Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Yearly Archives: 2016

Marco Rubio ends last-minute Kansas campaign in Overland Park

1
Rubio: “Our next commander-in-chief can not be Donald Trump because he thinks the nuclear triad was a rock band from the ‘80s." Photo by Henry Lubega.

by Aaron Rhodes

Staff Reporter

arhodes2@jccc.edu

Florida Senator Marco Rubio made a stop in Overland Park on Friday, March 4, in a last-minute push to secure more votes in the Republican caucus. After speaking to crowds in Wichita and Topeka earlier in the day, Rubio brought his Kansas mini-tour to a close at a packed ballroom at the Overland Park Marriott.

Rubio spoke on a variety of topics, including national security, support of Israel and the importance of making sure America’s veterans are cared for, threatening to fire Veterans Affairs employees who do not do their jobs properly.

“Many of our veterans do not stop serving us when they come home. If you go into any fire department or EMT community in America, you’re going to run into a veteran. If you go to any police department … you’re going to run into a veteran.”

The senator also emphasized the importance of limited government, free enterprise, strict constitutionalism and having faith in order to create a “new American century.” Rubio often intertwined these subjects.

“Our rights don’t come from the government. Our rights come from God,” Rubio said. “And the role of government is to protect those rights.”

Rubio also shared a brief story of how his family came to America from Cuba to try and realize the American dream. He moved to state that his story isn’t uncommon, and that it reflects a story that many Americans share.

“The American Dream is not there, and it is in a lot of trouble,” Rubio said. “And it will remain in a lot of trouble, and we could lose it if we stay on the road we are on right now. And if Hillary Clinton is elected president of the United States, we will remain on the road we are on right now, and that’s why this is an election that we cannot lose. That’s why when you choose tomorrow, I ask you to choose not just for tomorrow, but for November. If you nominate someone, if we nominate someone like Donald Trump, we will lose. … He will lose this election. There is no doubt about it. He will lose it, and that means the consequences of that are a President Hillary Clinton.”

Instead of alluding to Donald Trump throughout his speech like Ted Cruz did on his recent stop, Rubio carved out a small portion of his time to joke about Trump’s political ineptitude.

“Our next commander-in-chief can not be Donald Trump because he thinks the nuclear triad was a rock band from the ‘80s,” said Rubio with a grin across his face.

Prior to his speech, Kansas senator Terry Bruce, New Mexico governor Susana Martinez, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and Kansas governor Sam Brownback all spoke on their support for Rubio.

Dominic Arnone, a senior at Olathe East High School, entered the event hoping Rubio would take on the issues and not indulge too much on the chaos of the race.

“At the Ted Cruz [rally] … it was like a pep assembly in middle school,” said Arnone. “He was a good speaker but it wasn’t like he was discussing how he would actually [solve] the issues.”

Rally spectator John Arnett came away from the speech with positive feelings.

“I think it was a good, uplifting speech with good content. I was interested to hear what he had to say and I was very pleased with the general message. Very upbeat.” Arnett also mentioned he believes the visits Rubio made to the state will help with his numbers in the Kansas caucus.

Rubio is currently third in the Republican race for the nomination in regards to delegates earned, but if Friday’s turnout and response are any indication, it looks like the senator’s campaign still has some steam left in it.

The Kansas caucuses are Saturday, March 5. For more information on where participate in the caucus, follow the links below.

Republican: http://www.ksgop.org/#!caucus-locations/vopsn

Democratic: http://www.ksdp.org/where-to-caucus/

 

Disney artist for the movie “Zootopia” visits, inspires students at the college.

0
Art director Matthias Lechner talks to The Campus Ledger in an interview at the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art. Photo by Andrew Hartnett

By Graciela Becerra

Features Editor

gbecerr1@jccc.edu

Matthias Lechner, art director of environments for the new movie “Zootopia,” visited the college on Thursday, March 3. During his visit, Lechner gave students a behind-the-scenes presentation and participated in a short Q&A session.

He began the one-hour presentation by playing a compilation of clips from Disney movies in hopes to inspire and get the audience in a “Disney mood.” The reel ended with a black and white photograph of Walt Disney.

“It still gets to me,” said Lechner, expressing his disbelief at getting to work for the company.

Afterwards, Lechner gave students an inside look at the world he created within the movie. He took students on a virtual tour of the city “Zootopia” and expressed that he had to create an animal metropolis while maintaining the city’s own character.

After his presentation, Lechner sat down with The Campus Ledger and shared his early interests in environmental design.

“I think the thing I really loved was the style of the sixties Disney movies … and the time when they actually started to photocopy the drawings of the animators,” he said. “But I always was interested in the world and the surrounding, like when I was playing with plane mobiles as a kid, I would spend a lot more time setting up the world than actually playing. … It feels like I’m just born for just this.”

Lechner spoke about his first experiences in the industry and shared that it wasn’t always glamorous.

“My first job was actually being an intern,” he said. “So I had to … clean the floors and make the coffee. But at the same time, they let me sit in … so I kind of slid into this. After that I started as a background painter for 2D animation movies … and then I studied animation and art.”

Now a successful animation designer at Disney, Lechner shared his advice for students hoping to attain the same success within the animation field.

“[Students] should get together a good portfolio, and they should watch what they put into their portfolio,” he said. “It has to be relatable to animation, so it has to be somewhat in the realm of that style but it also has to be personal. I wouldn’t recommend dragons … that sort of fantasy stuff doesn’t help, and always leave out the parts that you’re not sure about. … If you’re not sure about it, you shouldn’t show it.”

Lechner also shared a list of qualities he thinks animation students should possess if they want to work in the industry.

“It might sound silly but the most important is to be okay with working a lot, animation is very work intensive and you have to work many hours,” he said. “You shouldn’t get frustrated if things get changed … you have to have good ideas. … Animation, especially now since you don’t have to draw it anymore, it’s a lot more important to do good acting than to be able to draw the characters or anything like that. And for the world [within the movie], it’s a lot more important to come up with good ideas than to be best draftsman.”

Lechner spoke about his new experiences with Disney and the support he received from them.

“Working with Disney … it was different stages,” he said. “The first stage was … being overjoyed that they asked me. Second stage was being freaked out like ‘What do they want from me that they can’t do?’ And then the third stage was actually moving over there and being full of respect for every person and being really shy and then … I felt comfortable there and I was amazed how nice people are, how supportive, like it’s okay to make a mistake.”

On the stress of creating such a large movie, Lechner explained that it was less stressful making “Zootopia” than it would have been to make a smaller film.

“It’s nearly easier to make a movie of that scale than a cheap, low-budget movie because every department, it will always come out better because there are so many artists who put their love into it and they’re so experienced that every step of the movie, it looks more and more beautiful,” he said. “Whereas in a cheaper movie, you have to fight the entire time to make it [and to] keep the standard up.”

Lechner also explained that his favorite part of making “Zootopia” was the same as his least favorite.

“I really liked the part where I designed by myself, that was very creative but also really hard,” he said. “Then when that whole machine started, that is 300 people working on one project, then basically you have a schedule from eight in the morning to eight at night, every half an hour you have to talk to another person, you have to inspire them. And that was the best part and the worst part because it was very exhausting but also so much fun.”

Fans of the movie “Zootopia” may be wondering whether or not Lechner plans to work with Disney again in the future. They’ll be pleased to hear his response.

“Yes, I’ll stay with Disney. I’m working on another project right now,” he said.

But fans shouldn’t get too excited; the making of “Zootopia” took about four years, meaning it might be awhile before moviegoers get to see Lechner’s work on another Disney film.

“Zootopia” was released in 3D and RealD 3D on March 4.

The college’s basketball teams bow out in regional championships

0

By Austin Lockwood

Sports Editor 

alockwo6@jccc.edu

Many hearts were broken Thursday evening when the men’s and women’s basketball teams lost in the regional tournaments, failing to qualify for nationals. Both teams lost to Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC).

The men’s team was the first to drop out when they fell behind early at home and never managed to lead once through the entire game. Sophomore Danzel Wright performed about as well as usual while scoring a game-high 26 points with four assists to go with it. What he lacked was the same support from his team that the opposition received. KCK had four starters score in double digits to JCCC’s three. While two Cavs scored over ten points, the rest of the team contributed a measly 17 points.

The lack of consistency across the board hurt the team greatly as they trailed almost the entire game save for a few tying scores.  The men’s team will be losing some great talent with the season over, but all’s not lost with next year’s hopeful return of freshman forward Jordan Young who was out for the latter half of the season due to injury. He will be joined by a cast of seven other freshmen who will try to reach the same level of success as the current team and push past the regional tournament.

The women’s game had a different yet just as disappointing feel, as the Cavs traded the lead with the opposition for most of the game until giving it up for the final time after scoring the first points of the fourth quarter.

The team was led in scoring by sophomore guard Erica Nelson, who scored 14 points with seven assists, but the entire team in general played far below standards. While KCK scored on 45 percent of their attempts, the Cavs only managed to score on 29 percent of their shots.

JCCC shot a whopping 103 attempts during the game, but they actually scored the same amount of field goals as KCK who shot only 66 times through the entire game. That number tells the story of a team that couldn’t capitalize on enough opportunities and tried to force some of their own as the game went on.

The team will be hurt a little more by graduation compared to the men’s squad, as only one player with over 15 minutes per game will be returning after the loss of four starters. Reloading some talent through conditioning and recruitment will be the focus for a team that was able to make history despite the crushing defeat.

Staff Editorial: Donald Trump is not right for the United States

0

Editorial Staff

sncjccc@gmail.com

Kansas should not vote for Donald Trump in the upcoming caucuses. It’d be illogical. While Trump can be extremely entertaining and charismatic, and even occasionally comes across as likable. Well, as long as you’re white, able-bodied and not a member of the media.

Forget the xenophobia, racism, ableism and disrespect for the media, because honestly, these are positive qualities in a presidential candidate to some of you. Instead we’ll focus on what’s good about Donald Trump.

“He’s a successful businessman! He’ll run this country like a business! He’ll get us out of debt!”

Trump has filed for bankruptcy four times in the past two decades. To be fair, the filings were Chapter 11 bankruptcy, in which a company restructures to pay back debts, not liquidate its assets. However, Trump often lost large amounts of capital in these dealings. In 1991 the Trump Taj Mahal filed for bankruptcy just a year after it opened. Trump lost half his stake in the company, his personal yacht and another of his failed business ventures, Trump Airlines. The Trump Plaza Hotel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1992, costing Trump his 49 percent stake in the hotel. In 2004, Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts went bankrupt, and Trump lost 20 percent of his stake. Trump Entertainment Resorts, formerly Trump Hotels and Casino Resorts, filed for bankruptcy in 2008 and his stake was reduced to just 10%.

Trump has indeed made a lot of money in his lifetime. However, he is far from the paragon of an American businessman. If Kansas wanted to vote for someone who would run this country like a business and succeed at doing so, we’d elect Warren Buffett, the most successful investor in history and one of the most well-known liberals.

“But Trump tells it like it is!”

Trump doesn’t always tell it like it is. In fact, Trump is a bit of a demagogue. He lies constantly, appealing to fear and emotion rather than facts and planning when it comes to illegal immigrants and Muslims. What is known about his platform beyond making the Mexican government pay for a border wall and a desire to put an entire religion under a microscope? Most dangerously, and most telling about the people voting for him, are the lies getting the most attention are race-baiting falsehoods.

Trump has claimed before that the Mexican government is intentionally sending “bad ones” over the border to flirt with our white women and sell the devil’s lettuce. Politifact rated this statement as a “pants on fire” lie because there is absolutely no evidence the Mexican government is encouraging people to immigrate illegally. Among his deeply racist gaffes this year, he also said he saw Muslims cheering on 9/11, also rated “pants on fire,” and that black people kill 86 percent of white homicide victims, which was again rated “pants on fire.” According to Donald Trump’s file by Politifact, Trump has told the absolute truth one percent of the time, while his statements are either false or pants on fire a staggering 61 percent of the time.

So maybe Trump doesn’t “tell it how it is.” He tells lies that appeal to people’s racist attitudes. He says what’s on his mind, but what’s often on his mind is recklessly retributive, inappropriate or just, well, racist.

“He’s self-funded! He doesn’t take any campaign donations! No one owns him!”

This is mostly true; Trump has partially self-funded his campaign. He has loaned millions to his campaign, but there lies the catch: he will be able to recuperate those funds from his own campaign as they are a loan. Also, according to the New York Times, $2.7 million of his campaign money has gone to buying services from other companies he owns, such as using his own private plane and helicopter. Finally, according to Politifact, 23.5 percent of his campaign money comes from small individual contributions, while an additional 8.4 percent comes from large individual contributions.

Ultimately, Trump is risking very little by “self-funding” his campaign. Besides, even if he was entirely self-funded, it doesn’t mean Trump wouldn’t be beholden to any special interests. He is highly involved in the world of investment, and he won’t simply betray his friends and business interests to do something like, say, reform Wall Street or political campaign funding. Not to mention the fact that “I’m extremely rich” doesn’t translate to “I’m telling the truth.”  

Donald Trump is not right for Kansas. In Kansas we should tell the truth, and we shouldn’t twist it to suit our purposes. In Kansas we should respect people for who they are, not spit on them for the color of their skin. Vote for any other candidate, but please Kansas, don’t be a party to the rise of this brand of xenophobic and demagogic politics.

 

Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz speaks at Yardley Hall

0

 

By Aaron Rhodes

Staff reporter

arhodes2@jccc.edu

Texas senator and Republican candidate Ted Cruz spoke to over 1,300 attendees Wednesday evening at the college. Cruz’ speech included the key points of his platform as well as his take on the current presidential race.

Cruz walked onto the Yardley Hall stage just after 7:15 p.m. to a buzzing at-capacity audience. The event, dubbed “Cruzin’ To Caucus,” also had an overflow room set up for those who could not acquire a seat, bringing the total attendance to nearly 2,000. Once the initial applause died down, Cruz thanked the pastor that led the room in prayer, as well as Kansas House of Representatives member and Tea Party organizer Amanda Grosserode and others who welcomed him to the stage.

Cruz’s 33-minute speech hit three main topic: jobs, freedom and security. Cruz also spent time convincing Republican caucus voters that he is the only candidate who can take on Donald Trump and win the polls.

“You know it’s easy to say you want to make America great again. You can even print that on a baseball cap,” Cruz said to the chuckling audience.

“China!” yelled a woman from the audience.

“That is where the caps are made,” Cruz confirmed.

Cruz was quick on his feet when responding to the numerous hecklers. Although none of them had anything negative to shout — most were short affirmations like, “No way!” or “Rubio needs to go home!” — Cruz handled them all tactfully, avoiding any tense or awkward situations that could have plagued a less experienced speaker.

The current second-place candidate lambasted Trump for allegedly siding with Democrats for decades in the past and for claiming he would cut deals with Democrats if elected. Cruz repeatedly drew loud cheers, standing ovations and elongated shouts of his surname when proclaiming he would not negotiate with anyone when it came to religious liberties, supporting the state of Israel, second-amendment rights, combating Islamic terrorists and stripping welfare benefits from undocumented immigrants — or “undocumented Democrats” as he referred to them at one point. Cruz was also met with the same fanatic response when describing the day that Barack Obama leaves the White House.

Although almost entirely white, the audience included an equal mix of men and women and featured attendees of all ages including many high school students and first-time voters. The first person in line for the event was a 16-year-old student from Shawnee Mission South High School who, while unable to vote in the upcoming election, stated he is deeply interested in politics and thinks that Cruz is the only candidate who can save the Republican party.

IMG_5466
Kerrick Kuder, K-State student and Ted Cruz supporter, shows off his sign and jersey.

Nancy Gargan, a Topeka resident and proud Cruz supporter, saw Cruz speak in Iowa and multiple locations in the south before his visit to Kansas. She will also be speaking about Cruz at a caucus site in Topeka this Saturday. Gargan said she admires Cruz’ attention to detail in regards to his platform. Gargan has been a longtime advocate for voter participation, working with Kids Voting USA’s Kansas branch in the 1990s, but hasn’t been this involved in a particular presidential election before.

