OulooktOakton Community College Vol. 9, No. 1, 2011

OulookOakton Community College

1600 East Golf Road, Des Plaines, IL 60016

Ray Hartstein Campus7701 North Lincoln Avenue, Skokie, IL 60077

Copyright 2011

Published by the Office of College Advancement847.635.1671.

Carlee Drummer, Executive Editorcdrummer@oakton.edu

Janet Spector Bishop, Editorjsbishop@oakton.edu

Nancy Nash Sidlin, Graphic Designernnash@oakton.edu

Margaret B. Lee, President

Board ofTrusteesAnn E. Tennes, ChairmanJodyWadhwa, Vice ChairmanWilliam R. Jackson, Jr., SecretaryGeorge G. AlexopoulosJoanW. DiLeonardiPatricia N. HaradaWilliam StaffordAngie Farugia, Student Trustee

Founded in 1969, Oakton Community College(District 535) includes Maine, Evanston, NewTrier,Niles, and Northfield Townships and serves theresidents of Des Plaines, Evanston, Glencoe,Glenview, Golf, Kenilworth, Lincolnwood, MortonGrove, Niles, Northbrook, Northfield, Park Ridge,Skokie,Wilmette, andWinnetka.

Visit us at www.oakton.edu

Cover:Members of Oakton’s Engineering andPhysics Club visited the Science and Arts Academy inDes Plaines last April to show off HOPE, the ‘lunabot’they designed for NASA’s Second Annual LunaboticsMining Competition in May.

Opposite page: Oakton’s production of ManjulaPadmanabhan’s Harvest told the dark and terrible taleof Om (Jonathan McFarlane), who seeks to raise hisfamily’s standard of living by contracting to "donate"his body organs to wealthy westerners.

At the opening of the 2011 academic year, President Margaret B. Leeinspired members of the Oakton community to “do good work.” Sheremarked, “None of us can do good work alone. It takes all of us to carryout the mission that we share, the promises we commit to keep whenwe work in this place. . .Whatever our roles or titles are, we share inwork that changes lives.” This issue of Outlook vividly captures someexamples of mighty “good work”—from an unusual tandem coursebased on the hit series The Wire, to a lunar robot competing at NASA, toa professor who recognizes the importance of pursuing a lifelong dream.Inside and outside the classroom, members of the Oakton communitywork together, puzzling out answers to problems and demonstrating thepower of collective thinking and collaboration. These stories underscorethe ethos of Oakton—and the “good work” that engenders intellectualcuriosity and an unbridled passion for learning.

—The Editors

tOakton Community College Vol. 9, No. 1, 2011

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Out of Homelessness...One Nail at a TimeWhen 12 Oakton students headeddown to Tennessee last spring to workwith Habitat for Humanity, they builtlasting bonds.

Sheep ThrillsProfessor of Management Ron Thomas

splits his time between teaching

students and raising Katahdin Hair

Sheep at Savanna Farm, just south

of the Wisconsin border.

Putting it On the WireDrug gangs. Corrupt police officers.Is this any way to teach managementand English? For professors Tracy Fulceand Will Crawford, fans of The Wire,the answer is an emphatic yes.

Holding Out HOPE:Countdown to NASAOakton’s Engineering and PhysicsClub set out to build a robot that couldmove “lunar material”—and took it allthe way to the Kennedy Space Center.

Food MattersFrom chemistry to economics, Oaktonclasses across campus spent thespring exploring the connectionbetween healthy food and a healthyplanet—from multiple perspectives.

Another LookIn 2002 Oakton launched a uniqueundergraduate research collaborative.Nine years later, it’s still going strongas it seeks to unravel the mysteriesof buckthorn.

From Oakton’s Stage...to the StarsBud Jones has always had the actingbug. But it was retirement—andOakton’s theater classes—that put himon the road to landing a role in HBO’sToo Big to Fail.

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Outof

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EVERY EVENING the Oakton Builderspassed a nail around the circle. As itmade its way from hand to hand, eachmember shared stories and thoughtsgarnered from their day spent creatinghomes for those who have none.

The 12-member group had traveleddown to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, duringOakton’s spring break to work withHabitat for Humanity. But the journeyreally began last fall when student NickFrankel and Marvin Bornschlegl, a coor-dinator in Oakton’s Human Services andSubstance Abuse Counseling Programs,spearheaded the process of becoming aHabitat college chapter. Perhaps bestknown for its affiliation with formerPresident Jimmy Carter, Habitat hasbrought volunteers and partner familiestogether to construct more than 400,000affordable homes around the globe.

