Vice President, Student Success and Engagement (SSE) Interview Schedule

December 16, 2014

Candidate: Randy Weber

Date: Tuesday, December 16, 2014

The schedule for the day

7:30 a.m. Julie Haas will pick you up from the hotel

8-9 a.m. Campus tour with Paul Kyle and Rick Moehring, SSE deans

9-10 a.m. Meet with students (Board Room, GEB 137)

10-10:15 a.m. Break/travel time

10:15-11 a.m. Meet with SSE faculty and staff (faculty focus) (Craig Auditorium, GEB 233)
See “Helpful Information.”

11-11:45 a.m. Meet with SSE faculty and staff (staff focus) (Craig Auditorium, GEB 233)
See “Helpful Information.”

11:45 a.m.-noon Break/travel time

Noon-1 p.m. Lunch with President’s Leadership Team (Sunflower Room, COM 301)

1-1:15 p.m. Break/travel time

1:15-2 p.m. Meet with instructional deans and interested faculty (Board Room, GEB 137)

2-3 p.m. Interview with search committee (Lytle Room, GEB 141)

3-3:15 Break

3:15-4:15 p.m. Meet with Judy Korb (GEB 112)

4:15-4:45 p.m. Meet with Joe Sopcich (GEB 112)

4:45 p.m. Julie Haas will drive you back to the hotel

Vice President, Student Success and Engagement (SSE) Interview Schedule

December 10, 2014

Candidate: Joseph Linn

Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2014

The schedule for the day

7:30 a.m. Julie Haas will pick you up at the hotel

8-9 a.m. Campus tour with Paul Kyle and Rick Moehring, SSE deans

9-9:15 a.m. Break

9:15-10 a.m. Meet with SSE faculty and staff (faculty focus) (Craig Auditorium, GEB 233)
See “Helpful Information.”

10-10:45 a.m. Meet with SSE faculty and staff (staff focus) (Craig Auditorium, GEB 233)
See “Helpful Information.”

10:45-11 a.m. Break

11 a.m.-noon Interview with search committee (Lytle Room, GEB 141)

noon-1 p.m. Lunch with President’s Leadership Team (Sunflower Room, COM 301)

1-1:15 p.m. Break/travel time

1:15-2 p.m. Meet with instructional deans and interested faculty (Board Room, GEB 137)

2-3 p.m. Meet with students (Board Room, GEB 137)

3-3:15 p.m. Break

3:15-4:15 p.m. Meet with Judy Korb (GEB 112)

4:15-4:45 p.m. Meet with Joe Sopcich (GEB 112)

4:45 p.m. Julie Haas will drive you back to the hotel

Gallery: JCCC basketball

December 5, 2014

Photos by Kate Jacobsen

Ledger holiday wishlist 2014

December 5, 2014

Ledger employees share their holiday wishlist

The thing I’m looking forward to most this holiday season is time to relax. Winter break is the time to just sit and contemplate, with no threat of looming papers and tests. It’s also a time to see family you haven’t seen all year, but even with that, I still have some time to relax.

Forest Lassman, (Copy editor)

Dear Santa,

All I want for Christmas is an awesome ending for the first season of Serial. Just in case you haven’t heard of it (living on the North Pole and all), it’s this super interesting and addictive podcast by Sarah Koenig and produced by This American Life. It’s become really popular and whenever a radio show or a podcast generate this much attention I hope that translates into more money for podcasts and public radio. As a future radio/ podcast producer it is a little selfish, but hey, who doesn’t want a little job security? And if you could drop an awesome nugget of an idea for the second season in Koenig’s stocking, I’d consider that a bonus.

Thanks,

Christina Lieffring (News editor)

Dear Santa,

This year I want a couple new blu-rays and maybe a new book or two. I’ve done pretty well on the naughty/nice spectrum this year. I just hope there wont be a lot of layoffs amongst the college. I have had some of the best instructors during my 2 year career here and I wish job security for all of them. On a lighter note, please make Batman v. Superman good. I have some concerns about it.

Sincerely,

Mike Abell (Editor-in-chief)

A Synthetic Edge

December 5, 2014

Students abuse Adderall around finals

By Mike Abell

mabell@jccc.edu

Habits for retaining information can vary from one student to another, but it depends on what they find to be the most effective. However, some students will turn to non-prescribed pharmaceutical stimulants such as Adderall or Ritalin in order to retain information better or perform on better on tests.

Selling such drugs is illegal not only on campus, but anywhere. Some would argue that using these stimulants is a form of cheating. Charles Andrews, adjunct professor of science said that while drugs like Ritalin and Adderall can increase work productivity,but they’re not a substitution for studying.

Charles Andrews, adjunct professor of science said that while drugs like Ritalin and Adderall can increase work productivity, they’re not a substitution for studying.

“Pharmaceuticals cannot replace consistent and constant preparation and study. Application and synthesis of knowledge in life comes through experiences and learning outcomes; drug therapies will not magically develop problem-solving skill,.” he said.

While the idea of taking a pill to help focus may seem harmless, there are a number of side effects that can happen. Andrews also mentioned that it can be dangerous to consume stimulants with caffeinated drinks.
“Both are central nervous system stimulants with some sympathomimetic activity.

Fatigue and depression often follow central nervous stimulation. Common side effects include hyperactivity, insomnia, restlessness, tremor, high blood pressure, heart palpitations, tachycardia, and loss of appetite,” he said.” Both may be addictive and result in dependence. They should definitely be avoided in those with a history of addiction.”

“Selling such drugs is illegal not only on campus, but anywhere.”

Student Jake Houston, whose name has been changed, will regularly sell his 30-mg Adderall to a few of his friends, especially around the time of finals. Houston, now 19, was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) in the 4th grade. He started illegally selling his prescribed medication during his junior year in high school.

“The first time [I sold it] was when one of my friends, they asked if I was interested in selling. It started to pick up when she told a couple of her friends,” said Houston.

Counselor Jill Konen works directly with some students who battle with addictions. She has heard a number or stories on how some students become addicted to drugs like Adderall and Ritalin.

“You might think of them as crutch to get things done, especially in college. In college there is a lot of tests, finals and things like that and they’re very stressful. You might be juggling work and school, especially here at Johnson County because people are working a lot,” she said.

Additionally, she said that she doesn’t think using drugs like Adderall or Ritalin on a test as cheating.

“I don’t really think it would be [considered as cheating]. But it’s just really unhealthy and a bad coping mechanism,” she said. “That’s a good question though because with athletes we say that it’s cheating.”

For people who are facing addictions of any kind, Konen said that there are resources available on campus. In addition, there are resources on campus that help students with time management and studying.

“It’s important for students to know about the resources on campus before they hopefully feel like they need to go to this type of drug for succeeding. Unfortunately, if they do start taking it and they don’t know how to stop, come see a counselor. We can help with that kind of thing here.”

Drug facts:

The number of adults with prescribed ADHD medications tripled between 2007 and 2012
College students who use non-prescribed stimulants are five times more likely to use non-prescribed pain killers
More than 50 % of college students who reported using Adderall also admitted that they were heavy drinkers
18-22 year-old college students are twice as likely to abuse Adderall compared to 18-22 year-old non-college students

Playoffs on the horizon

December 5, 2014

By James Howey

jhowey@jccc.edu

Not only does December bring cold weather and holiday cheers, it also brings the home stretch of the football season. College football has the final weekend of football before we have our first ever college football playoffs finalized with the number four seed in question. With the ending of the college football seasons comes awards. Non more coveted than the Heisman Trophy.

This year, the Heisman race is definitely one of the closets in recent memory. The three main players are Oregon’s Quarterback Marcus Mariota, Wisconsin, running back Melvin Gordon, and Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper. Mariota’s stats are maybe not as gaudy as previous winners but his 36 touchdowns and two interceptions are very impressive and has been one of the most consistent players in the country his entire career at Oregon. Gordon was the fastest player to two thousand yards in a season and held the single game rushing record until Oklahoma’s Samaje Perine broke the record a week later. Cooper is the main weapon on the Alabama offense and is maybe the best receiver coming out of college since Calvin Johnson. If I had a vote it would be for Gordon. In this day in age it is always remarkable for a Running back to dominate like he is doing similar to how Demarco Murray is doing in the NFL. Gordon is averaging an otherworldly eight yards per carry through the season. Although in what is now the age of the quarterback, Mariota will probably win the award.

For years now, college football fans have had playoffs at the top of their Christmas wish list and soon they will be here. The latest rankings have Alabama, Oregon, TCU, and Florida State in that order. I would put Florida State at three but I do understand the reason for putting them at four. Florida State has constantly had close games and has not looked nearly as impressive as the team of last year. Another issue that some people might have is the fact that Baylor who also has one loss defeated TCU 61-58 earlier this season. Although TCU has been more impressive through the season I do understand the perspective of putting a lot into a head to head matchup. I would still leave TCU in the top four over Baylor.

Either way I really don’t see anyone beating the powerhouse that is Alabama and Nick Saban come January. The prospect of Sabans defense facing either Mariota or Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston in a playoff is a dream made in football heaven. If I had to predict on the championship I’d stick with my preseason pick of Alabama winning. It’s all like what I said back in August.

Sports Briefs

December 5, 2014

Women’s basketball

The college’s basketball squad faced some tough challenges over Thanksgiving break and met them head on. The squad went 4-0 and even held the high scoring Dean College to a season low 34 points who was also undefeated before that game. The Cavs did have their first game decided by single digits 73-66 over Southeastern Community College. The Cavs will now gear up for conference play and will face Fort Scott Community College Saturday at home. The Cavs are 11-0 on the season. Nieka Wheeler leads the Cavs in points averaging 12.4, Alexis Brown is second with 12.2, and Braile Fields is third with 10.3 per game. Wheeler leads the team in rebounds with 6.6, Hunter Thomas is second with 6.5, and Kayonna Lee is third 5.6 per game. Chelsey McGee leads the team in assists with 3.8 and Erica Nelson is second with 3.6 per game.

Men’s basketball

After their second consecutive tight loss the Cavs rebounded with a road victory over Wentworth Military Academy on Monday 79-73. With a 5-5 record the Cavs look to find some consistency as the season moves into conference play. Danzel Wright leads the Cavs with an impressive 19 points per game while Jaron Rollins is second with 12.1 per game. Rollins leads the team in rebounds with 7.3 and Warren Specht is second with 5.9 per game. Wright leads the Cavs assists with 2.6 and Dontae Gibson is second with 1.9 per game.

Compiled by James Howey, sports editor, jhowey@jccc.edu

Safety vs. Protection: A reflection on the difference between the two

December 5, 2014

By Julia Larberg

jlarberg@jccc.edu

As a twenty year old woman, I’m beginning to realize that society is not built for my sexual safety. Try as we might by providing escorts to cars and well-lit parking lots and little pepper spray cans and self-defense classes, these things are for my protection, not safety.

I think there is an important distinction there when discussing the rampant problem of sexual assault. According to Dictionary.com, protection is defined as “preservation from injury or harm.” Safety is defined as the “freedom from the occurrence or risk of injury, danger, or loss.”

Protection is a step to be taken, something that carries the connotation of responsibility. Safety is a state in which to reside. It’s comfortable to those who have it.

As a woman, I do not have that safety. I have protection, but the moment I forget to take those precautions, some believe I’m deserving assault. If my skirt is too short, some argue that I am asking to be taken advantage of. Since when do skirts and legs speak? I’m pretty sure that the job of speaking is dedicated to my mouth. I’m also 110% sure it would be screaming no to anyone who attempted to take advantage of me.

The whole concept of victim-blaming is absurd. How does my skirt length, my alcohol intake, my lack of a pepper spray can, my (insert any other excuse here) result in someone forcing themselves onto me? Or anyone else for that matter? It concerns me how many precautions society tells women to take, when the real problem is the attackers themselves.

When do we turn to the assailants and teach them basic respect for another human being and how to listen to a ‘no’ or recognize negative body language? How about we start teaching the attackers not to attack instead of saying that victims should know better than to be attacked?

As a human being, I deserve safety. Not protection. Not guidelines of which I should follow in order not to be raped. I deserve the “freedom from the occurrence or risk of injury, danger, or loss.”

Staff Editorial: Ignorance towards Michael Brown adds fuel to the fire

December 5, 2014

The efforts of the police and media to villanize Brown is disgusting and a trend. The same has happened in every recent case where an unarmed young black person was killed by a white person. Treyvon Martin wore a hoodie and had traces of marijuana in his system. Jordan Davis was listening to loud expletive-laced rap music. Renisha McBride had alcohol in her system and photos from her phone were circulated for people to question her lifestyle.

But all of this is against the point.

Michael Brown wasn’t an angel but he was human. And regardless of what kind of human he was, one of the founding principles of our nation is the rule of law that states that all suspects will be treated with due process.

In Brown’s case, the rule of law has failed. We don’t know what happened that day and we don’t know why Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown. Wilson gave testimony at the grand jury hearing but there are red flags and inconsistencies with his testimony that do not match up with the physical evidence of the case. It warrants an investigation and trial. I do not want to live in a country where young men are gunned down in the street by the authorities that then do not have to answer for their actions.

Dietitian plans to create healthier school

December 5, 2014

Martin-Ayoade promotes better options for food

By Forest Lassman

flassman@jccc.edu

When Claudia Martin-Ayoade grew up in Jamacia, all the food she ate was healthy and fresh. As the college’s first dietitian, she hopes to bring those opportunities to others at the college.

Martin-Ayoade is new to the college, joining only a few months ago, but she’s already working hard to make the school the best it can be.

“It’s something we’ve needed for a long, long time,” said Jay Glatz, director of dining services. “She’ll be able to promote our program [and] new products. She’ll also be a resource for students, faculty, and staff in terms of nutrition information.”

Martin-Ayoade loves finding new and healthy options to eat, and has since she was born. Growing up in Jamacia, the only food she could get was fresh, and she was encouraged to eat healthy. After moving to the United States and creating a family, Martin-Ayoade quit her job in finance and became a dietitian, a position she loves. She is trying to spread this love throughout the college to make it a better environment.
Martin-Ayoade’s is trying at accomplish this goal partly in the college’s food court.

“Part of my function is to try and upgrade food in the food court and other locations on campus. We’re trying to get nutritional information available for the food court, especially for the items we serve every day,” she said.

This action is one of many Martin-Ayoade is putting in place. Her main goal is to allow students and faculty to learn how to eat healthy.

“I think we need to be more proactive as far as providing information for people as far as what the healthy options are because I think there are healthy options that people don’t really know about,” she said.

Martin-Ayoade is spreading this information in a variety of ways, from talking to people one-on-one to promoting healthy food.

One such promotion occurs every Friday, when the salad bar sells its food for half-off. By doing things like this, Martin-Ayoade hopes she can give a students a good push to eat healthier instead of grabbing a bag of chips.

Even with this information, some do not listen.

“Sometimes you give people information, and they don’t heed it. I had to learn to get over that, and know at least I can provide information, and it’s up to them what to do with it,” she said.

The food court isn’t Martin-Ayoade’s only focus though. She is also trying to promote and improve all food options in the college. She is working to add better options in vending machines and espresso bars in the school.

Martin-Ayoade also encourages students to learn to make their own meals if they want to have the healthiest meals.

“Learning to cook in fundamental in eating healthy…. In order for you to eat healthy, you want to know how to control what you’re eating. You want to know how to prepare meals simply,” she said.

The college has also been very encouraging to Martin-Ayoade.

“Everybody that I’ve talked to, staff and students, everybody’s always like ‘Oh my god, thank god you’re here.’ [the people] are so happy,” she said.

A few months into the job, Martin-Ayoade is still energetic and happy, always looking for new ways to improve the college.

Giving all year round

December 5, 2014

With volunteering, everyone benefits

By Christina Lieffring

clieffri@jccc.edu

‘Tis the season of giving and many consider giving back to their community. But while almost any altruistic gesture is appreciated, long-term commitments yield more benefits for the charity organization and the volunteer.

“Quite often these organizations operate on a shoestring budget,” said Mary Smith, director of community based learning. “So they really rely on volunteers for their infrastructure, for their development and for what they can do in the community. What they’re able to provide is much greater with volunteers.”

One of the benefits for the organization is that the volunteer has a chance to learn more about what they do and how they operate, and therefore can take on more responsibility.

“I think we all want to contribute and make a difference and so we all go in with our own personalities and ideas. I think what is so important is to just hold back and really walk side-by-side in the organization that you’re volunteering with,” said Smith. “It’s so important to go in with an open mind, suspend judgment, get to know the organization that you’re serving, the people you’re working with and just really work on acceptance and building trust. And then, together, creating.”

Samira Hussein, professor of business administration, pointed out that with the rising cost of school tuition, volunteering offers students the chance to test out a field before committing to it.

“You’ll get a good feel for what [they] do and maybe you’ll see this is not your shtick,” she said. “You don’t have to spend thousands [of dollars] before you figure out, ‘This is not what I anticipated my major would be like.’”

According to LeeAnn Cunningham, employment relations and intern coordinator with the career development center, volunteering is good for people with little work experience or who are in-between jobs.
“Its an opportunity to learn some skills and to give some skills to an organization,” said Cunningham.

“Those are things that can be put on a résumé and it shows that are using your time in a really productive way for your community.”

If a résumé shows a prolonged commitment to an organization, it makes a strong statement about that applicant.

“I think that that speaks of commitment; there’s an ongoing commitment and an ongoing experience,” said Cunningham. “More than just a one-time opportunity, it’s the opportunity to go and give of yourself, perhaps in numerous ways.”

But for those who are gainfully and happily employed, volunteering offers the opportunity to apply their expertise to help a community in need. Hussein began volunteering through the FDIC to teach financial literacy to high school students, many of whom are the children of immigrants who may not be familiar with the U.S.’s financial system.

“It’s one thing to teach in a classroom but another thing to see the excitement and awakening when bringing the material to young minds,” said Hussein. “I got personally involved more with the subject matter.”

The college offers volunteer opportunities through community-based learning courses and some study abroad opportunities. Counselors at the Career Development Center can also help student find an organization that matches their interests: the Kansas City area has hundreds of organizations involved with a variety of issues and communities.

“There’s an organization for about every interest,” said Cunningham.

Enactus in action: Aiming to enable greatness

December 5, 2014

By Francais Healy

fhealy@jccc.edu

Clubs on campus often don’t go beyond the personal interests of the members involved. However, Enactus aims to break that stereotype.

The name comes from the mashup of the words entrepreneurial, action and us. According to Enactus Club President Elysia Chao, “The objective of Enactus is to team up with businesses or nonprofits or any other kind of organization, in order to promote change.”

Enactus evolved from SIFE, or Students in Free Enterprise, an organization that was responsible for the founding of the food drive that the student council maintains to this day. Enactus aims to have an impact beyond simply providing needs, moving towards finding methods of sustainable growth through entrepreneurship and cooperation.

“We want any students to participate, anyone looking for something great to put on their resumes, contacts within industries or just a chance to do something good,” said Club Advisor and Associate Professor of Marketing Management Barbara Millard.

The on-campus Enactus has already started some activities and is planning to step into the spotlight in the coming semester.

“Since we are new on campus we haven’t been able to do much yet,” said Chao. “We have had a few meetings and decided to do Gertrude Hawk Chocolate sales in order to brand Enactus on campus and associate it with something continuous. We have also held meetings to discuss projects ideas and met with representatives from Las Pintas to see if we can do a collaborative project.”

Enactus has been working on developing a method of distribution for products produced by the community of Guadalajara.

“We identified needs that the Guadalajara community was having as asked what they would like to see improved and what they needed assistance with,” said Chao. “Enactus took a vote and we decided on the project of assisting the marketing and distribution of the products the students in their community create. They make soaps, lotions, teas and other products, but don’t really have a sustainable way to produce or distribute it, which is our goal this year to improve.”

Students interested in helping out with or joining Enactus and assisting in projects can contact Barbara Millard Enactus meets in RC 146 every Thursday from noon to 1 p.m., however, that is subject to change in the coming semester.

“Anyone can join, even if they’re not interested in business,” said Chao. “It is our goal to help everyone develop their real-world skills and talents, so they can leave JCCC [the college] prepared and with a project in their portfolio to prove it.”

Moving on: After 26 years english professor Carmaletta Williams is retiring

December 5, 2014

By Christina Lieffring

clieffri@jccc.edu

As a young girl, there were signs Carmaletta Williams was meant for a life of teaching and writing. In kindergarten, she had to change classes because her cousin would always have her check her homework before turning it in.

“Our teacher said ‘Both of us can’t teach Judy [her cousin],” she said.

But in spite of completing a bachelors, masters and doctorate degree in English, she took a job in radiation therapy at KU, where her mother worked as a nurse. Her mother wanted her to pursue a medical career but Williams quickly realized it wasn’t for her.

“If I lost a patient, I cried and I was just too upset,” said Williams. “[Her boss] said ‘You just have to get used to it.’ I knew I couldn’t get used to it. There were other things I could do.”

Williams then got a job with a contracting company.

“I was a project manager there and made a boatload of money and was more miserable than I’d ever been,” she said. “So I saw an ad in the paper for [the college] for somebody to teach mythology and I thought ‘Hmm, I had an A in mythology in graduate school.”

She was hired as adjunct faculty at the college and at Longview Community College. When both schools offered her a full-time position, she chose JCCC.

Williams’ graduate research focused on racial identity formation. She has published books on her family’s history, the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. She portrayed Hurston in a one-woman play. In addition to her English courses, Williams also taught African American studies courses.

When the college’s diversity committee decided to open an office devoted to promoting diversity, Williams was asked to lead it. The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI) opened in 2008.

“We decided that we were really interested in transformational learning; that we didn’t just want to bring speakers here and have them talk for 50 minutes and that was it,” said Williams. “We really wanted to bring people here let them tell their own stories. We also had book talks associated with the speakers so that people would actually be transformed by what they heard.”

One of the first communities the ODEI worked with was people on the autism spectrum. Two faculty members who were on the spectrum approached Williams for help.

“I had been in the job about 5 minutes,” she said. “I hadn’t even put my purse up. [They] were saying ‘You know I’m having these problems and I’m not sure if it’s because I’m autistic or because I really need help as a teacher.”

The next year the ODEI organized a two-day conference on autism, which became an annual event.
“We didn’t decide what parts of diversity or what kinds of diversity we would celebrate: that was brought to us.”

However the ODEI ran into some controversy, including the sudden resignation of its program director, Jason Rozelle.

“I know that [Rozelle] was completely committed to students and student success,” said Williams. “I do think that probably a personal issue was his downfall. And my efforts to help failed because I didn’t get the help I needed.”

The ODEI was closed at the end of 2012. The official reason given was the college wanted to de-centralize diversity efforts. Williams has difficulty believing that.

“I don’t think it’s a secret that I was told that they wanted diversity to look different. I think that students found a safe place with us. And these are all kinds of students,” said Williams. “And I think that because it was so new and so different that it kind of gets scary to people.”

Since the closing of the ODEI, Williams has seen some efforts towards diversity and inclusion, such as having bilingual recruiters for Latino students. She also participated in the discussion with Tanner Colby. But compared to when the ODEI was running, it isn’t enough.

“[ODEI] was a significant, significant and important part of this institution and I thinks it’s also a severe disservice to this community that it’s closed,” she said. “I think there is a very low-key, very slow movement [towards those goals]. But I’m really sad that momentum we had going has stopped.”

While Williams is retiring, she shows no signs of slowing down. She has a children’s book coming out, a performance as Zora Hurston that will air on KCPT and she is doing research for a book on slavery and motherhood.

“If you didn’t own your own body, what does it mean to have children?”

She has also been invited to be a guest lecturer at a university in Wuhan, China.

“I’ve never been to Asia, so I’m excited about that,” she said. “And I have grandkids and a large family. So, I have plenty to do.”

Don Perkins to retire: Financial CFO looks to the future

December 5, 2014

By Forest Lassman

flassman@jccc.edu

When Don Perkins retires at the end of January, it will be the end of a long career with the college.

