BEACON BEACON THE SMCC
Issue 5 Volume 12 April 1 2014
SMCC Goes to Guatemala
Snoop Dog Coming to SMCC
Colors of Our Community
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PAGE 5 PHOTOS 13 & 14
Joseph Mushishi
SMCC Computer Science Major & 2004 Gatumba Massacre Survivor
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By Charles Ishimwe
ugust 13th 2004. That evening, in a Gatumba refugee camp in Burundi, Africa, 166 innocent victims from the Democratic Republic of Congo were mercilessly slaughtered by armed factions and at least 116 others were maimed or seriously injured. Families were traumatized and all of those murdered and injured were of the Banyamulenge tribe. Prior to the massacre, the Banyamulenge tribe had been forced to leave their homes in the Southern Kivu region, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Sadly, the conflict still continues today in Southern Kivu as people are continuously murdered and girls are raped and assaulted. The research I have been doing for my film: Reign of Tears has lead me to Joseph Mushishi Ntezumwami who witnessed
first-hand the Gatumba massacre. Joseph is a student here at SMCC. The purpose of my film is to educate a greater community to the atrocities that have been visited upon the Banyamulenge tribe. Joseph was kind enough to share with me his accounts of that evening. Via email Joseph answered a few questions about his experience. I understand that the Gatumba massacre must have been an incredibly difficult ordeal to witness. Would you be open to sharing what you witnessed so our readers have a better understanding of the horror of this event? During the night of August 13, 2004, around 10:00 pm, in a refuge camp in Burundi called Gatumba, some people where already sleep and some where a wake when a group of rebels come and started savagely killed people, and burning some alive. In 2hours, 166 innocents were mercilessly slaughtered by those arm factions and 105 were injured. We were slayed while we were under the protection of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). Two days after Gatumba massacre Agoto Rwasa who was Hutu militia leader of (FNL) openly claimed to be responsible for the massacre on French International Radio I saw unbelievable crimes, I saw how children of under five years old were slaughtered and others burned to the deaf. They cried for help and no one could help them. In two hours friends, family members they were gone. Bodies were everywhere in that morning and I thought that it was the end of the world because I never seen things like that. Some how it was like a movie while it was reality. There were no future for the victim but most of the survivors were brought to the United States of (Continued on Page 6)
By the students, for the students
Midcoast Campus News
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Alpha Chi Nuz
ACN Wins Big at PTK Regional Convention! By Angelina Smith and Jason Glynn
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lpha Chi Nu, SMCC’s Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, is excited to welcome everyone back from Spring Break, and we hope you had an awesome time off and received plenty of much-needed sleep! While many students were getting in their last hurrahs over the weekend, so was Alpha Chi Nu at the 2014 Phi Theta Kappa New England Regional Convention! Your Chapter Officers and Advisor, Shane Long, squeezed into a vehicle and traveled to Nashua, New Hampshire for our regional convention. Hosted by Nashua Community College, the convention included inspirational speakers such as Luke Davis, Susan Edwards, and Scott Olesen. Informational lectures called “breakout sessions” educated PTK members and alumni about leadership in their chapters and communities, PTK endeavors such as Honors in Action, Five-Star Chapter Plans, College Projects, scholarships, and transfer opportunities. The Regional Convention finished with a delicious banquet, Awards Gala, and the results of the Regional Officer Elections. The Awards Gala honored Phi Theta Kappa members, officers, and chapters for outstanding achievements and contributions to their colleges and communities, as well as to PTK as a whole. Your very own SMCC Chapter, Alpha Chi Nu, brought home first place in both the Most Distinguished Officer Team and College Project categories! Our College Project for this year was the Captain’s Cupboard food pantry, something you may have heard about. We also achieved Five Star Status for our chapter, and five Honorable Mentions: Leanna Shields, Chapter President, and Jason Glynn, V.P. of Leadership, both earned a Most Distinguished Of-
Scott Ian: Speaking Words
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By Nicholas James Miller
ith sparks in the air, and a fistful of metal, I was had my first encounter with legendary guitarist Scott Ian as his band Anthrax made the State Theater erupt into chaos that one cool October’s night in 2012. I was seventeen, energetic, and more alive than I’d ever felt before as Anthrax brought the thunder to Portland. With opening bands Testament, and Death Angel, Anthrax had a monumental lineup for an unforgettable performance. Fast-forward to the present in 2014, Scott Ian has returned to Portland, this time, however, as a standalone act, telling stories and jokes about his time on the road, and recording in the studio with his band. Though he has never been the lead singer of his band (or even the lead guitar player), he has always been considered by the music community to be the front man and spokesman of Anthrax. His group is one of the “Big Four” thrash metal bands of the 1980’s, all four of which are still considered kingpins in the modern metal community. Though they have not sold as many records as the remainder of the “Big Four” lineup (which include the bands: Megadeth, Slayer, and Metallica), Anthrax has been proven to push more musical norms than any of the other three bands, who remained true to their “Thrash” roots (minus
