Year 44 Issue 2

September 26

Year 44, No. 2

Crusader www.crusadernews.com

2012

Presorted Standard US Postage PAID Liberal, KS Permit NO.114

Liberal, Kansas

Nursing assists with health fair Dyl an S andel l Crusader staff

Sick Tricks at Skate Park — Page 4B

The Bus Stops Here — Page 8

Crusader photo/Jakub Stepanovic

Sports Information Director Roy Allen and Mason Marshall stream the Lady Saints volleyball match against Colby earlier this month. Matches that are broadcasted are done by Practicum in Sports Management students, both live games and archived games can be found online.

Broadcasting new angle for athletes Home matches are streamed online by students Jose Medrano Editor

Fall Fashion Wrap Up — Page 1B

Every dunk, spike, run and point is now being streamed online at Seward County Community College/Area Technical School. The Saints athletic department, with the help of students in Practicum in Sports Management class, is streaming volleyball matches online.

Regular season home games of baseball, women’s and men’s basketball, softball and volleyball are streamed online.

Last year, the Lady Saints volleyball match against Colby was the first of the matches to be broadcasted.

“Technology is evolving everyday and we needed to keep up with it,” Sports Infor-

mation Director Roy Allen said.

Hardwires were recently installed by the IT department in the Green House to make it easier for the games to be broadcasted.

With a laptop and a camera, students in Practicum in Sports Management run the broadcast of the matches.

“The cool thing about filming is catching that one awesome play on camera, and knowing you can go back and watch it,” Jack “T.J.” Looney, a student in Practicum in Sports Management, said.

Looney has helped film and broadcast 16 games in the last year.

Occasionally, Saints games that are close to Seward Coun-

The Asian Experience — Pages 2B-3B

Fans can view archived matches that were streamed online, for free, by going on scccsaints.com, finding the sport that they are interested in and clicking on the home match that they want to view.

An account with livesportsvideo.com does have to be created in order to view the matches, but it is free to join.

All Saints matches, both archived and live, are free to view.

The next live match to be stream will be the Lady Saints volleyball match against Cloud County tonight. The match will also be Kids Inc. Night for those attending it at the Green House, the match begins at 6:30 p.m.

Transfer fair announced Contributed to Crusader Students can learn more about transfer institutions at the Seward County Community College/Area Technical School transfer fair from 9 to noon Oct. 16 in the Student Union.

Representatives will be on campus from Fort Hays State University, Kansas State University, Sterling College, Bethany, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, McPherson, Washburn, Tabor College, Pittsburg State University, University of St. Mary, and Oklahoma Panhandle State University.

This gives students an opportunity to find out about schools, and to start thinking about the transfer process, according to college counselor Star Triscornia.

Crusader photo/ Jose Medrano

Community members were invited to talk to AQIP representatives Dennis Shaw and Brenda Sanchez, Monday afternoon. The representatives were on campus on Monday and Tuesday for a performance checkup.

Accreditation representatives on campus Crusader illustration/ Jose Medrano

Foundation Scholarship Auction — Page 5

ty get filmed and are put online. Matches that are played at the Green House, but do not feature the Saints, are streamed online for a fee. The funds from those matches help pay for site hosting or other expenses.

“It was intimidating at first, but now everything can be set up in five minutes,” Allen, about beginning to stream the Saints matches online said.

“The videos are great because they give exposure our athletes. Instead of pictures we can show videos to coaches who are wanting to recruit them,” Allen said.

Seward is one of the few colleges in Kansas that covers and streams sporting events online.

Nursing students will help at the Community Health, Education and Employment Fair at the Seward County Event Center from 7:30 - 11:30 a.m. Oct. 6.

According to Veda King, director of nursing, first-year nursing students from Seward County Community College/ Area Technical School will help the Seward County Health Department by giving immunizations.

First-year nursing students will also help the Lion’s Club give vision and hearing screenings in the Lion’s Club bus.

The second-year nursing students will help draw blood for lab tests. People who want lab work done should not eat after midnight the before the day of the fair.

Nancy Kletecka of Southwest Medical Center outlined services in a news release.

“We will have the battery of tests done by the hospital’s lab, as well as clinical breast exams, bone density exams, and the Seward County Health Department will be offering flu shots again this year.”

For more information, call 620-629-6335.

Student enrollment increases Matthew Adki ns News editor The student enrollment count is in and most of the numbers are up. There are currently 1,971 individual students enrolled in the 2012 fall semester.

This is a 3 percent increase since this time last year. The total enrollment at SCCC has been increasing steadily for the last three years.

Another interesting fact is that 54 percent of students attending SCCC are from Seward County, which is also a 3 percent increase from last year. Celeste Donovan,

dean of student services, believes this is a good thing.

“We’ve been really focusing on Seward Country residents in recruitment and it just goes to show that our marketing is working,” Donovan said.

Online enrollment numbers are up as well. The number of online credit hours being taken has increased 69 percent, from 446 credit hours to 752 hours.

Full time student numbers are down 10 percent, but there was a 14 percent increase in the number of part-time students.

Jose Medrano Editor Forums with Academic Quality Improvement Program representatives at Seward County Community College/ Area Technical School for an accrediation survey allowed people to ask questions directly to the AQIP representatives.

Dennis Shaw of Des Moines Area Community College and Brenda Sanchez of Independence Community College are the two AQIP representatives who toured campus and met with faculty, committees, students and community figures.

Some of the people that were in attendance at a forum Monday were high school principals, superintendents, business members, alumni of SCCC/ATS and faculty.

The representatives interacted

with the people in attendance by allowing them to bring up their concerns and thoughts, concerning the college. A topic that was throughly discussed was the merger of the college and the technical school.

Community involvement by SCCC/ATS was discussed and analyzed. The responses were positive on most of the issues that were brought up during the meeting.

On Monday, the representatives also had a lunch meeting with a group of students.

The AQIP representatives remained on campus on Tuesday, to tour the Technical School campus and to talk to staff members.

In the faculty and staff meeting, the representatives received input and talked to the attendees about the AQIP checkup.

In the meeting, representative

Shaw talked to the faculty and staff in attendance about how successful the visitation was.

“If a campus adopts the mind set that ‘we’re always going to improve,’ it’s an exciting thing,” Shaw said.

The merger of the college and the technical school was also discussed in that meeting.

“The community really sees the value of the college,” Shaw said about how the college is involved with local schools, business and other colleges.

The representatives were satisfied with the overall improvement at SCCC/ATS. “I’d like to say, we have seen quality improvement here,” Sanchez said.

The representatives will send a report to the Higher Learning Commission. Seward will know the results of the report by November.

NEWS

2 CRUSADER

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Security Report

Crusader photo/Cami Stahly

Students outside the library place pins on the location of their hometown on maps. From left, Madison McLain, Lacy Bookstore, Fabiana Monte, Anete Kirsteine and Aaron Richie. These maps are to show where the students of Seward County Community College come from.

S ept. 13, 10:30 a. m. — A report was taken by Officer Kelly Campbell for theft, from a student stating headphones left on a table in the student union were taken. Upon investigation and viewing cameras, a suspect was located and the headphones were located in suspect’s room. Headphones were returned to owner.

Disciplinary action is pending.

S ept. 11, 6:06 p. m. — A report was taken by Officer Everett Ponder at Hale Court dorms after drugs and drug paraphernalia were located by staff housing authorities during a room check. Suspects were identified by camera video and interviewed then fined and dismissed from dorms. Trespass warnings were issued. Evidence will be handed over to law enforcement authority.

S ept. 6, 8:08 a. m. — A report was taken at Hale Court dorms. Maintenance personnel reported an open window to one of the units. Officer Campbell responded. Upon investigation, drugs, alcohol and drug paraphernalia were found and confiscated.

Suspects were identified by camera video and interviewed, then fined and dismissed from dorms.

Trespass warnings were issued.

Evidence will be handed over to law enforcement.

S ept. 27, 5:18 p. m. — Officer Ponder took a report of a hit and run accident between 1 and 4 a.m. in the north parking lot of the Area Technical School. Unknown persons struck a parked vehicle, knocking off the left door mirror and left without reporting the accident. Vehicle was not in camera view. Damage is estimated at less than $500.

