The 2011 Study Abroad trip is seven months away, and the International Studies Club is getting prepared.
The club has held two fundraisers, but has received low turnouts.
The first event, a benefit rock concert, was held on Oct. 29 in the La-Z-Boy Center.
Two local bands, the Unknown Legends from Monroe and the Capaul Band from Ida, filled the Meyer Theater with the drum beats and bass of modern rock.
The Unknown Legends consists of Ryan Servis, Evan Close, John Rains, and siblings Brandon, Adam, and Christina Schreiber.
The band blended its original music with covers of Mumford and Sons, Steel Train, and Gogol Bordello, while also blending in nontraditional rock instruments like the trombone, trumpet, and accordion.
Laughter erupted as the band began playing the well-known holiday tune, “Frosty the Snowman,” for one of its final songs, leading into another original.
According to Brandon, the concert went amazing.
“I loved it,” he said. “We’ve always wanted to play a show at the college.”
Christina shared a similar sentiment.
“There wasn’t that many people but it went really good musically, and that’s what counts.”
Christina said working with her brothers is like living out a family dream.
“We’ve always loved music, and doing this is like living out our dream,” she said. “Even though we fight, we always come back to this. It’s kind of like a bonding thing for us.”
More siblings took the stage after a brief intermission.
The Capaul band consists of three brothers: Nick, Ben, and Chris Capaul.
With their family crest displayed behind them on the Meyer Theater backdrop, the brothers joked that the audience members were part of their family for the night.
“When you’re here, you’re one of us,” Nick said. “You’re a Capaul, sorry.”
In the middle of one of their first songs, both microphones for the twin singers went out.
“You’re so awesome you blew them out,” Joanna Sabo, the instructor of International Studies, called out when the song finished.
“Yeah, that happens a lot,” Ben replied.
Once the issue was resolved, the band continued with its punk rock-influenced music, playing both original songs and music from their previous band, the Spaghetti Zombies.
Around 60 people attended the benefit concert. Dr. Sabo said she was disappointed with the attendance.
“I definitely wish we would have seen more MC3 students and staff,” she said. “We need our students to support each other.”
However, Dr. Sabo said she was very happy to see some older folks in the crowd, as well as the dean of Humanities and Health Sciences, Vinnie Maltese.
The second event was the Second Annual MC3 International Studies Abroad Turkey Trot.
On Nov. 13, runners met in front of the Welch Health Education Building to run a 5K race across the MCCC campus.
The overall fastest times in the male and female divisions were by Brandon Van Belle and Jewel Kelly.
The male winners from the various age categories were Tommy Brandys, Brent Leonhardt, Jeremiah Williams, Brandon Newell, Marc Lemle, Richard Stockdale, Andrew Pride, Thomas Kleman, Mike Roberts, and Dennis Scott.
The female winners were Kaitlyn Leist, Megan Peterman, Megan Drabek, Marcia Halason, Ronnie Rose, Denise Dashner, Diana Chute, Rebecca Mehregan, and Sharon Mullin.
To Dr. Sabo’s disappointment, just under 50 people attended.
Several of the club’s students thought the recent Great Pumpkin Pursuit 5K run recently held on campus may have been part of the cause for the low turnout, Dr. Sabo said.
“We had a good turnout last year,” Dr. Sabo said.
The money raised by both events will go toward student fees for the MCCC 2011 Study Abroad trip to Eastern Europe.
The club will visit Austria, Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
The fees for Study Abroad, aside from the trip fee which is due in January, include baggage fees, lunches, and mandatory tipping to tour guides.
“Most students barely come up with the money to come on Study Abroad,” Dr. Sabo said. “Oftentimes, students drop out because they can’t come up with the money, so we do what we can to help those that are struggling.”
For those who missed the concert and the Turkey Trot, the club will be hosting MCCC’s eighth Speech-a-thon on Dec. 2.
From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., students will stand in the library foyer and the Administration Building, reading popular speeches about international issues.
“Speeches that have been published over time by great leaders like Winston Churchill, or John F. Kennedy,” Dr. Sabo said.
The student speakers will be working in non-stop, five-hour shifts.
There are three ways to donate to this event; by pledging for every hour a student continues their speech, pledging a flat rate for the entire day, or by the donation jars that will be set up near the speakers.
The club is also planning to hold a raffle, and will be wrapping gifts on the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving at Barnes and Noble in Toledo.
