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Page 6 Telecommunication Future at ACC The Michigan Community College Telecommunication Network (MCCA) stands for leadership. The Association provides expertise and statewide coordination amon, the community colleges. It's believed that through telecommunication millions of Michigan’ ae will be linked to educati Michigan has 29 Ae colleges and MCCA believes that telecommunication is the best way to form a highway to provide education by linking the Michigan colleges together through telecommunication. MCCA's goal is for each college to have a downlink system. ACC has acquired a downlink system through a grant from MCCA, and is now busy preparing for the telecommunication future by educating staff members on the various options available to the college and by preparing tapes A Christmas Wish e Volunteer Center of ACC, which can be viewed on campus. MCCA is also interested in a mobile uplink system to allow teaching and broadcasting in other areas of the community such as, extentions with the intermediate school districts, customized education for businesses and industries, and local civic organizations. It is safe to assume that with the newly customized training program offered at ACC that this mobile uplink system will be of great interest to the customized training program director here at ACC. The uplink system could be a way for the customized training program to strengthen it's ability to serve the business and industrial communtiy. The future for ACC in the field of telecommunication seems to be a promising one in regards to offering education to the community which is one of the priority goals of this institution. containing two forms and is pen A Christmas Moment The Christmas tree ee is a special event in Alpena. Not only did we get a beautiful tree but the people stood out in the 24 degree weather just to see it being _ tecieved by the Center through __ The located at EAC, is once again Processing their annual Christmas Wish List. The project was started ten years ago by the director of the Volunteer Center, Vernie Nethercutt. She copied the Wish List idea from similar programs operated by volunteer centers in larger cities. ‘The project begins with a letter Alcohol awareness is a responsibility that belongs to everyone. Not only for the compassion needed to deal with the extreme form of its abuse found in our society, but also for the average person this holiday season as he begins the traditional rounds of parties in his locale. As this season approaches, so too does the temptation to drink and drive. Perhaps the best deterrent to this crime lies in the associated statistics themselves. There are approximatlely 350,000 to 400,000 traffic crashes which occur each year in this state, according to a Michigan Drunk Driving Audit Report produced by the Department of State Police. 25-30% of these crashes will involve alcohol. In terms of fatal accidents, the alcohol involvement percentage tises to 50-52%, according to Lt. Bob Kraft, Post Commander of the Michigan State Police in Alpena. Kraft also provided data Bs Alpe first form asks for requests for gifts, time or services needed by area citizens and families. The second is for donations which can range from presents to money to simply hours of time. These are then returned to the Volunteer Center which tries to match requests with donations. In 1987, 302 requests were Alcohol showing that last year an additional 63,966 people in Michigan were pulled over and arrested for drunk driving. These numbers are not only scary but they also enlighten us to the potential for alcohol abuse in general. Particularly around the holidays, people are often more prone to intoxication for varied personal reasons; reasons not always associated with true joy and thanksgiving. According to Pam Lloyd, Substance Abuse Therapist at Birchwood Treatment Center in Alpena, "A lot of people find holidays less than what they expect them to be. At Christmas time, many people think that they're supposed to automatically feel happy. Rather than exploring feelings on why they might not feel that way; why they might feel sad, their more apt to use [alcohol] to handle these feelings they don't think their supposed to be Awareness fifteen an¢ 3 Tequests were filled. Donations worth an estimated $9,000 were processed for needy persons, families, and agencies. Several ACC instructors and administrators were involved last year. They answered phones, took requests, and helped to package the ifts. When asked what she would having." When asked about possible reasons for these emotions, she stated, "It's real hectic. It can also bring back painful childhood memories. And there's a lot of Pressure to be happy and be joyous." Indeed there is, and yet the potential holiday blues are not the only reason many people turn to alcohol and other substances. Often one's level of self-esteem plays a role in this situation. The lack of healthy ingredients necessary for a sense of self-worth may play a part in turning to alcohol. An insightful comment was made by Dave Funk, Alpena County Prosecuting Attorney, who believes, "..a sense of optimism, balance, maturity and well-being; that is the centerpiece in somebody's life and if it isn't there, there is a vacuum and that vacuum will be filled with something.” Saturday Dec. 3 downtown had the Christmas tree lighting with Christmas carolers, bells and, of course, hot chocolate. i like to improve on the next year, Sharon Genshaw, coordinator at the Voluntee: she was very pleased with the | project. She did suggest the requests by agencies could be more specific in order to better fill the needs. Nethercutt hoped that more students and staff members of ACC would become involved in the project to make everyone's Christmas as happy as our own. in Alpena So how does one go about this? How does one go about filling this vacumn and avoiding an habitual return to negative alternatives? Well, according to Lloyd, essentially it takes discipline and caring for one's self. And, "Discipline," in the words of Lloyd, “isn't just getting up on time, working hard or getting to classes on time. Discipline also means that I work into my schedule time to have fun, time to take care of my soci needs, and time to be creative.” These ideas appear to be keys that not only an individual can use for improving him or herself, but perhaps ideals that a community at large can commit to. Combine them with the ideals of Funk who believes Northeastern Michigan needs "..a sense of togetherness, cohesiveness, understanding, education and balance," and perhaps the best platform yet for all human beings to stand on has been discovered. rt Center, stated that _ Georgian College (Continued from Page 1) The Georgian College has a human resource development program which has been operating successfully for a number of years. ACC is very interested in developing some of their strategies to successfully continue operating and enhancing our program with new ideas. Georgian College has also established a very specific curriculum which the business community is involved in preparing to ensure proper training for the students. This concept of operating programs appears very attractive to our CEHRD and may be an area for further discussions. With these shared concerns and interests, it is likely that an on going sister-college relationship will evolve from this first visit. Activity Interests Here are a few customs at Georgian College which the ACC student might find interesting. "Common hour" is practiced every Wednesday from 1-2 pm. No classes are scheduled during this hour, which instead is filled with various recreational, cultural or educational activities for students and staff. It is a free hour that all have in common to take advantage of these special events. "Pub Night" is another custom which might appeal to ACC students. Scheduled, every other month for students over 21, this one night is their special time to socialize. According to comments in their student newspaper, the event is a big success and students Tequest more “Pub Nights" for all to enjoy. This type of activity at ACC might motivate students to become more involved with campus activities. JOBS IN AUSTRALIA Immediate Opening for Men and woman $11,000 to 60,000 Construction, Manufacturing Secretarial Work, Nurses Engineering, Sales. Hundreds of Jobs Listed.