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WI-IA11s I NsidE ll-tEATER PAGE } ""Tl-tE CORNER" T Newport: By Amy Wallot Co-Editor Construction on Alpena Community College's newest addition, the World Center for Concrete Technology (WCCT), is well under way and is expected to be com- pleted in the sumqier of 2000. The new 45,000 square- foot facility opens up many op- portunities for students. New course series are to if).clude m~- sonry and· heavy equipment operations. All current cqn- .crete tech programs will be re- located to the WCCT. A com- plete block plant will also be housed in the facility. Once the classes are in place at the WCCT, ACC is looking at pro- 1 viding more classes in the con- struction industry. Possibilities include plumbing, carpentry, and electrical classes. "We' re trying to stay cur- rent with industry and to be the training vehicle.for that indus- try," said Dr. Donald Newport, president of Alpena Commu- nity College. • AlpENA CoMMUNiTy CollEqE SEpTEMbER 28, 1999 WCCT will expand technical programs_ Extra donations are com- ing in from the industriY for new machines to keep the · WCCT on the cutting edge. The added space also al- lows for increased enrollment. Currently more than 400 stu-· dents come from around the world to ACC for the certified block makers program. "We could easily see that double," Newport said. The possibility of future expansion is being looked at along the. Woodward Avenue corridor, the land the college owns along Woodward Avenue all the way down to Hamilton Road. "It's one of the few unde- veloped areas of the city. We really want to think through the options," Newport sai_~: _ Currently a proffesional land-use planner is looking at '---===-=----=--------"---------------P-h_o_t_o_b_y_A_m_y_W_a_ll_o_t __ ,.., ...... the area and will have a pre- liminary plan in four to six months. ACC is paying one- third of the cost for the plan- ner. Besser Company and the city of Alpena are paying the rest. Construction is well underway on ACC's World Center for Concrete Technology. Thre.e Rivers Construction Co. started construction on the $6.7 million WCCT project on April 4; 1998. Half of the cost is being covered by the state. ACC is covering the other half through grants and donations. Classes are expected to begin in fall of 2000. PolEMic S1Aff PAGE 8 Danish basketb·all studeR is a tall addition to AC·C's population-· Golf ScRAMblE PAGE 7 By Heidi Skuse Co-Editor and Sports Editor The student population of ACC consists mainly of stu- dents from the surrounding ar- eas. The rest are made up of University Center renamed in honor of Madeline Briggs students who live throughout the state of Michigan -- with one tall exception. Christian Adolfsson is from Copenhagen, Denmark, the capital city with a popula- tion around 2 million. He is here playing basketball for the Lumberjacks. , Adolfsson came to the United States iri May and lived in Mio for a while. He then traveled throughout the state of Michigan with his friend Ty McGregor and they made a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada. . "I have always wanted to come to America ever since I Photos by Don MacMaster ACC President Donald Newport (left) watches as the Madeline Briggs Unversity Center is renamed in · a cer- emony honoring the late Madeline Briggs, the first gradu- • ate from Spring Arbor's elementary education master's· program. Briggs died suddenly last spring just weeks be- fore commencement ceremonies. John Briggs (above), Madeiine's husband and an ACC trustee, awards the first Briggs S~holarship to Mary Beth Ponik. was a little kid," said Adolfsson. In Denmark many people talk about the United States and, according to Adolfsson, it is always on the news in Denmark. McGregor who played professional basketball in Eu- rope talked to Bobby Allen and Frank Mccourt who ended up giving Adolfsson a scholarship to play basketball at ACC. Adolfsson a 6' 8" freshemen, who plays power forward and center, has played basketball since he was 12 years old. He played on a team· called Vaerlose a half-profes- . sional and half-amateur team. In Denmark students don ' t play basketball for their school they play outside of school. They had practice after school and in their spare time. Adolfsson attended Norre G from kindergarten through 10 grade and 11 through 13 grade. In Denmark, students go from kindergarten through 10 and then they decide if they want to do something with their hands or with books. If they choose books, then they go to school for three more years ( 11 ~ 13) to a school simi- lar to junior college. At this school . they must choose be- tween math and language. If they choose their hands, then they go and find a job at a com- pany which provides training. If a student chooses to go to school at the end of the third year, they pick which univer- . sity they want to attend. See EXCHANGE on page 7. Count shows fewer students enrolled for fewer credit hours By Lora Bauer and · Catherine Gilmet . . Staff Wnters - Despite predictions, Alpena Community College enrollment for 1999 is down slightly: Last year at the end of en- rollment, a total of 2,115 students were enroiled at ACC with a credit hour generation amounting to 17,901. This year, 2,068 students are en- rolled with a credit hour generation of 17,379, a 2.92 percent decrease in credit hours and 2.22 percent de- crease in actual students. Richard Sutherland; vice president of administration and finance, said, "A strong economy seems to be the cause of this decrease. When the economy is good, jobs are more plentiful. This often re- / , sults in smaller enrollment ; numbers at community col- ; leges." For instance, the enroll- ment for evening classes is up . 11.75 percent exemplifying . students requirement to work during the day. What will ACC do to en- sure that enrollment does not continue to decrease in up- coming semesters? Sutherland states, "Addi:. tional marketing is being planned to let people know that Alpena Community Col- lege has a lot to offer. Students can stay in this area and earn up to their master's degree with Spring Arbor Col- lege and Lake Superior College programs located right here. Alpena Commu- nity College is a wonderful campus ;,Vith so much to of- fer. We just need to work on_ . getting the word out."