“I’ve just seen the deterioration of the rule of law and our constitution being thrown away over the last seven years,” said Gargan. “I want us to get back to … our constitution being the priority. … You know when he was standing on the senate floor for 21 hours and filibustering against Obamacare? That’s what I want to see. I want to see somebody who’s got the will to stand there and say, ‘No, I’m not going to do it. I’m not going to vote for it.’”

John Rives, Student Senate president at the college, shared his thoughts on the speech shortly afterward.

“I thought [the speech] was really good. I wish he would’ve talked less about Donald Trump and more about specific policies, especially economic policy,” said Rives, who despite wanting less talk about immigration as well, still enjoyed the event.

“I went into it liking Ted Cruz and I think my views were reinforced,” he said.

Cruz spent most of the evening on the offensive; however, he did take a respectful, somber tone and discussed Ben Carson’s departure from the race during a short press room talk before the speech.

“Ben Carson is an American story and an American hero.” said Cruz. “He grew up in very challenging circumstances and became a world-famous surgeon. … Ben’s campaign touched millions, gave them hope, gave them inspiration. I count myself as one of those millions who have been touched by Ben’s story, by his decency. By the decency with which he approached this campaign. … I read the announcement about Ben and Candy and I wish both of the my very, very best.”

After Cruz’ half-hour of working the crowd into a frenzy, pounding in his main points, countering Trump and pleading his case to the Republican base, he shook a few hands and exited the stage while Brooks & Dunn’s “Only In America” played a couple times on repeat as the crowd filed out.

While the senator has been regarded as notoriously hard to work with in the Senate by his own party, Cruz seemed to have won over the support of many Johnson County residents.

The Kansas Caucuses take place this Saturday.

Disney artist to give animation presentation at the college

0
Courtesy of Disney

By Graciela Becerra

Features Editor

gbecerr1@jccc.edu

Matthias Lechner, art director of environments for the upcoming film “Zootopia” will give a one-hour behind-the-scenes animation presentation and Q&A at the college on Thursday, March 3. 

Lechner, who has previously worked on projects including “Escape from Planet Earth,” was responsible for developing the style of the film’s environments and sets. He credits the movie “The Jungle Book” for inspiring him to pursue animation and design.

The film takes place in the made-up animal-inhabited city of Zootopia, in which animals have become civilized beings who live and interact with one another.

 

Matthias Lechner. Photo by Alex Kang. ©2015 Disney. All Rights Reserved.
Matthias Lechner. Photo by Alex Kang. ©2015 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

 

Lechner and the design team at Disney had to create a range of environments for the animals, including rain forests, deserts and icy arctic worlds. They also had to develop ways in which the animals would approach building houses, cars and cities. The project was a designer’s dream, according to Lechner.

The presentation will take place at 10 a.m. in the Hudson Auditorium and anyone can attend as long as they RSVP by emailing their name to alliedimkc@gmail.com and include “JCCC” in the subject line. A confirmation must be presented at the door for admittance.

Zootopia will be released in theaters on March 4. For more information on Lechner, visit http://www.matthiaslechner.com/. For more information on the film, visit http://movies.disney.com/zootopia.

You can view the trailer for the film here:

 

Men’s baseball team sweeps February games

0

by Austin Lockwood

Sports Editor

alockwo6@jccc.edu

While the men’s team is surely missing the absence of its past players, the results show a completely different story. After a four-game home series against Kirkwood Community College which the Cavaliers topped off with a 19-14 shootout win, the team is now the proud owner of an undefeated 12-0 record.

The team is currently 22nd in the Runs Batted In (RBI) category for Nation Junior College Athletic Association Division I and currently possesses four players with at least ten RBIs. Leading the pack is sophomore first baseman Brett Nickle, who blew up this season with 22 RBIs in the past month alone. The total gives Nickle the 16th-highest RBI total in NJCAA Div. I.

The numbers and high rate of scoring (the team is averaging just under 11 runs a game) can be attributed to the fact that out of the eight players with at least 30 at-bats, three are currently hitting almost half the time they go up to the plate with sophomore second baseman Brett Anderson hitting a flat .500 with 14 RBIs and one home run.

The team’s biggest win this month came against the Rockhurst University JV, whom the Cavs blew out 22-5 on Feb. 16 thanks largely in part to freshman catcher Brandt Ollinger’s six RBIs and a monstrous ten-run effort in the bottom of the fifth inning.

That game came after a trip to Millington, Tennessee, where the team opened the season at the Flag City Classic. They swept the three opponents they faced over the three-game weekend with teams coming in from Missouri, Connecticut and other parts of Tennessee.

The first true test of the season will come against Kansas City Kansas Community College (9-2) which will also be the first conference series of the season. The Cavs currently lead the conference in nonconference play and have a chance to start strong against good competition.

The four-game series will be split with two games at JCCC on Thursday, March 3 and the remaining two at KCKCC on Saturday, March 5. Both days will start at 2 p.m. with the second game of each day starting at around 4:30 p.m.

That series will be followed by a game against MCC-Longview and a much-anticipated series against Neosho County Community College (10-0) on March 8 and March 10.

Students, staff identify their transition to adulthood

0
#HowIKnewIWasAnAdult - When did you realize for the first time you were an adult?

by Annie Beurman

Reporting Correspondent

abeurma1@jccc.edu

The moment you realize you’ve become an adult can be one of the most shocking and amazing discoveries of them all. While you feel nervous about whether or not you can take care of yourself, the excitement of newfound freedom is a joy for most.

Cavaliers on campus shared stories of the moments in their lives when they discovered they felt they had  officially become adults.

Student Mauricio Mayoral moved to the United States from Mexico, leaving his family behind. He soon found that he couldn’t rely on other people anymore and had to take care of himself. Mayoral did this by taking experiences he learned from his family and using them as examples to either use or learn from.

“As a kid I miss the close proximity with all my cousins and uncles and my family and less responsibilities,” he said.

Student Tyler Wollun, in his first year at the college, felt the journey of attending college was his turning point.

“The moment in my life when I first became an adult was when actually enrolling for college, because I knew that this was the start of my future as an adult,” Wollun said.

The time had come for him to finally be independent and Wollun described the feeling as nerve-racking and exciting. While he wasn’t limited as a kid, he does feel a bit more free now that he’s on his own.

Student Mariela Paramo realized she was an adult when she found she no longer had time to take naps. She more often than not felt tired since she was getting less sleep than she used to.

“I feel like now I have responsibilities and when I was a kidc I didn’t have to worry about anything, just playing,” Paramo said.

According to Paramo, if there’s anything she misses from her childhood, it would be not paying bills.

Brenda Starling, who works in the Career Development Center, said adulthood struck her when she had her first child.

“When I was leaving the hospital, I remember looking at my son, going ‘Oh my gosh I am really responsible now,’” Starling said.

The world has changed quite a bit since she was a child. For her, everything now is so much more fast-paced since as a child she didn’t have cell phones or the internet. Starling is not sure if technology is the reason, but she misses the days when she felt everything was more carefree and there were no worries to speak of.

Jeff Anderson, counselor,  felt he officially entered adulthood after finishing graduate school and job hunting. The fact that he was now on his own was overwhelming. Even though he was confident he would be able to find a job, it was still a major transition for him.

No one knows for sure what their future will hold, but the moments that stand out in your past remain in your memory for years. Whether it was realizing you could finally drive, graduating high school, getting your first credit card or anything else, the moment you became an adult will always be a major landmark in your past.

When did you first know you were officially an adult? Use #HowIKnewIWasAnAdult and tell us on Twitter.

Model U.N. club represents the world

1
“What the Model U.N. does is actually simulate the workings of the United Nations itself,” said Brian Wright, professor of political science and Model U.N. adviser. “My students basically learn to be diplomats.” Photo by Pete Schulte.

by J.T. Buchheit

News Editor

jbuchhei@jccc.edu

On the second floor of OCB, there are plaques lining the wall with names of countries on them. These plaques represent the accomplishments of the Model United Nations club on campus, run by Brian Wright, professor of political science.

“What the Model U.N. does is actually simulate the workings of the United Nations itself,” said Wright. “My students basically learn to be diplomats.”

The Model U.N. is given a country to represent and discuss the issues relating to that country. They go to cities around the U.S. to talk about them with other schools’ Model U.N. groups’ respective countries. Students in the club recently returned from St. Louis, where they represented France.

“[The students] have to research France’s positions on different topic areas, so for example, human rights development or disarmament issues, and then they have to represent France’s policies on those committees,” said Wright.

One student, Nicki Joy Karstens, has not yet transferred to a university because she enjoys the Model U.N. so much.

“I love it,” said Karstens. “I was a really introverted, shy person before I joined Model U.N., and it kind of taught me about people, and I learned a lot of useful things like how to write stuff in official language and how to read things in official language.”

The organization was able to instill confidence in Karstens, allowing her to travel the world.

“Through my involvement with the Model U.N. and building up my confidence a bit, I was able to study abroad in Austria,” she said. “It was an experience I’ll never forget.”

Karstens has been in the Model U.N. every semester she has been at the college, and representing France has been her favorite part of it so far.

“France is one of the big five countries, so they have a lot of influence in the U.N.,” she said. “There are countries that are harder to find policy on, and France is a pretty easy one to find policy on.”

Every year, the Model U.N. goes to Chicago, St. Louis and New York, in that order. They represent different countries along the way. In April, the team will be headed to the city of New York, where they will represent Kenya.

“I think the team is well-prepared to represent Kenya,” said Wright. “I think they’ll do an excellent job. We always do.”

Karstens encourages everyone interested in joining the organization to give it a shot.

“Just come to a meeting,” she said. “We’re all really friendly and enthusiastic to have new people. So just come to a meeting and stick with it. It is a lot of work, but you get a lot out of it as well.”

For more information on Model U.N., visit their website.

Bernie Sanders sticks to message while criticizing Kansas government

0
Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders gave a speech to thousands of people inside of Bartle Hall, discussing a wide variety of issues including women’s rights, health care and immigration issues. Photo by Andrew Hartnett

by Sean Hull

Managing Editor

mhudso27@jccc.edu

Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders spoke on Feb. 24 at the Kansas City Convention Center ahead of the Kansas caucuses and the Missouri primary.

Mostly adhering to his usual stump speech, Sanders worked in some criticism of the Kansas state legislature and the governor. He criticized Kansas’ continuing cuts to welfare programs aimed at helping the poor and used this criticism to transition to a condemnation of corporate welfare.

“Now I know that in Kansas you have a governor that likes to beat up on the poor,” said Sanders. He later continued, “Let me tell the governor of Kansas, the biggest welfare recipient … in America is the Walton family of Wal-Mart. They pay their workers wages that are so low that many of these workers are forced to go on Medicaid, food stamps and subsidized housing.”

Sanders also addressed what he said is a need for campaign finance reform, higher education funding reform, his plans for a single-payer medical care system and criminal justice reform. A small group in the crowd was there seeking to force Sanders to address pension cuts. One man from the group shouted “pensions” from the seating to the side of Sanders’ podium until the candidate spoke to the issue.

“[This campaign] will tell workers that their pensions that were promised to them will not be cut by greedy, irresponsible corporations,” said Sanders.

The crowd at the rally filled most of Hall B in Bartle Hall, with some spilling over into Hall C. Organizers expected a turnout of 2,000 to 4,000 people. No official counts have been released yet.

Thousands of people poured into Bartle Hall to hear presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speak about issues affecting Missouri, Kansas and the United States. Photo by Andrew Hartnett
Thousands of people poured into Bartle Hall to hear presidential candidate Bernie Sanders speak about issues affecting Missouri, Kansas and the United States. Photo by Andrew Hartnett

Though the crowd consisted of a wide demographic, many young people filled the crowd. They were loud and energetic, oftentimes forcing Sanders to pause for them to stop cheering. Sanders is widely recognized for being heavily favored by the youth vote, evident in a recent Quinnipiac University poll.  The first group of people that were at the doors to Bartle Hall was a group from the Young Democrats Club at Lawrence High School, who arrived shortly before 7 a.m.

Justin Lorick came from Oklahoma to spend time with his family and ended up at the Bernie Sanders rally. He says Sanders is the candidate for him, citing his views on green energy and his promises of a better quality of life for Americans as reasons.

“I think that he doesn’t waver on any of his views,” said Lorick. “I that he’s very electable as a leader of this country and just a revolutionary to help us get over some of the years of stagnation that we’ve had in our country, and I think he’s the right man for the job to bring us the next generation of great living and great quality of living for all Americans.”
The Kansas caucuses are March 5 from 1–3 pm. The Missouri primaries are scheduled for March 15.

Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders visits Kansas City Wednesday

0
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders will be speaking at the KC Convention Center on Feb. 24.

by Pete Schulte

Editor-in-Chief

pschult6@jccc.edu

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders will be speaking at the KC Convention Center on Feb. 24.
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders will be speaking at the KC Convention Center on Feb. 24.

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders will appear at the Kansas City Convention Center Wednesday, Feb. 24. He is expected to begin speaking around 1 p.m., according to berniesanders.com.

Sanders is expected to discuss a range of issues, including making college tuition-free, battling climate change and removing big money from politics.

To attend the event, tickets are not required, but guests are encouraged to RSVP. Admission is first come, first served.

Guests line up in front of the Kansas City Convention Center in anticipation of a visit by Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders. Photo by Andrew Hartnett.
Guests line up in front of the Kansas City Convention Center in anticipation of a visit by presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders. Photo by Andrew Hartnett.

The visit precedes the Kansas caucuses on March 5 and Missouri’s primary on March 15.

Doors open at 11 a.m. at Bartle Hall – Hall B, 301 W 13th St., Kansas City, MO 64105. 

 

Follow The Campus Ledger on Twitter for live tweets of the event. 

 

 

MULTIMEDIA: Black inventors showcase comes to the college

0
Display visitors read about inventions which were created during the 19th century. Photo by Andrew Hartnett

Over 100 African American inventors’ work throughout the years were on display Feb. 23. The display, from the Institute of Black Invention and Technology showcased biographical information about the inventors, drawings and schematics of the inventions, and actual inventions for visitors to see.

Photos by Andrew Hartnett

Video by JCAV-TV

Men’s basketball coach Mike Jeffers earns milestone 400th win

0
Mike Jeffers, head coach, earned his 400th win as a Cavalier on a Feb. 20 victory against the Fort Scott Greyhounds. File photo.

by Austin Lockwood

Sports Editor

Mike Jeffers, head coach, earned his 400th win as a Cavalier on a Feb. 20 victory against the Fort Scott Greyhounds. File photo.
Mike Jeffers, head coach, earned his 400th win as a Cavalier on a Feb. 20 victory against the Fort Scott Greyhounds. File photo.

alockwo6@jccc.edu

The main determinant of success for a coach’s career is the amount of wins he or she earns. Men’s basketball coach, Mike Jeffers, stepped into the 400 club Feb. 20, earning his 400th win as a Cav with an 86–70 victory over the Fort Scott Greyhounds (12–16). The win gives the Cavs some redemption as the Greyhounds upset Jeffers’ squad in late January.

The win gives gives him 484 wins overall and puts him at third in the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) leaderboard for most wins. Coach Jeffers sits behind legendary Coffeyville coach ,Jay Herkelman (540), and just behind former Butler and Cowley coach, Randy Smithson (404). It won’t be possible to reach Smithson’s total in the regular season with only one game remaining, but some postseason wins could propel Jeffers to contention for the second-most wins in KJCCC history.

After a 63–56 loss to Highland Community College (15–15) on Feb. 22, the Cavs are looking to bounce back on home court in their final game against Hesston Community College (16–11), a team they narrowly defeated in late January.  

