June 25, 2007 (Vol. 14, No. 4)

A weekly electronic newsletter for alumni and friends of Michigan Technological University

Edited by Dennis Walikainen (MS ’92), Senior Editor, University Marketing and Communications
dkwalika@mtu.edu

For past issues, see our archives.

In this issue:

Change is Good

The phrase might be overused, but in this instance, it is true.

Techalum is going to change. We are moving it to the Michigan Tech Online Alumni Community that we've been talking to you about recently. It will allow us to do a couple of things: include photos and graphics, feature more sections for news of interest to you, and create a few other surprises.

Some things will always remain: information about alumni events, news on and off campus, job postings, and, most importantly, the email bag.

The email bag is by far my favorite part of Techalum, because I've learned so much about the University and the community: those drives home through blizzards, stories about Doc Berry and Verdie Cox, and the local establishments frequented by forestry majors ("Twigs"), for example.

We will also be sending it out biweekly. This is also good news. It means I can have more time to discover better stories to tell you about concerning Michigan Tech and the Keweenaw.

So beginning Monday, July 2, we will send Techalum out every other week (the 16th will be the next), and I know that, come those Sunday nights, there will be plenty to write about!

And, make sure you sign up for the Online Community. Information is below.

At Tech

BOARD OF CONTROL PASSES BALANCED BUDGET: Michigan Tech's Board of Control adopted a balanced budget Thursday, June 21, for the 2007-08 fiscal year, which begins July 1. The $135-million general fund budget projects a state appropriation of $50.4 million. The budget also reflects a 9.51 percent average increase in tuition and mandatory fees for undergraduates who are state residents. Graduate students will see a 6.2 percent increase in tuition and mandatory fees. Room and board rates are slated to rise 6.8 percent, from $6,820 to $7,285, for a standard occupancy room in the McNair or Douglass Houghton residence halls and 19 meals a week.
More: <http://www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/news/media_relations/578/>

***

ONLINE ALUMNI COMMUNITY CONTINUES GROWTH: Responses continue to be positive from alums who are joining the new Online Alumni Community. Approximately 6,500 have updated their bios and profiles. Don't be left out.

<http://www.alumnicommunity.mtu.edu/>

If you haven't checked out the site, use your First Time Number and log in that was mailed to you previously. The information is, of course, secure. For more about the Michigan Tech Online Alumni Community, contact mtualum(at)mtu.edu or the Alumni Relations office at 906-487-2400.

***

CONCRETE CANOE TEAM PLACES TENTH AT NATIONALS: Michigan Tech's concrete canoe team, after a long labor that began last fall, finished in the middle of the pack at this year's National Concrete Canoe Competition, held June 14-16 at the University of Washington in Seattle. The coed team, composed of 31 students, placed tenth overall among the 22 schools competing in the 2007 nationals, sponsored by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The three days of competition included display, an oral presentation and races. Michigan Tech placed particularly well in the races: first in the Men's Sprint; third in the Women's Sprint; and fourth in the Coed Sprint. As well, the men placed fifth in the endurance race, and the women placed seventh. Overall, the University of Wisconsin finished first; the University of Florida, second; and the University of Nevada-Reno, third.
More: <http://www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/ttoday/previous.php?issue=20070620#1>

***

END OF ANNUAL GIVING YEAR FAST APPROACHING: Want your name included among this year's Michigan Tech supporters? You have until June 30 to make your gift to Tech to ensure your place on the University's annual Honor Roll of Donors. To ensure a place on this list, the Michigan Tech Fund recommends using your credit card to make a gift at this time. You can either go on line to <https://www.banweb.mtu.edu/mtu/mtf/giftform.xsql> or you can phone the Tech Fund directly at 906-487-2310. At this time, a gift sent through the mail may not make it the Fund offices by June 30 for processing. Even if you mail a check dated by June 30, your gift will not be included in the 2006-07 totals if received after this date. Web gifts can be made up until midnight on June 30 and will be counted as a 2006-07 gift.

