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MONTAGE Serving the St. Louis Community College - Meramec community since 1964 • ACP Award Recipient VOLUME 55, ISSUE 11

MARCH 12, 2020

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from new mexico to new york O Meramec Music Program to perform ‘Chaco Symphony’ at Lincoln Center

n a sabbatical journey in 2015 through a canyon in northwest New Mexico along the part of the Four Corners region, Music Professor Gary Gackstatter had a life changing experience.

“I got a sabbatical a few years ago and spent time out in the desert, visiting Chaco Canyon, all the ruins and a lot of sites related to it. It covers about 90 square miles.

After spending time out there and learning from archaeologists and Native Americans, it was a very inspiring trip. Everybody that goes out there says, ‘there’s something out there.’ And when you walk around out there, you feel it. And that’s what I was trying to express through music,” he said.

The Meramec Symphonic Band, Meramec Orchestra and Meramec Choir will perform “Symphony Chaco,” inspired by the Chaco Canyon and written by Gackstatter, at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall in New York City on March 30.

Gackstatter said he was inspired through a documentary called “Mystery of Chaco Canyon.”

“It was made by a female artist who discovered that all the buildings out there are aligned with the cardinal directions that nobody knew. That’s been fairly recent in the last 20 years,” he said. “And that unlocked a whole bunch of [questions about] who were these people that built this? That’s some really sophisticated engineering.”

MAry Wilson opinions editor

According to Gackstatter, one of the biggest buildings out there had the space of the Roman Colosseum and they’re five stories high with 700 rooms in one building. By 1250, they were gone.

“They just walled everything up,

burned everything down and then built Chaco Canyon throughout Colorado, Arizona and Mexico,” said Gackstatter.

All of it is a very spiritual expression of how Native Americans feel about their place on earth toward each other, he said.

“It’s about how sacred the land is, for the sacred directions, or cardinal directions, in addition to above and below, so all the buildings were lined with the solar system,” said Gackstatter.

this thing practically wrote itself.”

Gackstatter said it was the easiest piece he’s ever written. “It was just a truly mystical experience for me,” he Gackstatter’s sabbatical plans were said. vague before he arrived at the Chaco According to Music Professor and Canyon.

Choral Director Dr. Jerry Myers, the “I made no reservations, I didn’t have trip to perform the “Chaco Symphony” any plans. I just walked around,” he said. in New York is a once in a lifetime “I wanted to listen, and go out there opportunity for faculty, but also students. “I think this is an outstanding opportunity to showcase our great program, and a terrific piece by Mr. Gackstatter.

We’re very fortunate that Manhattan Concert Productions took on this piece,” he said.

Gackstatter and Myer will take 100 performers on the trip that has been in the planning phase since the Fall semester. “The show of support by Manhattan Concert Productions and the college is credit to the work,” said Myers.

Gackstatter’s Chaco Symphony was first performed at STLCCMeramec in May 2016 and then later in Gallup, New Mexico. summitted photo In 2018, Meramec and without any preconceived ideas about it. UMSL orchestras combined to perform I was also prepared that it wouldn’t work. the symphony at the Touhill Center with But, as I was out there, these melodies a Native American flute player serving as would come to me and I would whistle the soloist. them into my phone.”

“He helped me write some of it,” said Gackstatter would then drive to the Gackstatter. “Just his presence and his college in Durango and compose the chanting and his flute playing really put symphony in the music department. the music way over the top. It’s really, “They ended up being all the melodies really a wonderful thing to be able to play that were in this symphony,” he said. “I with.”

Continued on p 3 didn’t have anything planned, but in all,

Ashley biundo editor-in-chief

STLCC Archers launch softball season at 3-1

Head coach takes the season ‘one game at a time’ Ashley biundo editor-in-chief STLCC Archers began the 2020 Softball season with a record of 3-1. Head Coach Kristi Swiderski said that their seasons have the same expectations as past seasons, which focuses heavily on making it to nationals.

