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The Seminole Scribe

Vol. 23 No. 2

VA and SSC Prepare for Returning Veterans

Photo and story by Zachary Ely

n the past, colleges did not have to worry about a lot of veterans swamping campuses. But now, there are an overwhelming amount of veterans returning home from defending our freedom to find few jobs, a lousy economy and little opportunity. Jose Toro, Veterans Affairs Specialist at Seminole State Community College of Florida, who handles enrollment services and registration for veterans. “We expect 800,000 vets to separate from the military in the next two years and good percentage of them are expected to attend college,” he said. According to the Department of Defense, veterans enrollment statistics; 2009, Seminole State College of Florida had a total of 660 veterans, 2010, SSC had a total of 825, and 2011, SSC had a total of 935 military veterans enrolled in classes. This is a 12% increase per year and it is expected to rise in the next several years. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has many services for returning veterans including health care, education through the G.I. Bill and Vocational Rehabilitation (Voc Rehab), home loans, benefits for dependents and survivors, and burial and memorials. Many veterans also find that they need to further their education.

Seminole State College of Florida

March 1 - 14, 2012

Role Models: Don’t Ruin The Beautiful Game

By Jarred Paluzzi

uring a heated match between two of the league’s top soccer teams, Luis Suarez reportedly called Patrice Evra “negro,” a common term in Uruguay for a black person. The racist remark outraged soccer fans worldwide but the truth remains to be seen. What Americans call soccer, the rest of the world knows as football. To fans and players across the world, the game is more than a just a sport, it’s a way of life. “It’s a way of expressing and experiencing emotion in a sublime way,” Mark Withers, a local semi-professional soccer player, said. The recent incidents involving racial gestures and slurs toward players of opposing soccer teams question whether heroes are

digging too deep into one another just to win a match. The most talked about incident over the past few months involved two of the top English Premier League clubs, Liverpool and Manchester United. The incident, which happened in Liverpool on Oct. 15, 2011, caused Liverpool striker Luis Suarez to verbally abuse defender Patrice Evra of Manchester United. Yet, without proof other then words, the Football Association (FA) looked into the

case for weeks until deciding that Suarez should be banned for eight matches and fined £40,000. According to the case report released by the FA, Suarez was charged with using abusive and/or insulting words toward Evra that included a reference to Evra’s ethnic origin, or race. The charges occurred because, according to the association’s Standard Statutes, the fight against racism is of great concern to the Federal International Football Association

Space Out at SSC’s Planetarium

ay Vaughn, student at Seminole State College, said he remembers going to the planetarium in Tampa as a boy and now he wants his son to enjoy the same experience. The Planetarium at Seminole State College of Florida offers live, interactive shows and

Photo by Bianca Preusker

(FIFA).“Discrimination of any kind against a country, private person or group of people on account of ethnic origin, gender, language, religion, politics or any other reason is strictly prohibited and punishable by suspension or expulsion,” according to the FIFA statutes. Seminole State College student Jorge Minotta said, while soccer players are not ruining the game, he said he believed their examples could set the Continued on page 2

by Ambar Wessin

full-dome video presentations. The show gives a deep insight of space, planets, stars, constellations, and pretty much all about science and astronomy. It covers the stories of ancestors created to explain the origins of each constellation, which at the same time helps locate the stars in the night sky. Planetarium coordinator Michael McConville said the technology, known as full-dome video, is what makes for a unique experience.

The VA separates veterans who plan to attend college with 6 different chapters. According to DOD statistics, the total number of veterans attending SSC are separated into chapters as follows: Post 911, 425; Montgomery GI Bill, 40; Vocational Rehabilitation, 40; Dependent/Survivors, 90; Military Reserves, 25; Active Duty Tuition Assistance, 20.

