Students and community members talk about vaginas at the V-Day benefit

By Jenna Larkin on 3/25/2011 Signs were hung across the campus promoting the words "V-Day." The signs left viewers to question what they meant. What does the "V" stand for? Vacuum, vampire, vase, vegetarian? In actuality, the letter stood
According to Beth Mitchell, junior, her vagina is 'angry' and it has some things it need to say(Riana Rowles)
for "vagina". The Betsy Dole Women's Resource Center presented a V-Day benefit performance called "The Vagina Monologues," which took place in the Upton Conservatory and starred Olivet College students and people from the community.

This V-Day presentation was an organized response against violence toward women. Eve Ensler, an activist for women's rights, is also the playwright of "The Vagina Monologues," which has been translated into over 48 languages and performed in over 140 countries. Ensler was born in New York and graduated from Middlebury College in 1975.
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Annual Fairy Tale Ball stirs up magic, music and mischief

by Eleri Thomas on 3/25/2011
Junior Tyler VanSyckle, left, junior David Pearson, and senior Kyle Modad stand together in Fairy Tale Ball costumes for a photo.(Riana Rowles)
One mild Wednesday night, pirates, witches, werewolves and princesses filled Klock Commons in Dole Hall. People danced to tunes such as "The Time Warp" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," "Firework" by Katy Perry, "Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer, and "Dragostea Din Tei" (The Numa Numa Song) by O-Zone.

On March 16, students got an opportunity to take part in games and dancing, and to enjoy a performance put on by Fan Club and the Multicultural Office. This event ran from 8 p.m. to midnight. This year's Fairy Tale Ball held a dating show motif, based around a show called "Who Wants To Marry A Princess?" In the show, Cinderella, played by junior Tajalli Kelley-Graves, was the princess looking for a suitor. There were three contestants: the Big Bad Wolf, played by junior Tyler VanSyckle, Captain Hook, played by senior Kyle Modad and Prince Charming, played by junior Mack Shannon.The show was hosted by Tinker Bell, played by sophomore Sierra Clark. The contestants were asked a series of questions: what they would do as King, how they would provide protection for the Princess in the case of evil villains, and more.
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Students show off their smarts, skills and school spirit in Ms. Olivet Pageant

By Jenna Larkin on 3/25/2011 Ms. Olivet has been a pageant competition on campus for at least the last five years. This year, it took place March 15 in the Mott Auditorium. The pageant was created to recognize women that display individual and social responsibility in their behavior on campus.

The prize winners (second from left) Kazette Chan, Christine Chaney, and Michelle Koebel line up at the end to be applauded and presented their prizes.(Robert Baker)
Ms. Olivet was judged by five judges, including previous crown winners, homecoming queen senior Katie Koralewski and Charlotte Frontier Days Queen senior Hanannah Horn, along with junior Anthony Bradley, senior Serafin Llerena, and Judy Fales, librarian assistant. The pageant featured four rounds that included personal creativity, professional presentation, talent, and a question and answer round. Winners received prizes of $50 for third, $150 for second, and $300 dollars for first place.

When asked how it felt being on the other side of the judges' table in a pageant, Horn said, "Being a judge was different for me because I knew exactly how each girl felt going on stage. It's not an easy thing to do but each girl was wonderful and I give them a lot of credit for just competing."

The event took place at 9 p.m. and was hosted by Olivet College students Brittany Marshall, junior, and Jania McCorkle, freshman. The pageant contestants included freshmen Hannah Dirkmaat and Heather Lauwers, sophomores Kazette Chan and Amanda Paxson, juniors Cara Van Dam, Michelle Koebel, Riana Rowles and Christine Chaney, and senior Alyssa Boudros. Each of these girls represented a certain club, or organization.
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Sports psychologist delivers keys to success, fulfillment to a packed house

By Chris Staab on 3/25/2011 Jerry Lynch, Ph.D., a sports psychology consultant and author, has been a sports psychologist for teams at Duke, Maryland and Stanford, and now spends some of his time speaking to students about how to be mentally tough and how to have self-confidence. He spoke in Mott Auditorium March 16 in a Lecture and Symposium program.

Lecture and Symposium speaker Jerry Lynch donned an Olivet College long-sleeved shirt as he spoke here March 16(Riana Rowles)
Lynch gave a speech on how to become a person who is true to who they are and who understands what they have to do to achieve their goals. Lynch advised his audience to take sports as a wonderful opportunity to learn all the lessons for life. Lynch also mentioned how many things become necessary when trying to lead a good life, such as courage, commitment, patience, integrity, and respect. Lynch talked about his "six spiritual vitamins," which include the power of intention, true confidence, courage, compassion, positive thought and gratefulness.