College chapters are required to“educate, advocate, fund raise, andbuild,” and plans immediately got under-way to incorporate three of these goalsinto one ambitious project: a temporary“shanty town” erected on Oakton’sSkokie campus to raise awareness abouthomelessness and collect donations. Butto round out the picture, the chapter stillneeded a building project.

Oakton Builders is part of Habitat’sLake County Affiliate, which does offervolunteer opportunities. But groups mustcover their own costs, and ironically, it

damaged area. Everyone had such apositive attitude and just wanted to help.”

“It was truly amazing to see howquickly the students formed bonds andcame together,” says Schneider. “Othervolunteer groups couldn’t believe thatmost of us had just met.” “They wereawe-inspiring,” Bornschlegl adds, “withso much to offer Habitat—and each other.”

Which brings us back to the nail. Asstudents and advisors gathered eachevening to reflect on their experience, thenail served as a kind of “totem,” guidingdiscussion and connecting members. Onthe last day, they stood by as that nailfastened the final roof shingle. For thehomeowner family—a single mother andher daughters—that nail was the finalstep in their journey out of homelessness.

The experience energized the group,with many of the participants planning asecond trip—this time to the HabitatAffiliate in Holland, Michigan—andwork continues on the shanty townproject. “It’s so important to offer serviceopportunities to students,” Jarta says.“Because once they get ‘hooked,’ it’s ahabit that can last a lifetime.”

Above, from left: Danny Dillon, Nancy Schneider,

Kyungmun Kwak (Josh), Ellie Mercado, Alfred R. Hegyes,

Patrick Sherman, Nicholas Frankel, Elizabeth Perricone,

Robbie Zoline, Lety Herrera, Ryan Jarta, Jenny Rhine,

Marvin Bornschlegl, and Katie Rosenberg.

Opposite page, inset: Lety Herrera (left) and Danny Dillon

(right) assist in roofing a Habitat home.

was less expensive to leave home. In theend, Tennessee’s Anderson CountyAffiliate offered the best fit.

Funded by t-shirt sale proceeds,general donations, and a grant from theStudent Government Association, theteam hit the road in March—accompaniedby Bornschlegl and Nancy Schneider, aninstructor of human services. “Habitathas always been one of my charities ofchoice,” Schneider notes. “When the callwent out for faculty advisors, I jumped atthe chance.”

The trip was a revelation. “I didn’tknow anyone when we left Chicago,”says student Katie Rosenberg, “but bythe end of the week, I felt like my teammembers were family.” On the firstday, the group took a hike along theAppalachian Trail. “That’s when westarted to bond,” recalls student RyanJarta. “Parts of the trail were prettytreacherous—we really had to rely oneach other for safety. That trust carriedover into the rest of the week.”

Back from the hike, the OaktonBuilders set to work. One group re-roofedan entire house. Those who were happierwith their feet on the ground tackledlandscaping and yard clean-up at a secondhouse. And a third group lent a hand atHabitat’s resale store, which had beenpartially gutted by fire. “That was my job,”recalls Rosenberg. “I was moving boxes,furniture—even toilets—out of the smoke-

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RON THOMAS counts sheep—but not toget to sleep! Four years ago this professorof management at Oakton and his wifeJill said goodbye to their suburban andconfining domicile in Niles, Illinois, andheaded to the country with their threeAnatolian Shepherds to pursue a lifelongdream—raising Katahdin Hair Sheep.

Their destination, Savanna Farm, sitson 8.5 acres of prairie nearly 40 milesnorth and east of the College. Nestled ina secluded, idyllic area just south of theWisconsin border, Savanna Farm boasts apond; hundreds of mature oaks; a robustfruit orchard with apple, pear, and cherrytrees; hummingbird gardens; and enoughpasture land to accommodate a flock of50 ewes, lambs, and a ram.

Thomas can identify each one in theherd—Amaretto. . .Aristotle. . .Bailey. . .Beyonce. . .BonBon. . .Buttermilk. . .Coal. . .Crystal. . .Listen Missy. . .Millie. . .Mocha. . . to name just a few—and theyrespond when called, bleating and thunder-ing toward their owner who may havesome clover or other treat up his sleeve.

