Bay County's 30 foreign exchange students study, adapt to American culture

BAY CITY — Lee Li just doesn’t get American humor. But give him some time; the culture shock is likely to wear off.

“Americans like to tell jokes most of the time,” he said. “Most of the time I don’t catch them.” 

The 17-year-old from Wuhan China, is one of five exchange students walking the halls this year at Bay City Western High School and one of 30 attending public schools in Bay County.

Aside from the humor, Li has spent his first month in Michigan adjusting to plenty of other things.

“In China, we go to school for 14 hours a day, and six and half days a week. And we only learn some science subjects,” he said. “We don’t learn economic or social subjects. We just learn math, physics, chemistry.”

Many of the exchange students have similar stories about the differences in culture, but say that’s exactly why they signed up to live abroad for an entire school year.

“… I want to experience something new, so, I want it to be different,” said Martine Aasen, 17, of Sandefjord, Norway, another Western High School exchange student. “(I want to) learn new things, a different culture, speak fluent English, (make) new friends.”

All four of Bay County’s public school districts welcomed exchange students this year. Bay City Public Schools has 12 students, including seven at Bay City Central High School. Seven students are attending Essexville-Hampton Garber High School; Bangor Township John Glenn High School has six students; and five students are at Pinconning Area High School.

The students, ranging in age from 15 to 18 years old, have traveled to Michigan from all over the world, including 14 from Asia, a dozen from Europe, three from South America and one from Africa.

Six of the students are from Germany, five are from China and four are from Thailand — the three most represented countries.

Eighteen are girls, 12 are boys.

For some, getting here wasn’t easy.

Olya Kotlyarska, 16, of Kremenets, Ukraine, competed with nearly 9,000 Ukranians for her spot. Only 250 people made the cut.

Kotlyarska, who is attending Garber High School, says she is grateful to have been selected. 

“People here are really, really nice and the first day of school, I didn’t feel like I was in a different country,” she said. “It was really nice.”

During the year, exchange students live with host families and are encouraged to fully integrate into all family, school and extracurricular activities. 

For some, the proposition, combined with homesickness, is a bit daunting.

“I like it here. I like everything I try, but I miss my family and friends in Brazil, a lot, and I need to talk to them, everyday, or I can’t live,” said Larissa Gheler, 16, of Araçatuba, Brazil, a student at John Glenn High School.

Those feelings tend to wane as the year goes on, said Jon McQuinn, a local field director for Youth For Understanding, one of several international exchange programs through which students have arrived in Bay County this year.

“I don’t think they (the students) understand the magnitude of the situation they’re in,” he said. “All the sudden they’re 6,000 miles away from home.”

Even small things, like food and transportation punctuate cultural gaps.

Filipe Reino,17, of Lisbon, Portugal, said he doesn’t care for the cuisine at Central High School.

“At home, I usually eat at lunch meat with some rice or spaghetti with vegetables,” he said. “At dinners I eat fish with rice. And here, yesterday was like the first time I had meat here. We only have … hot-dogs, pizza.”

“Here it’s not so healthy,” chimes in Leonie Kraft, 15, of Bremen, Germany, another Central High School exchange student.

Aasen, of Norway, said she expects to walk to and from school every day, as her host family’s home is just a few blocks from Western High School in Auburn.

“People are thinking, it isn’t very safe if I walk from school to home,” she said. “I’m used to walking all the time. And so, students are driving me home.”

McQuinn said a common shock for European students is the lack of a heavily used public transportation system, and having to depend on host parents to travel.

“They feel bad having to ask for a ride,” McQuinn said. “That’s a big fear for a lot of our kids.”

While most find classes here easy, many are struggling with language barriers and homework.Most of Bay County’s exchange students said they’re still getting used to some American school novelties, such as choosing subjects to study, having sports affiliated with a school and changing classrooms. 

“I have to do extra work because English is a foreign language, and some words I don’t know,” said Yao Yu, 16, of Beijing, China. “I have to translate all of them. I don’t know what the teacher asks us to do, and what the question is about.”

Yu, who goes by the name Iris, said she spends more time on her studies than her American counterparts.

“Maybe other students will spend one hour to do their homework, however exchange students maybe spend three or four times that or more,” she said.

View Bay County Foreign Exchange Students[1] in a larger map

As much as the exchange students learn during their year here, area administrators say it goes both ways.

Tony Bacigalupo, principal at John Glenn High School, said one of the benefits of having students from different countries attend Bay County high schools is the fact that students on both sides can realize that what they have in common outweighs the differences.

“There are things that the students can learn from our guests that you can’t learn from a textbook,” added Allen Atkari, principal at Garber High School. “Students can ask questions and get answers directly from students from other countries.”

And they do ask plenty of questions that make it clear there is much the American students can learn.

Sergey Radevich, 16, of Rudnyy, Kazakhstan, said his peers at Bay City Central wanted to know if he remembers the Cold War, even though he was born in 1995, well after the Berlin Wall fell. 

Derrick Yevu, 16, of Accra, Ghana, said some students at Garber High School wanted to know if he rode lions to class.

Sina Porrmann, 15, of Hamburg, Germany, said students at Central High School inquired whether her country is ruled by a dictator.

Another student’s host asked how many days of the week Europeans have.

And Reino, of Lisbon, got the chance to teach a bit of geography to his friends.

“Somebody asked me if Portugal is near Argentina and Chile,” he said.

In the end, exchange programs are all about education, with both sides coming out winners, said Bacigalupo.

“Sometimes, their world view isn’t as big as it should be,” he said of how American kids can benefit.

And as for our guests:

“What I really see is that they get a real life example of what real life at an American school is like.”

http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2011/10/students_of_the_world_come_to.html

Social media driving a new kind of scandal

The irresponsible use of social media has driven Rep. Anthony Weiner, New York Democrat, into a scandalous limelight. The question: is it a sign of the times?

“It’s clear that social media is bringing in a new kind of scandal. It’s giving lawmakers new ways to mess up,” Betsy Rothstein, co-editor of Mediabistro’s FishbowlDC, told The Daily Caller. “Five years ago I don’t know if this story would have even happened.”

OhMyGov, a nonprofit social media group, published an analysis of Weiner’s Twitter account Wednesday. The analysis found the majority of Weiner’s tweets were during the business week, peaking on Wednesdays and bottoming on Sundays. He tweeted regularly during the night and weekends in a casual manner. His night posts, after 7 pm, totaled about 18 percent of his tweets.

“They were interesting. He liked to tweet off-hours, sometimes very late into the night,” Andrew Einhorn, CEO and cofounder of OhMyGov, said in an email to TheDC. “He speaks casually on it [Twitter], forgetting he is broadcasting to the world and having a lot of direct, open conversations. Now, that is how it is supposed to work, but it’s easy to see how the casual nature with which he approached the tweeting may have led him to let down his guard in a way he wouldn’t if say, a woman came on to him right on the floor house.”