When asked what he thought of the audience he spoke to, Lynch said, "They were wonderful, perceptive, attentive, and a respectful group of young people." Lynch said that he has enjoyed watching the growth of the student body at Olivet College for 14 years, the last time he presented here.

Lynch also said that he enjoyed every minute of the experience when he gave his speech, that there was never "a lull," and that he felt like everyone listened well. Lynch said that he wants to use every way possible to get his message across, whether that means speaking to a group or writing about his message in his books. Lynch said he does not do what he does for money, but he does it "to serve in the best way possible." Most importantly, Lynch said that he wishes to influence people that they can be something more than just ordinary.

Freshman Tyler Drake said that he thought it was a good presentation and that he liked how the speaker had different methods for encouraging the audience members. Another freshman, Chris Ridley, gave his opinion on the presentation, and said, "I thought it was very motivating and inspiring to listen to for students." Sophomore Edric Miller said that he thought the speech was informative and he felt like he learned a lot from it, and that he felt like it was a good speech for athletes to hear.

Sipping tea and discussing Hinduism

Eleri Thomas on 3/25/2011 Shashi Karve is originally from India. She came to America as a teenager, and lives in Haslett. She is the author of four children's books, such as "Wake up, Baby Firishna," and "I Love You, Baby Sita." Karve was invited to Olivet College to speak to the students and faculty about major fundamentals and principles of the Hindu faith.

Karve spoke at the Tea @ 3 on March 2. The tea was sponsored by the Women's Resource Center and the Religious Studies Program. Karve covered several values, common beliefs, and practices. She began with the audience participating in a bingo game using words that originated from Hinduism. Words such as yoga, cashmere, punch, karma, bandana, sugar, indigo and avatar were used in the game.

Shashi Karve spoke at Olivet about Hinduism(Sarah Phillips)
Karve shared her experience of finding Hinduism. "My parents weren't practicing, so as a teenager seeing others practice rituals such as sitting in front of an image and offering flowers and water frustrated me. I didn't understand that, and then I realized it was my failing to recognize their devotion," said Karve. "What I failed to see was that they weren't worshipping an image, they were worshipping the Supreme Being they saw in the image. It's a window through [to] the one Supreme Being."

Karve shared that contradictory to popular belief, Hindus believe in only one Supreme Being, and that God is in no way separate from creation. Though they believe in one God, they also believe in several deities. Hinduism understands that everyone has separate abilities and interests, so they can pray to a deity that fits this idea best. All the deities are connected and are a part of one single God. Krishna is the deity of love and joy, Gayatri is the deity of intelligence, Laxmi is the deity of wealth and richness, Vishnu is the deity of protection and preserving, Shiva is the deity of death and destruction, Saraswati is the deity of arts and music, and Durga is the deity of war. These are a few that Karve spoke on, but there are more. Through them, Hindus access God through their different needs. In the Hindu faith, they also believe in Jesus Christ. They believe he was an avatar, which is a Hindu word that refers to an incarnation or manifestation of God. Karve also explained that there is no separation between the Christian God and the Hindu God.

She also spoke on the meaning of cows in the faith. Despite popular belief, cows aren't worshipped. They are loved as dogs are here. The cows literally roam the streets in India and are never killed or eaten. They are invaluable. "Killing the cows would be like killing the goose that lays the golden egg," said Karve.

She shared Hindu fundamentals and values, such as having respect for elders, teachers, animals, plants and all nature. They believe in ahisma, which means not hurting others for self-advancement. One must have humility and modesty and be non-aggressive and non-conflicting. Everyone's mother, father, teacher, and guests equate to God in their faith. One must see and appreciate God's presence in totality.

They also believe in "truth of thought," "words of action," and the acceptance of fate in one's success or failure, also known as karma.

"I am delighted she came to share her knowledge of Hinduism with the students of the college," said Dianne Thomas, director of the Betsy Dole Women's Resource Center.

"I'm very happy we're having these types of events. The more you have these types of things, it opens up for people to talk about their way of life and what's essential to them," said Assistant Professor of Humanities Dustin Byrd. "The more familiar we get with other ways of being in the world, the more open we are to the world."

New 'Hall of Justice' houses criminal justice program, ITS

By James Williams on 3/25/2011
In his new office in the criminal justice building, Mike Sherzer works on his computer.(James Williams)
Change has come to the criminal justice department at Olivet as the program is now located in a "new" building, the building that was once the art building, behind Mott, next to the Physical Plant offices.

The change began March 3 as students were getting ready to head home for Spring Break. On Thursday, March 10, the moving and changing of the old art building into the new criminal justice building was complete.

