Local media outlets and the Overland Park Police Department on Wednesday night announced that student Aisha Khan, reported missing since Friday, has been found alive and unharmed. Khan’s family released a brief statement thanking volunteers, law enforcement and the media for their work in helping to search for Khan.
According to reports, Khan was not the victim of an abduction.
Check The Campus Ledger’s website for more information as the story develops.
— Staff reports
Editor’s note: In the interest of providing the most up-to-date information on missing JCCC student Aisha Khan, The Campus Ledger will continue to update our original story with brief descriptions of any developments that occur when they are announced. Each report will be filed with a date stamp.
Wednesday, Dec. 21: Local law enforcement officials announce Khan has been found and that she was not the victim of an abduction. (Ledger staffreports)
Tuesday, Dec. 20: The Kelsey Smith Foundation, Inc., has announced its support in the search for Aisha Khan.
Monday, Dec. 19: Khan’s father issues a plead for his daughter’s return. See the video here.
Monday, Dec. 19: The FBI joins the search for Khan.
Monday, Dec. 19: Khan’s case has been picked up by both regional and national news outlets.
Sunday, Dec. 18: The Khan family announces a $10,000 reward for anyone who can supply information leading to Aisha’s returns.
Original story:
Overland Park Police responded to a missing person report near the KU Edwards Campus at 12600 Quivira Road this morning, according to InfoList, the college’s internal news system.
Student Aisha Khan, 19, was last seen wearing black sweat pants, a yellow and black shirt, a black scarf, a black regular-length jacket and a black and white, long outer coat. Khan is 5’2″, 120 lbs., has dark brown hair and brown eyes and wears glasses.
Any information about the incident should be reported to the TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS.
Updates will follow.
Compiled by Rachel Kimbrough.
Sam Bradley, 83, shares his experience in a time of change in our country
All photos courtesy of Sam Bradley.
By Sam Bradley
My 13th birthday was on November 6, 1941. I was a student in the eighth grade of elementary school – there was no Junior High in those days.
December 7 was a Sunday. There was no TV in 1941, and we had listened to no radio programming that morning. I first heard about the Pearl Harbor attack when we left church, following Sunday services. The Kansas City Star had already printed an extra edition newspaper and boys outside the church were selling the papers.
A farm kid, I knew almost nothing about Pearl Harbor. I had recently seen newspaper stories about the unrest in the Pacific. I knew that some Americans were upset with the fact that we were selling steel to Japan, predicting it would come back to us in the form of exploding weapons. I was aware that Japanese diplomats were in Washington, supposedly trying to allay American’s fears.
I asked my father what news of the Pearl Harbor attack meant. He replied that it meant we were now at war.
By Tasha Cook
The lawsuit filed in October by a former student along with the Student Press Law Center (SPLC) against the college was voluntarily dismissed Dec. 1.
The SPLC, along with former student Marcus Clem, sued the college earlier this fall after the college tried to charge several thousand dollars to retrieve emails requested by members of the Campus Ledger last spring. The majority of the emails were public records due to the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA). The cost of the emails was reduced from around $47,000 to around $450 after the SPLC lessened the requested number of emails.
“Maybe [Clem’s] lawyer realized there was some need to narrow, and I think we found a good solution,” said President Terry Calaway in regards to Clem’s lawyer Christopher Grentz. “We responded to the requests.
“Once they saw that the college never had any interest or intention of doing anything other than getting the information to him that he was looking for… they realized there was no reason for a lawsuit.”
However, Clem said the college is trying to use language to make it seem as though they won.
Erick Mbembati shares reasons, motivations behind campus involvement
By Rachel Luchmun
You may have noticed Erick Mbembati’s smiling portrait in various corridors around campus, or you may have met the man in one of the numerous campus activities. Mbembati has been involved in various aspects of campus, from president of the International Club to vice president of Student Senate and student ambassador.
Mbembati comes from the African nation of Tanzania and moved to Johnson County three years ago, at the age of 21.
“My uncle lives here and he invited me to come to school here,” Mbembati said. “He picked a school for me, and [the college] is relatively cheap compared to other universities.”
Scars of post-traumatic stress disorder
By Ben Markley
During Veteran’s Week, 69 pairs of white, empty boots sat in the Carlsen Center as a vivid reminder of the damaging effects of war on soldiers.
“Every boot represented a soldier from Kansas or Missouri who came home and committed suicide,” said adjunct associate professor of psychology Susie Sympson.
According to a study done by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in 2008, four to five veterans commit suicide every day.
One contributing factor to what Sympson said was a “skyrocketing rate” of veteran suicides is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She described PTSD as a delayed reaction to a traumatic experience which can cause emotional or physical distress, or paranoia.
“They walk around with arousal [of the nervous system] level really high all the time, so by the time they realize it’s going out of control, it’s too late,” she said.
By Mackenzie Clark
The fall 2011 season proved successful for the music department, ending with a series of concerts that left most listeners wanting more.
Chamber Choir and MadRegalia, the college’s group of six madrigal singers, performed their final show of the semester Dec.1. Under conductor Geoffrey Wilcken and with Kerri Schiflett accompanying, they performed holiday music from around the world.
Wilcken, adjunct professor of music, normally serves as the choir’s accompanist, but said he loved filling in for the normal conductor, Terri Teal, who is currently on sabbatical.
“I’ve enjoyed both of the choir performances very greatly,” Wilcken said. “Those have been a great deal of fun to do. These are wonderful students, and their energy and eagerness to soak up musical power is a very feeding thing.”
By Tasha Cook
Alternative rock group Coldplay finally released their long-awaited new album, Mylo Xyloto, this fall. After changing expectations on the release date over the last year (it was originally proposed to be released as early as Christmas 2010), the long wait proved fruitful for dedicated Coldplay fans.
While Mylo Xyloto exemplifies Coldplay’s tradition of mildly changing musical styles with each new album, this fifth studio work also encapsulates much of what makes Coldplay what it is. Mystical lyrics, ethereal electronic notes and soothing acoustics take the listener back to the days of X&Y while mixing a little of Viva la Vida in as well.
The first single released from the album earlier this year, “Every Teardrop is a Waterfall,” is a cheery, inspiring song with a catchy beat reminiscent of “Strawberry Swing.” However, to find the best songs on the album, as per usual it is necessary to look beyond the released singles to those songs reserved for the album only.
Advertising Icon Museum projected to open this year
By Natalie Horsch
You might not agree that Frosted Flakes are grrrreat, but you know Tony the Tiger. Characters such as the Pillsbury Doughboy, Jolly Green Giant, Cap’n Crunch, the Aflac duck and the Geico Gecko are all fictional, yet they are some of the most famous names out there.
These are just some of the more than 2,000 legendary advertising icons that will be featured in the Advertising Icon Museum that is projected to open its doors sometime soon here in Kansas City, Mo.
Howard Boasberg, executive director of the museum, said that the museum was expected to open this year, but the date has been pushed back as staff members recruit more donors to fund the project.
Solutions to aid uninterested students
By Jessica Mitchell
As every fall semester approaches its closing stages, a window of relaxation opens for each student. Winter break brings forth everything from holidays to unwanted family members to New Year’s parties, but most importantly it brings students an overwhelming lack of motivation.
Many psychologists believe it takes a mere 21 days to form a new habit. Seeing as students are winter-breaking for an entire month, many negative and lazy habits can instill themselves in students that otherwise wouldn’t have surfaced.
“Coming back to school after break is always difficult,” said student Kristen Buendia. “I’d much rather sleep than go outside in the cold.”
Osborn retires after 20 years of service
By Jessica Mitchell
A college staff member retired after nearly two decades of directing and administration.
Bill Osborn, associate vice president of instruction, took the leap November 16 from working in the office to working on his farm.
Osborn is a deep-rooted resident of Gardner, Kansas.
“I’ve lived there all my life,” he said. “I was born and raised on a farm, went to school one year at Spring Hill Elementary, then attended Gardner from there on out through high school.”
While attending school in Gardner, Osborn took nearly all the industrial arts courses that they had to offer.
History professor stresses importance of fieldwork, leads trips overseas
By Rachel Kimbrough
First step: traditional upbringing. Second step: Christian church involvement. Third step: private school education.
Those factors in childhood may lay a path for an adult who will perpetuate that cycle, but for one professor, it pushed him to veer off in a totally different direction.
“I knew there was more than just, you know, Kansas City,” said Eddie Bushey, adjunct professor of History and Religious Studies. “I really became disillusioned with this worldview… I realized there is a much broader world, a much older world, a much different world but with some very similar undertones. There’s common denominators, but I wanted to explore that sort of thing.”
College appeals process helps students in academic trouble
By Julius Williams
As the semester closes, many students are congratulating themselves on a job well done. But what happens if things didn’t go as expected? Is it too late to turn things around? Not necessarily.
The teacher-student relationship is unique, but it is not adversarial. Instructors can be more helpful than some students may realize, said Jeff Anderson, a counselor in the Student Success Center.
“We’ll ask a student if he’s talked to the instructor,” Anderson said. “Many times the answer is no.”
Faculty, staff have long to-do lists over holiday break
By Julius Williams
As December approaches, mostly everyone on campus is preparing for the last big push to finish the semester strong and then get some much deserved downtime.
Mostly everyone, but not all. For some members of our community, the last day of classes is just the beginning.
Rick Monk, director of Campus Services and Energy Management, is confident that his staff is prepared to get the ball rolling.
“Our guys understand. It’s time to get in there,” Monk said.
Student ambassadors have more responsibilities, tasks
By Rachel Luchmun
The job of student ambassadors is expanding to better serve the college community. Involvement both in the classroom and through events provides a connecting point for students.
Mindy Kinnaman, manager of Student Life and Leadership Development, said the student ambassadors’ duties originally included overseeing the student lounge and campus center and providing outreach services to other areas.
“This has changed since then,” Kinnaman said. “They have new responsibilities and tasks. The ambassadors now work with different campus departments…They are on campus helping students before the semester starts.”
KU asks JCCC to offer two new classes
By Gabrielle Fitzgerald
As the Kansas Board of Regents works toward creating a better transfer system in the state, the University of Kansas (KU) is already mutually collaborating with the college’s psychology department.
“KU had changed two courses, and they would like for us to teach them here,” said Roberta Eveslage, professor emeritus. “Also, they were two courses that were required for all psychology majors.”
These two courses are Statistics in Psychological Research (PSYC 209) and Research Methods in Psychology (PSYC 210). These courses were taught at a 300 level at KU, but were dropped to a 200 level.
“These are courses that [KU] would like to see students who take more advanced psychology courses to have information about,” Eveslage said.
“[KU] wanted their students in the psychology program to have a really good foundation in research methods and in statistics before they started taking some of their advanced classes,” said Michael Rader, psychology professor.
Studio 804 project to be ready for use by May
By Ben Markley
The Board of Trustees approved the construction of a new campus building at its Nov. 17 meeting.
Jay Antle, executive director of Sustainability, and the Student Sustainability Committee presented a proposal to construct a building through Studio 804, a graduate architecture program at the University of Kansas that constructs buildings focused on sustainability.
Graduate students from Studio 804 presented their building plan for the project, currently called Galileo’s Pavilion. The students said the building will be a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum building, including solar panels, solar insulation, recycled building material, and possibly a wind turbine and reflecting pool.
The project is estimated to cost no more than $700,000, with $150,000 paid by the Student Sustainability Committee and $550,000 paid out of college funds for energy capital. Antle said the building, due to low energy costs and more classroom space, will pay for itself in three and a half years.
Gala makes record $650,000 for scholarships
By Ben Markley
“Some Enchanted Evening” celebrated its 25th anniversary, the most profitable year in the event’s history, Nov. 12 at the Overland Park Marriott Hotel.
The event is a black-tie gala involving a short program, a five course meal and dancing, all to support student scholarships at the college.
College president Terry Calaway and his wife Marlene co-chaired the event.
“The event was probably the social event of the year in the area,” Calaway said. “Just under 700 people attended from across the local business and social environment.”
Missing rental laptop
Campus police were dispatched to the 2nd floor of LIB after a student reported a laptop theft at 1:45 Nov. 16. She said she rented a Dell laptop from the LIB and left it on a table for a restroom break. When she returned, the computer was gone. It has not been found.
Incompetent thief
The college’s Access Control reported an attempted burglary on the 2nd floor of the OCB at 1:45 p.m. Nov. 18. Staff said it appeared that someone had tried to break into an electrical closet, damaging the lock and door frame. On further examination, police concluded that a flat tool had been inserted into the locking mechanism of the door in an attempt to break in. After checking the closet, nothing of value was reported missing or damaged.
Model UN Team receives awards
The college’s Model United Nations team traveled to the 2011 Model United Nations Conference Nov. 19-22 in Chicago, Ill. to represent its assigned country of Cuba. The team received two Outstanding Delegation Awards, one for best representing Cuba’s overall policies and the other for best representing Cuba’s economic and financial policies.
Burning River Brass concert
The 12-member Burning River Brass ensemble will perform in Yardley Hall at 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 16. The repertoire will include classic Christmas songs, as well as original compositions, with styles ranging from traditional to jazz. There will also be a pre-concert talk at 7 p.m. in CC 211, featuring Paul Laird, professor of musicology at the University of Kansas. Tickets are $30, $40.
Electric vehicle charging centers on campus
Charging stations for electric vehicles have been installed and are ready for use in the Carlsen Center west underground parking area. Two parking spots are available for each charge station, and each station can charge two vehicles simultaneously. Anyone interested in using a charging station will need a ChargePoint card or credit card with an RFID chip.
