The Campus Ledger - Vol. 36 Issue 1

AUGUST 29, 2013 VOL. 36

ISS. 1

CAMPUSLEDGER

the

OFFICIAL STUDENT-RUN PUBLICATION OF JOHNSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, OVERLAND PARK, KS

WELCOMING CAVALRY THE NEW

CAMPUS KICKOFF COVERAGE P. 16

MEET THE NEW COLLEGE PRESIDENT, JOE SOPCICH

BRAND-NEW CULINARY BUILDING OPENS FOR CLASSES

SUMMARY OF CHANGES TAKING PLACE AT THE COLLEGE

P. 2

P. 3

P. 8-9

2

NEWS

AUGUST 29, 2013 VOL 36

NEWSBRIEFS POLICEBRIEFS

BOARD OF TRUSTEES APPLICATIONS BEING ACCEPTED Applications for the opening on the Board of Trustees are being currently accepted. Those interested can submit an application and resume. Applications may be picked up in room 112 of the General Education Building (GEB) and also may be accessed through the college website. Applications will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on September 6.

A.L.I.C.E. VIDEO AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING The new A.L.I.C.E. video, “Write Your Own Script” is now available for viewing. All staff and faculty at the college were required to take an A.L.I.C.E. program class this summer. The program, which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate, is the

college’s official violent intruder response program. Students can view the video by going to: www.jccc.edu/administration/ police/emergency-preparedness/college-emergency-response-plan/campus-violence. html

PRESIDENT TO DELIVER FIRST PRESENTATION Joe Sopcich, the college’s new president, will deliver his first State of the College presentation at 1 p.m. onSeptember 12 in the Polsky Theatre, located in the Carlsen Center. The presentation is free and open to the public. Sopcich’s speech, entitled One Community, One College, One Goal will express new ambitions for the college, faculty, and students.

Compiled by Olivia Fox, staff reporter, ofox@jccc.edu.

WALLET STOLEN A student contacted campus police on August 20 when his wallet was stolen from the field house in the GYM building. The student was playing basketball with other students in the field house and left his backpack on the floor near the area.

The student had two credit/ debit cards, a social security card, a college identification card, gift card, insurance cards, and personal information in the wallet.

The student checked with his bank and found that someone had used his card at Panda Express.

CATALYTIC CRIME Campus police were dispatched on August 17 after two students discovered their catalytic converters under their cars were cut off. Both students parked their vehicles in the sports lot on August 16 and, upon returning, found them to make unusual noises.

ISSUE 1

HIT AND RUN Campus police were contacted on August 21 in regards to a hit and run traffic accident occurring in the Library east parking lot.

The student parked his car in the lot, returned a few hours later and discovered his rear driver’s side door to be struck in. There was no information left by the hit and run driver.

Compiled by Olivia Fox, staff reporter, ofox@jccc.edu.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US! PICK UP OUR NEXT ISSUE TO LEARN WHAT THE COLLEGE WAS LIKE 35 YEARS AGO

Meet the new college president

By Stephen Cook

College president Joe Sopcich may be in a new position, but he is not new to the college. Sopcich first started at the college in October of 1992 and has served in a number of roles before becoming elected college president in May earlier this year.

In addition to his role as

Photo by Mike Abell college president, Sopcich also continues his role as a teacher this semester. His class, BUS 121, Introduction to Business, meets on Monday evenings.

“My favorite part about teaching is learning about the students’ lives and recognizing that these students

have incredibly busy lives and some of the students are dealing with incredible adversity and how they’re dealing with that.” Sopcich said.

“It’s always so impressive to me that they have the determination and the grit to stick with it.”

Additionally, Sopcich said teaching allows him to experience what the faculty experiences. Through receiving student feedback, he is also able to see how the college operates from that perspective.

At the age of 45, Sopcich went back to school, graduating at 50 with a PhD in higher education administration and leadership from the University of Kansas.

“The role that education’s played in my life is critical,” Sopcich said.

Years ago, after graduating from undergrad school, Sopcich said he couldn’t get a job. So he went back to school

to get an MBA. He then got a job in Chicago in advertising.

Sopcich has worked a variety of jobs, not just at the college but in several different fields. Having been in fields ranging from education to advertising to sewage, Sopcich said everything makes a difference.

“All that stuff adds up, it all creates a network of experiences and background that influences how you look at things,” Sopcich said.

Looking ahead to this semester, Sopcich has certain goals he wants to see accomplished.

The first component of his plan is the announcement of some Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

“Key Performance Indicators are very important to our accreditation process and how we introduce ourselves to the state,” Sopcich said.

“Hopefully it’ll elevate our performance across many ar-

eas that will ultimately benefit the students.”

Also, a “facelift” will be made to the college’s strategic plan, since it has been about five or six years since the last update, according to Sopcich. The changes to the plan will be tied together with the KPIs. “We’re also going to take a pretty good step back and kind of reassess our budget and where we’re at and where we need to go,” Sopcich said.

Jerry Cook, Board of Trustees chair, said the challenges facing Sopcich this semester, both at the college and in the community, are accelerated compared to times in the past. However, Cook believes this is a great opportunity for Sopcich.

SEE ‘SOPCICH’ ON PAGE 7

the CAMPUSLEDGER

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NEWS 3

New culinary building open for classes

By Austin Wells

The Culinary and Hospitality program is ready to step up their game this semester, having moved their headquarters to the brand-new $13 million facility. As one of the most successful culinary programs in the nation, the college’s 700 culinary students will learn, cook and serve in the newest building on campus.

Of those 700 enrolled, 525 of them are degree seeking in Culinary and Hospitality. They have five degrees to choose from, with another choice of two certificates.

Lindy Robinson, Dean of Business, had a vision of building a new facility for the Culinary and Hospitality program. After receiving a

gift of $750,000 from David Wysong, Lindy had teamed up with Wysong and the JCCC Foundation to work on a plan to take this proposal to the board or trustees.

From there, the Board of Trustees challenged the foundation to raise $3 million in 24 months. If this was accomplished, the board would provide the rest of the funding for the new facility. 18 months later, the foundation had fundraised $3.2 Million Dollars. After presenting the money to the board, the new $13 Million Dollar, 36,000 sq. ft. facility was approved.

“Once the [Board of Trustees] approved the building, DLR was hired as the architect and the entire process took approximately two years”

Robinson said.

Ona Ashley, Director of Hospitality Management, thinks very highly of the new building. “[It’s] amazing. We finally have a building that reflects the quality of our students,” Ashley said.

This past spring, the Culinary Team had traveled to New Zealand winning Best appetizer and Entrée. This summer, the team traveled to Costa Rica where they won a gold medal.

In addition to their awards, the Culinary and Hospitality program is accredited by the American Culinary Federation.

SEE ‘CULINARY’ PAGE 7

ON

College improves tech

Money is invested to improve Wi-Fi, develop new mobile app Campus Police. It can also students and faculty trying to

By Josh Bull be used to search the campus access the wireless network.

The college implemented a tech fee of $3 per credit hour on student tuition to help fund an effort to improve network access in 2011. This money has been used to fund a variety of tech improvements, including improved Wi-Fi coverage, a second Internet connection and a smart phone app.

