Riggs named MIAA Player of the Week

By Hank Wickley

Sports Writer

You can’t hit what you can’t see.

Scot pitcher Josh Riggs (‘20) threw a near-perfect game recently in a 2-0 victory over Hanover College.

Allowing only two hits and leaving the opponent scoreless, Rigss dominated the game from start to finish.

Throwing 98 pitches and 76 strikes, there weren’t many chances for Hanover to get hits.

“It wasn’t until the bottom of the sixth that I had given up my first hit of the game,” said Riggs.

“And it wasn’t until the bottom of the ninth when I gave up my second hit of the game,” said Riggs, “but because all we needed was one out to win the game, that runner didn’t mean anything.”

This stellar performance was Riggs’ first career shutout.

“Throwing a complete game two hit shutout felt amazing,” said Riggs. He also added that the feeling, “is one that I will not forget.”

Riggs is currently 1-0, with a 1.71 earned run average in his three starts. He currently sits at the top of the MIAA in most strikeouts thrown and innings pitched, with 16 and 21 respectively.

Being named MIAA Player of the Week is an honor for athletes throughout the conference, and Riggs said he was filled with pride when he earned that title.

“I was honored to be named MIAA Player of the Week,” said Riggs. “I knew none of that was possible without the hard work of my teammates.”

On the topic of his team, Riggs said, “There isn’t any other team I’d rather take the field with.”

His teammates have not let him down this season. The team is currently 5-2, and hopes to continue with its success.

“I think we are capable of doing great things,” said Riggs.

“There are always parts of our game to work on,” said Riggs, “but since it’s early in the season I think we have a chance for a memorable year.”

Riggs concluded by saying, “as we continue to build off each and every win, there are many more great things to come from the 2018 Alma College Scots baseball team.”

March 19, 2018 0

Swim’s Flatoff supported by teammates

By Joelle Fisher

Sports Writer

Being on a team isn’t just about helping each other win games. The swim and dive team has demonstrated this first hand with its support for fellow teammate, Elizabeth Flatoff (’20), who is in the process of recovering from the removal of three tumors.

“Teammates become your family so quickly, and it is so important to be kind and uplift them,” said Sydney Louis Ferdinand (‘20).

“These are the people you spend almost every minute of every day with; they are the ones who know you the best.

“They allow you to joke, laugh, say what’s on your mind and be crazy, so when something like this gets thrown at you it’s important to have those around you who accept you for who you are,” said Flatoff.

Flatoff, known by her teammates as Libby, suffered from a seizure over Thanksgiving break after a few months of dizzy spells that she attributed to stress. When she consulted doctors, she had an MRI in which they found two tumors inside of her brain and another in her liver.

Flatoff has been staying positive throughout this entire process. She and her friends jokingly named her two brain tumors Mary Ann and Gerald after the white pine trees they received at freshmen year’s traditions dinner that died shortly after. They named the tumor in her liver Daniel.

“Watching Libbey go through such a challenging experience was heartbreaking for our team,” said Nick Fuller (‘18).

“To see our team come together in support for her is inspiring and really shows how much of an impact your team can have on your life.”

Because of the required surgery, Flatoff had planned on shaving her head before the tumors were removed. Following in suit, three of her close friends, Molly McFadden (‘20), Sydney Louis Ferdinand (‘20), and Taylor Disantis (‘18), also shaved their heads to show their support.

“Libby was planning on shaving her head and her roommate, Molly, decided to join her to show support,” said Ferdinand.

“After that, it was just a domino effect and more and more of her friends decided to as well because we knew that if we were in her position that she would do the same for us.”

On March 9, Flatoff went into surgery to have her tumors removed and the procedure was successful. She will be taking a month off of school to recover before returning in April.

“Surround yourself with people and places that make you feel like you are not restricted,” said Flatoff.

“Don’t stick around with people who make you feel like you can’t do things. Find the people who laugh as you decide to jump through mud puddles for no reason like my roommate Molly, the MUN team, my sorority and the swim and dive team.”

At the team’s banquet, Flatoff was granted the perseverance award for her positivity throughout everything. Despite not being able to continue competing in the rest of the swim season, she still showed her support at practices and meets regularly.

“If you’re more positive, people tend to be more comfortable and then don’t stare at you like you might shatter,” said Flatoff.

“That being said, positivity is not expected or required to go through something like this: You need to make sure you take care of yourself first.”

Teammates and friends plan to visit and keep up with Flatoff during her time off.