Katahdins, an amazing breed developedin north central Maine by Michael Piel,do not produce a fleece and there-fore require no shearing. In coldweather they grow a dense wintercoat that sheds in the warmermonths. The sheep devour 25 balesof hay each week, delivered tothe farm by a nearby agriculturalservice.

Thomas sells between 15 and 20

of his Katahdins each year for breeding,and he takes great pride in the exceptionalquality of his livestock. “Savanna Farm ischemical-free,” he notes, “and the sheepreceive the best of care. In fact, ouranimals are an integral part of our familyand home.”

For Thomas, teaching at Oakton andliving on a working farm provides theideal way of life. Before leaving for theCollege to face his students, he bottlefeeds three lambs in the barn—Elly May,Ebb, and Ebony—and checks on sixguinea fowls that provide natural pestcontrol by eating ticks, flies, and otherpesky insects.

“The guinea fowls rule the pasture,”Thomas chuckles, “and their distinctiveand edgy call provides a first alert toimminent danger such as a coyote.” Healso puts out some hay for Bacchus theram, taking care to keep his distance fromthis rather aggressive and high-spirited300-pound member of the clan.

While farming remains tough workwith its around-the-clock responsibilities,Thomas considers his days on theSavanna Farm to be a perpetual vacation

—and the perfect antidote forstress. “We just don’t feel the needto get away,” he explains, pointingover his shoulder at the gentlyrolling land with barely a neighborin sight. “After all, how manypeople do you know who get tocuddle and feed baby lambs?”

SheepThr llsi

students to analyze how characters com-municate with each other—and how thatinteraction relates to leadership abilities.The two also drew on other sources tothrow further light on the topic—fromRapper Nas’ A New York State of Mind tothe films Enron: The Smartest Guys inthe Room and Killing Us Softly:Advertising’s Image of Women.

“Early on, the students didn’t see howThe Wire related to their quest to becomesuccessful managers. What did Baltimoredrug dealers have to do with that?”explains Crawford. But as he and Fulceworked through the material, they wereable to make the connection. “All of thecharacters—criminals or not—want tolive the American Dream,” he notes. Andregardless of which side of the wire thesecharacters are on, they use the same man-agement and supervisory skills to achievethat goal.

“Most powerfully,” Crawford continues,“when criminal characters finally doescape ‘the street’ for Wall Street, theyoften find that it’s no less corrupt than theworld they’ve left behind.”

Fulce and Crawford both consider thecourse a success—certainly, discussionswere lively and student feedback waspositive—and both believe that The Wireremains a valuable teaching tool: onethey plan to use again. “During my timeat Oakton, this team-taught class has beenone of my most satisfying collaborativework experiences,” concludes Fulce.“I think we were able to really dosomething special.”

WHAT DOES IT TAKE to successfullymanage a business? Is “success” definedby whether or not a business is legal?Do effective leadership skills apply onlyin the board room, or are they equallyvaluable in—for example—a drug-dealing organization?

Is this what students are learning atOakton?

Well, yes—if the class is built aroundHBO’s award-wining series The Wire.Last spring, ten students approached theCollege’s “Principles of Management”and “Composition I” classes through theprism of the show in a unique “learningcommunity.” Team-taught by Tracy Fulce,assistant professor of marketing andmanagement, and Will Crawford,associate professor of English (picturedtop right), the course used the series tocast a new light on management andcommunication.

Focused on Baltimore’s police depart-ment and the powerful Barksdale druggang, The Wire, which ended its run in2008, enjoys the reputation as one of thebest television dramas ever produced.Fulce and Crawford are passionate fans,but when Fulce floated the idea of collabo-rating on a class based on the show,Crawford was a little surprised—at first.“I saw how the concept could work forEnglish - the way one uses a book or apoem - but wasn’t sure about the fit formanagement,” he admits.

Fulce points out that The Wire bringsmany management concepts to life in aneasy-to-understand way. “For example,”

she explains, “coercion—that is, motivat-ing by fear—is a standard tacticdescribed in management textbooks. It’sused frequently in The Wire – by copsand criminals alike.” Crawford was sold,especially as he already had seen how theuse of music, films, and television showscould enliven traditional compositionclasses. In fact, The Wire served boththeir needs. “The content is really richin terms of story line, character develop-ment, organizational behavior, manage-ment techniques, and communications,”says Fulce.

