Former Ledger employee sues college

October 6, 2011

By Tasha Cook

A lawsuit was filed against the college Tuesday by the Student Press Law Center (SPLC) and a current student and former Ledger employee, according to an article on SPLC’s website. The complaint claims the college attempted to charge excessive fees for public records.

The complaint centers around student Marcus Clem’s request for records of emails between Carmaletta Williams and Jason Rozelle during the college’s reexamination of its diversity program last spring. Clem joined former culture editor Rachel Kimbrough’s pursuit of open records requests early that semester.

Executive Vice President of Administrative Services Joe Sopcich was the main point of contact for the requests. According to SPLC’s website, the college said a day’s worth of emails which was requested would cost $9,745.96. Kimbrough withdrew pursuit of the matter, and Clem notified college officials he would continue to pursue the records independently of his employment with the Ledger.

“Sunshine only burns the corrupt,” Clem said. “There’s no reason for them to do this unless they are hiding something they shouldn’t be hiding. Otherwise they should have no objection to providing information that’s requested.”

Clem believes the college was trying to hide something by charging such high fees for the records, which at one point came to $47,426 for seven months’ worth of records. Clem said his objective is to have the college settle the lawsuit out of court immediately and without cost, provide the emails between Williams and Rozelle and enact a policy which would prohibit the assignment of excessive fees on documents, unless prior approval is granted by the Board of Trustees.

“Really, my personal faith, I guess not faith but just belief because faith would imply that I have faith in something pertaining to the college, and I really don’t, but my belief [is] that institutions like the college should be required to comply, unless information is being requested that is one of the specific exemptions of state law,” Clem said.

College president Terry Calaway said the college was following what state laws called. He said the college does not store everything on hard drives, but rather backed up onto a tape, and the process of having someone dig through those records and print them is an extensive job.

“To suggest that there’s something in there that we’re trying to hide is just absolutely ridiculous and irresponsible,” Calaway said.

“The college takes it responsibility very seriously to have to respond to these open records requests and we do it to the best of our ability to collect the information,” Sopcich said. “I think that’s important for everybody to realize.”

Calaway said he believes Clem did not just file the suit for legal purposes. He said Clem’s mother was terminated from her position within the Continuing Education department at the college.

“To be honest with you, my position without having looked at it is, I think it’s a personal vendetta with Marcus related to the college and his mother’s termination,” Calaway said. “I don’t think it has anything to do with anything else. His court request was related to something different. Quite frankly, that’s been our experience with him over the last couple of years.”

Calaway said he believes this has nothing to do with the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI).

“At one point Dr. Sopcich asked them what they were looking for, because originally the request was for emails on a Sunday,” he said. “Marcus’ response was they were just trying to see what our response would be to the request. That’s what caused me to say this is personal.”

Calaway said the college is not trying to hide anything because no one even read the emails. He said to this day no one knows what the requested emails say.

“The thing that’s really bad I think are the allegations that people are trying to hide something when we have no clue what would be in there anyhow because we’ve never looked at them,” he said. “I think that that’s irresponsible and that’s indicative of our experience with Marcus.”

Clem is confident in the outcome of the suit.

“We have filed suit against the college, however they have the option of contesting the suit,” he said. “Then we go to court, or the college can look at the information, decide that they don’t have a case to argue, which they really don’t. I have thought through it many times and there’s really no case to be made here. So the best thing for them to do is to meet our demands and settle out of court.”

Clem said he believes the college will accuse him of having a personal vendetta, but claims this action is really just the last resort.

“We have given them every chance in the world to comply with state law before going to the courts,” he said. “We have done everything we can. And they have been stonewall, object, block, abuse at every point. It has to stop.”

Contact Tasha Cook, managing editor, at tcook15@jccc.edu.

WEB-EXCLUSIVE: Student clubs, organizations garner student success

October 6, 2011

By Julius Williams

Although there are over 70 clubs and organizations on campus with varied interests, keeping those clubs active is sometimes a challenging process.

“It’s an ebb and flow,” said Mindy Kinnaman, manager of Student Life and Leadership Development. “Students graduate or matriculate to four year universities. If the leadership of a club leaves the college, and there’s no one to replace them, then the club has to start over.”

“Setting the foundation for a club the first year is important,” Kinnaman said. “Some clubs go below the 10 member threshold and become inactive. Many students have full course loads, jobs and other obligations that make it difficult to participate.”

The sizes of organizations can range from a handful of students to much larger groups. Though membership can vary from semester to semester, there are many dedicated students and faculty members who make extraordinary efforts to make sure that the college has plenty of extracurricular offerings.

Michael Duah, a graphic design major from Kansas, is a member of the college’s Inter-Club Council, which helps to train and advise student leaders on fundraising, recruiting and leadership skill training.

Duah also works at the Center for Student Involvement and is a member of the student chapter of AIGA, the American Institute of Graphic Designers. AIGA offers students a chance to socialize with other student designers and has a connection to the local design community in the metro area.

“I interviewed a local designer from the AIGA website and found out that they needed an intern,” said Duah. “Clubs can be a way to make connections with people that can be business contacts in the future.”

Participation in clubs and organizations can offer students an opportunity to make business contacts, help their communities and perform better academically. Multiple studies have shown that there is a strong correlation between student involvement and student success.

This is particularly true for first year students, international or home-schooled students who may feel overwhelmed or isolated on campus. Clubs can provide support for students who may have trouble adjusting, introducing them to on-campus resources and offer opportunities for personal growth development.

Pam Vassar, assistant dean, Student Life, is one of the administrators charged with keeping students engaged and successful. Her office handles all of the administrative duties for student life, including clubs and organizations, campus media and the student lounge.

“We take seriously the opportunity to get students involved,” Vassar said. “Research will show you the more a student is engaged, the higher their level of success is at that institution.”

Visit the Center for Student Involvement in SC 106 or their web page on the college’s website to browse student clubs and organizations. Students can also use social networking and connect on Facebook (Center for Student Involvement) or Twitter (@CSIatJCCC).

The college is also sponsoring a Clubs and Orgs Day from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Oct. 5 in the COM plaza.

Contact Julius Williams, staff reporter, at jwilli78@stumail.jccc.edu.

WEB-EXCLUSIVE: Autism conference offers answers

October 6, 2011

By Rachel Luchmun

The college, partnered with the Kansas Center for Autism Research & Training (K-CART) at the University of Kansas, is putting on a conference about autism on Oct. 7-8.

Autism is more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined, with an estimated one in every 110 children diagnosed. In the United States alone, an estimated 1.5 million individuals are affected by autism.

Entitled “Beyond the Diagnosis: Autism Across The Life Span,” the conference aims at helping a variety of people who are affected by autism.

“The conference is geared towards parents, people suffering from autism, mental health professionals,” said Mary Jean Billingsley, program director, Learner Engagement Division.

Six major themes will be covered over the two day conference: behavioral supports/social skills, early childhood, employment, community living, transition, and research and information.

The keynote speaker to the conference will be Eustacia Cutler, author of the book “A Thorn in my Pocket,” in which she describes her struggles to raise her autistic daughter, Temple Grandin. Grandin is a noted animal behaviorist and autism advocate whose life was featured in the HBO movie “Temple Grandin.”

“I am thrilled to have her,” Billingsley said. “We are lucky the conference worked out with her schedule.”

Cutler’s address, entitled “Yes, your child is autistic. Who is your child? Who are you?” will focus on the stumbling blocks affecting children with an autism spectrum disorder. Other addresses include “The art of job matching,” “Sexuality and Autism,” and college-based “Helping students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) succeed in the Community College Environment.”

Billingsley said there were students, faculty and staff who had been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.

“It is difficult to give a number,” Billingsley said. “Autism is a hidden disability and many do not say they have it.”

Support exists for students affected by an ASD. Carla Dodge, Access Services advisor, said that the first step was for the student to submit documentation of the disability to Access Services.

“Once the documentation is reviewed, we can meet with the student each semester and help them set up their schedule,” Dodge said. “Specific accommodations are set up once they are registered.”

Academic accommodations available to students include note takers and audio books. Additionally, students may qualify for testing accommodations in order to take tests in an environment in which they are more comfortable. Specific Access Services tutoring is also available, though not guaranteed.

Moreover, a student club, the JCCC Autism Spectrum Support Club, exists to provide support for students of the college affected by an ASD. Sean Swindler, director of Community Program Development at K-CART for the University of Kansas, said the club was a good thing.

“Students come to that group to learn from one another,” Swindler said. “Students with Asperger’s make new friends, and students not suffering from it learn about it.”

The Autism Spectrum Support Club offers activities both on and off campus and provides a way for students suffering from autism to talk about their concerns and engage in social activities. Registration will be available on-site at the conference.

Contact Rachel Luchmun, staff reporter, at rluchmun@jccc.edu

WEB-EXCLUSIVE: In-house legal counsel to provide new support for college

October 6, 2011

By Tasha Cook

Several recent changes to the college were revealed during President Terry Calaway’s message to college staff Aug. 26. One of those changes is the hiring of Tanya Wilson as the new internal general legal counsel for the college.

Wilson started Sept. 19. This is the first time the college has hired for this position. Previously, all legal matters were dealt with through outsourcing.

“The reality is that there is a lot of legal issues that the institution has and faces,” President Calaway said. “As we started to look at the dollars and cents of how it all worked, there are some things that we always will probably outsource to external law firms, but there are a lot of things that I would describe as boiler-plate issues that an internal person could provide for us at a significantly reduced hourly rate.”

Calaway said the college is large enough and has enough activity that it will save money for the institution overall, and having a counsel on the inside will help maintain consistency.

Wilson, who comes to the college after serving 11 years as internal counsel for the Cerner Corporation, said the main objective as of now is to see to any matters that come up. She said right now she is working on a day-to-day basis because the job is so new to the college, but said she anticipates setting long-term goals in the future.

“One of my goals will be to bring efficiencies to the legal matters that the college has,” she said, “so having the direct interaction day in and day out with the business teams and really knowing the college will help bring those efficiencies.”

The college will still use external attorney Mark Ferguson for litigation issues which may arise, Calaway said.

“The reality is that we will always have external claims too,” he said. “I would say more often than not most of those claims are pretty frivolous, but when you go to court you want to have a good team there too, so that stands to reason. Not that Tanya couldn’t litigate, because she can and she has, but we probably would go outside for those litigation services.”

Eventually, Ferguson and Wilson will work together on legal matters, said Judy Korb, executive vice president of Human Resources and Workforce and Community Development.

“We probably haven’t completely figured that out because we’ve not had this role before,” Korb said. “It will probably evolve, but it will be a partnership. There definitely will still be a relationship there.”

Calaway said he is unsure of how much the college will save until future budgets are released, but hopes the college can save up to six figures with this move.

“We want to put more money into the classroom and less into legal fees,” he said. “We think it’s a good business decision.”

Although Wilson’s hiring will likely have a minimal effect on the day-to-day lives of students, it will affect how the college deals with students in regards to school policies.

“Student rights and responsibilities are a dynamic process,” said Dennis Day, vice president of Student Services. “The rules and the regulations and the policies that we’ve had for years need constant review to make sure that we are, as a college, up to date with case law.

“Will it affect how we deal with students and what you as a student can expect the college to support or not support, that’s going to have some effect.”

Because the position of internal legal counsel is new to the college, all of the details are still being worked out, said Korb and Wilson. But Korb said she believes the college will benefit from this addition.

“We’re excited to have Tanya here, and I do think it will really help us overall,” she said. “We’re a big place and we have a lot of things going on, so I think she’s going to be an amazing resource for us in-house.”

Contact Tasha Cook, managing editor, at tcook15@jccc.edu.

Beware the web: new social media policy in the works

October 6, 2011

By Rachel Luchmun

A social media policy is currently under review to be approved by the Board. This update follows the controversy surrounding the suspension of four nursing students following a picture posted on Facebook in January.

The social media policy is currently being reviewed by the legal counsel. After any changes, it will be presented to the board. If it is voted for, the policy should come into effect by the end of the year. Pete Belk, director of admissions, said that the policy would replace the guidelines currently in place.

“We used to only have social media guidelines, not a specific policy,” Belk said. “In the case of the nursing students, the college felt their actions fell under existing policy [relating to the student code of conduct].”

The new social media policy will take a harder stand on what is acceptable to post online. It will affect both staff and students.