Through a partnership with Cisco Systems and CDW-G, a secondary division of CDW Corporation, the college has made improvements to its wireless network on campus and released a smart phone app to help students access the Internet on campus and use college services.

The JCCC Mobile smart phone app can be used to access content on the college website and more. Along with accessing a student’s schedule, checking grades and paying tuition, it can be used to check the college’s Facebook, Twitter and Youtube pages, as well as the Campus Ledger and any phone numbers relevant to the college, including the

bookstore and library, campus jobs and faculty.

“One of the things we knew in the beginning is that we didn’t want to roll out a mobile app just in a hurry just because we could. We wanted to roll it out and have it provide you value from the very beginning,” Sandra Warner, Deputy CIO, said.

JCCC Mobile is available on Android and iOS devices.

Beyond JCCC Mobile, the college has improved its WiFi access.

“Obviously, wireless is a big part of a student’s needs on a college campus today, and so a lot of enhancements have been made in that arena,” Warner said.

Every building on campus and many outdoor areas, including the baseball field, now have wireless access and more access points will be installed.

“We’ve got others we’re going to add on campus to improve coverage,” Matt Holmes, Administrator of Computer Services, said.

Also implemented was the log in system used by

“Our wireless prior basically had an open network, so to speak,” Martin Huerter, Network Architect, said. “An open wireless network, with your BYOD, bring your own device being so popular, we had to address that. So we implemented the identity service.”

The college hopes that students notice the improvements as they use the wireless network and that the classroom experience is enhanced by these improvements.

“We’re really excited to be able to offer that experience campus wide, indoor and outdoor, the mobile app, the whole thing is really exciting,” Warner said. “We hope that the experience in the classroom is better, but this is, I think, where the fun is because now you really get to have an improved user experience and user interface to interact with the college.”

Contact Josh Bull, reporting correspondent, at jbull3@jccc. edu.

Photos by Julia Larberg.

At the new culinary center, students are offered a wide range of cooking and hospitality classes. Photo by Julia Larberg

How has your experience with the wireless network been?

“The Wi-Fi isn’t really working that well. I think that every building should have a Wi-Fi because its, like, Wi-Fi’s in one building and you’re on the other side, its not really gonna work that well.” - Sonya Njoroge

“Its pretty good. Sometimes, you kinda lose the Internet, but then it comes back right away.” - Catie Pitman

“Inside the building of JCCC, its been really reliable Wi-Fi, however, outside in the courtyard, not so much. I've used the mobile app this morning, actually. It was really reliable. I got to log in and everything, however, it was difficult to access Angel on the mobile app, but any other things, I was able to log in.” - Tiffany Rutschman “I say its been pretty good. I get pretty good service anywhere in this school.

Also, outside of the school. Its given me a lot of chances to really finish my schoolwork, go on the Internet, do what I need to do.” - Sterling Fuller

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Competing with coffee

WWW.CAMPUSLEDGER.COM

NEWS 5

World champion barista a former student of the college

By Stephen Cook

For Pete Licata, there is much more to a cup of coffee than just brewing up a quick cup of Folgers in the morning before heading out the door.

For Licata, creating a cup of coffee is an intricate process. He would know, as he is the 2013 World Barista Champion.

Licata, who graduated from the college in 2008, began working at P.T.’s coffee in 2003 while taking classes.

P.T.’s was right across from the college and he would frequent the café to get a cup of coffee and study. Although he was originally looking for another kind of part-time job, he was offered a job and eventually decided to work at P.T.’s While working at P.T.’s, Licata also learned about competing as a barista.

He was able to win regional events and progress on to the national level.

Holly Bastin, a long-time friend of Licata’s, hired him in 2003 as a barista and trained him as well.

“He’s very disciplined in his approach and very good at keeping his focus on what it is that he’s going for,” Bastin said.

Bastin has witnessed Licata’s progress over the years, coaching him at the world competition.

“He always wanted to compete against people doing their best as well and to encourage that,” Bastin said. “He’s worked very hard, and he’s earned every bit of it.”

In the final round at the world competition, Licata created a sort of non-alcoholic coffee cocktail for his signature

drink. During practice, Licata said the challenge was finding the right taste, trying to find a way to make it bitter.

Since any amount of alcohol will get you disqualified, Licata had to try and find another way – discovering a product able could add that bitterness.

“All of a sudden it blossomed, turned into this amazing drink,” Licata said.

“It was such a simple thing, it was literally three ingredients.”

Licata said although it’s is up to you to be creative, it is still about adapting the judges.

“They want you to do something that enhances and elevates the flavor and the coffee itself,” Licata said. “Like, this coffee tastes wonderful by itself, how do you make it taste better and make it really truly something that enhances it?”

Having been to the many competitions before, including the world event where he placed second, Licata had become familiar with the format. Despite this, it was even more intense for Licata. “[It was] the most nerve wracking thing you can imagine because now I’ve been there before,” Licata said.

Total, Licata had previously placed second in four or five finals.

“You get kind of used to it,” Licata said. “[When you win], talk about a relief and a shock to the system, cause then you don’t know what to do.”

In addition to creating a great cup of coffee for the judges, Pete said the competitions are also about presentation. As you prepare the coffee you tell a story and give information about the

MAN on the STREET:

processes involved.

“The pressure I put on myself, of performance, it’s like everybody’s expecting a lot out of me,” Licata said. “Am I going to live up to the expectations and you start worrying about it and you kind of psych yourself out.”

Joe Paris, Pete Licata stands in the Parisi Coffee roasting plant with co-founder of his world championship trophy. Photo by Julia Larberg Parisi coffee, has worked with Licata since hiring works at the roasting plant.

“At Parisi, probably I would say my him in November of 2012.

“He understands all the different favorite thing about it is that I get the apsects of the coffee, you have to be opportunity to affect all aspects of the good enough to take what you know coffee here,” Licata said.

Currently, Licata has ideas about and to make subtle changes depending on who’s judging you,” Paris said. what he would like to do in the future, “Knowing that and making the neces- but is undecided.

“Being the world barista champion sary changes is what makes Pete the is not just a title, for me at least,” Licata champion.”

Licata is currently the Quality Assur- said. It’s also a responsibility and it’s a ance Manager at the Parisi Coffee roast- kind of an ambassador of coffee to peoing plant. He oversees the testing and ple around the world and throughout sampling of coffee to learn more about the United States.” it in order to make better drinks. LicaContact Stephen Cook, editor-in-chief, at ta also spends some time in the Parisi cafes, working with other baristas and scook35@jccc.edu. providing advice, although he mainly

Are you planning on getting involved at the college this semester?

Amanda McGhee

Nick Genaris

Melissa McClary

Willie Hunt

Josh Mayo

“I’m thinking the intramural volleyball club. I played volleyball for five years before I moved out of state. I just really want to play volleyball.”

“I don’t really know what clubs there are, this is literally my first day here. If they have intramural soccer, I’d probably do that.”

“Probably not. I say that because I’m pregnant, so I don’t think sports will be happening for me this year.”

“I hadn’t really thought about it, actually. I don’t think I have enough time; just enough time for class, actually.”

