Ferris is a different campus out there
Students can look forward to many changes and new attractions at FSU.

By Afzal Memon
Web page Editor

Summer is the time for upgrades and changes at Ferris State University. New and returning students who start classes this fall will recognize such improvements right away.

"The projects that are scheduled to continue over the fall quarter include the completion of State Street Enhancement, HVACR/CTC, major reorganizations with operations of the Center for Student Services (CSS) and improving parking lots and roads," Executive Secretary to the Vice President for Administration and Finance Jackie Warner said.

Another on-campus construction project continuing to progress is the HVACR National Education Center, which entails adding facilities to the current Construction Technology Center.

Furthermore, the office of one of the two graduate programs at Ferris, the Information Systems Management (ISM) office, was moved to IRC from the College of Business.

"We are pleased to have a facility that can accommodate more College of Business graduates," ISM Program Coordinator Dr. William Boras said.

"We also offer graduate support classes for the College of Education and we have an MBA program lined up in approval stage," Boras said. "We are diversifying the graduate programs and broadening scope of postgraduate learning for the university."

Boras added that Sept. 11 has affected the enrollment; the number of international students has decreased because of strict visa procedures.

Warner mentioned yet another change concerning students. "The Division of Administration and Finance will employ around 960 student employees this fall," Warner said.

The Career Services Center in the Rankin Center has also loaded up with a new program for FSU students. 

"This fall Career Services is introducing new software to aid students in the job search process," Assistant Director of Career Services Barbara Renne said. 

Registering with Career Services allows FSU students to sign up for on-campus interviews, apply for job opportunities and upload their resumes to be included in the web resume book. 

"Employers are very enthusiastic about having instant access to Ferris students' resumes," Renne said.

"FSU's Career Services was cited by the Kaplan/Newsweek College Catalog 2002 in its list of schools that offer the best career services," Renne added.

For more information on the new software at Career Services, call 591-2685.

Faculty concerned about health care and equity
Ferris faculty members want to keep the current health insurance plan.

By Laura Chene
News Editor

Differences in pay, respect and equity issues meant that faculty and administration were unable to formalize a new contract before the old one expired on June 30.

Bargaining teams for the Ferris administration and the Ferris Faculty Association (FFA), the faculty's union, will continue to meet until a contract is formed. Just before school ended last May, the two teams were hopeful that they could agree on a contract before the old expired. This did not happen, and they now hope to devise one before classes begin next Monday.

"Representatives from Ferris State University and the Ferris Faculty Association continue to work through key issues in an effort to bring a prompt resolution to the contract that expired June 30, 2002. The two groups report that discussions continue to move in a positive direction," Jim Thorpe, spokesperson for the administration side, said in a press release.

One issue currently at the table is heath care, specifically Ferris Flex, a new insurance plan proposed by the administration. As stated in a press release, "The Ferris Flex self-funded healthcare plan is being offered to current faculty as an option to the Ferris Faculty Association's insurance coverage through the Michigan Education Special Service Association (MESSA)."

The administration's proposal requires that all new faculty members enroll in Flex, but current faculty members have the option of enrolling in either plan. A number of Ferris workers, including administrative members, are currently enrolled in the Flex plan.

"The university, like the rest of the country, is facing substantial increases in the cost of healthcare. MESSA currently provides coverage for our faculty, but it's quite costly and is becoming a major burden upon our faculty and the university," Thorpe said in a press release.

According to the press release, the new plan would mean a lower out-of-pocket expense for the faculty. "It is anticipated that the total plan costs of MESSA will be increasing in 2002 as much as . . .130 dollars per month per faculty member . . . ," as stated in the release. "The costs of Ferris Flex are expected to increase six to seven percent."

FFA President Mike Ryan said that there is really is no dollar difference and questioned the administration's purpose for wanting to change the plans. "A key feature . . . is that the offer at the table offers a dollar cap per month that they would pay for heath insurance," Ryan said. "That dollar cap is the same whether you're in Flex or whether you're in MESSA. So we find it curious that it would be a savings for them, its gonna cost them the same."

Ryan said that he did ask the administration how it is possible for one of the plans to be cheaper if the payout is the same. "We haven't gotten a clear answer on that," he said. "There's something unusual about the claim that it is cheaper."

"The faculty are quite satisfied with the MESSA plan," Ryan continued. "We don't want to be part of the Ferris Flex."

Similar to the last set of collective bargaining session, faculty members have salary concerns. According to Ryan, "We are experiencing ever increasing difficulty in hiring faculty and ever-increasing difficulty in retaining faculty," Ryan said. He said that noncompetitive salary and benefits are two main factors of this problem. "So we have to be competitive or else we can't recruit people," Ryan said.

