RCTC Echo, May 2015

1. Rochester Community & Technical College
Volume 83 - Issue 8 - SUMMER 2015
By Jennifer Rogers
Managing Editor
jennifer.rogers 9107@mb.rctc.edu
The RCTC Scholarship
Foundation awarded more than
$270,000 in scholarships to 235
students at their annual scholar-
ship ceremony in April.
The RCTC Foundation’s annu-
al scholarship ceremony signifies
its dedication to giving students
a greater hope for the future. At
the beginning of the Spring 2015
semester, students were urged to
apply for scholarships.
The students that walked the
stage come from a variety of
backgrounds. There were high
school graduates, post-secondary
students, transfer students moving
on to other institutions, and even
older students who have finished
one career and are moving on to
another phase of life.
All of the scholarships were
from local businesses, or people
who attended RCTC years ago,
who wanted to help students who
applied themselves and fit the vari-
ous criteria per scholarship. From
nursing and technology to arts and mass
communication, there were scholarships
available for almost every field of study.
The Echo’s Editor in Chief, Zech Sindt,
received the Greg Sellnow Memorial Schol-
arship, a fund that is available specifically
for journalism students. Echo Graphics
Manager Kyong Jung and staff writer Grace
Boyum were among the 21 students awarded
the Douglass Family Scholarship.
At the award ceremony, Peter Sandberg,
president of the RCTC Foundation Board
of Directors, said community colleges are a
uniquely American experience.
“You won’t find the educational oppor-
tunity of a two-year college within a short
drive of one’s home in European and Asian
countries,” said Sandberg.
The foundation was established in 1961,
and its stated purpose is to provide support
to students and programs at RCTC, and en-
hance the quality of education and the future
of RCTC students.
Campus day care
closing ends era
By Zech Sindt
Editor in Chief
zechariah.sindt8464@mb.rctc.edu
The Spring 2015 commencent
Ceremony was the climax of
President Leslie McClellon’s first
year as the president of RCTC, also
marking the first time she has ever
presided over a graduation.
McClellon said she has worked
20 years to get to this point, but
only realized she really wanted to
become president of a college about
10 years ago.
“Every day I feel very fortunate
to be here, and it was very exciting
to be able to shake everyone’s
hands and give them their
diplomas. It is exciting to realize
that I have helped influence and
shape their futures,” she said.
A total of 1,081 students
graduated this spring. In her
address to the crowd, McClellon
congratulated everyone and
promised not to bore them with
speeches from any politicians,
actors and billionaires.
“I’d rather hear from you,”
she said, telling the graduating
class that they “are tomorrow’s
politicians, actors and billionaires.”
A video of graduating students
played after McClellon’s speech,
with many of them describing what
RCTC has done for their lives, and
how it has helped shape their goals.
About a dozen students stood up
when McClellon asked those with
4.0 grade point averages to rise.
About 300 students graduated with
honors or high honors.
RCTC, established in 1915,
is the oldest community college
in Minnesota. This year’s
commencement marks the 99th
graduating class.
Graduation applauds tomorrow’s leaders
Echo Photo by Zech Sindt
The RCTC Foundation awarded more than $270,000 in scholarships to 235 students.
235 students receive foundation scholarships
Echo Photo by Jennifer Rogers
Rochester Community and Technical College graduated 1,081 students during this academic year.
By Jennifer Rogers
Managing Editor
jennifer.rogers9107@mb.rctc.edu
The Civic League Day Nursery, which
has been on campus since 1988, will be clos-
ing on July 1, according to Vice President
for Finance and Facilities Steve Schmall.
The day care began operating the facility
in the interest of young parents who wanted
to attend college. Although it was popular
for a few years, in recent years, less than one
-third of the children’s parents attend RCTC.
Schmall said that the revenue generated
to RCTC from the day-care lease was about
$2,400 a year. However, RCTC has been
responsible for the costs of the facilities,
utilities, janitorial services, and maintenance
and upkeep of the building. Maintenance has
averaged about $45,000 a year.
The day care’s kitchen does not meet the
current codes, so it is in need of compliance
upgrades that will cost RCTC approximately
$27,000. Additionally, its roof needs to be
replaced. That will cost RCTC approxi-
mately $327,000.
The building will be part of the Plaza
Hall-Memorial Hall construction project.
There are other programs available
to RCTC parents. They will be able to
bring their children to other agencies such
as Headstart or the Boys and Girls Club.
Schmall said students can apply for the
child-care grants those locations.
Impact of broken promises
Page 7
Bard inspires students
Page 6

2. 2 NEWS
2 NEWS
2 NEWS Rochester Community & Technical College | The Echo
Surround yourself with UW-La Crosse.
UW-LA CROSSE
• Attracts students who want to be challenged academically.
• One of only two in Wisconsin named to Kiplinger’s 100 “Best
Values in Public Colleges.”
• Offers transfer opportunities and assistance in planning your
transfer with online transfer guide.
total
students:
10,427
average
class size:
27
student to
faculty ratio:
20:1
undergraduate
programs:
91
www.uwlax.edu
608.785.8939
Admissions Office Hours:
Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
By Grace Boyum
Staff Writer
grace.boyum4051@mb.rctc.edu
With all the hair products on the market
and the home remedies advertised on the
Internet, it can make you wonder which
products really work. This is what Darren
Miller, a chemistry student at RCTC, set out
to research.
Miller specifically began to research how
conditioners work. Hair becomes damaged
when it becomes negatively charged. Most
people know that opposites attract, and
the reverse, likes repel, is true as well in
chemistry. The negative charges in the hair
repel each other causing the individual hairs to
expand in an unhealthy way.
