The Seminole Scribe
Vol. 23 No. 4
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by John Jackson
Seminole State College of Florida
April 5 - April 19, 2012
Living Past the Tragedy
Photo by Zachary Ely
elicopters and media trucks hovered around thousands of demonstrators tuned into speakers on big-screen projectors in protest of Trayvon Martin’s killing last March. The rally was the largest of recent rallies since the incident sparked a fuse of tension between the Sanford Police Department and the community. “People are more aware of the Sanford Police Department’s problems,” said Antwoinne Campbell, a Seminole State College of Florida student. “If justice isn’t served, it could get ugly. Martin, a 17-yearold African-American, was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old man of Hispanic heritage. He was also the neighborhood watch Captain and a Seminole State student. Zimmerman was briefly detained and questioned after the incident, news reports said. The Sanford Police Department released him a short time later citing self-defense under the ‘Stand Your Ground Law,’ which was signed into practice by former Governor Jeb Bush in 2005. As a result of Trayvon’s death, civil rights leaders from across the country spoke Continued on page 2
Photo by Gail Davis
Tuition Paves Way For Tutoring
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by Ambar Wessin
nside a Seminole State classroom recently on the Sanford/Lake Mary campus, a student bragged about his 102 percent average in PreAlgebra. “If it wasn’t for the Academic Success Center,” Matt Jezak, a Seminole State student, said. “I’d never have a 102 average. I’m terrible at math.” Some students like Mr. Jezak are excelling in Continued on page 3
subjects as a result of tutoring from Seminole State. The staff, consisting of peer tutors, paraprofessionals, and Instructional Support Specialists (ISS) who have a bachelor’s degree or higher, help students in math, writing and sciences. There is also Accounting and Spanish tutoring at the Sanford/ Lake Mary campus; the Oviedo campus offers Seminole Scribe 2012
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The Seminole Scribe to the attendees of the event. Rev. Al Sharpton was bombarded with the task of delivering a message of hope while having to deal with the loss of his mother earlier that day. “My mother would want me to be here,” Rev. Sharpton said. Florida Congresswoman Coreen Brown also spoke at the event. She requested that the Sanford Police arrest Mr. Zimmerman. Michael Baeston, a talk show radio host, expressed his desire to have Zimmerman brought to justice. Martin, who was wearing a hoodie, was found with a bag of Skittles candy and a bottle of Arizona Iced Tea that he had purchased from a local convenience store for his little brother, reports said; they were the only two items found with Martin’s body. “I support the Skittles movement,” said Nicholas Howe, a Seminole
April 5, 2012
Photo by Gail Davis
State student. “The (Sanford) police department is messed up for not fully investigating the killing.” Many people at the event wore hoodies and Skittles candy wrappers as necklaces to raise awareness of the details of the tragedy. “It is wrong that in 2012, racial inequalities still exist,” Little Sailor, a Seminole State student, said. People attending the event gave many donations; some gave as much as one thousand dollars. The event drew to a close with words from the mother and father of Trayvon Martin. Both parents spoke about their appreciation for what God and the community have done to support them and in living past the tragedy of losing their son. § John Jackson is a former editor of the Seminole Scribe.
Opinion
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A Flippin’ Awesome Time at Aikido Club
had the luck of being invited to attend the Aikido martial arts club on the Sanford campus last Friday and it was an experience to remember! Aikido originated in Japan. It can be translated as “the Way of unifying life energy” or “the Way of the harmonious spirit.” Developed by Ueshiba Morihei and influenced by Daito-Ryu, it is one of the most popular martial arts in the world today. Steven Seagal, the infamously popular action star, also appears to be well versed in Aikido. Aiki-Jujutsu, a variation of Aikido, is used by the character Aoi Umenokouji in the video game series Virtua Fighter. The Seminole State club started in 2002, took a break for a few years and started back up around 2008. The current teachers have been demonstrating and passing on their skills for about three-anda-half years now. There were about 40 members involved in 2009, but now, due to an amalgam of circumstances, there are only about five.
Speaking on the real world applications, he said of Aikido, “it helps me analyze the outcome of my choices better.” Sensei(Teacher) Marshall Bryant, also adviser for the club said, “I’ve always done martial arts, but when I saw Aikido it was then I knew it was right for me. You actually learn how to defend yourself.”