“We’ve got a different mix of girls this year, a lot more speed, a lot more girls that can run and can force the other team to make errors,” she said. “But we’ve also got our big dogs back that can hit the

ball over the fence. It’s a good mix and I definitely think that we can repeat what we did last year.”

It’s a new season, but the same rivals for the Archers’ softball team, said Swiderski.

“Jefferson [College], obviously because we competed against them.

They’ve been labelled the number one team in St. Louis although we came in and have won six out of the eight times we faced them. So, that’s a must win for us,” Swiderski said. “Lewis and Clark [College] is another one team we play.

They bring their game up when they play Continued on pg 8

PHOTOs by JOhn hundley

Sidney Litviak throws a pitch against Kankakee Community College on March 7.

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NEWS 3

March 12, 2020

EDITORS ASHLEY BIUNDO

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

JACOB POLITTE

ONLINE EDITOR

BRI HEANEY JOOLS PULCHER MARY WILSON SYED ALI

Study Abroad Programs cancelled through August

STLCC pulls the plug on overseas trips with threat of Coronavirus

NEWS EDITOR ART & LIFE EDITOR OPINIONS EDITOR PHOTO EDITOR

STAFF ELIJAH BRASWELL EVE COHEN JOHN HUNDLEY HANNAH SCHOENROCK REMY XA

Shannon Philpott-Sanders Faculty Adviser

I

Jacob Politte online editor

n an email message sent to all STLCC employees from Chancellor Jeff Pittman on March 4, it was announced that STLCC will be cancelling the Study Abroad Program through the end of August. In a statement provided to The Montage from Christopher Sulincevski, the coordinator of the Study Abroad Program, he said “The decision was made by the college’s

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and safety of our community. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide timely updates and information as necessary.”

STLCC recommends students protect themselves from the virus by: washing your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds with soap and water, covering your mouth and nose when you’re coughing or sneezing, avoiding close contact with people who are ill and keeping your distance from others if you get sick.

Course Cancellations, Course Additions

What goes into getting a course added or removed from the schedule?

Jools Pulcher Art & Life editor

Facebook.com/ meramecmontage/

leadership team.”

These cancelled trips include travel to China, Russia, Colombia, Costa Rica, and Scotland. According to Sulincevski, the semester-long trip to Canterbury, England in the fall is still scheduled to take place as of this time. He also said that students who have made payments toward the canceled trips will be refunded.

In the email, Pittman reported that “We will work to schedule similar experiences in the future.” He also reiterated “[...] the college’s top priority is the health

It’s midterm week, which means registration for summer and fall semesters is looming. Spring Break is a time for students who are transferring to reflect on and review what courses and credit hours they need for completion of their degree programs.

At a time like this, students likely need accurate and up to date information on how certain processes work, so that if classes are cancelled, students can handle it accordingly. What goes into deciding which courses get added or removed from the schedule list during a given semester?

According to Dr. Ame Mead, the Dean of Arts and Communications on the Meramec Campus, the process which goes into deciding which classes are added or cancelled is part of a much larger process which involves scheduling for the entire college.

“In general, when we start to schedule, we are looking at past year’s data, sometimes immediately following the previous semester,” said Mead. “And, sometimes it’s the semester of the year before, we look for enrollment trends.

So we’re trying to have the same number of seats available as we had taken in the previous iteration. That is our baseline.”

In particular, enrollment numbers

are a big factor when determining what classes to keep and what classes to cut, said Mead.

“And then we look at how enrollment is going in the particular semester,” Mead said. “So if we have a section that is not picking up enrollment very quickly, or it doesn’t look like we’re going to have the same amount of enrollment then that might be one that we identify as one to cut as we get into the process.”

Mead said the college always tries to give classes enough time to gather enrollment.

“We try not to cut it very early, but if we have a class, say we have five sections and four of them are getting lots and lots of enrollment and we have one that’s really not getting enrollment, we start to wonder if maybe that time isn’t working for people,” she said. “And, so we want to eliminate that class early on in our cancellation process, to keep the health of the other classes going, and to look at the opportunity to do another day.”

