Technician• •

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What’sInside

February 10, 2012 Volume 108 Issue 2

AutomotiveThe Chevy Volt

goes on trial8

EntertainmentMovies, Memes &

Commentary10

EditorialA student perspective

on the future6

Faculty SenateThe syllabus changes

explained2

By Matthew WhiteAssistant Editor

Unsuspecting students began to notice something rather different today as they began perusing the World Wide Web this afternoon. Instead of the old Kettering web site that they had long seen on their screens, a splash of bright color welcomed them to a new era in the University’s online presence.

The new site began as a dream in late March. Working in teams, the Kettering community began rethinking the site in a methodical and deliberate strategy that culminated in a creative brief from Vermilion, the company hired for the overhaul. By August, Vermilion returned with their vision for Kettering’s web site. In fact, there were four such plans—“Perspective,” “Vision,” “Progress,” and “In-novation.”

Continued on the next page

Kettering Gets New Web Site

Strategic Vision Statements

By Matthew WhiteAssistant Editor

On January 25 and 27, the entire campus commu-nity was invited to take part in a critique of the Stra-tegic Visioning Working Teams’ vision statements. The process began in October, with Dr. McMahan tasking the groups to create vision statements in five core areas: programs, delivery, setting, vitality, and scholarship. With these five separate-but-linked statements, the President would create one master vision statement that would lead the University through its 2019 centennial and beyond.

The meeting was focused on getting feedback about draft statements that the working teams had put together thus far. Each of the groups has one or more statements that were read, analyzed, and cri-tiqued. The majority of the discussion came from faculty on hand, with interjections from staff. Stu-dents, although invited, were few in attendance and mostly silent.

After receiving their feedback, the teams will re-fine their statements further and pass them on for their later amalgamation. This master vision will sent back to the community for input before it is fi-nally adopted.

For more information on the strategic visioning process and the vision statements explored at this meeting, visit http://www.kettering.edu/about/strategic-vision .

A Chilly Reception

From the Kettering University Facilities Focus

The campus community is invited for a behind-the-scenes- tour of Kettering’s new chiller plant, which is located in the Academic Building. Tours will be given at 10am and 1pm from Feb. 15 through Feb. 24. Wear flat-soled shoes. Safety glasses and ear protection will be provided. Contact Joyce Hum-phrey, at ext. 9750, to reserve your date and time.

During the tour, a member of the Facilities Man-agement staff will be your personal tour guides through this new plant. The chillers supply air con-ditioning to the Academic Building and Campus Center. These buildings typically operate 24 hours a day/7 days a week to provide a professional learning and working environment.

The two new energy efficient chillers each have a 600-ton capacity. They were manufactured by York and are powered by electricity. They are equipped with electronic controls and variable speed motors and drives. It is anticipated that the payback on these units, based on their energy savings, will be approximately six years. A rebate from Consumers Energy ($82,000) was received by Kettering. This rebate was promptly used to fund additional energy-saving projects throughout the campus.

The chiller equipment that was removed was 33 years old and each of the two chillers had a 600-ton capacity. They were made by Trane and were powered by steam from the boiler plant in the Mott Center. These units were not energy efficient and could not be operated at a low-load level. The typi-cal useful life of these units is 25 years but with good maintenance and repair, Facilities staff members were able to keep them operational past their useful life.

Ifc Gets Excited

By John OliverStaff Writer

The Inter-Fraternity Council (ifc) has been work-ing hard to keep Greek unity and make the Ketter-ing community better for all students. The ifc held elections last summer and the newly-elected e-board and chairs hope to accomplish many things this term, and set up a lot for next term. The ifc has recently relocated the Greek Cup trophy, and the chase for it is now underway. The ifc is planning many events that will encourage Greek unity and build friendship between houses.

One of the ifc’s new projects currently underway is an updated set of rules for coordination with the Greek Life Coordinator. The ifc is also working hard to put together a new set of rules so that when a new Greek Life Coordinator is found, they will be able to work together as fluidly as possible. They also must plan for recruitment this next term. The rules to ensure a fair and safe recruitment that will be en-joyable for both the members of Greek life and the new freshmen.

The TechnicianPage 2

NewsThe Low Down on Faculty Senate

By Rebeccah MacKinnonOnline Editor

This term, students began to notice a trend as they attended the first time slot for each of their classes. Every professor read the syllabus to the class, and each time they reached a point in the syllabus labeled “Students with Disabilities,” the professors mentioned something similar to the phrase “I was told that I have to put this in here now by the Fac-ulty Senate.”

This raised a few questions from the students. Why do professors have to include this now? Isn’t it a little redundant to have every professor say the same thing?

More prevalent, though, was the question of what exactly Faculty Senate was. Many students have heard of it, but do not know who belongs to it, what it does, and what they had to do with the recent change in syllabus policy.

Dr. Jim Huggins, Associate Professor of Com-puter Science and Moderator of the Faculty Sen-ate, answered many of these questions. “The Faculty Senate is the governance structure for all faculty at Kettering,” he said. He went on to explain that cer-tain faculty matters, such as curriculum changes, the promotion and tenure process, academic policies, and anything of interest to the general faculty, were dealt with by the Faculty Senate.

The Senate is made up of Senators from each de-partment, which is entitled to a certain number of representatives based on the number of faculty members in that department. In addition, a Mod-erator, Moderator-elect, and Secretary are chosen in a campus-wide faculty election. The Moderator-elect and Secretary are chosen every year, with the previous Moderator-elect becoming the Moderator for that year. Currently, Professor Huggins is the Moderator and Dr. Ada Cheng (Applied Math) is the Moderator-elect, though the position of Secre-tary is vacant.

When asked about the syllabus policy change, Dr. Huggins explained how it took place. “The recent syllabus policy began with a proposal from Provost Simpson,” he said. “[The Provost] wrote the initial draft of the proposal, which was then reviewed and modified by the academic department heads. After their approval, the proposal was sent to the Faculty Senate, which modified it further and approved it last fall.” Provost Simpson was unable to be reached for comment due to time constraints.