Perkins had served as the associate vice president financial services/CFO for the college for 25 years.. In this role, Perkins is responsible for the financial solvency of the college.

What brought Perkins to the college all those years ago partly came from his previous job.

He began work as an internal auditor for the school, but eventually rose up the ranks.

“Before I was a CPA, I was a teacher, so I was very familiar with the academic environment. I was very familiar with the CPA environment. Coming to the college gave me an opportunity to combine the two, and that’s worked out well,” Perkins said.

Perkins serves to keep the college in it’s budget.

“Don is a consonant professional,” said Barbra Larson, executive vice president of finance and administrative services. “He is the individual here at the college that knows the college’s finances inside and out.”

This knowledge is needed, as the college is required by law to keep in budget. While knowing everything about the college’s finance can seem overwhelming at first, Perkins feels happy with his ability.

“It’s not so bad if you know what you’re doing,” he said.

One of Perkins’ most proud accomplishments with the college is helping create the five-year plan. With this, the college has been able to plan out its goals better.

Perkins says the thing he will miss the most is the people. His co-workers will also miss his understated and understanding tone.

“He’s extremely calm and unflappable, and I think in a CFO, that’s very important,” said Larson.

Besides these qualities, Perkins will be remembered for his sharp and dry wit, and his trustworthness.

“He’s a gentleman, and I don’t think that that word gets used a lot these days, but he’s just someone that people trust a great deal [and] have benefited from his knowledge of finances. Knowing that he’s been in that position has given people a real sense of comfort,” said Larson.

After he leaves the college, Perkins plans to pursue his interests, such as woodworking. As a former choir teacher, Perkins loves singing and plans to volunteer at his church.

A replacement for his position will be put forward later this month, and the college hopes to have their as yet unannounced candidate working by next semester. Perkins last day is Friday, Jan. 30th.

New obstacle to effective studying

December 5, 2014

Multitasking found detrimental to study habits

By J.T. Buchheit

Special to The Ledger

Like it or not, students in school are always busy, be it studying for a test the next day or frantically trying to finish homework before the deadline. But the difference in the study habits of today’s students as opposed to those in the past is the propensity to multitask. One of the main reasons for this change is thought to be social media.

With the rise of social media has come a tendency for many people to split their attention between their work and social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

“I think a lot of the reason is because we’ve become addicted to doing it and find it difficult to stop,” said Associate Professor of Psychology Jim Pettitt. “We get addicted to being in touch with these people all the time and find it difficult to withdraw from it.”

Studies have shown time and again that the constant use of social media is a detriment to the quality of a person’s study habits and how well one can recollect information. In a 2009 survey done by Stanford University, it was revealed that heavy multitaskers were slower at identifying changes in patterns, switching to new activities and identifying elements from earlier experiments than light multitaskers.

“A big problem area is [the students] are not giving themselves the needed downtime their brains need to rest and relax, and it affects how well people can comprehend information when reading and focusing,” said Mark Raduziner, professor and chair, Journalism and Media Communications. “When reading in a textbook, they forget what they just read because they’re so focused on other things.”

Even some of the students themselves admit to being negatively affected by the multitasking caused by their use of social media.

“I think it makes life seem more overwhelming because you’re trying to do multiple things at once,” said student Meagan Ziegler. “I think it also affects my sleep because I can’t stop thinking about a ton of different things.”

Although many people feel that they have conquered the art of multitasking and have the ability to concentrate on both their schoolwork and social media outlets, it has been shown that this is never the case.
“According to what we know about the brain, multitasking isn’t technically possible,” said Pettitt. “In reality, a person that says they are multitasking is actually just very quickly switching from one task to another. We’re usually only consciously capable of doing one thing at a time.”
Besides one’s studying and schoolwork, social media has been shown to have other effects on students as well. The average attention span of students has greatly decreased over the years, which can hinder one’s ability and willingness to study for an extended period of time. In addition to educators, the media has also had to adapt to this change, which they have done by taking advantage of social networking.

“Companies are able to use Twitter or Facebook to directly market to people and always keep them updated on the latest information or products being marketed,” said Raduziner.

Sites like Facebook and Twitter have had a profound effect on the way students study and use their time.
Although many people are able to get by in school while distracted by social media, if students want to truly excel in school, they have no choice but to buckle down and study the old-fashioned way.

News Briefs

December 5, 2014

Model UN Conference awards JCCC team for outstanding delegation

The college’s model UN team brought two awards for outstanding delegation home from the conference in Chicago. The team competed against teams from across North and South America. Team President Marie Horvat and Vice President Elysia Chao were recognized for exceptional representation for Nigeria on the topics of entrepreneurship for development and promotion of new and renewable sources of energy, Post-2015 Millennium Development Goals Agenda and the state of governance in Africa.

Culinary team wins honors

The college hosted the John Joyce cooking competition the culinary team earned medals in the student team category. Instructors Edward Adel and Todd Walline also won gold in the mystery box category where they were given a box of ingredients and four hours to plan a four-course meal.

Masonry repairs continue

The masonry repairs on the exterior wall of COM and GEB building will cease during finals week (Dec. 8-12) and expected to be finished by the end of December. Repairs on the CSB building will begin at the end of December and are expected to continue through to the end of February.

Compiled by Christina Lieffring, news editor, clieffri@jccc.edu

Police Briefs

December 4, 2014

Chicken sandwich stolen

A food court employee reported to campus police a student shoplifted a chicken sandwich. The employee, who witnessed the theft and triggered the alarm to alert police, identified the student to the officer. The student was taken into custody.

Money stolen from wallet

A student reported to campus police that someone had stolen $30 from his wallet when he left it unattended at the Fieldhouse. The victim did not name a suspect and there were no witnesses.

Cell phone stolen from testing center

A student put his backpack in a locker in the testing center, but after locking it realized he had forgotten to put his cell phone and other property in the locker. The student then placed his phone behind a chair next to the lockers. When he returned, the phone was missing.

Compiled by Christina Lieffring, news editor, clieffri@jccc.edu

A farewell to Dennis Day

December 4, 2014

Vice president of student success’ retirement marks the changing of times

By Valerie Velikaya

vvelikay@jccc.edu

The vice president of student success and engagement has seen it all. After three decades of being a part of the growth and development of the campus community, Dennis Day is stepping down. He discussed what he’s looking forward to upon his retirement, reminisces on his first day and reveals his anticipations for the future.

How would you summarize your experience at the college?
Some would summarize it as too long [laughs]. It’s been a varied journey of different positions and getting to see the college grow as an institution.

What are you looking forward to upon retirement?
Sleep.

Are there any particular things that you’ll miss the most about the school?
Well, I will miss students. I enjoy the interaction with students. They are stimulating and challenging all at the same time.

Any fond memories here?
Oh, sure. There’s lots, lots of fond memories. When you’ve been here that long, you get to meet a lot of different people — students and staff that are enjoyable and it’s not that I’ll miss them because I’m sure I’ll interact with some of them, but the thing that … I will miss the most are those next relationships that I won’t get to do with students and staff.

What is your goal before retirement?
To make sure that everything is functioning. They shouldn’t miss me nor would they miss me.

Talk about your first day at the college.
My first day was in 1984. It was in January. It was the first day of [the] spring semester, and I walked into the student activities area — I was director of student activities, and I met the students and administrative assistant for the first time; introduced myself and said, ‘What are we planning?’ And from there on, we just started putting our heads together and coming up with the best programs that we could come up with.

What kind of particular programs did you guys develop throughout your 31 years of serving the college?
Well, we had a speaker series where we brought in a lot of different speakers on campus like Dr. Ruth and Timothy Leary — all those are old people now, but at the time they were rather interesting people. Dr. Ruth talks about sex so we had a standing room only for her. It was good for this age group. Then we took some programs to the hallways in different buildings, trying to publicize the activities, which was somewhat successful because we did programming where students work. Anytime you do that then you find them.
I came from a university and it was trying to figure out how to reach community college students because in the university where you have residents, you have a built-in audience. With a community college students, you’re dealing with priorities; life at home, life at work, life at school, life with relationships so you’re always competing for their priorities.

How has the college transformed from your first day?
Well, it’s certainly grown. We started, and it was about 6,000 students and now it’s 20 [thousand]. The complexity of the operation is far more complex now certainly and larger, but in many ways the same. College students have many of the same needs. Just more of them.

What do you hope the college improves upon after you leave?
I hope the college continues to just change with the times to meet student needs. Students’ basic needs are still the same, but it’s how those needs are delivered and how they access those needs will change. Technology is a big one. You’re much more immediate and less patient.

What piece of advice would you give to your successor?
Concentrate on the open petal.

Will you still be making appearances after your retirement?
Once I leave it’s probably best that I leave, and I’ll be going into the next phase of my life. Whatever that is.

What is the best part about teaching at a community college?
The best part about being at a community college is that you really have an impact on lives, and you understand that you can’t take advantage of that situation because it comes with a great deal of responsibility. Any decision on policy or procedure affects students, and you always have to be cognizant of the affect decisions have on the students.

Day’s final day will be Wednesday, Dec. 31.

V.P. of student engagement and activities candidate interview times

December 4, 2014

Vice President of Student Engagement and Activities, Dennis Day, will be retiring at the end of this semester (look for that story in issue 8). Candidates are currently being interviewed for this soon-to-be vacant position. Interview times can be found below.

Thursday, Dec. 4 . 10:15 to 11:45 a.m. (10:15-11 faculty, 11-11:45 staff)

Wednesday, Dec. 10. 9:15-10:45 a.m. (9:15-10 faculty, 10-10:45 staff)

Tuesday, Dec. 16. 10:15 to 11:45 a.m. (10:15-11 faculty, 11-11:45 staff)

Each interview will be in GEB 233.

Pantry welcomes food for the hungry

November 20, 2014

By Valerie Velikaya

vvelikay@jccc.edu

‘Tis the season of giving, and to live up to its name, the food pantry is taking canned foods for students who can’t afford support.

Over the past few years, homelessness in urban, suburban and rural areas have increased. According to research by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the rate of homeless students has increased from 887 in 2008 to 1,315 last year.

The Kansas Department of Education reported a rise in homeless students from 419 in 2008 to 1,056 last year.

The food pantry, operated by the college’s Model UN is accepting canned food for those in need of support. Protein, such as peanut butter, canned chicken or tuna is much needed for those who are lacking the proper nutrients.

“We are restructuring the food pantry right now and we’re trying to do monthly food drives in different departments and clubs so if you’re part of a club or if you’re part of a department and you know that your turn with the food drive is coming up, just encourage everybody,” said Marie Horvat, president of Model UN. “Be aware that there are people that need your help, especially before the holiday season. You know, just reach out to our community … lend a helping hand – or, you know, a helping can and just be there for them.”

The food pantry is located in OCB 272 and is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Holiday binge eating and how to avoid it

November 20, 2014

Psychology and nutrition instructors offer their insight to compulsive eating

By Mike Abell

mabell@jccc.edu

The holidays are coming up, and so is everyone’s calorie intake. This holiday season the average person in the United States will gain anywhere from five to seven pounds due to compulsive eating.

Psychology professor Diane Kappen said compulsive eating is now almost considered physiological.

“Instead of thinking deep psychological problems, they’re finding more and more that it is the way people are setup physiologically, because the hormones that you should have to stop you from eating aren’t there,” said Kappen.

Environmental influences around the holidays could also contribute to weight gain, for example the increased availability of food. Also, drinking around the holidays could be a contributing factor.

“I think it is because people just enjoy the food, and enjoy the company that they are with, they may drink more, which causes a weight gain as well and you don’t stop because the food is always there.” said Kappen.

It is almost no surprise that the most common New Year’s resolution goal is to lose weight, especially after the massive consumption of food during the months prior to New Year’s Eve.

As a social psychologist, Kappen said that she regularly sees a lot of people close to her who use the holidays as a way to make up for not eating during their regular schedule. She believes that it is a common habit for many of the students at the college.

“So some people make it their New Year’s resolution to lose all that weight and try to exercise and some people don’t. And so they keep that five to seven pounds,” said Kappen.

Barb Able, general nutrition instructor, offered some tips on how avoid compulsive eating this time of year.

“That month between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve is really hard to maintain a healthy eating style. But what you should never ever do is [go to] a party hungry,” said Able. “Always try to have a light snack before you go whether it’s a piece of fruit or just half a sandwich. Otherwise, it tends to be counter-productive because you’ll overeat when you get to the party.”

Able said this is one of the only times of the year that people can indulge themselves, so it’s okay to do so. But she again offered some of her advice for those that do.

“You know sometimes it’s the only time of the year where we get those foods. But what I recommend is go to a smaller plate. If you’re hosting the party don’t use huge platters. Also, kind of scope out the buffet table before you get in line. I would try to fill my plate with vegetables and maybe a tablespoon of the yams and mashed potatoes.”

Holiday plate averages

2.4 billion lbs of sweet-potatoes produced in 2012
16 lbs of turkey is consumed by the average American household
The average Thanksgiving meal in America is around 2,500 calories
On Thanksgiving California consumes the most turkeys
The average American will gain 5 to 7 lbs in the months of November and December

Police Briefs

November 20, 2014

Possessions stolen from locker room

Members of a student organization returned from practice to find that their possessions were stolen from the women’s locker room on Nov. 12 between the hours of 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Five members had left items such as wallets and phones in the women’s coaches’ locker room where they were unattended.

Cell phone stolen

A student’s cell phone was stolen when she accidentally left it in a green chair outside of Carlsen Center room 115. The student had been sitting in the chair and accidentally left her phone when she left. After she realized it was missing, the student returned to the chair and the phone was gone.

Backpack missing

A student left his backpack in a classroom on the third floor of the Carlsen Center on a Friday afternoon. He initially thought he had misplaced the backpack and checked other locations he had visited prior to class but was unable to locate the it or any of its contents. He reported to campus police that he believes it was stolen.

Compiled by Christina Lieffring, news editor, clieffri@jccc.edu

News Briefs

November 20, 2014

United Way donations increased

This year, 98 of the college’s employees contributed to the United Way workplace fundraiser, which ended Monday, Nov. 17. The fundraiser collected a total of $28,203.95, a 4.4 percent increase from last year’s total. Funds will go towards organizations that work on issues of poverty, literacy, well-being and career readiness.

Shaving for a good cause

The Student Senate has organized Shave to Give, a fundraiser for JCCC Gives. Students and faculty have pledged to dye their hair or shave their facial hair if a certain monetary amount is collected. As of press time, students were polling at the Student Senate table in COM over whether President Joe Sopcich should dye his hair red or green. Funds will be collected every Wednesday in November from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Compiled by Christina Lieffring, news editor, clieffri@jccc.edu

Professor led campaign to remove judge

November 20, 2014

Involvement helps inform local and state politics

By Forest Lassman

flassman@jccc.edu

For the past few months, Brian Baumgardner has worked to remove Johnson County Judge Kevin Moriarty.

His campaign to remove Moriarty started as part of a movement to remove members of the Kansas Supreme Court. On July 25, the court overturned the death sentences and three of the four capital murder convictions for Reginald and Jonathan Carr. The murder took place 14 years ago, and many were upset that the brothers had to be re-tried.

Baumgardner wanted to inform others about the two Supreme Court judges who were up for re-election on Nov. 4. With others, he formed the group pink slips for dishonorable judges.

On Oct. 8, Moriarty issued an order to start issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. After the ruling, Baumgardner and the group decided to focus on the “stinker” Moriarty.

Baumgardner’s issue with the order was that it broke the judicial line of command.

“It was anti-constitutional. He’s a judge, he knows better,” said Baumgardner. “This is a guy that’s got a long history of dishonorable behavior unworthy of a judge.”

One of the “dishonorable behaviors” cited by Baumgardner was the charge that Moriarty masturbated during a 2007 divorce he mediated. These charges were filed in 2009, but have since been dropped. The accuser, Kimberly Ireland, later issued an apology, saying the claims were false.

Baumgardner is married to Molly Baumgardner, associate professor and adviser to ECAV Radio and JCAV-TV, and is also a state senator. While she did not help lead the movement to remove Moriarty, she still finds that the judge overstepped his boundaries as a judge.

“They’re suppose to rule impartially based on the state law and the state constitution, and I don’t think he did that,” she said.

To spread the word, Brian Baumgardner used social media. He set up websites and used Facebook to spread the word. He also gave interviews to various media outlets, such as the Kansas City Star.

Despite these efforts, the two Kansas Supreme Court justices and Moriarty were retained.

Baumgardner does see ways he could have run the campaign against Moriarty better.

“[I would] probably explain that [the campaign against Moriarty] had nothing to do with his current action. We’ve felt that he has been a long-time embarrassment to Johnson County’s judicial system,” said Baumgardner.

“If I learned anything from this experience, it is that judicial selection in the state of Kansas needs to be re-addressed,” he said.

Baumgardner thinks the current retention system is too easy on judges, citing the high retention numbers.

“No judge in the 57 years of Kansas statutes since the retention law came in, has ever not been retained. Not one. There is an instance [Richard Greene in 2012] whereby when they couldn’t get the dead man off the ballot because of statutes. A dead judge got retained,” he said.

On Nov. 18 the Kansas Supreme Court ruled that Moriarty was within his right to issue the order, allowing same-sex marriages in Johnson County.

Video employees explore Kansas City Ballet in an aspiring documentary

November 20, 2014

By Valerie Velikaya

JCAV employees discuss production of the documentary about New Dance Partners. The film will make its debut in early December *(pictured from left: Cara Myers, Efrem Duran, Rob Fulton, Andrew Tady, Molly Baumgardner, Joe Petrie)*. **Photo by Valerie Velikaya.**

vvelikay@jccc.edu

Employees in JCAV are working to create a documentary representing New Dance Partners, a collaboration of the Kansas City Ballet and two local dance companies. The college commissions the project, which made its debut in September 2013. Students involved in the making of the film are working alongside Emmy award-winning filmmaker and video editor, Cara Myers, who offers her perspective on capturing the stunning choreography and dramatic storytelling of each performance.

“She’s been kind of helping us piece together this thing,” said Executive Producer of JCAV and student Andrew Tady. “We’ve never undertaken such a huge project and as part of the grant thing, she is here to help us out.”

During the summer, the college received a $36,689 grant to support New Dance Partners. The grant was issued by the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission to promote the growth of creative industries.

The video project started in mid-September as JCAV employees followed the dancers to their rehearsals and concerts. During these excursions, the videographers would get a backstage glimpse of the dancers in motion.

“They were only practicing with their choreographers for a couple weeks beforehand so we were filming over those couple weeks and then up to the final performance,” said Producer of JCAV and student Dylan Genis.

The filmmakers traveled to several destinations, including the Todd Bolender Center for Dance & Creativity, UMKC as well as the college where they got a behind-the-scenes look at the dress rehearsals. Each dance troupe performed to a distinctive storyline, dictated by their choreographer; critically-acclaimed dance instructors include Robert Moses, representing the Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company, Owen/Cox Dance Group, choreographed by Penny Saunders; and Amy Seiwert for the Kansas City Ballet.

“Well, we weren’t really allowed backstage the night of the performance because it’s all about concentration,” said Joe Petrie, adjunct professor of journalism and JCAV adviser. “They were deep into concentration – very locked and focused. That was sort of impressive. It was amazing to see how focused they were – how intense they were. It was also interesting because we got to see the finished product.”

A public screening will be held for the documentary, titled “New Dance Partners,” at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 7 at the Rio Theatre in Overland Park.

The trailer can be viewed here:

The long and winding road

November 20, 2014

A ‘naturalized’ Kansan shares his trek across the state

By Christina Lieffring

clieffri@jccc.edu

Born in New York and having spent his young adult life in D.C., Henry Fortunato admits he didn’t see himself winding up in Kansas.
“Living in Kansas was never part of my grand plan,” said Fortunato. “It just became fact and I’m really happy it did.”
Fortunato first came to Kansas for a job and joked that he was an “accidental Kansan.” When he pursued his masters in American Studies at KU, he progressed to an “unlikely Kansan.” And now, after 17 years here, he considers himself to be a “naturalized Kansan.” To commemorate this, he decided to walk across the state.

“Taking this particular walk at age 58 across the state was a confirmation of my joy in being a Kansan,” said Fortunato.

For Fortunato, walking is more than a leisure activity: it is a lifestyle.

“Not only am I a walker, I am not a driver,” he said. “I am a pedestrian and happy to be one.”

He spent years taking practice hikes and “reconnaissance rambles” to build stamina and develop a route. He followed the Kansas River Valley to the Smokey Hills Valley then went south along the Santa Fe Trail and finally headed west so he would pass through historic Dodge City.

This route was inspired by history but also guided by logistics.

“My itinerary was a function of distance and places to stay. I do not carry a tent, sleeping bag, cooking equipment [nor] food,” said Fortunato. “I want to stay indoors every night in a hotel, a motel, a guesthouse, a B&B, somebody’s couch, whatever. I want to be indoors.”

Fortunato hopes that his trip will inspire others to follow his footsteps across the state.

“I have a vision for what Kansas could be,” he said. “I think Kansas could become a great walking state; a place where people come and spend two, three, four, five days taking little cross-country hikes.”

He thinks Kansas would be especially great for hiking because many of its finer qualities are lost when people pass through in a car.

“When people drive across Kansas on 1-70 at 70-plus miles per hour, it’s all a blur. It’s all a blur, there’s nothing that stands out. You can’t wait to get across the state. When you do it at three miles per hour, it’s an entirely different experience. You see the changes in the land. You see that there are actually a dozen different shades of green, perhaps a dozen different shades of yellow. But mostly it gives you an opportunity to have chance encounters with strangers – to poke around in small towns and see what there is to see.”

Fortunato came across many characters along the way: a theatre director who turned down a job in Aspen, Colo. in order to embrace the challenge of bring theatre to Greenburg, Kan.; artists and art curators that have “embraced the lunacy of the Garden of Eden” and are attempting to build an epicenter for folk art in Lucas; a man trying to put Lecompton, Kan. on the map as the “cradle of the Civil War.”

“Place after place, there are people who have great ideas about what they can do to make Kansas a better place,” said Fortunato.

Other recommended hiking trails and sites:

Garden of Eden (Lucas, Kansas)
Prairie Spirit Trail
Flint Hills Nature Trail

Cooking up the community

November 20, 2014

Students assemble cookbook

By Francais Owen Healy

fhealy@jccc.edu

Food is a central part of every person’s life. This is especially true for college students.

While nourishment is the goal, food is one of the most important social activities people partake in. It’s something we share with our friends, family and offspring.

Enter the college’s cookbook, which is being developed by the nutrition club on campus.

“It’s like a community cookbook,” said Anna Page, assistant professor of dietary management at the college. “We haven’t had a [college] cookbook for quite some time so I approached the nutrition club last year and said, ‘Would you guys be interested in spearheading this?’”

The cookbook is currently in its early stages of development and the nutrition club is in search of new recipes. While they would like healthy recipes if possible, all kinds of flavorful ideas are welcome, including desserts, lunch, dinner or breakfast entrees, snacks, quick meals, soups, salads, breadsticks, beverages and even crafty juicing recipes.

“We’re mostly still in the collection process. Next semester, once the recipes are collected, we’ll work on compiling the whole thing and making it a reality,” said Hannah Lusk, sous chef at the college and president of the nutrition club. “Without enough recipes there won’t even be a book so we want as many as we can get.”

Lusk is part of the dining services on campus, which is a big incentive to check out the cookbook once it comes out sometime next semester. Many of the recipes served in Down Under and the annual lunch sponsored by the Student Sustainability Committee will be included in the cookbook.

Despite the professional contributors to the cookbook, anyone on campus is free to include their own ideas.

“I think a big part of this is for people to contribute their own recipes. There’s going to be recipes from [campus] chefs, from myself and other students,” said Lusk. “It will be cool to see your own recipes in the cookbook. If students didn’t contribute then it wouldn’t be a college community cookbook. The whole point is that everyone contributes.”