Suspect has not been located.

Aug. 18, 3:48 a. m. — A report was taken for trespass at the Student Living Center. Two off campus subjects were in the SLC after curfew engaging in disorderly conduct. Subjects were asked to leave by Security Officer Cash and they complied.

Liberal Police Department was contacted to issue trespass warnings against the persons.

Aug. 16 —A report for a hit and run accident was taken by Officer Ponder in the southwest parking lot of campus. Unknown persons struck a parked vehicle causing front end damage and left without reporting the accident. Vehicle was not parked in camera view. Damage estimated at greater than $500. Suspect has not been located. n For full security reports, see CrusaderNews.com

Nursing program signs agreement with KU Nancy Acuna Crusader staff

Volleyball vs. Cloud County ( Kids Inc. Night ) 6:30 p.m. - Sept.26

Steps to Starting a Small Business, SW229D, 6 p.m. - Sept. 27

Volleyball vs. Vernon 11a.m.

Volleyball vs. West Texas, 7 p.m. - Sept. 28

Oz Fest Volleyball Tournament, Gym Sept. 29

Sunday Brunch, Student Union 11:30 a.m. - Sept.30

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Crusader photo/Cami Stahly

HALO members help students register to vote at a booth in the Hobble Academics Building Sept. 19.

HALO registration nets 52 voters Cami S tahl y Crusader staff This last week the Hispanic American Leadership Organization Club signed 52 new voters at its voter registration drive.

This drive, now in its 13th year, is set up on Election Day so students are aware of their right to vote and can do so.

After the students fill out their

co-editor in chief Tonya Loewen co-editor in chief Jose Medrano news editor Matthew Adki ns entertainment editor Morgan Ri l ey online editor Ci nthi a S erna sports editor S andy Al faro ad manager Cel esti na Padi l l a

reporters/photographers

SCCC Calendar of Events

Seward County Community College/Area Technical School nursing program is one of 18 two-year community colleges that signed an agreement with the University of Kansas School of Nursing.

The agreement allows nurses that have an associates degree from SCCC/ATS to receive their bachelor’s of science through KU’s online education program.

“Health care today is increasingly demanding bachelor’s-prepared nurses,” said Karen Miller, RN, Ph.D., FAAN, dean of the KU School of Nursing.

“We want to ensure that Kansas’ nursing workforce can meet that demand, but that the state’s nurses can earn an affordable bachelor’s degree without having to leave their home community.”

SCCC/ATS’s nursing program was able to sign this agreement with KU because SCCC/ATS has an accredited nursing program.

Nancy Acuna Giseelle Arredondo Julia Frey Luis Heredia Jordan Long Fabi Pena Martin Pinoa Dylan Sandell Dawn Shouse Cami Stahly Jakub Stepanovic Jeremiah Wilson

Kansas Voter Registration Applications, they put them in a box that Frances Brown, the sponsor of HALO at Seward County Community College/Area Technical School, takes to the courthouse.

Registering at the HALO booth is open for any student as long as he or she is an American citizen and turn 18 before Elec-

tion Day. Registering to vote is done once a year by HALO. “Fifty-two students have registered to vote,” Brown said. “I would like to see all students who are eligible to register.”

If students still want to register and the booth is not up, students can visit Frances Brown at her office in A132.

Kansas Associated Collegiate Press

The official student newspaper of Seward County Community College/Area Technical School is published bi-monthly and as special editions by journalism students during the regular college year, except on school holidays and during examination periods.

One copy of each issue is distributed free to each student, faculty and staff member, with subsequent copies available for purchase in the Crusader office at 50 cents each.

Letters to the editor will be considered for publication if they are signed and the authenticity of the writer’s signature is verified. The staff reserves the right to edit for length. Opinions voiced in letters and editorials are not necessarily those of Seward County Community College/Area Technical School or the Crusader.

Advertising is accepted. Rates are $4 per column inch or $4.80 pci for color ads.

Insert rates are $50 per thousand. Classified ads are free to SCCC students, faculty and staff; classified rates for all others are $4 per ad, limit of 20 words. The Crusader staff reserves the right to refuse advertising.

Mail to: Crusader, Box 1137, Liberal, KS 67905, or editors@crusadernews.com.

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NEWS

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

CRUSADER 3

Skills USA hosts district meeting Jordan Long Crusader staff The Area Technical School will be the location of a Skills USA district meeting starting at 9 a.m. Sept. 27.

Skills USA is a career and technical education organization guided toward promoting students to achieve higher goals and to practice their skills against other students.

According to Steve Merz, there are currently 40 members in the organization and students who wish to join must be enrolled in a career and technical education program The group is co-sponsored by drafting instructor Steve Merz

and diesel instructor David Ingle. The other members of Skills USA elect a representative in their division to be their leader when it comes to any meeting or when the representative must travel to Topeka, which is the where the headquarters of Skills USA is located.

Members of Skills USA have the chance to participate in their department’s state competition.

If the student manages to win the state competition, then they will get the chance to be in the national contest that takes place in Louisville, Ky. For any more information on Skills USA contact Merz or Ingle at the Area Technical School.

Crusader photo/Dawn Shouse

Math lab open for business Students are utilizing the computer equipment in the new Math Lab located on the south side of the campus library. For SCCC/ATS students needing extra help in all areas of calculation skills, the hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Microbiology instructor: taking a look at the small things “I like it here. I like places where it’s just wide open, and you can see a long ways, and everything just seems so big.”

— Chris Guyer

Crusader photo/ Jose Medrano

PTK members Selene Perez, Beth Beard, Josefina Alvarado and Nyra Rin remove trash on Highway 54. PTK does this biannually.

Highway clean up performed by PTK Jose Medrano Editor Members of Phi Theta Kappa recently picked up trash on highway 54. The club is involved in the Adopt–a-highway program.

A group of 16 members traveled to a segment of highway 54 Northeast of Kismet to pick up trash around the highway.

“This is an activity that PTK does every semester,” said PTK Vice President of Leadership Oscar DonJuan. PTK performs the clean up biannually and has adopted 2 miles of the highway that it keeps clean.

“Not just anybody is out here doing this,” said Vice President of community service Selene Perez.

Spilt into teams of two the

PTK members cleaned up the ditches on both sides of the highway. The trash that was picked up was ranged from beer bottles to pieces of rubber.

“People need to stop throwing their trash out, and they need to stop drinking and driving,” said Perez about the amount of beer bottles and cans that were picked up.

DonJuan recommends that more people should participate in the clean up.

“I’d encourage other clubs and organizations to adopt a highway,” said DonJuan.

PTK will be inducting new members this Sunday, also the members of PTK will be going back to the segment of the highway to pick up trash again in the spring semester.

Guyer moves from food microbiology to classroom Marti n Pi non Crusader staff When at Iowa State University, Chris Guyer decided to study what he calls a “full package of health.” With a master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, in microbiology, physiology and psychology, he wanted to make himself outstanding as a college instructor.

Two years ago Guyer met SCCC’s standards and got hired as a microbiology, nutrition and anatomy instructor.

From a small town in Iowa to Iowa State University, then working in food microbiology labs for about 10 years, Guyer brings his expertise to the classroom.

“In the past, I have tested meats and herbs and spices and baker’s yeast, testing them for bacteria and yeast molds just making sure that the product is high quality and safe for people to eat,” said Guyer.

But Guyer really wanted to teach, so

he started to apply for a job as an college professor.

“The first place I worked at was Arkansas but that was a temporary job.”

He applied in place like Colorado, New Mexico, Tennessee, and other places around the U.S. “But I got a phone call from this college, from Seward County,” Guyer said.

“I’ve been only two years now. The mountains are scenic, the forest is scenic, but there are a lot of things that you can see around the U.S., but I like places where it’s just wide open, and you can see a long ways and everything just seems so big.”

“I got an interview, they liked me I like them; I liked the place so I accepted the job.” One of the things that Guyer likes the most of SCCC/ATS is the people, and all the different cultures living in Liberal.