“So far no. I’m a full time single dad, and I’m trying to work full time on top of going to school full time. I got a lot going.”

Photos by Laura Cobb, compiled by David Hurtado, Features Editor, dhurtado@jccc.edu.

6 FEATURES

AUGUST 29, 2013 VOL 36 ISSUE 1

Classical music station sets up headquarters on campus

By Katelyn Larson

Classical music is back.

Or rather, Bach. After almost a year of silence, the once terrestrial Radio Bach station is now broadcasting online, live from the college.

Founded in 1959 by classical music lovers, the then hugely popular station broadcast on FM radio in Kansas City. In 2000, the station moved to AM and its audience plummeted.

After ten years of slowly moving along, Entercom, the broadcasting company under which Radio Bach ran, decided to cut the station altogether.

This caused a problem for more than just listeners and employees at Radio Bach.

Several organizations in the Kansas City arts community relied on the station as a way of advertising. The fact that the college took on the project of Radio Bach’s revival is greatly appreciated by the art groups in town, according to Patrick Neas, program director.

“They’re losing more and

more ways to get their message out,” said Neas, of the art groups.

“This is for them too, a great opportunity.”

In addition to working with Radio Bach for more than twenty years, Neas writes a weekly column that appears in the Sunday paper of the Kansas City Star.

One of the biggest goals Neas said he has for Radio Bach is to implement ways for students on campus to become more involved with the project.

Having been a classical music lover himself since high school, Neas knows there are people in our generation that share his love for it.

“What I love most about working with Johnson County Community College, is that I can utilize the people and resources the campus has to offer,” he said.

B:5” One of the ways the college T:5”Bach are teaming up and Radio is through S:5” promoting events

at the Carlsen Center. Emily Behrmann, general manager of Performing Arts at the college, has advertised upcoming events at the Carlsen Center through Radio Bach for years.

According to Neas, she played a key part in presenting to the college the idea of keeping Radio Bach alive, but as a web streaming station.

“Other college departments have that option, now that Radio Bach exists again, to advertise events across the campus,” Behrmann said.

Many other faculty members have been a huge help in making Radio Bach possible.

According to Vincent Miller, director of the Educational Technology Center, potential partnerships growing out of the project will benefit the college and students in many ways.

“The station’s local history and depth of listener loyalty

Patrick Neas, Program Director of Radio Bach. Photo by Laura Cobb To learn more about Radio provide the college with an opportunity,” Miller said. “To Bach and to listen online, visit connect our students with an radiobach.com.

Contact Katelyn Larson, initiative that is important to correspondent, at the arts community across the reporting klarso27@jccc.edu. metro region.”

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FEATURES 7

“SOPCICH” CONT. FROM PAGE 2 “I believe that Dr. Sopcich is a relationship builder, and I believe that’s critical in today’s world,” Cook said. “I believe he’s got a personality that is going to really assist him in having people get to know him and he getting to know people.”

Elliot Rogers, president of Student Senate, said the group is hoping to have an open door policy in their communication with Sopcich.

“We really want to keep information going back and forth; we want to have as much communication as pos-

sible with him,” Rogers said.

Also, Rogers views this as a fresh start for both himself and Sopcich, both being new presidents in their respective positions.

“I actually feel this is a bit of a unique advantage in me coming into office here, because not only am I a brand new president, but I get to step in alongside of a brand new faculty president,” Rogers said. “Neither of us have any customs, as it were, in how we’re going to run our positions.”

From a student level, Rogers said Sopcich has been willing to communicate.

“He’s showing us, demon-

strating every time we meet with him just how much he wants to be a part of our experience as students,” Rogers said.

Deb Williams, president of the faculty association, said Sopcich has been great about welcoming opportunities to meet with faculty during this initial process.

“We have been very pleased that President Sopcich has been very transparent with a lot of different items, including the budget,” Williams said. “He is really making great strides to involve faculty in the input process and requesting feedback to a lot of initiatives that he has al-

ready set forth.”

William also said he has really “hit the ground running” and described his changes as “pretty significant”, given the short period of time he has been in office.

Working now and through the semester, Sopcich said probably his biggest challenge is the demand on his time.

“The demands on one’s time is pretty critical,” Sopcich said. “One of Dr. Calaway’s pieces of advice to me was about the importance of maintaining a good balance in managing your schedule and he’s right.”

To relax, Sopcich enjoys

spending time with his family, including his wife whom he’s been married to for 26 years, as well as following college football and running.

Sopcich’s focus is on being successful in accomplishing his goals this year, in the end benefiting students.

“It’s a real honor and privilege to be in this position,” Sopcich said. “I’ve been kind of overwhelmed with the response I’ve received from members of the community and even internally. So you can never take that responsibility too lightly.”

“CULINARY” CONT. FROM PAGE 3 With one of the largest Culinary apprenticeships in the nation, students have to go through 75 credit hours for their Associates Degree. On top of that they must have

6,000 hours on the job training over a three-year span.

The culinary team is traveling to South Korea for the next competition. One team is selected per country for these competitions. The college’s culinary team has been

chosen as the representative for the United States.

Edward Adel, assistant professor, will be the coach for this competition.

“As I trained and started learning in a kitchen, when I truly began to take steps to

become a chef, an old man once said to me, ‘become the Jack of all Trades, but master of none”, Adel said.

The new Culinary and Hospitality Academy showcases the success and hard work the students in the program

have put in. The new building can be found on the west side of the JCCC campus.

®

Contact Stephen Cook, editorin-chief, at scook35@jccc.edu.

Contact Austin Wells, reporting correspondent, at awells29@ jccc.edu

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8

IN FOCUS

AUGUST 29, 2013 VOL 36

ISSUE 1

New college organizational structure implemented

By Stephen Cook With a new president, a new organizational structure and a new semester, there has been discussion about how the campus will change over the next few months.

President Joe Sopcich, in a plan to cut costs and save money, has been looking carefully at what that will mean.

“In addition to the budget and the key performance indicators, I wanted to take a hard look at the college’s organizational structure,” Sopcich said in an email sent out to college staff. “I knew I wanted to limit the number of people reporting to me directly and for divisions and departments to be grouped in ways that would enhance discussion, collaboration, efficiency and effectiveness.”

With the dismissal of certain individuals, the positions they once held have been removed as well.

“Please note that no new positions have been created as a part of this re-organization,” Sopcich said. “Based on our operational needs and budget challenges, certain departments have been eliminated.”

These changes have put staff and faculty in a state of uncertainty, according to Deb Williams, president of the faculty association.

“People are wondering, am I next?,” Williams said at the August 15 Board of Trustees meeting.

“What programs are vulnerable?”

There are alternatives available to eliminating faculty positions,

according to Williams.

“I hope we will never put ourselves in a position where we’re racing to the bottom line without looking at impacts of those decisions beyond the monetary one,” Williams said. “When you squeeze resources so much you start to see impacts on quality.”

Jerry Cook, Board of Trustees chair, said it is about obtaining information and making the best choices possible.

“Our challenge is to not fear the conflict but to see where the different positions are and again make the best decisions we can,” Cook said at the August 15 Board of Trustees meeting. “While we ask for information, it doesn’t always mean then that the decisions

NEW SEMESTER

will always appease all the people that gave that insight.”

