Four At-Large Seats Up For Grabs In 2025 JCCC Board Of Trustee Election

It is election season and JCCC is no stranger to that. This year, eight candidates are seeking four of the JCCC Board of Trustee’s positions up for election.

Earlier this month in JCCC’s Polsky Theater in the Midwest Trust Center, the candidates sat in a panel as the moderator Dr. Terri Easley-Giraldo, professor of Communication Studies, presented questions from the faculty and audience.

This, and many other forums throughout the election cycle, provide the community and students a glimpse into each candidate’s differences and how they approach various topics such as inclusivity, budget, taxes, and safety.

Further events will include a forum hosted by League of Women’s Voters of Johnson County on Wednesday Oct. 8, 5:30-6:30 p.m., at Olathe Indian Creek Library. Another, sponsored by Student Senate, CoLab, and the departments of History and Political Science on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025 at 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m..

To register to vote, please visit the Johnson County Election registration page.

– Israel Montantes

JCCC awarded The STARS Gold Award For Sustainability

Johnson County Community College was awarded the STARS Gold Award for Sustainability last May. The STARS award is a self-reported tracking, assessment, and rating system created by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

There are many ongoing sustainability efforts at the college, using solar panels for clean power, recycling efforts, and encouraging the use of buses and bicycles as opposed to driving a car to and from campus. There is also a storm water collection site that is home to 50 thousand native plants to help absorb and collect water.

Students can get involved with sustainability on campus by joining the Student Sustainability Committee or enrolling in one of the sustainability courses that are offered across more than nine different disciplines.

– Vivien O’Keefe

JCCC’s Hospitality and Culinary Academy, A Career Launch Pad

If you’re a campus explorer like I am, you probably have wandered into the culinary arts building on campus at some point, which is officially known as the Wylie Hospitality and Culinary Academy. In there, you may be welcomed with the delicious and comforting smell of whatever the student chefs have been cooking, and you can see the beautiful kitchens that they work in through large windows inside of the building. Thursday’s, you can even buy the amazing pastries they create.

But is it a good launching pad to a career? Opened in 2013, WHCA is home to several academic programs, including the Chef Apprenticeship, Food and Beverage Management, Hotel and Lodging Management, and Pastry/Baking programs. These programs give you the opportunity to learn skills and gain experience working in restaurants, hotels, bakeries, and more. This is a growing field that is expected to add over 1.5 million jobs (9.4% growth) over the next ten years, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

If you have a passion for food and/or hospitality, meet with an advisor to answer any questions regarding enrollment.

– Jacob Hajicek

Enhancing Campus Infrastructure: A New Parking Structure For The Fieldhouse

To meet the evolving needs of its community, the college is proposing a new parking structure as a key component of its Facilities Master Plan. This strategic investment aims to enhance arrival experiences for students, staff, and visitors while addressing current and future parking demands, according to the Strategic Plan.

The proposed structure, slated for the lot west of the Gym, will play a dual role. First, it will directly address the high demand for parking in this central campus area, which is a key access point for the Student Center and athletic facilities. Second, and perhaps more importantly according to the plan, the new structure will compensate for the loss of surface parking that will occur as future building projects—specifically additions to the Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC) and Public Safety programs—are implemented.

This is a huge win for students, these new plans will help minimize the daily parking struggle on campus. By building this structure, the college will not only replace 158 displaced stalls but also gain an additional 50 to 100 new parking spaces. That might mean no more arriving 30 minutes before class to play the parking lottery.

– Laney Strahan