Cindy,
Thanks for starting a positive dialog. I hope it helps future RSOs at LCC. I really am not Coretta’s enemy, although I think she thinks of me that way right now.
--
Thanks, Tammy Parker Co-Head Coach
Creative Science Investigators
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From: Cindy Storie
Date: Wed, 30 Jan 2008
Subject: FW: Re: Region 11 concerns
Hi Coretta, Robin, and Pat,
I wanted to touch base with you directly so that you will understand my position on sending the note below in response to Tammy and Evelyn ‘s concerns for the upcoming RSO. I hear the concerns shared by the coaches in advocating for the students participating. However, I would like the opportunity to hear your perspective on this from the view of faculty and staff running the event.
First, I am very aware at how much responsibility and work faculty and staff are required to put into this annual event for the last 20+ years. Most, if not all, work is expected to be on a volunteer basis for RSO. From previous conversations with Coretta and Pat, along with other faculty and staff that have participated in the RSO event, it is my perception that they love doing it, yet LCC as an institution may not be supporting the faculty and staff at the highest level possible.
Second, this is a concern for MAHE, and it is for that reason I want to talk with Roberta Peterson and Gary Knippenberg. I believe we must share the faculty perspective and talk about the impact to workload, access to resources, etc., while addressing this ongoing opportunity to promote the sciences at LCC. They may not be aware, yet if they already are they need to hear it again, events like this are the BEST way to promote the sciences to our future students and market LCC. Without you, the faculty and staff, there would not be a RSO at LCC.
I understand that RSO 2008 is less than a month away and changes to the schedule would be near impossible, yet if we begin the dialog now we may be able to impact changes that are meaningful for faculty and staff in planning future RSO’s. This would help us best serve the RSO students, and positively promote LCC and the sciences.
I want to support you in any way I can, but need to understand what that means from your perspective. I would welcome the opportunity to chat over coffee or lunch sometime soon. Please let me know what time in the near future would work for you.
Thank you and best regards~ Cindy
Cindy Storie
LCC-MAHE President
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From: Tammy Parker
Mark,
I hate to trouble you over all of this but Coretta was specific about not being contacted again and directed things to you, the State Director of Michigan Science Olympiad. I am not sure if there is anything you can do for this year, but if so please help!
I don‚t know why LCC thinks that running six C or B events in one time slot is acceptable, even if they think they have done that for 20 years or not. I made two different suggestions, one part of the first only flipped Cs & Bs of the same type of event, yet it evened out the number of events in one time slot somewhat. I assumed they had could switch proctors (if they weren‚t already the same) since the events are similar and it wo uld highly benefit ALL teams. The other part of my first suggestion was to move Scrambler to a better floor and to move Electric Vehicle out of the gym so as not to disturb the air flow for flights. The last email below shows those suggestions and I have attached them as well.
I realize that my second suggestion was adding time and that is why I separated them, although an extra hour of a volunteer‚s time is worth it to help these students in my opinion. At least asking these Event Supervisors if they are willing to stay an extra hour or come early an extra hour would be worth the time. The worst thing is that some will say no.
I know her comment in the email below was probably meant as a scare tactic (finding a different location next year), but perhaps Region 11 in future years would be better served by a different set-up (either at LCC or at another location). LCC currently (and apparently for the last 20 years) doesn‚t seem to want to meet the needs of these SO students. What a shame. Science Olympiad could be a great advertisement for their college; right now all the students on my team are not impressed.
--
Thanks, Tammy Parker Co-Head Coach
Creative Science Investigators
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From: C Fernandes
Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2008
To: E Jackson
Subject: RE: your concerns
Evelyn
Thankyou for your input for RSO 2008. A lot of ideas may seem like great ideas from a distance. However, to repeat myself, at LCC we have limited space on 2/23 and limited resources in terms of event supervisor/volunteers who not only teach classes the day of the event but also have jobs and families to attend to. Every person at LCC who is involved in science olympiad volunteers their time, no one is paid. Most of them have a short period of time in which they can run an event and have to take off. LCC has been running RSO for over 20 years now and coaches have been extremely accomodating in understanding our situation. Our current schedule is not drastically different from the past. The students are here to compete in a friendly environment and it prepares them for a world that is not always ideal. I think "demoralizing" and "crushing" are strong words and I hope we teach our students to have fun with science whether they win or not. However, besides you and Tammy, if a lot of coaches feel the same way, I would suggest that they contact Mark at the State and perhaps he can find a new site/new person who has a lot of free time to prepare schedules etc to run the event next year. Any further issues regarding this topic can be sent to State as Robin and myself wish to continue spending the short time we have getting the Science Olympiad 2008 event up and running along with teaching our classes
C Fernandes and R Wagner
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From: E Jackson
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2008
To: C Fernandes
Subject: Re: list of schools that have registered
Hi Coretta,
Thank you so much for the list of registered schools. I appreciate
knowing that our team is registered!
