WEB-EXCLUSIVE: Board of Trustees votes to increase 2012-13 tuition

February 20, 2012

The Board of Trustees voted to increase tuition a further $1 for in-state students and $3 for out-of-state students at its Feb. 16 meeting.

The tuition increase will be effective for the 2012-13 academic year. A tuition hike of $2 for in-state and $5 for out-of-state students passed at the Board’s Nov. 17, 2011 meeting, making the total tuition increase $3 for in-state and $8 for out-of-state students.

The additional tuition increase will allow the college to designate $1 of tuition to upgrading classroom equipment and furniture.

“It is only with a great deal of regret that I have voted for these increases, but at the same time, I am thankful that our tuition continues to be considerably less than other 4-year institutions,” said Trustee Bob Drummond. “I find this always to be one of the most troubling recommendations that comes before this body each year.”

College president Terry Calaway said the increase will raise about $450,000 annually.

The motion did not pass without opposition.

“I think it’s very important for us to have the latest technology, and we did increase tuition in 2010 for that purpose…I do believe we should have excellent classroom environment,” said Trustee Jerry Cook. “I just frankly believe that we can find this $400- to $450,000 in our capital budget, or other sources in the budget and not at the expense of student tuition so that’s why I will continue to vote ‘no’ on this issue.”

Trustees Stephanie Sharp and Jerry Cook voted against the motion, but ultimately the motion passed.

Compiled by Rachel Kimbrough.

Galileo Pavilion on schedule for fall 2012 completion

February 20, 2012

Studio 804 construction moves forward

By Jon Parton

Construction of Galileo’s Pavilion is progressing rapidly, with the expectation of opening the college’s newest building in time for the fall 2012 semester.

The building is a collaborative effort between the college’s Center for Sustainability and Studio 804, a graduate architecture program at the University of Kansas.

The design of the building emphasizes a style of architecture that promotes energy efficiency and uses a large amount of refurbished material in its construction.

The goal of the project is to design a building that conforms to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) ratings system created by the United States Green Building Council, a non-profit trade organization. LEED ratings are used to effectively measure green building operation and construction, according to Kim Criner, Sustainability student affairs coordinator.

“It’s a national standard for which to strive, to build buildings the most energy efficient way possible,” Criner said.

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Eye shadow showdown – Students in esthetics program compete in annual competition

February 20, 2012

By Erica Aldridge

The college’s esthetics program held its make-up competition on Jan. 23. In this annual event, students were asked to choose their own themes and design a model’s make-up to best resemble what they selected. Students had some freedom when it came to selecting a theme, as it could be anything from celebrities to movie characters.

“We just give them a few parameters when choosing a theme,” said Lisa Buchmann, adjunct associate professor of the cosmetology program. “They get to let their imagination run wild.”

Students began preparing for the competition early on by learning advanced make-up techniques from their instructors, listening to guest speakers and having lots of hands-on practice. But in the esthetics program, each student has their own level of skill and different areas that they are comfortable with. The instructors and judges took this into account before scoring each student’s work.

“Everyone has their forte,” said Stephanie Sebring, adjunct associate professor. “So for those who want to go above and beyond they can do that, but sometimes it’s the basic application skills that win.”

When the time came for the competition to begin, a panel of judges who are not instructors in the cosmetology program were selected to ensure fairness. The judges were also not informed of the student’s selected theme during the judging process.

“The judges are make-up artists in the Kansas City area,” said Lana Hodes, coordinator of the cosmetology department. “And often times, cosmetology alumni [from the college].”

Once the judges were selected they were asked to critique the student’s work based on a multitude of different aspects. The three main categories were sanitation, application and creativity. After deliberation from the judges, student Kellie Eyeberg was the winner of this year’s competition with a theme of porcelain doll.

With the make-up competition behind them, cosmetology students are now preparing to team up with the fashion department for the annual fashion show in March.

Contact Erica Aldridge, copy editor, at ealdridg@jccc.edu.

InFocus: New year, new you – Resolve to keep your resolutions

February 20, 2012

By Jon Parton

If the large amount of people at the Fitness Center is any indication, a lot of students have made New Year’s resolutions. A month into 2012, many resolutions have already been broken and tossed aside.

It can be difficult to make sudden changes in life but that does not stop most people from trying. New Year’s resolutions are believed to date back to the ancient Babylonians as part of a tradition to celebrate the passage of time.

The beginning of the new year can be a great motivational time to kick start a new fitness routine, stop that unhealthy smoking habit, spend less money, or just vow to spend more time with friends and family.

Student Brandon Vander decided to make multiple resolutions this year.

“One of mine was to get a new job and the other was to use the fitness center,” Vander said, “So far, so good.”

Everyone has a life outside the classroom, which makes it challenging to balance a mix of responsibilities and try to make personal changes at the same time. The trick is to not lose sight of personal goals while trying to cope with everyday life.

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WEB-EXCLUSIVE: Kansas House bill would allow guns on campus

February 20, 2012

Trustees speak out against Bill 2353

By Rachel Kimbrough

Whether speaking about safety on campus or the economic impact of college sports teams refusing to come to Kansas, Board of Trustee members are not on board with Kansas House Bill 2353.

The bill, if passed, would implement a state-wide mandate allowing conceal-to-carry on the grounds of any public institution. Institutions’ alternative would be to install manned security checkpoints at every entrance.

“The idea behind the legislation is, you’re not going to let me carry my gun into your building, then you need to make sure that nobody else does either,” said Trustee Melody Rayl.

Rayl, a former police officer, testified on behalf of the college against the bill before a House committee. She said the intention of the bill is to promote public safety, but at an institution like the college, it would actually reduce the effectiveness of the college’s existence safety procedures.

“Let’s say for example, right now if you saw somebody walking around campus with a gun, you’d probably report that,” she said. “Well, if everybody is allowed to carry guns on campus, then when would you report it, and if you did report it, when would the police respond, and if they responded, what would they do? It’s easier to identify a threat when no one on campus is supposed to have a gun than it is if you don’t know who’s supposed to have a gun.”

Rayl said the bill may make sense for a college without a readily-available campus security force, which is why the decision to allow guns on campus should be up to individual institutions. Trustee Greg Musil echoed that idea at the Feb. 16 Board of Trustees meeting.

“Regardless of how you feel on the conceal to carry issue, this ought to be a local government control issue,” Musil said. “We are elected to protect this campus. This board, our 25 certified officers, have a great track record. We don’t have a problem with security on this campus.”

College lobbyist Dick Carter said the implications of such a bill passing go beyond public safety.

“Several of the athletic conferences at varying levels in collegiate athletics have issued letters, not only stating their concern, but expressing their desire not to travel to Kansas and play in those arenas or in those venues should concealed weapons be allowed,” Carter said. “Those are very real issues, and that demonstrates an economic impact that would be very negative.”

Carter said the House will work on this bill later this week, and encouraged anyone associated with the college to contact his or her legislator in regards to the bill.

InFocus: What we want, what we get

February 20, 2012

A look at current food court, what students think

By Ben Markley

When student Maica Concepcion was asked about healthy food in the Food Court, her reaction was immediate.

“What healthy food?” she said.

Countless students get their lunch from the Food Court every day, yet none interviewed knew any nutritional information about the food they ate.

Student Daniel Preut said he thought many college students were not concerned with nutritional options.

“For a lot of students, it’s probably not a health choice,” he said. “If I’m going to eat at the Food Court, I’ll probably eat unhealthy.”

Student Brian Pfau echoed that sentiment.

“With what I eat, I’m not really healthy,” he said. “Cost is the main factor.”

Student Rhodora Ringor said she thought convenience was the main priority for hungry students.

“They’re looking for something fast, so they just get pizza,” she said.

Popular menu items of the most popular Food Court options—Chick-Fil-A, Pizza Hut and Southern Tsunami—were compared on the basis of nutritional information. Blvd Burgers and Arriba! did not have nutritional information available when requested from employees. Down Under and the Healthy and Hearty bar were not included due to the daily variety of entrees.

Percentages regarding intake were made on the basis of a 2000-calorie diet.

A single slice of cheese pizza from Pizza Hut Express clocks in at 240 calories. It contains 22 percent of a person’s daily protein and 15 percent of daily fat. It also contains nearly a quarter of a person’s daily sodium intake.

A classic chicken sandwich from Chick-Fil-A contains 430 calories, providing approximately 60 percent of a person’s daily protein and more than a quarter of their daily fat.

Throw in the popular side of medium waffle fries, and that meal alone comes out to over 40 percent of a person’s daily calorie intake. Along with that comes 70 percent of daily protein and 58 percent of daily fat, not to mention two-thirds of a person’s daily sodium intake.

Chick-Fil-A lovers can find a healthier option in the grilled chicken sandwich, which knocks the calorie count to 290. It’s slightly less protein, but the total fat intake drops 20 percent, along with a 10 percent drop in sodium.

Students looking for a more oriental 290 calories will find it in Tsunami Sushi’s California rolls. These tiny, packaged sushi rolls contain only 7 percent of daily fat intake. What it lacks in protein (14 percent) compared to its competitors, it makes up for with the highest percentage of dietary fiber (12 percent).

Students had their own ideas about food options they’d like to see in the Food Court.

“I think the Food Court should feature more ethnic foods so students can explore and know about other cultures,” Ringor said. “Some people don’t have time to go out to an Indian or Chinese restaurant.”

“I would recommend a make-your-own-sandwich type of thing,” student Lauren Inman said.

Inman said students will start thinking about nutrition sooner or later.

“The older people get, the more they become concerned with health,” she said. “I think it depends on the age. Or the day.”

Contact Ben Markley, staff reporter, at bmarkle2@jccc.edu.

Students achieving excellence – Two students named to All-Kansas Academic Team

February 20, 2012

By Rachel Luchmun

Two students from the college were named to the All-Kansas Academic Team. The team recognizes the academic achievements of 53 scholars from the state of Kansas.

Silvana Palau Valiente and Narinder Singh are the two students who were nominated. They will be honored at a ceremony in Topeka on Feb. 16. Legislators and educators will attend this ceremony.

Pat Decker, Honors director, said the All-Kansas Academic Team recognizes students from Phi Theta Kappa who demonstrate excellence both academically and in the community. Students are nominated by the college.

“It is always a difficult decision [to choose students to nominate],” Decker said. “We have a lot of good students.”

Valiente said she was happy about being chosen.

“I was happy [when I found out I was chosen] but I did not know it was so big,” Palau said. “There will be a big lunch in Topeka with all the other students. I am not nervous right now but that might change.”

In addition to being recognized at the lunch in Topeka, there is also a $500 scholarship if the students decide to transfer to a university within the state of Kansas.

“I am looking at either KU or Rockhurst,” Valiente said. “I would only get the scholarship if I went to KU, though.”