(Weiner’s Web site vilifies online sex predators)

Weiner’s posts attracted right-wing bloggers, who rallied around the infamous Twitter picture and demanded coverage by the mainstream media. Rothstein said major Capitol Hill publications, such as Roll Call, the Hill, and Politico, were slow to pick up #Weinergate.

“It became this sort of shame game of right-wing reporters asking other journalists why they weren’t covering the story, why they weren’t doing their job,” Rothstein said. “When I asked Roll Call last week why they weren’t covering this story they had no response. I mean, their response was they had no response. That was stunning to me.”

The OhMyGov report shows the public reaction Weinergate mirrored the media’s coverage. As Weinergate grew into a story, the number of his Facebook and Twitter followers grew, too. But, as Weiner began to behave suspiciously, and as news outlets began to cover the story, that number dropped off.

(Trump blasts Weiner as a ‘psycho’ despite past campaign contributions)

Einhorn and Rothstein agreed that Twitter has enhanced the coverage of Weintergate. Einhorn said it has given reporters more information to work with. Rothstein said Twitter was responsible for the non-stop coverage of the scandal.

“Given that social media is still a relatively new and hot phenomenon, many are still figuring out how best to use it,” Einhorn said. “There are many people and politicians still wary of social media, and this entire story just gives their concern more credence.”

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/06/09/social-media-driving-a-new-kind-of-scandal/#ixzz1jkQqlHy7

Senate shoots down measure to defund czars

The Senate has voted 47-51 against an amendment to eliminate the White House’s ability to appoint and fund policy czars. Republican Sens. David Vitter of Louisiana, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Dean Heller of Nevada and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, introduced the amendment yesterday.

The amendment would have expanded the the definition of czar to the “head of any task force, council, policy office or similar office established by the president that has not been confirmed by the U.S. Senate.” (Rep. McCarthy introduces national texting while driving ban)

It also would have required the appointment of any czar to pass Senate approval. The National Security Advisor would have been excluded from this definition.

“We should also ensure that the Senate’s role is not eroded by unconfirmed federal czars in very significant positions which should be subject to advice and consent,” Vitter said on the Senate floor. “It’s aimed squarely at positions created to circumvent the advice and the role of the United States Senate.”

Sen. Chuck Schumer, New York Democrat, called the amendment a “poison pill” claiming it would hinder the President’s ability to appoint staff.

Vitter defended the amendment, saying it would’ve defunded any czar position in any administration.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/06/23/senate-shoots-down-measure-to-defund-czars/#ixzz1jkQWds2s

High school students win free speech cases

This past Monday the federal Third Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled, En banc, that public schools cannot punish students for online speech made off-campus.

In two separate cases two students created online social profiles of their respective principals at the website Myspace.com. The profiles contained vulgar language and lewd suggestions.

In 2005, Justin Layshock, created a MySpace profile his principal’s name and completed a survey saying he was too drunk to remember his birthday, smokes “big blunts” and under “Interests” listed “Transgender, Appreciators of Alcoholic Beverages.”

The other student, named “J.S.” created a MySpace profile of her principal in 2007. J.S. said the principal’s interests are “detention, being a tight ass, spending time with my child (who looks like a gorilla).” And in the “about me” section said, “For those who want to be my friend, and aren’t in my school[,] I love children, sex (any kind), dogs, long walks on the beach, tv, being a dick head, and last but not least my darling wife who looks like a man (who satisfies my needs ) MY FRAINTRAIN….”

In response, both schools gave their students a 10-day suspension. However, Layshock’s school went further, placing him in a Alternative Education Program for the remainder of the school year, banning him from extracurricular activities such as teaching French, and not allowing him to walk at graduation. These punishments prompted the students’ parents to file for both first and fourth amendment right violations– free speech and due process respectively.

While the court was skeptical of Fourth Amendment claims, it agreed that both students’ First Amendment rights were violated. Layshock won 14-0, while J.S. won 8-6. At the heart of both cases were the questions of whether the two profiles’ satirical tones count as defamation and if schools can punish a student for online comments made off-campus.

(D.C. voted best city to raise kids)

Judge James Munley, writing for the majority in J.S.’s case, said, “The profile was so outrageous that no one could have taken it seriously, and no one did.”

Judge Theodore McKee, writing for the majority in Layshock’s case, said, “It would be an unseemly and dangerous precedent to allow the state in the guise of school authorities to reach into a child’s home and control his/her actions there to the same extent that they can control that child when he/she participates in school sponsored activities. Allowing the District to punish Justin for conduct he engaged in using his grandmother’s computer while at his grandmother’s house would create just such a precedent and we therefore conclude that the district court correctly ruled that the District’s response to Justin’s expressive conduct violated the First Amendment guarantee of
free expression.”

Dr. Kyu Ho Youm, professor of journalism and communication at the University of Oregon, told The Daily Caller the rulings raise the fundamental question of where to draw the line on speech about school officials.

“It’s a very significant argument giving a more expansive interpretation for students off-campus,” Youm said.

He said he believes the Supreme Court of the United States will eventually have to draw that line.

Although the Supreme Court typically takes up appeals where judges issue conflicting opinions, such as the case with J.S.’s decision, Youm said he doubts the Supreme Court will accept an appeal immediately.

Will Creeley, director of legal and public advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), told The Daily Caller the decision was a landmark ruling.

Creeley said although FIRE doesn’t handle high school cases, what happens in high school, especially on First Amendment grounds, often leaks over into college. He said he is glad that high school students can engage in satire, and that “they can enjoy, truly – off-campus – free speech while online.”

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/06/15/high-school-students-win-free-speech-cases/#ixzz1jkQgoWXu

Allegations of corruption, fraud, tear town government apart

Allegations of corruption, conflicts of interest, free-speech violations and political intimidation have entrenched the government of Quartzsite, Ariz., and its police chief, against its own mayor and police force.

The trouble began when Quartzsite citizen Jennifer Jones addressed the town council during a public meeting on June 28. Councilman Joe Winslow interrupted her address, telling Jones she was no longer allowed to address the council. He told her if she did not leave she would be escorted out.

Jones refused to put the microphone down; police officers forcibly removed her from the room and arrested her on a charge of disturbing the peace. Her removal from the council chambers was recorded and uploaded to YouTube, where more than 39,000 people have already viewed it.

The council, chief of police, and other government officials claim they have received life-threatening emails because of the video. In response, the council declared a state of emergency during a closed meeting Sunday, during which they also removed Mayor Ed Foster from office.