Throughout the class, the showinspired the coursework. “Tell me aboutStringer Bell’s leadership qualities,”Fulce would ask, challenging students toconsider the ways in which this charactereffectively manages a complex drugempire. Crawford’s paper assignmentsechoed the theme: “Write a five-pageessay that evaluates a particular characteror entity from The Wire.” He encouraged

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From the The Wire, courtesy HBO/David Lee

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MOVING TEN KILOGRAMS of“lunar material” doesn’t seem like aninsurmountable challenge (that is, onceyou reach the moon), but what if youcouldn’t use a shovel? What if you hadto move the material in 15 minutes, froma distance of 60 meters away—using arobot to accomplish the task?

That’s the hurdle students in Oakton’sEngineering and Physics Club sought tojump when they headed to the KennedySpace Center in late May with their ownrobot, appropriately dubbed HOPE, forNASA’s Second Annual LunaboticsMining Competition. Of the 72 collegesand universities that entered the contest(including institutions from India, Spain,and Bangladesh), Oakton was one of only37 that actually made it to Florida—andthe only community college in the mix.

The trip was the culmination of morethan six months of work—and it wasn’talways easy. NASA’s key requirementwas to “submit an excavation device,

familiarly known as a ‘lunabot,’ capableof remotely scooping lunar dirt.” WhileNASA imposed no spending cap, Oakton’steam did the job on a budget of less than$2,000 (by comparison, Florida StateUniversity spent $25,000). “We may havebeen at a disadvantage financially, but Ithink that worked in our favor,” saysstudent Mike Mazur, one of the projectleaders. “The modest funds really forcedus to think creatively.”

The original concept grew out of someunique experiments. “We used LEGO: afun and easy way to work through anumber of possible lunabot designs,”explains Mazur. “I felt like I was fiveyears old again!”

Through trial and error, the group wasable to finalize a model in just a few days.Then it was time to put the pieces in place.Most of the lunabot materials—wood,metal, brooms, even a garbage can—camefrom Home Depot and Menards. A bicyclechain and sprockets also came in handy.

HOPEHolding Out

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Countdown to NASA“In simple terms, our concept involvedthe brooms sweeping material into thegarbage can,” Mazur says. To make the‘bot work, the students reinforced thegarbage can with metal, and placed aspinning axle at the front, with two setsof brooms attached.

“I was in awe,” said George Tootelian,instructor of physics and the club’s advisor.“The students worked incredibly hard,giving up nights and weekends. Many ofthem have ‘day jobs’ too, and they hadto fit the work around that. All of themsacrificed an awful lot for this project andshowed exceptional commitment.”

Designed to engage and retain studentsin science, technology, engineering,and mathematics (STEM), the NASAcompetition also included an outreachcomponent that involved connecting theproject with the local community. TheEngineering and Physics Club chose torecruit Owen Dudney, a first grade studentat the Science and Arts Academy in

“HOPE really did make animpressive showing against teams withfar more resources—including theUniversity of Illinois,” adds Professor ofMathematics Andy Roach, who traveledwith the group. “Many of the other robotswere formal senior design or graduateengineering projects—or even university-wide interdepartmental collaborations.”

“We had a shoe-string budget andHOPE was essentially an extracurricularproject,” adds Mazur. “And still, Oaktonwas a viable contender in this internationalcompetition. We’re really proud of that.”

Des Plaines, as a member of the team.Dudney met regularly with the club,offered design suggestions, and was theone who gave HOPE its name. In April,the Oakton team took the lunabot tohis school.

Then, after a few last minute tweaks,it was off to Florida. Although consideredan underdog by some, HOPE held itsown during the competition. Of the 37lunabots, HOPE was one of only 18 thatmade it to the mining area. With Dudneycheering in the stands, HOPE wassuccessfully scooping up material whena communication glitch caused the robotto continue rolling forward. After a shortclimb up the wall of the pit, the ‘bot tippedover, effectively ending its participation.

A success? To the Oakton team,there’s no question about it. As Mazurpoints out, “After all, our lunabot’s treadsworked so well that it was actually ableto climb the wall! Other robots justbumped into it.”

Above, from left: The Oakton team at NASA (frontrow), Valentina Krug, Owen Dudney, Mike Mazur,Faheem Memon, Kyle Uhl, John Shaba, and instructor

George Tootelian; (back row) Professor Andrew Roach,

Dan Kramer, and Blake Levien.