Sherd White, above, 24, practices rolling during an Aikido class taught by Mark Rubbert, right, at Aikido & Japanese Yoga in St. Louis, Missouri. PHOTOGRAPH BY STEPHANIE S. CORDLE/ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH (October 24)
The narrative running through all people interviewed are that discipline is most important. Dedication and self-observation appears to be key.
- Aikido meets Thursday and Friday at 6:30 p.m. If you wish to participate, just show up to watch or partake in the action.
Colleen Harvey, current president of the organization for the past year, has been with the club for around two years. She said the most important things to succeed at this martial art are discipline, attention to details and patience. “In order to do the moves, it’s like they say: ‘The devil’s in the details,’ ” she said.
- Karate meets Monday and Wednesday. Weapons training classes are also offered on Saturday at 9:30 a.m.
Indeed, if you do not place your hand in the right area, lose your center of balance, or not apply pressure to the correct joints of your sparring partner, you will end up having little effect on them. However, this should only encourage you. Over time, you perceive more and more of what needs to be done and after a while, it all comes naturally. This can transfer over to your school or everyday life.
- All classes take place at the adult high school, Room B-127 §
Peter Bernath, a top United States Aikido Foundation instructor, sits quietly facing some students following an Aikido weapons class “I catch onto things quicker, I catch onto a mistake before it happens now” says John at the Holiday Park Activity Center in Fort Jackson, current club member. “It helps you Lauderdale, Florida. PHOTOGRAPH BY MARSHA Seminole Scribe 2012
Learning Tae Kwon Do before Aikido, he favors martial arts that are real world applicable, “and Aikido is very practical.” But for the moves to work with the highest success, he says relaxation is key. “You have to learn to relax, because if you don’t relax the technique will not flow.”
Sensei Glenn Norvell has been using Aikido since he was 16. He’s now 54. He took an 18-year break at one point to start a family, but now he is back for good, saying, “I’ll never stop. This is it.” §
The key to bringing your opponent down appears to be going with the natural energy that flows around and up and down our bodies. Used against most any attacker, this can cause immense pain and if need be, even permanently injure someone There are even moves used to disarm armed attackers.
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By James Gnaster
get around obstacles and it helps you to analyze danger better.”
HALPER/MIAMI HERALD (SOUTH FLORIDA SUNSENTINEL OUT) (July 30)
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accounting assistance, as well. While only about 15 percent of students go to the tutoring center, “Statistics have shown that students who attend at least one Ms. Moore said she would like more students to take advantage tutoring session per week, receive on average one letter grade of the service. The tutors are also happy to help when a student higher in their math classes than those that don’t,” Brandon doesn’t know where to start with a paper, making the students Gerber, a math tutor at Seminole State, said. “It shows greater brainstorm before going through the writing process. intelligence to be willing to ask for help.” “If the student does not have a paper to work on,” she said, “the Unfortunately, many students pass on the opportunity of tutoring tutors can provide with handouts for students to practice their due to scheduling or even their own fear. grammar and much more.” “People are afraid to come to the tutoring center to ask for help, Jessica Drew, an English tutor at Seminole State, said her goal is but once students visit, they always come back for more friendly to help students become self-sufficient. help with their homework,” Daniel Elliot, a math peer tutor at “Some people think they only need tutoring if they are weak in Seminole State, said. writing skills but we are here for the good writers too,” she said. Even though numbers seem to appear high for tutoring - the “We don’t proofread or edit papers...we usually read the first two sign-in data shows 21,575 individual tutoring sessions from all pages of the student’s paper to look for grammar and structure four campuses since July 1, 2011 to February 29, 2012 - most of errors, notice patterns and help the student identify how to them are repeat tutoring students. correct their errors throughout the That’s according to Marylen M. rest of their paper.” Visit www.seminolestate.edu/academicsuccess Jennings, director of the Academic Elisa Carvalho, a student at Seminole for information on hours of operation, location, and phone number for each tutoring center on all four campuses. Success Center/STAR Center. State in her last semester, used the Many students are also not aware that tutoring center recently for help on their tutoring is already paid. her economics paper. She said she “Everybody pays for tutoring with comes to tutoring because there are their tuition, including students professional writers who help. who get financial aid,” Mr. Gerber Ms. Carvalho is an example of a said. “The tutoring center offers a student who does not need much very welcoming atmosphere and all help in her papers, yet she comes Seminole State students have the every two weeks for feedback and a right to it but it is up to the student to second opinion, Ms. Drew said. utilize this service.” Another Seminole State student, Algebra seems to be what most Carlos Fernandez, said he is likely students need help with, Mr. Gerber to be found at a computer in the said. tutoring center, getting help with his “Tutors try not to solve the problem for the students but to teach trigonometry homework online. them how to solve it,” he said. Tutors also help students with math homework online with Aleks Turi Moore, an English tutor at the College, said tutors offer and Course Compass. help with grammar and help point out errors and weaknesses in “We don’t speak in genius terms like teachers do,” Jackson papers. Ms. Moore said it helps when a student comes prepared Dartangan, a Seminole State science peer tutor, said. “I am a and brings a syllabus or assignment sheets. student so I can relate to the students that I tutor.” “English tutors help students to write in such a way that others And, not only is the Academic Success Center for tutoring, it can can understand what they mean to say and reflect their ideas in be a great, quiet spot to study between classes. § the paper,” she said.