Conditioners contain positively charged
substances called cationic surfactants, which
latch on to the damaged hair and neutralize
the charge. This causes the hair to contract and
provides protection by coating the hair.
Miller hypothesized that the common
ingredient in conditioners and anecdotal
concoctions is potassium ions, which are
positively charged particles and may be the
key to repairing damaged hair.
The next step was to find procedures to test
hair strength and thickness so that he could
compare the differences of hair that had been
treated with conditioners. Since companies
that make these products don’t disclose their
testing procedures, Miller had to design his
own.
At first, Miller tested hair thickness
by looking at it under a microscope.
Unfortunately, the microscopes he had access
to only gave him a two-dimensional view
where he needed three dimensions. His
second test worked better. In this test, he taped
the hair over a laser pointer and then pointed
the laser toward a white sheet of paper.
Because of the way the hair diffracts the light,
Miller was able to measure the thickness.
The second characteristic Miller needed
to test was tensile strength of hair. This, too,
presented some difficulties, but in the end,
Miller designed a procedure by which the hair
was clamped at each end and stretched until it
broke. The force needed to break the hair was
then recorded.
Even after designing his processes, Miller
still wasn’t done. The next step was to the
test the tests themselves for consistent and
reasonable results. To do this required hair
and lots of it. Miller called Great Clips to see
if he could collect the shorn hair from their
customers. To the surprise of the receptionist,
Miller showed up to collect the bags of hair
that he then had to sort by hand.
Miller still hasn’t finished testing his
methods, but he has found two methods that
appear to be reliable. His next step may be to
find more methods, or he may be ready to use
his methods to test the conditioners.
“One of the biggest takeaways is that
we’re a community college at the end of the
day,” Miller said, “but the general process is
that this is what it is to do a research project of
your own.”
Miller also recently presented his
research at the National American Chemistry
Conference in Denver. He is not the only
RCTC student to present research. According
to Heather Sklenicka, a chemistry instructor at
RCTC, seven students from RCTC conducted
and presented research at conferences this
semester.
The students do this research as part of
one-credit independent study. Some students,
like Miller, have specific ideas about what
they want to research. Others test labs from
textbooks that teachers may want to use
in class. The goal is to make the labs more
interesting and relevant to the students.
Not many community college students
are conducting their own research projects,
but as Miller said, “RCTC has an extremely
robust science department. It far surpassed
my expectations of what a community college
should and could be.”
Which hair product is a cut above the rest?
Photo courtesy of Sean Baker at ‘The Med City Beat’
Photo courtesy of Heather Sklenicka
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention held their first walk in
Minnesota at RCTC on April 25.
Darren Miller presented “Determining the Benefits of Alternative Haircare Conditioning
Practices” at the American Chemical Society National Conference in Denver.
By Betty Truitt
Staff Writer
elizabeth.truitt6915@mb.rctc.edu
About 130 participants made the
inaugural American Foundation for
Suicide Prevention on the RCTC
campus walk a success.
More than $5,000 was raised to
advocate for awareness of suicide
prevention, promotion funds for
additional prevention efforts, and
to provide support for survivors of
suicide loss.
President Leslie McClellon and
Vice President of Student Affairs
Alex Herzog were present, as well as
Mayor Ardell Brede.
Julie Jones from Fox Country
102.5 emceed the event with walkers
and volunteers uniting in their
effort to bring the stigma attached
to mental health issues “out of the
darkness,” and to honor those we
have lost to suicide.
The campus walk for 2016 will
be held at the RCTC Fieldhouse on
Saturday, April 30, 2016.
Campus walk against
suicide meets goal
Students hit the
road to present
their research
By Grace Boyum
Staff Writer
grace.boyum4051@mb.rctc.edu
RCTC students have presented their
research at the MnSCU Scholars at the
Capitol event Feb. 26 in St. Paul, the
American Chemical Society Conference
on March 23 in Denver and at the
MnSCU Undergraduate Scholars event
on April 13 at Winona State University
• Here’s an overview of their
research:
• “Development of Engaging Labs for
the Two-Year College Curriculum” by
Benjamin Lucas and Allison Rogich
• “Toward a Comprehensive
Integration of Calorimetry Across the
Curriculum” by Olaf Summers
• “Determining Common Factors
That Influence Academic Success in
Allied Health Chemistry” by Alice Chan
• “Exploration and Analysis of Lipid
Content in Canine Food” by Allison
Rogich
• “Carbohydrates and Artificial
Sweeteners: A New Optical Rotation
Laboratory for Allied Health Students”
by Daniel Heerema
• “Phycocyanin Fluorescence in the
Denaturing of Phycobiliproteins in the
Laboratory Setting for Allied Health
Students” by Amber Godfrey

3. 3
3
3
NEWS
NEWS
NEWS
Rochester Community & Technical College | The Echo
THURSDAY, JUNE 18
6 p.m. at Bethel Lutheran Church
Be our guest for dinner at 5:30 p.m.
Register at augsburg.edu/rochester
Bachelor’s degree options:
Business Management, Education (Elementary and SPE),
Nursing (BSN completion), and more!
YOU ARE CALLED
TO REACH YOUR GOALS
Join us for an information session:
810 3rd Avenue SE, Rochester, MN 55904
507-288-2886 | augsburg.edu/rochester
ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA
“ATTENDING AUGSBURG WAS ONE
OF THE BEST MOVES I HAVE EVER
MADE. I realized from a practical
standpoint, most everything I
learned in college would not only
help me to be better at my present
job, it would also be key to providing
me with career options.”