Foster expressed his own doubts. “I have not seen any threatening emails sent to them,” he said. “I mean: you’re in public life, and if you are in public life, you have to get used to it.”

Foster said that on Tuesday afternoon he submitted a document request to see all emails considered threatening enough to declare a state of emergency. But more pressing, he says, are the eight to ten town paychecks issued to unnamed people during every pay cycle since 1991. He has not been allowed to see who receives the paychecks.

In the past, Foster has called council members and Quartzsite Chief of Police Jeff Gilbert corrupt, repeatedly asking for investigations into their behavior. (Fake Democrats lose in Wis. primary recalls)

Sergeant William Ponce, the president of the Quartzsite Police Association, agrees an investigation is needed, especially regarding the chief of police. The police association has issued a vote of no confidence against Chief Gilbert, saying he has violated town policy and has committed political and criminal violations.

Ponce said in the past Gilbert has instructed officers in his department to vote for political candidates he favors, and has intentionally issued citations to political candidates he opposes.

“’He’d say, ‘This person has violations X-Y-Z on their vehicle; stop and give them the violations,’” Ponce said. “A majority of the time they were political opponents. We’ve gone up to him and expressed that we can’t go out and enforce that, and as soon as we told him he’d get angry and walk away.”

The association submitted a letter asking for an investigation into Gilbert’s conduct, alleging that he has used his authority to order members of the police department to use department resources, such as the National Crime Information Center, to find dirt on political candidates he dislikes.

The letter also suggests that Town Manager Alex Taft “continually attempted to delay, stall or prevent this investigation from taking place.” It alleges that she’s a friend of Chief Gilbert and has actively fought any investigations against him. An Arizona Department of Public Safety investigation is currently underway.

Ponce say a state of emergency has not been formally declared, and that the police department has been instructed to refer to it as an emergency situation. He said as far as he knows, this ‘emergency situation’ is still in effect.

“There are two main issues here: the check issue, and the Gilbert issue,” Foster said.

Foster said he has tried to get the Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne to take up the case, but has had no luck. For now, Foster has said he will collect as many complaints as he can about open-meeting violations at Quartzsite’s town council meetings and deliver them to the attorney general’s doorstep the next morning.

Police Chief Jeff Gilbert and the Quartzsite town attorney could not be reached for comment.

This story was corrected to reflect the correct name of Arizona’s attorney general.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/07/13/allegations-of-corruption-fraud-tears-town-government-apart/#ixzz1jkPoLEsx

Oil trade groups: Drilling deregulation could create 190,000 jobs

Almost 190,000 jobs could be created by 2013 if offshore drilling returns to pre-spill levels, according to a study sponsored by two oil trade groups, the National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) and the American Petroleum Institute (API).

The study, conducted by Quest Offshore Inc., found that if permits for exploration and drilling returned to historic levels, and if backlogged requests were granted, 400,000 jobs could be supported across the United States with a GDP increase of $45 billion by 2013.

“The president says he wants ideas for putting Americans back to work right now,” said Jack Gerard, API president, during a conference call today. “So we urge him, again, to take a look at policies that will encourage oil, and domestic gas development.”

The offshore oil and natural gas industries suffered losses in 2008 due to the economic recession, the moratorium on deepwater drilling, and slowdowns in permits issued for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. The study’s authors claim tens of thousands of jobs have been lost due to the downturn.

Gerard echoed the study’s conclusions, saying the United States has the opportunity to increase employment and secure “as much as 92 percent of [its] oil needs from North American resources.”

Both Gerard and NOIA president Randall Luthi agreed the industry needs the ability to explore newly identified petroleum deposits everywhere, including in East- and West-coast waters. Currently only 15 percent of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf is available for exploration. (New border gun rules a distraction from Fast and Furious scandal, Issa says)

“We’ve got to get out there and have the opportunity to look,” Gerard said, “and the industry needs some insurance that this is serious — that there’s a leasing process in place to eventually commit the resources to go find what level of resources are available, and then to develop it at that point. So given those opportunities, I can guarantee you the industry will spend its money wisely. But you need to have the opportunity.”

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/07/12/oil-trade-groups-drilling-deregulation-could-create-190000-jobs/#ixzz1jkQHN6GZ

‘Travel hackers’ fly for free on government’s dollar, so to speak

Dollar coins may not be popular among most Americans, but they sure are for people who like to travel for free.

An NPR report cites “travel hackers” who use their credit cards, which award frequent flier miles for purchases, to purchase dollar coins from the U.S. Mint.

Once they have the coins, they can either ship them back to government reserves for free or deposit them in their bank accounts.

The act isn’t illegal, but since 2008, the Mint enacted a 1,000 coin purchase limit for every ten days.

Congress mandated the minting of presidential dollar coins in 2005 in an attempt to make dollar coins popular among Americans. Since then, over $1 billion worth of coins have been stored in Federal Reserve vaults. The coins will continue to be minted, and stored if not used, under the congressional mandate.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2011/07/13/travel-hackers-fly-for-free-on-governments-dollar-so-to-speak/#ixzz1jkPb3lul

Alentado back to work after near-paralysis

On April 18, 2009, sophomore Vincent Alentado was recovering from a morning surgery in Hillsdale Community Health Center's step-down unit. He watched the doctor at the end of the bed.

"Move your toes, please," the doctor said.

He couldn't. In fact, Alentado couldn't feel most of his lower leg.

"Well," the doctor said, before walking out. "You'll never run again."

Alentado came to a conclusion and began writing to his teammates.

"Hey Fellas," he wrote. "I just wanted to start this e-mail by telling each and every one of you how blessed you are to be in this Charger family..."

Five days earlier, the Hillsdale College football team was simulating overtime in its inter-team scrimmage. The last play would be a screen. Alentado, number 42, was an up-and-coming running back for the Chargers. He caught the pass and ran.

Captain Mat Szula hit Alentado. Eight years of playing football told the walk-on to throw his hips in an effort to drop the linebacker. He did, but Szula didn't fall on the ground. Instead, he fell on Alentado's lower leg, shattering both bones.

When the play was over, the team's center came to help Alentado get on his legs. Instead, he looked down, said "Oh, s***," and ran the other way. Alentado was laying by the 20-yard mark, his lower leg bent into a 45 degree angle.

The fallen Alentado was silent — he thought someone else had broken their leg.

By all measures, Alentado's recovery was astonishing. Following the accident, he went through two surgeries, treatment for compartment syndrome, was deprived of sleep due to fatty emboli, a potentially fatal condition, and nerve damage to his lower leg. By the end of the summer he had three screws and a metal rod in his tiba and a screw in his foot.

The following year, he worked as a student coach for the team, placed in the top third of his class while shifting from a planned five-year stay at Hillsdale to four.