A portrait of Trayvon Martin is seen on a participant's Mohawk during a rally calling for the arrest in the death of Trayvon at the Klipsch Amphitheater in Miami, Florida, on Sunday, April 1, 2012. (Carl Juste/Miami Herald/MCT
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The Seminole Scribe
THE SEMINOLE SCRIBE
April 5, 2012
The Seminole Scribe is the student newspaper of Seminole State College of Florida.
EDITOR Zachary Ely
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.
COPYRIGHT
©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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One Day Without Shoes: April 10
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by Jarred Paluzzi electing a shoe for each donated a pair. morning is a daily routine, Some may question however for children in how barefoot living can be other parts of the world finding possible with diseases such as the safest route barefoot is Podoconiosis, a debilitating and theirs. disfiguring soil-based disease “There is serious poverty affecting more than four million in the world,” Sam Gerrity, and hookworm affecting more a Seminole State College student, said. Blake As a result, Blake Mycoskie, Mycoskie, founder founder of of TOMS came up TOMS Shoes, with his company’s is seen on motto, “One for his 45-foot sailboat in One” after visiting Marina Del Argentina in 2006. Ray, California. He noticed that the (Jay L. Clendenin/ children had nothing Los Angeles to protect their feet Times/MCT) from soil-transmitted diseases, which is the leading cause of diseases in poor 740 million, according to health countries. After returning to the reports. United States, Blake sold his Not only do diseases affect driver education company and children without shoes but more created a shoe company with than 30,000 people live in landfill his friends and family called areas such as the Philippines TOMS, which comes from the and are exposed to areas with word “Tomorrow.” broken glass, syringes and The company’s mission debris daily. is to aid children around the Although TOMS Shoes’ world and it starts when a pair main concern is to help protect of TOMS Shoes is purchased, the feet of these children from a child without shoes will be infections, he also noticed that
without shoes, children are unable to attend school. Without education, these children may never have an opportunity to learn and better themselves for the future. After founding TOMS, Blake returned to Argentina later that year and donated 10,000 pairs of shoes. Since his project begin in 2006, more than one million shoes have been donated in more than 20 different countries. On April 10, TOMS Shoes is holding a global event that will challenge people worldwide to go ‘One Day Without Shoes’ and raise awareness for millions of children who go without shoes everyday while facing diseases and other obstacles. Last year, more than 250,00 people participated in 1,000 events across 25 different countries, the company said. Seminole State College student Victoria Vaughn said she will be a participant this year. “When people see me, they will ask why I am not wearing shoes,” she said, giving her the perfect opportunity to spread the word of a cause that few know about. §
Save a Life and Kill the Taboo
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by Yngrid Lindores ar accidents, cancer and salmonella are all leading causes of death but studies show that being a college student can be dangerous, too. While the number one cause of death among college students is accidental death, the second leading cause of death among college students is suicide, according to Judy Broward, chair of the Florida Suicide Prevention Coalition. “If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, you need to know that you are not alone,” she said.
“As many as one in six people will become seriously suicidal at some point in their lives.” Suicide, or the action of killing oneself intentionally, according to dictionary.com, can be triggered by different things in a person’s life. In college, students face hard choices, sometimes for the first time, including what career to pursue and good grades are Continued on page 6 crucial, all while trying to make friends in a new place.