The 2013-14 college budget was approved at the August Board of Trustees meeting. Work on the 2014-15 budget will begin this October and November.

Although a one mill levy increase was decided on, Williams wondered why it was assumed taxpayers wouldn’t pay more, considering the local influence of the college.

“It’s not a drain or a parasite on the community,” Williams said.

“But rather a very impacting presence.”

Contact Stephen Cook, editor-inchief, at scook35@jccc.edu.

“In addition to the budget an cators, I wanted to take a organizational struc

Melody Rayl resigns from Board of Trustees

By Stephen Cook Melody Rayl, previous member of the Board of Trustees and former Chair, resigned from her position at the end of July, citing a desire to spend more time with family.

Rayl had been a trustee since 2008, serving as the board chair from 2012 to 2013. When she was first appointed to the board, she was also working as an adjunct instructor for the college. Previous to that, Rayl was on faculty.

“It was a very difficult decision because I have been part of Johnson County Community College since 1986 when I first attended classes there,” Rayl said. “I enjoyed being a part of the college and my role on the board.”

Ultimately the decision came down to trying to find a work-life balance in her life.

“I began to realize that my time with [my family] is very limited but I want to make the most of that time,” Rayl said. “I just didn’t feel like I could devote the time

that the citizens deserve and the college deserve in my role on the board.”

Jerry Cook, current chair of the Board of Trustees, said he was initially disappointed when he learned of Rayl’s resignation.

“Melody brought a rich experience to the board, having been a faculty member here, having been engaged with the college as she has,” Cook said.

To fill the vacant position on the board, Cook said he is looking for someone with the same level of passion for the position, but a new set of experiences or a new

set of training that would bring a new dimension to the group. Applications are being accepted until September 6 with the new trustee being present at the October meeting.

Through her balance in decision making, Cook was able to learn a lot from Rayl.

“Melody loved students, she loved the college, she was passionate about being a trustee, she was a very effective trustee,” Cook said. “Our charge will be to find somebody who can take that position from that step and build it into another contributing dimension to our board and to the college for the benefit of the student, of the teaching-learning process.”

Rayl said the moment she made her decision was when she hit the button to print her resignation letter. Up until that point she was still thinking about the decision.

It wasn’t until the end of July that her choice was finalized.

Deb Williams, president of the faculty association, said she was not only personally surprised but other faculty weighed in with their opinions as well.

“She was actually one of the four candidates endorsed by the association,” Williams said. “We were looking forward to working with her throughout another term.”

At the July Board of Trustees meeting, Rayl’s persistence for a one mill levy increase was appreciated by the faculty, meaning more taxpayer dollars would be brought back into the institution, according to Williams.

SEE ‘RAYL’ ON PAGE 14 Photo courtesy of the college

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IN FOCUS 9

Enrollment at the college declines six percent

By David Hurtado It’s the first day of school and the numbers are in. 16,073 students are enrolled at the college as of August 20, according to MargE Shelley, assistant dean of Enrollment, a six percent decrease from last year.

Although the numbers are down from previous years, Dennis Day, vice president, Student Success, said this trend is not specific to the college alone. He said as the economy slowly gets back on its feet, less people are seeking higher education.

“The national trend right now with the economy being in a better shape than it was, less people will go to higher education,” Day said. “Because, during really bad times, they either go for re-training or a place to go to because

they don’t have jobs and they can get financial aid; we had a big spike in financial aid during that time period.”

According to data from the National Student Clearinghouse, two-year public institutions like the college experienced a two to three percent drop in enrollment during the last three years. As the economy is slowing recovering from the 2008 recession, colleges across the board are experiencing enrollment drops.

Many people point to the improving economy for decreasing enrollment at the college, but others think the enrolling process is cumbersome and confusing due to a lack of clear directions around campus and, at times, irregular counseling office hours.

nd the key performance indihard look at the college’s cture.” -Joe Sopcich

Despite misgivings toward the enrollment process, the college has made efforts to make enrolling easier for students. Recently, for the duration of late enrollment, a podium has been placed near the Student Services Desk and additional signs have been set up to direct students around campus quicker.

Anna Strickland, student, Student Services, said during the enrollment period, typically 150 people will come to the Student Services desk with questions on a given day. She said most of these are simple questions, asking where the restroom or Financial Aid Office can be found.

“I have seen people being helped at the podium at the front,” Strickland said. “I think it

has done a lot, because they actually see somebody to talk to.”

In addition to the rebranding efforts, Day said the college’s marketing group has been discussing different strategies in the past few months for attracting students to the college. He said there are three age groups of students they focus on: 17 to 21 year olds, 24 to 29 year olds and 30 to 39 year olds.

The college’s policy toward late enrollment has also received criticism in the case of students not able to enroll right away due to personal or financial reasons.

Students who wish to enroll in a course must do so prior to the first day the class meets.

SEE ‘ENROLLMENT’ ON PAGE 14

NEW CHALLENGES

Changes coming to Brown & Gold program

By Stephen Cook When Brown & Gold club members went to enroll this fall, some were told the program was no longer available and others were unable to find information about membership. Likewise, some members went to the campus fitness center, only to be told the program would no longer be happening.

Judy Korb, executive vice president of academic affairs and operations, said this information was born from an initial misunderstanding at a meeting earlier this year.

“It wasn’t really misinformation,” Korb said. “It was just sort of like people acting on the discussion that had taken place before it was really, actually finalized and all the whole process was in place and all the decisions had been made so that everybody knew here’s what needs to happen, when.”

Now, information is being gathered so concrete decisions can be made for the spring.

The club currently allows those 55 and older to take free classes, use the fitness center and receive discounts to events for a yearly fee of $10.

At the end of the summer, focus groups were held, made up of folks from the Brown & Gold advisory board, active club members and individuals who had contacted the college looking to provide feedback about the topic.

“At the focus groups we pretty much just ask them what benefits they have taken advantage of, what benefits they would most like to see retained, trying to get an idea of what parts of this are most important to people,” Korb said.

One of the ideas being considered involves negotiations with an organization that cannot currently be named.

“We are looking at merging activities with another organization that provides similar benefits,” Korb said.

Joe Sopcich, president, has been

looking at the budget to see where money can be saved.

“We’re kind of stepping back, we’re looking at different programs and assessing them,” Sopcich said. “With Brown & Gold, basically is there a better way that we can do this, a better more efficient way that we can still meet people’s needs?”

Though classes may be free for club members, Sopcich said the college still has to budget for the cost.

“Our interpretation of the state statute was that whenever anybody takes the class we have to cover the cost,” Sopcich said.

“Those costs then were put in our budget. So if those costs were eliminated, then we have budget savings.”

The way costs for the club are accounted for means the money still needs to be in the budget.

“It’s not like we’re writing a check to anybody, but we still have to have that money budgeted,”

Sopcich said. “So if you budget $150,000 or you budget $300,000 and you don’t have to budget anymore, that money can be used for something else, or it can be savings.”

Sopcich said these choices are all about the budget.

“I believe last year we allocated $330,000 to cover that, and that’s a lot of money,” Sopcich said.