If you want to be a part of the cookbook, include your name, email address or phone number; the type of recipe and a picture of the food itself (if you have one) in 8×11 format (RTF, Word, PDF, etc.) and turn it into HCA 103L or email jcccnutritionclub@gmail.com. Entries will be accepted until the end of the semester.

Staff Editorial: Can we truly give thanks?

November 20, 2014

Black Friday is perhaps the most ironic day of the whole year. One day, we give thanks for what we have, and the next, someone might die over a One Direction doll. Hundreds of people will line up outside of stores for the best product deals in hopes of getting to them before someone else beats them to it — no, literally, they might physically beat you to it.

Years ago it seemed that Black Friday didn’t actually start until Friday (as the name suggests) and now those “doorbuster sales” will start as early as 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving. So basically the whole point of Thanksgiving gets thrown out the window.

Every year, a number of reports come out in the news that talk about how people get injured and even killed over materialistic items.

Even if you venture out into the madness don’t be one of those people. No item or present is worth your well being.

Additionally, it’s funny that the holidays are meant to be about giving back. The holidays are usually a time when kids are constantly reminded that Santa Claus is coming! However, it’s probably the parents who should mind their manners. And yet Black Friday now kicks off the holiday craziness.

We buy gifts for our friends and family in hopes they will like it. Let’s not forget that the greatest gift is the relationship you have with them though.

This year we challenge you to take a look around, whether you’re at a party or not, and truly be happy for people you have around. At the end of the day what TV you own, what clothes you wear or what car you drive doesn’t really matter.

Welcome to winter

November 20, 2014

Season offers unique charm

By Forest Lassman

flassman@jccc.edu

Winter technically starts in December, but if you step outside right now, it’s hard to tell. Snow has already hit, and the feeling is already gone in my toes.

Winter is the part of the year that humans weren’t made for. The weather is so hostile you have to retreat into your house and sit next to whatever produces the most heat. The cold weather fights you at every turn. The short days limit what you can do, and the color fades away. Plants die and so does the engine of your car.

The summer may melt your brain, but the winter just freezes it, stopping it from moving until you go insane.

I love avoiding the non-carpeted areas of my house. I love pulling out my blankets and setting them up in strategic areas of the house, and I love the frantic rush to get a log outside so I can start the fire.

I know part of this love may be slight Stockholm syndrome from suffering through the torturous days, but some of it is genuine love.

One of the reasons for that love is due to the fact that everything slows down in the winter. Since going outside is deadly at times, we sit inside all day. This allows time to relax to get things done. I’ve read the most books and finished the most movies in the winter. We are able or rather, forced to finish massive projects this time of year, and most of that is because we aren’t distracted by nice weather and sunshine.

Winter also gets a lot more comfortable. You have an excuse to wear the biggest and warmest clothes you have. You get an excuse to lay in bed, as the cats and dogs of the house start to cuddle with you more. Nothing feels better than a 10-minute shower in the middle of December.

It’s also an excuse to get together with other people, and to give gifts. We have a string of holidays to help us make it through the unpleasant winter. We get bonuses at work and we get to eat tasty, warm food. This is all to try and make up for the horrible weather outside, and for the most part, it works. Even with the god-awful environment, December has the lowest suicide rate of any month.

Finally, winter is the time to reflect. While waiting inside, we have a lot of time to think about what we will do when we are free from it. It’s a time of rebirth with the snow creating a clean slate for us.

Change is good, and winter is when the world transforms the most. Snow changes all of our familiar places. It doesn’t destroy, it just alters. New paths are created, and the past is hidden. Life is constantly changing, and winter is the time we get to remember that.

Also, “Die Hard” was set in the winter, so winter wins.

Sports Briefs

November 20, 2014

Women’s basketball

The colleges Women’s basketball squad is off to a blazing hot start as expected. The Cavs are 7-0 and have won every game by an average margin of 56 points. The Cavs are obliterating opponents averaging 96 points per game.

The Cavs will travel Dean College Sunday who is also undefeated this season and has won every game by convincing margins. The game will most likely be the toughest challenge of the season for the Cavs so far.

The Cavs are currently ranked 4th in the nation. Nieka Wheeler leads the team in scoring with 14.7 points per game, Alexis Borwn is second with 12.1 points per game and Braile Fields is third with 10.3 points per game. Wheeler leads the Cavs with 6 rebounds per game, Hunter Thomas is second with 5.6, Chelsey McGee is third with 5.2. and Kayonna Lee is fourth with 5.1 per game. McGee leads the Cavs with 4.3 assists per game and Lee is second with 3 per game.

Men’s basketball

The men’s basketball team is currently 3-3. They had their most impressive victory, 76-48 over Southeastern College on Tuesday night. The Cavs hope to build on their victory before their conference, which starts on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at home against Hesston. Danzel Wright leads the Cavs with 16.7 points per game and Jaron Rollins is second with 12.8 per game. Rollins leads them in rebounds with 7.5 per game and Warren Specht is second with 5.8 per game. Dontae Gibson leads the team in assists with 2.3 and Wright is second with 2 per game.

Compiled by James Howey, sports editor, jhowey@jccc.edu

A player away from home

November 20, 2014

By Dylan McGirr

Special to The Ledger

The men’s basketball team looks to hit the ground running this year. They have a whole new roster and look to build a quality team.

One player, Tracy Davis, is looking to achieve the ultimate prize this year. He is not a local player but looks to be a strong influence this season.

Davis was born and raised in the city of Cocoa; Fla. and started playing the game when he was only six years old. He played basketball all throughout high school at Cocoa High, where he played football for two seasons as a quarterback and as a safety.

The college had some scouts down in Florida when they saw Tracy play; they liked what they saw and had him come up to the college for a visit. While he was here, Davis had the chance to experience what it was like to be a Cavalier. He got to see the campus itself, the team, the coaching staff, and the academic programs that the college has to offer. He liked what he saw.

“I wanted to get away from my home state, and get away from all the distractions; I wanted to find a new environment,” Davis said.

Davis has not decided what he will be majoring in yet, but he feels very confident on what he plans to do after college.

“I would like to have a career in basketball, but you always need a Plan B because you never know what can happen with injuries. If not basketball then an athletic trainer would be what I’d like to do. I want to stay in sports,” he said.

Davis wants to accomplish one thing this season: He wants to help lead the Cavs to a National Championship. His coaches and teammates believe Davis is a key element to the team.

“Davis gets along well with the rest of the team, attitude is good and the players are growing together as a team,” said Mike Jeffers.

Davis doesn’t think they will have too many challenges to face this upcoming season.

“We have some height disadvantages this year, that’s probably our biggest disadvantage.” Davis said.

Jeffers is under the impression Davis will make a strong impact on the team this year, especially on the defensive side.

“Davis has great rebounding ability and can get the ball through traffic very quickly. He always seems to get it in the basket when needed,” said Jeffers.

Davis wants to be a great team player and a role model for this group of players.

“I plan on being a leader for this team, a strong inside presence, and a great outside specialist,” Davis said.

Jeffers said he feels these players have the potential to win this season.

“We have a lot of good players this year, we have good pieces to be a competitive team,” Jeffers said.

There are some useful things the players can learn from playing basketball that can be helpful in the classroom.

“Learning the plays, it’s just like studying for a test. The more you study the better you’ll be, always learn new things,” Davis said.

Police Briefs

November 10, 2014

Ex-boyfriend assaulted

A student reported to campus police that he was assaulted during a verbal disagreement with his ex-girlfriend’s boyfriend. The victim was uninjured and the matter was forwarded to the Dean’s office. The incident took place in the Carlsen Center on the morning of Monday, Oct 27.

License plate stolen

A student’s vehicle license tags were stolen from his vehicle, which was parked in the Galileo Garage during his class. He reported that the vehicle was not damaged. Campus police are investigating the theft.

Backpack stolen

A student’s backpack was stolen from behind his chair in the Student Lounge in the Commons building. The student had hung the backpack from the back of the chair he was seated in. No one witnessed the theft. A search was conducted but the backpack was not found. It also contained his cell phone.

Compiled by Christina Lieffring, news editor, clieffri@jccc.edu

News Briefs

November 10, 2014

Veterans Week

Monday, Nov. 10: Grand opening of the Veteran and Military Student Resource Center. Ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. Refreshments provided afterward.

Tuesday, Nov. 11: Professor Ron Stinson will perform “Taps” and Ed Smith will sing a veteran’s song at 11 a.m. on the hill outside the Commons building.

A lunch honoring college faculty and staff who have served in the military will be served in the Regnier Center.

Wednesday, Nov. 12: Artist and art educator Elizabeth Washburn founded Combat Arts where she makes art with veterans. She will discuss her experiences at 7 p.m. in the Hudson Auditorium.

Thursday, Nov. 13: Screening of documentary “Coming Back with Wes Moore” where Veteran Wes Moore talks about veterans returning from war. The presentation will be held at 11 a.m. in GEB 233.

Friday, Nov. 14: Dr. Jay Antle will present a retrospective of propaganda posters from WWI and WWII at 2 p.m. in GEB 233.

Over $21,000 donated to United Way

The college’s fundraising campaign for the United Way had, as of Monday, Nov. 3, collected $21, 564.18 from 84 employees. The campaign was extended until Friday, Nov. 7.

Compiled by Christina Lieffring, news editor, clieffri@jccc.edu

You are your choices

November 10, 2014

‘Choices project’ examines the choices we make and their effects

By Christina Lieffring

clieffri@jccc.edu

Just past the entrance to Yardley Hall, handwritten notes were taped onto a series of bulletin boards. Most of them were anonymous, ranging from the amusing, “Sometimes I don’t know what I want to do with my life and it scares the s**t out of me,” to the painfully earnest; one said they chose to come to the college because their boss committed suicide.

That kind of honesty is not lost on student Theresa Delarosa.

“People are allowing themselves to be vulnerable and write out legit stuff that’s happened to them and that’s really brave of people to do that,” said Delarosa.

Maureen Fitzpatrick, one of the organizers of the project, said she was pleasantly surprised by how honest many of the entries were and the diversity of personalities and experiences they reflect.

“They reflect legitimate choices and the kind of choices that you know we’re faced with; decisions that are both dramatic and seemingly mundane every day,” said Fitzpatrick.

The project was inspired by “The Other Wes Moore,” this semester’s Common Read that examines two men named Wes Moore, their decisions and the consequences of their actions.

“They each make different choices in part because of who they are as individuals, but in part because of the choices that are presented to them in life,” said Fitzpatrick. “And their lives go in drastically different directions.”

It was also inspired by “The Strangers Project,” where a young man asked strangers in New York to share a story from their life with him.

“We walk by hundreds of people every day on this campus,” said Fitzpatrick, “and we have no idea really what’s going on in their lives and what choices they made.”

Reading their fellow counterparts’ submissions can help students relate through their shared experiences.

“It helps people see that other people are going through things too, that they’re not alone,” said student Max Ledom.

Madison Cook was especially moved by a middle-aged woman’s post about choosing to continue her education in order to become a doctor.

“It’s inspiring,” said Cook. “It kind of shows that it doesn’t matter what age you are, you can go back and accomplish something.”

The display was taken down Friday, Oct. 31, but Fitzpatrick hopes it will either become a recurring event or inspire other interactive displays on campus.

A different kind of coach

November 10, 2014

Student assists women’s basketball team for nearly a decade

By Mike Abell

mabell@jccc.edu

Most student athletes at the college are in one year and out the other. However, Brody Fuentes has been studying at the school while involving himself with the women’s basketball team for over seven years.A number of years ago, when women’s basketball Coach Ben Conrad was first hired, he told Coach Ryan Morley that he was searching for members of his scout team. Morley then recommended Fuentes, who was in his basketball class at the time.

Fuentes has filled multiple roles on the team during his seven year stay. Those roles include talent scout, volunteer assistant coach and helping the team with drills during practice. Fuentes also watches opposing teams and identifies their plays. Conrad has said that he is thankful to have someone like Fuentes around the team.

“I think having Brody in his different capacity over the years has been huge for our program and huge for me,” said Conrad. “He is very passionate about our program and he is just a really valuable guy to have around.”

Fuentes also enjoys sports like football and soccer, but basketball has always been his favorite. With each year, he notices the team strengths and weakness, but he is very excited about the prospects of this year’s team.

“This year’s team is extremely athletic,” said Fuentes. “In the past six years, I think there have been three really good teams that could have won it all. Last year, we had one of those teams. This year I think we have a chance to be really special.”

Additionally, Fuentes also helps out with both of the soccer teams and volleyball team whenever he can. Even with this work, scouting is Fuentes focus.

“I try to do other things like get [the program] out in the community. I tell people when all the games are coming up, spread the word and try to get everyone involved with our athletics,” Fuentes said.

For a few years Fuentes traveled with the team, however due to other commitments, he is unable to continue traveling.

What keeps Fuentes at the college is the people and atmosphere.

“I’m loyal to Coach Conrad and he has been good to me ever since I’ve been here,” Fuentes said. “There have been times where I thought about leaving and getting a full-time job and not having to work around this as my schedule, but I think just [like] helping the girls and seeing them become better people on and off the court from when they start to when they leave here. It’s just a cool place to be and I love all the people here.”

New Veteran’s Center opens

November 10, 2014

Center supports and connects student veterans

By Christina Lieffring

clieffri@jccc.edu

With the U.S.’s presence in Iraq and Afghanistan winding down, the college has seen an increase in veterans on campus. More staff were hired to address veterans’ needs, but with continued increases in enrollment, it soon became clear they needed more space.“We spilled out into the reception area of the third floor,” said Kena Zumalt, veteran service coordinator at the veteran and military Student Resource Center. “By moving into a dedicated space, that puts all our staff together, which is good, but it also allows us to be able to serve the students better.”

The new Veteran and Military Student Resource Center is a “one-stop-shop” to assist veterans with the challenges of transitioning from regimented, military life to the “relatively chaotic” college life, surrounded by students straight out of high school.

“[I]t can be a very isolating experience,” said Zumalt.

When Eric Gromly, an Iraq veteran, was a student, he’d try to hang out at the Student Lounge between classes.

“I felt kind of out of place because I was 25 then,” said Gromly. “And so it’s kind of nice to have a place for veteran students to come.”

The majority of student veterans served in the recent Afghan and Iraq wars – they tend to be older than the average student, married or have children and work full- or part-time.

Chris Hinds, president of the Veterans Club, also served in Iraq and said military veterans also have a different worldview.

“Our outlook on the world is unique because we’ve been to places like [Iraq and Afghanistan] and have seen what we’ve seen,” said Hinds.

Gromly now works in the center, connecting veterans with Veteran’s Affairs (VA) to ensure they receive their benefits.

“I like it that I’m telling people about the same type of benefits I once used because I think it gives them, the veterans, a sense of trust,” he said. “You’re hearing it straight from someone who used the benefits.”

Zumalt is the only non-veteran working in the center and she and her staff have worked hard to create a space where veterans can hang out and connect with fellow veterans.

“There’s no connection like between a veteran and another veteran,” said Hinds. “I could meet a veteran tomorrow that I’ve never talked to and he could find out that I’m a veteran and the instant connection that we have just because of that common military experience is amazing.”

“If you’ve ever been around an older veteran, they just love to talk about their military experience,” said Gromly. “And we – now that we’re all out of the military – we’re getting to that point where we’re all reminiscing on all that.”

One issue discussed frequently is Post- Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which Hinds is committed to educating veterans on.

“You don’t go to a place like that and come back not changed,” said Hinds. “The thing about PTSD is if you keep pushing it down and pushing it down it gets worse and worse and worse. So one of the big things for me is making sure that everybody’s educated about PTSD and in the right way.”

Hinds works to educate the general public on the disorder as well.

“I have PTSD,” said Hinds. “That does not mean that I’m out in front of my front yard digging holes as the media would like you to think.”

“So education for me is the big thing that I want the veteran’s club to [accomplish].”

On top of being a place to hang out and connect with other veterans and veterans’ services, the center is a safe place for student veterans to seek help about whatever issues they may be facing.

“We try to create a culture of confidence and trust that if a student’s having a hard time, they’ll come in and talk to one of us.” Zumalt.

The average transition time from military to civilian life is from four to eight years.

“It’s nice to know that there are other people on campus that are transitioning that they can talk to about transitioning,” said Gromly.

For veterans making the transition on campus, it’s a relief to know that they are not alone.

Post-election woes

November 10, 2014

By Francais Owen Healy

fhealy@jccc.edu

Another election day has come to pass, and six months from now we’ll all be hearing those same old tired pleas from disgruntled citizens. They’ll say things like “a black and white, republican or democrat, mentality amongst voters has destroyed political discourse in our country!” and “what we truly need is actual change on an individual level, we need to stop clinging to preexisting group think and read more into politics to find where we are all truly aligned!.”

Can you believe these people? Some of them don’t even vote! It’s like they don’t appreciate the unique opportunity we have here in America to vote for political candidates that will make decisions you agree with. I always just tell them if you didn’t vote you have no right to complain! Being in a political system in which you either attempt to force your will unto others or face having other’s will imposed unto you is a choice you personally made and now you have to deal with the consequences! If you think you might be one of these ruffians here’s some advice on how to vote the next time around so your voice is heard!

First you have to choose a political party to vote for. Researching for yourself and looking beyond party lines to find individual candidates who resonate with you is so hard with the advent of the internet, so instead just do it the easy way! All you have to do is think about how your parents voted and then vote that way. If that option doesn’t work for you, you can always just think about your favorite politically vocal high school teacher or college professor and vote for the party they probably not-so-subtly endorsed. Everyone knows it’s not super petty to be in a position of authority and talk like your political opinions are fact. Many journalists do it as a career, so you know it’s cool! If you’re still having trouble choosing, just listen for issues that you get emotional over and conform to whatever party claims to give you what you want. Don’t think about the consequences! That’s some real independent thinking there!

After that you’re basically done, all you have to do then is just wait for political ads to go on TV and listen for your party and the name associated with it and vote for that guy (or gal!) so you know what name to tick on the ballot!

Don’t worry though; if that’s too much work the government even puts the political party of each candidate next to them on the ballot so you can just pick whatever is there.

After that you’re done! If you did everything right you’ll probably have either Democrat or Republican marked. Good job! As you know, those two parties and their members by extension represent everyone in America completely. Poor Europeans have tons of political parties that commonly win seats in elections, which would be hard to keep track of! It would be easy to get tricked into voting for someone that might disrupt the status quo, which is bad. Aren’t you glad you live in America?

Letter to The Editor

November 10, 2014

Mr. Abell,

The first Karate classes at JCCC were taught in 1975 by Bushidokan black belt Bob Boggs. In the fall of 1980 World Shootboxing Champion Steve Mackey, who was in charge of running the Bushidokan system, took over as JCCCs instructor.

When the school wanted to add night classes, they would interfere with Mackey teaching at his own dojo, so he had his black belts teach those for the school; First, Mr. Steve Stilwell, then, in 1991, Mr. Roy Porter. The next year Mr. Porter took over the day classes too, and was JCCC’s Karate instructor through the spring semester of 2013.

For nearly 40 years Bushidokan Karate was taught at Johnson County Community College. The Ledger has crafted nearly a dozen articles about the karate classes here. Sadly, for the last year there has been no karate course offered at JCCC. Administration had hinted at the possibility of partnering with a local dojo to offer an off-campus credit karate course, but that has yet to materialize.

I would suggest partnering with a Bushidokan dojo so as not to disenfranchise the students who earned rank at JCCC previously. Newly opened Blue Valley MMA is being run by 4 Bushidokan black belts, including 2 former JCCC instructors, and Blue Valley Karate is run by another former instructor. I get the impression that either dojo would be interested in hearing what the college has to offer. Whether we hire another black belt adjunct professor, or work with an outside dojo, Bushidokan and JCCC belong together.

Notes to Editor: if you are interested in quickly reviewing previous Ledger Articles about JCCCs Karate program, some time ago I had made the poster linked to here –>
https://www.dropbox.com/s/cu3l11px0p79hc8/6267746409_723cdfe257_o.jpg?dl=0

And for more information about the Bushidokan system of Karate, I began creating a website about it for one of my electives, that website is here —>http://students.jccc.edu/jreedjr/bushidokan/index.html

Best Regards,

J. Mike Reed J

Sports Briefs

November 10, 2014

Volleyball

The volleyball team will travel to Cowley for district playoffs this weekend. The squad will face Coffeyville Saturday at 3 p.m. who they beat early in the season.

“Coffeyville is an athletic team and plays with energy and excitement.” Head Coach Jennifer Ei, said “We need to play discipline and aggressive against this team to win.”

If the Cavs win they will face either Neosho or Cowley the same day at 5 p.m.

Cavs had Cowley on the ropes in their previous match with the Cavs up 13-10 in the fifth set but were unable to secure the victory and lost 17-15 in the set and 3-2 in the match.

“We could face Cowley in the second match,” Ei. “We need to play smart, consistent and aggressive volleyball to win the match.”

The Cavaliers have yet to have a real signature win on the season and they would love for that win to come this weekend. “This team is capable of anything,” said Ei. “It is a great opportunity for them to compete and win districts.”

Women’s soccer

The colleges women’s soccer squad is heading back to Topeka this year in pursuit of knocking down the door and advancing to Nationals. Standing in their way is a familiar face in Butler Community College. Butler beat the Cavs at home this year 1-0 in overtime and knocked them out last year in the playoffs 4-0.

The Cavs will face Butler at 6:30 p.m. today at Hummer Park in Topeka. If the Cavs win they will face the winner of Hutchinson and Barton County tomorrow at noon. Seven players on the team recently receive all-conference honors for their accomplishments. Courtney Hughes, Brooklyn Meinke, Ashlynn Summar, Sydney Alexander and Jenn Howell all got first team honors while Annie Poelzl got second team and Maddie Waner was an honorable mention.

Men’s soccer

The men’s soccer squad season unfortunately ended last week in a competitive loss on the road at Coffeyville. The Cavs fell behind early in the game 2-0 in the first half. The Cavs would rebound to draw the lead to 3-2 in the seventy sixth minute but eventually fell short 4-2. They finished the season with a 7-7-3 record.

Compiled by James Howey, sports editor, jhowey@jccc.edu

Cavs will look to build on excellence

November 10, 2014

By James Howey

jhowey@jccc.edu

With the arrival of the basketball season at the college comes another reloading of talent for head coach Ben Conrad and the women’s basketball team. The Cavaliers lost nine key contributors from last year, but still start the season ranked 4th nationally and predicted to win the Kansas Jayhawk Conference by the KJCCC website.“I think we’ve created a monster,” Conrad said, “I think you’d rather be in that situation than be the other way around where no one expects anything.”

13 of the squads 15 players are new this year, and expect the Cavs’ success to start from defensive side of the floor.

“I think this time of the year what I’m trying to do is really create an identity on the defensive end and really hang our hat on guarding people,” Conrad said. “Offense will always come as kids get used to playing in a system and get used to playing together.”

This team features more depth in the back-court than last year’s team and that may take them to another level. ”I think this year’s team has a higher ceiling honestly,” Conrad said. “Every one of our top six guards in my opinion is probably a division I player.”

The Cavs will continue to attack and play fast on offensive end as they always do.

“This team has the potential to play faster than last year’s team it just doesn’t yet and that will take some time,” Conrad said.

One player that the Cavs will definitely lean on is Sophomore Nieka Wheeler. Wheeler averaged 11.4 points per game last year and is certainly a key piece for the Cavs’ success this season.

“We have really good shooters on the team this year,” Wheeler said. “We have a lot of competitiveness and people who want to win and people who are not here just to be here.”

Last season ended with disappointment for the Cavs. The team lost only two games, both against Highland Community College, who stopped the team from advancing to Nationals, which was hosted by the college.

“Our motivation is to do all the little things right cause last year we didn’t do all the little things right and that’s what kind of got us beat,” Wheeler said.

