December 5, 2012| Volume 111 | Edition 3B Robot Society pg. 2 Opinions pg. 3 Campus Life pgs. 4-5

Beyond Kettering pg. 6 Entertainment pg. 7

Are We Living in The Matrix?Recent physics research suggests that it

might be possible that we could be part of a computer simulation running on some mas-sive supercomputer, and only exist virtually. “According to Silas Beane and his team at the University of Bonn in Germany, a simulation of the universe should still have constraints, no matter how powerful. These limitations, they argue, would be observed by the people within the simulation as a kind of constraint on physical processes.” With the possibility of only existing as a simulation, it brings to question if we can actually fathom the possibility of not

actually having control on our lives, and if we can only exist within certain constraints.

The only logical way to test if we are in a simulation, albeit ironic, is to perform a simu-lation; researchers at the University of Bonn have recreated a very small (on the femto- scale) portion of the universe, and look for “a cosmological signature that would serve as the proverbial Red Pill from the Matrix. And they

think they know what it is.” This cosmological signature, being found by simulating quantum chromodynamics (QCD), is the Greisen–Zatse-pin–Kuzmin limit, or a cutoff in the spectrum of High-energy particles.

The researchers are looking at how cos-mic rays interact with the cosmic microwave background in the QCD simulation. It would be expected that the waves would travel along the axes of the latices that make up the “space” that is simulated. If that situation were to hap-pen, then it could be very possible that there is a “man behind the curtain”. To map this to

the real world, these physicists are saying that it would be similar to “seeing” the lattices that make up our own universe, if it were just a simulation.

This is a remark-able question to ask and it would be a sig-nificant leap forward in discovering the basic fabric that we are all glued onto.

“Interestingly, the researchers consider their simulation to be a forerunner to more

powerful versions in which molecules, cells, and even humans themselves might someday be generated. But for now, they’re interested in creating accurate models of cosmological processes — and finding out which ones might represent hard limits for simulations.”

Source: IO9.com http://goo.gl/bymAO

On November 15, 2012, the Kettering community gathered together to celebrate its many cultural influences at the annual Destination Diversity. Organized and hosted by a cross-section of multicultural Kettering students, the event combined delicious food with entertainment from the different clubs within the Kettering student body.

The event began with opening remarks from Dr. Petros Gheresus, along with a presentation on Eritrea and his program to provide support for the people there through the donation of textbooks.

Dinner was then served in the middle of the event. Like the previous Diversity events, the food available did not disappoint. Many different countries and styles were present, as the serving tables contained foods tradi-tionally associated with China, the Middle East, and the southern United States, among other regions. Just as in previous years, the spectacular dinner proved to be a highlight of the evening.

After dinner was served, the acts included a skit from NSBE, a wonderful cover of the Beatles’ Let It Be, an interesting skit from a very enthusiastic group of Brazilian exchange students (involving cross-dressing), an im-promptu Gangnam Style dance contest, an entertaining martial arts scene and a beautiful hula dancing performance from the Asian American Association. Overall, Destination Diversity 2012 was a wonderful evening that gave the Kettering community a chance to celebrate the various difference that help bring it together.

by Jackson Coloske, Staff Destination Diversity

by Ryan Dontje, Layout Editor

The Kettering fiscal budget for 2012-2013 has been approved. As such, two budget re-lated reports, one from President McMahan and another from Tom Ayers, Vice President for Administration & Finance, have recently circulated amongst Kettering faculty and staff. Some highlights, which are most likely not currently known by students, include the amount of money the University brings in through tuition before and after scholarships, the various expenses of the school, and the total balance of the budget.

A breakdown of the entire budget was one of the main focus points of Ayers’ letter. A portion of this breakdown is included in the table and expense pie chart to the right. Both budget depictions were taken directly from the letter to ensure accuracy.

In addition to information on various budgeting procedures and revenue sources, President McMahan’s letter included the an-nouncement of a 2% increase in wages and salaries for all University employees (exclud-ing officers) that were employed on or before June 30, 2012. This move puts an end to the salary freeze which has been in effect for the past several years, and should help the school

both retain current employees and attract new ones. The good news in McMahan’s letter con-tinued with his description of the roughly 7% increase in freshmen enrollment that factored into next year’s budget.

From the general information contained in both letters, the actual budget numbers them-selves, and the fact that the recent multi-million dollar Mott Foundation donation to the Univer-sity was not included in the general operating revenue, it appears that Kettering has a rela-tively strong financial position for 2012-2013.

The Budget is inby Matt Gessler, Editor-in-Chief

Operating Revenue:Gross Tuition & Fees 60,822,356Less Student Aid & Discounts (22,420,155)Net Tuition & Fees 38,402,201

Unrestricted Gifts & Private Grants 500,000Directed Gifts & Private Grants 250,000Auxiliary Income 3,552,579Endowment Support 2,192,200Cash Investment Income & Other 420,000Total Operating Revenue 45,316,980

Transfers: Revenue Related 1,266,305

Total Operating Revenue & Transfers 46,583,285

Operating Expense:Personnel Compensation 22,766,286Personnel Benefits 6,745,326Employee Tuition Waiver (Benefit) 1,391,782Endowed Chairs 509,800Supplies 1,110,957Utilities 2,471,228Maintenance 1,291,965Travel 796,962Contracted Services 2,787,588Other Fixed & Operating  3,940,408Furniture & Capitalized Equipment 346,092Debt Service 1,797,000Total Operating Expense 45,955,394

Transfers: Expense Related 526,925

Total Operating Expense & Transfers 46,482,319

Net Surplus (Deficit) 100,966

Kettering UniversityBoard Approved 

Operating Budget for FY 2012‐13

December 5, 2012

Robot Society InitiatesKettering University - The TechnicianPage 2

Technician Staff Editor-in-Chief:Matt Gessler

Assistant Editor:Laura Correa

Copy Editor:Rebeccah MacKinnon

Advisors:Betsy HomsherChristine Levecq

Submission PolicyThe Technician welcomes submissions from Kettering

University students, faculty, and staff as long as writers identify themselves and their affiliation with the University and provide contact information. No anonymous submissions will be accepted. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Technician staff or of Kettering University. We reserve the right to edit for length. Kettering University is a private institution; as such, it need not extend freedom of speech protection as described in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

S u b m i s s i o n s m u s t b e s e n t e l e c t r o n i c a l l y t o btechnician@kettering.edu.