Paula Smith, who has been involved with the Brown and Gold program for about seven years, said the program is very unique to the college and members aren’t negatively affecting classes.

“I don’t know if there’s any other programs like this,” Smith said.

“I think it’s really good because if a younger student hasn’t signed up for that program by the deadline when we can sign up, they’re not going to sign up. We’re not taking seats away from anyone else.”

SEE ‘BROWN & GOLD’ ON PAGE 14

10 ETC

AUGUST 29, 2013 VOL 36 ISSUE 1

CAMPUSLEDGER

the

CROSSWORD

STAFF

EDITORIAL BOARD Stephen Cook Editor-in-chief scook35@jccc.edu 913-469-8500 ext. 4297 David Hurtado Features editor dhurtado@jccc.edu

OFFICIAL STUDENT-RUN PUBLICATION OF JOHNSON COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE, OVERLAND PARK, KS

Mac Moore Sports editor mmoore82@jccc.edu

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Lindsay Sax Copy editor lsax@jccc.edu

Andrea Thomas Design assistant athoma26@jccc.edu

Lauren Rutledge Illustrator correspondent lrutled2@jccc.edu

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REPORTERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS Olivia Fox Staff reporter ofox@jccc.edu

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OPINION 11

STAFF EDITORIAL

Impacting enrollment: numbers are falling The four year run was magical but now it is over. After reaching record enrollment in 2009, the college has now experienced an enrollment drop for the fall semester that will leave the college reevaluating how it will conduct business in the years to come.

After four years of maintaining full capacity now the college estimates a drop for the Fall 2013 semester. The college has benefitted from the 2008 recession. Two-year institutions saw an 8.3 percent increase from 2008-2009 with traditional age first time students, according to National Student Clearinghouse research.

The college website indicates that in Fall 2009 the college broke its record for enrollment with 20,401 students. By Fall 2012, enrollment was still at 20,443. The Board of Trustees approved the 2013-2014 budget with the expectation for a three percent drop in enrollment from Fall 2012 to Fall 2013.

The drop in enrollment has started whispers around the campus. The arrow is no longer pointing up and members of the college are left to wonder what future enrollment might look like. The economy is at least showing signs of recovery, the prognosticators sounding less foreboding in their projections. An improved economy is a great sign for the country, but not necessarily the best sign for a school that has advertised themselves as the cost friendly institution.

The truth is the cheaper cost of a two-year institution does not seem to be the only key to their success over the last four years. According to the National Student Clearinghouse, research on enrollment shows that schools similar to the college have steadily lost two to three percent enrollment in the last three years. The reactionary jump to community colleges -- because of the recession -- ended in 2010.

The college bucked the trends throughout the nation,

COLUMN

By Stephen Cook

If you’ve had trouble keeping up with all of the changes on campus, worry no longer – the Campus Ledger is back in full swing this fall with plenty of

COLUMN

By David Hurtado Reading is absurd, isn’t it?

Page after page of text. Conversations played out in our minds in which we have no part of. Why do we bother?

Sometimes it’s just a way to pass the time. For others, books open portals to worlds more fantastic than our own. Humans are naturally curious creatures; we hunt for treasure, rarely satisfied, seeking answers to the big questions in life.

Unless you are exceptionally

during a time when only four-year private non-profit institutions continue to maintain enrollment numbers. Twoyear public institutions like the college lost an average of 2.3 percent enrollment from the Spring 2012 to Spring 2013 semesters. Across the board there was two percent drop.

The drop in enrollment for Fall 2013 should not send our school into a fervor or panic of any kind. The options are also not between panic and idly sitting by. The numbers are showing a return to the higher standard (and more expensive) universities. Changes will have to be made, not only by the college, but by all colleges across the country.

Obama’s August 22 speech on the future of government money involved in financial aid is something to keep an eye on. The President tossed around the idea of connecting a college rating to financial aid money, giving a higher federal grant and more affordable loans to students at higher rated institutions. If any parts of his detailed plan come to pass, the federal money allocated to colleges will change vastly over the next decade.

Simply being a cheaper college will not net the same monetary support as being an efficient college that creates a level of learning in line with their tuition costs. Viewing it that way, the most significant effect of the enrollment decrease is its role to approve the budget cuts.

The Board of Trustees remain vocal that the cuts are simply the trimming of the fat and eliminations of redundancies in spending. Hopefully that remains true, because if the college lowers the quality of the education as means to save money in the short term, future changes to the federal dispersal of funds may harm the college in the years to come.

If the college does not want the 2009-2013 years to be

Illustration by Lauren Rutledge, illustrator correspondent the golden age of enrollment at the college, the Board of Trustees may want to tread carefully with budget concerns in the next few years. President Obama’s outline, if passed, may finally reward the college for its high quality low price education that it delivers. That is, if it stands strong even when the up arrow starts to point the other way for a couple years.

Welcome back Cavaliers

important news and exciting features coming your way.

Not only is it a new semester with new students, but we have a new president, a new building and new challenges. We’ll be here to cover it all and we’ll be the asking the questions so you don’t have to.

In addition to our biweekly print publication, our website, Facebook page and Twitter will be busier than ever making sure

we quickly relay information and keep you up-to-date. Additionally, we will be live-tweeting meetings and events around campus so you can know what is literally happening at that very minute.

Also, look for more onlineexclusive stories, along with video coverage from JCAV TV. If you have any questions, concerns or news tips, please feel free to let us know – we want to

hear what you like as well as what you hate. We’re always open for feedback and suggestions. Also, if you’d like to write us a letter for publication expressing your mind, check out the guidelines on page 10 for more info.

I know it’s been said a million times, but this is a community college, not just a college. If we can create something together as a community, then we can become

something far greater than just a place you come to take classes and take tests.

I am extremely excited for this semester and we have an awesome, hard-working staff with many new faces. I can assure you that you will not be disappointed.

Thank you for reading!

Contact Stephen Cook, editor-in-chief, at scook35@jccc.edu

A better life through literature

Books enable us to be wiser, more compassionate individuals

gifted in the ways of Google-fu, these answers won’t be found on the Internet; they will be tucked away within the pages of countless books.

According to Statistic Brain, 42 percent of college students will never read another book after graduating. The total number of American adults unable to read at the eighth grade level stands at 50 percent. When books are more readily available then at any other point in history, how are these statistics even possible?

I don’t know whether that stems from a lack of local libraries -- which is highly unlikely -- or because people don’t understand the value of reading. Maybe it’s because people can’t be bothered to occupy their spare time with something

other than a brightly-lit screen; watching funny cat videos can be very addicting and time consuming.

Sarcasm aside, books are not dusty, decrepit relics from a time before computers. Libraries contain the wisdom and knowledge of generations who have come before us. Reading books that your professor assigns you is well and good, but outside reading is where the mind flourishes. No, I’m sorry, just because you read Dr. Seuss’s “Green Eggs and Ham” one time in the third grade does not mean you’ve done outside reading.

Reading opens the world and the human experience to everyone, no matter what his or her social status. There are books on every subject written for almost every level

of understanding. They offer new perspectives on life--allowing us to understand ourselves and others better through the emotions of the story.