Mead said college leadership evaluates whether or not that section should meet at a different time or if they should allow for adding a course.

“When we get closer to deadlines like the semester starting, those cancellations are done based on enrollment but also balanced with does a student in that class need it to graduate this semester? Is it the only opportunity for someone to progress in their program?” Mead said.

STLCC brings Chaco Symphony to NYC Continued from p. 1

Gackstatter said he has high hopes for the New York performance. He said it’s important to open up the world to how Native Americans treat each other, the land and their view of history.

“This has been a real life changer for me,” said Gackstatter. “Everything in my life is going to be before and after Chaco.

Being around the Native Americans and going to their sacred rituals and their dances and hearing their stories and reading all their histories really showed me that there’s a different way to live.

There is a different way to think about the words we speak, the actions we take, and how we treat each other.” summitted photo

According to Mead, there are a lot of different pieces that come together in both cancelling and adding courses to the schedule.

“On the adding side, we look at what’s on the schedule currently; is it full? Is it getting close to full? Do we need to add a section so that we can still have opportunities available for students? Do we have a big waitlist on a class? That would encourage an add,” she said.

Students can also influence adding a course, said Mead.

“Sometimes we have students who work together, and they don’t see the class that they want on the schedule.

And I may have a group of them and they’ll approach a chair and say, ‘There’s 15 of us who all want or need this class.’

So, we’ll look at those opportunities as well,” she said.

According to Mead, determining which classes to cut and keep is a like a science.

“There’s sort of like a science and an art to all scheduling and adding and canceling because you’re looking at numbers because you don’t want to put something out there that we can’t support with enrollment and then have to cancel it later,” said Mead. “But, we also want to make sure we have opportunities for students to either advance in their program or take an elective that they’re very interested in.”

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ART & LIFE 5

March 12, 2020

Humans of Meramec Syed Ali Photo editor

Ten Things To Do Over Spring Break Ways To Break The Lull Of Classes and Homework: Jools Pulcher Art & Life Editor

1. First things first: Get some sleep.

Classes are rough, and we all know the feeling of losing sleep over exams. So if you can, use this time over break to catch up on those missed ZZZs. 2. Alright, now that you are well rested, get out of the house. We aren’t all extroverts, so maybe socializing isn’t your thing, but regardless getting out of the house will do any college student some good.

3. Go driving. It doesn’t matter where or for how long, but rolling down the road with some tunes blasting and your windows down will blow that built up excess energy away. Enjoy being alive and in the moment; it’s worth it.

4. Go for a hike or get out into nature. With exams and classes it’s easy to forget that life wasn’t always like this, and that it won’t always be like this. Remind yourself of that with some reconnection to nature.

It sounds cheesy, but it works.

Baylee Rolfe “We took a cardboard box, cut off the top and cut two holes out of the sides so our hands could go into the box. Then, I duct-taped all the corners to make sure they don’t rip apart when we put in the moulding.

Next up, my friend and I put our hands in and added another layer of duct tape around where our arms went into the box so the liquid doesn’t come right out. My professor poured in the moulding which hardened and took the shape of the outside mould.

After sitting there for 30 odd mins, we were slowly able to wiggle our hands out. I duct taped one of the holes where an arm went in and propped it up. We then mixed the plaster together and dumped it in. We let it harden for a couple of hours, took apart the box and pulled away the moulding so it was just left with the two hands. For finishing touches, I scraped off any impurities that were left.”

5. Go see a movie. Sometimes escaping out of our world and into someone else’s can help reset how we see our world and can help with the stress you are facing.

6. Another cool way to escape into someone else’s world is to go visit a museum. St. Louis has a wide variety of museums, and whether you want to learn about history, art, or just be a kid again, there is bound to be a museum to suit your wants and needs.

7. Want a quieter option? Libraries are always a cool place to hang out.

And no, I am not talking about the campus library. Go to your local library and find a new adventure in a new book. It’s air conditioned/ heated, everyone is welcoming, and on top of all that, it’s free.