ColophonThe Technician is published triweekly by the students of

Kettering University and financed, in part, by the Kettering University Student Activities Fee.

Meetings are Thursdays at 12:20pm in the Technician Office

Layout Editor:Ryan Dontje

Staff:JD BiggerMykhailo BoikoAshwin ChackoJackson ColoskeNicholas KoprowiczNickolas JenningsCara NorwoodJose Schwengber

by Kayla Whittemore, Guest Contributor

Sharna-Kay Dobney, a senior Chemical Engineering major from St. Andrew, Jamaica. Sharna-Kay Dobney is an international student.

She first came to Kettering in summer 2007 as a student in the Academically Interested Minds (AIM) Pre-College Program, and returned as a freshman in January 2009. She will have satisfied her requirements for graduation in December 2012. Sharna-Kay co-ops with Inteva Products, a tier one automotive supplier of interior system located in Troy Michigan, where she seized the opportunity to work with some of the world-leading advance material in automotive plastics. Currently, she is the Vice president of the Society of Plastics Engineering (SPE), Multi-Cultural Representative on the student senate, events

coordinator for International Club and lead Residential Peer Tutor in Thompson Hall. Sharna-kay played an integral role in the revitalizing the SPE chapter and continues to make significant impact in the daily operation of SPE on campus. Upon graduation, Sharna-Kay plans to garner more experience working as an engineer before going to graduate school for an MBA or masters in biomedical engineering.

Jorge E. Horcasitas, a senior Computer Engineering major from El Paso, TX. Jorge co-ops with Insitu, a wholly owned subsidiary of Boe-ing, in Hood River, OR. He is a member of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, serving as the Kettering chapter’s current president and last year’s re-

cruitment chairman. He is a Kettering LEADERS Fellow and is currently the Software Lead of the Kettering University Robotics Team (KURT). Jorge gives back to the Kettering community through his involvement as a student tour guide, orientation class instructor, and COMPASS ori-entation crew member. A major hobby of his is attending leadership development programs during work term. Altogether, he has been to eight different programs including LeaderShape and the Google Scholars’ Retreat. His future plans include pursuing an MBA after working in Silicon Valley and setting up a student out-reach program to get young students interested in engineering.

Deana Johnson, a senior Business Administration major from Roch-ester Gary, Indiana. Johnson is involved in the Greek Community as an active member Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, INC. Mu Phi Chapter and the National Pan-Hellenic Council. On campus she is involved with the

Kagle Leadership Initiatives START program, Kettering Leaders and the Student Ambassador program. In past semesters she has participated in the Outdoors Club, Black Unity Congress, Toastmasters International, Collegiate DECA and International Club. Deana loves to travel and has visited China with the Department of Business and Germany with the university Study Abroad office. While competing with Collegiate DECA, she participated in three regional compe-titions and was a Michigan representative at two international conferences. Miss Deana Johnson will be graduating this December with a degree in Business Administration with concentrations

in Human Resource Management and International Business. She will be headed to Texas in January to work for her cooperative education

Six students were selected into the prestigious Kettering University Robot Society for B-Section. They are: Sharna-kay Dobney, Jorge Horcasi-tas, Deana Johnson, Cameron, Oskoian, Kristen Russell, and Kayla Whittemore. Dr. Rabago-Smith, Assistant Professor of Bio-organic Chemistry, was named an honorary Robot. The Kettering Robot Society recognizes and honors students and other individuals who have provided direction and leadership through extracurricular activities. When the society was founded in 1927 it was called MADHATTERS. On initiation day, new members still wear Derby hats and carry canes to preserve the “Madhatter” tradition.

Members are selected through an evaluation system where each Robot nominee is evaluated against the three ideals of the Robot Society: leadership which is creative; service that transcends itself; and citizenship that demonstrates responsibility. In addition, a Robot candidate must be in the top 75 percent of their class.

Six Selected to Join the B-Section Robot Society

sponsor, TIC-The Industrial Company, as a Southern District Human Resources Coordinator.

Cameron K. Oskoian, a senior Business Administration major from Rochester Hills, Michigan. Cameron co-ops with General Motors

Global Headquarters in Detroit, MI. He has been extremely involved on Campus in his time at Kettering, managing also to make the Academic Dean’s List every term. He currently serves as the Finance Committee Head on the President’s Student Advisory Committee (PSAC). He served as the Treasurer of KSG Finance Council and has held positions on three branches of Kettering Student Government which include Finance Council, Operations Council, and Student Sen-ate. Cameron served as a Residence Advisor in Thompson Hall for three terms. He has been actively involved in his fraternity, Pi Kappa Al-pha, and has held the positions of External Vice

President, Campus Involvement, Continuing Education, and Assistant Treasurer. He also is a member of the Kettering University Entrepre-neurship Society. He currently works in finance at General Motors Headquarters in Detroit, Michigan. Cameron plans on pursing his MBA in Finance from a top tier graduate school post Kettering.

Kristen Russell, a senior Mechanical Engineering major from Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania. Kristen co-ops with Zimmer Inc. in War-

saw, IN. During both school and work terms, Russell has become involved in a variety of activities. At Kettering, Russell is the director of the Academic Council, a Resident Advisor in the dorms, and on the leadership teams for both Pre-Med Club & KU Cru. She has also been on KSG Senate and assisted with various mentor-ing programs. Over work term, Russell assists with her church youth group. Russell has been accepted to medical school at Texas Tech for the upcoming school year.