—JANE MACKEN ’10,
BUSINESS MAJOR
To schedule an appointment with us in
HS134 call 507-288-2886
The RCTC Armed Forces and Veterans club organized a day of enjoyment at Chester Woods Park on
Saturday, May 2. The Albert Lea, Austin, and Owatonna Riverland Community Colleges, Southeast
Technical College, RCTC Armed Forces and Veterans Club, RCTC Student Services, Hooked on Fishing,
and the RCTC International Tabletop Gaming Club sponsored the event. Approximately 130 students and
their families showed up to enjoy a day of fishing, games, and food.
Echo Photos by Zech Sindt
VETERANS CLUB CELEBRATION AT CHESTER WOODS
Many of the vets and their children took advantage of the fishing gear
supplied by Hooked on Fishing.
No outing like this is complete without a good meal and some relax-
ation.
Glen Saponari, Mitchell Griffery and other RCTC students and their families reciting the Pledge of Al-
legiance

4. Summer 2015
Volume 83, Issue 8
CC-209
507-285-7246
RCTCecho@gmail.com
www.rctc.edu/echo
Editor-in-Chief
Zech Sindt
Managing Editor
Jennifer Rogers
Graphics Manager
Kyong Juhn
Sports Editor
Ben Haney
Photo Editor
Emmy Miller
Arts/Entertainment Editor
Ellen Corbett
Business Manager
Kohl Hanson
Staff Writers
Grace Boyum
Rachel Halverson
Philip Sample
Betty Truitt
Faculty Adviser
Dwight Boyum
We want to hear from
our readers. Send your
comments, story ideas
or upcoming events to:
rctcecho@gmail.com
The Echo is a free publication
written by RCTC students who
are dedicated to freedom of
press, while reporting on issues
affecting the student body, faculty,
administration and staff. Letters
to the editor are subject to editing
for content and length, and opinions
expressed within The Echo do not
necessarily reflect the views of
Rochester Community and Technical
College’s administration, faculty,
staff or student body.
4 OPINION
4 OPINION
4 OPINION Rochester Community & Technical College | The Echo
“The mind once enlightened cannot
again become dark.”
Thomas Paine (1737-1809)
By Ellen Corbett
Arts and Entertainment Editor
ellen.corbett2829@mb.rctc.edu
There’s no way racism still
exists in the United States. We
had the civil rights movement.
We have a black president now.
Everything is peachy, right?
Wrong. Turn on any news
channel, and there are riots and
protests around the country
protesting the criminalization of
black people in the United States.
These riots and protests are
going on because these young
black men and women are getting
shot for basically doing nothing,
and it’s been going on for years.
People have been pushed to a
breaking point, and are lashing out.
The police in Baltimore have
killed Freddie Gray because he
looked at the police officers, was
scared and ran away. The police
arrested him and proceeded to
paralyze him in a “rough ride”
where the police officers brutalize
their victims with dangerous
driving. He later died. Eric Garner
was selling cigarettes on the street
when he was put into a chokehold
and suffocated. Tamir Rice, who
was 12 years old, was shot on sight
because he was playing
with a BB gun in a park.
These are only a handful
of unjust killing of black
men by police.
In comparison, James
Holmes, who killed 12
people in a mass shooting
at a movie theater in
Colorado, was captured
alive. He is white. Obviously,
the police have ways to detain
dangerous individuals without
killing them, but they seem to be
rarely used in the case of the black
community.
The city of Baltimore has paid
out more than $6 million to settle
police brutality cases, so Freddie
Gray has not been the only victim.
Baltimore has one of the worst
poverty rates, unemployment rates,
and high school graduation rates
in the country, without any aid of
any kind for years. This has been a
systemic issue for sometime.
It is easy to condemn
violence, but historically
riots like the ones in
Baltimore have been the
only way to real change. The
United States was founded
on the principles of rioting
when tea was dumped in the
Boston harbor and houses of
British officials were looted
and burned. The Stonewall
Riot was the precursor to today’s
gay pride parades and festivals.
Important legislation came from
the American Indian Movement
riots and protests, and taking over
of government offices.
Most riots start as peaceful
demonstrations, and are
aggravated by police presence
and treatment. No one actually
wants to riot or loot. No one
actually wants violence, but when
you’ve been asking and working
for change and people in your
community and your children are
dying and hopeless, and there has
been no change no matter how
hard people in the community
have worked, people are at a loss.
And this is the reality in many
communities, not just Baltimore.
As Martin Luther King Jr. said,
“Riots are the voices of the
unheard.”
Instead of not listening to these
communities, and condemning
them at times they demand to be
heard, we should become aware
and learn how to help these
communities before riots like these
happen. We should be continually
listening and learning in order to
improve our communities and
lessen the effects of systemic
racism around the country.
By Grace Boyum
Staff Writer
grace.boyum4051@mb.rctc.edu
The cat showed up in the dead of summer.
Sprawled on our front step in the sultry July
heat, it looked as if it might expire at our door.
It was just a stray and was probably
playing on our heartstrings. Still, it
couldn’t hurt to give it some water,
and after all, we couldn’t just let it die
of dehydration, could we? Daisy, our
territorial, longhaired feline thought
so, but we were of a different mind.
So, we filled a plastic bowl with water
and set it out for the stray. “Well, that
was your first mistake,” a friend later
told us. Bit by bit, the cat was reeling us in
like a professional angler.
After a few days, we had christened the
stray “Hobbes” after the comic strip tiger
and began feeding him. When Hobbes failed
to show for supper one day, my sister, Faith,
and I searched the neighborhood, convinced
that Hobbes had forgotten to come “home”
and needed to be reminded. Dad, beguiled by
those innocent, golden-green eyes, had begun
talking about adopting Hobbes since his limit
of cats was two or three. “Two or three?” my
mom responded. “My limit is zero or one, and
we already have one,” questioning whether
father really knew best.