“The students are expected to follow the student handbook, and faculty have a similar code of conduct,” Belk said. “This policy will bridge things together.”

The college makes a difference between student discontent and actual threats made against the college. Belk said the college only took action against valid threats.

“We don’t take things down [from the JCCC Facebook page] when students complain about, for example, the non-smoking policy,” Belk said. “We only act when there is an actual threat made – whether by insinuating bodily harm or slander.”

To keep abreast of mentions of the college on the Internet, the college uses software that scans websites for its name and returns posts containing it. This could include blog post, twitter posts and Facebook posts.

Erick Mbembati, Student Senate Vice President, said that students should be aware of the policy and guidelines regarding social media.

“I would encourage students to be careful as to what they post on Facebook or Twitter,” Mbembati said. “Matters relating to the college should remain in the boundaries of the college.”

Student Margret Jones is a Facebook user and said that she felt the policy made sense.

“I think students should realize that college is serious and that they are not free to do whatever they want,” Jones said. “It’s common sense, really.”

The policy comes at a time when social media is more and more becoming an important part of college life. Issue 3 of the Campus Ledger reported that a student was suspended over a threat made on Twitter. In January, four nursing students were suspended following a picture posted on Facebook. One of them, Doyle Byrnes, brought the matter to court.

Until the policy is made public, students are advised to follow the social media guidelines, as well as the guidelines contained in the student handbook. Both can be accessed on the JCCC website at www.jccc.edu.

Contact Rachel Luchmun, staff reporter, at rluchmun@jccc.edu

Salaries, budgets focus of Board meeting

October 6, 2011

By Ben Markley

Several changes to the school were announced during the monthly Board of Trustees meeting Sept. 28.

In one of the larger changes, the Board moved to approve President Terry Calaway’s new contract, which included a three percent salary increase. However, the movement did not pass unanimously as Trustee Stephanie Sharp opposed the new contract.

Sharp said she believes the president’s position was already well compensated and on par with the region’s counterparts. She stressed, however, that she was not opposing Calaway, merely the increase.

“I have concerns about giving increases over and above our faculty increases when we’ve additionally cut millions of dollars out of our budget,” Sharp said. “It’s a numbers issue for me.”
Trustee Greg Musil said he believed the increase was a small amount in comparison with the help Calaway has given the Board.

“The president of this university is a 24/7, 365 day-a-year job,” Musil said. “Dr. Calaway has helped us meet our strategic goals in a very tough time.”

Budget cuts were also brought up during the meeting. John Winter, lead custodian, came forward on behalf of the college’s custodial staff during Petitions and Communications.

Winter said the budget cuts have fallen disproportionately on the custodial staff salaries, asking for one-third of their salary and half of their benefits. He said the college has requested that these contracts would not increase over the next five years.

“A current housekeeping employee will be expected to do the same job… with the same quality and expertise for two-thirds of the salary and then accept no cost-of-living increase for half a decade,” Winter said. “Would we approach the faculty with such a proposition?”

He reported that many custodial staff had retired and current custodial staff is experiencing increased mental and emotional strain.

“The JCCC brand has slipped, and we’re not the better for it,” Winter said.

Calaway said the college was right at the industry standard for custodial personnel but that custodial staff believed five or six more people were needed. He said there will be a town hall meeting with custodial staff and a decision regarding custodial issues will be made at the October meeting.

Trustee Jerry Cook said later in the meeting that the college’s “brand” is being upheld by its diverse opportunities and national recognition.

“I am very pleased with the large number of outstanding events that are going on on a daily basis that elevate the brand of [the college] locally, state-wide, and nationally,” Cook said.

College lobbyist Dick Carter reported that the Board of Regents initially planned to propose a $60 million request of funds for Kansas colleges and universities. He said the proposal dropped to around $48 million. He said about $40 million would go to state universities, with the initial $20 million designated for community and technical colleges dropping to $8 million.

In regards to the budget, President Calaway reported that the school spent 91 to 92 percent of the budget at the end of last year’s fiscal year. He said this was a positive development and would allow the leftover funds to be carried into the next fiscal year.

Also announced was the increase in scholarship distribution. Trustee Greg Musil reported that distribution was up 39 percent to over $911,000.

“It’s wonderful – it’s also a challenge for the future,” Musil said. “If we’re going to do that every year, we’re going to have to keep raising scholarship money and endowment money over and over again every year.”

The Board added the Shawnee Dispatch and Tri-County News to their list of official newspapers as a follow-up to their decision to replace The Johnson County Sun with The Legal Record.

For more information about the Board of Trustees, minutes, packets, and meeting dates, visit http://www.jccc.edu/trustees.

Contact Ben Markley, news editor, at bmarkle2@stumail.jccc.edu.

Innovation, improvement focus of college address

October 6, 2011

By Ben Markley

The annual State of the College Address was given by President Terry Calaway Sept. 28.

One of the major themes of this year’s address was the college’s recent focus on innovation, said Don Weiss, chair of the Board of Trustees.

“[The college will] be far-sighted and visionary to give our students the knowledge they need to do things we can’t even yet imagine,” Weiss said.

Calaway elaborated on this theme by listing some of the major innovations of the college during his presidency, including the opening of the Center of Innovation.

The Center will be a place for students, faculty, staff and members of the community to all discuss in a comfortable, friendly environment, Calaway said. He said the Center will use a more “appreciative inquiry model of discussion” to discuss issues and ideas.

The Sustainability program was mentioned during the address. Calaway said the program made a significant impact over the past few years. He said the college was using more than seven truckloads of paper yearly when he began his presidency.

“It’s not just about doing more recycling or looking at ways that we might save materials,” Calaway said. “It’s about creating a different culture in our institution.”

Calaway also spoke in length about how the college has improved student engagement.

“The student who walks down the hall by themselves, goes to class, sits down, attends class, gets up, walks out and goes to work is not as likely to be successful as a student that becomes engaged,” he said.

One example of student engagement Calaway mentioned is Dream Johnson County, a program designed to help students facing challenges ranging from academic development to emotional struggles. The program helps students through what Calaway called “invasive counseling.”

“[The counselors] don’t just sit back and wait for students to get connected or for students to call,” Calaway said. “I think our counselors truly do save lives every day.”

Calaway said the success of the college over the past year is a combination of talented students and quality faculty and staff, but he warned the college not to settle.

“I told our cabinet the other day that my job over the next three years as we move forward is to make them uncomfortable,” he said. “We can’t rest on our laurels. I don’t think our community would settle for that.”

Calaway urged the audience to push the college in the future and used the example of the new Olathe Health Education Center, which began construction in spring 2010 and is now open for fall 2011 classes.

“Make us a little uncomfortable,” he said. “If we weren’t a little uncomfortable, we wouldn’t have an Olathe Health Education Center.

“You’re only as good as tomorrow’s plan.”

Contact Ben Markley, news editor, at bmarkle2@stumail.jccc.edu.

InFocus: Hope for sufferers of depression: advisers weigh in on how to help those suffering from depression

October 6, 2011

By Ashley Jenks

Half of Americans will suffer from mental health issues in their lifetime, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). The leading issue is depression.

Frequently, those suffering from depression are unaware of their symptoms or don’t want to admit it, said Kristen Harth, counselor and co-adviser of Active Minds.

“Sometimes there’s this negative stigma around depression, but the truth is so many of us have it,” Harth said. “People are walking around with it all the time. We all go through times where we have our good days and bad days. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Depression has many symptoms, said Susie Sympson, adjunct professor of psychology and advisor of Active Minds. Symptoms include depressed mood, which can be expressed as irritability, loss of pleasure or interest, physical aches and pains, changes in appetite and sleeping habits, fatigue, feelings of helplessness, worthlessness, excessive guilt and recurrent thoughts of death in severe cases.

Harth said there are ways for friends and family members to recognize signs of depression.

“A lot of times they’ll become more negative,” she said. “You’ll notice someone who’s complaining a lot or maybe they’re complaining of physical symptoms.”

“If you’re really worried about something, you need to address it,” Sympson said. “It doesn’t matter if they get really angry with you because the alternative could be something you blame yourself for forever.”

Harth said to take a caring approach when confronting someone about his or her depression.

“Often if someone is not aware they’re depressed and are showing those symptoms, they may get angry,” she said. “They may not take it as this person cares about me and wants to help me . . . It’s better to start by saying ‘I really care about you. I’ve noticed some things changing and was hoping we could talk about it.’ Just be open and honest.”

Sympson offers a different approach.

“Ask them if they’ve had changes in their eating behaviors, if their sleeping habits have changed, tell them they just seem to have lost interest in things to you,” Sympson said. “When they agree with these things, tell them these are the symptoms of depression.”

If you suspect you personally may be suffering from depression, counselor Jeff Anderson said to seek help.

“Don’t be afraid to ask [for help] . . . Help is there for the taking,” Anderson said. “Choosing not to get help has consequences as well.”

The college offers the student assistance program in coordination with St. Luke’s Hospital. Once referred by a counselor, this will get the student five free sessions with a licensed psychiatrist, Anderson said.

However, there are additional sources of help on campus, Harth said.

“We like to consider ourselves (counselors) as being an ongoing support for students, too,” Harth said. “We have students here who are being seen by a regular physician or counselor outside of school, but we like to be here to support for the day to day.”

Sympson said there is hope for those who seek help.

“It’s a relatively easily treated thing,” she said. “It’s very few cases that cannot be addressed. People can live a relatively normal, happy life. Sometimes it involves [medical] drugs, sometimes it involves other things, but don’t give up hope and seek help.”

Contact Ashley Jenks, reporting correspondent, at ajenks@stumail.jccc.edu.

Dead language resurrected: hieroglyphs course connects ancient language to modern life

October 6, 2011

By Jessica Mitchell

Every Tuesday night from 7-9 p.m., students in RC 146 revivify a language that hasn’t been conversationally applicable for thousands of years. Egyptian Hieroglyphics, taught by Stacy Davidson, is a newly implemented continuing education course here at the college.

Being that this course is classified as continuing education, it is not worth credit and will not aid to any degree or certificate. This course is simply a personal interest and self-improvement type prospect.

“There’s a lot of people here with diverse interests and diverse learning needs and that’s the audience we serve and this is one course we wanted to try,” said Phil Wegman, program director of Skills Enhancement.

The course requires no prerequisite besides having an interest. Wegman classifies these types of courses as “enrichment learning” opportunities.

“The kind of people that take continuing education are the best learners of all because people who are in these course aren’t interested in degrees or taking tests,” Wegman said. “They aren’t interested in meeting a requirement. They are simply interested in learning.”

Davidson, instructor of the one night a week, two-hour course, is an Illinois State and University of Michigan graduate with a degree in history and Masters in Near-Eastern Studies with an Egyptology concentration. Even though newly hired here, she is no newbie to Egyptian Hieroglyphs. She has been teaching this program for nearly three years and has also been to Egypt to take part and aid in a dig.

Davidson said students may be surprised at the academic nature of the course.

“They will probably have more grammar than they expect,” she said. “It’s not just cartoon pictures, it is actual grammatical structures and there are a lot of symbols to learn—but I use interactive games and worksheets and make it as low stress as possible and there are no grades in the night program, so people can come in and just learn for their own benefit and not worry about having to take tests or write papers”.

Historians have inferred that the spoken part of the language sounded very similar to Greek. The language can actually be spoken out loud, just not conversed.

“We do not converse in ancient Egyptian as a conversational language but we can speak it out loud to each other if we are reading sentences off the board or from a passage,” Davidson said.

The majority of the course is focused on the understanding and comprehension of the hieroglyphs but by the end of the course, students may be able to speak and say a few phrases.

Davidson also connects the material to everyday life by explaining that students could even go to the Nelson Atkins and read the hieroglyphs right off the artifacts themselves.

“I am interested in history and learning other languages,” said Diana Hartzler, a student enrolled in the course. “I don’t know, it’s funny because we always watch those ancient alien shows and they always show the hieroglyphics.”

“…at the museum we did get an inner and outer coffin last year, and you know it’s got hieroglyphs all over it so it’s really interesting,” said Hartzler’s mother, Dixie Buss. Buss volunteers at the Nelson-Atkins and has visited Egypt.

The course is very interest- and personal-gain based but on top of that it is also a very rare commodity.