“People are so friendly, and I grew up in the Midwest so I tend to think like people from the Midwest. One of the

Livestock team travels for competition S andy Al faro Sports editor

Crusader photo/ Jose Medrano

SIFE member Dalton Holder and President SIFE Robert Sanchez serve chili during the KSCB Chili Cookoff hosted this Saturday at Blue Bonnet park. SIFE won first place for best presentation at the contest.

See more photos at facebook.com/crusadernews.

Seward County Community College/Area Technical School offers a nationally competitive livestock-judging program. This team judges four species: cattle, hogs, sheep, and goats.

The students also give oral reasons in a short speech after judging. This year there are 11 students on the livestock team: six freshman and five sophomores.

The livestock-judging team travels frequently.

The team had Tri-state contest

on the weekend of Sept 14-16 in Amarillo, Texas. Sophomore DJ Etzler and freshman Ashley Fischer both placed individually.

As a team, the sophomores placed 6th overall. Sophomore Kayley Pelfrey said that “The team has been persistent,” and mentioned how she hopes to be much more competitive individually and as a team at national contests.

The most upcoming national contest will be Nov. 9-11 in Louisville, Ky. The livestock team will be competing in Omaha, Neb., this weekend.

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things that I like the most of liberal is even though that it’s in the Midwest, it’s still so multicultural, that I use to think about and I like that.

Maria Romero, a student of Guyer, said, “He is a really good teacher, and explains the material really good.” Rosio finds mister Guyer’s class interesting “A lot of people said that microbiology is a really hard class, but he makes it easier.

He is so patience and smart. A couple days ago I visited with him.

I didn’t understand an assignment, so I decided to go and ask him. He was so nice and explained the assignment and told me what expect of it. I personally think that he is really good person and a great teacher, but he could be some time really shy. Guyer also appreciates SCCC/ATS students.”

He sees his students as friendly and respectful.

“They are coming to college. They want to do well. They’ve got ideas and plans,” Guyer said.

OPINION

4 CRUSADER

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Democratic platform didn’t need change

OUR VIEW —

Jose Medrano Editor medrano@crusadernews.com

Illustration by Cinthia Serna

Crushed: Student loan debt at record high “Student loan debt nationally topped $1 trillion in 2012, more than credit cards, car loans or any other type of consumer debt,” according to the Huffington Post.

Filing bankruptcy might seem like a good solution out. What many don’t know is that student debt is not like any other debt, it cannot be discharged by filing for bankruptcy. There is no way to get out of the student loan debt short of dying.

After high school graduation, a young adult’s next big choice to make is where to go to continue their educations. Many students dream of going to college and earning their degrees in their desired careers and seeking a higher education, means more job opportunities. Although sometimes getting a higher education means paying a big price. Many students who go to a college or university decide to apply student loans.

Many different types of loans are available for college students. It makes it easy for students to get the money they need for their education, but will they be able to pay them back? Studies show that in 2007-08 nearly 50 percent of all students at four-year, for-profit schools have incurred some level of student loan debt.

To add to the debt problem, earning a degree doesn’t promise a secure job.

Most graduates think that by getting a higher education, they have a secure job, but most of the time that is not the case. In the past years, wages have

been going down but the cost for college has been rising. According to the Associated Press, about 53.6 percent of bachelor degree-holders under the age of 25 last year were jobless or underemployed.

The crucial part is that these student debts cannot be discharged through bankruptcy. In 2005 a reform law passed in which student loans could not be discharged in bankruptcy. As stated in the Huffington Post: 2.9 million Americans have private student loan debt, owing about $150 billion and representing 15 percent of all student debt.

The reason why it’s so easy to get student loans is because no matter what the situation is the loaner will have to pay it back. Lenders don’t have to be careful about who they lend money to; they will get their money back. Just because the loan is non-refundable doesn’t mean the loaner can pay it back.

At Seward College Community College, students get the opportunity to decide for student loans. Community college students won’t have the same expenses as many at big colleges or universities. Students at SCCC are advised by Financial Aid staff on how to handle a student loan.

Whenever students enter SCCC, they are advised to go onto a website called studentloans.gov where there is a program called “exit counseling.” This program is designed to help students to stay on top of student loans. It will

provide information on repayment, how it can jeopardize your credit, bankruptcy, and how in specific cases it can be discharged. Also, toward the time the student will graduate, they will send a brochure with information about the “exit counseling”, to make sure the student is well informed. Our Federal Aid does a great job to keep students on track and provide them with any answers to questions they may have about finance.

Student loans can be avoided to many students. Being up to your eyeballs in debt doesn’t always have to be the case. Many SCCC/ATS students are familiar with FASFA. It’s a great opportunity for students to help pay for their college and it is based on the students own income and their households income. Students just have to research, fill out an application and hope to receive a letter of acceptance.

Keep out of debt and search for ways to pay for college.

Being in debt at a young age is not fun. So why try to get a student loan just because it’s easy to get. Apply for scholarships, join a group at college, fill out the FASFA, and do research for ways to pay for college. It might seem like a good idea in the long run but we think if it’s not necessary, don’t do it. Do research on ways to get money for your education or get a job that will help you while in school.

Hopefully in the end, it’ll all be worth it.

Nothing beautiful about toddler pageants Cinthia Serna Online editor serna@crusadernews.com

Stage lights come off and the audience quietly waits for the show. Faces powdered with make-up, long hair flowing neatly, tan skin glowing, and the contestants anxiously wait for their time to shine. For many years, there have been plenty of beauty pageants all over the world. Little did people know that this decade would hold such a big change.

By big change, I mean having toddler pageants.

Toddler pageants have become such a big

hit these past couple years, it’s unbelievable. Toddler pageants give little girls the chance to live their dream and participate in Little Miss Beauty pageants. These pageants give toddlers the ability to show their talents and beauty to the world. The big downfall to all of this is that people don’t get to see their true inner beauty and pureness. In my opinion having little girls join beauty pageants at a young age is not the brightest of ideas. Being plastered with tons of make-up, hair extensions, a pair of heels for height and a little tanning to insinuate the skin is not the ideal image for a toddler.

The little girls that compete look as if they were 20 years old and that just not right. Toddlers

should look their own age. I mean not even 20 year olds wear as much make-up as these little girls. Plus years pass by fast and being grown up isn’t much fun.

These toddlers seem as if they were in a rush to grow up by the way they act, dress, and talk.

Many of these toddlers compete in sexy outfits just to win over the judges. Girls their age shouldn’t be trying to catch people’s attention by their way they dress but they are taught by their coaches or moms that it’s the best way to win them over. Little do they know the best way to win over people is by their personality. Many girls can be pretty but their attitude makes them ugly.

These toddlers think that dress-

ing up like a women, having tons, of make-up on, looking like models, makes them pretty.

In reality it just makes people sad to see little girls going through these things. Rules should be changed; these little girls should be able to compete without the makeup, heels, extensions and dark skin.

There has to be a better way to get these little girls to show their talents and win over the judges by their own character. The girls should be able to enjoy their childhood. Until all these changes happen and these little girls stop trying to be grownups, I’ll say no to Little Miss Beauty Pageants.

Playing a sport can help in life, confidence, growth Morgan Riley Entertainment editor riley@crusadernews.com

People can do anything they set their minds to. I set my mind on volleyball. Volleyball practices are hard every day and we work on getting better as a team.

Playing volleyball, or any other sport, can help you in life. Volleyball has helped me gain confidence in myself and helped me grow as a person.

I have been playing volleyball for more than four years now, and I love it. I am a freshman at SCCC and this is my first year to play college volleyball.

You should consider playing a sport because it will take you

out of your comfort zone, teaches you how to work and communicate with other people, and shape you as a person.

Playing a sport is also a good way to get out and see the world.

We travel to a lot of different places across the United States.

The bus rides are so fun because we get to hang out with each other not just as a team but as friends, too. We watch movies,

sleep, talk, play games and listen to music.

Volleyball is a unique sport that requires focus, a lot of communication, and quickness.

Every sport requires effort and focus, all you need to do is find a sport you love, set your mind to it, stay focused and you will go far.

There were 4,543 words in the constitution when it was first ratified in 1,787. The country’s most important document does not contain the word God, and people do not bicker or questi on i t. So why is it that when a political party does not refer to God directly in a platform a group of people suddenly throw a fit.