Faculty Senate meetings, held Wednesdays during lunch hour in the Faculty Senate Conference Room, are open to visitors.

Kettering Gets New Web Site

In late August, a second draft of the site was re-leased, this time showcasing only “Perspective.” It was this design that would become the digital face of the University.

The old web site, according to documents relating to the redesign, had scored a “B” grade with regards to its look, and a “D” with regards to its content. The new site is not merely a visual refresh, it is a change in the way Kettering thinks about the Internet. No more is the cluttered confusion of the Current Stu-dents page, refreshed now by very focused, pertinent groups of content.

As the site is gradually being rolled out, certain errors are being found and corrected. Early student feedback mentioned that every link was being di-rected to "Faculty and Staff," rather than the proper page. When going to press, The Technician was able to confirm a large number of "File Not Found" er-rors when searching for pages. Some bugs are always expected during the roll-out phase of new software, and the speed at which the University is addressing them makes the upgrade seem all the better poised to more effectively and quickly update the commu-nity.

Since the web site has gone live, The Technician has been soliciting student feedback. If you have something to say, or questions you would like to ask, send them to us at atechnician@kettering.edu. Look in the next edition for your responses and a more in-depth look at the web site.

February 10, 2012

TechnicianThe

Robert HayesE d i to r-i n- c h i ef

Kaitlin SoloveyL ayout Editor

Tyler Van EckCopy Editor

Rebeccah MacKinnonOnline Editor

Alan XiaDistribution Editor

Staff writersDevin AryanAdlai MilbitzJohn Oliver

Marian SwaglerErin Boyse

PhotographersMatthew HollandJoseph Stevenson

ColumnistDominic Jandrain

AdvisorsBetsy Homsher

Christine LevecqMatthew WhiteAssistant Editor

CorrectionThe second edition of The μTechnician in-

correctly referenced the "Stop Online Piracy Act" as the "Stop Online Privacy Act." This ty-pographical mistake may have lead to assumed editorializing, which The Technician does not support in any of its news stories.

Ksg PhilanthropyBy Ariel ChildressPhilanthropy Chair

For those who do not know, Kettering has two neighborhood associations that surround it: Car-riage Town and Mott Park. Mott Park backs up to the ab and Carriage Town begins around Atwood Stadium. On January 26, the Carriage Town His-toric Neighborhood Association held their annual meeting. Those who attended the meeting were brought up to speed on local goings-on.

On April 14, trees will be planted in the toxic grounds between Kettering and the cemetery in an attempt to draw out some of the pollution in the ground. Naturally, the people planting the trees will be wearing haz-mat suits. On May 19, there will be 15- and 30-minute cycling tours of Flint; part of the route passes by Kettering. In other environmental news, Riverbank Park is starting to undergo resto-ration, since there are few others like it and some flood control measures need to be taken.

Students have fun building boats for Innovation Quest. If you're bored or feeling innovative, on Thursdays during lunch hour, come to the Great Court and participate!

Photo courtesy of Kettering Communications.

The Technician Page 3February 10, 2012

Sign up for the fIa's College TownFrom the Flint Institute of Arts

Visit the Flint Institute of Arts (fia) on any given day and it’s likely you will see college students en-joying a coffee in the Café with friends, working on their laptops or spending time in the exhibi-tion and video galleries. Students at University of Michigan—Flint, Kettering University, Mott Com-munity College, Baker College and Davenport Uni-versity receive a “free virtual” museum membership as a benefit of attending school in Genesee County.

It's time to sign-up or re-enroll your College Town membership. To become a member, visit www.flint-arts.org, click the College Town icon and follow the prompts. The user name is kettering and password is bulldogs11.

Benefits to a College Town membership include:

• Free admission everyday to exhibitions and lec-tures,

• Discounts to weekend art house films and free admission to the late Thursday night College Town Film Series,

• Discounts in the Café and Museum Shop,• Free Wi-Fi throughout the Flint Institute of

Arts and• Invitations to special College Town and mem-

bers events. You may also sign up at the Visitors Services desk

at the fia or by phone “Membership” (810-234-1695). Hours are Monday through Wednesday and Friday, 12pm–5pm, Thursday 12pm–9pm, Saturday 10am–5pm and Sunday 1pm–5pm.

Because of this innovative membership program, the Flint Institute of Arts has become a preferred destination for many of the 30,000 students attend-ing a college or university in the downtown Flint area. The recently redesigned and expanded fia is Michigan’s second largest art museum and home to a collection of over 8000 art works. The museum is located on the 30-acre Cultural Center campus a short drive down University Avenue from Kettering and just a few blocks from University of Michigan-Flint, and Mott Community College.

As part of their efforts to design programming that engages a growing student audience the Flint Institute of Arts invited student representatives from each of the colleges to serve on a Student Advisory Council. The student advisors meet throughout the year with museum staff to make recommendations on student friendly programming and to plan inter-collegiate social events at the fia. A special College Night Film Series and the extension of gallery hours into the evening were Council suggestions imple-mented by the Flint Institute of Arts last September.

Since its inception, over 5,000 students from Flint area colleges and universities have become fia/Col-lege Town members. The fia enables students to host their own events such as the annual “Create Your Own Masterpiece” intercollegiate Lego Event that will be held on Saturday, Feb. 18, with teams from each of the area colleges vying for the trophy. Students attend special “College Night” opening re-ceptions for exhibitions like: M. c. Escher; Comics,

Heroes and American Visual Culture and Rock and Roll Posters. The College Night Films series held every Thursday night during the academic year, fea-tures movies selected by the student advisers. These social events engage students in ways that are both relevant and fun while also providing experiences beyond the boundaries of their own campuses.