“I am very thrilled to be teaching hieroglyphs for a continuing education program because most people who want to learn hieroglyphs have to be enrolled in an Ivy League college, which is out of reach of most people – financially or just through the selection process of admissions,” said Davison. “…so the value of this class is you get to take it from an instructor that was taught in graduate school, who has the knowledge and who is willing to give it to the students in a low stress environment…so I actually prefer to teach for programs like this.”

To learn more about the Egyptian Hieroglyphics class please contact Stacy Davidson at sdavid22@jccc.edu and make sure to look for the spring offered course at the same day and time next semester.

Contact Jessica Mitchell, reporting correspondent, at jmitch54@jccc.edu.

‘Contagion’ nothing to sneeze at

October 6, 2011

By Ben Markley

“Contagion,” good or bad, is not fun to watch. It’s like “The Passion of the Christ”: engaging, thoughtful, well-done and relieving when it’s over.

“Contagion,” a thriller about a worldwide epidemic of an airborne pathogen, has caused movie-goers to cough up $44 million thus far. Maybe because the film is not simply about trying to stop a physical disease; it’s about the social breakdown, the political struggle and the emotional dilemma of survival. That being said, it’s disturbing, it’s not fun, and it’s good.

The film tracks these various ideas through a large cast of stars, and one quickly realizes that there is no central protagonist in this story. Humanity is the protagonist, and these characters are simply symbols: the common man (Matt Damon), the greedy exploiter (Jude Law), the scapegoat (Laurence Fishburne), etc., all trying to deal with death.

With this kind of storytelling, the characters do tend to come off as simple and one-dimensional. Mitch Emhoff (Damon) wants to keep his daughter safe. Dr. Erin Mears (Kate Winslet) wants to find a cure. Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) is literally just there to die. The most complex character is probably Alan Krumwiede (Law), who starts out as a blogger trying to uncover the truth and turns into a manipulative demagogue.

The film’s plot is really a web of plotlines, a concept that is rarely done well. (Anybody remember the 2009 “Fame” remake? No? Yeah, that’s probably best.) “Contagion,” due in part to its star power and heavy subject matter, pulls it off pretty well.

However, it does have shortcomings. Marion Cotillard’s character is good for nothing other than making a weak emotional appeal and jarring the overall story with her plotline. Beth cheats on Mitch for no other reason than to make me dislike Paltrow even more than I already do.

There’s an impressive amount of star power in “Contagion,” and despite the negative reputations of numerous star-studded films, the parts fit most of the actors like a glove. Damon, Fishburne, Law and Winslet embody their characters with natural authority, and their celebrity presence actually seems to raise the stakes. After all, who wants to see Jason Bourne or Morpheus die in a hospital?
“Contagion” leaves its biggest impression through its powerful imagery. The makers shot this film with the simple goal of making the audience as germophobic as Tony Shalhoub in “Monk.” They succeed. That extra three seconds where the camera lingers on how many subway rails that sick guy just touched awakens hypersensitivity in us that we might not have known was possible.

Anxiety. Fear. Panic. That is the atmosphere that the film creates, and it’s thick. This presentation of humanity as willing to loot, lie and kill when it’s pushed too far. It’s hard to tell whether the disease or humanity is more destructive, as Dr. Ellis Cheever (Fishburne) points out to Krumwiede.

In addition to being socially disturbing, the film has a handful of queasy shots. Most of them revolve around Beth, which involve two seizures and an autopsy where we actually see the top of her head folding over her face. Throw in the stone-dead face of a young boy, and you’ve got an uneasy movie-going experience.

Despite all this, “Contagion” is more than “Lord of the Flies” in Chicago. The heart-warming, beautiful moments are few and far between but, against the backdrop of an inconceivable tragedy, they do their job. The film is sober but hopeful, neither optimistic nor pessimistic, simply, as Steven Soderbergh put it to MoviesOnline in an interview, “ultra-realistic.”

All this to say you’re probably not going to be suggesting this for a casual movie night any time soon (unless your group likes watching “There Will be Blood” for kicks and giggles), but it is a smart, memorable film with a lot to offer.

Contact Ben Markley, news editor, at bmarkle2@stumail.jccc.edu.

Come on, come all: October Sustainability conference aims to empower, motivate youth

October 6, 2011

By Gabrielle Fitzgerald

Perhaps students have seen this logo around campus: a green e surrounded by yellow, orange and red lines. It is the logo for the upcoming sustainability conference called Epicenter 2011, Generating Student Sustainability Leadership.

On Oct. 28, Sustainability will have a daylong student focused conference. It will run from about 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Kim Criner, sustainability student affairs coordinator, said.

The Sustainability Department hopes this conference will provide ways for students around the Kansas City area to connect and discuss ideas.

“…To create this opportunity for these roundtable discussions and these peer-to-peer exchanges so that [students] can finally feel like they are sharing in the conversation and getting something out of it, that they can take away to actually use and do,” Criner said.

Students of all backgrounds are encouraged to attend, even if they think they know nothing about sustainability.

“If you’re curious but you feel like your understanding is lacking, we’re going to hopefully be able to bring everyone up to speed to a place where at least they’re learning,” said Criner said.

One way she hopes to do this is by bringing in an internationally known speaker, Alex Steffen.

“He is really good at making something that is seemingly complicated seem pretty clear and understandable to a lot of different audiences,” Criner said.

Not only is Steffen good at making things seem less complicated, but he is also a very positive, solutions-oriented person. He is a talented speaker, which will be a great way to kick off the conference, she said.

Steffen is not the only person speaking at the conference. The first half of the day will include more than seven speakers from Kansas as well as other states. One of these speakers is Erin Willard, who set up the Greencut Program, which takes one dollar from each paid credit hour and puts it in a fund for campus sustainability programs. Another speaker will be Matt Kazinka, from Minnesota, who is involved with helping prevent climate change. He first became interested in this when he attended a Power Shift Conference in Washington, D.C. in 2007, a national sustainability conference.

“I’m really interested in…laying out some of the issues around climate change that are becoming more and more apparent in our world right now… And I want to talk about the youth response to that and stuff that’s happening all around the country with students and non-students, young folks who are working together to create solutions to that, respond to that, and create clean energy alternatives, “ Kazinka said.

He said he hopes that students will leave with a “sense of urgency” in order to prevent climate change, but also a “sense of capability.” Students should know that there are other young people out there who are coming up with brilliant ideas, which Kazinka considers inspiring.

“I think it’s great for students to see what green projects are out there right now and kind of see if they can bring back that knowledge from what other schools are doing to their home campuses. It’s a great leadership opportunity for anyone but especially those who are interested in sustainable leadership,” Kevin Clark, environmental science student, said.

The conference, located in the Regnier Center, is completely free to students and includes breakfast and lunch; however it is strongly advised that you pre-register on the conference’s web page, http://www.epicenter2011.com.

Contact Gabrielle Fitzgerald, reporting correspondent, at gfitzge1@jccc.edu.

Staff Editorial: Re-examining budget priorities

October 6, 2011

Times are tough. Many economists are casting shadows of doubt over the so-called “economic recovery” of 2011, and college campuses across the country are feeling the squeeze of budget cuts. Nobody can blame the college for making sacrifices in the context of economic hardship, but what exactly are the college’s priorities?

Look at the college’s custodial staff. They’re some of the lowest paid employees on this campus even without losing a third of their salaries and half their benefits, and the college is proposing that the custodial contract cost should not increase over the next five years. This has pushed so many custodians to retirement that the college is currently operating at the minimum industry standard.

The college is making an effort to meet with custodial staff to address these issues, with some kind of decision being made at the Board of Trustees’ October meeting.

However, contrast that with the Board meeting in September. The Board approved a three percent salary increase for President Terry Calaway. This was met with little discussion, save Trustee Stephanie Sharp’s one opposing vote.

If we have to spend months figuring out whether custodians should be able to receive any increases for their already reduced contracts, shouldn’t a casual raise in the president’s salary inspire more than a few minutes of post-approval discussion?

To be fair, the Board of Trustees is trying to make up for giving Calaway a starting contract that undershot what they originally promised him. Nonetheless, this is awful timing. The college cut around $5 million for this fiscal year, and the American economy is not picking up anytime soon.

As Sharp pointed out, Calaway’s compensation is about equal to Kansas State University’s president, who heads a much larger public campus. Needless to say, a salary increase is nowhere near a priority at this point.

The college’s current budget plan is titled Prioritizing the Budget Strategically. The Board needs to adhere to that idea by taking an honest look at the college’s financial situation and addressing present priorities rather than making fiscal apologies for past actions.

CORRECTION: Clem current student

October 5, 2011

In our article titled “Former Ledger employee sues college,” currently available online and set to run in print Oct. 6, we stated that Marcus Clem is a former Campus Ledger employee and a former student of the college. While it is true that Clem is a former Ledger employee, he is a student currently enrolled at the college. We apologize for the mistake, and will run a correction in the print version of Issue 5.

No smoking, please: students respond to new tobacco policy

October 4, 2011

By Ben Markley

The college officially declared itself a tobacco-free campus, as of Aug. 1st.
The smoking ban concept has been in the works for a few years, said Dana Grove, executive vice president of educational planning and development and chief operating officer.

Continue

Fire damages local townhomes

October 4, 2011

A fire damaged seven townhomes in the Overland Park apartment complex Greenbrier Apartments Tuesday night.

One firefighter was treated for minor problems associated with the fire, but no serious injuries were reported.

According to a report from The Kansas City Star, the fire began in the apartment complex’s carport of the 8300 block on Hadley Street, then jumped to the attics of the townhomes.

Firefighters were called shortly before 6 p.m., and by 7:30 p.m. the blaze was contained but still burning. So far, reports of damages are unknown.

Police and fire officials were unavailable for comment at press time.

— Compiled by Mackenzie Clark

News briefs

September 23, 2011

NEWS BRIEFS

Interpreter Training Program Accredited

The college’s interpreter training program was accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Interpreter Education. The college’s program is one of nine to receive accreditation in the United States. It is one of only two community colleges to receive accreditation. The college currently offers the only interpreter training program in the state.

Joe Seabrooks Event

Joe Seabrooks, President of Metropolitan Community College Penn Valley, will be giving his lecture, “It’s All About the Benjamins: Five Things Students Get Twisted,” at 11 a.m., October 6. The lecture will address clarifying student goals in college and is free and open to the public.

Compiled by Ben Markley.

Indecent exposure in CLB parking lot

A student received an unwanted eyeful the morning of Sept. 13 when a bearded man caught her attention as she walked to her vehicle and exposed himself to her, according to InfoList, the college’s internal news system. The student reported the man to be in his mid-20s and fully bearded. The license plate number of his silver Toyota is unknown. Investigations are ongoing.

Compiled by Rachel Kimbrough.

Police briefs

September 23, 2011

POLICE BRIEFS

Film Noir Theft

A college staff member reported the theft of her 1940’s DVD set on August 29. The set of black-and-white movies featuring Dick Powell and Myrna Loy were the only thing missing from her office. The investigation is ongoing.

Purse Theft at Carlsen

A college student reported the theft of her purse on Aug. 24. She accidentally left the purse after being picked up at the Carlsen Center. A male that had been sitting next to her took the purse into the men’s restroom and emerged two minutes later to turn the purse in as lost and found property. The investigation is ongoing.

Parking Lot Theft

A student found her vehicle unlocked and robbed in the Carlsen Center Lower East parking lot on August 23. She reported the theft at 9:45 a.m. when she returned to her car after class.

Student IDs Found

A staff member reported that they had recovered three current student IDs on August 23, 12:20 p.m. The cards were found on the “Little Blue Trace” and sent to the Student Life office on. None of the cards had any money value listed.

Intoxicated Customer

Campus police were dispatched to the college’s business office at 12:47 p.m., August 23 after receiving a report regarding an intoxicated subject. The office reported that the subject had refused a refund check and demanded cash. The staff member also said the subject smelled of alcohol and appeared to be intoxicated. The subject was gone by the time police arrived.

Compiled by Ben Markley.

Student suspended for Twitter threat

September 23, 2011

The college suspended a student Sept. 7 after the student published a perceived threat within a racial epithet via Twitter, according to a Campus Police report.

Student Houston Richards, 19, said his post was a reaction to an unidentified Arab-looking male bumping into him in the hallway without excusing himself. Richards said he thought his post could only be viewed by his followers on Twitter.

Dennis Day, vice president of student services, said when there is a perceived threat, the college assesses the level of threat and creates an interim suspension in order to check the background of the student in question.