“I am truly grateful for all of my friends who supported me through this journey, as well as my coaches and teammates,” said Flatoff.

“I definitely could not have done this without any of them: everyone made an impact on me and helped me, no matter how small they thought their contribution was, it was still very important to me.”

After school finishes, Flatoff plans to travel to India for the summer through the P-Global foundation.

March 19, 2018 0

Procedure in case of on-campus emergency

By Caden Wilson

News Editor

Mass shootings are not a new threat to the American public. However, a string of shootings from Las Vegas, to Parkland, to just a few minutes north in Mt. Pleasant have initiated new conversation about how to respond to these tragic events. In an active-shooter situation, it is important to know what to do.

According to the Alma College Student handbook:

“An active shooter can strike anytime, and the events are unpredictable and rapidly changing. Most active shooter situations only last 10-15 minutes. “

Following the 2016 Orlando Pulse Club shooting, Washington Post writer Joel Achenbach published an article detailing the steps to take durring a mass shooting.

Primarily, the first action of someone in the vicinity of an active-shooter situation is to run. It is imperative that you put both distance and hard-cover obstacles between yourself and a shooter. Never run in a straight line or through an open area unless no other option is available to you.

Do not hesitate or stop to take anything with you. Things can easily be replaced. If you have your cell phone on hand, make sure you are a safe distance away from the situation before calling 911. Do not attempt to contact friends or family until it is safe for you to do so.

The student handbook states the following as information that will be vital to relay to first responders:

*Last known location of the shooter

*Number of shooters

*Physical description of shooter(s)

*Number and type of weapons held by shooters

*Number and location of potential victims

*If law enforcement officials arrive on the scene, make sure your hands are clearly visible. In an active-shooter situation, law enforcement officials are looking for individuals holding weapons.

If you are unable to run, an active approach may be key to your safety.

“When you go somewhere, you don’t want to put yourself in a situation where if you get found, you don’t have any options,” said J. Pete Blair, executive director of the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center, at the Texas State University in an interview with the Washington Post.

If you cannot safely exit the vicinity, lock the doors and barricade the entrance to your location. This can be done with desks, chairs, and any other things found in the area. Damage to property does not matter as long as you make yourself safe.

After you have secured the entrance to your location, it is imperative that you silence your phone, turn off any lights, and be as quiet as possible. As soon as it is safe to do so, call 911.

Remember, this is a last resort. You should never hide in a confined space or area with one entrance or exit unless there is no other option.

Fighting against an active shooter should be considered as a last resort or when your life is in immediate danger. The student handbook states to strike the shooter with any objects nearby or to attempt to incapacitate him by throwing anything on hand.

The first action of emergency responders will be to stop the shooter and to help anyone affected second. Remain calm and follow all instructions they may give. Keep your hands visible and don’t make sudden movements.

For more information, review the emergency information on the college website: Screen Shot 2018-03-19 at 1.43.01 PM

March 19, 2018 0

Student film festival continues to expand

By Cassie Florian

Staff Writer

Alma College will host its second Pine River Student Festival Saturday, April 7, at the Strand Theater downtown.

The planed event, which is proving to be much larger than the inagural one, begins at noon and is free for all movie lovers.

The categories that the films can be in are either documentaries or narratives and the judges this year consist of nine professors from the English and new media studies departments.

Although there were many people who entered their work into the festival, only 49 out of the 1,464 films that were submitted, from 90 different countries, will be shown at the event, all only 20 minutes long or under. Organizers say this makes the festival have a much larger sclae and make it a more global event than last year.

“I am the festival director this year, and am taking over for Patrick Mallett who did it last year,” said Zack Baker (’18).

“I have been in contact with [him] to see how we can improve and grow.”

“As a member of Short Stack Film Club (the event’s sponsor), I have five volunteer screeners to help rating the films,” said Baker, who also mentioned how having members of the club not only helped take more off of his plate but also gave him more perspectives on the films he was rating.

“[The festival] is also a part of my senor capstone,” said Baker. “So, I get to be a part of this event both hobby wise and academic wise.” He continued on to talk about how he will also be presenting the work that he did for this event on Honors Day.

“I’ve ordered t-shirts, stickers and buttons as well as made a 30 second video ad that plays at the NCG theater in Alma to hopefully get some more community participation,” said Baker. He also mentioned being able to hire and work with others for the festival, such as for designing posters, which was an exciting and new experience for him as well.