Vincent was Charlene Alentado's first born. As an active toddler, his first word was "ball." Charlene said he started playing club football in Tuscon, Ariz. when he was nine. She said he played with a kind of "bad news bears" crowd — some kids sporting ankle monitors. But Vincent kept playing through high-school and was eventually recruited by numerous colleges and universities. He was offered a full-ride to Arizona State University, among others. He chose Hillsdale.

Charlene said she was working with a local charity when a roommate's father called her from the football field, saying Vincent had broken his leg and she may want to be in Hillsdale.

"Basically, the question then was how to get out there," she said.

Charlene Alentado said she couldn't find a flight from Phoenix to Detroit, so she flew to Chicago and drove to Hillsdale. Arriving mid-afternoon, Charlene caught head football coach Keith Otterbein as he was leaving the hospital. He turned around and walked her to Vincent's room. Vincent had an oxygen mask on but was awake when she arrived, surrounded by teammates.

"Everyone's like ‘yeah, he'll be fine for next season,'" said Ron Bedway, housemate and fellow teammate. "I'm sure he was down, but I think he dealt with it very well. Better than most guys would."

When he was told he wouldn't be able to play again, Vincent Alentado looked for other ways to help the team.

"The very first day he was upset, shocked and disappointed," Charlene Alentado said. "But after that, he just moved on."

Bedway was surprised at how soon Vincent Alentado seemed to bounce back.

For the last few school weeks, he was confined to a wheelchair and crutches. His girlfriend, Stephanie Booms, alumna of '09, said he tried spending most of his time out of the wheelchair. Charlene Alentado wheeled him around to his tests.

During the summer, he had more surgeries. A blister had formed on his right foot because of claw-toe, keeping his toes firmly curled — a consequence of compartment syndrome. A blister had formed on his big-toe. His nerve damage wouldn't allow him to feel the blister. It became infected, forcing a slight amputation of his big toe. He underwent corrective surgery to straighten the rest of his toes.

But Vincent Alentado said the worst pain was feeling the nerve trying to repair itself.

"It was basically like getting struck by a lightning bolt almost every ten seconds," Alentado said. "It was the worst thing."

That fall, Vincent worked as a student coach for the football team. He became coach Pat Hornak's right-hand man with processing videos. When a practice video was shot for the football team, Alentado would sit in a room no larger than a closet syncing recordings and uploading the processed films to a server for the team.

"He never complained about it," Hornak said. "That was his new role, and he ran with it."

Otterbein said sometimes injured athletes who can't compete suffer from a damaged sense of self-worth. He wanted to keep Alentado close, allowing him to contribute to the team.

"He worked so hard," he said. "He was going to be a very good football player."

But Alentado's participation didn't end with football. He became the president of the biology honorary, Tri Beta; the historian for the science honorary, Sigma Zeta; and a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, which only inducts the top ten students in a senior class.

Assistant professor of biology Jeffrey VanZant said Alentado received funding to research as a laureate for the biology department last summer. He said Alentado's work focused on genetic decay and expects his research to be published this year.

Now, Alentado said he's waiting to be accepted into med-school. He's applied to Vanderbilt University and the University of Pittsburgh.

"Vince never did have a football scholarship," Charlene Alentado said. "But he did have a full academic ride — based on him coming back and working his ass off."

When Vincent Alentado finished his email, he said that he wouldn't be able to run again in his life. He can now run up to a mile in rounded shoes. What Alentado expressed to his teammates is to not give up.

"So what I want you, my Charger brothers, to take from this is that you should make sure to give every fiber of your existence into the things you love because you never know when those things may be taken from you," He wrote. "However, do not fear the unexpected, but instead allow yourselves to adjust to your situation. God did not make a mistake in His plan for me."

Internet homework pricey but helpful, professors say

Freshman Anne Peterson paid $69 for a two-year pass on Quia.com for her French 102 class. She said she will only be using it for three months. Like many students at Hillsdale College, Peterson will be using the online resource for up to an hour a week to complete her coursework in the class.

Visiting Professor of French Jennifer Walter said Quia, an online program for foreign language students, acts as an online workbook, replacing the hefty texts from years past. Prices, however, run high. Walter said old textbooks could range anywhere in price from $20 to $50, current subscriptions to Quia, however, cost $60 to $70. 

"It's nice because it gives students instant feedback," Walter said.

She's not the only professor who enjoys using the Internet for feedback on classes. George Angell, professor of theatre, often uses online resources such as BlackBoard to conduct quizzes, tests and have papers submitted. Angell said his major reasons were easy grading, more room for comments on papers and speedier grading.

 "There's a strongly proven correlation between learning and the speed by which things are returned," Angell said. "So if you turn in a test and get it back online; you can't get faster than that."

Quia is, however, not without its flaws. Walter said the first few times her French 101 class used it, they had trouble navigating the site and finding assignments. She said Quia also has trouble recognizing written work.

"Quia can be very picky," Walter said. "If it asks for complete sentences, it has to have complete sentences. If a period is left out, the whole question is wrong."

Which is why, Walter said, professors go online and look over the work. She said if the professors choose, they can approve an answer or allow students to try questions again.

Angell said he also has his students use BlackBoard to keep an online journal to reflect on experiences they have in both the classroom and in the real world. He also uses the site as a forum to promote course documents and other materials he finds pertinent to his students.

Junior Eric Elefson is one of those students. Elefson, who is in Acting III with Angell, said the forums are used to go over themes discussed in class and experienced outside of class. He said the idea of centering, readjusting the perceived center of one's body, is one example of discussion on BlackBoard.

"I talked about where you center yourself changes how you act," Elefson said. "How feelings, attitudes and emotions go along with your center."

Elefson said to get an A in the course a student must write an entry for each class period. Most entries, he said, are a substantially-sized paragraph.

"It's a good tool," Elefson said. "It helps cement ideas into your mind."

And that's what Angell hopes for, saying BlackBoard is most useful as a clearing house of ideas where students will ask each other questions and use BlackBoard as a research tool. 

"It seems to me that the computer is an indispensable research tool at this point," Angell said.

Airport plans hit bump

The planned expansion to Hillsdale Municipal Airport encountered a conflict Monday night when it was discovered the city will also need to acquire airspace from neighboring property in order to comply with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations.

The airspace, currently occupied by two neighboring lots, must be acquired by aviation easement, which limits a landowner's ability to put up signs and regulates tree heights. 

When councilman Terry Casler of Ward 4 asked if airport plans could go ahead without the airspace, City Manager Michael Mitchell said no.

"It would definitely affect how things are done," Mitchell said. "There's no other way around it."

Casler said that having to acquire airspace would pose a problem.

"I do have a problem with acquiring more land on top of what we already have done," Casler said.