This nation’s foundation is not based on one entity, but it is based on freedoms and rights that are given to all Americans. The First Amendment of the constitution states the following: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

What rights the First Amendment gives to all Americans are the freedoms of petition, press, assembly, speech and religion.

People are allowed to worship any religion that they see fit, and that makes this country great.

Laws cannot interfere with what people choose to worship.

The democratic party refrained itself from using the word God in order to not alienate those who do not worship a monotheistic religion, a religion that only believes in one creator or almighty being.

Yes, a majority of Americans do believe in god. But just because of majority of us believe in something does that mean we can reject and forget about those who do not?

The democratic party has a broad base, and it is difficult to generalize the ideas of many different people into one platform.

That does not mean the party is only made up of people who are secular, there are many different faiths in the democratic party.

The separation of church and

state is pretty important in the United States, and I think that may have the been the point the democrats were trying to get across before being pushed into amending the platform.

The country was founded on the principle of the separation of church and state to prevent acts such as those that had occurred in Europe before the U.S. was founded.

Around 300 years ago Europe was a theocratic mess with churches and kings controlling the governments which lead to the prosecution and killing of groups.

There is a reason the First Amendment is the first, the founders did not want those events to occur in America, and the founders wanted people to worship whatever people choose without fear.

The democratic platform mentioned faith before it was reformed. In the past it reads, "Faith has always been a central part of the American story, and it has been a driving force of progress and justice throughout our history. We know that our nation, our communities, and our lives are made vastly stronger and richer by faith and the countless acts of justice and mercy it inspires.”

The words god and faith can easily be interchanged. That passage still show that the democrats cared about faith and religion in America, they just didn’t want to alienate any people in their base.

My point is people should analyze what the country is really built on and what the founders intended concerning religion.

Thinking critically about politics and how they affect you and others is what people need to be doing this election.

‘No man complains of his neighbor for ill management of his affairs, for an error in sowing his land, or marrying his daughter, for consuming his substance in taverns ... in all these he has liberty; but if he does not frequent the church, or then conform in ceremonies, there is an immediate uproar.’ - Thomas Jefferson.

Second year student reflects on dorm life Dylan Sandell Crusader staff sandell@crusadernews.com

Across the nation many students are moving into college dorms and experiencing the dorm life. At first some students may be scared or nervous about moving away from the safety of their home, and learning how to live on their own.

Yet dorm life is a great experience that will teach students many things and will be a great source for meeting new people and having a lot of fun.

It is my second year living in the dorms at SCCC and it has been a great experience for my parents and I. Even though I only live 15 miles away from my actual home it has been a good experience for me to live on my own and pay for my own stuff. I have learned a lot about myself, and how to take care of myself.

Living in the dorms can be a scary thing, but after a while people get used to it.

It’s crazy how much dorm life can change someone. I used to be a really quiet person who didn’t try and meet new people. I lived in the country and didn’t have much contact with my friends or anybody, because of my distance from town.

When I moved in for my first year I found myself going to other people’s dorms and getting to know each and every person. I never had a chance to live near people and be in contact with them without driving 15 to 20 miles.

It actually led to me hanging out with most of the people I met, playing games, watching movies and just hanging out in general. These new people I just knew are now some of my closest friends.

Every kid dreams of finally moving out and getting away from their family and doing their own thing. I was definitely one that was ready to get out and do my own thing. After being out

for a few weeks I found my relationship with my parents was a lot better.

When I went home I enjoyed every second I spent with them, I cherished the time I spent talking and laughing with them, and I realized how much my parents even loved me. They missed me but they were happy and proud of me doing stuff on my own without asking them for help.

Students in college should appreciate the time that they spend with their family. There is nothing like going home to people that care.

There are some things that people might find disappointing about the dorms. Doing laundry is a constant hassle. Sometimes the dryers won’t completely dry clothes, so you find yourself spending even more money to dry them again.

It can also be annoying when someone washes their clothes and then just leaves their stuff in the washer so a person can’t do their laundry until the other persons take care of their stuff.

Roommates may also be a problem for some people. My advice with roommates is if you know anybody you will get along, room with them.

Everyone is different and does things different in their own ways. If you get a roommate that does stuff that will annoy you, it’s probably not going to be a good time.

Living in the dorms is an overall great experience that any student should experience at least once in their life. It will teach you many new things, gain more confidence in yourself on living on your own and getting out of the house, it also helps you meet new people, make a lot of friends and you will have a great time doing it all.

Even if you think you have met everybody you want to, or you are confident with living on your own, living in the dorms makes awesome some of the best times you will have in and out of college dorms.

NEWS

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

CRUSADER 5

The Seward County Event Center was the location for the 18th annual Scholarship Party Auction that was Saturday. The scholarship fundraiser drew in more than 400 people from the community and college.

Fundraiser to benefit students This year’s 18th annual party auction was an event to raise money for scholarships for Seward County Community College/Area Technical School students. The event was Sept. 22 and gathered a crowd of more than 400 people. The annual auction not only brings people to

bid on items, but offers people a chance to socialize with friends and acquaintances.

Those who attended this auction seemed to be enjoying the evening. All the laughter and conversations with friends provided a time to come together and meet new people.

The silent auction had many available items to bid on.

The buy-it-now items were selling especially quickly. While the silent auction was in session, people attending had the opportunity to walk around and eat anything that was set before them, such as choices from the dessert table, the chocolate fountain surrounded by different fruits and the beef and pork dinner.

SCCC/ATS teachers and faculty attended the auction.

SCCC/ATS instructor Don

Hayes said, “It was a wonderful evening of ‘Good Fortune.’ The meal was great, the wonderful company, but the best part was being able to see friendly, familiar faces.”

Following the silent auction was the live auction bidding. The crowd was cheering in excitement. Many college students volunteered to make this night a success. The volunteers stood in front of the crowd demonstrating which items were up for bidding.

Lewis Mize, an attendee of the auction, said, “This night is impossible not to enjoy with Alison Chambers (SCCC/ATS instructor) my girlfriend. The atmosphere was great and everyone was so friendly. This was my first year attending the SCCC auction.”

It appeared many people enjoyed the Night of Good Fortune themed party auction. five-year Mitzi Randell, SCCC/ATS auction attender,

mentioned that she was enjoying the night really well and that she had seen faces that she had not seen in years. “I love to bid on pictures,” Randell said. “That way I can decorate my living room.”

During the auction, parents had the opportunity to reserve a spot for their children with the Saints cheer and dance teams, in order for them to have child care with activities.

“It was for a good cause, being able to take care of the children so that cheer and dance team could raise some money. It was a lot of fun being able to take care of the kids. We set up a lot of games, activities, movies, and we also served them dinner,” said cheerleader, dancer and student, Darlene Monge.

“The night was great and it went very well,” said Tammy Doll, director of development and coordinator of the auction.

This table with mounds of fruits and vegetables, along with marshmallows and a chocolate fountain, was a popular location at the Scholarship Auction. See additional photos on Facebook.com/CrusaderNews.

Story by Fabi Peña Photos by Jakub Stepanovic

Mike Gatlin was the auctioneer during the event. Many items were auctioned off, including vacation packages, grills and gift certificates. Last year’s auction raised approximately $47,000 for student scholarships.

Results from the 2012 auction will be totaled and announced at a later date.

Above, a bid caller helps the auctioneer during the Scholarship auction. Right, Jonathan Zamora, Nick Moore and Daniel Valles played for the attendees before the main auction. The auction featured many performers who were mostly students at SCCC. Far right, art teacher Susan Copas writes a bid for the silent auction. Proceeds from the auction go to students in the form of scholarships.

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SPORTS

6 CRUSADER

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Thor comes to Seward New Saints tennis coach determined to overcome obstacles Jose Medrano Editor

Crusader photo/ Jose Medrano

Sophomore Josh Hamilton volleys a ball back during tennis practice.

Crusader photo/Jose Medrano

Freshman Anna Braun spars with a teammate during tennis practice.