Regardless of the late loss, the Cavs are currently in the driver’s seat of their region and should be considered favorites entering the Region VI tournament. If the team makes it through the regional tournament, they will travel to Danville, Illinois, and play in the national tournament along with 15 other teams.

The final game of the season against Hesston is on Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m.

 

Album review: Sia’s ‘This is Acting’ takes listeners through a dynamic journey

0

By Graciela Becerra 

Features Editor

gbecerr1@jccc.edu

With singles like “Chandelier” and “Elastic Heart,” Sia managed to attain mainstream success. Two years later, she’s back with her new album, “This is Acting.”

Respected for her ability to compose music that’s strong in lyrical content, Sia has written for artists like Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé and Rihanna. Appropriately titled “This is Acting,” the album contains songs that weren’t written from her perspective. Instead, they were written by Sia for other artists but got rejected.

Although the songs weren’t initially intended for herself, they contain themes that will be familiar to anyone that has previously listened to one of her albums. Most commonly, she sings about struggle and triumph, often alluding to her history with substance abuse, true love and a complicated relationship with her father.

“This is Acting” is organized in such a way that it takes the audience through a turbulent journey, complete with its ups and downs.

Beginning with “Bird Set Free” and “Alive,” both written by Adele, the album is off to a good start. Obviously intended to be empowerment songs, she sings about having difficulties and overcoming them. In “Bird Set Free,” Sia becomes carefree of what others have to say about her, comparing herself to a bird when it sings.

“One Million Bullets” introduces a romantic relationship and describes feeling safe in the embrace of someone you love. Sia briefly states that she hasn’t had the best luck in previous relationships but feels so secure in this one that she’s prepared to face hardships should they arise, singing “I want you to know that I’d take a million bullets…how many would you take?”

Like any pop album, “This is Acting” is sprinkled with a few dance tracks. Scattered throughout the album, the songs aren’t impressive in terms of lyrical content. Perhaps the most unusual club song is “Sweet Design.” The lyrics are sung so quickly that it’s difficult to make out what they are, the song has no real meaning and is so strange that it’s incomprehensible why anyone, let alone Sia, would put this on their album.

“Unstoppable” is where the journey begins to take a turn for the worse. Sia sings about faking confidence and putting on a brave face because she’s afraid of showing her true feelings. The placement of this song questions whether or not she really meant what she was singing in the first two tracks, or if she was also faking triumph in “Bird Set Free” and “Alive.”

In “Reaper” which is an upbeat song about hitting rock bottom and engaging in hazardous circumstances, Sia sings about staring the Grim Reaper in the face but then managing to turn her life around, telling the Reaper he’s going to have to come back another day.

“House on Fire” is where the journey becomes dangerous once again. In a metaphor, Sia compares herself to a house on fire and compares whom I assume to be her lover, but could also be an unhealthy substance, to oxygen. The oxygen feeds the fire, and she wants to keep burning, not giving up something that is obviously bad for her.

The last song on the standard album, titled “Space Between,” is the only ballad. It describes a relationship in which there is too much space between the two people and it’s evident the relationship will come to an end soon. The song is clearly an unhappy one and it makes you wonder why it was chosen to be the last, ending the journey on an unhappy note.

However, the deluxe version includes two additional songs that both seem to be relatively happy. This allows listeners to choose their own ending, finishing the journey in whichever way they choose or buy.

 

Marketing pro finds new home at the college

0

By Aaron Rhodes

Staff Reporter

arhodes2@jccc.edu

Six months ago, Chris Gray was hired as the college’s executive director of marketing communications. It took a long time to get to his tidy open corner office in the GEB and Gray discussed many steps of his journey, from his upbringing to his most recent career shift.

Gray credits his decision to attend Drake University in Des Moines to his time growing up in Clinton, Missouri (population of roughly 10,000).

“I was hesitant to go to a large university and my parents didn’t want me to get too far away, being the firstborn, so there was compromise,” said Gray. “It was about 4,000 undergraduates, it’s a private school. It was great, the size and just the atmosphere of the college really allowed me to feel like on week one, day one, I was a part of the actual community there and really got to know people.”

After two years post-college at an information technology company in Iowa, Gray made the move to the Kansas City metro to work in the marketing department at the Kansas City Star.

“It was my second official job, what I would call my first grown-up job out of college and it really allowed me to kind of find my path,” said Gray. “Working at a large newspaper at a time where news media was still relevant in the early 2000s allowed me to understand that while a degree and college [are] really important, that people skills and personal skills [are] a massive component to really kind of help you succeed.”

Gray also mentioned that he thinks working at the Star today would be much different, considering he left in 2008 and daily readership has gone down by almost 300,000 people since then, according to a Nielsen report.

After six years with the Star followed by seven years at the Lenexa marketing company Zillner, Gray made his most recent change in employers. Gray was hired by the college after what he considered a competitive hiring process.

“Every industry and business does it a little different,” said Gray. “I appreciated it because it was thorough. …  I actually had to submit a pretty detailed five-minute concise online video. I had to present a systems portfolio online, then I had about, I’d say three-fourths of a day interview with multiple functions within the college and then quite a few follow-up meetings as well.”

Gray said making the jump from working in non-academic marketing to academic marketing is taking some getting used to and involves a learning curve, although Gray made it clear that the students and faculty have been immensely helpful from day one.

“I actually came in on crutches and I wasn’t able to walk for two months, my first two months here, because of a pretty extensive knee surgery, so that made even just navigating the vastness of the school tough, so some of my peers were great, but also just a lot of the students made it welcoming. They were opening doors for me, so it was a good experience.”

Gray was thoroughly amused when asked what happens in a day at work.

“What doesn’t happen? […] I’m one of those individuals who has a hard time sitting in one spot for any given amount of time, “ said Gray, “so the beauty of it is we’ve got five different offices and functions that roll up underneath marketing, whether that be web communications, publications, event and marketing staff, continuing [education] then over here on the credit side.”

When Gray clocks out of his job, he spends a lot of time outside with his wife and two kids, who are seven and four years old.

“The weekends, even as young as [the kids] are, is playing taxi and coach in support for their various sports and events,” he said.

And what does Gray hope to accomplish in the time he is spending here?

“You always try to leave a place better than how it was before,” he said, “and it was in a great spot from a marketing standpoint when I came here, but I think it’s really positioned the college in the correct manner that serves the students and the community, not just currently, but looking ahead in the future.”

 

Trustee Drummond announces retirement

0

By Sean Hull

Managing Editor

mhudso27@jccc.edu

Bob Drummond, Ed. D, announced he will retire as secretary of the Board of Trustees this June. He made the announcement at the February board meeting. Drummond was elected to the Board of Trustees in 2009 and was reelected for a second term in 2014. His current term is set to end in 2018.

Drummond made the announcement toward the end of the meeting. His announcement was followed by statements of praise from many of his fellow trustees. Drummond said he made the decision for a variety of reasons, but did not go into details, saying he will discuss his reasons at a later session.

Drummond has a long career in education and family therapy. He received a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Kansas, then went on to Harvard University to receive a post-doctoral certificate in education management. He’s worked in a variety of positions at MidAmerica Nazarene University beginning in 1971 as the resident director for a dormitory hall until reaching the position of vice president of campus life in 1989. He left that position in 2001 to become the president and CEO of KidsTLC, an organization in Olathe that provides shelter and social services to abused and neglected children.

His retirement will be official following the June meeting. The Board of Trustees will be tasked with nominating a replacement to fill the rest of Drummond’s term, then a new member will be elected.

Staff Editorial: Young people must vote for the future of the nation

1

Staff Editorial

sncjccc@gmail.com

Much to the frustration of the elder generations, youths have abstained from voting in elections for many speculated reasons, whether it’s that they’re uneducated about the issues and the candidates, struggle understanding the voting process or simply possess political apathy. With the upcoming presidential election on the horizon, it is essential that young people vote in the upcoming election because their voices may never be more powerful than they are now.

This election is one of extremes. Ted Cruz, who won the Republican vote in the Iowa caucuses this week, is a strict constitutionalist and evangelical who heavily opposes gay marriage and any regulations of the Second Amendment. Donald Trump took second place in the caucuses running on an anti-immigration “say it like it is” platform. On the other side of the spectrum, the candidate gaining the most momentum in recent months has been Bernie Sanders, the self-proclaimed socialist who marched with Martin Luther King Jr. He calls for universal healthcare and free public universities and has long supported gay marriage. Critics, however, question how Sanders will pay for all of his initiatives. Hillary Clinton is the establishment candidate with moderate beliefs who promises to continue the Obama legacy. The moderate Republicans are not represented in this election, and Sanders’ policies are pulling the Democratic party further left.

There likely has never been a moment more polarized in American political history. This election cycle’s social issues, such as gay marriage, the massive concentration of wealth in this country at the top one percent, campaign financing, police brutality and racial inequality and immigration have all been major focal points of both Democratic and Republican primary debates. Foreign relations in the wake of the rise of ISIS has been a major focus of debates as well, but has largely been on equal footing in the debates where foreign relations used to dominate.

The importance of this election can be heard in the revolutionary rhetoric of candidates on both sides. Trump seeks to “make America great again,” while Cruz hopes to take the country back from Obama’s policies and Sanders hopes to convince the public of his democratic socialist political revolution. This year is an election not simply for the body that will fill the highest post in the nation, but for the very identity of the United States of America.

Young people often don’t vote for many previously discussed reasons, but we at The Campus Ledger editorial board urge young people of the college not only to vote in this coming election, but to take the time to learn about the candidates on the ballot and what each of them actually stands for. Political apathy does nothing to further your beliefs and shamefully shuns the democratic voice we have that young people in other countries are currently fighting for their lives to obtain. This is the year where the identity of our nation as a progressive state or a bastion of conservatism is in an epic struggle, and it is vitally important you lend your voice to the side you stand with. Make your mark on your country, however small that mark may be, and vote in this year’s election.

For information and instructions on how to register to vote, visit voteks.org.

High expectations for Cavalier baseball as season gets underway

0
Pitcher James Leitch returns for a second season with the Cavs. Photo by Lance Martin.

by Austin Lockwood

Sports Editor

alockwo6@jccc.edu

The Cavaliers baseball team received a preseason ranking of 14 from NJCAA.org. Such a high ranking out of the 176 teams in NJCAA Division I is to be expected after the recent success the Cavaliers have managed to find on the diamond with a record of 50–14 after the 2013–14 season and a 49–11 record last spring.

Pitcher James Leitch returns for a second season with the Cavs. Photo by Lance Martin.
Pitcher James Leitch returns for a second season with the Cavs. Photo from team scrimmage, Oct 2015. Photo by Lance Martin.

The team ended the 2014–15 season with the number eight ranking, so a repeat in the top 25 is not surprising. However, the Cavs will sorely miss former infielder Anthony Miller, who graduated last year and took with him the title of team leader in runs, hits, home runs and RBIs. He also held the highest batting average with a staggering .443 average, just above fellow graduate Ben Calvano’s .413.

They aren’t the only ones being missed, considering six more sophomores have left holes to fill along the lineup. Out of all returning players, only three notched over 100 at-bats last season. Sophomore catcher Andrew Warner leads returning players with 11 home runs, 44 RBIs and a .384 batting average.

The pitching lineup will also be missing some key players, but things won’t be as rough with the return of left-hander Wally Nellor, who posted a 4–0 record last season and earned seven saves as a reliever. His pitching proved incredibly effective last year with a 1.70 ERA, leading team pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched.

Overall, the team will return just seven lettermen and will have to bring in 25 newcomers. It’s hardly a sign of impending doom considering the high turnover rate of college sports. With every college dealing with such issues, it falls on the coaches and returning sophomores to prepare these new players for the new atmosphere of collegiate baseball.

The Cavs started off hot during a trip to Millington, Tennessee, where they defeated all three teams they faced. With the 3–0 start, the team is home again and preparing to host the Ellsworth Panthers (0–0) in a four-game series. The opening game is Friday, Feb. 19 with a doubleheader the next day and the concluding game on Sunday, Feb. 21.

Officers help students while enforcing parking laws

1
“There’s accountability for that ticket once it’s given. If they decide not to pay that ticket and say, ‘Oh, that’s just on the college. These aren’t real police officers, they have no oomph to whatever it is they’re doing,’ they can hold up their grades, which means that when you’re getting ready to graduate … it shows that you still have some outstanding debt to be paid to the college," said Dan Robles, college crime prevention officer. Photo by Lance Martin.

By J.T. Buchheit

News Editor

jbuchhei@jccc.edu

Students can be forced to pay fines for any number of offenses committed on campus, but the most frequent fine is for parking violations, including parking in a fire zone, taking up two spaces in a stall, parking in the circle drive or parking in the grass.

A person’s first parking violation is a $10 fine, and each additional violation is $20. Parking tickets are given out every day, but they are easily avoidable.

“There are over 5,000 parking spaces available on campus,” said Public Safety Officer Kathy Rhoades. “Very few of them are restricted. Allow extra time when you’re coming to school so you can find a parking space, and don’t park in a restricted parking space just because it’s only a $10 or $20 ticket because that takes away from people who are supposed to use those parking spaces. … You can walk anywhere on campus in three to five minutes, but a lot of people don’t know that because they always want to be in front of the Carlsen Center.”

If a student refuses to pay a fine, there are steps that can be taken, including placing a hold on students’ records, preventing them from getting transcripts and not allowing them to enroll in classes.

“A person can’t just pitch their ticket and tear it up and get rid of it,” said Crime Prevention Officer Dan Robles. “There’s accountability for that ticket once it’s given. If they decide not to pay that ticket and say, ‘Oh, that’s just on the college. These aren’t real police officers, they have no oomph to whatever it is they’re doing,’ they can hold up their grades, which means that when you’re getting ready to graduate … it shows that you still have some outstanding debt to be paid to the college.”

Those who receive tickets need to go to GEB 115 to pay their summons. The payer may talk to the officers, who are willing to work with a person when there may have been a misunderstanding. Public Safety Officer Candace Tellinghuisen recently assisted two students who were confused about why they received tickets.  

“They didn’t know where they parked was actually for faculty and staff. They hadn’t seen the signs. So it’s something like that where we help them understand the parking policy as well,” said Tellinghuisen.

The officers aren’t there solely to issue fines and uphold the law, however. They perform many actions to help students having trouble, including problems that can arise in the parking lots.

“It’s not just about parking summons,” said Robles. “[The public safety officers] also do motorist assists, they help you if you locked your keys in your car, you need a jumpstart, you can’t remember where you parked. … So they do all these things, we give people rides to locations if they run out of gas. I think the main thing with our officers is we are service-oriented to the campus community. If your car dies, whatever it is, we’re here to help you out.”

Club tests skills outside mainstream gaming

0
Board and Card Game Club meets every Wednesday at Dining Down Under in the COM building.

by Annie Beurman

Reporting Correspondent

abeurma1@jccc.edu 

Tabletop gaming is the specialty of the Board and Card Game Club, whose members meet every Wednesday at Dining Down Under in the COM building to develop their gaming skills, enjoy friendly competition and take their games to the next level.  

Board and Card Game Club meets every Wednesday at Dining Down Under in the COM building.
Board and Card Game Club meets every Wednesday at Dining Down Under in the COM building.

The club goes outside of the well-known family games. “Gaming is a much larger world than Monopoly and Clue,” said club member Bruce Yost.

However, club adviser Daniel Owens said the club isn’t always playing mainstream tabletop games on the opposite end of the family gaming spectrum. He said the group doesn’t typically play in-depth games like Magic: The Gathering or Dungeons and Dragons, but that several students in the group do play those games.

Most of the games include titles outside of the popular family games, such as Netrunner, Splendor, Race for the Galaxy, Seven Wonders or Castles of Burgundy. The members are open to exploring games not many people have heard of, no matter how complex they are.

As a relatively new member of the club, Yost encourages anyone interested in tabletop gaming to give the club a shot.

“I just found out about [the club] and I’m an enthusiastic board gamer so it appeals to me,” said Yost.