Hobbes’ prospects as a future Boyum began
to look uncertain. We couldn’t just
leave him on the street, but we already
had one cat who wasn’t used to sharing
the house. Perhaps Hobbes could go
to a shelter. Then, he developed a
cough that got progressively worse.
Concerned for Hobbes’ welfare, Mom
and Dad put him in the garage and set
up a cot to sleep on. Throughout the
night, they took turns staying with
Hobbes. To our relief, he was still alive in the
morning. Maybe we should still bring him to
the shelter, we told ourselves, but we should at
least take him to the vet first for an exam and
to see if he was microchipped.
Faith and I waited anxiously during the
vet’s examination. Hobbes’ bid for our hearts
was almost complete. The vet revealed her
findings. No, she said, Hobbes does not have
a microchip. But there was more. “Either she
has a lot of parasites, or she’s pregnant.”
“She?” Hobbes is a “she?” Hobbes is
a pregnant “she?” My heart leaped at the
thought of seeing kittens being born. Mom’s
heart plummeted at the thought of finding
them homes.
By now, there was little question of
whether Hobbes was coming home with us.
The bedroom I share with my sister became
a maternity ward. For the five weeks until
she gave birth, Hobbes lived in luxury with a
choice of two beds, an individualized nesting
box, a backyard view and two live-in servants,
my sister and I.
After five weeks, despite predictions of a
litter of four, Hobbes gave birth to a single
male kitten. When Hobbes first showed up on
our steps, we never planned to adopt her. Yet
as soon as we set out that bowl of water, we
had already let her into our hearts by caring.
Caring about others is a dangerous thing.
Sometimes it causes pain or inconvenience,
like when the cat you adopt has kittens. On the
other hand, the joy that you gain by opening
your heart can make it worth it.
Opening your heart brings unexpected joy
‘Riots are the voices of the unheard’
By Zech Sindt
Editor-in-Chief
zechariah.sindt2829@mb.rctc.edu
I graduated. Yes, after two years of late
nights and a couple pots of coffee a day, I
finally made it. What a relief, and what an
awesome feeling! I have finally completed
the first step towards my dream of
becoming an investigative journalist
and electronic broadcaster.
This is a special shout-out to the
many influences I have had these
two years on campus – especially
those that teach the communications
and government studies classes —
Dwight Boyum, Dan West, Guy
Hamernik, Taresa Tweeten, and
Richard Jordan. They are all phenomenal
instructors, and I will miss all of them. There
is not enough room to list the rest of my
professors, but each and every one of them has
made a difference in one way or another.
It is a bittersweet graduation, though. I am
one of the last mass communications graduates
that will ever exit through RCTC’s hallowed
halls.
The “powers that be” in this educational
institution have phased out the program.
You see, the numbers told them
that journalists and other mass
communication graduates are no longer
needed. Supposedly, people don’t
want to hear hard news anymore. The
numbers told them that people only want
fluff and entertainment.
While the unemployment numbers
go down, and underemployment and
non-employment (yes, non-employed is
different from unemployed) numbers go up,
those in power tell us to believe that nobody
cares to know why. Then they adjust the
educational programs accordingly.
They tell us to believe that in this numbers
game called modern life, production workers,
customer care specialists, and mass production
line employees are the only important fields.
Journalists, news anchors, and other fields of
mass communication are not needed.
With that being said, The Echo will
continue, for a while, at least. Supposedly
it will be run through other Liberal Arts
programs and volunteers after this. We will
see how that works out. We only had a
couple writers this semester, and a couple of
volunteers stepped up to the plate to help out,
but the future of The Echo is questionable.
As for journalism and other fields of mass
communication, I beg to differ with those
who decided to phase out the program. Mass
communication skills are more necessary now
than ever.
Grace Boyum
Zech Sindt
Ellen Corbett
Athankfuland bittersweetgraduation

5. Rochester Community & Technical College | The Echo
the sweet sound of free! Member FDIC
Life’s a picnic ... enjoy summer!
Open a new Simply Better Checking Account
and get a free gift!*
thinkbank.com
507-288-3425 or 1-800-288-3425
PLUS, we’ll pay you up to $10 for
your unused checks and debit card from
another financial institution when you
switch to Think. Ask for details!
*Hurry! Gifts shown
available during time listed
or while while supplies last.
If unavailable, we may
substitute a gift of similar value.
Available in
navy or
burgundy.
P
o
r
t
a
b
l
e
c
h
a
i
r
-
a
v
a
i
l
a
b
l
e
A
p
r
i
l
1
3
-
M
a
y
3
0
,
2015
C
o
l
l
a
p
s
i
b
l
e
Basket Cooler - available June 1 - Jul
y
1
2
,
2
0
1
5
Day Pa
c
k
B
a
c
k
p
a
c
k
-
a
v
a
i
l
a
b
l
e
J
u
l
y
1
3
-
A
u
g
.
2
3
,
2
0
1
5
Available in
blue or
lime.
Available in gray or red.
HEALTH 5
HEALTH 5
HEALTH 5
By Rachel Halverson
Staff Writer
Rachel.Halverson2679@mb.rctc.edu
With the summer fast approaching, everyone is looking
forward to that family barbecue and that special day at the
beach — a time of relaxation and fun. But what everyone
might not be thinking of, are the dangers that such fun can
hide.
