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 Matt Sklom will be remembered at FSU
The football game between Ferris and GVSU was canceled.
By Shannon Vesper
Assistant Sports Editor
The flags on the University fly at half staff this week after the Ferris State University's football team suffered a devasting loss last week on Sept. 11.
Linebacker Matt Sklom, a freshman from Blue Island, Ill., near Chicago, collapsed on the practice field during a routine tackling drill.
A press release, sent out early Thursday by the University, said that at 4:27 p.m. on Wednesday, the Ferris Department of Public Safety and Mecosta County EMS responded to the call to help revitalize Sklom, but their attempts were unsuccessful.
In a press conference held Thursday afternoon at Wheeler Pavilion, head Coach Jeff Piece described what happened.
"It was routine one and one situation. There was about 10 yards between players to use. Matt went up to make a tackle, there was no real collision. It's not like they're trying to get a hold of the guys. The next guy went up, Matt walked to the back of the line maybe four or five steps and keeled over. At that point, we thought it was a shoulder or something. The trainers and the staff went over immediately, the next thing the EMS was there," Pierce said.
Pierce said that EMS were on site for about 20 minutes trying to revive him before taking him to Mecosta General Hospital. His body was later taken to Grand Rapids for an autopsy.
"The team stopped, everyone held hands and prayed," Pierce said teary-eyed.
"We took a knee. We didn't know how serious it was. EMS did what they had to do. Finally Coach Pierce brought the captains over and we moved us to a new location. It felt like an eternity to wait. I never thought in a million years something would happen," team captain Bo Moore said.
Sklom's parents were contacted late Wednesday night after a short conference.
It was reported that under the circumstance, they took the news rather well.
"Matt's dad said, 'I've never seen Matt so happy. He's the happiest I've ever seen him,'" Athletic Director Tom Kirinovic said.
"This is what I feel speaks highly of our program. We're hurting right now," Kirinovic said sadly.
Just before the conference, Kirinovic reported that the autopsy findings suggested it was caused by a blow to the chest during a tackle, where he was hit in between heart beats, which caused his heart to fibulate, or flutter.
The doctor also noted that it's not uncommon to see this occur with athletes.
Kirinovic also noted, "It was the timing, not the impact, that caused this to happen."
"It's more likely to be hit by lightning. It scares you about life," Pierce said.
"He had only been here since August. He was a freshman, a very hard working kid, the kind you want in your program. You'd see him in the weight room all the time, and he gained the respect of the team by what's he's done," Pierce said.
Moore said that at the end of camp, the guys on the team have a welcome for the new guys into the program and that is when he started to get to know him.
"I shook his hand, and the look on his face was so happy to be in the program and excited to start a new football career at Ferris," Moore said.
The team practiced as normal on Thursday afternoon. The players used the time to determine how mentally ready they were to play against Grand Valley on Saturday.
The decision not to play was made Friday morning.
The press release reported that, "In making the decision not to play, we considered the health and safety of the student-athletes involved, and felt there was enough doubt in their minds about whether they could be ready," Kirinovic said. "Success in the game of football is contingent on having everyone working together, and we didn't feel everyone could focus enough to make that happen."
"We felt that some players wanted to, but other didn't. It was the same thing for the coaching staff. About fifty:fifty. So we thought we better not play," coach Matt McCarthy said.
The game will not be counted as a forfeit and due to the time of the season it will not be rescheduled. It will be counted as a no game.
"It won't change anything that we do. It might change how we approach our players. To get the most out of them we coach them hard. We may not be as verbally hard on them and do more explaining and show a little bit more patience for them on the mistakes they make. Sometimes I think that gets lost in the importance of 'you gotta win'. Who really cares if you win and lose? You should be thankful to go out there and play everyday," McCarthy said.
Next week the Bulldogs will play at Northern Michigan University, and will be back home to take on Wayne State University on Sept. 28. Ferris currently ranks seventh in the league.
Contract dispute finally over after late Monday afternoon vote.
Faculty votes on agreement.
By Abby Bearman
News Editor
All is not quiet on the western front, as disputes have risen yet again in the contract negations at Ferris State University. The faculty finally voted Monday evening to ratify the tentative agreement reached Sunday, Aug. 25.