According to a press release, the administration proposed a 2.6 percent increase faculty pay. "We believe an increase of 2.6 percent is an equitable raise, given the state's financial outlook at flat funding from the state of Michigan for next year and very real possibility of budget cuts in fiscal 2004."

"If other schools in the state can pay more than Ferris, then there's something unusual about Ferris," Ryan said.

A press release said that tuition revenue currently composes more than half of the school's general fund budget, and if the state funds were cut and expenses are not contained, then students would have to make up the difference.

"We've analyzed their budget, and they have plenty of money." Ryan said.

Ryan said, "We have now [planned to meet] about 50 hours in August, and so that should help us move along.

"The faculty last time went three years without a contract . . . and the faculty are in no mood really to work without a contract," Ryan said.

Editor's Note: The administration chose to provide information through press releases and formal statements. This information is current as of August 8. The two teams have met since then.

Board focuses on recruitment and retention
A new policy change may help Ferris in its hiring practices by attracting more applicants.

By Laura Chene
News Editor

Ferris State University's Board of Trustees addressed how to attract a university workforce, among other issues, at its last regular meeting held July 12.

Bruce Parsons, newly elected chair of the Board of Trustees, touched on many issues the board plans to focus on throughout the 2002/03 academic year. "We have a number of major issues . . . ," Parsons began.

One of the more important issues, according to Parsons, is negotiating a contract with the Ferris faculty. There is currently a board-appointed steering committee that focuses on the negotiations. The committee includes Parsons, FSU President William Sederburg, past Board of Trustees Chair Thomas Cook, Vice President of Governmental Relations Scott Hill-Kennedy, Vice President of Academic Affairs Barbara Chapman and Chief Negotiator James Greene.

Several collective bargaining meeting dates are planned throughout the month in order for the two to settle on a contract. "So that takes up a substantial amount of time," Parsons said.

Recruiting and retaining both students and faculty members is another focus.

At the last meeting, the board passed a resolution that put into policy "the hiring of academic deans or academic department heads for an initial appointment of three years, with an option to extend that contract on an annual basis by one to three years," as stated in the July 18 issue of FYI.

This change was "an effort to make these positions more appealing and secure for candidates who may otherwise wish to pursue tenure-track positions," according to the FYI issue.

Parsons elaborated on the importance of this policy. "One of the differences in hiring deans and department heads is the fact that many universities, one might say most, offer tenure to someone in that position," Parsons said. "That person would have the ability to go into the faculty and then have a chance to teach."

Parsons said that not being able to offer tenure to candidates applying for administrative positions, such as a dean, resulted in difficulty in hiring applicants. "Not having that, we were having problems recruiting vice presidents, deans, department heads . . .," Parsons said.

Under the new policy, "You're giving them three years and a rolling three contract," Parsons said. "Many of them [were on tenure] when we talked to them, and that's tough, to come off - tenure."

Parsons also explained the board's role within the university. "A board is here to set policy," he explained. "We set these broad goals, but that's our job."

He further stated that the board must plan strategically, which entails looking into the future.

Many campus projects, such as the campus quad, have come out of planning.
In other news, the board:

Approved Ferris' three-year academic plan, which sets academic and instructional goals for Ferris through 2005.

Approved a new Bachelor of Arts degree in Biochemistry, which will be offered in the College of Arts and Sciences.

At its annual meeting, held earlier that day, the board elected new officers for the upcoming year. Former Vice President Bruce Parsons will serve as chair; Greg Patera as vice chair; Olga Dazzo as secretary.

The new positions will be effective in October. The board meets again on Oct. 11 in FLITE.

Wait is over, Timme is finally here
The new Timme Center for Student Services is open for business.

By Afzal Memon
Web Page Editor

For the first time, after more than 50 years, Ferris State University has a central administration building in the form of the Timme Center for Student Services. This building centralizes various offices, including the President's office.

The new Timme Center for Student Services, formerly the Timme Library, is located at the heart of campus. "I am very excited about the new building," William Sederburg, president of FSU, said. "I'm very pleased with what has been accomplished."

The three-floored Timme hosts a number of offices in an effort to provide one-stop shopping in doing business with the university. Student services offices, including Financial Aid, the Business Office, and the Loan Disbursement office, have been placed on the first floor.

The second floor holds the admissions and records offices. The third floor hosts the President's office, Instructional Research and Testing, the Budget Office and Academic Affairs.

"It was a huge effort, as almost one-fourth of the administrative employees have been moved," Sederburg said. Many staff members will have whole new work environments as a result of the moves. "The Admissions office suite is very nice and should help in recruiting good students," he continued.