The Cavs opened up the season with two blowout wins at home and will travel to Iowa this weekend for a pair of games against Briar Cliff University JV and Concordia University JV.

Muslim Students Association promotes cultural conversation

November 10, 2014

Organization offers students the ability to express their religion

By Forest Lassman

flassman@jccc.edu

The college has a large Islamic population, and the Muslim Students Association (MSA) is a group created for those students.The MSA has weekly meetings where students can discuss and learn about Islam. The atmosphere is friendly and open – sometimes food shared – with integrated ideas and videos.

Malek Barakat, the president of the group, enjoys this open format.

“People like to discuss things rather than have a lecture,” Barakat said. “We had a time before where we would assign someone or they would sign up for a topic about the religion, but we noticed that was a little boring for some people so we’ve changed things [to a more open format].”

These meetings focus on the positives of the world, covering topics such as finding spiritual moments and happiness. Videos of speakers such as Mohammed Ali are shown and discussed, and everyone is encouraged to speak their mind.

The weekly meetings are far from everything the MSA does.

“[Islam is] living a life of faith, but it’s shown through your actions,” said student Brett Cooper.

To represent these actions, the MSA holds many other activities, running everything from clothing drives to picnics.

“We’ve had several events with different clubs,” Barakat said. “Last year, we had [a presentation] with the Organization of Black Collegians where we worked together to show the movie ‘Malcolm X,’ and we worked with several other clubs in a bake sale to fund-raise for different charities.”

Discrimination of Muslim students could be a problem, but Barakat feels the school is very helpful.

“People [at the college] are more aware of what Islam is,” Barakat said. “They understand the difference between the actual religion and what’s the stereotype that the media might represent.”

A meditation room in COM 309 is also open for students to pray in, and Arsalan Abdul-Khalaq, student, finds this very helpful.

“When I first came here I was one of the Muslims who had just found a location to pray, and prayed there. Eventually, I was spotted by another Muslim… and he informed me that we have a location for prayer. He took me to the meditation room, and I never had [something like] that before,” said Abdul-Khalaq.

Even with help and education, Muslim students sometimes face misunderstandings or discrimination because of their religion.

The most common of these misconceptions is over the headscarf some Muslim women wear.

“The point of the hijab or the head-cover is a requirement for Muslim women, but it is not something they are forced into doing,” said Abdul-Khalaq. “Some women don’t do it… but no man is coming along and forcing them into doing it. They are doing it out of their own free will.”

The MSA meets Tuesdays from 2-3 p.m. and also holds Jumu’ah prayers for those not able to go to a mosque on Fridays.

Renovate year for the Cavs

November 10, 2014

By James Howey

jhowey@jccc.edu

After a woeful 2013 season with a 10-21 record the men’s basketball team is looking to get back to their winning ways of old. The squad will eventually be without their longtime head coach Mike Jeffers, who will soon take a medical leave of absence. Ryan Morley will take over as head coach in Jeffers’ stead. Morley is going into his eighth season on the staff, and has experienced success as a player at high school, junior college, and university.

“It’s been a challenge,” Morley said. “Coach and I are preparing for when he takes his leave and getting me situated in the things he does as a head coach and transfer them on while he is out.”

The Cavs will feature plenty of new faces on the court with new freshmen and players that couldn’t play due to off court issues and injuries.

“We tried to recruit high character kids,” Morley said. “Kids that we know are going to stick it out, kids we don’t need to worry about off the court.”

This year, the team is really looking to improve the defensive end of the floor more than anything.

“We were more offensive dominant and now we are trying to be defensive,” Morley said, “We recruited kids that can score so we can teach them how to play defense. You don’t need to teach them how to play offense.”

Guard Zach Nelson is one of two players on the Cavs with playing experience from last year, and helps provide leadership for the team. Nelson expects this team will be a much more fun squad to watch this year.

“I think we have more scorers and more balance,” Nelson said. “Our defense is a lot better than last years and it’s a lot more active with getting a lot more steals and I think we’re a much more exciting team than last years.”

The Cavs are 1-1. They will play Wentworth Military College at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12 at home.

Royals’ loss won’t extinguish an incendiary season

November 10, 2014

Staff Editorial

It was a slow and steady buildup, and despite a heartbreaking loss, the Royals didn’t end the season without a fight. The teams’ fan-base longed for a riveting year, eclipsed by 29 years of disappointment. This season finally gave the Royals and fans a taste of bittersweet victory.

After losing to the San Francisco Giants in game seven of the World Series, a slumped over Salvador Perez shuffled back to the dugout, but not until a crowd of approximately 40,000 fans bellowed, “Let’s go Royals!” throughout the glassy-eyed stadium.

Silence and despondency lingered in the clubhouse, a contrast to the champagne supernova-fueled nights held at McFadden’s before the take off to San Francisco.

Let’s be honest – it would have been nice to win. It would have been monumental.

But the thrill was nice while it lasted.

The atmosphere in Kansas City had never felt so energetic and a newly formed bond between the Royals and their fans replaced an enduring feeling of hostility.

Abutting the end of the season, there was no sign of disparity between the team and its fans, but rather a sense of accomplishment.

The city was proud of having such a modest and dedicated team, bringing about an influx of new fans that will recall the days of Hoz, Country Breakfast and MOOSE!

“We’re definitely going to realize what we did a couple days from now,” said James Shields. “It brought the city together. This city has been wanting this forever, for a long time.”

Despite the loss, radio, television programs and fans are speculating on what the Royals will do in the offseason… almost like a kid waiting for Christmas several months out.

And if next season’s team will be just as motivated as this year’s, the city has nothing to worry about.

We’ll take the crown in no time.

Royals Facts

The Royals are expecting at least a 25 percent jump in revenue next year.
Tickets for the game seven of the World Series were on average around $1,000.
The most expensive ticket in game seven sold for $10,500.
TV ratings for this year’s World Series were lower than average, however, the ticket prices were much higher than any of the past four years.
The average price for World Series tickets this year never fell below $800, however, average ticket prices for the last four years never exceeded $797.

Facts found at internationalbusineestimes.com, Compiled by Anna Freije

Sports Briefs

October 24, 2014

Women’s Soccer

The college’s soccer team has yet to allow a goal in their last six games. Cavaliers Goalie Maddie Warner earned KJCCC goalie of the week honors two weeks ago. The Cavs are 14-4 on the season and 9-1 in the Jayhawk. The Cavs will host Butler Community College tomorrow. The Game will go a long way in deciding a three team race between Johnson County, Butler, and Hutchison Community College for first place in the conference. Ashlynn Summar leads the Cavs in goals with 17 and Courtney Hughes is second with 12. Brooklyn Meinke leads the team in assists with 13 and Sydney Alexander is second with ten.

Volleyball

The Cavs are 21-9 on the season after going 2-2 Florida State College- Jacksonville Tournament and beating Independence Community College. The squad is currently third in the Jayhawk conference with a record of 6-1 behind both Cowley Community College and Kansas City Kansas Community College. The Cavaliers will host Cowley on Wednesday in a huge conference showdown that could decide who wins the Jayhawk. Briana Pontious leads the team in kills with 331 and Michelle Tennant is second with 263. Alexis Hartzog leads the squad in digs with 539 and Jordan Halsey is second with 292.

Men’s Soccer

The Cavs have won three in a row to close out the season with a 9-7-3 record and a 3-4-2 record in conference. The Cavs even won a thrilling 3-2 overtime win over rival Kansas City Kansas Community College. The Cavs begin playoff action next Thursday October 30, although information is unknown as to where or who they will be playing. Trae Hunjak leads the team in goals with nine, Andrew McClanahan and Chance Lucas are second with three. McClanahan leads the squad in assists with five and Hunjak is second with four.

Compiled by James Howey, sports editor, jhowey@jccc.edu

Peyton Manning : The legend continues to grow

October 23, 2014

By James Howey

Sports fans are rarely able to witness history being made. On NBC’s Sunday Night Football, the sports world had the privilege to see the Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, arguably the greatest quarterback ever, become the NFL all-time leader in touchdown passes.

Manning passed Brett Favre and now has 510 touchdown passes in his career and he is far from done. Many people have speculated that Manning may have a staggering 600 touchdown passes when his career is over.

When you think about where Manning was in his career just a few years ago, this accomplishment is truly remarkable. Manning could hardly throw a football 15 yards and many feared that his career was over. Now Manning is back and playing better than ever.

Manning is often the recipient of a great deal of flak for his playoff record. I believe that Manning’s greatness is often taken for granted. A story came out last week that a number of scouts at the NFL said that, if given the choice, they would rather play against Peyton Manning than San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

In this day and age, it’s easy to become overly enamored with the new mobile quarterbacks who are emerging in football. The beautiful brilliance of Manning’s drop-back artistry has too often been overlooked. It’s hard to imagine seeing another quarterback with the type of command and precision that Manning plays with. Watching Manning play quarterback is like watching Picasso paint, listening to Einstein explain the theory of relativity or watching Charlton Heston act. We are witnessing a master of his craft at a level that few have ever reached.

As a long time Broncos fan, I can’t even begin to explain how fortunate I and other Bronco fans are to have Manning leading our team. Before Manning signed with the Broncos, they were plagued with constant inconsistency and mostly average quarterback play. Now the Broncos are a Super Bowl contender every year and have the best quarterback in the league.

So the next time you get the chance to watch Peyton Manning play, just take it in and enjoy it. Relish in the fact that we get to watch a legend for just a little while longer than most people thought several years ago.

Contact James Howey, sports editor, jhowey@jccc.edu

Volleyball: A Cavs tradition

October 23, 2014

By James Howey

For many years the college’s volleyball team has been a juggernaut in national Junior college volleyball landscape. The program has seen twenty East Jayhawk conference titles, thirteen NJCAA Tournament appearances, nineteen NJCAA All-American players, and five top four finishes including a National title in 2005 under long time head coach Jill Stinson.

Stinson was head coach for Cavs volleyball 11 years from 1997-2008 and had an impressive record of 299-1201. Stinson only lost 16 conference games in all her time at the college.

According to Stinson coaching at the college was the time of her life. “I loved the players, watching them grow in their life as young women and competitive volleyball players,” Stinson said. “I truly enjoyed bringing student athletes to a school and a volleyball program that I knew was going to do it’s very best to help them be successful on and off the court.”

Under Stinson the Cavs have had 53 all-conference performers, 10 NJCAA All- Americans, five player’s selected NJCAA All-Tournament team at nationals, and 15 student-athletes that earned NJCAA Academic All-American. Stinson looked at winning almost as a second thought to working hard in practice.

“My primary focus was, teaching the game of volleyball, getting better as individual players and as a team and winning was kind of the by-product,” Stinson said. “The players probably knew more about what our record was that I did, it wasn’t something I focused on, but I absolutely knew we were getting better every day and that was most important.”

Following the departure of Stinson, the door was opened for the current head coach Jennifer Ei. Ei was an NJCAA Academic All-America honors her one year playing volleyball for the college in 2002 and was excited to take the reins of the program. “It was wonderful and an excellent learning experience to coach under Jill Stinson and then be able to take over the program was exciting to carry on the tradition.” Ei said. “I looked at the new head coaching position as a challenge and thrilled we have been successful both on and off the court.”

Ei has continued the success of the volleyball program as head coach with a record of 172-45. Ei has led the Cavs to nationals five of her six seasons leading the team and has them in contention once again this year. Ei says that players that come to play volleyball at the college have to be willing to push themselves on and off the court.

“It is important to find players who are willing to learn more about the game and themselves as players to become the best version of themselves,” Ei said. “It is essential for us to find players who have a strong work ethic because we demand a lot from them on the court and in the classroom.”

Ei enjoys the atmosphere that surrounds the college for volleyball and hopes to keep the tradition going. “We are very fortunate to compete in a strong competitive conference and also enjoy life outside of volleyball,” Ei said. “It is a family oriented place and we hope to keep this ongoing culture here at JCCC.”

Sara Slater played volleyball at the college from 2011-2012 and is third all-time in Cavs history in digs. For Slater playing at the college was an experience she will never forget. “Playing at JCCC for two years went by way too fast, Slater said. “There were a lot of times where the girls and I would say that we wish it was a four year school.”

Slater was able to play with four other players she had already played on the same club team with and they only got closer through those two years. “Along with those five girls I made great lasting friendships with everyone else I played with both years,” Slater said. “We loved each other and loved playing together and that’s what helped make my two years so special at JCCC.”

Slater doesn’t necessarily think of a specific game or moment when remembering playing at the college. Instead she thinks of the wonderful times she had with her teammates. “My best memory playing at JCCC would probably just be playing with my best friends.”

Contact James Howey, sports editor, jhowey@jccc.edu

Staff Editorial: Vote this election

October 23, 2014

It’s the time of year where you start to see political ads all over TV. Millions are spent by groups to try and convince people to vote for their candidates. These elections can have major effects on how people live. Even with all these factors, voter turnout is very low. Very few young people vote.

According to the Census Bureau, only 38% of people between the ages of 18 and 24 voted in 2012. Since 2014 is a non-presidential election, turnout is expected to be even lower. One reason why turnout is so low is because many are disillusioned. Many people think things like “My vote doesn’t matter,” but with such low turnout, this idea is becoming more and more wrong. With less people voting, those who are interested in politics can have more influence.

It is correct that one vote likely won’t change the outcome of an election, but if the millions who used that as an excuse went out and voted, the results could be completely different. Local elections may not seem as glamorous as national elections, but local politicians can help pass laws that affect you personally. Not getting involved with these choices can negatively impact the town and state you live in.

Before the 4th, try to spend just 10 minutes learning about the candidates so you can make an informed decision. Get informed, and get involved. Instead of getting sad about how everything is falling apart, go out and help solve the issues.

I’m 20 years old, I should have a Nobel Peace Prize by now

October 23, 2014

By Julia Larberg

It’s amazing how my thoughts will tumble and fall down a path that is extremely successful in convincing me that the apocalypse is right around the corner.

Today, while driving by a McDonalds, I composed a poem in my head about how sometimes a McChicken can make an en- tire day a little better. Then that leads to the question, ‘How many chemicals am I putting in my body right now?’ which goes to the thought about going into health science and being a positive force in the food crisis in the U.S.

But why should I care about food when pretty much the whole sexual ed- ucation system needs to be overhauled and reorganized to be an effective way of educating the middle to high schoolers about contraception, STDs, and the risks of unprotected sex? Which leads to thethought of why should I even care about that when there are so many child brides around the world being bought and sold as property? What about sex trafficking? What about daily violence against wom- en around the world? What about the cli- mate crisis? Because if all of the other is- sues listed don’t kill me, the climate will.

All of these questions leave me with one final question: what can I, a 20-year- old woman in Overland Park, Kansas, do to help our failing world? How am I going to use my education to help make a difference?

The answer I’ve found is realizing that this issue of wanting to solve every problem the world has is normal. There are other 20-year-olds with short brown hair, love flannel and black leggings that feel like everyday they need to take on the patriarchy or fix the environment crisis.

It’s ok to feel overwhelmed. It’s also ok to be 20-years-old. To enjoy college and take a deep breath and take a moment to genuinely appreciate my coffee or book or cat or Candy Crush for five minutes.

It’s alright to slow down and take a break from a world that seems to be falling apart around me. To not have everything figured out. To let the world fall into shades of grey and be ok with a stray non-orthographic line in my photograph.

I’m also beginning to realize that every activist and inspired twenty year old made a change in their community first. When I stop worrying and start taking care of myself and doing the little things to raise awareness and being informed, it all adds up and makes a difference.

Contact Julia Larberg, staff photojournalist, jlarberg@jccc.edu

Sandra Moran: anthropology professor and writer extraordinaire

October 23, 2014

By Francais Healy

Sandra Moran is both an accomplished teacher and an award winning writer. Moran has written three novels, the first of which is the award-winning “Letters Never Sent”, which has won four lit- erary awards and was a finalist for two additional awards.
“With ‘Letters Never Sent’, I looked at gender roles, particularly in the 1930s, 40s and 50s as opposed to what was being ex- perienced by a woman at the end of the 1990s,” said Moran.

Her second novel, ‘Nudge’, is about a business woman who is contacted by a mysterious client who wants her to write and market a comprehensive addition to the religious texts of the world.

Moran also went on the write the novel that the protagonist of “Nudge” wrote, titled, “The Addendum”. “With ‘Nudge’ I was interested in look- ing at the universality of belief because if you break down all belief systems, there are certain things they all do,” said Moran. “I found it really fascinating to look at what if all belief was really the same thing, just a different name for it.”
One of the awards that Moran was a finalist of was The Edmund White award, which Moran said she was extremely proud of. “It is fairly prodigious, I was up against four other fantastically talented authors,” said Moran. “This one is probably one of the more difficult ones to be considered for.”

Moran has a method to keeping on top of her work. It all revolves around tight scheduling and organization. “I have every day broken down as to when I’m going to write. I know I’ll get up and have a couple of cups of coffee, at least, and then I’m going to sit down and I’m going to write for at least four to five hours,” said Moran. “Usually, what I’ll do is I’ll sit down and read what I wrote the day before to get myself back into the story. I also create playlists for each of the characters. When I go running I listen to them and will be thinking about motivations for characters.”

Moran has felt drawn to writing since her adolescence. “I think I probably always had known that I wanted to write. […] I wrote my first book when I was 16 which was this awful rip off of ‘Red Badge of Courage’, it was horrible, it was like this sweeping epic of the civil war and I found it the other day and it was awful,” said Moran.

Against the advice of journalism professors and despite getting a degree in journalism, Moran still ended up writing fiction.
Moran also has some advice for aspiring writers here at the college. “The best advice I can give you is just to write. It’s really easy to say ‘oh I’ll do it tomorrow,’ or after I finish working out or after I do my laundry. The trick really is to find a time and just to sit down and write. And if you’re stuck, just write. If you’re having writers block, just write. It doesn’t even have to necessarily make sense but write just to get yourself thinking,” said Moran.

“Self publishing is really big right now, it’s really coming into it’s own, there are all sorts of avenues to get your work out there but you can’t get it out there unless you write it.”

Pat Decker, associate professor/director of the honors program at the college feels that Moran is a valuable asset to the college. “She’s an excellent instructor. Students really enjoy her in the classroom, she puts a lot of energy into the class.”

Her discipline has gotten her to a prestigious place in life through her writing. “I love teaching. and my desire is for everyone who takes an anthropology class to secretly want to be an anthropologist,” said Moran, “I’ve been here for 13, maybe almost 14 years, and I love the faculty, I love the students, and I love the campus. It’s wonderful, it’s the best job ever,” said Moran.

Contact Francais Healy, staff reporter, fhealy@jccc.edu

News Briefs

October 23, 2014

College fine arts professor included in art exhibit on Michael Brown

The college’s Laura-Harris Gascone, with the fine art department, will have an artwork exhibited as part of the “Hand Up, Don’t Shoot: Artists Respond” exhibit.

The exhibit is in response to the shooting of unarmed African-American teenager, Michael Brown, by a white police officer, which sparked a series of protests last summer. It is presented by the Alliance of Black Art Galleries and includes fourteen St. Louis galleries and artists from twelves states.

“Do you forgive Joseph Kony?”

The college will host a conference titled, “Culture of Forgiveness: Peace- Building Lessons from Uganda”, to discuss peace-building lessons from northern Uganda.

The keynote address, “Peace and Reconciliation Journalism: Do You Forgive Joseph Kony?” will be presented by Steven Youngblood, director of the Center for Global Peace Journalism at Park University.

Students who are interested in international relations, journalism, healthcare in the developing world, social justice and peace/conflict studies are encouraged to attend.

The conference is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1 in

Compiled by Christina Lieffring, news editor, clieffri@jccc.edu

Police Briefs

October 23, 2014

Student allegedly commits fraud

Dining service employees reported to campus police that a student was filling out Chick-Fil-A survey cards with incorrect validation codes to earn free chicken sandwiches.

The same dining services employee reported that the student had been getting vending machine refunds from different cashiers for the same ticket and had been doing so for a period of time.

They provided to campus police an activity log and the customer’s name, which was given to the dean of student services for further investigation.

Student caught stealing chicken

Food court employees reported a student had stolen a twelve pack of chicken nuggets by stashing them in his pants pocket.

When campus police arrived and were speaking with the employees regarding the incident, the suspect returned to the food court. He was escorted by an officer to the dean of student services.

Compiled by Christina Lieffring, news editor, clieffri@jccc.edu

Parking fines fund student activities

October 23, 2014

By Christina Lieffring

If anyone has ever wondered where money from parking tickets go, the answer depends on the violation.

Handicap parking violations on campus are handled by the Overland Park Municipal Court. A violation includes parking in a handicap parking space without a permit or with a permit that was issued to the car but not to the driver.

“Usually an officer will see someone park in a handicap spot and then run into a building which would give them reasonably that person may not be handicapped,” said Officer Ed Vesey of the campus police.

“The person is contacted and asked to provide either registration receipt, a temporary handicap placard or an identification card for the permanent handicap license plate.”

If the driver is unable to prove they are registered for the placard, campus police file a ticket, which is then handled by the O.P. Municipal Court, which charges over $100 for a violation.

“Word of advice: don’t borrow someone else’s handicapped placard,” said Vesey.

Tickets issued by the campus police and paid to the college are only $10 for the first violation or $20 for any subsequent violations.

Handicap parking violations were a growing problem on campus, so in 2012 the police chief contacted the Overland Park Municipal Court and they agreed to process them.

“The fine was higher and that would serve as an incentive to obey the handicap parking restrictions,” said Vesey.

The money from those fines go to the city of Overland Park.

According Vesey, the most common violation other than handicap parking is parking overtime in the 30 or 60 minute spaces and parking in staff/faculty lots without a permit.

These violations are handled by campus police and payments are made to the college. Students do have the option of appealing a parking ticket. However, if they do not submit their appeal nor pay the fine, a hold is placed on their record and they are unable to register or graduate.

Tickets issued by the campus police are paid to the Business Office, and according to Barbara Larson, executive vice president of financial and administrative services, that money goes into the student activity fund, which covers a wide swath of activities and organizations on campus.

“It supports student scholarships and all of the activities that take place: clubs, The Campus Ledger, graduation activities,” said Larson. “But student activity fund this is year is budgeted at $2.9 million and about half of that is for scholarships for students, grants, veterans grants, athletic scholarships, all of that.”

In 2013, the college recorded $4,120 is parking fine revenue, less than a percent of the $2.9 million budgeted for student activities. But anyone who has received a scholarship will tell you, every dollar counts.

Parking advice from campus police

Lots of students park illegally, even though the college has enough parking to accommodate the student body.

The problem is, students try to park in the wrong places.

Most students enter on College Blvd and try to find parking in the north lots by the Carlsen Center, Student Center and Fitness Center.

“You’ll see cars come in then they’ll start circling and they’ll just keep on going,” said Vesey. “It’s like a wagon train to find a spot.”

Because they’re late, the students panic and park illegally. Vesey advises students to instead take the south entrance on Quivera Rd and park in one of the large lots by the Library, ATB or SCI buildings.

“It is a lot quicker because you’re going to find a spot quicker and you can just walk to the center of campus,” said Vesey. “From that entrance, parking there, to [center of campus] is eight minutes.”

Contact Christina Lieffring, news editor, clieffri@jccc.edu

Close races expected in elections

October 23, 2014

By Forest Lassman

Gubernatorial and congressional races highlight 2014 elections

Kansas, known historically as a Republican stronghold, has many close campaigns this year.

In the gubernatorial race, Democrat Paul Davis, and Libertarian candidate Keen Umbehr look to challenge current Republican incumbent Sam Brownback.

Most polls show Brownback and Davis close or tied in the polls.

Logan Cleveland-Soter is planning to vote for Davis. “I don’t think Sam Brownback has been doing a very good job. There has been a lot of experiments he’s been trying to do that haven’t been working, and we’re in a lot of debt.”