Kayla Whittemore, a senior Industrial Engineering Major from Shoreham, Vermont. Kayla co-ops with GE Aviation. She is a member

of Kagle Leadership Initiatives. Kayla participates in Kettering Toastmasters as the Vice President of Member Education. Last year, Kayla served as a college positive volunteer in the AmeriCorps Michigan Service Scholar Program. Whittemore is a member of Alpha Phi sorority, holding the position of Director of New Member Education. On Student Alumni Council, Whittemore served as the Vice President of Public relations and will be the Vice President of Special Events this winter. She’s an active member of Student Ambassadors, the Society of Women Engineers, and Institute of Industrial Engineers. Kayla is the President of Alpha Pi Mu and a member of three Greek honor societies. Post graduation she will join the Opera-tions Management Leadership Program with GE

Aviation and pursue a Master’s degree in Supply Chain Management from Penn State.

December 5, 2012

OpinionsKettering University - The Technician Page 3

Bite Size Commitmentby Nicholas Koprowicz, staff

I am currently writing this article because two years ago, I was hungry. Now, that may not appear to be a logical train of thought, so let me connect the dots for you. Two years ago, I was sitting in the Great Court at 12:40 after getting let out of a class late. As a sophomore, I no longer had a meal plan though Kettering, did not have time to drive anywhere to get a meal, and was tight on cash to begin with. That said, I was hungry, and had no qualms expressing this to people. One of my friends heard my plight, invited me to The Technician, and mentioned there would be food provided. Flash forward two years, and I like to think of myself as a regular contributor now.

This scenario is all too common at Kettering University. During the almost three and a half years of my Kettering career, I’ve been a part of at least 8 clubs or organizations on campus. My involvement with these clubs began be-cause I was hungry during lunch and food was provided. I would wager this applies to many students involved in clubs.

For many, myself included, this was an ac-ceptable situation. It is convenient and easy to sign in on the weekly sheet for a club and grab some food. As I said, I did this for The Techni-cian. For close to a year, I did not even write an article or come to paper layouts.

The problem is that this gives a false sense of the club’s security and success to the students who work very hard. I have been part of two

different organizations on campus that had very large numbers of attendance at weekly meetings and thus seemed to be stable groups. However, when these organizations tried to put on com-munity service events or become involved on campus, participation dropped to almost 3 or 4 main people for each event. In a group of 20 to 25 people, why were only 3 or 4 coming to these events? Simply put, they were not lunch. They were not a free meal during the week. A majority of the people who came to meetings week to week simply did not care about what the club was meeting to discuss.

I think though, that the most demonstrative example of this point was when an organization on campus said that they would no longer be

serving food to members who did not meet a certain criteria after 6th week. This criteria was along the lines of gaining a number of hours through community service events and regu-larly attending and participating in meetings. Week 5 had attendance in very high numbers. In week 6, only a fourth of the members actu-ally showed up.

There is nothing inherently wrong in go-ing to weekly meetings for a club and eating a meal while you are there. There is not a single person on campus who would dispute that, re-alistically, common hour is the only time in the crazy Kettering schedule when a large group of people have time to sit down together and conduct business. The focus for many partici-pants though, is not conducting this business. The emphasis is on getting in, getting food, and getting out.

I think it is time that students took an edito-rial eye to his or her participation in organiza-tions on campus. Are you actively contributing to the club’s operations and success or only there for a bite to eat? If you find yourself at a club for the latter of these two options, I would encourage you to become more involved. Many clubs on campus have excellent missions and intents. By becoming more involved, you really can improve the quality of day to day life on campus.

Kettering Advisement: Useful Practice or Waste of Time?by Rebeccah MacKinnon, Copy Editor

Unless you are a Mechanical Engineer, students are required to get advisement from their respective departments in order to register for classes for the following term. The level of advisement varies from department to depart-ment: some hold a single group meeting, some assign an adviser to each student for one on one advisement, and some even go to the extent of sending each student home with a goodie bag. This varies so much on a department by department basis that students may begin to ask themselves some crucial questions.

Is advisement even worth it? Why do I have to get advised in order to register, when the majority of Mechanical Engineers do not have to? What do I get out of advisement other than a signature that says, “Yes, I had someone from my department tell me what classes to take”?

Recently, a survey went out to each student from the “Network Advising Committee” ask-ing students to give feedback on the quality of the advisement that they have received over their Kettering career. Not knowing much about this committee, I sat down with Dr. Natalie Candela, Director of the Academic Suc-cess Center and head of the Network Advising Committee, to find out more about it and what it means for academic advisement.

When Dr. Candela arrived on campus ap-proximately three months ago, she says, she was asked to take a look at what was working in the university and what was not. The advise-ment process was brought up in this overview, so a committee was formed to see what needed to be done to address the issue and to develop a plan to implement said changes.

While the committee is still in the research and planning stages, a general idea of how to improve the advisement process has been formed. Dr. Candela described a more compre-hensive advising process that would include advisement from across the educational experi-ence, from freshman year and co-op to thesis completion and career exploration. The idea is

to expand the current curriculum advisement to be more about setting goals and helping stu-dents achieve them rather than simply planning what courses to take the following semester.

Additionally, the committee is still explor-ing whether to make this advisement required or simply suggested. Currently, the commit-tee is leaning towards requiring advisement for freshman and sophomore-level students. Within that process, advisors will be able to identify and provide special attention to those students that may require it more, such as minority students, first-generation-in-college students, international students, women, and undecided students. This group would also include students with very high achievement scores from high school. Traditionally, they tend to lack the necessary study skills (simply because they never had to study before) and as a result suffer the most in their freshman and sophomore years.

Coming from the perspective of a dual major in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, I feel that advisement has its place. Be-cause my two degree departments are relatively small, I have had class conflicts that needed to be resolved in order for me to graduate on time. At this time, advisement was useful because it allowed me to explain my conflict to the depart-ment head, who was then able to work with me and the other department to find a solution. However, aside from special situations like this, I find advisement largely a waste of time and energy.