"The building is very beautiful and spacious," Kathy Lake, coordinator of enrollment services, said. "I think it was a good idea to bring all the important offices under one roof."

"The new Center for Student Services will provide current and prospective students with almost all of the services they need under one roof," Vice President of Student Affairs Dan Burcham said. "No longer will students need to visit several offices - even several buildings - to take care of all the business essential to attending college."

Upon entering the building, visitors will notice that a few things still need to be worked on. But considering the fact that it was a huge task to move over 11 offices, things seemed to work out well during and after the move.

Over 150 employees were moved into the new building. These moves created some space in Prakken and Bishop Hall and resulted in some more moves to fill the empty spaces.

"It was a very smooth and well-coordinated move. Nothing was lost or damaged," Lake said. "We had each of the computers and telephones working from the first day."

Expensive construction projects at Ferris have raised many eyebrows over the last couple of years. When asked about FSU's spending, Sederburg responded, "The money was very well spent; it has helped revitalize the entire campus."

According to the president's office, the funding for the FLITE and CSS Buildings are all part of the state's capital outlay process. The total cost for both buildings was $50 million dollars.

"We were responsible for the one-fourth of the total expenditures," Sederburg added.

Many students find the new building handy. "We had to go to different buildings just to do few things," Nicky Apparasu, a freshman, said. "Now we can go to just one place and knock out a bunch of things. It saves time, and especially in the winter we won't have to walk all the way to Prakken or Bishop Hall."

According to Lake, the move was necessary, and money spent was not part of the general budget.

Furthermore, the usefulness of the building suggests that it will serve the campus and pay the money back in the long run.

"I believe the buildings will serve the campus well for years to come," Sederburg said.





The Barbie car can beat both summer drag racers
The summer was slow with crimes, but have no fear: the students are back in town.

By Chris Miller
Editor in Chief

On the Record" is a weekly news/police feature in the Torch. This article is a list of some crimes that have been reported to FSU's Department of Public Safety. All of the entries are true, and none of them are made up. DPS works with the newspaper by giving the Torch helpful information when reporting this information.

Drag racing

The Ferris Department of Public Safety (DPS) investigated two vehicles drag racing down South State Street on Aug. 3 at about 11:30 p.m. The "race" took place just outside the FSU Racquet and Fitness Facility. Two citations for drag racing were issued, which results in six points on a license in Michigan.

Duke it out

DPS was contacted on Aug. 11 around midnight to investigate a possible assault in the West Campus Apartments. After investigation, officers realized that the dispute was between a husband and wife. The husband was arrested for minor assault after he shoved his wife several times.

The Barbie Power Wheels is the best

An electronic Power Wheels bike was reported stolen from West Campus Apartments on Aug. 5 at 5:40 p.m. There are no suspects, and DPS continues with the investigation.

Another bike

A female student's bike was stolen on Aug. 9 at around 11:50 p.m. It was parked outside the Instructional Resource Center (IRC). There are no suspects at this time.

Other larcenies

On Aug. 2, a female student reported that her Sony Discman was taken from her car, which was parked in Lot 64. She reported the stolen CD player to DPS at 1:30 p.m. Investigation continues.

Some engine parts were taken from a scrap bin in Lot 8 on Aug. 12 at about 11:45 a.m. The value of the items stolen totaled approximately $1,200. Officers are still conducting an investigation.

Silly relatives

A male student contacted DPS on Aug. 6 at 10:30 p.m. and complained about a bunch of harassing phone calls that he had been receiving. According to the student, the phone calls were being made by one of his close relatives. The student lives in West Campus Apartments, and the investigation continues.

Routine traffic stop

After making a routine traffic stop of a vehicle on Perry Street near Kmart, officers identified suspects in the car who were transporting drug paraphernalia. One person was arrested for a drug violation. The paraphernalia was taken and investigation continues.

If you show it, they will come
A new movie projector has finally graced Williams Auditorium.

By Chris Miller
Editor In Chief


Imagine the ability to bring in and show first-rate movies to Ferris State University. Students wandering over to Williams Auditorium could watch films like "The Matrix," "X-Men," "Star Wars" and audience favorite "Rocky Horror Picture Show," among others.

It's now possible. Williams Auditorium has installed a new movie projector, and those who are in charge hope the projector will be used as much as possible.

"If this projector does not get used, then it was a great waste of time and money trying to get it," Michael Terry, Williams Auditorium manager, said. "I was very pleased that we got the new equipment, but I can't take credit for the idea."

About two years ago, Student Government suggested that the auditorium should have a new movie projector. After it was turned down, Terry and the Music Industry Management Association proposed the idea a second time.

"I always thought it was a wonderful idea. I hope this will get used regularly," Terry said.