Sure you can get a college degree and pass exams by browsing the web for almost every answer, but when it comes to the real world, that won’t work. Sitting down and reading a book builds an information database inside your head. As we learn more about the world around us, the brain adds new thoughts and ideas onto the existing framework.

Books are the fuel of the mind, that great machine which enables creation and innovation and powers the engine of the world. There are no right or wrong books you should or shouldn’t be reading. It doesn’t

matter whether you read from paper or tablet. Just find something you like and let your mind explore the world within the pages.

I’m an avid bookworm; I’ve read many great books, including science fiction and autobiographies.

If you’re still not convinced reading is a worthwhile investment, give one of these a shot: “A Thousand Splendid Suns”, “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest”, “The Great Gatsby”, “What is the What” or “The Giver.” What have you got to lose?

Remember, the man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.

Contact David Hurtado, features editor, at dhurtado@jccc.edu.

12

SPORTS

AUGUST 29, 2013 VOL 36

ISSUE 1

Preview: volleyball and soccer SPORTS By Mac Moore CALENDAR

Volleyball The Lady Cavs volleyball team will enter this season ranked sixth in the D-II preseason poll. A tough VOLLEYBALL 2012 schedule left the Cavalier vol5 P .M . A N D 7 P .M . F R I D AY leyball team with a lot of bruises, A U G . 30 it also gave the returning players AT I O WA L A K E S C C solid experience to carry into this 11 A .M . A N D 1 P .M . S AT U R - season.

“The three returning players we D AY A U G 31 have are very strong leaders,” AsAT I O WA L A K E S C C sistant Coach Rogert said. “Bethany 6 P .M . W E D N E S D AY S E P T. 4 (Farres), Lori (Angello) and Preecy (Seever) have great leadership V. B U T L E R C C qualities and all bring a little something different to the court. They 4 P .M . A N D 6 P .M . F R I D AY are 3 key pieces to our championS E P T. 6 ship puzzle.”

AT K I R K W O O D C C Solving that championship puzzle 9 A .M . A N D N O O N S AT U R - is the objective. Last year’s team finished the season 28-6 but the team D AY S E P T. 7 lost two of its last three matches to K I S H WA U K E E C O L L E G E eventual DII National Runner-up AND INDIAN HILLS CC Cowley Community College. The ac5:30 P .M . W E D N E S D AY S E P T. complishments of their season were a reminder that they could have 11 achieved more.

AT H E S S T O N C O L L E G E “Last season we played a really tough schedule. At times we showed glimpses of a championship team, GOLF but were unable to put it together M O N D AY S E P T. 9 when it counted.” Coach Rogert said.

The squad will get some tough K J C C C F I R S T D E S I G N AT E D tests during the regular season. The AT Q U A I L R I D G E G O L F team faces 10 ranked opponents, five COURSE of which they face twice during the year. Early into practices, Coach Rogert felt that the team’s high level of M E N ’S S O C C E R chemistry gives them a chance to do 7 P .M . S AT U R D AY A U G . 31 something.

“Now we need to turn that chemV. T Y L E R J U N I O R C O L L E G E istry into a competitive dominating 10 A .M . M O N D AY S E P T. 2 team. We expect to be at the national V. R I C H L A N D C O L L E G E tournament competing for the title.”

N O O N S AT U R D AY S E P T. 7 Women’s Soccer V. S O U T H W E S T E R N I L L I After injuries hampered the Lady NOIS COLLEGE Cavs 2012 campaign, women’s soccer coach Jim Schwab hopes to improve 4 P .M . T U E S D AY S E P T. 10 their 13-8-1 record. Schwab aimed at V. I N D E P E N D E N C E C C

W O M E N ’S S O C C E R

MEN’S SOCCER

The men’s soccer team has started out the season with a heartbreaking loss 6 P .M . F R I D AY S E P T. 6 and a dominating win. After being V. S O U T H W E S T E R N I L L I down 4-1 to Cloud County CC, the NOIS COLLEGE team made a thrilling comeback to tie 3 P .M . S AT U R D AY S E P T. 7 it up for overtime. The comeback was V. S T. L O U I S C C for naught as Cloud County forward Chris Lavery scored 1:45 into the ex2 P .M . T U E S D AY S E P T. 10 tra period. The team rebounded in it’s V. I N D E P E N D E N C E C C game against South Suburban, domiCompiled by Mac Moore, sports editor, nating the game 4-1. mmoore82@jccc.edu.

Last year, the men’s soccer team finished 11-8. Photo by Mike Abell recruiting more physical players going into this season.

“We fell short of our potential due to injury,” Coach Schwab said. “We ended up losing to Butler in the semifinal, depth was definitely an issue at the end there.”

Coach Schwab already feels that this year’s roster is a more athletic and more physical unit. The team is also hoping to start out the season strong with leadership and experience with six returning sophomores on the roster.

“We are looking at a leadership by committee. Whether it’s (Christianna) Tran or (Janay) Stone or Carysn Beard, we have a lot of strong players. Even with the freshman, Katie Metscher, she scored two goals for us in the first game, she could have had six.”

The team felt like they could have accomplished more last year, but they weren’t disappointed in their effort.

“How they rallied towards the end of the season, after the injuries. They never folded up the tent, they just kept on playing.”

Men’s Soccer The men’s soccer team finished 11-8 last season. The team retains five players from last season. The squad also picked up a transfer student from Independence CC, Brian Caracomo. Coach Fatai Ayoade feels that the team final record was not a true barometer of their capabilities.

“We lost in the Regional final but I thought we could have done better.

Injuries were a factor.”

This year the team hopes to improve by winning their Region and competing at Nationals. The team will look to sophomore Jake Walter for scoring, he had the second most goals for the team last season. Coach Ayoade expects this teams leadership to come from the traditional places “Looking to leadership from our sophomores, Aguilar, Walter, Shupe, Wagenbaur, Wusterfeld.”

Contact Mac Moore, sports editor, at mmoore82@jccc.edu.

SPORTS BRIEFS

WOMEN’S SOCCER

The Lady Cavs soccer team started the season on a strong note against Cloud County CC on Aug. 22. The squad shutout the Thunderbirds 5-0 lead by two goals from freshman Katie Metscher. Freshman Paola Melendez had three assists. Sophomore Kelsey Wakefield and freshmen Courtney Hughes and Brooklyn Meinke each contributed one goal.

VOLLEYBALL

Hosting the JCCC Kickoff tournament on Aug. 23-24, the Lady Cavs volleyball team chalked up a 3-1 record to start the season. Two of the wins were straight set victories against ranked opponents, No. 20 MCC-Longview and No. 5 Central-Columbus. The sole loss was against the No. 1 team in the nation, Cowley CC. Compiled by Mac Moore, sports editor, mmoore82@jccc.edu.

WWW.CAMPUSLEDGER.COM

the CAMPUSLEDGER

SPORTS

13

SPORTS COLUMN

Incomplete perception on NFL lawbreakers Apparent NFL crime problem not supported by stats

By Mac Moore DUI, check. Illegal possession of a firearm, check. Domestic violence, check. Homicide, check. Former Patriot tight end Aaron Hernandez was indicted for first-degree murder on Aug. 23, a month after the initial arrest for the crime. The evidence presented by the prosecution have outlined a case that accuses Hernandez of shooting his friend Odin Lloyd in an industrial park just blocks from Hernandez’s home.