Valiente is the president of Phi Theta Kappa as well as a student ambassador. She is also enrolled in the honors program and was the vice president of the International Club.

Singh said his nomination to the All-Kansas Academic Team was exciting.

“It was exciting to find out I had made it,” he said. “It’s good to know I had actually achieved something beyond just school.”

Singh said the nomination did not bring real, tangible perks.

“It depends on what school you’re going to,” he said. “Some may look at it and be more likely to let me in.”

Singh said he plans to transfer to the University of Kansas after the summer semester, for a degree in Engineering. He is an officer for Phi Theta Kappa and an Academic Excellence Challenge competitor.

For more information about Phi Theta Kappa, go to http://www.jccc.edu/honors/honors-societies.html.

Contact Rachel Luchmun, news editor, at rluchmun@jccc.edu.

New program helps international students adjust to college

February 20, 2012

Participants in the "International Campus Connections" pose for a group picture at the International Club meeting Wednesday Feb. 8. Photo by Michael House.

By Erica Aldridge

“International Campus Connections” aims at easing the first day stressors felt by international students. Starting the semester at a brand new school can be tough for many students, especially those who are from another country.

The idea would take international students that have been at the college for at least a semester and pair them with incoming international students to help them adjust to their new surroundings.

“The first transition to life at the college can be very difficult,” said Barbara Williams, International Education administrative assistant. “[The new students] can suffer from culture shock and home sickness.”

Patricia Donaldson, an International and Immigrant Student Services coordinator, came up with the idea after working with international students from around the world.

“We realized that sometimes our students come here for the first time from their home countries and it can be very different for them to adjust to the culture, the language and the college,” Donaldson said. “[The leadership panel] will help the new students to connect with the college and to be involved right from the first semester.”

During the first week of classes, new international students attended an orientation meeting, where the idea to start the campus connections program was presented and interested students were signed up.

“We got a great response with 18 students,” Donaldson said. “We matched them with members of the leadership panel that shared a language or had a close cultural connection.”

Williams said having a friend that speaks the same language at the college can vastly improve this new experience for an international student.

“Having somebody from their own culture and that speaks their own language is so comforting,” Williams said. “They can encourage the [new] students to get involved in clubs and invite them to school activities.”

Sima Agayera, a current student at the college and a member of the leadership panel in the International Club, said that the program has been successful in its first few weeks.

“It’s been going good so far, I have been hearing a lot of good feedback,” Agayera said. “We try to get them immersed in the social aspect of the college and hopefully inspire some confidence within them.”

So far, the program has helped many new students feel welcomed and supported at the college. Isabella Velez, a new student at the college from Colombia, said that the program helped her adjust to her new environment.

“They have been really nice, they showed me around the school and we had lunch a couple of times,” Velez said. “It’s nice to be with someone who knows about what you have been going through when coming to a new school in a new country.”

Contact Erica Aldridge, copy editor at ealdridg@jccc.edu.

WEB-EXCLUSIVE: Innovating Changes – Think-tank environment provides new ways of evaluating ideas

February 20, 2012

Jason Kovac, executive director of the Center for Innovation, met with students and faculty in the “Think-Tank” Feb. 13. Photo by Michael House.

By Rachel Luchmun

Students, faculty and members of the community at large can contribute ideas to the college through the Center for Innovation, which had its first meeting in December.

The first issue under consideration was staff development. The next issue will be the price and future of textbooks.

The Center aims at providing a think-tank environment for ideas that may benefit the college. Viable ideas are brought to the attention of a mini cabinet made up of college officials.

Dr. Terry Calaway, college president, said the Center was created to encourage creative thinking at the college.

“Colleges become stagnant,” Calaway said. “[The Center will] create a more vibrant think-tank.”

Calaway said there were no hard targets set for the Center.

“I don’t want to be prescriptive,” Calaway said. “We have some targets, but they are not binding, there is some fluidity.”

Jason Kovac, executive director of the Center for Innovation, said the process is an important part of the cycle.

“We emphasize a culture of innovation,” Kovac said. “One session does not work, so we get people together and orient them through thinking creatively.”

The participants involved in the cycle change for every issue. Kovac said the Center tried to include students as much as possible.

“We try to have two to eight staff and one or two students involved,” Kovac said.

Erick Mbembati, Student Senate vice-president, is one of the students involved for the next cycle about textbooks.

“There are three stages: giving us the info, getting ideas, and discussing the ideas,” Mbembati said. “Right now we are looking at what other schools have done to address [the textbook issue.]”

Anyone can contribute ideas. Kovac said there were two avenues to reach out to members of the community who may have ideas that could benefit the college.

“We are aiming to have a world café once per semester to connect with members of the community,” Kovac said. “We also have an ideascale website where users can submit ideas and upvote and downvote them.”

The world café is scheduled for some time after spring break. The ideascale website is already up and may be accessed at http://jccc.ideascale.com.

The Center is funded through general funds, but Calaway said he hopes in the future the Center could become self-sustaining by offering its services to businesses for a fee.

Contact Rachel Luchmun, news editor, at rluchmun@jccc.edu.

Tobacco ban in full swing

February 20, 2012

End of grace period means fines, unsatisfied smokers

By Jessica Mitchell

With the college’s tobacco ban in full swing, procedures and ticketing become an adjustment that students are required to make.

Beginning last August, students and faculty were no longer allowed to smoke freely outdoors. The ban mandated that people either smoke inside their cars or at the ITC building; any violation would result in a $10 fine.

Dana Grove, executive vice president of educational planning, said that with the tobacco ban being such an alteration, a grace period was implemented to allow students and faculty to ease into it.

“Every term there’s a two-week grace period,” Grove said. “So, officers who are walking around and seeing people smoke can simply tell them what the practice is.”

With the ban forcing people to either walk to their cars or to the ITC building, not all smokers have taken kindly to this movement.

“I like smoking and it’s really ridiculous to have to go in your car,” said Timothy Madison, student. “I don’t smoke in my car anyway. We need designated smoking areas.”

Madison has even gone as far as setting up a petition with the objective of bringing the unsatisfactory of smokers to awareness. His goal is to collect 2,000 signatures in hopes of having some ground to stand on, he said.

“We are enforcing designated smoking areas ourselves because we have to run around and hide from cops,” Madison said. “So to just legitimize those small corners would be really all we need.”

Students, while dubbing certain areas around campus their secret smoking vicinity, have begun to congregate in unhealthy and possibly dangerous places.

“[In-between the GEB and COM building] there is a brick wall, there are generators inside that brick wall and students are going in there which could potentially be a very dangerous hazard with all the electricity,” Grove said. “So we are walling the rest of that up…just be darn careful where you [smoke]. It’s not because of getting caught, it’s because of safety.”

In the college’s smoking ban rules, if a person is caught smoking outside of the designated areas, the person will be issued a $10 ticket. If caught again, the ticket will rise to $20, said campus police officers Ed Vesey and Scott Wargin.

Since the ban has been implemented, the college has been freely issuing tickets to students that don’t abide by the rules. According to Wargin’s records, four were issued this semester and approximately 30 were issued last semester.

Madison has been given two tickets and a few warnings since the ending of the grace period. If tickets do not get paid off it becomes a hold on student records and can even stop the ability of enrollment, said Madison, having a similar situation happen to him.

The smoking ban, not even a year old, has already stirred up controversy with some. A town hall meeting will be held Wednesday Feb. 15 at noon in COM 156. Everyone is welcome to attend.

“This isn’t an unusual thing to do,” Grove said. “More and more college campuses are restricting and banning smoking. You have cities doing it, counties are doing it, and entire states are doing it. So it’s the movement.”

Contact Jessica Mitchell, features editor, jmitch54@jccc.edu.

SOPA, PIPA: Internet freedom or fiefdom?

February 20, 2012

War between protecting digital assets, protecting digital freedom

By Julius Williams

The Stop Online Privacy Act (SOPA), Prevent Internet Piracy Act (PIPA), and the Online Protection and Enforcement of Digital Trade Act (OPEN) are three bills introduced in Congress in 2011 to stop online piracy.

The Recording Industry Association of America cited a study by the Institute of Policy Innovation which claimed that the piracy of music has caused 12.5 billion dollars in losses a year globally to the industry. Similar studies conducted through the University of California, the University of Calgary and Carnegie Mellon suggest that while the effects are difficult to measure accurately, it can be estimated that movie sales lost to piracy account for 3 to 4 billion dollars annually.

Not all economists agree. A 2008 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) stated that “economic losses resulting from counterfeiting cannot be substantiated due to the absence of underlying studies. Generally, the illicit nature of counterfeiting and piracy makes estimating the economic impact of IP infringements extremely difficult…”

However, recognizing the problem is quite different from solving the problem.

“SOPA on the surface is a good idea, let’s stop online piracy,” said James Hopper, chair, Web Applications. “The problem is the way I read SOPA…you’re guilty until proven innocent and you can’t prove yourself innocent.”

Hopper said he believes that the music and movie industries are rightfully upset about online piracy but that the bills introduced to Congress last year over-reached.

“This is the struggle we are having,” Hopper said. “Their content is being stolen. But is the website responsible for the content someone posts on their site?”

Hopper said he believes that good legislation must be as he calls it “democratic…small d.”

“It’s the general principle of what is open and equal,” Hopper said. “How do we right it so that it makes sense and is enforceable?”

Ben Messner, who teaches the radio production class at the college, agrees.

“There is a need to regulate online piracy,” Messner said. “People are downloading entire CD’s and those sites need to be cracked down on.”

Like Hopper, Messner said he agrees that the bills in their current form leave a lot to be desired. Messner is the production director for sports radio 810 in Kansas City. Their website has an open forum where users can interact.

“Our websites are designed to be about sports,” Messner said. “If somebody posts on our forum and it’s a link to a free movie…it’s ridiculous for us to be sued…”

Students at the college also did not agree with the bills. An informal survey conducted in the food court polled 50 students. Out of the 31 students that were familiar with the bills, not a single person supported them.

Although the bills in their current form were not passed, the issue of how to deal with online piracy will not go away.

“We are at that clichéd fork in the road,” Hopper said. “I am hoping that we go down the path where information is open rather than restricted. SOPA won’t happen but some other version may. There are voices out there trying to protect privacy but not stomp on the right to get information.”

While some interests want to restrict and control the ways users can interact online, others are pursuing the original ideas of the internet, the open sharing of information. Only time will tell which “fork in the road” society will take.

Beyond the profits lost or lobbying dollars spent on both sides, there is a cost to online piracy that is much closer to home that professor Messner wants people to consider.

“You have to think of who spent the time to make that,” Messner said. “How much of their livelihood are you cutting into because you’re not doing it through the proper channels? If it was your stuff, how would you feel?”

Contact Julius Williams, sports editor, at jwilli78@jccc.edu.

