MORAINE VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT NEWSPAPER WWW.MVCCGLACIER.COM DECEMBER 12, 2014 VOLUME 48, ISSUE 8
Easy fine amnesty Board
positions open for contest
An MVCC Student hand a library clerk units of food in order to clear multiple fines. [Erica Sinnott]
By Jackie Cronin Editorial Assistant Having to pay back a fine doesn’t encourage repeat business, but paying back debts through trade generates trust and promotes healthy relationships. The Library’s annual “Food For Fines” event took place on Nov. 25 in the L Building, where students donated food for the Library’s food drive, in
order to eliminate book fines. Instead of paying for overdue books, the Library allows students to redeem themselves by doing this charitable deed of bringing in food to help food pantries continue to give food to the needy. The Food For Fines event is a great way for students to avoid fines by giving food to those in need. The event benefits everyone and is a good reminder for students to know
that they need to continue to help the less fortunate. “It is a win-win situation,” said Manager of Library Services Terra Jacobson. “Students can avoid paying fines by giving food, which we donate to a food pantry that will help those who are in need.” This year’s food will be donated to Elise’s Food Pantry, which is located here in Palos Hills. FINES| page 5
Fully stocked pantry By Joshua Mira News Editor Hunger and starvation is one of the greatest wars we fight against. While these may seem like abstract concepts to those unexposed to its hardships, it is a reality many deal with daily. As a community college, Moraine Valley acknowledges the fact that some of the students who attend classes are financially unstable and unable to support themselves or their dependents to the American standard of living.
The pantry takes great lengths to fully stock. [Izabela Kokoszka] Consequently, this situation prompted the creation of a food pantry that caters to the financially insecure students on campus, offering food and
other supplies to those in need of them. “[The food pantry] started from requests from students PANTRY| page 6
Trustee Patrick Kennedy, attending the Board of Trustees meeting on March 20, 2013. [Archive] By William Lukitsch Editor-in-Chief Terms for two members of Moraine’s Board of Trustees will end in 2015, leaving one seat open and the other eligible for contest. After serving nearly 12 years, Trustee Patrick D. Kennedy of Blue Island had told the Glacier exclusively that he would not run for another term next year. “After 12 years it is time for new ideas and a fresh perspective,” Kennedy wrote in a Dec. 11 email. “When I started, my kids Patrick and Paige had just started first grade,” Kennedy said, explaining the contrast from his own life. “They are now freshmen in college.” Kennedy, who has served as a trustee since 2003, detailed four of his primary goals that have been completed. This includes the establishment of satellite campuses in Tinley Park and Blue Island, which “better serve students in the more remote areas of the district.”
Moraine’s Southwest Education Center in Tinley Park was the college’s first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified building and construction began per Board approval in 2009. This groundbreaking project was finally completed in 2010 and received platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in 2012. “We completed major capital projects of which the community can be proud of and that are state of the art,” Kennedy said. The college is in a financial position Kennedy described as “excellent,” and he believes that Moraine is in “good hands” with College President Sylvia Jenkins at the helm. Trustee Tom Cunningham of Orland Park currently occupies the other seat that will become eligible in 2015. Cunningham won his 2-year term in 2013 after a three-way race against former appointed trustee Andrea Ramirez-Justin and TRUSTEES| page 7
IN THIS ISSUE FEATURES U Building hosts Spirit Week for students to partake in. SOCIAL PAGE 3
SPORTS Women’s basketball loses steam during the season. PAGE 12
ENTERTAINMENT Rita McKenzie brings Ethel Merman’s Broadway to FPAC SOCIAL PAGE 5