The men’s tennis team added to their MIAA regular season title by winning the MIAA tournament with a 6-1 victory over Calvin last Friday. As the tournament champion, K will receive the MIAA’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

The Hornets were selected as the four-seed in the NCAA III Central Regional in St. Louis. The regional is hosted by top-seed Washington University. K will play Grinnell College on Friday. Wash.U. will receive a first-round bye and be waiting in the semis for the winner of the match on Saturday. Coe College (2) and Earlham College (3) will play on Saturday. Coe is the only team the Hornets have seen this season. Way back in February K lost on the road, 7-2.

The win over Calvin served as redemption for K after suffering their first ever loss to the Knights earlier in the season, 6-3. K got victories at one and three doubles before closing out the match with wins at one, two, three and four singles.

On Thursday, the Hornets defeated Albion 5-0 to advance to the finals.

Following the final, junior number one singles player Peter Rothstein was named to the All-MIAA First Team. Including the tournament, Rothstein finished the season with an MIAA singles record of 5-3.

Joining Rothstein on the All-MIAA teams were senior Stephen Hanselman and junior Mike Korn. Both were named All-MIAA Second Team honorees. Hanselman played two singles for the Hornets and joined Rothstein to form the team’s one doubles pairing. Korn primarily played three singles and three doubles.

Hope senior Bobby Cawood was selected as the MIAA season MVP. Cawood was the lone Dutchmen to win a match, one singles, against K when the teams met on April 9. He was selected MIAA player of the week three times and also won the MIAA Flight ‘A’ Singles Tournament.

The men’s baseball team completed their MIAA season on a high with a 3-2 win at Trine in the second game of a doubleheader on Sunday. Trine was victorious in the first game, 11-7.

Sophomore Scott Devine went 3-7 in the series with one RBI and one run. Senior Phil Earls earned the win in his last career start while throwing a complete game.

K finished the MIAA slate with a record of just 5-23, five games behind seventh place Albion. Their overall record was 10-29.

The Hornets will graduate six seniors and most likely lose junior Brett Thomas to transfer. Thomas is a 3-2 engineering student at K. Losing Thomas as well as catcher Eric Glanz look to be the Hornets biggest losses. Glanz is a career .278 hitter, with 58 RBIs. He’s played in 136 games for the Hornets throughout his four years. Though he struggled early this year, Glanz has built his batting average back up to .243 and is third on the team in RBIs with 17.

Thomas is another potential strong bat for the Hornets, with a career average of .314. This season he hit .291, the second highest average for players with more than 50 at-bats. He also hit one of K’s two home runs this season and knocked in 18 RBIs, good for second on the team.

There is still talent in the wings for the Hornets though. Along with Thomas and Glanz, outfielder Mickey Amboyan is the only everyday player the Hornets are set to lose. Sophomore Joey Aliotta showed another strong bat for the Hornets as he came on in the second-half of the season hitting .354 in 48 at-bats. A small sample size, but he did manage K’s only other home run and tied with Glanz for the most doubles on the teams, six. Aliotta finished the season with the high average for the team and Devine was behind him with .305.

The Hornet pitching staff had just three pitchers with ERAs under 7.00 before Earls was able to dip his just below, 6.68, following his win over Trine. The three pitchers are all underclassmen: freshman Zack Cole (3.68), freshman Dylan Pierce (3.74) and sophomore Adam McDowell (4.60).

Returning some of their top talent is key for a Hornet team that will look to take big strides in 2014.

The women’s tennis team’s season came to a close this past Friday with a 5-1 loss at Hope in the MIAA tournament final. The Hornets defeated Albion 5-3 at home on Thursday to advance to the final.

Freshman Sarah Woods was the only Hornet to win a match in the final: 6-1, 6-1 at number one singles. After the match, Woods was named the MIAA MVP as well as All-MIAA First Team. She was the only freshman selected to the first team. On her way to MVP, Woods was selected player of the week twice. She is currently tied for fourth in Regional Rankings on NCAA.com.

Junior Jenna Riehl was selected as a member of the All-MIAA Second Team. Riehl is the Hornets number two singles player and a number two doubles player. She was selected MIAA player of the week once.

The Hornets finished the season 13-8 and 7-1 in conference. Hope was the only MIAA opponent to defeat K this season.

On this team, Riehl is one of the few veterans. The Hornets had no seniors this season and just three juniors. They’ll be returning their entire lineup next season. Returning every player, as well as the league MVP, means the Hornets will be a definite player in next year’s conference championship, a title they have not seen since 2007.