Federal government changes financial aid eligibility requirements

February 20, 2012

Diploma, GED now required to receive aid

By Ben Markley

New federal legislation, going into effect July 1, will tighten restrictions on what students are eligible to receive federal financial aid.

Dennis Day, vice president of Student Success and Engagement, said the federal government is concerned with giving money to students who have the ability to benefit from a college education.

“[The federal government] really doesn’t want to fund anybody here that has no earthly possibility of passing Comp. I,” he said. “The rule change will be for those people who don’t have a diploma or GED—they will not be able to receive federal financial aid.”

Day said this new legislation will put pressure on various incoming students when it goes into effect, including first generation students from poor education backgrounds and older students that never finished high school. International students, particularly refugees, are another key population affected by the upcoming legislation.

“Say I’m coming to this country as an immigrant from Bolivia,” Day said. “I got a high school education there, but I can’t get the record from the Bolivian government. Once I become a resident, I become eligible for all rights of all United States citizens, one of which is federal financial aid. I’m not going to be able to do that.”

Cyrene Torres, an international student from the Philippines, said the legislation made sense to her.

“I don’t think a refugee without a high school education should be prioritized over other international students,” she said. “I know they’re trying to get a better life, but it’s not fair for them to be prioritized the same way as someone who’s done the work of getting a high school education.”

Other students were more concerned about the potential effect on refugees.

“Financial aid should be determined by whether or not students have the means to pay for college,” said Beth Koop, student. “You’d think [refugees] would have more need for financial aid.”

What might seem to be the obvious alternative for these students, a GED test, is not so obvious for Day’s example of the Bolivian immigrant.

“I might be able to get a GED, but that’s kind of silly because I already got a high school education,” he said.

Day said that acquiring a GED is not always as simple an option as it seems.

“GED takes a while to complete,” he said. “There are some very smart people out there who don’t have the time or the circumstances to pursue a GED degree.”

In light of the opportunities that come with higher education, Day said this legislative issue would be carefully examined by the college.

“We need to continue to look at it very heavily and try to find ways to help those populations who are going to be affected most directly,” he said. “We might have to put more pressure on institutional aid.”

Day said the issue came down to the college’s mission.

“After all, community is in our title for the college, and we need to be receptive to the community that we have,” he said. “Is that part of our community that we need to serve?”

Contact Ben Markley, staff reporter, at bmarkle2@jccc.edu.

Bringing more of your education with you

February 20, 2012

Credits guaranteed to transfer within Kansas

By Rachel Luchmun

Fifty-nine credit hours were approved by the Board of Regents in an effort to facilitate student transfers within the state of Kansas.

Those courses (see sidebars) will transfer to all higher education institutions within the state of Kansas effective immediately. More courses are scheduled to be approved by June of this year.

“[The approved courses are] courses like English, History, Psychology,” Terry Calaway, college president, said. “There are another 55-60 on the queue to be approved by June.”

Vanessa Lamoreaux, associate director of Communications, Kansas Board of Regents, said the update to the articulation agreement was motivated by a commitment to help students.
“We know this is an important issue on a very large scope,” Lamoreaux said. “We want to facilitate students moving around [different institutions in the state] to accomplish their goals.”
Calaway said some universities were initially opposed to the idea.

“Some said we were ‘weakening the education system’ because we were forcing them to accept courses from community colleges,” Calaway said. “They think they are the only ones who can use their magic and teach properly. Magic happens in our classrooms too.”

Transfer students from the college typically perform well at four-year institutions, sometimes outperforming students attending the institution for the full duration of their study.

“There is no issue of quality,” Calaway said. “There is equal quality in the robustness of the curriculums.”

There is yet no information about whether the new articulation agreement will be retroactive.

“This is an ongoing process,” Lamoreaux said. “[Right now,] we are not prepared to say if it will be retroactive.”

Student Stephanie Thompson said she is transferring to the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy and has spent many hours with counselors making sure she picked the right classes.

“[Because I planned so much] I’ve never had to change or drop a class because I found out that it would not transfer, however I have many friends who had [to change or drop a class],” Thompson said.

Contact Rachel Luchmun, news editor, at rluchmun@jccc.edu.

KORA cost affected by technology

February 20, 2012

Emails provided after dropped lawsuit were easier, less costly to retrieve

By Rachel Luchmun

Emails supplied after a lawsuit following a KORA request was dropped were easier to access than the e-mails that were originally requested.

The lawsuit was pressed by the Student Press Law Center (SPLC) along with Marcus Clem, former student and Campus Ledger employee. It followed a request by members of the Campus Ledger for e-mails, most of which were available under the Kansas Open Records Act (KORA).

The quote for the original request of e-mails was about $47,000. After the lawsuit was voluntarily dropped and fewer e-mails were requested, the cost amounted to around $450.

Joe Sopcich, executive vice president of Administrative Services, said the difference in prices was due to the process of retrieving the e-mails.

“The original fee included the cost of resurrecting and retrieving all the emails,” Sopcich said. “The emails that were given were cheaper [to retrieve] than the emails that were originally asked for.”

The ease of retrieving the e-mails depends on where they are stored. John Ham, application architect, said that the e-mails that were given involved less work to be retrieved.

“We were able to use our current data stores to retrieve the e-mails,” Ham said. “I was the only one who had to be involved, along with the attorneys, which lowered the man hours.”

The e-mails that were given were still on the college’s server and were not yet in the tape backup. Ham said that every user has a size quota for their emails to be stored on the server. After this quota is reached, older emails are moved to a tape backup.

“[The quota] is on a per-user basis,” Ham said. “Some people use up their quota faster, like if they receive a lot of large attachments.”

According to Ham, the process of retrieving the e-mails from the tape backup involves more man hours. The process involves a third party vendor, scanning tapes, identifying the correct mailbox, finding the required emails, copying them and keeping track of the information at every second.

“We have to keep track of who received the tape, who got the file, who handed it off,” Ham said. “This is to make sure the file we give back is the exact same content and has not been altered.”

Under KORA, qualifying information may be requested from the college, which has to supply it in a timely manner and at a reasonable cost. According to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (http://www.rcfp.org), “fees for copies of records may not exceed the actual cost of furnishing copies, including cost of staff time.” However, “fees for electronic records shall include only use of any computer services including staff time. There is no specific cost provision for microfiche or non-print media.”

Students may not be aware that such an act exists. Nichole Wohlforth, student, said she did not know of it.

“It is interesting that you can [make a request for records,]” Wohlforth said. “I don’t think it changes anything for the college though, they’ll still do whatever they want to do anyway.”

Contact Rachel Luchmun, news editor, at rluchmun@jccc.edu.

‘Miskreant’ puppets unleashed

February 20, 2012

By David Hurtado

When people think of joke telling puppets, the Muppets or Sesame Street immediately comes to mind. Add a little bit of uncensored mayhem and you have got the Henson Alternative Miskreant puppets.

Stuffed and Unstrung- Henson Alternative is an upcoming improv show at the college that uses puppetry and dirty humor to entertain a primarily adult audience. Not to be confused with the Muppets, Stuffed and Unstrung relies heavily on improvisation and suggestions from its viewers.

“Everything is written for the Muppets,” said Patrick Bristow, co-founder of Stuffed and Unstrung. “Miskreant Puppeteers will come up with their own lines, which are more adult geared.”

The Muppets are no longer owned by The Jim Henson Company. All Muppet copyrights and trademarks are now under the ownership of The Walt Disney Company. The deal, which was brokered in 2004, did not include the Sesame Street characters which are privately owned by Sesame Workshop.

The show, which was created in 2010, began as nothing more than an improvisation class when Bristow was asked to teach it by Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets. Although Stuffed and Unstrung has only been around for a few years, it has been performed at Las Vegas, Edinburgh, Sydney, and has been nominated for a Drama Desk Award.

Still, the show is not as well known in America as the Muppets are. Emily Behrmann, general manager of the colleges Performing Arts Series, said the primary reason is the amount of time between the creation of the Muppets and the Miskreants.

“The Muppets have been performing a lot longer than the Miskreants have,” Behrmann said. “It makes sense people would know the Muppets better.”

In addition to the decades between the two creations and the relative newness of the Miskreants, Bristow also said Stuffed and Unstrung is not advertised that much.

“It’s typically pretty much a word of mouth show,” Bristow said. “People hear about it from others who have seen it.”

What sets the show apart from other comedy troupes though is that each show has something different about it from the last one. Bristow said that as the MC of the show, he asks the audience for suggestions to get the show started; there are no old gags or preplanning involved.

Of course, there will always be that one person in the audience who shouts out something rather distasteful. Bristow said that it does happen, but very rarely.

“Occasionally someone shouts out something so dark or forbidden, it creates an unpleasant atmosphere,” Bristow said. “When that happens I’ll ask the audience for another suggestion and we will put the two up for a vote and let the audience decide by applause.”

Josh Mills, student, said Stuffed and Unstrung sounded like something he would be interested in watching.

“I’m big into theater,” Mills said. “I love improv so this would probably be enjoyable for me.”

Although the college has had comedy routines at the college in the past, not one of them has been a puppet show, according to Behrmann.

The Henson puppeteers will be available after the show for questions from the audience. Stuffed and Unstrung will take place on February 18th, at 8:00 p.m. at Yardley Hall in the Carlson Center. Students with questions regarding the show should contact the box office at 913-467-4445.

Contact David Hurtado, reporting correspondent, at dhurtado@stumail.jccc.edu.

Making school count for two

February 20, 2012

Balancing schoolwork with parenting can prove a challenge, but many parents are finding the return to school worth their time and effort. Photo illustration by Tasha Cook.

By going back to school, parents are revolutionizing new learning ways

By Brittany Bezler

With the demand for more education, many parents are starting to reconsider the idea of heading back to school, both for themselves and their families. The cost of education may be rising, but the benefits can far succeed that. Hard work seems to be a value highly needed.

“I had mixed feelings at first. I thought people my age [and older] were content in what they were doing, so initially I just took one class that I thought was interesting,” said Amy Jones, a mother of three (and grandparent of two), who decided to go back to school after her children were finished.

Although going back to school is a bit of a challenge, many parents are starting to get adjusted to how “new and improved” the way education is taught now. Seeing resources that are more readily available have made the thought of returning back to school seem more like a reality.

“Now, as the workplace is getting more competitive, challenges are brought up that students need to be prepared for,” said Lynda Smith, a mother of two, “and now, going back to school to get a better degree, I can see why our children know more than at the age we were at in school. It’s a struggle, because we’re expected to go in with some knowledge already, but we manage to learn.”

Although it may be rough, student parents often find a balancing act between school, family, and work. Juggling a home with children of their own (with their own school concerns) and finances, school can seem like an unattainable option. A huge challenge student-parents face is time pressure, often balancing multiple things at once.