The experiment Cleveland-Soter referred to were a series of tax cuts, which eliminated income tax for many small businesses to stimulate job growth. This plan was not as effective as it was expected to be, helping to create an opportunity for Davis.

One strange event in this race occurred when Davis was endorsed by the organization, Republicans for Kansas Values, which consists of over 100 current and former Republican officeholders.

Even with this support, many think Davis has not done enough to define his views this election, and polls have shown Brownback gaining support as election day comes closer.

Another close contest is the race for the U.S. Senate. Incumbent Republican Pat Roberts, Independent Greg Orman and Libertarian Randall Batson battle for the seat.

Democratic nominee Chad Taylor withdrew from the race earlier this year, and after many legal battles was taken off the ballot. Because of this, the Democrats are not running a candidate this year.

Brian Wright, finds this fact strange, but not entirely surprising. “[In Kansas], an independent probably would fair better in a general election than [a Democrat]. This is a Republican state,” said Wright.

Orman is running as an outsider, arguing that current Washington politics have failed Kansas. Roberts blames these failures on the Democrats, and has tried to paint Orman as no different from Obama.

Kevin Yoder also faces a tough challenger for the 3rd Congressional district against former state senator Kelly Kultala.

Wright finds these close elections intriguing. “I think the most interesting trend is throughout the Midwest, how close the elections are. Pat Roberts has the toughest election he’s ever had, and Brownback has a tough election. Congressman Yoder has a election [also]. It doesn’t mean they’ll lose, but they have serious challengers out there. That’s an indication that people are not happy with the status quo throughout the Midwest,” said Wright.

Many students around the school are still undecided, and Blake Thomas is one of those.

“I haven’t done much research into it. I usually do that the day of,” Thomas said. “I usually end up voting more Republican, but…. I’ll vote for whoever I agree with, instead of just committing to a party.”

Even though elections are close in the Midwest, Republicans are expected to gain seats in the Senate, Wright said.

Election day occurs Nov. 4, and a full list of candidates can be found online.

Contact Forest Lassman, copy editor, flassman.jccc.edu

Student recalls events of a verbally abusive relationship

October 23, 2014

By Mike Abell

October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. While many associate abuse with physical violence, there is more than one type of abuse that can occur in a relationship.

One student at the college, whose name has been changed to Jane for her security, was in a verbally abusive relationship about two years ago. Their romantic relationship started after they had formed a friendship.

“Me and the guy that I was dating at the time had been best friends for over a year. We were really good friends and we worked together,” said Jane. “In the beginning it was great – he treated me like I was a princess and we were friends for so long. But I had never really seen him in a relationship type way.”

Things were going well until he said something hurtful to her. They had been dating for about three months at the time. “We were actually having a discussion about religion until he totally went off and told me I was stupid and that I was dumb for believing what I believe,” she said. “He just went off and went on about how dumb I was. It really upset me.”

After that incident, their relationship became gradually worse over time. His acomments became more vulgar. It got to the point where her friends were all asking her why she was staying with him and she couldn’t give them a good answer.

“I wouldn’t even say that I loved him because I hear a lot of women say that they were scared. It was really none of that for me,” she said. “I just didn’t want to lose the relationship we had. I didn’t want to lose the friendship we had too.”

Jane said that whether the abuse is verbal or physical, the mental damage that can be done is the worst part of being in an abusive relationship. She still feels the repercussions to this day.

“No matter who you go out with or who you date, even if the things that your ex said to you weren’t true, you still have that in the back of your head,” she said.

Jane eventually worked up the courage to break it off. It got to a point where the relationship was “moving into physical abuse.”

Although he never actually hit her, he would hit objects around them. Davis started to fear that one day those objects would be herself.

She recalled the day they broke up. “We broke out into an argument the day we broke up,” she said. “He got really heated and started punching things around me. Like he hit the wall that was behind my head.”

After that incident, she called it off. They dated for a year. Despite what she endured, Jane feels like she is a stronger person. She had friends and family to help her with the situation. However, for those in a similar situation without a support network, there are resources here on campus.

Paul Kyle, dean of student services and success, said that the college’s counselors are always available. The college has also partnered with a number organizations such as the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (M.O.C.S.A.) and Safe Home.

“People are often scared or they blame themselves,” said Kyle. “When they get it out [in the open], they realize that it wasn’t their fault and they realize that there are sources out there who can keep it confidential or not.”

If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, call (913) 262-2868 or visit www.safehome-ks.org.
Contact Mike Abell, editor-in-chief, mabell.jccc.edu

Coach Jeffers takes a medical leave of absence

October 20, 2014

BY JAMES HOWEY

Coach Mike Jeffers manned the head coaching position at the college for 22 years. Unfortunately, he will be absent from the court this year for the Cavaliers when they open the season. The college recently announced that coach Jeffers will take a medical leave of absence to have heart prevention surgery. “He didn’t have a heart attack,” The colleges Athletic Director Carl Heinrich said. “He is just having surgery.”

“Although I don’t want to down play the seriousness of it,” Heinrich said. “It is defiantly something I would tell someone to get taken care of.” The timetable for the return of coach Jeffers is very much up in the air.

“He was hoping mid-January,” Heinrich said. “But with these things you just never know.” The Cavs basketball season starts November 4 at home against North Central Missouri College at 7 p.m. The Cavs hope for this season to be a rebound from their 10-21 record from last year.

Contact jhowey@jccc.edu

Leap into Autumn

October 9, 2014

Kansas City offers plenty of reasons to enjoy the fall season

When pumpkins adorn the streets amidst the scatterings of vibrant, multicolored leaves, the season of apple cider and pumpkin-centric activities has officially arrived.

Kansas City offers plenty of events to kick-start October, from the ever-so-popular Renaissance Festival to quaint, neighborhood gatherings like the Lenexa Chili Challenge.

Either way, whether you like to celebrate the fall amongst the crowd or embrace the season in solitude, the city provides an exciting assortment of activities fun for you and the entirely family.

A Taste of Autumn	Where to get it
Pumpkin Spice Latte	Starbucks, Scooters, Quick Trip
Pumpkin-Flavored Donuts	Lamar’s, Krispy Kreme, Donut King
Schlafly Pumpkin Ale	Gomer’s, Rimann Liquors of Lenexa

Not a fan of pumpkin? There are plenty of other seasonal comfort foods!

Homemade apple pie/cheesecake	The college’s very own pastry shop ($3 per slice, $12 for a whole cheesecake), d’Bronx ($3.50 for a slice) or any local market
Louisberg Apple Cider	Local grocery stores
Samuel Adams’ Black & Brew Coffee Stout or Mother’s Winter Grind	Gomer’s, Rimann Liquors of Lenexa, MDL Wine & Spirits

Movies to watch this fall

“The Skeleton Twins”
Starring Kristen Wiig and Bill HaderPlaying at Cinetopia Overland Park 18, AMC Studio
30 and Dickinson Palazzo 16 Theatre

“Gone Girl” Directed by David Fincher, starring Ben Affleck	In theaters Saturday, Oct. 11
“Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” Featuring a star-studded cast	In theaters Saturday, Oct. 11
“Annabelle” A horrifying prequel of “The Conjuring”	Playing in AMC Studio 30, Dickinson Westglen 18, and AMC Town Center 20
“Fury” Starring Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf	In theaters Friday, Oct. 17

Kansas City fall events

Compiled by Valerie Velikaya, vvelikay@jccc.edu

EventWhenWhereWhat

Waterfire	Oct 10 – 11, 7-11pm Friday, 12 – 11pm Saturday	Brush Creek, located in the Country Club Plaza	Observe the torch-lit bonfires as they float down Brush Creek, lighting the arch bridges of the Country Club Plaza. Designed by award-winning artist Barnaby Evans, the art installation, now in its seventh consecutive year, is a multi-sensory extravaganza that fills the district with the lingering scent of wood smoke, relaxing music and more. Free. Info: www.waterfirekc.com, 816-753-0100
Greater Kansas City Japan Festival	Oct 11, 10-7:30pm	Carlsen Center at the college	Activities include sumo wrestling, candy-making (and eating) by Miyuki and more. One can view traditional Japanese swords, listen to teh performances of drum group Denver Taiko or visit the gift shops. $12 for adults, $10 for students, $8 for children (5 and under is free). Info: www.kcjapanfestival.org, 913-469-8500
Harvest Festival	Oct 11, 10 – 4:30pm	Shoal Creek Living History Museum in Hodge Park (7000 NE Barry Rd, Kansas City, MO 64156)	Relive the simplest of times. Take part in the 19th century reenactment and stroll through the log cabins and homes, ride on the horse-drawn wagons and learn how to make apple butter or visit the pumpkin patch. $5 (5 and under is free). Info: www.kcparks.org, 816-513-7500
Renaissance Festival	Through Oct 13, 10 – 7pm	628 N 126th St, Bonner Springs, KS 66012	Go further back in time to the early 1500s. Watch knights jousting on horseback, check out the embroidered costumes, and 16th century jewelry and don’t forget to try a turkey leg as you lounge on a replica of the Iron Throne. Upcoming themes include Oktoberfest and Harvest Huzzah. $20.95. Tip: The Campus Ledger is giving away free tickets to students who submit a photo of them with this issue.
Lenexa Chili Challenge	Oct 17 – 18, 6-10pm Friday, 10am – 3pm Sat & Sun	Old Town Lenexa, corner of Santa Fe Trail Drive and Pflumm Road	The 28th annual chili challenge will take place this year with 200 teams competing in two sectors: Chili Appreciation Society International (C.A.S.I.) and Home Style Chili. In addition, contestants also compete in the Salsa, Pico De Gallo and Hot Wing contests. Competitors will arrive on Friday afternoon to set up their stations, but the real fun begins at night with live music and fireworks. The contest begins the next day and free samples will be offered (while supplies last) to the public. The winners will be announced at 4 p.m. Free. Info: www.lenexa.com
Grunäuer	11:30-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11:30-11 p.m. Friday & Saturday; 11:30-9 p.m. Sunday; 11:30-1 a.m. Wunderbar, daily; 3-6 p.m. & 10 p.m.-close, Happy Hour, daily	101 W 22nd St, Kansas City, MO 64108	In light of Oktoberfest, it’s important to take in the German culture. Grunäuer offers authentic German cuisine, a relaxing atmosphere and beer – lots of beer. Prices vary. Tip: Reserve a table ahead of time to avoid the wait.
Pastry Shop	Every Friday, 3-5:30pm while supplies last	Hospitality and Culinary Academy	The college’s very own pastry shop offers a variety of delectable treats, baked by students in the pastry/baking certificate program. Prices vary (from 50 cents for a biscotti to $12 for a whole cheesecake). Info: contact Chef Doug Flick at dflick@jccc.edu

News Briefs

October 9, 2014

Lockdown case officially closed

President Sopcich announced the campus police have closed the investigation into the reported suspicious persons on campus that prompted the lockdown on Thursday, Sept. 4. Campus police determined that the two descriptions of the suspect did not match and there is no evidence to confirm the presence of someone bringing a firearm on campus that day.

Interior design students and faculty judge local competition

Students and faculty from the Interior Design program judged a competition for the Kansas City Home & Garden magazine. Student judges are enrolled in Spring 2014 and included Grecia De Jesus, Sarah Beall, Katia Alvarez-Villegas, Annie Nguyen, Malena Webb, Patrice Mendelson, Kristen Benson, Majanay Perez, Christine Ashburn, Spenser Lehmann, Jeanne Brown, Ariadna Valentino, Jocelyn Bennett, Kathy Lee and Krista Votruba. Faculty judges were Darla Green, Bobanne Kalkofen, Dalene Erwin, Kristeen Armstrong- Scott and Kathryn Grube. The magazine is currently on newsstands and can also be seen online.

Over $1,800 raised for scholarships

The college’s annual used book sale, which raises funds for the Gene Jack and Jana E. Pinker Scholarships, raised $1,832.51 this year. Students are eligible for the Gene Jack Memorial Scholarship if they have a 3.0 GPA, show financial need and receive(d) at least a “C” in CHEM 122. For the Jana E. Pinker Memorial Scholarship, the student must be a member of Phi Theta Kappa and have a GPA of 2.0 or higher.

Compiled by Christina Lieffring, news editor, clieffri@jccc.edu

Police Briefs

October 9, 2014

Textbooks stolen from bathroom stall

A student left her books on the shelf in the stall of the women’s bathroom on the third floor of the OCB. She reported to campus police that she saw the legs of the person who went into the stall after her. She could only describe the suspect’s clothing. After the suspect left the stall, the victim said her textbook was missing but her notebooks were untouched.

Cash stolen from purse

A woman left her purse in an unlocked locker of the COM basement locker room from 5:30 a.m. until 2:20 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 1. Upon returning, she reported that someone had stolen $40 from her purse. Nothing else was missing and the woman said she did not know who could have stolen the money.

Compiled by Christina Lieffring, news editor, clieffri@jccc.edu

President says the state of the college ‘exceeds expectations’

October 9, 2014

Annual State of the College speech reports improvement and optimism

By Christina Lieffring

President Sopcich delivers his state of the college address in the Polsky Theater in the Carlsen Center. Photo by Valerie Velikaya.

clieffri@jccc.edu

In this year’s State of the College presentation, President Sopcich gave an overall positive report on the current state of the college and highlighted some of its achievements.

Sopcich said the college saw improvement in eight out of nine of the college’s key performance indicators, which includes graduation rates, student satisfaction ratings and transfer student performances.

The college has also addressed its budget concerns this year. Line items such as salaries and benefits declined by 1.7 percent even with raises and the increased cost of benefits.

Enrollment is still down, but only by one percent, which Sopcich attributed to the initiatives the college put into place this year: the new Welcome Center, adjusted course scheduling, faculty involvement in recruitment and efforts to reach non-degree seeking students. The presentation opened with a two-minute video “anthem piece,” titled “Change Your Life” that will be used to further promote the college.

Andy Anderson, vice president of academic affairs, said he believes audiences may want more details pertaining to some of these issues.

“These sorts of events you always have to touch the highlights,” said Anderson, but pointed out that by going to the Board of Trustees page on the college’s website, “one can pretty much get into the meat of issues pretty quickly.”

The college extended its reach this year by hosting events such as the National Benchmark Conference, the SIM Symposium healthcare seminars and the women’s NJCAA National Basketball Tournament. With the Diversidad Conference, the ongoing partnership with the Sukkar Institute of Business Administration in Pakistan and the service-learning initiative in Uganda by the Nursing program, the college collaborated with outside communities this past year. Anderson said he would like to see the college do more.

“Something I would like to see the college continue to expand upon is making sure that that international experience is integrated across the entire curriculum,” said Anderson. “I think every student that leaves here, frankly, should have had some sort of deep encounter with the international community and realizing that we’re, that Johnson County, that their own lives will always be part of a much broader community than we generally experience between College Boulevard and 103rd [street].”

The second half of the presentation was hosted by Jean Cantero, a student activities ambassador, and presented awards to the college’s baseball, debate, Model United Nations and culinary teams; all of which won regional or national competitions this past year. It was a spoof of televised award shows and included ball gowns, a list of competing teams and jokes.

For many attendees, such as foundation board member George Semb, the student-led segment was their favorite part of the presentation.

“That was a class act,” said Semb. “His puns were not too bad either.”

Click here to watch a video of the State of the College presentation, reported by Christina Lieffring and shot and edited by Dylan Genis of JCAV-TV.

Melissa Wells fundraiser proves an exception to the rule

October 9, 2014

By Christina Lieffring

College-wide fundraising for individuals are rare but precedented

All faculty and student emails at the college receive InfoList emails, which is why the content is restricted to only “college business,” according to Julie Haas, associate vice president of marketing and communications.

“The ‘trucks for sale,’ ‘kitten needs a home,’ ‘I have Girl Scout cookies,’ that goes out over the college’s list which is general chat,” said Haas. “In exchange for everyone being on InfoList, it’s only college business.”

Which is why the email about Melissa Wells and the efforts to raise money for her heart transplant, sent through the InfoList on Monday, Sept. 29, surprised members of the community. Counselor Alicia Bredehoeft, who is organizing the efforts to help the Wells, acknowledges that health and financial issues often go hand-in-hand.

“Their situation is very unique in the sense that Melissa is very healthy other than her heart, so she’s a very strong candidate for a heart transplant,” said Bredehoeft. “[Also] it’s affecting two of our community members because they both work here in the counseling center.”

Melissa and Alex Wells have been with the counseling center since 2007 when they were interns finishing their graduate studies, Melissa was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. After their engagement and marriage, Melissa was given the “green light” by her doctors to have a baby and gave birth to a healthy son. But afterwards her heart issues re-emerged. The Wells do not have family who are able to help them so, according to Bredehoeft, the counselors decided to help them in any way they could.

“We are their family and we’ve been their family,” said Bredehoeft.

When it became clear that a transplant was necessary, the group’s organizers helped register Melissa with the National Foundation for Transplants (NFT), a non-profit organization that can accept donations on their behalf to help cover medical bills, their mortgage and utilities for up to three months after the transplant. The average cost of a heart transplant in the U.S. is estimated at $1 million. Haas said she felt comfortable bringing their proposal to use the InfoList to the president’s cabinet because of the gravity of the situation, the organization of the fundraising and their partnership with the NFT. The cabin reviewed the proposal and approved for it to go out.

“It’s very rare [but] there is precedent for it,” said Haas. “If you look out on the wall over by the entrance by GEB, Gene Jack is on that wall.”

Gene Jack was a science professor at the college who was diagnosed with cancer in the 1990s.

“There was a campus-wide fundraising effort for him,” said Haas. “So there’s precedent for that. We just haven’t had a situation like that since then.”

The Gene Jack Memorial Scholarship was created in his memory and is funded by the annual fall book sale in COM. Melissa is on the heart transplant list, which has an average waiting period of six months.

Contact Christina Lieffring, news editor, clieffri@jccc.edu

Debate team continues excellence

October 9, 2014

By Forest Lassman

Students learn to think critically about issues

Each year, the college’s debate team is given a topic, and throughout the year, learn the topic completely, hearing and arguing it in almost every way imaginable.

Justin Stanley, coach of the team, loves the different viewpoints this process causes.

“I think it teaches people to think on their feet and think critically about issues that they will confront. To be able to communicate ideas they have about a particular issue whenever they are in a discussion about it,” Stanley said. “Being able to listen to other people’s ideas and evaluate them just helps people be better thinkers about the issues that are facing our society.”

This year, the team debates over the legalization of marijuana, online gambling, physician-assisted suicide, prostitution, and whether the sale of human organs should be legalized.

The college is well known throughout the country as one of the best places to debate. Stanley attributes these successes to a good base.

“We have talented students. We’re tremendously well supported by the administration and faculty here at Johnson County, so that has a lot to do with it. If you get administrative support and you have talented students, then you can be very successful. We’re lucky in the sense that the midwest is a hotbed of debate at the high school level and the college level. Kansas high school debate is really good, and Missouri high school debate it quite good as well. There’s a lot of high school talent to recruit from within the area,” Stanley said.

Stanley would know, as he got his start with debate growing up in Blue Springs. After coaching at Illinois State, Stanley came back six years ago, and became the head coach four years ago.

Coaching at a two-year school can offer some challenges.

“The students move on and transfer to four year institutions so quickly. There’s a very quick turnover. You generally only get students out of high school for two years, and then they go on somewhere else,” Stanley said. “You don’t get to keep the same students for four or five years.”

Students that move onto new schools do excellent in debate. In one tournament this year, the college ended up losing in the finals to a former member of the team.

Even with these high expectations, Stanley doesn’t feel pressure to be the best.

“I don’t think about the pressure of being successful in terms of winning, but more about making sure we get students who are academically successful who have opportunities to transfer and get scholarships,” Stanley said.
The team has 16 members currently, and around a third have never taken debate before.

“You don’t have to be a successful high school debater or have tremendous high school experience to be on the team, because there’s a novice division, a junior-varsity division, and an open division. You can compete against people at your same experience level,” Stanley said.

Contact Forest Lassman, copy editor, flassman@jccc.edu

Staff Editorial: College needs to invest in its students

October 9, 2014

This year’s State of the College speech was a marked improvement from last year’s, where President Sopcich admitted he could “hear crickets.” The college isn’t out of the woods yet: we still saw a decline in enrollment and the budget is still a concern.

One concern is the college investing money into programs like “FitBit,” a wellness program to improve the fitness of faculty and staff. As adults, we understand whether or not we need exercise, and we have free access to a high quality gym on campus. While many faculty and staff positions aren’t getting filled, some of the current employees are enjoying a sponsored step-tracker. It shouldn’t be the college’s job to hire such as service for its employees.

Expenditures should be used to optimize departments and improve technology. The second segment of the State of the College presentation focused on the achievements of our baseball team, debate club, model United Nations program and culinary team. These are all extra-curricular activities that are mentored, organized and supported by their departments. Some have felt their budgets squeezed this past year.

After the presentation, faculty, staff and board members commented that the segment on the students’ achievements was their favorite part. If we have spare funds for “FitBit,” that money should instead be invested in the organizations and extra-curriculars that attract and retain students. Because their success is the real indicator of the state of the college.

The pros and cons of taking a break

October 9, 2014

By Anna Freije

“We were on a break!”

“Or, were we?”

Many years since the TV sitcom FRIENDS brought the subject up, everyone in a relationship wonders the question at some point: Does it matter if you’re with someone else while you’re on a break with your significant other?

There are couples everywhere that at one point or another feel the need for some space and say, “I need a break from us”. You get really wrapped up in the idea of being with someone so much so that there comes a point that you lose yourself and just need a break. This brings up the question “is a break a ‘hall pass’ of sorts? Does the other one in the relationship get to do whatever they want to in that time that you’re just trying to clear your head? I took to the halls of JCCC and asked a few singles and a couple for their take on the famous “We were on a break” defense.

“When you’re on a break it’s not a free for all, do what you want type of thing. The girl or guy isn’t saying I want to see what it would be like being with someone else and they’re the ones with doubts. If the other person is there and fully in it, then they shouldn’t mess around with other people,” said Amy Johnson, a single student at the college.

Now, to most people her argument would sound completely logical. If you are the stable one but you’re the one that’s fooling around with someone else, do you really want to be in the relationship? According to our single male friend, that isn’t exactly the case.

James Gordon is a single man on campus that has had this happen to him, he told his girlfriend that he needed a break and she ran around with other guys on that break.

“It hurt. When I asked her why, she said that she thought me asking for a break was me not wanting to be with her anymore and that she wasn’t going to wait around. All I needed was some space to relax without pressure. School and work gets to people sometimes and when you add in a relationship that gets to be a lot. I lost the girl because I needed to be alone in my own head for awhile,” Gordon said.

Pretty different responses, right? The thought behind the “break” was to be a better version of himself; he had no doubts about the girl whatsoever. The first interview with Amy really made it sound like the other person was the unstable one in the relationship but was he? He wanted to clear his head; he was busy and had a lot going on. Don’t we all deserve some time to ourselves and have a break? Or are we all supposed to be alone together?

When I interviewed John Phillips and Savannah Hastings, my first thought was no. I thought they were completely acting for this interview, but after talking to them over time and seeing how they were, I realized they weren’t acting. They did have a break very early on in their relationship and neither of them messed around on the other.

“We still talked once a day or once every two days; I couldn’t not talk to him. Even when I knew I needed space in the relationship. I wouldn’t do it again (laughs) but it was definitely something we both ended up needing” Hastings said.

I found that extremely endearing that they still spoke so I asked Phillips what he had thought during that period of time that they were on a break.

“I’m not going to sugar coat it, it sucked. I hated that she needed space at first. I was miserable because I thought she just didn’t care about me. Then when I realized she was just run down and tired I knew it wasn’t me. I knew we would be okay because I knew then that I loved her enough for her to be what she needed at that point”. He had the most genuine look on his face that I couldn’t actually believe it. There was a pride in her face as well.