Check out more photos of the men’s and women’s tennis team at practice at Facebook.com/CrusaderNews

Jerry Thor has had to deal with new players and new NJCAA rules. Thor is the new head tennis coach at Seward County Community College/Area Technical School. Thor is the head coach for both the women’s and men’s team.

Thor was an outstanding tennis player in college. Thor also got recently got married in August.

This is Thor’s first year coaching at Seward. Thor coached at Moraine Valley Community College before coming here.

“You have to deal with it,” Thor said about becoming coach late in the recruiter season. Thor became the head coach in early June and had little time to recruit people.

The new NJCAA rule concerning international players allows teams to only have two international players on a team.

Thor does not think that rule is such a bad thing, and views the new NJCAA rule with some optimism. “I see it as an opportunity to take over,” Thor said.

Last year the majority of both tennis teams were made up of international students, Thor stated the following on the new rule “Other schools are having the same problem that we are.”

There are five men on the Saints team this year, and there are seven women on the Lady Saints tennis team.

All of the international players are sophomores. The international players on the men’s team are Justin Pena, from South Africa, and Donnersson Penna, from Brazil.

On the women’s team the two international players are Katiuska Adarmes, from and Leticia Venezuela, Monteiro, from Brazil.

Thor is a coach that plays and interacts with his athletes, but he is also relaxed. “He is pretty cool, he seems more structured and more involved, he even comes out and plays with us from time to time,” said Saint Justin Pena.

“With Darin we actually worked out as a team, but with Thor we work out individually,” said Lady Saint Katiuska Adarmes.

Recruiting has been difficult for the new coach; Thor has been recruiting American players this year. Daniel Alonte, Luke Robertson and Josh Hamilton are the three players that have been recruited by Thor in the U.S. On the women’s team, Anna Braun, Katie Moree, Alma Varela and Kurstie Zepeda are all American players.

Former head tennis coach Darin Workman left a legacy with the team. Thor said the following about it.

“I knew what I was getting into to, but I still decided I could handle it. Darin set the bar really high, but he still monitors me. We even still go out to lunch sometimes and he gives me advice. The night after I got hired we sat in his office until 3 a.m. talking about tennis.”

On his expectations for this season, Thor hopes to win at the regional tournaments and go onto the national tournament.

“That is the standard that Workman set, and that is the standard they hired me to meet,” Thor said.

The men’s and women’s teams will travel to the ITA regionals Friday, in Arkansas City. n Some interview information provided

by Luis Heredia.

Crusader photo/Jose Medrano

Seward County tennis coach Jerry Thor practices with the men’s team.

The Lady Saints bring back one win from the Wyo-braska Tournament Dyl an S andel l Crusader Staff

Crusader photo/Jordan Long

The Lady Saints gather around coach Luallen and assistant coach Jordan during a game against Pratt on Sept. 10.

Lady Saints Volleyball Home Schedule Sept. 26 Sept. 28 Sept. 28 Oct. 3 Oct. 5

Cloud County * Kids Inc Night Ozfest Invitational Tournament Vernon #12 Western Texas Barton *Area High School Night Clarendon *Dig Pink Night

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The Lady Saints volleyball team recently returned from the Wyo-braska Tournament in Wyoming and Nebraska. The Lady Saints came out of the tournament with one win out of four matches played.

The Lady Saints played Laramie County and lost. For their second opponent the Lady Saints faced Western Wyoming and lost again, but by a close point count in each set of 25-22, 25-13, and 25-23.

The third game the Lady Saints played Eastern Wyoming and turned their losing streak around and won. Sadly, the Lady Saints lost their fourth game against Central Wyoming.

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close, but the Lady Saints just couldn’t come out on top.

Morgan Riley stated her thoughts on how the team is doing and what she thinks they need to work on.

“I think we click very well on and off the court but I think we could work on communicating and working together more as a team when were on the court be-

cause we all have the talent and desire,” Riley said.

The Lady Saints have had two players of the week this year.

Bailey McFerren was announced Jayhawk Player of the Week and Thayna Silva was announced National NJCAA Player of the Week.

The Lady Saints have finished almost half of their season and so far they have won nine matches and lost 11 matches.

The Lady Saints next match is at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept.

26 against Cloud County in the Green House.

The Lady Saints will also play in Liberal’s Oz fest tournament on Sept. 28 and 29.

The Lady Saints hope to turn the season around, finish strong, and qualify for nationals.

SPORTS

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

CRUSADER 7

Crusader photo/ Jakub Stepanovic

Sophomore Kennisha Montgomery bats during the Lady Saints only home match of the fall season on Sept. 19 against the Garden City Lady Broncbusters. The Lady Saints took the win 17-8.

Lady Saints softball outruns Garden City at home game S andy Al faro Sports editor The Lady Saints softball team played against Garden City Lady Broncbusters for its only home match this fall, on Sept. 19. The Lady Saints won the victory over Garden City, 17-8.

Both teams started off slow through the first two innings. Sophomore Stephanie Mark went up to bat and the Lady Saints scored a run 1-0 in the third inning.

Garden City struggles to get any runs throughout the fourth and fifth innings. While the Lady Saints batted in the fifth inning, Mark hit a homerun, which brought in three more runs. Garden City let

the ball slip past one of the catchers and Becky Allen scored a run. Fifth inning finished 6-0.

Garden City scored three runs during the sixth inning. Seward didn’t let them catch up and scored two more runs. The Lady Saints stayed ahead during the seventh and eighth inning.

Garden City hit a run, but one wasn’t enough and the Lady Saints hit strong and leaft the inning 127.

Mark made strong hits that during the 13th inning and kept her team strong and lead the game 177.

The Lady Broncbusters scored one last run in the 14th inning, but the Lady Saints took the victory 17-8.

Crusader Photo/ Jakub Stepanovic

Lady Saint Carrisa Hackett was at bat during the match against Garden City on Wednesday Sept. 19 at home.

Saints baseball looks to rebound after disappointing end to last season Jeremi ah Wi l son Crusader staff

Crusader photo/Jose Medrano

Sophomore Alex Scanlan swings to hit the ball during the game against Claredon this Tuesday at Brent Gould Field.

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Saints up 6-4 heading into the top of the 9th. With two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the 9th, the Seward County team found itself down 11-6. They fought back and scored five runs with two outs to force extra innings, only to give up four more runs in the 10th to fall to Allen County.

Not long after that, the Saints playoff lives were put to a sudden halt against Colby, giving up 13 runs in the first three frames of a 13-5 loss. Needless to say, it was a heart-breaking and disappointing end to the 2011-2012 season for everyone involved — players, coaches and fans alike.

But this is a new day, and with a new season ahead, and this year’s Saints team will look to start the season strong. With only nine players returning from last year, this year’s team is young.

“The expectations are high for each one of them to perform their roles on this team,” said head baseball coach Galen McSpadden. But just because they are young, doesn’t mean they won’t perform well.

The nine returning players should provide a solid foundation for the team, starting with the pitching. TJ Looney, Tyler Wiedenfeld and Garret Smith should all be able to put this team in a good position to win on any given night, according to McSpadden.

Also on the mound is Johnny Griffith, who seems to be about as versatile a player as a coach could dream of having. Last year he took the mound as a starter and a reliever, while also playing three different infield positions.

Speaking of infielders, Alex Scanlan and Francisco Balonas will be providing the defense behind the mound to keep runs off the board for the Saints pitching staff.

Behind the plate, the Saints have a pair of catchers returning in Diego Cruz and Troy Owen, who will be able to control the running game, while also providing a little power at the plate as well.

Deven Nelson is the lone returning outfielder from last year’s team. “He can go get it, to help round out our entire returning players,” McSpadden said.

Some of the incoming freshman on this year’s team include Howard Hayden, Austin King, Derrick Valenzuela, Brent Bezio, Kyle Clausing, Keenan Hall and Adam Guay, all of whom will be taking the mound. Mason Marshall will add depth to the catcher position.

Additions to the infield include Kevin Hull, Bret Lewis and Jacob Fuller. Bryson Allen, Reed Thompson and Hayden Killam will all be manning the outfield this year also.