“I was scared to go back, I didn’t know if my husband and I could handle my two classes and evening job in one day, but we built a system around it and quickly adapted. Now, I’m learning things that I wouldn’t have known of if I didn’t commit at all.” Jones said, who recently enhanced her load from two days of classes to three.

“A [huge] concern is making sure the children I raised are getting what they need, and putting myself in school can seem counter-productive at times, but I am also doing this for myself, because I always wanted to go back to school, I knew there was more.” said Claire Schuler, mother of one.

Contact Brittany Bezler, reporting correspondent, at bbezler@stumail.jccc.edu.

Help for addicts – College offers AA meetings, support

February 16, 2012

By Jessica Mitchell

The college’s helping hands extended themselves to people struggling with addiction by the arrangement of Alcoholics Anonymous meetings that are now being held on campus. The meetings are held every Friday from 12 to 1 p.m. in RC 185, students and non-students can meet and discuss their addictions.

The meetings are oriented towards those who are struggling with addiction whether it be alcohol or drugs/narcotics. The normal weekly meetings are described as “closed”, but the first of every month houses an “open” meeting that allows for students, visitors, or anybody else interested.

“The meetings that are closed are for those people that are recovering…for the people who are actually in the group together to help one another take it a step at a time – a day at a time.” said Lill Bajich-Bock, counselor and part of the college’s alcoholism and drug addiction awareness group.

AA as a campus support group, is not actually student-run. A woman from the community offers her time and meets with the members to help support them in their addiction recovery process. The group does not bias from any other addiction. You do not have to be an alcoholic to join or attend the meetings.

“Sometimes the different people in these groups have other addictions or may have had struggles with other addictions.” Bock said. “But the commonality there is addiction.”

Even though the college does not house its students, support groups and programs are always available through the counseling center and are often provided on the campus itself.

“It’s good that there are organizations set up on campus to help students struggling with addictions.” said student, Pat Schaefer. “Sometimes having something in reach makes dealing with personal issues easier. I also think it’s pretty awesome that there are people here willing to help.”

If a student were to need support or help with personal issues, the counseling center is a good place to start for more information on groups and meetings held within the community.

“There are things on campus for people who need ongoing assistance but we also have good referral sources if somebody needs a service that can’t be provided on campus.” said Dana Carr, counselor. “If a student is experiencing homelessness, loss of income or other issues that they are going to need some community support – we keep resource guides or we can start helping them try to make calls and work with them in that way.”

The college’s AA group is a service to help support students with addiction issues. Attending meetings does not cost and can possibly even fill a court-ordered demand.

“Often times when things are forced upon people, they don’t take hold very well. They do what they’re supposed to do and then when it’s over they don’t look back.” Bock said. “The hope is, however, that at some point in time, that plants a seed that could perhaps grow and if these issues return then people can remember that that is an option for them. It’s not for everyone but it’s certainly an option and it’s been successful for a lot of people.”

If you’re struggling with addiction or need/want support, head up to the counseling center on the second floor of the SC. There will also be a Council Addressing Substance Abuse Issues (CASAI) presentation titled “What does an Addict Look Like?” on March 8 at 11 p.m. in Craig Auditorium.

Contact Jessica Mitchell, features editor, at jmitch54@jccc.edu

‘The Souls of Black Folk’ presentation honors African-American History Month

February 16, 2012

By Jon Parton

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is marking African-American History Month with “The Souls of Black Folk: Beyond the Veil” on Feb. 23 in Carlsen Center 211.

The presentation, based upon the book by W.E.B Du Bois, takes a look at economic and civil rights issues that our country faces today. Fred Krebs, professor of history, and Carmaletta Williams, executive director, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, have been giving the presentation together for the last few years. Susan McGarvey, administrative assistant, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has helped set up previous shows.

“It’s very topical right now,” McGarvey said. “I can see [Fred] and Carmaletta continuing this in the future.”

“Fred asked me to join him in one of his presentations years ago and we’ve been working together ever since,” Williams said.

Williams said she hopes more people learn about lesser known African-Americans like Ella Baker, Emmett Till, and Bayard Rustin that have helped shape the civil rights movement in our nation’s history.

“Bayard Rustin was responsible for organizing the march on Washington, but he was asked to hide his involvement because he was gay,” Williams said.

Krebs said that he believes “The Souls of Black Folk” is one of the ten most important books for students to read.

“Du Bois believed that civil rights were natural rights that apply to all people,” Krebs said.

Du Bois, co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), was the first African-American to earn a doctorate degree. He also served as an editor for the NAACP’s monthly journal “The Crisis”, a popular magazine that revealed and publicized the mistreatment of the African-American community. Krebs said he sees a connection between political policies of the past and the present.

“The idea of corporations as people is nothing new,” said Krebs. “The Civil Rights Act of 1875 was opposed because it was said that it infringed on the rights of businesses.”

Krebs said he would like to see classes give more attention to the role African-Americans have played in the forming of modern society.

“It’s got to be something that is a part of the curriculum. It’s about empathy, equity, and being examples of excellence in virtue,” Krebs said.

Although Thomas Jefferson believed in equal rights for all and special privileges for none, Krebs points out that Jefferson was also a slave owner.

Beyond the well-known figures of the civil rights movement like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, Krebs said he would like students to be more aware of the rich history African-Americans have contributed to the nation.

“We have had great writers like James Weldon Johnson and Toni Morrison. Community leaders like Mary McLeod Bethune and A. Phillip Randolph. I think we’ve got to talk about these people substantially,” Krebs said.

If you are interested in attending, the presentation will be held on Feb. 23 at 11:00am at Carlsen Center 211.

Contact Jon Parton, staff reporter at jparton@jccc.edu.

More amazing dinosaur facts! (Comic)

February 16, 2012

It’s all about fundamentals – Spring training sets bar high for athletic teams

February 16, 2012

The Lady Cavs volleyball team prepare for the fall season. Shannon McCarty practices spiking the ball with other Lady Cavs Monday Feb. 13th. Photo by Michael House.

By Julius Williams

Whether their season starts next semester or next week, the college’s various athletic teams are hard at work making sure they are at the top of their game.

The Lady Cavs volleyball team finished their 2011 season with an impressive 26 and 13 record, finishing second in the conference and first in the region. Although their season won’t officially begin until the fall semester, Coach Jennifer Ei already has the ladies going at full steam.

“We use this spring time to increase strength, increasing their speed and agility, and yoga to incorporate flexibility, core strength and mental toughness,” said Ei.

Coach Ei said that she believes that the spring season is also important to improve on fundamental skills because it allows her athletes to take as many repetitions as needed to perfect their technique.

Allison Ewing, freshman from Lansing, takes her spring training very seriously.

“For me, it’s [about] going really strong in the weight room, and being fundamentally sound in my position,” said Ewing. “Our coach really pushes us. She is going to get the most out of us this spring.”

Also working with the volleyball team is adjunct professor and strength and conditioning coach Stephen Taylor.

“Pre-season conditioning for volleyball is primarily focused on getting the incoming freshman accustomed to weight training and developing their muscular endurance so they can survive the rigors of the season without injury,” said Taylor.

In addition to teaching exercise physiology, self-defense and tai chi, Taylor also does strength and condition coaching for many of the college’s other teams including baseball.

Most of the baseball conditioning work has to be done over the fall because the season starts so early in the spring semester. So as soon as players arrive on campus, Coach Kent Shelley puts them right into practice.

“At this point in time it’s not about quantity, it’s all about quality, it’s about perfect execution… It’s fine tuning everything,” Shelley said.

Shelley is in his 25th season with the college and he is very excited about this year’s roster. To keep the players at their best, Shelley said that they are working on a combination of offensive-defensive drills and sports conditioning. The team’s practices are a blistering combination of drills specific to each position and each situation.

“There’s a method to our madness,” Shelley said. “We focus our training on what players have to do on the field.”

Shelley said that last year, the team led the nation with stolen bases. They plan to use their speed again this year to keep pressure on their opponents.

“We have tremendous overall team speed. Our philosophy has always been to put pressure on the defense. When we get on base, we’re going to manufacture runs,” he said.

Shelley is confident that the combination of good fundamentals, speed and a strong work ethic will lead the team to another great season.

“I’m very impressed with our kids,” he said. “They have really worked hard on perfect execution. I couldn’t be more pleased… and if we can just figure out how to steal first base, we will be in a great place.”

The baseball team will open their season against Northeastern Oklahoma A & M College on Feb. 18 in Miami, Okla.

Contact Julius Williams, sports assignment editor, at jwilli78@jccc.edu.

WEB-EXCLUSIVE: Assistant coach makes history – First woman, junior college coach to receive national award

February 16, 2012

Assistant women’s soccer coach Wendy Louque is shown interacting with players and students Feb. 6 during her weekly soccer class. Photo by Tasha Cook.

By Ben Markley

An assistant coach at the college was the first woman and community college coach ever selected to be the Junior College National Assistant Coach of the Year.

Wendy Louque, assistant coach of women’s soccer, received the award at the annual National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention in January. She said she didn’t realize the significance of the award until the ceremony

“You had all these big names in soccer, and I was just thinking, ‘Oh gosh, I don’t even deserve to walk across that stage,’” she said. “When I heard my name, it was just surreal. It was just like, ‘Wow, I’m the first woman and the first junior college coach to win.’”

Jim Schwab, head coach of women’s soccer, said the award was a rare honor.

“It’s one thing to be nominated,” he said. “There’s thousands of coaches that she was up against.”

Louque has coached soccer since she coached a team of four-year-olds at age 15.

“I just love being able to break down the game,” she said. “It’s something that’s in my blood that I just love to do.”

Louque joined the college in 2002 after assistant coaching soccer at MidAmerican Nazarene University. In her ten seasons of coaching at the college, the team has finished runner-up in the NJCAA Division I Championship, won a district championship, won five Region VI championships and maintained a .775 winning percentage.

However, Louque said it was all secondary.

“It’s not about the wins,” she said. “All the winning is nice, but I think that just comes along with it.”

For Louque, building relationships with the players is the most rewarding part of her job.

“My favorite part of coaching comes after the fact, after girls come through the program, and then they leave and I still get to be involved in their lives,” she said. “It’s even more rewarding to maintain that relationship on a friendship basis rather than a player-coach basis. That’s the best part. That’s why I coach.”

She said she’s still in contact with many of her former players.

“I love those times when they come back to our games and they bring their kids or families or when I get to go to their weddings,” she said.

Chomasenia Bouknight, a sophomore forward, said Louque was more than a good soccer coach.

“Not only is she good as a coach because she tries to help us on the soccer field, but she’s just an overall good person because she tries to help with family problems or home problems,” she said.

Off the field, Louque described herself as a “full-time mom” with three kids. She said she was grateful to have a part-time job on the side that she loved.