***

LITTLE HUSKIES CHILDCARE GETTING READY TO OPEN: They won't get master's degrees, but they will master playing, sharing, and learning. Children from infant to age six are being enrolled in the new Michigan Tech Little Huskies Development Center. Affiliated with Gretchen's House Childcare Centers of Ann Arbor, Little Huskies has an active-learning approach, according to director Eva-Marie Hatfield. "Our facilities are homelike," she says, "and they are comfortable and stocked with developmentally appropriate materials. And, we set a premium on outdoor play and natural learning. We garden, recycle, and spend time outside every day."
More: <http://www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/ttoday/previous.php?issue=20070620#2>

Tech Sports

INCOMING FRESHMAN DRAFTED BY NHL: Forward Casey Pierro-Zabotel, from Kamloops, British Columbia, was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the NHL draft this past weekend. He was selected in the third round and was picked 80th overall. Pierro-Zabotel will begin at Tech this fall.

Around the Keweenaw

Adapted from the Daily Mining Gazette

REVISING HISTORY--STATE COULD REPLACE ITALIAN HALL MARKER: Did the inside doors of the Italian Hall swing in or out What happens to a marker at the Calumet site where 73 people died at a party for families of striking miners could depend on the answer. The State Historic Preservation Office is reviewing evidence that may prove the doors opened outward. If true, that would debunk a long-held belief that made its way into local conventional wisdom--and onto the marker. On Dec. 24, 1913, a party was held for families of miners embroiled in the contentious Western Federation of Miners strike, by that point past the five-month mark. An unknown man yelled "Fire!," panicking the attendees, who scrambled down the narrow, rail-less staircase. From there, the plaque reads, "Although there was no fire, seventy-three persons died while attempting to escape down a stairwell that had doors that opened inward."
More: <http://www.mininggazette.com/stories/articles.asp?articleID=7525>

***

TECH LECTURES ON ITUNES: Download "Surfin' Bird" by the Trashmen.
Download "Louie Louie" by the Kingsmen.
Download Professor Faith Morrison's "CM4650 Polymer Rheology."

Michigan Tech is a prominent part of an iTunes shift toward academia. Last month, Apple publicly rolled out iTunes U, a section of its iTunes music store that offers free downloading of multimedia college lectures. There are about 200 colleges that provide lectures their students can gain access to through iTunes. But Tech is one of only 16 schools that provides its courses for free, worldwide. They're listed on the iTunes U page right below Duke and just above MIT. "This is a short list of fairly prestigious universities and we're on that short list," Tech Director of Educational Technology and Online Learning Patty Lins said.
More: <http://www.mininggazette.com/stories/articles.asp?articleID=7535>

***

HANCOCK'S SCOTT HOTEL UNDERGOING A REBIRTH: Transom windows, hand-carved newel posts and plaster cornices aren't features normally seen in senior housing, and that's exactly why Scott Hotel owner Mike Lahti wants to keep them. "I worked at the desk at the Scott Hotel when I was a teenager, so that building has a lot of sentimental value to me, as it does to many people," Lahti said. The building, which celebrated its centennial last year, has withstood the peaks and valleys of Hancock's economic times. A landmark at the corner of Reservation and Quincy streets, in more recent times the lower floor was home to Hancock Hardware while the upper floors' apartments sat vacant and neglected.
More: <http://www.mininggazette.com/stories/articles.asp?articleID=7493>

***

NEW CBS SHOW WANTS MINERS: The Copper Country's history of mining has intrigued the casting department of a new CBS game show. In an effort to bring some diversity to the show, developers thought it would be interesting to have a miner be a participant. A resident of our area could have the opportunity to appear on network television in a new game show, "Power of 10," that will air this summer. "It's free publicity for the area," Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce Richard Baker said. "It puts your name out there." Anyone who is or who used to be a miner is encouraged to fill out an application or get in touch the casting department. "We are looking to represent a diverse group of contestants with specific backgrounds and interests and would love to give a miner a once in a lifetime chance to win big money," "Power of 10" casting department spokesperson Lauren Bohn said in a press release.
More: <http://www.mininggazette.com/stories/articles.asp?articleID=7498>

 

From the Emailbag

After reading the story that you linked to in the Mining Gazette titled "GREAT LAKES SHOW IMPROVEMENT, BUT CONCERNS REMAIN", I meant to write a response regarding invasive species in the Great Lakes, and how much we do NOT want them there, but CNN did it for me.

