At a glance, the only film related activities available to students through Marquette are the relatively new blockbusters shown at the Varsity Theater on the weekends. But there is so much more students can become involved with.

College of Communication junior Alex Gelhar hopes to bring Marquette students together in the name of film, so much so that he started a film club on campus called Fade In Film Society.

“The group’s purpose is to bring like-minded individuals together whether they just have a passion in watching movies and talking about movies, or whether they are serious about movies and learning more about the craft,” Gelhar said.

Fade in Film Society plans on bringing in area professionals that includes writers, cinematographers and directors to campus to talk with students about their options after college if they are seriously interested in the film industry. The organization also hopes to hold movie screenings and trivia nights.

“ ‘Fade in’ are the first words that start every screen play, and I thought the title was fitting because hopefully it’s starting a film community at Marquette for a long time,” he said.

Gelhar, a filmmaker himself, believes that Marquette needs to build an attachment to the film community for it to continue to grow. Some of Gelhar’s upcoming projects include a feature length film about college students in debt and the struggles they go through to pay the bills. Gelhar also wants to shoot a short film on campus that includes Marquette students in order to gain exposure to the campus’ film community.

Marquette also offers students classes in film that include Seminar in Broadcast and Electronic Communication: TV & Film Aesthetics, Reading Film as Narrative: Horror Narrative as Film,  Topics in Film Studies: Issues in Film Studies and Film as Art.

The courses focus more on studying film rather than making films, but they still teach students about the art and history of film.

Professor Patrick McGilligan, an instructor who teaches film minor classes,   understands the importance that films have.

“Films are universal,” McGilligan said. “Filmmaking is important as an act of expression but is also a act of reflection of society or what’s going on in society.”

Students can become involved in the film community off campus by just walking into the city of Milwaukee. In September the Milwaukee Film Festival, which ran for 11 days, had a total attendance of  20,000 people and included award-winning films like “Precious: Based on the novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” at the Landmark Oriental Theatre and the Marcus North Shore Cinema.

Milwaukee has many film groups that are dedicated to bringing exposure to local filmmakers and projects. Firestarter Films is a local organization that helps filmmakers showcase their work. During the company’s events, attendees are able to network and interact with other fans. Firestarter provides people with the opportunity to build their portfolio, receive feedback from others and hang out with others who have the same interest as them.

Co-Creator Shawn Monaghan’s primary reason for starting Firestarter Films was to give people the chance to show their talents.

Monaghan said he believes Milwaukee can give filmmakers just as much inspiration as bigger cities can.

“Milwaukee is unique because how many times have you seen the empire state building or Times Square in a movie?” he said.” “I think Wisconsin Avenue is pretty cool. I grew up here, and I like filming here. Some people think they need to run off to L.A. and be successful, but if you’re creative, you’re creative,” he said.

As the passion for film continues to grow in Milwaukee, so will the events and opportunities that come with it. In the meantime, Marquette students can support the local film movement already underway by supporting the local filmmakers.

Gelhar and College of Communication sophomore Chris Visser’s work can be found on their Web site. Students can also see what Firestarter Films is all about by attending their event Nov. 13^th at 228 S. 1^st St. Admission is $5.

Jason Myers, a freshman in the College of Engineering, attended the Fall Ball and plans on attending more local events in the future.

“Shows, for me, are a completely different kind of connection to the music that you definitely cannot get from recorded material,” Myers said. “The emotions of different songs and genres of music are definitely shown by how a band or artist performs and interacts with the crowd. You don’t get this on a CD.”

What is it about concerts that gives a rush of adrenaline to everyone in the audience? Concerts join people together who have a common interest. They are an outlet for fans to express their appreciation, fascination and devotion to the artists. Whether it is a Lil Wayne, Brad Paisley or Cobra Starship concert, fans flock to the ticket booths in hopes of getting the best seats. Hearing the person or people you admire sing the same songs you belt out to your steering wheel is one of the greatest feelings.

Behind every great production is the people who put it together. Justin Moralez, event coordinator at The Rave, offers a venue’s perspective.

According to Moralez, the decision process in choosing which bands are worthy of playing at The Rave takes a lot of work.

“There is an awful lot of research that goes into each band, being that the amount of people they bring to a show is essential to the business,” he said. “Bands may also be referred by others in the business.”

The communication process between The Rave and bands on major tours is quite simple.

“Tours are generally routed by their agents, and scheduling is worked out well in advance,”  Moralez said.

The Rave’s Web site says popular bands like AFI and Blink 182 made their Milwaukee debuts at The Rave and encourages local bands to book shows.