Club adviser Omar Conrad said all gamers, regardless of experience or familiarity with the game being played, are welcome.

“No need to know how to play. We will teach you. No need to bring games, though many students do,” said Conrad. “We typically have two to three groups playing games with two to four players in each game.”

Student Jacob Robinett was appointed as club president since fall 2015, a position he has enjoyed.

“What I like most about the club is it is an avenue to test and practice my academic skills against others,” said Robinett. “It’s very informal, no pressure. Really, it’s just a good time.”

The club meets on Wednesdays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Dining Down Under in the COM building and is still accepting new members who have a passion for or are interested in gaming. The club encourages people interested in playing to show up to one of their meetings.

Students donate to the Community Blood Center

0

by Graciela Becerra

Features Editor

gbecerr1@jccc.edu

The Community Blood Center is taking donations in the buyback lounge of the Student Center on Feb. 16–17 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Jim Sajevic, donor recruiter, said they hope to collect 65 pints of blood each day, and they welcome walk-in donors.

“The best way you can prepare to be a good blood donor is to hydrate,” said Sajevic. “You’re supposed to drink eight glasses of water a day and make sure you have a good meal before you donate.”

“Everyone in the hospital in need of a transfusion is someone’s mother, someone’s brother, and so to me, giving blood is the ultimate act of paying it forward, helping someone else. One out of three people will need a transfusion in their lifetime so this is a way to make sure that we take care of today’s patients, now," Jim Sajevic, donor recruiter, said. Photo by Andrew Hartnett
“Everyone in the hospital in need of a transfusion is someone’s mother, someone’s brother, and so to me, giving blood is the ultimate act of paying it forward, helping someone else. One out of three people will need a transfusion in their lifetime so this is a way to make sure that we take care of today’s patients, now,” Jim Sajevic, donor recruiter, said. Photo by Andrew Hartnett

He states one donation can save two, sometimes three lives.

“Your platelets may go to one patient, your red cells to a second patient, and your plasma to a third,” said Sajevic. “The platelets that you lose in a donation are replaced within two hours of donating, the plasma within two days and the red cells within two weeks.”

According to Sajevic, if students or employees at the college want to donate blood, they can register with the clerk, fill out a short medical history and undergo a mini physical. If they’re medically eligible, they would donate a pint of blood and would afterwards be provided with snacks and drinks to replenish fluids and nutrients lost during the donations.

“I would encourage people to come in,” said Sajevic. “We have to collect 580 pints of blood a day just to take care of the patients in the 70 hospitals in our service area, and we can’t collect 5,000 pints of blood [per] year without the help of every Cavalier on campus.”

Ashley Barrett, student, became a first-time donor on Feb 16.

“It wasn’t as scary as everyone told me it would be, or as scary as I thought it would be,” said Barrett. “It was actually really cool and it made me feel really good about myself.”

Alyssa Barrett, student and second-time donor explains why she chose to donate this semester.

“When I did it last time it felt really good knowing that somebody was going to be able to actually benefit from the process,” she said. “And when I found out that I had O positive, I knew that was a really beneficial type of blood and I thought I might as well donate and help someone out.”

The Community Blood Center visits the campus three times per year, once per spring, summer and fall.

“Imagine that you’re at the foot of a hospital bed and it’s your mother or your brother who needs a pint of blood to battle cancer, to recuperate from surgery or to recover from a serious injury,” said Sajevic. “Everyone in the hospital in need of a transfusion is someone’s mother, someone’s brother, and so to me, giving blood is the ultimate act of paying it forward, helping someone else. One out of three people will need a transfusion in their lifetime, so this is a way to make sure that we take care of today’s patients now.”

Students donate blood in the buyback lounge. Jim Sajevic, donor recruiter, said that the Community Blood Center's goal is to collect 65 pints of blood per day. Photo by Andrew Hartnett.
Students donate blood in the buyback lounge. Jim Sajevic, donor recruiter, said the Community Blood Center’s goal is to collect 65 pints of blood per day. Photo by Andrew Hartnett.

The dangers of online dating

0
In the digital age, online dating has become increasingly common over the years.

by Graciela Becerra

Features Editor

gbecerr1@jccc.edu

Whether it’s a responding to a newspaper ad, creating an online dating profile or swiping right on the latest dating app, non-traditional dating has it pros and cons. Some people claim to live happily ever after, but others become victims of scams, blackmail or even more horrific crimes.

Beginning with newspaper classified ads, many have hoped to find their ideal love matches by broadcasting their single statuses through popular outlets. Through the years, the growing popularity of the internet, classified ads have evolved into online dating sites. With millions of members belonging to many sites, it seems everyone knows or is one of those users.

“I know a friend who used an online dating site in Africa,” said Nina Gachanja, student. “She met somebody from the United States, and they have a kid now.”

This is the type of scenario members dream of when signing up for a dating site, but they are not entirely common or guaranteed. Online dating has many dangers and perhaps one of the most dangerous aspects is people lying about their identities.

“When you’re doing something like that, you have to be very careful because you don’t know who you’re talking to,” said Dan Robles, crime prevention officer at the college. “Being anonymous is one of the scariest things of online dating.

Naomi Tiffany, student, said she doesn’t think she would ever use a dating site.

“I don’t like chatting to people I don’t know that I don’t see on a regular basis,” said Tiffany. “You just never know who they could be.”

eHarmony, arguably one of the most popular dating sites today, launched in the year 2000 and has since gained over 20 million registered users. Eager to be matched, those users may likely skip through the terms, conditions and miss out on the fact that eHarmony, like many other dating sites, does not conduct criminal background checks, although they reserve the right to.

Unfortunately, if the average person becomes suspicious about a person they’re talking to online, conducting their own reliable background check is out of the question.

Robles said background checks aren’t an easy thing for the average person to have access and that you have to have a legal reason to have a law enforcement conduct them.

“But you can do your own little investigation,” said Robles. “It’s so easy for people to Google and find out about a person.” He points out a site called Family Watchdog on which anyone can search for offenders by name or area.

If students do choose to engage in online dating, there are some basic safety tips that should be followed.

“Don’t be somewhere private. Meet up in a public place,” said Tiffany.

Robles advises students to let someone know what you’re doing and whom you’re talking to.

“Let [another] person know what’s going on. That way if something does happen, there’s a contact,” he said. “Be very trusting and give them your passwords so that police have access to that.”

The Circle of 6 app is also a reliable safety tool to have. According to Robles, a lot of students at the college have it downloaded on their phones. The app allows users to alert their circle if they’re in a dangerous situation and even sends a map of where the user is.

“If you’re going to go solo, have that on your phone,” said Robles. “It gives you some tools to help you out.”

‘Collaboration space’ coming to OCB first floor

0
A student passes through a desolate hallway on the first floor of the OCB building. The walls have been stripped completely, excluding electronics. Photo by Andrew Hartnett

by Sean Hull

Managing Editor

mhudso27@jccc.edu

Devoid of the student art that usually populates the halls, the first floor of OCB looks like a post-apocalyptic vision of the college: walls are stripped, the lights are dimmed and unused furniture populates the underutilized classrooms. The college, however, has big plans for the seemingly abandoned area.

The area in the first floor of OCB has remained empty ever since the culinary program moved into the Hospitality and Culinary Academy in 2013. Plans are now in place to remodel this area into a “collaboration space.” The goal is to create an area on campus where faculty, students and members of the community can work together to complete entrepreneurial or artistic projects.

Plans are in place to add a collaboration space to OCB in addition to current establishments. Photo by Andrew Hartnett
Plans are in place to add a collaboration space to OCB in addition to current establishments. Photo by Andrew Hartnett

 

“These students want to become entrepreneurs, so there’s going to be an area where they can get together and collaborate and meet with faculty,” said Rex Hays, assistant vice president of campus services and facility planning.

The space will consist of a large open room where groups of people can meet to discuss the work they’re doing. Parts of the area also will be used for as motion capture animation studios, 3D animation studios and music recording studios.

The designs for the unoccupied space were proposed last year by Andy Anderson, vice president of academic affairs and chief academic officer. Anderson hopes the space will improve the feeling of community on campus and the connection between campus and the county.  

“We hope it will become a place where we sort of break down the conventional silos of education and the divide between what happens at school and what happens in the community,” said Anderson.

Creating a community culture on a commuter campus is a challenging task. The plans for the redesign currently feature a large wall made mostly of glass that faces the college’s courtyard. Anderson hopes the transparency will help people working inside feel more connected to the college community and will pique the interest of those looking in, hopefully enticing them to become more engaged at the college. The open design style is increasingly common in the modern workplace, and the collaboration space aims to introduce students to this style of environment early. Anderson hopes to move this open design, which can already be seen in the college’s learning studios, to other areas of the college.

“You don’t just take down walls and change the world. … There will still be plenty of regular classrooms, but generally speaking, faculty have been pretty excited by the learning studios.” Anderson went on to add, “I think students are coming to us expecting more interaction. They’re more connected with technology … so making technology in the environment that people will be working in available to the broader community, to the whole community, is really critical.”

According to Anderson, several members of the faculty are already dreaming up ways they can utilize the space. The digital music program will be expanding into the music studios. Beginning in the fall, marketing students will have the opportunity to work with a local non-profit, which will be selected at a conference held in the new collaboration space. A new job will be added as a result of the collaboration space as well. A director of the program will be hired to manage the scheduling of people who want to use the space and to make sure the space is used to its full potential.

According to Hays, the collaboration space needs to be done by the end of July this year. The project has been approved by the board of trustees, but the bids for the construction work have not. Once the green light is given, construction will begin in March, with the space expected to be in full use by fall 2016.

Electric vehicles, charging stations help keep campus green

0

by J.T. Buchheit

News Editor

jbuchhei@jccc.edu

 

Gasoline continues to fuel the automotive industry, but the usage of electric vehicles has been steadily increasing over the past few years. The Center of Sustainability has contributed to that by adding charging stations for electric vehicles on campus.

“We’ve had those on campus for several years,” said Kristy Howell, sustainability education and engagement coordinator. “They were originally funded by the Student Sustainability Committee. The committee wanted to have them on campus, and the first round was put in in Carlsen. … The motivation was actually a request from students to be more accessible and friendly to EV drivers.”

The stations near the Carlsen Center were installed in 2011. They were heavily used in 2014, nearly doubling the hours used from 2011 to 2013 combined. Thus, additional stations were installed, with one near the gym and the other near Galileo’s Pavilion.

The Driver’s Ed program on campus has provided students opportunities to learn to drive electric vehicles, and other students are learning how to fix them.

“They handle a little differently from regular combustion-engine cars,” said Howell. “We have students who are learning to work on these cars in Automotive Tech, so they’re going to be learning about how the new EV that we’re getting works.”

Pat Duff, an architect who is working on a project for the college, drives a 2012 Chevrolet Volt and is happy with how it has performed.

“If I charged it at home only, it would cost me about 50 cents a day,” said Duff. “The only thing my family doesn’t like about it is that the heat isn’t great in the winter until you run out of electricity and are on gas.”

Duff likes the charging stations on campus and is surprised by how infrequently he sees other cars parked there.

“If you could buy a Nissan Leaf or Chevy Volt and charge free at the college, why wouldn’t you do that instead of paying for gas?” he said. “What I’m not spending on gas is paying for my car.”

Duff would like to see more people driving electric vehicles and taking advantage of the charging stations due to the environmental benefits the cars provide.

“Electric vehicles will allow us to move toward transportation that doesn’t pollute or pollutes significantly less,” Duff said. “Combination vehicles like the Volt allow significant reduction in the use of gas but the ability to use it when you want to go on a long trip or want flexibility.”

While these parking spots are handy for those who drive these vehicles, not all students are happy with them.

“I think they take up a lot of parking spaces,” said student Raelynn Goddard. “I think if they were all being used, they’d be great, but since they stay empty a lot of the time, it’s frustrating.”

According to Howell, it will be up to the students to determine the future of these vehicles on campus.

“So as a campus, it’s going to be mediated by what our interest is from students in supporting EVs on campus and what our interest is from our program coordinators and our faculty in terms of making sure people know how these things work.”

 

Romantic rendezvous: Cavs share plans for Valentine’s Day

0

By Aksinya Kichigina 

Reporting Correspondent 

akichigi@jccc.edu

Valentine’s Day often sees people buying bouquets of scarlet roses and a life-size teddy bear, planning a romantic evening with their special someone, or perhaps planning what they’ll do in lieu of the holiday.  

Some of the students on campus have already started thinking about their plans for Valentine’s Day and what kinds of gifts they will need to prepare for their loved ones. Student Zaid Khalil already knows exactly what he will do on the special day and what surprise he is preparing for his girlfriend.

“This Valentine’s Day, I am going to go to a place on [Country Club] Plaza,” said Khalil. “It will be a little bit expensive, so I am planning on spending at least $100. And also it’s going to be a gigantic teddy bear, which is $40.”  

Khalil sees the holiday as a great chance to surprise his girlfriend and show what he feels toward her. In addition, the holiday also marks their six-month anniversary.

“My girlfriend is going to be in the house the night before the holiday, and I am going to wake up, have breakfast with her, dress up [in] something nice and just go and spend the day outside,” said Khalil. “During that day, we will go to the restaurant, and on the way back home, the teddy bear is going to be waiting for her in the middle of the room.”  

For students looking to purchase flowers on the holiday, the college’s Floriculture Club will be working hard to keep up with Valentine’s Day demand.

“Our floral design club is making special Valentine’s flowers. You can order online or come to the food court and buy,” said Diana Ryan, the interior merchandising and design club adviser.

The club will sell a variety of flowers including  roses, carnations, mums, and waxflower. According to Ryan, sales are always up for Valentine’s Day, which makes them busier during the holiday.

However, Valentine’s Day is not always all about being romantic, giving roses and being sweet to your loved one. There are some people who are single and don’t do much on this day. That’s how student Courtland Samsonov envision his upcoming Valentine’s Day.

“Since I am not [a] very emotional person, I am going to buy my mom and my grandma a box of chocolate and wish them a happy Valentine’s Day,” he said.

Nevertheless, even if a person does not have anyone with whom to spend a romantic Valentine’s Day or give roses, many do not give up on dreaming. Being currently single, however, has not stopped Samsonov from hoping to eventually have someone for the holiday.

He said once that person came along, he would wake up with her in the morning, kiss her, give her a rose, make breakfast, thank her for everything, ask her what she would want to do that day and go to a fancy restaurant.

 

Student hopes to begin music career, performs at Student Concert Series

0

by Graciela Becerra

Features Editor 

gbecerr1@jccc.edu

College coffee shop barista, student and now budding musician.

Kelsey Helpley, student, is hoping to begin her music career by performing at the college’s Student Concert Series.

“I was a part of the concert series last year,” she said. “A couple weeks ago I came to school and saw the audition poster and just auditioned that day.”

Helpley performed at the Student Concert Series on Wednesday, Feb. 10 and reflected on her performance.

Student Kelsey Helpley performs during the Student Concert Series. Photo by Aaron Rhodes.
Student Kelsey Helpley performs during the Student Concert Series. Photo by Aaron Rhodes.

“I think it went well. Apparently people couldn’t tell how many times I messed up,” she said. “So I would call that a good show.”

Although she had to audition for her performance at the college, Helpley said most of her performances are actually spur-of-the-moment.

“I usually just carry my guitar around and perform anywhere,” she said. “So it’s less of an actual gig and really just who catches me performing places, but I’ve been performing probably for three or four years.”

Helpley is a self-taught guitar player and stated she’s been singing and songwriting her whole life but still has trouble deciding which songs to perform.

“Picking them is hard because each one has … a value,” said Helpley. “I actually ended up playing like 20 songs [at the Student Concert Series] … but it’s the ones I know that the audience will have the most fun with or have the most sentimental attachment to.”

She credits Ed Sheeran and Adele as big musical inspirations.

“Any acoustic indie folk person really inspires me,” she said. “Basically anyone who is crafty and clever with the way they do things, instead of just writing a song.”