Legomania Returns

From the Flint Institute of Arts

The Flint Institute of Arts will host the second annual “Create Your Own Masterpiece” intercol-legiate Lego challenge on Saturday, February 18, from 1—4pm. Student teams from area colleges and universities will compete for this year’s trophy and People’s Choice Award.

The event is organized by the fia’s College Town Student Advisory Council and is the only “team competition” held locally involving students attend-ing Kettering University, Baker College, um–Flint, Mott Community College, and Davenport Univer-sity. Each five-member team will create sculptures on site during the three hour-long event. The com-pleted Lego masterpieces will remain on public view in the fia Lobby through February 26.

This year a junior competition has been added for students in grades K-12.

Awards will be given in (4) grade categories for “pre-constructed” Lego sculptures of original de-signs using the entrant’s own Lego or Lego-type brick. Works may be submitted between 1pm and 3pm in the fia Art School and will be followed by an award ceremony at 4pm. For rules and addition-al information call Jeff Garrett or Amy Black at the Museum Art School (810) 237-7694.

The TechnicianPage 4

EditorialA Blurry Strategic Vision

When one talks about a school, be it Kettering or any other, the primary concern should be with aca-demics. A school without them is not worth attend-ing, and a school with an excellent reputation ought to keep it. Imagine this paper’s surprise when not a single statement from the Strategic Visioning Work-ing Teams explicitly mentioned academics. It gives us pause to think that the proposed vision state-ments consider our business model over academics as tantamount to the University’s survival.

There are references to learning in the statements, but they are usually secondary or tertiary to some-thing bigger. Unfortunately, the use of buzzwords makes every statement so murky that they become ineffective at pinpointing the actual vision. Every-thing is ‘global’ and encourages ‘leadership’ in all we do, but what does it mean to us as students? Being worldly is one thing, but what exactly does ‘global citizenship’ mean? The phrase is so open-ended that it becomes impossible to define. Brevity and con-creteness are considered essential for a good vision statement, but an unfortunate consequence of striv-ing for these two qualities is the loss of specificity. As for leadership, some forget that in order to be a lead-er, there must be followers. Though everyone has the potential to become leaders, not all of them may

want to accept such a role. Empowering students is laudable, but expecting them to be something they are not is impossible, especially if they study non-engineering disciplines where entrepreneurship isn’t as applicable.

Speaking of students, this paper noted the absence of all but a handful of students at these meetings. Quite a few students were initially lined up for the meetings, but once it became clear that the light refreshments mentioned would not be provided, attendance dropped off dramatically. Often, classes run up to 12:20 and resume at 1:20, making attend-ing an hour-long meeting without food unrealistic for students. If the University truly cares about stu-dent input into the visioning process, they ought to make attending the meeting more feasible for stu-dents. In fact, getting students more involved ear-lier in the process might have avoided the problems we have so far seen in the vision statements and the meeting. The biggest problem facing the interaction of the majority of students and the process, however, is motivation.

Unlike most collegiate institutions, Kettering does not offer a shelter from the harsh realities of life. Students face commonplace issues such as pay-ing rent, setting up utilities, and the daily grind of a

nine-to-five job from as early as our freshman year, and we come away stronger and wiser from it. Ket-tering is no longer a gateway to a brighter future; it becomes the hurdle separating us from it. Ketter-ing freshman are thrown into an unfamiliar situa-tion on their first work term and realize that, with a little on the job training, they could perform the position competently. There are students on campus who have even been offered their jobs full-time if they drop out. The cost of tuition, now nearly thirty thousand dollars a year, makes such an offer hard to pass up. In the real world, there is no such thing as homework. Calculators are not forbidden, they are expected. Tests, if any, are open book, note, and al-low Internet access.

A combination of these factors make the Univer-sity’s offerings seem rather lackluster in compari-son, and there is less incentive to care about what our Kettering experience should be. The Strategic Visioning process marks a turning point in the core values of Kettering, and if we want to make our ex-perience here as worthwhile—if not more so—than our jobs, now is the time to make our voices heard.

We are a University, not a vocational school.

The Quest for InnovationBy Erin Boyse

You’ve seen the posters, the banners, and the abun-dance of people in the Great Court around noon on Thursday. Maybe you’ve heard about these events; perhaps you’ve been a spectator. But unless you’ve actually participated, planned your design, felt the pressure as the time ran low, and competed against your fellow staff and students, you have no idea how much you’re missing.

Innovation Quest was introduced in Fall 2011 as a way to get students to think outside the box. Faculty and staff are also invited to join, which adds to the fun. How many times have you wanted to prove to your professor that you really know what you’re do-ing? Well, now you have the opportunity to do so. It’s also a great way to get to know some of the staff, as they can give valuable insight into the challenge you are attempting.

I was working on campus during the Fall term and, as I was in the Student Life Office, noticed the signs advertising the upcoming competition. It seemed like it would be great fun and a chance to win $100, but I couldn’t find anyone to participate with. Alas, I missed out on the first few competitions before I finally saw my chance. I partnered with a staff mem-ber for the Airplane Challenge, in which partici-pants are given a helium balloon and some assorted items to launch a paper airplane the farthest.We tried our best and used an amazing airplane design (I mean, most of the fun is making paper airplanes to throw at other participants), but when the time came to compete, it failed us. Our second attempt was at launching a ping pong ball into a net using a

mousetrap and other household items. Our design was solid, our practice trials were perfect, but once again, we were killed by the pressure of the competi-tion.

