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PTK -conference became a source of inspiration BY SHAWN DEHRING STAFF WRITER Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the Phi Theta Kappa Regional Conference hosted by Jackson Community College. Of the 29 community colleges invited, 22 were represented by about . 160 students which made it the biggest Michigan regional meeting yet. The goals of the meeting included electing new regional offic- ers, voting on future meeting locations and the intermingling of people and ideas. As a new member, I had not even attended a local meeting, but the trip was an opportunity not to be missed. Doubts over- . whelmed me on the journey there, and I began to think, "Who am _ I trying to kid by going to meet all these smart people?" But fortunately, it was too late to back-out. The trip was great and it was full of chances to listen to speakers, meet people and experience a sense of fellowship that is hard to find. The seminars included talks on Pre Columbian Americans, world overpopulation, genetic research and more. The best thing about the seminars was the rapid intellectual discussion they instigated. Debates raged all the way home. In between activities, a wonderfully diverse group of people of all ages, races and ethnic backgrounds mingled. It was a group that represented the variety of students found on community col- lege campuses. And yet, as different as people were, ~ere was a commonality, the PTK bond, that united everyone. This bond can have a tremendous effect. These students are united in scholarship, fellowship, leadership and service, and they work to make a positive impact in their schools and communities. They help people from children to senior citizens by doing every- thing from tutoring to community clean-up. I felt I was with th.e future leaders of America. ACC's local Nu Omicron Chapter has held several leadership seminars, run a voter registration drive and hosted Science Olym- piad. These kinds of activities show the potential and power stu- dents have. If students united and worked together, they could be a force to be reckoned with. ~ POLEMIC Staff Co-Editors -- Denine Konwinski, Jen Goodbume Advertising - Scott Konwinski, Tracy Murphy Cartoonist -- Carol Bums Opinions Editor - Michelle Rouleau News Editor -.. Kelly O'Neil Features Editor -- Tina L. Jones Sports Editor -- Keith Griffin Photographers -- Linda Simpson, Grit Jackel Adviser -- Sonya Titus Office Manager -- Melody Sharp Staff: Scott King, Elaine Kosloski, Shawn Dehring, Toby Kumicki, Gary Pingel, Dan Smith, Sarah Edwards, Kara Barrie, ' Cheryl Hanson, Bernd Kaufhold, Grit Jackal, Josh Eagan ' BY JEN GoooBURNE Co-EorroR • Is it true that people only care about things that affect them personally? The Polemic has received volumes of letters concern- ing a (at one time) simple, , innocent question: What do you think of the snack bar? However, we get no response from the article we ran about gays in the mili- . tary, a tinderbox issue which throws some sections of the political spectrum into fren- zied bursts of opinionated zeal. Nor did we hear any- thing about local businesses playing monopoly with Al- pena. I understand that the snack bar affects . students. But so do gas prices, espe- cially for commuting stu- dents. It's true that the "gays in the military" issue doesn't touch most people on a daily basis, but that doesn't mean this social issue will not effect people in the long run. Whether or not to allow gays in the military is im- portant for more reasons than the obvious, surface one. The w J: POLEMIC Vol 2, Issue IO, March 3/, 1993 -- issue deals with general morals and standards; the de- cision on this matter will effect more than homosexu- als. It will signal a trend which will likely dominate the rest of Clinton's presi- dency. This trend will, in turn, influence state and local decisions. In 1981, Ronald Reagan used a legal loophole to fire While input is always a good thing, regard- less of its nature, I'm still hoping that people will open up to bigger, more sig- nificant things. airline workers of the PA TCO union, thus effec- tively breaking their strike. He sent the signal to big business that unions could and should be busted. The result? I'm sure many, many of the non-tra- ditional students on this campus who are here as a result of a job loss could tell you. This event, so long ago, Hit Any Key to Continue • managed to greatly effect little ol' Alpena. Political issues may have far reaching effects. This is why we need education, involvement, and input. Who's to say what sort of an impact Clinton's deci- sion will have? Will it or will it not touch the life of a heterosexual student, who 'isn't even interested in the military? A student is a person who is seeking an education. A college student needs to expand horizons beyond the concrete dealings of a par- ticular situation. This brings us back to the burning issue of the snack bar. While input is al ways a good thing, regardless of its nature, I'm still hoping that people will open up to big- ger, more significant things. "He who snoozes loses." · I know it's a clicM, but who could have known Ron was taking major steps- to put the. blue collar workforce out on its ear in '81? I was only age 9 at the time, but the effect it's had on my life makes me wish someone would have caught on.