“Full-dome video really gives us the ability to make people forget they’re in a planetarium and give them the experience of floating in space and visiting the moon, the planets, and the stars,” he wrote in an email. “It’s really an amazing thing to see, and we’re extremely proud of the reception

Continued on page 2 Photo provided by Planetarium Staff

Continued on page 3

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year. Her Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) was 81B Draftsman/ Illustrator. She attended Basic Training at Fort McClellan, Ala. and went straight to her permanent duty station at Fort Ms. Dufour and Mr. Toro on campus recently. Bragg, N.C. with the 72nd The VA has put in place at Aviation Company. colleges all over the country, well-educated, and specialized “We had Warrant Officers who people to be able to organize flew helicopters and I developed and help veterans through maps, charts and signs for my college. Two of these people are unit,” Ms. Dufour said. Jose Toro and SSC’s Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor Brenda Like Mr. Toro, Ms. Dufour’s Dufour, VBASPT. military experience allows her to identify with all military veterans. The main person campus that every veteran will meet is Mr. In July 1976, she was Toro. Originally from Brooklyn, transferred to a Signal Company N.Y., Mr. Toro joined the Air in Mannheim, W. Germany. On Force after high school under Dec. 31, 1976, and nine months the Delayed Entry Program pregnant with her first child, she (DEP). His military assignments was discharged Honorably from included three tours in S. Korea, the Army. Guam, Okinawa, mainland Japan, Honduras and Saudi In 1982, Ms. DuFour used the Arabia. The fact that he has G.I. Bill to attend college in been all over the world enables Buffalo where she earned her him to identify with veterans A.S. degree in Graphics Design from overseas. and Fine Arts. She attended Medaille College and earned Mr. Toro’s loyalty to his family her B.S. in Psychology and proves his dependability as a Human Services in 1984. Then, Veterans Specialist. After his she attended graduate school first tour in N. Korea, he married at Canisius College in Buffalo Lillian, who he met in seventh where she earned a M.S. in grade, and they have two adult Counselor Education in 1986. sons. He separated Honorably In 1997, she was accepted at from the Air Force on Sept. 1, the State University of New York 2001 after twenty-one years. He at Buffalo for Law School and worked as an on base mechanic attended until 1999. at Semour Johnson A.F.B. in North Carolina before moving to Her education equipped her with Florida in 2005. the expert knowledge needed to help returning veterans. After moving to Florida, Mr. Toro was employed at Sanford “I have been in the counseling International Airport as a Quality field for over 27 years with Assurance Specialist until 2009. specialties in Substance He started his current position Addiction, Dual Diagnosis, at Seminole State College of Veterans’ and older adults,” she Florida in Aug. 2009. said. “August 2009 is actually the beginning of the Post 9/11 era,” Mr. Toro said. “Since I’ve been here, I’ve seen it grow from 350 VA students to over 700.” Along with Mr. Toro, Dr. Yolanda Williams, director of the Department of Diversity and Equity, are spearheading the idea of a Veterans’ Memorial at SSC. Some students are able to go to college through the VA’s disability program. Brenda Dufour, VBASPT, is the vocational rehabilitation counselor for Seminole State College of Florida. After graduating high school in Rhode Island, she signed up for the Army under the DEP her senior 2 Seminole Scribe 2012

She has started programs and has been Supervisor and Clinical Director on numerous occasions, giving her adaptability for any situation concerning veterans. She also has experience dealing with homeless vets and substance abuse, in addition to being a certified gerontologist. Of all of her duties, Ms. DuFour said she likes working with people to whom she identifies with and loves to help people through problems, giving her satisfaction in turning people’s weakness’ into success. “I love working with veterans the most,” she said.

March 1, 2012 standards for a better future, not only for the sport but also for humanity.

yelling and screaming offensive remarks against one another, as well as the players on the pitch.

“They do give it a bad image when they are charged with issues involving racism and an overall lack of professionalism both on and off the field,” he said.

On February 16, two teams, Portuguese team FC Porto and English team Manchester City, met for the Europa League game. It was soon reported, as Manchester City striker, Mario Balotelli was being substituted, that the fans of FC Porto made harassing noises towards him.