Altogether the project cost approximately $20,000. Terry chipped in $6,700, and the rest was given to the auditorium by the Student Activities Programming Committee (SAPC).

"We received $13,870 from SAPC for this project, and this is not brand new equipment," Terry said. According to Terry, if FSU was going to buy brand new equipment, it would have cost nearly $100,000 for everything.

The new 35mm projector sits above the back of Williams Auditorium, near the sound booth and main controls. Along with Terry, several student technicians went through a training session on August 13-15 to learn how the new equipment works.

Along with the projector, Ferris purchased a new 16 feet tall and 33 feet long screen, which is concealed above the stage. High-quality speakers will sit behind the screen during movies.

"It's not surround sound, but the sound quality of the speakers is amazing," Terry said. "The installers gave us a short demonstration and I think people will be surprised by the quality of everything."

The equipment was actually available for Ferris last summer, but according to Terry, the employees at the Physical Plant were busy and so much construction was going on around campus, the installation and rewiring of electricity could not be done until this summer.

Now that it has been installed, several organizations have plans for the new projector to be used. According to Director of Student Leadership and Activities Michelle Burke, Entertainment Unlimited has expressed plans to use the new projector.

"It was awhile ago when the money for the projector was asked for. Even though a lot of the EU students who had plans for the projector have graduated, it will still get used," Burke said.

Burke also pointed out some other possibilities with the new projector.

"I know that you can get a lot of free movie packages and smaller 'artsy' films that are accompanied by the producers to come to Ferris," Burke said.

Terry has been talking over plans for the projector with the Humanities Council of Mecosta County. The council plans on bringing in a series of six films including some independent films, documentaries and other various short films.

"It's good that we bring these films in, but I think that students would more than likely come if we had popular entertaining films," Terry said. "It would be fun to see the students dress up like their favorite characters for 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' or 'Sound of Music.' The only type of films that will not be shown is, of course, anything X-rated."

According to Terry, anyone can use the movie projector, but it's a matter of renting time for Williams Auditorium.

"Mostly Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) will use the projector because they are supported by groups like SAPC and SAFAC (Student Activities Fund Allocation Committee)," Terry said.

Interested organizations have to book a date at Willliams Auditorium in advance. A non-ticketed event will cost $375, plus the amount for student labor and a fee of $25 an hour. For a ticketed event, RSOs have to dish out more than $575.

For more information about the new projector or events at Williams Auditorium, contact the auditorium at 591-3676.






Ishpeming native arrives at FSU with experience
Former GVSU student starts her new life as a Bulldog.

By Chris Miller
Editor in Chief


For 24-year old Cindy Greenwood, Ferris State University is familiar to her because she received her bachelor's degree at Grand Valley State University in 2000.

"I hope everyone around here can forgive me because of Grand Valley," Greenwood said, joking about the deep rivalry between Ferris and GVSU.

Greenwood, a native of Ishpeming, Mich., recently took over for Cara Baker as the new Coordinator of Student Activities and the advisor for Entertainment Unlimited (EU).

"It has been an exciting experience so far coming to Ferris. I am glad to be back in Michigan as well, close to my family," Greenwood said. "Besides a brother who lives in the Detroit area, all of my relatives are still in the Upper Peninsula."

After obtaining her degree in public relations and advertising at Grand Valley, Greenwood attended Washington State University, where she received her master's degree in higher education and student affairs.

While at Washington State, Greenwood worked as a graduate assistant with several leadership programs. She was also an advisor to the college's Resident Hall Association.

During her time spent at WSU, she received the President's Award for leadership and another award called "Bridging the Gap," which was given to her for helping the different divisions of Residential Life work together better.

"This is where I gained a lot of experience that helped me during my interview process for this job," Greenwood said. "There are a few things that I am looking forward to working on, however."

According to Greenwood, she is still trying to learn the area and wants to work on relationships with other departments across campus. Another major goal for this coming year is learning how Entertainment Unlimited books some of the big acts, like the annual January Jams concert.

"Since I have arrived, I have realized that Ferris is more organized when it comes to events for students. Ferris also offers a good variety of activities and events for the students," she said.

Greenwood will serve as the advisor for EU, and she hopes to learn from some of the more experienced students in the organization about booking and planning acts for Ferris. Besides working with EU, Greenwood will be in charge of the web page desgined for Student Leadership and Activities.

"She has a great personality and a lot of energy. Cindy will do a great job at Ferris," Baker, who is leaving to stay at home and take care of her children, said. "The only thing that she needs to get used to is how Ferris works."

Greenwood found the job posting online, and she spent two days interviewing this past summer at FSU. She has definite goals for the future which utilize her past work experiences.