Mitchell said the acquisition will not seek the deeds for the neighboring land; rather, it would seek the possession of the airspace above.

"But it's going to affect the land owner's property," Casler said.

The council, however, has few options. Councilman Rick Richardson of Ward 3 said if the council decides to stop the project now, then the city stands to lose millions of dollars to the FAA.

"If we stop in the middle of the project now, the FAA can say ‘okay, we're done,' and the FAA can require the city to pay back the money they've put into it," he said.

Currently, the city of Hillsdale has a loan from the FAA and Michigan Department of Transportation where the city pays 2.5 percent of the estimated upgrade to the Municipal Airport while the State of Michigan and the FAA pick up the rest of the tab.

"It's a lot more than our budget," Mayor Doug Moon said.

Councilwoman Ruth Brown of Ward 3 agreed with Casler. The council needs to be wary of being boxed in by the fine print in deals, she said.

Campus jobs for students tough to find

Junior Julia Dellaira and senior Connie Brandin dig into the dirt between the Strosacker Science Building and the Knorr Student Center. They're tearing up a small invasive plant making its way through campus. Dellaira is working for a third year tearing up plants, and Brandin is working on campus for her second semester. Both love their outdoor job in horticulture — especially in the winter, when things get busy. 

"I love going into the Greenhouse — you take off your jacket and it's so warm," Brandin said.

For students seeking employment, there's little wiggle room. That's where the financial aid office steps in, advertising jobs on- and off-campus jobs for students — jobs that are increasingly hard to find at the semester goes on.

Dellaria said she saw a poster when she was a freshman offering on-campus jobs and never looked back. Brandin went through the administration in order to secure her job — a speciality of Financial Aid Counselor Jemie Hannon and Financial Aid Director Rich Moeggenberg.

Hannon, who organizes job postings on the web portal, said student employment averages at 63 precent, though last year employment reached 69 percent. She said she expects this year's employment rate to easily reach that level, if not surpass it. Which means trouble for students looking to be employed mid-year.

Hannon said demand for jobs is high, and though she hasn't had to yet, she may need to tell students that the financial aid office isn't aware of any jobs.

"It'd be nice to have more jobs," Hannon said.

In an email to faculty and staff, Hannon said a student working eight hours a week can earn up to $900 a semester and still maintain a fairly flexible schedule. Part time jobs are included, from babysitting to working in the mail room in Moss Hall.

Moeggenberg said he and Hannon act mainly as facilitators for students seeking jobs and send students to departments that best suit their skills or needs. He said some students are required to work as a part of their scholarships.

Moeggenberg said one direction student employment is moving toward is more internship style jobs. He said roughly 32 students are involved with the Student Opportunities and Activities and Rewards [SOAR] program, which aims at giving students a more internship style experience.

 Hannon said the SOAR program is budgeted $22,000 for students, which limits how many students can participate and how often students within the program can work – too many hours means student employees can go over budget.

Hannon said the SOAR program pays for students to take on experience at participating agencies, such as the Hillsdale Community Health Center where a worker within the desired field supervises students.

These opportunities, Moggenberg said, are growing. He said there are 32 students participating with 24 agencies involved with SOAR.

"It can't be a job flipping burgers," Moeggenberg said. "It has to have a project."

Leah Martin, Aide to the Physical Plant Director, said they hire twice a year: once in the fall and once in the summer. The positions, however, go fast, and depend on whether or not students are returning to work.

The move and set-up crew, which is entirely run by students, has been in operation for a little over four years and often has repeat workers. Martin said the move and set-up crew often helps set up for events, like Relay for Life. He said the crew is one of the more popular groups to work, and applications are filled over the summer with priority given to  returning students.

"If we have nine returns coming in, we'll only have two spots available," Martin said.

Hannon said the office can only adverstise what employers tell her – sometimes employers fill spots before they let Hannon know an opening is available.

Moeggenberg said this shouldn't deter students seeking employment from coming into the Financial Aid office. But if the student knows the process, or the professors looking for student help, then it wouldn't hurt to darken their doors first.

As for Dellaira and Brandin, they'll keep working into the winter and spring – nine and seven hours respectively – as two of the three girls working in the grounds department.

"I couldn't ask for a better job," Dellaira said.

Brandin agreed, claiming a need for shirts and hats to be made for their positions as the "greenhouse girls."

"We keep the guys in line," Brandin said, as she pulled up another handful of weeds.

Restaurant quietly opens, offers food and a view

Lynn and Mick Tropiano opened Café Azzurri Tuesday, March 15 to a small crowd. The restaurant, attached to the Hillsdale Country Club on Lake Baw Beese is out of the way, quiet — not booming, which is exactly what the Tropianos wanted.

"We wanted to open slowly," Lynn said. "We didn't want our staff to become overwhelmed in order to provide the best service to our customers."

For customers seeking great seafood or pasta with a view, or perhaps a drink at the bar, Café Azzurri is the newest place in Hillsdale County.

The restaurant is owned and operated by Rick Tropiano, owner of Johnny T's Bistro, Lynn said. Lynn Tropiano, the new restaurant's general manager, said customers can look forward to great table salads, pastas, fish and a wine list crafted by John Savorino, who ran Savorino's Italian Restaurant in downtown Hillsdale before it became Johnny T's in 2009.

Café Azzurri, though attached to the Hillsdale Country Club, isn't affiliated with it, a point Lynn Tropiano stresses. Mick Tropiano, Lynn's husband and fellow general manager, said the club stood near Lake Baw Beese for about 100 years, running the restaurant on its own.

He said the club had a hard time managing the restaurant and approached Mick's brother, Rick Tropiano, asking if he would take over the restaurant. Rick asked Lynn and Mick if they were interested in managing.

They said yes.

"We had to bring it up to speed in order to handle what we were expecting," Lynn Tropiano said.

Over two months, the restaurant underwent a transformation. Windows were replaced, walls were repaired, tables and chairs were brought in. Mick Tropiano said they haven't done anything with the deck yet, but are planning on holding future parties on it. Mick said there will be live music two or three nights a week. The Tropianos also said they're considering a Sunday brunch later in the spring.

"If someone has specific needs we'll be able to accommodate them," Lynn Tropiano said.

Customers, too, are eager to test the new restaurant.

"It was really good, the best fish in the area," said Assistant Professor of Piology Angelica Pytel. "They didn't overcook the trout."

Café Auzzri is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Tuesday to Thursday and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Hillsdale to become Internet hotspot

The city of Hillsdale may soon become a major Internet data path as Merit Network, Inc. seeks to expand its fiber optic network throughout southern Michigan with a $33.3 million federal grant.

Merit Network provides non-profit organizations with high-speed, high-bandwidth fiber optic wire — the current cutting edge in Internet access.