Not all fans agree with the ban, believing that the FA should take more control and not publicly address certain situations. “I don’t think the FA should have stated that Suarez is banned for racial abuse because it causes more tension among players and supporters, what they should have labeled it as player misconduct,” Sid Figueroa, a student at the University of Central Florida, said. Also, Figueroa said the more the FA talks about situation in bad manners, the more likely there will be more problems because they are “singling players out.” After settling one incident, Sid said the FA is opening the door for more to occur. “They are blowing it out of proportion creating a domino effect,” Sid said. And, it’s not just taunting between players. It also has grown to the crowd with fans

According to British reports, Porto’s fans made monkey noises. The FA is still waiting on the official match report to determine the situation. If Porto’s fans are found guilty, the club could face a large fine, elimination from European tournaments, as well as having to play games behind closed doors. What’s left to be determined is whether the FA is doing enough to keep the games clean and respectful. Are the “Say No to Racism” ads working against them? “Player’s need to be treated equally no matter of color, race or language,” Aliakbar Bhimji, student at Seminole State College, said. “It’s messed up that this is still going on and it can create riots and serious damage to football in general.”

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THE SEMINOLE SCRIBE The Seminole Scribe is the student newspaper of Seminole State College of Florida

EDITOR Zachary Ely STAFF REPORTERS Stephanie Alvarez Joshua Glener Justin Goodman Yngrid Lindores Jarred Paluzzi Ambar Wessin Faculty Adviser Jennifer Sheppard EDITORIAL POLICY Viewpoints expressed in columns and letters to the

editor are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Seminole Scribe or Seminole State College. Letters or columns can be emailed or dropped off at the office. Please limit letters to 500 words, and include phone number, name and area of study or affiliation. Letters will not be printed anonymously. We reserve the right to reject letters.

MISSION STATEMENT We are a student-run newspaper that aims to construct a publication of professionalism. Through each individual staffer’s utmost potential, we write for the interest of the school and its student body to deliver a quality news and entertainment source that uphold traditional journalistic values.

PUBLIC FORUM

The Seminole Scribe is a “designated public forum.” Student editors have authority to make all content decisions without censorship or advance approval.

©2012 The Seminole Scribe. All rights reserved. All content is property of The Seminole Scribe and may not be reproduced or transmitted without consent. The Scribe is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press, Florida Community College Press Association and College Media Advisers Inc.

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our system has received from our visitors over the past several years.” During the show, the room is so dark that the only visible thing is the sky. The seats recline, giving the audience a better view and a lifelike experience. Riccardo Rodriguez said that he has been to the planetarium on about five or six different occasions, and the interesting thing is that each week is an essentially different show. Central Florida Nights is the most common show, but with eight-eight constellations, all seen at different times of the year, there is a lot to see and learn. “I would have to say it’s more informative, but that’s not to say it’s not fun. I think a lot of people are unaware of just how many stars they don’t see on a

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nightly basis and seeing them all lit up in the planetarium is truly a stunning sight,” Rodriguez said. “I don’t think ‘fun’ is a strong enough word to describe it. Seeing a Nebula, where stars are born, is such a beautiful sight, and gaining the perspective of how small we are when compared to some other stars several hundred times larger than our sun, is much more than just fun.” From going to the planetarium one learns how to locate stars. Rodriguez said that the trick is to get a good reference point to start with. When you learn to locate an easy constellation like Orion, for example, you can locate other constellations from the one reference point. Rodriguez continued, “The best beauty of the planetarium is that

you are able to see the sky at its clearest and purest forms. No light pollution, no clouds, no atmosphere to dilute or drown out the stars, planets, or clusters.” The planetarium is located on the Sanford/Lake Mary Campus at 100 Weldon Blvd., Sanford, Fla. 32773. Each show begins at 8:30 p.m. Doors open at 8 p.m. The Planetarium presents “Central Florida Nights” on the first, third and fifth Friday of each month (excluding December). “Cultural Astronomy Series” runs on the second and fourth Friday of each month. “Special Features” will run on specific Saturdays. Adults: $6 dollars, Seniors 55+: $4, Students (with ID) $4 Preschoolers, Seminole State students, faculty and staff are free.

To Be or Not to Be At Tuesday Voices

ixty people cram into a room of forty chairs, jotting down last minute stories in poetry journals, eating donuts and drinking cups of coffee until a creative and experienced man of the evening, Mr. Webb Harris, approached the stand and announced to the crowd “when I sit down, you come up.” Moments afterwards, writers familiar to the meetings process went straight for the mic. That’s how the monthly open-mic meeting, Tuesday Voices, started recently as host Webb Harris, an English professor at Seminole State said the events have “no hook, just one hour of poetry readings, who’s content is really dependent on the crowd.”

by Joshua Glener

fiction writer and poetry prize winner, Harris said the work he recites at Tuesday Voices “comes from experience and finding an intelligent angle to view the experience,” creating a piece of a poem and rolling with it.” Reciting an original poem titled “Nobody’s perfect” Harris reassured everyone to have faith in humanity, telling about his harrowing account of retrieving the events refreshments and showing up on time despite a woman’s attempt of getting two carts worth of groceries thru at the twenty or less aisle. “Be a better person…be less of an ass,” he said. “I hoped you enjoyed the donuts; I’m still paying for them.”