Our last chance was the final challenge of the term: build a solar-powered car using a kit (Ketter-ing may be full of engineers, but it would be difficult to construct a solar panel in half an hour), and race it on a lighted track. Many of the cars were thrown sloppily together; a few wouldn’t even run. One of the main problems was trying to make sure your car would roll straight so it wouldn’t run into the wall. The winner was determined by single-elimination rounds, and it was nerve-wracking watching other teams urging their cars to the finish line. Finally it was down to the last two cars, and ours was one of them. I was terrified that the motor had come loose or the solar panel would suddenly stop working. I readied our vehicle at the start line, praying that nothing would go wrong as the $100 was riding on it. We were so close to the prize that had evaded us so many times before! On your mark…we could win this…get set…come on little car…GO!And they were off, rolling down the track, even with each oth-er, ours was pulling ahead, crossing the finish line…we won! All that hard work, time, and effort paid off, and we finally won! I was ecstatic as I was given the prize money and realized that, somewhere in the fun and competition, I’d learned something. I had discovered that a little innovation will go a long way. Though as a college student, the hundred dollars won’t go nearly as far.

February 10, 2012

OpinionSubmissions Policy

The Technician encourages any interested stu-dents to attend staff meetings, held each Monday and Friday over the lunch hour in The Technician office, located on the 3rd floor of the Campus Cen-ter by Campus Life. Student submissions are en-couraged and will be published if their material is in the public interest.

Submissions or letters to the editor from faculty and administrative entities will be published if space is available. The Technician reserves the right to edit any and all submissions for brevity.

Anonymous submissions are rarely published and will be considered on a case-by-case basis. In-dividuals wishing to publish anonymously should consult the Editor-in-chief.

The deadline for the upcoming issue of The Technician is 8th Monday at midnight. Expected distribution is 9th Tuesday. Send submissions to atechnician@kettering.edu.

An edition of The μTechnician is published every week on Tuesday. Submissions for content are due by each Monday at midnight, and event notices are due by Tuesday afternoon. Again, submissions may be sent to atechnician@kettering.edu.

The Technician Magazine is published at the end of every term and is distributed at Late Night Breakfast. The deadline for content is 10th Mon-day at midnight (March 12). Photographs of term highlights, major news articles, and other relevant, yearbook-like content is appreciated.

The Technician Page 5

Honor SocietiesFebruary 10, 2012

With the caliber of students Kettering accepts, academic excellence is the norm. However, for those that stand above the rest, joining an honor society provides additional recognition of the efforts ex-pended throughout their collegiate careers. Just as The Technician did with Greek organizations in the summer, Kettering's honor societies are presented below with some key facts and information.

Gamma Sigma AlphaThe Delta

Zeta chapter of Gamma Sigma Alpha recog-nizes those fra-ternity men and sorority women who have con-sistently ex-celled in the

area of Academic Excellence. This prestigious hon-or society serves as a beacon for all Greeks to strive for academic success and encourages the pursuit of higher knowledge amongst all students at Kettering.

The national organization was founded on No-vember 9, 1989 at the University of Southern Cali-fornia. Its purpose was to promote interaction between Greek students and the academic commu-nity. The society aims to promote the advancement of education among Greeks, to instill a greater spirit of cooperation among Greek students and organiza-tions, and to encourage excellence in scholarship.

Applications for membership in Gamma Sigma Alpha will go out later in the term. All active Greeks who have reached junior status or higher and have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher are eligible for ad-mission. If you have any questions, please contact Nikki Findlay at find0865@kettering.edu.

Eta Kappa Nu (hKn)The Theta Ep-

silon Chapter of Eta Kappa Nu is Kettering Uni-versity's chapter of the National Electrical/Com-puter Engineer-ing Honor Soci-ety, Eta Kappa Nu (hkn). hkn has recently merged with ieee, the professional orga-nization of Elec-trical and Elec-

tronics Engineers. Membership of ieee-hkn is very beneficial as these organizations are well known in their industries, membership within them are sure to push one ahead of other individuals. A limited stu-dent membership of ieee is included with the hkn

Upsilon Pi EpsilonUpsilon Pi Epsilon

(upe) is an organization about celebration of aca-demics in the computing and information disci-plines. We are currently a rather small organization with less than 10 mem-bers on campus during A-Section.

Below are the require-ments that upe provides:

To be eligible for elec-tion to membership, undergraduate students must rank in the upper 35% of the class and shall have attained a general scholarship rating, in all college work thus far completed, of not less than 3.0/4.0 grade-points provided (1.) that candidates in any particular academic level who satisfy the require-ments of Article viii, Section 2, (2.) that the can-didate shall have completed at least 45 (Forty Five) semester hours of college work including fifteen (15) semester hours or twenty-three (23) quarter hours in the basic courses in the Computing and Information Disciplines to be eligible under this Section. The Chapter shall have the right to set any limit above this minimum attainment as a basis for eligibility.

For more information contact Sean Nunley (nunl4428@kettering.edu).

Order of Omega

The Eta Eta Chapter of the Order of Omega rec-ognizes those fraternity men and sorority women who have attained a high standard of leadership in interfraternity activities and who inspire others to strive for similar attainment. Membership in Or-der of Omega is proof of a students commitment to academic excellence and dedication to leadership within the Greek Community.

Exemplary character is the primary consideration for membership in Order of Omega. Candidates must also meet the following minimum require-ments:

1. One full academic year of residence at the insti-tution where selected.

2. Junior or Senior standing.3. Rank academically above the all-Greek average.4. Be in good standing with the initiate's fraternal

organization.For more information contact Don Ebben

(ebbe8674@kettering.edu).

membership. This allows one to browse through a limited selection of the ieee library and also offers discounts on ieee articles and membership.

To be eligible to join ieee-hkn, an ece student must be in the top quarter of their class if they're a junior, or the top third of their class if they're a se-nior. ieee-hkn contacts eligible individuals on a termly basis.

The Theta Epsilon Chapter of ieee-hkn strives to involve itself with the Kettering community by in-viting guest speakers to speak on ece topics during lunch, by offering ece tutoring, and through hold-ing event's such as last term's Printer Bash where participants reenacted a famous Office Space scene. The chapter is looking forward another term full of potential, so keep an eye out for our events!