“With our full lineup returning and some strong recruits coming in, we are looking to win the conference next season,” Riehl said.

As a college fledging, bright eyed and ready to tackle real world issues, I quickly discovered that I was in need of some serious cash flow as I watched my bank account, once full of high school graduation checks, dwindled under the strain of my lavish college lifestyle. However, I hit a rut trying to find an on-campus job available to a non-Work/Study student.

I was hired by Sodexo in the fall of my first year at K to work in the catering department. Since that time I have spent hours running around Hicks and all over campus, delivering refreshments and cheese platters, and serving three-course meals to my fellow students, the staff and faculty, and distinguished guests to the College. Upon my return from study abroad, I was also given a position working in the cafeteria.

I can confidently say that I have enjoyed my long hours in the catering kitchen working along side people who are some of the funniest and most hardworking I have ever met. However, I have always felt that my position in a service role on campus has been looked down upon by staff and students alike, especially in light of the dining service provider contract change.

As a campus community, we often speak of injustices in the world — things that need to change, habits and attitudes that need to be adjusted, and how we, the educated and privileged, are responsible for initiating that change. We also speak of the struggles our campus faces in regards to racial acceptance, socio-economical discrepancies, “food justice” and LGBTQ issues – just to name a few. I believe that there is a very real discrimination toward service workers on this campus that has not been addressed.

Camouflaged in my black slacks and button-down, I am a Sodexo worker. There is a clear distinction in the way that people address me when they are not aware that I also pay tuition, I also attend classes, I also spend the majority of my time in the reading room, I also have complained about the cafeteria food, and above all, I also want to change the world just as much as they do.

As an hourly worker for Sodexo, I should be able to re-apply for my job as a student worker for Creative Dining when the contract change takes place, and it is my understanding that my co-workers will be able to as well. While I expect to continue to be paid my above minimum wage hourly rate and to have fun working with a new provider, I do have one request.

All I have ever wanted was for my nametag to reflect my job as a representative of Kalamazoo College and not just a server. I want it to read, Allison Tinsey – Class of 2014 – Philosophy.

This is my view from the front of the house.

Once the king of paper production, Kalamazoo was home to several paper mills that produced tons of paper per day. These mills were a boon to the Kalamazoo economy, providing hundreds of jobs. Unfortunately, the trade was outsourced to China and paper plants in Kalamazoo struggled until the last plant, Allied Paper Company, closed in 1988.

These plants left a legacy in Kalamazoo — including pollution, which continues to affect the citizens today. Portage Creek was polluted to the point that it used to be referred to as “Old Milky,” creating a health hazard for the residents in adjacent neighborhoods. This pollution was comprised mainly of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).

PCBs are chemicals that bioaccumulate in the environment and are labeled as a “probable carcinogen” by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Currently, there are 1.5 million cubic yards of contaminated soil resting in the middle of three different residential neighborhoods: Millwood, Homecrest and Edison.

Although declared a “Superfund site” (or an area with significant levels of toxic waste) by the EPA over two decades ago, it has yet to be completely cleaned up. To complicate this issue, this landfill called the Allied Site rests on top of an aquifer that provides water to 48,000 people in Kalamazoo.

Recently, the EPA proposed a new plan for the site: covering the landfill with a tarp and leaving the costs in the city’s hands. The landfill would be a blight on the neighborhoods surrounding it and would be unavailable for development or any kind of public space.

This landfill is important on a national scale as well. If the EPA is forced to clean up industry’s mess, other neighborhoods that are facing similar issues will have a precedent to fight on.

The Allied Site Landfill is a massive pile of toxic waste that has the potential to cause cancer and countless unknown developmental defects. This pile of waste must be moved away from this residential neighborhood to a certified landfill in Wayne County. To get the EPA’s attention, we need support from the community, including the Kalamazoo College campus.

The Contemporary Issues in Public Health class would like to invite you to step outside the “K Bubble” and participate in a community-wide rally on Wednesday, May 15 at 5:00 pm at the Allied Landfill at 420 E. Alcott St.. Please support Kalamazoo’s communities and sign our petition at change.org!

If you have any questions feel free to email Alison Geist at Alison.Geist@kzoo.edu.

]]> http://kzindex.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/public-health-class-protests-toxic-landfill/feed/ 0 jenrwendel http://kzindex.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/king-median-releases-first-ep-carousel/ http://kzindex.wordpress.com/2013/05/12/king-median-releases-first-ep-carousel/#comments Sun, 12 May 2013 14:19:27 +0000 epizza94 http://kzindex.wordpress.com/?p=7663 ]]> By Emily Pizza, Staff Writer

Kalamazoo College is known for its talented students, including musicians. Recently, a new band of students has emerged: King Median. King Median includes students Colin Smith ’15, writer and musician; Camden Krusec,’15, singer; Brian Dalluge ’16, drummer; and Ken Tsuchiya ’16, multi-instrumentalist.