“When my kids were little I’d say, ‘I’m going to work,’ and my kids would say, ‘Mom, you go to soccer; you don’t go to work,’” she said.

Louque said she hoped to spend many more years coaching at the college. When asked why, her answer was simple.

“You know what, it’s fun,” she said.

Contact Ben Markley, staff reporter, at bmarkle2@jccc.edu.

WEB-EXCLUSIVE: Most valuable pupils – baseball team maintains nationally ranked GPA

February 16, 2012

By Ben Markley

Some teams are known for their batting average but few are also known for their grade point average. The college’s baseball team’s GPA has ranked in the top 16 in the country for the past four years.

Coach Kent Shelley said his team realized the importance of being good students as well as good athletes.

“They fully understand that anything that they do is a reflection, not only of the baseball program, but our college and our community,” he said. “We see ourselves as ambassadors of the college as we travel throughout the country.”

The team has maintained a minimum 3.1 GPA for four years, averaging as high as a 3.44. They were also the second baseball team in the Jayhawk Conference to win the Tom Sloan Scholar Cup, an award decided through a combination of winning percentage and team GPA, in 2009 and again in 2010.

Shelley said having time to be a successful athlete and student was not easy.

“It certainly isn’t easy in today’s society to be a student athlete,” he said. “They have to juggle basically three schedules: their class schedule, their athletic schedule and their personal schedule.”

First baseman Evan Brummett, a pre-med student, said the hectic schedule was hard but expected.

“Time management is really big, especially in January, so you try to get assignments done as early as you can,” he said. “We have an understanding that you have to get stuff done in the classroom first.”

Shelley explained that, despite the counselors’ efforts to plan student athletes’ schedules around the season, bad weather always posed a challenge.

“Once we start experiencing rain-outs, snow-outs and cold days, then we have to start making those games up and playing on off-days,” he said. “Often times, those are the kids’ heavy days with their course loads.”

Pitcher Alex Hill, a business student, said participating in baseball was worth it, despite the necessary sacrifices.

“Sometimes you lose sleep, but you’ve got to get things done,” he said. “You’ve got to love the game.”

Outfielder Jacob Dowell, a freshman with a 4.0 GPA, said he learned things on the field as well as the classroom.

“You learn a lot about working with other people and working through adversity,” he said. “Whenever you’re on the field, it’s a mental game.”

Shelley said baseball was a classroom of its own.

“Sports in general is a direct correlation to life,” he said. “It teaches the kids to participate with passion, and that’s something we talk about a lot: playing the great game with passion, to pursue education with passion, to live life with passion.”

Contact Ben Markley, staff reporter, at bmarkle2@jccc.edu.

Sports briefs

February 16, 2012

Baseball showcase big hit

The college held its annual Baseball Showcase on Jan. 28. Players from high school teams from all over the U.S. competed in batting, running and pitching competitions.

Sanders signs with Alabama

Nationally ranked sprinter Alex Sanders signed with the University of Alabama in Feb. Sanders, sophomore, is one of the college’s premier sprinters. While at the college, Sanders earned recognition as a NJCAA All American and Jayhawk Conference champion.

Lady Cavs earn 100th victory

The Lady Cavs earned their 100th victory against Allen Community College. Coach Ben Conrad led the team to their unbeaten record in conference play in record time.

Lady Cavs dominate Fort Scott

The Lady Cavs basketball team dominated Fort Scott Community College Feb. 11 winning decisively by 34 points. The team effort was led by sophomore Mary Pat Specht with 13 points followed by Ameshia Kearney, Amy Briggs, Birana Kulas, Kathleen Brisbane, kyle Copper and Kelsey Knox, whose combined additional points and 38 rebounds made for a final score of 72-38.

Compiled by Julius Williams.

Magic captured, magic produced

February 6, 2012

Administrative photographer retiring after 30 years at college

By Brittany Bezler

Bret Gustafson remains focused, even in his down time. His office space, complete with his shooting studio, is lined with recent pictures he’s taken, and the desk is filled with pictures, notes, places and things he’s working on next. It’s a never-ending journey for Gustafson, something he sees is the value of all his years of hard work.

It’s the same work that Gustafson treasures, hard-working and full of enthusiasm. Gustafson’s eyes glitter as he recalls his start in photography in his high school on the yearbook team, Gustafson said it wasn’t an easy start.

“I worked for the University of Kansas Medical Center [KU Med] from 1976 to 1980,” he said, “and for four years I was a photographer for the doctors and staff there, but I couldn’t see it going anywhere.”

So, after calling it quits, Gustafson left KU Med and joined the college, remaining a valued member for more than 30 years.

Continue

InFocus: Price of rebranding

February 6, 2012

Proposed new mascot.

College will incur multiple costs for new logo, colors

By Jessica Mitchell

The college has decided to undergo rounds of ornamental changes, implementing a strict budget of $120,500.

On Jan. 27, 2011, a decision was made by the Board of Trustees to hire Bernstein-Rein, a local advertising agency, to rebrand the college’s 29-year-old mascot, color scheme and logo. The mascot change from Cavalier to Bison and color scheme/logo change would cost the college a minimum of $120,000. The price, however, does not include all of the merchandise and retail replacement that will need to take place once the Cavalier and sunflower are obsolete.

“We will have a clearance sale,” said Trustee Stephanie Sharp. “There’s a markup on that kind of stuff to make a profit on, but [the college] is not going to sell it for less than their cost – so they will recoup…I doubt there will be any loss.”

Continue

Conrad topples school record

February 6, 2012

Coach Ben Conrad talks strategy with members of the women's basketball team during their game against Coffeyville Community College Wendesday Jan. 18. Photo by Hannah Hunsinger.

Women’s basketball coach rapidly approaches 100 wins

By Erica Aldridge

During his third year of coaching women’s basketball for the college, coach Ben Conrad is steadily approaching his 100th win. This accomplishment has never been reached this fast by any previous coach for the team.

After officially becoming head coach of the women’s basketball team in 2008, Conrad quickly began to break records by having more wins in the first three seasons than any other previous coach at the college. But for Conrad, breaking coaching records is not his primary goal.

“Our goals are never about my wins, our goals are about our team and playing the best we can play,” said Conrad. “The wins I get are secondary to me right now.”

Although Conrad feels that they are secondary, members of the team are proud to see their coach congratulated for his quickly accumulated wins.

“It’s a good accomplishment,” said Brianna Kulas, sophomore forward. “He works hard so it’s well deserved.”

Continue

InFocus: Picking new team colors

February 6, 2012

How mascot change would affect athletics

By Ben Markley

Whether they’re brown-and-gold Kansans, maroon-and-gold Cavaliers or teal-and-yellow Bisons, arguably nobody is more affected by the school’s current rebranding process than student athletes.

Jim Dice, health, physical education, and recreation facility and clinic coordinator, said he understood the Bison to be a proposition and nothing more.

“It’s not a done deal being Bisons,” he said. “[The college] wanted to do research and move our brand, and that’s what the company came back with: a color recommendation and a mascot recommendation.”

Carl Heinrich, assistant dean of Athletics, has never experienced a rebranding during his time at the college.

“I don’t know what that transition would be like,” he said. “We did go through a change in the eighties from the Kansans to the Cavaliers. Everybody survived that transition, so it’s something that can be done.”

Heinrich served on a committee in the beginning of the rebranding process. He said he was surprised by recent talk of mascot and color changes.

“Never in the process did I hear of changing the mascot name or changing colors anywhere along that line,” he said.

Heinrich is not enthusiastic about the current proposition for a new mascot.

“I guess if I’m leaning toward a direction, it’s not to change the Cavalier,” he said.

Dice stressed that the branding process and the actual graphics of the new brand are two different things.

“Branding is getting out and making your name in the community,” he said.

The graphics are used to stick the brand in people’s heads.

“Go talk to marketing teachers,” he said. “If you see the golden arches, you think McDonalds. And with the college, if you see this bison or this sunflower, you think Johnson County Community College.”

To Dice, the effect of the graphics is more important than the mascot or colors.

“The sunflower or the bison—does that make a difference?” he said. “If we make an impact in the community, I think it does.”

Heinrich said changing colors would be an expensive process for the athletic department. He said uniforms would cost about $10,000-25,000 per team and take about five years to fully replace.

“You’d have the women’s basketball team in maroon and gold, and maybe your men’s team in green and yellow,” he said. “Same night, two different colors. That’d be kind of awkward.”

Dice said the colors themselves present a financial inconvenience.

“The colors that they’re portraying with uniforms would kill us because those are custom colors,” he said.

Not only would a color change affect uniforms, but it would also affect gym floors, banners, scoreboards and even other Kansas community colleges that have a Cavalier logo on their gym wall.

Dice said effective rebranding would be a good move, despite expenses.

“If it moves us forward, it’s an investment,” he said. “That’s how I see the cost: investment in the future.”

Dice said the entire school currently uses different graphics to represent its different departments. He said the rebranding would be most successful if everyone would embrace the new brand.

“If you went and changed the Jayhawk, you’d be affecting the KU med center, the nursing program, all these places that embrace the Jayhawk,” he said. “Everybody here should embrace [the brand]. It shouldn’t be just athletics.”

Dice said he understood sentimental attachment to the old mascot.

“I’m sure we’d really like to keep the Cavaliers because we’ve been the Cavaliers for a long time, but ask the students,” Dice said.

Student Simon Stegall liked the proposed colors and mascot.

“I never understood the whole Cavalier thing,” he said. “The Bison makes sense since we’re in Kansas.”

Heinrich said he would like a more involved process if the college decides to change the logo.

“I think it would be appropriate for the company to come in and survey our coaches and alumni and current student athletes to see how they feel,” he said. “As far as I know, none of them were asked at any point in time.”

In the end, Dice said the school’s main priority was to stay focused on moving forward.

“I don’t think we should lose sleep over what our color is,” he said.

Contact Ben Markley, staff reporter, at bmarkle2@jccc.edu.

Even Stevens…and Stephanies

February 6, 2012

How Title 9 levels playing field for male, female student athletes

By Julius Williams

“Title 9” is an education amendment that prohibits discrimination in sports based on gender. The college’s athletic programs, like every other institution receiving federal assistance, has to comply with “Title 9” provisions each year in order to continue receiving funds for student scholarships and funding for programs.

Carl Heinrich, assistant dean of athletics and the college’s athletic director, is responsible for making sure that the college is in compliance.

“Equality in athletics means offering the same opportunities for males [and] females,” Heinrich said.

The athletics department fills out an EADA report every fall to comply with the Department of Education’s federal mandate. EADA stands for Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act. Every school that receives federal funding uploads their information online and their reports can be viewed by visiting the Department of Education’s website at http://ope.ed.gov/athletics.