For more information contact Josh Oberhaus (ober4961@kettering.edu).

upe inductees

Photo courtesy of Kettering Communications

The TechnicianPage 6 February 10, 2012

In Pictures

Left, students play Euchre at the Alpha Phi Euchre tournament.

Photo courtesy of Kettering Communications

Right, Kettering students enjoy looking at cars during the 2012 North American International Auto Show.

Photo courtesy of Kettering Communications

Students participate during an Innovation Quest activity. Innovation Quest challenges are held every Thursday over the lunch hour.

Photo courtesy of Kettering Communications

The Technician Page 7February 10, 2012

HeartFest, held on February 3, was a huge hit. Everyone from Dr. McMahan (left) to The Technician staff (above) showed up to pose with Big Red and decorate cookies. Even with all that love flowing, some things did not turn out as happily as expected (below). The Technician thought it was impossible to turn down free food.

Photos courtesy of Kettering Communications

Kettering's hockey team is having a great season so far. Here they are on the ice, ready to play an opponent.

Photo courtesy of Kettering Communications

The TechnicianPage 8

AutomotiveChevrolet Volt Dragged Before Congress"We did not design the Volt to be a political punching bag."

By Robert HayesEditor-in-chief

Last month, the partisan rancor that has crippled our national political discourse ahead of one of the most bitterly contested elections in recent memory attempted to claim another victim: the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. Months before, in National Highway Transportation Safety Administration testing, a Chevrolet Volt suffered a battery fire after sitting for weeks following a side-impact crash test.

Under the pretense of investigating the fire, House subcommittee chairman Jim Jordan (r-Ohio) called the hearings under the alarmist title “Volt Vehicle Fires: What Did nhtsa Know and When Did They Know It?” While the hearings may have seemed no-ble, they quickly devolved into partisan rhetoric, at-tempting to link the lack of media coverage around the Volt’s battery fire to an Obama administration cover-up.

The Congressmen claim that nhtsa covered up a fire risk that could put Volt drivers or their garages at risk. While it is true a Volt vehicle did suffer a fire, the situations around the fire were anything but nor-mal. First and foremost, gm’s procedure regarding battery damage was not followed: the batteries were not drained after the crash. Second, the idea that a side-impact rollover crash test is representative of a real-world situation that a customer would not no-tice is preposterous. Serious damage to the vehicle occurred above and beyond any abuse a customer could put a Volt through without airbag deploy-ment.

Put simply, if this crash occurred in real life, the vehicle would have to be almost completely rebuilt

at a Chevrolet dealership, if not totaled altogether. The fire did not even occur immediately, but three weeks after the test, and has been linked to a rupture in the battery casing causing the battery’s coolant to leak onto a charged circuit board. In the real world, that battery would have been drained in accordance with gm’s Volt post-crash recommendations. If the Volt was repaired, the battery would have under-gone critical inspection of the battery pack, expos-ing this potential defect.

While structural reinforcements to the vehicle are being implemented to protect the battery packs on new-build Volts, along with the addition of a battery coolant level sensor, the facts simply do not back up the grilling the Volt has suffered at the hands of overeager Congressmen looking to score political points on the back of the Chevrolet Volt and electric vehicles in general.

While the hearings themselves were largely point-less, they did draw in General Motors ceo Dan Ack-erson to deliver a defense of the Volt to the largely unsympathetic Congressmen. As he pointed out:

“We engineered Volt to give drivers a choice: to use energy produced in the United States rather than oil from places that may not always put Amer-ica’s best interests first. And, we engineered Volt to show the world what great vehicles we make at Gen-eral Motors.”

“Unfortunately, there is one thing we did not en-gineer. Although we loaded the Volt with state-of-the-art safety features, we did not engineer the Volt

to be a political punching bag.”“And that, sadly, is what it’s become. For all of the

loose talk about fires, we are here today because tests by regulators resulted in battery fires under lab con-ditions that no driver would experience in the real world. In one test, the fire occurred seven days after a simulated crash. In another, it took three weeks after the test. Not three minutes. Not three hours. Not three days. Three weeks.”

Representative Mike Kelley (r-Pennsylvania) asked during the hearings, “Whose best interest were you acting in? It certainly wasn’t the American pub-lic.” The same question can be asked of Representa-tive Kelley and all the other Congressmen pointing fingers at the Volt as example of Obama administra-tion folly: is it truly better to turn one of the most technologically advanced vehicles in history into a political punching bag, or is it time to improve the safety and security of the American people by en-couraging investment in alternative fuel technology and moving forward as a nation, leaving our danger-ous addiction to oil as far behind us as memories of a rational, bipartisan legislature seem to Americans today?

February 10, 2012

In this photo of an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash test, the Chevrolet Volt encounters strong impacts that dam-age the batteries. Impacts like these concerned the nhtsa.

The Technician Page 9

Technologyces, Technically Speaking

By Devin AryanStaff Writer

Holy technology show, Batman; this is a lot of tech! At the Consumer Electronics Show (ces) 2012, electronic companies from all parts of the globe showcased their upcoming devices. With fans foaming at the mouth for the next big device, it’s needless to say that the show was not a disappoint-ment. From automobile technology to the newest televisions, you could find everything electronic at the show.

From the automotive sector, TeleNav’s new Scout service turned a

few heads. The new gps software is not only avail-able on the internet at Scout.me, but is also avail-able on your iPhone and will soon be featured in the Ford Sync AppLink. Scout isn’t an ordinary gps de-vice, though. It gives personalized commute times to work, home, or any “favorite” location with shortcuts for shortened travel time. Scout also offers a search engine in the event one feels like trying something new or is in a new locale. iTunes has been integrated into the Scout app for the iPhone, and can give vo-cal direc-tions when linked with a vehicle’s stereo sys-tem. With the ability to be used at home or on the go, TeleNav is c o n f i d ent that Scout will do well.

