Cancer Prancer, Liquor Prints Quicker

"Cancer Prancer, Liquor Prints Quicker", and episode of Ferris in Focus, is the fifth episode of the spring 2010 semester. It was scheduled for completion at 9:00 AM EST on March 15th and broadcast on March 20th of 2010.

Big Rapids Life

 * Producer: Nick Blohm
 * Editor: Eric Stacy

Beginning very abruptly, this piece jumped right in with Kyle Cutler announcing that Colleges Against Cancer was an RSO on campus. Ryan Condon, a pre-pharm student, went into more detail. At the time, he was the active president of CAC. According to him, CAC hosts fundraisers all over campus all the time to make breakthroughs in cancer-fighting research. It is also responsible for the annual Relay for Life.

Scott Gartlan, a committee chair member, had also, like Ryan, been involved in cancer-fighting organizations since before coming to Ferris. CAC also hosts a “Quit Smoking for One Day” event. CAC has had allies such as Kelly’s Crusaders, a group started by family members of a student who had leukemia.

Health Matters

 * Producer: Tabby Young
 * Editor: Nate Totten

Douglas Lund, a counseling intern at Ferris, came on to talk about the ill effects of alcoholism. He began by divulging a definition of alcoholism: “being so dependent on alcohol as to be no longer capable of making a choice not to use it.”

A lot of alcoholics get their start in college due to peer pressure telling them: “the more you drink, the more fun the party will be for you.”

Tom Liszewski, a substance abuse specialist, claimed that he defines someone as an alcoholic when it:


 * 1) Begins affecting their romances/families
 * 2) Gets you in trouble with the law
 * 3) Begins adversely affecting your health
 * 4) Begins adversely affecting your performance concerning anything outside the home.

Attending sporting events and exercising were suggested as alternatives to drinking. Even going to crappy movies is a constructive alternative to drinking.

E-News

 * Producer: Dominique Gibbs
 * Editor: Ben Wyman

Charlie Sheen got arrested for drinking too much and beating his wife. He would later become infamous for his cocaine-fueled rages. His wife had been only recently released from rehab for…having the exact same problems.

Lost began its final season, and admitted that it was a lost cause in terms of answering fan’s millions of unanswered questions about the shows plot holes.

Obama’s favorite films list was released, and it included:


 * 1) Casablanca
 * 2) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
 * 3) The Godfather
 * 4) The Godfather Part II

Concerning Casablanca being Obama’s top pick, Mark commented: “What a load of bull!”

Mark then listed the remakes of 80’s classics that were hitting theaters:


 * 1) The A-Team
 * 2) A Nightmare on Elm Street
 * 3) The Karate Kid

He predicted The Karate Kid would not have a long shelf life.

Finally, Mark mentioned upcoming films such as The Man of Steel and The Dark Knight Rises.

Program Spotlight

 * Producer: David Stiefel
 * Editor: Megan Barker

This piece opened with Printing Media Management Professor Pat Klarecki, stating that New Media Printing was “the next generation of printing and publishing technology.”

He claimed that the New Media major at Ferris got its beginning in the year 2000, when the school predicted long in advance of other schools that print media majors could have significant potential.

John Conati, another professor, furthered the argument by defining New Media Printing:


 * 1) Digital media
 * 2) Variable print data
 * 3) E-commerce (including digital store fronts)
 * 4) Web publishing

Nanette Binagatan, a student, claimed she enjoyed the entire process of taking a project from start-to-finish, and then being proud to see something her hands had made. Nanette claimed also that she really enjoys Press Class, because she gets to watch the presses work their magic.

One major difference between new and old media printing is that new media expedites the processes a bit more; making it more attuned to a society bent on instant gratification.

Another student, Brandon Martinez, made a point that he enjoys all the customized attention that professors were willing to dote on him. Classes range from 8 students to no more than 20, allowing for lots of individualized attention and even reminding Brandon of his high school.

Pat announced that regular focus of the major was to ensure that an image looks exactly the same no matter what format it’s published in. Brandon’s proudest project was his work on the Ferris website, particularly for the New Media Printing major’s pages.

John claimed that he was a big player in developing the major for Ferris. He went on a sabbatical once and came back with a ton of new ideas to make the program better.