“If we find nothing at all, then we would come up with a plan of action for that person to make it a learning moment as opposed to a criminal moment,” Day said. “For me, because you’re a college student, I really want you to learn from anything that happens, bad or good. After all, learning comes first, right?”

Richards meets with Day regularly, and has been allowed to return to class.

Richards could not be reached for comment.

Compiled by Rachel Kimbrough.

Student reports kidnapping in parking garage

September 23, 2011

Surveillance camera picture shows the suspected kidnapper in the Galileo's Garden parking garage Sept. 15. Image courtesy of KCTV5.

By Tasha Cook

Another campus alert was issued this month, making it the second in a week after a report of indecent exposure earlier in the week.

A student reported to Overland Park Police that he was kidnapped in the Galileo’s Garden Parking Garage Sept. 15. The victim, whose name has not been released, reported the assailant approached him around 5:30 p.m. and ordered him to get in his car and drive.

The victim described the suspect as a black male, between the ages of 20 and 24, around 180 lbs., 5’10” to 6’ tall. The suspect was wearing a black hoodie with white lettering over a white shirt, a silver chain around his neck, black shorts, a black hat, and dreadlocks.

The victim said the man took his cell phone, money from his wallet and also forced him to withdraw money from his bank account through an ATM.

The victim said he was released unharmed in Kansas City, Mo., around 8 p.m. that evening. Neither the location nor details were released on where the student was forced to drive.

Campus Police increased security afterward by patrolling the parking lots. Overland Park police are still investigating the case and the suspect is still on the loose.

“It’s been assigned to a detective who will check for video surveillance and interview anybody else that might be interviewed, if there are locations that may need to be contacted as to where the suspect made the victim go, follow up on any other available leads that would be in the incident at this point,” said Matt Bregel, Public Information Officer for the Overland Park Police Department.

Bregel said there was another incident at Kansas City Kansas Community College the same week. However, it is unclear at this time if the two incidents are related. Bregel said the department regularly works to compare cases with other police agencies.

Anyone with any information on the suspect is urged to contact Campus Police at ext. 4112.

Contact Tasha Cook, managing editor, at tcook15@jccc.edu.

Golfer goes the distance to improve game

September 23, 2011

Mario Fulcic, originally from Croatia, takes some practice swings at the number eight hole at the Overland Park Golf Course on Monday Sept. 19. Photo by Hannah Hunsinger.

By Dillan Straight

The love of the game is a term any player of sports can recognize. But while most athletes make some form of commitment to these sports and practices, for Mario Funcic, a member of the college’s golf team, the process of just practicing and getting in a couple rounds also once included driving 144 miles just to play.

“Mario had to go approximately, by car, 72 miles one way just to play,” said golf coach Lafayette Norwood. “His practice facilities were very poor and provided a cap to what he was capable of.”

Growing up in Croatia, a country known more for its track and field players then golf, Funcic had to make a name for himself early, using what facilities were available to him and constantly looking to improve his game.

“I would play twice a week at that distance,” Funcic said. “A good portion of my time spent on the driving range.

“I had three golf courses in Croatia, and the closest one was over 70 miles from house. I traveled so much, using a 172 yard driving range to increase my game, and practicing with the National Team. I won National Championship of Croatia in 2010 and that’s why I came here.”

Funcic’s arrival at the college did not go by without the addition of a little flair. In his recruiting video he displayed his deep driving ability by swinging golf balls into Croatia’s weather for the day – a thick layer of deep fog.

“It was pretty eye-catching,” Norwood said.

“That was a pretty misty day,” Funcic said. “My agent contacted the college and coach Norwood offered me a full-ride, I accepted.”

Norwood said Funcic shot a 73 (+1) the first day and came back with a +4 the next day. He said Funcic carried the team as far as maturity.

“Mario is a very mature young man, as much as the game of golf goes,” he said. “He went in the tournament as most kids and did not know anything about the course. We practiced on it for one day, and he was able to be tied in first place [on the second day].”

Funcic has also found friendship with fellow team members.

“We’re all really good friends, we all hang out all the time,” said golfer Devin Monteque. “We really didn’t play that well last [match] and we still only lost by six shots. I think this could be one of the best seasons that Johnson County ever had.”

Funcic is now approaching his time at the college as an opportunity to grow, not only in his golf game but with a broad aspect of subjects.

“Good education, practice my English… it isn’t good enough,” he said. “Improve my golf and show it to other coaches. My dream is go to Oklahoma State, get my game together to where I could get a scholarship. That’s my dream to go there, but there are a lot of really good schools.

“Golf season, you have to make results and then you can go looking for something.”

Contact Dillan Straight, sports editor, at dstraig1@jccc.edu.

Cavalier basemen steal spotlight

September 23, 2011

Second baseman Blake Sturgeon is shown during a practice session at the college Sept. 15. Sturgeon is among the best in the nation for base stealing. Photo by Tasha Cook.

By Tasha Cook

Although the Cavalier baseball season is still several months away from officially starting, the team already has two standout basemen.

Second baseman Blake Sturgeon and center fielder Chad Shannon stay with the team for their sophomore season after finishing second and third, respectively, in the nation’s NJCAA Division I ranking for stolen bases. Sturgeon finished last season with 66 stolen bases, while Shannon finished close behind with 65.

“Those two guys without question were the most feared base stealers in the Midwest, and for that matter in the country, finishing second and third,” said coach Kent Shelley.

Shelley said Sturgeon broke the school record for stolen bases last year.

“He’s having a productive fall so far, even though we’re just getting underway,” Shelley said. “Dynamic offensive player, handles the bat well, excellent bunter, very disciplined, great knowledge of the strike zone. Once he gets on base, he just creates tremendous pressure on the defense.

“Without any question he’ll be if not the best, one of the best second basemen in the second conference.”

As far as Shannon, Shelley said he is a very strong player and the fastest on the team, clocking 6.45 in a 60-yard dash. He also said Shannon was clocked throwing from the outfield at 90 m.p.h.

“When you take a gentleman as big and strong and physical, couple that with a plus arm and plus speed, you’re talking about a guy that’s gonna get and is getting tremendous attention from major Division I programs throughout the country as well as professional scouts,” he said.

“Blake, in my opinion, will definitely be highly recruited as well. These are two of our better players and definitely have the ability to go on and play at the major Division I level.”

Both players said one of the keys to their focus on stealing bases is their speed.

“I worked pretty hard in high school on improving speed,” Shannon said. “I wasn’t much of a speed guy when I was younger but then I grew into it.”

“We do a lot of off-season conditioning, as far as sprint work and everything else,” Sturgeon said. “I’ve always been fast but I really try to work on that and get even faster and improve on my technique a lot.”

The players also said they have developed a very close friendship, although they did not know each other before playing for the Cavaliers, Sturgeon said.

There was no rivalry involved in their close finish to each other for stolen bases, Shannon said.

“We really enjoy each other out here on the baseball field,” he said. “We keep each other in line, make sure each other are working hard. It was all in fun. We were mainly doing it for the team, trying to keep swiping those bags that way we could keep scoring runs and helping the team out.”

Shelley said the college has ranked among the top 15 academic baseball teams in the nation for the last four years, and three of those has also ranked in the top 15 on the baseball polls athletically. He said very few, if any, colleges can attain that type of statistic.

“We’re proud of the wins, we’re proud of the championships, but we come to expect those here at (the college),” Shelley said. “What we’re extremely proud of is these young men’s effort in the classroom. Shannon and Sturgeon are two of those leaders, not only on the baseball field but they’re two of our outstanding leaders in the classroom as well.

“I’m just extremely proud of both of them, I’m proud to be their head coach and I’m excited to watch what I feel is going to be two of the better sophomore performances this program has seen in a long, long time.”

Contact Tasha Cook, managing editor, at tcook15@jccc.edu.

Women’s soccer coach scores 200 career wins

September 23, 2011

By Dillan Straight

When Jim Schwab officially became head coach of the women’s soccer team in their inaugural season in the 90s, gas was $1.06 and you could score a stamp for 32 cents.

Oh, how the times have changed, but the win record never seemed to fade, as Schwab proved recently with his 200th career victory.

Schwab became coach for the Lady Cavs after serving as head coach on the men’s for nearly a decade before. In their inaugural season, Schwab set the bar high for many teams to follow and seamlessly built a top-10 ranked team overnight. The team went 17-2 in that first season, winning the Regional Championship and coming within one win from the National Championship.

“A lot of coaches don’t like to play a hard, competitive schedule outside of conference,” Schwab said. “My philosophy ever since we’ve been here is a lot of schools around the country want to play us, we like to be known as a Top-15 program in the country and it helps your chances.”

During his tenure, Schwab has captured seven of the 12 Region VI titles, two Kansas Jayhawk Conference tiles, one District title and has led the Lady Cavs in 12 consecutive double-digit win seasons, eight of those seasons having won at least 17 games in the process. In 2009 Schwab reached his biggest goal, coaching the program to its first NJCAA Tournament appearance, where it finished runner-up.

Schwab remains humble in his achievements, noting that he would have never reached this level of success if it had not been for the coaching staff he had through the past decade. He said his assistants Wendy Louque and Melissa Blount have been here 10 and five years, respectively.

“I’ll be honest, it seems you’ve been doing it a long time,” Schwab said. “I think the consistency with the coaching staff and recruiting staff, it shows a lot from a whole team effort. The athletic department itself, there is a lot of people besides myself that should take credit for it. It’s a total team effort. You can’t win without the players, and then the recruiting process, the coaches, and the athletic department in the budget, they give us to do what we need to do.”

Assistant coach Louque has been a member of the Lady Cavs for the past decade and helped coach during their time in Nationals in 2009.

“The three coaches all bring something to the table,” she said. “That’s what makes us so good. In the past 10 years we’re the only [coaching] staff that remains the same. When it comes to having coaching staffs turning over, which happens frequently in any sports you’re looking at, I think that’s one thing that’s really helped us build on a tradition, which is kind of hard at the junior college level, but it’s maintaining a solid coaching staff.

“It’s not all about soccer, we care about our girls. It’s about seeing them succeed after school and in life, with their careers and their families.”

Schwab stands fourth in NJCAA Division I active coaching wins (205) with Bill Rich of Broome Community College (211) edging him barely as of Aug. 25. Schwab has earned his own accolades along the way in being selected six times for Region VI Coach of the Year, and also earned a prestigious NJCAA District B Coach of the Year honor in 2009.

“Getting to the national tournament is a hard thing to do, and we got there in 2009 and hopefully we can knock back on that door after doing so for all the past season,” Schwab said. “We played really well and ran the table. It takes a lot of good timing, a little bit of luck, sometimes a lot of luck, and it takes some talent.”

One of the resources that has improved Schwab’s coaching is his loyalty to his players.

“I think you have to be honest with the players,” he said. “You have to be able to look them in the eyes and tell them if they’re doing good or bad. Hold everyone accountable, even yourself. I think the first person we look at is our coaching staff. When we lose games, one player or one coach doesn’t lose games, it’s decisions along the way and how we ratify those mistakes.”

Schwab reached the lofty goal of 200 total wins this season in the Lady Cavs game against Cloud County Community College. Schwab was able to pull together a 1-0 win over the T-Birds when freshman Jen French scored in the 72 minute mark with a 40 yard-out free kick that soared into the net. Along with sealing a 1-1-1 on the season as of then, Schwab also brought his career win record up to 200-45-10 as of Aug. 31.

Schwab said what keeps him going is seeing the players he has coached go on to successful careers and knowing he held a part in that.

“With all the girls I’ve coached, the most gratifying is when the kids come back and they’re doctors and lawyers, business owners and parents,” Schwab said. “That’s when you know you’ve been there for a long time. That’s when you see them come back and thank you not for the wins and losses, but for the lifelong experiences they’ve learned through you. That’s my biggest [achievement], that’s what keeps me motivated to keep coaching.”

Contact Dillan Straight, sports editor, at dillan.straight@gmail.com.

Column: Complacency making 9/11 Hallmark holiday for too many

September 23, 2011

By Rachel Kimbrough

In the weeks leading up to the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, national pride swelled to a nearly palpable degree. The History and Discovery channels were crazy with ratings running play-by-plays of that day ten years ago as viewers took the chance to feel like part of something more than themselves—oh, intoxicating patriotism.

Sept. 12 after the ten-year anniversary: not a peep about it.