Coach McSpadden had this to say about this year’s incoming players: “ We have a very good group of freshman and expectations for all of them are high. Making the adjustment for their first stint as college players away from home for their first time always takes a period of adjustment and hopefully they will transition into the players that are needed in order to compete for another conference, region championship and trip to our third JUCO World Series.”

If there is a coach who can lead this group to a JUCO World Series, it should be coach McSpadden. Entering his 32nd season as head coach of the Saints, and with more than 1,000 wins on his resume, he certainly has his work cut out for him. But he knows how to get the most out of his players, and he’s proven that over the course of his career, not only on the field, but more importantly the classroom.

Last year’s team carried an average GPA of 2.8. Eleven players on that team made the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, and two of those 11 players had a GPA of 4.0. McSpadden knows how important an education is and pushes his players to excel in the classroom.

McSpadden sees the educational side as extremely important.

“More than winning … baseball will end for everyone at some time or another, but life will continue and education is vital in order for our players to be successful and contributors during their lifetimes.”

This year’s Saints baseball will be exciting, no doubt. With a solid core of returning players and a large number of freshman looking to make their mark in Region VI. Led by a Hall of Fame coach, expectations are high.

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8 CRUSADER

INFOPAGE

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Catching a ride With gas prices high and money tight, students may want to take advantage of the City Bus. This is a bus transportation service the City of Liberal recently started that anybody can use to help them get around town.

City Bus serves campus, Liberal area Jordan Long Crusader staff The City Bus routes consist of two bus routes, the Blue route and the Red route. They will run from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. Upon boarding, riders will be required to pay in cash or present a pass.

A fixed route one-way trip costs $1.

However, students may present a student ID for half-fare. Unlimited monthly passes will be available at City Hall for $30. The bus drivers will not be able to make change. The buses run on a fixed route and will only make stops at designated points.

At designated transfer stops, riders transferring between the Blue and Red routes will request a transfer card from the driver to transfer within one hour free of charge.

Riders with disabilities who cannot use fixed routes may apply for door-todoor para-transit service. Para-transit service will require 24 hours notice and will cost $2 per one-way trip.

Unlimited monthly passes for Paratransit service will cost $40.

According to City Bus driver Macario Arredondo, he believes that the new city buses will be a great service to the city and as more people learn about the routes the amount of passengers will increase.

Arredondo also mentioned that all the bus drivers will be trained to handle hazardous conditions, people with disabilities, and to assist handicapped individuals.

A number of rules must be followed to ride the bus. For example, the bus driver is not permitted to assist passengers with loading or unloading packages. Portable music devices, such as radios and iPods, must not be played at a volume that would disrupt the safe operation of the transit vehicle or annoy other passengers. Transit riders are required to use headphones for their radios or iPods while on board a transit vehicle as a courtesy to fellow passengers.

No food or beverages may be consumed aboard a City Bus vehicle.

Beverages should be transported in a spill proof container. Loud, obnoxious behavior or the use of foul language is not permitted aboard.

For a full list of the rules, bus routes, and times see http://www.cityofliberal.org/citybus.html

THE BUS STOPS HERE Loading at the SCCC/ATS stop, Crusader reporter Jordan Long prepares to board the City Bus for an hour long adventure taking him on the full circle of the route. City Bus arrives at the college at 15 minutes past the hour from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.

Key Points: • The cost to ride is $1, or 50 cents with a college ID. • The number posted on the bus sign is at what time each hour the bus will arrive.

• No food or drink is to be consumed on the city buses.

• The city bus only runs Monday-Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Only packages that will fit under the seat and out of the aisle are allowed.

• Inappropriate conduct in not allowed on the bus.

Photos by Jordan Long and Giseelle Arredondo

For all SCCC Up-to-date coverage on News, Sports, & Events

• Look in the Leader & Times • Look us up at www.leaderandtimes.com • Download our Leader & Times App

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Crusader

Lifestyle Wednesday, September 26, 2012

gan Riley photo/Mor Crusader

n e v e , t o h g n Stay looki t u o d l o c s ’ t when i

Section B • Page 1

Annelise Sanchez rocks a simple, black, trench coat. So classic but still a show stopper.

Scarves can always do Scarves can the trick

Crusader photo/ Jose Medrano

Crowds await the beginning of the annual Duck Race hosted by the Liberal Chamber of Commerce at Blue Bonnet park. $10,000 was given away in prize money to the winners of the race.

complete a winter outfit.

Crusader photo/ Jose Medrano

PTK members Alan Grajeda and Selene Perez watch over their graveyard themed booth at the annual Chili Cookoff at Blue Bonnet Park.

Stand out Go for bright colors

Business booms in Liberal

Add boot socks

Cel esti na Padi l l a Crusader Staff

A great way to add a pop of color to an outfit that looks too plain.

Bright colors can make you stand out in all the dark, winter colors.

Crusader page design/ Morgan Riley

Liberal: Growing, Building, and Expanding.

Construction is going on in Liberal. A Little Ceaser’s is being built on 8th and Kansas, and a larger building — future home of Hibbett Sports is being made on North Kansas. There have also been rumors of an IHOP being constructed.

Human Resources Director, Jeff Parsons, says the economic development will come in phases. In these phases people will be employed, sales tax revenue will be produced and the new places will attract people from surrounding areas.

In the first phase a restaurant, IHOP, will be constructed, plus an area of about 6,000 square feet for retail will be made. The

plans for this initially began in Feb. and March earlier this year and the finalizing details will be made in roughly a month. If all goes according to plan, the IHOP is likely to open around April or May in the spring.

Phase two will include about 15,000 square feet more for retail areas. These businesses will generate revenue, sales tax revenue for the city and simultaneously generate jobs for those in the area while attracting consumers from around Liberal as well.

Liberal is an ever-growing community with residents and those from surrounding areas who take advantage of various businesses in the city. Expanding the city and adding in more will be an asset for those involved.

SCUBA at Seward SCUBA class makes a splash Jordan Long Crusader staff

Crusader photo/Jordan Long

Students Tomas Reynaga and Emmanuel Rivero and Instructor Mike Hale practice SCUBA techniques at the SCCC/ATS school.

SCUBA diving is a two credit hour class physical education class. Students also receive an official SCUBA diving license upon completion of the class.

SCUBA diving is one of the classes offered at Seward County Community College and on eCollege in which students will receive two credit hours and an official SCUBA diving license upon completion of the class and a skills test performed at an underwater dive.

Master Scuba instructor, Mike Hale, who has been scuba diving since 1972 and teaching scuba diving since 1991, has been teaching scuba diving at Seward County Community College since 1992.

Hale also teaches private scuba lessons along with owning and running a Professional Association of Diving Instructor (PADI) certified scuba shop named Scuba Ventures located in Liberal. Also assisting Hale is Scuba Instructor Chris Davis who helps with training and mentoring of the students.

Also Hale said “for anyone who is looking to stay in shape or is looking for a relaxation sport scuba diving is for you. This is your ticket to dive and to impress your friends for knowing that scuba stands for self-contained underwater breathing apparatus.”

Throughout the course, students will learn proper skills and techniques to help them and there fellow dive partners

stay safe and how to evade dangerous situations.

Students will learn how to manage and care for there scuba gear and air tanks and especially what to do if there is a malfunction with there equipment.

Along with the basic scuba license, anyone may apply for to learn advance diving techniques to achieve the advance diving license, which also trains people on how to do night dives and to handle deeper depths of water pressure.

Then there is the scuba rescue class which teaches divers how to handle extreme emergencies and how to rescue divers in distress. Along with getting a scuba rescue license, the diver will also receive a CPR certification upon completion of the rescue diver course and test.

There are two different times to take the class; during the fall semester or the spring. Depending on the season that the class decides to go on their open water dive will determine the location.

Some of the places include Lake Blue Hole in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, Cozumel, Mexico and even the Cayman Islands. For more information, contact Mike Hale at (620) 629-3958 or go online to scubav.com for pictures of Hale’s past students and of places they have been.

FEATURE

2B CRUSADER

the

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Asi a n

Courtesy photo/ Janae Rempel

Loewen, far left, and members of her group meet a Japanese man and his two children. The man was overjoyed to test his conversational English with actual English speakers, and apologized many times for his poor English.