8. Want a more hyped up option than those above? Go to a party, orhave your own and invite people.

Hanging out with those you like or just letting loose for a party is a surefire way to relieve some stress.

Just make sure to party responsibly.

9. Are you a musical person? Go find a concert. Maybe it’s not a huge one or a well known one, but with a city as vast as St. Louis there is bound to be a concert happening somewhere that you’ll like. And don’t forget, trying something new isn’t always a bad thing either.

10. None of these work for you?

Check out your Facebook events list or google events near you, there are always cool things happening in a place like St. Louis, and you can find something that caters to what you like.

In the end, do what you like and have fun. We have half a semester left, so take some time for yourself this spring break and come back recharged and refreshed. You deserve it.

Circle Of Life Club seeks to educate and inform Ashley Biundo

T

Editor-in-chief

he Circle of Life Club believes that all life is equally valuable. Club President Alyssa Marin said that the club’s mission is to encourage and cultivate a culture of life on the campus.

“We have displays that are trying to educate our peers on campus, on various aspects of the pro-life movement,” she said. “We also hosted a representative from Students for Life of America and this particular display was educating people on basically when do they think life begins and then when does the heartbeat begin.”

The club hosts several events throughout the year.

“We do a toy drive in the fall semester for the holiday season and we donate those toys to a local pregnancy center to make it easier for their residents and their residents families to kind of have a nice holiday season and have presents to open for their kids,” said Marin.

They also work with the Student Assistance Program (SAP) office when they collect donations.

“We are having a baby item drive to collect new and very gently used baby items and also cash donations to purchase more items. We give the items we collect to the SAP office, so that they can give them to the

students that they’re helping,” said Marin. “Just to make it easier for them to choose life because you can’t ask somebody to choose life for their child and then say okay, good luck, have fun. You know, like, you have to follow up. You have to make it possible. So that’s really what we try to do.”

Another event that the club participates in is the Pro Life conference in Washington, D.C. in January, according to Marin.

When joining a club, most students look for a social aspect for their college life and Marin said that the club is very social. ”We are a very loud group and we are a joyful bunch,” she said.

But, the club’s focus is also to learn more about the Pro Life Movement and the meaning behind it. “If people want to learn more about the pro life movement, if people are pro life already, and they want to find an outlet and they want to be more active in the pro life movement, that’s the main reason people join our club,” Marin said.

The Circle of Life Club is all about all life being valuable and they try to support people, said Marin.

“People see our logo and they think we’re like Disney or something like that,” she said. On our flyers, I put a little slogan, ‘from womb to tomb, every life equally valuable’ which is really the point of being pro life. We focus a lot on abortion, and that’s kind of the hot button topic that a lot of people talk about. But, we do believe

that every life is equally valuable from fertilization to natural death.”

Not only do they talk about the hot-button issue of abortion, but they also talk about physician-assisted suicide and how everyone has a purpose in life.

“That kind of thing also broaches into the topic of being pro life because sometimes if people aren’t always mentally all with it, but otherwise they’re healthy and sometimes people might use that as an argument that maybe their life isn’t worth living anymore,” Marin said. “People talk about handicaps and like being stuck in a wheelchair or with a degenerative disease. People sometimes argue that people with chronic diseases, that their lives are not worth living anymore and that kind of gets into ableism because you’re saying that ‘Oh, because you can’t do x, y & z’ that an able bodied person will be able to your life really isn’t worth it anymore. So we disagree with that as well. And I would like it if we could, as a club, try to get more into that.”

The Circle of Life Club seeks to share their mission, said Marin. “You can’t argue that somebody’s life is valuable if they never made it out of the womb to begin with,” Marin said. “You can’t address the challenges that their life has if they never made it out of the womb. So that’s kind of really the starting point. All life throughout the course is equally valuable.”

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OPINIONS 7

March 12, 2020

Meramec’s Bougie Bathrooms College needs to rethink restrooms Elijah Braswell Staff Writer

B

athrooms, bathrooms, everywhere and not a one to use. Three on one floor, to be specific; and I am not allowed to use any of them. In the Science West building there are two faculty bathrooms (male/ female), and one public women’s restroom.