“It’s always fun to see banks make their way through the ranks,” Moralez said. “The Rave is taking active steps to make sure we capture moments like those on video.”

In order to have the show and to book the concerts, it all comes down to one element: the musician. As much as fans want to hear their favorite musicians, the musicians want to be heard just the same.

Matthew Suglich, a junior in the College of Engineering, started playing the guitar when he was 15 after he decided that there was no reason he could not make music just as well as the artists in his music collection.

The Union Sports Annex, 804 N. 16th St., allowed Suglich to play his own shows.

“What attracted me to playing at the Annex was just a sign that said, ‘Send an e-mail to this address if you are interested in playing a show,’ something I did often in high school and enjoyed,” he said. “So I eventually got in touch with Chris Porterfield who set me up with a solo show in January of my freshman year, which would be 2008.”

Suglich has played at the Annex a total of five times.

“My personal favorite experience playing at the Annex was last year the day after Halloween,” he said. “I played with a good friend of mine, Tom Sullivan, and we got a headline so we ended up playing for almost three hours. We would play together, then each play a couple songs individually and switch back and forth.”

But sometimes playing it safe is not enough in the risk-taking world of the music industry. Suglich said taking risks with his musical passion has paid off.

“That particular time stands apart because the songs we chose to play were a bit more on the edge of what we thought people would like,” he said. “We played a lot of material we had written ourselves. At one point I played ‘The Rainbow Connection’ in a Kermit the Frog voice which went over extremely well, much to my surprise. And we were both really nervous. Everybody really liked everything we played, and that was just a great feeling.”

Suglich said he has really enjoyed playing at the Annex.

“I would absolutely recommend it to anyone, and I can’t wait to play there again,” he said.

Whether you are playing on the stage, working behind the stage or trying to make your way closer to the stage, concerts are unforgettable experiences.

Why is it then that our society, including our Marquette community, still seems to put art culture on the back burner?

According to College of Communication junior Matthew Wickey, a theatre major concentrating on performing arts and co-president of the Marquette University Players, the major doesn’t matter — you get out of it what you put into it.

“As long as someone has an interest in an art form, they should be able to express themselves by any means possible,” Wickey said.

The theatre arts major at Marquette includes specific disciplines in performance, directing, design/technical and recommended courses in dance, art and history depending on interests. With such close proximity to Milwaukee’s theatre district, Marquette’s theatre students find opportunities to involve themselves professionally. Marquette also offers the Marquette University Players, an organization completely run, directed, written and produced by students.  MUPS, as well as the Studio 13 Refugees improv comedy group, serve as ways for the otherwise uninvolved to get involved in the theatre scene.

“MUPS allows you to do virtually anything you want to do, even if you’ve never been involved in theatre before,” Wickey said. “I only wish it could be seen on a grander scale.”

He said that theatre doesn’t have to be considered a dying art form. “This is a struggle for the entire department,” he said.

On the other hand, the perseverance of students can only go so far without enough support. For students interested in pursuing the fine arts, including studio art or art history, Marquette offers minors. Additionally, the university’s art program is limited — only a select number of classes are available on campus. All other classes are taken at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, the only college within the state that is dedicated exclusively to the education of artists and designers.

While the MIAD program enables art students to expand their studies beyond Marquette, transportation can be a hassle.

Gina Crovetti, a junior in College of Arts & Sciences majoring in psychology with a minor in fine arts said, “It does take out much of your day because my MIAD class itself is about three hours long, and then there’s travel time, so you have to prepare in advance and really plan other MU classes well.”

Though most art classes are only offered through the MIAD program, Marquette does provide art outlets on campus. Art Club is responsible for various projects and displays in the Alumni Memorial Union and the Haggerty Museum of Art on campus, as well as member-specific interest projects and “Fine Arts Night.” But the Haggerty seems to be the only outside source for direct involvement in and exposure to fine arts.

“I think (the museum) is underrated, and it’s sad that so many people either don’t know what Haggerty is, where it is or ever want to go there,” Crovetti said. “The art culture here is just not apparent. MU is on the verge of having an exploding art scene, I feel. So many people are wanting it, it just needs to be pushed over the edge to come alive.”

Marquette’s music program also offers limited opportunities, with the music minor just stepping into the lime light a couple of years ago.

Marquette allows non-music minor students to practice and perform in vocal or instrumental groups as an extra-curricular activity for zero credits while music minors are required to participate in at least four semesters of these approved ensembles to be taken for one credit, according to the Marquette University Web site. These groups include symphonic band, wind ensemble, pep band, jazz ensemble, orchestra, men’s and women’s chorus, mixed chorus, vocal jazz, gospel choir and several a cappella groups.