“I think that the most interesting and exciting thing about this [festival] is that the quality of film was really high,” said Joe Harrison (’20), who was a screener for the festival.

“It makes me very excited for the future of young media.” He also mentioned how impressed he was by the quality of the international films and how he is excited to see how the future of international film will grow as well.

“You never know; the next Steven Spielberg could submit a film here,” said Harrison.

“I was [also] a screener for the Pine River Student Film Festival,” said Emma Wood (‘20). “We got films from all over the world—and I mean from all over the world.

“The narratives were graded on story, visuals, sound and acting while the documentaries were graded on story, visuals, sound and relevance. Each category was rated out of three, and in total they were rated out of twelve, said Wood.

“I’d have to say, over all, my favorite part was seeing [the festival] grow into the big thing that it is right now and what it will be. I’ve seen it in its skeleton form and it is really cool to now see the meat on its bones.

“You don’t have to be a film buff or new media studies major to enjoy [the festival], “ said Wood.

“Everybody will find something that they enjoy there. Overall, it’s a really cool thing that normally wouldn’t in a small town like Alma.”

March 19, 2018 0

BioWare teases a new Dragon Age game

By Samantha Anteau

Staff Writer

Though game developer BioWare is currently focusing the majority of its attentions on its ambitious new game, Anthem, many fans of the developer have expressed their desire for the next game in the Dragon Age series. 

While an official announcement has yet to come, it has been made clear that another installment in the series is in the pipeline. 

Granted, the most detail fans have gotten is Casey Hudson, a general manager at BioWare, tweeting that it is going to be “story and character focused,” which is a description suiting… pretty much every original BioWare game. 

It’s not much to go on, or even an official announcement, but it is enough to have fans speculating what could be coming next and creating wish lists of what they would like to see in the next game. 

After spending a significant amount of time playing and thinking about the Dragon Age series, I have settled on a top three wishlist.

Bringing Back Familiar Faces

While lacking the direct connections that are seen in the Mass Effect trilogy, the Dragon Age games are interconnected. As they exist in the same world within the same handful of years, you often find yourself running into characters you recognize from previous games. 

The protagonist from Dragon Age 2 had a big part to play in Dragon Age: Inquisition, and Leliana, a party member from the original Dragon Age, returned in Inquisition as a spymaster and main member of leadership. 

Call me overattached, but I’m not totally ready to leave Inquisition characters behind. There were plenty of party members that you got to know, and any number of them could have a place in the next installment of the Dragon Age series. 

I would be especially sad to never again see my favorite Tevinter mage, Dorian Pavus, which brings me to my next request.

Setting the Game in the Tevinter Imperium

In my opinion, the Tevinter Imperium is one of the most underutilized settings in the game. It has been a source of contention and mystery, as well as the birthplace of some truly interesting characters (see: Dorian and Fenris). 

However, we have never gotten to see it. Thus far, the games have stayed mainly within the bounds of Ferelden and Orlais. 

This move into the Tevinter Imperium would certainly be an interesting one, as it would shift the game from a culture that is mage-hating to one control by mages. 

Actually, in Inquisition’s Trespasser DLC, there is a fairly big hint suggesting that the next game will focus on the Tevinter Imperium. I’m really hoping it wasn’t just a tease, because this is an intriguing area that should be explored.

A Main Plot Focusing on Elves

In the second Dragon Age game, the main focus was on the struggle and oppression of mages. An often overlooked struggle when it comes to plots is that of elves, who are just as oppressed – if not moreso – than mages. 

There have been plenty of elf-related side quests in the games that can display the struggle of oppression that elves go through in the DA universe, but never has it been a main focus of the game. 

Just like with the Tevinter Imperium, there was a fairly big (if not totally blatant) hint that this was going to be, at the very least, a huge source of conflict in the next game. 

I’m honestly surprised it has taken this long for them to utilize elves to their fullest potential. In a genre where elves are often painted as near god-like, with wisdom and a deep understanding of… pretty much everything, Dragon Age’s take on elves is refreshing. Frankly, BioWare should have leaned into that a long time ago.

March 19, 2018 0

Car Seat Headrest revisits old songs on ‘Twin Fantasy’

By Paige Daniel

Thoughts Editor

Will Toledo, the front man of the rising rock band Car Seat Headrest, was one of 2017’s “indie darlings.” Really, the indie music community goes wild for any literate rocker who has their thumb in grandiose song constructions, and Toledo fit the bill. It’s hard to buy the hype when they pick a new darling rather often, but Car Seat Headrest is worth the hype. 