Of all Ferris faculty members, approximately 95 percent are members of the Ferris Faculty Association (FFA); over 75 percent of the eligible members voted. The final tally was 242 in favor of accepting the agreement with only 69 opposed, for a ratio of more than three to one.
The small number opposed comes after much e-mail and verbal traffic debating the primary points of the agreement. A faction of the FFA had brought up several points of concern arguing against the acceptance of the agreement, among them being the alleged absence of equity.
According to Languages and Literature professor Phil Sterling, "What we understood was not what the tentative agreement has; there is no mention of equity."
What is described in the tentative agreement is a "supplemental market adjustment," which entails a $300,000 annual fund that is to be distributed amongst the eligible full and associate professors. However, to be eligible, one must have had a promotion or merit recognition within the past seven years.
Assistant professors would receive a one-time lump payment of $750 at the beginning of this year and the next.
"What it amounts to is that it's just not fair," Sterling said. He continued, "I think a lot of people blame the leadership of the union."
Another professor within the Languages and Literature department, Robert von der Osten, agreed with Sterling. In a written statement posted on his office door, von der Osten mentioned "The process is seriously flawed and, typical of this union, was hammered out in a back room without public scrutiny or comment."
In regards to the equity situation, von der Osten said, "In the past, the Ferris community recognized that we all work together. That we all make significant contributions, and that while there is clearly some difference in income based on rank and seniority, we all deserve to be rewarded well for our work."
Ferris Faculty Association president Michael Ryan faced these criticisms by saying, "part of the main concern dealt with the fact that it is linked to the promotion and merit system itself."
This system, which is not a new feature of the agreement, is based on a professor's credentials and evaluations. Credentials vary from school to school, but include such requirements as master's degrees, quotas for hours in the classroom or even attaining a doctorate degree.
At FSU, the evaluation portion of the system considers evaluations by students and fellow faculty members, a demonstration of activities on campus such as advising an organization or participating on a committee, as well as actively pursuing one's own professional development by attending meetings and conferences.
To receive a promotion or merit recognition a professor has to go through an application process, which is a point of concern for some according to Ryan, who said, "the concern in part is that someone could be an outstanding faculty member, but they don't apply for a promotion."
The length of time in between promotion applications varies for each of the academic colleges; some colleges permit their faculty to apply every year, while others have opted for four-year waiting periods.
According to Ryan, "about 88 percent of the faculty can be in this system. It has a lot of flaws and it's not perfect, but it's far superior to anything that we've had on this campus before."
Sterling's concluding comment was, "I think members of the union feel a little betrayed by it. They were prepared to put their jobs and welfare on the line and this is not what they expected."
Contract negotiations will now not take place again for the next four fiscal years, and the contract will now go before the university Board of Trustees for final approval.
The next meeting is a special Board of Trustees meeting Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 11:30 a.m. in the Timme Center for Student Services, room 201 V-W. If the contract is ratified by the Board, it will take effect immediately.
 Speaker cleans up his act
Pregracke tells audience to work hard for their goals.
By Adam Wiese
Ferris State Torch
"Environmental speaker"
Chad Pregracke, Pictured here, recently came to Ferris and spoke about cleaning up.
www.riverrelief.org
Chad Pregracke, who is partly responsible for cleaning up hundreds of miles of national rivers, told his story on Sept. 10 in the Science Building as part of the FSU Speaker Series.
During the course of the speech, one of the most common statements the group of students and faculty heard was, "When I set a goal, I work hard and stick to it."
A native of East Moline, Ill., Pregracke's childhood was strongly affected by the Mississippi River.
"I've always loved the (Mississippi) River and can't really consider a life without it," he said.
During this time, Pregracke discovered the amount of garbage and trash that occupied the Mississippi River.
"While sleeping overnight on the islands, in between washed-up barrels and tires, I thought to myself, 'I'm going to clean up this mess.' It was at that time when I decided that I wanted to clean up the Mississippi River," Pregracke said.
"Beginner's luck played a big part in getting my project started," Pregracke admitted. During his initial search for a sponsor, he contacted a small corporation in the Quad Cities region of Illinois named the Alcoa Foundation.