Helpley’s plans for the future include finishing her last year at the college and transferring to the University of Central Missouri to study theater. Although she isn’t studying music, Helpley doesn’t plan on quitting.

“I haven’t started releasing yet,” said Helpley. “My goal for this semester is to actually start posting covers and original music on YouTube, as well as dance videos. … So this semester is really my kickstart for my career, hopefully.”

Performances for the Student Concert Series are every Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in COM 155.

Contributions from Aaron Rhodes, Staff Reporter. 

Video by JCAV-TV. 

Bill aims to revoke due process rights from full-time faculty

1
House Bill 2531 proposes a repeal of state mandated administrative due process for tenured faculty.

By Sean Hull 

Managing Editor

mhudso27@jccc.edu

A bill being debated in a Kansas House of Representatives committee will revoke due process rights to which full-time faculty members at community colleges in Kansas are entitled, making it easier and less costly for administration to fire instructors.

The initiative is supported by the Kansas Association of Community College Trustees, of which the college is a member, and the Kansas Association of Technical Colleges. Those who support the bill argue it is an unnecessarily arduous process to fire a full-time faculty member, leaving poorly performing professors in positions that could be filled with better instructors.

Backlash from full-time faculty at the college has been strong, with many professors testifying at the Kansas House Education Committee on Tuesday.

Melanie Harvey, associate professor of science, was one faculty member who testified. She said she fears the elimination of due process rights will leave faculty vulnerable to retaliation by administration if they speak up on budgetary issues at the college.

“[Administration] needs us to be able to speak up without fear of retaliation and remind them that the students are more than numbers, that they are people, and what their needs really are,” Harvey said in an interview with ECAV Radio on Wednesday morning. “I feel like there’s a balance of power that’s very important for maintaining quality in education. Education is not like a business.”  

Lee Cross, a member of the college’s Board of Trustees, released a press statement Wednesday in which he came out against the initiative, saying he is unsure where the Board of Trustees for the college stands on the issue, as they have never discussed it.

“It is also unclear why any community college would support this measure, a union-busting tactic long sought by some interests, and for sure is an attack upon academic freedom that Kansas has long supported,” Cross noted.

Deborah Williams, associate professor of science and immediate past president of the Faculty Association, also testified Tuesday at the Kansas House Education Committee. In her testimony she worries the revocation of tenure will harm progress at the college.

“If faculty are fearful that their ideas are too contentious then inquiry and innovation is stifled,” she wrote. 

Irene Schmidt, adjunct professor of Spanish, said she is using this moment as an opportunity to push for further rights for adjuncts. In an email sent to Ledger staff, she raised the question of full-time faculty members “… What are your thoughts about your adjunct colleagues not having due process already?”

The Faculty Senate will be meeting to discuss the new bill tomorrow, with Board of Trustees chair Greg Musil in attendance.

Update: In an interview with The Campus Ledger today, Feb. 12, 2016, President Joe Sopcich offered his comment on house bill 2531. He said the issue comes down to local control, which the college promotes.

“It takes something from the state and gives it to the local governing body. A group, our trustees, who are elected, all seven of them, in a county-wide election every four years. … This college, one, is pretty hardcore when it comes to promoting local control, and this is an example of that local control. So now our own trustees, who serve as stewards of the college, will be able to look at this issue and think, ‘What could we do that would be in the best interest of the faculty of the college and the community?'” said Sopcich.

— Ledger editor-in-chief Pete Schulte contributed to this report.

 

You can listen to full interviews with Melanie Harvey and Irene Schimdt here:

 

 

V-Day is back for its fourth year, strives to end violence against women

0
Photo courtesy of JCCC.edu.

by Graciela Becerra

Features Editor

gbecerr1@jccc.edu

Photo courtesy of jccc.edu.
Photo courtesy of jccc.edu.

Beginning on Feb. 11, the college will host a three-night event globally known as V-Day.

Initially introduced to the college by Gina Egan, assistant professor of science, V-Day is an activist movement that strives to raise awareness and end violence against women and girls.

“It’s a personal issue for me and I’ve always thought that I wanted to give back one day,” said Egan. ”I decided (the V-Day event) was something we could definitely do at JCCC. We have great space, we have great people and it would be great to bring this to the JCCC community and to the students as a way to support them.”

The V-Day benefit production this year is titled A Memory, A Monologue, A Rant and A Prayer (MMRP) and will be held at the Black Box Theatre in the Carlsen Center. MMRP features a collection of monologues by famous authors that exposes the types of violence that women endure.

“The readings are very powerful, emotional readings which really drive home the importance of this issue and that then allow someone to go from there and be an advocate in some way,” said Egan. “I really encourage students to increase their worldview and their realization of what other people are going through.”

Egan stresses that domestic violence and sexual violence can affect everyone, even if they’re not personally a victim.

“One of our monologues that we do, that’s specifically a male performer, really highlights that because his mother and his sisters were raped and he talks about the effect this has had on him,” she said.

Performance dates include Thursday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m., Friday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 13 at 2 p.m., with the Friday night performance including a 20–30 minute audience discussion with a panel.

“All of the ticket sales go to MOCSA (Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault) and Safe Home (Support for Survivors of Domestic Violence),” said Egan. “They’re all local organizations that help with this issue in the area.”

Tickets are $5 for students and $15 for the public in advance and $20 at the box office at the time of the performance.

VIDEO: Lunch with the chefs offers a seasonally inspired nutritious monthly meal

0

The college’s dining services department offers a seasonally inspired menu every month for students and staff that is healthy, different and inexpensive. For February’s event, Mardi Gras was the inspiration for the meal.

Video by JCAV-TV: Heather Foley, Executive Producer; Seth Elliott, Camera & Editor; Caleb Wayne, Graphics. Contribution from The Campus Ledger: Aaron Rhodes, Staff Reporter. 

VIDEO: Students react to Super Bowl 50 entertainment, commercials

0

Students share their thoughts on Super Bowl 50’s halftime show and discuss commercials that stood out to them, as well as the national anthem performance.

Video by JCAV-TV: Heather Foley, Executive Producer; Anthony Graham, Camera; T.J. Kimbrough-French, Editor; Caleb Wayne, Graphics. Contributions from The Campus Ledger: Sean Hull, Managing Editor; J.T. Buchheit, News Editor. 

Related: Notable past Super Bowl commercials

by Annie Beurman 

Reporting Correspondent

abeurma1@jccc.edu

Though the Super Bowl has been an annual American tradition for 50 years now, there are many people who watch the game for the commercials. When the game comes around, companies all over the country attempt to make something memorable to promote their products, and their attempts can end up leaving a lasting impression for years. Listed below are some of the most memorable Super Bowl commercials of all time.

PrevNext

1. Coca-Cola, Mean Joe Greene (1979)

When Joe Greene is discouraged after a football game, a child gives him his Coca-Cola, cheering Greene up once again.

2. Apple’s “Introducing Macintosh” (1984)

Remember the book “1984” by George Orwell? In the same year, our world has become a wasteland controlled by Big Brother, until it’s revealed that Apple will save the world from this fate with their new computer, the Macintosh.

3. Wassup, Budweiser (1999)

Two men are watching a game and drinking Budweisers. Neither seem very happy, until a friend comes in and livens them up with a simple word: “Wassup?”

4. Snickers, starring Betty White (2010)

Everyone has seen at least one Snickers commercial by now. In this one from 2010, featuring actress Betty White, a man playing football with his friends is, as they say, “playing like Betty White” until his girlfriend gives him a Snickers and gets his head back in the game.

5. The Force, Volkswagen (2011)

A child dressed as Darth Vader attempts to move and control several things around his house by using The Force with no success. When he attempts to control his father’s Volkswagen, he seems to turn it on, only to reveal to the audience that his father did it with his keys.

Cavalier Basketball Further Confirms Powerhouse Status

0
Kierra Isaiah, right, and Kayonna Lee of the women’s basketball team practice their defensive and offensive skills. Photo by Andrew Hartnett

by Austin Lockwood

Special to the Ledger

Johnson County Community College’s basketball teams have both found the key to success this season with the men’s team sporting a 22–2 record as of Feb. 9 and the women’s team proudly holding a 24–0 record and the number one ranking in NJCAA Division II.

Kierra Isaiah, right, and Kayonna Lee of the women’s basketball team practice their defensive and offensive skills. Photo by Andrew Hartnett
Kierra Isaiah, right, and Kayonna Lee of the women’s basketball team practice their defensive and offensive skills. Photo by Andrew Hartnett

This success is nothing new to the Cavs, whose women’s team has a 90–6 record from the 2012–13 season to the end of the 2014–15 season. With this year’s current 24-game win streak, the Cavs hold a 113–6 record with a .950 win percentage over the last four seasons.

Ben Conrad, head coach of the women’s basketball team, credits the team’s success to “good players who have bought into a system that has worked for a long time.”

“Our formula hasn’t changed. We still put a premium on defending, rebounding both ends of the floor and attacking offensively,” said Conrad. “The common denominator is good players who buy into how we operate.”

The system is clearly working, considering the team has only lost four conference games in the last five seasons including the current one. Despite the recent success, Conrad is still looking for more.

“If we keep improving, the sky’s the limit for our team,” said Conrad.

The men’s team shares the same mindset and very similar results with their 22–2 record following a 91–47 victory over the Westminster College JV on Feb. 1.  

Men’s head coach Mike Jeffers  attributes the team’s success to being mentally prepared and motivated to play every day.

“It becomes more of being prepared mentally and physically, and there are 18-, 19- and 20-year-old young men. They could play basketball all day,” said Jeffers. “It’s about mental freshness more than anything else. They’re still wanting to come to the gym. They’re still excited about coming to practice.”

With seven games remaining in the regular season, the Cavaliers need that mental focus more than ever. The men’s team currently holds the number-nine spot in the NJCAA Division II rankings, but they will likely have to fight to retain it over the next couple of games after the recent 93-83 loss to Fort Scott.

The team has relied on sophomore guard Danzel Wright for its scoring this season. Wright is currently fifth in the nation in scoring with 466 points as of Feb. 2 and fourth in three-pointers with 81 baskets from beyond the arch. They’ll need him to continue with the high level of production with a schedule that only includes two teams with a record below .500 (Labette at 5–18 and Fort Scott at 9–13).

The next school to take on both teams is Kansas City Kansas Community College on Feb. 10. The women’s team stands at 21–2 and holds the number-eight ranking in NJCAA Division II for the week of Jan. 27, while the men’s team holds a 15–8 record. The games will run back to back with the women’s game starting at 6:30 p.m. and the men’s game following immediately afterward.

Spreading faith through poetry

0

By Aaron Rhodes

Staff Reporter

arhodes2@jccc.edu

IMG_7849
Frank Spayd with one of his poems.

Frank Spayd is an employee at the college who works in document services as a digital technician. Some people, however, may recognize him as the man who will ask to read you a poem in between your classes.

Spayd can often be seen reciting poems to people on campus or via poetry emails he sends out to staff members.

If you’ve heard him recite one of his poems before, you know the poems focus on Christianity, more specifically repentance, hope and mortality. Spayd draws his inspirations from his faith in God and Jesus Christ. His goal through his spontaneous recitals is to “share Jesus’ love” with whomever he can.

“My work time is ten to five, an hour break for lunch. I usually get in early enough that I can take a walk in the morning before I start at ten, and I share some [poems] at that time, and then on my lunch-break walk is also when I share.”

Spayd doesn’t have a predetermined method when choosing whom he shares with. He leaves that up to instinct, supplemented by prayer.

“I usually pray before I start sharing. Some people just look like they — I can’t explain that, I really can’t explain that. I just pray about it and just go from there.”

Spayd has also been sharing his writing with the staff at the college for several years via ListServe messages and has received some positive responses there.

“I shared one the other day titled ‘The Gospels’ and I got two emails back from people I know on that one. On other occasions I’ve had no responses, and some occasions I’ve had several.”

Poetry has been a hobby for Spayd since 2004. He had never taken a class on the subject before or previously had a large amount of interest in it, but decided to give it a shot.

“I may have been bored one day. I may not have had much to do, but I sat down one day, wondering if I could write a poem, and it took me several weeks, but I wrote a poem.”

Spayd has read works from Robert Frost, and says Emily Dickinson is likely his favorite poet. He also subscribes to an emailed newsletter of a new poem every day.
Spayd said although he doesn’t always receive a big response, he has made some connections and met people who ask him for new poems when they see him.

“Last semester [there was] one young lady I shared with, and every time our paths crossed she asked if I had a new poem for her today. So I start to bring in written copies of poems because I only have so many memorized,” Spayd said.

Spayd says he has shared so many poems, he sometimes forgets the people he has shared with previously.

“I don’t keep a count on how many I’ve shared. Sometimes I don’t even remember faces. I’ll ask them again, but most people are reasonable and that’s okay.”

Spayd is in his 11th year working at the college and has been working in printing since he was 16, doing weekend and evening shifts, then going full time after graduating high school. He moved to Kansas City with his family in 1979 and has lived in Overland Park since 2008.

 

Popular all-male ballet company returns to Yardley Hall

0
Photo courtesy of JCCC Performing Arts Series.

by Graciela Becerra

Features Editor

gbecerr1@jccc.edu

Photo courtesy of JCCC Performing Arts Series.
Photo courtesy of JCCC Performing Arts Series.

Back by popular demand, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo will perform at Yardley Hall at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6.

Meant to be a fun and playful interpretation of classic ballet, the Trocks, as they’re affectionately referred to, consists of professional dancers equipped with feminine costumes, makeup and wigs.

“I think that could bring a lot of humor,” said Emma Rolf, student. “People might want to go see it because it’s an unusual thing.”

The male dancers portray female characters in acts such as the Nutcracker, Don Quixote and Swan Lake.

“I think it’s pretty interesting,” said Natasha Mwashighadi, student. “I’m against gender rules, so I think it’s progressive.”

The all-male comic ballet company was founded in 1974 and began performing in late shows at off-Broadway lofts. Since their beginnings, the Trocks have become incredibly popular. They’ve gone on several successful tours and earned many awards and recognitions.

“[I think] people that are open-minded enough will find it entertaining,” said Mwashighadi. “But people that are closed-minded might find it unappealing and think it’s just guys in makeup.”

As of publication, tickets are still available and can be purchased at the box office in the Carlsen Center. For more information regarding the show and tickets, the box office can be reached at 913-469-4445.

Letter to the Editor: Youth vote pivotal in making a difference

0

by Chris Roesel

Special to the Ledger

Letter to the Editor: 

It’s likely no one knows what percentage of students at the college are registered to vote, much less what percentage actually votes. The best statistics come from the U.S. Census, which conducts surveys after each election. Its data is that 36 percent of 18-to-24-year-old Kansans were registered to vote in 2014 and only 14 percent of those who are citizens voted. Is that the extent of civic engagement at the college?

Let’s hope not. We are smart, we are educated and we are accomplished. Our government would be less representative and less informed without us.

The results of this low rate of participation are that other people choose our representatives and are most listened to in making our laws. What other people? Older people. Voter registration and voting increase with age in Kansas. For the young, it is 14 percent and 36 percent. For the older (65+), it is 80 percent and 66 percent. Given their election depends on older Kansans, who do you think your representatives listen to and legislate for?

The college’s administration says student civic engagement is not its mandate, so it does not promote or measure it. We are told it is a student issue. Who is taking leadership on it? The Senate?  Some club? When and where do we see student leadership on civic engagement?

Why is it important for you to vote? It is a key concern of our country. Representation was a major issue of the Revolutionary War, of the suffragette movement and of the civil rights movement. People have been beaten, jailed and killed to prevent them from having this right. Each of us now has the privilege. To respect those who fought for our nation, we should make sure we are registered (go to www.kdor.org/voterregistration/secure/default.aspx to register, www.kdheks.gov/vital/birth_cert_voter_ID_guidance.htm to get a free copy of your birth certificate and www.kssos.org/forms/elections/AV1.pdf to get a ballot with a free, postage paid return envelope by mail). If you don’t know the candidates or issues, look them up at smartvoter.org.