The other major automotive showing was Pioneer’s AppRadio 2, the next version of their revolutionary device that brought the smart phone experience to a car’s dashboard. The folks at Pioneer improved everything that had garnered consumer criticism in their original version when creating the AppRadio 2. The biggest addition is that the AppRadio 2 will support Android devices. Though they didn’t re-veal more about this, Pioneer did reveal some of the hardware specs. The AppRadio 2 will have a 7-inch glass touch screen, which is larger from its prede-cessor, and will retain its capacitive sensitivity and multi-touch functionality. It will also keep Blue-tooth hands-free connectivity, optional rearview camera input, and support for steering-wheel con-trols. Pioneer has also added a second preamp out-put, allowing more freedom in system building than with the first model. To put the icing on the cake, the AppRadio 2 will have an Advanced App Mode added to the navigation and dvd receivers, allowing

for the use of gps software, music, and video from a connected smart phone. The AppRadio 2 will hit the market in April for a total of $499.

Smartphones also made a big splash at the show as four new phones were put in the spotlight. First is the Nokia Lumia 900, which will be based on the Windows Phone platform and use AT&T’s 4g lte network. The rear-facing camera has an F2.2 aper-ture lens with a 28mm focal length, while a front-facing camera is included with an led flash. The Lumia will have 16 gb internal memory and a poly-carbonate case.

Next up is the HTC Titan II. Seemingly identical to the predecessor, the Titan II has one huge secret that will make picture lovers faint: a 16 megapixel camera. The other major addition is a larger battery.

Third is the Motorola Droid 4, which combines the “golden trifecta” of Android, a keyboard, and Verizon 4g lte service. Seeing as the Droid 3 lacked 4g lte , this is a major improvement. Though the phone currently runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread, an upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is said to be coming.

The final phone is Sony’s Xperia s (not to be confused with the Xperia Arc s). Being the classi-est looking smart phone at the show, the Xperia s is sleek, thin, and has a design that makes it fit perfectly in your hands and stand-up on its own. To make the Android phone even better, Sony has a 12 megapixel camera on the phone (which falls just short of the Titan II) and records in 1080p hd (which Titan II made no mention of ). The Xperia s also boasts hd (1280 × 720-pixel) resolution on the 4.3-inch screen (same as iPhone), 32 gb internal storage, and the inclusion of the PlayStation Certificate. The phone will initially run on Gingerbread like the Droid 4,

but Sony has promised the upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich by the second quarter. The phone will launch sometime first quarter. No details on price or carriers were revealed.

Though the show was full of other new electron-ics, the only other big surprise was the Asus Memo 370T tablet. With the Kindle Fire changing market prices for all tablets last year, the 370t looks to do the same in 2012. Selling for only $250, it is the first tablet to include quad-core Tegra 3. Considering the fact that the tablet will ship with Ice Cream Sand-wich, pricing on not only tablets but all handheld devices could be affected. With the quad-core, the 370t could possibly outperform the upcoming Sony handheld ps Vita, which will be selling for the same price. The effects of such a low price on the market cannot be estimated as of yet; which specific mar-kets get affected depends on how Asus plans to move forward with this new tablet. Having created a lot of noise after only being announced, the Memo 370t is the tablet to keep an eye on this year.

With tons of electronics showcased, ces 2012 was not a disappointment. 2012 looks to be a good tech year so far, providing plenty of new gadgets to love.

February 10, 2012February 10, 2012

Photo of the Nokia Lumia 900. Courtesy of techcrunch.com

Telenav route planning screenshot. Courtesy of blog.laptopmap.com.

HTC Titan 2. Courtesy of g forgames.com.

Tablet photo. Courtesy of techradar.com

The TechnicianPage 10 February 10, 2012

Mountainfilm on Tour in Flint

From the Flint Institute of Arts The fia presents titles from the Mountainfilm in Telluride tour, which aims to inspire dialogue on social, cultural and environmental issues through documentary cinema. Admission to each feature (at the door) is $5 for fia members, $6 for non-mem-bers and $4 for Friends of Modern Art members; patrons with valid student ID (high school or col-lege) will have FREE admission. Details: (810) 234-1695, flintarts.org

Feb. 17 (7:30 p.m.)I Am(U.S., 2011) Directed by Tom Shadyac, 76 min., not

ratedDirector Tom Shadyac (Patch Adams, Ace Ventura:Pet Detective, Evan Almighty) responds to personal adversity by talking to intellectual and spiritual leaders about what’s wrong with our world – and how to make it better. Ed Bradley, fia associ-ate curator of film, will lead a Q&A session after the screening, and director Tom Shadyac is tentatively scheduled to participate.

Feb. 18 (1 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.)Shakespeare High(U.S., 2012) Directed by Alex Rotaru, 81 min., not ratedStudents immersed in the Drama Teachers Associa-tion of Southern California’s high school drama pro-gram are compelled to overcome their differences and create better lives. Also included is commentary

by such notable program alumni as Kevin Spacey, Val Kilmer and Richard Dreyfuss. Two youths pro-filed in the film will appear in a Q&A session and perform live at the fia screenings.

Feb. 18 (9:15 p.m.), Feb. 19 (2 p.m.)Waste Land(Brazil, 2010) Directed by Lucy Walker, Joao

Jardim and Karen Harley, 99 min., not ratedThis Oscar-nominated film documents the efforts

by renowned Brazilian artist Vik Muniz to help people create art from recycled landfill material, and offers stirring evidence of the transformative power of art. Ed Bradley, FIA associate curator of film, will lead a Q&A session after Sunday’s show.

EntertainmentCollege Town Movie Series

From the Flint Institute of Arts

All screenings are in the fia Theater at the Flint Institute of Arts, 1120 E. Kearsley St.

Admission is free for students with college id or fia College Town membership card; others pay $5 fia members, $6 non-members and $4 Friends of Modern Art members. Details: (810) 234-1695, www.flintarts.org

February 16, 9pmThe Myth of the American Sleepover (nr)(us, 2011) Directed by David Robert Mitchell, 93 min.