College sets new standards for safety on main campus
By Julius Williams
Security Risk Management Corporation, Inc., was contracted to do the first ever safety and security audit for the college. The Ohio-based firm will view a wide scope of the college’s emergency response capabilities.
“We wanted to get a current picture of the college from an outside perspective,” said Alisa Pacer, emergency preparedness manager.
Pacer believes it is a necessary first step in an ongoing process to measure what areas of safety and security are working and what areas need improvement. She said the college’s ability to measure its progress is key to sustaining its commitment to providing a safe and secure campus.
Pacer is fairly new to the college but not to security. Her position at the college was created nearly three years ago. Before joining the college, she was an emergency management consultant for over 13 years, and she presently sits as the president of the board of directors for a local agency called The Partnership for Emergency Planning (http://www.pepkc.org).
“We are setting a baseline,” Pacer said. “We are setting standards and creating objectives to measure progress.”
By Dillan Straight
The revolving door that is the head coach of the University of Kansas football team keeps swinging. Head coach Turner Gill was relieved from his duties in November after a 2-10 season for the Jayhawks. After a brutal 24-10 loss in their final game against Missouri, a do-or-die win that might have caused KU fans to support Gill even if he lost every other game this season, there were high speculations around Lawrence that Gill was on his last hurrah.
The saddest part is how the entire organization still believes there is a competing chance for KU in the Big 12. As anyone who grew up watching KU and talking about how “prestigious” and “loaded” the ‘Hawks are well knows, not once was the term “football” thrown into that statement. Since 2007 and Mangino’s miraculous push to win the Orange Bowl on an arguably increda-weak cupcake schedule, the Hawks have been little more than basement dwellers of the Big 12.
By Tasha Cook
The Lady Cavs volleyball team ended a successful season in late November with a 10th place finish in the NJCAA D-II National Tournament in Toledo, Ohio.
The team finished with a winning season of 26-13. It finished 2-2 in the final tournament, winning two matches against Hagerstown Community College (Maryland) and Illinois Central and losing against rival Kishwaukee College and Parkland College (both in Illinois).
The Lady Cavs consisted of seven freshmen and four sophomores this year, so the efforts of this season should help lead to success next season.
“We were a young team with talent but needed experience,” said head coach Jennifer Ei. “I believe we gained experience throughout the season and it will help the freshmen next year with more discipline and leadership.
“We need to get more consistent and eliminate unforced errors during the matches but this usually happens with a young team.”
By Dillan Straight
Reaching the midway can make or break a season for any team. Heavily weighted matchups against conference rivals combined with increased pressure makes the midway point, and beyond, an intense time of the year.
For the college’s Debate team, the story is no different.
New team coach Justin Stanley had a large void to fill this year in casting together a new squad of incoming freshman, as only two sophomores returned. While this task is far from simple at the junior college level, the Debate team keeps finding ways to win.
“Winning the novice division at Missouri State was an accomplishment,” Stanley said, “being as most of [the squad] was brand new to debate in general. They didn’t debate in high school so it was their first debate tournament ever.”
It’s important to set the record straight about the lawsuit regarding open records requests brought against Johnson County Community College by the Student Press Law Center and a former student. There has been a great deal of misinformation, whether through inaccurate statements or misunderstanding of computer backup systems.
To begin with, the suit against the college was not “settled.” Rather, it was voluntarily dismissed by the SPLC. The college and the SPLC reached an agreement whereby the college would provide emails that were easily accessible and pulled from a shorter time range than asked for in the original request. Archived emails were not accessed, and college counsel reviewed and redacted emails to remove protected information as permitted by Kansas statute. The total amount paid to the college for this was $450.
The initial request was far larger in both size and scope, involving several months of emails from current and former employees. The college had a duty to protect its employees from indiscriminate requests for their emails, which would have entailed advice from legal counsel as well as staff time to retrieve archived messages. Much of the misinformation involved the technical work that would have been necessary to restore email messages from backup tapes in order to satisfy the original request. Email retention depends on a number of sources. You can look at the desktop, but if the message is not save there, it would have required significant time and expense from the Information Services branch, and potentially outside vendors, to restore the email messages from backup tapes. This is not a quick and easy process, which is why the original estimate was more than $24,000.
Ledger staff wants parking, security, academic changes for Christmas
With Christmas coming soon, little kids everywhere are putting together wish lists for the big man in red. At the Ledger, the staff thought it would put together a wish list of its own.
Here are a few things the staff would like to get from the college for Christmas.
More parking. A commuter misses the bus for his noon class, so he hops in his car and arrives at the college around 11:50. He’d like to think he’ll reach class on time.
Odds are he’ll spend the next fifteen minutes either making the rounds in one of the Carlsen lots, or trekking across time zones from the Sports lot to the main buildings in the cheery winter weather.
We know enrollment has gone up over recent years. More students means more cars. Why not accommodate that?
College yet again demonstrates mixed priorities, indulgence with approval of new building
By Rachel Kimbrough
At the Nov. 17 Board of Trustees meeting, the college again demonstrated its inability to withhold from epicurean feathers-in-cap with the approval of Galileo’s Pavilion.
The structure will feature a whopping two classrooms and one student lounge area, as well as a bunch of legitimately cool stuff like solar panels, solar insulation and maybe a wind turbine and so on. It’ll cost $700,000 altogether and is expected to pay for itself within three and a half years. Construction efforts have already begun.
The timing of the approval of this building, however, is so poor it’s almost insulting. It’s like a slap in the face to the eleven people who became the college’s first-ever laid off employees last semester.
Whatcha gon’ do with all that junk?
Mackenzie Clark, features editor: Hide it where the munchkins won’t find it & destroy it.
Morgan Daigneault, assistant designer: Put it in my trunk.
Lauren Minick, production designer: Sell it on Amazon.
Hannah Hunsinger, photo editor: Throw it over the fence into my crazy neighbor’s yard.
Ben Markley, news editor: Recycle.
Dillan Straight, sports editor: Make my way into a Nelly video. Is that answer too dated?
Tasha Cook, managing editor: Hide it, then bring it out when no one’s looking. Huzzah!
With the winter season beginning, it brings forth a magnitude of great seasonal beers in the process. Ranging from malty, light beers with tons of spice to chocolate chili bocks with more kick than Manny Pacquiao – there’s one for everyone.
As it goes without saying, neither The Campus Ledger nor the college condones underage drinking. This one’s for the seasoned veteran drinkers. Drink Responsibly.
By Dillan Straight
FreeState – Winterfest IPA (Seasonal)
Pours with a dark amber/copper brown color with a white foamy head and has a sticky lacing that adds with the bitter hops aroma. Has a piney and floral texture with some sharped spice on the back but a lot smoother and sweet in the middle than other FreeState beers. While FreeState is following this year’s trend in using Galaxy hops, the taste isn’t too overpowering. It doesn’t linger on the back palate as much as others IPAs and proves to be a nice citrus touch, not your typical winter beer, yet alone one from FreeState.
Score: 4/5
November 30, 2011
From the desk of:
Marcus Clem
913-897-1270
marcusclem@gmail.com
18050 Canterbury Drive
Stilwell, Kansas 66085
Letter to the Editor of The Campus Ledger
Dear editor,
As your readers will be aware by the coverage The Ledger has suitably focused upon the concerned events, Johnson County Community College has decided to reach a settlement with me in my lawsuit against them that I have pursued regarding information that was sought concerning the “resignation” of Jason Rozelle. This effort was made in conjunction with the assistance of the law firm Bryan Cave LLP and the Student Press Law Center. I would like to relay my boundless gratitude toward my partners in these organizations, specifically Christopher Grenz, Mike Hiestand, and Frank LoMonte. Without their advice and support, none of this would have been possible.
I must admit, the decision on the part of the college to settle out of court with me is a personally gratifying event. Nearly a year of effort has produced what can only be defined as total success. Not only was the college forced to completely reverse their position on the cost obtaining the emails that we have sought, but they have also decided to change their policy in order to simplify the process of future open records cases. These reforms were pursued as part of our suit, and I would like to thank the college’s administration for the wisdom they have shown in agreeing to these changes.
Despite what I can only describe as elation over this matter, however, frustration and anger over how this process has unfolded remains. None of it was necessary. If the college had handled the matter properly, we would have received the requested emails as part of the open records process. I cannot be more clear on that matter; it took some months of effort and patience that the average citizen cannot afford, and ultimately the threat of punitive legal action, to get the college to comply with state law.
Even once a suit had been filed, a month and a half of going back and forth in negotiations played out without need or justification. During that process, the college’s leadership, rather than addressing the matter at hand, chose to attack my personal credibility and that of other involved individuals. Specifically, it would be prudent for Dr. Terry Calaway, college president, to apologize for what can only be described as childish misconduct and dishonesty, in suggesting that I only pursued this matter for personal reasons, and that the suit was in keeping with a record of problems that I’ve supposedly caused over the past several years. This man speaks for the college, as he too often forgets.
The main concern at hand, however, has been resolved, and I will go on to greater things with my head held high. I wish the best to The Ledger and all of my good friends who work there, with the hope that the changes my efforts have produced will ensure that the newspaper continues to operate as the informer and advocate for JCCC’s students and constituents.
Good luck.
Marcus Clem
Former JCCC Student Journalist
Studio 804 building to be constructed by May
By Ben Markley
The Board of Trustees approved the construction of a new campus building at its Nov. 17 meeting.
Jay Antle, executive director of Sustainability, and the Student Sustainability Committee presented a proposal to construct a building through Studio 804, a graduate architecture program at the University of Kansas that constructs buildings focused on sustainability.
Graduate students from Studio 804 presented their building plan for the project, currently called Galileo’s Pavilion. The students said the building will be a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum building, including solar panels, solar insulation, recycled building material, and possibly a wind turbine and reflecting pool.
The project is estimated to cost no more than $700,000, with $150,000 paid by the Student Sustainability Committee and $550,000 paid out of college funds for energy capital. Antle said the building, due to low energy costs and more classroom space, will pay for itself in three and a half years.
Antle said the free labor of Studio 804 graduate students makes the building affordable.
“We get a $500 per square foot market value building for less than half that cost,” he said.
Dan Rockhill, executive director of Studio 804, said the building will have a touch screen that anyone can use to monitor the energy activity of the building.
“The idea is to reach over and flip a light switch and see the meter bounce,” Rockhill said. “That way you really gain a first-hand appreciation for energy consumption.”
Rockhill said Studio 804 will check back on Galileo’s Pavilion after construction to ensure the quality and durability of the building.
“We stand behind the buildings because it’s important to us and our reputation,” Rockhill said. “I wouldn’t dare chance our reputation.”
Studio 804 graduate students said the building is primarily inspired by the Dale Eldred’s Galileo sculpture. Bruce Hartman, executive director of the Nerman Museum, said he was working closely with Studio 804 to supervise treatment of sculpture
“We’re anxious to make sure the integrity of the sculpture is maintained,” he said. “I do think this is the kind of project Dale Eldred would embrace whole-heartedly.”
Jordan Henderson, student secretary of the Student Sustainability Committee, said the building will be a source of pride for students.
“To say as a student that I go to a community college and have a LEED Platinum building on my campus, and I can use that building as a general education classroom—I don’t know any other student who can say that,” Henderson said.
Trustee Jerry Cook said Galileo’s Pavilion would fit in with the Nerman Museum and Regnier Center as buildings that set the college apart.
“This college has a reputation, I believe, of listening to the students and the community, and is very interested in uniqueness,” Cook said.
The motion passed unanimously. The building will be finished by May and open to students next fall semester.
Contact Ben Markley, news editor, at bmarkle2@stumail.jccc.edu.
College to update its public information request policy
By Julius Williams
The college has recently begun the process of updating its Kansas Open Records Act (KORA) policy. The act specifies the process by which information can be requested from a public institution.
The primary purpose of the Act is to allow the public access to public records, according to information from Kansas State Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s office. It applies to all of Kansas’ public agencies or organizations that act on the behalf of public agencies. Although similar in content to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), KORA applies only to public organizations within the state of Kansas.
Joe Sopcich, executive vice president of Administrative Services, said his office handles all public information requests and is charged with the responsibility of bringing the college’s policy up to date.
“This is something that we do periodically,” said Sopcich. “We looked at some of the other public institutions and realized that our policy was out-of-date.”
Although the process of requesting records is fairly straightforward, fulfilling that request can be a daunting task.
The request for public information is a one-page form. Once the administrative office receives that request, it has three business days to contact the person who made the request and acknowledge that the request has been received. Kansas law does not specify a deadline to fulfill the request, but Sopcich said that his office works diligently to fulfill the requests in a timely manner.
However, “timely” could have a broad definition depending on the type of information requested. Although many of the college’s records can be easily accessed by computer, some of that information contains federally protected private information such as personnel files or medical records.
The work of pulling the electronic data falls to Administrative Computer Services. The process of pulling data from those systems can be time consuming, said Sandra Warner, director of Administrative Computer Services.
“Accuracy is really critical,” said Warner. “We are asked to go back in time and restore data. That means rebuilding the system to get to that date.”
Warner said that the department has general processes by which they can pull data from the system. But each information request is dependent on the nature of the data and/or the time period in question. That makes fulfilling each request unique every time.
“The systems are all very dynamic,” said Warner. “There are millions of messages that go through the [email] server. It creates a challenge.”
Once her department has pulled all of the data, the information is forwarded to the college’s in-house counsel to edit for privacy.
The name for the process by which those records are sanitized for privacy is called redaction. Redacted files have the familiar black, text-concealing lines that fans of espionage movies have seen before.
In order to gather information while protecting private information, the college may have to enlist several departments: legal, human resources and information technology as well as third party consultants. Those costs can add up, so the college decided that an update to the policy was in order. According to Sopcich, the changes are not substantive and constitute general “housekeeping.”