Toledo is infamous for his Bandcamp albums, another lo-fi artist like Soccer Mommy who posted to their account as if it was an auditory journal in their late teens. 

One of his greatest successes on Bandcamp was an album named “Twin Fantasy” (2011); technically it was rock, but its low-quality recording value flattened the guitars to undistinguished noise. 

This year, the 26-year-old Toledo re-released “Twin Fantasy” in February after recording it professionally in a studio, and it is even better this time around. 

For some more background, Toledo started Car Seat Headrest as a personal project when he began recording songs in the backseat of his car, penning “Twin Fantasy” in college. This “Twin Fantasy” re-release is his 15th album. 

“Twin Fantasy” follows a romantic relationship from its beginning to its eventual demise. Toledo’s preceding albums, the double-feature of “Teens of Style” (2015) and “Teens of Denial” (2016), were wrapped up in recalling the heady memories of youth while coming into adulthood and its perils. 

“Twin Fantasy” is not wrapped up in recollection so much as direct lived experience, given that the album was written amidst heartbreak. 

The muscularity of “Twin Fantasy”’s rock, a genre often considered in a tradition of masculine norms, is tempered by its subject matter: a queer relationship. 

The opener “My Boy (Twin Fantasy)” is a bookend that mirrors the closer “Twin Fantasy (Those Boys),” in the spirit of a barbershop quartet; Toledo doesn’t hide his inspirations, with the Beach Boys undoubtedly staking a claim in his work. 

After that, trying to determine inspirations is a silly game, because “Beach Life-In Death” blows any expectations out of the water. Toledo has come to be known for his prolific lyricism and long-windedness, and “Beach Life-In Death” is a marathon sprint.

At 13 minutes long, the track is a testament to the deeply involved and endlessly interpretable nature of Toledo’s lyrics, which have energized much fan discussion. 

What is so interesting about “Beach Life-In-Death” is not its heavy guitars that rev and collapse, but its self-examination by way of intertextuality. Life-In-Death is the name of a character from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” and its connections to Toledo’s song have been parsed out many times before. 

He captures the excitement of potential romance, and then brings it crashing down in a tidal wave of self-doubting solipsism, from coaxing himself through his daily routine to worrying about the state of his mental health. 

The intertextual references don’t stop once the song is over, as Toledo strings together elaborate connections between the songs themselves. This is notable in the somewhat parallel titles of “Sober to Death,” and “High to Death,” two songs that act as the warm and cool sides of a pillow. 

Where “Sober to Death” is deceptively upbeat, portraying humans as ghostly shells reaching for meaning, “High to Death” embraces the feeling of meaninglessness that permeates a relationship’s denouement. 

Off-kilter introspection is married to the external process of being with another person, of wanting to be with them but not knowing how exactly to go about it. 

This is especially complicated by Toledo’s own initial discomfort with his sexuality and even his confrontation with that whole human experience of inhabiting a body (exemplified in the booming surround sound drums of “Bodys”), excruciatingly amplified and made awkward by youth. 

And this awkwardness that is concerned with being around the person of your affection (“Nervous Young Inhumans”) is never quite remedied, and not faced with rose-colored glasses – “Twin Fantasy” is predominantly mournful save for one track, “Cute Thing,” with blaring guitars and an anthemic chorus. 

The second to last track, “Famous Prophets (Stars),” clocks in at 16 minutes, and is yet another maze of lyrics and shifting pieces.

Toledo has a lot to say, cramming diaristic writing and diatribes into song after song; this makes any attempt at a review seem particularly futile, because there is much to discuss. Luckily, there is already a wealth of discussion about it online. 

Perhaps this feeling of wanting more but not knowing how to get it, of searching for something in someone else, encapsulates “Twin Fantasy.” 

Toledo yearns for his eponymous “twin,” desiring someone for their resemblance to him (this takes on another layer of meaning when the implications of his same-gender relationship are considered). He thinks he registers an inherent lack in their absence, but he ultimately denotes it as “fantasy.” 

Though “Twin Fantasy” might be thought of as sad, it takes a healthy spin on narratives about love seen over and over again. Looking for someone to “complete” you (to be your “twin” in life) is an exercise in fantasy, he claims.

To try and find someone to fill your own emptiness is to commit a glaring misstep, if we listen carefully to Toledo.  