"I am excited about having Student Leadership and Activities work more with residential life. It's what I have done the most of in the past. One of my goals is to try to get more Residential Assistant staffs and hall governments involved with leadership programs," she said.

During her spare time, Greenwood enjoys rollerblading, going to the beach, reading and spending time with old college friends. She also likes to travel.

"I got to go to Australia the summer after Grand Valley State and before Washington," she said.

As for the future, Greenwood says that she feels comfortable about staying at Ferris for awhile.

"I am not looking past this job yet-it's too early. I am just taking it one day at a time," she said.





Guys playing with dolls
The Theater Department has released its production schedule for the 2002-03 season.

By Chris Miller
Editor in Chief

It all starts with a classic musical. The Ferris State University Theater Department will start the year off by performing the famous Broadway hit "Guys and Dolls."

"I have personally wanted to do this musical for a long time now," Associate Professor of Theater Gretchen Potter said. "This musical has a large number of singing roles for both genders. It is a fun show to do."

Along with "Guys and Dolls," the Theater Department will tackle two more award-winning plays: "The Heidi Chronicles" and Arthur Miller's "All My Sons."

"Guys and Dolls" was written by Frank Loesser, and it became Broadway's fifth longest running musical of all time. Some of the songs featured in the musical include Frank Sinatra's hit "Luck Be a Lady" and "A Bushel and a Peck."

The play was made into a movie in 1955 starring Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra and Jean Simmons.

The plot of "Guys and Dolls" is simple. Nathan Detroit, organizer of the "oldest established, permanent floating craps game in New York," makes a bet with another gambler that he can't make the next girl he sees fall in love with him.

It's mostly a comedy because Detroit's fiancee, Miss Adelaide, gets involved in the plot.

According to Potter, this coming production season is one of the strongest and more complete schedule the Theater Department has had in a long time.

"All three shows compeiment each other. There is not one weak production that we are doing this year," Potter said. "They are all strong and should be fun to watch."

"The Heidi Chronicles" won both a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award in 1988. According to Potter, this play looks at individuals within the last half-century and social issues.

"It will be like watching what your parents went through while growing up," Potter explained.

The play takes place between the 1960s and the 1980s. It also deals with how women have changed through each decade. The main character in this play is Heidi Holland, a highly educated woman who seeks personal happiness.

According to Potter, this play is a good balance to the musical and Miller story.

"It has a lot of heavy female roles, which makes it more balanced," Potter said.

Even though it was "Death of a Salesman" that made Miller famous, "All My Sons" put him on the map, according to Potter. A Miller play is something that the theater program has wanted to do for a long time.

"We chose this one because Miller's plays have been very popular with Ferris students. There is very little known about this particular play because Miller was more famous for his bigger ones," Potter said, referring to "Death of a Salesman" and "The Crucible."

With the bigger-named productions slated to hit Williams Auditorium, the new theater program should get a nice boost of student interest.

Along with Potter, Assistant Professor of Theater and Director Katherine LaPietra started and created a new theater arts minor, now available for students at Ferris State.

The new minor consists of about five courses, but students enrolled in the program are not required to participate in any of the productions.

"We have been trying to get the program started at FSU for awhile, and we can finally make it available for students," Potter said. "We will have our first student graduating with the minor this coming December."

"Guys and Dolls" will appear at Williams Auditorium on Oct. 31-Nov. 3, "The Heidi Chronicles" is set to open at FSU from Jan. 30-Feb. 2 and "All My Sons" will appear from April 10-13.

"These are very prestigous plays, and it is a little bit better than last year's lineup," Potter said. "Anyone interested in either working or performing any of the productions is encouraged [to come to auditions]; however, it is time-consuming to put a quality production together."

Auditions for "Guys and Dolls" are Sept. 3-5 in Williams Auditorium at 6:30 p.m.

Anyone is able to audition for the productions, but for the musical, participants should come prepared with a music piece to sing.

Labor Day expands in Big Rapids
"Riverdays" tradition begins packed with events.

By Laura Anger
Business Manager

There will be something for everyone to do Labor Day weekend in Big Rapids.

For the last 33 years, the Labor Day Arts and Crafts Festival in Hemlock Park has been the main attraction.

This year, "Riverdays" involves five days of fun, free events that expand on the success of the arts and crafts festival.

Organizers hope "Riverdays" becomes a successful tradition. Several groups are partnering to bring a variety of activities to the community including the Mecosta County Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Business Association, the City of Big Rapids and Student Leadership and Activities.

Many other civic groups and associations are doing their part to make this celebration something to look forward to for many years to come.

Organizers had observed that most of the local communities have a summer festival, and Big Rapids has been lacking all the variety and tourism an annual festival adds to the community.