“The last time we did this was 10 years ago, so it was time,” Sopcich said.
The college has never denied a request for information although federal and state laws do allow several exemptions and exclusions for certain types of information.
Changes to the policy will also be reviewed by the college’s general counsel, Tanya Wilson. Wilson declined comment, citing attorney-client privilege.
Once the policy has been updated it will go to the Board of Trustees for review. Don Weiss, chairman of the board of trustees, said that although it was not formally on the agenda, board members would be addressing the issue as soon as the recommendations were finalized.
Contact Julius Williams, staff reporter, at jwilli78@stumail.jccc.edu.
Part-time professors cope with lower pay, fewer benefits
By Mackenzie Clark
Adjunct professors at the college, as well as at colleges and universities nationwide, face many issues and must decide whether teaching is worth it to them.
The title “adjunct” means a part-time professor who typically teaches no more than 10 credit hours per semester, whereas full time professors teach anywhere between 12 and 15. However, adjunct salaries do not necessarily reflect this change in credit hours. One of the biggest issues at the college is that these discrepancies are not spelled out in the contract adjuncts sign, and finding information about the contracts can be difficult.
“Human resources, you would think, is the natural, obvious place to go, but it just depends on the day and the person on how much information you get sometimes,” said Irene Schmidt, adjunct professor of Spanish. “There’s a lot of people with a lot of ill-conceived ideas, incorrect information and there is no centralized place where you can find out all this stuff.”
Led Zeppelin tribute band to perform at Carlsen Center
By Julius Williams
As the story goes, one evening Jimmy Page was drinking with some friends in a pub and came up with the idea to form a band. One of his mates jokingly said, “Yeah, that will go over like a lead balloon.”
From that innocuous comment, Led Zeppelin was born. Band members decided to drop the ‘a’ from ‘lead’ to keep Americans from mispronouncing the name.
For 20 years, Led Zeppelin performed for audiences, winning worldwide acclaim for their innovative arrangements and diverse stylings. The band is one of the leading metal/blues/rock British bands of all time.
The band dissolved in 1980, much to the dismay of their fans, but the spirit and the music of Led Zeppelin lives on in a tribute band aptly named Get The Led Out (GTLO) otherwise known as “The American Led Zeppelin.”
By Rachel Kimbrough
The campus-wide tobacco ban has been in effect for three months now. The effort has proven futile and counterproductive thus far.
For one thing, the ban did not improve the cigarette-butt litter issue—the litter issue just moved, mainly to parking areas and poorly-lit outdoor stairwells. The logic behind that solution never made sense anyway. If the college wanted to improve general litter, for example, the solution would not be to remove all the trash cans. Likewise, expecting the removal of tobacco waste bins to solve the tobacco waste issue is nothing short of backwards reasoning.
For another thing, this is yet another area in which the need for more campus security officials is apparent. There is simply no way for this ban to be effectively enforced, not by any fault of the existing campus security staff members, but simply due to the ratio of campus police to students, faculty and staff on campus. There’s no way for such a comparatively small security staff to keep up with the tens of thousands of people on campus.
Ledger staff share memories they’re not thankful for
Holiday events only end up being picture-perfect family gatherings on TV and in the movies. Here are a few of our favorite memories of botched Thanksgiving Days.
Tasha Cook, managing editor: One Thanksgiving when I was about 7 years old, for some reason I got the idea that turkeys should not be slain for dinner. I used an old cereal box, turned it into a turkey with a slit in it, and made little slips for family and friends to fill out and put inside the turkey box. The slips were to demonstrate how much we were all against the killing of turkeys. My family filled out the little slips and submitted them, but I am thoroughly convinced in hindsight that they must have been laughing at me behind my back. I think I continued the “turkey drive” for two or three years before finally realizing it was a moot point, and that turkey tasted rather good anyway.
Ben Markley, news editor: You have to understand, I loved stuffing. LOVED it. The taste, the smell, the texture, even the name. If you put a platter of it in front of me now, I’d still pile on way more than is good for me or my BMI, but it was digestively disturbing how much I loved it as a kid. I looked forward to Thanksgiving exclusively because it was the one dinner out of the year where I was guaranteed a plate full of the stuff.
The Cavaliers men’s and women’s cross country completed their season this past weekend, posting a 5th place finish in the men’s and a 12th place win for the women’s in Nationals, marking the sixth top-five finish for coach Mike Bloemker in his career at the program.
Sophomore Ryan Keene was the frontrunner for the Cavs, with a 19th-place overall on a 27:27.72 finish along with earning a NJCAA Coaches All-American. Brooks Ballou finished 35th overall, missing the Coaches All-American spot by one, with a time of 27:56.08. Other key finishes include Addis Kenea with a 54th finish (28:12.72); freshman Kidus Bekele in 62nd (28:17.49); sophomore Javier Segura in 65th (28:24.14); sophomore Robert Segura in 105th in 105th (29:02.51); and freshman Zach Palmer in 152nd (29:50.55).
Kirstie Sanders was the leader for the Lady Cavs, crossing for a 63rd place finish on a time of 21:12.69. Closely followed by sophomore Kayla Peterson with a 75th place fnish on a time of 21:25.94. Closing out the rest of the Lady Cav’s team included Danielle Houltberg in 89th (21:35.25); sophomore Michelle Smith in 100th (21:42.90); freshman Jessica Thomas in 149th (22:34.05); freshman Liliana Sullivan at 198th (23:43.91) and rounding out the pack with freshman Angela Mancuso in 236th (24:57.63).
Compiled by Dillan Straight.
We commend Rachel Kimbrough for asking a “big dude” to walk her to her car at the end of a late production night, as she mentioned in her column in the previous issue of the Campus Ledger. She’s wise to take precautions.
However, we hope that she – and all other JCCC students – realize that JCCC Police are happy to provide such services to students, faculty and staff who find themselves on campus late at night. We encourage people not to linger past the 11 p.m. closing hour, but when that’s not possible, we’re here to help.
To the Editor:
The officers of Healthcare Cost Revolution, (HCCR), would like to thank Campus Ledger and Rachel Luchmun for the story about our company. It was a noteworthy article about a local business intending to help those without healthcare insurance afford healthcare. We hope more students take advantage of our free membership offer.
It should be noted that our program is designed so that those JCCC students who are in the unfortunate situation of not having health insurance can afford high quality and necessary healthcare. The physicians in our network are the very same healthcare professionals one would see if he or she had the best insurance available—only the cost amounts to 30 to 60% of what’s normally charged.
Being that we are in the cold and flu season, it should be noted that seeing a doctor and getting a prescription should run between $44 to $78, with the difference being the severity of the illness or the care necessary to alleviate it. There are no premiums or other charges associated with these prices.
By Alex McWhirt
Not every student can attend college without some sort of help. For students who have disabilities preventing them from getting the most out of college, the Access Services Department aims to assist these students in the classroom.
“Largely, we provide and coordinate accommodations for…students with disabilities,” said Rick Moehring, dean of Learner Engagement.
The college provides benefits through the Access Services department as required by the Americans With Disabilities Act. The act requires that public institutions, especially colleges, must provide assistance to students with disabilities,” Moehring said.
By Dillan Straight
This past week has brought forth a very interesting ripple in sports. From Northland coach (and assistant JCCC coach) Derek Howard going “Magino” on his players to the vastly publicized information on almost two decades of scandal brewing in Penn State to push an assistant coach out of his position, it has been a mind bender.
Announced this past weekend, Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky was convicted on 40 counts of different criminal charges; a handful of those dealt out towards serial criminal abuse to minors counts. While some may not know the story behind it all, despite everyone from ESPN to PBS talking about the event, it’s been a dirty little secret around those in Penn St. for what seems a long couple decades.
By Ben Markley
From turkey to cranberry sauce, Thanksgiving dinner is an essential part of holiday tradition, but many students on campus are unable to afford these luxuries.
Stu Shafer, chair of the Sociology department, teaches the “Sociology of Food” course, which examines the sociological relationship between people and food. He said that the holidays tend to shift focus onto helping those who struggle with hunger.
“It’s nice to have thoughts about food insecurity or hunger in the holiday season, but remember that people have to eat every day,” Shafer said.
He said some poor students have to rely on fast food and junk food to stay full.
“You may be eating food, but they’re not the right things that your body needs in the right amounts,” Shafer said. “In my perspective, the question of food insecurity is best addressed by dealing with access to good, healthy food.”
By Julius Williams
Many of the courses offered at the college require community service projects as part of their curriculum. Students who take advantage of these opportunities find out quickly that the rewards of service are significant for both the community and for themselves.
“It engages them inside the classroom and out,” said Holly Milkowart, English professor.
Her English Speaking and Pronunciation class focuses on English grammar and speaking for non-native speakers. As part of the curriculum, Milkowart requires her students to participate in a community service project. This year, the class is doing a Thanksgiving drive for a local organization called the Village Church Food Pantry and Clothes Closet.
“Students are more productive in the classroom because they are learning English outside the classroom,” Milkowart said.
Outside the classroom, service projects also have the added benefit of preparing students for future careers.
Matt Frantz, student, had been considering a business major with an emphasis in entrepreneurship before entering his Introduction to Marketing class this semester. When the class decided to run a marketing campaign to raise funds for the victims of the Joplin, Mo. tornado disaster, Frantz realized he would be able to practice what he was learning and help the community at the same time.
What:
Turtle Island Quartet presents Solstice Celebration: A Festival of Lights
When and Where:
8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, in the Polsky Theatre with a pre-concert talk at 7 p.m. by William Everett
Why You Need to Be There:
Get into the holiday spirit with music from around the world. The group will perform songs of Hanukkah, India’s Diwali festival, old English carols and more. Cost: $35.
What:
Chamber Choir and MadRegalia, Concert Band, and Jazz Night
When and Where:
All at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 1, 6, and 7, respectively, in the Polsky Theatre
Why You Need to Be There:
Come hear the voices and music of the college as they display their talents. Cost: free.
What:
Spa Day
When and Where:
10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7 in the Student Lounge (COM 322)
Why You Need to Be There:
Don’t let the stress of finals get to you. Come wind down and relax with manicures, pedicures, massages, hair cuts and styling. Cost: free.
Compiled by Mackenzie Clark.
By Hannah Boulton
“Anatomy of Gray,” a play presented by the college’s Music and Theatre department, opened last weekend in Polsky Theatre.
Beate Pettigrew, “Anatomy of Gray” director and artistic coordinator for the Theatre department, said she chose the play because it is family-friendly.
Pettigrew describes the play as a coming-of-age story. “Anatomy of Gray” tells the story of June Muldoon, a 15-year-old girl growing up the small town of Gray, Indiana in the 1880s. After her father’s death, June prays for a healer. When Galen Gray blows into town in a hot air balloon, June thinks her prayer is answered. Soon June’s happiness turns to sorrow as her town’s residents are struck by a mysterious plague.
“It’s a play about loss and love and grief and mourning and recovery,” said Pettigrew. “It’s about all of those things, and [June] understands herself through this story.”
Hospitality and Culinary Academy to have their own building by Fall 2014
By Rachel Luchmun
A new building housing the Hospitality and Culinary Academy will be ready by Fall 2014. The building will be on campus and feature more space for the expanding enrollment rates.
The plan for the new building came about after a donation of $750,000 from Senator David Wysong. He challenged the academy to raise funds for the new building.
Lindy Robinson, dean of Business, said they had raised approximately $3 million in 14 months.
“We approached private donors, we gave presentations,” Robinson said. “We had strong financial support from almost everybody. We approached alumni, employers, different sources within the community.”
By Ben Markley
The Student Sustainability Committee is pushing a project to construct a new building unlike any other on campus.
Jay Antle, executive director of Sustainability, said that Galileo’s Pavilion, the tentative name of the building proposal, would be a product of Studio 804. Studio 804 is a graduate-level architecture problem at the University of Kansas. The capstone project for the Master’s program is to construct a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum building.
President Terry Calaway said the new building would not only provide more classrooms but be a student gathering place.
“When students look for a place to kind of gather together and meet with colleagues or fellow students, there aren’t a lot of those kinds of places to engage,” Calaway said. “[Galileo’s Pavilion] would be kind of the center of the campus and a place where students would get better connected to each other.”
By Gabrielle Fitzgerald
For some people, driving to the college campus is a long commute.
The college has a program called College Close to Home with a “selection of credit and continuing education courses offered at various locations in the Kansas City and Lawrence areas,” according to the college’s website. In order for this program to grow, the college is looking for a new building to house classes.
“First of all, we’re really strapped for space, instructional space, on the campus itself … another reason is for the sake of convenience,” said Dana Grove, executive vice president and education and development planning coordinator. “Some people just don’t want to drive more than 15, 20 minutes.”
The college currently has a few locations around the city, including King’s Cove and West Park, all of which Grove hopes will be relocated to this new building.
By Ben Markley
The president of the college announced at the October Board of Trustees meeting that the college’s housekeeping services would not be outsourced.
Custodial supervisor Ricky Dial said the idea of outsourcing was announced to the custodial staff back in February.
“‘Why?’ was the first reaction,” Dial said.
Trustee Bob Drummond said the college considered the idea as a way to cut costs for housekeeping services.
“Given the economic times that we all find ourselves in, it’s very important for every entity to take a look at its expenses and revenues and make them come together as best they can,” Drummond said.
Laptop Theft
A staff member contacted campus police at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1 to report the theft of a Dell E 6400 laptop from the Billington Library AV department. The investigation is ongoing.
iPad Theft
A student called campus police at 2:20 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2 to report a stolen iPad. The student said she was sure the iPad was in her backpack when she left her class in CC316. When she stopped in a restroom, the iPad was missing from her backpack.
