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Sneak Peek Lpena oinmunity ollege Student Produced Newspaper October 2001 Leadership Class Returns from Hati \Vith a Ne\¥ Found Sense of Leadership. JESSICA THIEM Staff Writer May 4, 2001 - Eleven members of Alpena Community College's leadership class, and one instructor, boarded a plane bound for the small country of Haiti, located in the Caribbean. . The goal of this thirteen-day adventure was to create leadership skills while also learning a little more about each other and themselves. While in Haiti, the students planned to learn leadership skills by building a school in the small Haitian village of Seau Deau. To build this school, the students were required to carry cement bricks up a mountain through extreme heat conditions they were not accustomed to. The group first started to carry the bricks one by one to the top of the mountain, but realized how hard it was to carry the bricks one at a time. They then developed a system of passing the bricks to one another, like an assembly line, using teamwork. This made the work a lot easier. Not only were physical labor and hot temperatures hard to endure, but unpredictable happenings such as illness created challenges. One of the members of the group, Tricia Tanner, got sick while on the trip and was confined to bed for several days. She was given the option to go home, but decided to stay with the group. She was amazed at how often many of the Haitian people came into her room to check on her; if they saw her on the street they would ask how she was feeling. From this experience she learned how caring and understanding the Haitians were. As Tanner found, this "If you get a group together and s a wo'l;thy goal..'. they'll work out the detajls of who does what and its really an amazing process to watch." excursion to Haiti was not only meaningful through the group learning perspective, but also the personal perspective. Josh Kumrits, a member of the leadership class, said that his personal goal was to become more than just acquaintances with the Haitian people he came in contact with. He wanted to become their friend. One thing he feels he learned from this trip was that it's extremely phenomenal to meet a group of people (the Haitians) that seem to appreciate life so much despite the fact they have very little possessions and live in such poverty. Personal goals aside, the intention of the Haiti trip was to obtain leadership skills by leaving the classroom and going out into the real world to discover these skills for themselves; instead of learning from textbooks and lecture. Matt Dunckel, instructor of the leadership class, spoke of his thoughts on the how the leadership class works. "If you get a group together and set a worthy goal that they are committed to, they'll work out the details of who does what and its really an amazing process to watch." Tanner also discovered that being a leader doesn't me·an that an individual has to do everything for herself. She found that leadership is 'dispersed throughout a group and everyone can lead in their own way. The group does not necessarily need a dictator. Alpena Answers Bush S Call to Unite JOSHUA M. BREGE Photo Editor Have you saved a life today? Many involved in this school's system and in the community have saved a life. The efforts of the Alpena community have helped ease the pain and improve the lives of those involved in the attack on the World Trade Center/ Pentagon. The school and community is doing their part to pull together, with the rest of the · nation, to grant the wishes of the President As television sets and radios played and replayed the horrible events of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, the whole world was watching. Amazed in disbelief and gruesome thoughts, every American was speechless as they became aware of the news. The young people did not understand, the middle-aged were confused, and the elders just shook their heads. Shattering shock waves of this disaster spread like wildfire across the nation . and world. Panic set in the minds of Americans and their leaders. Just as on the day Kennedy was assassinated, the Challenger blew up, or the Oklahoma City Federal building was bombed, this is something that will never be forgotten. We will not forget what time it was, where we were at, or what we were doing at the time of the disaster. Silence filled the air, and we were all at a loss for words. Soon after, discussing the tragedy became a natural response. In previous war strikes or horrific attacks, such as Pearl Harbor, we knew who to go after. But the attack on the World Trade Center left us with no easy answers. Nobody to blame. Nobody to go after. We had thoughts of who it might have been, but who can point fingers with no evidence. While government officials looked in anger for a culprit, the rest of us pondered many questions and thoughts. Who could it be? A country? A religious group? Was it one of our fellow Americans? Who do we blame when we don't know who to blame? Americans were left full of anger, and in a state of helplessness. The news was covered with scenes and coverage of the horrible acts, donation bound organizations, and rescue workers that wanted to l;ielp. Here in Alpena, the high schools' Graphic Arts Program createfi tee shirts to sell and raise money for the relief. Many donated blood. Others gave money, to area organizations, that would then be distributed properly. Teddy bears were donated to the victim's families.. Also donating gi'fts to victim's families is a group of ACC students, faculty, and other community members who plan to make wire angels to distribute. Tom Ray took the initiative to organize a school wide project; the project involved a letter writing campaign. All teachers were invited to encourage their students to write letters and offer their condolences to Brooklyn Community College. Another group of college students, along with local and distant bands are, with the help of ACC's Student Senate, planning on organizing a concert, with an array of different music to help with the relief of this horrific disaster. The concert will take place in Alpena and most likely be in November sometime. Alpena and America are doing what they can to help rebuild this nation to a better and safer place. As Americans are used to seeing acts of war in third world countries everyday, never did we understand the horror, hate, and feelings until one of our own city's and many of our fellow Americans were lost in destruction and ashes. We must now move on. Clear our minds of the horror and disbelief and focus on making our home a better place to live. We must pull together in help and relief. In despite of all of the great things we are providing, President Bush urges us to "spend money," and invest in the economy. We are falling into a recession. Bush also urges us to get on planes and get on with our lives. The rebuilding of this nation is a test of our unity. In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." We are being tested. Our military will be tested. As President Bush addressed the nation, he promised, "the time is coming when America will act. .. " Alpena is acting. ACC's Ability to Meet Needs of Diverse Student Population in Question JOSHUA KUMRITS Staffwriter This year, ACC's students include many different cultures and ethnicities. We have Mexicans, African Americans, Latinos, and even students from Germany, Bosnia, and Slovakia. Does the college faculty have enough diversity to properly support and represent our student body, or is tl;iere room for improvement? ACC is home to a faculty full of caring individuals. Our faculty works hard to make this college a unique place. They do a great job of providing students with all different types of resources and learning opportunities here on campus. But when it comes to representing our stl.\dents and their cultures, how equipped is our faculty, and how effectively are they doing their jobs? ... Continued on page 5 ... r