In this society, in which media consumers fastidiously hold to their “out of sight, out of mind,” mentality, if it’s not flashed in front of your face every hour on the hour, it simply doesn’t matter anymore.

Don’t worry, you unhappily married spouses, you have to appreciate your significant other only one day a year, and that’s Feb. 14. And guess what else? You only have to love your entire family once a year, too, on Dec. 25. Whoopee!

The day after that you can kick the tree to the curb, and smash all the bulbs while you’re at it, if you like.

How too many of us treat Sept. 11 now, like so many other “Hallmark” holidays, is an abomination to what its calendar date represents. There are still 364 other days of the year in which we should all still, for example, bear public safety in mind. Our country’s head is still reeling, and does so all those other 364 days of the year, from the change in our involvement in world politics as a result of those attacks. Yes, and the families of those who died, whether as a direct or indirect result of the attacks, still grieve their losses—all 365 days of the year.

In the same way one should love his spouse and family all 365 days of the year, regardless of whether Hallmark creates a card to mark that appreciation and markets it for a specific day of the year. Regardless of whether the History channel has a heyday with the specific date on which something happened to occur.

So, yeah, we’ve got a 9/11-related article hanging out in the news section this issue—after the anniversary. It is still relevant right now, but there’s something I’ve heard lately that sounds too much like someone complaining about Christmas music playing on Dec. 26: “Nine-eleven has passed. Shouldn’t we be talking about something else?”

No.

Contact Rachel Kimbrough, editor-in-chief, at rkimbrou@jccc.edu.

Staff Editorial: Sept. 12: Have we forgotten?

September 23, 2011

None of us will ever forget Sept. 11, 2001, but have we already forgotten the lessons we learned that day?

On Sept. 12, 2001, the city of New York forgot everything they knew about strangers. No one was afraid to reach out and help someone they didn’t know because they had a common bond uniting them. Despite all the chaos in the streets, there was no looting. The city was injured, but the survivors stood together. It was that day that we realized things would get better, and we could emerge stronger and more cohesive than ever before.

At that time, more than ever, we were Americans. We identified with each other; we felt an actual sense of community. It wasn’t just in New York City where people came together for the common good– it spread across our country.

Around Kansas City, flags flew at half-mast on every street corner; people held doors for each other, waved hello to strangers, helped each other. We were united not by fear, as the terrorists had hoped, but by compassion for our fellow countrymen.

Many of us vowed that we would hold on to that newfound spirit of patriotism, but only ten years later it has begun to dwindle and in some cases, to completely disappear.

Two Baltimore teens are facing charges—one of them five years in prison—after heinously beating a transgender woman at McDonald’s so badly that she had a seizure. The video of this assault, and of the other patrons standing by laughing or doing nothing to help the woman, quickly became viral.

At opening night of the Wisconsin State Fair, two separate mobs of youths stormed the crowd and began senselessly beating people and shaking or pounding on their cars as they tried to drive. At least 11 injuries were caused, and 31 were arrested.

Looking at these incidents and others makes one wonder where the love went. What has become of the American Spirit?

As American citizens, it is our duty to help those who feel like outcasts become part of the group. We were founded on the principles of charity and “E. Pluribus Unum”: “Out of many, one.” When we, as a country, fail to stand up for these ideas, we truly have failed.

Remember 9/11, but focus on 9/12 and the love, mutual respect, and unity we learned that day. Then, and only then, can we truly prove that we, not the terrorists, have won.

InFocus: Local foods in spotlight

September 23, 2011

By Gabrielle Fitzgerald

The Sustainability Expo and Dinner took place from 4 to 8 p.m. Sept. 8 in the college’s Regnier Center.

“There was something like 12 to 15 vendors…four or five farmers and then you have people who take local products…and make sauces and salsas or whatever with them,” said Jay Antle, executive director of the sustainability department.

The vendors had a variety of goods for people to sample, including toffee and wine.

“We also had a few groups, such as Good Natured Family Farms, which is a distribution network for local producers,” Antle said. “You also had Our Local Food Kaw Valley…who is trying to create a local food shed along the Kaw River and trying to connect together farmers and markets.”

Directly following the expo was a ticketed dinner including a five-course meal made with only locally grown foods. All foods were chosen by dining services executive chef Tim Johnson. Each course was paired with a wine from Louisburg’s Somerset Ridge Vineyard. The dishes included carrot brûlée, bison sliders, chicken breast and berry gelato.

“Four years ago when we started this expo and this dinner, the main purpose was to educate our community and our campus about sustainability,” Johnson said. “Over the last three years I think we’ve done that. This year we wanted to enjoy it a little bit more and experience the lovely food we can get around this community.”

Not only did the dinner benefit the community by raising awareness of local foods, it was profitable for the students as well.

“The point of the expo is to allow people who bought tickets to the dinner, as well as the student population on campus, visit with the farmers, taste their products,” said Kim Criner, sustainability student affairs coordinator.

“This particular year we can also celebrate our own campus farm, and some of the food that was served at the dinner was in fact grown on our campus farm by our own students,” said Antle.

Criner said the event is also a fundraiser for the Student Environmental Association (SEA). Besides raising money for the SEA, the event promotes eating local foods as a way to a more sustainable lifestyle.

“Sustainability is a really integral part of eating local,” she said. “Your food is coming from nearby so you’re not having to worry about fossil fuels from transporting it across states, refrigeration for all that time.”

“If you have local growers who are growing fruits and vegetables, particularly using less chemically intrusive methods, that is a more sustainable kind of farming because you don’t have all those fossil fuel inputs…It’s in some ways going back to an older way of farming,” Antle said.

Criner said the turnout was “pretty good,” though Antle said that because the economy’s tight, they didn’t get quite as many people as they would have liked to have. A few of the guests included Timothy Bryan from Isle of Capri Casino, where they incorporate local food into the menu, and Mike Lane, director of program sales for Sysco, a distribution network for local growers.

“The people who were there had a great time, we raised some money for the students, and people got to talk about food; that’s really what this event’s all about,” said Antle.

Contact Gabrielle Fitzgerald, reporting correspondent, at gfitzge1@stumail.jccc.edu.

Ten years later: On tenth anniversary of September 11, 2001, we remembered those lost with memorials, ceremonies

September 23, 2011

By Mackenzie Clark

Our nation was stricken with tragedy just over ten years ago when four flights were hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. Now, from the ashes, beautiful memorials have risen.

At what was formerly known as Ground Zero of the World Trade Center, families and friends of the victims were invited to a ceremonial opening of the memorial for their loved ones on Sept. 11, 2011. It opened to the general public the next day.

The memorial consists of two waterfalls and reflecting pools, each about an acre wide, set in the original footprints of the twin towers. Engraved in the north pool are all the names of those who died in the World Trade Center north building, on Flight 11 and in the earlier attacks on Feb. 26, 1993. In the south pool are the names of the first responders and those who died on Flights 175, 77 and 93; in the Pentagon and in the World Trade Center south building. Of 2,983 names, only one was misspelled.

In addition, an “Explore 9/11” app for iPhone has been created for tourists. The app features a walking tour of the area with audio and photo narration, images taken nearby, a timeline of events and a guide to the memorial.

At the University of Kansas, the Social Issues committee of the Student Union Activities group held a memorial Sept. 9-12. They set up a flag on the lawn of the Stauffer-Flint building for every person who lost their life that day.

“This idea came about last spring during our planning stages for fall. We knew we wanted to commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9/11 and we decided that a quiet, simple event would be the best option,” said Kevin Smith, Social Issues Coordinator.

KU held other events across campus on the anniversary, including a candle lighting ceremony at the campanile.

Contact Mackenzie Clark at mclark68@jccc.edu.

Late enrollment policy inconvenient for some but important to student success

September 23, 2011

By Julius Williams

The last day a student can add a course is the day before the class meets for the first time, according to the college’s late enrollment policy. That policy, instituted by the college three years ago, may have some students feeling frustrated.

Amy Coons, a pre-nursing student at the college, said she doesn’t like the policy. Last semester, as part of her course load, Coons enrolled in two classes, one of which was a prerequisite for the other. After the semester started, Coons dropped the prerequisite and was automatically dropped from the second course. By the time Coons realized her mistake, it was too late.

Coons tried to reenroll in the same classes but couldn‘t.

“I had to wait until the summer to take the prerequisites I needed for the nursing program. It was a mess,” she said.

Other students have mixed feelings about the policy.

“It complicates things,” said elementary education major Kristen McAfee. “It’s hard for students especially if they need to maintain credit hours for scholarships… But at the same time, it might not be good to change [the policy], it would create complications for students.”

Reducing complications and keeping students successful is exactly why the policy was put in place maintains Dennis Day, vice president of Student Success and Engagement. The college conducted studies to find out how well people performed when they enrolled after classes started.

“We found that out of all the students who enrolled after classes started…40 percent dropped out, [out of the remaining late enrollees] 60 percent didn’t pass the class, and 80 percent that finished the course had one [letter] grade less than normal,” said Day. “The data is hard to ignore.”

Libby Corriston, director of the Math Resource Center, echoed that sentiment.

“We want students to be successful,” Corriston said. “It’s not a punitive thing even though it may feel that way for some students. A few people would be successful who enrolled late, but on the whole it wasn’t true. Students dropped or quit coming or ended up with a low grade that kept them from moving on to the next class.”

There are no plans to change the college’s policy, but for students who find themselves in awkward situations like Amy Coons did, there is some relief.

“Academic departments have the ability to help a student out in special situations,” Day said. “But the student has to talk to that department.”

“It truly is about trying to enhance student success,” Day said.

Contact Julius Williams, special to the Ledger, at jwilli78@stumail.jccc.edu.

What it takes to get celebs on campus

September 23, 2011

By Ashley Jenks

Some celebrities have asked for $100,000 to perform at the college. Another celebrity, Andrew Jenks, MTV personality and star of World of Jenks, said his price was much more affordable – he only asked for a small amount of money, a turkey sandwich and a coke.

The cost of bringing a celebrity to campus depends on the actual celebrity said Jake Akehurst, Student Activities Manager. Once they get to campus, there are even more demands to be met – and the process to secure them can be long and tedious.

“We look at their price range, and it’s a lengthy process depending on their level of talent,” Akehurst said.

First the college must contact the celebrity’s agent and agree on a contract. According to Akehurst, someone the college seeks out will usually have their own contract, although the college offers its own seven-page contract.

This is done anywhere from as much as two years to as little as three months in advance, said Emily Behrmann, manager of the Performing Arts series.

“Some artists prefer to work six months in advance or less to allow room for other opportunities,” said Behrmann.

However, the efforts are usually worth it.

“They [celebrities] are typically very nice people when you get an opportunity to chat with them,” said Akehurst. “[They’re] pretty much just like you and me.”

If something comes up, there is a place in the contract stating the celebrity has a certain number of days to notify the college. Otherwise, the college either does not have to pay the celebrity or is refunded for the deposit.

However this leaves some gray area. For instance, a severe storm early last spring caused school to be cancelled at the beginning of February. A performance was scheduled for Feb. 1.

“The artist could not perform, but we covered their expenses without paying their fee,” said Behrmann.

When all is said and done and the contracts have been signed, Akehurst and Behrmann said some celebrities have very specific requests about their accommodations: from special types of equipment to specific brands of gum and even green M&Ms.

“Natalie Cole asked for sandwiches. We only had mayonnaise, but she eats Miracle Whip. We had to run out and buy her Miracle Whip,” said Behrmann, laughing.

At times, Behrmann said, the audience gets a close-up look at the show. Such was the case with famed animal trainer Jack Hanna. Because the college had no space backstage, “the [caged] animals were all in the wings, so we could check them out,” Behrmann said. The smell of animals also wafted through the wings. Behrmann said Jack Hanna even stated he did not enjoy traveling with an anteater in the show because “he just smells so bad.”

The college draws the line at some requests, though.

“Most [celebrities] will have at least a page of requests for food and drinks,” Akehurst said. “Nothing crazy, but those are the things we will usually cross out…Bands will have alcohol [as part of their requests], which we don’t provide.”

Contact Ashley Jenks, special to the Ledger, at ajenks@stumail.jccc.edu.

ODEI has closed its doors

September 23, 2011

Reasoning behind sudden move

By Mackenzie Clark

The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI) has officially closed its doors, leaving many students, faculty and staff members to wonder why and what is to become of diversity on campus.