This is not to say that I do not value my advisers’ opinions. On the contrary, I take what they have to say under careful consideration, generally right before deciding to do what I want with my schedule anyway. They offer a second (and third, in my case) opinion on my plan from the perspective of someone who has not only gone through this process before, but has also helped numerous other students get through the same degree program as I am now. For example, my adviser in the Mathematics

Department cautioned me that my course load for this term may be a little much. She was cor-rect – this is indeed the most stressful term I’ve ever had at Kettering.

However, the point is that I took it anyway despite her warnings. Last I checked, I’m still here with what I consider an acceptable GPA. I know what I am capable of accomplishing much better than anyone else because I know myself and my work ethic. This is true of many students, especially if their advisers do not know them on a personal basis.

Furthermore, in my opinion, requiring advisement is essentially insulting students’ intelligence. I am fully capable of planning out my own schedule and making sure that I gradu-ate in a timely manner. There is nothing wrong with offering advisement for students who wish to have some guidance. Some students want a second opinion on their class choices; I’ve sought out the opinion of professors and other students when I wasn’t sure of my class choices. However, requiring all students to get a signature from an adviser seems to be a ridiculous registration requirement. If I make an ill-advised decision, let me! That is how I learn! We are college students, not children who need to be mollycoddled.

Only time will tell if the changes the Net-work Advising Committee are considering will improve the advisement experience or simply make it more of a general waste of time than it already is. I am somewhat skeptical of requir-ing “potentially at risk students” to go through advising, as under this I may still be required to be advised, as possibly would some students who may not need to be simply because they fall under a specific demographic. However, these are only options. Hopefully, the Network Ad-vising Committee will take into account varying student opinion before making their decisions and advisement can either be improved to the point where it is useful to everyone or elimi-nated as a requirement altogether.

Photo courtesy of Kettering Communications

December 5, 2012

Campus LifeKettering University - The TechnicianPage 4

by Ryan Dontje, Layout EditorThe crib system is something very familiar

to everyone at Kettering University. Love it or hate it, it has become a significant part of the Kettering community, as well as the topic that Dr. Michael Callahan addressed on Thursday, November 15th, with his edition of the Fall Term Distinguished Faculty Speaker Series, titled "Learning about Cheating or: How I Be-came an Ethics Teacher and So Did You".

Throughout his presentation, Dr. Callahan made it clear how he felt about the crib system. He began by speaking about the nature of ethics as well as the beginning of his time at Kettering, including his first introduction to cribs (aka old tests and other material used as study aids). After catching students attempting to "crib" his classes, Callahan says he became convinced that the crib system only promoted an atmosphere of academic dishonesty when not used with the approval of the professor of that course. He was careful not to place the blame entirely on the students, however, and stated that everyone at Kettering has contributed equally to the atmo-sphere of cheating that allows the crib system to stand. He stated that loose interpretation of academic policy, combined with the widely varying opinions regarding the use of cribs, have contributed to an atmosphere of cheating that only continues to encourage their use.

The second part of Callahan's lecture fo-cused on the specific steps the university and the student body could take to abolish the crib system and promote a culture of learning and academic honesty. Among his suggestions were to incorporate ethical thinking into the pro-gramming of more courses, rather than simply making it part of the focus of the Senior Seminar course. He also recommended professors be more vocal on their stance regarding the use of cribs in their classes, as well as possibly taking

steps to switch up curriculum to make classes encourage more creative, liberal thinking. Pun-i s h m e n t wa s never mentioned within any of the suggestions, as Callahan stated that he believed that it couldn't be an effective long term solu-tion. The irony of holding the lecture within a

room titled "Crib-a-thon" was also

not lost on him, as one of his more humorous suggestions was to rename the room as soon as possible.

Dr. Callahan made a convincing argument for the abolishment of the crib system within Kettering University. Students who used cribs dishonestly in classes, he stated, would behave dishonestly in the real world as well. Addition-ally, he presented information showing that the crib system has begun to advance beyond Kettering's confines, and the school is starting to become known for the use of cribs as materials of academic dishonesty. Dr. Callahan made it clear that the current crib system is a negative impact on both the internal and external aspects of the Kettering University, and that a shift to an atmosphere that favors open-minded, ethical thinking is the best possible response to a sub-ject that has long been a divisive issue within the Kettering community.

The end of the term is upon us and the cold weather has finally shown its ugly head. Just before the weather turned frigid, Sigma Chi had our “project weekend” and gave our house some well deserved TLC. Our house is a landmark in Flushing and as such, we do all we can to preserve it. We set upon our house with fervor to clean, fix, and beautify our home as much as possible. From trimming bushes and re-mulching to cleaning the dark reaches of our kitchen we took great care to keep this place in great shape. We have a project weekend every term and are always looking to improve our house, an example of which is the ongoing construction at the house. We are fixing our foundation, replacing our deck, and refurbish-ing rooms to expand our brotherhood. The brothers of Sigma Chi wish you good luck on your exams, and a happy holiday season!

0.94 Megagrams. 1 Ton. 2,070 lbs. A lot of stuff. All of it recycled through the Battle of the Bins competition 9th Friday. The Green Engi-neering Organization held their annual open recycling competition in the Great Court with huge success. This was the largest collection to date, by far. Last year’s collection totaled a mere 1,400 lbs. This year, the library alone re-cycled nearly 1,300 lbs in paper! The library was therefore the winner in both the paper category and the overall category, earning them a grand prize total of $225 in gift cards! Perhaps great new books will soon be available for checkout. Thompson Hall took first place in cardboard with 153 lbs. Finally, WKUF surprised us all with a win in plastic 95 lbs (which is a lot of plastic!). Each of the other two category winners will receive $75 gift cards. However, amidst the good citizenship and teamwork, competition flourished as well this year. Rumor has it several departments chose not to enter their recyclables this year and will save them for next year to ensure utter defeat of their colleagues. Only one thing is certain, recycling spirit on campus continues to grow, along with the competitive spirit of Battle of the Bins…

Did you know...