Stolen Sandwich
Campus police were dispatched to the Food Court at 9:09 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 3 when a staff member reported witnessing a student shoplifting a sandwich. The student resisted arrest by flinging himself to the floor. Police noticed a plastic bag containing a green, leafy substance fall from the student’s pocket as he fell to the floor. The student was transported to the Johnson County Adult Detention Center and booked for theft and resisting arrest.
Compiled by Hannah Boulton.
Culinary students win medals
The college’s culinary team won a silver medal during the Friday, Nov. 11-Saturday, Nov. 12 John Joyce Culinary Challenge.
Felix Sturmer, associate professor of hospitality management, coaches a culinary team made up of students Thuan Bui, Ian Denney, Mayla Kritski, Sophie Buell and Delci Reimer.
Lawrence artist commissioned to create “earthwork” at college
Stan Herd, a Lawrence, Kan. artist known for creating large works of art using crops, rocks and earth, hopes to begin laying stonework this fall at the college. Herd has been commissioned to create a piece of “earthwork” on the campus.
The work, entitled “Kansa Man” will be a 90-foot circular rock carving located between the outdoor horticulture gardens and the sports parking lots.
Funding for the work comes from the Kansas Studies Institute, the Student Sustainability Committee, the Nerman Museum, the president’s office, and the Horticultural Sciences and Art History departments.
Updates to limit availability of some college computer applications
Updates to the college’s Oracle 11g database scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 22-12 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22 will make some applications unavailable to students, faculty and staff. MyJCCC, INB Banner, EASI, My Finances, Imaging, Astra Schedule and JCCC Apps will not be accessible during the updates. The college website, Angel, and student and employee email will remain unaffected.
Compiled by Hannah Boulton.
Winnetonka High School basketball coach and JCCC men’s basketball assistant coach Derek Howard was placed on paid administrative leave this week following an allegation for racial harassment. Currently under investigation with the North Kansas City Schools, Howard was accused following an interaction he had with members of his Winnetonka basketball team.
Senior Marcus Williams Jr. is in the process of filing a Racial Harassment Complaint with the school district on the subject, saying Howard confronted him multiple times over the past two years dealing with racial slandering.
Williams Jr. was able to capture Howard on camera recently, catching the coach saying with emphasis, “Future welfare recipient.” Williams then questions Howard saying, “Who?” Howard responds with, “Students who don’t get good grades.”
North Kansas City Schools Assistant Superintendent Dan Clemens is looking into the case, telling students and family that the issue will be handled according to board policy.
A full article will follow in Issue 8 of the Ledger.
Compiled by Dillan Straight.
By Mackenzie Clark
Every time Jeff Mills looks at his arms, he is reminded of his struggle with heroin abuse.
Mills started experimenting with marijuana in his seventh grade year and began using it frequently in eighth grade. During his freshman year he tried hallucinogens for the first time.
“I started first with shrooms because I thought hey, they’re natural, and so is weed, and I wanted to try something new,” Mills said.
Later that year, he “dropped acid” for the first time. His sophomore year was when he began experimenting with heavier drugs.
“I wanted to see what drugs were really like, so I started trying ecstasy and cocaine, and prescription pills like Xanax and [hydrocodone], just really did whatever I wanted,” he said. “I really started getting into the drug world between selling, mostly to support my habits.”
During his junior year of high school, cocaine became an everyday thing, and he’d spend the majority of his weekends high on ecstasy, partying and drinking.
“That’s about all I remember,” he said.
That year, Mills was arrested for the first time for possession of marijuana and paraphernalia and placed on diversion.
“Kids experiment with marijuana,” said John Mills, Jeff’s father. “…I wasn’t really all that alarmed by it. We made it clear that it was unacceptable…but I wasn’t all that worried about just that.”
By Gabrielle Fitzgerald
Now is that hectic time at the college of figuring out spring class schedules and university transfer information. Many students find the transfer process rather confusing; with a whole wall of transfer guide lists displayed behind the enrollment desks in the Student Center.
“For many years, the two-year college students have not had as much success transferring credits to the universities as they should,” said Terry Calaway, college president. “As a matter of fact, there was a study done…about three or four years ago…and they identified Kansas as having the worst articulation system in the country.”
Calaway said there are various reasons for this problem, including possible discrepancies in textbooks or university professors changing their textbooks and number of credit hours during a semester. However, he said some schools simply cannot afford to let junior colleges copy their classes.
“We’ve had faculty at the University of Kansas who … had taught in the information and technology area and said to us that their basic introductory course is where they generate all their lab fees, and if we would mirror a course to the course that they have, they would just change theirs because they can’t lose the revenue,” Calaway said.
However, Calaway said the Kansas Board of Regents is going to do something about this transfer and articulation problem. That is why the Board has created a subcommittee called the Transfer and Articulation Advisory Council which has two sets of goals.
“The long-term goal is to establish a form or a platform to address difficult issues involving transfer and articulation issues,” said Fred Logan, Board of Regents representative and Council member. “The shorter-term goal is to identify a minimum of 45 hours of general education core courses that would be automatically transferable.”
By Mackenzie Clark
When Taci Garner, student, married her husband Dan, she inherited three children from his first marriage. Eight years ago, they decided their family was still incomplete and chose to adopt three more children – all of whom have special needs.
One by one, Arrissia, 12, Samuel, 11, and Cody, 10, left foster care and became members of the Garner family.
“[The kids] have taken me directions I never thought I’d go,” Dan said. “There are so many things you don’t know and you don’t see, and you get blindsided by that. It’s a rollercoaster.”
Arrissia was born addicted to crank and with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). She experienced severe abuse as an infant.
“She was raped at 18 months old and beaten beyond recognition at age 2,” Taci said.
As a consequence, Arrissia suffers from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), reactive attachment disorder (RAD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and other conditions. At age 4, she was binging and purging.
Samuel was born addicted to cocaine and also has FAS. He has shaken baby syndrome and a rare genetic disorder of his chromosomes. He has mild retardation and has to wear braces on both legs due to weak muscle development. Before he was taken from his foster home, he was found in a closet, neglected. He also experiences sensory issues.
“Most kids like hugs, [Samuel] doesn’t like them,” Taci said. “He doesn’t like to be touched. Certain fabrics, he can’t handle.”
By Rachel Kimbrough
A month after the reported Sept. 15 kidnapping on this college’s campus, a Kansas City Kansas Community College student reported a similar incident, detailed on page three of this issue.
The college responded by sending out a safety message via InfoList, the college’s internal newsletter, detailing safety tips for students in parking lots and garages, assault prevention and theft prevention.
While I appreciate the tips, I can’t help but notice an absolute lack of a much-needed increase in security, especially in places like the Galileo parking garage or those miles-away, poorly-lit parking lots lining most of the perimeter of the college.
In fact, the only place I see campus police cruise at night are in the well-lit areas—they’re crawling all over the place around the Carlsen Center. It’s a party.
That is counter-intuitive to me.
Every other Tuesday night, the Ledger editorial staff hangs out up here in the newsroom until the wee hours of the morning, laying out the newspaper. A few times, I’ve forgotten to move my car out of the Galileo parking garage to a better-lit or higher-traffic parking area. Let me tell you, walking through that pitch-black lower floor of the parking garage, where I can’t see my fingers if I wave them in front of my face, is outright terrifying.
That’s where I’d like to see increased security, or even some security. I see campus police there during the day, but not at night.
Now, I stated my case about sparse campus security in my rant about the tobacco ban. And on that point, I still think it is thoroughly unrealistic to expect the tobacco ban to be a success, in many aspects including the lack of manpower required to enforce the ban.
But that police-related complaint is small potatoes compared to the not-unrealistic prospect of a 1 a.m. assault resulting partly from a lack of security. What preventative measures are public safety officials taking to face the much heavier issue than delinquent nicotine addicts—actual public safety?
Sending out a message with safety tips may be helpful, but what would actually demonstrate that the college cares at all about its attendants’ safety is visibility. Show us, somehow, that you are here, that you are watching, that you’ll be around if something perilous pops up.
Until then, I will continue to make a big dude walk me to my car at the end of production night, well-lit parking area or not.
Contact Rachel Kimbrough, editor-in-chief, at rkimbrou@jccc.edu.
Going to college is tough. Ask any student, and they’ll tell you about late-night cram sessions, early morning rushes to get to class on time, endless hours of homework and unbelievable amounts of stress. Many students have family and work obligations on top of their schoolwork. Some students struggle with physical disabilities, mental health problems or other personal issues that affect their academic careers. The list of personal issues a student might struggle with is virtually endless. Add up all the roles a student has to play, all the obligations they have to juggle, and it’s enough to drive a person to abuse alcohol or drugs.
We’ve all had times when life’s demands felt too difficult. We’ve all had times when we wanted to forget about all those things making us anxious and just have some fun, just feel better for a while. Some of us even know what it’s like to want to feel numb, to disconnect from the daily grind. Most students find healthy ways to deal with stress, but some turn to drug or alcohol addiction.
One way students deal with late nights and early mornings is to consume caffeine, sometimes in large quantities. Caffeine addiction may sound pretty mild. After all, who doesn’t enjoy a Diet Coke or a Mountain Dew?
However, according to http://www.medicnenet.com, caffeine addiction is an actual addiction defined in the DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). The website defines heavy caffeine consumption as consuming more than 6,000 mg of caffeine per day. It lists an average cup of coffee at 135 mg, a 12 oz. Coca-Cola Classic at 35 mg and a 16 oz. Monster Energy drink at 160 mg of caffeine. According to http://www.medicnenet.com, caffeine abuse can cause restlessness, nervousness, excitement, insomnia and gastrointestinal complaints, and massive doses can even cause death.
If caffeine isn’t enough to take the edge off everyday worries, some students abuse alcohol. According to http://www.helpguide.org, signs of alcoholism include feeling guilty or ashamed about your drinking, lying to others to hide your drinking habits, needing to drink to feel relaxed or better, “blacking out” while drinking, regularly drinking more than you intended to and having friends and family members who are worried about your drinking.
Other students seek solace in drug abuse. The Mayo Clinic’s website, http://www.mayoclinic.com, lists symptoms of drug abuse which include feeling that you have to use drugs regularly, failing in your attempts to stop using drugs, making certain that you maintain a supply of drugs, spending money on drugs even when you can’t afford them, doing things to obtain drugs that you wouldn’t normally do, feeling that you need to do drugs to deal with your problems and focusing more and more time and energy on getting and using drugs.
For students who are or fear they might be addicted to drugs or alcohol and for friends and family members of addicts, there is information and help available both on and off campus. If you show signs of substance addiction or know someone who does, please consider finding help for yourself or your friend.
For on-campus help, contact the college’s Counseling and Advising Services by calling 913-469-3809 to make an appointment with a counselor who can refer you to the Student Assistance Program. To get help off campus, call the local chapter of the National Council on Alcohol and Drug Prevention and Recovery, FirstCall, at 846-361-5900 or 913-233-0747 or go to http://www.firstcallkc.com/.
The Kansas City Area Central Office of Alcoholics Anonymous can be found online at http:www.kc-aa.org/, and the Kansas City Metro Area Service Committee of Narcotic Anonymous can be found at http://www.kansascityna.org/.
Hello,
My name is Nate Tate and I recently read your article in the Ledger, and thought I’d write a response. As for my background, I currently lead one of the campus clubs you mentioned – Koinonia. The following is my response:
An article in the previous edition of the Ledger expressed the opinion that there are too many religious clubs on campus – specifically the Christian ones. The reasons given were that first, so many groups preaching the same message and having an appearing rivalry is ineffective at best and counterproductive at worst. The second reason given was that the clubs’ chances at funding became next to nothing.
In response to these things, I would like to say that having so many Christian clubs is not counterproductive. Consider the very existence of JCCC. For example, how many community colleges and universities are in the greater Kansas City area? How many existed when JCCC was established? Yet nobody scorns the existence of JCCC, for the very reason that it offers the same things as the others – education – at different times and a different location.
So it is for these Christian clubs. A generous estimate says there are maybe 100 Christians represented in all these clubs combined, trying to reach a campus with several thousand. Even if you are not a Christian, one must conclude that a group that believes in such a place as hell and doesn’t do their best to warn people of the danger must hate them. If we didn’t share what we believe, how calloused would that be? Also, we do have relations with the other clubs, seeking to encourage and build each other.
As for the funding, I doubt any club is seeking to raise the massive funds that would be necessary to go to Madagascar, and referenced in the previous article. Our ministry is here, and a community college is hardly the place to seek funding if we were seeking to go elsewhere.
Since it seems the Christian clubs are giving a confusing message to some, let me try to sum it up. The belief of Christianity is not simply “believe in our God or you’ll go to hell”. The Bible says mankind was made to be in relationship with God – it’s our core need. Now that we’re separated from Him, nothing truly satisfies – or in this culture, someone would have found what it is. But the fact remains that nobody has ever made enough money, had enough sex, been so successful, or accumulated enough stuff to be happy. It can only be found in a renewal of relationship with God, made possible by Jesus’ death on the cross. That’s our message, we believe it, and because we do, we persist in telling others. Much thanks!
Nate Tate
By Dillan Straight
A couple weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to see the Chiefs vs. Vikings game thanks to a kind co-worker. Upon starting the morning with a tailgating meal fit for a Snorlax and a helping of hop-induced beverages that would bring a smile to Gary Busey’s face, we made our way inside Arrowhead. Passing by the tributes to players of the past and the fan with an entirely authentic looking headdress (upvotes, bro) we made our way into what we felt was to be a great must-win for the Chiefs.
