KC SPRINGS FORWARD WITH PEP RALLY Photo feature on Page 10
Tina Marie Reed / THE FLARE
The KC twirlers perform at the Spring pep rally held in Mike Miller Plaza.
The Flare
Friday, February 26, 2016 Vol. 79 No. 16 Serving Kilgore College since 1936
American Honors program available Fall 2016 MEAGHAN MORTON Managing Editor
Jodi Dosier / THE FLARE
Rick Moser talks about life from the comfort of his office, surrounded by some of his favorite memorabilia.
LIVING HISTORY KC instructor Rick Moser strives to ‘make history interesting’ LUCY LOPEZ Staff Writer
P
eople might think taking a history or government class will put them right to sleep, but having a conversation in his office, surrounded by Star Wars memorabilia and pre-20th century authentic literature, one will realize that Rick Moser is anything but boring. One thing that sets Moser apart right away is his childhood. He spent the early part of his life in Europe, going to school in France and graduating high school in Germany. “I was fluent in French by the time I was five,” Moser said. “I haven’t spoken it in a while, but I’m still pretty good at German. I’m one of those people who thinks if you go to a foreign country, you should at least try to learn a bit of
their language. It’s cultural courtesy.” He also grew up with a different perspective on issues going on in the U.S. “When I studied WWII, I lived in Germany,” Moser said. “We went to battlefields and talked to former German soldiers and I had friends who were soldiers. When the civil rights movement was going on in the U.S.; it was different for me. Where I went to school, we didn’t have the racial problems that were going on in America. Everything was pretty much equal.” Moser grew up in a military family. He was in the army for 22 years, 13 of those spent as a tank commander. He also worked intelligence for a couple of years. “You know the guy you see sticking his head out of the top of a
“We need to remember our history and know about our history. It helps us make decisions in the future.”
See MOSER, Page 3
The American Honors program will be available to KC students beginning in Fall 2016. According to program director Kelsey Johnson, the American Honors Program offers a quality, engaging, honors academic curriculum to help students develop skills to succeed and move on to their four-year transfer school. Members of the program will have access to an adviser who will guide them throughout their time at KC. Admission into the program is based on GPA, SAT and ACT scores. For a select few students, exceptions will be made. “Sometimes your honors student is a student who has that 4.0 GPA. They might also have some other things happen in their life but might not show academically they are very strong, but they might show leadership skills in other ways,” Johnson said. “We have an honors admissions committee; we look at each student and each application case by case.” To become a member, students have to pay more for tuition because they will take more specific American Honors courses. A limited number of scholarships are available to help students cover the extra costs. Another part of the program offers admission into other schools that also work with the American Honors Program. The program calls it the transfer network. “We have a large four-year university transfer network, and we actually have wonderful partnerships with schools all over the United States,” Johnson said. Transfer network schools include universities such as Stanford See HONORS, Page 3
INSIDE THIS ISSUE n Face in the Crowd Page 2 n Socratic Club Page 2 n Sports news and photos Page 4 -5 n KC music news and features Page 6 n Oscars Spotlight Page 7 n Artist Q & A Page 8 n Black History Month timeline Page 8 n Taking on Spring Break Page 9 n Spring Pep Rally photos Page 10
Cadets celebrate graduation JAMES SHREWSBURY Staff Writer More than 200 guests were on hand last Friday to witness the East Texas Police Academy graduation of Class 296. Joseph Cassin, ETPA director, kicked off the event by stating the academy has been active since 1966. “Since then, we have provided training to thousands of civilian and law enforcement professionals across the state. Currently, we provide law enforcement training across a 14-county area in East Texas that is serviced by the East Texas Council of Governments.” Additionally, ETPA is responsible for the primary and continuing education of more than 2,600 active law enforcement officers, as well as detention officers and dispatchers working across East Texas. Cassin then introduced graduation speaker, Kevin Reser. Reser, a relative of graduate Janice Vanover, is a sergeant with the San Antonio Police Department, where he has been employed since 1987. He is also a retired Chief Master Sergeant from the Air Force Reserve. Currently, he is Supervisor of the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Unit where he
handles drug cases on a federal level. “Twenty-eight years ago, I graduated from the San Antonio Police Academy and began my career as a police officer,” Reser said. “The moment I walked onto the stage and received my badge was one of the proudest moments of my life.” During his career at the SAPD, Reser served as a patrol officer, detective investigator working with the crime scene unit, and a narcotics detective. “In January of 2004, I promoted to my current rank of sergeant,” he said. “As a sergeant, I worked as a Patrol Sergeant, Dispatch Supervisor, Intelligence Unit Supervisor and I am currently supervisor of HITDU.” Reser left some words of wisdom for the graduating students. “Class, today you will leave this classroom and enter your communities and neighborhoods,” he said. “I thank you for the choice you have made to serve others. You will soon become part of a group of men and women who have sacrificed so much in order to serve others. There is no more noble expression of human decency then that. Leadership means not just doing the right thing, but Victoria Gilchrist / THE FLARE
See GRADUATES, Page 3
Sgt. Kevin Reser addresses the #296 Kilgore Police Academy graduates.