However, there are no public men’s restrooms on the first floor.

The situation is the same in the Business Administration building. As a result, to use the restroom while taking my Biology class I have to take the elevator upstairs, cross the entire building, cross back, take the elevator down, and return to class. I timed it; in total it took me nine minutes from classroom to bathroom - a grand total of 18 minutes; plus time to actually use the facilities.

Personally I have been able to avoid

this issue. As a disabled student in a wheelchair, Meramec has accommodated my situation and given me permission to use the faculty facilities.

However, this merely puts a band-aid on the issue; why should any student have to take 18 minutes just travelling to the bathroom during classes? Why do the faculty even need private bathrooms?

Shouldn’t what’s good for the goose be good for the gander?

Now take a gander at the legal requirements. According to OSHA.gov,

college has been following OSHA… for the faculty. What about the students?

Sure, they are not employees of the college and “technically” not required to have bathrooms within reasonable distances of students. However, 18 minutes is too much.

Disclaimer: I do not hate Meramec. In fact, I think they’ve been personally accommodating and this is likely just an issue of severely outdated buildings and poorly thought out upgrades; a common problem in campuses across the country, not just here. Overall I’ve had a positive experience here, but in order to keep that experience positive for future students I am trying to bring attention to this issue. The college needs to either convert the faculty bathrooms into public restrooms on floors where there are none or build new restrooms entirely.

Graphic by Hannah Schoenrock After all, if going to the “OSHA requires employers to provide all bathroom takes more than 18 minutes workers with sanitary and immediately- after a trip to Meramec, you should available toilet facilities (restrooms).” probably contact your doctor.

Obviously with multiple private bathrooms in multiple buildings, the

Jake’s Take: “Forensic Files II” exists, but doesn’t amaze

The new incarnation of the show is solid, but far too different from the original Jacob Politte Online Editor The original “Forensic Files” was a television institution. Orignally airing under the title of “Medical Detectives,” the show became a household favorite by recapping the process of solving a different crime (usually a murder) with each episode. 406 episodes of the show aired on 4 different networks over the course of 14 seasons, before it stopped production in 2011. Reruns continue to air on various networks to this very day. The simple fact of the matter is that the majority of America has morbid fascination with almost anything in the true crime genre, and especially with the topic murder. Anyone who says that they have not seen at least a few episodes is probably lying.

It makes sense then, in this age of television reboots and revivals, that “Forensic Files” would be brought back. New episodes, under the name “Forensic Files II” began airing on HLN on Feb. 23; 6 half-hour episodes have aired thus far. Many fans are happy to have to show back.

At this point, I’m not sure I can count myself among them.

I think that if this show were called anything other than “Forensic Files” it might work for me. But while the show maintains the same format and general feel as it’s predecessor, there are too

many differences with the original to ignore.

Some of the differences are unavoidable. The biggest difference is the show’s new narrator. Former narrator and legendary voiceover artist Peter Thomas died in 2016. Peter Thomas’ style of narration was an integral part of the original version of the show; at one point after his death, the show’s creator Paul Dowling refused to entertain the idea of reviving the show because of what Thomas’ contributions meant to the show’s success.

The new narrator, actor Bill Camp,

is not bad, but still comes off as trying too hard to make absolutely everything dramatic. His voice is not soothing like Thomas’ was whatsoever, but hopefully he’ll grow into the role.

While the show looks amazing in high definition, the production quality is definitely not up to par when compared with the original show. The music in the background is almost too heavy at points, and makes the show seem like an action thriller more than a science-based show.

That’s not to say that it’s a badly made show, because it’s not. There is a solid argument to be made that having any

new episodes “Forensic Files” is better than having none at all.

But the new “Forensic Files’’ is not what I was expecting. I’ve preached in past pieces for The Montage that “you can’t go home again” and about the dangers of nostalgia. This is the one piece of entertainment that defies my preaching. Some things, no matter how lucrative of an idea that it may seem to be, should not be resurrected.