If you want to make a difference, you have to vote. If you want to make more of a difference, studies have shown, ask other students to please vote. Amazingly, studies have shown the most effective way to get someone to vote is to ask them.

We have to register and vote to be truly represented, don’t we? Please vote!

Register and get a ballot in Kansas by using the following links on a smartphone, tablet, or computer:

1) Register: https://www.kdor.org/voterregistration/secure/default.aspx.

2) Request a free birth certificate to finish your registration fromwww.kdheks.gov/vital/birth_cert_voter_ID_guidance.htm.

3) Obtain primary and general election ballots by mail, April 9 to July 29, 2016, and again August 15 to November 4, 2016, fill out the attached form and email it to the Secretary of State or your county election office:

https://www.kssos.org/forms/elections/AV1.pdf.

4) Find information on candidates running in your district and issues being voted on, look at http://smartvoter.org/

5) If you are or will be 18 or older by November 1, 2016, you can register now. See the rules at http://www.voteks.org/before-you-vote/am-i-eligible.html.

6) Check if you are registered:https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/VoterView/RegistrantSearch.do

You have to vote to be heard. Vote so you don’t suffer from your silence!

Elections this year are Primary Election – August 2, 2016 and

General Election – November 8, 2016.

List compiled by Chris Roesel, Special to the Ledger

J.T. Buchheit: Proper grammar facing extinction

0

by J.T. Buchheit 

News Editor

jbuchhei@jccc.edu

With the rise of social media and text messaging, people’s motivation to put any effort into wording, spelling or punctuating anything correctly has declined at a shocking rate. What was once “Oh my God, that’s hilarious!” has now become “OMG ROFL.”

I understand people are busy and have better things to do than scan everything they write to search for the minutest mistakes, but it has become a pandemic in the English-speaking world to make words and sentences as illegible as possible. One does not have to be a grammatical whiz to know “you” is not spelled “u.”

Contrary to what one may believe, people are judged by the grammar they use. If I’m receiving a text message filled with mistakes and shorthand writing, I feel the person is not really interested in talking to me and is doing it out of necessity, whereas if a person puts in the effort to appear at least borderline literate, I believe the person truly cares about the conversation, and I hold them in a higher regard because of it.

What depresses me the most is that this sloppy way of writing has become so ubiquitous, many consider it to be the norm and find anyone who takes the time to use correct grammar in their texts or posts to be odd or out of touch. A recent study of 126 students showed people who use periods at the end of their texts are seen as less trustworthy than those who use no punctuation at all, while those who use exclamation marks are seen as more trustworthy.

Autocorrect is a major reason for the language’s devolution. If one can put in something resembling the intended word, it can often change it to the correct spelling. People may not pay attention to the change made and think they typed the word correctly, thus learning nothing. Even worse is when one types something correctly and it changes the word or spelling to make it incorrect, which the typist may fail to see and end up becoming embarrassed. This is why I have disabled autocorrect for my mobile devices.

Correct grammar is becoming sparser every day, and unless radical changes occur, it doesn’t look like it’s going to change anytime soon. While this new technology definitely makes our lives more convenient, it has come with the sacrifice of the public’s knowledge of em dashes, semicolons and Oxford commas.

Kansas Focus Gallery opens at the Nerman Museum with post-apocalyptic exhibit

0
Kansas Focus Gallery Inaugural Exhibition Lori Nix ● The City, February 4 – May 29, 2016, Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, Kansas. Photos: EG Schempf

by Pete Schulte

Editor-in-Chief

pschult6@jccc.edu

 

Kansas Focus Gallery Inaugural Exhibition Lori Nix ● The City, February 4 – May 29, 2016, Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, Kansas. Photos: EG Schempf
Kansas Focus Gallery Inaugural Exhibition Lori Nix ● The City, February 4 – May 29, 2016, Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, Kansas. Photos: EG Schempf

The Kansas Focus Gallery at the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, initially announced in July 2014, is opening its doors on Feb. 4. The gallery aims to showcase the talent of artists associated with Kansas.

The space utilized on the first floor for the gallery was once the museum’s gift shop and has been under construction for much of 2015. Original museum architect Kyu Sung Woo designed the gallery, with Executive Director of the Nerman Bruce Hartman stating that maintaining Woo’s initial vision of the museum was paramount to the gallery, citing this as the reason for the delay in the gallery, which was initially expected to open in late 2014.

The project was initiated with a $700,000 donation from Leawood art collector and museum donor Mary Davidson of the Barton P. and Mary D. Cohen Charitable Trust. In addition, Davidson also donated her personal collection of nearly 200 works of art which she and her late husband acquired throughout the years.

“My late husband Barton Cohen and I, for I guess 15 years at least, collected Kansas art. Needless to say, I have a lot,” Davidson said. “Our intention was always to donate it someplace where it would be shown and would remind people who came to see it that there are many, many talented people that have worked in Kansas, were born in Kansas, that have produced and are producing lovely art in Kansas.”

Hartman said the donation not only went toward renovations, but also to the museum’s endowment and to acquire works of art from Kansas-associated artists for the museum’s permanent collection.

The inaugural exhibit for the gallery features six large-scale photographs imagining a post-apocalyptic world by artist Lori Nix. Nix, born in Norton, Kansas, works with her partner Kathleen to create dioramas and photograph the finished products, re-imagining and creating the scene in her work. The dioramas have taken upwards of 15 months to create and photograph, and Nix’s current series, “The City,” will be on display at the Nerman, inviting guests to immerse themselves in her post-apocalyptic vision.

“It’s incredibly special. … The very fact that I’m their inaugural artist for this space dedicated to artists connected to Kansas is amazing because I haven’t been living in Kansas since, oh God, junior high,” Nix laughed. “So the very idea that I’m still remembered is phenomenal.”

Hartman said he is thrilled to open the gallery with Nix.

“We really wanted to open with the show by an artist who has gained fame, a lot of recognition for their achievement and yet had a very deep connection with this state,” said Hartman.

In addition to Nix’s exhibition in the gallery, the museum’s McCaffree Gallery and mezzanine on the second floor will also showcasing works from Kansas-associated artists Davin Watne, Robert Bingaman, Wilbur Niewald, Keith Jacobshagen, Lisa Grossman, Michael Krueger, Birger Sandzen, Art Miller, Albert Bloch and Paulina Everitt.

Kansas Focus Gallery Inaugural Exhibition Lori Nix ● The City, February 4 – May 29, 2016, Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, Kansas. Photos: EG Schempf
Kansas Focus Gallery Inaugural Exhibition Lori Nix ● The City, February 4 – May 29, 2016, Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Johnson County Community College, Overland Park, Kansas. Photos: EG Schempf

Hartman and Davidson are both hoping that by highlighting Kansas artists, the existing museum audience will be joined by new visitors.

“We hope that this gallery brings a whole new audience to the Nerman Museum. Many people are interested in a sense of place,” Hartman said. “Many people take pride being Kansans and being from Johnson County. This is a gallery that is really going to emphasize the history of this state through art.”

The inaugural reception of the Kansas Focus Gallery is at 6 p.m. on Feb. 4. The event, free and open to the public, will also feature a book signing by artist Robert Zakanitch, for the closing of his exhibit. For more information and for museum hours, visit www.nermanmuseum.org, or call 913-469-3000.

 

Video by JCAV-TV: Heather Foley, Executive Producer; TJ Kimbrough-French, Camera; Anthony Graham & Seth Elliott, Editors; Caleb Wayne, Graphics. 

Student exposed to Costa Rican culture

1

by J.T. Buchheit

News Editor

jbuchhei@jccc.edu

studyabroad
Photo provided by Angela Sas.

The Study Abroad program allows students to take classes all over the world. One student, Angela Sas, attended school in Costa Rica during the last semester.

“I had been studying Spanish for about two years, so I wanted to pick somewhere where they spoke Spanish,” Sas said. “Another big deciding factor was because I had a huge interest in the environment, and I had heard a lot about Costa Rica’s progressive environmental policies.”

When Sas attended class, she noticed several differences in education between the U.S. and Costa Rica. One of the most notable ones was the fact classes only lasted a month instead of an entire semester.

“Each month I would only be in one class, and I would just focus on one class a time,” said Sas. “And I would be in that class from 8 a.m. to noon, which was really cool because I only had to focus on one class and could dive deep into that subject, so that was really nice.”

Sas’ favorite part about studying in Costa Rica was living with her host family, to whom she felt extremely close.

“They were almost like grandparents,” she said. “I don’t have grandparents, so it was really nice to have a connection like that.”

One must adapt to a multitude of changes when traveling to a different country, and with those changes come many unique experiences as well, especially regarding the people and culture of the region.

“I was really surprised about how open and warm everybody was,” she said. “Because I was just an outsider, and for people to be so nice to me when I got there, they just want to share everything with you, and they want to show you all around the town. It’s just really cool that everyone wanted so much to show me how much they loved their country.”

Despite Sas’ delight about the bubbly personalities of the residents of Costa Rica, she did have some trouble trying to connect with other students at her college because she would only be there a short time.

“Making connections with people was hard, because everyone realizes you’re not going to be there for that long,” she said. “So people are kind of guarded when they find out you’re an international student. … It’s kind of hard to get the authenticity you would from someone you meet at home. It wasn’t like that everywhere, but even with my family I could tell that they kind of held back.”

Although Sas had some trouble getting to know other students, she always had her family to console her whenever she was feeling depressed. Her mother figure made sure to provide support whenever it was needed.

“In the first week or two, I had gotten really upset because I hadn’t made any friends yet and I felt really alone, and my parents — we call them ‘tica’ and ‘tico’ in Costa Rica — saw that I was upset, so tica came up to my room and brought me some hot tea and a bunch of chocolate, and it was the best thing, and we just talked for like two hours. It was really nice to feel like I was being so supported.”

Living in Costa Rica was an eye-opening experience for Sas, who gained a better understanding of the cultures of both Costa Rica and the U.S.

“It’s kind of a profound change that happens in you when you’re in another culture and you see how different things can be, and it also helps you get a better perspective of your own culture when you’re not in it anymore. Because I lived in Kansas my entire life, and the farthest I’d gone was Colorado … and being in Costa Rica, I could see what America is like. I could understand my own culture a lot better, which is something I didn’t really expect.”

 

Letter to the editor: Give refugee status to those fleeing the Middle East

0

Dear Editor:

I would like to compliment you and your staff on the Staff Editorial and other concise articles in the December Campus Ledger concerning issues related to the Middle East and the refugee crisis.

As a child of seven in 1951, I first traveled to Syria from my home in Larnaca, Cyprus, to visit my uncle and aunt who taught in a school in Latakia, Syria. It was during this trip that I was first exposed to the refugee crisis in the Middle East, when from our hotel balcony I noticed people living on the roof of the building across the street in Beirut. They were Palestinian refugees who had fled from what is now Israel. Seeing those refugees made a lasting impression on me which I have not forgotten to this day.

With proper screening, there is no reason why the United States cannot give refuge to those fleeing war and political oppression in the Middle East.

I commend you for your principled stand on the issue.

Warm regards,

Tom Hutcheson

Olathe, KS

Perennial JCCC Lifetime Fitness Class Student

Related: Syrian refugees must be allowed into U.S.

Future basks in addiction, incredible success in ‘Purple Reign’

0
The cover art for Future's new mixtape "Purple Reign".

by Aaron Rhodes

Staff Reporter

arhodes2@jccc.edu

The introduction to “Purple Reign” is ominous. The sounds of lightning and pouring rain are present. You can hear “Where Ya At” (Future’s collaboration with fellow superstar Drake) faintly playing inside a car before the door shuts and someone (presumably Future) steps out into the stormy Atlanta night.

“Purple Reign” is Future’s first mixtape back after two very successful albums in 2015 (“Dirty Sprite 2” in July followed by his joint album with Drake, “What A Time To Be Alive,” in September). For many rappers it often takes a year or two to craft another project and release it to the public, but not for Future. He has already released five full-length albums and mixtapes since last January and his fans have loved every single one of them. That type of feat is one unmatched by virtually every other rapper in the game.

After Future’s quiet, but still grand entrance, the listener is given “All Right” and “Wicked.” The two songs aren’t magnificent in and of themselves, but Metro Boomin and Southside (the tracks’ producers) are still at the top of their game, and they set the mood for the rest of the mixtape. The first moment of the tape that surely had the Future Hive (the rapper’s fanbase) jumping out of their seats was “Never Forget.”

On this track Future boastfully declares “I dedicated every damn thing to this/I had to take a loss so I could cherish this s**t.” Future has had his share of ups and downs in life, including most recently breaking off an engagement to R&B singer Ciara. Ciara gave birth to Future’s first son in 2014, and after the breakup he has been fighting in court for his right to see him. Despite his custody battles and years of selling drugs, dodging the law and seeing his family locked up and addicted to drugs, Future beats his chest and stands defiant.

One thing afforded to him via his fame is a large mainstream audience. In what may be a reference to this, at the beginning of the track “Run Up” Future says “The KKK and the streets with me,” possibly referring to his growing white audience. I might be looking at this a bit too closely, but either way, it paints a surreal picture, and that’s what some of the best trap music often does.

Just like any other Future release, “Purple Reign” is full of references to sipping codeine, even in the title itself. The rapper has become the poster child for abuse of prescription cough syrup, and on this release he doesn’t sound like he’s giving up the habit anytime soon. Interestingly enough though, one day before the mixtape’s release, Future gave an interview where he stated he isn’t “drugged out” all the time like people think. He said his lyrics revolve around lean, Xanax and molly because that’s what people want to hear. Future also said he wasn’t using drugs for most of the recording of his 2014 “Monster” mixtape. Whether or not this was the truth (Future, Young Thug and numerous other trap rappers are notoriously vague and ambiguous in interviews) or an attempt to clean up his image is hard to tell.

On the closing track of “Purple Reign,” Future raps over an atmospheric, melancholy beat about his (now alleged) love affair with codeine, personified as his girlfriend. The rain and lightning effects from the intro track are heard in the background as Future’s signature half-sung, autotuned crooning fades away.

While the release has a couple tracks that could make their way onto a mix at a party and probably won’t be converting any non-fans, if you’ve wanted more of the dark, autobiographical side of Future, this is definitely the tape you’ve been waiting for. He doesn’t drop any insane bars or change up his flow at all, but I think the Future Hive is just fine with that. “Purple Reign” only confirms the fact that Future is the reigning king of Atlanta.

Employee error cited as reason for false tornado alarm trigger yesterday

0
Mostly clear skies dominated the skyline from on top of Galileo's Garage on campus. Photo by Pete Schulte

by Pete Schulte, updated by Sean Hull

Editor-in-Chief

pschult6@jccc.edu

Mostly clear skies dominated the skyline from on top of Galileo's Garage on campus. Photo by Pete Schulte
Mostly clear skies dominated the skyline from on top of Galileo’s Garage on campus. Photo by Pete Schulte

According to Police Chief Gregory Russell, the false tornado siren that sounded throughout campus shortly after 4 p.m. yesterday was due to simple user error. The alarm caused much confusion given the mostly clear sky and nearly 50-degree January weather.

A new employee inadvertently pressed the button to sound the alarm while attempting to initiate a systems check. The buttons for a system check and to sound the alarm are located next to each other.

“Because it was a sensitive touch screen one button instead of pushing the button to check the system, the one with the tornado warning was inadvertently pushed. If was more manual it wouldn’t have happened,” said Police Chief Gregory Russell.

The college issued an apology in an email distributed yesterday.

The weather is forecast to be 50 degrees and sunny for the coming weekend.

 

 

WATCH: Strangers on campus meet for the first time

0

What happens when two people meet for the first time and are given a random question to ask one another? JCAV-TV and The Campus Ledger paired up to break the ice between groups of strangers.