Tuesday Voices offers amateurs and professionals an opportunity to present poetry to those who appreciate its rhythm and creative expression. No auditions are necessary in its setup, bringing mystery and randomness to the night’s lineup. And it has done so for thirty years after Harris had the idea to let all who love poetry to share favorite works or originals in front of an audience. Behind a podium inside Sanford/Lake Mary’s multipurpose room, audience members recited original poems and works of famous authors. One original title presented at February’s meeting, “Who are You” delivered by Valorie Houston, asked why strangers don’t speak to each other or stop to say, “Who are you?” to someone. “I’ve done poetry since the third grade”, Ms. Houston, 52, said, being an older student returning to college; adding that poetry still made her “heart flutter.” Other students recited classical poems such as Robert Frost’s “Fire and Ice,” without any original poems. In terms of turnout, some audience members stood quietly observing the recitals from the back of the room unable to find a seat. But the attendees appreciated the freedom to let their voices be heard. A

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On the far right, Michael Wilson enjoys catching up with his friend after the weekend. - Photo by Ambar Wessin

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Krizia Capeles (left): “Every Wednesday at 12:30, me and my friends like to have a picnic.” Photo by Ambar Wessin

Gevon Deboje and Christian Talde study the Bible. “Come to Campus Crusade, it meets from 12 to 1 p.m. in L 0015.” Photo by Ambar Wessin

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The Sex-Crazed Generation

n a recent Sunday morning, a 12-year-old girl displays her affection to her lover boy inside the cathedral church near the holy water fountain. If it wasn’t for the girl’s parents interfering, a hell of a show might have occurred. Often people point fingers at the media, however in reality the media only contributes a portion to why kids react in this particular manner. Trying to point out when there was a shift in the youth’s vulgar sexual attitude is impossible because even the Victorian ages weren’t cut clean to perfection. Recent studies from Boston University show peer pressure is an epidemic problem in today’s society. Hillary Dickens, a psychology professor at the Oviedo campus, said, “From a developmental psychology perspective, the most important thing a kid wants and needs is love and acceptance. If they don’t get it at home they look for it else elsewhere.” Ms. Dickens expressed the significance of parents accepting their kids for who they are. Both the environment and the child’s personality traits are factors in their driven thirst for recognition whether they receive it at home or not.

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March 1, 2012

“Not every kid can be the popular one, so they find a group that accepts them and mold distinct characteristics to ‘fit in’”, Ms. Dickens said. Being surrounded by intense sexual atmosphere creates peer pressure. Peer pressure plays a major role in kid’s reaction to issues brought upon them. No kid wants to be the outcast; they will do anything to avoid being the embarrassment of the school. Others will do just about anything to be the school’s celebrity ‘like’ student. “Sophomore in high school at the time, Amber Obijon’s goal and ambition was to sleep with the quarter back of the school, Ryan Crow. I will never forget she degraded her self just for a title,” Jordan River said. Peer pressure also conflicts with education. The students are so focused on material occurring outside of classroom than the subject being taught inside. In the end, students go to school primarily to socialize. “America’s top priority in school is social networking second is academics. If we wanted it the other way around then we would go to school in China.” Mrs. Dickens said. Cassie Stiegmier, a Liberty Middle School English teacher, said she sees kids

By Stephanie Alvarez

develop daily and notices changes within her student that parents or friends fail to realize. “It’s amazing how different each generation can be different from one another,” Ms. Stiegmier said. “As a child, I focused on my grades and hanging out with friends. Sex didn’t even cross my mind when I was in middle school. Now-a-days 13-year-olds have friends with benefits.” Society consistently separates the bad and the good, and the media portrays what is acceptable. Often, something bad can become accepted 10 years later. For instance, sexual media messages are portrayed in today’s music, television and video games in a graphic sexual nature. These “media messages” are exposed to young ages and not received as a serious matter but as a trend shown in recent studies by Dr. Sharon Maxwell. Trentonian newspaper exploited recent case, “It was revealed that a 13-year-old boy may have received oral sex from a 12-year-old girl in an elementary school bathroom stall, and that the acts may have been directed and forced by a 10-year-old girl who joined them.” In a world full of insanity, each generation brings a new level of obscenity that makes society more risque.