There will be several local groups acting as vendors of food and other items during the festival.

"This will provide non-profit groups an opportunity to make money," Chamber of Commerce Director Anja Wing said.

The celebration kicks off on Aug. 29 with "Bulldogs on the Bayou" in the Quad from 4-8 p.m.

Plenty of Cajun food and music by the Back Bayou Cajun Band will be in supply. The Cajun cookout is free with a Ferris meal plan or $5 each without a Bulldog ID.

Participants can learn to dance to the Cajun music with a dance lesson or enjoy one of the many novelty games on the site. Information about many campus groups and volunteer opportunities will be available also.

This event is open to students and non-students and offers fun for all ages.

This, combined with other Welcome Week activities, should make students of all ages feel welcome.

The focus shifts from Friday through Labor Day to the downtown area with a Homestead Arts show at Artworks that will have demonstrations of weaving, candle making and quilting.

Those interested can take on an extra class and sign up for one of the many classes offered through Artworks.

Other events include walk-ing back in time for an Arbor Home tour at the Historical Museum from 1-4 p.m. or viewing the variety of art on the Michigan Art Walk on campus from 12-4 p.m.

If you miss the art walk, antique tractors, farm market or Arbor Home tour, you can choose to attend any of those events on Saturday or Sunday also.

Michigan Avenue will be filled with racers late Friday afternoon as bed races return to the city at 5 p.m.

Vistors will be able to have dessert before dinner at a dessert sale at Hemlock Park from 6:30-8 p.m. and enjoy Stage M presenting Kern & Hammerstein music from Showboat at 7 p.m.

Keep your eyes open for classic cars, as they will be cruising State Street and Michigan Avenue, then arriving in Hemlock Park 7:30-8 p.m.

Have your dancing shoes on for an old-fashioned sock hop in the park starting at 8 p.m. DJ'd by Bill Beckwith from WBRN until 11 p.m.

Start off Saturday with a Lumberjack Pancake breakfast at the Big Rapids Middle School beginning at 7 a.m. for the early risers and continuing until 11 a.m.

If you miss breakfast, head to Hemlock Park from 1:30-6 p.m. for a pie and ice cream dessert sale.

Stage M repeats their musical selection from Showboat in the park at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Discover the White Pine Trail and all it has to offer for biking, rollerblading and walking by joining a walking group starting at the Northend Park at 9 a.m., 10a.m. and 11 a.m.

If warm fuzzies are more your style, view quilts at the Historic Musuem as they offer a Quilt Show during the afternoon.

Fun for families in Hemlock Park features an art tent in Playscape from 1-3 p.m., a pet parade at 5 p.m., puppets and other entertainment in Playscape 6:30-8:30 p.m. Saturday night wraps up with a street dance in front of Chemical Bank, featuring oldies music by WDEE.

The feature event on Saturday is the Lumberjack Show.

Scheer's Lumberjack Shows have been featured on ABC's Wide World of Sports, TNN, MTV's Real World and Road Rules and the Family Channel, to name a few.

The show includes events such as axe throwing, underhand chopping, log rolling and chainsaw carving.

Crowd participation is encouraged, and at the end of each performance, a lucky participant takes home a wooden chair carved and autographed by one of the lumberjacks.

Old-time lumberjacks used to challenge each other in one-on-one contests with these skills to pass idle time in the logging camps.

These skills now provide entertainment. Shows are at 1, 4 and 6 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased in advance for $2 at Patterson's Flowers, Old Pioneer and Emporium or Heartwoods/Living Water Bookstore.

Big Rapid's own Labor Day Bridge Walk takes place on Sunday at 4 p.m., utilizing the Maple Street and Baldwin Street Bridges.

More walking is available on the White Pine Trail Tour for three different sessions again on Sunday morning.

Homestead Arts and Antique Tractors and Farmer's Market continue into Sunday also.

Mitchell Creek in Hemlock Park will be turned yellow with little toy duckies for a duck race, sponsored by Riverwalk at 3 p.m.

On Sunday night, the air will be filled with traditional music by the Rhythm Billies in front of Chemical Bank from 6-9 p.m.

This group is brought to the area by the Wheatland Humanities Council, which sponsors an annual traditional music festival each September near Remus.

On Labor Day, the main attraction is the Arts and Crafts Festival in Hemlock Park.

According to Wing, this event annually draws a variety of people spanning all ages and backgrounds.

Last year's attendance was estimated between 20,000-30,000, judging by the amount of people who passed through the variety of booths during the event.

Currently there are over 160 vendors participating in this year's festival.

"We're looking forward to another great turnout," Wing said.

A free shuttle will be available at the Mecosta County Fairgrounds to transport the public to Hemlock Park, to help with extra traffic in the area that day.

