Year 46, No. 7
Crusader www.crusadernews.com
February 20 2015
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Carter accepts position of dean of academic Affairs Kim Nguyen Crusader staff Todd Carter, the director of research and assessment at Seward County Community College / Area Technical School, has accepted the position of dean of academic affairs. The announcement was made by president Dr. Duane Dunn on Feb. 10. “Todd will be a great addition to our administrative team,” Dunn said. Carter will fill the position of dean of academic affairs due to
the retirement of the current dean Cynthia Rapp, who will retire later this summer, and Carter will start July 1. Carter graduated from Wichita State University and has been with Seward County Community College more than 20 years. Carter has experience in different positions at SCCC/ATS, such as math, science, and HPERD division chair, biology faculty, and director of research and assessment. Carter has been involved in teaching as well as making
changes institutionally as division chair and as director of grant projects at the college. “I enjoy those leadership opportunities; therefore, taking the next step to the position of dean of academic affairs would allow me to take those leadership opportunities to the next level.” Having a lot of good friends and colleagues, especially in the institution at SCCC/ATS, is the reason Carter has stayed at Seward for 23 years. “This college has a great rep-
utation. The people here at Seward County are fantastic. I couldn’t think of anywhere else that I’d rather be,” Carter said. The whole interview process was a little weird to Carter because he’s known the interviewers for a long time. The interviewers and Carter himself had to put themselves in a totally different perspective on each other in order to work together during the interview. With no lag time in between changing duties, Carter expects to get right to work as dean.
Carter confessed that all the paper work to start his new position didn’t really overwhelm him since this is not the first time he’s been through a change like this one. Carter wants to hold on to the history and knowledge of the institution. “The historical background is important because there are some real core cultural pieces for this institution that we hold onto. One of those is that the student is at the center of everything that we do,” Carter said.
“We have a culture of support for all the employees of this institution. One of the reasons we have that support is because we are focused on what best for the students,” Carter said. Carter’s message to the student body of Seward County Community college is, “In this position of dean of academic affairs, we want to keep improving, even though we are in the top 10 percent. There are things we can do to improve that and make sure students achieve their educational goals.”
Living withheart anand open mind Doing more of what makes her happy and living with an open heart and mind is what Madison Nikole Martinez is all about. That’s a good way to live, and as much as people don’t like to talk about it, “people don’t know if their last day is today,” Martinez said. She finds it good to take time out of her day and enjoy the little things, to not stress out so much about the future, that it’s important to change the way we handle stress, school and life. Martinez is currently a freshman at Seward County Community College and is an undecided major. She knows the kind of work and the field she wants to go into, which is helping others, possibly in social work, or as a counselor. Reading the book “Redeeming Love” by Francine Rivers made Martinez want to make this decision. The book is about a woman who is sold into slavery as a child, and the only thing that keeps her going is the hatred that she harbors. “And what she hates the most is men who use her, leaving her empty and dead inside,” according to the author. The woman is later married and despite the bitterness she exhibits, her husband chooses to defy her resistance. The woman’s healing comes later. This book about God’s unconditional and all-consuming love is what pushed Martinez even more towards her decision of wanting to help people. Another one of Martinez’s books that she enjoys is “Jesus Is” by Judah Smith. “It’s about how we spend most of our time focused on our sin and changing others, but God loves me how I am,” Martinez said. Martinez would go as far as saying that she is a nondenominational believer. She believes that she is where God wants her to be. Prayer is something that
Martinez does daily, in every situation. “One time at church camp, one of the girls was setting her own personal goals and her goal was to pray more and that’s crazy because I pray all the time. I’m in the car and I c a t c h myself praying, just all the time,” Martinez said. Jennifer Martinez, Madison’s mother, said, “She has the biggest heart; she loves everyone without judgments. She has always been a trendsetter since she was little, always
putting others before herself, seeing the good in everyone.” Being the trendsetter, Madison likes to express herself through her choice of clothing
going to buy, but she will go straight to the sales racks and she will splurge on shoes. “Sometimes you just need expensive shoes… and lip gloss,” Madison said. According to Madison, if you wear it and you’re confident, be you. People will judge you positively or negatively, so go for it! She just thinks that people should dress like they want to dress, and they should be who they want to be. For example, Madison’s hair: She enjoys doing different styles and colors. If she likes what she sees, she will do it. Over the course of the last year, Madison shaved one side of her head, and she said the comments she received were hilarious, especially from the older generations who don’t understand it and question her. Tasha Gooden, student at SCCC/ATS said, “She has the spunkiest style, and she can rock any hair color, and she’s always smiling; I never see her upset.” Another student at SCCC/ATS, Rosie Chavez, said, “Her hair is unique; plus, she’s the sweetest person ever.” Madison loves to read and listen to music. She also listens to plenty of podcasts, which she actually has to make time for. The podcast she likes to listen to most is by Judah Smith, the author of the book “Jesus Is.”