Of these, College of Arts & Sciences sophomore music minor Elizabeth Heinrich is involved in eight.

“I’m still disappointed that there’s no music major available,” she said. Heinrich expressed remorse for the lack of student enthusiasm not only for music but also for the arts in general.

“Of the 11,000 students here, will our band concerts ever get the kind of attendance as a basketball game?” she said. “It’s something I’ll always hope for.”

Marquette’s limited programs may be partially at fault for the lack of enthusiasm for art culture throughout the student body. However, in the end it is just as much the individual artists’ responsibility to reach their own goals with self-motivation and determination. Either way you look at it, the arts need support. Look at a painting, watch a skit or enjoy an orchestra performance. According to Garner’s theory of multiple intelligence, it might be good for you.

They’ll give guidance on hygiene, when to add the fabric softener in the laundry and what not to do with the opposite sex. Although they can only hope for the best and pray to get their money’s worth at the end of first semester, they will never really know what happens those first few joyous months of college.

Journal writers Marissa Evans and Laura Greteman compiled the most stereotypical, best-case scenarios, about what parents most likely believe is happening to their child in college and combined them with actual viewpoints from the class of 2013.

Studying: (Parent: School has always been the number one priority for my child. Being social is important, but my child is definitely there for the education.)

• “When I get distracted, I usually do Facebook Farmville and talking to whoever has their door open.” — Gagan Kaur, freshman, College of Engineering
• “My top three priorities are theater, friends and homework. But not really homework.” — Lex Gernon, freshman, College of Communications

Going out every night/Weekends: (Parent: Going out is a part of the college experience,  so I assume my student goes out occasionally and is responsible about it.)

• “My parents know I go out, they just don’t know what I do.” — Matt Bunsness, freshman, College of Engineering
• “We have CommUNITY floor movie nights.” — Tara Vandygriff
• “I went out to at least four to five parties on the weekends during the first few weeks. We’d go out, end up at Marquette Gyros, recount our night, then do the same thing the next night.” — Matt Strelzyk, freshman, College of Engineering

Going to Class (Parent: My child never skipped class in high school. They will go to all their classes in college.)

• “For the most part I go to class. Being on time is questionable though, ’cause I have classes at 8 a.m.” — Montrell Williams, freshman, College of Arts & Sciences
• “I do go to all my classes — when I wake up for them.” Mitch Faccio, freshman, College of Arts & Sciences

Meal Plans: (Parent: I spent good money on that unlimited meal plan so they would not have to eat anywhere else but the dorms — they better be using it.)

• “Unlimited meal plans is not about the plan, its about the social aspect. … I’ll go and eat an apple, drink some water and chill. If I go a second time, I don’t eat — I just talk to my friends.” — Erin Thiemann, freshman, College of Arts & Sciences

Student Dorm Cleanliness: (Parent: My student’s room will probably be a bit cluttered, but manageable.)

• “My room is always a mess.” — Ben Maier, freshman, College of Arts & Sciences
• “Over the weekend it gets really dirty, but its not that bad.” — Matt Maa, freshman, College of Business
• “If you can see the floor of my room, it’s a good day.” — Caitlin Meeker

Homesickness: (Parents: My student will miss me. After all, I did raise them for the past eighteen years of their lives)

• “I call home once a week just to say ‘hi.’ ” — Mary Peplinski, freshman, College of Business
• “Figure out e-mailing and text messaging. I’m too busy studying — it’s a lot easier to press some buttons than dial a number on the weekends. ” — Wade Balkonis, freshman, College of Arts & Sciences
• “I don’t miss my parents. I miss my dog.” — Joe Kearney, freshman, College of Arts & Sciences
• “Given the frequency of communication I have with my parents, I would speculate that they believe that I am dead.” — Brendan Collins, freshman, College of Arts & Sciences

When researchers come in looking for specific books or special collections, these students retrieve their requests and occasionally aid in archive projects. Student employees wet their feet with research for which graduate students can only hope.

Stepp said his job entails transcribing the testimonials of Holocaust survivors, a project he undertook in February 2008. As a History and German double major, he said he asked his adviser where he should look for a job. His adviser suggested the library. He was hired by the Special Collections department and soon began working on a project for the archives.

Stepp said he works on transcribing an oral history collection of Holocaust survivors who settled in Milwaukee and the surrounding area. These testimonials were compiled in 1983 by professor emeritus Michael Phayer. Phayer worked with a local Milwaukee group called Generation After. The group included  Holocaust survivors’ children working to preserve their parents’ experiences from pre-war Europe and the Holocaust. As a result, they supported Phayer’s ambition to conduct interviews and create an oral history collection honoring Holocaust survivors.