Too much exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun
has been found to be the leading cause of the skin cancer,
Melanoma. Other skin cancers that are directly tied to sun
exposure are Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) and Squamos
Cell Carcinoma (SCC), which is the most common skin
cancer. As opposed to Melanoma, BCC and SCC are
usually a result of sun exposure over a long period of time.
But this doesn’t mean that a little bit of sun exposure is
fine.
“One blistering sunburn in childhood or adolescence
more than doubles a person’s chances of developing
melanoma later in life. A person’s risk for melanoma also
doubles if he or she has had five or more sunburns at any
age,” according to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
Melanoma tumors come from the pigment-producing
melanocytes in the deepest layer of your skin — the basal
layer. If the cancer isn’t treated early, then it can advance
and become difficult to treat, and may even become fatal.
Where it isn’t the most common skin cancer, it has the
largest mortality rate.
Peggy Zelinske, RCTC student and colon cancer
survivor, has a niece who was diagnosed with Melanoma
when she was 20 years old. She noticed a change in
a mole, had it looked at, and “that is why she’s alive
today,” Peggy says. Five years later, she’s in remission, but
will have to be on her guard for the rest of her life.
There is a very simple way of preventing skin cancer.
Sunscreen with an SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of 15 will
block up to 93 percent of UV rays. This should usually do
it, but say you were going for a day out at the beach. You’d
want to use something water resistant with an SPF of 30
or higher. This will block out 97 percent of UV rays. But,
just because it’s stronger, doesn’t mean you need to apply
it less.
For any sunscreen to be effective, you need to apply
it several times a day, especially if you’re spending a lot
of that time outdoors, even if it’s overcast, because those
UV rays still make it through the clouds. To put it into
perspective, remember that day on the beach? You need to
apply one ounce of sunscreen every two hours.
So, don’t fret, just take that extra step and protect your
skin. Enjoy the sun this summer, but do so in a safe way.
Hidden dangers lie waiting in summer fun
Echo Photo by Rachel Halverson
Exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun has been found to be the leading cause of skin cancer.

6. Rochester Community & Technical College | The Echo
6 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
6 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
6 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Rochester Community & Technical College | The Echo
6 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
6 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
6 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
RCTC Students: Schedule Your Admissions
Appointment with WSU-Rochester!
www.winona.edu/Rochester
507.285.7100
80%
of RCTC students that attend WSU
graduate with a bachelor's degree
Stop by the UCR Welcome Center (in the Atrium)
and meet Carmen and Paula.They will help you
explore your options to complete a 4-year bachelor’s
degree with Winona State right here in Rochester,
on the RCTC campus.
Shakespeare Festival celebrates The Bard
1st Place
‘Fruits of Passion’by Leanna Haag
Is love the taste of sweet Desire fulfilled?
A fiery kiss beneath the love-moon sky?
Or fleeing in the midnight,
rebel-willed?
Is it the skill of never asking
why?
Perhaps that honeyed savor of
love young?
Of course—that twinge that
‘tween two lovers rips.
Nay! Truest love is foreign to
our tongue;
Agape strokes so strangely at
our lips.
For love is no swift beating at the breast—
Nor flavored senses nerving through the skin
That bubble at exotic Lust’s behest.
The fruits of Passion stretch love not so thin.
Love smells of struggle and unending price;
“Love is not love”if lured from Sacrifice.
2nd place
‘Untitled’by Curtis Baum
It’s false that in this life we write our own
Sweet music for the steps of nature’s dance;
When someone’s claim of
pow’r to me is shown,
I sigh inside and wish, then
look askance.
We’re trapped along the
fortune-spider’s web,
And powerless to forfend her
despair:
The soul slips down to reach a
lower ebb,
The net of doubt has yet
another snare.
Yet God in spite of this has giv’n a choice
To serve him or to send the moments by,
To do Right in this endless sea of noise,
Or be pulled on the current of the tide.
Cacophonous and loud the Sirens’song,
They sing, cavort and prance, but not for long.
3rd Place
‘Anxious Mind, Anxious Heart’by Maria Pearson
My anxious mind, my anxious heart, alert.
Anxiety, they call it a disease.
Their stares and scolds, just say
it doesn’t hurt.
Don’t look. Don’t speak. Just
smile to crowd-please
My anxious mind, my anxious
heart, prescribed.
They throw pills at my feet,
they say,“you freak”.
My life’s one word, it seems to
be defined.
Doctors don’t know me, still
they will critique.
But screw these drugs and screw their arrogance.
I’m fine! I’m great! I’ll do this on my own.
My terms. My thoughts. No drugs of innocence.
I will be queen. Anxiety’s my throne.
My anxious mind, my anxious heart, I’ve grown.
I have the strength to say,“Yes, these I own”.
Honorable Mention
‘A Little Love Sonnet’by Abigail Slater
To love you would be foolish in my state,
For princes, kings contend to win your hand,
So I resign unto my lonely fate,
Never to meet such royalty’s
demand.
Their gifts of gold pile at your
dainty feet,
But such a gift my wage could
never earn.
Desiring you, I’m burning
incomplete,
While in love’s valleys I’m
forced to sojourn.
And yet a fool I am, a fool I’ll stay,
Keep chasing love that stands still unrequited,
Until it dawns, that wondrous, glorious day,
Created for us both to be united.
And that’s the time I’ll finally be made whole,
The night I give you my entire soul.
Overworked
Comic by Nick Price
World Drum Ensemble can’t be beat
The World Drum Ensemble presents an opportunity for students to participate in world drumming through the prac-
tice and performance of world beat music from various cultures around the world. They put on a major concert each
semester. This ensemble is open to all students regardless of music reading capabilities.