Anyone who watched the game already knows the outcome, while the Chiefs walked away with a win, it wasn’t the most enjoyable game from the beginning to end. The only thing it left you wanting was a Succop jersey to pay tribute to the field-goal party that went down that day as Succop made it rain with long distance antics.
Halfway into the second quarter, I’m already struggling to keep focus on a single Minnesota offensive drive as Donovan McNabb goes three-and-out multiple times in a game where neither team could get its offense flowing. Moving my eyes across the stadium, I notice how empty a stadium once touted as the “loudest crowd in the NFL” lacked the precise voices that once fueled such a bold statement. Making my first trip to buy an overpriced metal-water-tasting beer, it started to dawn upon me how much the “Fan Friendly Game Experience” has changed dynamically in the past years.
Thanks to the works of iPhones, Direct-TV and NFL Highlight-I mean RedZone — the world of watching live sports in-person is starting to dwindle. While football may be the flagship for the most popular sport in America by leaps and bounds the size of Walter White’s bank roll, the common fan today now has a choice in paying to see his favorite games of the season. While it used to go without saying that seeing Priest Holmes or Paul Pierce in their natural element in-person was the best avenue, the rise in technology has changed that. Who wants to pay a cool bill to see a Chiefs game when you could watch it in crystal clear definition from your HD television and have the ability to catch other games during downs and commercial breaks? Financially, it makes sense – and this is where the NFL and stadium owners need to take note.
The one request I would love to see for those willing to purchase season tickets is a way to reward fans. At the end of almost any down you can look to your left or right as multiple fans in the stadium tilt their heads downwards in a choreographed fashion to face their smart phones and check their fantasy scores. While KC does an effort of showing the fan’s top plays from different games through the NFL, the experience for Fantasy Football fans could be improved. It’s not as if there isn’t money there for Fantasy Football, it’s now exploded in recent years as the games transformed from its “rotisserie” league into a billion dollar business with more than 20 million fans. There just needs to be more opportunities offered, show a continuous bar for recent plays, or go for the most extreme in your own personally integrated in-game fantasy update app where fans can keep in the know. Hell, get the guys selling peanuts and Coors Light to shout out whenever someone faces a game-ending-injury and I’d be happy!
For the music world, it’s no secret that what is considered “popular” and “mainstream” in today’s music is completely run by the crowd of young girls in the world with a YouTube account. It’s no different for the sports realm, behind any 20+ points and ESPN highlight earning performance a players stock only raises higher. I’m not trying to sound like a non-appreciative fan, but stadiums could do a better job in getting rises from fans by integrating features for both fantasy football junkies and other luxuries. Make an app that allows fans in Arrowhead to talk amongst one another, use it to pull fans together in completely group-ran cheers on questionable calls, have contests that give away seats for next week with voting panels and “Rate That Drive,” anything to swing back that intensity Arrowhead used to be so coveted for.
I’m just a fellow Chief fans like many others, rooting for a historically riddled franchise and looking to make sure my game ticket investment goes that extra yard in making the new-era fan experience that much more enjoyable. Otherwise I can save the price on those two beers in the stadium and just enjoy a 12-pack of Green Flash on my couch, dressed in the comforts of my Tamba Hali jersey and sweat pants to witness Dwayne Bowe score in flawless HD.
I think its past time for an official booth review, NFL.
Contact Dillan Straight, sports editor, at dstraig1@jccc.edu.
By Tasha Cook
As Lady Cavs basketball revs up for a new season, several new faces will be seen among the team. Three of those are forwards who transferred from Division I programs.
All natives of the Kansas City area, Brianna Kulas transferred from Kansas State University (KSU), Polly Harrington from the University of Louisville and Lauren Dudenhoeffer from North Dakota State.
Head coach Ben Conrad said the forwards were recruited for their ability to play first and foremost. He said they bring maturity with them from playing on Division I teams.
“We also had a huge need at those positions with the departures of two All Americans at the four and five spot from last year,” he said. “Any time you can get a transfer from a D1 or D2 program, you jump at that chance.”
Kulas said the switch back to the college is a big difference.
“Transferring from Kansas State to [the college] is a major difference,” she said. “Kansas State was a college town of course, and being at JCCC makes me feel more like I’m back at home, which I am.
“Being away from home for a year helped me mature, and just the fact of being in college for a year brought experience,” she said.
Harrington came to the college because she has known the coaches for a while and had high school teammates who played for the Lady Cavs and liked it, she said.
Conrad also recruited Dudenhoeffer, who transferred here from North Dakota State after discovering she would need surgery for a bone tumor. Dudenhoeffer said he recruited her in high school before she went on to North Dakota, but when she realized she would be out a while after surgery, she decided to give Lady Cavs basketball a try.
Dudenhoeffer said she has never been on a team with so little drama. She said women’s teams usually have drama which negatively impacts the team, but that isn’t the case with the Lady Cavs.
She said her biggest goal is making it to nationals.
“If we play to the best of our ability then I believe we can go extremely far, if not all the way,” she said. “Year in and year out we as players are constantly asked what our goals for the season are and every year I come in just wanting to get better mentally and physically as a player. There is always improvement that you need to make and that is my goal every year, to come in and get better everyday day that I’m on the floor.”
The transfers are fitting in well with the rest of the team, said Harrington and Kulas.
“Our team chemistry is really good this year,” Harrington said. “We all get along really well. We have high expectations out of ourselves this year and we are working hard to be conference champs and national champs. We know that it will be tough but that’s why we all work so hard every day and our coaches always push us so we can be the best that we can this season.”
Contact Tasha Cook, managing editor, at tcook15@jccc.edu.
By Dillan Straight
The Cavaliers Cross Country team is hitting its stride this season, recently posting a third overall finish at the Walt Disney Classic this past week.
Led behind a competitive sophomore team consisting of Brooks Ballou (24th place finish), Ryan Keene (23rd place finish), and Javier Segura (22nd place finish), the Cavaliers made their mark as the highest ranked community college team present, scoring 156 points in the event.
Drake University came away with the overall team win, as Florida Gulf Coast posted a second place finish ahead of the Cavs.
“It was a great performance from those guys,” said men’s and women’s cross country coach Mike Bloemker. “We ran really well as a team and that’s the important thing.”
Despite running against the elements of a heavy downpour, Segura clocked in at 26:39.60, earning some bragging rights in the process with a sixth-best time for a Cavalier in Disney Classic history, along with a tying for the third best time by a JCCC runner.
Coach Bloemker knows he’s got a great group of returning sophomore runners this season, and looks for them to only improve as the season continues.
“We got a lot of experience,” said Bloemker. “I have some guys who were red shirted, so it’s basically their third year here. It’s really helped on the leadership standpoint for the guy’s side.”
Fellow sophomores Kenne and Bollou finished out the Le-Mans-esc finish as Kenne clocked in 6.65 seconds (26:46.25) behind Segura to earn a 23rd place finish, along with Bollou at 26:49.73 earning him a 24th place finish.
Addis Kenae rounded out the group, finishing 31st with a time of 27:02.06. Along with freshman Kidus Bekele (27:52.33-63rd) sophomore Robert Segura (28:12.47-73rd), freshman Zach Palmer (29:10.19-113th) and freshman James Bowlin (31:24.98-173rd) is finishing out the squad.
“[Kidus] Bekele is having an unbelievable year; of the entire freshman class he’s making the biggest impact right now,” said Bloemker. “I feel really good [about Regionals]. I feel I have the best team in the region right now on both sides.”
“I think we’re a little better then we’re ranked; the women are ranked ninth and the guys are ranked eighth. I believe we’re considerably higher than that.”
The Cavs raced this Halloween as they were invited to the NJCAA Region VI Tournament in Garden City, moving them into contention for a bid to the NJCAA Cross County Tournament in Hobbs, New Mexico on Nov. 12th and the NJCAA Half Marathon Tournament in Atlanta, Georgia on the 19th.
Contact Dillan Straight, sports editor, at dstraig1@jccc.edu.
By Rachel Luchmun
The scene was simply set. In the center, a big screen. To the left and right, the musicians were set up. The aim of the show was to mix music with visuals to recreate the experience of viewing Earth from space, as well as to create an emotional bond between viewers and Earth (for more information about Bella Gaia’s conception and aim, see Q & A with Kenji Williams *link*). According to audience opinion after the show, it did not disappoint.
“[It was] beautiful,” said Nancy Baran, audience member. “It was neat to see all the information visually.”
Baran’s husband Steve added that Bella Gaia’s attraction is not just its beauty.
“It’s depressing,” Steve Baran said. “[Earth is] beautiful, but you don’t notice [the bad things happening to Earth] until you move far enough. The music enhances the whole experience.”
While Bella Gaia’s main acclaim comes from its recreation of an outer-space voyage, the show also touches on environmental issues such as forest fires, plastic pollution in the oceans, the melting ice caps and rising sea level, oil spills, and world gas consumption. This is achieved through graphs and time-lapse images.
Additionally, different cultures are represented through images, music and sometimes dances. The aim, stated on the screen, is to show the human expressions of the living universe cross culturally. Traditional dancing (belly-dancing as well as Indian dance) and musical instrument (the nay, a middle-eastern type of flute, and the koto, a Japanese stringed instrument) were performed live on stage. For some, this was the best part of the show.
“It was a great show, but I especially loved the Japanese koto part,” said Kyle Duffin, audience member. “I loved watching the player – I think I paid more attention to her than to the images at that point.”
The performers were: Kenji Williams (director, composer, violinist); Yumi Kurosawa (koto player, composer, improviser, computer sound); Deep Singh (table, percussion, voice); Lety ElNaggar (saxophone, nay); Kristin Hoffman (voice, keyboard); Irina Akulenko and Läle Sayoko (dance).
The experience was an enjoyable one for both the audience and the performers. After the show, Kenji Williams said his experience was positive.
“It was great,” Williams said. “Great audience, top notch place. I think this is the biggest screen we’ve ever performed on.”
Bella Gaia was partly sponsored by the college’s Student Sustainability Committee. In an address before the start of the show, president Kevin Clark said he hoped it would contribute to improving sustainability efforts.
More information on Bella Gaia is available at www.bellagaia.com. The show’s next performance is in St. Joseph, Min., on November 5.
Contact Rachel Luchmun, staff reporter, at rluchmun@jccc.edu.
By Rachel Luchmun
Kenji Williams is the driving force behind “Bella Gaia,” which will be shown at Yardley Hall on Nov. 3.
Where did your inspiration for “Bella Gaia” come from?
The genesis of “Bella Gaia” was at the end of 2005 during a trip to Kazakhstan to look at the launch of a Russian rocket. I met an astronaut who had spent time in space and asked him how his experience had changed him. He said that before he went into space, as a scientist he looked at other planets; but when he was in space, he saw Earth and it became his favorite planet. This simple story inspired me to do something about the transformative power of Earth seen from space.
What was your next step?
I found myself at NASA where I met some scientists and was welcomed by them. They gave me both support and content. They fed me content in the form of NASA satellite images, time lapses of arctic ice melting, gas emissions, and the like.
What exactly is “Bella Gaia?”
It is a mix of scientific information, pictures, people’s ideas of gaia – earth as whole, with different cultural aspects. There is live music and dancing on stage. Pictures are projected in high definition as backdrop. It is hard to describe in words – it is an immersive experience.
How has the general public reacted to “Bella Gaia?”
Since its launch in 2009, it amazes me how this show spans cultures – we’ve had shows in Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines. There are very little spoken words. “Bella Gaia” is an emotional experience – an emotional, personal connection with the planet. I just came back from the UNESCO in Paris, where there was a huge international audience, 125 countries. They told me it was a new experience, a new perspective, which was very powerful. Astronauts say “Bella Gaia” brings them back to space.
“Bella Gaia – Beautiful Earth” will be on show at 7 p.m. on November 3 at Yardley Hall. Tickets will be available at the door. Coverage of the show will be available on the Campus Ledger website at http://www.campusledger.com.
Contact Rachel Luchmun, staff reporter, at rluchmun@jccc.edu.
What you might not often see or associate with the eco-conscious movement is the practical, conservative business man – the person who sees sustainability as simply good business. Enter Jay Antle.
Antle is the director of the Center for Sustainability at the college. The department’s mission is to incorporate sustainable values and practices into the college’s community.
Although fairly new to the college, the center has already helped bring several sustainable projects online. The storm water drainage project, the college’s farm, and solar powered trash compactors and recycling units are all projects that provide economic benefits to the college but also serve as extended classrooms of sustainable practices for students.
Antle is also a professor of history at the college. He’s currently teaching a six hour course. It’s a “learning community,” combining Antle’s U.S. History survey course with a Composition II course.
The capstone project for the course is a family history paper in which students interview relatives who have participated in major U.S. historical events. By getting first-hand information about the country’s previous wars and social movements, students are able to integrate historical events with their family history and perhaps reveal connections they wouldn’t normally make.
The course is an example of how factual textbook material is connected to real people and real lives. That, Antle says, is how we bring sustainability out of the purview of scientists and politicians and into regular peoples’ lives.
“Even if you don’t believe in climate change … In the next century, there will be maybe a billion people on the planet who will want the same quality of life that we have now,” Antle said. “We would need six or seven earths to accomplish that. We have to learn to do things cleaner, simpler and more efficiently. We have to do this regardless of what you think about global warming.”
Efficiency, Antle says, is the ultimate goal of sustainability. He doesn’t believe that there must be a choice between what is good for the economy and what is good for the planet.
“It’s about making the organization more efficient and making people more conscious of the choices they make,” he said. “It’s about revealing connections.”