*If you recognize any signs for more than several days in you or a friend, seek help*
Warning Signs
STAFF REPORTERS Stephanie Alvarez Joshua Glener Justin Goodman Yngrid Lindores Jarred Paluzzi Ambar Wessin
Green crochet Toms from the summer collection. (Courtesy of TOMS Shoes/MCT)
I Ideation S Substance Abuse P Purposelessness A Anxiety T Trapped H Hopelessness W Withdrawal A Anger R Recklessness M Mood Changes
Suicidology.org
Feeling worthless or guilt Changes in eating or sleeping patterns Sleeping all the time Gaining weight or never hungry Craving for revenge Overreacting to criticism Feeling exhausted all the time Trouble concentrating or thinking Suddenly struggling in school Irritable or anxious behaviors Regular crying Neglect of personal care Stopped caring about appearance Not keeping up with personal hygiene Reckless or impulsive behaviors Behaving unsafely Drinking or using drugs excessively Persistent physical symptoms Headaches, digestive problems or chronic pain that don’t respond to routine treatment Thoughts about death or suicide
Judy Broward of Florida suicide prevention coalition
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The following are letters to the editor. To submit your own, email theseminolescribe@gmail.com
I was reading volume 2 of the Scribe and I think Stephanie Alvarez’s article on underage sex was poorly researched and totally subjective. I’ve been having sex since I was seven years old. A lot of my other friends I’ve asked have also started around the same age.
to raise server minimum wage in the last 20 YEARS doesn’t seem to bother them. If their bosses actually treated them with the respect of a living wage, they wouldn’t be complaining about customers not throwing them three to five overly-inflated American dollars.
Attributing sex to little more than media trends and peer pressure is a sweeping over-generalization and a dangerous, irresponsible stance that has ruined so many children. Its no wonder the youth doesn’t trust anyone older than the age of about 30 (younger if they’re a moralizing political leech). The works of author and psychologist Dr. Wilhelm Reich and many others confirm this
The articles states “according to a study by Restaurant Opportunities Center United [...] some managers and owners prefer to take advantage of those earning below minimum wages. This situation more often affects women than men, due to the fact that females make up 66% of restaurant workers earning tips. Because of inflation, $2.13 is worth 40% less in real terms than it was when the rate was established 21 years ago.”
In the end the author diagnoses the planet we live on as a “world full of insanity” without saying what’s insane about it. Her near-puritanical labeling of early sexual exploration as “obscene” at the end is offensive to my entire generation. The idea that maybe kids have sex and explore each others’ bodies because they actually love each other is non-existent. There’s an anecdote at the beginning theorizing that two preteens would have had uninhibited sex by a holy water fountain, in front of the entire congregation, if it weren’t for the girl’s parents. Does anyone actually believe this would happen?
In fact, there was a news story done this year in Winter Park about the state legislature making plans to lower minimum wage for servers to an even lower level. Restaurant owners appear to care more about opening more franchises and obtaining more profit than treating those who keep the business going as actual human beings. It seems she’s blaming the suffering and short-changing of servers on the customers and not those who employ them under de-facto slave wages. There’s a great documentary on the subject called Nickel and Dimed.
There’s another article about tipping that was also poorly researched, and takes the side of servers against customers.
Also, in Vol. 2 page 5 you misspelled my friend Geron’s name as Gevon...