I guess what it boils down to with a break is if your heart is really in the relationship. I also think maybe just explaining why you need the break could help. That sounds reasonable right? If you want them to wait for you, you better tell them that you’re coming back. Give them a way to know that it’s not at all that you want to leave them, but that you need to get back to yourself for you and for them. If they don’t get it then move on. But, you might just find that one person that thinks you’re worth waiting for.

Contact Anna Frieje, reporting correspondent, afrieje@jccc.edu

Sports Briefs

October 9, 2014

Women’s Soccer

The Cavs have rebounded after a tough overtime loss to Hutchison 2-1 to win three straight conference games to improve their record to 10-4 overall and 6-1 in the Jayhawk. Ashlynn Summar had an outstanding game in the Cavs 5-1 over Dodger City.

Summar scored all five goals and was KJCCC player of the week. The squad will face the # 18 ranked Allen Community College Saturday in big conference matchup. Allen is 9-1-2 overall and 3-0-2 in conference.

Summar leads the Cavs in goals with 14, Courtney Hughes is second with eight, and Sydney Alexander is third with seven. Alexander and Brooklynn Meinke both lead the team with 10 assists

Volleyball

The Volleyball squad has won three in a row after going 2-2 in the JCCC challenge with tough competition. The team is 17-7 overall, 5-1 in conference and are ranked 9th in the nation. The Cavs will travel to Florida to take part in the Florida State College-Jacksonville Tournament next weekend in which three of the four teams are ranked. The Cavaliers will travel to Fort Scott on October 22 to take on the #11 ranked Greyhounds, who are 24-4 overall and 4-2 in conference.

The game is a pivotal conference matchup for the Cavs down the stretch. Briana Pontious leads the squad in kills with 267 and Michelle Tennant is second with 208. Alexis Hartzog leads the team in digs with 416 and Jordan Halsey is second with 256.

Men’s Soccer

The Cavaliers have had a little bit of a rough stretch of late. The squad has gone 1-3-2 in their last six games. The team hasn’t won a conference match since September 17. The Cavs will look to finish the regular season strong with two home conference games and get ready for postseason.

Trae Hunjak leads the team in goals with seven, Andrew McClanahan, and Chance Lucas are both second with three.
Compiled by James Howey, sports editor, jhowey@jccc.edu

What’s in a loan? How a simple loan can turn into a quick cash scheme

October 9, 2014

By Valerie Velikaya

Payday loans are notorious for their high interest rates, loan fees and additional credit expenses; however, they are sugarcoated with evergreen terms such as “cash advance,” “quick cash,” and “cash in 24 hours.”

But deferred deposit loans come at a steep price. Although interest rates depend on the payday lender, short-term loans, regardless of what business, are always due by the customer’s next payday. If the borrower can’t pay the money back during that time period, so begins the cycle of debt and payday loan dependency.

And whether it is Quik Cash or Cash Advance, these short-term loans, generally budgeted at a few hundred dollars, always come with a financing charge.

Nathalie Solger, a third-year student at UMKC who is working on a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting, said that she wishes the payday loan industry would “cease to exist.”

“If you’ve seen any commercials by a payday loan company, you’ve seen that they all appear to be aimed towards people who are having difficulty making ends meet financially,” she said. “In these commercials, payday loan companies send a message that it is simple, easy and not very costly to borrow money.”

Solger said that the payday loan industry targets individuals who are in financial need.

“To financially insecure people, this message can be very appealing because they are often looking for financial help to make ends meet. Well, it may be simple and easy to borrow money from a payday loan company, [but] many people do not realize that it can actually be incredibly costly as well, and unfortunately, it seems that in the payday loan industry there are all too often too many situations in which customers are not properly informed on the actual risks and costs involved in taking out short-term loans.”

Christina Valerio, manager of Check Into Cash in Overland Park, rejects the notion that these loans are schemes. “A lot of times people borrow from us because our fees are less than most,” she said. “It just depends on the situation.”

Valerio said that her business researches their customers’ financial background before a loan is given.
“We’re not going to pay you a $500 loan if we know you can’t pay it back.”

Initially, when looking at a payday loan of $500 with a financing charge of $12 per a hundred dollars, it may not seem like a bad investment as the financing charge would only result in a $60 credit, which develops into a 12 percent rate. In turn, this 12 percent rate is only a simple amount over the course of a two-week period, and it doesn’t represent the complete cost of borrowing, Solger said.

Under the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), federal law requires the official cost of borrowing to be shown through an annual percentage rate (APR), which is calculated based on an annual period.

“So on a $500 loan, the actual cost of borrowing or APR,” said Solger, “is not 12 percent but rather 312 percent. If someone was not able to pay back the $500 two-week payday loan for a year, with an APR of 312 percent, they would end up having to pay back $2,060; $1,560 in fees, plus the original amount of the loan.”

“You have to think of it as you can only borrow what you can pay back,” said Valerio. “You don’t want to get into the routine where you’re borrowing and you can’t pay back. If you’re smart, you’ll take out a loan and then you’ll pay it back.”

Director of Financial Aid Christal Williams cautions individuals seeking to borrow money from payday loan industries. “I would definitely tell them to be careful because the interest on those are very high… extremely high,” said Williams. “I would advise against it. You know, some people it’s a last resort and if it’s a desperate, desperate last resort and you know that on next payday, ‘I can pay this off then I’ll never have to do it again’ – it’s a one time thing, and that’s the only option you have, I’ve seen people do that.

Williams said that her best advice is to weigh out all options. “I mean, there’s Catholic charities. There’s various companies in United Way that will help students pay – help them with expenses if they’re in a bind as opposed to going to that payday loan route.”

Contact Valerie Velikaya, managing editor, vvelikay@jccc.edu

Student expresses his love of music

October 9, 2014

By Francais Healy

“I can remember my mom would play, like back in the day of cassette tapes, she would play cassette tapes in the car of Disney songs, and I would listen and sing along to the Lion King. I just kind of sang along to everything,” said Kevin Koupal, first year student at the college, “I want to do something with music in my life.”

Koupal has a passion for music. He experiments with many instruments and has taught himself how to play guitar.

“I’ve been doing self-taught guitar and learning how to play myself for four to five years now. I’m nowhere near as good as a ‘fully accomplished’ guitarist is,” said Koupal, “but I know how to strum the guitar to make a sound I really want.”

While Kevin plays numerous instruments, he feels singing is his true calling.

“I’ve had a vocal teacher for about three years. I’ve honestly progressed so much with him,” Koupal said, “When I listen to a recording of myself singing back then and when I listen to myself now and I can definitely tell I’ve learned so much from having vocal lessons with him.”

Schyler Conway, Koupal’s significant other, agrees with how much Koupal has grown these past years.

“Musically he is more confident in how he presents himself,” said Conway, “he’s changed a lot in the things he puts more effort into in general and takes more time to think about things.”

Musically Koupal draws inspiration from all kinds of music and life experiences.

“In middle school no one really belongs anywhere and you’re trying to find what you are and whatnot. Honestly, that’s when I kind of turned to music” said Koupal, “I listened to heavy stuff because I was angry and kind of sad.”

Koupal said that that style has become the main style of music he plays, despite still taking inspiration from other kinds of music. Despite that, Koupal doesn’t let the mood keep the emotions depressing.

“I also didn’t want to become that always debbie downer kind of a guy, I also wanted to have a good outlook on life, and so there was also some of that more happier vision of life in some of the music I listen to,” added Koupal.

Koupal cited ‘The Beatles’ and other local people as his greatest influences.

“[The Beatles] are just really great for introducing people into the rock genre,” said Koupal, “as far as pursuing music and inspiring me to do something with music, my friends in I Am Nation influence me a lot. The fact that they’ve still kept that going and they’re still going now and trying to make it in the music industry with their band is really inspiring to me and makes me want to do just as well as them.”

As for aspirations for the future, Koupal is optimistic but also realistic.

“I want to be a rock star. Everyone wants to be a rock star in music, it’s the big dream, but you have to look at it on reasonable terms and kind of look into other things to do in music,” said Koupal, “I’ve been looking into jobs in the music industry that could provide a good paycheck”

On the topic of actually performing his music, Koupal chose not to reveal what he and his friends have going on behind the scenes, until the right time.

“Me and my friend Josh and my friend Will have started something, we have not announced it though because what I’ve learned from past experience is if you announce and make a Facebook page and say ‘oh we’re going to come out with this’ and it never happens or something comes up, you quickly lose the interest of your audience,” said Koupal, “we’ve been keeping everything very low profile, we don’t want to announce or say anything if we have nothing to present yet.”

So keep your eyes, or more accurately ears open to hear more from Koupal in the future. Conway had this to say in regards to what Koupal is working on currently: “If he gets everyone together music wise, and the band agrees with him musically, I feel that he and the band will go very far” said Conway.

Contact Francais Healy, staff reporter, fhealy@jccc.edu

Royal Glory after all these years

October 9, 2014

By James Howey

The Los Angeles Angels didn’t have a shot in hell. The Kansas City Royals were on an incredible roll and Kauffman Stadium was a madhouse Sunday night. The Royals completed a 3-game sweep of the Angels and swept themselves into Kansas City history.

After so many years of struggles, Royals fans look like they finally have a winner to cheer for. Obviously, Kansas City is on cloud nine right now with the Royals who are four American League Championship Series wins away from the World Series. Although for me, something Royals fans should realize is that in this playoff run the future looks just as bright as the “now” for the Royals.

The Royals have already come out and said not to expect the that the team will re-sign the squad’s ace pitcher James Shields. With the emergence of starting pitcher Yordano Ventura, not keeping Shields looks like the right decision. Ventura had maybe the best start of all the Royals pitchers in his 3-1 win over the Angels in Game Two. Pitcher Brandon Finnegan also looks like another potential arm to add to an already lethal Royals’ bullpen. The Royals have developed so much young talent in recent years but pitching is the key to the way the Royals play and their success.

The Royals obviously don’t have a large payroll, so the ability to develop players is important for the continued success of this ball club. The praises of general manager, Dayton Moore really can’t be sung loudly enough. Moore traded away Will Myers who many thought would be the savior of the franchise for Kansas City. In 2009, Moore traded Myers to the Tampa Bay Rays for the teams now ace Shields and another solid pitcher in Wade Davis. While Myers was a good player for the Rays. Shields’ impact on the Royals goes beyond just pitching. Shields has provided much-needed leadership and knowledge to what is a relatively young team and is a huge reason for the Royals being where they are.

I’m not a Royals fan, but even I have to admit the run this team is on is pretty amazing. The Royals are hot and everything is going their way. It wouldn’t matter if the 1927 New York Yankees were on the other side, the Royals would think they would win. I don’t know if the Royals will beat the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles are a tougher team than the Angels and have better pitching. Although I do know one thing. The Royals have no doubt in their minds that they will win and after 29 years of disappointment, Royals fans can’t really ask for much more than that.

Contact James Howey, sports editor, jhowey@jccc.edu

The Royals have found the winning formula

October 9, 2014

By Valerie Velikaya

I couldn’t help but laugh when the commentators of TBS announced that the Los Angeles Angels were in a four-year playoff “drought.” As a born and raised Royals fan, it was not until this week when I’d finally witnessed my very first Royals playoff game.

If that’s considered a drought for the Los Angeles Angels than the Royals have been in a Great Depression.

I’ve witnessed long and heated discussions between Royals loyalists, who could only feverishly question what was stopping the team from winning.

What was the cause of 29 years of disappointment? Whether it was the pitching, hitting or simply bad luck, there was always a reason that would hinder the chances of returning to the glory days.

The times of George Brett, Frank White, Willie Wilson and Brett Saberhagen storming the field in a winning post-game celebration seemed like ancient history.

Only a couple years ago, by August 1, Kauffman Stadium was lifeless and void of excitement with not even a drop of hope of making the postseason, much less, winning the World Series.

And typically, this time of year is nothing but Chiefs talk as the Royals are swept under the rug.

That is until now.

The last several years of building and developing in-house talent has finally come to fruition. The Royals have a core group of homegrown players like Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez. We’ve watched each of them grow as players and evolve into a team that can win.

These guys are solid major leaguers whose most valuable quality is complimenting one another. The Royals are built on athleticism with a good dose of team chemistry.

If not a timely hit, a steal at second or third, a circus act catch in the outfield or a dominating performance out of the bullpen, this team has unified their best qualities to create a winning formula.

And after a season of ups and downs, the Royals have officially advanced to the American League Championship Series.

The impact on the city has been undeniable – blue flags and fountain waters flow freely. Kansas Citians proudly adorn their Royals attire as they cheer for their boys in blue.

The fans’ electric energy has revived the stadium as well as their team, and the Royals never fail to thank them for their support and dedication (as well as their creative signage).

The atmosphere in Kansas City is thriving like never before.

“It’s more than electric,” said Ned Yost in a radio interview. “It’s atomic.”

Needless to say, the team and its fans are ready to take back the crown.

Contact Valerie Velikaya, managing editor, vvelikay@jccc.edu

Cavalier Star Watch: Trae Hunjak

October 9, 2014

By James Howey

Despite the inconsistencies of the men’s soccer team this year, one bright spot has come in the play of freshmen forward Trae Hunjak. Hunjak leads the Cavs in goals this season with seven and is tied for first in assists with three. Hunjak has unfortunately missed the last two games with a sprained ankle, but is expected to be back Saturday at home against Allen Community College and the home finale against arch rival Kansas City Kansas Community College. The team currently has a 7-7-3 record overall, and 1-4-2 record in the Jayhawk conference.

What does the team need to improve most on down the stretch of the season?
“Probably our communication on the field and knowing where to go and when to go. Whenever we get the ball on the attacking third I feel like we need to create more opportunities and more chances. I think taking more shots to. We need to take more shots as a team.”

What has it been like to have such an impact on the team as a freshman?
“I’ve enjoyed it a lot and it’s been fun to have an impact as a freshmen and score some goals. It is always fun to score goals.”

How have the sophomores helped you improve as a player through the season?
“I think just there leadership and keeping everyone together, because we have a very tight nit group of guys. Having seen them lead from an older perspective. I think that has helped me and helped the whole team and keeping us together and close.”

What has it been like to go from home schooling to this College?
“It’s been pretty good. I’ve gone to a public school before but a majority of my life I have been home schooled. It’s nice to see people every day.”

Who is your favorite athlete?
“Mesut Ozil. I really like him he is a great guy and a really creative left footed playmaker.”

What is your favorite food?
“I like Chipotle.”

What is your favorite movie?
“Probably “Remember The Titans”. I’ve seen it like so many times but I can watch it over and over again.”

Who is your favorite artist?
“Needtobreathe.”

What would your dream job be?
“I think it would be awesome to play professional soccer. I would also like to be a missionary and do mission work at some time in my life. I’ve kind grown up around ministry in my family. I also want to be a PE teacher I think that would be really cool. I think it would be really cool if I could achieve all of them at a certain point in my life.”

Contact James Howey, sports editor, jhowey@jccc.edu

The semester is halfway over! Embrace it.

October 9, 2014

By Mike Abell

We’re already at the halfway point.

It’s crazy to think about it, but the fall semester is halfway finished. That means a new year is right around the corner as well and thats a bit frightening to me. But when I look back at all the success I have made through the year it isn’t. I have also realized how lucky I am. Not all people look ahead so anxiously, some people spend too much time longing for the past. All it takes is for one event in your life to turn your world upside-down. The people you love and the people you are around every day may not be here in a few years, so make the most of your time with them.

One of my best friends recently lost his grandfather back in early August and his family never really had a great relationship with the grandfather but they were by his side until the end. There were a lot of words they wish could’ve been exchanged.

This reminded me of the fact that we shouldn’t take what we have for granted. Even if you are mad at someone, don’t forget that person must have been special to you at point. Don’t let your anger outweigh anything else. Life moves relentlessly fast and, the people that you are with today might not be around in this year or the next and maybe your argument today won’t matter a few years down the road.

Most of the people I know have a rough relationship with one person or another in their family. I’ve always had a hard time seeing eye-to-eye with my brother about anything.

However, I try to talk with him at least once a week, even we are just keeping things light and I encourage you to take small steps and reach out to someone you typically talk to.

The new year might be right around the corner but make time now for someone who you usually don’t, or just take a moment to be thankful for who you have in your life. Don’t lose sight of what really matters.

Contact Mike Abell, editor-in-chief, mabell@jccc.edu

Message from Joe Sopcich: ‘JCCC Police department has closed its investigation of the matter’

September 30, 2014

Message from President Joe Sopcich:

Dear Colleagues,

A few weeks ago the college endured its first – and we hope its only – lockdown experience. Our campus community handled the situation in exemplary fashion. Nevertheless, in the days since the situation occurred, several areas have held debriefings to go over what our strengths were and what we could do to improve. This has proven a tremendous learning experience for all of us.

The JCCC Police department has closed its investigation of the matter, concluding that the two reports of a person with a weapon on campus on Sept. 4, 2014, did not corroborate each other and neither could be substantiated.

As I said in my initial message to you all, I am very grateful for the safe resolution of the situation and the quick, calm actions of JCCC Police, Emergency Preparedness, faculty, staff and students. We are also grateful to the commanders, police officers and officials from Overland Park Police, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, Johnson County Park Police, the Kansas Highway Patrol, Johnson County Fire Department and Med-Act, who arrived on campus and assisted in keeping our campus safe.

We learned that our training paid off. We also saw where we could make improvements – for example, how the installation of classroom phones that function as extended public address systems will reinforce messages sent on the public address systems in the hallways. That effort was already underway and should be completed in January.

Our common goal is to make the JCCC campus community the safest learning environment possible. This experience will help us achieve that goal. We appreciate all you do to keep our community safe.

Sincerely,

Joe

Money is raised in an effort to save a counselor’s life

September 29, 2014

BY VALERIE VELIKAYA

A college counselor is in need of a heart transplant in order to survive.

Melissa Wells was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy — a life-threatening abnormality of the heart muscle that makes it difficult to pump blood — seven years ago.

A left-ventricular assist device (LVAD) is supporting her heart as she awaits the possibility of a heart transplant.

Despite being treated and cleared by physicians, Melissa has undergone several hospitalizations and suffered from cardiac arrest.

Melissa is in critical condition, and the only chance of survival, doctors say, is a costly heart transplant, priced at $1 million. That doesn’t figure in additional medical expenses associated with the operation, which involves annual checkups and anti-rejection medications.

Faculty members, students, family and friends are raising funds in an effort to pay for Melissa’s medical expenses. The National Foundation for Transplants (NFT), a 31-year-old nonprofit organization that raises money for transplants through fundraising, is contributing in Melissa’s survival.

Melissa has a husband, Alex (also a counselor at the college), and a son, Sebastian.

In order to donate via credit card, visit: http://patients.transplants.org/melissawells.

If by check, address it to the National Foundation for Transplants, Kansas Transplant Fund, 5350 Poplar Ave., Ste 430, Memphis, TN 38119, with “in honor of Melissa Wells” on the memo line.

Melissa’s road to recovery can be followed on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Melissasheartbeat.

For more information, contact NFT at 1-800-489-3863; or Kris Downing, dkris@jccc.edu, or Michelle Heffron, mheffron@jccc.edu.

Contact Valerie Velikaya, managing editor, vvelikay@jccc.edu

Cavs fall to Blue Devils in barnburner

September 25, 2014

BY JAMES HOWEY – THE CAMPUS LEDGER

09/25/2014 11:15 | Update: 09/25/2014 11:17

jhowey@jccc.edu

The Cavaliers faced one of their toughest tests of the season Wednesday night, with a daunting Jayhawk Conference road contest. The Number four ranked Cavs traveled to their arch rival number five ranked Kansas City Kansas Community College Blue Devils. As expected, the two top five teams delivered a thriller that didn’t disappoint. In front of a ruckus crowd, both teams’ traded close sets until the Devils won a heart stopping final set 19-17 and won the match 3-2.

The loss was the first in conference for the Cavs and dropped them to 3-1 and 12-5 overall. The Devils moved to 4-0 in conference and 16-3 overall. Cavs head coach Jennifer Ei did see a resiliency in her team Wednesday night.

“One thing that they did was they continually fought even when they were down,” Ei said. “So I definitely will take that away from it.”

The Cavs still have some issues to fix though.

“The thing that we can work on is definitely not having our errors in critical times,” Ei said. “Those are the things that we talk about, we need to work on, and we will get better at.”

The road does not get easier for the Cavs. This weekend in the JCCC Challenge, the squad will face four teams, three of which are ranked, including the number one ranked team in Division I in Iowa Western.

“It’s going to be another tough weekend,” Ei said. “We knew when we scheduled this we were scheduling them extremely tough.”

Coach Ei does continue to see improvement in the mostly inexperienced Cavs roster.

“We’re young and we’re getting better.”

Cavs suffer first conference defeat

September 25, 2014

BY JAMES HOWEY – THE CAMPUS LEDGER

09/25/2014 11:15 | Update: 09/25/2014 11:19

jhowey@jccc.edu

The Cavaliers traveled to the number 18 ranked Hutchison Community College Dragons on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the Cavs would be dealt their first Jayhawk Conference loss of the season. The Dragons struck first with a goal with 10 minutes left in the half. Courtney Hughes answered back with the lone goal scored by the Cavs in the game and the Dragons closed the half with a goal. Neither team would score in the second half, so the game finished 2-1. The Cavs fell to 3-1 in conference play and 7-4 overall. The Dragons improved to 4-0-1 in conference and 5-1-1 in total. The Cavs will host the Dodge City Community College Conquistadors at 1 p.m. this Saturday.

Maintaining a long-distance relationship is agonizing in the sweetest sense

September 25, 2014

BY FRANCAIS OWEN HEALY — THE CAMPUS LEDGER

09/25/2014 3:30 p.m.

fhealy@jccc.edu

For the past three years, I have been a massive hypocrite. Whenever the topic of long distance, intimate relationships pop up, I immediately inform anyone asking not to bother with it. I would say it isn’t worth your time, that it’s hopeless, and that it’ll just get you hurt.

I feel those statements are generally true, but despite those feelings, I’ve been involved in a long distance relationship of my own.

My significant other and I went to prom together in a duct tape gown and suit. To see each other, we buy $11 round trip tickets and take 12-hour “megabus” rides back and forth between Chicago and Kansas City. These excursions happen a few times every year.

When we’re together, the trivial things in life that usually make me sad or angry roll off like water. When I tell people about my relationship, the reaction is always affectionate. They comment on how admirable and cute it is that our relationship has worked out despite the distance.

If anyone asks me if my relationship is “worth it,” I don’t even blink before I say yes. When I’m asked why, I tell them the truth: because at this point in my life, I wouldn’t have it any other way unless it was right beside her.

Even though I feel my advice is solid and something to be followed, I don’t follow it myself. It’s a “do as I say, not as I do” type situation. I wouldn’t doom anyone else to a long distance relationship because of the sinking feeling that surfaces anytime I go to a place they like without them, or when I hang out with friends of theirs and they speak as if they are a long gone part of their lives.

It’s hard to remember to respond to texts sometimes, and down right impossible to determine the tone of a text. Finding time for our “quick” chats that evolve into four-hour long discussions about anything and everything can be like a blast from a railfun for my sleep schedule. Simple misunderstandings can stem from a poorly worded message and sometimes need to be ironed out later on. Even if everything between us is great, and things are slowly progressing towards the life you want to have together, there is pain in little things as days go by.

My best friend once told me something that stuck to me. An elderly man said to him that the long distance relationship is the curse of the modern age. A sort of awful state of relationship that can only exist due to the increased availability of inexpensive travel and easy to use video chatting and texting. In the past, if your significant other was moving away or you were moving away from them, the polite and forward thing to do was it break it off. Don’t beat around the bush. It wasn’t worth the heartache of expensive, long distance phone calls and letters to keep the embers alive. That has all changed, for better or for worse.