Crusader photo/ Tonya Loewen

Crusader editor and presidential scholar Tonya Loewen traveled to Japan last summer for two weeks. This is a view of Mt. Fuji from Lake Yamanaka, which is around 30 miles east of the mountain. Lake Yamanaka is one of five lakes surrounding Mt. Fuji, and is the largest. Lake Yamanaka also has a village surrounding called Yamanakako, which roughly translates to “village beside the lake by the mountain.”

Courtesy photo/ Janae Rempel

Loewen prepares her bed, a futon, which is made from thin pads on the tatami mat on the floor.

Crusader photo/ Tonya Loewen

A view from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo shows one of the busiest subway stations in the world.

Courtesy photo/ Janae Rempel

Editor experiences new culture in Japan Tonya Loewen Editor If traveling to the complete opposite side of the world isn’t a big enough shock, my recent trip to Japan showed me how different, yet somehow very similar the basics of culture are.

This summer, I traveled with a group of 10 people to Okutama and Tokyo, Japan for two weeks. I was able to get a taste of Japanese culture and travel a land so unlike my home. While in Japan, I climbed Mount Fuji, rode the world’s busiest subway system, shopped in Harajuku District and traveled around the world’s largest metropolitan area; Tokyo.

Some of the major differences between Japan and Southwest Kansas are etiquette, food and religion.

Growing up in America, most are taught to always think about themselves as No. 1. If you’re not happy, then whatever you’re doing or who you’re with needs to change. Unlike Americans, the Japanese do not think of themselves. Instead, they think in groups and mainly care about others.

Japanese have very humble opinions of themselves, and their view of others is shown throughout their culture.

Etiquette in Japan is very important, from the way the Japanese treat their land to the way they treat each other.

One way that Japanese are polite to others is in

the way they treat money. In America, we just hand over our cash or coins to the cashier at a restaurant or store. In Japan, it is considered rude to hand money to someone, so instead money is placed on a tray and then handed to the cashier, while saying “Arigatou gozaimasu,” or thank you.

A common sight in America is trash cans, garbage bins and sometimes recycling bins. Since there is so limited space in Japan, garbage doesn’t have very much space either. In homes, all trash is separated in many different recycling bins, and much less paper is used. In public areas, there are nearly no trash cans or recycling bins. While traveling, I saw maybe one trash can.

Another reason for the lack of trash cans is from bomb scares a few years ago, so the government decided to eliminate public trash cans as a place to hide bombs. If there would be very few trash cans in America, the streets would probably be covered in trash.

Although there are hardly any trash cans in public places in Japan, there is nearly no trash on the streets. Cleanliness is very big in the Japanese lifestyle, although I rarely saw handsoap in public restrooms.

The United States ranks as No. 1 in the world for obesity rates, at around 35 percent of the population overweight. Japan, on the other hand, is one of the healthiest countries in the world, at only 3 percent of overweight citizens. I only saw two or

three of what I would consider “overweight” Japanese person the entire trip, and they were still very small in size compared to overweight Americans.

Part of why Japanese are so healthy is because of the food they eat. Living on a group of islands, seafood and rice are major parts of their diets. If a meal doesn’t include rice, it’s not considered an actual meal, but just a snack. Chopsticks are the main utensil used in Japan, which also, unless the user is very skilled, makes eating food more difficult. After much practice, chopsticks are easier to use, but American food generally doesn’t accommodate chopsticks.

The Japanese also take great care for the older generations. In America, if someone is too old to care for themselves, they are put in a retirement home or given nurses to help them at home. In Japan, if someone is too old to care for themselves, they live with their children, who take care of them until they pass away. Admitting a grandparent or other older relative into a retirement home is considered very disrespectful, and viewed as abandonment and as if the older person is no longer wanted.

Not only do Japanese take very good care of other people, but they also take very good care of themselves. In Southwest Kansas, we tend to lean to-

Loewen, center, and fellow group members pose after rafting in the Tama River.

wards wearing whatever is comfortable. Fashion trends on the coasts generally take a while to arrive in the middle of the United States, making being fashionable a bit more difficult than wearing jeans and a T-shirt.

For the most part, Americans take care of themselves, except in what we eat. In Japan, how you present yourself is everything. This involves diet, physical exercise, and clothing. Most of Japan is considered cities, so they do have more advantages for shopping than here. Regardless, they still have very high standards for physical appearance.

For many Americans, climbing a mountain is a form of physical exercise or a way to get outdoors.

For most Japanese, climbing the sacred Mount Fuji is a religious pilgrimage. Mount Fuji is the most climbed mountain in the world, with more than 100,000 people on the mountain each year.

Majority of climbers are Shintoist Japanese, who believe that the mountain is holy and contains a goddess.

While I saw many differences in culture in the little things on my trip, I saw major similarities when viewed from afar. Both cultures still have the same needs, wants and ways to solve problems.

Through completely different cultures and countries all over the world, we’re still the same.

International student from Japan accepts new culture Jul i a Frey Crusader staff

Crusader photo/ Jakub Stepanovic

International student Daichi Ozawa practices tennis on Sept. 20.

International exchange student Daichi Ozawa is 19 years old and a freshman at Seward County Community College.

Originally he comes from Tokyo, the capital of Japan. But since June 2012 he has been a student in Liberal. Ozawa’s major is mathematics, and, although he isn’t on the tennis team, he loves to go to the practices.

He found his way to Seward through the Internet. One of his aims was to study in a place without other Japanese people. He wanted to see a completely different world, and, of course, he wanted to improve his English.

A look at the culture from Ozawa’s perspective showed a lot of interesting information.

Tokyo has more than a million inhabitants and is the most populous city in Japan. Furthermore, Tokyo has been the capital of Japan since 1868 and Japan’s economy is also very strong,

especially since the ’50s.

Ozawa talked about his old life in Tokyo. He decided to live alone and he had his own room there. Moreover, he had a job in a restaurant.

With the money that he earned, he financed his residence in America. But for an ambitious person like Ozawa, that was no problem.

Ozawa said that Tokyo has a lot of people, because this city is very favored in the whole world.

The Japanese typically love fashion and crazy styles. For example, “they often change their hair color, and in general they are really creative with their appearance,” Ozawa said.

But on the other hand, they are very quiet, closed and even shy. What Ozawa loves about his country is that the traditional food is very healthy. The Japanese eat a lot of fish, rice and vegetables. It’s a typical habit to eat with chopsticks, like we know from the movies.

Additionally, the people in Japan travel a lot with public transports like the metro or the bus,

typical for a metropolis. This is one of the many differences between Japan and America.

But Ozawa said that the biggest differences are the people and the food. He has the opinion that the American people are very open and the Japanese are more closed and they don’t like to talk about private things.

Then the food in comparison to Japan is very fatty and unhealthy. The food in America isn’t Ozawa’s favorite. Also he misses the fashion consciousness back in Japan.

Ozawa said, with a big smile, that he “loves all the friendly Americans and also the American school system, because there are a lot of good chances to get a scholarship.”

In addition, Ozawa is very impressed by the American economy. This is one reason why Ozawa wants to study in America. He hopes to play tennis and be as good and successful as he can. Even if he has almost no contact with his family at home, he feels very comfortable here.

FEATURE

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

CRUSADER 3B

Exp er i en c e

Courtesy photo, Dana Loewen

Former SCCC student and Crusader editor Dana Loewen at the Forbidden Palace in Beijing, China during the month of July. The Forbidden Palace is the world’s largest palace and was built in the early 1400’s.

Former editor travels, teaches English in Beijing Dana Loewen Former editor

Courtesy photo/ Dana Loewen

Loewen, center, poses with Chinese in tourist outings. People are very excited to see foreigners, and get in line to take pictures with any foreigner, treating them like celebrities.

For five weeks this summer, I was living, eating, traveling and working in Beijing, China, an ancient yet modern city half-way around the world.

I climbed the Great Wall, learned how to make dumplings, explored the Forbidden City, shopped at the Pearl Market and ate a lot of things I couldn’t identify.