The fact that restaurant owners and employers haven’t lobbied or cared
- Merlin Joseph via email
“Going to college is a transition period for students, which may cause students to feel lost, lonely, confused, and anxious or stressed,” Elizabeth Colavecchio, of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, said. As a result, students face a greater risk of becoming depressed which could ultimately lead to attempting suicide during this period of change. “Ninety-five percent of college students that die by suicide suffer from mental illness, usually depression,” Elizabeth Colavecchio said. In fact, nearly half of all college students reported feeling so depressed at least once in the past school year that it became difficult to function, Ms. Broward said. But students can be on the lookout for others who are feeling suicidal by learning how
with his TV production team and their documentary “Belonging in Your Own Skin,” a film about the Garrett Lee Smith Suicide Prevention Grant, viewers discover and learn about suicide prevention along with the crew. Dr. Fitzgerald plans on distributing this documentary to every college and university in the United States. “I think it accomplishes what we had hoped which is promoting suicide prevention,” he said, “You can’t determine how many lives you’ve saved. It’s not something you actually know, it’s something you can hope for.” As filming progressed, he said learned an important piece of advice he would like to share with readers, “Smile and say hello to people -connect and give them a way of connecting,” he said. Other groups, including the
to talk about suicide and the factors that cause it. “Most people who are suicidal give definite warning signs that they plan to take their own lives,” she said. To recognize warning signs, including those listed below, readers can take action by asking the individual displaying these signs if he or she is thinking of suicide. For Ms. Colavecchio, it’s important to “take it seriously” because more than 50 percent of all suicides give some warning of their intentions to a friend or family member, she said. “Be willing to listen to the person,” Ms. Colavecchio said. And complete strangers can be helped, too, just by raising awareness. At Seminole State, Professor Patrick Fitzgerald, Ph.D., is helping raise suicide awareness
(L to R) Oz (Chris Klein), Jim (Jason Biggs), Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) and Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) appear together again in "American Reunion." In the comedy, all the "American Pie" characters we met a little more than a decade ago return to East Great Falls for their high-school reunion. (MCT)
American Reunion 5
Seminole Scribe 2012
National Alliance on Mental Illness of Greater Orlando (NAMIGO), are also trying to raise suicide awareness. NAMIGO is sponsoring mental illness awareness on April 28 in Maitland. Students can register to walk on the NAMIGO website (www.nami.org). For Joe Mendoza, executive director of NAMIGO, treating mental illness is important to prevent suicide. “Think of it (the desire for suicide) as an energy that’s trapped inside of you,” he said. “Then you can, maybe, release it or channel it into a more positive area like getting some exercise, getting into the sun, doing some journaling so that you get it out of your head and onto a piece of paper,” said Mr. Mendoza. “There is always hope,” he said. “Hold on to that fact, and that the world is a better place with you in it.” §
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First lady to deliver three college commencement speeches
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By Samantha Stone, McClatchy-Tribune (MCT) irst lady Michelle Obama is scheduled to deliver the commencement addresses at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and Oregon State University on May 11, May 12 and June 17 respectively. Obama feels a personal connection to each school. Her first stop, on May 11 at Virginia Tech, was inspired by “the resilience of the student body and community coming together to support each other during difficult times,” according to a White House press release. North Carolina A&T is a historically black college and university or HBCU, a college
that has “been instrumental in educating generations of African Americans.”
Obama’s brother, Craig Robinson, serves as the head men’s basketball coach at OSU.
The press release said the first lady will speak May 12 at the North Carolina A&T commencement to honor the contributions HBCUs have made to higher education.
In the past, Obama has delivered addresses at University of California Merced, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, the George Washington University, University of Northern Iowa, Spelman College and West Point. She has also spoken at D.C.-area schools Washington Math and Science Tech Public Charter High School, the Anacostia Senior High School and Quantico Middle High School.
Lastly, Obama will speak on June 17 at OSU, a school who has shown in interest in helping put an end to childhood obesity and instill healthy lifestyles in our nation. “OSU’s student body has been recognized for its efforts to promote healthy communities by organizing large-scale food donation drives,” according to the press release.
Distributed by MCT Information Services
This is our second-to-last issue for this semester! What have you thought of the layout changes to the newspaper?
Colleges seek prestige by becoming universities
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By Mara Rose Williams, McClatchy Newspapers (MCT) as “college” lost its cachet?
One has to look hard to find one anymore, at least one that does not have “community” in front of it. Over the last couple of decades, area four-year institutions, including MidAmerica Nazarene (1997), Rockhurst (1999), Park (2000), Avila (2002), St. Mary in Leavenworth, Kan. (2003), and Central Methodist in Fayette, Mo. (2004), have donned the academic robes of “university.” Such name changes are all legitimate, as these schools offer _ although some, very few _ accredited graduate programs, which is a key distinction for most. “University,” even one on a tiny campus with meager syllabi, can be a prestige selling point when competing for students. In the area, only William Jewell in Liberty and Benedictine in Atchison, Kan., still call themselves colleges. “We are never going to change our name just because everybody else has,” said Anne Dema, provost at William Jewell College, adding that Jewell is proud to be exactly what it is, a “good school,” ranked 127th nationally among the top 252 liberal arts colleges. “We have always been a college, and our focus is on undergraduate education.” Rockhurst in Kansas City, too, was content for decades to be called a college, even though it had been granted a university charter in 1951 and had been offering MBAs since 1976. “It was kept under wraps,” said Katherine Frohoff, director of public relations, who was at the school when it finally changed its name. Nor did the idea of abandoning “college” go over well with everyone. One incentive, she acknowledged, was the misperception of prospective students that a college would not have the academic programs that Rockhurst actually did offer. Also, she said, “many community colleges were dropping the word ‘community,’ and we didn’t want people to think we did not offer four-year programs.” It is a nationwide phenomenon. In the 27 largely Midwestern states categorized by the Higher Learning Commission, 143 colleges have taken upgrades to universities in the last 30 years.