Despite the life I live, when I say don’t have a long distance relationship, I still mean it. If you don’t know whether or not you can do it; if even a tiny part of you doesn’t feel right, just don’t. Never stay in a relationship you’re not happy with, especially a long distance one.

But I will say this: if you do think it’s worth it, if you do think you have what it takes to make it work, don’t shy away from it. Ride that train for all it’s worth. If you and your significant other want to make it work, there will always be ways to come out on the other side triumphantly. I too hope to be able to be on the other side celebrating soon.

Gallery: JCCC Cross Country

September 25, 2014

CBS set to launch first all-women’s sports show

September 25, 2014

BY JAMES HOWEY

CBS Sports Network will premiere the first ever all-women sports show this coming Tuesday at 9 p.m. The show will feature younger and older women journalists, TV personalities, and former athletes. The show will be called “We Need To Talk.” Allie LaForce, Andrea Kremer, Tracy Wolfson and Lisa Leslie are some notables in the crew. For me, personally, this idea is intriguing and somewhat encouraging. I think women covering sports is great and only can help sports journalism. The growing presence of women in sports journalism has helped build diversity in what was once primarily a male-dominated industry.

But I’m not sure that an all women sports show is desperately needed. There are plenty of women in the sports media world that excel at their jobs and they certainly do more than hold their own with the men in the business. Just this Saturday, ESPN’s Samantha Ponder was given a chance to comment on the Jameis Winston situation during the highly watched “College GameDay” morning show. Ponder gave a very insightful and educated take on the issue even though the segment wasn’t even planned until the show.

At Roger Goodell’s press conference on Friday, CNN and Turner Sports reporter Rachel Nichols grilled Goodell on a number of issues about the NFL’s handling of the Ray Rice incident, including the fact that Robert Mueller, who the league hired to investigate the incident, has a long standing relationship with the league. Nichols was the star of the press conference and someone cleverly changed her occupation on her Wikipedia page to “Owner of Roger Goodell.”

I’m not saying that this show isn’t an important step, but from what I see on a daily basis, women are already a big part of sports journalism and contribute significantly to the business. I will say I’m not a fan of the title. I don’t like the implication that women are desperate and needing coverage when they get plenty and take full advantage of it. I do hope the show is successful enough to stay on the air, because if the show fails we will unfortunately hear from some “idiot-nobody-sports-guy” who will say “Oh they’re just girls they can’t talk sports.” Which if people look around at ESPN, FOX, CBS and NBC is simply not true.

Contact James Howey, sports editor, jhowey@jccc.edu

Review: ‘Atlas Shrugged Part III: Who is John Galt?’

September 25, 2014

BY ANNA FREIJE

High expectations tarnished by a colorless adaptation

atlas-shrugged-part-3 — PHOTO COURTESY OF ATLAS SHRUGGED DISTRIBUTION

I was extremely excited for “Atlas Shrugged Part III: Who is John Galt?”. Set as the final movie in the trilogy linked to the famous Ayn Rand novel “Atlas Shrugged,” expectations were high, but I was left disappointed. Not only did the movie look cheap, it makes the story cheap by not giving it the attention to details it deserved.

The story progresses and the viewer finally gets to meet the elusive, almost God-like character, John Galt. As society has been taken over by egocentric elitists, John Galt creates a utopic world by taking the best out of the money-hungry, corrupted world they wanted to leave behind.

The problem with his story is that it also leaves open the question, “Aren’t they also creating an elitist society by only taking select people?” The answer is a simple: yes. So on top of a faulty storyline that could be overlooked if you truly fell in love with the character, you never even have the option with these movies to love the characters.

Every “Atlas” movie has had a new leading lady, playing the same character. Now, sometimes, this can work well, but since each version is entirely different, even down to the age of the character, it doesn’t work well. The original film was, in my opinion, the best, but as the films decreased in budget, the quality lowered substantially.

All this being said, if you have seen the first two I do recommend finishing the trilogy. There are answers given and some twists that you wouldn’t see coming. You just have to be able to get past the quality of the film being so low. In addition, the added view may help if you decide to enter the scholarship contest.

The Ayn Rand Foundation holds a yearly essay contest with the possibility of winning up to $10,000 for a great paper. They have a new set of three questions about the book every year and you can pick your own topic from those three to write on. The due date for submissions is Friday, Oct. 24.

Contact Anna Freije, reporting correspondent, afreije@jccc.edu

Lockdown leaves students questioning campus safety

September 25, 2014

BY VALERIE VELIKAYA

The lockdown that took place a little over three weeks ago sent a shockwave across the metro. No one was hurt, but the alleged suspect was never caught, leaving on and off-campus residents with more questions than answers.

During the shutdown, faculty and students followed protocol, barricading and steering clear from doors and windows.

However, there have been reports of professors continuing their lectures.

“Yeah, we had some people. We ran across a few of them,” said Crime Prevention Officer Dan Robles. “We just suggested that they not do that. I think it was kind of interesting that you see that and that’s happened in the past other shootings. Well, like some of the major ones, you know, like Virginia Tech and a couple of the other ones … they found people still in their desks and some were deceased, but they were still in their desks just like they were watching the teacher teach.”

In fact, there has been an undercurrent of concerns pertaining to the way the situation was handled.

Robles said that this is the first incident the college has ever experienced, and there was definitely room for improvement.

The campus police are thinking of new ways to deal with these situations.

“It’s all dynamic,” said Robles. “It’s all dependent on what goes down.”

“I think it should have been immediately a lockdown on the entire campus rather than just the buildings that were connected or an immediate threat or whatever,” said Andrew Tady, student. “As soon as other students heard that the lockdown was on [COM] they kind of just headed for their cars just because they didn’t want to get stuck on campus.”

A.L.I.C.E. (Alert-Lockdown-Inform-Counter-Evacuate) is the school’s go-to defense mechanism, developed by Alisa Pacer, emergency preparedness manager.

“One of the main parts of A.L.I.C.E. is to alert and inform,” said Pacer. “Because there wasn’t an exact location listed, it was good that we were locked down.”

Tady, who helped barricade the Student News Center with newspapers at the time of the lockdown, thinks the college should come up with a more tactful approach to deal with these situations.

“Perhaps having a specific classroom plan. I mean, obviously there’s signs up on the door – what do you do when there’s a tornado, you go this way; fire, this way. It might be a good idea to have that at least discussed … some kind of set plan of some sort, you know, make sure certain doors lock.”

Contact Valerie Velikaya, managing editor, vvelikay@jccc.edu

Student juggles multiple talents

September 25, 2014

BY FRANCAIS HEALY

Megan Gladback lays the foundation for her future

So, what do you do?

A question that chills the blood of even some of the most interesting and well-articulated individuals, but a question that student Megan Gladbach answers in style.

“I usually say I work in the writing center at JCCC, I really like sustainability stuff, kind of a modern hippy, and I talk about my band,” giggled Gladbach.

She has been a student at the college for three years.

“Technically I’m done with my degree from JCCC, I’m just getting some extra credit hours because I’m actually interested in studying permaculture,” she said.

Gladbach’s interest in sustainability and permaculture are currently at the forefront of her life.

“Basically [permaculture] is like this design sort of philosophy. It’s just designing sustainable communities,” said Gladbach “It’s not just buildings, it’s also landscaping.”

Gladbach’s self described modern hippy lifestyle extends to her participation in the Sustainability Committee on campus.

“One dollar of your credit hours goes to our committee, we decide what to do with that money,” she said.

The solar picnic tables, the new lighting, and the Britta water filtering stations are all things the committee has brought to the campus.

Another huge part of Gladbach’s life is music.

“I’ve been playing guitar since I was nine, so like 11 years now? That’s more than half of my life,” said Gladbach “I also play piano, I’m not very good at it but I try.”

Gladbach also plays in the band I Am Nation, who according to her is temporarily on unofficial hiatus.

“I love doing the band but I don’t know where to go with it. This past year we’ve done a lot of discovery as individuals,” she said. “We’re still writing and hoping to get our stuff back together.”

“I think there’s separate parts of me that wants to do [the band], there’s a part of me that is full out, go for it, and do nothing but focus on that,” asserted Gladbach “But there’s another part of me: I’m kind of a nerd. I really love school. I want to do that too, but I really want to do both. I think I would only be satisfied if I was doing both.”

When Gladbach isn’t studying or writing music, she works at the writing center on campus.

“It’s a super no stress environment, and I think that’s really good when a lot of these people come in with papers, they’re freaking out, so it feels good to actually know you’re helping someone in need,” she said, “reading different papers, you get to learn a lot of random stuff.”

In the future Gladbach hopes to attend Prescott College in Arizona, a college known for their focus on experiential learning. Gladbach said she liked experiential learning because it stimulates all five senses.

While Gladbach’s time at the college may be coming to an end, her journey through life is just beginning.

Contact Francais Healy, copy editor, fhealy@jccc.edu

College leaders from Pakistan fight terrorism with education

September 25, 2014

BY VALERIE VELIKAYA

A panel of Pakistani educators discussed the role education plays in the fight against terrorism in their homeland.

Five professors from the Sukkur Institute of Business Administration (IBA) in Sukkur, Pakistan held a conference in the Hudson Auditorium last Thursday, Sept. 18.

The institute is Pakistan’s first community college, and JCCC, funded by a U.S. Embassy grant, collaborated with Sukkur leaders to create a developmental educational program in order to strengthen the country’s literacy rates while discouraging terrorism involvement in the youth.

Approximately 40 attendees listened to each instructor express their dismay with the educational system in Pakistan.

“It’s a problem, and we think that it’s not only our problem, but a problem of the world,” said Noor Hussain Shar, coordinator, IBA Community Colleges. “It’s a problem of terrorism living on the globe.”

According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal, 3,268 deaths were recorded last year, and as of today, over 2,467 fatalities since the beginning of the year – all associated with major acts of terrorism in Pakistan.

In March, about 19 civilians, including 10 women and four children, were killed as a result of gang-related violence. The number of casualties continues to escalate due to unhindered terrorist attacks.

Lack of attention towards the educational system, renders the country vulnerable to violent acts, said Sher Muhammad Daudpota, director, Replicating Community College Best Practices.

“If we address those issues then I think we’d be in a better position,” he said. “The whole world will be in a better position to fight against the terrorism and then every educational institution … will take responsibility.”

“The solution is very, very simple,” said Ali Gohar Chang, principal, Public School Sukkur. “We need to provide every kid a revision; we need to provide every kid with facilities and we have to make sure that all the teachings … educate our children and then make sure, making sure that they have a normal life.”

According to Nisar Ahmed Siddiqui, director and dean of Sukkur IBA, 50 percent of Pakistan’s population is within the age group of 15 to 23. UNICEF lists the male population as currently holding a literacy rate of 79.1 percent while the female rate falters at a 17.6 percent difference; 60 percent of the population is working for an education while 40 percent have never seen a school.

“We have to find out the reason for each type of terrorism activity … and then erase it,” said Siddiqui. “All these reasons can be eliminated [with] education.”

The long-term solution is education, he said.

Contact Valerie Velikaya, managing editor, vvelikay@jccc.edu

Don’t count the Chiefs out just yet

September 25, 2014

BY MIKE ABELL

In the first two games, the Kansas City Chiefs were already off to a rough start. They lost Eric Berry, Derrick Johnson and Mike Devito just to name a few. However, the performance the team gave against Miami was awe-inspiring.

I wasn’t the only person who was worried about the Chiefs’ secondary this season. A lot of people were, especially after that play-off game against the Colts; but, I have to commend them based on their small sample size of games this year.

The Chiefs’ worst opponent at this point has been the injury bug. Somehow they managed to hold the infamous Denver Broncos to only 24 points, which is impressive since they have the best quarterback in the NFL.

If the Chiefs want to make a second consecutive appearance in the play-offs then their defensive players all need to step up consistently. The Chiefs’ defense can’t afford to lose steam like they did last year.

Additionally, Alex Smith seems to be significantly more comfortable with his receivers. I hope he proves that he is worth the large sum of money that he is getting payed in the coming weeks. However, he needs a good offensive line and, right now he doesn’t have one.

It seemed that a lot of teams weren’t where they needed to be last year, whether it was lack of a healthy roster or just not enough synergy. The Chiefs were healthy and playing well at the right time. The play-off victory just came out from underneath their feet.

Out of all the players that the Chiefs lost to free agency in the off-season, I wish they would’ve re-signed Ryan Succop. A good kicker can win games in the NFL. Santos is already off to a rocky start. He has missed two field goals which is one too many, given how close they both were to the goal.

The Chiefs definitely have problems on both offense and defense that they will need to address and fix in the coming weeks. I have faith that they can go 2-3, but they need players to step up on defense and somehow compensate a bit. Alex Smith didn’t play a good game against the Titans. Simple as that. If he wants to be payed like a franchise quarterback, he needs to act like one, which he is more than capable of.

I’m not slamming the Chiefs, but if they want to be taken seriously again, then they need to keep playing like they did against the Dolphins. I met Alex Smith this past week. He is a cordial guy. He seemed like he really cared about his fans, this city and producing good numbers. He clearly has faith in his team. Now let’s reciprocate.

Contact Mike Abell, editor-in-chief, mabell@jccc.edu

Staff Editorial: E-cigarettes are different, let’s treat them as such

September 25, 2014

A look around campus would reveal some students who think it’s okay to smoke e-cigarettes on campus. The truth is that they’re different from regular cigarettes and we think they should be treated as such. Maybe a college campus isn’t the best place to try this, but there are public places that should consider it.

The use of an e-cig causes a bit of a social policy enigma amongst communities. More research needs to be conducted on the products themselves because they’re only increasing in popularity.

If people want e-cigs to be legal here on campus then they should speak up about it instead of complaining. We consider the devices as a little tacky and they’re still experimental due to the little information that is known. However, the FDA should at least look into the secondhand smoke factor.

It is normal for people to fear what they don’t understand, so before government officials write off e-cigs, they should be fully aware of what they’re banning. If e-cig users want to be taken seriously by the higher-ups then that needs to be proven in the right way.

A lot of people who use e-cigs will tell you that they use the products to “kick the habit,” but have they really kicked anything? If e-cigarettes are significantly better for humans then they need to be marketed and treated as such. The little information that is known needs to be expounded upon if users would like to see a change amongst social policies.

New Dance Partners brings innovative and original choreography into the spotlight

September 25, 2014

BY CHRISTINA LIEFFRING

Take three nationally renowned choreographers, each with a unique style and artistic sensibility; pair them with one of the top three dance companies in Kansas City and give them the opportunity to create and perform new works of choreography in Yardley Hall, and you get New Dance Partners.

“New Dance Partners represents a unique collaboration in the Kansas City area,” said Emily Behrmann, general manager of the performing arts at the college. “It’s exciting to realize that the college is making work possible that didn’t exist before this project.”

New Dance Partners is partly funded by a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and a $36,649 Creative Support Grant from the Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission.

“We’re truly investing in the Kansas City dance community,” said Behrmann.

San Francisco-based choreographer Amy Seiwert’s work, titled “Concertino,” was inspired by the music by Arcangelo Corelli, a baroque-era composer.

“I’ve made ballets to Bach and Mozart, Patsy Cline and Leonard Cohen,” said Seiwert. “This is the most classical I’ve been in a while but it felt nice to do something a little more classical.”

While the music inspired her initial concept for the work, flexibility is key to creating a new work of choreography.

“You start kind of seeing the structure, so you can kind of sketch a plan,” said Seiwert. “Then you meet the dancers and allow the plan to be blown to smithereens. You learn not get too attached to any one plan.”

Learning about the dancers and building the choreography around their strengths is key for Seiwert.

“Kansas City Ballet is a wonderfully diverse group of artists in their strengths,” she said. “If you actively collaborate with them, see them as individual artists, really let the piece follow its course by following their strengths … it starts to have its own life.”

For Kansas City Ballet company dancers, Danielle Bausinger and Liang Fu, this presents an opportunity for them to show their best.

“You get to show off what you’re good at, especially with [Seiwert],” said Fu. “She’s very good about seeing what everyone’s good at, which makes everyone look better on stage.”

“We’ve all contributed fragments and pieces to the choreography as a whole,” said Bausinger.

Rehearsals took two weeks, but required dancing full six hour day instead of dancing half days over a longer rehearsal period.

“It keeps you on your toes,” said Basinger. “You get tired but you build stamina. This process pushes you to be on top of yourself all the time.”

“It’s a lot of time with the dancers,” said Seiwert. “You create together for six hours a day, then go home and stare at the video for the day. It’s pretty intense.”

In spite of the decades of long hours and fatigue, Seiwert still finds inspiration in dance.

“You can always find something new, I think to me, as a dancer, and as a dance creator,” she said, “you keep finding another level, keep finding other ways to do things. There’s always something different to try. There are so many beautiful dancers all over this country. Getting to meet them and work with them is such a gift.”

Contact Christina Lieffring, news editor, clieffri@jccc.edu

E-cigs fall under the tobacco-free policy

September 25, 2014

BY MIKE ABELL

E-cigs seen as tobacco derivative

While e-cigarettes, or e-cigs are viewed as a healthy alternative to cigarettes for some, there are health and environmental risks involved, and because of that they’re banned on campus.

There aren’t many published health studies on e-cigs. However, e-cigs are viewed as a derivative of cigarettes due to the nicotine in them.

As of now, the college is a tobacco-free campus, which includes e-cigs. E-cigs aren’t exactly stated in the tobacco policy but embedded. However, the policy could be modified to include them. The Student Senate would then have to vote on it. According to Dennis Day, vice president of student success and engagement, the current classification of e-cigs is unlikely to change until a court case ruling deems otherwise.

“Until either a court case or science changes that [classification] that has been put forth, then we’ll stick with it as a tobacco product,” said Day. “The use of any tobacco product on campus is prohibited other than in the privacy of your own car.”

E-cigs are considered hazardous for multiple reasons. Firstly, they’re igniters. The battery in an e-cig creates a sort of hot coil, similar to a car’s cigarette lighter. A lot of e-cigs are rechargeable. However, some are disposable. Regardless of the mechanism, it’s still an igniter.

“Let’s say you’re carrying around a cigarette lighter and you flick it. You may think that’s no big deal, but on a college campus with all the stuff, its probably not the best thing,” said Day “You could toss that in a trash can.”
Additionally, the vapor that they create has yet to be proven harmless. Day said that if e-cigs were healthy then they would back up their advertising with science.

“If there is a vapor then there is still going to be something. You’re ingesting something, are you exhaling something, too,” said Day.

“Not much has come out in the news as far as court cases,” said Day. “ That’s going to be the determining factor moving forward. Right now, based on the information we have, the federal government has said that e-cig products are tobacco derivatives.”

E-cigarette use among the U.S. youth nearly doubled from 2011 to 2012, according to the National Youth’s tobacco survey. It has also been repeatedly asked if e-cigs help smokers quit. According to Hotspot Vapes Owner, Mark Boswell, a lot of customers that come through his shop are trying to drop the habit.

“Most people are coming in here to quit. I mean there are some people that just do it as a hobby, like myself. It’s more of a hobby for me,” said Boswell.

Boswell opened his store three months ago and he said that business has been good. What attracted him to selling e-cigarettes was the industry and everything that he had heard about it.

The goal for people who try to quit using e-cigs is usually to smoke with less and less nicotine in their e-cig.

“There are some that don’t have nicotine in them. It’s what you choose to do. But most people do use nicotine and then they’ll eventually go down,” said Boswell.

Contact Mike Abell, editor-in-chief, mabell@jccc.edu

15 days of fame: How the age of information can help solve problems

September 25, 2014

BY FOREST LASSMAN

In 1968, Andy Warhol famously said, “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes”.

Almost 50 years later, that idea seems to have come true, with topics and celebrities rising to fame fast and falling just as fast. It’s a strange phenomenon, but those 15 minutes can create some great things.

One of the causes of these 15 minutes is the fact we live in an ultra contented world. We can watch Japanese television shows and communicate with someone from Sweden without leaving our homes. This leads to billions of people sharing new and stories, flooding our airways with information, funny videos, and more.

When somebody or something becomes popular, it spreads fast and world-wide, enabling millions to grow aware of a topic within a few days. What may start as large rallying point soon turns into yesterday’s news. Everything comes fast and keep coming. Missing a day’s worth of stories can leave you coughing in the dust. As millions of ideas fight to be heard, the ideas that become big are quickly buried under others.

The video “Kony 2012” spread at a rapid rate and gained tens of millions of views within a matter of days. The documentary spiked an interest in Joseph Kony, African warlord, but just a month after the original video came out, the spotlight vanished. The follow-up video failed to achieved even five percent of the initial video’s views, and two years later, Kony is still at large.

As bad as this may seem, Kony 2012 is not the only way these 15 minutes can be used.The problem with the “Kony 2012” fad was that the topic was too big to be solved within a few weeks, but many problems can be solved in that time frame.

By making a subject public for people to see, many more minds with differentiating viewpoints can work collectively, and this can often lead to great breakthroughs.

Researchers spent 15 years trying to decipher the Mason-Pfizer monkey virus, an AIDS causing virus; but when it was put online, others collaborated in the virus’ research, decoding it in a matter of 10 days. Problems similar to this are solved on a day-to-day basis, and even if they aren’t solved during the given time period, they can have a great kick-start.

Recently, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) had the same short period of fame due to the ice bucket challenge. Even though it somewhat feels like a distant memory, the challenge raised over $100 million for the ALS foundation from over three million donors in 30 days. That money was over 30 times the previous year’s fund-raising effort during the month, and even if next year doesn’t come close to this year, that money can be put to good use for many years to come. The challenge also likely inspired the general public to gain more insight into ALS.

A new generation may be inspired to look for new ways to cure this disease. Even if the majority of the population stops paying attention to a subject after its 15 minutes are over, it can inspire others to become deeply invested in the issue for years, and those people can continue to make a large impact in the long-run. Bigger starts live shorter lives, and right now those stars are exploding as fast as new ones can be created. As strange as these short periods of fame can be, they can help solve the world’s major problems.

Contact Forest Lassman, copy editor, flassman@jccc.edu

Mike West brings past experiences to help students flourish in the business world

September 25, 2014

BY HANNAH STRADER — THE CAMPUS LEDGER

09/25/2014 10:16 a.m. | Update: 09/25/2014 11:30 p.m.

hstrade1@jccc.edu

Mike West, the new dean of business, is no stranger to the world of finance, nor the administrative position he’s taken over at the college. After 15 years of experience in higher education, both as a professor and dean as well as time spent owning small businesses along the way, West admits he was reluctant to take the position.

“I knew Johnson County was a great college, but [I thought], ‘I’m not sure I want to get back into educational administration. I’m enjoying teaching. If I move, it’ll probably be back into business,” said West.

“I was actually thinking along those lines, but then the more I thought about it, I thought. It’s a great college, very innovative, good people. The position is high enough in the organizational hierarchy where you can have some positive impact and help expand on what we’ve already got going, yet it’s not high enough that I have to get into the political arena and deal with the folks outside other than through working with businesses. You know, that might be the best administrative job in higher education in the whole city.’”

West currently oversees all the programs in the business department, including specialized programs such as Interior Design or Hospitality and Culinary Arts, among a handful of other business-related programs.

“My role in all of this is to try to make sense of all that and keep all of us moving in a direction that contributes to student success going through those programs as well as satisfying some of the employment needs in the community and helping forward the goals of the college in a broad base or broad perspective. So my job is to kind of keep us focused on what we need to do in order to serve the students, the community and the college,” he said.

Though West had some experience as the Dean of Instruction at Maple Woods Community College in Kansas City, Mo., he has had some troubles adjusting to his similar position on the Kansas side of the state line.

“The acronyms are different so it actually reminded me [of when] Alex Smith comes into the Chiefs and he talks about how learning the system and the terminology is kind of a tough transition, and throughout the season, he keeps learning more and more about it and gets better and fits into it better because he understands better what is expected and how it’s going to operate. I always thought that was kind of an exaggeration … but now I really have strong sense of how the difference in systems and terminology really make a difference.”