The band released their EP Carousel on March 23.

The album’s first song, “Carousel,” sets the mood for the rest of the album with a quiet guitar entrance. The vocals are distant at first, but then they  find harmony. Listeners might find themselves swaying along with the catchy melody, especially if they love slow and classic rock.

“Wear Another Skin” is a bit more lyrical than “Carousel.” Through refrains and choruses, Krusec serenades the listener into a blissful trance. Although lyrics dominate the song, the instrumentals remain pronounced. The song then drifts away as if blown by a southern breeze, leaving the listeners suspended in the musical space the band created for them.

Next comes “El Paso,” continuing “Wear Another Skin’s” emphasis on lyrics, this time romantic. This song, however, is slightly more up-beat than the previous two. King Median’s lyrics sound similar to Weezer’s “Say It Ain’t So.”

Then the mood makes a dramatic switch. The guitars hide underneath harmonizing vocals, similar to the start of The Beatles’ “The Magic Mystery Tour”. The drums make a more prominent entrance, the indie feel dissolves and the classic rock pulls forward. The song ends instrumentally, enough to make any indie rock lover cry out in joy.

King Median slows the album with “Hey Brother” and digs back to the band’s indie roots. The lyrics float along softly and distantly, but unlike their other songs, this one tells a story that paints pictures in the listener’s mind. As the picture progresses the instrumental sound  swirls around, pulling the listener into the story. It then fades out quietly.

The CD also comes with a bonus track, “California Bear”, which is entirely instrumental. The harmonizing guitars create a melody similar to Caribbean music with the same musicality, but different tone from their previous songs. The song ends with all of the members soloing together: the perfect way to end the CD.

Overall, King Median’s first album, “Carousel,” is perfect for those who love a combination of indie and classic rock, or anyone who loves The Beatles or Grizzly Bear.

For many Kalamazoo College students, the chance to study abroad is a chance to live in a new culture and explore a new environment (and also take advantage of a lower drinking age). But for Erin Eagan ’15 and Luke Winship ’15, two Boren Scholarship recipients, it is more than just that.

The Boren Scholarship is a scholarship granted by the National Security Education Program (NSEP) of the Federal Government that grants $20,000 to undergraduate students for study abroad in a non-Western region of the world that is “critical to U.S. national security.” The scholarship requires having the knowledge of or learning a non-Western European language and being immersed in a completely new culture.

Margaret Wiedenhoeft, associate director at the Center for International Programs (CIP), describes the application process as “very complicated, competitive.” A set of requirements such as location of study abroad and level and depth of language proficiency make the program highly competitive. Nominees for the program must commit to studying abroad in either East or West Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia or China.

Students from all over the country apply. Out of approximately 900 applicants, only 10 percent are awarded a Boren Scholarship.

“You have students from the Ivies, large public schools with specialized [language and culture] departments applying,” said Wiedenhoeft. It then becomes a significant achievement that not one, but two K College students were awarded such a highly competitive and nationally-renowned scholarship.

Up until now, only one student from K College has received the Boren Scholarship, and that was more than ten years ago. As recently last year there were five applicants, but none received the award. This year, out of seven applicants, two were awarded the scholarship.

Eagan, the Index’s business manager, will travel to Senegal. Winship, an East Asian studies major and Chinese minor, will travel to China. He says he most looks forward to the opportunity for language improvement and cultural immersion. He will spend six months in Beijing and three months in the northern city of Harbin.

As part of the scholarship requirements, both have committed to one year of employment after college with either the Department of Defense, Homeland Security, Peace Corps, or an affiliated international aid organization.

“I understand that this requirement is scaring people away [from applying]. Many think it’s like signing your soul with the devil, but I’m okay with that,” said Winship, laughing. For people who wish to apply for Boren but don’t feel that they are the ideal candidates, Winship offers some advice.

“The basis of the program is that they want people to work in national security. It’s very broadly defined. It’s not all policy oriented. If you’re working in something like environmental science and you believe your work is of importance, you can make a case that your work and research is of national security interest.”

He encourages people to start thinking early about where they want to study abroad and if Boren is right for them, so they can prepare for the lengthy essays month in advance.

“It’s an awesome opportunity,” Winship said.