Antle’s dedication to sustainability comes from his understanding that all of our actions, our purchases and our day to day activities are the result of a multitude of processes that we don’t see but can have profound effects on the environment.
He grew up in the petrol-industrial town of Baytown, Texas. He remembers explosions from the nearby petroleum facility occurring regularly. At times, he said, they were so intense that they actually rattled windows and blew in the family’s garage door. In contrast, he spent summers involved in environmental efforts, volunteering at Yellowstone Park and the Grand Canyon. It opened his eyes to the beauty of untamed nature and inspired him to challenge the idea that nature has to take a back seat to progress.
Whether teaching environmentalism or simply enjoying the raw beauty of nature as an amateur storm chaser, Jay Antle has strived to educate and inform the college’s community that sustainability is about progress, efficiency and stewardship. It’s about having the best possible quality of life in the most cost effective, environmentally conscious way possible.
Kim Criner, Sustainability Student Affairs coordinator, identifies Antle as a leader and risk taker.
“Jay believes in what he does and he’s willing to take risks,” Criner said. “It’s not just a job for him to make [the college] a leader in sustainability.”
Antle says in the future, the best possible scenario is one where the need for a center of sustainability simply doesn’t exist.
“Ideally, twenty years from now you don’t need me,” he said. “What we’re doing, everyone is doing on their own.”
Contact Julius Williams, staff reporter at jwilli78@jccc.edu.
By Ben Markley
Students who want to learn about the diverse cultures of Asia will have an opportunity to do so at the Asian Fall Festival, which will take place Nov. 14 from 2-4 p.m. in RC 270.
The Asian Fall Festival is an event that was originally proposed by the Chinese Student Association to the Multicultural Student Advisory Committee. Students can expect free food, displays, activities, music, games, and stories all relating to Asian culture.
Ho Hoi Chun, Chinese Student Association member, said the festival is really a collaboration of numerous fall festivals that occur throughout Asia.
“It’s an Asian thing, but every country is a little different,” he said. “We want people to come together and show their way that they celebrate their fall festival.”
JJ Wang, Chinese Student Association member, said the event also focused on uniting Asian students.
“We are far from home, all of us are,” Wang said. “By being in America, the best we can do to be close to our culture is to share it with our new friends and new family in America.”
The event will be primarily student-run. Mindy Kinnaman, Multicultural Student Advisory Committee adviser, said this was the best format for the festival.
“Students have a pretty good idea of what they’d like to see and participate in,” she said.
Hoi said the college’s diverse student population was the best resource for students wanting to learn about other cultures.
“We have students from everywhere,” Hoi said. “We don’t really need public speakers. I’m sure students from the actual country will have a deeper passion for this festival than a professional.”
The festival aims to include not only China and Japan, but countries like India, Russia, the Philippines, and others within the Middle East.
“When people talk about Asia, they only think about Oriental, like Chinese or Japanese,” Wang said. “We want to get people from all countries of Asia to promote and celebrate our culture.”
Kinnaman said the festival will help educate students about their own classmates.
“It’s important for schools to learn about all cultures that go to school there,” she said.
Wang said he hopes the festival opens students’ eyes to new interests.
“[Students] can not only have fun [at the festival] but actually be inspired to be involved,” he said. “Just by knowing a new Asian country, just by exploring more of the culture, maybe it will trigger a new interest in them for the future. They can come to Asia, do business, and help people from Asia.”
Hoi said the festival was about more than education.
“It’s about friendship and understanding between Asia and America,” he said.
The festival is still in very early stages and is looking for students from Asian backgrounds willing to present their culture. Students interested in participating in the festival can contact either Wang at jwangjr@stumail.jccc.edu or Hoi at hho2@stumail.jccc.edu.
Contact Ben Markley, news editor, at bmarkle2@stumail.jccc.edu.
Walking around campus, you might notice the familiar sight of a distinguished gentleman in an electric wheelchair. He’s a mortician, leather-master, silversmith, jewelry-maker, knitter, basket-weaver, retired US Marshall, journalist, cancer survivor (prostate and breast) and now a student of the college. His name is John Drew.
Drew, a native of Kansas City, was born in 1934. Throughout his life, he has served the Kansas City community first as a mortician, earning his degree in mortuary science from Kansas City Community College in 1952, then as a U.S. Marshall serving both Kansas City and Chicago from 1964 until 1975. As a U.S. Marshall he served presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon, all of whom he met personally. He has also been a civil rights leader and advocate working with the NAACP Youth Program for over 50 years.
Now retired and living comfortably at the Delmar Gardens retirement community, Drew decided to continue his lifelong love of learning by enrolling in a few classes at the college. Inspired by the warm reception the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI) gave his cousin during a presentation she gave on “The Daughters of Nicodemus County,” Drew decided that the positive and encouraging atmosphere of the college would offer him a new challenge and the opportunity to engage socially with the younger generations.
“I was impressed with the kindness and sincerity of the people I met,” Drew said.
That was two years ago. Today, Drew charges his electric wheelchair and boards an early 6 a.m. bus to make his 8 a.m. silver-smithing class. The class is filled with artists of all ages and Drew relishes the interaction with students a quarter of his age.
“I never think about them being young,” Drew said. “Everyone is so nice and helpful. I’m inspired by young people. I enjoy learning.”
His professor, Sydney Pener, adjunct professor of fine art, welcomes his contribution to the classroom.
“He is an inspiration to all the students,” she said. “He is an amazing person.”
Drew is a member of the college’s Brown and Gold club. The club offers Kansas residents 55 years and older reduced fees and free tuition to classes as well as free social programs and educational trips for its members.
Drew didn’t know about the club before he attended the presentation two years ago. But now, he is one of its most vocal advocates. He has even inspired some his neighbors and staff at the Delmar Gardens to enroll at the college.
Drew continues to inspire and motivate every person that comes across his path. So, if you’re on campus and you see an elderly gentleman wheeling his way across campus, stop him and say hello. You may or may not get a story, but you will probably get inspired.
Contact Julius Williams, staff reporter at jwilli78@stumail.jccc.edu.
By Ben Markley
At the Oct. 20 Board of Trustees meeting, college president Terry Calaway announced that the administration decided not to outsource housekeeping sources.
Calaway said that the budget process led to consideration of outsourcing various services, including custodial staff. He said that the administration spent the last several months exploring possibilities for housekeeping, receiving five bids from outsourcing services as well as researching the financial potential of multiple options.
Calaway said a major concern was if custodial staff worked through outsourcing services, they would take significant salary and benefit cuts which would be frozen for five years.
“We just didn’t think that was realistic for anyone,” Calaway said.
He said considering cuts, severance packages and unemployment costs, maintaining internal services with better efficiency would be as financially beneficial as outsourcing. The institution could save around $750,000 by increasing efficiency through the current staff, such as closing buildings earlier and earlier shifts.
Calaway said that the college might continue to cut costs in the future by bringing in part-time positions and outsourcing building by building, without replacing current staff.
Trustee chair Don Weiss said he was very pleased with the college’s decision.
“I believe that we owe a duty to both the taxpayers and our employees,” Weiss said. “I think we’ve found a very constructive way here to satisfy both of those.”
Trustee Greg Musil said the process was difficult and could not satisfy everyone.
“If we do it quickly so that there’s certainty, then the college will be accused of not studying it, not taking account of everybody, not having a process,” he said. “If we take too long, we’ve left a lot of families in limbo.”
Musil said re-evaluations of the budget needed to continue in the future.
“It can’t be business as usual going forward,” he said. “We’re going to continue to face the pressure to reduce non-academic costs so that we can put dollars into teaching.”
Trustee Melody Rayl said the college would begin a full compensation study, including benefit packages and salaries, to determine whether the college’s compensation was within market norms.
The study will begin with the faculty, including adjuncts. Rayl said there was some faculty objection over being first in the study. She said some faculty members were concerned that the study would be rushed in order to be used in later negotiations. The study will continue as planned, but Rayl said the process would be allowed to take its time without being hurried for negotiations.
Rayl also presented a revised social media policy to the Board for a first look, although guidelines for social media are still a work in progress.
“It’s important to recognize and make sure that we are in a position to address inappropriate conduct that occurs on social media that may put the college at risk,” Rayl said.
For more information about the Board of Trustees, minutes, packets, and meeting dates, visit http://www.jccc.edu/trustees.
Contact Ben Markley, news editor, at bmarkle2@stumail.jccc.edu.
By Julius Williams
Latinos United Now and Always (LUNA) invites students, staff and faculty to “A Conversation with Hispanic Veterans,” a panel discussion serving as part of the college’s Veterans Week.
“We wanted to do an open panel discussion to give students a chance to learn about the contributions that Hispanic veterans have made,” said Brenda Romo, vice president of LUNA. “Hispanic students are one of the fastest growing populations on campus, but the transition can be difficult.”
Romo believes that Hispanic students can feel pressure to prove they belong on campus. She said with all of the anti-Hispanic political rhetoric happening right now, many students shy away from making connections on campus that could enrich their college experience.
“Hispanic students have some of the highest dropout rates at the college,” said Romo. “We are trying to change that.”
The Veteran’s Week program is designed to create an open forum for students to recognize that they are part of a larger community and introduce them to resources that are available to help them if they need it.
Hispanic veterans from the Korean War and World War II will be attending as well as veterans previously deployed in Iraq. The event is also being sponsored by the International and Immigrant Student Services department (IISS).
The IISS office assists immigrant students with issues from status, visa and passport issues to providing support and counseling. Satwinder Kaur is the coordinator of Immigrant Regulatory Advising and Support Services in the IISS office. Her office is participating in the Veteran’s Week event to give students an opportunity to learn about the office and what it provides.
“We want students to open up,” Kaur said. “The open panel is a chance for students to ask questions in a positive environment.”
Kaur hopes that immigrant students take this opportunity to get the support they need to be successful on campus. Her office serves refugee, asylum, pending permanent residents and undocumented students. She found in her work, some immigrant students are reluctant to ask for help for fear of being ostracized. Her office provides one-on-one private consultations for students, and she encourages students to reach out if they have any difficulties, whether they are immigration issues or adjusting to cultural differences.
One of the veterans scheduled to appear is Victor Lopez. He is the director of Community Services for El Centro. El Centro provides services and programs to empower the Hispanic community in Kansas City.
Lopez was a student at the college and at the University of Kansas. He was deployed in the Navy as a corpsman in Operation Iraqi Freedom and holds dual MBAs in Health Care Management and Medication and Dispute Resolution. He hopes that he can inspire students to be disciplined and strive for success.
“Keep pushing forward,” said Lopez. “The military helps you to grow up, see things differently and handle responsibility.”
Lopez believes that these things he learned in the military were integral to his success, but they can be learned anywhere. He said that it’s important for students to use the resources available to ensure their success.
The Hispanic Veteran’s Event will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7 in CC 234.
A full schedule of Veteran’s Week events can be found on the college’s website at http://www.jccc.edu/photo_stories/2010/1108-veterans-week.html.
Contact Julius Williams, staff reporter, at jwilli78@stumail.jccc.edu.
By Rachel Luchmun
The Center for Student Involvement (CSI) and the Student Senate aim to bring holiday cheer to members of the college community who might need it.
Mindy Kinnaman, manager of Student Life and Leadership Development, said the “JCCC Gives” effort is geared towards members of the college community specifically.
“It is for students, faculty and staff in significant need,” Kinnaman said. “For example, if someone does not have enough money for a Christmas dinner. Things like that.”
The college community is invited to nominate individuals who could benefit from donations via “JCCC Gives.” Once the nominations are in, details of each individual (not including any identifying information) will be put on a card in the CSI, located in COM 309. Then people will be able to pick a card and make a donation for that person. The donation may be in the form of money, gift card or presents.
Faculty, staff and students have until Nov. 11 to submit nominations. The cards will be ready in COM 309 on Nov. 14, and all donations are due Dec. 2. They will be distributed the week of Dec. 5 – 9.
“We are being very careful in ensuring privacy,” Kinnaman said. “The only people who will know the names of the nominees are the people nominating them and myself.”
Student Senate President Gina Galanou said the initiative was different than other Student Senate efforts around the holiday period.
“In previous years, we always wanted to have a giving project, where people who are less fortunate or children that are less fortunate can have a happy Christmas,” Galanou said. “This year, we decided it would be better to reach out to the students and faculty at [the college] and provide them with items that might make their holidays better.”
Galanou said the Student Senate would advertise “JCCC Gives” through visuals such as posters, banners and fliers, as well as collaborating with other organizations on campus to help spread the word and nominate deserving members of the community.
“Any professor or coworker or classmate that might know of someone in need will be more than welcomed to nominate themselves or others,” Galanou said.
The idea for “JCCC Gives” comes from student Jacob Seils. He said he had done something similar for one of his classes last fall.
“The professor said one of the students had tough times where he might not be able to pay the rent,” Seils said. “The whole class got him a gift basket the last day of class right before Christmas. Seeing his face light up was amazing.”
Seils said he brought the idea forward to the Student Senate to give something to the college community.
Forms for nomination will be available at the Center for Student Involvement, COM 309. For more information, contact Mindy Kinnaman, 913-469-3534 or mkinnam1@jccc.edu.
Contact Rachel Luchmun, staff reporter, at rluchmun@jccc.edu.
A recent kidnapping incident at Kansas City Kansas Community College has authorities believing it may be related to the kidnapping incident here Sept. 15.
The KCKCC incident occurred during the late afternoon of Oct. 17. The suspect is described as a 5-8 black male, about 175 pounds with corn rows in short to medium-length hair, and tattoos on the right side of his neck, according to the Wyandotte Daily News.