...that students can obtain a FREE, non-ex-piring license of ANY AutoDesk product?

...the platypus is the only mammal that

can poison its predators?

...popcorn was the first breakfast cereal?

Callahan Calls for Crib Cancellation

R&B, soul, jazz, hip-hop, and rap music: Mama Sol and Tha N.U.T.S. combine all these genres along with drums, electronics, turntables, bass guitar, male vocals, and female rhymes for a new sound that is taking Flint and the surrounding areas by storm. On November 1st, 2012 at the Flint Institute of Arts, I had the opportunity to listen to a brand-new type of music that grabbed the attention of many students in the Flint area. Mama Sol’s group formed in Flint and has been together since 2008. The music is amazing, but behind their catchy lyrics and the incredible instrumental background, there is much more to Mama Sol’s story. Although she seems to combine many genres, Mama Sol says that her music is “hip-hop, with a cultural and necessary edge.” Whatever it is, it is working for them.

While performing, Mama Sol stressed the fact that she was a lot of things: “a mother, a lover, and a fighter.” I was interested to see what this meant, and how these things influ-enced her music. I spoke with their manager after the show, and Mama Sol agreed to answer a few questions about herself and her music. There was an interesting flow to her music; something deep. Her music was very different than what you might hear on the radio every day. Mama Sol said that her lyrics are influ-enced by “life alone and what I experience”. Mama Sol has survived both breast cancer and the tragedy of a close friend committing suicide. These battles influence her music. Her music expresses the pain and the joy in her life. It is clear that Mama Sol draws fans in because her lyrics are relatable and sometimes moving.

A Ton of Recycling...Literally!

by Joshua Miller, Guest Contributor

Sigma Chi Updateby Anthony Davis, Guest Contributor

Community is something that Mama Sol pays attention to both on and offstage. This group is extremely well rounded. Their strong connection to the community is celebrat-ed in her lyrics. During Mama Sol’s performance that night, she mentioned that the people of Flint “need to stop watching the news and put the news-

papers down.” She hears about the negative publicity of Flint through talking to people, but she chooses to steer away from the reading. She knows that Flint is in a bad place. If people stop reading all of the negativity, however, she believes Flint could be seen in a more positive light. Not only is she concerned with the Flint community, but she sees the need in the bigger picture, as well. She has started a non-profit organization called The “Bring L.I.F.E” Foundation to raise awareness and funding for international need. L.I.F.E. stands for Life, Inspiration, Food, and Educa-tion.

Mama Sol’s music was a refreshing change from what we might hear on the radio every day. Talking with the students who also attended the event at the Flint Institute of Arts, I realized that they also enjoyed the new sound of Mama Sol and Tha N.U.T.S. There were students dancing, buying albums, and applauding Mama Sol’s poetic and influential lyrics. For anyone looking for something dif-ferent, where the lyrics have real value and the band cares for the good of their community, I would recommend Mama Sol and Tha N.U.T.S. This group combines so many different genres that it is bound to appeal to many people.

Anthology of Interestby Jackson Coloske, staff

Mama Sol and Tha N.U.T.S.by Shelby Dury, Guest Contributor

photo courtesy of Joshua Miller

photo courtesy of Kettering University

photo courtesy of ReverbNation.com

KSG Presidential Debate

Opinion: Destination Diversity Needs a Reroute

December 5, 2012

Campus LifeKettering University - The Technician Page 5

by Rebeccah MacKinnon, Copy Editor

by Nickolas Jennings, staffby John Crimmins, Guest Contributor

Destination Diversity, as it stands right now, is a noble idea plagued by flawed execu-tion. The event does not receive the level of planning and preparation that a large event like this needs to be a success. The acts from the various participating clubs are great, and it's apparent that a lot of effort was put into making them something special for the event. It's unfortunate, then, that the presentation they are a part of is a bumbling mess and they end up becoming nuisances keeping everyone from their favorite part of the evening: the food.

Yes, the largest problem with this event, by far, is the focus on the meal served with it. I understand that food is an extremely popular motivation for prioritizing participation, espe-cially with Kettering students, but this issue is getting out of hand. During the first half of the program, the International Room was packed full of people. After dinner, however, the room was half full, and those left were engaged in conversation and other activities not related to the presentation continuing in front of them. It's becoming apparent that the food is the only thing continuing to bring a majority of people to this event, and that's a bad sign.

The lack of communication between the committee planning the event and the partici-

F. Zak Tilocco, student of Applied Physics and Applied Mathematics, earned international recognition for the paper he co-authored and presented at the ASME Internal Combustion Engine Division Fall Technical Conference in Vancouver this past work term. Tilocco says that the paper came about as a part of his co-op experience in the Energy Systems Division of Argonne National Labs.

His work looks at diesel fuel injectors with synchrotron radiation. That is, scientists in the lab accelerate electrons in Argonne’s particle accelerator to emit x-rays, which are then di-rected towards the injector. Tilocco focuses on analyzing the images of the needle region of the injector, specifically using phase contrast imaging to determine how different materials change the refraction and absorption.

The paper for which Tilocco won the award focused on the data analysis technique he used on these images and a particular data set taken.

The work Tilocco did for the paper may contribute towards his thesis, which he intends to begin next term.

Parties interested in reading Tilocco’s paper can access it at the following link: http://www.asmeconferences.org/ICEF2012/pdfs/Tilocco.pdf

pating clubs only compounds the issues facing Destination Diversity. Speaking from WKUF's point of view, I can verify that almost no in-formation was given to us until approximately the day before the event. Even then, the only information we received was a program of the event and general instructions on what to do. It soon became clear that the other clubs in the event were facing similar situations, as the WKUF crew fielded numerous questions that we were unable to answer and found ourselves with a mountain of music of various formats that all had to be coordinated to specific acts. Having no previous knowledge of any of this not only frustrated us, but also made it much more difficult for us to work with clubs that were depending on us for an important aspect of their act.