The college’s most recent report covering the Fall and Spring 2010-2011semester lists 153 men student athletics and 125 female student athletics and includes money spent on student aid, recruiting expenses, game expenses and revenues. According to the report, the total expenses for men’s athletics were $844,169 and $857,146 for women’s athletics.

“You have to balance the number of scholarships, the amount of money spent on recruiting, team travel, uniforms and supplies,” Heinrich said.

Balancing the funds can be challenging when men and women play different sports and belong to different divisions. For example, the college has approximately the same amount of money for its men’s and women’s track teams. But last year, the men’s team had 71 athletes versus 59 for the women’s. That could mean that the amount of money available per student for financial aid or travel expenses could differ.

Kent Shelley, athletics department, has coached the baseball program for over 26 years.

“Title 9 has advanced women’s sports to the point right now where they are stronger today than ever… in terms of scholarships, travel, recruitment opportunities and facilities,” said Shelley.

Shelley said that he is in strong support of the women’s programs and is glad to see our female student athletes flourish but it can be frustrating at times because equality in sports programs doesn’t always mean that aid is distributed equally.

“Roster sizes vary,” Shelley said. “For example, softball doesn’t need to carry the same number of players as baseball to fulfill a roster. So they have the same number of scholarships opportunities as we do for baseball but their roster size is smaller. Therefore they can 100 percent scholarship their entire roster whereas baseball, requiring more numbers, has a significant number of roster players that don’t receive scholarship aid.”

Roster size can vary depending on the sport which can affect not only scholarships but budgets for team travel and recruiting. Fewer roster players means more money per player is available.

In addition, the college has both Division I and Division II teams. Having teams in both divisions allows the college to “level the playing the field” for its students. Division I teams can offer tuition, books, fees and room/board for their student athletes, but Division II teams can only offer tuition and books. Heinrich says that the difference in available aid can play a big part in recruiting.

The college is part of the Jayhawk conference (www.kjccc.org) which includes schools like Coffeyville Community College. Coffeyville has a Division I basketball program so student athletics can take advantage of the school’s Division I status to receive aid for on-campus housing. Our college doesn’t have on-campus housing so the previous president of the college, Charles Carlsen suggested that the basketball teams switch to Division II in order to stay competitive.

By making that move, the college can continue to play Division I teams within the Jayhawk Conference, but not have to compete against those schools for recruiting student athletes. A student athlete who is deciding which Division I college to attend might choose one school over another simply because one school has on-campus housing. But as a Division II program, the college gets to offer the same amount of aid as any other Division II program.

Heinrich believes that in most cases there are two types of students that come to a two-year athletic program. Students who have the athletic talent to go to a four-year program but don’t have the academic qualifications or students who have the academics but need to raise their playing level to compete with four year students. Whether male or female, student athletes will find equal opportunities at the college to hone their academic and athletic skills to transfer to a four year program.

Jennifer Ei, head volleyball coach at the college agrees.

“I think they do a great job of equaling out the sports,” said Ei. “They really split the teams evenly. I think the college has a ton of resources that have really helped with the recruiting process, especially the math lab, writing center and science programs. It’s a nice experience for the kids…the college does a really good job of supporting us.”

Contact Julius Williams, Sports Assignment Editor, at jwilli78@jccc.edu.

International perspectives

February 6, 2012

Exchange student Aizhan Tazhigulova studies notes on her computer before a test in the MUN class Wednesday Jan. 25. Photo by Hannah Hunsinger.

Model United Nations team does well, aspires for more

By Rachel Luchmun

The college’s Model United Nations (MUN) team is preparing for a conference in St. Louis after a successful conference in Chicago during the fall semester.

The team was awarded Overall Best Delegation given for best representing the policies of Cuba, as well as an Outstanding Delegation award representing the economic and financial policies of Cuba.

Brian Wright, adviser to MUN since 2003, said MUN is a roleplaying simulation where students assume the roles of diplomats, much like the actual United Nations. Participants represent a specific country at the conference.

“Issues that are covered include human rights, disarmament and financial issues such as microcredit,” Wright said.

Continue

What are you really?

February 6, 2012

Race categorization arbitrary, outdated

By Rachel Luchmun

Black history month is a time to stop and reflect on the horrors from the past, in the hope that they never happen again.

The plight of black people, in the United States and elsewhere, is not only a show of what horrors humankind can commit, but also a promise of hope: after all, the condition of black people has significantly improved, with the abolition of slavery and the creation of diverse associations and laws to help black people to gain an equal footing. We want to be so careful that black is increasingly being replaced by African-American.

So let us reach around and give ourselves a pat on the back; by wanting to stop inequality for minorities, we have boxed ourselves in complicated concepts of race that still emphasizes differences based on appearances.

Let’s face it. Whenever there is an application or form to be filled, there always comes the question of ethnicity and race. Here at the college, ethnicity is classed as “Hispanic” or “non-Hispanic” and race options are “White,” “Black or African-American,” “Asian,” “American Indian or Alaska Native” and “Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.” You can check as many as you wish.

I am aware that the college is made to have those choices by the state (at least, that is what I gathered – the nifty web link they provided on the admission form is broken) but really, for a place that advocates diversity and welcomes international students, has no one realized that this selection is close-minded and off-putting?

The most strikingly annoying thing about this classification is how arbitrary the notion of “race” is. Skin color (white and black) is tossed in with geographic locations (Asia, Pacific Islands). Does that mean Asians and Pacific Islanders are of a color different from black (under which every shade of brown also passes, apparently) and white? What about white people who were born and raised in Asia? People with ancestry so mixed their skin color changes dramatically with the seasons?

Things are slightly better now than when I first applied, when I was forced to make a choice, and a choice of only one. As a brown-skinned African with an Indian last name and a lot of mixing along the way, I found it very difficult to pick. With the term “Black” being synonymous with “African-American,” as just an African I found it hard to define myself as such.

I get it. There might be diversity quotas. The college needs to know how “diverse” their student population is. Some organizations only offer support from people of a particular descent. I get it!

But is there really no other way for all those organizations to get their data, if only through an “other” choice that acknowledges the fact that the United States’ construct of race does not cover every possibility?

Contact Rachel Luchmun, news editor, at rluchmun@jccc.edu.

Staff Editorial: Rebranding wrong way to boost college reputation

February 6, 2012

The college has taken upon itself to spend a small fortune paying a marketing company to redesign our logo, colors and mascot. This is an attempt to attract more prospective students, as enrollment has declined. The numbers for spring enrollment headcount on the first day of classes were down 5.9%, according to Dennis Day, vice president of student success and engagement.

Naturally this is a problem, since any college’s goal is to grow and expand, but how significant are a school’s colors and mascot compared to the actual experience of attendance?

This college is one of the best community colleges in the nation; no mascot, logo, or color scheme could prove that. We students are truly lucky to have some of the greatest assets a community college could provide.

Our professors alone make this college the wonderful school that it is – where is their publicity? Some of the professors have been here for over 30 years. Many have won awards, but it is not often enough that we see those stories on the front page of the college’s website. If prospective students knew more about the many accomplished faculty members, they’d be much more inclined to come here.

Our buildings themselves are quite a boon to the college. With the exception of a few buildings, you can get anywhere on campus indoors, meaning we don’t have to trudge through ice and snow in the winter, nor face the sweltering heat of Kansas City summers.

Our student body is hugely diverse. We have students of all different ethnic backgrounds, nationalities, and ages. No one is alone; if you wish to seek out friends, this college is one of the easiest places to do it.

We have a multitude of clubs and organizations, and a huge variety of programs to offer. In addition, students who attend the college before they transfer to a 4-year school statistically attain significantly higher grades than those who go straight to a university. Our success rate is comparatively excellent.

So our colors were brown and gold, then became maroon and gold. Our mascot is the Cavalier. Our logo is a sunflower with one petal left unfilled, representing the knowledge we have yet to obtain. Not many students know that, or what a cavalier is, because most of them just don’t care.

If we do become the Bison, and our logo does become a strange hybrid of the NBC peacock and the Johnson County Park & Recreation District (see http://jcprd.com/), it’s not going to matter. People who dislike it may get angry and the athletes will lose their identities as the Cavs, but the majority won’t even take notice.

We have so much more to offer here. Overall, the rebranding efforts are not a good move on the college’s part. We can do better than that.

Proposed new mascot, logo, colors have little to do with rebranding goal

February 6, 2012

College community responds to Bison with resounding ‘Meh’

By Rachel Kimbrough

The college just forked more than $120,000 over to Bernstein-Rein Advertising (B-R) for a rebranding project, as detailed in the center spread of this issue.

What B-R came up with as a recommendation for the new mascot is the JCCC Bison. See pages eight and nine of this issue for a preview of that image. Spoiler alert: it’s a flaming bull head.

B-R’s research report states that many members of various focus groups said the Bison inspired feelings of intensity, energy and masculinity.

Masculinity? Heads up: the average student at the college is a mid-twenties female (which, by the way, defines Yours Truly).

And anyway, the proposed Bison idea has not been super well-received, including among the sports department, weirdly.

That means one of two things: either the college just spent over a hundred thousand bucks on a mascot proposal that no one particularly likes but that we’ll accept because we paid for it, or the college just threw away that amount toward literally nothing (if we decide not to go with the Bison).

Double-edged sword.

Rebranding is not about a new mascot, logo or colors. Rebranding and redesign are not the same things (though, they are not necessarily mutually exclusive concepts, either).

No, rebranding has more to do with changing how an entity is perceived to its target audience. That may include making an entity’s visual elements a little easier on the eyes, but that’s not the whole shebang. It is “changing the corporate image of (a company or organization).” Thus sayeth Oxford Dictionary.

So, what the college is trying to do with rebranding, again citing B-R’s detailed research report, is draw “positive emotional reaction and attention to the Johnson County Community College (JCCC) brand.” It’s an effort to maybe not change, but refresh how the community sees us.

B-R’s report said that most focus group participants’ view of the college amounted to positive things like value, good reputation and progressive thinking.

Value and progressive thinking. When considering rebranding, how could we go about speaking to those generally accepted perceptions of the college, and augment that reputation? Hire a firm for six figures to come up with something different to slap on our sports jerseys?

Nope. How about this: let the graphic design students have a go at it first. Go on the college’s website at http://www.jccc.edu/graphicdesign/awards /awards-aaf-addy.html real quick. That’s how many of our students have won national graphic design awards. Not regional. Not state-wide. National. Have a look at the other awards while you’re there.

That could have been a way to demonstrate that this college is appropriately frugal-minded, has the capacity to make smart money decisions when in the midst of our first-ever budget crisis and is generally forward-thinking enough to use a very valid but apparently untapped resource—students.

That could have been something to present to the community. Right now we can show our new design, whether that’s the Bison or whatever else it turns out to be, and all we can say for it is, “This company designed that for us.” If we’d used internal sources (like students, or even graphic design faculty), that frugality and resourcefulness itself could have been something to market. That would have actually been relevant to rebranding. So meta.