Set (and filmed) in the Detroit area, this indie coming-of-age comedy concerns four young people searching for love, sex and friendship on the eve of their late-summer return to college.

February 23, 9pm50/50 (r)

(us, 2011) Directed by Jonathan Levine, 100 min.Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen co-star in

a comedy about a 27-year-old guy who learns about the real priorities of his life after he is diagnosed with cancer. Inspired by a true story.

Proposed Films for March and April

Footloose: A remake of the 1980s musical drama about a city kid whose dancing shakes up a small town. With Kenny Wormold, Juliette Hough, Den-nis Quaid and Andie MacDowell.

The Rum Diary: Johnny Depp plays a failing Amer-ican journalist who takes on a freelance job in Puer-to Rico for a local newspaper during the 1950s and struggles to find a balance between island culture and the expatriates who live there. Giovanni Ribisi and Aaron Eckhart also star in this adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s novel.

Metropolis: Fritz Lang’s hugely influential 1926 German silent sci-fi epic – newly restored with foot-age not seen in more than 70 years – concerns a mad scientist who builds a female robot to bring down a futuristic city sharply divided between the wealthy and the workers.

We Are the Night: In this German horror flick, a trio of female vampires attacks a group of criminals as the police close in and a love triangle ensues.

Margaret: A young woman (Anna Paquin of “The Piano” and TV’s “True Blood”) witnesses a bus ac-cident, and is caught up in the aftermath, where the question of whether or not it was intentional affects many people's lives. Matt Damon and Mark Ruffalo also star in a drama from the director of “You Can Count on Me.”

In the Company of Men: Aaron Eckhart played one of his most conspicuous early roles for then-fledgling director Neil LaBute as one of a pair of office workers who promote an affair with a handi-capped co-worker as a odd revenge against the fe-male gender.

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold: Morgan Spurlock, maker of such irreverent but entertaining documen-taries as “Super Size Me” and “Where in the World in Osama bin Laden?,” makes a comic film about branding, advertising and product placement that is financed and made possible by brands, advertising and product placement.

foma FilmsFrom the Flint Institute of Arts

All screenings are in the fia Theater at the Flint Institute of Arts, 1120 E. Kearsley St. Admission at the door is $5 fia members, $6 non-members and $4 foma members. Details: (810) 234-1695, flintarts.org

February 3–4 (7:30pm), February 5 (2pm)Into the Abyss (pg-13)(Germany/Canada, 2011) Directed by Werner Her-zog, 107 min.In his latest fascinating documentary, master film-maker Werner Herzog examines a thought-provok-ing triple homicide case in Texas to reflect upon why people kill – and why a state kills as a matter of law.

February 10–11 (7:30pm), February 12 (2pm)The Black Power Mixtape (nr)(Sweden, 2011) Directed by Goran Olsson, 100 min.The black power movement in America is revisited through an irresistible mix of music, narration and recently restored documentary footage originally shot by Swedish journalists between 1967 and 1975.

February 24–25 (7:30pm), February 26 (2pm)Martha Marcy May Marlene (r)(U.S., 2011) Directed by Sean Durkin, 102 min.Newcomer Elizabeth Olsen turns in a much lauded performance as a woman struggling to reunite with her family after fleeing an abusive cult. Sarah Paul-son and John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone) also appear.

The Technician Page 11February 10, 2012February 10, 2012

Canadian IndependenceBy John OliverStaff Writer

There are many heroes in the history of the world. There are many brave acts that at the time seemed reckless and unwise to all but the involved parties. They stood up when others thought them foolish. They stood up not because it was easy, but because it was right. Several names come to mind when one mentions the term ‘hero.’ Unfortunately, very few people outside of Canada remember Allen Timothy Forthwith the Third and the Canadian Crusade for Independence. I, as well as the many other Canadi-an-American students at Kettering, would like to celebrate the holiday and the day we won our inde-pendence by telling the story of our struggle.

Allen Timothy Forthwith the Third was a normal Canadian. He was a lumberjack who drank his beer with a glass of maple syrup before going to sleep in his log cabin with his pet moose. After the folks over in America got their independence, the British were really depressed over losing the us After finding out, King George said, “They [the us] were so super-cool. I wish I could have hung out with those dudes some more.”

To which the queen replied, “Totes ma goats. We should totally tax the Canadians twice as much and give them negative representation in parliament.”

King George replied, “Yeah man. That will show them.” It became law. Canada was now forced to pay an unheard-of 0.7% tax annually on the top ten per-cent of earners, and the Canadian colonies were giv-en a representative in parliament that had negative one vote. This was an insult to the Canadian people, but they took it in stride. They went so far as to not

write a thank-you note once they received the Brit-ish Christmas card, although most Canadians were left confused and apologized for what they assumed must have been their fault.

This continued until 1867 when Allen Timothy was cutting down a large spruce and was seized by a terrible thirst. He did as he had since he became a lumberjack at seven, when he grew his first beard. He went to the Maple Leaf Café and ordered a large glass of maple syrup. Before hearing the total, he threw twenty cents down on the counter, but the ca-shier stopped him and explained, “I’m sorry, a glass of maple syrup is now twenty-one cents. There is a new tax on syrup.”

Upon hearing this, Allen went into “Canadian Hulk” mode, which is when a Canadian will no longer apologize for others’ mistakes, but instead

utter names such as a stupid Sally and cruddy Car-rel. Yes, this is very strong language for a Canadian and it drove many into hiding, but it called even more to action. The Canadian people rallied at the capitol, the big rock outside of cousin John’s house, and wrote up the Declaration of Canadian Indepen-dence.