A raffle for three cars will be held by the Leadership Mecosta Program. Tickets can be purchased until 3 p.m. and are $50 to try a chance at a new set of wheels.

A variety of handcrafted items including jewelry, candles, ceramics, floral arrangements, wood items, photography and calligraphy will also be offered during the event.

Several civic groups will be providing a food court area with pizza, kettlecorn, lemonade and soft drinks.

Volunteers are still needed to help with many of the events during this five-day celebration.

A-hunting we will go...
The Reckoning is a good action game, but not the best.

By Matt Cherry
Opinions Editor


Have you ever wanted to be on the other side of an Anne Rice novel? Have you ever played White Wolf Publishing's "Vampire: The Masquerade" or "Werewolf: The Apocalypse" paper-and-pencil games and wanted to live the experience video game style?

Well, if you have an Xbox, you now have that opportunity.

It's a little game based on another of White Wolf's RPGs called "Hunter: The Reckoning".

This game goes old school in its format, and resembles a modern Gauntlet with zombies, vampires and giant demonic teddy bears, instead of the usual ghosts, orcs and evil sorcerers.

I'll say it now, and I'll say it again later. This game is M-rated for a reason. This isn't a good one for the kids to see. It's got nightmare material written all over it.

One of the coolest parts of the game has to be the four-player aspect. However, if you have three or four people playing it, one of the game's bad parts comes through: the difficulty rating goes through the roof.

An enemy who would normally take you three blows to kill with one or two players now takes at least six. And if you're talking boss battles, well, you'd better hope that you've got lots of extra lives (which players can get by saving innocents).

The high point of the game is the controls. Taking advantage of the Xbox's dual analog sticks, using one to move and one to aim, makes outrunning the enemies while shooting them a lot easier.

Of course, there's the pesky problem of your character auto-locking on the nearest target-whether it's a man-eating zombie or a window-and staying locked onto it.

Visually speaking, this game is a toss-up. The visuals are pretty, and there can be up to 30 bad guys on the screen at once. However, crappy camera control (you can only zoom in or out) and rather sloppy character animations really take away from the experience.

The sounds are about what you'd expect from a game like this. There's only voice acting in the cinematics, so in the rest of the game you'll basically be hearing shotgun blasts and zombie moans.

The soundtrack kicks in when you come against a lot of enemies, but it's nothing to write home about.

You'd do better to just pop in a good hard metal CD and go with it. Drowning Pool's "Bodies" is both a good song for this game as well as appropriate, considering.

Another problem with this game as with any similar Gauntlet-style game is that there's limited replay value. It's good for the first time, but that's about it.

The only real thing to get you to play it again is that there are two endings-one if you save fifty innocents, and one if you don't.

The game is really fun, especially when playing with friends, and the inclusion of an experience system really makes staying alive worth it.

However, as it stands, "Hunter: The Reckoning" just isn't all that it could be.

Had the programmers spent just a couple more months on the game, this could have been a leader in the genre. As it is, it's just another overhead shooter. And that's really unfortunate.

Of course, I thoroughly recommend renting this game if you're looking for a good multiplayer game.

And if you love the Gauntlet series and want a modern version of one, this should be straight up your alley.

Although, if there's one thing more than anything that this game made me want to do, that would have to be go and play the paper-and-pencil RPG.

If you want more information on either this or any of White Wolf Publishing's great RPGs, just check out their website at www.white-wolf.com.

Even though I've been harping a little more on the bad, I would still rent this game again in a heartbeat. Especially if I had some friends coming over for some gaming.

On a 10-point system, I'd give this game a 8.2.

New look, new job, same face
A color commentary by yours truly.

By Matt Cherry
Opinions Editor

Well, it's another year here at beautiful Ferris State University.

And it's another wonderful year of writing for the Ferris State Torch.

As you may have noticed, a few things have changed since last year. I used to be the assistant Arts & Entertainment editor, and Brian VanSteenkiste and Omar Ha-Redeye used to be some of your favorite writers here in the opinions section.

Okay, maybe they weren't your favorite writers, but that's not the point.

The fact of the matter is, they graduated. I have now become the opinions section editor. So I figured that with my first article of the year, I'd get to know you, the reader, and you could get to know me, the editor.

First things first: you're going to see a different type of opinions section this year. Yeah, I know that just about every editor says that about his/her section. However, if any of you remember VanSteenkiste's views, you're going to find mine to be just about a 180 degree turn from his on a lot of subjects.

What those subjects are, you'll just have to wait and see. But I'll tell you this much: my friends tend to label me (an issue I'll deal with later) as a militant liberal. I think that pretty much sums up what I'm talking about right there.