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F dMatters

purchased locally-produced food. If theanswer was no, they asked why. Was itthe price? A lack of seasonal variety? Thedifficulty of finding good, reliable farms?And if these stumbling blocks wereremoved, would the restaurant consider“going local?”

Preliminary feedback suggests thatmost restaurants do not buy close tohome. For Thomas, a farmer himself(see page 4), it’s an opportunity to raiseawareness. He plans to share the data withthe Illinois Department of Agricultureand its Farmers Market Network. “Mostlocal farmers grow corn, wheat, andsoybeans, and restaurants need a widervariety,” he points out. “But they wouldcertainly be receptive to sourcing foodlocally if it were easier to reliably findthe products they need.”

Healthy Eating in Plain EnglishFor English Professor Virginia Gibbons,

the way to incorporate ideas about healthyeating into her composition course seemedobvious: write about it! The first step wasto invite staff from Evanston’s TalkingFarm into the classroom. This “farm withsomething to say” offers a range of pro-grams to raise awareness about productionand appreciation of locally grown food,and the organization played a key role inthe Food Matters initiative.

After learning about about foodproduction, nutrition, and building sustain-able communities, students respondedwith opinion essays on everything fromobesity in America to reforming currentfood production systems. Then, the classpaid a visit to the Talking Farm.

As summer classes progress, Gibbonsremains enthusiastic. “I’m hoping to getmy summer students out of the classroomand into the community garden at Oakton’sSkokie campus,” she says. “As for thefall—who knows? But I’d like to domore. There are so many ways thisservice learning project can grow.”

CHOOSING ORGANIC produce, eatinglocally, steering clear of wasteful fast-foodrestaurants: healthy eating is inexorablylinked to a healthy planet. It’s a multi-faceted topic—one that rippled throughcampus last year as Oakton launched“Food Matters,” one of the College’sservice learning initiatives.

Through service learning, studentsapply classroom knowledge to benefit thecommunity—from working in a homelessshelter to helping low-income familiesprepare their tax returns. When Oaktonreceived a $3,000 grant from the AmericanAssociation of Community Colleges todevelop service projects with an environ-mental focus, the nexus between goodnutrition and going green seemed likea natural.

To kick things off, the College spon-sored a series of professional developmentworkshops last fall covering such topicsas the socio-economic impact of a “cheapfood policy,” health and nutrition, foodproduction, and the “farm-to-school”movement. Gaining a deeper understandingof the environmental, social, economic,and personal consequences of currentfood production and distribution methods—and about healthy and sustainablealternatives—faculty took these conceptsback to the classroom, weaving them intounique service projects.

Cost MattersAssistant Professor of Economics Elena

Ermolenko-Fein focused her class oninvestigating how demand, supply, cost,and regulation affect student food choices.

One team developed a survey thatmeasured student demand for healthymeals. Not surprisingly, the price of foodcarried more influence than its nutritionalvalue. To learn more about the “supplyside” on Oakton’s campus, a second teamanalyzed the dining options at the cafeteria—useful information for the College’sWellness Committee, which is consultingwith food vendor Sodexo to widen therange of healthy options on its menu.

The cost team split up, half buyingfast-food meals and half preparing similarmeals using healthier ingredients at

home. The cost differential was substan-tial: three fast-food meals a day costabout $18; sticking with home-cookedmeals cost just over $19 each week.

With data in hand, the regulations teamidentified policies that might encouragebetter eating habits on campus—fromintroducing internal competition to offeringstudent discounts on healthier choices.

Soil DetectivesWhile the economics class focused on

Oakton itself, Associate Professor BessKershisnik’s chemistry class literally leftthe building to dig into healthy eating.Partnering with Walker and DeweyElementary Schools in Evanston, theydelved into the chemistry that keepsproduce in the pink—or green, as it were.

Both schools had created smallgardens to teach students about plant lifeand growing nutritious food. But healthyplants rely on healthy soil, and hereOakton’s students were able to help.After collecting soil samples at eachschool, they met with the young gardenersto dish the dirt. To thrive, they explained,plants need soil with the proper propor-tions of loam, sand, silt, and clay—andthe proper balance of chemicals such aspotassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen.

Then, the students headed back toOakton’s lab. Once their soil analysis wascomplete, they returned to both schools,presented a final report, and made a fewrecommendations. Among other things,the group discovered that compost at oneschool contained too much orange peel,ultimately resulting in poorer soil quality.

