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Registration opens Nov. 5 Payment deadline Dec. 5; unpaid drops begin Dec. 6 ASHTON JOHNSON Co-Executive Editor Registration for the Christmas mini semester and the 2013 Spring Semester opens Monday, Nov. 5, for current students. Students who are eligible to register themselves may do so beginning at 6 a.m. New students or students returning to KC after taking off a semester or more can begin registration Monday, Nov. 12. “Registering early gives students the opportunity to select the specific course, time and teacher they need for their own individual times and preferences,” said Pam Gatton, director of counseling and testing. Students who are currently enrolled in developmental courses must see an adviser. Beginning freshmen who have not completed a full
semester are required to see an adviser in the Counseling Center or make an appointment with a faculty adviser. Faculty advisers are available by appointment on both Kilgore and Longview campuses and will advise through Nov. 30. Sign-up sheets are posted by their office doors. The payment deadline is Wednesday, Dec. 5. Students who have not paid or have financial aid in place will have their schedules dropped on Dec. 6. Web registration will reopen 6 a.m. Friday, Dec. 7, and continue until midnight Wednesday, Jan. 9. The counseling centers will continue to make appointments and register students for classes Dec. 7 -13. Late registration will be by walk-in only on Jan. 9. The Christmas mini will begin on Dec. 17. The threeweek classes end Jan. 4, and the four-week classes end Jan. 11. Classes will not be held Dec. 24, Dec. 25 or Jan. 1. For more information, visit www.kilgore.edu and review the spring registration guide. Students can also view a tab titled “Available Courses” on the home page of the website. This tab shows all courses that have available space.
Randi Vinson-Davis / THE FLARE
HOMECOMING ROYALTY Sophomores Morris Williams II, representing the Ranger Ambassadors, and Du’Sharme Davis, representing the Cheerleaders, were crowned Homecoming King and Queen on Saturday. See Page 7 for more highlights.
The Flare
Friday, October 26, 2012 Vol. 76 No. 7 Serving Kilgore College since 1936
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Fact finding Beat bias by reading more PICKING A CANDIDATE The Match Game from USA Today uses a quiz asking for opinions on various issues to match takers to the candidate that best fits their views. Take it at: usatoday.com/ interactives/ news/politics/ candidatematch-game
ASHTON JOHNSON, ASHLEY MORALES & KHANDICE HORN Staff Writers
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here are 11 days until Election Day. It’s a national race that requires our country’s attention now more than ever. “I know we say every presidential election is critical, but it seems to me that this one is more critical than ones that have been in the past,” said Dr. Jeff Stanglin, government instructor. Today’s slogans, commercials, TV commentary and use of the Internet dominate the political campaigns and as a result, it is often difficult to look past what the media have to say about each candidate. It all comes down to research and personal opinion built on research.
“Of course the most convenient way is through the Internet, but the danger there is stumbling upon biased sources, so it’s kind of hard to sift through those websites,” Stanglin said. “I recommend going to a mainstream website.” Websites such as CNN, FOX, BBC and USA Today have election centers with all candidates’ views and often their own form of opinion. Government instructor Rick Moser concurs with Stanglin. “While the Internet is a great source of information, [students] have to be cautious about what websites they go to for facts on a candidate,” said Moser. “When they look at a website, notice who established the site and what their purpose was in doing so. For example, if you go to Obama.com you will get nothing but a rosy picture of the candidate, likewise for Romney.”
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It a ects your life, but you’re not truly being represented if you don’t go vote.” Dr. Jeff Stanglin, government instructor Candidates are judged by the positions they take on specific issues and the leadership qualities and experiences they could bring to office. The first step in choosing a candidate is to decide the issues one cares about and the qualities one would like to see in the leaders of our country. “Anytime you hear a candidate tell you something good he has done, or something bad the other candidate has done, check the facts,” Moser said. “You can do this by going to websites that devote themselves to being ‘fact checkers’ such as Snopes.com or factcheck.org. Even then you have to be careful. Fact checking sites run by media companies are slanted either liberal or conservative.” Stanglin and Moser encourage their students to watch the news and pay attention to what each candidate has to say. “Pay attention to the news. Don’t watch biased news. Watch CBS, ABC or NBC and just pay attention to what the candidates are saying and See ELECTION on Page 3
Bre a k i n g n ews, videos an d exten ded cover age at www.thef lareonline. com
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