I would also like to echo Tammy Parker's request for our Region to
have an event schedule that is the same as that which is published
for the state competition. It would make preparation for the regional
tournament much saner for our students if they could know well in
advance the events in which they would actually compete.
Tammy and I also attended last weekend's Clio Invitational. The
schedule used there for 36 teams was quite nice and is attached to
this email FYI.
Thanks again for setting up the Regional competition. If you need
any help or would like to discuss this further I would be happy to
meet with you and help with scheduling that would benefit all of our
teams. As stated above, a schedule aligned with the state competition
would be great!
Many thanks,
Evelyn Jackson
Haslett High School Science Olympiad Coach
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From: Tammy Parker
Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2008
To: C Fernandes
Conversation: Region 11 schedule questions and concerns
Subject: Region 11 schedule questions and concerns
Hello Coretta & Robin,
I am CCing this to all the people you sent the schedule to on purpose, as my comments affect all of us.
My greatest concern is the running of six events for B (9:40-10:40) during one time slot and six for C (12:10-1:10) during one time slot. This not only creates many, many conflicts for students, it also puts small teams at a huge disadvantage. Our C team is medium in size (as we have 11 students) and we cannot cover these events with our whole team (unless we send someone in alone ˆ not ideal). If a team is smaller, and some are, they will have an even more difficult time with this. Now our B team (a full 15 students) could handle it easier, but it is still not the best choice for any team.
I respectfully request some changes to the LCC Region 11 schedule that should not the affect „room scheduling‰ or „professor class schedule‰ issues you mentioned. Now there may be other issues, but since you did not list them I am not currently able to evaluate them in relation to my suggestions. My first suggestions even out the number of events in each time slot somewhat, but are not ideal. They are reflected in the attached document called „08 proposed revised 1.doc‰ and are as follows:
trade time slots for Disease Detectives B for C
trade time slots for Food Science B for C
trade time slots for Robots B for C
trade time slots for Write-It Do-It B for C
move Scrambler B to a different „non-grout-tiled‰ floor (this hallway was used last year and is TERRIBLE)
move Electric Vehicle C to a „non-grout-tiled‰ hallway floor (so as not to disturb air flow for flights)
Now if LCC could move other things, an even better schedule can be achieved with a few minor time adjustments on the self-scheduled events, but I don‚t know if these are feasible, as I do not know your proctor‚s scheduling restrictions. Yet, I again, respectfully suggest that LCC look at them and try to do as many as feasible for the benefit of the students. These additional suggestions allow students more of an opportunity to run their „Build-Its‰ as we call them and still compete in their „Study-Its‰. These suggestions (as well as the ones above) are reflected in the attached document called „08 proposed revised 2.doc‰ and are as follows:
add a time slot at 10:50am-11:50am for Wright Stuff (C)
add a time slot at 10:50am-11:50am for Sound Of Music (C)
add a time slot at 10:50am-11:50am for Tower Building (B)
add a time slot at 1:20pm-2:20pm for Mystery Architecture (B)
add a time slot at 1:20pm-2:20pm for Scrambler (B)
add a time slot at 1:20pm-2:20pm for Electric Vehicle (C)
I hope that these suggestions make sense and are helpful to our Region 11, so that all students enjoy this competition and can do their best. Please feel free to contact me with questions (my email is above and my phone numbers are below).
--
Thanks, Tammy Parker Co-Head Coach
Creative Science Investigators
Middle School & High School Science Olympiad Teams
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