Locally GrownIdeally, everyone should eat locally:

minimizing transport reduces gasolineuse and CO2 emissions. But where are therestaurants in Oakton’s district buyingtheir food? To find out, Professor RonThomas’ Introduction to Business classdesigned a “Farm to Chef” survey thatexplored restaurants’ use of fruits, vegeta-bles, herbs, dairy products, eggs, andmeat produced within a 200-mile radius.

Students conducted interviews at 43area restaurants, asking chefs if they

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NINE YEARS AGO, Oakton broke newground by launching one of only twocommunity college undergraduate researchcollaboratives in the country. A year later,Outlook’s first issue showcased the fledg-ling program (“Student Research GoesMolecular,” Vol. 1, No. 1).

Otherwise known as “Bio/Chem 240,”the unique program gives first- andsecond-year students the opportunity totackle research generally reserved formore advanced students at four-year insti-tutions. Indeed the URC has flourished—with some changes along the way.

Outlook’s 2003 piece featured threevery different, individual projects. Butas Michael Carr, chair and professor ofbiology, explains, “It was difficult to makemuch progress in a single semester.”Now, the URC keeps the focus on oneresearch topic over a number of years—but under this “umbrella,” students mayhead in any direction. It’s a hands-onexperience: teams design their ownexperiments, collect data, interpretresults, and present their findings at theCollege and in various other venues.

Battling BuckthornFor the past three years, the

Collaborative has turned its attention tobuckthorn. This invasive plant has spreadrapidly through the area (including Oakton’sDes Plaines campus), destroying nativeflora and wreaking havoc on the localeco-system.

Buckthorn probably arrived courtesyof Dr. John Kennicott, original owner ofThe Grove in Glenview. The good doctorimported the plant from Europe in the1800s for use as an ornamental hedge, notrealizing that buckthorn has no naturalpredators in Illinois. But exactly howdoes buckthorn muscle out native species?Students in Bio/Chem 240 are well ontheir way to finding out.

Here’s what we know: some nativeseeds refuse to germinate in the presenceof buckthorn. Even with the plant

removed, the soil remains hostile to nativespecies. The culprit appears to be chemi-cals in the buckthorn berry. This year oneteam researched whether native seedscould overcome the “berry barrier” iftreated with a plant growth hormone.“Some treated seeds were able togerminate in the presence of berryextract,” reports Carr. “So the hormonedoes seem to help.” Work continues tovalidate these results.

A second team got the dirt onbuckthorn-contaminated soil. Onehypothesis is that the bacteria in thesoil actually changes in the presence ofbuckthorn, affecting a plant’s root systemand growth. Through genetic testing,students sought to identify the bacteria inbuckthorn-tainted soil and compare it tobacteria found in native ecosystems.

A third group delved into the mysteryof why native seeds don’t germinate inthis soil by laboriously grinding up tomatoseeds in liquid nitrogen, boiling the result-ing powder, and measuring carbohydratelevels in germinating and non-germinatingseeds. Preliminary data suggests that thenative seeds’ metabolism alters in thepresence of buckthorn berry chemicals.

Researching in the Real WorldToday the URC enjoys a national

reputation because of its unique advan-tages. For example, four biology and twochemistry professors guide the work—an atypical, cross-disciplinary approach.Structuring the work around a class is alsounusual: generally students participate inresearch programs through independentstudy.

In fact, Oakton students often enrollin independent study once the courseends to continue their work. “They arepassionate about their projects,” Carrsays. “The class is four hours a week, butmany students arrive early, stay late, andput in extra time.”

Another enhancement since the pro-gram’s early days is a full-time, ten-week,

paid internship for students at a range ofinstitutions, including NorthwesternUniversity, Loyola University, and theChicago Botanic Garden. Funded by grantsfrom the National Science Foundation andOakton’s Educational Foundation, studentsget a first-hand look at professionalresearch, while employers gain skilledhelp—definitely a win-win relationship.

Inspiring InternshipFor student Sheila Behzadi-Teshnizi,

last summer’s internship at Illinois StateUniversity was transformative. “Weresearched a particular parasite thatcauses disease in humans,” she recounts,“and it truly opened my eyes to howclassroom learning applies in the realworld.” Behzadi-Teshnizi will pursue adegree in molecular biology, with anemphasis on research, when she transfersto Loyola University this fall, and shecredits Oakton’s program with herdecision. “The Undergraduate ResearchCollaborative had an enormous impact,”she says. “I knew nothing about researchwhen I signed up for the class. Now,I absolutely love it.”