Cooper Poses in his office with his roller coaster. Photo by Elaine Ezekiel

Few people outside of the library staff know this secret about Kalamazoo College: deep in the bowels of Upjohn lies a roller coaster.

It’s a giant KNEX model, assembled by Help Desk Administrator Russell Cooper ’89 in his office. Cooper had seen photos of people building these model coasters, mostly in their basements, but he opted to construct one in his office starting with a 3- by 2-foot set.

Then he went on eBay and bought five more sets of the Screamin’ Serpent, and he got to work.

“I always did it during work hours, only during lunch and after work,” he said.

He started building in a cubicle, but moved the whole coaster when he switched to an office in the Center for New Media Design.

“When I was back [in the cubicle], I blocked off too many of my drawers and cabinets,” he said.

Over four months, he redesigned and constructed the track to double back on itself instead of preventing access to his office door.

The ride circuit runs along the perimeter of his office and it even pops over the drop ceiling on the biggest inclines. It’s battery operated to climb the two lift hills and sports rope lights on the side of the track. The small cars holding plastic dolls whiz over the loops, twists and dips.

Cooper’s quirky structure is a manifestation of a passion for roller coasters. “I’m kind of a nerd about it. Every time I go on vacation I make sure to check out the roller coasters there,” he said.

On his first trip to Cedar Point in fifth grade, he ended up getting sick on the bus ride home, but he was hooked for life.

For his 40th birthday, he went to California with the goal of riding 40 coasters in one vacation.

“I got 48 easily, just in California,” he said.

After traveling through 11 states and six countries, and riding 210 different rides in search of the best coaster, he says Ohio’s Cedar Point still has his favorite — Millennium Force, which he’s ridden over 300 times.

“It’s tall, it’s fast, there’s no shoulder restraints, no loops. I like the thrill of going that high and going that fast,” he said. “The sick thing about all this is roller coasters make me motion sick.”

He says he can only get in a full day of riding if he pops a Dramamine as soon as he gets to the park.

“They don’t scare me; they make me ill,” he added.

His office coaster doesn’t make him ill, though. It’s a motivator to come into work, waiting until he can get back to an amusement park.

On coming into his windowless office and seeing his roller coaster, Cooper says, “It makes me happy.”

After 40 years of contracting with Sodexo, Kalamazoo College decided to switch food providers. Following many months of deliberation, the administration announced last Wednesday that they will sign with Creative Dining Services, a local company based in Zeeland, Mich.

A total of five companies submitted proposals for consideration. The seven-member Dining Services Selection Committee narrowed the decision down to two companies and submitted them to President Wilson-Oyelaran’s staff to make the final decision.

“I’m really happy that [Creative Dining Services] has been chosen. I think that they represent the best of all worlds,” said Rebecca Cummins-Lanter ’13, who was one of only two students on the Dining Services Selection Committee.

Dana Jansma, the associate dean of students, also served on the committee. She said Creative Dining Services was the strongest in taste, presentation and cost. “I thought their food tasted really good,” she said.

The committee made announced and unannounced visits to colleges in the area that had contracts with the finalists.

Some other colleges in the area that work with Creative Dining Services include Hope College, Calvin College and Aquinas College. These are all liberal arts colleges similar in size to K.

Creative Dining Service’s website focuses on their “flexibility and customizable services,” which could mean K will work with them for a custom-tailored service plan.

At a meeting led by Farms to K’s Katherine Rapin ’15 on Monday, students discussed their hopes and expectations for Creative Dining. One element that kept reappearing was sustainability and using produce from local farms.

Cummins-Lanter also expressed her desire to sign with a food provider with sustainable practices. On its website, Creative Dining Service’s says, “sustainability is not just another topic of conversation — it is a mode of operation.”

Jansma, Cummins-Lanter and those present at the meeting on Monday all expressed excitement for the switch to Creative Dining Services. But signing with this new service marks an end to the 40-year relationship between the college and Sodexo. Jansma made it clear that this switch “is not due to a dissatisfaction with Sodexo in any way.” She said Sodexo is expected to assist with the transition to Creative Dining and that their relationship “is not nasty in any way.

Jansma says she expects some challenges when changing to a new food provider after 40 years. “There will definitely be bumps in the road and a learning curve. I think that students need to not expect perfection right out of the gate,” she said.

Cummins-Lanter added students would not notice many changes.  “Our food [provided by Sodexo] is good. That’s something that needs to be said. Students who are unhappy with the food on this campus should not expect drastic changes between now and next fall.”

Creative Dining Services starts their contract with the school on July 1 of this year.