<http://www.cnn.com/video/player/player.html?url=/video/tech/2007/06/21/mattingly.ms.river.carp.attack.cnn>

Living in Central Illinois, the example that I am all too familiar with is the Asian Carp, or Bighead Carp. I have been hit by one of these fish, luckily not at speed, but while at the dock. Frankly, these fish are revolting, excreting blood and slime as soon as they get out of the water. Truly concerning, is the size they can grow to, coupled with the distance they can jump and that you never know when or where you will have an encounter. Not long ago a woman on a jet ski in Peoria was hit in the face by a 10-lb. Asian Carp.  She was knocked unconscious, suffering a broken nose, a concussion, and a fractured vertebrae.  These fish can grow to 4-feet long, can weigh up to 100 lbs, and can jump up to 10 feet out of the water.

Hopefully, the electrical barrier setup on the Illinois River near Chicago will keep these fish out of Lake Michigan, and the rest of the Great Lakes. I dread the day that I'd see "flying carp" in the Portage.

Jeff Jost '04

***

Regarding WMichigan Tech:

In the Fall of 1971, I was a freshman at Tech and joined the WMichigan Tech team. We were broadcasting from an old broom closet on the first floor across from the desk in West Wads. The next year, we started a project to move to larger facilities down in the basement. Back then we were broadcasting on 1600 AM. I was fortunate enough to serve there all four years, and had great fun doing it!

Jim Walker '75

Jim: you'll be glad to know that they have a new studio in Wads basement and a DJ who bears a striking resemblance to me, even playing classic rock on occasion. My son begins his second year behind the microphone, and you can hear him and the others who are staffing it this summer (and during the school year) at <http://wmtu.mtu.edu/cgi-bin/main.cgi>.

***

More on Chuck's Bar:

The bar was called "Chuck's Isle Royal Bar" with pickled eggs and the Salvation Army stopping by at 1:30 am for donations.

Pete Balzola, 1968

***

Dennis,
Is Bridgefest held at the same time each year?  If so, when?  It sounds like a perfect opportunity for my girls and I to visit as school in Indiana starts in mid-August and I'm in my classroom preparing for the year starting around the first of August.

Thanks!
Caryn (Turrel) Sugden '90

Editor's Note: I wrote Caryn and said it is always Father's Day Weekend each year. The Seafood Fest, however, ends on the Saturday, so workers can spend time with dad. <http://www.bridgefestfun.com/>

Alumni Association Programs

ALUMNI EVENTS

July
13, Saginaw, Annual Golf Outing at the Sawmill
<http://www.alumnicommunity.mtu.edu/s/349/index.aspx?pgid=13&cid=97&sid=349&gid=1&event_id=45>

August
2-4, Houghton, Alumni Reunion
<http://www.admin.mtu.edu/alumni/reunion/>

3, West Michigan Whitecaps Baseball
<http://www.alumnicommunity.mtu.edu/s/349/index.aspx?pgid=13&cid=97&sid=349&gid=1&event_id=44>

26, Second Annual Detroit Tigers Outing
<http://www.alumnicommunity.mtu.edu/s/349/index.aspx?pgid=13&cid=97&sid=349&gid=1&event_id=46>

 

Job Opportunities This Week

ON CAMPUS: Complete job descriptions are available by e-mailing jobs at mtu.edu

Tenure-Track Assistant Professor, Wetland Science--School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science

Web Developer/Designer--University Marketing and Communications
(Reposted)

***

OFF CAMPUS: For off-campus positions, visit the alumni section of the career center's web site (http://www.career.mtu.edu/alumni.php)

Head of Operations: ThermoAnalytics a growing and industry-leading engineering/software company is seeking an executive- or mid-level person to manage operations in its Upper Peninsula headquarters. Focus will be on day-to-day engineering operations, customer communication, and implementing the company's strategic plan for growth. If appropriate, the position will also be responsible for creating strategy and developing staff. This is an opportunity for someone with 15+ years of experience to have broad responsibility for and impact on growing our operations, or for someone with 7+ years of experience to start with substantial responsibility and work into the executive level. This position requires U.S. citizenship. Submit cover letter and résumé to our Human Resources Department via careers(at)ThermoAnalytics.com. For more information visit: <http://www.ThermoAnalytics.com>.

 

 

Michigan Tech is on the web at <http://www.mtu.edu>. For the alumni pages, click on "Alumni/Friends" at the top of the home page.

To subscribe to this newsletter, send the following message to majordomo(at)mtu.edu: subscribe techalum-L.
To unsubscribe, send this message to
majordomo(at)mtu.edu: unsubscribe techalum-L

University Marketing and Communications
1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton, MI 49931-1295
(906) 487-3510