March 19, 2018 0

Abernathy delivers State of the College Address

By Brittany Pierce

Copy Editor

President Jeff Abernathy explained the detailed changes for the future of the college over the next few years to students during the State of the College Address on Monday, Mar. 12 in the Chapel building.  

The group in attendance was small, aiding the address to be more of a dialogue rather than a lecture.  

“My hope tonight was to have a dialogue conversation and to answer any questions you might have and to be in conversation with you about where we’re going in the years ahead,” said Abernathy.  

The presentation started with addressing campus safety.  

“We start with this because it’s the most important thing. Campus safety is, as I’ve said so often, first and foremost on our mind; it’s the first thing we’re concerned about,” said Abernathy.  

“As faculty members we all have so many roles and so much to do but the first thing that we have to do is ensure that every student at Alma College is safe.” 

Abernathy began by stating the importance of the Campus Alert System. 

“We are taking several precautions [in regards to an active shooter on campus]. Here’s some things we’re doing now in the wake of Parkland and in the wake of CMU just last week,” said Abernathy. 

“It is so important for students to register devices with our campus alert system. The reason is obvious: we can’t reach out to you if we don’t have the number for the phone that you always have on you. You live on this campus and we need to be able to get ahold of you.” 

Abernathy also addressed the concern that students and staff would not be safe in classrooms if there was an active shooter on campus.  

“We have installed new locks on the doors. We heard from you all and faculty that if we had a shooter here on campus, we can’t lock these classroom doors [and] we can’t be safe. So, now we do have those locks [on every classroom door],” said Abernathy.  

In addition to these precautions, there will also be more emergency drills on campus beginning this semester.  

“Karl Rishe (Vice President for Student Affairs) is heading up the effort to create a campus shooter drill; an active drill on campus in cooperation with local police and that will happen this semester. Also, we have scheduled regular exercises so that folks know what to do,” said Abernathy.  

Abernathy also emphasized the importance of understanding the lock down and shelter in place procedures as well as the run, hide, fight guidance.  

“We’re preparing an emergency manual as well that will give this guidance and be available on the Web. But what we know is that if we have an emergency, you’re not going to look up a website to see what you’re supposed to do. You have to know it because you have practiced it and that’s why we’re going to have a drill,” said Abernathy.  

During the campus safety discussion, Abernathy further expressed his appreciation for the student activism on campus that is working towards preventing more school shootings through better legislation and social change.  

“I appreciate that your generation is stepping up to make change in that [gun violence in the United States]. I’m grateful for that and I think that’s what needs to happen. We can make a change and your generation is showing us that,” said Abernathy.  

After discussing campus safety, Abernathy moved to discussing Title IX on campus.  

“Students at Alma College asked for a full-time position for a Title IX coordinator. We have been trying to get to that place for some time and have tried multiple avenues. We knew we needed to make a change and we did so by hiring Lynn Kraus,” said Abernathy.  

However, Kraus’ last day was on March 13. Abernathy knew ahead of time that Kraus only wanted a short-term position.  

“We knew that her term was going to be a relatively short, interim arrangement. She helped us put some practices in place and she worked closely with Ms. (Anne) Hall who is now our Title IX coordinator, but because she is my chief of staff and has lots of other duties she will not hold that title for very long. We are in the process of hiring a new Title IX coordinator,” said Abernathy.  

“The position was posted at the end of last week so our target is to begin reviewing applications on April 1 and we’ll hire someone if we find the right person,” said Anne Hall.  

“It’s going to be a full-time position with individual responsibilities in terms of providing more training opportunities and more other opportunities on campus. We posted it as a civil rights and Title IX Coordinator,” said Hall.  

Abernathy said that there will definitely be students on the Title IX Coordinator search committee just like there was on the provost search committee. He also said Alma College will continue to uphold standards set in place regardless of changes at the federal level.  

“Whatever the federal guidelines become, we are [still] going to hold the highest standards,” said Abernathy.  

Aside from bureaucratic changes, the college is going to see some curriculum changes as well. During the next two years, the college will add an actuarial studies program, a Data Analytics program, a low-residency master’s program in fine arts, and the Center for Great Lakes Watershed institute, according to Abernathy.  

“One of the things we’re doing as a college is looking at how we might develop programs that address needs in the broad community, Michigan and beyond,” said Abernathy.  

“In the last eight years, we added 16 majors. Before that we hadn’t added a major in 17 years or added a sport in 25 years. Alma College is in the front end of innovation needs to be a place that is known for innovation and is known for addressing community needs. So, within the next few years we expect to move forward with these four programs.”  