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

George Lucas film breaks color barriers on, off screen

February 6, 2012

Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howard lead the cast of Red Tails, a film based on a group of black WWII fighter pilots who are called from segregated ground work into active duty. Photo copyright Lucasfilm Ltd.

By Julius Williams

“Red Tails” the historically-based action movie, earned nearly 19 million dollars its Jan. 20 opening weekend, according to Variety magazine. It was the second highest grossing film behind “Underworld: Awakening.”

“Red Tails” is the brainchild of George Lucas, the acclaimed Star Wars filmmaker. The film follows the trials and successes of the Tuskegee Airmen, a segregated air combat unit during WWII.

The Tuskegee Airmen were comprised of the 333rd fighter group and the 477th Bombardier group of what was then known as the Army Air Corps. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African-American pilots to serve in the U.S. military. The military was still highly segregated during this time and as the war waged on, the need for trained pilots became too great for the Army to continue its discriminatory policies.

The “Red Tails” earned the moniker because of the distinctive red paint which the group used to coat the entire tail section of their fighter planes.

FoxNews reported that in 2007, President George W. Bush awarded 300 Congressional Gold medals to the Tuskegee Airmen for their valor and bravery in battle. The President was quoted in the article as stating, “Even the Nazis asked why African-American men would fight for a country that treated them so unfairly.”

Brian Williams, Huffington Post writer, wrote that “the story of the Tuskegee Airmen is quintessentially American. It is one of valor and an unquenchable desire to demonstrate one’s patriotism. The Tuskegee Airmen story is also a reminder of the tragic reality that post WWII America, in many cases, treated Nazi prisoners of war better than the returning black soldiers who were part of the ‘greatest generation.’”

The racism that the pilots endured during their service and afterwards as veterans is well documented and makes their accomplishments even more noteworthy. Although the story of the Tuskegee Airmen had been brought to screen before (twice for television), this film is a first for African-American cinema because of its major budget and nationwide release.

But the road to getting “Red Tails” to screens was not an easy one. The film took over 20 years to produce, according to George Lucas in an interview on the Daily Show with John Stewart. He said that no major studios were interested in the film because of its all-black cast.

“Major studios have traditionally been reluctant to finance large scale films with all-black cast,” Lucas said.

When he set up a private screening for top level studio executives in order to get financing, no one showed up. Lucas ended up financing the production and advertising himself.

“Red Tails” may not have constituted a significant technical advance in film production like “Avatar,” but if successful, it may contribute to a different kind of advancement by helping to break down color barriers that still exist in Hollywood and prove to the studios that audiences don’t care what ethnicity the actors are, they just want to see a good movie.

“Red Tails” stars Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding, Jr. It was directed by Anthony Hemingway, produced by George Lucas, and distributed by 20th Century Fox.

Contact Julius Williams, sports assignment editor, at jwilli78@jccc.edu.

Digitization projects takes fashion, photo collections, repository global

February 6, 2012

Library in midst of “huge” project to create digital archives for ease of accessibility

By Rachel Kimbrough

The library, in conjunction with the college’s Technical Services department, is working on taking several of the college’s collections global via digitization.

“[Digitization] is taking objects that exist physically and creating digital representations of them for access and preservation,” said Barry Bailey, librarian. “By participating in things like this we make the dissemination of information really easy.”

The project was initially sparked by professor emeritus Chuck Bishop’s sabbatical project in 2004, said librarian Judi Guzzy. Bishop came in contact with the family of Francis Gerald, WWII prisoner of war, who offered the college Gerald’s wartime documents. Those documents included his journal, some letters and a photo album.

Bishop proposed the idea of digitizing these documents, which got library staff members thinking, Guzzy said. The library purchased the correct software, outsourced the archiving of the actual images in order not to damage the documents and finished the cataloguing project as a team with Tech Services.

“We did this very much as a team approach and divided up the images to catalog,” Guzzy said. “People got very excited about it. It became almost very emotional because [Gerald’s] journal is so personal, so it became exciting. I’m not a WWII buff and I was totally engrossed… That was our first one.”

Then Bailey came on board, “luckily,” Guzzy said.

“He has taken off in terms of the other digital projects, as well as the institutional repository,” Guzzy said.

Under Bailey’s watch, the library is currently in the midst of digitizing a 2,500-piece fashion collection, recently moved to the college from Bishop Miege high school in Shawnee Mission; a collection of every photo Bret Gustafson, administrative photographer, has taken in his 32-year career at the college; a repository which will house scholarly essays, articles and publications by students, faculty and staff during their affiliation with the college; and every issue of the Campus Ledger, the college’s student-run newspaper.

Bailey said each of these projects is in itself a daunting task.

“The collection that’s going to be the most time-consuming and ambitious…[Gustafson] kept all his negatives since he’s been here,” Bailey said. “And we’re scanning all of them. Yeah, we’re on 1985.”

Gustafson, who has been taking photos of each piece in the fashion collection, said there is “a lot to shoot there,” so much so that he will not be able to finish shooting each piece before he retires this May.

“I’m not trying to make a statement. It’s all just documentary. Not very exciting,” Gustafson said. “It’s interesting. It gets to be boring photographing it but at least I don’t have to catalog it.”

Britt Benjamin, assistant professor of Fashion Merchandising and Design, said having the fashion collection physically on campus has been useful, but having access to the digitized collection has its perks as well.

“I went back and tried to find some donors that donated in the ‘80s, and they, of course, couldn’t remember what they donated, so I just sent them the link,” Benjamin said. “We love having it. They have worked so hard.”

All of the collections are available not only to students at the college, but to anyone with Internet access, Bailey said, because the metadata exists in a worldwide recognized format.

“When I look at where people are coming from to get information [on the college’s digital repository], it’s literally from dozens of countries,” Bailey said. “That’s a pretty cool feeling.”

Guzzy said the process of digitizing collections is different from compiling a digital repository in that the former is image-based and the latter is text and publication-based. She said each type of cataloging project has its own set of “quirks” and ways in which it differs from the others, but that all the work is worth it for students’ sake.

“The reasons to do these things are for our students,” she said. “They can be great resources to use in the future, in classes, looking at the history of [the college], so that’s pretty exciting. I don’t think there’s a point to doing them unless it has a value to students. And it does.”

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

WEB-EXCLUSIVE: New hospitality program internship seeks to help local businesses go green

February 3, 2012

By Erica Aldridge

The college’s hospitality management program and the Center for Sustainability have come together to develop a new internship program for hospitality students. With this internship, students will be trained to make more environmentally conscious choices when working in a hotel or restaurant. Ryan Wing, the senior sustainability analyst at the college, explains the benefits the internship gives to the students and the Kansas City area.

“Employers are expecting students to have internship experience,” Wing said. “So this is a way to accomplish the Center’s goals by creating more green jobs while also giving [students] the real world experience.”

After a student is paired with a local company, they will work together to help incorporate sustainable practices into the company’s normal procedures. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, including saving energy and water, reducing waste and using environmentally friendly cleaners and chemicals.

For the spring 2012 semester, the only student involved with this internship program is Yvette Hirang. But as time goes on, faculty that put together the program hope to see more students and businesses involved.

“At this point we are going to start off with restaurants,” said Jay Antle, executive director of the Center for Sustainability. “If the program is successful we would be able to find other dollars to include other restaurants and hotels.”

According to Hirang, she will be helping the restaurant apply environmentally friendly practices for their Green Restaurant Association Accreditation. Hirang knew the internship was something she wanted to do as soon as she learned of it.

“I have always been interested in learning how to apply sustainable and green practices in the food industry,” said Hirang. “When I read about the grant, I immediately contacted [Kim] Criner and told her I am very much interested in doing the internship.”

In order to fund this new internship, the Mid America Regional Council awarded the college with a $63,700 grant. According to Wing, the participating businesses will receive up to $4,000 to implement the new practices brought in by the students.

Overall the idea has been very supported by numerous local restaurants. The program hopes to expand to hotels and restaurants across the metro area as time goes on.

Contact Erica Aldridge, Copy Editor at ealdridg@stumail.jccc.edu.

Theatre department makes splash in Ames

February 3, 2012

Stage crew member Carly Hyer works hard to assemble the set before the Jan. 13 performance of "Anatomy of Gray." Photo by Patti Klinge.

By Julius Williams

The Theatre department had a strong showing at its trip to the regional Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (www.kcactf.org) in Ames, Iowa this past January.

The KCACTF is a national theatre arts program that includes over 600 institutions from around the country whose mission is to support the work of college and university theatre programs. Student actors, directors and stage-craftsmen have the opportunity to showcase their work and participate in career programs.

Beate Pettigrew, artistic coordinator for theatre department, was extremely pleased with her student’s performance.

“We generally do well,” Pettigrew said. “We compete with four-year schools and graduate programs and we always hold our own. It’s great.”

The college had six students that were nominated for the Irene Ryan Acting award. Students from the college competed with nearly 300 other students from around the region for the award that includes a scholarship and a trip to the National festival in Wash., D.C., in April.

Four students advanced to the semi-final round and one student made it to the final round. Theatre student Hannah See was one of the nominees that made it to the second round. She was one of 64 student actors chosen to advance out of the initial 300 nominees.

Eric Meixelsperger, theatre student, made it to the final round placing 3rd in the country overall and may have the opportunity as “first alternate” to travel to the national festival in Washington.

The department also entered the stage director and choreographer’s competition for the first time. According to the festival’s website, the winning student director from each region will be afforded travel and dining expenses to travel to the national festival.

Two students from the college were nominated and Tony Citrony, theatre student, won the regional SDC award and will be traveling to the Kennedy Center in April.

Citrony was competing against 16 students from two-year, four-year and graduate programs around the region.

“He beat three year MFA directing students,” Pettigrew said.

The week-long festival concluded with the college’s performance of “Anatomy of Grey”. The theatre department’s production was chosen out of over two hundred submissions from 77 different programs to perform at the festival. JCCC was the only 2 year school chosen.

“We performed in front of 1500 people,” said Bailey Burchum, theatre student. “We were the last performance of the whole festival. We received a standing ovation. It was insane.”

“We took our whole cast and production team to do the show. It wasn’t technically an award but it was a big deal to be invited to perform,” See said.

The department will continue its season this semester with three performances and for the first time, the department will have students directing the performances. The first show, the “Festival of One Acts” will comprise of three once act plays directed by student directors and runs Feb. 17 – 19 and 24 – 26.

In March, the department will showcase its annual children’s play. “La Culebra” will open at the Bodker Black Box theatre March 9 before traveling to area elementary schools after the spring break.

The department will conclude its season with the musical “The Spitfire Grill” at the end of April. The performances will run April 26 – 28 and May 4 – 6.

All performances are free and open to the public. For more information, please visit www.jccc.edu/theatre.