Executive Director of ITS David Zenz said the fiber optic network presents an exciting opportunity for the Hillsdale.

Zenz said Hillsdale currently has one fiber optic wire reaching down from Jackson, Mich., which was installed in 2008 when the College decided it needed more bandwidth and partnered with the Hillsdale Intermediate School District, Public Board of Utilities and Merit to bring fiber wire to Hillsdale.

The new fiber optic wire will cross Hillsdale, giving it three access points and direct connections to the Internet.

Currently, there are two major Internet nodes nearby in Chicago said Eric Macy, CEO of Nonik Technologies and representative for the City of Hillsdale in its talks with Merit. Macy said the other node is being constructed in Cleveland.

Zenz said with Hillsdale smack dab in the middle the opportunity to grow is high.

Zenz said the new fiber optic path with be a redundant path, which serves as a safeguard against a downed wire — potentially isolating a community from the Internet.

"All communications traffic flows through Chicago," Macy said. "The weakness being a terrorist attack or a power-outage would cut off the internet to all of Michigan. What we're hoping to capitalize on is that we'll be able to connect to Cleveland which will allow us to connect to the east coast, which makes us look more attractive."

Macy said he and Economic Development Director Christine Bowman have been working to attract businesses to the area.

"They need Internet service, and they need Internet services that are not going to fail," City Manger Michael Mitchell said during a City Council meeting last Monday.

Macy said there are a few industries that might take a second look at Hillsdale such as telemarketers, data centers and institutions doing research. Macy said some companies are taking another look at Hillsdale because of its municipality owned power company — which helps their bottom line.

Macy said employment in Hillsdale won't jump with the new wire, but it may provide an opportunity for the service sector to grow and accommodate the few high-earning jobs it will attract.

Macy said construction of the fiber network will be finished in Hillsdale by the end of 2011.

Miller new journalism program director

When the Dow Journalism Program started in 1998, no one knew exactly what the director would do, what his relationship to The Collegian would be, if he would have a desk and if there would be an office of any kind.

Now, after over a decade of improvisation, overseeing the award-winning Collegian, and settling into an office, the first director of the program, Tracy Simmons, has left the position, leaving a vacant seat during the spring semester.

The college recently announced that John Miller, a writer for National Review and author of the novel "The First Assassin," will fill Simmons' place next fall as the new program director.

As director, Miller is charged with instructing students, representing the program to donors and integrating journalism into the liberal arts.

Provost David Whalen said the college president appoints the program director with the advice of faculty and faculty advisers. He said the college had considered other journalists as well, but Miller was at the top of the list. Whalen said Arnn offered the position after gathering opinions of Miller's suitability.

Miller said Arnn first called him last August.

"I wasn't looking for a job," Miller said. "But we started talking."

After a few more calls and a visit to the school, during which he gave a lecture about Teddy Roosevelt and football, Miller accepted the position.

Simmons said when he was first offered the position of program director he turned it down. He took the position after an external affairs employee approached him a second time in Washington, D.C. 

"He thought if I took it I had a moral obligation, as he put it, to stay for three years," Simmons said. "But I stayed for over 10 — more three times as long — so I'd like to think that I discharged my duty on that front."

Miller said he plans to continue Simmons' legacy, as well as integrate the journalism program with the WHIP program in Washington, D.C. He said he would continue writing for National Review and looks forward to starting at Hillsdale next fall.

Miller is no stranger to Hillsdale. A Michigan native, he grew up in a home that received Imprimis. He visited Hillsdale's campus many times to visit his brother, a '77 alumnus, and to see speakers such as P.J. O'Rourke during weekend escapes from Ann Arbor.

Miller attended the University of Michigan and became editor for the Michigan Review before working at The New Republic. Later, he moved to National Review, where he has written for the past 13 years. He has written three books, one novel and started the Student Free Press Association, an online publication for young journalists.

Simmons said he plans to write for the next several months before moving on to his next project. He said Miller is the best choice Hillsdale could make.

Student tends to greenhouse plants

Senior Manuel Valle peers into his microscope and observes the mosaic patterns on his slide. The slide was produced by a company in North Carolina and stained specifically to help students identify different cellular structures. But the potted plant next to him, which serves to identify the slice of water lily on his slide, was grown in Strosacker's greenhouse under the watchful eye of junior Megan Saunders. 

For the past year and a half, Saunders has swept the floor, watered, pruned, potted and re-potted the plants that make up the Strosacker Greenhouse. At the beginning of Saunders' sophomore year, Renessa Cooper, associate professor of biology, asked her if she was interested in plants. Saunders said yes and was soon watching over the greenhouse and its silent inhabitants. 

"It's not a huge job," Saunders said. "But it's rewarding because you're working with your hands."

Cooper said the greenhouse produces plants needed for Biology 102, Evolution in Biodiversity and Botany. Occasionally, she'll take her students into the greenhouse to showcase the variety of plants, but in large, the florid room doesn't see too many visitors beyond the occasional student seeking extra credit, Cooper, the rare studier and Saunders.

"Visitors are welcome," Cooper said, "which is why we put a sign up." 

One whole wall of the structure is dedicated to aloe plants. The flowering plant grows so much that Cooper said she often gives them away. But the greenhouse takes plants too. Cooper said when students own plants which have grown too large and unruly for a dorm room, they donate it to the biology department. During winter break, she also takes in plants while students are away.

Saunders said she occasionally helps move plants to botany labs, but often she simply feeds the aloes, the agave plant (a relative to the plant responsible for tequila), the rubber plants and the two dwarf banana trees. A few times a month, they're fertilized. Saunders said the banana trees, now a bit dried out, looked fantastic at the end of the summer. Cooper said they have yet to produce fruit. 

One of the more colorful plants in the greenhouse, called the Anthurium, looks like it has an elongated grub jumping off a red leaf. 

"These are actually flowers along this spadix," Saunders said, pointing towards the little dots covering the yellow edifice. "The red thing is actually called a spathe, but it's just an altered leaf." 

Next, she points out a leafy plant with what looks like rice growing in the middle of its leaves.

"For the first couple of weeks I always thought it was covered in bugs so it sort of creeped me out when I saw it in the corner of my eye," Saunders said. The little growths are another method of disguising flowers. 

Cooper points out a variety of plants after her botany lab. One species has existed virtually unchanged since dinosaurs roamed. Another, the pencil plant, stretches over two rubber plants, flanked by the aloes. A smaller one is knocked over.  

"It's a jungle in there," She said. "But jungles are good."

Students seek off-campus spots

David Beatrice would like to stop eating at SAGA. The sophomore would also like to stop living in the dorms. Beatrice, like 235 other men at Hillsdale College, wants permission to live off campus.

So far, he hasn't heard of any approval from the College.