Anglina Smith, Shane Long, Jason Glynn, Leanna Shields and Brent Lawson enjoy a meal at the PTK regional convention held in Nashua, NH. ficer Award, and Alpha Chi Nu as a whole received a Most Distinguished Chapter Award and two more honorable mentions for our Honors in Action Project and Honors in Action Project Theme! Our warmest congratulations to our new Regional Officer Team and all the fantastic people who participated in and made regionals a huge success! We are looking forward to hopefully winning more at NerdNation, the 2014 Phi Theta Kappa International Convention, in Orlando, Florida, later this April! We would also like to take a moment to congratulate and recognize a couple of our officers for some outstanding achievements this semester. Our Chapter President, Leanna Shields was just awarded the Student of the Year Award by SMCC President Ronald Cantor. Also, our V.P. of Leadership, Jason Glynn, was selected to be one of 14 Maine community college students to represent our state on the All Maine Academic Team, and he was also chosen as the Coca-Cola New Century Scholar!! This award is given to the top scoring scholar of every state, and next weekend he will
be flying down to Washington D.C to attend the American Association of Community Colleges President’s Breakfast to accept the award!! Alpha Chi Nu is holding an Induction Ceremony for all new Phi Theta Kappa members at SMCC. Friends and family are welcome to attend and share in the celebration of your achievements! The Induction Ceremony will be held on April 13th in Jewett Hall at the South Portland SMCC Campus, at 6 PM, however, all inductees must arrive by 5:30 PM. If you had a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher, then you should have received a letter or email inviting you to join PTK. You must accept the invitation by April 9th. If didn’t receive an invitation and you think you should have, or if you have other questions and/or comments, please stop by the Cesil Office, contact the Chapter President by email: leanna. shields@yahoo.com, or through Facebook, at https://www.facebook.com/alpha.chi.nu. Be sure to give us a “like” while you’re there, to stay updat-
more recent Metallica). Anthrax has partnered with rap groups, and has had dramatic lineup changes, although today, the band consists of more original members, including this show’s performer, Scott Ian, and original singer, Joey Belladonna, yet they always have managed to stand out, and remain popular with both old and new audiences of the heavy metal genre. The night started at nine, much later than most concerts would begin. I’m more likely than not the youngest attendee in the crowd. Though the show was eighteen plus, the majority of the night’s audience was men and women closer to my parent’s age than mine! Though the night was by no means a metal show, everyone in the audience was wearing a band T-shirt, leader jackets or chaps, chains, spikes, and practically every other typical sight you would see in any metal audience. I’ve been to my fair share of metal shows in my lifetime, but tonight was a casual evening, as far as I was concerned. If there had been a mosh pit, I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t have been surprised. Come to think of it, a mosh pit at a comedy show would have probably been the funniest part of the night. Scott Ian began his set with a segment of the book Scar Tissue, written about and by the members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Depicting the act of doing hard drugs before a show, everyone in the audience appeared puzzled as to why Scott Ian was reading this segment off of his iPhone, rather than making eye contact with his audience. As soon as he was done, in a sarcastic tone of voice, he said to us “HA, you all really thought that was about me?” He noted that because he had never opened
up a stand up show before, only musical performances, he wasn’t exactly sure how to do it. Ever since he began the tour he had been trying new things. What he felt started off the show best was opening it with a bit that someone else had written. As what he read might have come across as offensive, his stories would have seemed tame in comparison. Following his opening, he began talking about the early days of Anthrax, his youth, their first tour, and how he had gotten started. Telling stories about himself that no one would have ever known or expected, he easily got many gasps, and roof shaking laughter. The story that stood out to me the most was his first encounter with his hero, Lemmy, the front man of Motorhead. Scott Ian was in fact a straight edge early in the days of his band. Even after turning 21, he never drank alcohol. So when Lemmy offered to buy him a drink, he was able to truly capture the emotion he felt, and different thoughts that were going through his head at the time. As a memory he could look back on it and laugh, sharing it with us gave us, the audience the same reaction. The night concluded with an open floor, the audience asking Scott any questions they had, that he had not answered in the show. I had taken in more information about Anthrax that night than any behind the music documentary ever could have told me. It was an experimental performance from a fabled performer, and my only word to describe it would not be successful. It would likely be, Legendary. Scott Ian set in stone my fandom for the rest of my life. For everyone else, I would say to try to see him your self, the next time he comes around.
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