Hernandez is just one of 30 active NFL players that were arrested this offseason, according to Tony Manfred of Business Insider. One of his sources for the article, an arrest database from UTSanDiego.com, lists the arrests since 2000 at 667.

All the ESPN opinion shows seem to agree. The comments section for articles on these players would indicate

that it must be the case. Now they have a cold-blooded murderer in their mix.

Pro football players are out of control.

The NFL has a crime problem.

It could, but only if we accept that the US has a crime problem. FBI statistics indicate that the national arrest rate is around one in 23 people, or four percent as of 2009. Accounting for only 53 players per roster (the number is higher due to injuries, etc.), than the arrest rate for the NFL was 2.3 percent last year. That is around 8 percent less than that of the average male between the ages of 22 and 34 for the same time frame.

The numbers indicate, even with odd spike from this offseason, the arrest reports filling the news ticker at the bottom of our television screens are no real indication of a NFL crime problem. We have to remember perception isn’t reality.

Some say the NFL players have to be held to higher standards. I would say one-fifth the national average for the same age group is holding to a higher standard. We can’t just assume that high profile athletes will somehow not make bad decisions out in the world and that these decisions won’t at some point lead them to the back of a squad

car.

A lot of the misperception is derived from both the violence of the sport and the demographics of the players.

Those are very complicated issues and the latter is a very dividing issue. The inaccurate belief that NFL players are somehow jailbirds is also because of the 24-hour news cycle.

Every arrest for a professional athlete seems like a bigger deal because their arrest makes the news. If 40 times a year we see a “NFL player arrested” headline on the screen or in the newspaper, it’s constantly on our mind.

I doubt if a coworker got arrested anybody would wonder if their business had an arrest problem. Heck, I doubt most people would even know if they work with somebody who has been arrested. Here’s a hint, in a workplace with at least 23 people, statistics say at least one co-worker has been arrested this year alone.

We should actually look at the job the NFL has done to keep their players from racking up higher arrest numbers. The league has consistently suspended players for legal troubles.

The NFL has also largely ignored the outcome in the courts, especially under NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

After an alleged assault of a woman during the 2008 offseason, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for four games. That case was only a civil suit, the courts did not have enough evidence to even charge Roethlisberger criminally. That’s four games that he didn’t get to play and didn’t get paid, just for putting himself in a position where he was accused in the incident.

The impact of stories like Roethlisberger’s and Hernandez’s, although they are vastly different cases, gather so much media attention for one reason; they are out of the ordinary and not the NFL norm, despite the perception.

The Hernandez case is a horrific story. The evidence, at least from what we can view from reports, seems overwhelming. Whether he is guilty or not though, this murder trial does not mean the NFL has a crime problem.

Hernandez is the one who is accountable for his actions and these events reflect his personal decision-making, not the rest of the league.

Contact Mac Moore, sports editor, at mmoore82@jccc.edu.

Comparison: Division I vs. Community College athletics Division 1 Schools

Community Colleges

• Most NCAA D1 programs are financially set up as entities separate from the college • Usually a freshman/sophomore at a D1 will sit on the bench which sometimes can really stunt their growth and development • If you choose to play baseball at a D1 school you have to wait until you are 21 to get drafted • More pressure on success and failure on the court/field •At D1 schools you usually have more of a fan base and more school spirit (example: Thousands of screaming fans at a KU basketball game) • At D1 schools they have outfitting sponsors (like Adidas for shoes)

•The JCCC athletic budget is part of the general financial fund •Community colleges financial resources (for athletics) may be limited so they may have to fundraise •Major advantage is you usually get to play right away •Playing baseball at a community college allows players to up their draft; they can play one year at JCCC and get drafted right away •You get more second chances after making mistakes on the court/field •There usually isn’t as large of a fan base and school spirit compared to D1 schools

Ben Conrad, head coach of JCCC women’s basketball, on comparing D1 school athletics and community college athletics: “[They are] apples and oranges really; two totally different things you’re comparing. I really just think where you go is about what you’re ready for athletically, academically and socially. I know this for a fact though, I’ve ran into dozens of kids that went to a four year school and had major regrets about their decision. Many of those kids ended up here at Johnson playing for me their second year of school. On the flip side, rarely have we had a kid that comes to JCCC that regrets that decision. I think this is a special place and the junior college option in general is solid.”

Jim Dice and Carl Heinrich (head of the athletic dept.) were also consulted for this article.

Compiled by Olivia Fox, staff reporter, ofox@jccc. edu.

14 SPORTS

AUGUST 29, 2013 VOL 36

ISSUE 1

Cavalier star watch: Katie Metscher

By Mac Moore

Katie Metscher is a freshman on the Lady Cavs soccer team.

Metscher is from Belton, MO. In their first game of the season, Metscher took part in the first three goals of the team’s 5-0 shutout of Cloud County CC, scoring twice and assisting on one.

WHAT ARE YOUR TEAM’S GOALS? “We want to work on passing, blocking more. We just need keep working on playing as a team.

Our goal is to win the championship.”

“RAYL” CONT. FROM PAGE 8 “[A one mill increase] was something that the faculty were very pleased with because that of course makes a huge impact on resource availability,” Williams said. “So she, in that last board meeting that she attended, was adamantly arguing for the one mill.”

However, the difference in opinion regarding the mill increase did not influence her choice to resign, Rayl explained.

“My decision to leave was one hundred percent for personal reasons,” Rayl said. “I value my relationships with the board tremendously and it’s been a great group of professionals to work with and we do disagree occasionally and we did disagree at the July meeting, but at the end of the day we reached consensus.”

Rayl said there is no secret reason she resigned from the board.

“I guess the question that everybody has is ‘what’s the real reason,’ right? And my response to that would be there is no hidden agenda,” Rayl said. “It was really a matter of me doing what I feel is best for me and my family.”

Additionally, with the knowledge that Joe Sopcich would take over as president, Rayl said it offered some continuity to the college in terms of leadership.

“It did make my decision easier knowing that he is so familiar with the college and will be able to just really pick up and hit the ground running,” Rayl said.

Although Rayl will no longer be serving on the board, she does hope to still stay in contact with the college.

“I hope that there will be an opportunity for me to potentially serve in the capacity of an adjunct instructor,”

WHAT ARE YOUR PERSONAL GOALS? “Make it to Florida.” (location of the NJCAA championship) AFTER TWO GOALS AND ONE ASSIST IN THE OPENER, DO YOU FEEL PRESSURE TO PLAY AT THAT HIGH OF A LEVEL? “Yes and I am ready for that challenge.”

WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST OBSTICLE IN MAKING IT TO FLORIDA? “[We’ve] just got to play as a

Rayl said. “After that, I’ll be around in some fashion or another because the college has just been so important to me over the years.”

Contact Stephen Cook, editor-in-chief, at scook35@jccc.edu.

----------------------------‘ENROLLMENT’ CONT. FROM PAGE 9 Once the class has begun enrollment is closed, and only courses that start later in the semester are still open. This is the third year the late registration policy has been in effect.