After speaking directly to the CEO, a sponsorship deal was arranged and Pregracke was granted funds to operate by himself for one year.
"It wasn't what I really wanted, but it got me started on satisfying my goal of cleaning up a 435-mile stretch of the River, despite that I've only traveled on 150 of those miles," Pregracke said.
So, in the spring of 1997, the venture began with his personal, flat-bottomed boat and bare hands.
"I was OK with doing the job myself, but I knew that if I just had a few more people to help me out, the operation would be much more efficient and smoother running,"
Pregracke recruited several sponsors and was able to hire five full-time employees. Along with many volunteers, he completed his goal of cleaning up his allotted 435 miles of the River only two years after the initial startup.
"Once we completed the goal of cleaning the Mississippi River, I realized that I couldn't just stop there," he said. "So, I decided I would move on to clean 273 miles of the Illinois River."
Pregracke decided to officially establish his cause as a non-profit organization named Living Lands & Waters, Inc. It was during this time that the group decided to purchase several river barges.
"One of the problems we had in our operation before was that we always had to take our boats ashore once we filled them with garbage, which didn't take too long, and had to drive the garbage to the closest dump or junkyard," he said. "We spent almost half of our time off the river, getting rid of the garbage. The benefit of using barges is that you don't have to take your garbage to the dump nearly as often."
Once they obtained the barges, the Illinois River cleanup project began in the fall of 1999 and was completed in only about 15 months thereafter.
Another goal was set to clean the Ohio River, which was completed a few months ago.
Currently, Pregracke and his crew are cleaning the Missouri River. They have expanded and are operating with ten crew members, ten office employees, three barges and four workboats.
Their newest acquisition, named the World Water Room, is a barge that contains living quarters, a classroom, living rooms, galley and dining room for both crew members and volunteers.
To date, they have picked up approximately 800 tons of garbage from the Mississippi, Illinois, Ohio and Missouri Rivers over the past five years.
Concluding his speech, Pregracke stated, "I have two main tips for all of you: When you make a goal, work hard and achieve it, and surround yourself with good people. I would never have gotten as far as I did with this project had I not met some great people along the way."
FLEX Conference to teach career building skills
FLEX for Success is not just for business major students.
By Adam Wiese
Ferris State Torch
Leadership skills, networking with professionals and resume writing are just a few of the things you will have the opportunity to learn at the fall 2002 FLEX for Success professional career & leadership conference.
The FLEX for Success conference will take place on September 25, 2002 in the Rankin Student Center. The conference will consist of four sessions spread throughout the course of the day at 2-2:50 p.m., 3-3:50 p.m., 4:00-4:50 p.m. and 8:10-9 p.m.
Each session will have approximately seven to eight possible speakers for students to choose from.
Several sessions will be repeated during the course of the day due to high demand in the past. A sampling of the topics that will be discussed during these sessions includes "Can You Get a Job on the Internet?," "How to Blow an Interview" and a message from alumna keynote speaker Carol Rewers.
Along with the four regular 50-minute sessions, two unique meals are being planned to teach pre-registered students a few major fundamentals of the business world.
The first meal is the Networking Luncheon, which will take place at noon and will teach attendees the basics of networking with business professionals, allowing them to gain contacts that will help them to land a job after graduation.
This luncheon will also feature one of the three major keynote speakers, Patrick Combs, with his message of "Major in Success."
The other meal is the Business Etiquette Tips Dinner, which will take place at 5 p.m. and will teach students professional behavior at a business dinner.
This particular meal will also feature another major keynote speaker, Joe Martin, with his special message, "Don't Just Get a Job, Get a LIFE!"
The final major session during the FLEX conference will be a "Hot Topics" debate moderated by Raymond Gant, Director of FSU Minority Student Affairs.
The topic of discussion will be business ethics, and the use or misuse of such in a business atmosphere.
"We were quite pleased with the way the FLEX for Success conference turned out last semester," Barbara Renne, asstistant director of career services, said. "We had around 500 students attend the last FLEX conference. This semester, we're planning for even more students to attend. As of right now, members of the community, faculty and even employers have registered to attend some of our sessions. I just think that is phenomenal."