Some of these issues are simple to fix, while others will require a lot more effort and cre-ative thinking. Destination Diversity needs to become more than a ticket to a free meal if it is to retain its reputation as a meaningful part of the Kettering term. The student body has the interest. The indicators are there. With tighter planning and stronger event coordination, Destination Diversity can be a meaningful, en-gaging experience rather than a frustrating one.

Over the past 13 years we, the students, have been putting money into a fund called the Connie John Fund. This money was part of the student activity fee that we were charged. Every term over the past 13 years, both A and B section have been putting in 1.5% of the student activity fee money in order to increase the Con-nie John Fund to $1,000,000. This past term the fund reached $1,000,000.

How does this benefit students?The Connie John Fund is available to any

Kettering student, student organization, or oth-er association of Kettering students interested in events or ideas that will benefit the Kettering Student Body as a whole.

The fund can be used for campus wide events such as concerts, homecoming, property development and other events as defined in the Connie John Fund document. The funds total $50,000 a year for the student body which can be divided into two ways: $12,500 per term or $25,000 to each section for a fiscal year (July 1 - June 30th). Each request will be considered on a case-by-case basis

Request ProcedureRequests must be submitted by 2nd week

of the event term or before 10th week of the previous term to be considered.

Prepare a ‘Connie John Request Form’ de-tailing cost, use, needs, date, benefits, and other specifics of the request.

Acquire signature of 25% of the on-section undergraduate student body.

Acquire a letter of approval from Facilities Management and any affected department for requests involving modification to any physical aspect of Kettering University.

Submit a request and give an event presen-tation to Finance Council.

Present to the Kettering Student Govern-ment Executive Board and Advisors.

Requests approved by a ⅔ vote from the affected Finance Council and KSG Executive Board will be submitted by the on-section Fi-nance Council to the KSG Advisors. Requests approved by the advisors will be submitted to the Dean of Student for final approval.

If approved, the involved students or or-ganizations will be notified by the on-section Finance Council.

Student Wins Award for Undergraduate Research by Ryan Dontje, Layout Editor

Music can be a pleasurable escape for many and Kettering is offering a free concert. On December 6th at 7pm, in the international room there will be festivities lasting approximately an hour. The choir will sing some, the band will play some, and students that have been tak-ing lessons will play some piano. There will be some refreshments, and wonderful sounds. What more can one ask for?

Two polar opposite personalities decided to run for Kettering’s Student Government President this term, Cameron Oskoian and Jorge Horcasitas. Cameron is tall, while Jorge is short. Jorge is soft spoken and thinks before he speaks, while Cameron is easily heard and lis-tens to his intuition. Cameron is assertive, Jorge is hesitant. Jorge is a computer engineer, Cameron is a financial man.

There was a debate on Mon-day, November 26th, which was poorly attended. Imagine looking out to an audience of twenty when there is a student body of 900. This two percent participation, primarily Beta Theta Pi fraternity brothers, gave a small cue into how the organizer of the event is able inspire action and participa-tion outside of his circle.

The debate gave the audience an excellent view into the perspectives of the candidates and the lives they lead. Each candidate has his own reasons for running for the position. Cam-eron has the knowledge and credentials, while Jorge wants to give back to the student body. When asked what unique thing they would do once elected, Jorge described his desire to take an active role in gathering data regarding the student’s interests more effectively, while Cameron expressed the need to make commu-nication between the four KSG branches man-datory and create accountability amongst the branches. Both candidates had different ideas on how to use their KSG team efficiently and optimally. Cameron would surround himself

with strong workers and implement goals of status and Jorge would increase student involvement and have a lot of planning before execution.

Mr. Oskoian is selling himself on his experience. He has three years in three branches of student government. The inner working of student government is no mys-tery to this man. The knowledge of how the system runs is ex-tremely useful information when leading the system. Upon meeting Cameron, one may find him im-mediately abrasive as a person, but he is asking to be a leader, not everyone’s close friend. His track record has shown his leadership traits.

Mr. Horcasitas is selling him-self on ethics. “I’ve established my relationships in life through trust,

and unfiltered honest discussion,” said Jorge. Every single interaction with every person must be considered when deciding who a person is, and Jorge consciously tries to be a gentleman in each of these interactions. Being president of his fraternity has given him the chance to lead, and his personal belief is that he is ready to lead KSG.

The most important thing about voting is that there is some logical process to arrive at the conclusion. There are emotions that drive decisions that may cloud the mind. The main question that this election presented everyone with was, “Who would be the better leader?” The only hope of the student body is that everyone that voted answered this question wholeheartedly.

Constance John Fund Reaches Maturity

Tenth Week Music Recitalby Nickolas Jennings, staff

photo courtesy of Matt Gessler

December 5, 2012

Beyond KetteringKettering University - The TechnicianPage 6

Disney Purchases Lucasfilm Ltd.by Cara Norwood, staff

On October 26, 2012, The Disney Company announced its purchase of Lucasfilm Ltd., the successful film company founded by director George Lucas. For a price tag of $4.05 billion, Disney now owns the “keys to the kingdom” and the universe. Although the two companies have partnered in the past, most notably on the Star Tours attraction and Star Wars Weekends held at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the gen-eral public was surprised by the announcement.

This purchase gives Disney the sole rights to Lucas’ most popular franchises, including Star Wars and Indiana Jones, as well as all of Lucasfilm’s affiliates. Possibly the greatest acquirement in this deal is the absorption of Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), the special effects company originally created by George Lucas to produce effects for the Star Wars tril-ogy. ILM is, arguably, the greatest special ef-fects company in the industry, having produced effects for movies such as Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds, Iron Man, and Avatar. Their breakthroughs in computer graphics (CG) and modeling revolutionized the way movies are made. Other affiliates include Skywalker Sound, LucasArts, Lucas Licensing, Lucasfilm Animation, and Lucas Online.

