Kaytlin Hill
Editor-in-chief
khill48@jccc.edu
The Campus Ledger celebrated its 40-year anniversary last weekend, and to celebrate we are looking back at 10 defining stories.
Faculty Members Organize
On the front page of the first issue, we reported on the beginning of the Faculty Association for the college.
“In their first attempt to gain union representation, 147 JCCC faculty members will vote this November on whether to let the new Faculty Association bargain for them…”
Student body selects Cavaliers
This article written by Kay Caldwell, former staff reporter, documented the process of picking out the college’s mascot.
“Cavaliers was the mascot name chosen by the Johnson County Community College student body for the school athletics…”
Stoll Park residents fight to keep college out of neighborhood
We recently revisited the Stoll Park protests with our stories over the access road. In 2005, the college tried to use Stoll Park to expand and the community revolted, leading Miguel M. Morales, former senior editor, to write this story.
“The college and the Johnson County Parks and Recreation District sent out letters to the residents near Thomas S. Stoll Memorial Park informing them of a possible land swap, which would transfer ownership of the park to the college…”
Was it a Complaint?
Miguel M. Morales, former senior editor, covered this controversial story of a female employee charging the at-the-time college president, Charles Carlsen, with unlawful harassment in 2006.
“Teresa Lee, Manager of Human Resources, said Carlsen repeatedly isolated her in his office…”
Full Speed Ahead
The college rebranded in 2011, changing its colors. Mackenzie Clark, former managing editor, reported its slow but steady process.
“Students and faculty returning to the college’s online homepage to finalize enrollment or update syllabi earlier this month likely noticed the long-standing maroon has been replaced by deep shades of Bondi Blue…”
Meet the new college president
Joe Sopcich, president, was elected in 2013 after serving in many other roles at the college. Stephen Cook, former editor-in-chief, introduced Sopcich to the student body in an article.
“College President Joe Sopcich may be in a new position, but he is not new to the college. Sopcich first started at the college in October of 1992 and has served in a number of roles before becoming elected college president in May earlier this year. In addition to his role as college president, Sopcich also continues his role as a teacher this semester. His class, BUS 121, Introduction to Business, meets on Monday evenings…”
Smoking Banned!
Many students only know the college as a tobacco-free campus, but it wasn’t always that way. Tasha Cook, former news editor, reported the Board of Trustees and Student Senate’s decision to ban smoking and tobacco use on site.
“Beginning August 1, the college will officially become a tobacco-free campus due to a recent decision by the Board of Trustees to ban smoking and tobacco use on site. Smokers will have to go to their cars or one of the two smoking kiosks around the ITC building to smoke. Those caught smoking in other areas on campus could be faced with consequences…”
Breaking down the lockdown
In 2014, the college went into lockdown due to a report of a suspicious armed person on campus. Christina Leiffring, former news editor, reported a timeline of events and police reports.
“Campus Police are still unable to confirm the presence of a suspicious person with a weapon last Thursday, but the investigation is still ongoing. Campus Police are checking footage from all 337 security cameras on campus and looking for anyone who matches the description of the suspect…”
Why we’re going online only
2017 marked the last year of the print edition of the Campus Ledger. Nell Gross, former editor-in-chief, shared the difficult decision-making process of going online only.
“In this day and age, quality journalism is more important than ever. The change in platform does not mean we will be compromising our integrity or our ethics. Our new additional focus of timely online content will not interfere with The Ledger continuing to provide in-depth features and investigative pieces. In addition to our daily news updates, we hope to work with the other student media outlets, JCAV-TV and ECAV Radio to bring you multimedia packages as well…”
Students and faculty react to Betsy DeVos visit
Betsy DeVos, U.S. secretary of education, visited the college in 2017 on her Rethink School tour. Kim Harms, former news editor, shared students’ reactions to her visit.
“Betsy DeVos, U.S. secretary of education, visited the college yesterday to speak with students, faculty and staff about the variety of programs offered on campus. The college is one of the educational institutions she intended to visit on her Rethink School tour. Students that spoke with DeVos shared their stories of why they chose to attend the college…”