Kara Naig
Staff Reporter

A group of men exchanged cordial smiles and firm handshakes at first sight. Then, upon recognition, a few were inspired to wrap their arms around one another in camaraderie.

The men laughed, mingled and reminisced. Smiles stretched across their faces as they spoke of their era Ð the Glen Miller Band, Bing Crosby, Betty Grable, Rosie the Riveter and Joe DiMaggio; all major icons during World War II.

North Iowa Area Community College students, faculty and the general public were taken back in time at the World War II history roundtable. The two-day event was held on Tuesday, November 8, and Thursday November 10.

Facilitator and organizer, John Schmaltz, NIACC social science instructor and division chair, marched the audience through the events of World War II.

Personal stories from a panel of World War II veterans peppered the time line Schmaltz presented. All four branches of the armed services were represented by the panel, which included Jack Easton, Don Brown, James O'Brien, Carl Tatone, Carroll Bogard and Gene Pfeifer.

Schmaltz said this conflict was one of the most monumental events in history. "Thirteen hundred World War II vets die every day" Schmaltz said. "We won't have these resources much longer."

Having served on the panel twice, James O'Brien, a United States Marine Corps veteran, said he talks to students and others about World War II so people don't forget.

O'Brien was the only panelist who was out of high school at the beginning of the war. He was in the Civilian Conservation Corps at the time. "I was afraid they were going to have this war and I wasn't going to get in on it," O'Brien said.

He served in the USMC for nine years as an artillerist. Ribbons decorated the red sport coat O'Brien donned.

Each ribbon represented a particular battle, including the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Waves of planes began the attack on Pearl Harbor around 8 a.m., O'Brien recalls, with straggler planes still attacking until after 11 a.m.

He said they were able to shoot down three planes with rifles due to all the men shooting from the ground; both military and civilian volunteers.

"In wars we have ups and downs; we have defeats; we have victories. We should remember what our cause is and keep looking ahead and not get depressed," O'Brien said.

NIACC freshman Chris Bedford attended the event at the urging of one of his instructors. Bedford relayed that he was told this is a piece of history that will soon be dying out.

Bedford said the event was excellent. "I felt like I was there and saw what they saw," Bedford said.

Schmaltz said this was the third World War II history roundtable he has organized, taking place approximately every two years. "This year we would have done it no matter what due to the 60th anniversary (of the end of World War II)," Schmaltz said.

Brandon K. Watson
News Editor

The NIACC social science department is offering a new course to students, beginning in the spring semester.

African-American History, a 16-week course, chronicles past and present history of African-Americans both in the U.S. and in Africa.

Dr. Jeffrey Pilz, who will instruct the course, said he plans to infuse substantial information pertaining to the Atlantic slave trade as well as the civil rights movement among others.

Known for his candid spiels on the NIACC campus, Pilz, a former University of Minnesota adjunct professor, noted that providing students with factual accounts of African-American history is his goal.

"I plan to teach the course on an honest basis and in a way that society often does not portray African-American history," Pilz said. "I'm going to tell it (the history) the way it is."

The development of the course, Pilz said, has been in the works for several years. However, the approval of the course went through two consecutive stages by the committee for Academic Affairs prior to approval, according to NIACC registrar Larry Mozack.

One of several efforts by the NIACC committee for Academic Affairs to implement more cultural diversity in the curriculum, Pilz said that the course is a great opportunity for many to become enlightened on blacks in America, considering that population wise the state of Iowa has a relatively small percentage of blacks.

He noted that the expected classroom size for the groundbreaking class is between 12-15 students. As the years progress, so will the classroom size, Pilz said.

The course will meet twice a week and is worth three credit hours.

The NIACC Collegiate Entrepreneurship Organization (CEO) Club has been busy this last month, attending the Iowa Governor's Cup Race / Walk Dollars for Scholars (October 2 in Des Moines) and the 2005 National Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization Conference in Orlando, Florida (October 27 Ð 29).

NIACC CEO Club members that attended these activities included Patrick Finnegan, Clear Lake; Josh Dockum, Mason City;  Brenda Mahoney, Nashua; Erica Berte, Lake Mills; Jace Schroeder, Greene; Daniel Anderson, Nora Springs; Leary Huggins, Mason City; Paul Blong, Mason City; Kate Pederson, Mason City and club adviser Tim Putnam.

At the Dollars for Scholars event in Des Moines, NIACC donated a $500 scholarship presented by CEO Club members to the Dollars for Scholars organization.

Activities included a chris cake breakfast, speeches by Governor Tom Vilsack and the First Lady, club members talking and getting a picture with Vilsack and the First Lady, listening to the program/scholarship award presentation, meeting mascots Herky (University of Iowa), and Spike (Drake University) and listening to music provided by the Iowa State University and Drake University bands.

The 2005 National Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization Conference in Orlando, Florida, offered a great opportunity for all members of the CEO Club.

Each day during lunch or supper, keynote speakers would tell their stories about how they became successful.

Some of the speakers included Richard Tait, the founder of Cranium; Steve Wozniak, who helped shape the computing industry with his design of Apple's first line of products (Apple I and II and influenced the popular Macintosh) and John D. Goeken, founder of MCI, FTD and Airfone.

Putnam said the conference provided many opportunities to students. "It's really important to these students to hear that in order to be successful you have to have a lot of passion, good networking skills, integrity and a belief in yourself," Putnam said. "The entrepreneurs who spoke at this year's conference really hit a grand slam with the students, it was wonderful hearing their stories."

Other activities at the conference included presentations by adviser Tim Putnam, club president Patrick Finnegan and vice president Josh Dockum.

Daniel Anderson, owner of Oceans Oasis, competed in the elevator pitch competition.

Club members attended a wide variety of entrepreneurial sessions (over 30 sessions to choose from), and met other students and faculty from different CEO Clubs from around the country.

Whitney Pierson
Staff Reporter

It's a devastating fact that many children will try to make it through the harsh Iowa winters without a coat. But with individuals' help, they won't have to.

NIACC Student Senate will be holding a "Coatless in the Cold" day on December 1. From noon until eight, members of the Student Senate will be in the cold, coatless, outside HyVee West, welcoming all donations Ð including coats, mittens, hats, socks, boots, pants, gloves etc, to help the children who are going without them this winter.

Cash donations of any kind will also be welcomed; any bit students can contribute goes a long way. Hot chocolate will also be provided.

If students are unable to make it to HyVee, a member of the student senate will also be available in the Activity Center to pick up any donated items.