GRADE: B-

8 SPORTS

March 12, 2020

First Aid course focuses on more than compressions and breathing

Students learn about life and death in the classroom ashley biundo editor-in-chief

W

hen it comes to picking out classes in the beginning of the semester, there are some classes that people take just to get their general education requirements out of the way and there are classes that teach life or death situations.

First Aid is one of those classes. First Aid/CPR/AED Instructor, Michael Moore teaches the class Mondays and Wednesdays. He said that the class is important to take because, “you’re going to be confronted with a life threatening condition sometime in your lifetime.”

First Aid is offered in Fall, Spring and Summer semesters, usually scheduled the first eight weeks. STLCC also offers community CPR classes in the second half of each semester, according to Moore. There are no prerequisites for this class.

Every semester, Moore said he has a mission for his students: to help someone in the time of need, instead of walking away. “The first real test which is outside my classroom is to make them willing to jump in and participate or help someone instead of walk away. You’re amazed how many people would just walk away,” he said. “I try to teach them more skills and have more confidence

that they can actually help someone.

I teach them adult CPR and how to do CPR on conscious or unconscious choking adults.”

Moore said he is always hopeful that his students will learn and be able to help save lives. He said the course also focuses on aspects of the American Red Cross. “I have a masters in sports medicine. I’ve been teaching this class for about 25 years. And, the American Red Cross, every five years or so changes [instruction]. And sometimes they’re good; sometimes they’re not. I try to do a little combination,” he said.

Moore said that First Aid is a rewarding class to teach. “I tell the kids when they come into a classroom that they’re coming in with blinders. They can only see what’s right now. I teach them to look at the scene instead of just running away from it. I’m very big on being cautious,” he said.

When it comes to First Aid and CPR Training, Moore teaches his students that it is more than that. “I want my students to know that CPR is more than 30 compressions and two breaths,” he said. “It is about checking the scene, it’s about how you approach a victim, how you check a victim for injuries and life-threatening conditions, how you properly send a bystander to call 911 and how to care for an injured/ill person.”

TOP LEFT: Student Victor Matthews performs AED with mannequin. MIDDLE LEFT: Moore shows the class cravat wrap with Victor. BOTTOM LEFT: Students Annabelle Rehmer and Jaden Mocumbi demonstrate F.A.S.T. for someone having stroke. F.A.S.T. stands for Face, Arm, Speech, and Time. MIDDLE: Annabelle and Jaden practice Anatomical and Rigid Splint. TOP RIGHT: Malika Butaboeva and Tin Tang practice Sling and Binder. MIDDLE RIGHT: Annabelle demonstrates how to wrap for severe bleeding on “victim” Lily Nguyen. BOTTOM RIGHT: Students Alyssa Alkire and Victor practice what to do when someone is consciously choking.

Continued from p. 1 us so they’re definitely a team that we can’t overlook.”

A solid defense and speed is what the Archers have this season, said Swiderski.

“Girls that can get on base and then hitting is always always a strength for us,” she said. “We’ve got some home run hitters and little ones that can just run around the bases,” she said.

Even with a strong defense and speed, the players have been dealing with injuries, said Swiderski. Fourteen out of 21 girls are able to play right now, she said.

“We just have a lot of injuries this year that we have to play carefully so that we don’t make injuries worse. The injuries are basically what our weaknesses are going to be,” said Swiderski. “We’ve got

a couple girls that have shoulder issues that actually do require surgery. It’s gonna be one game at a time, one pitch at a time to keep us together.”

Swiderski said that education is always first, though. “You’re not going to be able to play softball forever. And I’ve got kids that have had extra credit or study sessions. If it happens to be in the middle of practice, they go,” she said.

“Unexpected injuries can cause you to lose your career a little bit sooner.”

The Archers softball has had a good year GPA wise, according to Swiderski.

“We had a great GPA and we are congratulated by our AD [Athletic Director] for really good GPA averages.

The girls know where their focus is,” she said.

PHOTO BY JOHN HUNLEY The Archers Softball team reviews plays March 7 at a game against Kankakee Community College.