Rather than one central office, diversity efforts on campus will be divided into student and faculty initiatives. Student diversity initiatives will be handled through the Student Life and Leadership program; faculty initiatives will be handled by Human Resources and Staff Development.

“We’re trying to spread the responsibility of diversity throughout the campus, and again, concentrate on the student initiatives and the student concentration of diversity programming and activities within the Student Life and Leadership area, and make it a more holistic approach to diversity,” said Dennis Day, vice president of Student Success and Engagement.

The basic goal is to expand diversity efforts so that they affect all students.

“We need to look across the spectrum of students and make sure that we have strategies in place to help them all be successful, and we can do that,” said Carmaletta Williams, professor of English and former head of ODEI.

These changes come in part after review of Williams’ benchmarking project, which argues that “we cannot remain among the top community colleges in this nation or in the world without an effective diversity, equity, and inclusion program.” The project evaluated the college’s progress in diversity efforts since the ODEI’s inception in 2008 by comparing Campus Climate Surveys, investigating diversity programs at 9 other schools, and making recommendations based on further internal and external research.

The Multicultural Center will also be closing, and will instead become a part of the Center for Student Involvement.

“The Multicultural Center concept will be enveloped into [the Center for Student Involvement], where we can get all of the students involved with it,” Day said.

Some students are concerned that they will not fit in to this new center.

“I think that’s going to happen,” Day said. “I think you reverse that, some people weren’t welcomed into what was the Multicultural Center. So it kind of goes both ways. What we’re going to try to do is include more of the diversity of the cultures rather than just one or two groups, and that’s what it was tending to do. It was just getting concentrated by one or two groups.”

Williams disagrees.

“We understand that there was an impression last year that it was the ‘black’ room, or just the black students went in there, which was not true, but apparently people including administration felt the same way so we were kind of focused this year on making sure that each and every student knew that they were welcome and were to be included and it was a room for all,” she said.

Those involved in diversity efforts on campus hope that in time, all students will feel accepted in the new atmosphere of the Center for Student Involvement. Some students feel this may not be possible.

“They put together a mentor group where you felt like you had someplace where you actually belonged,” said student Ferrin Caldwell. “Having a space where different cultures could actually combine into one placement and not feel so ostracized out there in Johnson County, and now they take that away?”

Contact Mackenzie Clark at mclark68@jccc.edu.

College begins budget planning

September 23, 2011

By Ben Markley
The college will soon start planning the management budget for the next fiscal year.

Don Perkins, Executive Director of the Budget and Auxiliary Services, said that the nation’s ongoing economic problems have put pressure on the budget.

“We’ve had to make certain cuts,” Perkins said. “We’ve tried to do that in a way that still allows the college to fulfill its mission.”

The decrease in property value was a struggle for the college since local property tax contributes to nearly half of the college’s revenue.

Bob Drummond, Board of Trustees Treasurer, said that the solution lies in other sources of revenue and not in changing the property tax.

“We’ve taken a pretty firm stand that this is not the time to raise taxes for our county,” Drummond said.

Said, Joe Sopcich, Executive Vice President of Administrative Services, the college remedied this problem last year by cutting around $5 million in expenses and re-investing $1 million.
This approach was referred to as Prioritizing the Budget Strategically (PBS). Sopcich said, the college will be using PBS again in the next fiscal year.

Sopcich said another pressure comes from increased enrollment.

“What happens is when the economy goes down, enrollment goes up,” Sopcich said.

While the increase in tuition brings more revenue, Perkins said the college is wary about raising tuition costs.

“We’re always concerned about it being set properly,” he said. “We’re worried about it being a burden to students.”

Drummond said that when the budget faces cuts, keeping quality instructors is always a priority.

“The heart and soul of [the college] is student success, so we’re very, very careful to guard everything that surrounds that,” Drummond said.

Perkins said that despite America’s current economic situation, he does not anticipate any negative surprises for the college.

“I believe the downward trend has ended, but recovery is going to be slow,” Perkins said.

Sopcich said the college has handled economic hardship well, citing the Regnier Center, the Nerman Museum, and the new culinary building project as testimonies to its success.

“We’re in one of the worst economic times since the Depression, and look at what the campus has done.” Sopcich said.

Sopcich said, a deeper knowledge of the budget would be beneficial for students, and it would give them a better sense of what the school provides.

“I think information is always good…this knowledge should deepen [students’] appreciation for what we have here.”

Contact Ben Markley, news assignment editor, at bmarkle2@stumail.jccc.edu.

Playing seriously: College’s healthcare simulation in limelight at conference

September 23, 2011

David Munyan, left, a second-year nursing student and Darrel Puls, a second-year respiratory therapist, apply treatment to a child patient simulator as a demonstration at the nursing symposium on Wednesday Sept. 7 in CLB. Photo by Hannah Hunsinger.

By Rachel Luchmun

The college’s fourth annual Healthcare Simulation Conference, held Sept. 16-17, featured four faculty members from the Harvard University Center for Medical Simulation. This conference is one of two important events in the college’s Nursing department.

Jenny Rudolph, Ph.D., Dan Raemer, Ph.D., Robert Simon, Ed.D., and Walter Eppich, MD, ME.d, from the Center for Medical Simulation, Harvard University, were featured presenters at the fourth annual conference. The conference, “Playing Seriously: Simulation in Healthcare,” was held in the Regnier Center’s Capitol Federal Conference Center.

Jeanne Walsh, Director of Nursing, said there was a focus on the different methods of debriefing – analyzing how the students have performed during the simulation.

“We need to look at what methods of debriefing work best,” Walsh said.

The conference highlighted the Harvard style of debriefing. Walsh said it was a good addendum to the debriefing style already in place.

“We are fortunate to have (the Harvard faculty members),” Walsh said. “Simulation, I think, is the answer to nurse preparedness.”

Kathy Carver, Zamierowski Family endowed professor of Nursing, said simulation was a critical part of teaching the program.

“Simulators provide the whole experience for students – what they see, hear, feel, how they use their knowledge,” Carver said.

Nursing Student David Munyan said simulation was a very useful aspect of the program.

“Simulation puts us in control of the environment,” Munyan said.

Additionally, JCCC is one of 10 colleges across the United States to be selected for a study by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. The study aims at discovering how many hours of simulation make a difference to training. Walsh said the study would provide needed data that would benefit a wide range of healthcare spheres.

“This is a groundbreaking, landmark research,” Walsh said. “We are so proud to be a part of it.”

Carver said all healthcare programs would look at the outcome of this research.

“Can we train better? How much can we say simulation is as valuable as clinicals? This is what this study is about,” said Carver.

The college’s inclusion in this study is in part due to the institution’s history of simulation. The college acquired its first simulator mannequin in 2001. In 2008, the Healthcare Simulation Center was dedicated, housing 14 simulators. The simulators include seven adults, two birthing mothers, three newborns and two six-year olds. Carver said that a variety of students use the Healthcare Simulation Center.

“It is mainly used by Nursing, EMS and Respiratory Care students,” Carver said. “We also offer other programs, such as RN refresher courses, for those already in the profession and health career students from visiting high schools.”

The Healthcare Simulation Center stays at the edge of technology to ensure the best experience for the students. Carver said that simulators acted like real humans to a very high degree.

“They are more than just mannequins,” Carver said. “They are simulators full of computers. Their eyes react to light. They react to real oxygen administration, they have a pulse – they even have a voice.”

For more information about the Healthcare Simulation Center, go to http://www.jccc.edu/healthcaresimulation.

Contact Rachel Luchmun, reporting correspondent, at rluchmun@jccc.edu.

New Center for Innovation think tank for improvement

September 23, 2011

By Rachel Kimbrough

The college has begun its work on the new Center for Innovation, a think-tank style initiative wherein students, faculty and staff can pitch their ideas for campus improvement directly to campus decision-makers.

The center aims to “stay ahead of the curve” by means of creating an open-forum, “think-tank level” environment in which those on campus may comfortably discuss their ideas, said college president Terry Calaway.

“I think we kind of lost our edge a little bit as an institution during the economic downturn,” Calaway said. “People have a tendency to kind of hunker down, so what I want to do is create an environment that reinvigorates that creative spirit, that entrepreneurial spirit, within the institution.”

Jason Kovac, executive director of academic initiatives, has been tasked with taking charge of the campaign.

“We’re not just going to be anticipating new jobs that we might be preparing students for, we’re probably going to be thinking about challenges that aren’t on the table yet, opportunities that aren’t on the table yet,” Kovac said. “So we’re getting the college to a place where we are leading instead of responding to what’s going on in the world.”

The center technically falls under the umbrella of Academic Affairs, said Marilyn Rhinehart, executive vice president of Academic Affairs.

“It’s really important that students, faculty, staff, whomever, know that it’s really a college-wide thing,” Rhinehart said. “We want to be sure, even in not the best financial times that people still have ideas and that [discussion] can be done in an environment…where people are comfortable.”

This year the center will be funded by contingency dollars, said Calaway, but will later be funded by a direct line-item in the budget.

A space for the center to be headquartered has not yet been identified, but Kovac said much of his work will be done around campus anyway.

“I think it would be important for the center to be out and about on campus,” Kovac said. “One of the ways we can do that is by bringing some of the ideas, the philosophies, that drives the center to them [people on campus] as opposed to mandating that people always have to come to a specific place on campus. I think a ‘distributed center’ is a fair way of describing this.”

Calaway, Kovac and Rhinehart all said the center’s central focus is the improvement of student experience on campus, and as such student involvement is essential to its success. Rhinehart is optimistic about the opportunity to be involved with the center.

“It’s easy for institutions that have really good reputations and have a reputation for innovation to get complacent, speaking hypothetically,” Rhinehart said. “This institution is better than that.”

“We were getting ourselves into a place where the conversations were more focused on “How do we get to ‘no,’” as an answer for something rather than, “How do we get to ‘yes,’” Calaway said. “Let’s create an environment where people can have open conversations trying to get to yes.”

For more information, contact Jason Kovac at jasonkovac@jccc.edu, or attend Calaway’s State of the College Address at 3 p.m. Sept. 28 in Polsky Theater in the Carlsen Center.

Contact Rachel Kimbrough, editor-in-chief, at rkimbrou@jccc.edu.

Sports training camps keep players fab instad of flab

September 23, 2011

By Dillan Straight

Summer break is a time usually filled with the thought of freedom, a chance to unwind from the trials and tribulations of assignments and genuinely get a dose of “me” time. But while this may be a much sought after time for any student, it’s a nightmare for a coach. Many are left wondering if their new pupil will fill his free time with daily weight regiments or opt out in favor of a diet centered off recipes from Epic Meal Time.

Training camp is usually the first line of defense for coaches, offering a coach the ability to better assess his players and their state of conditioning.

“Most of our athletes I’d say ‘let up’ in the summer,” explains tennis coach Glen Moser. “Each season you’re usually starting over again.”

Structured around the building of stamina and endurance, training camp is a great tool for coaches in conditioning players to their routine shape. While the elements of each training camp differ between the different campus clubs, they all focus on both physical and mental conditioning.

“In many aspects, you don’t have a chance to see all the athletes twenty-four seven or 365, so what training camp does is allow them to continue staying fit and staying mentally ready for the season,” said men’s soccer coach Fatai Ayoade. “Training camp is an essential tool that allows the athletes to have the flow of continuing and not lag behind.”

Along with being in top physical shape, proper conditioning also can give the athletes that extra punch of confidence. While this usually goes without saying, a player who comes into training camp thoroughly conditioned is able to build that confidence in the coaches system early, helping them to succeed at a quicker rate as the season progresses.

“Some people just don’t realize the importance of training camp,” said student Michael Ericson. “I know it’s certainly helped me become a better player following a lazy summer.”

Training can include motion drills that help players achieve the general feel of each play. By going through the plays without the use of equipment, players can mentally condition themselves to perform the proper movements.

“We’re really working on movement and body weight, and then you hit the ball,” said Moser. “We may go 20 minutes where they won’t hit the tennis ball, but they’re going through the motion of what we like to call ‘shadow tennis’ and ‘shadow footwork’.”

As the players begin to “go through the motions”, they’re able grasp the sets early and switch into them during play subconsciously. It’s a concept continually stressed through camp; one coaches know will contribute to their athletes performance following each set. Whether through structured in-game-scenarios or mental preparation, training camp is an essential part of any team wishing for a successful season.