Graphicarts.ferris.edu was started by students in New Media, and overseeing that was the proudest moment for Pat.

The town of Boljon in the Philippines just so happens to be Nanette’s hometown, and she was proud of making a piece for her hometown that was about to become the town’s official brochure.

Pat recommended New Media for anyone who likes working on a PC. Brandon recommended it for anyone who likes working on anything IT related. He went on that if it weren’t for his Graphic Communications class, he’d never have thought that New Media was the perfect field for him to go into. He now has both a technology degree and a printing degree.

Companies such as Independent Printing and Quad Graphics were of particular interest to Nanette.

Pat stated that students in the New Media major often went on to become color management specialists. But they also became IT specialists and print specialists also.

Open lab hours help students get that much further along.

Bulldog Stories

 * Producer: Kelly Deward (as Kelly Armbruster)
 * Editor: Frank Molner

Danny used to be Brutus the Bulldog. He was also Nuclear Medicine Tech major. The Student Alumni Gold Club sent out an e-mail that a new Brutus was needed, and Danny answered the call. His friends suggested he accept the offer, since they saw him get very excited at a few games. As a result, he took on the mantle.

The most difficult part about the job is that only a self-appointed elite are allowed to know who the bulldog is, making it essentially a superhero identity of sorts. He often joked that a lot of his friends had no idea who was under the mask in spite the fact that he messed with them the most. However, in the end, he felt depressed at having to give up the mantle.

Versus

 * Producer: Dominique Gibbs
 * Editor: Ben Wyman

This segment led to some major creative differences between producers, that was later resolved. It proved to be one of the most heated debates of them all, with Nick and Andrika arguing over whether Kermit or Elmo was the better Muppet. Nick opened that Elmo "has eyes that are evil," and that "you should never let your children play with that thing." A picture showed up next to Nick, depicting Elmo in gangster attire. Nick got to fill in his segment by saying: "This segment is brought to you by the letter 'S,' as in 'Suck it, Elmo'!"

Andrika countered that Nick's the bigger liar; and that Kermit was literally made from an old coat. She then responded: "This segment's also brought to you by the letters 'E' and 'F'...as in: 'Eat it, frog'!"

Nick responded that Kermit is enough of a classic to have a coat made of Kermits worn by Lady Gaga. Andrika replied that Elmo's not as new as some believe. He first featured in 1969; but didn't become a major part of Sesame Street until 1985. That was the first time that a puppeteer bothered giving Elmo either a name or a laugh.

Nick cheaply remarked that Elmo is red, and therefore, a communist. Andrika countered that Elmo is more commercial-friendly than Kermit. The Tickle-Me-Elmo toy caused as big a stir as the Cabbage Patch Kids did a decade earlier. Kermit toys never caused a fad that big. In the final edit, the two hosts smugly smiled about how the segment ended. The original cut had Andrika referring to Kermit as "being the color of baby crap and vomit."

Due to this segment's divisive original cut, future installments dealt more with violence in general while avoiding discussions of excrement and steering clear of "foul language." By Show #10, both the violence and toilet humor were gone.

What Do You Think?

 * Producer: Kelly Deward (as Kelly Armbruster)
 * Editor: Frank Molner

Students were asked what their biggest fears in life were. Answers ranged as follows:


 * 1) Tarantulas
 * 2) Drowning
 * 3) Failure
 * 4) Snakes (planes optional)
 * 5) Being trapped at home and unable to find a job
 * 6) Plane crashes
 * 7) Loss of loved ones
 * 8) Sudden death

Now Demonstrating

 * Producer: Sara Potter (as Sara Tuttle)
 * Editor: Lamarr English

Unfortunately for this segment, it read more like a “What Do You Think?” than a Now Demonstrating segment. Answers to “how do you stay green” included:


 * 1) Drive slower
 * 2) Unplug things
 * 3) Turn lights off
 * 4) Reuse boxes
 * 5) Be a pack rat and recycle occasionally.
 * 6) Don’t use excessive water when brushing.
 * 7) Buy in bulk
 * 8) PC hardware and its accessories are recyclable.
 * 9) Get your families to copy your good habits.