The suspect approached a student and asked for a ride off-campus. During the drive, the suspect switched destinations, asked to use the student’s cell phone and proceeded to demand money before returning the phone. The student withdrew $100 from an ATM and gave it to the suspect. The suspect then allegedly told the student to take him to a location in Kansas City, Mo., where he made the student leave the vehicle and then drove off with the vehicle, cell phone and money.
No weapons were reported in the incident.
Campus Police have urged students to please report any unusual occurrences on campus by calling x4111.
Compiled by Tasha Cook.
By Randall Smith
Traffic woes are ahead for students and staff traveling northbound to the college.
Starting this January, Quivira Road will be widened between 99th Street and the Interstate 435 ramp, according to the city of Overland Park.
The project should be completed by late next summer, said Overland Park project manager Tony Rome.
The highway widening should encourage many to seek alternative routes to school. During most of the construction, one lane on each side of the road will stay open. Rome said the Kansas State Gateway Project will start with the replacement of the bridge with a larger bridge at the point of the I- 435 ramp.
Also, the road widening construction project is now necessary because of a $121 million expansion of Overland Park Regional Medical Center. The hospital will add a five-story building with a renovated emergency department. The new building will face Quivira Road and the current helipad will move to the roof of the new building according to the Kansas City Business Journal.
Overland Park city manager Bill Ebel said the cost of the project is estimated to run $7.9 million, and the state-funded replacement of the I-435 overpass bridge will help the city stretch its budget for improvements.
Currently, Quivira Road is a congested four-lane thoroughfare from 99th to 105th Streets. The official 2009-2010 daily traffic count was 27,000 to 30,000 depending on what side of the street you were on, Ebel said.
Quivira Road will be developed to a six-lane street with double left turn lanes. There will be left and right lanes located on side streets. The project will include new stoplights, street lights and sidewalks. The city will have the opportunity to update storm sewers and fiber optics conduits in the medians of Quivira Road. Rome said improvements will facilitate heavier traffic volumes.
The State Gateway Project is improving I-435 and Highway 69 due to increased traffic. The Quivira Road Widening Project combined with the Gateway Project will create economic benefits for the community. The completion of the Gateway project will have a $1.2 billion economic gain for the community. An estimated 3,500 permanent jobs will be created, not including the added construction jobs for the project, according to KSDOT.org.
Executive Director of Campus Services Rex Hays said the city has been very helpful and have given contractors financial incentives to minimize the amount of construction time.
Student Miranda Smith said she travels to school using the I-435 overpass.
“It will be inconvenient for a while but a big improvement when finished,” Smith said.
Do you know where your phone is?
A student contacted campus police at 12:15 p.m. on Oct. 17 to report the theft of his cell phone and other belongings. He said he put his phone, inside its black leather case, into a basket with his classmates’ phones before taking a test at the West Park Campus. The phone was no longer in the basket after class. The student had the phone deactivated and obtained a new driver’s license.
Campus police were contacted at 4:50 p.m. on Oct. 17 by a student who reported his cell phone was stolen from an unlocked gym locker.
The victim contacted the police again around 9:15 p.m. after getting a call regarding his stolen phone. The caller told the victim he bought the phone off Craigslist that afternoon for $200 and later realized it was stolen. He offered to meet the victim and return the phone in exchange for $200.
Campus police made contact with the caller on Oct. 18 at a BP gas station where he arranged to meet the victim. The caller admitted to stealing the phone and was eventually taken into custody by the Overland Park police. The phone was returned to its owner.
Catalytic converters go missing
A student contacted campus police at 3 p.m. Oct. 19 to report that his catalytic converter was stolen. The student said he parked his car in the Train lot before class and returned to find the catalytic converter had been removed. Two more catalytic convertor thefts were reported the next day, one in the Clock East lot and one in the Sports lot.
Scott Wargin, campus police officer, said campus police believe the catalytic converter thefts are connected. All catalytic converter investigations are ongoing.
Compiled by Hannah Boulton.
“Get the Led Out” salutes Zeppelin
“Get The Led Out,” a Philadelphia-based Led Zeppelin tribute band, will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19 in Yardley Hall. The band will play Led Zeppelin favorites from 1968 to 1980 and will feature rock anthems as well as quieter acoustic sets. Tickets are $35 and $25 and are available through the college box office at 913-469-4445 or online at http://www.jccc.edu/TheSeries.
Fashion collection open house
The college’s 3,000-piece fashion design collection will be on display during an open house from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 4. The collection, established by Fashion Group International of Kansas City, includes clothing and accessories from the 1860s to the present. The open house will start with a reception in the Regnier Center atrium. Tours will run from the Regnier Center to the Carlsen Center, where the collection is located. The open house is free and open to the public.
‘Anatomy of Gray’ performances
The college’s Music and Theatre Department presents its second show of the semester, ‘Anatomy of Gray,’ beginning Nov. 11. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 11-12 and Nov. 18-19 and 2 p.m. Nov. 12-13 and Nov. 19-20 in Polsky Theatre. All performances are free and open to the public.
Compiled by Hannah Boulton.
Every two years, the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art presents its “Beyond Bounds” art auction event. Painters, sculptors and mixed media artists donate their time and expertise to create unique pieces for auction to private, public and corporate collectors.
The museum provides the media for the artists to create their visions based on the theme that the museum’s foundation chooses. Past mediums have included sterling silver squares and 24-karat gold leaf.
Two years ago, the foundation chose ruby red to commemorate the college’s 40th anniversary. This year, the foundation decided to symbolize how artists enrich our community. Bruce Hartman, director of the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, described the theme in one word: “Brilliant.”
By Mackenzie Clark
A new group has formed on campus with the goal of centering programs and events on student culture and interests.
The Multicultural Student Advisory Committee is open to all students. They meet biweekly and discuss upcoming events and possibilities for activities that will highlight individual cultures of the student body.
Gabrielle Bryant, student and member of the committee, said the idea of “culture” is not limited to different ethnicities and religions.
“We have so many clubs on campus that are just a culture in itself, like Anime Club, or I’m with Active Minds,” Bryant said. She cites the Swing Dance Club’s recent D-Day of Swing as a perfect example.
Mindy Kinnaman, manager of Student Life and Leadership Development and advisor to the committee, said the committee would like to produce events that students will find more exciting and compelling.
“We really wanted to expand more beyond lecturing,” Kinnaman said. “We have lectures that happen all across campus, but we really wanted to do programs for students by students.”
By Tasha Cook
Upon completing last year’s NJCAA volleyball title game, the Lady Cavs exited second best in the nation. This year, the team began its season ranked first in the nation in the NJCAA Division II Volleyball Preseason Poll and as of Oct. 8 is undefeated in its conference.
The Lady Cavs are 18-10 overall for the season, with a conference record of 6-0.
Four sophomores returned to the team this year. Referred to as the “Fab Four” by coach Jennifer Ei, they consist of Emily Hester, Cassie O’Brien, Brianna Winn and Crystal Simon. Seven freshmen make up the remainder of the team.
Coach Ei said the freshmen have received a great amount of help from the veterans.
“The sophomores have been great leaders,” Ei said. “[They] really have helped them out to know what the program’s about, what’s expected of them. Also with all the incoming freshmen, five out of the seven have played club together for several years, so their chemistry is really good. Instead of fighting that, everyone has just joined in.”
By Dillan Straight
Despite the endless allegations, first overall pick pressure, and the entire fate of a franchise on its last leg, Cam Newton is changing the way of the modern quarterback.
Sure we could break down his “believed” allegations, his Heisman acceptance speech, or just get down to the good stuff and talk about how Cecil Newton is up for the nomination as “Top Helicopter Parent of the Year Award.” But that’s already been ripped, shattered, and torn by every sports writer to the edge of the world and back, so let’s break into Sir Cam’s most recent endeavor – revolutionizing the QB position.
In his final season at Auburn or in Cam’s case his third start as quarterback for an entirely different football program; Newton posted ungodly numbers. Passing for 2,854 yards, securing 30 touchdowns (completing 185 out of 280 attempts – 66.1% completion) while also leaving defenses scrambling in rushing for 20 touchdowns and 1473 yards on the ground. Newton took over for Auburn as he led the Tigers to a National Championship in subduing Oregon and “their basketball-like scores” in a 22-19 win for the title.
Upon landing the first overall pick for the 2011, the Carolina Panthers looked past the maelstrom of allegations while Jerry Richardson did everything but openly admits Ron Burgundy-esque “Jimmy Clausen was a bad choice!” and take Newton with the top pick.
Hula dancers performed for students in the food court Oct. 9 as a preview to The Makaha Sons’ Oct. 15 performance in Yardley Hall. The Makaha Sons are a vocal and instrumental Hawaiian music group which tours internationally. For more information, visit http://makahasons.com.
Photos by Michael House.
By Ashley Jenks
An alumna and best-selling author, recently released a new book and spoke at Unity Temple on the Place on Oct. 4.
Candice Millard, college alumna, was very similar to many of the college’s students, said Steve Gerson, English professor, who taught one of her classes and later hired her as a babysitter.
“She, like almost every other student, came to this college because it was near her home, because it was affordable, because it had a great reputation, and because she didn’t know what she wanted to do,” he said. “I think that afforded her the foundation she wanted. It set up her expectations for the future.”
By Ben Markley
The college’s Foundation awarded over $911,000 worth of scholarships to students, a 39 percent increase from the previous year.
Kate Allen, executive director of Institutional Advancement, said that much of the increase was due to simplifying the application process.
“Now when applying for the FAFSA [Free Application for Student Aid], students become eligible for any scholarship,” Allen said. “They just need to fill out a new form. It’s really streamlined scholarships that way.”
Kristin McDaniel, scholarship coordinator, said there were about 241 different scholarships: 92 based on need, 88 based on merit or talent, and 61 based on both. She said that about 840 students received scholarships with an average, general scholarship award of $1,400. Many other scholarships were awarded in addition to the Foundation’s $911,000.
Allen said that the number of applicants jumped from 1,000 to 3,000 after implementing the new application system.
“It’s helped us to award some chronically unmatched scholarships,” she said.
The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI) recently closed down, and like a cheesy, one-hit wonder Semisonic song ringing in your ears – “Closing time – every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”
During its time, ODEI aimed at offering a link for students to understand the aspects of working in a diverse culture, handling issues, what to expect, and readying yourself for the world ahead. ODEI offered everything from speakers to visual and performing arts that were free to the public and community. Requiring every degree within the college to complete a class as a part of the program, classes included everything from Alaska Native awareness to deaf awareness, from black history to gay and lesbian topics. ODEI left no hot topic unturned.
But after a successful year prior, ODEI hit a wall this past semester. While financially they seemed stable and moving, there seemed to be more issues left in the dark than were brought up in discussions. Now with the office closed, what does that mean to those students and members? Is it fair to throw it all by the wayside and re-advert to being a modern day Tom Yawkey?
By Rachel Kimbrough
Ask an average non-Christian the difference between a Wesleyan and a Baptist.
Most people won’t know the difference, but the college currently has seven active Christian student clubs and organizations, and a couple more in the works.
This works against every group’s goal. Every Christian group—not just here on campus, but anywhere—thinks that its own method of witnessing and its own message is the only true one, the one true way to salvation.
But to the people those groups are attempting to reach—those folks entirely disinterested in religion, the ones whose souls are hell-bound—it’s all roughly the same thing. Accept God or you’ll go to hell, basically. Those differences in theologies are really only very apparent to involved members of each religious group.
Having so many groups all preaching what appears to the average person to be the same message is actually off-putting and unproductive. The appearance of rivalry among those numerous groups drives prospective lost souls away from the idea joining the mess and ultimately adding another voice to the white noise.
Is it true that you were nominated and awarded player of the week twice?
Yes I did get it two weeks in a row but I couldn’t have done it without my team.
How did you get this award?
Being a goalkeeper, it is my responsibility to stop the ball from going into the net. It is my team’s job, however, to score and keep the other team from even shooting. We all work hard to play and win as a team, so if I am rewarded, so is my team.
How did you feel when you found out you had been nominated player of the week?
My coach Wendy Louque told me and I was very surprised. I felt very good about myself and the recognition. I never expected to be nominated, especially twice!
How long have you been playing soccer, and what made you first decide to play soccer?
I started playing soccer when I was 9 years old. I had been going to a basketball camp, which was my sport of choice at the time, and a teammate asked if I wanted to play for her soccer team as the goal keeper. I told her yes and from there got better.
By Rachel Luchmun
Oral Health On Wheels (OHOW), an extension of the college’s dental hygiene’s on-campus clinic, is dedicated to bringing free dental care to underserved communities.
OHOW is based in a fully-equipped truck, which sports X-rays and digital imaging, as well as wheelchair access. Two patients can be attended to at the same time, with eight patients being treated on a given day.
“We offer the same level of care as our on-campus clinic,” said Heather Flick, professor of Dental Hygiene and OHOW project coordinator. “We provide patients with dental care tips and referral services, in the case where they would need care we do not offer, such as fillings for example.”
Second year dental hygiene students rotate three weeks at a time on Mondays and Wednesdays to staff the truck. They are accompanied by a qualified dentist and a Spanish interpreter, as the patients are predominantly Spanish-speaking.
“Students gain experience with different patients than what they are used to [in the on-campus clinic],” Flick said. “They learn how to deal with patients with disabilities, for example. They also have the advantage of a one-to-one ratio between faculty and students. It is a win-win situation for students and the patients.”
By Rachel Luchmun
In 2008, more than two million children were homeschooled across the United States, according to a 2010 report by the National Home Education Research Institute.
Homeschooling, as its name indicates, involves schooling a child at home, as opposed to public or private schools. This can be done either through online courses or by more traditional means, such as a parent sitting down with their child and being the teacher.
