Contest to challenge traditional chili ideas

The 8th Annual Chili Challenge on Tuesday, March 31 will allow the Marquette community an opportunity to try different types of chili. The event, held in the Jacobetti Center Commons, is a chance for culinary students, amateurs and professionals to display what they believe to be their best chili recipe. “The contestants have few requirements which leaves much to be creative with,” said Chris Kibit, Professor of Hospitality Management who advises the group sponsoring the event, the Culinary Students of NMU (CSNMU). There will be a panel of judges to critique the chili and declare a winner in three major categories: Best Overall, Most Original and Best Use of Heat. “We decided to use Best Use of Heat over Hottest chili because the hottest may not be the best,” said Kibit. There will also be a People’s Choice winner. Lorena Lagunas, President of CSNMU said. “What’s great is everyone’s tastes are different.” In the past, there were many unique types of chili. Some inventive types of chili included a Chocolate Chili, Kangaroo Chili, and a Black and Blue Chili made with Blue Cheese. “Professionals from all over the UP and surrounding areas come to the Chili Challenge to showcase their best chili recipe at this event,” Kilbit said. The Chili challenge will take place from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and costs $3 for NMU students with I.D. and $5 for the general public. Contact Lagunas at [email protected] by March 30 with any questions.

– Amber Wiley

Competitive blood drive held at Northern

A blood drive will take place for students and faculty from March 30 to April 3 at the U.P. Regional Blood Center located at 580 West College Ave. in Marquette. This first “Battle of the Brains” will mostly be aimed toward faculty participation, but students are welcome to join. Because the drive is a competition, there will be two teams: “The Left Brains” and “The Right Brains.” “The Left Brains,” are those who study or teach disciplines associated with exact sciences, such as math or biology. “The Right Brains” are those that work and study the arts and social sciences like psychology and anthropology. The donation and paperwork is expected to take about an hour. “We hope that faculty can come out and help, and if they can’t because they have traveled to certain foreign countries, we hope that they encourage their students to donate,” said Mary Stunkard, the Clinical Laboratory Science professor who is putting on this event, along with her CLS 203 class. To be a part of “Battle of the Brains,” faculty and students are encouraged to make an appointment by calling the Upper Peninsula Regional Blood Center at 906-225-7132. For more information, contact Mary Stunkard at [email protected].

– Lucia Lopez

“Girl in the picture” to speak at NMU

Phan Thi Kim Phúc, the famed “girl in the picture” will visit NMU on April 1 to speak about what she has learned from her life as a victim and symbol of war. When young Phúc was caught on camera fleeing her village after a South Vietnamese napalm attack. She quickly became a striking symbol of the human element of modern warfare. Since her experience as a young girl, Phúc has worked hard to bring a deeper understanding of the tragedies war brings to people around the world. According to Karl Mercer, the NMU student responsible for arranging Phúc’s visit to NMU, her speech will provide insights into the true nature of war, and most importantly the power people have to overcome it through understanding and forgiveness. “I wanted to bring her here so she could inspire students to question the realities of war and ask if the price is really worth the profit,” Mercer said. The speech, which will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Great Lakes Room, will provide those who attend with a chance to hear Phúc’s account of her experiences and lessons she has learned.

— Lukas Anderson