ITS, which also relocated to the building, is now the main center of 13 rooms in the building.

"It feels like a palace, new things to adjust to. my room has more space than I really needed," said Mike Sherzer, criminal justice professor.

The building has more offices and space and flooring in each room. "It helps out a lot to the college, brings in more students to get involved and more practice space as well, but we still have a long way to go," said Sherzer.

Olivet readers digest books at library that serves town and campus

By JAlex DeFinta on 3/25/2011 The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines library as: "a place in which literary, musical, artistic, or reference materials (as books, manuscripts, recordings, or films) are kept for use but not for sale." For centuries, libraries have been places where knowledge is stored and lent out. Places where people came to read .

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." - Cicero.

As the city of Olivet does not have a public library, Burrage Library serves the local community with its resources and programs. Long the visual symbol of Olivet College, Burrage Library provides resources both to students and the general public. The library not only boasts a collection of resource and study materials, but also more than 50 different magazines and newspapers, along with collections for young readers and access to the vast resources of the Internet and online collections. There is a fairly comprehensive section of books available for casual reading, from fiction to biographies, as well as a book swap where readers can leave a book and take another, free of charge. The library also celebrates National Reading Month.

"To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all the miseries of life." - W. Somerset Maugham.

March is designated as National Reading Month. For the last 14 years, the National Education Association has focused attention on reading, with reading programs for children and adults. National Reading Month starts off with Read Across America Day, held each year on or near March 2, the birthday of the beloved children's author, Dr. Seuss. Across the country in community centers, schools and libraries, groups and organizations hold celebrations, programs and book sales in order to spur renewed interest in reading by both young and old.

"How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book." - Henry David Thoreau, Walden.

The 2010 National Reading Month celebrated the 50th birthday of "The Cat In The Hat." This year, another famous figure from children's literature, Curious George, appeared at the library to help local children get into the excitement of National Reading Month.

"We are aligned with the Eaton County Intermediate School District's Great Start Program," said library assistant Judy Fales. The aim of the Great Start program is to get books into the hands of children and their parents, in order to promote reading. "We had 36 children and their families come to see Curious George and issued lots of new library cards," said Fales. "We want to get kids used to coming to the library." Great Start also makes free books available at libraries and schools to ensure that as many children as possible have books to read and enjoy.

"It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it." - Oscar Wilde.

Students at Olivet are also reading for National Reading Month; however, "The Cat in The Hat" and "Curious George" don't seem to be on the list of books they have to get through. Braydon LaFramboise, a senior, is reading three books on poker. "I'm finishing up my skills," said LaFramboise, who is getting ready to participate in the World Series of Poker, coming up in April.

"College books" said Amanda Tripplet, freshman, who said she doesn't have time to read much else.

"College books, CNN headlines, historical stuff," said freshman Joe Becker. Becker said that he likes the library for the many resources they offer and just learned about using the online research databases available to students. Becker said, "It's a source of a lot of material."

"A book is like a garden carried in the pocket." - Chinese Proverb.

Honor societies, one old, one renewed, induct members the same night

By Echo Staff on 3/25/2011 Two honor societies - one renewed on the Olivet campus - recently held inductions, both in Mott Room 110 on the same night, and both attended by current members, inductees, faculty, staff, parents and friends.

The Hosford Society of Scholars held its annual pining ceremony March 2 and inducted 35 new members. Adviser Erica Weaver, ITS coordinator, welcomed the crowd and helped to oversee the ceremony, conducted by Society executive board members.

Inducted were: Freshmen Alexander Alvarez, Allison Stockmeyer, Frederick Smyser, Geoffrey Scripter, Haley Bazzani, Hope Burnham, Lindsey Winters, Maria Loza-Lopez, and Rebekah Wiersma; sophomores Alexander DeFinta, Ashley Mallo, Elaina Gonzales, Helen Macqueen, Sarah Gandy, Sarah Phillips, and Tricia Mullins; juniors Alecia McWilliams, Ashley Holloway, Brenna Leedy, Elizabeth Tengler, Ethan Felsing, Jeffrey Janofski, Kelly Stephens, Kelsey Miller, Matthew Siebert, Rachel Delaney, and Zachary Coddaire; and seniors Alyssa Fredrick, Ameral Day, Branden Webb, Clay Robinson, Heather Bartels, Jessica Towsley, Katie Kidder, and Meagan Behnke.

Executive board members include president Morgan Heintz and vice president Christine Moulton, both seniors. The Society asks its members to "embrace the Olivet College Compact principles: value diversity within a community built on trust, participation, and a sense of pride."

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