Casey Wallace, admissions representative, said that there was no difference in the admission of home-school students as opposed to students who have gone through high schools.
“Homeschooled students apply the same as other students,” Wallace said. “If they are applying for a scholarship or something that needs transcripts, there is no issue with accepting them. There is no difference at all.”
The Sustainability department’s latest recycling initiative on campus has come just in time for Halloween.
Boxes decorated like candy bars have been placed around campus to serve exclusively as recycling bins for candy bar wrappers, according to Kim Criner, sustainability student affairs coordinator.
Though one such bin is decorated like a package of Trident chewing gum, gum wrappers are not acceptable to deposit into any of these bins.
Photos by Hannah Hunsinger.
By Jessica Mitchell
Students enrolled in Sean Daley’s anthropology courses embarked on a trip to Atchison, Kansas to seek out any paranormal phenomena the town had to offer.
Daley, associate professor of anthropology, instructs a plethora of courses but specifically instructs a one-night-a-week class called The Anthropology of the Paranormal and Supernatural.
“I’ve been working in paranormal studies for about 15 years now,” Daley said. “The first area I worked in was actually witchcraft and magic … what kind of sparked it and what lead the way to the ghosts and hauntings and things like that was being on a reservation and having access to people who had the knowledge about witchcraft and magic. They shared that knowledge with me so the past 15 years has kind of developed and grown from there.”
Daley, along with a select group of ghost hunters, assisted the students on the academic trip to the Sallie House and the Berry Home, two paranormally active structures housed in Atchison, in hopes of finding any ghostly evidence.
“Atchison is supposed to be one of the most haunted cities in Kansas,” student Alex Yatskevich said. “I think if there is anything, like ghosts, that does exist it will probably be there.”
By Mackenzie Clark
To avoid the frenzy of trying to find pre-packaged costumes in your size and the local raiding that is costume shopping, many students and faculty who have a creative flair choose to make their own Halloween costumes each year.
Joy Rhodes, associate professor of Fashion Design and Merchandising, makes costumes for her kids every year. Her daughter Samantha, 9, and son Jackson, 10, have kept her busy over the years.
“They were both aliens one year; they matched,” Rhodes said. “We did a Dr. Seuss thing one time; they were Thing 1 and Thing 2. I made [my son] Peter Pan one year, and my daughter was Tinkerbell.”
Rhodes said she usually starts planning in late September and executes in October.
“Last year we did a cancan costume, which was awesome,” she said. “I actually made the pattern for that one by myself. Took a lot of time on that one.”
By Hannah Boulton
The audience in the Black Box Theatre was silent. They held their breath as Erik Meixelsperger leapt high onto Sam Holder’s back, throwing his arms wide and crying out in a moment of ecstasy.
Meixelsperger, student, played Alan Strang in the Theatre Department’s production of “Equus,” which ran Oct. 7-9 and 14-16. Holder, student, played the Horseman and Nugget the horse.
“Equus” contains mature content including nudity and violence toward animals. The plot revolves around psychiatrist Martin Dysart’s treatment of Alan Strang, a teenage boy who has an unnatural obsession with horses.
Beate Pettigrew, artistic coordinator for the Theatre department, said she was prepared for possible negative feedback from audience members.
“If people don’t know what the play’s about and they are shocked by the nudity, there may be some complaints about [it],” Pettigrew said.
The Theatre department posted signs in the Black Box Theatre lobby stating an age restriction for “Equus” audience members. No one 13 or younger was admitted and no one 17 or younger was admitted without a parent or guardian.
By Rachel Luchmun
Healthcare Cost Revolution (HCCR), a health care insurance alternative, aims at stopping struggles over affordable healthcare. A free trial offer is available for students of the college.
Healthcare Cost Revolution’s self-stated mission is to “make health care more accessible and affordable for everyone.”
Gus Kowalski, director of Marketing at Healthcare Cost Revolution, said members of HCCR benefit from Medicare and Medicaid pricing.
“There are two costs associated with a visit to a doctor: what the doctor’s fee will be, and what the insurance will pay,” Kowalski said. “It is because of these high costs that people are afraid to go see a doctor. They go once and don’t want to go back.”
By Julius Williams
Student Senate met Monday, Oct. 10, in CC 107 to discuss changes to campus vending machines, club event funding, new club registration and a constitutional amendment.
The senate discussed an update to the vending machines to include higher tickets items such as sandwiches and a credit card payment option. Over the next few weeks, the vending machines on the third floor LIB and the second and third floors of both OCB and GEB will be upgraded. For student Derique Cary, the change will be very convenient.
“I’d love to use a credit card because sometimes I don’t have cash,” Cary said.
Cary said that he uses the vending machines daily and hopes that his contribution helps to bring more credit card options on campus since the upgrades are being funded by the money that the vending machines bring in.
Other students were not impressed.
Theft in Sports Lot
A student reported a theft from his car at 3:05 Oct. 3. He said he parked his vehicle in the Sports Lot and returned at 11:05 a.m. to find his wallet and other possessions missing. The student was advised to contact his credit card company and report the theft.
Wallet Theft
A student reported at 8:07 a.m. that someone had stolen her wallet out of the outside of her backpack Oct. 4. The culprit attempted to use the victim’s debit card on campus, at a Wal-Mart and at a gas station. Investigations are ongoing.
Classroom Disturbance
Campus police were dispatched to CC 215 at 12:55 Oct. 6 after a faculty member reported a disturbance. A student had screamed, cussed, kicked open a door, and stormed out of the room after a misunderstanding about an assignment that was due. At 1:25 p.m., the Success Center called police to inform them that a counselor was escorting the student to the campus police department.
Compiled by Ben Markley.
New Student Senate President
The Student Senate elected Gina Galanou as its new Student Senate president. Corey Paris was initially elected president but resigned after choosing to attend another school. Galanou, initially elected treasurer, will replace Paris and relieve Erick Mbembati, Student Senate vice president, of his interim president position.
College receives health grant
The U.S. Department of Labor awarded nearly $2.9 million to go toward creation and expansion of health information technology education. The grant was part of $159 million in funds awarded to various states through the H1-B Technical Training Grant Competition. The college plans to use part of the grant to fund current programs while using another portion to create an Implementation Support Specialist program and training programs.
Additions to Performing Art Series
The Performing Arts Series will be adding three new events to its current season. “The Color Purple,” a Broadway musical based on Alice Walker’s Pulitizer Prize-winning novel, will perform Feb. 10. Ukelele player and YouTube sensation Jake Shimabukuro will perform a concert March 11. Folk singer Suzanne Vega will perform April 21 along with Duncan Sheik, composer of the Tony Award-winning musical “Spring Awakening.” For tickets and more information, visit http://www.jccc.edu/TheSeries.
Olathe Healthcare Education Center
The ribbon cutting ceremony for the Olathe Heathcare Education Center took place Oct. 6. The building began construction in early 2010 and opened for classes this fall semester. It has been declared the college’s first 100 percent green building.
Compiled by Ben Markley.
By Dillan Straight
The college’s dance team is looking to make a mark this season, going leaps and bounds above the years prior and initiating a new standard from members of previous seasons.
“This year we’re really making an effort to really support all athletics on campus,” said Golden Girls coach Amy Sellers. “We aren’t able to go to every different athletic game, but we’re doing our best to send as many girls as we can to everything we can.”
Heading into her second year under the helm, Sellers is already making changes to coast the team into a brighter direction.
Members of the team are looking toward an improvement that of last season. Using their set techniques from last year and building onto their new ones learned previously in camp.
“We all started new last year together; there were only three returning members from last season so it’s like a fresh start,” said Golden Girl member Kitty Griffith.
“We are probably four months ahead of where we were around this time last year,” said Sellers. “[The teams] changed in having practice over the summer, going to camp, and having practice every day. Considering last fall where we had only three practices a week, just the fact we’re able to meet every single day and work on different skills every single day, it’s made them improve a tremendous amount.”
Consisting of 13 members this season, 12 active and one as an alternative, the Golden Girls are quickly finding a rhythm in an already very promising start. As a part of Division-III, the college’s dance team is part of 12 teams who competed this past summer. Four of these teams compete in the same division as the Golden Girls, giving the team an extra leg up on their competition.
“We weren’t able to go last year, so we just did a home camp here on our own,” said Sellers. “Brought in some choreographers and did some boot camp type of work last year. But this year it was a huge success in how none of them had been to a college camp before and we came out with some pretty great placing.”
In addition to landing a bid to nationals in the process, the team claimed a couple awards in the process.
“It’s a good way for us to compete at camp and then we also compete against those same people at nationals,” said Sellers on the teams’ play at camp. “We placed silver in our game-day routine which was against all divisions. So we competed against the big universities as well.”
To help fund their trip to Daytona, the Golden Girls are looking to raise money with a 14-month calendar representing various parts of campus.
Calendars can be purchased in the student center in the coming weeks at $15 each.
Contact Dillan Straight, sports editor, at dstraig1@jccc.edu.
Dear Ledger,
After reading the current issue, I felt that the issue surrounding the custodial department needed clarifying.
At the latest meeting that the administration had with the custodial department, the administration explained the 2 options that will be going to the board on the 20th of October.
Option one is outsourcing. 5 companies have submitted bids. Should the board choose outsourcing, they will give the custodians about 2 months while the administration handles the transition before the custodian positions are terminated. During the 2 months of transition, the current custodial staff will be allowed to interview for positions with the new company. The current custodians do NOT have guaranteed positions with the new company. Should a custodian get a position with the new company, he/she will take a 40% pay cut (some will take a bigger cut) and either a serious reduction in benefits or none at all depending on the company that is selected. Exact details of that transition period are still mostly unclear since no decision has been made yet.
Option 2 is to take the 700k-800k in budget reductions the custodial department has be able to identify, and keep the current staffing levels where they are. Which may meet the minimum industry standards, but do not meet the standards JCCC and the custodial department has maintained for many years.
These two options were explained to the custodial department on the 28th of Sept.
The reason so many have sought retirement is they were worried they were going to lose their jobs before they could retire. Losing years of accrued retirement benefits. So, many chose to retire that could.
We all understand tough economic times, budget cuts, and sacrifices. With that said, and with all due respect, how can the highest paid accept raises at the same time they tell the lowest paid they make to much money?
Sincerely,
Concerned employee/ JOCO taxpayer
By Mackenzie Clark.
Many of us dread trudging through ice and snow in the winter months, but for some, the pains of winter go much deeper.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a specifier of depression that affects people generally in the winter months and appears to be caused primarily by lack of sunlight. In rare cases, it presents during summer instead.
“Melatonin is like the precursor to serotonin in our body, and then sunlight appears to be what the catalyst is into making that into serotonin,” said Susie Sympson, adjunct professor of psychology.
According to the National Institute of Health, symptoms of SAD usually tend to increase starting in late fall and continue until springtime. They include increased eating and sleeping, lack of energy, loss of interest in activities and ability to concentrate, and the general irritability and unhappiness commonly associated with depression. These symptoms need to have been present only during a certain season for at least two years to be decidedly diagnosed as SAD.
Environmental causes that may occur in winter, however, do not qualify the depression as SAD.
By Rachel Kimbrough
A former Ledger employee is suing the college for excessive fees for open records requests, as detailed in a report by Tasha Cook on page three of this issue.
You’ll notice my name is in there. If you didn’t, I’ll just tell you now that it is. In fact, I started this whole thing—but I stopped.
Part of being a journalist, even a student journalist, is recognizing the fine line between pursuing a story for the benefit of the publication’s readership and pursuing a story for the benefit of the journalist.
So, in the interest of full disclosure, here’s a little background from my perspective: I made an open records request for emails sent and received between Carmaletta Williams and Jason Rozelle over the course of seven months. The cost of that request was beyond our budget.
Then I did something stupid. I involved other staff members rather than pursuing my own story independently. That was clearly a mistake.
We revised the requests that had gone from mine to ours and resubmitted them with surgically precise search terms. The cost was still beyond our budget.
For my part, that was where I ended my own involvement in that avenue of inquiry. It was a method that clearly just wasn’t going to work, and the college’s reasoning behind its cost projection made sense to me. I can’t speak for anyone else involved.
But I can speak for current staff members. Ledger staff changes every year, if not every semester. The current Ledger staff has made a particular, pinpointed effort to rebuild formerly burned bridges, connections that disintegrated as a result of shoddy practice on the part of past Ledger employees.
And I’m not referring to any one former Ledger staff member. We are, after all, a student-run newspaper. We are not industry-worn professionals. As such, there have been many wrongs committed by unprofessional student journalists over the course of many years. The concern of professionalism in dealings with sources and objectivity in reporting has apparently been sitting on the backburner, unimportant in the minds of a few former staff members and editorial board members alike.
This Ledger staff is different.
This Ledger staff distances itself from past personnel woes, from white-knight delusions of grandeur, from the fall-back muckraking mentality, from stale rivalries whose origins are long since forgotten.
Something we’ve not done (outside of my pointing it out in this particular column) is compare ourselves with past Ledger staffs. We simply made a new system for ourselves, wonderfully simplistic and easy to maintain: show respect to everyone we talk to, but maintain an objective distance. We will cover the tough stories, absolutely–but we’ll not create them out of thin air.
Regardless of anyone’s personal pursuit against the college—whether formerly associated with the Ledger or not—the current Ledger staff will continue to pursue stories in a professional manner in order to serve the college’s students, faculty and staff as well as we can.
As always, feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns you have, and thanks for reading.
Contact Rachel Kimbrough, editor-in-chief, at rkimbrou@jccc.edu.