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Letters

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The following are letters to the editor. To submit your own, email theseminolescribe@gmail.com

First thing first, The Seminole Scribe needs recognition. I have seen frumpy torn through copies in the library, that I didn’t even give a chance. It wasn’t until the editor came by the gazebo in front of the security building that I actually gave this paper a shot. Kudos to Glener on writing an informative, well written piece, that I actually enjoyed reading. I think that this school needs to take action-to consolidate the masses about this issue. It’s not something that can be tacked by one student at a time, and believe me……if this paper was well publicized you would have a swarm of students by your side, fighting the rights and the well-being that every human should have. Honestly I hope Josh Glener is willing to put a group together and form into action, because I am. I know other students on the same side as well (only 1…..but 1 is more than none….and this is my first semester here so…..eh) Anyways if he’s at all interested, in bringing rights to human kind, I’m down for some organizational movement. - Sarah Elizabeth Alarcon Via email — I just read a great article in ‘The Seminole Scribe’ by Justin Goodman entitled ‘Seminole State Supports Sweatshops.’ Hopefully having this published will make everyone at Seminole State College involved, take a second look at the companies Follett does business with. As the author states, I would hope that Seminole State would not engage in contracts that procure clothes from companies who produce in sweatshops, who don’t respect unions, who don’t pay living wages, and who abuse their workers. I would love to see a follow-up article in ‘The Seminole Scribe’ in the near future. - Lee Patrizzi

Via email — Invisible Children Redux: Should the children be saved only so they can be murdered and ran off their land by white oppressors instead of black ones? What about the black child soldiers in Baltimore, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, etc. in the gang wars fought over drugs, exacerbated by the criminal hypocrisy of the War on Drugs? The CIA, Military bring in drugs from overseas and ships it into (Afghanistan provides 90% of the world’s opium, protected by US troops which has profits up 133% percent from 2010, also involved in this macabre dance are child brides as low as 8 years old being kidnapped to satiate the desires of opium warlords.) The Taliban and Al-Qaeda openly recruits child soldiers as well, and the Obama administration, France, Britain, NATO and UN all openly financed AQ as they raped finally using a knife to sodomize the elected leader of a sovereign nation, Muammar Qadaffi. Al Qaeda has gone into Yemen, one of the countries Obama waived child soldier bans, to recruit child soldiers. Not to mention the US Military targeting high schools and at-risk teens for recruitment into their murder and rape club. As an African in America, Invisible Children is like a slap to the face. Invisible Children’s headquarters is in California. In their own backyard, blacks are being murdered en masse, just for being black Why no request to send troops into South Central? MS-13, the subject of a documentary titled “The World’s Most Dangerous Gang” (whether they are more dangerous than the Pentagon, Democrats or Republicans, NATO is highly debatable) is just one of many recent West Coast La Raza gangs that have a campaign against black skin. A lot of gang members have been given a “shoot on sight” command to kill any black people, regardless of age or gender The denial of autonomy by foreign powered in national decisions is a growing trend in Africa. The International Criminal Court is seen as a joke, even by the US who has denied its authority in any real legal standing. Real international criminals, such as Hillary Clinton, only invoke its name when they need their mass murder campaigns to look nice and legal. I’m not denying Invisible Children has the right idea, but when all members in the most influential offices of the land are in whole and total support of child soldiers and terrorism, it kind of lessens the possible effectiveness of the movement in the long run. To me their energy appears to be in the wrong place. As great African griot Dr. John Henrik Clarke once said, white people need to get their own house in order before they step into someone else’s and try to start calling shots In conclusion, Obama is a neocolonialist puppet who supports the exploitation of children, the European imperialist recolonization (read: rape) of Africa. - James Gnaster

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