Photos by Andrew Hartnett, Staff Photographer

Video by JCAV-TV: Heather Foley, Executive Producer 

 

Oxford English Dictionary adds new words, phrases

0

by J.T. Buchheit

News Editor

jbuchhei@jccc.edu

The Oxford English Dictionary comes out with a list of new words and phrases four times a year. The most recent update was in December 2015, with around 500 entries introduced. The full list of new entries can be found here. Among these additions are “phablet,” “waybread,” “bank of mom and dad” and “yes way.”

“I think that’s interesting,” said student Nick Wilson. “I wouldn’t expect those to be in a dictionary, and if I saw them I’d be amused.”

The OED mainly gets its new words from the Oxford English Corpus and the Oxford Reading Programme, which include full-length documents and volunteers from around the globe who submit words and phrases to be considered for entry. While many may agree that certain words should be added, there are also numerous additions that could be considered less deserving.

“I think ‘phablet’ should be added because everybody knows what that is, but I think the other ones are kind of idiotic,” said student Helen Baillie. “If it’s a functional word that actually has a practical meaning, sure, but something that’s just a phrase or is slang, then it shouldn’t be added.”

The OED has its share of detractors, but Gwen Flipse, secretary of the Writing Center, believes it serves a useful purpose.

“It’s not for everyone,” Flipse said. “But if you like words, if you like to know the histories behind words and you want to know about a word’s friends and relations, then it’s kind of a fun adventure.”

Despite the large number of words and phrases introduced to the OED every four months, there are still words people think should be added that don’t currently exist in the dictionary.

“I think ‘flupp’ and ‘fantabulous’ should be in the dictionary,” said Wilson. “I’ve heard them used a fair amount of times, so I think they deserve to be in there.”

While “flupp” has not yet made the cut, “fantabulous” was added to the OED in 1959. Due to the large amount of informal words added every year, some may question the quality of the words allowed into the dictionary.

“I think the Oxford Dictionary people are awfully careful about what they let in,” said Flipse. “They don’t want to be in too big of a hurry to just let in any old thing. The new words that they add are not necessarily words that I would use or that I would even know how to use, but I like that they want to document new things that have a high probability of staying around and not getting lost in the shuffle.”

Although some may dislike the OED due to its propensity to allow many seemingly ridiculous words and phrases to grace its pages, it has been going strong since 1884 and shows no signs of slowing down.

For more information about the Oxford English Dictionary, visit their website.

Members of the Blue Man Group discuss their experiences with the show

0
Paint drumming is one of Blue Man Group's signature moments of the show.

by Graciela Becerra

Features Editor

gbecerr1@jccc.edu

Over the course of three days, the Blue Man Group performed a total of five shows at the college, but despite their busy schedules, two members of the group sat down with The Campus Ledger to discuss the show and their experiences as Blue Men.

Currently, the group is touring the United States while maintaining permanent productions in six other cities, raising the question of whether or not there is more than one Blue Man Group.

As it turns out, actors can audition to be a Blue Man just like they could for any other production. Hired actors then travel in fours, despite the fact the Blue Man Group consists of only three bald blue characters. The actors take turns participating in the show and even rotate roles.

“It’s difficult to pinpoint the exact essence of what we do, but we just make sure people have a good time,” said Dan Carter, a member of the group for nine years. “That is really our job, is to get up there and bring people on a kind of journey so that as soon as you come into the theater you’re presented with something which is slightly different … than a traditional theatrical experience. People come and they have an experience which they never would have had before.”

Approaching their 25th year, the group has become wildly popular for their unique use of comedy, music and technology.

A member of the group who only goes by Meridian has been a Blue Man for 11 years and explains what it’s like performing in the one-of-a-kind production.

“The instruments we use in the show are unique to the show. We build all those ourselves,” said Meridian. “They were created by Blue Man Group for the Blue Man Group, so you have to learn how to adapt whatever musical skill you have to the instruments in the show.”

Carter agreed and spoke of about the instruments’ difficulty level.

“It’s not like we have a set of massive, big, ten-foot-long PVC pipes at home,” said Carter, referring to the drums used in the show. “You can’t go buy these in the store. … It’s a lot of hard work learning a very unusual instrument to play in a very specific way, to get the right sound, and I would say it even takes a good year of being a Blue Man before you can really play those instruments well.”

Aside from the exclusive instruments, audiences are also drawn to the show because there is no dialogue, making it accessible and relatable to every age, language and culture.

“They say that the majority of communication between people is actually nonverbal anyway,” said Meridian. “We’ve taken the show to other countries and there’s been no loss in the ability to communicate in those other cultures where they don’t speak English and where we didn’t have to translate anything, because it’s automatic. We’re able to communicate in a way that’s more universal … You can read surprised looks on everyone’s face, you can read emotion in other people without needing any words.”

The distinctive Blue Man character is achieved in a way that actors must wear bald caps and then use grease paint that never dries in order to maintain the gooey, wet effect throughout the show. Developing the Blue Man’s personality is a much longer process.

“We think of him as somebody with a childlike curiosity, [a] thirst for discovery,” said Carter. “But he’s also a scientist who experiments with stuff, he’s a clown, he’s a trickster that is going to play jokes on other people just to see what the reaction is. … In my opinion, the childlike quality is perhaps the most important because there’s an innocence there that is fundamental to the character.”

Although the character is known worldwide, the actors are not, but Carter and Meridian simultaneously agreed that this was for the best.

“If it became something like ‘Oh, that’s Meridian right there’ or if the character became something connected to a specific person, I think it would undermine our ability to reach people in a universal way,” said Meridian. “I think it would undermine that because then it would be about the individual instead of it being about connecting with everyone.”

Fans that have followed the show since its beginnings in 1991 may be curious to know what became of Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton and Chris Wink, the original Blue Man Group and initial developers.

“We’re all trained by the original guys and by the guys that were the very first Blue Men after them,” said Carter. “They still create new material. It’s their show, and that’s why we feel so personally connected to the show as well, because we love those guys. We’ve all got connections to them and to the show.”

Speaking of the show’s longevity, Meridian expressed why he believes audiences worldwide love the show.

“I think, universally, everyone who sees the show has a great experience of feeling connected and … in touch with their own sense of joy and their own sense of curiosity and their own sense of creativity,” said Meridian. “For the people who have lost touch with it, to get to be back in touch with it, I think that’s why they keep coming back.”

The Blue Man Group’s next performances in Kansas are scheduled for April 26–27 in Wichita and April 28 in Topeka. For more information and for full tour dates, visit https://www.blueman.com.

Students and professors get in shape, stay in shape during National Healthy Weight Awareness Month

0

by Aaron Rhodes

Staff Reporter

arhodes2@stumail.jccc.edu 

IMG_7836
Deborah Bowers, fitness center monitor and instructor. Photo by Aaron Rhodes.

As our readers may know, January is National Healthy Weight Awareness Month. This event pairs nicely with the fact that January is the month when people hit the gyms in an attempt to stick to their New Year’s resolutions of exercising more and getting in shape.

One of the places that some of these new fitness enthusiasts visit is the campus fitness center. While the center isn’t filled with newcomers (there are plenty of workout veterans in attendance), it’s often easy to spot them. Deborah Bowers is a fitness center monitor and instructor here at the college. She said she has seen a new batch of people coming in and learning to use the equipment. If there is one thing that new exercisers do, Bowers said, it is overexert themselves.

“They push themselves too hard too fast … If they haven’t worked out in many, many months or years and then they go right back to it like they’re 18 again, then your body can kind of rebel a little bit at you for that. You’ve got to take it easy. You have to listen to your body.”

Nursing student and frequent visitor to the fitness center Jacklyne Manuel told us she sometimes sees quite the opposite from new members.

“I’ll see people walking about two miles per hour on a treadmill while watching Netflix and concentrating on Netflix and not working out,” she said.

Manuel enjoys working on cardio exercises in the fitness center.

“I’m in nursing school, and I always think about the heart and my muscles being healthier,” said Manuel. “… [I want] to get to a healthy weight and maintain it.”

Brandee Smith, an adjunct instructor, has her own reasons for staying in shape.

“I am here because I’m a mom and I want to stay strong so that I can be able to take care of my boys if I need to sometime,” Smith said. “… There’s always medical emergencies. I’ve been places where somebody’s had a seizure or something and you want to be able to help move them, so you don’t feel helpless. You want to be helpful. You can’t do that when you’re weak.”

On the subject of National Healthy Weight Awareness month, Smith stated she thinks America doesn’t always view health and weight in the right way.

“I think it needs to be more an issue of ‘It’s not a number, it’s how you feel at the end of the day.’ If you feel sluggish or feel unhappy, or feel these emotional feelings, just try working out for 20 minutes. I used to not be able to run even a mile, and now I can do a 5K. Now I can run faster than some track runners at times, so you know, I just worked my way up.”

Health and weight are both multi-faceted subjects. Some people put minimal thought into them, while others have their lives revolve around them. Whether you jump on the treadmill on a regular basis or wait to think about exercise until you’re wheezing climbing the stairs to the third floor of the Carlsen Center, fitness is something that plays an immense role in our lives as students and as humans in general.

“Really, it’s not a race. It’s kind of a marathon, working out,” Smith said with a laugh.

 

Bookstore works through increased traffic as spring semester gets underway

0
Bookstore hours are Monday-Thursday: 7:45 a.m -6:00 p.m. Friday: 7:45 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Saturday: 9:00am - 1:00pm Sunday: Closed

by Aaron Rhodes

Staff Reporter

sncjccc@gmail.com

The first week of the semester typically brings heavier foot traffic to the college bookstore, with students in search of required textbooks, class materials, and new tech items. While it is busier than usual, lines and wait times may have actually decreased over the years. 

According to Bookstore manager, Jennifer Keffer, the rush has changed recently. 

“It’s not what people think of it. It’s not long lines like you used to see where it would go down the hall and outside and around the building. Rush has taken on a different type of persona. You see people coming in and they’ll actually be here for a short period of time, but it usually wavers about 20 minutes or so, and then we’ll have a lull and then we’ll see people come back in again and we’ll have another 20-minute spurt.”

Students may notice that books ordered online must be shipped now, rather than picked up at the bookstore this semester. Keffer said that too many people were coming in directly after ordering and expecting their books ready.

“We just didn’t have the labor pool to keep up with the amount of orders that were coming in and the people coming in to pick them up right away. It does say on our website that it takes 24–48 hours to process orders but sometimes that gets missed. So it was just a business decision we had to make.”

However, some students were unaffected by this change.

“I like coming myself and getting them in person,” says Gabriel Garcia, student. “It’s a lot easier for me, so I can make sure I got everything.”

Ashawnte Thompson, technology floor lead at the Bookstore, advised that if students haven’t gotten books and supplies now, they may be in for a wait.

“Once classes start, that’s when the scramble begins and everyone comes in and is trying to accomplish the same thing at the same time.”

Whether you’ll be waking up at 7 a.m. this week to get your supplies, or stopping in after your first week of classes, the staff at the Bookstore is prepared and ready to help. For more information and for hours, visit the Bookstore’s website.

Video by JCAV-TV: Heather Foley, Executive Producer; Anthony Graham, Camera & Editor; Caleb Wayne, Graphics. 

PHOTO GALLERY: Winter weather hits campus

0
Students rush between classes to beat the inclement weather. Photo by Andrew Hartnett/ The Campus Ledger.

by Andrew Hartnett

Staff Photojournalist

Thursday of Welcome Week includes karaoke, Senate lunch

0
Student Brandon Nonprasit sings “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child at the karaoke event. Photo by Andrew Hartnett.

by J.T. Buchheit

News Editor

jbuchhei@jccc.edu

Welcome Week consists of numerous activities for students to take part in in order to get to know other students. For one of the events on Thursday, Student Lounge held karaoke, which was free for all students.

“We did it last semester and a lot of students showed up, so we decided to do it again,” said student Amanda Wang,

Student Brandon Nonprasit sings “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child at the karaoke event. Photo by Andrew Hartnett.
Student Brandon Nonprasit sings “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child at the karaoke event. Photo by Andrew Hartnett.

who works in the Lounge.

Wang expects over 30 students to show up to the karaoke event and said she has received positive feedback about it.

“It seems to be going really well,” she said. “Everyone’s been wanting to sing more, and we’ve been going for a couple of rounds as well.”

Student Brandon Nonprasit sang “Say My Name” by Destiny’s Child. Nonprasit enjoys singing karaoke and does it as a hobby.

“It’s fun to sing with friends and have fun and sing old hits and sing in whatever goofy voice you want to sing in,” said Nonprasit. “It’s a way to express yourself in the funnest way possible.”

Nonprasit has enjoyed the festivities Welcome Week has provided and the opportunities it gives to students, especially with the way karaoke can bring people together. “It’s just a bunch of fun and laughter and people bonding and having fun over songs and stuff.”

Student Senate President John Rives talks about the Student Senator. Photo by Andrew Hartnett
Student Senate President John Rives talks about the Student Senator. Photo by Andrew Hartnett

In addition to karaoke, the Student Senate had lunch with any student who was interested in joining the Senate or had any questions or suggestions. Senate President John Rives urges students to take part in the Senate.

“It’s a really great opportunity to work with the administration to make a difference on campus,” said Rives. “We like to have as many senators as possible to be the most effective in the Student Senate.”

Rives hopes events like the lunch will help improve the relationship with students and get more of them to sign up for the Senate. The Student Senate has multiple goals they are striving to accomplish this semester.

“We want to hold more town hall meetings, and we’re hoping to hold some events that investigate some political stuff with the political clubs, so I think we’ll have a lot of fun,” Rives said.

Welcome Week will conclude tomorrow with a marathon of the show “Friends” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in COM 152.

Blue Man Group to perform at college for the first time

0
Blue Man Group is coming to the college for the first time. Photo courtesy of jccc.edu

by Graciela Becerra

Features Editor

gbecerr1@jccc.edu

Blue Man Group is coming to the college for the first time. Photo courtesy of jccc.edu
Blue Man Group is coming to the college for the first time. Photo courtesy of jccc.edu

For the first time, the Blue Man Group has brought its theatrical United States tour to the college.

Beginning on Friday, Jan. 22, the entertainment group will perform at Yardley Hall, located in the Carlsen Center, for three consecutive nights with a total of five performances.

“We expect that if it doesn’t sell out, it will be very close to sold out for all five performances,” said Sarah Cook, box office cashier.

The Blue Man Group was created by Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton and Chris Wink in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City. Since its start 25 years ago, The Blue Man Group has performed in 15 countries and has been seen by 35 million people. It has released five albums and attained permanent productions in Las Vegas, Orlando, Boston, Chicago, New York and Berlin.

“This season, I believe the Blue Man Group is the reason why season tickets have gone up 31 percent and single tickets have gone up 42 percent,” said Emily Behrmann, general manager of performing arts. “They attracted a lot of attention from the community.”

The Blue Man Group consists of bald blue characters that always appear in a group of three. Although their shows have no language or speaking, they have been known for their  vivid and vibrant incorporations of music, comedy and technology.

“It’s for everybody,” said Cook, “it’s family-friendly and entertaining for adults alike. We’ve definitely seen a lot of families.”

On what the college might gain from hosting such a popular group, Behrmann said it raises the profile for performing arts at the college and gives the community a better sense of what happens here.

The production aims to appeal to the five human senses and is suitable for all ages, languages and cultures. It introduces various themes and is often refreshed to consist of new and old content.

Show dates and times are Jan. 22 at 8 p.m., Jan. 23 at 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Jan. 24 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.

“Hopefully if [members of the community] come attend a show, they’ll see info and catalogs [in the Carlsen Center] and realize that the college is a great asset to the community, and they might come back.”

As of publication, more tickets are available for the Sunday night show and the box office is limited to balcony seating for Friday and Saturday. Tickets range from $55 to $135.

For more ticket information, visit the website or call the box office at 913-469-4445.