Oakton’s interns also have garneredhigh praise from their summer employers.“The feedback has been phenomenal,”says Carr. “This program clearly setsstudents on the path to be successful in awide range of research careers.” The NewYork Times agrees. Its 2007 article, “ForAchievers, a New Destination,” singledout Oakton—and specifically itsundergraduate research experience—for special mention, noting that theCollege was one of those institutions“most frequently named as models”across the country.

With such stellar credentials, the nextdecade holds much promise. “AlthoughFederal grant funding remains unpre-dictable,” Carr admits, “Oakton—and theEducational Foundation—are incrediblysupportive. I’m confident that theprogram will continue to thrive.”

s Undergraduate Research CollaborativeS

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in such films as Public Enemies, ALeague of Their Own, and The BluesBrothers. But playing a real-life character—with dialogue—alongside the likes ofGiamatti, Ed Asner, William Hurt, andJames Woods was something new. Andhe gives Oakton the credit.

A classic “non-traditional” student,Jones arrived at Oakton’s door after a23-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps—serving as a ground officer and then asa pilot—and a successful civilian careerin public relations and marketing. Actinghad always been on the back burner, butretirement gave him the time he neededto put it front and center.

For two years, Jones studied withPatti Interrante, professor of speech andtheater. “Bud was a great student, openand ready for anything” she says. “Hetook risks in class—and that helped him

prepare for the HBO film.” Jones agrees.“Oakton really helped me hone my actingskills. I learned more in Patti’s coursesthan I ever did in the business,” he notes.“They boosted my self-confidence andimproved my line memorization skills.”Jones took full advantage of the College’svibrant performing arts program, appear-ing in its 2010 Play On student playwrit-ing festival, which features six one-actplays written and directed by communitycollege students.

Oakton’s theater curriculum left himready for just about anything, so whenthe opportunity to audition for Too Bigto Fail came up last November, he didn’thesitate. “I did the video audition on aFriday,” he remembers, “and by Mondaynight I was on a flight to New York. Whyme? I don’t know. The director told methey wanted ‘fresh faces,’ not ‘New York’faces.”

It was quite an experience. “I traveledfirst class and had my own dressing roomwith a star on it,” he recalls. “I even hadsomeone styling my hair, handling mywardrobe, and providing food.” But thejob could also be grueling, and in theend, an actor never really knows whatwill end up on the screen. When Too Bigto Fail aired on May 23, that scenefeaturing Bernanke—which took, byJones’ reckoning, ten hours to shoot—was reduced to three minutes of screentime. “That’s show biz, I guess,” he saysphilosophically.

Still, there are compensations: Jonesdid have a chance to hob knob with thestars. “William Hurt and Paul Giamattiare really down to earth people,” hereports, adding that Hurt, who has aninterest in aviation, quizzed him abouthis Marine pilot days.

With his HBO appearance behind him,Jones is moving on to the next challenge.You can catch him this summer inSuessical the Musical at Des Plaines’Footlighters Theatre Company. But hisexperience with Too Big to Fail is,simply, too big to forget. “It’s somethingI’ll treasure,” he says, “and Oaktonplayed a big role in making it happen.”

A GRIM-FACED group of congressionalleaders listens as Federal ReserveChairman Ben Bernanke warns that theU.S. Banking System will collapse with-out a substantial loan from the federalgovernment. He has the figures to proveit. Stunned, Nevada Senator Harry Reidbarks, “You ask us for $700 billiondollars and all you give us is this paper?”

But look closely: that’s not ChairmanBernanke—it’s actor Paul Giamatti. Andhe’s pleading not with Senator Reid, butwith Bud Jones: Park Ridge resident,Oakton theater student, and cast memberin HBO’s recently-aired film Too Big toFail, which chronicles the 2008 WallStreet financial crisis.

Jones is no stranger to the film set orthe stage. Since the 1980s, he hasappeared in local theater productions andcommercials, and he’s had walk-on roles

To theStarsFromOakton’sStage...

That Day in May: Couch to 5KSome 400 members of the Oakton community participated

in the first annual Couch to 5K Run/Walk on May 12, 2011. Spon-

sored by the College’s Wellness Committee, the event attracted

administrators, faculty, staff, and students who began training in

January. After completing the three-mile route around the Des

Plaines campus, participants enjoyed an outdoor

barbeque and live music from the Suburban Cowboys.