Moser looks at proper conditioning in training camp as a vital need for his players to improve: “Our old strength coach, [Steve] Javorek used to say if you have two athletes of equal skill, which one is going to win? And he says, ‘The one in better condition.’ “It’s as simple as putting down the bad habits and replacing it with an open attitude.

Contact Dillan Straight, sports editor, at dstraig1@stumail.jccc.edu.

Champion Lady Cavs softball coach takes position at MNU

September 23, 2011

By Dillan Straight

When the Lady Cavs softball team hits the diamonds next year, they will do so under new leadership. Head coach Kelly Latendresse recently announced she is moving on from her successful tenure at the college to take the position as head coach for MidAmerica Nazarene University.

Latendresse began her coaching career as an assistant in 2004 and was named head coach in 2006. She was a leading force in creating the successful softball program the college enjoyed in recent years.

Finishing with an 196-76 (.721) record as head coach, Latendresse earned an arsenal of accolades in winning four Region VI titles, coaching 11 NJCAA All-Americans, 8 NJCAA All-Tournament selections, 31 All Region VI performers, and 33 All-Jayhawk Conference performers while leading four teams to the NJCAA Division II Tournament. She was twice selected as the NFCA South Region Coach of the Year for NJCAA Division II during her period as head coach.

“As an athlete and a coach I’m a very competitive person,” Latendresse said. “I’ve always looked to advance myself and make myself better. I’ve always wanted to make the move into four-year university level and saw this as a good opportunity to make that move for myself and my family. It was an opportunity to advance myself to the next level.”

Latendresse said the call came very late in the summer and left her with a tough choice in leaving what she had created while at the college.

“Their head coach left at the end of the summer,” Latendresse said. “It was a late decision and a really quick decision. It was about the first or second week of August when I had heard from MidAmerica that their coach had left and got the call to see if I was interested in the position.”

“We found out two days after she got offered the job,” said assistant coach Aubree Brattin. “She let us know as early as she could she was leaving, but either way, it was shock for everyone.”

Latendresse is succeeded in her duties by Brattin as intern-coach along with Samantha Fleeman filling the role as First Assistant position. There are already some changes in place for the softball team.

“We have a team GPA goal now, kind of puts an emphasis on their academics,” said Fleeman. “Rules to create an accountability that they didn’t have before.”

Latendresse believes the college made the right decision moving Brattin and Fleeman up in ranking, acknowledging both were coaches the girls already knew, trusted, and knew how to continue running a system set for success.

“Sometimes when you get new assistants they can kind of be hesitant while getting their feet wet in their first year, but these two really weren’t,” she said. “They jumped right in. They did what needed to be done and always willing to put in the extra time and do whatever I needed them to do.”

Brattin said the team members each took Latendresse’s departure in different ways.

“Some were upset, some were shocked,” she said. “We had a meeting with the girls shortly after and told them, ‘You worry about school, you worry about softball, and we’ll worry about the rest.”

“They’re going on and they’re doing as asked, going into every day like we haven’t missed a step.”

Contact Dillan Straight, sports editor, at dstraig1@jccc.edu.

Column: Know safety procedures on campus

September 23, 2011

By Rachel Kimbrough

This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

And I’m not trying to scare anyone, but kindly remember that on at least two occasions terrorist group Al Qaeda was caught plotting a rail attack within the States to take place on or around the tenth-year anniversary of that 9/11 attack, according to British cooperative news agency Reuters.

In light of those facts, I’d like to remind everyone of what safety resources are available to you through Campus Police.

For one thing, you can sign up for text alerts from the police department if, say, an emergency situation were to occur on campus. Visit the police department’s webpage at http://www.jccc.edu/administration/police/ to sign up for text alerts.

There are campus phones in many hallways throughout campus. Dial 4111 from any of those phones to connect to the police dispatcher. That’s the extension if you’re calling from your cell phone, too—dial (913) 469-8500, ext. 4111 to reach the dispatcher from an external phone.

If it’s an immediate threat, dial 911 from whatever phone you’re close to.

Campus police officer Scott Wargin said there are also “red phones” throughout campus that automatically dial the police dispatcher’s extension when someone picks up the receiver.

Wargin said the campus features a PA system inside and outside to alert those on campus if an emergency situation were to arise. He said the police department can also use the digital monitor displays on every floor of every main building on campus to get the word out, as well as send alerts to both employee and student email accounts.

Now I know this could look like paranoid babbling, but everyone needs to at least be aware of safety procedures, wherever you are. Apathy is especially prevalent among our student population. This is one area in which it is not only unacceptable to be apathetic—it’s outright dangerous.

Contact Rachel Kimbrough, editor-in-chief, at rkimbrou@jccc.edu.

InFocus: Training for trains

September 23, 2011

Railroad industry courses offered at the college

By Rachel Luchmun

Railroad industry courses are available at the college through the National Academy of Railroad Science (NARS), a partnership between the college and Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad.

The courses, which range in length from four to eight weeks, are available in the ITC building at the college. Courses offered include five associate of applied science degrees and ten certificate programs. Terry Murphy-Latta, director of NARS, said that courses were available to a variety of people.

“BNSF trains their own employees,” Murphy-Latta said. “We also have programs for existing railroad workers and for those wanting to join the industry.”

Joining the railroad industry now may be a lucrative idea. Murphy-Latta said that now was a good time to join the industry.

“Many of the baby-boomers are retiring,” Murphy-Latta said. “It’s a good industry to get into. A lot of our students are getting hired – an 80 percent placement rate.”

Student Aaron Lyons took a course from NARS to join the railroad industry. He said he wants to join the field for the money and career opportunity it presents.

“I have a couple of employment prospects with BNSF,” Lyons said. “It all depends on whether I pass the exam or not.”

Lyons said the program was very intensive.

“They cram three and a half months of training in six weeks,” Lyons said.

For most courses, students are on campus from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Some courses are available online, such as safety and hazardous material courses. Safety training is also an integral part of all courses. Murphy-Latta said that safety was the number one concern of the instructors.

“We teach students to always be aware of the conditions around them,” Murphy-Latta said. “Most accidents happen due to inattention.”

Students gain hands-on experience through fully equipped labs and on-the-job experience. Available labs include a freight car lab, locomotive lab, and locomotive electrical. BNSF is planning to expand on the south side of the campus in order to offer crane training.

The advantages of the partnership between the college and BNSF are more than just academic. Marilyn Rhinehart, Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer, said that the partnership was beneficial to the local economy.

“The students are staying in local hotels and buying food here on campus,” Rhinehart said. “It has a great impact on the local economy.”

In 2010, BNSF paid for 30,329 nights in local hotels, at a cost of over $1 million. Additionally, around $250,000 was spent on the college’s food services by NARS students.

The courses are funded partly by tuition fees and partly by BNSF. Rhinehart said BNSF financially helped with the maintenance of the building, while the college provided the space and some of the equipment.

“BNSF is the primary funder, along with tuition fees,” Rhinehart said. “The college contributes in kind. This provides an alternative revenue stream for the college.”

As the program is not federally funded, and NARS students are only on campus for a maximum of eight weeks, they are not counted among the college’s student population. Throughout 2007, 27,000 students went through programs offered by the NARS. This number has declined since then.

The partnership between BNSF and the college is the brain child of former college president Charles Carlsen and his executive vice president Dan Radakovich. Carlsen was interested in supporting the local economy while looking for an alternative stream of non-tax revenue. With the proximity of Kansas City, a railroad hub, a partnership with a railroad company was seen to be mutually beneficial.

For more information about the different training programs offered by NARS, requirements and how to apply, go to http://www.narstraining.com.

Contact Rachel Luchmun, reporting correspondent, at rluchmun@jccc.edu.

Former “hippie” serves food for thought

September 23, 2011

Dining services supervisor brings personal philosophy to work

By Rachel Kimbrough

Whether singing onstage as a self-proclaimed former “hippie” or inviting international student into her home, the college’s Dining Services supervisor bears others’ needs in mind.

Born in Omaha, Neb., Dining Services supervisor of service Nancy Whedon moved to the Kansas City area when her father had to transfer for work. Whedon said she adopted philosopher and physician Albert Schweitzer as an idol in fourth grade as she explored her own sensitivity for the needs of others.

“I’ve been this way since I was born,” Whedon said. “I would cry when somebody stuck their tongue out at me, I’d ask my mom why won’t that little girl be my friend, my feelings were always so hurt because I wanted to have everybody be happy and be friends. I think I was just born with that.”

Whedon went to the Art Institute of Kansas City, but said she was a “mediocre” artist. Her second year at the Institute, she and her friend joined a band called Stoned Circus who was looking for a female lead singer and drummer. The two women cleaned up the existing band members’ folk style and formed a rock band.

“We had to get their zip-up boots off and the pants off, and we all got bell bottoms and t-shirts and washed their hair and told them to grow it out,” she said. “We turned it around into a cool thing. Nobody had a girl drummer and a girl singer.”

Whedon became ill and left the band after a few years. In later years, she opened two of her own restaurants and worked as supervisor of room service at a hotel on the Plaza in Kansas City. She said coming to work for the college 17 years ago proved to be a different type of management than she’d experienced before.

“When I came here I had to adapt from being the ‘everything’ person and start to learn how to delegate,” she said. “That was very hard for me. My style is to make sure that my people don’t feel that I am above them or just there to yell orders at them or something. I like to be part of the gang.”

Whedon has offered lodging to 13 of her employees who are international students. She said that is an expression of her belief that it is everyone’s responsibility to be benevolent to other people, on both a global and a local scale.

“There’s no reason to have war. Everybody needs to chill,” Whedon said. “I think that that’s what my purpose is in life, touching people. I love helping people, I love being somebody people can come to if they want to talk to someone.”

Contact Rachel Kimbrough, editor-in-chief, at rkimbrou@jccc.edu.

No smoking, please

September 23, 2011

Students response to new tobacco policy

By Ben Markley

Johnson County Community College has officially declared itself a tobacco-free campus, as of Aug. 1st.

Dana Grove, executive vice president of educational planning and development and chief operating officer, stated that the smoking ban concept has been in the works for a few years.

The Student Senate polled students about how they would react to a tobacco-free campus. According to Grove, the poll showed roughly two-thirds of those asked, including the majority of faculty and campus employees, supported the ban.

“We’re not saying it’s wrong or that it’s evil,” Grove said. “We’re just saying we want to ban it to have the healthiest and cleanest campus we can.”

Last spring, the Board of Trustees passed the smoking ban, which was put into effect Aug. 1st.

The smoking ban prohibits students from smoking anywhere on campus except for their own vehicles and designated smoking areas by ITC. The fine is $10 for students caught smoking outside of those areas.

A primary issue with the smoking ban has been awareness.

“I didn’t know there was [a ban],” said student Leta Singleterry.

Grove said the campus has been lenient on smoking offenses due to the recent induction of the policy.

“We’ve had to, mainly through the campus police, gently remind everyone of the ban,” Grove said.

A common complaint among smoking students is the lack of smoking areas.

“If they’re going to have one designated area, they should have a couple more around the campus,” said student James Colbert. “Some people just don’t have that much time between classes.”

Grove said that the main purpose for the ITC smoking huts is to benefit those who come to the college for the railroad program.

“People in that program come from all over,” Grove said. “They don’t have cars to smoke in.”

Student Ben Hargis, a smoker, said that a non-smoking friend of his constantly complained about the amount of smoking around campus the previous year.

“Personally, I understand people not wanting to breathe other people’s smoke,” Hargis said.

Student Sarah Bell said she thought the smoking ban was an improvement.

“It makes the campus look cleaner,” Bell said.

Grove said that he thinks that the campus has reacted well to the ban, despite its potential for dissent.

“I was kind of wary going into it,” Grove said, “but I’ve just been very pleased with everyone’s attitude.”

Contact Ben Markley, news editor, at bmarkle2@stumail.jccc.edu.

Sustainability department introduces single-stream recycling

September 23, 2011

By Gabrielle Fitzgerald

Single stream recycling bins are now appearing alongside trash cans around campus as part of the Sustainability department’s newest attempt to reduce campus waste. The bins’ lids feature slots for every recyclable product to make recycling easier.

“It means less sorting,” said Michael Rea, Recycling and Minimization Coordinator.

By installing these bins, the department hopes students will place fewer items in the trash. Rea said the college can then sell the paper and plastic products to recycling centers.

“There’s no more looking for a certain bin to put recyclables in,” said Kim Criner, sustainability student affairs coordinator. “[I hope] that it will become as easy, if not easier, than throwing something away.”