 

The 5th Wave author discusses book as movie adaptation nears release

0
Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

By: Sean Hull

Managing Editor

mhudso27@jccc.edu

5WV_DGTL_MKT_1SHT_FNL_2%5b1%5d
Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

The upcoming movie “The 5th Wave” starring Chloe Grace Moretz and directed by J Blakeson, will hit theaters nationwide this Friday, Jan. 22. The film is based on the book of the same name by Rick Yancey. “The 5th Wave” follows Cassie Sullivan as she navigates an Earth ravaged by alien invasion in search for her little brother Sam.  

The Campus Ledger recently received the opportunity sit in on a conference call with the author. Hit play to hear from Rick Yancey about his book being transformed into a film, his thoughts on dystopian high schools and why he describes the teenage years of one’s life as “apocalyptic.”

 

Yancey is also known for his books “The Monstrumologist,” The Alfred Kropp series, and his memoir “Confessions of a Tax Collector” about the 12 years he spent working as a debt collector for the Internal Revenue Service.   

Watch the trailer for the upcoming film here:

Contributions from ECAV Radio: Shawn Simpson, associate manager. 

Students, professors face challenges at start of semester

0
Spanish Professor Christina Wolff talks about her role in assisting students on campus as well as some of the difficulties and stresses she encounters while working. Photo by Andrew Hartnett.

by J.T. Buchheit 

News Editor

jbuchhei@jccc.edu

When a new semester begins, students have to adapt to new classes, new professors, and new classmates. For some, this can be overwhelming; luckily, the winter break gives students time to prepare for the challenges ahead.

Student Trent Markus talks about his plans and concerns for the spring semester in an interview with The Campus Ledger. Photo by Andrew Hartnett.
Student Trent Markus talks about his plans and concerns for the spring semester in an interview with The Campus Ledger. Photo by Andrew Hartnett.

“I just try to clear my head and relax and try not to stress out before the start of the semester,” said student Trent Markus. “I try to get an early start on getting stuff done for the semester.”

The approaching semester can cause worries among students for various reasons, including the amount of classes or the difficulty of certain courses. Markus is taking classes in game design and is concerned about his potential workload.

“[I’m worried about] the sheer course load I have right now,” he said. “I’m at the maximum course load I can have, so I just have a lot of hours right now.”

Another reason students could be overwhelmed is due to the fact that many of them are new and may have trouble navigating the college. Luckily, there are both students and faculty members willing to help them find the classrooms they need.

“[Helping students] is part of our job,” said Liz Loomis, administrative assistant. “It’s what we’re here to do.”

The people directing students to classrooms often have demanding jobs, fielding massive amounts of questions

Administrative Assistant Liz Loomis tells The Campus Ledger about her job and how hectic it can be during the first few days of class. Photo by Andrew Hartnett.
Administrative Assistant Liz Loomis tells The Campus Ledger about her job and how hectic it can be during the first few days of class. Photo by Andrew Hartnett.

from students about where to go.

“In a 20-minute time period today, I had questions from 30 students,” said Loomis.

Professors make sure to help students as much as they can on their first day of classes. Spanish professor Christina Wolff works in the Language Resource Center and aims to help students with whatever they need regarding those classes.

“I tell them about the services that we offer. I tell them about other labs that we have here on campus, such as the Academic Achievement Center, the Writing Center and the Math Lab,” Wolff said. “I let them know about D2L, about how they can go to the Academic Achievement Center to help them set up everything, and then I let them know about Access Services.”

Spanish Professor Christina Wolff talks about her role in assisting students on campus as well as some of the difficulties and stresses she encounters while working. Photo by Andrew Hartnett.
Spanish Professor Christina Wolff talks about her role in assisting students on campus as well as some of the difficulties and stresses she encounters while working. Photo by Andrew Hartnett.

Professors can also have a difficult time adjusting to new classes, especially in the familiarity department.

“[The hardest part] is not knowing who the students are,” said Wolff. “I’ve been teaching for a lot of years, and I get really nervous the first day of class.”

In addition to learning all of the students’ names, many professors have to adapt to potentially teaching classes they have little to no experience instructing.

“Last semester was the first semester I’ve had to teach Elementary Spanish II for a while,” Wolff said. “When I teach new classes, I just start looking at what the chapters are going to be, and I kind of forecast ‘What am I going to need to do? What sites am I going to need to tell students about?’ I kind of plan out the semester in my head and go chapter by chapter and start looking for resources.”

Students and teachers both have difficulties when it comes to a new semester, but they all have people who are willing to help them and make the transition as seamless as possible.

Movie review: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” delivers in a big way

0
Photo courtesy of Disney & Lucasfilm.

by Aksinya Kichigina

Reporting Correspondent

akichigi@jccc.edu

tfa_poster_wide_header-1536x864-959818851016
Photo courtesy of Disney & Lucasfilm.

 

 

"The Force Awakens": 5/5 petals
“The Force Awakens”: 5/5 petals

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” had a startling and tremendous impact on me as a viewer who had never seen any of the other episodes of the “Star Wars” movie before. As soon as the seventh episode of the film saga was released on Dec. 18, 2015, I rushed to a movie theater to watch the blockbuster without any background that would familiarize myself with the movie. Overall, the film astonished me by its fully shown details, remarkable computer effects, strong characters and well-built plot. Due to these reasons, I was able to enjoy and  understand what the movie was about and its connection to the previous episodes.

If you’re a person like me who hasn’t seen a “Star Wars” film before, the short version is that in a galaxy far, far away, a band of likely and unlikely heroes are a part of a rebellion battling to defeat the Galactic Empire, depicting the ultimate struggle between good and evil. But there’s a good chance you already knew that.

“The Force Awakens” picks up 30 years after the destruction of the second Death Star and what appears to be the fall of the Empire. However, all is not well in this galaxy far, far away, as Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), the sole remaining Jedi, has disappeared. In his absence, the First Order has risen from the ashes of the Galactic Empire, throwing the galaxy into turmoil once again. Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), now a general rather than a princess, leads the Resistance to oppose the First Order and also works to find her missing brother, Luke.  

Even without seeing previous “Star Wars” installments, the nostalgia in the room was often evident when old characters appeared onscreen. When Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) showed up on the Millennium Falcon, I was able to observe astonished reactions of people who were sitting next to me and watched that joy persist until the end of the film. And even though I did not know Han and Chewie’s background and what role they played in the movie, I still was pleased to see their positive intentions throughout the film.

While I was watching the movie, it was impossible to get distracted by something or leave the theater due to the gripping plot. The story that was developed throughout the film made me to keep watching and see what would happen next to the characters. What are Finn’s (John Boyega) intentions? Will the resistance find Luke? What is Rey’s (Daisy Ridley) role in all of this?And just who in the world is Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and why has he turned to the dark side?

Even though I saw the film in standard format, I still was amazed. An IMAX 3D is also available for an even more engrossing experience. In addition to my first exposure to the “Star Wars” universe, the theater was full of parents showcasing the universe on the big screen to children for the first time and nostalgic adults who remember seeing the first trilogy and/or the prequels in theaters.

I felt that Daisy Ridley’s character Rey introduces a strong new female lead that is likely to inspire many, and John Boyega’s character Finn is immediately likable and intriguing. I may even show up as Rey at my next Halloween party, and I bet I won’t be the only one.

I can confidently say that “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is worth seeing and pleasant to watch, even if you haven’t seen “Star Wars” before. If the reaction in the theater was any indication, and you’ve already been building toy X-Wings and reenacting lightsaber battles with your friends for years, you won’t leave disappointed. The new blockbuster brings a welcome jolt of energy, warmth and excitement. It has certainly motivated me to travel to a galaxy far, far away a few more times to discover this loved universe in its entirety.

 

Events occurring over the winter break

0
April 6, 2015: Freshman Chastity Franklin attempts to add more points to the board during the final NJCAA tournament game. Franklin is from St. Louis, Missouri. Photo by Mike Abell.

by J.T. Buchheit

News Editor

jbuchhei@jccc.edu

A few big events took place during the winter break, including President Obama’s executive order regarding gun control, the release of the long-awaited “Star Wars” film, the record-high Powerball lottery and, on a local level, the resounding success of the college’s male and female basketball teams.

Jan 29, 2015: President Barack Obama spoke at KU about middle class economics. Photo by Julia Larberg.
Jan 29, 2015: President Barack Obama spoke at KU about middle class economics. Photo by Julia Larberg.

Obama’s gun control order, which was proposed on Jan. 5, tightens laws on firearms, including enforcing stricter background checks and requiring a license to any business that sells guns. One student, Jacob Buchanan, is able to see the pros and cons of this proposal.

“On one side, it’s good to have regulations and background checks when purchasing a firearm, but at the same time, if it gets to the point where no one can purchase them and the government has all the firepower and the civilians don’t have anything, then what could possibly happen?”

Student Kathleen Caldwell-Bishop agrees regulations need to be in place, but she also believes the Constitution should play a part as well.

“I think there should be some type of restriction, but not one that would violate or discriminate against the individual,” she said. “There should be some restrictions, but not to offend or violate any person’s right of the Constitution.”

Photo credit to 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures, and Lucasfilm.
Photo credit to 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures, and Lucasfilm.

The most recent “Star Wars” movie has grossed nearly $2 billion after being out for less than a month and is expected to beat “Titanic.” However, overtaking “Avatar” as the top-grossing film in history looks questionable. Some believe that while the film is not the greatest of the series, it’s a quality movie.

“It’s definitely a ‘builder’ movie,” said student Daniel Armstrong. “It wasn’t meant to be the action flick of the year, but it definitely has the building blocks to be a great trilogy. It was on par with the first of each saga, since there’s been two trilogies already. So I think it’s just fine for the first movie in 3-D. … [In a sequel], I’m looking forward to seeing how the main character develops their Force powers.”

Related: “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” delivers in a big way

Photo courtesy of Kansas Lottery.
Photo courtesy of Kansas Lottery.

Another notable event is the Powerball lottery. It has reached the highest jackpot in history at approximately $1.6 billion. One student, Byron Mata, is playing in hopes to strike it rich.

“It’s 1.6 billion dollars,” said Mata. “That’s a lot of money, so why not [play]? I’d probably help some of the poor people if I won.”

Three winning tickets were drawn Wednesday night, January 13th, in California, Tennessee and Florida. For now, the three winners will split the record breaking jackpot, though there is still a chance more winners will come forward.

April 6, 2015: Freshman Chastity Franklin attempts to add more points to the board during the final NJCAA tournament game. Franklin is from St. Louis, Missouri. Photo by Mike Abell.
April 6, 2015: Freshman Chastity Franklin attempts to add more points to the board during the final NJCAA tournament game. Franklin is from St. Louis, Missouri. Photo by Mike Abell.

Finally, after playing games that took place during the break, both the men’s and women’s basketball teams at the college are among the top-ranked in the country. The women’s team is the best in the nation, with a current record of 18-0 and the men’s team is at number two at 16-2.

Welcome Week activities provide friendship opportunities

0

by Graciela Becerra

Features Editor

gbecerr1@jccc.edu

Welcome Week is set to begin on Tuesday, Jan. 19. The weeklong event is organized by student activities ambassadors and aims to help students connect with each other.

Kathryn Hunt, student activities ambassador, said Welcome Week is at the start of every fall and spring semester.

“We think about [activities] that would help engage students,” said Kayla McDougald, student activities ambassador. “The moral of the first day is usually the same: We provide food and drinks, and the next couple days is something different.”

This semester, the first day of Welcome Week, Tuesday, Jan. 19,  will include welcome-back snacks. Students will be given snacks at the Carlsen Center lobby and on the second floor of CLB and GEB from 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The following day, on Wednesday, Jan. 20, is titled “Winning Wednesday.” During this day, students will be able to play games and win prizes at the tables in COM between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 21 will consist of two events, including a karaoke party in the student lounge between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. as well as lunch with the Senate at COM 156 during the same hours as the karaoke party. During lunch with the Senate, students will be able to share their concerns and ideas as well as get information on joining the Senate.

Welcome Week will be wrapped up on Friday, Jan. 22 with a marathon of the show “Friends” in COM 152 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

“Students should attend Welcome Week because it’s a good way to connect and meet new people,” said McDougald. “Our campus is huge, but you’re more than likely to find someone there.”

 

Welcome desk employees help visitors, callers maneuver campus

0

By J.T. Buchheit

News Editor

jbuchhei@jccc.edu

The student welcome desk is one of the first places people see when entering the Student Center. The workers there aim to assist students in a variety of ways.

“Here at the student welcome desk, we make IDs for students, we print off schedules and just overall assist people with what they need,” said student and welcome desk employee Kevin Robertson. “We also sell different items. We have bus tickets, we sell Royals tickets during the regular season, we sell tickets for CoCo Keys and different stuff like that. The students don’t have to pay taxes on them, so that’s why a lot of them come here to buy their tickets.”

The workers don’t only help students on campus. One of their main responsibilities is to handle the many phone calls they receive per day.

JCAV Video — Learn more about the welcome desk and student activities ambassadors

“We’re also the operators for the school,” Robertson said. “We answer the phones and transfer people to whomever they need to speak to. … Students also have questions about their accounts, or someone’s just trying to get into contact with their professor. A lot of people have questions about when school starts, when the deadlines are or how to get to places like GEB. And when they call with the questions, we usually forward them to the front desk.”

According to Robertson, admissions are the most common redirect, both on the phone and in person, having to direct a person to admissions “every minute or two minutes.” All sorts of questions are asked, however, including a person once asking if they needed to be a student at the school in order to obtain an ID.

One of the workers, Administrative Assistant of Student Activities John Hanysz, has experience in the hiring of students for the welcome desk and stressed the importance of hiring those who want to work there.

“You try to find students that are passionate about trying to make a difference,” said Hanysz. “I don’t think it’s all about whether or not you’re a 4.0 student. We love to get those students who are high achievers, but I think it revolves around whether or not you have that passion.”

The people at the welcome desk want to engage students and make them feel welcome, so the workers take multiple steps to ensure all visitors are treated well.

“You want to know that these people will help you identify what your needs are,” said Hanysz. “Everyone who comes here is looking for direction, a friendly face, something that allows you to become a part of where you’ll be attending. Some of the ways [we do that] are the welcoming smile, taking a moment to listen to what your needs are rather than to just point people in a direction and say, ‘This is where you go.’ We try to answer every single question they have, regardless of whether or not we’re the department that actually takes care of that need.”

Java Jazz caffeinates campus

0

By Graciela Becerra

Features Editor

gbecerr1@jccc.edu

Java Jazz, located on COM 1.5, is one of the three espresso bars on campus. During the morning of the all-staff breakfast, which took place over winter break on Wednesday, Jan. 13, Java Jazz was nearly empty.

In response to whether or not the coffee shop saw a decline in sales because of the all-staff breakfast, Jessica Olinger, employee at Java Jazz, said, “It’s hard to say because school hasn’t started yet, so our sales aren’t the same. Our sales are cut in half right now because it’s just staff coming in.”

On a usual business day, Olinger estimates that Java Jazz would probably have about 300–350 customers.

“We’re usually busier in the mornings up until lunch time,” said Olinger. “Sometimes we have lines out the door, but they’re recurring customers. We have a lot of regulars.”

Recently, Java Jazz has reduced the amount of sugar in its drinks, and Olinger said nutrition sheets will be available for customers soon.

“From personal experience, our drinks are a lot sweeter than the other coffee shops on campus. I think that’s just because college students enjoy sugar,” said Olinger.

Java Jazz serves a variety of items including coffee, iced teas, specialty drinks, pastries, sandwiches and salads. However, Olinger thinks that their most popular drink is the Carmella.

“People who have never been [here] will usually get a Carmella or mocha,” said Olinger. “And lot of people don’t know the difference between a latte and a cappuccino.”

Java Jazz is open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. during the spring semester. Other espresso bars on campus include Encore Espresso, located in the Carlsen Center lobby, and Vibe, located on the second floor of CLB.

123Page 3 of 3