The Declaration of Canadian Independence was a very pleasant letter that politely asked for indepen-dence. The document ended with the famous words, “So if it’s not too much trouble and you have time to get around to it, we would really appreciate you granting us our independence and whatnot.” The letter was signed and sent to England, where it was reviewed and accepted.

This Thursday marks the anniversary of the fate-ful day that the Canadian Independence crusaders received the letter from England that said, “ok.” To celebrate, the Canadians drank the sap directly out of maple trees. This tradition had been carried on every year since the first Canadian Independence day. The Canadian-American Society of Kettering invites you to a special ceremony in the Great Court where all seven of the club’s members will explain what Canada’s independence means to them while drinking unprocessed tree sap. Be there at six to re-serve your seat.

Global Issues Film Festival OverviewBy Dominic Jandrain

This January, the 10th Annual Global Issues Film Festival was held in Kettering’s McKinnon Theater. The event brought several thought provoking films to Kettering, with several followed by a community discussion.

The first film of the event, The World According to Monsanto, brought up several issues with Monsanto, a company well known in the farming industry for their genetically modified farming solutions. While the film may not have had the best arguments for Monsanto’s case, it did do a very fine job of explain-ing the importance of knowing what is going into our bodies, regardless of how it is created.

The next day of the film festival, The Power of the Power-less was featured. This was followed by a discussion led by Dr. Eugene Hynes, Professor of Social Science. The film depicted Czechoslo-vakia’s struggle with communist rule and the various movements against it.

The third film, Fuel, did a fantastic job of inform-ing the audience of the importance of biofuels and, more importantly, the need to wean society off of

oil. Director Josh Tickell found a way to expertly ex-plain what biofuels are, where they come from, and why society should use them in place of oil. In ad-dition to being the informative documentary it is, the film was also quite entertaining. The discussion following the film was led by Dr. Jonathan Wenzel, Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at Ket-tering. The audience was very involved in the discus-sion, alternative energy being a very popular topic among Kettering students and professors.

The final day of the film featured two films, The Sun Behind the Clouds and Addicted to Plastic. The first film shown, The Sun Behind the Clouds, por-trayed Tibet’s struggle with the Chinese govern-ment’s policies on Bud-dhism. The film did an excellent job of explaining the situation, as compli-cated as the subject is. Al-though being governed by China has definitely been a major benefit to Tibet in every other aspect, the very religious Tibetans still resent China for sup-pressing Buddhism. The discussion after the film was led by Dr. Badrinath Rao, Associate Professor of Sociology and Asian Studies at Kettering. Dr. Rao is quite knowledgeable on the subject, and having

several students in the audience who were also aware of the situation led to a very informative discussion demonstrating several views of the issue.

The final film shown, Addicted to Plastic, was an-

other informative, engaging documentary about the average American’s relationship with plastic. The film, albeit a bit cheesy at times, did a fantastic job of exhibiting why plastics can be bad for society and the environment. The film showcased several alter-natives to plastic, many innovative recycling meth-ods, and a multitude of various other solutions to help ease Americans off of plastics.

A free and independent Canada is a beautiful thing, eh?

Photo courtesy of flickr user abdallahh

The TechnicianPage 12 February 10, 2012

Dawn of a New Sunrise/Sunset

By Tyler Van EckCopy Editor

Those who previously found themselves dissatis-fied with their culinary experience at Kettering Uni-versity arrived to a pleasant surprise this term. Of course, this refers to nothing else but the new logos emblazoned above the Sunrise and Sunset Rooms. The windows above both rooms currently feature the white silhouette of some unknown, apparently trendy city with the room’s title proudly displayed in big block letters below. In an effort to satisfy the need for an improved dining experience at Ketter-ing, it was wisely decided that the necessary funds would best be allocated to improving aesthetic ap-peal.

The response to these actions appears to be mostly positive so far. One student, citing a lack of grandeur befitting of the food quality, commented, “Every time I would step into the cafeteria to grab a quick lunch, walking under that bland gateway would always make meals feel so lackluster. Now that the new logo is there, I can walk into that room and it almost immediately feels like the food quality is that much better.” Other students interviewed echoed this sentiment as well, while others claimed that the graphic upgrade was the very quality their dining ex-perience lacked all along.

While this improvement was certainly the wisest initial path that could have possibly been taken, it is unknown if further improvements will be made. One can only hope that in such a case, the current body of authority over Kettering’s culinary aspect will continue to keep in mind that looks are the de-fining quality of what constitutes a good eating ex-perience.

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Meme of the MonthCasually Pepper Spray Everything Cop

By Dominic JaindrainEntertainment Columnist

Remember Occupy Wall Street? It seems like old news now, but a certain meme that spawned from it deserves the spotlights once more before it fades into oblivion. Besides, there have been virtually no meme developments lately, aside from the several thousand Advice Dog spin-offs that are introduced weekly on Reddit. The Internet has been pretty busy with sopa/pipa and acta protests lately, so they are not to blame for slacking in the meme depart-ment.

Anyway, this month’s meme is Casually Pepper Spray Everything Cop, also known as Pepper Spray Cop or John Pike for short, since that’s actually his name. Anyway, Johnny here is another photo-manipulation based meme, with his image being shopped into var-ious other photos, much like Sad Keanu, Bubble Girl, etc. So what is he doing in the photo? He is pepper-spraying a line of seated pro-testors in what can only be de-scribed as a “non-chalant” manner, which is absurdly hilarious and ab-solutely terrible at

the same time (just like most of the Internet)! As shown in the various videos, the students protesting

at uc Davis had formed a chain linked by arms. Af-ter refusing to move, Pike shuffled his way down the line with his pepper spray. It almost looked as though he were trying to spray-paint a big area with only one can, yet still cov-er everything, you know? It’s like someone might expect to see someone fol-lowing him around, point-ing out spots on the stu-dents’ faces that he missed because he started nod-

ding off mid-walk. Anyway, the meme turned out to be hilarious, and had many mini-memes spawn from it, all definitely worth checking out.