Echo Photo by Jennifer Rogers
Leanna Haag Curtis Baum
Maria Pearson Abigail Slater
Echo staff report
The third annual RCTC Shakespeare Festival was a
weeklong celebration of William Shakespeare’s life.
• The Word Players theater troupe performed “Ro-
meo and Juliet.”
• A program of music and poetry was held in honor
of Shakespeare and National Poetry Month.
• Lee Gundersheimer of the Great River Shake-
speare Festival presented “What Love Dares – the
Comic and Tragic Consequences of the Heart.”
• A sonnet-writing workshop was conducted. A
sonnet-writing contest was held with the winners pub-
lished below.
• Shakespeare’s were on display on the main floor
of the Goddard Library.
• The College Learning Center featured a student
exhibition called “Lighting Shakespeare.”
The festival, which coincided with Shakespeare’s
451st birthday, was sponsored by RCTC Student Life,
the Goddard Library and the Creative Writing Club.

7. ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 7
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 7
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 7
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 7
Rochester Community & Technical College | The Echo
By Ellen Corbett
Arts and Entertainment Editor
ellen.corbett2829@mb.rctc.edu
Many of us dream of writing a
novel: to create our own worlds
and immerse our readers and our-
selves in them. What people don’t
tell you is that writing a novel can
be extremely difficult and time-
consuming.
Caleb Anthony, former RCTC
student and author of science-
fiction novel, Zetar, says it only took him five
months to write the entirety of the novel, and
took about two years total to edit and publish
it. Even with a longtime passion for storytell-
ing and writing, Anthony is surprised it took
such a short time.
Zetar begins with a sister and brother,
Arryl and Jed Zetar, who have
been inflicted with major amnesia.
They can hardly remember their
own names, much less the conflicts
within the galaxy that they seem to
be intertwined with. Anthony plans
to have at least eight more books
in the series that explore numerous
characters and the very depths of
this universe.
Anthony wasn’t completely
without challenges. He, like all of
us, had trouble balancing his writ-
ing career and outside obligations. His great-
est writing challenges included editing down
his writing effectively, and properly laying
the threads of character storylines he wished
to explore in later novels without overcompli-
cating the story.
“Don’t edit late at night. Just don’t,” An-
thony advises.
Since the novel was published through
Amazon eBooks, Anthony took advantage
of the electronic format to further edit and
reload new versions of Zetar after the initial
publishing. Amazon eBooks allows authors
to be in complete control of the publishing
process. Authors are in charge of making
the cover, doing the editing, formatting the
novel, and setting the price if they choose to
purchase the copyright to their book. Amazon
eBooks are an easy way for aspiring writers
to get their work out without going through
the hoops of a publishing office.
Anthony has his second novel in the Zetar
series coming out in fall 2015. He will soon
be attending University of Northwestern in
St. Paul for creative writing. Zetar is available
via Amazon eBooks on eReaders, computers,
and other electronic devices.
Former student writes out of this world
Caleb Anthony
Why treaties
matter
By Ellen Corbett
Arts and Entertainment Editor
ellen.corbett2829@mb.rctc.edu
When we think of foreign policy, we don’t often
think of the sovereign nations that live right here within
United States borders.
The Native American tribes have been interacting
with the various European governments on a nation-
by-nation basis since first contact was made over five
hundred years ago, but it wasn’t until the 1800s that the
U.S. government started to make significant treaties with
the Ojibwe and Dakota tribes of Minnesota. Many of
these treaties meant major land cessions in exchange for
goods and money.
For many of these treaties, the Ojibwe and Dakota
were tricked into giving up their lands, and the U.S.
government did not uphold the promises that were made.
The Dakota treaty of 1858 even sparked a two-month
long war, and ended with the largest mass hanging in
U.S. history with 38 Dakota leaders executed. It also
ended with the Dakota tribe being exiled from their
homeland of Minnesota.
Many aspects of these treaties resulted in such
negative events because of miscommunications between
Native tribes and Western Europeans. Native people
led a culture of sustainability and respect with land use.
Western culture uses the land for profit, consuming
and dominating. In the context of treaties, Native tribes
would not even think they were selling land, because
they did not think it was theirs to sell or own. There was
no language in Ojibwe or Dakota to properly convey
what selling land truly meant.
Much of this history is overlooked. Most
Minnesotans today do not realize how impactful treaties
were.
The history of Minnesota treaties will be featured
in a special exhibit called “Why Treaties Matter” from
June 29 through July 15 in the Hill Theater gallery.
The exhibit will feature various treaties between the
U.S. government and the Dakota and Ojibwe tribes
in Minnesota. There will also be events related to the
exhibit organized by Steve Juenemann, the instructor
who teaches Native American Studies at RCTC. Events
will include an opening reception, lectures, panel
discussions, and arts and culture related events. More
information will be posted on the RCTC website as the
exhibit start date approaches.
“I am honored to be a lead host for this amazing
exhibit and deeply grateful to have the opportunity… It
is our duty as citizens to learn more about these treaties
and why they matter. I encourage everyone to visit the
college to interact with this profoundly important display
of living history — all of us, together,” Juenemann says.
Rochester Public Schools
School Age Child Care is HIRING
Gain great experience working in an elementary school with children in grades K-5.
Summer employment is full time between 6:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
6:30 a.m.– 9:15 a.m. and/or 3:15 p.m.-6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Flexible
schedules accommodated.
Starting pay $9.50 per hour (as of 7/1/15) and promotion to $13.32.