Within the next four years, the college will add a graduate level health program as well.  

“We’d love your suggestions for the needs and where the opportunities are out there because you know better than we do. We’re having to study to figure this out but you all know right now what 21-year-olds are looking for in a graduate school and what 17-year-olds are looking for in a college,” said Abernathy.  

Abernathy further mentioned that even though the college is adding a few niche graduate programs, Alma College will never become Alma University. 

Renovations on various facilities across campus will continue for several years.  

“We plan to spend $75 million in the next five years to remake this campus. What we have done with Gelston we are now going to do with the other residence halls as well,” said Abernathy.  

Outside of residence hall renovations, the DOW Science Center will continue to be renovated as well through two more phases. The new DOW building will also have a green house on the roof.  

Abernathy also has plans to make the Chapel building a more flexible space, too.  

“What happens is we tend to move away from these fixed pews and we move towards much more flexible seating arrangements. We want this to be a dynamic learning space but it will forever be our chapel too,” said Abernathy.  

The next major renovation will be on the library.  

“We’re going to turn the library around and create an iconic space. We are going to create an icon that is this library: a 21st century learning commons,” said Abernathy.  

The new library will include a Maker Lab, YouTube video production space and classrooms. s.space. and a new student-led café.

March 19, 2018 0

Spring dance concert rocks Presbyterian Hall

By Sasha Dudock

Staff Writer

What do Queen, Highland dancing and a live orchestra all have in common? They were all part of the Spring dance concert last weekend in Presbyterian Hall.  

The dance department has been busy this past semester preparing for the concert, which featured an array of students from the dance department as well as the Kiltie Dancers. They preformed to a variety of songs including selections by Queen, Colin Payne and Wolf Stone.  

The concert mostly consisted of modern and contemporary dancing, except for the song Pas de Quatre, a ballet, which was Victoria Coy Kendall’s senior thesis. The story behind the dance is back in the 1800s – the four greatest dancers of the time were called to dance together for the ballet, Pas de Quatre.  

The show was short lived because the dancers did not get along with one another and only performed four times in 1845. Kendall restaged this ballet for six of the dancers here on campus. 

The dance department starts working toward the spring concert the first week after Christmas break. 

“We have auditions and then we start rehearsing 24/7,” said Somerton DeGraffenreid (‘19), a dance minor. Each night is a rehearsal with a different dance instructor, each instructor focused on a different style of dance she explained. 

“Ben [Munisteri] specializes in modern,” explained DeGraffenreid. “Rosely [Conz] does our ballet and modern, and Kristen [Bennett] does our jazz and contemporary style.” 

The process can be stressful for dancers, especially the week leading up to the concert. 

“The week leading up to the show we run the whole show over and over again to get the order right, get everything running smoothly, it’s a lot of physical activity and strain, but it’s all worth it in the end,” said Allison Boulware (‘20).  

Although the dancers put in a lot for the concert, there is also so much going on behind the scenes that makes sure the show runs smoothly. This concert in particular had an intense lighting scheme. 

“The lights for this show are very complex. Last night we had a very smooth final rehearsal. So I’m really excited that I was able to conquer the light cues,” said Stage Manager Aeriel Stroven (‘18). 

Stroven also gave insight on how the dance department invents each concert. 

“Production staff, the choreographers, the stage manager, Ben [Grohs] for lighting, and Tina [Vivian] for costumes get together and then up until the show we have weekly production meetings.” 

“At the production meetings we just talk about what each piece is about, what’s inspiring them, and then Ben [Grohs], as the lighting designer, finds photos that he feels represents [the dance] that help to figure out the colors that he wants. Then, Tina [Vivian] is there to help with costumes and inspiration.” 

There are many ways to get involved in dance at Alma without being a major or a minor. The Alma College Hepcats is the partner dance group here on campus, and members teach East Coast Swing, Lindy Hop, and blues dancing every Saturday from 8 to 11 p.m. in the Band room.  

Another great opportunity to get involved with dance is to join the cheer and stunt team, the Kiltie Dancers, or the Kiltie Color Guard that works with the Kiltie Marching Band in the Fall and by themselves in the winter. 

Overall, the concert was a hit and, this one being the last for seniors, left them on a positive note. 

“I am ready for the last show but at the same time it’s just something I wish I would’ve gotten into sooner, but my time in the company has been amazing and I’ve loved it,” said Stroven. 