Criner said these blue bins can be found near almost every trash can. This makes the bins easier to find and more accessible. She says she hopes that it will become part of the culture and look of campus.

Many of the students have noticed the bins which, according to student Emily Sewalson are “very green.”

“I like being able to just throw all my recycling in one container, instead of having to think about sorting it all out,” said student Rebekah Mayer.

“Having the bins by the trash cans makes them that much more accessible and easy to recycle,” student Stacey Biller said. “I’m glad [the college] is providing places for us to recycle.”

“[The bins] help us be more environmentally conscious. It’s the little things that add up,” said student Christen McAfee.

However, some students are less enthusiastic than Biller.

“I honestly haven’t even noticed them,” said student Micah Fry.

Rea has plans to not only make the bins more noticeable, but also to better explain their purpose.

“My plan is to create a more detailed sign and put it above, like on the wall,” Rea said.

The bins will cost the college about $10,000, but they believe it will be a well-made investment. Rea said the single stream bins will replace the “cans only” bins, which have been moved outside the buildings where there were previously no recycling containers.

Rea said the best thing about these bins is that the college can now capture many more recyclables, including aluminum and tin cans, paper, and plastics. The college can even recycle spiral-bound notebooks.

This is just one of the many programs that Sustainability is implementing. Rea said he hopes that someday the college can become a zero-waste campus.

“Recycling is a gateway to sustainability…by diverting those things from a landfill, using those resources again, rather than having to mine for new resources,” Criner said.

Contact Gabrielle Fitzgerald, reporting correspondent, at gfitzge1@stumail.jccc.edu.

ODEI disbanding

September 23, 2011

The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to shut its doors

By Mackenzie Clark

The college administration has passed down the decision to close the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI). Despite the closure, administrators want students to know that their top priority is still student success.

Plans to replace the office are still in the works, but the administration envisions a less centralized approach to diversity on campus. Rather than detaining the ODEI in one room, the Board has assigned Carmaletta Williams, former executive director of ODEI and current English professor, Dennis Day, vice president of student services, and Judy Korb, executive vice president of human resources, workforce, community, and development, the duty of reforming the program.

“It’s a little bit of a misnomer that it’s closing because we are looking to change the direction of it and the goal is not to diminish the value of diversity and our diversity initiatives,” Korb said. “The goal is to actually be able to create more of a culture where diversity is disseminated throughout the organization.”

Terry Calaway, college president, shares a different view of the decision.

“People may not always agree, but the reality is our concern is about student success and I think there were some things that we were missing,” Calaway said. “Part of our goal all along in creating diversity efforts within the institution were about creating better opportunities for students, and creating opportunities for students involved all with diverse backgrounds…to be successful.”

Calaway said though ODEI is closing, diversity efforts will continue at the college.

“You will see a diversity effort within the institution, but it will be very much centered around students and student success,” Calaway said. “Somewhere along the line we lost that student focus.”
Williams has a personal connection to the ODEI and is saddened to see it go.

“I have made a major investment emotionally, intellectually, and physically into the ODEI,” Williams said. “If the Board thinks that because we have such a successful center for diversity then other people around campus don’t feel an obligation to support diversity or engage in it and develop diversity programs. So not having this central space then, they feel, would make more people across campus feel obligated to engage more in diversity work.”

Williams would like her students to know that she will still be on campus when she is needed.

Susan McGarvey, administrative assistant at ODEI, declined to comment.

Updates will follow in forthcoming issues.

Contact Mackenzie Clark, features editor, at mclark68@jccc.edu.

Rachel Kimbrough, editor-in-chief, contributed to this article.

Silent no longer: group works to remove stigma associated with mental illness

September 13, 2011

By Mackenzie Clark

Mental health disorders tend to have a negative reputation in society, but a campus group is working towards taking away that negative connotation.
Active Minds @ JCCC is the college’s local chapter of the national organization Active Minds, which is dedicated to the goal of destigmatizing mental health problems for young adults on college campuses across the nation. They aim to raise awareness of the issues in order to encourage anyone in need of help to seek it without fear or shame.

Continue

Fiscal concerns dominate Aug. Board of Trustees meeting

September 13, 2011

By Joshua Browning

The most recent Board of Trustees meeting run-time of one hour and fifty minutes was comparatively short, but the Board was able to focus extensively on a number of fiscal matters that affect that college.
College lobbyist Dick Carter, reviewed upcoming votes in the state legislature that could have an effect on the college budget. Carter said there is resistance from some members of the House to renew the one-cent sales tax. The college is, in part, funded by revenue taken from the sales tax. Trustee Greg Musil took the opportunity to stress the severity of this potential law when TABOR (Taxpayers Bill of Rights) legislation arose in discussion. The bill links government growth with household income.

Continue

Soptic and Spilker selected MLB draft

August 25, 2011

At this year’s MLB draft, two former Cavalier pitchers were selected by professional teams.
The Chicago White Sox selected right-handed pitcher Jeff Soptic at pick 110. Soptic was selected in the third round of the draft, which makes him the highest drafted athlete in the school’s history.

New Trustee knows meaning of commitment

August 25, 2011

By Gabrielle Fitzgerald

High school valedictorian, University of Kansas Student Body president, top ten percent of the class at Virginia’s Law School, the college’s newly-elected trustee knows the meaning of hard work.
Greg Musil attributes much of his success to his grassroots childhood. Not only did it give him a desire to do his best, but also to be involved in the community, he said.

InFocus: A semester of Cavaliers, caffeine, comedians

August 25, 2011

Sports

Tennis

Following a 10th (Men’s) and 12th (Women’s) finish at NJCAA Nationals last year, coach Glen Moser looks to make strong strides this season with a mostly reloading cast of freshmen. The men’s tennis team finished out the season 8-8-1 and look to build on last season’s finish behind returning sophomores Maksim Fil (Minsk, Belarus) and Harry Lee ( Brisbane, Australia) alongside a cast of talented freshmen including Martial Lescure (France), Daniel DeZamacona, Michael Draper (Green Valley, Missouri) and Southwest Baptist transfer Juan Estepa (Columbia, South America). Consisting of a solid core and a large versatility of depth, the men’s are still looking for their dominating 1 for the season as coach Moser plans to rotate multiple players into the position leading up till conference play. For the Lady Cavs, the loss of their 1, 2, and 3 girls to graduation will certainly make an impact, but the Lady Cavs team will look to develop in their incoming recruits. Moser expects freshmen recruits Shannon Beckett (Australia) and Jean Ochs (Kurtsville, Missouri) to make a big impact this season as “a very good one-two punch.” The Cavs look to make an impact this spring season with assessing who’s to start in their set team roles, having lined up half a dozen scrimmage dates against four-year colleges in the area in the fall. As coach Moser explained, “It’s a time to see how our players are progressing and who might team up as doubles partners.”

Golf

Completing a 4th place finish in the East Jayhawk conference this past season, the men’s golf team have their eyes set on what they couldn’t achieve this past season: an NJCAA finish. With new talent being added to the team, along with returning players such as Devin Montague, the Cavs have added a new dimension to their game that they lacked in the previous system. Having the opportunity to use the indoor facilities of golf clubs, the Cavs are now able to specially zone in on their short game – focusing on both their putting and chipping game – while also utilizing a par-3 course in-house to improve their play throughout the season. It will aid the Cavs in giving them a different application and creating competition, something coach Lafayette Norwood would love to see in the coming season. “We’re in the area we want to be, and that’s becoming competitive,” explains coach Norwood. While the traveling teams spot have yet to be set, Norwood believe his new cast of freshman should fill the void and add a new element the team lacked last year. The Cavs begin compete in their first tournament on Sept. 11 and 12 as they compete in Garden City.

InFocus: A semester of Cavaliers, caffeine, comedians

August 25, 2011

News

Campus now tobacco-free

Students, staff and faculty who use tobacco will find a distinct change in school policy this semester. As of Aug. 1, the college has adopted a campus-wide tobacco ban. The areas designated for smoking in the past have been removed and the campus police now have the authority to hand out fines to those in violation.
The fines will be $10 for each violation. The fines do not increase with repeat offense. If payment is not made within ten business days, a hold is placed on the student’s records. This means that the student will not be allowed to access his or her grades and cannot enroll in new classes until the fine is paid.
“The purpose of the ban is student is student health, to endorse healthy decisions,” said Larry Dixon, Deputy Chief of public safety at the college.
There are a few exceptions to the hardline stance taken by the college. The school has constructed two small shelters on the south end of the campus next to the ITC building. The shelters were created specifically to address the needs of the students attending railroad technology courses, but they are open to all students. Smoking will also be tolerated if done inside of a car in the parking lots.
For the first two weeks of this fall semester, beginning Aug. 22, campus police will be handing out warnings to those found in violation. This will be done in an attempt to inform the students to the change in policy.

Coke-to-Pepsi conversion complete

Students and faculty may be less than happy to find a campus-wide switch from Coca-Cola products to the Pepsi brand when they arrive this fall. Vending machines and the Food Court will no longer offer the popular Coke brand.
This is the first time the school has done an exclusive beverage contract. The decision was made based on a need to streamline food and beverage service, said trustee member Bob Drummond.
“[This] allows us some efficiencies that we haven’t had in the past,” he said.
For Coca-Cola loyalists there will be one oasis. The C-Store will continue to carry Coke products in their coolers. Bookstore and C-Store General Manager Steve Rhodes is expecting his shop to become a destination.
“It’s not just one of the places to get (Coke products), it’s the only place to get a Coca-Cola on campus,” he said.

InFocus: A semester of Cavaliers, caffeine, comedians

August 25, 2011

Features

Author Sherman Alexie visiting

Several programs and initiatives are planned in the upcoming semester to promote diversity and cultural understanding in the student body. The college is hosting a presentation by Sherman Alexie, award winning author of the “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” which will soon become a large part of the curriculum for many English classes.
Alexie’s book was chosen by teachers of the English department this year as the common read for all Composition classes as well as several others. More than 1,200 students will read it.
“One reason we chose this book would be that it models good writing,” Thomas Reynolds, Associate Professor of English, said. “It’s a terrific book; it’s very funny, as well as serious.”
The presentation will occur Wednesday, Oct. 19, and is free and open to the public. It will focus on Alexie’s development as a writer and the early life he mirrors in his book, which discusses deep themes of assimilation, racism, social class, poverty, bullying, and community.
“We felt that our students could relate to this book in a lot of ways on a personal level,” Reynolds said.

Homegrown comedian Rob Riggle to put on a show

One event that has students particularly excited is a visit from comedian Rob Riggle. Best known for his roles in the movies “The Hangover” and “The Other Guys,” Riggle also worked as a correspondent for Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show.”
Something that sets Riggle apart from other comedians is his military service. He is currently ranked a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Marine Corps Reserve.
Riggle also has a local connection here: he is a graduate of Shawnee Mission South.
“One of the agents I’ve worked with in the past floated the name Rob Riggle, and I did some research on him. He’s from Overland Park and he went to KU, and he has a real connection to the area,” Jake Akehurst, Student Activities Manager, said.
Riggle’s comedy show on Saturday, Oct. 8 is expected to consist of PG-13 or R-rated material. Tickets are on sale for $10.
“We really want students to get a lower price and to encourage students to check out the Carlsen Center and Yardley Hall and know that we have these state of the art theaters on campus,” Akehurst said.

Senate elections matter – to everyone

August 25, 2011

Staff Editorial

When Corey Paris was re-elected Student Senate president last semester, becoming the first student to do so, he made various promises to the school as to what the Senate would attempt to accomplish this year.
However, with his recent departure for another school – abandoning his role as Senate president – the entire Student Senate is up in arms as to who will take over his role of leadership. This also means that once again, the entire student body is responsible for deciding who will fill that void.
Students must start paying attention to the voting process. The vast majority of students seem to ignore the elections for Senate leadership roles, despite the efforts the Senate puts in to making voting accessible to all. This year, only 302 people voted, down from the mere 371 votes attained for the 2009-10 year. This isn’t working.
Perhaps many students feel voting for the Senate elections is a waste of time for an insignificant group on campus, but the truth is, Senate impacts much of what all of us do here. The PaperCut program, for one, was initiated by Student Senate.
Students, the campus-wide smoking ban was the idea of the Senate, who brought the idea to Dana Grove, the executive vice president of Education Planning and Development.

Yearly Archives: 2011