The conference originally existed as two separate career-building conferences, one sponsored by Career Services and the other by Student Leadership & Activities.
"We found that it was better to pool our resources and money together and have a larger conference on one day rather than two, smaller events on two separate days," Renne stated.
"The large numbers of students and other attendees we received at the last FLEX conference was absolutely wonderful, and proved that it was much more successful for us (Career Services & Student Activities) to work together on this project."
The deadline for registration is Sept. 20 and applications can be found at the Career Services office in Rankin 108, or
completed online at www.ferris.edu/careerservices.
 World traveler ends up at FSU
Printing professor enjoys his work.
By Jessica Wortley
Ferris State Torch
"Important call"
Professor Donald Santer is very involved with activities away from FSU
Photo By Dan Gellasch
Photo Editor
"I've been around the world twice," commented Ferris professor Don Santer, describing the numerous places he's been in his life.
An associate professor in the printing technology program, Santer has traveled extensively both for pleasure and as a result of his years in the United States Navy.
"I've been everywhere you can get to by water," he said.
Additionally, he and his wife Nancy have done much traveling around the United States.
This past summer they spent five weeks camping in the western states, making stops at the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Las Vegas, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Badlands and Bryce Canyon.
"The Grand Canyon was totally awesome," he said. "Bryce Canyon was great, but you have to see it to appreciate it."
They also went whitewater rafting in Royal Gorge, Colorado and stopped in Fargo, N.D. for a family reunion with their son and daughter. On the way home they stopped at John Wayne's birthplace, Shipshiwana and Ft. Dodge.
Santer said he began serving in the Navy in 1961 under the delayed entry program and retired from the service in 1981.
He moved to Michigan with his wife Nancy for what he expected to be a short visit.
"Except we never left," he joked.
In 1982 Santer started taking classes at Ferris and received his bachelor's degree in printing in 1983. A year later he began teaching in the printing program, where he's been ever since.
Santer's classes include binding and finishing operations, desktop publishing, preventative maintenance and FSUS.
He describes Ferris as a good place to work and stated "the faculty has a good cohesion with each other, we stick together."
He is also the faculty advisor for the Graphic Arts Association and the coordinator for the College of Technology's kick-off picnic.
During his time in the Navy, Santer served a year in Vietnam, worked for Naval Intelligence and spent a few years on the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz.
While on the Nimitz he worked in the print shop, printing anything the carrier needed for daily activities. He described the carrier as a floating city and said that anything a city needs, they need as well.
"We printed magazines, newspapers, reports, regulations, flying plans, classified information and many other items," Santer said.
Although retired from the service, he is currently in his second year as editor of the Five Star News of the USS Nimitz, a magazine for those who served or are currently serving on the carrier. It is a way for them to keep in touch, and features articles about various members or events taking place.
Santer describes printing as never being boring and that everything is a whole new experience, unlike an assembly line.
"It's never the same job twice," he said. "Each job is unique."
And his favorite part of the job?
"The challenge in being able to take a job and produce it to the customer's satisfaction."
Santer stated he got his start in printing while in junior high school in California taking college prep classes.
He was on the industrial arts track, which included printing classes that he found he really liked. He ended up working for his high school, printing football programs and anything else the school needed.
Santer then mentioned a unique fact from his junior high days regarding a plane that had crashed into his school. He was classmates with rock and roll singer Richie Vallens, and he said supposedly in Vallen's movie La Bamba the school is featured in the film.
"I've never actually seen the movie, but I've been told it's in there," he said.
When not in classes, Santer can be found at home, out hunting or in his large woodshop, a converted United Methodist Church.
He makes mostly furniture and toys, and mentioned that he made most of his daughter's furniture, including cribs, beds and tables.
Santer said that right now everything he makes he gives away, but plans to sell his work when he retires from teaching. Until now he wants to keep it a hobby, not a job.
"I want to do it when I want to do it," he stated.
He also rebuilt his 1883 farmhouse, adding more rooms and making it more economical to heat.
"My dad was a handyman and I got the gift from him," he said. "I can do most anything."