you just need “Sometimes expensive shoes... and lip gloss. ” and choice of hairstyles. She likes to transfer different genres of music and style into outfits. Madison doesn’t go into a store knowing what she’s
Story & photos by Maria Lara
Hypnotist puts students to sleep Daisy Torres Crusader staff Students believed they traveled from Liberal to Hawaii in the Showcase Theatre for homecoming festivities as Dan James entertained Seward County Community Crusader photo/Xochitl Gonzalez College students with Hypnotist Dan James entertains students on stage at Seward. his hypnotic act.
James made the students on stage believe they were in hot Hawaii, then made them embrace each other because of cold weather in just minutes. “I liked the process from where they were conscious and hypnotized doing all kinds of craziness,” said Vi-
vianne Gonzalez, a student in the audience. Natasha Gooden, one of the students hypnotized by James, says her favorite memory of the show was when “he made everyone compete on an MTV dance show and then he made the guys dance on the girls in the audience.”
Courtesy photo/Rachel Coleman
Scholars Casie Yowell and Jake Jimenez were invited to the awards ceremony for the All-Kansas Academic Team and a day crammed with special recognition from the honor society Phi Theta Kappa, college administrators, and state legislators.
All-Kansas Academic Team travels to Topeka On a brilliant, frozen morning in February, Jake Jimenez and Casie Yowell set off for school – at the Kansas state capitol. This was no ordinary day of classes for the two Seward County Community College/Area Technical School students. “That trip to Topeka was more than anything I could have ever imagined,” said Yowell, a Liberal native who traveled to the state capitol with her husband, Jonathan. “Besides the fact that everything about the day was awesome, it had a deeper meaning for me, because I failed the first time I went to school. Being able to go back and excel has been rewarding enough.” Fellow All-Kansas Academic Team recipient Jake Jimenez shared Yowell’s sense of appreciation. The Turpin, Okla., native made the trip along with his parents, Manuel and Kathy Jimenez, and younger siblings Jennida and Alex. The trip, said Jimenez, “meant the world to me, that I could make my family so proud. It wasn’t just me. It was my whole family getting the honor.” Jimenez and Yowell epitomize the mission of a community college, and SCCC/ATS in particular, said President Dr. Duane Dunn, who accompanied the group to the statehouse. “Jake and Casie are highachieving students, and they’re remarkable for that, the work it takes to achieve so much – and they also represent what our college is really good at,” said Dunn. “I wasn’t happy, and I wasn’t where I felt I should be,” Yowell
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said. “I made the decision with my parents and my husband to make the change and go back to college.” This time, her effort was fueled by support that counterbalanced the mixture of “excitement and terror,” Yowell said she felt as she contemplated her return to the classroom. “I was scared, but I had everybody in my corner,” she said, “and when I got to the college, I found even more support.” Yowell will graduate in May with her associate of arts degree, and she’s already looking ahead to the next step toward her goal of becoming an elementary- or middle-school teacher. “I’ve been admitted to Newman University, and I am waiting on admission to their teacher program,” she said. Jimenez, too, has plans for the future. As part of the SCCC/ATS Bridges program, Jimenez will complete requirements to transfer to K-State University next year as a pre-med student in the Developing Scholars research program. “This is an amazing opportunity, and such an honor,” said Jimenez. “I know there’s a long road ahead of me. ” Yowell agreed. That day in Topeka, she said, was colder than any she can recall in recent years, but the experience warmed her heart. “It was an honor to be in that room with 54 other scholars -- it was just really cool,” she said. “It’s definitely something I’ll remember forever.” – Contributed by Rachel Coleman