Contact Julius Williams, Sports Assignment Editor, at jwilli78@jccc.edu.

Art student tears down barriers between art forms

February 3, 2012

Ricardo Lopez presents "Citrus," one of his art pieces displayed in the ATB from Painting I class fall semester. Photo by Michael House.

By Jessica Mitchell

Student Ricardo Lopez moved from classroom painting to designing and constructing sets for musicals and plays after finding his passion and capabilities for set design. With his painting history only dating back two years, the college was Lopez’s flourishing point.

“I wasn’t being serious until I took a painting class here. It was experiments or studies, messing with colors or patterns – just beginner stuff,” said Lopez. “Then I got here and I had this professor…[who] really started to push me to further expand my painting skill and try to make things not so ordinary.”

Recently, Lopez had extended his artistic hand to The Culture House in Kansas City. There, he designed and painted two sets for two separate shows, “Willy Wonka” and “How I Became a Pirate.”

“I did the original drawings,” said Lopez. “I got to explore all these wacky styles and unreal places and make the different candy lands and the poor street and all these different places that were really creative.”

Lopez’s limits do not lay dormant on painting, however. He has dabbled in everything from sculpture to fashion, as far out as calligraphy. Lopez prides himself in his ability to tear down the barriers between all the art mediums.

“I don’t prefer one or the other. It seems that they are all working together,” said Lopez. “Say you have an illustration you want to show somebody but they can’t read the same architectural prints that you can…so if you painted a picture then they would be able to see what you’re seeing.”

Lopez’s love for art didn’t beginning with the physical creation but rather the understanding and appreciation.
“I started off with art history; it was one of the first classes I took here at [the college],” said Lopez. “From there I started actually looking at different art works but not yet creating it.”

Lopez is currently underway working on a Valentine’s Day design for dance studio named Louis & Company. His design will contain a massive Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe.

“I’m going to make an Arc de Triomphe that people can dance under,” said Lopez. “The Eiffel Tower is going to be between 20-30 feet high – they are also going to be illuminated. I’m going to have to design it and build it and I have a month to do it. That is going to really be a challenge.”

Lopez, even though unsure of his future or his plans, knows it will never stray too far from art or his passions.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a specific one thing for me,” said Lopez. “I think its going to be somewhat architectural but somewhat panting, somewhat sculpting. These different aspects of the art community are too often separated. With my experience I’ve found that if you work them together, they enhance so much more.”

For more information contact Jessica Mitchell, features editor, jmitch54@jccc.edu.

WEB-EXCLUSIVE: Art, science merge

February 3, 2012

Herd to design crop art for campus

By Jon Parton

Local artist and native Kansan Stan Herd has been commissioned by the college to bring “crop art” to campus. Herd will develop a piece called “Kansa Man” on a quarter-acre of land near the outdoor horticulture garden.

“Crop art” (also called “Earthwork”) is a large scale form of art that uses varieties of plants and rocks to create an image. All of the plants, grasses and rocks used will be indigenous to Kansas, according to James Leiker, director of the Kansas Studies Institute. Leiker believes the artwork will help educate people about the state.

“It’s kicking down the boundary between art and science,” Leiker said.

Leiker believes the project will be beneficial to all departments of the school, as well as the community.

“It shows that [the college] is committed to the local,” Leiker said.

The artwork is based upon a prehistoric rock carving design called a petroglyph. It is meant to represent a member of the native “Kansa” tribe.

Leiker believes the artwork ties in with the Kansas Studies Institute’s goal of creating awareness for the state.

“It’s a visual representation of what I’m trying to do with this project,” Leiker said.

Funding for the piece is being provided by auxiliary funds from various departments of the college. Leiker said no general funds are being used.

Leiker’s department is not the only one involved with the project. The Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art and the Horticultural Sciences department have both lent their support.

John Stiles, student, said he looks forward to working on the project.

“We’re hoping that landscape maintenance class and landscape construction class can start working on it this spring,” Stiles said.

Stiles said that student involvement plays a large part in the project, from plant selection to maintaining the land for years to come.

“There’s a lot of talk about sustainability,” Stiles said.

Lekha Sreedhar, chair, Horticultural Sciences department, said that students will maintain the artwork and create a new design every year.

“Students will be involved in every step,” Sreedhar said.

Initial planting of the piece is set to begin sometime in the spring. Sreedhar said her students are proud to be connected to Herd’s unique form of art.

“It is important to me that students get involved,” Sreedhar said.

Sreedhar said that working with Herd has been a great experience for both her and students.

“He is so relaxed and easygoing,” Sreedhar said. “I had many students ask ‘When is Stan coming back?’”

Contact Jon Parton, staff reporter at jparton@jccc.edu.

Former campus police officer running for 8th District Senate seat

February 3, 2012

Photo courtesy http://kslegislature.org.

By Mackenzie Clark

Author’s note: In order to offer a balanced look at both candidates, an article on incumbent state senator (R-KS) and adjunct professor Tim Owens will follow in a future issue of the Campus Ledger.

Greg Smith is a man who has spent much of his life in public service. He has served in the Navy, as a police officer, an educator, and with the help of his family, founded the Kelsey Smith Foundation.

Elected in 2010, Smith currently serves as representative of District 22 in the Kans. House. Recently he decided to run for the state senate seat in District 8 against incumbent Tim Owens.

“I’m running for the senate because I am disappointed in the lack of leadership that the senate has shown recently,” Smith said. “We passed a lot of really good initiatives in the House this last session that would have been good for all of Kansas, but a lot of them sat in the senate and just died over there because they wouldn’t act on them.”

Smith said he wants to “jump start” things in the senate with several specific issues in mind. As a current teacher at Shawnee Mission West High School, education is a big priority for him.

“Right now the school finance system we have in Kansas is broken, it’s not working right and it’s costing us a lot of money,” Smith said.

Smith wants to see more money go straight to the classrooms to help students. He also intends to help reform the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System (KPERS), which he said is at least $8 billion underfunded.

His third biggest issue is the state’s budget. The only state in the Midwest with taxes higher than Kans. is Neb.

“We want to make sure government is as small as it can be, spending is as small as it can be, and hopefully we can get some money back to the people so their tax burden isn’t as bad as it has been,” Smith said.

Smith’s background of public service includes 10 years in the Navy. He then served as a police officer in South Carolina, and later moved back to work at the Kansas City, Mo. police office. He ended his law enforcement career working as an officer here at the college.

After that, Smith taught social studies at each of the Shawnee Mission high schools. He and many of his family members have graduated from or taught at Shawnee Mission West.

Smith was inspired to become active in politics by the memory of his daughter, Kelsey Smith, for whom he and his wife founded the Kelsey Smith Foundation. The goal of the foundation is to educate communities about prevention and youth safety.

“The whole reason I’m in politics is because of Kelsey, it really is,” Smith said. “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the fact that my wife and I worked so hard to get the Kelsey Smith Act passed in Kansas and since then we’ve gotten it passed in other states.”

This is how Smith learned how to pass a bill through committees and pass legislation. He and his wife agreed to stay involved in the process to continue helping people. The Kelsey Smith Act (Kelsey’s Law), in summary, provides law enforcement a way to quickly track the location of a person’s cellular device in cases of kidnapping or other endangerment. It is now enacted in five states and under consideration in others, including on a national level.

Smith’s biggest support comes from his wife, Missey, who takes care of the “day-to-day” aspects of the campaign to free up Greg’s time for public engagements. She handles campaign materials and research on his opponent, such as voting records and donors. She also continues to work toward passing Kelsey’s Law in other states.

“I am focusing on researching legislators from other states to see who would be most likely to pass a law like this,” Missey said.

Student Alex Abramovitz is also a big supporter of Smith’s campaign.

“I started talking to Greg and it wasn’t long before he started mentioning ideas such as limited government and also the fact that he believed strongly in the Constitution and that he was a social studies teacher teaching history,” Abramovitz said. “One of the things that he wanted people to know was that the Constitution limits the powers of the federal government and gives more power to the states, which is something that I really strongly agreed with.”

While conservative issues are a big part of Greg’s message, he doesn’t aim to be the next Ronald Reagan.

“I’m not there to make a name for myself, I don’t care if people know who I am, I’m not there to get rich,” Greg said. “I just want to do things that help the state and help people have a better life.”

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

Long-vacant position filled via presidential appointment

February 3, 2012

Former Ohio resident, college dean traveled 800 miles to support president’s office

By Rachel Kimbrough

A position that has been vacant for nearly four and a half years was filled via presidential appointment early this year.

Richard France left Cleveland, Ohio, to take his position here as vice president of Strategic Initiatives and special assistant to the president after 33 years of service at Cayuga Community College. He started in early January.

France said his primary roles will be to support the office of the president via working with the Board of Trustees and continuing college president Terry Calaway’s work in reaching out to members of the community.

“We’re anxious to tell our story about what we’re doing here in terms of our programs and students,” France said. “So in the long run that’s another way to help students and bring resources to the college.”

France’s role is one Calaway calls “significantly independent” like other cabinet-level positions on campus.

“What I needed in this role was someone I can delegate responsibilities to,” Calaway said. “We have regular weekly meetings and we probably see each other a half a dozen other times. The one thing I don’t need is someone shadowing me.”

Calaway said he and France knew each other from working together at Cayuga where France had held multiple positions, including assistant to the president, executive director of the Foundation and dean of the evening-weekend program. Calaway reached out to France after a faculty member at the college declined the position.

“If you’re going to have a position like this, you need to know someone and the way that they work,” Calaway said. “I take hiring very seriously. I was the one who reached out to Richard like I did to the other faculty member. That’s not the only time I’ve done that.”

While France’s position was not posted like most other vacant positions, France did fill out an application and was interviewed by Calaway, said Judy Korb, executive vice president of Human Resources.

“It’s our practice. We post positions,” Korb said. “But the president does have the authority to appoint people to positions. Richard is not the first person to be appointed to his position. [Calaway] has appointed others of us to our positions versus posting it. He does have the authority to do that but typically we don’t.”

Korb said France’s position is funded by a vacancy pool. When employees leave, the money designated for their salary falls under one organization code in the budget. The accumulation of money there allows some plasticity for ventures like funding France’s position, Korb said.

“There’s enough people coming and going that we usually have some salary contingency money that was budgeted for salaries and is not spent,” Korb said. “It gives us a little bit of flexibility to be able to do this kind of thing. And usually there are enough positions that are vacant for a period of time during the year, so you never need that money. It’s timing.”

France said the jarring 800-mile transition from Cleveland to Johnson County has been eased by the welcoming attitude of people on campus.

“I’ve prepared, I’ve trained for this, and I’ve done similar work at a major community college,” France said. “I’m happy to be here, glad to be part of the team. There’s a lot of fine people here.”

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

Monthly Archives: February 2012