Must be 16 years of age or older
Apply online at
http://generalasp.com/rochester/onlineapp/
Job ID #7423
www.rochesterce.org/sacc
NO Weekends
NO Evenings

8. 8 SPORTS
8 SPORTS
8 SPORTS
8 SPORTS
8 SPORTS
8 SPORTS Rochester Community & Technical College | The Echo
.
Pantone 418 & 369
Currently Hiring Full-Time and Part-time Resident Assistants
A.M., P.M. and overnight shifts available
No experience or CNA required
******NEW WAGE SCALE******
NOW PAYING FOR PRIOR EXPERIENCE !
STARTING AS HIGH AS $13.85 PER HOUR!
PLUS
PAY DIFFERENTIAL FOR P.M. & OVERNIGHT SHIFTS!
AND
We offer benefits: Health, Dental, Life, 401K and more!
Provide hands-on care, physical and emotional support to our residents.
Strong oral and written communication skills required.
We are an assisted living community for memory loss residents
4220 NW 55th St.
Rochester, MN
507-286-8528
Apply in person or
FAX 507-286-8527 or
EMAIL: jkavitz@gentletouchhealth.com
Outfielder Christina Stanger, a freshman from Stewartville, was named
to the All-MCAC second team.
Infielder Ashley Bunting, a sophomore from Redwood Falls, was
named to the All-MCAC first team.
Photo courtesy of RCTC athletics
The RCTC Yellowjackets team finished the season with a record of 31-16 overall and 19-5 in
conference
Photo courtesy of RCTC athletics
Photo courtesy of RCTC athletics
By Ben Haney
Sports Editor
benjamin.haney0206@mb.rctc.edu
The RCTC Yellowjackets women’s softball
team competed at the NJCAA Region 13A
Tournament on May 7-8. The Yellowjackets started
out the tournament by beating Anoka 7-6.
They then went on to lose to St. Cloud 6-3. This
did not mean the Yellowjackets were eliminated.
They had to play Ridgewater in an elimination
game where the loser would go home. RCTC won
that game 6-0.
Next up was once again St. Cloud and after
a rally in the seventh inning the Yellowjackets
season came to an end with a 6-5 loss.
The Yellowjackets finished the season with a
record of 31-16 overall and in 19-5 in conference
play.
Ashley Bunting was named to the All-MCAC
first team and Christina Stanger and Lexi Schunke
were named to All-MCAC second team
Yellowjackets fall short of nationals

9. SPORTS 9
SPORTS 9
SPORTS 9
SPORTS 9
SPORTS 9
SPORTS 9
Rochester Community & Technical College | The Echo
By Ben Haney
Sports Editor
benjamin.haney0206@mb.rctc.edu
Every month the Echo features an athlete who stands out as a top
performer. This month I chose Kody Larson who plays for the RCTC
Yellowjackets baseball team.
Where did you go to high school?
Desoto, Wisconsin
What was your career like in high school?
My team went to state three out of the four years and won it twice.
What has your college career been like so far?
It has been good. We are having a good season.
Why did you pick baseball to play?
It’s what I was the best at and you do what you are best at.
Do you have any plans to play higher up?
That’s my goal. I have had a couple offers to play at UNO and Valley City.
Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions?
I always get dressed the same way for every game.
What has been your most memorable game?
My freshman year when we lost the state championship game to
Brookwood.
Who is your favorite athlete or team?
I like the Wisconsin Badgers.
Yellowjacket catcher Kody Larson batted .371 with a .493 on-base percentage.
Photo courtesy of RCTC athletics
RCTC catcher hopes
to play at higher level
Echo staff report
ST. CLOUD — RCTC’s
baseball team was eliminated
from the Region 13 tournament
after a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to
Riverland Community College.
RCTC beat St. Cloud Technical
and Community College 3-2 in
its first game of the Region XIII
Tournament that ran May 15-17 in
St. Cloud. Then the Yellowjackets
lost 5-3 to Century College.
The third game saw a pitching
gem by freshman Bryndyn
Shipquist who allowed one
earned run on six hits and two
walks while striking out five.
Riverland’s Alex Roosen threw
out a three-hit shutout, striking
out seven and walking three.
Riverland’s game winner came
in the sixth inning when Omar
Colon hit a solo home run.
The Yellowjackets finished the
season at 31-11 overall.
“That’s baseball,” RCTC coach
Steve Hucke told the Rochester
Post-Bulletin. “We have nothing
to be ashamed of. Thirty-one wins
is quite an accomplishment.”
Yellowjackets end season on 1-0 heartbreaker
WE OPEN THE WORLD TO YOU
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota is the university for students who are standing at their personal
frontiers and know that with the right opportunities, they can build the future they want.
COMPLETE YOUR BACHELOR’S OR ADVANCED
DEGREE RIGHT HERE IN ROCHESTER
Most students choose Saint Mary’s for practical reasons—
our Rochester programs are designed to meet the needs and
budgets of working adults. Once you attend, something
unexpected surfaces. Instead of a transaction, you will
experience a transformation. Contact us to learn more.
Saint Mary’s University Rochester Center
1926 College View Road E.
Rochester, MN 55904-8201
507-285-1410
rochcenter@smumn.edu
THIS IS YOUR TIME
TRANSFER TO THE TRADITIONAL 4-YEAR
UNDERGRADUATE CAMPUS IN WINONA
Whether you are ready to experience the richness of life on
campus or choose to commute, become a Cardinal and belong
to a community that will get to know you and your potential.
Contact us to speak with a transfer specialist.