Victoria Landen would like to cook her renowned Cajun/Thai shrimp platter in the convenience of her own kitchen. Though she has been approved for off-campus living, the junior hasn't nailed down the number of roommates she'll have. Despite the competition for off-campus living, 173 women applied this year, it's no chip on her shoulder.

"I'm just looking for a kitchen, a bedroom and a door that locks," Landen said. "And a place with internet."

She said, however, she doesn't much care. While it would be nice to have a kitchen to herself, she'd also like to no worry about furnishing an apartment.

Dean of Women Diane Phillip said for the past five years more students have been given permission to live off campus. This year, with a 20 percent increase in applicants to Hillsdale College, the administration is taking particular care in arranging student's living quarters.

"The benefits of living off campus can be gained by living in the Suites," Landen said.

Phillip said the off-campus list constantly moves as prospective students decide where to go to college, and if students who've applied for off-campus and received permission change their mind.

But Beatrice said college students shouldn't need permission to live off of College property.

"It doesn't treat us like adults," he said. 

But Phillip said the College needs to fill beds so it can make money to operate.

"We have to fill beds to remain fiscally responsible," Phillip said.

This is the first year Hillsdale College has passed the 1,400 student milestone. Though the number of students are increasing, the College has no plans to grow the number of dorms. Phillip said the school plans to keep the student body around the 1,400 mark.

"Resident halls, the cafeteria, everything is pressed hard when you get close to that magic number," Phillip said. "If we have 10 more students coming in and we need some to go off campus we'll call them as late as June. Usually it's not a big problem."

It was a big problem last year when plans to convert Koon Residence into a men's dormitory were dropped to accommodate incoming freshman women. When this happened, Phillip said Dean of Men Aaron Petersen had a group of men on the waiting list, including freshman, who were given off-campus permission.

Phillip said such an issue won't happen this year, as Koon is being converted back into a men's dormitory.

Off-campus permission is determined by year: seniors first, then juniors, followed by any sophomores  or freshman. Phillip said Hillsdale used to give permission based on general credit hours, but after sophomores began to bump juniors from the off-campus list the administration changed the rules to Hillsdale credit hours only.

Beatrice said if he doesn't get off campus, he can live in the Sigma Chi fraternity house or in the dorms, though he'd prefer living downtown by the railroads where he and his brothers would live. Where living is less expensive.

Crews clear the path

It's 4 a.m. Jason Sellers rams his 2007 white GMC truck up against a pile of snow. He checks his mirrors for obstacles, backs up, slams his foot on the gas and rams the pile again. Sellers, along with five other members of the Hillsdale grounds crew, are tasked with clearing Hillsdale College's paths, roads and walks.

Sellers said the typical day for a grounds member starts at 7 a.m., but during the winter it can range from 3 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon. In the case of major storms, such as the snow storm last week, which dumped 5 to 14 inches of snow across southern Michigan, plowing may start at midnight.

"There are only five of us; and there's a lot of campus," Sellers said.

Grounds crew director Mike Wiseley said this year is especially bad. For one, the ever-falling snow prevents the crew from keeping the walks safe. There's also the matter of salt. Wiseley said a normal winter requires 50 tons of salt. This year, they've used 70 tons and have ordered another 50.

After that, there is the equipment. Wiseley said a broken tractor causes an avalanche of problems. First, a crew member and tractor are prevented from clearing snow. Second, retrieving the tractor takes time and manpower, allowing more snow to build up, in turn causing the whole crew to fall behind schedule. Finally, the cost of repairs have to be factored in, along with how the crew will catch up on its daily tasks, like garbage collection and moving furniture.

Today, they're down a member and a tractor.

Each member has a specific piece of equipment to use on their routes. They use two trucks with plows, two stieners, which move snow and spread salt, salt-spreaders and two toolcats – one of which has a massive brush for clearing walks and shooting snow several feet off the path it's clearing.

Wiseley's route has him pummeling snow in the parking lots of Moss, Kendall, Lane, the loading docks and Chi Omgea. He also stops to shovel the steps at Moss, Kendall, and Lane. The crew must also clear Hillsdale Academy, the gun range and various off-campus rentals. Each member has a similar regimen and each tries to be done by eight a.m. 

Wiseley says some mornings are worse than others. Monday, Wiseley was down a man, a tractor and his plow. On top of that, Sellers backed into a telephone pole – which, Sellers said, is getting off pretty light.

Wiseley said the crew gets calls about snow needing to be removed - Sellers recalled a student complaining that the snow plows blocked his car in.

"Security went over there and they said they couldn't find a car that couldn't get out," Sellers said.

And that was that.

Cars and islands, Sellers said, are the biggest problems for a plower – they force the plower to stop and maneuver around the obstacle. The best lots, he said, "are the ones where you can build momentum and go straight across."

The best snow is cold and light. The heavier, the more problematic it can be for the equipment.

"When one thing breaks everything seems to follow it," Sellers said.

Sellers doesn't navigate the long mornings without some help.  He tunes in to Q106, which plays the most music in the morning, and drinks Pepsi to keep awake.

"That's a pain in the butt," Wiseley said.

Students in Suites taken to hospital; alcohol involved

After drinking in the Suites, two students paid a visit to the Hillsdale Community Hospital for possible alcohol poisoning this past Saturday.

Junior John Burtka, a resident assistant in the Suites, said the two persons involved, a man and woman, were released later that night. He said this was the first time anyone in the Suites had to go to the hospital because of alcohol.

Dean Men Aaron Petersen said security requested an ambulance because they feared alcohol poisoning.

Burtka, the resident assistant on call Saturday night, said he was notified around 11:15 p.m., after the resident assistant on duty, junior Julia Dellaira, called 911.

A source requesting anonymity said they believed one of the students fell down the Suites stairwell, prompting the call to 911. 

Petersen said the dean's office has reacted strongly to Saturday's incident, not only with the individuals involved, but with the residents of the Suites as well.

Burtka said he believes there's a frequent number of alcohol violations in the Suites.

"But most students keep to themselves and are quiet in their own rooms," he said.

House Director Patricia Corboy declined to comment on the issue, saying it was a "private issue" where students "had too much to drink."

Another disciplinary issue occurred in Simpson Hall last week, requiring the presence of campus security. RAs and Petersen said they were not at liberty to discuss the matter.

Liz Essley contributed to this report.

The war over wind

Nearly 200 Reading residents flooded Owens High School auditorium last Monday in order to discuss a possible wind energy project affecting Reading Township. At the center of contention was an ordinance passed last December, which set the township standards for wind energy development.

The current ordinance was passed by the Reading Township Board after receiving recommendations from the Reading Planning Commission. But the Township Board had some recommendations eased, making it easier for wind turbines to be built and for residents to be outraged — particularly over possible health, such as sound from the turbines and property value issues.