I traveled to Beijing to work for a program called the Total Immersion Program which brings English teachers from all over China to improve their spoken English and English teaching abilities. I went mostly to practice teaching English as a foreign language but I learned a great deal more. Living in China for an extended period of time and being constantly surrounded by the Chinese made me learn a great deal that I wouldn’t have on a sightseeing trip.

To me, the city appeared to be an awkward adolescent after a growth spurt. One day, I visited the National Library and the Olympic Center and was struck by the ultra-modern architecture of these buildings in contrast with

the littered uneven sidewalks, fruit stands and rickshaws on the street. Conversely, young people messed with their smart phones on the 260-year-old intricately painted covered walkway at the Summer Palace.

Beijing also tends to constantly assault one’s senses. There’s the sight of neon signs and men with their shirts rolled up and bellies hanging out, toddlers wearing “split-pants” peeing on the streets, the near-constant smog and people taking a nap anywhere; the sounds of the abrupt tonality of the Chinese language, the arias of their traditional music and the snorts of phlegm being spit on the street; the smell of cigarette smoke or the infamous “stinky tofu” street food.

Nevertheless, there is certainly great beauty to be seen. The parks are all full of weeping willow trees and giant water lilies floating in lovely lakes. The opulence of the palaces is echoed in the fancy restaurants, the vibrant reds, patterns of birds and flowers, jade dragons and koi ponds.

A great beauty also lies in the hearts of the people. I heard “Hello! You are so beautiful!” from countless strangers. Those brave enough would ask to take pictures with me when we

were out at tourist sites or practice their English conversational skills on the subway.

My students asked me question after question about everything from what schools are like in America to what we eat – at one point I tried to describe a taco and failed miserably.

They invited me to their homes to show me around their hometowns, and cooked for me. They even offered to help me get a Chinese boyfriend when they heard I was single.

My students were really genuinely interested in me, noticing if I didn’t eat much for lunch or if I was having a bad hair day or looked more tired than usual. At the end of the session, my students and I shared a roll of toilet paper to dry our tears during our goodbye party.

China truly is a different world with different sights, sounds, smells and ways of thinking, yet what struck me while reading student’s journals and talking to them was how similar people are. When it boiled down, we have the same fears, pains, wants and desires, though they might appear in different ways.

That I think is an important part of being human: we have more in common than differences; and those differences are beautiful.

Courtesy photo/ Dana Loewen

While staying with a friend, Loewen, far left, learns how to make Chinese dumplings. This special dish is only made a few times a year, mainly for holidays.

Courtesy photo/ Dana Loewen

Loewen climbs on the Great Wall of China with friends. While very beautiful, the Great Wall is very steep and gives a great workout.

Courtesy photo/ Dana Loewen

Loewen in front of giant water lilies at her favorite place to visit, the Summer Palace. Loewen visited the Summer Palace twice, once with my Chinese friend Jessie and once with a few of my fellow American teachers. Loewen feels that the beauty of the gardens and lakes is combined well with the history of the architecture.

Hong Kong native experiences new cultures in United States Jose Medrano Editor Leo Bo Wang is an international student from Hong Kong, China.

During his time in America, Wang has transitioned to a new culture, made new friends, heard new languages and learned new things.

“It is a huge city,” Wang said about his hometown, Hong Kong.

Wang is from the Sai Kung district of Hong Kong. Hong Kong is split into 18 districts, that contain a population of over 6 million people.

Seward County Community College/Area Technical School was a new experience for him. “Coming to America was really exciting, I was happy to be independent,” Wang said. Before coming to Seward Wang attended high school in Louisiana as a exchange student.

“I love meeting new cultures and coming to a place that has this many international students was cool,” Wang said. Wang has made meet new people and made friends since he came to SCCC/ATS, and he has experienced many new cultures since his arrival.

Wang moved to Liberal in the spring of 2011 to attended SCCC/ATS. Currently he lives in the dorms. During his time here he has traveled to Las Vegas, San Francisco and other major cities in the United States.

“I really like the Latino culture, especially South Americans. I love the food, the people and just everything about it,” Wang said.

“The first thing I learned in Spanish was how to say ‘estas libre esta noche?’ and ‘esto soltero’.” Which translates to “are you free tonight?” and “I’m single.

Seward County has more than three dozen international students from over the world. Although he has not been home in over a year, Wang does not miss Hong Kong, but he does miss his family and his dog.

“There is a lot less pressure in school here. Traditionally back home it is just really stressful because you have to do so well,” Wang said.

“The food back home is good, but I like to try new foods,” Wang said. “The taco stand is the best, I also really like pina colada.”

Wang has a roommate that is Japanese, Daichi Ozawa, and said the following about it; “Its not very different from the culture that I know. We don’t speak the same language, but we understand each other.”

Wang is hoping to transfer to K-State and move out of the Liberal at the end of this semester. “I want to get out and see as much as I Crusader photo/ Jose Medrano can.”

International student Leo Bo Wang competes on an inflatable bungee run during Dormapalooza in the 2012 spring semester.

LIFESTYLE

4B CRUSADER

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Let’s go skate Learning skateboard tricks and stunts has been made easier for the youth of Liberal with the completion two years ago of a skate park in Liberal’s Light Park. The skate park seems to have generated a newfound interest in skateboarding. “This is our life,” Chase Eatmon, 16, Liberal High School said, “I get high off skateboarding. We don’t need drugs. We are above the influence.”

City of Liberal parks director Bill Houck said he was glad to see the kids enjoying the park. “It was part of our long range park plan and took three years to finish. It keeps kids off the streets. The city strives to give them something to do.” Following the concept of the original park on the south side of town, according to Houck, the park’s design had many contributers from city staff to the high school students who would be using the park, but the main contributer to the design was public works director Joe Sealy.

Open from sunrise to sundown, the skate park, located behind Walgreens at 15th and Kansas avenue gets plenty of attention. Even with school back in session, the hardcore skaters show up daily. Armando Ponce, 15, said he would never quit skating, “I do it everyday.” Students from nearby Seward County Community College/Area Technical School often frequent the park as well.

this means the same Sick as "cool" or for you older guys, "rad".

Pretty much anything can be sick.

You can pull off a sick trick, have a sick board, or a skatepark can be sick. It's one of those slang words like "bad" was a decade ago, meaning the opposite. Along with "sick", something really cool might get called "ill", "insane", "gnar" (short for "gnarly"), or even "rad" or "righteous".

Stoked — to like something or to be excited. I am stoked that you are reading this. I'm stoked I can land a tre-flip. The word comes from making a fire bigger - when yo u add fire to it, or fan the flames, you are "stoking" the fire.

Sketchy — not well done, or not trustworthy. A sketchy trick looked badly done ("clean" is the opposite - a clean trick looked flawless). A sketchy person is someone who you don't want to bring home for dinner. A sketchy skateboard is a piece of junk that might break.

Bail — to bail is to either fall, or to jump off of your board right before falling. It doesn't get used all the time though - some people just say to fall or crash. The word "bail" is more traditional in skateboarding, but if the people you are around don't use it, you might sound like you're trying too hard if you insist on saying "bail" all the time!

Poser — this is someone who looks like a skater, or who claims to be one, but who doesn't know anything about skating. This term can be pretty hurtful, so don't use it lightly. And it's tough to know if someone truly IS a poser.

AIRWALK th air off of a r e skater first gets a lo t the air, he o amp or halfpipe. While of r skateboard she grabs the nose of in , and kicks th front foot in out his or h e back foot be front of the board a er Airwalk effe hind the board. For the nd c fu a walking m t, the skater should m ll a otion with h is or her leg ke s.

HEEL FLIP A flip trick where the skater kicks the skateboard to make it flip underneath him or her.

SCAN THE CODE to check out the video on YouTube

See more photos on Facebook.com/CrusaderNews Story by Giseelle Arredondo, Dawn Shouse Illustrations by Dawn Shouse Photos by Giseelle Arredondo

AERIALS involve floating in the air while using a hand to hold the board on his or her feet.

BAIL is to either fall, or to jump off of your board right before falling.

5-0 (Fi boarder ve-Oh) is when truck. Th grinds with only the skatee in the air nose of the skate the back look and a little, making the board is up feel some w thing like hole trick a manual.

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