When interviewed about selling his “life’s work” to Disney, George Lucas expressed confidence in his decision, adding that he has always been a fan of Disney’s movies and theme

parks. With retirement coming in the not-so-distant future, Lucas felt it was important to pass the Star Wars baton into capable hands. “I’ve always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I’m confident that with Lucasfilm... having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come.”

Bob Iger, CEO of The Disney Company, informed Disney and Lucas fans of the “mar-riage” of their companies and the plans to release Star Wars Episode 7 in 2015, followed by episodes 8 and 9 in further years. Although Lucas and Iger feel confident in their business transaction, the announcement of continuing the Star Wars trilogies sent fans into pande-monium. The possibility of more Star Wars attractions, and possibly a “Star Wars Land”, in the parks was met with more enthusiasm.

Whether or not fans “have a bad feeling about this”, Disney has the ability to take Star Wars “to infinity and beyond”. It will take some getting used to seeing Sleeping Beauty’s Castle instead of hearing the 20th Century Fox fanfare before each film. Hopefully the acquirement of so many well-known entertainment entities, each with its own prestigious record, will en-able Disney to produce Episodes 7, 8 and 9 to the standards of the original trilogy. Otherwise several Star Wars die-hards’ childhoods, like the planet Alderaan, will explode into flames.

Restaurant Review: A Meal to Freak For

by Nicholas Koprowicz, staff

There’s no other way to spin it - the burgers at Freakin’ Unbelievable Burgers on Corunna Road are freakin’ unbelievable. While that may not be the most inventive way to describe the offerings of the eatery, it is certainly apt.

Aesthetically, F.U.B’s is an interesting mashup between the traditional fast food res-taurant and the future. You are greeted with pleasant mood lighting and a modern, metal-lic facade upon entrance. Orders are taken at a stand-up window, you are given a numbered tag, and your food is delivered to you where you choose to sit.

All this seems well within reason, though, so where does the disbelief begin? Quite sim-ply, the menu. F.U.B’s has a selection of salads, sandwiches, sides, and desserts on their menu. Oh, and burgers, too.

The burger experience starts with a choice of 11 constructed burgers. These burgers range from the more tame “Freakin’ Burger” which comes with the regular burger fixings and a special sauce to the more exotic “Fusion Burger” which is served with wasabi mayo and fried wantons. In addition to the 11 burgers on the permanent menu, F.U.B’s also serves a limited time specialty burger. At the moment, the “Greek Burger” is being served up complete with feta cheese, tzatziki sauce, and onions.

Each of the named burgers on the menu sounded equally delicious, but if this is simply too limiting for the palette, diners also can also constructed their own creation. Starting at $4.29, with an extra $0.75 for cheese, the menu features a selection of 14 sauces, 10 basic toppings, 7 cheeses, and 10 premium toppings. If that still isn’t enough, or if you aren’t in the mood for a burger, you can substitute your patties for your choice of chicken breast, ground turkey patty, or fried portabella mushroom at no charge.

During dinner at F.U.B.’s, this writer re-viewed samples a Drunker Mushroom chicken sandwich served naked (wrapped in lettuce in lieu of between a bun), a spicy Southwest Burger, and two different Build-Your-Own’s, one with eel sauce, bacon, and chipotle mayo. All of them were served promptly, and tasted excellent. With all the possibilities available, this writer is already anticipating continued visits to experiment with different topping combinations.

BurgerBusiness.com recognized Freakin’ Unbelievable Burgers on their list of “Top New Burger Joints” this year, and with good reason. Between the brioche buns of their burgers is a taste made to fit any order. In the land of cookie-cutter fast food eateries, it is a truly welcome and freakin’ unbelievable pleasure.

Photo courtesy of http://freakinburgers.com/

The Best Pizza in Townby Jackson Coloske, staff

As a staple in any college student’s diet, pizza is definitely at the top of the list. But where is the best pizza in town? Really, it is up to each person and his personal tastes, but as a consensus, a list of all the pizza places around the Flint area has been put together for the convenience of those in need of a slice.

The ratings were generated based on a set of points students said were important in a pizza, including greasiness, flavored crusts, cheese to sauce ratio, price, and the quality of toppings. The ratings also take into account delivery timeliness. The overall rating was then determined by taking the ratio of quality to price, with the highest ratios taking top spot in the rankings.

The final results: Jet’s Little Ceasar’s Pizza Hut Domino’s Buddy’s Cottage Inn

The determination of the winner was dif-ficult, and included many yelling matches about which pizza was “cheese and ketchup on cardboard” or “had nothing to contribute to society”. That being said, this is the personal opinion that takes into account many different variables, judged differently over a group of students. The last thing to remember is that these are personal tastes, not an unbiased, double-blind study, so pick your favorite and stick with it.

FIA Offers Kettering Students Free Painting

Classby Claire Jess, Guest Contributor

Kettering has arranged a great new program with the Flint Institute of Arts which allows students to go out and paint the town red, or any color they want, for that matter. Mondays at 6:00 pm there is an incredibly entertaining class that teaches the basics of art. The first week was water color painting, second was acrylic and the third was marker mania, an activity where students drew pictures of dogs 20 times and then doodled all over the three best ones they created. Liz Lomheim, a student attending the class, said, “Those dogs look like they are straight out of the 70’s”, because of all the crazy colors that another student was using. All of the projects are done that night, so there is no homework. The best part is that is that everyone gets a cool looking piece of art that can take back and display in his or her dorm room.

Photo courtesy of michigan.org

Everyone who goes just has a blast. It is a great way to kick back and relax for a couple of hours. Students do not have to know how to draw or paint; they just have to show up, ready to learn and have fun. The class is free and all materials are provided.