Office of Admission
Undergraduate College
700 Terrace Heights #2
Winona, MN 55987-1399
507-457-1700
admission@smumn.edu
SMUMN.EDU
Rochester-ECHO-SUMMER 2015-10.25x7.5.indd 1 5/14/15 10:09 AM

10. 10 CAMPUS
10 CAMPUS
10 CAMPUS Rochester Community & Technical College | The Echo
Always Local
Now Mobile
Always Local
Now Mobile
BYRON | 1011 TOMPKINS DRIVE NE
ROCHESTER | 320 ALLIANCE PLACE NE
ROCHESTER | 501 16TH STREET SE
ROCHESTER | 3900 55TH STREET NW
800.866.8199 | 507.288.0330
www.firstalliancecu.com
info@firstalliancecu.com
FEDERALLY INSURED BY NCUA
Our Most Convenient
Location is Everywhere!
FREE
Mobile Deposit
By Philip Sample
Staff Writer
philip.sample5928@mb.rctc.edu
From broken microwaves to spring thaw
flooding, here are a few things on campus that
some RCTC students think should have been
fixed a long time ago.
Website
• The website is hard to understand.
• It is almost impossible to navigate,
especially for first-year students.
• People still often have to use multiple
passwords to get to different areas.
Sports
• Our mascot looks like it’s for little kids.
• We have no intramural sports.
• Music that plays in the kinesiology room
is often violent, sexist and uses crude language.
• Despite multiple empty classrooms,
students have to do stretches and calisthenics
in the commons room in the sports center due
to lack of space elsewhere. There should be a
designated space for stretches.
Heintz Center
• The front of the Heintz building is littered
in cigarette butts. Why not get an ashtray?
• The arcade machines are broken.
• Sometimes people watch TV really loudly.
Cafeteria
• We only have two microwaves in the main
cafeteria.
• The vending service in the cafeteria does
not post their nutritional info.
• They only post nutritional info on their
web page, and you can only look up items
individually, but it is a nightmare to navigate.
• The music can be really loud.
• Why aren’t the lunch trays placed in front
of where people go to buy their food?
• The arcade machine is broken.
• What is it with them playing Fox News
24/7, anyway?
General
• The third-floor Wi-Fi often cuts out.
• We need a private area for students to
pray. RCTC has many empty classrooms that
could be used. Why not dedicate one for that
purpose?
• RCTC could provide more information
about student resources.
• Many professors need to update their D2L
and keep it updated regularly throughout each
semester.
• What’s up with the math professors
needing buckets in their offices?
• Last but not least, just so you all know, EH
does NOT stand for East Hall.
RCTC students seek
redress of grievances
Prescription burns are used to maintain the health of an existing natural
area containing native plants. The fire helps manage weeds, increase plant
diversity and restore nutrients, which leads to more desirable plant growth.
The burn in the RCTC SMART Garden at the Heintz Center provides a
learning experience for students enrolled in the Horticulture program.
Photo courtesy of Krystyna Burt
Prescription burn aids plant health

11. CAMPUS 11
CAMPUS 11
CAMPUS 11
Rochester Community & Technical College | The Echo
14,747
students (fall 2014)
100
majors
800
faculty
18:1
student :faculty ratio
14
athletic teams
compete in Division I
ndsu.edu/visit
NDSU IS
RECOGNIZED
AS ONE OF
THE NATION’S
TOP 108 PUBLIC
AND PRIVATE
UNIVERSITIES BY
THE CARNEGIE
COMMISSION
ON HIGHER
EDUCATION.
By Betty Truitt
Staff Writer
elizabeth.truitt6915@mb.rctc.edu
Are you a tea drinker? Don’t toss
that bag. It has a second use.
If your shoes smell, put a tea bag
in each one and take them out in the
morning.
If your refrigerator or freezer
smell musky, place four to six tea
bags in an open, plastic container
and keep it in the refrigerator or
freezer for two weeks.
Does your place smell like a
locker room? Put in all four corners
of the room four to six tea bags in
open plastic containers.
•••
Aluminum foil can be used many
ways.
Roll up foil in a ball and use the
ball to scrub stubborn stains off your
dishes and silverware.
Put foil under your ironing board
cover to make ironing easier.
Fold foil over several thicknesses
and cut through the foil to sharpen
scissors.
Wrap cold pizza in foil and
place in 400 degree oven for 10-15
minutes.
•••
Have a really thick hamburger?
Turn it over so it won’t leak through.
The top bun is twice as thick.
Bend the tab on a pop can over
the hole to put a straw in. The straw
won’t pop out any more.
•••
Are ants around your food? Take
one cup of popcorn and place in
blender. Blend until it is powder.
It will become corn meal. Place it
around your picnic in little piles.
Soon there will be no more ants.
•••
Are fruit flies getting into your
house? Get a small container and
put in cut up banana pieces and fruit
peelings. Cover with plastic wrap,
then put tiny holes in it so the fruit
flies can get in. Within a day you
will have plenty of fruit flies inside.
Put on lid and toss the container.
•••
Fill a bottle of water one-fourth
full, and then lay it on its side in the
freezer. You will have a large icicle
on one side of the bottle. Fill the rest
with water for a cold drink you can
enjoy longer.
Simple hacks can
make your life easier MAPLE MANOR
NURSING &
REHABILITATION
CNA
RN/LPN
$1000 sign-on bonus!
Maple Manor offers competitive wages,
a comprehensive benefit package.
To apply: www.maplemanor.net
EOE/M/F/V/D

12. Ready
when
you are.
Transfer to St. Scholastica and earn your 4-Year Degree
St. Scholastica offers you a seamless transfer of credits, credit for prior
learning, personal advising, and an affordable pathway to a four-year
degree in two years or less. Transfer to our beautiful Duluth campus or
choose from a wide range of online programs.
go.css.edu/TransferToday
(507) 424-0144