Up north, St. Joseph Junior College became Missouri Western Junior College in 1966, then Missouri Western State College in 1974, and finally made the last leap in 2005 to Missouri Western State University.
the Association of American Colleges and Universities, said, “For the most part, universities offer graduate degrees and colleges don’t. And most of the time, liberal arts colleges are smaller than universities.”
Hannibal-LaGrange in Hannibal now puts university behind its name, with only a handful of full-time graduate students.
“It is just a name,” said Gay Clyburn, spokeswoman for the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, which established the widely used classifications. “There are no rules. No one has said this is what makes a college or this makes a university.”
Haskell Indian College in Lawrence began calling itself a university in 1993, clearly as a matter of prestige in the tribal educational hierarchy, despite offering no master’s and only four bachelor’s programs. Yale was the first college to offer a doctorate degree and therefore claims to have been the country’s first university. Out east among other prestigious Ivys, however, college does not denote lower-tier or even bachelor offerings only. Dartmouth College awards Ph.D.s, as do Middlebury College and Boston College. Well-known halls such as Vassar, Skidmore, and William and Mary in the East, as well as Claremont McKenna in California, have distinguished master’s programs, without needing a name change. (EDITORS: BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM) “The word ‘college’ describes us and fits us,” said Dema at William Jewell. “There are some very fine institutions with all sorts of names. Dartmouth College is one. We believe that ‘college’ fits our program commitment. We view ourselves as a national liberal arts college.” She said the Baptist-affiliated school has resisted the temptations of graduate programs so it can more closely focus on undergraduate studies in smaller classes with more student/ professor interaction. (END OPTIONAL TRIM) Even Jane Glickman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Education, which has no rules distinguishing a university from a college, fell unknowingly into the misperception trap. “My daughter goes to Oberlin College, and I wondered, why isn’t this a university?” she said. The Ohio liberal arts school, which ranks 24th nationally, does offer master’s programs in music. Debra Humphreys, spokeswoman with
The state of New York, on the other hand, took issue with Trump University two years ago. The Donald’s online venture into education, which offered no college credits, is now called the Trump Entrepreneur Initiative. Name inflation may be even older than grade inflation in higher education. Many of our universities began as “normal’ schools. Now in Kansas and Missouri, all public four-year institutions have university as part of their name. In 1972, schools in the string of Missouri state teachers colleges gave themselves a new name, just as those in Pittsburg and Emporia in Kansas changed their names five years later. Religious schools, such as the former Missouri Baptist College, followed suit, as have some medical schools, including those teaching the chiropractic arts. One of the most startling re-creations was West Suburban College of Nursing in Illinois morphing into Resurrection University. For-profit schools also jumped on the “university” bandwagon: Kaplan in 2004, DeVry two years earlier. Something called “Financial Peace University” offers classes in local church classrooms on straightening out personal finances. Benedictine College in Atchison, which teaches at the graduate level, has discussed changing its name, too. “To some degree, it’s kind of a marketing tool,” said Steve Johnson, director of marketing and communications. “ ‘University’ is at a higher level in the perceptions of the public.” But Johnson and his school can’t take advantage of it. A Benedictine University already exists in Illinois. “So we can’t very easily switch over.” Seminole Scribe 2012
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(Right) An image taken by Derek Demeter of the red planet, Mars, in the Planetarium parking lot. Derek used a Imaging Source DFK planetary imaging camera attached to a 10 inch Meade LX200 Telescope. The polar ice cap is visible at the top of the image, and the Martian atmosphere seems to be exhibiting a large number of high, wispy clouds. - The Planetarium at Seminole State College
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