So you'll either love me or you'll hate me. I'm no Ha-Redeye, but I'm also not the meekest person you'll ever meet.

You might also see me do another review of some sort for A&E from time to time. What can I say? I love writing reviews too much to give it up. You may also find a few more of my reviews on other gaming websites around the Internet. Other than that, I like to keep a relatively low profile.

Okay, enough with the intro. Now we get into what makes the opinions section fun: rants from very bitter people. And it's also time for a small rant to whet your whistle from a highly bitter person: yours truly.

One thing I should mention before I begin my rant is that I'm in the English program with a specialty in literature.

As such, I am actually abhorred by the necessity of the READ class we offer here. Having books such as "Sounder" and "Where the Red Fern Grows" being offered at a college, other than for courses about grade school to middle school literature, leaves me dumbfounded.

I mean, can we as Americans really be this bad with our own language? Certainly, I'm a little more lax with sentence structure than others - studying foreign language will do that to a person - but this level of literacy is just not acceptable to me.

How can people live without reading the classics? Has television really taken over that much of our lives?

Surely, I enjoy the tube also, but I'll always take the time to read a good book. And I don't care whether it's a James Patterson mystery or one of the great philosophies of Aristotle or Plato; reading is integral to every aspect of our life. Try to go one week without reading anything. Anything. Not even e-mail or a restaurant menu or the news-ticker on the bottom of the TV screen.

Throughout history, one's ability to read was proof of one's wealth. And here in our country, everyone is taught the ability to read.

Reading is a gift that too many people squander. And our grandparents wonder why so few of us have imaginations. We don't need them. Why imagine anything exciting happen when we can watch it?

Take another great series, in my opinion, J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings."

I mean, when the new version was released in theaters I was ecstatic. However, no matter how great the movies are/will be, it cannot compare with the feeling of the book.

Take a scene like the mines of Moria, for example. The movie portrayed the scene wonderfully, but that's all it was able to do.

The static visuals of the movie lack in comparison to actually imagining the scene while reading it, when it might be different every time you read it.

By reading, one can become Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli or any of the others, and it can throw you into their world.

You can almost become part of the story.
Television will never equal that feeling. You'll always be stuck as a spectator.

As you likely already know, I'm also an avid video gamer, and I would recommend a good RPG (role-playing game) over any blockbuster movie.

Why? Simple. It's called a "role-playing" game for a reason: you're playing the role of the hero/ine, and it's up to you to save the world.

While it may not equal the feel of a good book, it's a lot better than the stagnant feeling of even the best movie.

Well, I think that gives you an idea of what you can expect for the rest of the year. And just think about it: this is only me ranting.

It's all about the cash
With a new year upon us, college students are ready to look for various ways to make money.

By Aaron Hatfield
Ferris State Torch

With the fall semester upon me, I find myself once again worrying about the hellacious task of paying my bills while at school. As this is tossed about in my head, I analyze all of the possibilities I can think of to make money.

I could work for this place. I could deliver this. I could sell this. I could sue someone or I could win the lottery.

Unfortunately, this is how our society works. We still believe in starting at the bottom to get to the top, which is unattainable. If we knew what the people at the top knew, then they'd be out of a job, and that's not going happen.

If a multimillionaire was to walk up to us and tell us that we could be in their shoes in five years, as long as we changed our ideas and did what they told us to do, we would all laugh them out of the country.

We would then go home and continue following the ideas instilled in us by our parents, teachers, and friends, most of whom are a long way away from being as successful as the multimillionaire. This behavior is especially prevalent in the Midwest.

From an early age we are taught by our parents, teachers, and friends that we are to get good grades in school, graduate, go to a prestigious university, get a degree, go to work, and then we will make the big bucks. All of these people mean well, but look where these ideas are coming from.

Your teachers make an average of around $41,000 a year. The U.S. median household income on the last census was a little over $40,000 a year, and your friends made an average of $100 last year.

What if Tiger Woods held a basketball camp? Would you go? Of course not! Now if it was golf, then that would be a different story. Tiger is an expert and has all the right ideas and methods to be successful at golf.

The same goes for our financial future. Why do we follow our friends, parents, and teachers when they give us the wrong information?

They are not as successful as the millionaires who try to help us financially. They are the experts at making money and have all the right ideas and methods to be successful financially.

These people are all trying to live and be successful using yesterday's methods.

The idea that getting good grades, going to college, and working your way up from the bottom is the only way to be successful was true back in the industrial age, just after the Great Depression.

This is no longer working for most people. We are no longer in the industrial age - we are in the information age.

In this age, those who have access to the most valuable information which has the least penetration and spreads it the quickest will be the most successful. It is just a matter of plugging in to the information at the right time