To come and join the fun, come on up to the second floor of FIA on Mondays at 6:00 pm. Contact the Student Life Office with any questions.

December 5, 2012

EntertainmentKettering University - The Technician Page 7

Movie Review - Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part II

Memes

Cryptoquote!by Rebeccah MacKinnon, Copy Editor

by Nicholas Koprowicz, Staff

Riddle 1: A mathematician and chemist are talking together at a high school reunion. They are talking for sometime and the chemist even-tually says, “I want you to tell me the ages of my three sons. I will give you three clues. First, all my of sons’ ages are integers. Second, the product of all their ages is equal to 36. Third, the sum of all their ages is equal to the number of windows in our high school.”

The mathematician thinks for some time and then states, “This problem is unable to be solved.” The chemist then says, “My oldest son has red hair.” The mathematician then told the chemist his sons’ individual ages. What are the sons’ ages?

Answer: If you believe you have the right answer and you would like to check it. Then feel free to look at 50th prime number. The answer to this question can be discerned.

Riddle 2: You are blindfolded. There is a deck of 52 normal playing cards with a face up side and a face down side. There are 21 face up cards randomly distributed throughout the deck. Multiple shuffles occur without you seeing it. The deck is given to you with 21 face up cards randomly distributed throughout the deck. Take this deck and split it into two sepa-rate piles with equal amounts of face up cards. How is this done?

The Answer: Reparte una baraja de cartas en dos partes, una de veinte y uno cartas y la ortra con treinta y uno cartas. Voltea todas las veinte y uno cartas. Las dos pilas de cartas ahora tienen la misma cantidad de cartas boca arriba

Riddles

I am not a Twilight fan. Nevertheless, I went into Breaking Dawn - Part 2 with optimism and kept an open mind. That being said, this movie was horrible. The writing was bad and the special effects looked stupid. Undermin-ing this further was the logic behind the story, which was needlessly complex without really explaining anything. Like much of Tim Burton’s recent work, the conclusion to the Twilight Saga feels empty, composed of all style and little compelling substance.

The performances in the film serve their purpose and keep the story moving. Kristen Stewart keeps Bella lifeless and uninteresting as ever, only utilizing two facial expressions. She seems disinterested, even during highly emotional moments, such as screaming at Jacob (Taylor Lautner) for falling in love with her newborn daughter. Yes, that kind of love. Lautner lays on the aggression too thick as Ja-cob, to a detrimental effect. He becomes hard to take seriously, as he’s a cartoonish depiction of the stereotypical “alpha male”. His behavior is used to create drama and becomes too predict-able. Robert Pattinson’s performance in the film may have been one of the few that I actually liked. Edward Cullen feels somewhat believable and relatable compared to the rest of the cast, who never really display any signs of deeper characterization beyond their one-dimensional personalities. All is not perfect, however, as this only really lasts until he opens his mouth to speak, at which point the groan-worthy writing produces something stupid and any hope of the movie being entertaining fades away.

Further compounding on the issues of the cast, the plot of the film was anticlimactic and ultimately unsatisfying. I’m awestruck that this is considered the end of a series. Twilight fans should seriously demand their money back from the filmmakers, because this is an abso-lutely insulting way to end a popular series. To be fair, the plot does a great job of building a looming conflict, even if that conflict is vague. The Volturi, a group of elite vampires that

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want to destroy Edward and Bella’s child, are presented as a truly intimidating threat. It feels like a final, perfect storm of satisfying conclu-sion is on the horizon. Disappointingly, how-ever, that storm never really hits. The majority of the film is just rising action, with the clan recruiting various vampires and Bella doing stupid things like breaking rocks or projecting bubbles in preparation for a massive fight. It gets old, making it even more appalling that the film then has the gall to rob the audience of the promised resolution.

My biggest issue, by far, with the movie is that it has the nerve to finally include meaning-ful drama and conflict, only to take the cheap way out and take all of it back in favor of a pitch-perfect happy ending. That final fight scene the entire film builds to? That’s all revealed to be a vision. None of it actually happens. All of the emotion and drama created by boldly killing off popular characters is instantly eviscerated,

and any hope of the film having an interesting, somewhat thought-provoking plot is lost. The film lazily attempts to “have its cake and eat it too” and fails miserably.

As I mentioned earlier, the special effects are dumb. Everything from the vampires’ running to the various superpowers they have looks fake, which brings me to another of my issues: WHY DO MOST OF THE VAMPIRES HAVE SUPERPOWERS NOW!? The Cullens’ allies can do everything from read minds to controlling the elements, and no explanation is given for this whatsoever. Further, most of these abilities are simply ignored until they are necessary for a plot device. One of the vampires that allied themselves with the Cullen family can control the elements. This seems like an incredibly useful vampire superpower (that still sounds dumb), right? Guess what he what he does for most of that final climactic battle. If you guessed absolutely nothing, you’d be correct. This character, one who would be incredibly useful within the logic of the film, is completely ignored until he’s needed to create a giant crack in the ground that kills most of the cast. Why? I have no idea. The film loves to introduce ele-ments like these with no explanation or proper attention, which becomes frustrating. There are also moments of the film that just feel awkward. From the way-too-detailed descriptions of days-on-end vampire sex to the borderline-pedophile relationship that Jacob has with Bella’s daugh-ter (justify it however you want Twilight fans. You know what it really is), these scenes are supposed to feel intimate, I’m sure, but instead feel off-putting and highlight further character-ization flaws.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 is a complete waste of time. The characters are unlikeable, the movie’s logic and plot are stu-pid and the film makes choices that are simply insulting to the audience. Instead of seeing this film, you could see another film (, treat yourself to a nice dinner, or build a boat. Literally any other activity would be a more rewarding use of your time and your money.

by Nickolas Jennings. staff

by Ryan Dontje, Layout Editor

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