However, West stresses the importance of a good group of co-workers and how huge of a difference this can make.

“We do have some really phenomenal people who work here. I really am enjoying getting to know and work with the chairs, and now the faculty are back so I’m learning more about them and working with them. I’m really energized by working with what they have.”

This has helped with the various changes and improvements West has been striving to make in the business department. Along with improving schedules, West wants to work with students on building portfolios of their experiences in the classroom to better their employment opportunities. In this way, he hopes to give students a form of exemplifying their experiences in school to show hands on experience in their desired field.

West is adamant that the business program at the college is one of the best in the Kansas City metro, and while he may not be able to claim any hand in building that reputation, he plans to do his best to expand upon it.

Cavalier Star Watch: Bri Pontius

September 25, 2014

BY JAMES HOWEY

The college’s volleyball squad is once again at the top of the nation this year. A big reason is because of sophomore Bri Pontious. Pontious was a key part of the team finishing third in nationals last season and continues to be instrumental this season. She leads the team in kills this year and is sixth in the Jayhawk conference with 201 on the season and was voted KJCCC player of the week three weeks ago. Pontious and the 12-4 Cavs play four games this weekend in the JCCC Challenge.

1. What has it been like to be at a place with so much tradition in volleyball?
“It’s really fun. It makes you love the sport even more and want to work even harder for your goals as a team.”

2. What made you get into volleyball when you were younger?
“I really didn’t start playing until my eighth grade year. I didn’t really know much about the sport or anything; I just decided to go out because my parents told me to try it out, but I’m glad I did.”

3. What has been the best moment or most memorable part of your career so far?
“The best moment would be winning the state championship my senior year. From the very beginning of my high school career I wanted to win state my senior year and go out with a bang. Our school also had never won a state championship in volleyball so getting to put up that very first banner was pretty cool too.”

4. What has it been like to play for Coach Ei?
“It’s a lot different from high school and club coaches. She’s a great coach and really knows how to push us to be better players. She’s tough on us as a team and individually because she believes in us so much and I don’t think we ever thank her for that. It’s been great and I’m really glad I get the opportunity to play for her. She really has taught me a lot.”

5. What do you enjoy the most about the team this year?
“We really get along this year. From the very beginning we clicked and just came together. The girls are all great players and we really push each other every practice.”

6. What do guys do best and what can you guys improve on?
“We do best at playing together as a team. We pick each other up and work together. We could still work on some things here and there but overall we are a great team in every aspect.”

7. Do you plan on playing at a four year?
“Yeah, I have no idea where I want to go yet though.”

8. Who is your favorite athlete?
“It’s a tie between Destinee Hooker and Kerri Walsh.”

9. What is your favorite food?
“I love wings and Mexican food.”

10. What is your favorite movie?
“My favorite movie is ‘The Conjuring’.”

11. Who is your favorite music artist?
“Mike Stud.”

12. What is your dream job?
“I want to be a Veterinarian at a zoo.”

Contact James Howey, sports editor, jhowey@jccc.edu</a<

The sky’s the limit: Band prepares for the new year

September 25, 2014

BY FOREST LASSMAN

As another new semester has started, the college’s bands aim high.

The college’s bands have many new members this year, and Ron Stinson, professor and chair of the department of music and theater, is excited.

“It’s always fun and a challenge,” Stinson said about teaching new students. “The challenge is because most of them come from high school, and the schedule for music is a little different in high school … Here at the college level we practice 50 minutes three times a week, so it’s far less time for rehearsals than they’re used to in high school. The challenge is to get them to understand that and to make sure we get the effort needed to prepare the music in those short time spans.”

Even though it’s a challenge in band, Stinson loves seeing the joy music can cause.

“Learning music is a fun task, but there is also a lot of work involved, and you gotta be willing and ready to put forth a lot of effort when you come into the music program, but the result is you get to play some great music,” said Stinson.

It’s about celebrating new beginnings. Since this particular semester I have a whole lot of new students to the music program, it’s just kind of a way of getting started in the program and the music we preform.
-Ron Stinson

The band’s first performance is Tuesday, Oct. 7. The concert name, “Celebrating Our New Horizons”, was chosen not only because of the song selections, but also because of the new school year.

“It’s about celebrating new beginnings. Since this particular semester, I have a whole lot of new students to the music program. It’s just kind of a way of getting started in the program and the music we perform,” said Stinson.

The next concerts happen Dec. 2, when the bands join forces with New Horizons Band, and Wednesday, Dec. 3, when the department holds a Jazz Night.

The New Horizons Band is a community band led by UMKC professor Lindsey Williams aimed at older musicians, and this is the second year the college has performed with the band.

“We [performed with the New Horizons Band] last December. It’s just kind of fun. His band and my band, we each do a couple of separate numbers and this year we’re going to put both the bands together and make one big band for the finale of the concert,” said Stinson.

To prevent the concert from being too long, the department’s jazz bands will perform the following day.
According to Stinson, music is a way of life, and he has been following it for as long as he can remember. As a new day begins in the music department, Stinson is excited to reach for the sky, and go beyond the horizons.

Contact Forest Lassman, copy editor, flassman@jccc.edu

Lockdown update

September 25, 2014

BY CHRISTINA LIEFFRING

Investigation continues and A.L.I.C.E. inconsistencies addressed, suspicious person remains unconfirmed

Campus police received two reported sightings of a suspicious person possibly carrying a long gun on campus on Thursday, Sept. 4. One sighting was outside the GEB building, while the other occurred in the parking lot outside the fitness center. The college was locked down for three hours as campus police searched for the suspect. No shots were fired and nothing was confirmed.

After scanning the surveillance footage during the time of the threat, campus police have still not located anyone matching the description given.

“We’ve looked everywhere we can look, viewed everything we can view,” said Officer Scott Wargin. “We’ve just not come up with anything.”

Unless more information comes to light, the case may soon become inactive – not closed, but not being actively investigated. Officer Dan Robles says this is typical of a case that size.

“When you have something that happens like this as big as this was it could take several weeks or months,” said Robles. “I think sometimes people get this feeling when they watch [crime] TV shows that they’ve got to get it wrapped up in an hour and it takes a long time to do all that. “

Anyone with additional information on the suspect should contact the campus police in the Carlsen Center, room 115. In any emergency or suspicious situation, it’s encouraged to call campus officials at 913-469-2500.

Alisa Pacer addresses A.L.I.C.E. inconsistencies and misunderstandings.

The lockdown was the first time the college had enacted A.L.I.C.E. procedures, and Alisa Pacer, the college’s emergency preparedness manager, had to respond to a perceived threat.

“I think that overall the campus did a good job of using the protective actions in place,” said Pacer. “I know we weren’t 100 percent consistent campus-wide, but I think the campus took the lockdown very seriously.”
The first reported sighting was at 3:11 p.m. and the alert did not go out until 29 minutes after the fact.

Student, Haley Bonebrake was on campus during the lockdown and she said that the time delay was disconcerting. “There was this big chunk of time where no one knew anything but there was a possible weapon on campus,” said Bonebrake. “That scared me more than anything else.”

Pacer said the alert was withheld because policy is to send alerts once the threat has been confirmed. “Whenever a report is made, the initial priority is to investigate to determine the validity of the report,” said Pacer. “Always.”

Officers with the Police Academy on campus are permitted to carry their firearms and Pacer said there have been incidents where someone reported a firearm on campus, but it was one of those officers wearing a coat over their uniform.

“Typically, we’ve been able to locate and identify that person very quickly,” said Pacer. “One time an umbrella was perceived as a sword.
“If shots had been fired, we would have seen many many reports, many calls to substantiate much more quickly [what was happening],” she said. “We would have gotten the information out so folks would have been able to protect themselves.”

Bonebrake was sitting outside of the SCI building when she received the first alert message and found herself locked out of communications class until a teacher recognized her and let her in. They and several other students were in a back conference room watching the news.

“What just kind of irked me was the fact that the news was getting more information than the students inside the school were getting,” said Bonebrake. “The only updates we got were, ‘We’re still looking for this person. This person has not been found. The school is still on lockdown.’ We wanted to know, is this a male, is this a female? We wanted a description, what building they were seen in and we had to find all that out from Twitter and the news.”

Pacer said the description of the suspect was not sent out again due to the lack of substantiated information.

Announcements over the PA system were heard in some areas and not others, which Pacer said was intentional in order to direct messages to targeted areas. Bonebrake didn’t hear any announcements, outside nor inside COM.

“That’s one of the reasons why I was confused when I got the text [alert]”, said Bonebrake. “I feel like there should be some kind of announcement, some kind of intercom system telling us the school’s on lockdown.”

Pacer said the feedback she has received on the TV monitors was that all except one were on alert once the lockdown was implemented. The alert that was supposed to go out over all the computers on campus malfunctioned, but her department has fixed and tested it.

Pacer advises all students to make sure their phones are set up to receive campus alerts and that their current phone number is in the system. Students can add two additional phone numbers for their loved ones to receive alerts as well.

“The intention [is to] to do unified messaging, from all systems, from web to social media,” said Pacer. “JCCC Alert is an output program; the information is only as good as the information they’ve been provided.”

Contact Christina Lieffring, news editor, clieffri@jccc.edu

News Briefs

September 25, 2014

Prescription drug drop-off

The college’s police department will be accepting unwanted or unused prescription drugs for National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, which is organized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. According to a DEA’s press release, the last Take-Back day on April 26, 2014 collected 390 tons of pills.

“This is important because the non-medical use of controlled substance medications is at an all-time high,” said the release, “with 6.8 million Americans reporting having abused prescription drugs in 2012.”
Campus police will be collecting unwanted prescription drugs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27 in the circle drive in front of the Carlsen Center.

College debaters win six speaker awards

Six members of the college’s debate team brought home speaker awards from a tournament held at UMKC between Sept. 13 and 15. The team of Cunningham and Owen finished second overall, the team of Moncure and Domme made it to the semi-finals and team Moore and Babrakzai finished in third place in the novice division.

Teen collapses at track meet on campus

A student from Overland Trail Middle School collapsed during a track event on campus that was hosted by the Blue Valley School District. The 13-year-old was running when he collapsed, was unresponsive and went into cardiac arrest. Paramedics resuscitated him and took him to Children’s Mercy, saying he was breathing on his own. As of press time he is still in critical condition and his name had not been disclosed.

Compiled by Christina Lieffring, news editor, clieffri@jccc.edu

Police Briefs

September 25, 2014

Industrial carpet cleaner stolen

One of the college’s industrial-grade carpet cleaners, valued at approximately $2000, was stolen sometime between Aug. 8 and Sept. 5. The machine was last seen on the second floor of the Carlsen Center. On Sept. 5, it was discovered that the inventory decal had been moved from the missing machine and place on another similar machine and that machine’s serial number was scratched off.

iPad stolen in food court

A student dining in the north side of the food court, left his lunch and iPad on the table when he went to get napkins from the serving area. When he went back to his table 15 minutes later, the iPad was gone. It was valued at $800. The incident took place on Tuesday, Sept 16.

Phone stolen in ITC

A student placed his phone in his sweatshirt, rolled up the sweatshirt and carried it under his arm on the way to his BNSF class in ITC. An hour later, he checked for his phone and realized it was missing. The student then retraced his steps but didn’t see the phone. The incident was on Tuesday, Sept. 16 between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. The student reported he was not concerned with the phone’s monetary value but with his personal information stored on the phone.

Wooden pallets stolen

Four wooden pallets, valued at approximately $60 dollars were stolen from a trailer by the south recycling compound when the gate was left unlocked. The trailer was clearly marked with a sign that read, “NO Stealing, JCCC Property.” A sign adjacent to the trailer read, “NO TRESPASSING VIOLATORS WILL BE PROSECUTED.” The theft was reported on Wednesday, Sept. 17.

Cash stolen from fanny pack

A woman left a fanny pack containing her identification, credit cards and cash on the bench in front of the lockers in the dining service’s women’s locker room in the commons basement. She started her shift at 7 a.m. and when she returned a 3 p.m., the money was missing though the ID and cards were not.

Compiled by Christina Lieffring, news editor, clieffri@jccc.edu

Middle School track runner collapsed at the college

September 23, 2014

By Mike Abell

BREAKING NEWS: A 13-year-old boy collapsed at the college and is being taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital. The boy is in critical condition.

Check back on @ campusledger.com for any new information.

Review: ‘As Above, So Below’ lingers below expectations

September 15, 2014

By Valerie Velikaya

vvelikay@jccc.edu

Forget about the “Temple of Doom.” Join a team of amateur archeologists in an adrenaline-fueled escapade through the Parisian Catacombs.

Don’t expect to survive… through the movie, that is.

From Director John Erick Dowdle, who brought us forgettable films such as “Quarantine” and “Devil,” “As Above, So Below,” is reminiscent of “The Blair Witch Project” with a twist of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” – let’s throw in “The Descent” just for kicks.

as_above_so_below_Poster

The title itself is an inscription, symbolizing the gateway to hell, and as the group treads through the maze of bone fragments in search of an alchemical stone, the cryptic message is brought to fruition.

Scarlett, the unspoken, Lara Croft-esque heroine, persuades a team of inquisitive thrill-seekers into a sadomasochistic-type predicament in the hopes of rectifying her deceased father’s unfinished work.

With the exception of cameraman, Benji, and Scarlett’s ex-boyfriend, George, the rest of the group reluctantly tags along after word of undiscovered treasure.

Each member of the expedition sports a headset camera, enabling audiences to catch awkward glimpses from their perspectives.

The shaky cameras top off the film’s cheap scares; however, like most movies with sporadic camera movements, the concept grows into an annoyance.

The groups’ initial meeting with the downright bizarre is through a satanic cult as they’re in the midst of their candlelit sing-along.

While those with common-sense would typically bail after such a sight, these guys continue to follow a determined, and rather, manipulative Scarlett on her voyage to find the Philosopher’s stone.

But soon after, the walk through the catacombs turns into a suspenseful escape from the depths of Hell where members are haunted by lost ones from the past.

The frightened team becomes increasingly aware of the threatening presence in the underground passageway; a hooded figure, presumably the devil – though the entity looks suspiciously like Voldemort’s long begotten French brother.

Corpses from the Middle Ages are found preserved, phones ring through the eerie passageways as other unspeakable occurrences take place.

The team of explorers winds up going in circles, discovering tunnels that take them deeper into the abyss.

“As Above, So Below” will sit on the shelves as one of the worst horror films of the season. It leaves audiences confused and disturbed at the fact that they’d spent an hour and 40 minutes watching the eradication of a historical site.

Otherwise, the catacombs are an extraordinary landmark.

… As long as one doesn’t venture too far.

Who needs a GPS?: Reviewing Rebecca Solnit’s “A Field Guide to Getting Lost”

September 10, 2014

By Julia Larberg

jlarberg@jccc.edu

I’m going to begin by saying this book took me seven months to get through. It’s 206 pages of anecdotes that set you loose in thought. It’s jam-packed with powerful ideas that can only be comprehended by staring at the ceiling for two hours. “A Field Guide to Getting Lost” by Rebecca Solnit is a well-written collection of nine essays covering art and politics, love affairs and deserts – to list a few topics. Solnit threads little factoids and anecdotes together to weave a beautiful tapestry that not only makes for a good book, but also a sort of guiding light to letting go and surrendering to the universe.

In her book, Solnit addresses a variety of topics from French artist Yves Klein’s leap into the void to exploring the “blue of distance;” then to the rapid extinction of many species of life. She uses the common theme of getting lost in each experience. Whether it was letting go of expectations of reality like Yves Klein had with his work or the tule elk returning from the brink in her hometown, Solnit connects each of these experiences back to the idea of consciously being lost. Losing any expectations or hopes or desire for control over reality. Making the decision to surrender yourself to the universe and what it has in store for you as a human being on the planet.

To leave with a teaser, here’s my favorite quote from the book: “Nothing is lost but you yourself, wanderer in a terrain where even the most familiar places aren’t quite themselves and open to the impossible.”

Staff Editorial: Lingering thoughts surrounding the lockdown

September 10, 2014

It’s easy to say that the media over-hyped Thursday’s lockdown when nothing came to fruition, but that isn’t the point. Those who’ve lived through a school tragedy most likely wish everyday of their lives that their situation would’ve ended up like ours.

People should put their cynicism aside and be thankful for the fact that we have staff members like Officer Dan Robles who take every threat seriously. What could have escalated into a devastating incident was extinguished by awareness and immediate action. Thank you to Dan Robles, faculty, Overland Park Police Department, Kansas highway patrol and everyone else who put their lives at stake for the sake of this school. Your heroism will never be overlooked.

For all we know, the immediate attention of the Campus Police Department could have deterred the alleged suspect from discharging her weapon. It’s disturbing to hear reports of instructors who put their syllabus ahead of their students and continued lecturing during the lockdown. Have we learned nothing from the past few years?

With that surplus of ignorance set aside, it’s heart-warming to see that everyone came together when a crisis could have developed. Twitter and Facebook posts were through the roof as on and off-campus residents checked if others were alright; even popular student-run account
@JCCCProbs touched base – kudos to you guys.

We’d like to commemorate everyone’s receptiveness.

While it’s simple to complain that the college took this matter way too seriously, joking or not, it shouldn’t be taken for granted. The actions and words conveyed by everyone, campus-wide, displayed a whole lot of heart.

We shouldn’t criticize the media outlets, for what easily could have been another tragedy was a false alarm, and we need to give thanks to the faculty and staff for taking proper precautions.
Let’s be grateful that our family and friends are still with us and carry on; and never take advantage of one another.

The Ledger would like to add that if you see anything suspicious, please contact the Campus Police Department at 913-469-4476.

NFL given black eye from domestic abuse

September 10, 2014

By James Howey

jhowey@jccc.edu

The National Football League rarely is the victim of something off the field stealing the headlines from what happens on the field. Needless to say that was not the case Monday after the first NFL Sunday. The fallout from the horrific video of Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice hitting his fiancé, now wife, Janay Palmer, has hit the NFL harder than anything ever has. The NFL and Rodger Goodell have completely botched a situation that happened in February that should have been dealt with swift and harsh punishment.On Monday Rice was suspended indefinitely and was cut by the Ravens. The NFL and the Ravens said they had not seen the video until Monday which may be true but either way the NFL completely ignored a domestic abuse issue until they were forced to deal with it. What really damaged the NFL is that public perception is they did not handle this situation until they realized the public found the video.

This makes the NFL look absolutely ignorant when it comes to the issue of domestic abuse against women. Domestic abuse has been an issue in the NFL and football in general; 48 percent of the NFL’s arrests are domestic abuse while the national public is just 21 percent. Rice is rightly not going to be in the league this year or maybe ever. I would say even with the huge black eye this has left with the league, I think this will slowly go away because of the fact that Rice is gone. It is up to the NFL to handle future issues of domestic abuse right and stick up for the women that are victims to this disgusting problem. Two players have also recently been subject to domestic abuse accusations. Carolina Panthers Defensive End, Greg Hardy and San Francisco 49er Defensive End, Ray Mcdonald are facing potential discipline for domestic abuse. Although neither have yet to go through the legal system, the Hardy story is very disturbing and scary. It makes it hard to watch.

What is lost in this is that domestic abuse against women is just an absolutely horrific and evil act that needs to stop. A man should never hit a woman under any circumstances. If they do they are not a man, they are a pathetic coward, if you don’t believe me go google War Machine/Christy Mack. Fair warning, it is not a pretty story but it is important for people to see it and recognize the horrors of domestic abuse.

Cavalier Star Watch: Brooklynn Meinke

September 10, 2014

By James Howey

jhowey@jcccc.edu

Sophomore Brooklynn Meinke is the only two-sports star at the college. Meinke started on the girls’ soccer team last year as a freshmen and was fourth on the team with 11 goals last season. Meinke also runs indoor and outdoor track and had a very successful freshmen campaign in indoor track. This year Meinke is one of six sophomores on the soccer squad that looks to knock down the door and advance to nationals, which they were so close to last year. The Cavs are 3-2 on the season and Meinke has scored two goals in the season.

1. What do you think the team needs to do to make it further in the playoffs?
I definitley think we need to build our confidence. We have a young team, so I think once we all find that we have it in us, then we probably can’t be stopped by many teams in our conference.

2. What are some major strengths of the team and maybe some weakness?
Our strengths are that we have a lot of athleticism and we have a really good bond with each other. Our weakness is that we are hurt pretty much all the time so we have like no subs right now.

3. What has it been like for you this year in taking more of a leadership role on the team?
I’ve definitely gotten to know my coaches better. I’ve built a better relationship with them. I’ve been able to talk to them and see what we can do to be a better team and it’s just a different view on everything as opposed to just being a player.

4. What is it like playing two sports at the college? What are some challenges and things you like?
The worst is the lack of a break, my body kind of started to breakdown after a while. I definitely really enjoy getting to meet all the different people and like having two different things to take my mind off of; you go from soccer and you change your mentality and go to track. It’s definitely a totally different group of people and different coaching. It’s just really neat to get a feel for both of those.

5. What helps motivate you on the field to work your hardest and give it your all?
Well I definitely like to win. Winning is definitely a motivator, but personally, I play and I do all the things for God, so that’s my biggest motivator.

6. What are some goals you set for yourself in either sport this year?
For soccer, it was definitely to do what I can for my team to get us to nationals. Definitely we deserved it last year and we just didn’t provide so just to show up to every game and give it my all for my team. The only reason I’m doing track this year is to end on a better note. Last year indoor was good, outdoor wasn’t so good. I’ve just been doing it for so long, I want to go out on a good note and work hard and see what I can do with it.

7. Who is your favorite athlete?
Sydney Leroux. She’s a women’s soccer player for the US national team.

8. What’s your favorite food?
Ice cream.

9. What’s your favorite movie?
Probably Warrior.

10. Who’s your favorite music artist?
Paramore.

11. What is your dream job?
I want to be an athletic director for a university.

Yearly Archives: 2014

Ledger employees share their holiday wishlist

Students abuse Adderall around finals

Drug facts:

Women’s basketball

Men’s basketball

Martin-Ayoade promotes better options for food

With volunteering, everyone benefits

Multitasking found detrimental to study habits

Model UN Conference awards JCCC team for outstanding delegation

Culinary team wins honors

Masonry repairs continue

Chicken sandwich stolen

Money stolen from wallet

Cell phone stolen from testing center

Vice president of student success’ retirement marks the changing of times

Psychology and nutrition instructors offer their insight to compulsive eating

Holiday plate averages

Possessions stolen from locker room

Cell phone stolen

Backpack missing

United Way donations increased

Shaving for a good cause

Involvement helps inform local and state politics

A ‘naturalized’ Kansan shares his trek across the state

Students assemble cookbook

Season offers unique charm

Women’s basketball

Men’s basketball

Ex-boyfriend assaulted

License plate stolen

Backpack stolen

Veterans Week

Over $21,000 donated to United Way

‘Choices project’ examines the choices we make and their effects

Student assists women’s basketball team for nearly a decade

Center supports and connects student veterans

Volleyball

Women’s soccer

Men’s soccer

Organization offers students the ability to express their religion

Royals Facts

Women’s Soccer

Volleyball

Men’s Soccer

College fine arts professor included in art exhibit on Michael Brown

“Do you forgive Joseph Kony?”

Student allegedly commits fraud

Student caught stealing chicken

Parking advice from campus police

Gubernatorial and congressional races highlight 2014 elections

Kansas City offers plenty of reasons to enjoy the fall season

A Taste of Autumn

Where to get it

Not a fan of pumpkin? There are plenty of other seasonal comfort foods!

Movies to watch this fall

Kansas City fall events

Lockdown case officially closed

Interior design students and faculty judge local competition

Over $1,800 raised for scholarships

Textbooks stolen from bathroom stall

Cash stolen from purse

Annual State of the College speech reports improvement and optimism