Day said he believes the college provides ample opportunities for students to get into courses two weeks after the initial start of classes. Day added he doesn’t believe late registration has much effect on overall enrollment.

“We provide an opportunity for people to get in the classes two weeks after the initial start of classes,” Day said. “I think the bigger issue there has nothing to do with open enrollment, but it has to do with being able to change your classes more freely and we kind of restrict that by having no late enrollment.”

Jeff Anderson, counselor, said the Counseling Center has not experienced a decline in the number of students asking for help, even though enrollment is down this semester.

For the past three weeks, the center has rolled out what they call “Advising Express,” an approach that helps counselors with peak time student demand.

According to Anderson, during Advising Express, 3,309 walk-in students were assisted with enrollment, not counting IM’s, appointments, or students helped at the Quick Question Desk. However, he said the operation had to be moved up to the third

team. We have to play 100% all the time.”

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MOVIE? “She’s the Man”

WHAT IS A STRANGE FACT ABOUT YOU? “I really like eating, I used to eat McDonald’s like every day.

I’ve had to cut that out for soccer season.”

Contact Mac Moore, sports editor, at mmoore82@jccc.edu Metscher takes a break during practice on Aug. 27. Photo By Mike Abell floor of the COM building because of a lack of space, in part because the college does not have a good facility on campus to handle enrollment.

“The intent of the Advising Express upstairs process was supposed to be like a quick turnaround,” he said. “The problem with that is the students who came in this last month of the process are the ones who have issues that are very complicated and they tend to take a lot more time. As a result it kind of slows down what’s supposed to be a quick process to a very drawn out process.”

Advising Express begins three weeks prior to the start of classes and has been an important tool in Counseling’s approach to enrollment for many years now. Anderson said about 1/3 of students typically wait until the last month to enroll, and the AE approach greatly helps dealing with so many students in a short time span.

On average, a counselor typically sees between 8 and 10 students a day, if not more. The number of counselors on hand per day varies, as not every counselor is full time, and some teach classes in addition to counseling.

Anderson said he personally has not heard any complaints when meeting with students, but said he would be naïve to think there weren’t any. Overall, Anderson said he believed there are things that can be done to make the process smoother for students, like communicating to students earlier in the summertime.

“One thing that could improve was if we had a space on campus, a central location that was dedicated to registration so that we’re not up here in the obscure reaches of Commons 319 doing this thing,” Anderson said.

“If there was some dedicated space for registration, I think that would be great.”

Due to this limitation, the scope of operation has been affected, according to Anderson.

“As it’s turned out, we’ve just been pressed for space,” Anderson and we’ve had to farm stuff outside of our area.

Contact David Hurtado, features editor, at dhurtado@jccc.edu.

----------------------------‘BROWN & GOLD’ CONT. FROM PAGE 9 Smith said she would rather learn at the college than independently from a book. She doesn’t need the classes, she takes them because she enjoys learning.

“I would much prefer to be able to come here and take the class,” Smith said. “If they’re the least bit creative they can find grants because this is an amazing program.”

Looking ahead, Korb would like to get a decision made soon so the plan can be shared and made known.

“My goal is to get all of the feedback and input and get a decision made by [the end of September], so that we can get hard and fast communication out to people that says, here’s what’s definitely going to happen,” Korb said.

An announcement should come at the beginning of October, according to Korb, detailing the changes that will be made to the club in the spring.

As more information becomes available, visit campusledger. com/?s=brown+%26+gold.

Contact Stephen Cook, editor-in-chief, at scook35@jccc.edu.

the CAMPUSLEDGER

WWW.CAMPUSLEDGER.COM

SPORTS 15

Road racing comes to Kansas Speedway

By Stephen Cook

Drivers of the Grand-Am Road Racing series competed on Kansas Speedway’s new 2.37-mile road course for the first time on August 16 and 17. It was also the last time “Grand-Am” will compete in Kansas City; next year the series will be merged with American Le Mans (ALMS), creating a new league known as United SportsCar Racing.

In Saturday’s Rolex Sports Car Series race, Jordan Taylor and Max Angelelli won first place in the Daytona Prototypes (DP) class. The two drivers took turns piloting their car, beating the 13 other cars in the DP class. In addition, the drivers lead the championship in overall points.

In the Grand Touring class, Alessandro Balzan and Leh Keen took home first in their Ferrari 458. In the GX class, Joel Miller and Tristan Nunez drove their Mazda6 to victory.

The drivers of the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competed earlier in the day, with Matt Bell and John Edwards taking first in the Grand Sport class in their Camaro GS.R. Driving their Mazda Speed 3 in the Street Tuner class, Taylor Hacquard and Derek Jones were promoted to first place after

Michael Valiante was penalized for manipulating the last restart.

The Lamborghini Super Trofeo series also had two races during the weekend, one under the lights on Friday with a second midday Saturday.

Kevin Conway won the first race and Al Carter was the winner of the second.

Kansas Speedway, most familiar with NASCAR racing, incorporated a portion of the oval into the course, which allowed cars to reach their top speeds. In addition to the oval, the sixturn road course presented drivers with high speed areas followed by hard braking zones. The entrance and exit featured tight corners as well as a hairpin in the infield.

“I think the biggest thing is the oval is difficult, like Daytona that we go to is easy banking, you don’t even have to think about it. When you go through NASCAR three and four here, it’s actually a corner which is kind of fun for a driver,” said Jordan Taylor, driver of the #10 Corvette Daytona Prototype.

“It’s really high speed going in turn one and once you get in the infield it’s nothing exciting, but it’s more technical than it looks on a track map. So for a driver it’s challenging, and that’s fun.”

In Saturday’s night race, the 500+

The Grand-Am road racing series came to Kansas Speedway for the first time on August 16 and 17. Drivers raced Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porsches and more around the 2.37-mile road course. Photo by Stephen Cook

horsepower Daytona Prototype cars reached speeds of around 190 mph.

Unlike the other classes, which feature modified production cars, Daytona Prototypes are purpose-built race cars.

Due to the merger with ALMS, Kansas Speedway is not guaranteed a spot on next year’s calendar. However, even if they aren’t added to the 2014

season schedule, track organizers say road racing may return to Kansas Speedway in the years to come.

For more information about the race, as well as exclusive photos, visit tinyurl. com/GrandAmKS. Contact Stephen Cook, editor-in-chief, at scook35@jccc.edu.

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S U P M A C F F O K C I K

Top right: At campus kickoff, a student visits the Anime Club table.

Photo by Laura Cobb Middle: Jessica Goodman powers a blender on a stationary bicycle to demonstrate sustainable energy for the Sustainability Club. Photo by Julia Larberg Bottom: Battling the mid-August heat, students take advantage of the Kona Ice truck. Photo by Julia Larberg Bottom left; Justin Tram and Connor Perrine put syrup on their ices. Photo by Laura Cobb Top left: Two students stop by the tye dye table to participate in dying t-shirts.

Photo by Julia Larberg Cover: Victoria Hickman hula hoops on the hill. Photo by Laura Cobb For more photos, visit CampusLedger.com.