 FSU can help fix a busted car
FSU Automotive Center is open for business.
By Mary Gurnee
Ferris State Torch
"Vroom!"
The Automotive Center is located north of Masselink Hall before the Prakken Building
Photo By Dan Gellasch
Photo Editor
The time is upon Ferris State University to open up the Automotive Center Service floor. The service floor is now accepting appointments for the fall 2002 semester.
The service floor is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8-11:30 a.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 8-10:30 a.m. The customer preferred pick up time is between 2-4 p.m.
Any car, small truck or mini-van can be worked on.
Deb Tice, service floor employee, said, "They are now working on cars 1995 and newer. The year increases every year."
The service floor is not limited only to American cars. Any make and model can be worked on as long as it meets the year requirement.
The work that is done is the same as any garage would do. The automotive students can do oil changes, tire rotation, engine work and more. Servicing a muffler may not be included, and customers are urged to call and explain the problem before bringing in the vehicle.
For an appointment, a student, faculty or staff member, or member of the community should call the service manager. The number to call is (231) 591-5991.
The cost to service a car in the Automotive Center is lower than that of a garage.
Account Cleark Anita Kunnen said, "Students pay the full list price for parts and they do not have to pay labor."
There is also a $5 charge for paper. The labor is what will make the cost so high in the average garage.
Parts are available for a vehicle the same day or the next day. Servicing a vehicle in the Automotive Center may take a little longer than usual.
Deb Tice said, "The [automotive] student has to do an estimate, go through the instructor, then they discuss it with the customer."
The issue of students working on actual cars that are currently being used doesn't seem to worry any students.
Becky Worth, a senior in public administration said, "As long as they are in the automotive program, I wouldn't have a problem."
The success rate is satisfactory according to the staff in the automotive center, considering how long the program has been in business with the university.
Tice said, "We haven't had any problems unless there was something wrong with the part that was used."
Kunnen added, "This was one of the first programs on campus."
The program is designed to allow automotive students to learn with hands on experience. In the program, only newer cars are used.
Kunnen said, "When the automotive students are done with school, those are the cars that they will work on the most."
Being able to keep up with technology is another reason why only newer cars are used. Yet, there is a flip side to that.
Jeff Jernstadt, a freshman in career exploration, said, "If the [automotive] student plans on owning their own dealership or garage, it would be better if they were trained with older years and models along with the new ones."
Summarizing a national struggle vs. Iraq
White House paper outlines its case against Saddam Hussein.
Knight Ridder Newspapers
WASHINGTON - To back up President Bush's speech challenging the United Nations to act against Iraq, the White House issued a background paper titled "A Decade of Deception and Defiance" that catalogs its case against the regime of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
The document contains no new information. Rather, it lists in one place the relevant record of Saddam's violations of U.N. mandates and his history of abusive rule.
The report includes:
-16 resolutions the U.N. Security Council issued between 1990 and 1999 ordering Iraq to comply with mandates regarding the inspection of Saddam's weapons development, none of which he fully obeyed.
-Citations of U.N. inspection reports detailing Iraq's extensive development of biological and chemical weapons in the 1990s.
-Inferences about Saddam's nuclear weapons-development plans based on outside experts' assessments, his efforts to buy materials that could be used in such development and his continued employment of nuclear scientists.
-An estimate that Iraq is believed to be developing missiles with a range of more than 90 miles, contrary to a U.N. Security Council mandate.
-Inferences that Saddam retains "a small force of Scud-type missiles" and "an undetermined number of launchers and warheads."
-Summaries of Saddam's incidents of repression of Iraqi civilians and his abuse of human rights, including specific assaults on women by his regime and torture of political opponents, as published previously by the State Department.
-Allegations that Saddam's regime routinely abuses children by forcing them into labor and to attend military training camps.
-Summaries of Iraq's support for international terrorism as documented previously by the State Department, including his attempt to assassinate former President George H.W. Bush in Kuwait in 1993, his hosting of radical Arab terrorist organizations in Iraq and his payments to families of Palestinian suicide bombers.
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Nightfall in Middle Earth"...
ccer team won two at Bulldog Classic