Township attorney Kevin Shirk, who drafted the ordinance passed by the Reading Township Board, said the ordinance is one of the strictest in Michigan. 

Shirk said he was concerned over the Planning Commission's initial article for sound level standards, which would have required a developer to make a background sound check from every property in the township — a standard he believed to be unenforceable.

"If a developer can prove an ordinance is unenforceable," Shirk said. "That ordinance will fall."

Instead, Shirk followed the Township Board's instructions to make the ordinance feasible while following the planning commission's recommendations as closely as possible.

Gretchen Oberdick, secretary for the Reading Planning Commission said the commission's recommendations should've been stronger. "If we could, I would like a do-over for this ordinance."

The current ordinance states that any sound emitted from a turbine cannot exceed 45 decibels at any participating property line. Nor can it exceed 40 decibels at the property line of any non-participating property. The state of Michigan suggests sound levels for wind turbine districts should not exceed 50 decibels. By comparison, a typical conversation between two people three feet apart is 60 to 70 decibels.

"All the data driven facts that we've amassed with the Wind Energy Association says 45 decibels are well within comfort levels of wind farms," Duke Energy spokesman Greg Efthimiou said.

Milton R. Howard, vice president of Wind Energy, a part of Duke Energy, had a letter circulated during the town hall meeting that said "an anti-wind energy group has been circulating misinformation... about the wind energy industry."

"These individuals," Howard wrote in a letter to the residents of Reading, "who may or may not be local residents, appear to be perpetuating myths about health effects form wind turbines, property value impacts, tax revenues and other topics."

Lee Tonnies, '75 Hillsdale alumnus, is the voice behind savereading.org, a website opposing wind turbines in Reading. Tonnies said she hasn't spread misinformation, and she's not against wind energy. She said she believes Reading doesn't have enough space for turbines to safely operate. She also said a study argued the announcement of turbines can drop property value up to 40 percent.

Efthimiou said the United States Department of Energy conducted a study finding no correlation between the presence of wind farms and loss in property value. He said a study done by the state of Michigan finds Reading to have enough resources for commercial wind energy, and that Duke Energy has been measuring wind power and direction for two years — taking into account height, different seasons and different times of the day.

The turbines, built by Duke Energy, may be spread out in a 12,000 acre area and provide up to 100 megawatts of energy to customers. Though Duke Energy has yet to announce the number of turbines to be built, Efthimiou said a typical utility-scale turbine provides anywhere between 1.5 to 2.3 megawatts. The current township overlay surrounds the city of Reading and borders Camden, Cambria and Allen Townships.

Currently, the township has a six-month moratorium on wind energy development, and will seek to review the ordinance. Duke Energy plans to hold an informational open house Saturday, March 12 in Reynolds Elementary School gymnasium in Reading.

An underground railroad of history

Mike Venturini plops into the armchair in his home, the Munro House. He found his old house in an ad online when he searched for vacation bed and breakfast houses near Rome, Italy. His wife had him click on the link and they bought it. They moved in with their two black Scottish terriers Ozzie and Gilly and continue to run the bed and breakfast. They give tours of the house to elementary students.

They give tours not because it's the oldest standing house in Hillsdale, not because it was the first brick house in the county, and not even because its founder, George Munro, who built Jonesville's first mill, hardware store and hotel, traded and befriended Potawatomi Chief Baw Beese. It's toured because, legend has it, the house was a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Munro bought the federal style wood frame house in 1834 after successful trading ventures with Chief Baw Beese. In 1840 Munro planned a grand expansion, adding a new front and two wings. According to a Jonesville historical pamphlet, a publisher said the new house was "a landmark to the dawn of civilization in southern Michigan." People drove for miles to see it. It was a sensation.

When Munro designed the extensions, he requested odd dimensions. Venturini said the main house has a 12-foot ceiling. The north wing, now a bedroom for bed and breakfast guests, is 20 feet wide and has a 10-foot ceiling. The room behind it, which in Munro's time was used to store firewood for his 10 fireplaces, is 7 feet high. A space 20 feet long, 6 feet wide and 5 feet high is unaccounted for. 

Today, if you go into the bathroom and look at the white ceiling, you'll notice a small square for an attic entrance — an attic entrance on the first floor of a three story building.

This is where Munro was rumored to hide runaway slaves. By hiding standards, it was fairly comfortable, room enough for 10 people and two separate rooms. You could almost stand upright.

Venturini said no one can know for sure if the Munro House was a part of the Underground Railroad; it was an illegal activity so no documents were preserved. He said Munro lived during the right time and Hillsdale Historian, Dan Bisher, said Munro was a well-known abolitionist.

"I can't think of anything else it would be used for in that point in time," Venturini said.

To add credence to the legend, former Munro House owner Joyce Yarde said an archeology team from Michigan State University came to Munro house to look for secret tunnels, one evidence of Underground Railroad activity. Venturini said the group scoured the basement, which was attached to the original frame of the house via corridor, but didn't find anything — until they left.

During the 1940's, a part of the house was knocked down by Munro House owner Hugh Keys to make room for a garage. He poured concrete and laid a foundation. He bought the house for $1 and a promise to restore it.

Venturini said the team was leaving the basement and heading up a set of stairs when a student stopped and looked at the corridor's walls.

"He stopped and said, ‘Guys, we're in the tunnel,'" Venturini said.

Venturini said the tunnel was disguised by a flight of stairs and the concrete foundation of Keys' garage. The original tunnel spanned 200 feet and connected the Munro House to Munro's Carriage house. Yarde said the tunnel was used to get slaves into and out of the house, before they left for "Midnight," Underground Railroad code for Detroit and freedom in Canada.

It is estimated that 100,000 slaves were freed by the Underground Railroad. Roughly 45,000 slaves followed the drinking gourd, a code for the big dipper and the northern star, to southern Michigan. Houses participating in the Underground Railroad can be found all over southern Michigan.

Yarde said safe houses were identified by quilts hanging in the front lawn. The quilts had a particular pattern, called a log cabin, with a black square in the middle. Yarde said these quilts were common for the times. The Episcopal church in Jonesville, founded by Munro, is thought to be a part of the Underground Railroad as well.

Yarde said the house was searched several times. If caught, the slaves would be returned to their owners. If Munro was caught, he could serve six months in jail and pay $1,000. He was never caught.

Venturini said he enjoys showing elementary students where and how the slaves hid.

"It's a piece of history," he said. "It's interesting, you can bring to life the importance of the Underground Railroad."

Yarde agrees. She said a student once asked what the runaway slaves did for food.

"He said ‘McDonald's closes at 11,'" Yarde said. "I hope they never tear that house down."