According to Matt Blessing, the director of the department, Phayer interviewed 65 Holocaust survivors. Many of these people were fortunate enough never to have been sent to concentration camps. Their stories focused on the way of life in Europe before World War II.

The interviewees talked about how they ended up in Milwaukee, often a sporadic decision. Stepp said that when these people came to the United States, Milwaukee was a hotbed of industrialization. Immigrants would first arrive in New York City, then hear of jobs in Milwaukee and decide to move. The stories these individuals tell are valuable because they describe how the world was changing as Hitler rose to power. This kind of firsthand account is becoming increasingly rare as their generation ages.

Stepp said that some interviews are only 45 minutes long while others are three hours. He has listened to these tapes in order to create word-for word transcripts. From here he has begun to digitize the transcripts so that an online archive can be created.

It can take as long as 10 hours to complete this process for a single tape, Blessing said.  Hiring a professional for this job would be incredibly expensive. Stepp provides a real service to the school, and the research process in general, by working toward this goal.

But Stepp said it’s a two-way street because he is learning a lot about the research world in which he hopes to some day enter. He has also learned a lot about Jewish culture and traditions, not to mention lessons about humanity and the travesties of war.

Once the oral history has been completely digitized it will be available on the Internet for anyone to use. Stepp said  the project is so large that he cannot complete it before he graduates this year. But certainly graduate studies will benefit from the time he has put into this project.

So what is Swine Flu? Is it like other flu’s? The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention said the virus was originally referred to as Swine Flu because laboratory testing showed that many of the genes in this new virus were similar to influenza viruses that normally contracted by North American pigs (swine). But further study has shown that this new virus is different from what normally circulates in our four-footed barn yard friends.

This strain has two genes from flu viruses that show up in human genes and European and Asian pigs as well as birds (avian), according to the CDC. The flu’s scientific name is Influenza A H1N1 Virus.

According to the CDC, Influenza A means the virus is first identified in an animal, usually a pig or a bird. Type A viruses are also subject to gradual mutations (antigenic drift) as well as sudden changes in their surface proteins (antigenic shift).

Due to their variability, Type A viruses can cause major pandemics, according ot the CDC. Type A viruses are divided into subtypes based on differences of two surface proteins called hemagglutinin(HA) and neuraminidase(NA). There are 16 different HA subtypes and 9 NA subtypes. Examples of past flu outbreaks include the following:

• H5N1 Subtype – bird flu virus
• H3N2 Subtype – Hong Kong flu pandemic of 1968
• H5N2 Subtype – highly pathogenic in chickens
• H3N8 Subtype – frequently found in horses
• H2N2 Subtype – Asian flu pandemic of 1957
• H7N7 Subtype – 2003 poultry epidemic
• H1N1 Subtype – Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 and swine flu

Although the Swine Flu has symptoms like any other flu, it spreads faster than other strains. For this reason many Americans may be receiving two viral shots this fall, one for the seasonal flu and one for Swine Flu.

But the question students are asking is whether or not they should worry about Swine Flu.

“We should do everything we are told,” said Martin St. Maurice, biology professor in the College of Arts & Sciences. “I stay prepared by washing my hands, sleeping as much as possible and eating healthy. Is it the same as the normal flu? Yes and no. Awareness is higher, but the steps are the same for every flu.”

More students will suffer from the flu this year since the strain is new, St. Maurice said. As a result, everyone needs to follow the university’s general procedures.

Matthew Sanders, psychology professor in the College of Health Sciences, said, “It could blow up or be nothing.”

Sanders said the CDC guidelines are clear. If you are sick with a fever, you should stay home for at least 24 hours after the fever has subsided.

In addition to Marquette faculty and staff’s preparation, students must take active roles in fighting the flu. They must prepare themselves for any flu or cold virus spreading around campus, stay healthy and active and don’t let their bodies fall weak to any threat. By knowing the symptoms of Swine Flu, the university as a whole can become better prepared for a potential outbreak.

The symptoms are very similar to those of seasonal flu. If you think you have any type of flu, please visit Student Health Service or see your doctor.

Student Health Service said that to prevent the spread of the flu:

1. Wash your hands, especially after you cough or sneeze

2. Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze

3. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth

4. Clean your living quarters

5. Don’t be in close contact with people who may have the flu

6. Do not share cups or beverages

7. Stay in good health (drink plenty of fluids, eat nutritious foods, manage stress and get plenty of sleep)