridge: 248-522-3450

Royal Oak: 248-246-2464

Southfield: 248-233-2750

Get caught being a Raider, win prizes

Are you a Raider fan? Get caught wearing Raider wear and win prizes.

An OCC Raider Spotter will be roaming the halls of all OCC campuses between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month - Oct. 10, Nov. 14, Dec. 12, Jan. 9 and Feb. 13.

If you get selected, you will receive a token. Tokens collected can be entered in a drawing at the Feb. 19, 2014 Raider Men and Women’s home basketball game at 7 p.m. in Building H of the Auburn Hill campus.

The OCC Raider Spotter will take a photo of you in your Raider wear and will post it on the OCC Facebook page announcing you as the "Raider Fan of the Month."

Raider gear is defined as having the words Oakland Raiders visibly displayed on an article of clothing purchased from the Raider bookstores.

Extra prizes for those displaying the official OCC Raider logo.

*Students only. Student athletes do not qualify for this promotion.

Follow us on Twitter #OCCRAIDERS.

OCC and Rotary give high school students a boost

OCC’S Southfield campus and the Southfield Rotary Club are partnering for a year-long program to motivate high school students to pursue college careers.

The year-long program S.T.R.I.V.E. or Students Taking Renewed Interest in the Value of Education, targets high school juniors and seniors considering attending college and currently enrolled in Southfield Public High Schools or Oak Park High Schools.

Students are identified by their high schools to join the program and sign a form making a commitment to improve class attendance, attitude, grade point average and participation.  

STRIVE will host programs throughout the year, including a one-day summit from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, October 5, in the Student LIFE Center, Room A-129, on the Southfield campus.

The program features breakfast and lunch, a tour of the campus and a variety of panels to include: “The Keys to College Success” and “Using Technology for Academic Success.” The program will feature a career pathways panel featuring moderator Niko Dawson, attorney David Jones, architect James Jenkins, dentist Matthew Gray, politician Kiesha Speech, community advocate Leslie Love Smith, Washtenaw Community College business faculty member Kimberly Hurns and police chief Eric Hawkins. Students will hear keynote speaker Dr. Tanya Martin, a licensed psychologist and life coach, speak about motivation and self-assurance.

 

“We want to get these students acclimated to college and thinking about getting their grades together to start school in the coming years,” said Southfield Dean of Campus Affairs Lloyd Crews, Ph.D. and president of the Southfield Rotary Club.

Rotary’s involvement is a service project with sights on helping students in the community, Crews said. The program is starting with 50 students and hopes to build from there.

“Everyone benefits when OCC partners with the community and the school system to help students,” he added.